The Battling Eevee Brothers – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 40

Filler / stand-alone episodeFillerEeveelutions debut

The Battling Eevee Brothers is the 40th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 40th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 42, Bulbapedia code EP040). It first aired in Japan on 16 April 1998 and in the United States on 27 October 1998. It falls within the season’s The comeback, Charizard & the Egg stretch (EP39–EP51).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

During their travels through the forest, Pikachu senses something nearby and heads into the bushes where he finds an Eevee tied to a tree abandoned. The Eevee has an address tag ‘Stone 3-14 Town’, a nearby town at the foot of Evolution mountain. So they all set off to take Eevee home.

They arrive at the house, a huge and impressive Mansion where theres a garden party taking place and lots of Pokemon are being evolved by the use of special items. Witnessing a Poliwhirl evolve into Poliwrath. There are lots of fully evolved Pokemon all over the party infact, and it seems stones were used to achieve this. I guess the clues were in ‘Stone’ Town, and ‘Evolution’ mountain huh?

The three brothers who appear to be the hosts of the party are pleased to see Eevee and approach the group, taking Eevee back and calling their younger brother Mikey over. Eevee runs to Mikey who is his trainer and his brothers tell him off for losing Eevee, little Mikey seems angry that they bought Eevee back. Each of Mikey’s older brothers specialise in the evolved Eevee forms; Jolteon, Vaporeon and Flareon who each push Mikey to evolve his Eevee into their preferred type. But it soon becomes apparent that Mikey doesn’t want Eevee to evolve at all, because he likes his friend how it is. It’s also revealed that the whole point of this garden party was for Mikey to evolve his Eevee. The Eevee brothers present a collection of their Evolution stones to Ash and friends, even offering them one. The brothers offer Ash and Brock a thunderstone and fire stone in order to evolve Pikachu and Vulpix respectively but they both reject the offer of forcing their Pokemon to evolve.

Team Rocket are watching events unfold in the background. Mikey tells Misty he tied Eevee up (with food and water) in the forest to stop him having to be evolved at the party and that he was going to come back for Eevee later, Mikey just wants Eevee to be his best friend, and isn’t concerned about battling. Misty persuades Mikey to tell his brothers how he feels, and after some hesitation he’s about to tell them when Team Rocket interrupt by attacking the party.

While eating as much food as possible, Team Rocket smoke screen the party and Ash uses Pidgeotto to clear it, when the smoke clears all the peoples Pokemon have disappeared, as have the evolution stones (and the food). Psyduck however was left behind. Ash’s Pidgeotto had been in the air at this point and wasn’t taken, it attacks the balloon and brings it down, but theres no one in the balloon. Team Rocket meanwhile are escaping by road, Misty’s horsea spits a trail of ink to help lead our heroes to where its been taken. Team Rocket sit around eating and celebrating their haul, but then they decide it’s time to Evolvev Eevee using the stones…. but start arguing amongst themselves as to what they should evolve Eevee into. They decide to use all three stones on Eevee at the same time to turn it into something “Really evil”.

Ash and friends arrive just in time to intervene, Misty calls Jessie an “old hag” and Jesssie and James attack, Ash is about to battle them but the Eevee brothers step up and say they should save Eevee because they’re Mikey’s brothers. Team Rocket appear beaten, and can’t escape because of Flareon’s fire spin blocking their path, Arbok and Weezing however surprise attack Flareon, Vaporeon and Jolteon and knock them out claiming victory, that is until Misty’s Horsea ink’s Jessie so she drops the cage with Eevee in, Mikey catches it. Pikachu then drops thunder on them all, but Team Rocket still want to fight. Mikey see’s Vaporeon, Flareon and Jolteon badly hurt and Mikey sends Eevee to fight Team Rocket, Eevee uses rage tackle attack and sends Team Rocket blasting off.

Mikey’s brothers see that he managed to win his first battle despite not even evolving his Pokemon. He tells his brothers that he is going to become an Eevee trainer, his brothers understand and say he should’ve just told them sooner, they make the party a celebration party for Eevee’s first victory. Mikey and Misty are now friends forever, Team Rocket are defeated once again.

Major Events

• Misty first uses Horsea. Debuts: Exeggutor, Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon
• Ninetales’s dub debut. All-Stars Vol. 6.

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Ninetales#0038 · EP040
• Exeggutor#0103 · EP040
• Eevee#0133 · EP040
• Vaporeon#0134 · EP040
• Jolteon#0135 · EP040
• Flareon#0136 · EP040

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
• This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kanto story.

Changes in the English Dub

• Eevee name-tag re-lettered (Mikey’s name dropped)
• Magazine cover redone (4 shots)
• A Japanese “flat-brat” jab at Misty’s contest entry softened
• Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Friday segment)

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.