Roy is Crocalor, and Crocalor is Roy! (Japanese:ぼくがポケモンで、キミがぼく！？I'm a Pokémon and You're Me!?) is the 69th episode ofPokémon Horizons: The Series, and the 1,301st episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on October 18, 2024, in Australia on May 1, 2025, and in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2025, and in the United States on June 27, 2025.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
The Rising Volt Tacklers arrive in Mossui Town in Kitakami, where they discover a festival to celebrate the local apple harvest. They decide to look around for people who might know Briar, but Friede gets sidetracked when he sees a Trainer with a Sinistcha. Meanwhile, Roy and Crocalor encounter a vendor who asks for their help operating a mysterious device he plans to sell. Roy and Crocalor each push a button on the device, and it somehow causes them to switch places! Roy’s mind is in Crocalor’s body—and vice versa! Unfortunately, it seems that reversing the change won’t be so easy…
Plot
TheRising Volt Tacklers have arrived in the land ofKitakami to find and meet up withBriar, aTerapagos researcher. After landing theBrave Olivine, they take abus throughKitakami Road toMossui Town, planning to ask around if anyone knows where Briar is. However, as soon as they arrive, they find the entire town almost completely deserted. A shopkeeper informs them that the townspeople are off enjoying the annualCountryside Harvest Festival, so the Rising Volt Tacklers decide to head there as well to both have fun and ask around.
After changing into festival clothes, the Rising Volt Tacklers arrive atKitakami Hall, where the festival is well underway.Friede's attention soon focuses on aSinistcha, which he wishes to take a closer look at, but itsTrainer,Carmine, doesn't trust outsiders, and challenges Friede to a game at a carnival stall before he can take a look at Sinistcha. Friede happily accepts and runs off with Carmine, though the others figure out that he's just happy to enjoy the festival. The rest of them resolve to do the same, but while looking for something tasty to eat,Roy andCrocalor catch the scent of something good and follow it to a spot away from the main festival area. However, instead of anything edible, they find a lone, small stand with a small device sitting on it. The man housing the stand admits that he doesn't know what the machine is used for, as someone else had lost it and he had simply found it. He lets Roy try it out, and when Roy and Crocalor press the machine's two buttons simultaneously, the device activates and briefly covers the two of them in a bright light. After the glow fades, Roy and Crocalor soon discover, much to their mutual shock, that they've switched bodies. The man, dreading the mere idea of someone finding out he posssess a machine like this, makes Roy swear to not tell anyone about this. Roy gives his word and tries to reverse the process, but the machine won't start. Crocalor then proceeds to run off in Roy's body and Roy gives chase, though he quickly finds out that he has an easier time running on all fours than on two feet, giving him a fascinating new perspective on how Crocalor sees the world.
Carmine challenging Friede to a battle
Roy soon finds Crocalor interacting withLiko andDot, and ends uptalking to them, forcing him to reveal the truth. The trio agrees on trying to keep a low profile and finding their way back to the man Roy had met. However, before they can do so, they're approached byMurdock, who offers to treat them to anything they like. In excitement, the group agrees, only narrowly managing to cover up the fact that "Crocalor" just spoke. While wanting to get the situation fixed, the group also wants to enjoy the festival, so they accept Murdock's offer, and he leads them toa stand selling candy apples. When Roy tries to take one, he ends up accidentally spewing fire on it. Murdock, though, sees the combination of caramelized candy and a gently baked apple as a new kind of delicious baked treat. The candy apple seller, liking the result as well, asks if they could make more of them, but the children, wanting to lessen the risk of being found out, politely refuse and then excuse themselves. Meanwhile, Carmine, having lost to Friede in two different carnival games by now, is getting increasingly frustrated and challenges Friede to aPokémon battle, which he is happy to accept.
The group ends up running intoMollie, who, while treating a girl's scraped feet, had ended up getting a whole line of children before her, all asking for her help with similar issues. The group decides to help her out, narrowly avoiding yet another instance of "Crocalor" speaking rising suspicion. Mollie treats the first girl's scraped feet with band-aids, and the girl thanks the group for the help, not noticing anything odd about "Roy's" behavior. Meanwhile, with Friede and Carmine's battle, Sinistcha usesMatcha Gotcha onCaptain Pikachu, landing a hit and restoring some of its health. Cap, though, is far from done and tosses his hat aside as a sign of getting serious. He dodges a second Matcha Gotcha and lands a hit with aThunder Punch, defeating Sinistcha and dealing yet another shocking loss to Carmine.
Continuing on their way to find the man whom Roy had met, that group spotsOrla trying to fix a broken stove at a stand. Once again, they can't help but get involved. Orla finds herself unable to get the stove to heat up properly, making the fried noodle stand owner sad at the idea of having to close for the day. Roy, though, gets an idea, and his friends ask if they could use "Crocalor's" fire to heat up the stove instead, based on their earlier experience at the candy apple stand. Roy gets into position under the stove, only for a moment of silence to occur when nothing happens. After a few seconds, however, he shoots out a more powerful flame than intended, sending him flying and requiring Crocalor to catch him. Roy explains to Liko that he lost control after trying to produce a smaller flame. Crocalor's cheering encourages Roy to give it another go, and they sing their song together to boost his motivation even further, allowing him to produce a proper flame and letting the fried noodler seller to continue his work. Dot notes that Roy and Crocalor make a great team, even in swapped bodies. Once the line before the stand has been cleared up, Orla leaves with her own portion of fried noodles. One boy, upon leaving with the stand with his mother, says that he wants hisfirst partner to be aCrocalor once he becomes a Trainer, making Roy and Crocalor feel happy.
At that moment, the man from earlier finds Roy and tells him that he's managed to get the machine to work again. Roy and Crocalor return to the man's remote stand and use the device again, successfully restoring themselves to their original bodies. Liko and Dot reveal themselves from a nearby bush and request to try out the machine as well. After some hesitation, the man agrees, but when Liko andFloragato press the buttons together, nothing happens. When the man examines the machine, it suddenly breaks down, much to his horror. Examining the broken machine, Dot notices the text "Synchro Machine" written on the back of the device, which the man mistakes as the name of its owner and starts frantically apologizing to them.
At Mossui Town after sunset, the Rising Volt Tacklers reunite after enjoying the eventful festival. Carmine shows up again and demands for another game with Friede, but he says he has to focus on finding Briar now. To everyone's surprise, Carmine reveals that Briar is actually her teacher. She tells them that Briar is at theCrystal Pool, which cannot be visited without permission. Unexpectedly, thecaretaker of the localCommunity Center approaches them and grants the Rising Volt Tacklers the permission as thanks for helping out his daughter,Shizune, who turns out to be the same girl whom Mollie helped out earlier. While Carmine continues to fume in frustration, the Rising Volt Tacklers prepare to head for the Crystal Pool.
The man possessing theSynchro Machine is played byMasaki Terasoma. In the filmYour Name, he plays the father of Mitsuha, one of the film's protagonists, who swaps bodies with a character named Taki, teaching both of them what each other's lives are like.
During one of the carnival games he participates in,Friede carves out a silhouette resembling that ofPikachu as it is seen in its original artwork forPokémon Red and Green.
The Pikachu silhouette made by Friede
Pikachu artwork forPokémon Red and Green
Munkidori and Ogerpon's Teal Mask
