Pokemon Horizons Recently announced his fourth story arc, Rayquaza Rising, which is set to begin on October 11, 2024. Fans of the series will be thrilled to learn that the key visual accompanying the announcement teases a major evolution, as well as some significant plot developments.
The current arc of Pokemon HorizonsTerastal Debut was something of a training arc for Liko, Roy and Dot, who traveled to the Paldea region and learned to handle the power of Terastalization while the Rising Volt Tackler’s airship was repaired from the damage it had caused the last . Time they encountered Rayquaza.
Although this gave the show the opportunity to have many characters from these Scarlet And Violet video games, the plot surrounding Laqua and the Six Heroes was effectively put on pause for most of the arc, slowing the story down considerably.
Rayquaza Rising promises that a long-awaited evolution will finally happen
Roy’s partner, Fuecoco, is next up for Evolution
In key art released along with the announcement (Originally sourced from Serebii.Net), Roy is depicted alongside Crocalor, the evolution of Fuecoco, indicating that Roy’s partner is soon to evolve in the new story arc. Because the partners of Lico and Dot have already evolved, fans have been excitedly waiting for Roy to take his turn, and because of Roy’s recent struggles with the Terestal Exam, it seems that Roy is about to have a breakthrough alongside Fuecoco.
The key art also depicts several characters originally seen in the Scarlet And Violet DLC, such as Perrin, Carmine and BriarWhich fans will no doubt be eager to see make their anime debut. Their presence suggests that the rising Volt Tackler will be back on the road, visiting the land of Kitakami, as well as potentially the Blueberry Academy in the Unova region. Also pictured are two of the remaining members of the group of Pokémon known as the Six Heroes, Entei and Kleavor, indicating that the series will return to its main plot about Laqua.
The new arc of Pokémon Horizons represents a welcome back to the plot
After Terrastal’s debut put the story on pause, Rayquaza Rising brings it roaring back
The current arc, Terastal Debut, saw a change in formula for the series, focusing more heavily on Liko, Roy, and Dot, and pushing Friede and the other Rising Volt Tacklers somewhat out of the picture while the ship was being repaired. Without the airship, the group has no means to continue their journey, meaning the entire storyline previously came to an abrupt halt. The trio took the opportunity to learn about and master Terrastalization, the infamous phenomenon of the Paldea region, and met many Gym Leaders and other characters from Scarlet And Violet.
While Terrastal’s debut is still a lot of fun to watch, a return to the main story and seeing more of Friede and his crew would be more than welcome. The title “Rayquaza Rising” suggests that the Black Rayquaza will also take center stage, potentially pitting the newfound skills of Liko, Roy and Dot against the powerful legendary Pokemon. Pokemon Horizons‘ New arc looks very promising indeed, and hopefully it will answer some of the questions that have been piled up about the story.