Warning: SPOILERS for episode #8 of Pokémon HorizonsPokémon Horizon revealed its rare and mysterious shiny Rayquaza not too long ago, and it’s now confirmed that this Pokémon will play an important role in the plot moving forward in a major change from the way Ash’s anime approaches everything.
Episode #6 of Pokémon Horizons saw Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball open and release a strange crystallized shiny Rayquaza, which fled the area not long after. A drawing from the airship’s secret crew member reveals that Rayquaza is heading to Paldea, the same destination as the Airship, but that’s not all. After being recalled from Riko’s pendant quest, Amethio and his team decided to keep an eye on Rayquaza as well, and episode 8 confirmed that the bad guys were anxious to track down the rare Legendary Pokémon and this mystery.
Pokémon Horizons sets the stage for Rayquaza Rumble
In episode #8, the airship stopped to resupply at a seaside town, where the crew (except Riko) disembarked. A salesman tries to get Roy’s attention by naming Rayquaza black, but will only indicate whether or not they’ll buy his product. However, when Friede heard that they weren’t the only ones asking about it, he gave in and bought the item (a polishing cloth). The salesman said that recently a young man and two assistants came to inquire about a black Rayquaza, a description matching that of Amethio and his followers. Which means, despite having to go back to Adventurer’s base and submit a report, Amethio is back on the trail and knows as much as what Rising Volt Tacklers does about this Rayquaza.
Amethio most likely decided to pursue this shiny Rayquaza specifically in the hopes of encountering the Rising Volt Tacklers once again. That plan is working perfectly, as the two factions are currently racing to see who can reach Rayquaza here in Paldea first and potentially lead to conflict when they inevitably clash. While anime under Ash has occasionally teased the Legendary Pokémon as early as this before, Ash rarely goes after the Legend directly and only runs his own business until he meets it again. Take the black and white Zekrom as an example; Ash saw Zekrom in the first episode, and it reappeared in the second, but despite its significance, it never appeared again, even though it was mentioned. That obviously won’t happen with this black Rayquaza, as it has now become the driving force behind the plot of Pokémon Horizons.
By using the legendary and rare Pokémon Black Rayquaza to keep the plot going, Pokémon Horizon proved once again that it is very different from the original anime in the best possible way.