Japanese Title: The Pendant of Beginning, Part 1
Original Airdate: April 14, 2023
UK Airdate: December 1, 2023 (special airing)
US Airdate: March 7, 2024
After 26 years, the journey of Ash Ketchum is finally over. As he goes Walking the Earth with his partner Pikachu, the journey for another young new trainer is about to begin, in the wonderful world of Pokémon...
In the Kanto Region, a trainer named Liko has just arrived from the Paldea Region to begin her journey at the prestigious Indigo Academy, where her parents attended. Despite her nervousness interfering with her desire to make friends, she is nevertheless excited to receive a Pokémon partner. Said partner turns out to be Sprigatito, the Grass Cat Pokémon, but she takes a disliking to her, much to Liko's dismay. As she tries to find ways to bond with her new partner, a mysterious man named Amethio shows up, claiming her grandmother has sent her to retrieve the pendant she gave to her granddaughter. A distrustful Liko instead flees, with would-be-thieves in pursuit...and from there, she takes her first steps into a journey she never would have imagined.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bowdlerize: In the UK, the shot of Sprigatito and Liko jumping from the roof is removed in their version of the dub.
- Breaking Old Trends:
- This marks the very first episode in which Ash and Pikachu aren't featured as the series leads (not counting "Time After Time!" and "The Mew From Here!", where neither one of them appeared), and which Team Rocket aren't featured as the villains.
- Sprigatito is the first Grass starter obtained by a female protagonist since May, given to a lead as their first Pokémon, obtained outside of its home region, and obtained in the first episode of a new series (the last one being Dawn all the way back in Diamond and Pearl).
- Liko is the first female lead to get a Pokédex since Serena got hers in X and Y.
- Ann is the first character to get a Water starter outside of its native region when she gets her Oshawott.
- Break the Cutie: Liko enters the school hoping she'll get a perfect partner. Getting Sprigatito only leaves her disappointed, as the cat's far too aloof and unaffectionate to want to bond with her new trainer.
- Call-Back:
- The episode opens up with a narration provided by Steve "Wolverine" Blum, homaging the unseen narrator of Ash's tenure. From then on, Liko provides the narration using internal monologuing.
- Liko and Sprigatito's bond started out the same way that Ash and Pikachu's did in the first episode of the series, with both trainers getting a finicky starter that wanted nothing to do with them.
- Cats Are Mean: Downplayed. Sprigatito isn't really mean so much as it's aloof, more akin to Garfield. It just really hates Liko getting affectionate with it, even scratching her when she tries hugging it.
- Cliffhanger: A Psycho Cut from Ceruledge is about to hit Liko when something in her pendant activates. She's surrounded by a mysterious barrier, as something appears from within...
- Combat Pragmatist: Liko realizes she's grossly outmatched against Zirc's more experienced and powerful Rhydon, despite Sprigatito having a type advantage. To get away, she just has the cat blind the rhino with Leafage, then uses her scent to put the big lug to sleep.
- Cool Versus Awesome: Friede and his fire-breathing dragon Charizard duke it out against Amethio and his ghostly fire warrior Ceruledge, not unlike a noble dragon facing off against a wicked knight.
- Cute Little Fangs: Ann has these, not unlike Sapphire Birch from Pokémon Adventures. It becomes more appropriate when she gets an Oshawott as her starter, since its fangs match hers.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Liko is first introduced waiting for the bus to school. Despite being desperate to make connections, she's too shy to talk to the other girls, and instead throws herself into the latest video of internet superstar Nidothing.
- Sprigatito comes out of her ball, looking all adorable...and then she scratches Liko! One perfect partner this cat ain't gonna be.
- Amethio arrives to request that Liko provide her grandmother's pendant at the latter's request, but something is off about him enough that Liko isn't fooled.
- Excellent Judge of Character: Liko and Sprigatito were quick to realize that something wasn't right when Amethio arrived as a representative to her grandmother. Also, Liko knew her grandmother well enough to realize that she would never send a letter to a stranger that she didn't know.
- Failed a Spot Check: Liko is too busy sulking about Ann being able to bond with Oshawott so well to notice her roommate pointing out an airship near the school.
- Fangirl: Liko is revealed to be one of Nidothing, a mysterious streamer dressed as a Nidorina that belts out information regarding Pokémon training. The only thing that's clear is that a Quaxly is Nidothing's apparent partner.
- Hates Being Touched: Sprigatito takes much offense to Liko trying to be affectionate with her, even scratching her at one point and running off.
- Incoming Ham: Friede comes roaring in from the skies on his Charizard to protect Liko, yelling at the top of his lungs like he's about to jump into a wrestling match.
- It Was a Gift: Liko was gifted a mysterious pendant by her grandmother, as a good luck charm. That little pendant becomes central to the plot, as a group of mysterious folks try to take it for themselves.
- Large Ham: Nidothing's videos can best be described as anything but quiet.
- Mythology Gag: The backpacks the students at the Indigo Academy wear are the same ones from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
- Obviously Evil: Amethio has a very rugged, sinister look to him and shows up immediately asking Liko to hand over her pendant. It's little wonder that she didn't trust her grandmother sent him.
- Pokémon Speak: Averted with Sprigatito in the English dub. Although she has an English dub voice, Sprigatito doesn't say her name and instead meows like a real cat. Played Straight in the original Japanese dub, as Sprigatito's Japanese name is Nyahoja, which contains the onomatopoeia word "Nyā" (meow in English).
- Training Montage: Liko sets about helping Sprigatito to improve her Leafage, though the cat's aloofness isn't making that job any easier.
- Trash of the Titans: A Downplayed case for Ann. As messy as she is in her dorm, she's courteous enough to leave her mess on her side of the room.
- Uncatty Resemblance: Despite not owning one, Ann's hair is braided like a Passimian. It's more noticeable with her Oshawott, since she shares the same type of fangs as the otter.
