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{{EpicodePrevNext|
prevcode=HZ092 |
prevtitle=Following Traces of Laquium |
nextcode=HZ094 |
nexttitle=The Pokémon Center Lady |
series=Pokémon Horizons: The Series |
colorscheme=Z-A}}
{{EpisodeInfobox|
epcode=HZ093 |
altepcode=EP1325 |
colorscheme=Z-A |
title_en=Clash of the Nidothing Fans |
title_ja=ガチ推し！？ぐるみんファン対決！！ |
title_ja_trans= Super-Stans?! A Gurumin Fan Showdown!! |
broadcast_jp=April 25, 2025 |
broadcast_us=January 6, 2026 |
en_op=[[Evolving Again]] <span style="font-size:x-small">(international)</span><br>[[GET BACK]] <span style="font-size:x-small">(Asia)</span> |
en_ed=[[Evolving Again|Evolving Again (instrumental)]] <span style="font-size:x-small">(international)</span><br>[[Ready Go]] <span style="font-size:x-small">(Asia)</span> |
ja_op=[[GET BACK]]|
ja_ed=[[Ready Go]] |
olmteam=Team Kumemura |
scenarion=1 |
scenario=松澤くれは |
storyboardn=1 |
storyboard=尼野浩正 |
directorn=1 |
director=植田千湖 |
artn=13 |
art=忍田雄介 |
art2=阿部俊成 |
art3=高星佑平 |
art4=新岡浩美 |
art5=花井柚都子 |
art6=Chuckle Mouse Studio |
art7=Mixemirai |
art8=OLM Thailand |
art9=Prommee Saksit |
art10=Sato |
art11=ル ラフォート |
art12=えりある |
art13=X10 |
morecredits=yes |
epstaffpage=HZ091-HZ100 |
footnotes=* {{BMGf|306126|Preview thread on BMGf}} ''Closed''
* {{BMGf|306590|Original review thread on BMGf}}
* {{BMGf|308848|Dub review thread on BMGf}}
}}
'''Clash of the Nidothing Fans''' (Japanese: '''ガチ推し！？ぐるみんファン対決！！''' '' Super-Stans?! A {{tt|Gurumin|Nidothing}} Fan Showdown!!'') is the 93rd episode of ''[[Pokémon Horizons: The Series]]'', and the 1,325th episode of the [[Pokémon animated series]]. It first aired in Japan on April 25, 2025, in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2025, and in the United States on January 6, 2026.
{{spoilers}}

==Blurb==
<!--https://www.pokemon.com/us/animation/horizons/3/clash-of-the-nidothing-fans-->
<i>Liko and Roy are in Teacup Town to meet up with a Nidothing viewer who claims to have seen the black Rayquaza. Nicknamed “Litten Smitten,” the viewer is happy to help out Nidothing, but her attitude changes when she learns Liko and Roy are members of the Rising Volt Tacklers. She insists on a battle—and if she wins, Liko and Roy have to stop being friends with Nidothing! Liko sends in Meowscarada against Litten Smitten’s Incineroar, which has the advantage as a Fire type. Can Meowscarada defy the odds and win?</i>

==Plot==
While recording a [[Nidothing]] livestream accompanied by her {{TP|Dot|Quaxwell}} and {{TP|Dot|Tinkatuff}}, Dot asks viewers for any information regarding rare or legendary Pokémon, or Pokémon using moves that the Pokédex does not account for (in an attempt to find potential whereabouts of the [[Black Rayquaza]]). Upon seeing that the chat is no longer adding any comments to the livestream, she freaks out and begs the audience for any small detail. It is immediately after this that a long comment appears on screen, relating to the Black Rayquaza, to Nidothing's surprise.

[[Liko]] and [[Roy]] have arrived at [[Teacup Town]]. They look out over a large patch of farmland, where farmers are working, aided by a few {{p|Machoke}} and {{p|Machop}}. They comment on the fragrant smell of tea leaves, before walking ahead to their supposed meet-up spot. They do not know a lot about who they intend to meet up with, only that their name is [[Litten Smitten]] and they are a big fan of Nidothing, which concerns Liko a little, since she has not watched a lot of Nidothing content over the last year. Roy comforts her, and they soon find Litten Smitten, accompanied by two {{p|Litten}}. She introduces herself as a Litten SuperFan, and rushes to [[Captain Pikachu]], commenting on how cute he is, to his disappointment. Liko points out all of the Nidothing merchandise she is wearing, asking where she got it from, to find out that it was all homemade. Liko and Roy introduce themselves, and Litten Smitten announces her pleasure at meeting people who work with Nidothing. Roy asks for a follow-up on her earlier mention of the Black Rayquaza, but before all of that she wants to see Nidothing first, and is very disappointed upon hearing that she will not get to meet her after all. Litten Smitten says she will only speak to Nidothing, and so before she leaves, Nidothing appears on Roy's [[Rotom Phone]]. She is very excited at the prospect of speaking to Nidothing, and happily accepts to guide Liko and Roy to where she saw Rayquaza.

Litten Smitten and Liko talk a little on how she knows Nidothing, and [[Liko's Meowscarada]] gets jealous after the two Litten climb onto Liko's legs. Soon after Liko mentions she has not interacted with Nidothing's livestreams in a while, Litten Smitten seems to be irritated, leading to an awkward moment. Now in the middle of a large clearing, they have a little trouble finding where Litten Smitten saw the Rayquaza, and so she asks them why they want to find it, to which Roy answers that he wants to catch it. He says it has been his dream since he joined the [[Rising Volt Tacklers]], though Litten Smitten instantly recognizes the name and loses all trust in them. She is well aware of [[Exceed]]'s announcement, and the claims they have made regarding the Rising Volt Tacklers, and refuses to help them further before challenging Liko to a battle. She accepts, and readies Meowscarada for battle. In turn, Litten Smitten sends out her {{p|Incineroar}}. Litten Smitten comments on how both her and Liko are using using cat-based Pokemon, and that her Incineroar has the advantage due to its Fire-typing.

After Cap starts the battle, Meowscarada starts off with {{m|Flower Trick}}, blocked by Incineroar's {{m|Darkest Lariat}}, a move that is then dodged. After skillfully dodging a {{m|Double Kick}}, Meowscarada goes in for {{m|Acrobatics}}, which is blocked by Incineroar's {{m|Bulk Up}}. Meowscarada wraps Incineroar's leg with her flower in an attempt to trip it, but Incineroar counters and just uses that to bring Meowscarada closer with Darkest Lariat, then lands a Supereffective {{m|Flamethrower}} in close range. Liko's Pokémon is badly hurt, but she is still able to get up despite that. While the others comment on Incineroar's incredible attack power, Liko points out in her head that, though it is powerful, Incineroar tends to use simple attacks and patterns. That means, though the type matchup is not in her favor, the battle can still be won. After another well-timed dodge, Meowscarada hits Incineroar with Acrobatics just as its Darkest Lariat attack is about to end, making it hit the ground. And after a Double Kick is countered by a strong {{m|Magical Leaf}} attack, Meowscarada is now nowhere to be seen. Appearing behind Incineroar, Meowscarada uses Flower Trick, though it is blocked with Darkest Lariat once again. However, Liko's plan is not over. Just as Incineroar is about to finish off the battle with Flamethrower, an invisible flower bud, still stuck to its belt, explodes as Incineroar attempts to use Flamethrower, damaging it greatly. The battle is not over however, and Incineroar and Meowscarada both face each other.

Just as the battle is about to resume, [[Ult]] suddenly appears from some nearby trees, running in fear from a swarm of {{p|Dodrio}}. The swarm surrounds the group as Ult explains that he had unknowingly trespassed into their territory. The group is also has been surrounded by a group of {{p|Fearow}}, whom Ult had also angered. Once he stops arguing with Roy, Ult and Litten Smitten prepare to fight the hordes, only for Liko to stop them, saying the Pokémon did nothing wrong. The rest of her and Roy's Pokémon are sent out, and [[Pagogo]] switches to its {{fd|Terapagos|Terastal Form}}. Pagogo blocks the wild Pokémon attacks with {{m|Protect}}, {{TP|Roy|Lucario}} stops their running with a {{m|Flash Cannon}} on the ground, Cap and Meowscarada distract them with {{m|Double Team}} and Flower Trick respectively, {{TP|Roy|Kilowattrel}} and {{TP|Roy|Crocalor}} and Roy all start singing to calm the Pokémon, and finally, {{TP|Liko|Hattrem}} restores all of them to full health with {{m|Heal Pulse}}. The Fearow and Dodrio then leave the area in peace.

Liko wants to resume her battle, but Litten Smitten says there is no need, since she now sees that they are not bad guys after all. Now that their search continues, Litten Smitten finally reveals that she did not see a Black Rayquaza at all, and that she only commented on that livestream out of impulse. Ult and {{TP|Ult|Sableye}} leave in annoyance. Litten Smitten apologizes profusely to Nidothing on the Rotom Phone, saying she only wanted attention from her, and had even taken her username from Liko's (who she knew used to be a regular commenter on Nidothing's streams). Nidothing understands, and assures her that Liko does not get special treatment despite being friends with her in real life. Liko also notes how Litten Smitten has a strong bond with her Pokemon, based on her battle with Incineroar. Now leaving on a good note, Liko and Roy continue their journey.

==Major events==
<!-- This is not for summarizing everything that happens in this episode. Only events pertaining to the series as a whole, such as catching and releasing Pokémon and obtaining Badges, go here. -->
{{animeevents|HZ}}

===Debuts===
====Humans====
* [[Litten Smitten]]

====Pokémon debuts====

==Characters==
===Humans===
* [[Liko]]
* [[Roy]]
* [[Dot|Nidothing]] (video)
* [[Ult]]
* [[Litten Smitten]]
* Farmers

===Pokémon===
* {{p|Meowscarada}} ({{OP|Liko|Meowscarada}})
* {{p|Hattrem}} ({{OP|Liko|Hattrem}})
* {{p|Terapagos}} ([[Liko]]'s; [[Pagogo]]; {{form|Terapagos|Normal and Terastal Form}})
* {{p|Crocalor}} ({{OP|Roy|Crocalor}})
* {{p|Kilowattrel}} ({{OP|Roy|Kilowattrel}})
* {{p|Lucario}} ({{OP|Roy|Lucario}}; {{Shiny}})
* {{p|Pikachu}} ([[Friede]]'s; [[Captain Pikachu]])
* {{p|Rotom}} ([[Roy]]'s; [[Rotom Phone]])
* {{p|Quaxwell}} ({{OP|Dot|Quaxwell}}; video)
* {{p|Tinkatuff}} ({{OP|Dot|Tinkatuff}}; video)
* {{p|Sableye}} ([[Ult]]'s)
* {{p|Litten}} ([[Litten Smitten]]'s; ×2)
* {{p|Incineroar}} ([[Litten Smitten]]'s)
* {{p|Machoke}} (Farmers'; ×2)
* {{p|Machop}} (Farmers's)
* {{p|Dodrio}} (multiple)
* {{p|Fearow}} (×5)

==Trivia==
* [[Mega Nidothing's Mega Mega! Mega Evolution]]: {{p|Sableye}}
* The first [[List of Pokémon Horizons: The Series eyecatches|eyecatch]] features [[Liko]] with her {{TP|Liko|Meowscarada}}, {{TP|Liko|Hattrem}}, and [[Pagogo]], and the second features [[Dot]] with her {{TP|Dot|Quaxwell}} and {{TP|Dot|Tinkatuff}}.
* Despite ''[https://twitter.com/i/user/4274109794 Mixemirai]'', ''{{r|Prommee Saksit}}'' and ''Sato'' working for their respective studios as animation directors, ''[https://twitter.com/i/user/1411357127851974656 Chuckle Mouse Studio]'' and ''{{r|OLM Thailand}}'' themselves were left uncredited in the ending credits for that role and added into the listing for clarification purposes.
* The episode's English [[dub]] title is similar to that of a [[BW080|previous episode]].
* This is the first episode of the ''Mega Voltage'' arc of {{aniseries|HZ}} to not showcase a Mega-Evolved Pokémon in any capacity.
* [[Captain Pikachu]] acts as the referee during the battle between Liko and [[Litten Smitten]], being the second Pokémon overall to oversee a battle in the {{pkmn|animated series}} after [[Ash's Pikachu]] did so in ''[[JN138|A Fated Face-Off!]]''.
* Meowscarada, Liko, [[Roy]], and {{TP|Roy|Crocalor}} narrate the preview for the [[HZ094|next episode]].

===Errors===
===Dub edits===

==In other languages==
{{Epilang|color=79DD91|bordercolor=208338
|nl={{tt|Botsing tussen de Nidothing-fans|Clash of Nidothing Fans}}
|fi={{tt|Nidothing-fanien kohtaaminen!|Clash of Nidothing fans!}}
|he={{tt|עימות מעריצות נידוטינג|Nidothing Fans Clash}}
|it={{tt|Scontro tra fan di Nidotina|Clash between Nidothing fans}}
|pl={{tt|Starcie fanek Nidothing!|Clash of Nidothing fans!}}
|pt_br={{tt|Disputa entre fãs da Nidotina|Dispute between Nidothing fans}}
|es_la={{tt|Choque de fans|Clash of fans}}
|sv={{tt|Mötet mellan Nidofansen|The meeting between Nido fans}}
}}
{{-}}
{{EpicodePrevNext|
prevcode=HZ092 |
prevtitle=Following Traces of Laquium |
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nexttitle=The Pokémon Center Lady |
series=Pokémon Horizons: The Series |
colorscheme=Z-A}}
{{Project Anime notice}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1325}}
[[Category:Pokémon Horizons: The Series episodes|093]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Kureha Matsuzawa]]
[[Category:Episodes storyboarded by Hiromasa Amano]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Chiko Ueta]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Yusuke Oshida]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Toshinari Abe]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Yūhei Takahoshi]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Hiromi Niioka]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Yuzuko Hanai]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Chuckle Mouse Studio]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Mixemirai]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by OLM Thailand]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Prommee Saksit]]
<!--[[Category:Episodes animated by Sato]]-->
[[Category:Episodes animated by Lu Laforte]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by A-Real]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by X10]]
[[Category:Episodes by one-time animation directors]]
[[Category:Episodes by multiple animation directors]]
[[Category:Episodes focusing on Liko]]
[[Category:Episodes in which an alternately colored Pokémon appears]]
[[Category:Episodes in which a Legendary Pokémon appears]]
[[Category:Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States]]

[[de:Gachi Oshi!? Gurumin Fan Taiketsu!!]]
[[es:EP1329]]
[[fr:LH093]]
[[it:OP093]]
[[ja:2023年版第93話]]
[[zh:宝可梦 地平线 第93集]]