The Pokémon anime could be on the verge of introducing a new Eeveelution. Pokémon Ultimate Journeys is the follow-up to Pokémon Journeys and Pokémon Master Journeys, which have followed Ash’s adventures as a research fellow working for Professor Cerise. Together with his friends Goh and Chloe (Professor Cerise’s daughter), Ash travels all over the Pokémon world to discover new Pokémon and to understand them better, as well as reunite with old friends and rivals. This mission of discovery encomes a range of different Pokémon, including the mysterious Eevee.
The Pokémon Journeys series has been a departure from previous Pokémon anime iterations, as a result of Ash winning the Alola Pokémon League in the Pokémon anime’s previous series, Pokémon Sun and Moon. Ash’s dream of becoming a Pokémon Master hasn’t waned one bit since his win at the Pokémon League, however, and his friends Goh and Chloe have been on journeys of their own too. Goh is trying to catch one of every Pokémon, including the mythical Pokémon Mew, while Chloe has been learning to make friends with more Pokémon and bonding with her very own Eevee. Chloe and Eevee’s journey together has been all about understanding the different species Eevee could potentially evolve into, otherwise known as Eeveelutions.
Chloe’s Eevee in the Pokémon anime could culminate in the reveal of the newest Eeveelution before the latest games are released later this year, as part of Pokémon’s promotional campaign.
What A New Eeveelution Could Mean For Pokémon
It would make sense for Pokémon to have held back on a new Eeveelution until now. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be the 9th generation of mainline games, and any new evolutionary possibility for Eevee would be the 9th Eeveelution. There are plenty of Pokémon types left for an Eeveelution, including Rock, Ground, Ghost, Steel, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Flying, and even Dragon. It’s possible, of course, that Chloe’s Eevee is intended to parallel Ash’s Pokémon partner Pikachu, who decided never to evolve, but that would be a waste of the build-up that Chloe’s and Eevee’s adventures throughout Pokémon Master Journeys and Ultimate Journeys has created. This would be the perfect opportunity for the Pokémon franchise to heighten the hype surrounding both the Pokémon anime and the Pokémon games.
If the Pokémon anime does include the reveal of a new Eeveelution, it wouldn’t be the first time that a new Pokémon has debuted somewhere other than the games. The legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, officially a Generation II Pokémon, was initially spotted by Ash in an episode of the first iteration of the Pokémon anime, and couldn’t be identified by his Pokédex at the time. Togepi featured heavily in the Pokémon anime before it was officially labeled a Generation II Pokémon as well. There is certainly enough precedent for Pokémon to reveal the new Eeveelution before the release of the game, and Chloe’s and Eevee’s journey is perfectly set up to do so.
The premise of the Pokémon Journeys generation of the anime will allow it to continue well into the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Perhaps a Pokémon Professor from the newest region travels to meet Professor Cerise, and that’s how Chloe discovers Eevee’s newest Eeveelution. The reveal of new Pokémon species is always exciting, and it would be great to see the Pokémon anime take part in that excitement too.
