Pokémon Horizons Brings an Obscure Pokédex Entry to Life

A hectic episode of Pokémon Horizons capped off with the surprising inclusion of a little-known Pokédex entry, one which helped to reveal the truth of the situation and get the villain to confess. Oddly enough, it’s all thanks to an often-forgotten Psychic-type Pokémon, Bronzor, and a special ability it was revealed not that long ago to possess.

In episode #28 of Pokémon Horizons, Roy and Liko bring the Ancient Poké Ball to an antiques dealer whom Liko’s Grandmother knew, hoping that he might know some more information about it. However, the man instead swapped the ball out and stole it, hoping to sell it to another client who had previously offered a lot of money for rare Poké Balls such as this one.

Thus began a wild chase to track down the old man and get the Ancient Poké Ball that goes to Black Rayquaza back. Despite putting all of Liko and Roy’s Pokémon to sleep, the old man was caught by Captain Pikachu and Friede, and Liko’s Grandmother, Diana, decided to give him a piece of her mind, using his own Pokémon to do it.

Bronzor’s Surface Reveals the Truth

Pokédex entries were often referenced in the original anime, and Pokémon Horizons nods to that.

When Diana confronts her “old friend,” she grabs his Bronzor out of the air and begins polishing its back surface. Once it’s a reflective sheen, she turns the Bronzor around and shockingly reveals an image of the man when he was younger, showing that he still dreams of being an Adventurer like her in his heart of hearts. This causes the man to break down and give up, ashamed of having tried to steal from a child like Roy. He admits he does want to be an adventurer again, and Liko is extremely impressed by her Grandmother’s actions. How did Diana even know that Bronzor could do that, anyway?

In Pokémon Shield, Bronzor’s Pokédex entry states that “Polishing Bronzor to a shine makes its surface reflect the truth, according to common lore. Be that as it may, Bronzor hates being polished.” While other entries make mention of the fact that Bronzor used to be more reflective in the past, this is the only Pokédex entry that states that it reflects anything other than what’s in front of it. Presumably, Bronzor is capable of this projection of truth because of its Psychic type, able to read the thoughts and emotions of those who gaze into its mirror-like finish and show them what they truly wish for.

Pokémon Horizons Cares About The Lore Of The Franchise, Including The Games

While this is hardly the first time that a Pokédex entry has been reenacted in the anime, it is a particularly clever use of the technique, and this particular Pokédex entry isn’t one that’s very well known, since, out of all the games that Bronzor has appeared in, it’s only mentioned in Shield. Pokémon Horizons hasn’t played with Pokédex entries as much as the original series has, so this is a welcome change for fans of the original Pokémon anime and its style of episode.