Pokemon Horizons Episode 16 Recap: Showdown with Spinel

Pokemon Horizons has been building for quite some time for its heroes to face off against the dastardly Explorers again, and things came to a head as Episode 16, "As Long as I'm With Quaxly, I Can Do It," aired in Japan on August 4, 2023. In the search to retrieve Liko's beloved pendant, the Rising Volt Tacklers came into conflict with Spinel, who has been ambushing them for quite some time.

The past previous episodes' worth of sabotage finally resulted in a full-blown battle between Pokemon Horizons' protagonists and the sinister Spinel, and plenty of assistance came in the form of Quaxly, Dot's partner, who certainly had a ton of time on-screen in Episode 16 as well.

For Pokemon Horizons fans who may have missed out on the latest entry in the ongoing series, it doesn't hurt to examine how events unfolded in the episode.

---

Breaking down what happened in Pokemon Horizons Episode 16

At the outset of Pokemon Horizons' 16th episode, the Rising Volt Tacklers are deducing a counterattack to retrieve Liko's pendant after it was swiped by Spinel and his Magneton and Beheeyem. In the meantime, Dot thanks Quaxly for being her partner, and Friede offers a Pokeball so that Dot can catch the Water-type Pokemon.

It turns out that Dot hadn't intended to become a trainer and simply enjoyed spending time with Quaxly. However, she takes Friede up on the offer and throws the Pokeball at Quaxly, albeit quite badly, so the Water-type Pokemon had to essentially allow itself to be caught.

The gang splits up to cover more ground and notices that a nearby cruise ship is departing Paldea soon, leaving Friede and Charizard to investigate. There, they're ambushed by a mysterious trainer who attacks them with a Bisharp. The remaining Volt Tacklers tell the younger members to stay behind due to the danger, but the ancient Pokeball begins glowing, leaving Liko to believe that her pendant is close.

With its keen eyesight, Quaxly spots a van being placed on a nearby ship, so it and Dot board the vessel. Back on the cruise liner, Friede and Captain Pikachu notice that the mysterious trainer isn't their target, and he has no clue what he's doing either. Murdock then calls these Pokemon Horizons heroes and states that Dot's signal is being jammed like in previous episodes.

While Dot is exploring the other ship, she's ambushed by Spinel's Beheeyem and attempts to hypnotize her before Quaxly intervenes. As Dot attempts to call the other Volt Tacklers, Spinel appears on-screen and taunts her. With Dot and Quaxly in a poor spot in the battle, Liko and Roy jump onboard and assist with Sprigatito and Fuecoco.

Despite the heroes' efforts, the battle with Spinel isn't going well. Wattrel accidentally hits Fuecoco with friendly fire, forcing Roy to break the two creatures up from fighting each other. However, the gang manages to beat Beheeyem and Magneton, and Dot demands Spinel give up the pendant.

Unfortunately, Spinel has more creatures in his arsenal, and the Pokemon Horizons villain sends out his Umbreon, which overwhelms Liko, Roy, and Dot. Suddenly, Liko's pendant activates, blinding Spinel and causing him to drop the container holding it. Sprigatito swoops in and snatches the pendant as Arboliva appears to stare down Spinel.

The Pokemon Horizons antagonist backs away, and Arboliva ferries Liko, Dot, and Roy back to shore and the Rising Volt Tacklers. Back on the Brave Asagi, Dot finally reveals to Liko and Sprigatito that she is Nidothing, heavily shocking Liko and her partner Pokemon.

Spinel makes his reports to Hamber and the other Explorers, and he is thoroughly chided by Onyx, Sango, and Agate for his failures despite his preparations. Spinel steps out of his van with Umbreon and looks to the horizon, remarking that the mystery surrounding Liko and the pendant has only made him more curious, adding to the Pokemon Horizons intrigue.