The Strong Sphere (Japanese: ストロングスフィアThe Strong Sphere) is the 95th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,327th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on May 9, 2025, in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2025, and in the United States on January 6, 2026.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Blurb
After coming across an Exceed facility, Liko and Roy investigate and find the company holding a public demonstration of a new product called the Strong Sphere. They watch as Dash, another Trainer from their Tera Training course, uses a Strong Sphere to power up her Swanna and easily defeat the opponent’s Electivire. Then, Coral and Sidian appear for an exhibition match, and they want to battle Liko and Roy! Using Strong Spheres, the Explorers power up their Pokémon, but Liko and Roy refuse to try to new device. Will Meowscarada and Crocalor be able to keep up in battle?
Plot
During breakfast in a hotel lobby in Mochew City, Liko, Roy, and Dot discuss the facility that was found earlier and the upcoming demonstration of a new product. Liko and Roy believe there is a connection between the product demonstration and Vileplume going berserk near the building and decide to investigate further, with Dot deciding to collect more information in the meantime.
At the Testing Center, Liko and Roy see a bus dropping off some Trainers including Ult, who appears off. They then get spotted by a security guard, who mistake them as more Trainers arriving for the demonstration, and are ushered in. As the demonstration starts, Liko and Roy witness Dash being given a Strong Sphere and using it on her Swanna during a battle against an Exceed employee to win the battle. During the battle, the two notice similarities between Swanna and the rampaging Pokémon, concluding the Strong Sphere uses Laquium. Afterwards, they reconnect with Dash, who seem excited to have something to help her win against herfriends, while her Swanna comes up to them exhausted. Dash brings her Swanna out for some rest while Roy spots Ult in the crowd. When Roy greets the younger boy, he is surprised to be brushed off instead, sparking concern from Roy.
At that moment, the announcer returns with some special guests – Coral and Sidian from the Explorers. Coral happily entertains the crowd as Sidian spots the two Rising Volt Tacklers, alerting Coral, who is also stunned to see them. The announcer declares the Explorers are having an exhibition match, with the two admins deciding to have Liko and Roy as their opponents, which they accept. Liko and Roy were offered Strong Spheres but they decline, choosing to battle without it. Both sides quickly exchange pleasantries before bringing out their Pokémon for battle. In the meantime, Ult snatches a Strong Sphere from the employee who offered the Spheres to Liko and Roy earlier.
Coral starts the battle by having her Glalie use Blizzard which is countered by Crocalor's Flamethrower. While neither side overpowers the other, Roy notes how the Explorers also got stronger. Meowscarada and Crocalor evade Glalie's Blizzard and Ice Spinner combination attack, attracting awe from the spectators. Sidian takes advantage of the situation and has Garganacl use Salt Cure, which Meowscarada narrowly avoids. Once they appear to be cornered, Liko gets Meowscarada to use Flower Trick to disrupt Glalie's Ice Spinner, allowing Crocalor to land a direct hit with Flamethrower while it is in the air. As a result, the two Explorers use the Strong Spheres on their Pokémon, allowing their moves to be more devastating at the cost of inflicting damage to themselves. Liko tries to berate the two Explorers but they refuse to listen, leading to her and Roy getting ready to Terastallize. However, Garganacl defeats them before they could Terastallize, ending the battle in a victory for the Explorers.
Coral is not satisfied with the battle as Glalie and Garganacl continue attacking the fainted Pokémon. Roy sends in Captain Pikachu with Volt Tackle to save Meowscarada and Crocalor. As the spectators cheer on, Cap gets cornered until Ult steps in, challenging the Explorers himself. He reveals his dislike for the Explorers and declares he will give them a true battle. At first glance, it seems like Ult would use the Strong Sphere for the battle, but he ends up smashing it to the ground, finding it distasteful. Coral becomes angry and orders Glalie to attack, but Ult's Sableye is able get some attacks in before she demands Glalie to use Self-Destruct. A wall is brought up by Chalce and the demonstration abruptly ends.
Watching Liko, Roy, and Ult escape from the security cameras, Chalce reminds Coral and Sidian of their goals and how they're untouchable while the public supports them. Meanwhile, Dot reports the public's interest in the Strong Sphere despite the use of Laquium. Liko wants to do something about the situation, but Roy points out no one would believe them, only for Ult to say he will. Roy chastises Ult on his recklessness but expresses relief when Ult seems to be normal again, causing the younger boy to be bewildered. When Roy explains how he seemed off earlier, Ult hesitantly explains it was from the bus ride, revealing his motion sickness to the other two. Changing the topic, Ult declares after seeing what happened, he wants to join Liko and Roy on their journey, which they accept. Pagogo then senses something in another direction, showing it to be from a cave on a mountain.
The Explorers are revealed to have started to manufacture battle items called Strong Spheres that utilize Laquium to empower Pokémon and are trying to sell them to the public.
Despite being minor recurring characters since Hatenna and the Otherworldly, this is the first time that Dash, Niko, and Rob have had their names spoken out loud.
The breakfast Liko and Roy are eating at the start of the episode is based on the real-life breakfast item Ogura toast, which is a specialty in Nagoya, a city in the Chūbu region. It's often topped with butter, red bean paste, and whipped cream.
