AG095
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The Evolutionary War
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First broadcast
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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The Evolutionary War (Japanese: ハンテールとサクラビス！進化の謎！ Huntail and Sakurabyss! The Riddle of Evolution!) is the 95th episode of the Advanced Generation series, and the 369th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on September 23, 2004 and in the United States on October 1, 2005.
Blurb
En route to the ABC Islands, Ash and the gang are passed on the way to Island A by a group of children racing on top Huntail or Gorebyss. It turns out that there is a fierce rivalry between the citizens of Islands B and C: Clamperl evolve into Gorebyss on Island B, while they evolve into Huntail on Island C. The children all attend school on Island A, and fight often during class.
At the Pokémon Center they find Professor Birch in a pool. He is studying the different Clamperl Evolutions, and the kids travel with him to a cave on Island C where Clamperl are known to evolve. They are followed by a boy named Keith from Island B. They travel to a similar cave on Island B, followed by Nancy from Island C. When everyone returns to the Pokémon Center on Island A, they find out that Keith actually wants a Huntail and Nancy wants a Gorebyss. After doing some research, Birch reveals that the Evolution is dependent on the items Deepseatooth and Deepseascale, but he doesn't know how.
Team Rocket attacks them at the PC, but Keith and Nancy's Clamperl use Water Gun while Pikachu drives them off with Thunderbolt. Professor Birch and the kids return to Island B, where they put a Deepseascale on Nancy's Clamperl. On Island C they put a Deepseatooth on Keith's Clamperl. Neither Pokémon evolves, so Birch beams them to the Pokémon Center for further research.
Back at the PC, when the kids take out their Clamperl, both Pokémon evolve: Nancy's into a Gorebyss and Keith's into a Huntail. Team Rocket attacks again, but the newly evolved Pokémon drive them off with Confusion and Screech.
The rivalry between Islands B and C ends and the people start trading their Clamperl back and forth to get the evolved Pokémon they want. Ash and friends leave on a ferry for their next destination.
Plot
Ash and his friends are in a boat, still on their way across the ocean towards Mossdeep City. Max notices from the PokéNav that there are three islands just ahead. Brock has apparently looked it up already, so he explains about the A-B-C Islands, and mentions that Island A has a Pokémon Center. A couple of Wailmer follow them briefly as they head for the islands. Suddenly, a bunch of kids race by them, riding their Huntail and Gorebyss. Ash and May check out Huntail and Gorebyss in their Pokédexes, and learn that they both evolve from Clamperl. Turning their attention back to the race, they see one girl get knocked off her Huntail. The group stops to see if she’s okay. She is, and she resumes the race. Then, a young boy and girl go by on little pedal-boats, deep in an argument. The boy thinks Huntail is better than Gorebyss, while the girl believes the reverse. All of this has aroused the curiosity of Ash and his friends.
Meanwhile, not far away, Team Rocket is pursuing the “twerps” as usual, in their Magikarp submarine. Suddenly, they get stuck between two boulders underwater. They start pedaling at full power to try to break free, but the sub’s hull buckles, letting water gush in.
By now, Ash and friends have reached the Pokémon Center, and greet Nurse Joy. Brock flips out as usual, and Max drags him away. After a brief interruption so Joy can accept a call and a transported Corsola from a Trainer called Midori, the group suddenly hear loud voices arguing. Turns out that this Nurse Joy is also a teacher, and her students have begun arguing in her absence over whether Huntail or Gorebyss is better. Joy quiets the kids down, then takes everyone out to the pool, much to the kids’ delight. On the way, Joy explains about the rivalry between the Huntail Trainers and the Gorebyss Trainers on these islands, and the regular water races they have.
At the pool, the kids (including the two from the beginning of the episode) are watching two Huntail and two Gorebyss swim around a man floating in the pool. The man turns out to be none other than Professor Birch! Joy is surprised to learn that Ash and friends know the Professor, and greetings are exchanged. May assumes he must have been doing some sort of research in the pool with the Huntail and Gorebyss, but Birch says he was just playing with them for now. Birch explains that he’s here to learn more about what makes Clamperl evolve into Huntail or Gorebyss. Birch fields a couple of questions from the kids, then explains that Clamperl evolve using either the DeepSeaScale or DeepSeaTooth, and produces models of the items to show the kids. He goes on to explain that he had heard that when Clamperl are placed in the water in the two other islands, they tended to soon evolve into either Huntail or Gorebyss, so he suspects he might be able to find the DeepSeaTooth and DeepSeaScale on those islands. Ash says he and his friends would love to come along, and Birch agrees to let them come.
A scene change later, they’re in a speedboat, ready to take off for Island B. Nancy (the young girl from earlier) joins them at the last minute. Unbeknownst to them, Keith (the young boy from earlier) is following in his pedal boat. Having reached Island B, Birch tastes the water from a waterfall inside a cave there. Just as he suspected, the mineral content seems very high, so he takes a water sample. Suddenly, the sound of a footstep behind them betrays the presence of Keith, much to Nancy’s annoyance. Keith is anxious to evolve his Clamperl into a Huntail, and had been eavesdropping. Birch explains that he fully intends to investigate both islands, and Keith accompanies them to Island C. This time, Nancy follows in the pedal boat. Same process here. Birch tastes the water, takes a sample, and Nancy accidentally betrays her presence. This time it’s her turn to eavesdrop on the enemy.
Back at the lab on Island A, Birch analyzes the water, and finally thinks he has the scientific stuff figured out. Keith and Nancy run up to the group, anxious for news, and argue briefly before May and Birch calm them down. Birch asks to see their Clamperl, so they all go out by the pool, and the kids send out the Clamperl. Birch says they look healthy, and if everything works out, they should each be able to evolve.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket has made it to the pool (it has an opening to get in and out from the ocean) and they’re watching the scene from their sub. Meowth wants to give all the Huntail and Gorebyss to the Boss, and has a vision of him riding them like water skis, similar to how the locals do it, except the Boss is riding both at once. James is skeptical, but Meowth insists, and Jessie likes the plan as well.
As the group continues to talk by the pool, Team Rocket suddenly makes their appearance, and they say their motto. They send a net out from their sub to catch the Huntail and Gorebyss, but Ash quickly sends out Corphish to cut the net. Jessie sends out Seviper, who attempts a Bite attack. Corphish counters with Harden, and Seviper just ends up hitting its head. Ash then orders a Crabhammer, and Corphish uses it to slam Seviper into the water. James sends out Cacnea, who after hugging James as usual, fires a Pin Missile at the Clamperl. The kids tell their Clamperl to use Iron Defense. The Clamperl close their shells, and the pins just bounce off. Jessie orders a Poison Tail, and Seviper jumps out of the water, but Corphish counters with BubbleBeam. Both Clamperl then use Water Gun together, sending Seviper and Cacnea back to the sub. Finally, a Thunderbolt from Ash's Pikachu sends Team Rocket blasting off. The kids celebrate, and the Professor says it’s now time to go look for the evolution items.
They go back to Island B to look for a DeepSeaScale. Keith finds it, and gives it to Nancy, who in turn gives it to her Clamperl. She expects an evolution, but nothing happens, so Birch suggests sending Clamperl to the Pokémon Center, since Clamperl won’t evolve right away when given the item. The girl agrees and they do so from the cabin on the island. On Island C, they again search, and find a DeepSeaTooth. Fittingly, Nancy finds it, and gives it to Keith, who gives it to his Clamperl. His doesn’t evolve right away either, so he sends it to the Pokémon Center as well.
Back at the Pokémon Center, the kids receive their Clamperl from Joy and send them out. They haven’t evolved yet, and Birch is briefly puzzled, but then they start to glow, and evolve into Huntail and Gorebyss! The kids take their newly evolved Pokémon out to the pool and watch them swim for a bit. Suddenly, Team Rocket shows up again, this time in a giant Kingler mech. Meowth sends one of the mech’s claws at Gorebyss. Nancy tells Gorebyss to dodge, and Keith tells Huntail to try a Bite attack. Huntail charges forward, but just bounces off the mech. Ash sends out Grovyle to use Bullet Seed, but to no avail, as that bounces off as well. Huntail and Gorebyss use a combined Water Pulse, which knocks the mech back briefly. Team Rocket quickly recovers and Meowth fires a claw at the two Pokémon. They dive in the water to dodge, but a net from the other claw catches them when they resurface. However, Grovyle promptly uses Leaf Blade to cut the net and free them. Nancy orders a Confusion from Gorebyss, and it levitates the mech. Keith takes the opportunity to order a Screech from Huntail. Pikachu then uses Thunder to blast off Team Rocket once more.
Now that the danger is gone, the kids admire how well their Pokémon worked together. May suggests that maybe now their feud can end, and the kids agree. Nurse Joy then calls to them, saying their boat is ready to leave. As the boat sets off, everyone shouts their goodbyes. Keith and Nancy, riding their Huntail and Gorebyss, catch up to the boat and tell the group that the Huntail and Gorebyss Trainers have finally patched things up, now that they understand more about their Pokémon. After hearing this pleasant news, Ash and friends wave goodbye to the kids, as their boat rides off into the sunset, proud to have had a hand in solving another Pokémon mystery.
Major events
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Pokémon Trainer’s Choice: Treecko
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Grovyle (Ash's)
- Corphish (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
- Chimecho (James's)
- Seviper (Jessie's)
- Cacnea (James's)
- Clamperl (Nancy's; evolves)
- Gorebyss (Nancy's; newly evolved; debut)
- Clamperl (Keith's; evolves)
- Huntail (Keith's; newly evolved; debut)
- Corsola (Midori's)
- Huntail (Islanders'; multiple)
- Gorebyss (Islanders'; multiple)
- Wailmer (multiple)
Trivia
- The dub title is a reference to the Revolutionary War.
Errors
- While telling Ash and his friends about the evolution of Clamperl, Professor Birch shows them an example of a DeepSeaTooth, which is same color as a DeepSeaScale.
Dub edits
- In the final attack before Team Rocket blasts off, Huntail uses Screech, and then Pikachu uses Thunder. In the dub, Pikachu attacks first, and it is Huntail who makes them blast off, despite Screech not being a physical move. This is an example of anime physics.
Pokémon Trainer's Choice
- Question: Trainers, which Pokémon would be most effective against Mudkip?
- Choices: Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip
- Answer: OK, Trainers! If you chose Treecko, you were right!
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
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| Mandarin Chinese | 獵斑魚與櫻花魚！進化之謎！ | |
 Finnish
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Uskomaton muodonmuutos | |
 European French
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La guerre des clans | |
 German
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Die Pokémon als Friedensstifter | |
 Hebrew
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מלחמת ההתפתחות milkhemet hahitpatkhut | |
 Italian
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Rivalità fra isole | |
 Brazilian Portuguese
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A Guerra Evolutiva | |
| Spanish |  Latin America
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¡La guerra evolutiva! |
 Spain
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La guerra de la evolución | |
 Swedish
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Förändringens tid | |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
