#138 - #139: Omanyte & Omastar

During 'Twitch Plays Pokémon', the Helix Fossil was often
treated as a deity.

Omanyte and Omastar are the first Pokémon in the National Pokédex that can be revived from fossils. That is the only way to obtain such fossil Pokémon, excluding the method of breeding. Usually, you can choose only one from two different fossils in any pair of games (except Gold and Silver, which introduced no new fossil Pokémon), although the availability of fossils has heavily increased since Diamond and Pearl, because they became regular items in the bag rather than key items. You can obtain the following fossils: Helix Fossil (Omanyte) and Dome Fossil (Kabuto) in Red and Blue, Root Fossil (Lileep) and Claw Fossil (Anorith) in Ruby and Sapphire, Skull Fossil (Cranidos) and Armor Fossil (Shieldon) in Diamond and Pearl, Cover Fossil (Tirtouga) and Plume Fossil (Archen) in Black and White, and Jaw Fossil (Tyrunt) and Sail Fossil (Amaura) in X and Y. Additionally, Aerodactyl can be restored from the Old Amber as of Gen. I. There is no doubt the fossils have become a staple feature in every new generation, and I think Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon won't be an exception.

Lord Helix blessing someone.

But the Helix Fossil rose to fame during 'Twitch Plays Pokémon', in which multiple players (the Hive Mind) could insert certain commands at the same time in attempts to steer player character Red, causing a giant mess. Red was able to choose the Helix Fossil from two possible fossils, though, and after the bag was opened in battles by the Hive Mind multiple times, the Helix Fossil was constantly selected because it was the item in the first slot. The Hive Mind saw this as Red 'consulting' the Helix Fossil and thus the storyline of Lord Helix and the Church of Helix religion was created: the God of Anarchy (Lord Helix) was in a war against the God of Democracy (Lord Dome), and when Red chose to carry along the Helix Fossil, this gave the Helix an advantage over the Dome. Angered by this, the Dome tried to sabotage Red's journey in many possible ways, almost succeeding in it: Eevee evolved into Flareon instead of Vaporeon, which led the Hive Mind to take a forced trip to the PC. This went horribly wrong, however, as Abby the Charmeleon and Jay Leno the Rattata, two of TPP's favorite Pokémon, were released and Bird Jesus and the Helix Fossil were deposited into the PC.

Many people saw this as Lord Dome tricking Red into accepting the use of Democracy, which refers to an event in real life: after 24 hours without progress, the person who streamed the game replaced the Anarchy system with the Democracy system. The Hive Mind, thinking TPP was about having fun with complete randomness, rioted by sending no other inputs than 'start9' and the Anarchy system was brought back. Some time later, Bird Jesus returned to the team, Lord Helix was retrieved from the PC again, and Flareon was released. This is seen as Red overcoming the Dome's influence, as the Helix was guiding him once more. To top it off, the Helix Fossil was revived at Cinnabar Island and Omastar became an important team member, responsible for Red defeating the Elite 4 and the Champion.

A fossil of an ammonite, an extinct group of mollusks that
Omanyte is based on.

Whew, that's a long story for such an insignificant Pokémon, right? Well, I'm not done yet. The facts that Omanyte can't be caught in the wild and can only be obtained by reviving the Helix Fossil mean that it has gone extinct somewhere in the past, right? Well, yes. Omanyte and its evolution Omastar are actually based on an extinct group of mollusks called ammonites. Omanyte's name is even a corruption of this word. Omanyte is believed to have lived tens of thousands of years ago, swimming about using its tentacles and regulating its buoyancy by storing and releasing air using its several gas-filled chambers in its shell. However, it was Omastar's fault the species has gone extinct: whereas Omanyte only ate plankton, Omastar's heavy shell hindered it in praying on larger things such as Shellder. But once it ensnared its prey, it never let go; even the hard shells of prehistoric Shellder stood no match against Omastar's powerful and deadly bite, and they were quickly made a meal of by having their insides sucked out.

Ew, that's actually really gross.

Luckily, no such thing happens in the games. And Omastar has never truly been hindered by its stats either, as they are actually pretty decent. Okay, its HP and special defense could be better, but its special attack and defense are actually really great. It's also not very fast, although not as sluggish as its Pokédex entries suggest, but there's a very handy way to get around that: Shell Smash. This move increases Omastar's attack, special attack and speed stats by two stages each and lowers its defense and special defense by one stage each. Give it a White Herb to hold and it'll restore any negative stat changes from Shell Smash, too (only once, though). This strategy makes Omastar a pretty straightforward Pokémon: it's supposed to be a fast late-game sweeper with moves such as Hydro Pump, Surf, Ice Beam, Ancient Power, Earth Power and Hidden Power, so a Timid nature to boost its speed and the Shell Armor ability to prevent critical hits from occurring are recommended. Swift Swim doubles Omastar's speed stat in rain and can be used on rain teams, but it kinda contradicts Omastar's entire flavor. Alternatively, it can be used as an entry hazard setter with a Focus Sash, but I'd recommend a bulkier Pokémon like Ferrothorn to do that (Iron Barbs/Rocky Helmet combo!).

All in all, there are quite some things that make Omanyte and Omastar stand out to other Pokémon, even though it looks a bit insignificant. It's a bit of a shame that this whole 'gone extinct' thing has been done over and over again by adding new fossil Pokémon every generation from Ruby and Sapphire onwards. But I still like Omastar, you know, just not as much as the two fossil Pokémon I will discuss shortly.

Rating: 4/5

#137, #233, #474: Porygon, Porygon2 & Porygon-Z

Stills from "Electric Soldier Porygon" (which
is actually not the official English title, but
merely a free translation of the Japanese);
season 1, episode 38. 

Poor, poor Porygon... What has Pikachu done to you?

Porygon made its only major anime appearance in the 38th episode of the first season, in which Ash and his friends meet a mad scientist called Dr. Akihabara, who has to figure out what is wrong with the Poké Ball transporter in the Pokémon Center in Matcha City. Akihabara actually invented the Pokémon Transport System, but contradicts Brock when he says that it could be a computer virus and should use an anti-virus vaccine program. Akihabara suddenly bolts out of the Center upon further investigation into the system, which cause Ash, Misty and Brock to follow him to his lab. There, they are lured into a giant machine called the Human Transporter. Their mission is to physically enter the computer system and stop Team Rocket (obviously!), who have gone into the system by use of one of Akihabara's prototype Porygon and are currently stealing all of the Poké Balls sent to other Trainers by Nurse Joy. Ash and his friends refuse, but Akihabara traps them and sends them into the system along with his other Porygon. Of course, Ash gets the winning hand and Porygon sends Team Rocket 'blasting off again'. Meanwhile, Nurse Joy hired another technician to put the anti-virus vaccine software into the computer, which seeks to exterminate the humans infiltrating it by taking on the form of an actual vaccination syringe. Trying to escape from it on the back of an enlarged Porygon, even saving Team Rocket in the process, Pikachu blows up the missiles the vaccine fired. Naturally, Porygon narrowly escapes from the computer program, but Akihabara's giant laboratory mansion gets destroyed in the process, much to his dismay.

Fan art of Porygon converting into data. Or something. Hey, I
don't know, man. I am not an IT specialist, OK? 

This infamous episode called "Computer Warrior Porygon" or "Cyber Warrior Porygon", more commonly known as "Electric Soldier Porygon" in English-speaking countries, had become highly controversial following the airing in Japan. The flashing red-and-blue images that followed after Pikachu destroys the missiles caused epileptic seizures in over 700 Japanese citizens, more than 600 of them children. The majority of them were hospitalized, while twelve thousand more children reported mild symptoms like nausea and blurred vision rather than grand mal seizures. The episode even gave the anime the infamous title of "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show" from The Guinness Book of World Records. The incident, which has been parodied in popular culture many times later on, was referred to as 'Pokémon Shock' by the Japanese press and had some major consequences. Firstly, the show went on a four-month hiatus, only to come back preceded by a disclaimer cautioning viewers not to sit too close to the screen and to watch only in a brightly-lit room. Japanese television broadcasters and medical officials came together to create guidelines on flashing images in future animated shows. To prevent similar events from reoccurring, Nintendo quickly ordered the episode pulled, and it has not aired anywhere since as a result, not even outside of Japan. And, last but not least, despite the fact that it was actually Pikachu who caused this strobe-light effect, Porygon got the blame and it and its evolutions were never seen in the anime ever again (barring some cameos), in an effort to put the event out of the public's minds and prevent trauma.

Porygon2 was designed for space exploration, even though it
can't actually fly

And that's a shame, because this man-made Pokémon actually has a very interesting flavor to it. Porygon is an artificial Pokémon created due to extensive research and consists entirely of programming code, being able to perform solely what's in its program with basic movements. Built into its code is Silph Co. copy protection DRM, preventing people from duplicating it through electronic means. But whereas Porygon seems to be based on the concept of a digital bird made with primitive 3D graphics software, its evolution Porygon2 (whose name is actually more logical rather than unimaginative, as it is an updated version not unlike some computer software programs, which is represented by the Up-Grade, used to evolve Porygon with) represents the concept of subdivision in 3D computer graphics and seems to be a smoother version of Porygon, made with more advanced 3D graphics software. The head looks like a duck, but it also resembles a drinking bird, which is especially demonstrated in the 3D games (X, Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire) due to it making the same movement as one. Porygon2 was designed and created for the exploration of other planets, but its inability to fly let it fail to measure up. It has been endowed with artificial intelligence that enables it to learn new behaviors and movements that are not in its programming.

Porygon-Z as a corrupted file.

Porygon2 was given additional software in order to increase its abilities (the Dubious Disc, used to evolve Porygon2 into Porygon-Z), initially for traveling through alien dimensions, but an error occurred and Porygon-Z started acting erratically. Its undesirable and unprogrammed behaviors suggest that it may be based on a computer virus having infected Porygon2 or that it is a reference to copyrighted software being patched by users to use all the features but often causing bugs in the program. And a name like Dubious Disc heavily implies that the computer software wasn't authorized by Silph Co. in the first place, which suggests that Porygon-Z is an illegitimate Pokémon. Basically, Porygon-Z is a corrupted digital file, am I right?

Figurines of Porygon (left), Porygon2 (right) and Porygon-Z
(middle).

But a strong one at that, because at a base 135 its special attack is ridiculously high. It has decent speed and medicore defenses, but with the Choice Specs or a Choice Scarf attached to it, as well as a Modest or Timid nature, it can actually beat Pokémon up at high speed. And with attacks like Tri Attack, Psyshock, Discharge, Dark Pulse, Signal Beam, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Shadow Ball and Ice Beam it is perfectly capable of doing that. Ditch the Scarf or Specs for a Life Orb and you can set up with Nasty Plot and Agility, which sharply boost its special attack and speed stats, respectively. And as Tri Attack matches its own type, normal, its ability Adaptability boosts the power of that move even further. Download is unreliable, as it raises Porygon-Z's special attack stat by one stage when the foe's special defense is lower than it defense, and it raises Porygon-Z's attack stat when it's the other way around. Analytic lets Porygon-Z boost its moves if the foe already attacked, but you want Porygon-Z to attack first due to its moderate frailty. You know who might benefit from Analytic? Porygon2.

Porygon (right), Porygon2 (middle) and Porygon-Z (left) in cyberspace.

Porygon2 is not as fast as its evolution by a long shot. Then again, it is used in a completely different way than Porygon-Z, because it is still able to evolve and that makes the Eviolite a very desirable item to use on Porygon2. This item buffs up its decent bulk even more! Add to that a defensive nature like Calm or Bold and the moves Recover and either Toxic or Thunder Wave (with Tri Attack and either Ice Beam or Thunderbolt to complete its moveset), and you'll have an annoying support Pokémon. Its special attack isn't as high as Porygon-Z's, although it is absolutely not bad, but it has a much better utility competitively, at least in my own humble opinion. Porygon2 doesn't have access to Adaptability, however, so you'll have to do with Analytic or maybe even Trace, which is an ability that copies the foe's ability and potentially allows Porygon2 to use that ability against it.

Porygon and its kin are curious Pokémon, especially if you consider that a Pokémon based on computer data was released in 1996 and designed even earlier. It was the era in which computer technology was still in its infancy, at least compared to what's available to us in the present day. I really like this Pokémon, but th^%gfjk*@%^wt%blbrrrrbl-#$$

kgggggg... kgggg... kgggg...

I'm sorry, my opinion got corrupted.

Rating: 4/5

#131: Lapras

Lapras's surfing sprite in Pokémon X and Y. All of the
other surfing Pokémon are depicted as black blobs.

Imagine you could go anywhere just by riding Lapras. You won't be polluting the environment by emitting carbon dioxide when driving your car, transport is completely free of charge, and, most importantly, you won't be surrounded by noisy and nosy people: Lapras is all for yourself. If only that was possible...

Yeah, dream on.

Well, in the Pokémon world, Lapras is actually a very timid and docile but gentle Pokémon that is more than willing to ferry people across large bodies of water, a trait that has been recurrently demonstrated in the Pokémon franchise. During the Orange Islands saga, Ash owned a baby Lapras that took him and his friends everywhere they needed to go, from island to island and from adventure to adventure. Furthermore, the surfing sprite in X and Y is actually a Lapras instead of a vague black blur and the games in the Mystery Dungeon series often feature a Lapras that transports the main characters to other continents. There are probably other examples, but I was just trying to make a point here: Lapras is all about transporting other people and/or Pokémon, hence its classification as the 'Transport Pokémon'.

Fan art of Lapras leaping from the ocean water.

Except for the fact that there aren't any real-life marine creatures that will ferry you across the oceans, Lapras' flavor in general is interesting and very well-executed in the anime and games. It seems to be loosely based on the Scottish fable of the Monster of Loch Ness, but strongly resembles a species of marine dinosaurs from the Jurassic period known as the plesiosaur. Lapras is a very compassionate and intelligent Pokémon that can understand human speech (which is not extraordinary, because any other Pokémon is able to understand human speech as well) and can read the minds of people, and is so rare due to it being overhunted almost to extinction by hunters that take advantage of its gentle and pacifist nature. Therefore, it sings enchanting melodies to seek or keep in touch with others of its kind. All of these characteristics can be comparable to some cetaceans, marine mammals like whales and dolphins.

Fun fact: Lapras's name is a corruption of the surname of Pierre-Simon Laplace, an influential French mathematician who wrote several books on the mathematical properties of the sea and tides, and/or a corruption of la place, which is French for 'the seat' and refers to how passengers sit on its back like a seat to be ferried across the waters. Additionally, its name may also be derived from lapis lazuli, a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized for its intense color since ancient times.

More Lapras fan art. 

But despite the fact that Lapras rarely fight, Game Freak can hardly prohibit you to use Lapras to fight with in the games, especially in the competitive scene. And Lapras is a bulky Pokémon with well-rounded stats across the board, possessing some beefy HP and alright offensive and defensive stats. Its speed isn't that good, but Lapras is meant to take some hits, so it doesn't matter anyway. Now, there are a few ways to use this thing. Firstly, an all-out attacking Lapras isn't uncommon: Lapras can learn a shit-ton of good offensive moves, including Ice Beam, Scald, Freeze-Dry, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Surf, Dragon Pulse, Ancient Power, Bulldoze, Body Slam, Zen Headbutt, Waterfall, Aqua Tail, Iron Head, Iron Tail and Outrage. A Modest nature and Choice Specs help pump up the strength of its moves even further, but Lapras isn't the best attacker out there (although I'm not saying that it's bad by any means). I recommend utilize Lapras's natural bulk and breed one with a Bold nature, while you maximize its HP and defense EVs and, to a lesser extent, invest some in its special attack as well. It should be holding the Leftovers and its moveset should consist of Scald (does some STAB damage and has a high chance to burn the opposing Pokémon), Rest, Heal Bell (heals all of your Pokémon's status conditions) and Roar (forces the opponent to switch into another Pokémon, which is handy if the opposing Pokémon is setting up). Ditching Roar for Freeze-Dry or Ice Beam is optional. Anyway, to top all of that, Shell Armor is an excellent ability that prevents the opponent to pull off a critical hit on Lapras, which only adds up to Lapras's bulk. Water Absorb is nice too, absorbing incoming water-type attacks and even getting some HP recovery from them, while Hydration cures any non-volatile status condition while it's raining and works primarily on a rain team. It can be useful in combination with Rest, though.

In the end, Lapras is a very interesting Pokémon that has a lot going for it. Some Pokémon are easily forgettable, but the motherfuckers at Game Freak have done everything in their power to let nobody forget about it. And rightfully so, because Lapras is an excellent Pokémon that deserves some love.

Rating: 4/5

#120 - #121: Staryu & Starmie

Nice 'real-life' fan art of Staryu. 

I... I honestly don't know where the hell I have to start with this.

Why, we know that in the anime Misty had both Staryu and Starmie on her team, but we didn't see them all that often because her annoying-ass Psyduck unwelcomingly kept bursting out of its Poké Ball whenever Misty wanted to send them out to battle. Staryu seems to be some sort of weird starfish-like Pokémon with a jewel-like exterior organ called the core, which is held in place by a golden ring around its left 'leg'. The center of Staryu's body is apparently very important, because Staryu can regenerate its body when it's completely torn apart, as long as the core remains intact. This core glows brightest and flickers fastest (with the same rhythm as a human heartbeat) when the sun goes down, when whole flocks of Staryu float to the surface from the seafloors, aligning themselves and communicating with the stars in the night sky.

The star symbol of Inanna/Ishtar; it has Staryu's round core and
shares Starmie's trait of having more appendages. 

Starmie, 'the gem of the sea', is probably even weirder, because it appears to have developed an extra set of semi-attached appendages that are able to spin 360°. Its core shines in the seven different colors of the rainbow and can now emit radio waves that are powerful enough to reach the furtest parts of the universe, which is why it is believed that Starmie are extraterrestrial. People in ancient times even imagined that they were transformed from the reflections of stars that twinkled on the ocean waves at night. However, these are just rumors, and there is absolutely no convincing proof that Starmie come from outer space; maybe they just feel a connection with the stars... or something. If anything, Starmie and its pre-evo are based on the Mesopotamian goddess of love, fertility and warfare, Inanna, who was associated with Venus. That planet was regarded as two stars at that time, the 'morning star' and the 'evening star', which is why Inanna's (and her Akkadian counterpart Ishtar's) symbol is a four-pointed star that looks a lot like Staryu and Starmie combined. At least it leaves some fodder for discussion, but Starmie isn't much of a notorious Pokémon and its descent isn't really discussed often in the Pokémon community.

Starmie emitting multi-colored radio signals to space from what
I assume is the ocean floor.

When Starmie is discussed, however, it's in regard to how to use it in competitive play. There are a few ways to make use of it, but its base special attack stat of 100 makes it an excellent special attacker, especially combined with Choice Specs, a Choice Scarf or a Life Orb and a Timid or Modest nature. Starmie is capable of learning some pretty nifty moves that match its flavor, such as Recover (which is a must-have in the competitive scene), Confuse Ray and Dazzling Gleam. It also learns a variety of attacking moves, like Thunderbolt, Psychic, Surf, Hydro Pump, Scald, Flash Cannon, Ice Beam, Signal Beam, Psyshock, Grass Knot, Rapid Spin (which is often used on Starmie to get rid of entry hazard like Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes), and even Power Gem if you bother to hold off evolving Staryu for a while. It even knows Reflect Type (also learned as Staryu), a move that changes Starmie's typing to the opponent's, which is handy if you see any super-effective moves coming your way and you want to remove entry hazards or heal up. You're spoiled for choice if you are composing a moveset for Starmie, but also when choosing an ability. Illuminate has no effect in battle and is therefore a worthless ability, but Natural Cure heals Starmie from a non-volatile status condition when you switch it out and Analytic increases the power of a move by 30% if the target has already acted in the same turn. That won't happen very often, as Starmie is fast, but you might as well make use of it. Natural Cure is the more reliable ability, though.

I like Starmie. I think it's weird, but a good kind of weird. It's one of those Pokémon that has a whole lot of mystery behind it (hence its classification as the 'Mysterious Pokémon'), and I think that's what makes it so fun to use, even though its design is not all that. You know what? I'll give it a 4-star rating, just for the heck of it. At least I like it enough to say that it deserves such a high rating, because Starmie is just a good and interesting Pokémon, period.

Rating: 4/5

#116 - #117, #230: Horsea, Seadra & Kingdra

A Horsea with a black eye is issuing a warning by spraying its ink
on the surface of the water in "Tentacool and Tentacruel"; season
1, episode 19. This Horsea would later join Misty's team.

Ahhh, we all know the Horsea Misty caught in the anime episode "Tentacool & Tentacruel", which I discussed in - obviously - Tentacool and Tentacruel's entry.

And by that I mean the anime episode, not Horsea.

Despite the fact that I basically discussed the entire episode in that entry, I mainly focused on the jellyfish and actually didn't mention Horsea once. Still, Horsea - who got injured by Tentacool and Tentacruel off-screen - played an important role in this episode, warning Ash and the others about the approaching danger by creating an image of Tentacool and Tentacruel on the sea's surface with its ink. While the attack is ongoing, Horsea even tries to plead with Tentacruel to stop, unfortunately to no avail. When the raid is over and Nastina still doesn't want to listen, Horsea sprays ink in her face before Tentacruel swats her away with its tentacle. Horsea ultimately decides to join Misty and becomes a faithful member of her team.

Glauert's seadragon, or the leafy seadragon, might have been the
inspiration for Horsea and its evolutions, even though Skrelp and
Dragalge look more like it. Instead, the weedy seadragon might
have been the inspiration for Kingdra, as it's a little less decorative.

Sadly, Horsea's Pokédex entries really aren't anything worth mentioning, as most characteristics match real-life seahorses as well, including the fact that male seahorses - rather than female ones - take the reins in childbirth and raise the young. Much more interesting is the speculation what Horsea is based on. It is classified as the 'Dragon Pokémon' (a typing it doesn't get until it evolves into its final evolution, Kingdra), so it might as well be based on the leafy sea dragon, a seahorse-like marine fish that was more likely the inspiration for the Gen. VI Pokémon Skrelp and Dragalge than for Horsea, but whatevs. A more probable reason why it is classified as such is its Japanese name, Tattu (タッツー), which is a corruption of tatsu, part of the common name for a seahorse in Japanese: tatsu-no-otoshigo, meaning 'illegitimate child of a dragon'. Huh, interesting.

The Horsea family from left to right: Horsea, Seadra and
Kingdra. 

This recurring dragon theme is going to play a bigger role with every evolution, because the English and Japanese names for Horsea's evolution Seadra are exactly the same. The name is a combination of 'seahorse' and 'dragon', and quite honestly, Seadra does look more like a dragon than Horsea. It also gets the Poison Point ability, as its Pokédex entries say that the venom it emits from the sharp, spiky fins on its back is toxic enough to induce fainting in humans, but that its fins and bones are prized among practitioners of traditional herbal medicine. Yet Seadra is neither a poison type nor a dragon type. I assume this has something to do with the Red and Blue game mechanics: there were no dragon-type moves in Gen. I other than Dragon Rage, which deals a fixed 40 damage, and as dragon was only weak to ice and itself, Seadra would have had no real weaknesses because of its ice-resisting water typing. That feature would have made Seadra way too overpowered, and it is probably the reason why Gyarados had (and still has) flying as its secondary type instead of dragon as well.

Now, THIS is an awesome drawing of Kingdra!

Fortunately, in Seadra's case, Game Freak changed that in Gen. II by giving it an evolution that is actually a dual water/dragon type: Kingdra. While Horsea and Seadra's flavor is nothing short of dull, Kingdra has characteristics that's gonna leave your jaw dropped on the goddamn floor. Here goes: Kingdra's yawn is strong enough to create undercurrents capable of destroying small ships. Should it decide to emerge from the depths of the ocean, its strength can create large whirlpools and sea-born tornadoes on the surface. Better yet (or worse, depending on how you look at it), because of its immense power it can create giant whirlpools even when it stirs in the cave it resides in at the very depths of the ocean, where no other Pokémon can survive. It is said to awaken and go wandering about in search for prey when a storm is 'bout to arrive. Kingdra is probably based on the Japanese legend of Ryūjin (or Ryōjin), a dragon god that is said to bear power over the seas of the world, live on the floors of deep bodies of water, and is known for its weather-like ascensions into the heavens. Now, THAT is quite some different shit than Seadra's Pokédex entries, which say that it is only capable of creating whirlpools when it spins its body around in order to catch prey.

Kingdra. Would it just have awoken from a deep slumber?

Such a shame that the method to obtain Kingdra is a little troublesome (you have to trade Seadra to another game while it is holding a Dragon Scale), but at least you'll have a great competitive Pokémon. Right? Well yeah, if you have a physical Kingdra, sure. I mean, its base attack and special attack stats of 95 are exactly the same and its entire learnset is solely special, but Kingdra has access to a great status move: Dragon Dance. This move raises its attack and speed by one stage each, so don't let it set up very often, because it'll turn into a speedy powerhouse before you know it. It is even somewhat of a tank, because its base defense and special defense stats of 95 and HP stat of 75 are nothing to sneeze at, either. And it learns just enough physical moves to be of use: Waterfall has a chance to flinch, Outrage is a strong, indispensable dragon-type move (be cautious, because you will be locked into this move for two or three turns), and Iron Head provides perfect coverage against fairy types, to which Kingdra has a weakness. Combine it with a Jolly nature, a Life Orb, Scope Lens (increases Kingdra's critical hit ratio) or Lum Berry (heals whichever status condition) as a held item, and the ability Sniper. That ability, like the Scope Lens, increases the critical hit ratio of Kingdra's moves. You can even ditch Iron Head and go for Focus Energy, which - you guessed it - increases Kingdra's critical hit ratio.

More Kingdra fan art.

As for the rest of its abilities: Damp is its hidden ability and is used to prevent weather conditions from taking effect, which is purely situational, while Swift Swim is mainly used when composing a rain team. In that case, Kingdra would work out great with a special moveset consisting of Hydro Pump, Draco Meteor, Ice Beam and Rain Dance. Flash Cannon is a great move for coverage against, yet again, fairy types, and Scald can be used to try and burn the foe. Usually, a Timid or Modest nature is required with such a set, and when you give it Choice Specs or a Life Orb to hold, you'll have a very, very decent special-attacking Kingdra. You can even go the diverse way and slap a Rash, Mild, Naive or Hasty nature on it to create a mixed attacker. Just make sure you don't put Kingdra up against a Pokémon with Freeze-Dry, because this ice-type move hits water types super-effectively (usually, water resists ice), which effectively makes Kingdra four times weak to it.

As you can read, Kingdra leaves you spoiled for choice. I quite like this Pokémon, and I definitely like it more than its pre-evolutions. I mean, Horsea is cute and all, but not very interesting. Neither is Seadra, for that matter. Kingdra all the way! Well, not all the way, but definitely more than halfway...

Rating: 4/5

#236, #106 - #107, #237: Tyrogue, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan & Hitmontop

Official Sugimori art of Tyrogue, the pre-evolution of Hitmonlee,
Hitmonchan and Hitmontop.

In Gen. I, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were two seemingly unrelated Pokémon with completely different movepools. One generation later, they both got the same pre-evolution, Tyrogue, and another brother (probably from another mother) to boot. Whereas baby Pokémon are mostly useless in my opinion, Tyrogue has one nice shtick: it is able to evolve into three different Pokémon (one per Tyrogue, of course), which is more than any other Pokémon aside from Eevee. It actually makes Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan related, something that wasn't really clear in Red, Blue and Yellow, mainly because they look different from each other and have completely different movepools: Hitmonlee focuses on kicking moves, while Hitmonchan specializes in punching moves. The second generation even saw the introduction of another evolution alongside Tyrogue: Hitmontop. This means you can choose from three different Tyrogue evolutions to use, and that is exactly what a baby Pokémon should be used for (the only other useful one is Pichu, who can learn the exclusive move Volt Tackle through breeding). Unfortunately, most baby Pokémon are useless and don't have anything to add to their already existing basic forms. I know I've said this a million times already, but I just can't emphasize it enough.

The Hitmon family, consisting of (clockwise
starting from the left) Tyrogue, Hitmonchan,
Hitmonlee and Hitmontop. 

Combat-wise, though, Tyrogue is far from useful. No surprises there, as it is a baby Pokémon and baby Pokémon are generally not really useful in battle, anyway. Maybe that's why this little rascal is always bursting with energy, challenging everyone (even larger foes) to become stronger. Because it is determined to do so, Tyrogue will not quit no matter how many times it loses, often nursing its injuries as a result of that. It even becomes stressed if it won't be able to exercise every single day, which is why its Trainer should establish and maintain a regular training schedule. Tyrogue will be happy, because all of this training will pay off quickly when it evolves at level 20. When its attack is higher than its defense, it will evolve into Hitmonlee; when its defense is higher than its attack, it will evolve into Hitmonchan; and when its attack and defense are the same, it will evolve into Hitmontop. This suggests that you'll get one of those three at random, but you'll be able to manipulate that by giving Tyrogue certain vitamins (Proteins when you want Hitmonlee, Irons when you want Hitmonchan, and both if you want Hitmontop) or grinding Tyrogue up to level 20 while battling Pokémon that give off attack or defense EVs. This sounds complicated, but it's not if you know what you're doing. Even if you don't, you'll get at least one of Tyrogue's three evolutions, and all three of them work out differently in competitive play.

The first is Hitmonlee (whose name is derived from Bruce Lee), who may be the personification of kickboxing and the martial art taekwondo, as it specializes in kicking moves. In fact, Hitmonlee's legs act like a coiled spring, which allows it to run with lengthy strides and gives it greater reach for its kicks due to its flexibility, while its excellent sense of balance enables it to launch lethal successive kicks from any position, especially since the sole of Hitmonlee's foot turns as hard as diamond upon impact. It's a little unsettling Hitmonlee looks like blemmyae or βλέμμυες, headless men in Greek mythology who have their facial features on their chests, but otherwise it's just a cool and strong Pokémon.

TCG art of Hitmonlee.

So it won't come as a surprise that Hitmonlee has a great attack stat that it can use to easily OHKO opponents. Too bad its speed is a little average, but that can be fixed by using a Jolly-natured Hitmonlee with invested speed EVs and a Choice Scarf as a hold item, even though an Adamant nature and/or a Life Orb can be used for a little extra power, especially in combination with Reckless. This ability powers up moves that cause recoil or crash damage, like its staple move High Jump Kick. Limber prevents paralysis but is situational, while Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's speed when its held item is lost (usually a Berry). In combination with a Liechi Berry, which raises its attack in a pinch, and the moves Endure and Reversal, this makes for a great late-game sweep. Otherwise just go with Reckless and the moves High Jump Kick, Knock Off, Stone Edge and Close Combat, while moves like Mach Punch (to make a move first), Bullet Punch (see Mach Punch), Rapid Spin (to remove entry hazards) and other strong coverage moves like Blaze Kick, Poison Jab and Earthquake are also viable options.

The second Tyrogue evolution is Hitmonchan (whose name is derived from Jackie Chan) and is the personification of boxing. This becomes apparent when looking at the color of its gloves in its normal (red boxing gloves) and shiny coloration (blue boxing gloves), which is refers to the red and blue corners in boxing. Also, Hitmonchan is said to be possessed by the spirit of a pro boxer working towards a championship, and it needs a break after three minutes of fighting, which is a reference to the duration of rounds in boxing as well. But when Hitmonchan fights, it does so incredibly efficiently: its punches are so fast that they can't bee seen with the naked eye and even a slight graze of one of them can cause a burn. By punching with a corkscrew motion, Hitmonchan is even capable of drilling through concrete.

Hitmonchan's official art.

Despite its characteristics, Hitmonchan isn't as strong as Hitmonlee. However, it makes up for that with an excellent ability: Iron Fist, which powers up punching moves by 20%. And Hitmonchan learns A TON of useful punching moves, including Mach Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Bullet Punch, Drain Punch and even Focus Punch (works best in conjunction with Substitute). Forget about Inner Focus and don't even mention Keen Eye; Iron Fist is the number one ability to go with. Unfortunately, Hitmonchan is slower and slightly weaker than Hitmonlee, which is compensated by a better defense stat, hence its evolution method. The fact that it is capable of taking at least one physical-based hit means that the Substitute/Focus Punch combo is a viable option, but mostly you'll be better off with Drain Punch (which is STAB and heals HP), Mach Punch, Ice Punch and another move like Rapid Spin, Bullet Punch or Close Combat. As it's not fast anyway, an Adamant nature and a Life Orb or Fist Plate are more than fine to use. In that regard, Hitmonchan is quite the predictable Pokémon, which isn't even a bad thing considering its current moveset in combination with its Iron Fist ability is extremely effective.

TCG art of Hitmontop.

The last evolution of Tyrogue is Hitmontop, introduced alongside Tyrogue in Gen. II, one generation later than Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Based on a top and probably the personification of the Brazilian martial art capoeira, Hitmontop moves more quickly by spinning on the spike on its head than it does by walking normally. Capable of spinning at high speeds, it delivers smooth and graceful kicks and may even bore into the ground similar to a drill. Its spinning technique is an offensive as well as a defensive mechanism, which manifests itself through its evolution method and its stats: the fact that Tyrogue's attack and defense must be equal in order for it to evolve into Hitmontop is akin to how a top must be in equilibrium to remain upright. As for Hitmontops stats, its attack and defense are exactly the same. This actually coincides with its evolution method, something that didn't really apply to Hitmonchan, as Hitmonchan's attack is still higher than its defense. There is an explanation for that, though: Hitmonchan was one of the first 151 Pokémon, while Tyrogue's evolution method wasn't introduced until the second generation.

GIF of Hitmontop spinning. 

Hitmontop's equal attack and defense stats make room for a more defensive take on the Hitmon family, even though its close-to-terrible HP makes an all-out defensive approach nigh impossible. Nigh, not entirely. Run an Impish-natured Hitmontop with Intimidate (lowers the opponent's attack stat by one stage), invest EVs in HP and Defense, and make its moveset consist of Close Combat, Rapid Spin, Foresight and Toxic. Foresight is used to hit ghost-type Pokémon with Rapid Spin, who would otherwise be immune to it as it is a normal-type move, but if you want a more offensive move for type coverage, Earthquake and Stone Edge are viable options as well. Mach Punch is an excellent STAB priority move, while Fake Out can be used when you have just switched in to Hitmontop (otherwise the move will fail) and want the opponent to flinch and receive a little damage first. An all-out offensive Hitmontop isn't unheard of either, especially combined with its ability Technician (which powers up moves with a base power of 60 or lower by 50%) and the moves Mach Punch, Fake Out and/or Bullet Punch, but I recommend leaving that to Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan.

That's what I like about the Hitmon family, anyway: all three of them are so completely different in their battle techniques and their flavor. Taekwondo, boxing and capoeira are all completely different fighting sports and I think it's great that these Pokémon are based on them, even though I hate sports in general. Personally, I would like to use Hitmonchan once, just because it is more diverse in its movepool than its two counterparts. But that medieval bowl cut, Hitmontop? Not done. Absolutely not done.

Rating: 4/5

#104 - #105: Cubone & Marowak

Cubone being sad about its mother's death.

If I have learned anything at all from the Pokémon franchise, it's that Marowak are terrible parents. Apparently, Marowak have the tendency to die often (well, once per Marowak, but you get my point), leaving their newborn children traumatized and letting them fend for themselves for the rest of their lives.

And in the process, Cubone has developed some serious Mommy issues.

You see, Cubone always wears the skull of its dead mother, and that's why no one has ever seen what Cubone's face looks like. When it cries at night in mourning of its mother, the skull that it wears vibrates and emits a plaintive and mournful melody, which only intensifies during the night of a full moon. It so happens that Cubone seems to recognize its dead mother in the moon, and so it howls with a particular sadness, making its cries especially terrible. Obviously, all Cubone are way too traumatized by the death of their mothers, causing them to develop anti-social behavior in the sense that they tend to keep to themselves and avoid social situations (hence Cubone's Pokédex classification as the 'Lonely Pokémon').

Still from the Pokémon Origins series, episode 2. This special
anime series largely follows the storyline of the player character
in Red, Blue and Yellow. In "File 2: Cubone", Red arrives in
Lavender Town and finds out that a Team Rocket grunt killed
the mother Marowak of a now orphaned Cubone with a stun baton
and kidnapped Mr. Fuji. Red hurries to rescue him, stealing the
Silph Scope in the process, with which he is able to identify the
ghost of Marowak, who is ultimately calmed by the knowledge
that her child is okay.

The creepy thing about all of this is that Game Freak dedicated a significant part of Team Rocket's storyline to a story similar to Cubone and Marowak's in the Red, Blue and Yellow versions of the games. When the character arrives in Lavender Town, he is supposed to enter Pokémon Tower, which is a seven-floor graveyard that is home to Channelers (a kind of Trainer allegedly possessed by the ghost-type Pokémon they use), the graves of dead Pokémon, Team Rocket and their mischievous plans, and wild Pokémon. Aside from Gastly and Haunter, the player also has a slight chance to encounter wild Cubone, whom Team Rocket wanted to steal in order to sell their valuable skulls. A mother Marowak that was protecting her children was killed in the process, after which she haunts the tower until the player is able to identify and defeat her on the seventh floor (she cannot be caught; letting you capture her would have been savage, yo) by use of a Silph Scope, then set her spirit free. These shenanigans don't exactly correspond with Cubone and Marowak's Pokédex entries in the games, but you can't deny it fits their flavor perfectly.

Marowak.

But Marowak, whose head has fused with the skull it once wore as a mask, has overcome the grief of its mother's passing. It is rumored that there is a Marowak graveyard somewhere in the world where Marowak gets its bones from. Other than Cubone, it has a very ferocious and violent nature and is an adept combatant, using the bone it carries as a weapon and boomerang. Cubone and Marowak even have two signature moves that makes it very clear their bones are weapons: Bone Club and Bonemerang. Prior to Gen. IV, they even had a third signature move (Bone Rush), until Lucario and Mandibuzz ran off with this move as well. I still don't understand why these bone moves are ground-type moves, but I'm going to assume this is so that Cubone and Marowak have some powerful STAB moves early on. While they're very useful in-game, most of them are quite redundant in competitive play, mainly because Marowak is able to learn Earthquake through TM26, just like almost all ground-type Pokémon. Bonemerang has the same base power as Earthquake, can break through substitutes and possibly OHKOs Pokémon with the ability Sturdy because of its multiple-hit effect, so that might come in handy if you are planning to go that way; otherwise, Earthquake is as good an option as Bonemerang. Marowak learns a ton of useful moves, such as Iron Head, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Brick Break, Focus Punch and even Outrage, but none of these are actually used very often in competitive play.

Yes, this ghost is actually Marowak, and the player character encounters it on the
seventh floor of Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. It can only be identified by the
Silph Scope, which is obtainable in the Team Rocket hideout under the Celadon
City Game Corner. Once you battle it, there is no capturing it, just defeating it.

Knock Off, however, is an absolute must-have, just like one of two possible move/ability combos: Double-Edge works great in conjunction with either Swords Dance or Substitute and the ability Rock Head (which prevents the recoil damage from Double-Edge), while Stealth Rock and Stone Edge is an equally workable combo, especially since Stone Edge punishes most Defog users - that move removes entry hazards - as it's mostly flying types who use it. In the latter case, the Battle Armor ability (which prevents critical hits) is highly recommended, as Rock Head becomes redundant. Lightning Rod is a ridiculous ability for Marowak to have, because it draws in all electric-type moves, to which Marowak is immune in the first place. Its immunity prevails over its ability anyway, so the special attack boost from Lightning Rod won't even occur, unless Marowak is holding a Ring Target. And that is exactly what you don't want, because Marowak's special attack is booty to begin with, and you definitely want it to hold another item: the Thick Club. Just make sure that your Marowak is holding one at all costs, because this item effectively doubles its attack stat, making it a whopping 290 at level 50 when using a Marowak with an attack-beneficial nature, preferably Adamant.

To make a long story short: Cubone and Marowak are creepy and pitiful Pokémon. They're creepy for wearing their mother's skull, and they're pitiful because Cubone is traumatized by and constantly mourns its mother's death, while Marowak has obviously become completely desensitized upon evolution. It's just a fascinating take on a human emotion: grief. In my opinion, that's what makes Cubone and Marowak such interesting Pokémon, and I'm glad the games and the special anime series actually address this, because it makes for great storytelling.

Rating: 4/5

#102 - #103: Exeggcute & Exeggutor

Official Sugimori art of Exeggcute. Ever wondered why the
middle one appears to be so evilly happy? Well, I'll tell you why
that is: IT HAS NO CRACKS IN IT!!!

It seems like someone at Game Freak just couldn't make up their mind.

You know, I have no problem with Pokémon that look like eggs. What I do have a problem with, however, is the inconsistency in the creation of Exeggcute, explicitly referred to as the 'Egg Pokémon'. And to be honest, I understand why, because Exeggcute clearly looks like a bunch of cracked eggs gathered together (apparently, their shells are very durable, so it can survive without spilling the contents), especially since one of the six eggs that form Exeggcute is cracked open entirely and has its yolk exposed. Or is that its brain? Anyway, Exeggcute's Pokédex entries tell a whole other story by saying they're not really eggs. And then they don't. And then they do. And then they don't. Like, WHICH ONE IS IT, GODDAMMIT? Here are some of these incredibly confusing Pokédex entries, so as to give you a clue what the goddamn hell I'm talking about.

Pokédex entry Red/Blue:
"Often mistaken for eggs. When disturbed, they quickly gather and attack in swarms."

Pokédex entry Ruby/Sapphire:
"This Pokémon consists of six eggs that form a closely knit cluster. The six eggs attract each other and spin around. When cracks increasingly appear on the eggs, Exeggcute is close to evolution."

Pokédex entry FireRed:
"Even though it appears to be eggs of some sort, it was discovered to be a life form more like plant seeds."

Pokédex entry Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
"Its six eggs converse using telepathy. They can quickly gather if they become separated."

This is some awesome 'real-life' Exeggcute made out of eggs.
And yes, I'd personally like to see this Pokémon as such. 

You see what's the problem here? These Pokédex entries are clearly contradicting each other. Pokémon X and Y have made it even more confusing, as the former uses the entry from Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, and the latter uses that from FireRed. I know, right? Game Freak, will you just MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MINDS??? Jesus Christ. Well... at least some of Exeggcute's entries explain its secondary psychic typing, a typing it desperately needs as an Exeggutor, but I'll get back to that later. In all respects, it is recommended to let Exeggcute evolve by use of a Leaf Stone ASAP, preferably at level 17. At that level, you'll be able to teach it Bullet Seed and, upon evolution, Psyshock. And as Exeggutor has a very respectable attack stat (its special attack is off the charts, though), Bullet Seed is far from unusable, at least until you get access to a better grass-type move.

Official art of Exeggutor by Ken Sugimori. Each of its heads
has a distinct face and its own character and thinks
independently from each other, which is why its cries are so
noisy. When a head grows too large from exposure to strong
sunlight, it drops off and emits a telepathic call in search of
others to form an Exeggcute cluster.

That's for regular gameplay. In the competitive scene, however, Exeggutor is a great asset in a sun team, mainly because of its ability Chlorophyll, which doubles its mediocre speed stat when the sun is up. This is necessary to make Exeggutor some sort of sweeper, especially since it is naturally slow and has a whopping seven weaknesses, which can easily be exploited. Its hidden ability Harvest would normally be an excellent ability, as it automatically recycles a used Berry, but Exeggutor actually needs the speed boost here. I'd go with a Modest-natured Exeggutor, though a Timid one will suffice as well. The latter can be used for a little extra speed at the cost of some offensive presence, but either will be fine with Choice Specs or a Life Orb attached to it. And if you give Exeggutor Leaf Storm (be cautious with this move, it lowers Exeggutor's special attack stat by two stages after one use), Giga Drain (for more reliability), either Psychic or Psyshock (the latter might come in handy to check specially bulky Pokémon, as this move hits for physical damage but uses Exeggutor's special attack stat) and a fire- or ground-type Hidden Power (to check steel and/or poison types), you'll be A-OK.

At any rate, I actually like these Pokémon. In fact, I am currently doing a grass monotype playthrough on Pokémon Y (yeah, I like being weird) and one of the Pokémon I'm using is Exeggutor. I regret nothing, because its typing is extremely useful and it is easily the strongest Pokémon on my team. Yes, I do admit that 'The Walking Jungle' (even though it is just a single coconut tree) is a weird Pokémon, but weird isn't always a bad thing. That's why I'm giving Exeggutor a well-deserved 4-star rating.

Rating: 4/5

#88 - #89: Grimer & Muk

Official art of Grimer by Ken Sugimori. Look at the poor thing;
it's extending its arms because it wants a hug!

Is it possible to love a pile of sludge?

Oh, heck yes. Yes, it is.

Everything about Grimer and Muk's flavor is just fucking gross, but I have to admit that their designs are pretty original. Many Pokémon are based off of real-life animals, and their flavor often matches their real-life counterpart as well. Grimer and Muk, however, are a bit more unrealistic. They're imaginative, capable in battles and absolutely disgusting, and that's exactly why I like them. What I like most, though, is the fact that they might be based on the fear that the improper disposal of toxic and/or nuclear waste may result in the creation of new life forms. And let's be real here: pollution is a serious issue in real life. Apparently, pollution is also a problem in the Pokémon world, because Grimer was born when sludge from a dirty stream was exposed to X-rays from the moon. It thrives on polluted wastewater that is pumped out of the same factories that polluted the waters it was born from, and that caused it to be a pungent cesspool of bacteria that are so potent that it renders the soil it moves on incapable of ever supporting plant life again. It is constantly oozing a germ-infected fluid from its body; when a piece of it breaks off, new Grimer will emerge from them, and when two Grimer merge, new poisons are created.

While Grimer looks kinda cute, to some extent, Muk is probably a thing you'll want to
stay away from.

And Grimer's evolution is even worse. Muk doesn't even have to steamroll over plants to instantly kill them: being in the close vicinity of plants is enough for Muk to make them wilt and die. Within seconds. Even briefly touching it can make you incredibly ill, and one tiny drop from its body can turn a lake stagnant and rancid. Like Grimer, Muk can be found in sewers and heavily polluted bodies of water, and therefore it is often believed to be the personification of water pollution, while Koffing and Weezing are based on air pollution and Trubbish and Garbodor are based on land pollution. Game Freak gave these real-life problems a nice touch by actually turning them into 'living' things to fight with.

Muk's official art.

And Muk isn't even bad at that, to be honest. It is not the world's greatest battler, but its massive HP, excellent attack stat and good special defense makes it a good offensive and moderately bulky Pokémon. Except when there are Move Tutors to fall back on mid-game, Muk is not a particularly good in-game Pokémon to use (its level-up movepool, barring Gunk Shot, is absolutely terrible, as it mainly learns special attacks while it's a physical attacker), but it makes for a decent competitive NU Pokémon. It is inferior to Garbodor when it comes to setting up entry hazards, but it has a more diverse direct-damage movepool: Poison Jab works great in conjunction with its hidden ability Poison Touch (which has a chance to poison an opponent when it hits Muk or when Muk hits it with a direct attack), the elemental punches provide great type coverage, Shadow Sneak is an interesting move that gives it some priority but isn't very strong, and Brick Break and Rock Slide aren't bad choices to consider giving Muk either. Let it hold an Assault Vest (which raises its already potent special defense by 50%, but requires it to use only attacking moves) or a Choice Band (which raises its already high attack stat by 50%, but requires it to choose only one move until it switches out) and you'll have a bulky Pokémon that also packs a punch. No pun intended. And as it isn't very fast to begin with, an attack-beneficial nature like Brave or Adamant is the right nature to go with.

Muk is actually just a weird, shapeless blob. This interpretation of Muk looks like it
comes straight out of an R.L. Stine novel. 

Other than maybe Trubbish and Garbodor, I don't think you'll come across more repulsive Pokémon than Grimer and Muk. I absolutely loved it when I used it in a Black 2 playthrough, and its effectiveness made me get an affection for this thing that has never gone away. I think it's deserving of the 4-star rating I'm giving it, no matter how much it is hated on by many others.

Rating: 4/5

#84 - #85: Doduo & Dodrio

Doduo can run extremely fast, but there is no way it's faster than
Dodrio...

So, here we have 'em: Doduo and Dodrio, the first Pokémon that are completely based off of an extinct animal.

Well, the Bulbasaur line could very well be based off of a dinosaur, but the suffix -saur is probably derived from the same Latin word, meaning 'lizard'. I think that's plausible.

Anyway, while dodos didn't really have two heads, let alone three, Game Freak are known for bending the rules a little. Besides, this is Pokémon, so it doesn't hurt making an extinct bird a little bit more interesting. Right? Well, the FireRed Pokédex says that Doduo was discovered as a sudden mutation, so that explains something. Having two heads is useful anyway, because while one head is always awake and alert and keeping an eye out for enemies, the other head sleeps for two. It is theorized that this is possible because the heads have identical brains and communicate with each other through telepathy. Despite the fact that Doduo aren't particularly good fliers (they run on their strongly developed legs instead, being able to reach speeds up to 60 miles while leaving four-inch footprints wherever they go), they are capable of learning Steel Wing, Fly, Brave Bird and Sky Attack. One could argue that Doduo and Dodrio are still birds, which is why they can learn these moves in the first place, but that makes no sense, as they have no wings. Come to think of it, dodos had wings, even though they were tiny and couldn't be used to fly with. Therefore, Duduo and Dodrio have more in common with modern-day ostriches, and possibly moas (an extinct species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand) and emus.

Proud Mom Dodrio watching its cute little baby Doduo hatch
from the egg.

Dodrio, however, is where Game Freak show a little inconsistency. While Doduo's Pokédex entries mention that it can run up to 60 miles per hour, Dodrio's entries tell us that it can run up to 40 miles per hour. Yet Dodrio's base speed (100) is higher than Doduo's (75), which makes sense, as a Pokémon's base stats usually improve upon evolving. My guess is that mistakes were made when Dodrio's Pokédex entries were written and that Dodrio are actually capable of running 140 miles per hour. Yeah, let's go with that. One specific characteristic of Dodrio backs up my theory as well: Dodrio has three sets of heart and lungs, which allows it to oxygenate and pump blood through its body, giving it increased endurance to run vast distances without rest. I bet it can also run extremely fast because of that. One thing is certain, though: Dodrio is a whole lot different than Dodrio. Each head now has its own working brain and distinct personality, respresenting joy, anger and sorrow respectively, although I mainly see two pissed-off heads and one bored one (see Dodrio's official art below to compare). The brains collect data, formulate and then execute complex plans and strategies, but Dodrio may sometimes over-think and -analyze a situation, causing itself to be immobilized and unable to carry out any action whatsoever. If the heads squabble with each other, they won't stop until at least one of them gets to eat, which will also satisfy the other two heads. Like Doduo, Dodrio likes to keep one head awake to stand guard and look out for enemies while the other two heads are asleep. That is a whole set of characteristics worth mentioning, which gives this Pokémon a little dynamic, personality and originality.

Official art of Dodrio.

That is definitely not the case in the games, especially in the competitive scene. There are a lot of other normal/flying-type birds that are better than Dodrio, including Pidgeot (who has a Mega evolution), Swellow and Staraptor, but that doesn't mean Dodrio is useless. Its base speed compared with a Jolly nature, EV investment in speed and attack, and a Choice Band as hold item makes it hit its opponents fast and hard (although the Choice item limits it to using only one move until it switches out, after which the item will reset). When it comes to moves, Dodrio doesn't learn a whole lot of useful moves, but just enough to fill in a decent moveset: Brave Bird is a strong STAB move but deals recoil damage, Return hits for 102 base damage when Dodrio's friendship level is maxed out, and Quick Attack finishes off opposing Pokémon that don't have much health left. As for the last slot, Dodrio has access to a move that the likes of Swellow and Staraptor can only dream of (Pidgeot has been a special attacker ever since it has a Mega, so it doesn't benefit from it): Knock Off. This is a dark-type move that deals double the damage (its base power is 65) when knocking off the opposing Pokémon's item. It's a shame Dodrio doesn't have any abilities that help it. Run Away makes it run away from wild Pokémon, but it has no effect in battle and is practically useless anyway, as Dodrio is already fast as is. Tangled Feet raises its evasion when it is confused, but is way too situational; besides, it is advised to switch out confused Pokémon before they hurt themselves and whittle away at their own health. Early Bird, which causes Dodrio to wake up early when it is put to sleep, is the only good option.

This fan art of Dodrio shows the distinct personalities of the head - anger, joy and
sorrow - better than its official art.

Dodrio is an interesting Pokémon with a fascinating set of characteristics and a funny design. Unfortunately, even though it is far from a bad attacker, it's not really a popular Pokémon to use. And although it's not useless, it isn't a particularly useful one, either: there are plenty of Pokémon that can do a better job at what Dodrio can do. On the other hand, with its three heads and a design based on an extinct flightless bird, Dodrio is probably the most original normal/flying type out there. Hey, I just like it a lot, and that's why I'm giving it a four-star rating.

Rating: 4/5