Leaving her home in Paldea, Liko travels to Kanto to enroll in Indigo Academy and become a Pokémon Trainer. She’s nervous, but also excited to learn new things about herself and the world. After Liko meets her roommate, Ann, both girls receive their partner Pokémon: Ann is overjoyed to get Oshawott, but Liko seems disappointed when her partner is Sprigatito, a Pokémon from Paldea. Still, Liko attempts to befriend the Pokémon, and they eventually begin to bond. But one day, a mysterious young man approaches Liko, claiming to have a letter from her grandma. He also seems interested in Liko’s pendant, but Liko is suspicious…

Liko and Sprigatito continue to flee Amethio, but when Friede swoops in with his Charizard, Amethio is forced to pause the pursuit to battle. During the fight, Liko is nearly hit by an attack, but her pendant suddenly surrounds her with a barrier. Inside, Liko is shocked to see an unfamiliar Pokémon, but it quickly reverts back into the pendant. Liko and Sprigatito fall, but Friede and Charizard catch them and take them to the Brave Olivine, an airship that’s home to the Rising Volt Tacklers. Liko has lots of questions but no time to ask them. Amethio is back, so Friede calls on a powerful partner—Captain Pikachu!

After the Explorers steal Sprigatito, Liko awakens on board the Brave Olivine to find Friede looking for the group. His trail has gone cold, so Liko insists on searching by herself. Friede rejects her plan, revealing that her mother asked the Rising Volt Tacklers to protect her. So, Murdock’s Rockruff tries to track down Sprigatito’s scent while Liko and Mollie run errands. Suddenly, Liko hears Rockruff barking at someone who leads them directly to the Explorers…and to Sprigatito! As Friede and Amethio resume battling, Liko and Sprigatito create a diversion and escape. Knowing the Rising Volt Tacklers are good people, and wanting answers to her questions, Liko has a request…

Now a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers, Liko gets lookout duty, but the Brave Olivine must land on an island for repairs. Soon, Liko notices Fuecoco is missing and realizes it must have fallen off the airship. She and Sprigatito search for it, but they’re chased by wild Pokémon who are angry that Fuecoco ate their food. Meanwhile, Fuecoco meets Roy, a boy who lives on the island and dreams of becoming a Pokémon Trainer. Eventually, Roy and Fuecoco meet up with Liko, but the wild Pokémon remain angry, so Friede and Captain Pikachu come to the rescue. The Rising Volt Tacklers bid farewell to Roy, but he’s conflicted…

Wanting to see Fuecoco, Roy sneaks aboard the Brave Olivine—but the Rising Volt Tacklers confront him! They let him stay, but he and Liko aren’t able to find Fuecoco. The next day, the airship must once again land for repairs, so Roy suggests asking his gramps for help. Meanwhile, Fuecoco rushes onto the island in search of Roy, but then it sees the Explorers closing in! It finds Roy, and everyone returns to the Brave Olivine to battle the Explorers as the island’s wild Pokémon make repairs. When it’s Roy and Fuecoco’s turn to fight, Fuecoco struggles to attack—can Roy figure out a way to cheer it on?

Amethio almost grabs Liko, but her pendant again surrounds her with a barrier—and strangely, Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball glows in sync. The three begin to battle, but Amethio has the upper hand, so Liko pleads for help. Suddenly, the pendant and Ancient Poké Ball light up, and a black Rayquaza emerges from the Ancient Poké Ball. It causes the Explorers to flee and then flies away. Later, Roy’s grandfather explains that the Pokémon is mentioned in a legend involving an Ancient Adventurer, and Roy decides to officially become a Pokémon Trainer with Fuecoco. But when it’s time for the Rising Volt Tacklers to leave, will he join them?

Liko, Sprigatito, Roy, and Fuecoco become official members of the Rising Volt Tacklers, but Liko laments that she put everyone in danger because of her pendant. She wants to become stronger so that she can stand tall against her foes. Eager to learn, Liko and Roy ask Friede to train them—but they don’t know the first thing about Pokémon battles! Liko and Sprigatito, together with Roy and Fuecoco, face Friede and Captain Pikachu. Slowly but surely, Liko seems to pick up on what Friede and Cap are teaching them, and her newfound skills are put to the test when Friede asks Liko and Roy to battle each other! Will these two manage to uncover what it takes to become true Pokémon Trainers?

After finishing a meal cooked by Murdock, Liko notes that Dot never eats with the group. Murdock says he just needs to make something tasty enough, but he seems to be hiding something when Mollie mentions they’re running low on certain ingredients. Friede proposes a shopping trip, and Liko stays behind to watch the ship. She delivers lunch to Dot and tries to chat about Nidothing, who’s about to start a livestream, but Dot hurriedly brushes her off. Later, Liko and Roy meet up outside Dot’s room, and although Dot is annoyed, she starts to open up a bit. Meanwhile, Murdock has a new recipe to try…

The Brave Olivine arrives in Paldea, and Roy is eager to track down the black Rayquaza. But Liko is apprehensive upon realizing that her time with the Rising Volt Tacklers is coming to an end. Friede and Roy accompany her home, where her dad, Alex, is working on a painting. After Alex’s Fidough warmly greets Liko and Fuecoco, Sprigatito puts distance between itself and Liko. As Liko searches for it, she overhears a conversation between Friede and Alex that gives her a new perspective. Wanting to continue her journey, she decides to work up the courage to tell her dad.

Arriving in Artazon, Liko and Roy search for clues about the black Rayquaza. They want to meet with Gym Leader Brassius, but first they encounter Nemona, a Champion-ranked Trainer with tons of enthusiasm. Brassius, on the other hand, is in a slump, so Nemona helps Liko and Roy gather Sunflora to cheer him up. It turns out Brassius feels inadequate as an artist after seeing the black Rayquaza in real life, but when Roy shares how the Rayquaza inspired him, Brassius cheers up and challenges Roy to a battle. Afterward, Brassius reveals he saw another mysterious Pokémon, too—an Arboliva. What could be its connection to the black Rayquaza?

Liko and Roy are off to the forest where Brassius saw Arboliva—and after learning about a recent wildfire there, Mollie decides to join them. The group finds a burned wasteland, so Roy races ahead, only to find an Ancient Poké Ball on a giant tree. Meanwhile, Liko gets lost, so she heads toward the giant tree to meet up with Roy and Mollie. On the way, she finds an injured Paldean Wooper, but some other wild Pokémon see her as a threat and attack. At the giant tree, Liko finds Roy, and both Trainers end up in a desperate fight—against the tree itself! Could it be Arboliva?

With Arboliva’s forest ruined, Liko and friends set out to replant seeds and encourage new growth. Even Ludlow helps with his Quagsire, whose Rain Dance brings water to the dry land. After Arboliva restores the forest, Liko’s pendant glows and turns into the unfamiliar Pokémon from before. Liko, Roy, and the Pokémon then receive a fleeting message from a mysterious man, and Arboliva returns to its Ancient Poké Ball. Later, Friede and Liko’s mom discuss the situation, and Liko and Roy read about the Ancient Adventurer who traveled with six Pokémon. Liko’s grandma might know more, so it’s up to Liko to decide what’s next…

The Rising Volt Tacklers are unable to depart for Galar after the Brave Olivine’s computer system begins an automatic scan to check for errors. Friede suggests the crew makes the best of it—by having a picnic! They head outside to make sandwiches, but Liko feels bad that Dot and Ludlow have stayed behind. With Murdock’s help, she finds a way to include them in the fun. Meanwhile, a wild Wattrel steals Fuecoco’s sandwich, so Roy chases after it, but he notices something strange about the Pokémon and becomes concerned. When the Rising Volt Tacklers eventually return to the ship, Friede and Dot are both shocked—something is very wrong!

Wireless communications are down on the Brave Olivine, but Friede and Charizard drive away a group of Magneton disrupting the system. Suspicious, Friede follows one of the Magneton, but he gets cornered by a Beheeyem and Terastallizes Charizard to defeat it. Meanwhile, Liko and Murdock go shopping, and Roy returns to the Wattrel he met earlier. Realizing that Wattrel seems nervous about flying, Roy devises some special training to build up its courage—and it works! Wattrel flies to its flock…but then it returns to Roy, who catches it in a Poké Ball! Roy has found a new friend, but elsewhere, Liko is about to lose something very important…

After bumping into Spinel in disguise, Liko finds her memory to be hazy, and she’s unable to recall why she returned to Paldea. But as she spends time with Sprigatito, pieces of their adventures together come back to her. Meanwhile, the Rising Volt Tacklers split up to find Liko, and Dot collaborates with Levincia Gym Leader Iono—a famous online streamer—to help create a viral livestream that gets viewers in on the search. The livestream works, but the so-called game of hide-and-seek turns into tag when Liko flees. Finally, Roy and Dot arrive, and Liko’s memory returns…but her pendant is gone!

The time has come for Dot to become an official Pokémon Trainer, so Friede gives her a Poké Ball—and after she throws it, Quaxly jumps right in! Now the trio of Liko, Roy, and Dot are determined to track down the person who stole Liko’s pendant, and they head to the port in Levincia after hearing a clue. Dot and Quaxly board a cargo ship, but they’re quickly confronted by Spinel’s Pokémon, so they call for Liko and Roy. A battle ensues, but just as defeat seems imminent for the young Trainers, Liko’s pendant begins to glow nearby, and Arboliva emerges from its Ancient Poké Ball…

Roy is dismayed that Fuecoco and Wattrel can’t seem to get along, and his attempts to calm them down aren’t helping, either. But when they all see Captain Pikachu and Charizard having a friendly battle, Roy gets an idea and asks for Cap to battle both his Pokémon at once so they have to work as a team. During the battle, Wattrel debuts its Spark attack, but it and Fuecoco still lose to Cap. Determined to help Wattrel become stronger, Roy begins some special training with his Pokémon—will they be able to come up with a way to hold their own against Cap?

After Liko and Roy see Captain Pikachu momentarily hover in midair during battle, they become determined to find out why it can fly. With Dot’s help, they try to get Friede to talk about it for a video, but he refuses to give any meaningful details. The other Rising Volt Tacklers offer some clues, though, and Orla finally summons everyone to a meeting to confront Friede. He gives in and recounts the story of how he first met Captain Pikachu, formed the Rising Volt Tacklers, and launched the Brave Olivine with Orla and Ludlow’s help.

Arriving in Motostoke in the Galar region, the Rising Volt Tacklers prepare for their journey to see Liko’s grandma. Murdock invites Liko and Roy to go shopping, but during a break at the Battle Café, he becomes flustered—he’s not on good terms with the café’s chef, Mitchell. Murdock explains that he and Mitchell used to work together alongside Alcremie when it was still a Milcery, but when it evolved, its cream no longer paired well with Mitchell’s style of sweets. Wanting to help, Liko asks Murdock to join her in a friendly battle against Mitchell—can the two chefs find a way to reconcile?

Still in Motostoke, Liko and Roy are surprised to see Gym Leader Kabu at the Battle Café, but they’re disappointed when he leaves before Roy can ask him what he knows about the black Rayquaza. So they head to the Gym, where Kabu tells them that they need to become stronger if they want to eventually battle and catch Rayquaza. He leads Liko and Roy in a training exercise with their Pokémon, then challenges them to a Multi Battle alongside Wakaba, an aspiring Gym Trainer. The result is a fiery bout in which Kabu pushes Liko, Roy, and even Wakaba to give it their all—no matter what!

Liko, Roy, and Friede set off to Galar Mine in search of the black Rayquaza, but along the way, they get caught in a storm and seek shelter in a mountain hut. Inside, they find a wild Hatenna who seems exhausted, so Liko rushes it to the Brave Olivine. Although the Hatenna isn’t hurt, something seems to be troubling it, so Liko becomes determined to learn more about it. In the process, she starts to understand Hatenna’s feelings and realizes something about her own goals as a Pokémon Trainer. After cheering up Hatenna, Liko prepares to say goodbye, but Sprigatito has another idea…

Liko, Roy, and Friede have reached Galar Mine, where they hope to find the black Rayquaza. The other wild Pokémon inside the mine seem nervous about something, but the Trainers press on until they reach a series of tunnels. After getting separated, the group reunites just in time to face off against Amethio, Zirc, and Onia—as well as a furious Galarian Moltres who’s holding an Ancient Poké Ball! As Friede and Charizard battle Amethio, Liko, Roy, and Captain Pikachu try to hold off Moltres… But why is it so angry?

Liko, Roy, and Friede reunite at the Pokémon Center after running from the furious Galarian Moltres inside Galar Mine. Consulting Dot on the phone, their fears are confirmed—this form of the Legendary Pokémon Moltres is known for being overwhelmingly powerful when angered. Roy wonders if it’s possible to defeat the Pokémon in battle, but Liko has another idea: to try to understand how it feels. The Trainers attempt to quell Moltres’s rage, but it begins to attack, and Arboliva emerges from its Ancient Poké Ball to protect Liko. With Arboliva’s help, Moltres calms down, but Liko is surprised when it begins communicating with her pendant…

On board the Brave Olivine, the Rising Volt Tacklers revel at the mysterious Pokémon who transformed from Liko’s pendant. Liko’s grandma, Diana, might know more about it, so Liko, Roy, and Friede set off to the Wild Area of Galar to find the castle where Diana is staying. Led by Diana’s Squawkabilly, the Trainers reach the castle and meet up with Diana, who is surprised to see the pendant Pokémon—it appears to be Terapagos, one of the Pokémon who traveled with the Ancient Adventurer Lucius. Meanwhile, Hamber confronts Amethio about his actions and begins to set his own plan into motion…

In pursuit of Terapagos, Amethio’s group ambushes Liko, Roy, Friede, and Diana inside the ancient castle near Hammerlocke. Liko and Roy manage to escape as Friede distracts Amethio with a battle. Meanwhile, Hamber stages his own surprise attack and approaches Diana, declaring his intent to take Terapagos for the Explorers. He’s also brought Sidian and Coral to the castle, and they track down Liko and Roy—but the Rising Volt Tacklers arrive just in time to rescue the young Trainers. Taking on both Sidian’s Garganacl and Coral’s Glalie, Captain Pikachu puts up a tough fight, but will it be enough to hold back these powerful foes?

As the Rising Volt Tacklers and Diana eat breakfast on board the Brave Olivine, Liko notices that Terapagos has gone missing! After looking all over, she and Roy find it struggling on its back in a storage room filled with crates of berries. It seems Terapagos wanted berries instead of Pokémon food, so Liko decides to learn more by closely observing it as it explores the ship. But after she and Terapagos arrive at Dot’s room, Terapagos vanishes again—and Liko finds it in a precarious place. Meanwhile, Sprigatito is jealous of the attention Terapagos is receiving from Liko, and it goes off on its own…

Still in pursuit of the black Rayquaza, the Rising Volt Tacklers touch down in the Wild Area of Galar, where Dot plans to meet up with someone who claims to have information. But the informant is a no-show, so the crew decides to make the best of their time by relaxing outside. After meeting an Ingredients Seller, they decide to cook curry—one made by Liko and one made by Roy. The result are two delicious curries that even Dot enjoys! Meanwhile, as the administrators of the Explorers gather in person for a strategy meeting, Amethio proposes a course of action…

Liko and Roy want to learn about Ancient Poké Balls, so Diana suggests they visit her antique dealer friend, Tepen, in case he has information. When they arrive at his market stall, Tepen takes a close look at Roy’s Ancient Poké Ball but then claims to not know anything about it. Liko, Roy, and Friede leave, disappointed but determined to find clues. Later, Roy realizes his Ancient Poké Ball is missing…and Tepen must be the thief! The Rising Volt Tacklers go searching for him, and after a battle, they confront him about his actions. It turns out someone wanted to buy the Ancient Poké Ball from him…but who?

Searching for information about Ancient Poké Balls, the Rising Volt Tacklers visit an artisan Poké Ball factory. The Poké Ball maker, Karna, creates unique designs, but her lack of diligence causes her factory to produce disappointing results. Jumping into action, Orla begins repairing the machinery, and Karna is so impressed that she invites Orla to stay behind and work in the factory. Meanwhile, as Roy practices throwing Poké Balls outside, he accidentally angers a group of Galarian Weezing. The wild Pokémon go on the attack, but Friede challenges Orla to engineer a solution—will it work?

Aboard the Brave Olivine, Roy and Friede are in the middle of a battle when Fuecoco suddenly slips on a strange purple liquid on the floor. Then, Liko hears a mysterious crash come from another room, so the young Trainers investigate to find out who is responsible for the odd occurrences. After nightfall, they’re surprised to find the ship’s resident Pokémon gathered in the storage room, cheering as Shuckle battles a wild Polteageist who snuck onto the ship. When the battle ends, the Pokémon celebrate their new friendship, and Captain Pikachu formally invites Polteageist to join the crew!

Diana tells the Rising Volt Tacklers about rumors of a singing Pokémon who rescues ships lost in the fog, so they set out to see if the Pokémon is actually Lapras of the Six Heroes. The Brave Olivine touches down in the water, and a dense white mist suddenly rolls in—along with a singing Lapras! Terapagos calls out to it, but it doesn’t respond, and to make matters worse, an Ambipom and Toedscruel sneak onto the ship in an attempt to steal food. After a battle, the Pokémon and the mist disappear, and Lapras is nowhere to be found…but Friede might have an idea!

After finding Lapras of the Six Heroes, the Rising Volt Tacklers are surprised when it commands its Pokémon friends to attack their ship! Friede then realizes the truth: Lapras uses Mist to create a dense fog, and as it pretends to lead a ship to safety, its friends steal food from the ship. With Ludlow at the wheel, the Brave Olivine chases after Lapras, but it attacks and then flees again. Although the Rising Volt Tacklers are discouraged, Liko thinks there’s more to Lapras than meets the eye, and she wants to understand its feelings. But how?

The black Rayquaza has appeared, and Roy wants to battle it! But suddenly, Amethio swoops in on Corviknight and declares his intent to catch the Legendary Pokémon. Rayquaza fights back, and Amethio retreats after his Ceruledge suffers a harsh defeat. Roy pleads with Rayquaza to battle him next, so it unleashes an overwhelming Draco Meteor move. Liko is nearly hit by the attack, but Terapagos protects her by taking on a new form and using a powerful move of its own. It then changes back to its usual form, and Rayquaza flies away. Later, as Diana and Friede talk about the day’s events, Diana says she’s come to a decision…

After overhearing Diana tell Friede that she plans to set off on her own, Liko and Roy decide to throw her a surprise going-away party. Dot even has a special video planned for the occasion. Meanwhile, at the Explorers’ headquarters, Amethio asks Hamber for help getting stronger. The two have a heated battle, with Amethio giving his all, but Ceruledge is defeated after Hamber Terastallizes his Dusknoir. Hamber later gives Amethio his own Tera Orb, and Amethio vows to learn how to use it to its full potential. Back on the Brave Olivine, the party has ended, and Diana departs… As for the Rising Volt Tacklers? Next stop, Paldea!

The Rising Volt Tacklers have run out of money, so Friede encourages the adults on the Brave Olivine to look for side gigs. As for himself, he’s taken a job to track down an old friend’s missing Bramblin, so he, Liko, and Roy head to the desert where it was last seen. Meanwhile, Liko has received a homework assignment to write a report about a Trainer and Pokémon pair she admires, so she chooses Friede and Captain Pikachu. But her efforts to observe their bond end up in jeopardy when Friede and Cap begin to argue…

As the Rising Volt Tacklers head toward Paldea, Nidothing hosts a livestream to answer viewer questions. The final question comes from a girl named Yuno, whose Oinkologne named Twirly is reluctant to enter an upcoming Multi Battle tournament. As a result, Nidothing asks Liko, Roy, and Quaxly to go to Pigton Town to help Yuno. It seems Twirly, a female Oinkologne, is interested in a male Oinkologne named Prince, but Prince doesn’t feel the same way. At the same time, Yuno is flustered by Prince’s Trainer, a boy named Renta. Can Twirly gain the confidence to win Prince’s approval so they can enter the tournament together?

Friede has landed another side job to bring in money for the Rising Volt Tacklers—this time, the crew is tasked with removing rocks from an archaeological dig site. But the excavation is stalled because a group of wild Pokémon—Sandile, Krokorok, and Krookodile—keep attacking the workers. While investigating the area, Roy and Fuecoco fall underground and realize the noise from the excavation is disturbing the croc Pokémon’s nest. Furious, the Pokémon begin attacking the workers again, and Fuecoco must find a way to calm them down…

It’s the day after a storm, and Mollie is performing checkups on the Pokémon on board the Brave Olivine. Liko brings Hatenna, who imitates Chansey’s Heal Pulse move. Suddenly, an injured, lone Tandemaus appears outside, and Mollie and Liko rush to its aid. The Tandemaus’s partner is trapped inside a cave, so Liko and her Pokémon squeeze through an opening and manage to find it—but it seems there are still more Pokémon who need help. Liko then finds two more Tandemaus, but they’re extremely weak, so she asks Hatenna to try using Heal Pulse…and it works! Outside the cave, all four Tandemaus are reunited…but are they really Tandemaus?

The latest Nidothing livestream has been cut short due to a microphone malfunction, so Dot reluctantly accompanies Liko and Roy into Steelbound Town to find new equipment. She also picks up a vintage microphone to use as a video prop, but it’s not hers for long—a wild Tinkatink takes the mic and fashions it into a hammer for itself. Later, Tinkatink appears on the Brave Olivine to proudly show Dot the hammer, but it also gets accused of taking Orla’s newly bought scrap metal! As Dot comes to the little Pokémon’s defense, the real culprit finally appears…

After Liko is injured in a training accident, her guilt stricken Sprigatito flees the Brave Olivine. Liko tracks it to a center owned by Marnya, a feline Pokémon Breeder who cared for Sprigatito when it was young. There, Liko learns all about her Pokémon partner, from its lonely past to how special it truly is. Liko uses her new understanding to encourage the reluctant Sprigatito to battle against a Spidops—will their friendship survive the test?