#46 - #47: Paras & Parasect

Newer official art of Paras.

Have you actually ever run into a Paras with pink mushrooms on its back and gotten totally ecstatic because you thought you had encountered a shiny Paras, only to find out that a regular Paras' mushrooms are actually pink; and NOT red, as I thought myself?

No? Lucky you.

Seriously though, apparently I just can't seem to remember certain Pokémon's color schemes. Paras is a perfect example of such a Pokémon. The worst part is that the mushrooms of a shiny Paras are actually pink as well; Paras is just a darker shade of orange in its shiny form. And if I remember correctly, Paras' mushrooms were RED prior to X and Y, even in the anime and its older official art... Or have its mushrooms always been pink in its official art? Well, it's whatever; I'm only confusing myself now. I should ask myself whether Paras is actually worth fussing over, and the answer is a firm 'NO'! There is nothing interesting about Paras itself, not even the parasitic mushrooms called tochukaso that are growing on its back and exert some command over Paras' actions. That is to say, these mushrooms only get interesting when Paras evolves into Parasect, when the host is drained of its nutrients and energy and the two tiny tochukaso become one big mushroom that has full control over Parasect. In short, Parasect is a zombie.

Those big, creepy, glassy, milky-white eyes, though...

Adorable mommy Parasect with her cute little baby Paras on
her back. 

You'd almost think that I don't like Parasect, but that is not exactly true. I just think Parasect is a tad bit underwhelming in battle. It is by no means a good competitive battler, as its defensive stats are only somewhat decent (but nothing to write home about); and while its attack is actually quite good, it has nothing to back it up with, like a good HP or speed stat or even better defenses. Not to mention that this thing has quadruple weaknesses to both flying- and fire-type moves, very common types in the game. Parasect serves a better purpose when it is used in-game, and with that I mean a playthrough of the main storyline. Like I said, its attack is actually a solid base 95, but the problem is that Parasect's movepool isn't all that great when it comes to diversity. It's staple move is X-Scissor, which you should deinitely teach it. However, while it is capable of learning grass-type moves, its secondary typing, they're all special-based and you'll find them doing less damage than you wish they would, especially due to Parasect's very medicore special attack stat. You don't even get access to Seed Bomb until after you've finished the Delta Episode in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. At least teach it Giga Drain though, as this move let Parasect heal itself while doing damage to its opponent, and fill in its other moveslots with Swords Dance and either Brick Break or Cross Poison.

When it comes down to it, I'll use Parasect. But only if I have to, 'cause I have no plans on using this thing anytime soon. The whole creepy parasite/zombie thing is quite interesting, if I'm being honest, so I'll give it an extra star for its flavor.

Rating: 3/5

#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

#10 - #12: Caterpie, Metapod & Butterfree

Caterpie and Metapod.

I would like to start this review with saying that Caterpie was the first of the mandatory caterpillar-cocoon-butterfly evolution lines every generation, but I'd be lying if I did that: the second and fourth generation don't have such evolution lines. Neither does the fifth generation, strictly speaking, because Leavanny and Scolipede certainly aren't butterflies...

That is not to say, however, that Caterpie wasn't the first of many such evolution lines to come, the other ones being Weedle in Gen. I (in fact, Weedle and its evolutions will be reviewed right after Butterfree), Wurmple and its split evolutions in Gen. III, Sewaddle and Venipede in Gen. V and Scatterbug in Gen. VI. As for Caterpie, I can safely say that this Pokémon is nothing short of unexciting, to say the least. The only characteristic worth mentioning is that its antenna emits a horrible stench, which is something the larvae of papilio xuthus (Asian swallowtail) and papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail) can do as well. It doesn't help that Caterpie looks exactly like those larvae. It evolves into Metapod early though, at level 7, just like all of the above-mentioned caterpillar Pokémon, with the exception of Sewaddle and Venipede from the fifth generation. No, Caterpie is extremely uneventful, utterly boring and ultimately forgettable indeed, but Metapod is where it gets interesting. Don't get too excited though, because Metapod isn't that fascinating.

The epic Metapod vs. Metapod battle in "Challenge of the
Samurai"; season 1, episode 4. 

However, there is one thing about Metapod that I will always remember: the epic battle of the two Metapod in "Challenge of the Samurai", the fourth episode of the Pokémon anime series. You all remember that samurai guy challenging Ash to a battle, right? Well, they both sent out their Metapod and all those Metapod could do was use Harden. I was eight years old when I saw that for the first time. Knowing that Pokémon was all about 'harsh' battles like the ones I saw in the previous episodes, this Metapod battle was so ridiculous to me that at first I looked at the screen with my dumbest stare for a few seconds and then started laughing. I couldn't stop with that for about five minutes, with some intervals here and there; my mom probably thought I had gone crazy or something. Well, the excitement of what has become the most boring as well as the most epic Pokémon battle in all existence didn't last long anyway, because Ash's Metapod evolved into Butterfree in that very same episode.

Ash's Butterfree (left) trying to impress the pink Butterfree
(right) with its colorful scarf during mating season.

Now, Butterfree is where things get moderestly interesting. An sich, Butterfree is not such a strong Pokémon and it isn't often used in the competitive scene. For in-game purposes, Butterfree is a decent Pokémon to use: its special attack got a boost in the sixth generation and it is capable of learning some very good special moves, such as Bug Buzz, Psychic, Shadow Ball and Energy Ball, along with Quiver Dance to give its special attack, special defense and speed a boost. You can even teach it Dream Eater if you want to play the Compound Eyes/Sleep Powder/Dream Eater combo (you might not want to bother with that though, as the TM for Dream Eater is only available post-game). So what is it that we'll all remember Butterfree for? Well... the anime, of course. And yet again it's Ash's Butterfree I'm talking about. In the 21st episode of the anime, "Bye-Bye Butterfree", Ash and his company come across the Butterfree mating season and Ash lets his own Butterfree try to find a mate. It's the pink Butterfree (which is not the official shiny form of Butterfree, mind you) Ash's Butterfree falls for. After some failed attempts to impress her, Team Rocket attacks and they are ultimately stopped by... right, Butterfree. Needless to say that Pinkie is impressed by Ash's Butterfree now, and Ash releases his Pokémon after an emotional good-bye.

It is that emotional good-bye that we'll always remember, but in the end, Butterfree isn't all that unforgettable. It's a decent Pokémon all around: its design is decent, its stats are decent and it's usable in a playthrough, but there is nothing about it that makes me want to love it. I don't hate it either, though; I like it well enough for a passing grade!

Rating: 3.5/5