Pokemon Horizons Episode 24 Recap: The Mystery of Rakua

Pokemon Horizons' first narrative arc came to a close on October 13, 2023, with the debut of the anime's 24th episode, "Reunion at the Old Castle". This episode brings the "Liko and Roy's Departure" arc to an end and ushers the series into the next narrative arc known as "The Sparkling of Terapagos". As a result, watchers got plenty of season-long questions answered.

Episode 24 dove hard into the mysteries surrounding the ancient trainer Lucius, the connection between him and Liko's pendant, and why sinister individuals continuously seek the pendant out.

For Pokemon Horizons fans who may have missed the episode or were a bit confused, it doesn't hurt to re-examine the events of Episode 24 as they happened.

---

Breaking down what happened in Pokemon Horizons Episode 24

Stonjourner reveals the path to the Old Castle in Pokemon Horizons. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon Horizons Episode 24 begins back on the Brave Asagi, where the Rising Volt Tacklers are deducing the identity of the Pokemon that transformed from Liko's pendant and has yet to change back like in previous episodes. The group decides to visit Liko's grandmother to get some answers about the pendant, the creature, and the mystery centered on the trainer Lucius.

Elsewhere, Amethio of the Explorers reveals his findings in the Galar Mine to Hamber, who suggests that Amethio, Onia, and Zirc continue pursuing the Rising Volt Tacklers to Hammerlocke. However, Hamber calls Onyx and Sango and demands that they assist their fellow Explorers in retrieving the mysterious Pokemon accompanying our heroes.

Liko's grandmother awaits in the Old Castle. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In the Wild Area, the gang is confused about which castle they should visit to find Liko's grandmother. Fortunately, the latter's Squawkabilly arrives and leads them to a path headed toward the Old Castle. The group reaches a stone wall and thinks for a moment that they're stuck, but a Stonjourner reveals itself as part of the wall and opens up to allow passage.

The Explorers give chase but arrive too late to follow our Pokemon Horizons heroes through the hidden tunnel. As a result, they fumble about, incapable of detecting the Stonjourner right away. Meanwhile, Liko informs Roy and Friede about her grandmother, remarking that she barely ever sees her. Even when they do meet, things are usually cut very short.

Liko's grandmother Diana and her Squawkabilly in Pokemon Horizons. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Upon reaching the Old Castle, the Pokemon Horizons trio comes face to face with Liko's grandmother, Diana, who has been using the faded fortress as a refuge to harbor wild Pokemon and look after them as they roam about. Diana thanked the trio for keeping the pendant safe, as she had also been targeted by malicious groups who wished to steal it.

As Liko and Friede attempt to explain their recent adventures, the mystery Pokemon jumps out of Liko's bag and approaches Diana, who aptly identifies it as Terapagos. She notes that she didn't expect her pendant to be a sleeping Terapagos and that this form of the Pokemon looks different from the one she's familiar with, which has a large shell.

Diana meets Terapagos in Pokemon Horizons. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Diana theorizes that Terapagos was also a companion of the ancient trainer Lucius, Amethio finds the Stonjourner hidden on the castle path and attacks it with Ceruledge. Our heroes enjoy food and tea while Diana shares the story of why she became an adventurer, which began when she found the pendant in the attic paired with a book by Lucius himself.

For decades, Diana wasn't able to find any leads about Lucius, which led to her giving up her search and adventuring as she pleased instead. After a group offered to assist Diana on her adventures and turned out to be after her pendant, she gave the pendant to Liko and hired the Rising Volt Tacklers to protect her granddaughter, starting the events of Pokemon Horizons' story.

Diana searched for clues about Lucius in her youth. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Roy takes the initiative to share the ancient Poke Ball that the black Rayquaza had appeared from, and the Pokemon Horizons heroes recall that they received strange visions when encountering Pokemon linked to Lucius, like the Arboliva in the Paldean forest and the Galarian Moltres in the Galar Mine. Liko then surmises that the visions were, in fact, Terapagos sharing its memories.

This leads Liko to ask Diana if she knows what "Rakua" means, as the name was uttered by Lucius to Galarian Moltres in Pokemon Horizons Episode 23. Terapagos cries out and heads to a nearby door upon hearing the word, and Diana states that Rakua is an alleged paradise that Lucius wanted to find. She then attempts to leave to retrieve the ancient explorer's memoirs.

Amethio and the Explorers breach the Old Castle in Pokemon Horizons. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Amethio, Zirc, and Onia manage to break into the Old Castle while Diana is busy. Friede sends out his Charizard to face off against Amethio's Ceruledge once again, but Zirc and Onia seal the escape routes, preventing Liko and Roy from fleeing. Terapagos notices Amethio and wrests itself free of Liko's grasp while staring down the sinister Explorer and letting out another cry.