Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope: Part 4 is listed on Netflix’s calendar for September 18, 2026. For viewers who followed the previous parts, the return point is simpler than it may seem: the Rising Volt Tacklers are operating as a team again, Laquium has stopped being merely a consequence of Laqua and has become part of an Explorers operation, and the crew has gathered information, training, and allies to keep that threat from spreading. Netflix itself describes the new batch as a race to stop an Explorers plot that could affect the future of bonds between Pokémon and Trainers.
Spoiler warning: this guide reveals events through the end of Part 3 of Rising Hope, but avoids giving away the outcomes of Part 4.
Where Part 4 picks up the story
The international Rising Hope season has 47 listed episodes. Part 4 begins with episode 35, Operation Infiltration!, immediately after episode 34, Mochi Mayhem!. That places the return firmly inside the Rising Again phase, when rebuilding the crew and training move into the background and the story increasingly focuses on an offensive against the Explorers and the Laquium threat.
The immediate context is this: Liko, Roy, Dot, and Ult have gone through a period of training and investigation at Blueberry Academy; Dot and Penny obtained Laquium data from the Exceed Museum; Friede returned and explained part of what he had been doing while separated from the group; and Friede recognized Roy as the new commander of the Rising Volt Tacklers. In episode 34, Diana also crosses paths with the group again and gives Liko Auspicious Armor for Charcadet. Part 4 therefore starts with the team more united, better informed, and ready to act.
The five facts you need to remember from Part 3
- Laquium is still the central threat. It did not disappear with the events in Laqua. The Explorers began using it in items called Strong Spheres, which can increase a Pokémon’s power and expand the risks tied to the substance.
- The Rising Volt Tacklers have been rebuilt. Liko, Roy, and Dot brought former members back together, while Ult fully joined the group. The Brave Olivine is also functioning as the crew’s base again.
- The Six Heroes are still part of the conflict. The Explorers managed to control and take five of them; the Black Rayquaza remained outside their control. Recovering those Pokémon and preventing them from being used against the crew remains tied to the larger struggle.
- Blueberry Academy became a preparation point. The group met Briar, Drayton, Lacey, and other characters, trained, and advanced its understanding of Laquium and the Stellar type. It is not a school detour: that block provides tools for the next stage.
- Friede is back, but Roy does not simply return to his old status. The reunion confirms that Friede is alive and brings new information, yet he recognizes Roy as commander of the Rising Volt Tacklers. That shifts responsibility heading into the season’s final phase.
Who matters now and what each role is
| Character/group | What to carry into Part 4 |
|---|---|
| Liko | She remains tied to the story’s emotional core and to Terapagos/Pagogo, while her growth as a Trainer is increasingly tested by higher-stakes decisions. |
| Roy | He enters as the recognized commander of the Rising Volt Tacklers, with more experience and Lucario’s Mega Evolution among his tools. |
| Dot | She is the group’s intelligence specialist. Her investigation with Penny gives the crew data that can turn a defensive response into a planned operation. |
| Ult | He has moved from being Roy’s impulsive rival to a full member of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His training and his relationship with Dragonite now feed directly into the team’s mission. |
| Friede | He returns with Laquium research and new battle capabilities, but he is now working alongside a crew that changed during his absence. |
| Spinel and the Explorers | They remain at the center of the threat: they control resources tied to Laquium, hold an advantage involving some of the Six Heroes, and drive the plan that Part 4 turns into direct confrontation. |
Which conflicts arrive in September
Without revealing the results of the episodes, Part 4 organizes the final stretch around four fronts that were already open.
1. Infiltrate instead of only reacting
The title of the batch’s first episode, Operation Infiltration!, signals a change in posture. The Rising Volt Tacklers are no longer just following clues: the story moves toward an operation against the Explorers’ structure. That naturally follows the data gathered by Dot and Penny and the reconstruction of the crew.
2. Resolve the struggle over the Six Heroes
The Six Heroes have stopped functioning only as pieces of Lucius’s past and have become assets in the present conflict. Five were taken by the Explorers, while the Black Rayquaza remains decisive. The titles in the new batch make it clear that this struggle moves back to the center immediately, without requiring a full-season rewatch to understand why.
3. Contain Laquium before it becomes a larger problem
Laquium connects almost every thread: what happened in Laqua, the Strong Spheres, Briar’s research, the data recovered from the Exceed Museum, Friede’s investigation, and the Explorers’ activity. Netflix’s description for Part 4 raises the scale by saying the new plot threatens the relationship between Pokémon and Trainers. The key point for returning viewers is that the goal is no longer simply to discover what the substance does; it is to prevent its use on a larger scale.
4. Test the group’s new leadership and bonds
Roy has been recognized as commander, Liko carries new responsibilities, Dot has taken on an increasingly technical role, and Ult has to prove that his strength fits within a team. Part 4 arrives when those arcs stop being preparation and start being tested through practical decisions. The conflict, then, is not only “Rising Volt Tacklers versus Explorers”; it is also proof of whether the rebuilt group can function under pressure.
What you can forget without getting lost
To resume the series, you do not need to memorize every training battle at Blueberry Academy, every evolution along the way, or every supporting character who reappeared during the season. The essential chain of cause and effect is: Laquium still exists → the Explorers turned the threat into a tool → the Rising Volt Tacklers reunited → the crew researched and trained → Part 4 begins with a direct operation.
It also helps to separate two story lines that can sometimes blur together. The first is Laquium/Explorers, which drives the immediate threat. The second is Lucius, the Six Heroes, Rayquaza, and Terapagos, which gives the mission its historical and emotional depth. In Part 4, those lines converge again.
How many episodes are in Part 4
Season and Volume 4 listings indicate 13 episodes, corresponding to episodes 35 through 47 of Rising Hope. The first is Operation Infiltration! and the last listed episode is Stellar Finale. That range helps set expectations: this is not a short midseason batch, but the run that takes the season to episode 47.
Where to confirm the release and follow along without spoilers
The September 18, 2026 date appears on the official Netflix Tudum new-release calendar. For official season context, the Pokémon Horizons: Season 3 page on Pokémon.com is the institutional reference. To check international episode numbering and the exact transition point between batches, the Bulbapedia Rising Hope list and the Rising Hope Volume 4 listing on Google Play are useful for cross-checking titles and counts.
If you stopped at the end of Part 3, the easiest way back is simple: remember Laquium, the Six Heroes, the rebuilding of the Rising Volt Tacklers, Dot’s recovered data, and Friede’s return. That is enough to follow Part 4 without replaying the entire season and without spoiling the ending in advance.
