Who Gets to Keep Togepi? – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 50

Plot episodeTogepi hatches

Who Gets to Keep Togepi? is the 50th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 50th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 52, Bulbapedia code EP050). It first aired in Japan on 25 June 1998 and in the United States on 27 March 1999. It falls within the season’s The comeback, Charizard & the Egg stretch (EP39–EP51).

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

Synopsis

Ash and his friends are in for a surprise at this small town Pokemon Center. Ash has a message waiting for him from Professor Oak who wants Ash to call him, and he does. Muk mounts Professor Oak during the call, but the Prof manages to evade Muk long enough to tell Ash about the updated PokéDex software. Ash places his Dex in the machine and Oak transmits the data, PokéDex upgraded!

The friends then sit and eat while they plan where to go next, they decide on Cinnibar Island before discussing when the Pokemon egg might hatch and what it might be, Team Rocket listening in of course the whole time. TR then dress up as Pokemon egg sellers, and ask to see the gangs egg, they then mix it up with their own eggs and reveal their true identities. While Ash and Brock try to work out which egg is theirs, it turns out Meowth has the real one and Team Rocket run off with it, sitting at a Cabin in the woods discussing what to do with it. Meowth cares for the egg to try and hatch it at the Cabin, sleeping alongside it as Brock did, bathing it in warm water and stuff. Meanwhile Ash and gang follow a trail of dropped false eggs, eventually finding Team Rocket’s hideout in the woods.

They look through the window to see James serving everyone scrambled eggs, but then they see that their egg is still OK and they attack Team Rockets hideout with their Pokemon. Pidgeotto, Geodude and Staryu burst in and Pidgeotto takes back the egg. A battle ensues and the egg is nearly dropped, with Pikachu narrowly saving it. The egg begins to hatch, Misty rushes over and grabs the egg to see it hatch, the Pokemon immediately assumes Misty to be it’s mother. Everyone including Team Rocket is excited to see the egg, but then they decide they want to battle. Pikachu shocks them, and Ash and friends escape the cabin. They discuss which of them gets to keep Togepi, the newly hatched Pokemon. Misty decides she should keep the egg because Togepi likes her best. Meowth turns up and says he raised the egg and Togepi should be his, Ash suggests a battle and a six way tournament is arranged but Meowth then states Jessie and James have no right to participate as they didn’t help to raise the egg.

A four way tournament begins between Ash, Misty, Brock and Meowth. Round 1 is Brock and his Onix vs. Meowth, although disadvantaged Meowth keeps fighting for Togepi, using water to weaken Onix and then hitting with fury swipes and actually winning! Round 2 is Ash vs. Misty, Ash chooses his Bulbasaur and Misty accidentally chooses Psyduck, Ash commands Bulbasaur to tickle and lick Psyduck to ensure it doesn’t get a headache, Ash and Bulbasaur quickly render Psyduck unable to battle and win. The final battle for Togepi is Ash and Pikachu vs. Meowth, Meowth being quickly defeated by Pikachu’s electric attacks. Ash is declared the winner of Togepi, but Togepi doesn’t seem to want to go to anyone else. Just then Ash’s Pokedex states “Togepi is imprinted with the image of the first person it see’s, thinking it to be it’s mother”. So who gets to keep Togepi? Misty does, for some reason.

Major Events

• — the Egg hatches into Togepi, who imprints on Misty (first hatching
• First next-generation Pokémon owned by a main character)
• Pokédex upgrade (dub: Eric Stuart’s “new voice”)
• Heading to Cinnabar. Debut: Togepi
• Lapras & Dragonair (fantasy).

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Lapras#0131 · EP050
• Dragonair#0148 · EP050
• Togepi#0175 · EP050

Captures and evolutions

• Togepi#0175 · Misty · hatched from Ash’s Egg

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Hideki Sonoda.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.

Changes in the English Dub

• “Dr. Okido” card, “Family Restaurant Magikarp”, スカ egg → frowny face, 消火用 fire sign painted
• The Pokédex upgrade is written into the dub as a “new voice” — Eric Stuart replaces Nicholas James Tate
• Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Friday segment)

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