The Oddish Line

Oddish
The Weed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 43
Entry: A short, raddish-like pokémon of the grass and poison types. Primarily nocturnal, oddish uproot themselves to wander at night and bury their heads in fertile soil during the day. Because oddish prefer well-watered, nutrient-rich soil to bury themselves in during the day, they sometimes wander into the gardens of humans, where they can sometimes be mistaken for weeds. However, it is very easy to tell the difference between a weed and an oddish if one observes carefully. For example, if the plant is shorter and does not move when you press your toe into the soil around it, then you have a weed. If, however, you pull it out and it screams with unholy shrieks not unlike those of demonic children, then you have found an oddish.

Gloom
The Weed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 44
Entry: The evolved form of oddish, by battle experience. This flower-like pokémon is most known for its potent stench. Even a smaller, younger gloom can generate a smell capable of overwhelming a human up to two miles away. However, this smell is really a defense mechanism; gloom do not produce this stench if kept calm and in trusted company. If a gloom reaches this state, then the nectar within its bulbous flower may be gathered for a variety of purposes … most notably in the production of perfume, as the human cosmetic industry is very fond of irony, apparently.

Vileplume
The Flower Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 45
Entry: The evolved form of gloom, by exposure to leaf stone. Vileplume boast some of the largest and most beautiful flowers in the pokémon kingdom. However, these flowers bloom violently, with a boom and a cloud of extremely toxic pollen—the latter of which can cause severe allergic reactions in even humans who have had no prior history of pollen allergies. It should also be noted that this is the vileplume’s primary mode of reproduction and intercourse with fellow vileplume, so trainers should take caution, lest they wish to have possibly the least dignified methods of death possible for a trainer.

Bellossom
The Flower Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 182
Entry: The evolved form of gloom, by exposure to sun stone. When exposed to high amounts of sunlight, bellossom open their flowers and begin to dance, which causes their leaves to rub together and emit a pleasant ringing sound. Prior to the discovery of the sun stone, bellossom was thought to be a completely unrelated species to gloom—which, given the fact that it is, in actuality, smaller, vastly different in appearance, and not even a poison-type, is understandable. On that note, it is possibly best not to think too hard about why larger, smellier gloom produce smaller, more beautiful bellossom. This question has driven more than one researcher into ruin.

Pansage and Simisage

Pansage
The Grass Monkey Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 511
Entry: A monkey-like pokémon native to Unovan forests. As a creature of the grass element, the average pansage is capable of growing plant-like structures from its body. In its case, a pansage’s hair is actually made up of a certain type of herb known for soothing stress and energizing an imbiber. On the one hand, this leaf, when brewed with boiling water, makes a fantastic tea. On the other, you have to consume this leaf knowing that you are eating monkey hair … which, the author supposes, is probably the least worrisome thing to anyone who regularly imbibes soothing herbs, in all fairness.

Simisage
The Thorn Monkey Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 512
Entry: The evolved form of pansage, by exposure to leaf stone. Simisage is known for its wild temper, which drives it to thrash its thorn-covered tail at offending pokémon. Trainers should be warned that there are a variety of possible triggers for these tantrums, so proper precautions should be taken to keep these incidents at a bare minimum. However, it should also be noted that the leading cause of these tantrums seems to be objects, humans, or pokémon touching its tall but bitter-flavored hair. Which, to be fair, is fabulously styled, so in this author’s opinion, the reaction is perfectly understandable.

The Bellsprout Line

Bellsprout
The Flower Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 69
Entry: In Johto, this pitcher plant-like pokémon is a symbol of endurance and flexibility, as its thin, stalk-like body will bend hypnotically with every movement it makes, but it will never break. In fact, this concept is so well-known in Johto that one of its historic landmarks, Sprout Tower, is said to be built around a giant bellsprout whose body became the swaying central pillar the building is known for. These stories of giant bellsprout roaming the countryside—along with Johto’s various other odd notes of folklore—are to this day passed down from generation to generation, none of whom have ever taken these stories as evidence that the traditional beer of our ancestors was made with an herb other than hops and rice.

Weepinbell
The Flycatcher Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 70
Entry: The evolved form of bellsprout, by battle experience. Weepinbell use their hook-like stems to hang themselves on branches with their wide-open mouths pointing down. When prey comes close to it, it douses said prey with a poisonous powder and subsequently drops from its perch directly onto its target, sliding itself over its catch. Thereafter, it closes its mouth and allows the acid within its body to break its prey down into a liquid sludge. It should go without saying, then, that if your college friends offer you several thousand poké-dollars to stick your hand into a weepinbell’s mouth, the more sensible plan of action that avoids a rather awkward trip to a hospital is to not do that.

Victreebel
The Flycatcher Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 71
Entry: The evolved form of weepinbell, by exposure to leaf stone. It is said that victreebel live in massive colonies in the middle of jungles, where they help one another out by producing sweet-smelling sap that lures prey into their mouths in droves. How anyone could know this—given that no one has returned from trips to verify these claims which, incidentally, are generally made by young trainers under the employ of a certain researcher whose name shall not be given but rhymes with “Hickamore”—is, of course, a matter of pure curiosity within the pokémon research community.

Cottonee and Whimsicott

Cottonee
The Cotton Puff Pokémon
Type: Grass/Fairy
Official Registration #: 546
Entry: Cottonee are small, fairy-like pokémon covered in a thick layer of cotton puffs. These cotton puffs are essential to its defense mechanism, as when threatened, it will launch clouds of cotton at the threat in order to confound them as it gets away. This may seem like a weak defense, but never make the mistake of underestimating it unless you, too, have been buried under a mountain of cotton launched by a full flock of cottonee in the wet heat of an Unovan summer day. For those uninitiated, imagine being set on fire. Now imagine that you’ve been set on fire by a minimum of fifty pounds of solid flames that you must wade through in order to not be on fire. This is what a cottonee spray is like.

Whimsicott
The Windveiled Pokémon
Type: Grass/Fairy
Official Registration #: 547
Entry: The evolved form of cottonee, by exposure to sun stone. This adorable sheep-like pokémon may seem whimsical and innocently playful at first glance, but never take your eyes off one or catch one’s interest in the field. They have the ability to compress their bodies and wriggle into homes through even the slightest cracks, where they will proceed to rearrange the occupant’s possessions and leave cotton wherever it goes. As a related note, after extracting a whimsicott from your home, always do a thorough check of every possible nook and cranny of your living space for any stray cotton. Cotton, after all, has an uncomfortable habit of clogging toilets, choking air vents, and generally being highly flammable.

Deerling and Sawsbuck

Deerling
The Season Pokémon
Type: Normal/Grass
Official Registration #: 585
Entry: A deer-like pokémon known for two things: first, its ability to change the color and texture of its coat with the seasons, and second, the fact an entire generation of children was scarred for life upon watching an adorable animated film about a deerling whose mother was shot by a poacher. (Thanks, Pokéstar Studios.)

Sawsbuck
The Season Pokémon
Type: Normal/Grass
Official Registration #: 586
Entry: The evolved form of deerling, by battle experience. Just as deerling’s coat changes with the seasons, so too do sawsbuck’s coat and antlers. In Unova, a good way to tell what season it is would be to look at the plants adorning a sawsbuck’s antlers. Small flowers indicate spring, luscious greens indicate summer, brilliantly-colored leaves indicate autumn, and plain white antlers indicate winter. Of course, a better and far more reliable way of telling what season it is would be to look outside and figure it out based on basic seasonal hallmarks such as snow or hot sun, but who is the writer to judge the ways of the Unovans?

So, Bill. Is there a Foongus Amoongus?

There may be!

Foongus
The Mushroom Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 590
Entry: A small, mushroom-like pokémon known for the fact that its cap strongly resembles a pokéball, especially when the rest of its body is concealed by tall grass. According to the official pokédex, the reason for this pattern is unknown. However, given that foongus are capable of learning Spore and Giga Drain, that their natural ability involves releasing toxic spores upon contact, and that their caps are the approximate size, shape, and coloring of an object human trainers would be most likely to pick up, this writer can say without a doubt that the reasoning behind this coloring is an absolute mystery that the scientific community may just never solve.

Amoonguss
The Mushroom Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 591
Entry: The evolved form of foongus, by battle experience. Upon evolution, amoonguss grow to be about two feet tall in height, and its cap expands proportionally. This makes its poké ball-like coloring less effective, even in the cover of tall grass, and as an added defiance of subtlety, it increases its own visibility by shaking its arms—both terminating in buds the size, shape, and color of its original head as a foongus—wildly in front of it. In theory, this is to attract attention to its arms and lure in prey with hypnotic motions. Also in theory, human beings have evolved a level of awareness and wisdom that would prevent such a tactic from working on us. In practice, however, this exact strategy is to blame for over 60% of all human hospitalizations in the vicinity of Unova’s Victory Road on an annual basis.

Kanto Starters I: Bulbasaur

@psychms: I just noticed you haven’t written about any of the regional starters! Can you tell us about your most memorable experience with a starter Pokémon (or its evolutions)?

Ah, keen observation! Starters are a bit special to a researcher, as we tend to associate them with new beginnings while maintaining our status as a ridiculously sentimental breed of people. In particular, I must say I’m closest to the Kantonian starters, in part because I consider one of my home regions to be Kanto and in part because, despite beginning my journey in Johto, my starter was a bulbasaur. While I could go on and on about the bulbasaur line, I hardly think it would be appropriate to only cover it and not the other two families. Thus, consider this to be part one of a three-part series.

Bulbasaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 1
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Kanto. Many people believe that out of the three, bulbasaur is the easiest to raise, as bulbasaur are more docile than the other two, the species’ offensive and defensive traits are balanced, and a grass-type has more of an advantage against the earliest Kantonian gyms than a fire- or water-type. However, while all of this is true, such advice frequently forgets any word on what to do when you have a pokémon that learns Leech Seed, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder all basically at the same time. On that note, should you be a new trainer who finds himself with a rambunctious bulbasaur who enjoys showering you with “affection,” be sure to carry full heals. A lot of full heals. Do not buy anything but full heals until your bulbasaur evolves. You will thank me later.

Ivysaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 2
Entry: The evolved form of bulbasaur, by battle experience. As it nears evolution into a venusaur, an ivysaur’s blossom grows larger and more fragrant to the point where it naturally emits a sweet, spicy fragrance strong enough to be detected from a distance. Thus, an ivysaur is the easiest among the three middle-evolution starters to evolve, not only because the weight of the bulb makes each ivysaur more eager to battle (in order to gain the strength needed to support its own flower) but also because the scent emitting from the blossom happens to be the exact kind of aroma that draws pokémon towards one in droves. That said, while ivysaur are still among the easiest pokémon to train, new and mediocre trainers should be warned that preventing an ivysaur from battling is nearly impossible and that many of your days may be spent being dragged through Viridian Forest by a charging ivysaur chased by a horde of beedrill.

Venusaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 3
Entry: The evolved form of ivysaur, by battle experience. A venusaur’s evolution is among the most beautiful to occur within the pokémon world. When the time comes, an ivysaur will seek the sunniest clearing in a forest, crouch within beams of sunlight, and allow its flower to grow and bloom. Petal by petal will open, and its fragrance will become more intense and aromatic. The power of this sight and the soothing nature of its signature perfume will rejuvenate an observing trainer just as much as the venusaur experiencing it, which is worth it to note as a warning to both. While you may be tempted to run forward and embrace your long-time pokémon partner in a rush of mutual pride and elation, note that your venusaur has gone from being 29 pounds to over 220 and that it will use all 220 to affectionately tackle you before realizing that it is no longer the size and weight of a large dog.

Sunkern and Sunflora

Sunkern
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 191
Entry: The official pokédex’s claim that sunkern’s only form of defense is shaking its leaves at its enemy is wildly incorrect. Other forms of defense include dropping out of the sky onto its enemies’ heads and literally the most devastating grass-type attacks in existence. The only reason sunkern will typically begin a battle by shaking its leaves at attackers is to lead us all into a false sense of security.

Sunflora
The Sun Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 192
Entry: The evolved form of sunkern, by exposure to sun stone. Sunflora thrive on the energy they gather from sunlight, and as a result, they are constantly moving in search of the sunniest spots in order to “feed.” At the risk of making a pun, sunflora are not particularly the brightest pokémon in existence, as much of the time, they are far too focused on keeping track of sunlight than they are on where, specifically, they’re going. That is to say, sunflora have an unfortunate habit of running headlong into objects, which makes living close to sunflora fields rather uncomfortable for people not used to the constant sound of a sunflora smacking into the sides of their house. It has, however, been a delight for the Johtonians well-versed in the concept of schadenfreude.

Skiddo and Gogoat

Skiddo
The Mount Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 672
Entry: Historical records indicate that skiddo was one of the first pokémon ever domesticated—which, given its placid nature, the fact that it requires very little food if given sunlight and water, and its general hardiness, is very likely an accurate statement. It is also known to be the first pokémon ever domesticated for the purpose of serving as transport … which, given its maximum height of three feet and given the average prehistoric human height of about five feet, is both impressive and a reasonable explanation for why ancient human remains from the Kalos region frequently show signs of distress around the knee area.

Gogoat
The Mount Pokémon
Type: Grass
Official Registration #: 673
Entry: The evolved form of skiddo, by battle experience. At a height of five and a half feet, gogoat is a far better option than skiddo in terms of transportation. Its horns are also extremely sensitive and capable of picking up on the emotions of its riders, allowing it to make reasonable judgments in route and speed. However, it should also be noted that gogoat also have a tendency to ram fellow gogoat with its horns as a display of dominance, so it is highly, highly discouraged to ride gogoat in the vicinity of the rest of its own herd.

Lileep and Cradily

Lileep
The Sea Lily Pokémon
Type: Rock/Grass
Official Registration #: 345
Entry: This ancient pokémon thrived at the bottom of prehistoric oceans by anchoring itself to a rock and ensnaring prey with its flower-like tentacles. It became extinct over 100 million years ago, largely due to the fact that being a stationary marine pokémon in a region where one active legendary can evaporate the ocean by taking a leisurely stroll through the general vicinity was perhaps a bad evolutionary idea.

Cradily
The Barnacle Pokémon
Type: Rock/Grass
Official Registration #: 346
Entry: The evolved form of lileep, by battle experience. As a step up from its preevolved form, cradily developed both the ability to walk and the ability to do so on land. Although one would think this would enable it to survive past the Cretaceous Era, cradily’s extinction was largely due to two major issues. First, its body, which was heavy enough to anchor it to the ocean floor, was not very well-equipped for chasing down prey. Second and more importantly, it has been scientifically proven that it’s rather difficult to survive when your children die in a mass extinction.