| Fuecoco…Becomes a Crook?!
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ホゲータ、ワルになる！？
Hogator, You're Becoming a Delinquent?!
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First broadcast
| Japan
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January 26, 2024
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| United States
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November 22, 2024
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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Fuecoco…Becomes a Crook?! (Japanese: ホゲータ、ワルになる！？ Hogator, You're Becoming a Delinquent?!) is the 37th episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,269th episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on January 26, 2024, and in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2024.
Plot
As the Brave Olivine continues its trip to Paldea, the Rising Volt Tacklers get a job request from an archaeologist friend to remove a rock that's in the way of their excavation work. Mollie thinks it won't pay much if it's just moving a rock, but they change their minds when Friede shows that it will indeed pay a lot.
Arriving at the excavation site, Liko acknowledges that Terapagos loves bathing in the desert's normally harsh sunlight. However, Liko also sees that Roy's eyes don't do well with bright sunlight as he and Fuecoco work on a new move while training with a Black Rayquaza cut-out, though learning a new move is not a simple endeavor. Snorunt offers them a cold glass of Shuckle's juice. Liko thanks Shuckle for the juice before noticing Roy's scrunched face, mistaking him for being mad when the sun is just blinding him. Murdock comes out and gives Roy a pair of sunglasses. Murdock offers Liko a pair as well, but the sunlight doesn't bother her as much as it does Roy. Looking at Fuecoco's amazed expression, she gives the sunglasses to him instead. The crew is getting bored waiting for the go-ahead call from the client. The machines are heard running, but it is shortly followed by an alarm and someone shouting that "they" are back, so Friede goes to the site to check it out.
Once there, the archaeologist shows Friede the large rock that they need to move. However, he also mentions the Pokémon that attacked them during the excavation, namely Krokorok and Krookodile. Seeing how they can't get far with those Pokémon on the prowl, they will have to wait some more. Back on the ship, Friede proposes to investigate inside the ruins to figure out what's going on. Roy and Liko offer to come, but Friede thinks it's too dangerous since the Pokémon that attacked the excavation crew are down there. The kids still insist on coming, and Friede finally complies. In the ruins, the trio starts looking for signs of Krokorok and Krookodile. Captain Pikachu hears something and runs off with Friede and Liko following behind. Fuecoco sees and follows eyes poking out from the sand. The pair of eyes belong to a Sandile, who bursts out of the ground and bites Fuecoco on the tail. Roy sees this and scans the Desert Croc Pokémon with his Pokédex. Knowing that's one of the hostile Pokémon mentioned by Friede, Roy chases after it until it burrows to get away. However, before he can go tell Friede, he and Fuecoco get swallowed up by a sinkhole that appears below them. Meanwhile, Liko and Friede spot a lot of tracks belonging to the Sandile family, believing they probably built their nest down here. Friede tells Liko and Roy not to leave his side, and it takes a while before he and Liko realize that Roy is not with them anymore.
After falling into the sinkhole, Roy ends up at the nest of those Pokémon. He gets nervous seeing the Krookodile (with feminine eyelashes) and Krokorok with the Sandile from before, thinking the two are like a mom and dad. The newly hatched Sandile scurry out of their nest, but the Krokorok and Krookodile gather them up. When the Sandile start crying, Krookodile and Krokorok create a beat with their tails to calm them down. Roy and Fuecoco start playing along to the rhythm as a trio of three more Krokorok confront the intruders. However, Krookodile sees that Roy and Fuecoco joining in has calmed down the Sandile.
Meanwhile, Liko and Friede go back the way they came to look for Roy. They follow Cap to an indent in the ground. Cap jumps on it, revealing the sinkhole that got Roy, and the three get sucked down too. They end up in the Krookodile and Krokorok's nest and see Roy and Fuecoco wearing their sunglasses, harmonizing with the Pokemon's rhythm as the sunlight from above shines down on them, which quickly calms the young Sandile. Soon enough, the whole family joins in with singing and dancing to Roy's rhythm. Watching this display, Friede and Liko find Roy to be such an enigma. The Desert Croc family uses Round to smash a nearby boulder. Friede points out this move before praising Roy for making friends with the Desert Croc family. Roy takes a moment to get serious, saying that the Desert Croc family was unfairly called "savage" Pokémon. The group notices the ceiling above crumbling as the excavation team starts up again. They realize that the Desert Croc family was trying to defend their home. As Krookodile leads the Krokorok to stop them again, the group goes to stop the fight.
Above ground, Krookodile and the Krokorok plan their attack. However, Luxray spots them under the sand using its X-ray vision, alerting the workers to their presence. Despite Roy's pleas, the male worker has Minccino use Dazzling Gleam and the female worker commands Diggersby to use Hammer Arm. Seeing the Krokorok trio down angers the Krookodile and her husband, who use Crunch and Take Down on Minccino and Diggersby. The two then start attacking the excavation machines. Knowing they are in a blind rage, Roy has Fuecoco stop them with Tackle, but the Fire Croc Pokémon is just swiped back by Krookodile's tail. Fuecoco runs over, putting his glasses on and making a rhythm as Liko and Friede arrive. The Sandile also arrive to support Fuecoco. Knowing what Fuecoco is trying to do, Roy tells Fuecoco to go for it. With the support of Roy and the Sandile, Fuecoco learns Disarming Voice, which makes Krookodile and Krokorok stop their attack. Everyone is relieved as Roy praises Fuecoco's new move.
Friede tells the archaeologist that the noise from the excavation was disturbing the Desert Croc family's nest. Looking at the Sandile playing with the other Pokémon, Roy gets an idea. As Orla, Mollie, and Murdock arrive, having grown impatient, The Desert Croc family uses Round to smash the rock. However, the Rising Volt Tacklers are bummed out knowing that they did not have to use the ship, so their pay was smashed too. As the ship departs, Fuecoco and the Desert Croc family see each other off with Disarming Voice and Round. Liko knows that even though they weren't paid, Roy and Fuecoco gained something better.
Major events
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Trivia
Errors
Dub edits
In other languages
