#13 - #15 - Weedle, Kakuna & Beedrill

The Weedle evolution line: Weedle (bottom left),
Kakuna (bottom right) and Beedrill (middle).

Little Weedle is one of the two original Gen. I catterpillar Pokémon, the other one being Caterpie. Fortunately for Weedle, it is not quite as uneventful as Caterpie is, although it is a close call. The only thing that distinguishes Weedle from its counterpart is that it's also part poison type, meaning that it is able to poison its foes. That led to some seriously irritating battles early on in the Red and Blue games, especially if you didn't have any Antidotes at the ready. Weedle and its first-stage evolution Kakuna definitely look more interesting than Caterpie and its first-stage evolution Metapod; the former because of the intimidating horn on its head, the latter because it looks intimidating overall. You might have noticed the little claws that Kakuna has tucked in (they extend from its body a little in its Red/Blue sprite), a feature Metapod certainly does not have. Then again, it wouldn't have fit Caterpie and Metapod if they had such things, as they are supposed to be the pre-evolutions of a butterfly, whereas Kakuna evolves into... a bee. Which looks more like a paper wasp, if I have to be honest. Not only that: Kakuna also becomes scorching hot to touch as it is busy preparing for its coming evolution, and it is still capable of poisoning predators with its stingers. Yes, the Beedrill line has always appealed more to me than the Butterfree line has, I won't deny that, but it is not to be ignored that both Pokémon sucked ass back in the days of Red and Blue. Butterfree because it didn't have beneficial typings (Butterfree is special-based, and bug and flying were both physical-based types before the physical/special split in Diamond and Pearl) and Beedrill because it didn't have any good moves, not even of its own types, and because its defenses were absolutely booty.

Official art for Mega Beedrill.

Of course, this has all changed in the course of time, but Beedrill has one advantage over Butterfree: it got a Mega evolution last year. Yes indeed, Mega Beedrill became a thing with the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, even though it isn't available before defeating Groudon or Kyogre; at that point you probably already have a full roster of six Pokémon (although it's possible, as you are able to obtain the Beedrillite before entering the Cave of Origin). This Mega has definitely made Beedrill a whole lot better, having gained a boost of 60 in its attack stat and 70 in its speed stat, bringing the total up to 150 and 145, respectively. It has had to give up 30 of its special attack though, but he never needed that stat anyway. Not only is Beedrill now a physical sweeper because of its stat boosts, it also has a shiny new ability to boast about: Adaptability, which increases moves of its own types even further. Due to these changes, Beedrill is now often used in the competitive scene, with movesets containing moves such as Poison Jab, Drill Run, Knock Off, Brick Break, Swords Dance (if you're feeling lucky; Mega Beedrill is still quite frail, as its defenses haven't gotten a boost at all) and your regular bug-type moves like X-Scissor, U-Turn, and even Pin Missile for breaking Substitutes at the first hit and continuing on attacking for some moderate damage.

It is quite clear that Mega Beedrill is made for the competitive scene. And quite honestly, it needed the boost. Beedrill already appealed more to me than Butterfree, but it has started to appeal to me even more now that it has a Mega (a very poisonous one at that, as the poison from its limbs works instantly, while the poison from its 'tail' is slow-acting), which I admit is not really fair towards the likes of Butterfree. I'm sorry, my sweet little butterfly, but this vicious bee wins this round...

Rating: 4.5/5