The Dusk Ball That Wouldn't Open (Japanese: メガすげぇ！？開かずのダークボールMega Awesome!? The Unopenable Dark Ball) is the 106th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,338th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on August 15, 2025, in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2026, and in the United States on March 20, 2026.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Blurb
Ult leaves the ship after a spat with Roy. While out, he meets a Trainer named Ryan, whose Grafaiai is a talented but limited painter; and Ryan wants it to expand its palate beyond Nanab Berries so it can also expand its artistic output.
Plot
In the observation deck of the Brave Olivine, Liko and Roy are trying to get Ult to clean the room since it's a shared space, but Ult doesn't see the problem. Roy ends up exploding at Ult, telling him to leave if he doesn't clean up properly. Rather than clean his room, Ult leaves the airship, thoroughly annoyed with Roy. Meanwhile, in Manpūku Town, a boy named Ryan is trying to sell some paintings while watching his Grafaiai make one. Unable to sell any, Ryan leaves his place and passes by some Trainers talking about Strong Spheres, making Ryan interested in one to help his Pokémon. At that time, a hungry Ult arrives in Manpūku and spots some Nanab Berry trees. He tries to pluck one Berry but is stopped by Ryan, who claims the tree is his, leading to the two arguing until the trees' true owner comes out and his Mabosstiff chases the two boys. The two are able to get away from the Boss Pokémon and rest for a while. When Ryan gets up to leave, he and Ult see their Pokémon getting along very well, making Ryan much more willing to be friends with Ult to the point of sharing his food with the hungry boy. It turns out because of Grafaiai's picky nature, it's difficult for Grafaiai to interact with anything new, hence why seeing Grafaiai getting along with Sableye made Ryan really happy. Ult notes the close bond Ryan has with Grafaiai, and he doesn't deny it. Upon seeing Grafaiai trying to eat Sableye's gems, Ult suggests having Grafaiai eat something that Sableye can also eat, resulting in the Toxic Monkey Pokémon successfully eating an Oran Berry for the first time. After plucking more berries, Ryan brings Ult to his place and they begin talking. Ult brings out his Dusk Ball, telling Ryan there's an amazing Pokémon that hasn't acknowledged him yet. The two boys then talk about Ryan's desire to help Grafaiai become a better artist, and Ryan almost asks Ult something but backs out at the last second.
The next morning, Roy finds Ult gone. Liko and Dot come to find out what's going on, and the latter notes the random rocks laying around. Roy initially agrees, but realizes the rocks are simply memories of the journey Ult had been on and that he acted wrong when talking with Ult the day before. Wanting to apologize to Ult, Roy leaves to find him despite having no leads to do so. Meanwhile, Ult wakes up to find not only Ryan gone but also his Dusk Ball. Seeing the blue saliva left on his bag, Ult tracks down Ryan with the saliva that Grafaiai left behind. In Manpūku Town, a store owner is in the middle of completing a transaction when Ryan arrives with the Dusk Ball he stole from Ult, hoping to trade it for a Strong Sphere. Indi and Rubina hear the exchange and agrees to the trade just as Ult comes demanding for his Poké Ball back. Upon seeing Ult, Rubina stows away the Dusk Ball in her pocket, Ult then engages the two Explorers in a battle, with the latter using the Strong Spheres on both their Darmanitan. Despite landing the first hit, Sableye is quickly overwhelmed by their strength. Grafaiai steps up to help its friend by dealing damage with Sludge Bomb, but a Fire Punch from Rubina's Darmanitan sends it flying. Ryan tearfully apologizes to everyone for causing this mess as he holds his weakened partner. Ult Mega Evolves Sableye into Mega Sableye while Ryan watches the two Darmanitan attack fearfully. He even tells Ult to abandon him for his mistakes when he sees Mega Sableye struggling, but he refuses to, saying that there's no reason to fight for someone's sake. Unseen to the others, Ult's Dusk Ball begins shaking in Rubina's pocket. Ult has Sableye press on, but when it is nearly defeated, the Dusk Ball opens to save Mega Sableye, revealing a Dragonite in the process. Dragonite is able to take on and defeat the two Laquium-enhanced opponents singlehandedly, forcing the Explorers to retreat. Ult chases after the truck that the two Explorers are in as Ryan thanks him.
Afterwards, Roy arrives in Manpūku Town, having just missed Ult. He asks Ryan, who is suspicious of Roy. Upon hearing his intention with his friend, Ryan tells Roy where Ult went and finds Roy to be a good person too when he compliments the painting on his back. At their usual place, Ryan happily watches Grafaiai paint with a new color.
Ult and Sableye narrate the preview for the next episode.
Errors
When Indi and Rubina recall their respective Darmanitan after being defeated by Ult's Dragonite, Rubina recalls Indi's Galarian Darmanitan while Indi recalls Rubina's Darmanitan despite not switching their Darmanitan to use their respective Zen Modes like they would in the next episode.
