Character Sheet: The Dratini Line

DRATINI/DRAGONAIR/DRAGONITE

And now, we come to our first ever line of what have come to be known as Pseudo-Legendaries, extremely powerful late game lines (generally Dragon-type) who most of the time come right before the Legendaries in the Pokedex. Well, in this case, they came between the Legendaries, but the Pokemon company was still figuring things out at the time. Dratini and Dragonair are sleek blue Eastern dragons, while Dragonite makes a sudden shift into being a fat, orange Western dragon. Pokemon fans have scratched their heads over that for decades.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Dragon Tail > Hyper Beam (III)

Side B: Agility > Dragon Rush (II)

Up B: Twister > Wing Attack (III)

Down B: Wrap > Rain Dance (II) > Outrage (III)

Final Smash: Dragon Rage

Entrance: Bursting up from the sea.

Taunts: Swimming around in midair, singing, etc.

Kirby Hat: Their fins/headwings, and Dragonite's head and wings.

Kart: The Poke Ball car.

Special Move: Twister.

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne.

Victory Screen: Seeing their silhouette disappear into the ocean and hearing their song.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mewtwo breaks free!

Character Sheet: The Legendary Birds

ARTICUNO/ZAPDOS/MOLTRES

Next up, we have the first legendaries of the Pokemon series. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are huge mythical elemental birds that bring blizzards, lightning storms, and heat waves with them wherever they fly. They gain regional variants in Generation VIII, and Lugia and Ho-Oh of Gen II are . . . related to them, but I've always considered those two more their own thing, so I'll be covering them later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ice Beam || Thunder Shock || Ember

Side B: Ice Shard || Drill Peck || Heat Wave

Up B: Hurricane || Discharge || Air Slash

Down B: Roost || Roost || Roost

Final Smash: Three Bird Tempest

Entrance: Flying down in a shower of their particular element.

Taunts: Flapping their wings, screeching, causing a brief burst of their element, etc.

Kirby Hat: Their respective head feathers and beaks.

Kart: Just flying

Special Move: Hurricane || Discharge || Heat Wave

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne, Saffron City, and Mt. Moon respectively, in Omega Form.

Victory Screen: Screeching and causing their respective storm to happen.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Dratini unleashes draconic power!

Character Sheet: All the Kanto Standalones

FARFETCH'D/ONIX/LICKITUNG/CHANSEY/TANGELA/KANGASKHAN/MR. MIME/SCYTHER/JYNX/ELECTABUZZ/MAGMAR/PINSIR/TAUROS/LAPRAS/DITTO/PORYGON/SNORLAX

In order to save myself some time (Even though I'm still working through the Gen III games, so I DEFINITELY still need the time, but I'm good), I will be clumping up the standalones (in their introductory generation) into one single post. In future generations, new evos will also have their own dedicated post as well.

Starting off, we have Farfetch'd, a wild duck carrying around a leek that is based aroud a colloquialism about how a duck's not just going to bring you a leek to season it with, teaching something-something put in the work you need to do to get a thing done. It does get later variants and evolution, but for now, it's alone.

Standard B: Fury Cutter

Side B: Peck

Up B: Aerial Ace

Down B: False Swipe

Final Smash: Brave Bird

Next is Onix, a gigantic snake made out of rocks. In Gen II, it would gain a further evolution in Steelix, but that will be discussed later.

Standard B: Rock Throw

Side B: Bind

Up B: Rock Slide

Down B: Dig

Final Smash: Tectonic Earthquake

Then we have Lickitung, a big old pink frog thing best known for its long tongue and tendency to lick everything. Gen IV did eventually give it an evolution in Lickilicky.

Standard B: Lick

Side B: Wrap

Up B: Slam

Down B: Disable (was about to put Rollout, then checked the evolution requirements for Lickilicky. That would have been a disaster).

Final Smash: Tongue Tornado

Next up is Chansey, the nurse and dedicated healer shaped like an egg. It would someday get both an evo and a preevo.

Standard B: Heal Pulse

Side B: Sweet Kiss

Up B: Sing

Down B: Soft-Boiled

Final Smash: Healing Wish

Then, we have Tangela, a walking jumble of vines and the literal only pure Grass type in the generation. It would gain an evo Tangrowth in Gen IV.

Standard B: Power Whip

Side B: Bind

Up B: Growth

Down B: Mega Drain

Final Smash: Jungle of Vines

Next up is Kangaskhan, one of the only standalones here who has never gotten any kind of evolution or variant (minus Mega), even though you'd think a preevo was obvious. Kangaskhan is based on a kangaroo mixed with a kaiju, with a baby in its pouch.

Standard B: Double Hit

Side B: Headbutt

Up B: Sucker Punch

Down B: Stomp

Final Smash: Mega Kangaskhan

After that, we have Mr. Mime, based on both a clown and a mime. It gains a baby form in Gen IV, and a regional variant with an evolution in Gen VIII. It's also famously known as "Ash's Dad."

Standard B: Reflect

Side B: Confusion

Up B: Light Screen

Down B: Mimic

Final Smash: Invisible Box

Next is Scyther, an awesome praying mantis mixed with a dinosaur. It would gain two evolutions in later generations, Scizor and Kleavor.

Standard B: X-Scissor

Side B: Double Hit

Up B: Air Slash

Down B: Double Team

Final Smash: Multi-Blade Combo

Then, we have a trio that I've always felt were a set, first because their typings matched the legendary birds, second because they were all based on notable Yokai, third because they all got babies together (and probably would have gotten further evolutions too if Jynx wasn't a sore spot). But it didn't feel like they were connected quite enough, so I did them as standalones. First is Jynx, who is mostly based on the Yama-Uba, a witch that lives in the mountains of Japan. The Pokemon is also rather notorious for being a bit . . . controversial.

Standard B: Lovely Kiss

Side B: Ice Punch

Up B: Sing

Down B: Mean Look

Final Smash: Blizzard

Next is Electabuzz, based on an Oni, with heavy electrical theming. Like Jynx, it would gain a baby in Gen II, and then gain an evolution in Electivire in Gen IV.

Standard B: Thunder Punch

Side B: Thunderbolt

Up B: Thunder Wave

Down B: Discharge

Final Smash: Thunder Storm

Then finally, we have Magmar, a Kappa-like creature made out of lava and fire. It gained a baby and an evo at the same time Electabuzz did.

Standard B: Fire Punch

Side B: Flamethrower

Up B: Flame Wheel

Down B: Smokescreen

Final Smash: Volcanic Inferno

Next up is Pinsir, based on a stag beetle, who is sometimes paired up with Scyther, but not enough to count. It joins Kangaskhan in the "never got an evo or variant" club except Mega.

Standard B: X-Scissor

Side B: Vital Throw

Up B: Seismic Toss

Down B: Guillotine

Final Smash: Mega Pinsir

Then, we have Tauros, based on a bull, famous for Ash having an entire herd of them. They finally gained a variant in Gen IX.

Standard B: Horn Attack

Side B: Raging Bull

Up B: Thrash

Down B: Payback

Final Smash: Stampede

Next is Lapras, everyone's favorite ride across the ocean. Lapras is based on the Loch Ness Monster and general plesiosaurs, with a shell on its back for comfortable riding. It has never seen any evolutions either.

Standard B: Ice Beam

Side B: Surf

Up B: Body Slam

Down B: Sing

Final Smash: Gigantamax Lapras

After Lapras, we have Ditto, yet another one of the "one-move wonders" but one of the few I will allow, because it's one move allows it to transform into any opponent, meaning it will gain any moveset of the player it happened to copy, so . . . 

Standard B: Transform

Final Smash: Army of Copies

On the other side of the Eeveelutions, we have Porygon, a small paper crane made out of digital polygons. It would gain two evolutions in later generations.

Standard B: Tri-Attack

Side B: Zap Cannon

Up B: Magnet Rise

Down B: Conversion

Final Smash: Digital Takeover

And finally, we have Snorlax, the big lazy oaf best known for falling asleep in the middle of the road, blocking your path forward. It is specifically based on a member of the Game Freak staff back in the day, but also takes reference from big hibernating bears and seems to be reminiscent of Totoro as well. It would gain a baby in Gen IV.

Standard B: Snore

Side B: Belly Drum

Up B: Body Slam

Down B: Amnesia

Final Smash: Gigantamax Snorlax

And that's about it. Entrances would all be Poke Balls (Snorlax might wake up). Taunts would be generally tied to each ones theming. Kirby Hats would be Farfetch'd's head and beak, Onix's horn, Lickitung's head, Chansey's ear things, Tangela's vines, Kangaskhan's headplate thing, Mr. Mime's ears?, Scyther's head, Jynx's hair and lips, Electabuzz's horns, Magmar's headboobs, Pinsir's pincers, Tauros's horns and jewel, Lapras's ears and horn, Ditto's blobby consistency, Porygon's polygonal structure, and Snorlax's blue coloring. Karts would mostly be the Poke Ball car, with each one's most notable move. Spirit Battles would take place on each of the seven Gen I stages I've included before. Victory screens would be tied to their themes, with the losing screens all being fainted. And the color swaps follow the logic of the main color, the shiny color, and other general colors.

Next up, Articuno whips up a blizzard!

Character Sheet: The Kanto Fossils

OMANYTE/OMASTAR/KABUTO/KABUTOPS/AERODACTYL

So, Pokemon generally has a mechanic where you can find around two different fossils, take them back to a science lab, and then they'll be resurrected as Fossil Pokemon. In Gen I, the main two were the Omanyte line and the Kabuto line, based on ammonites and trilobites respectively, two of the most common fossils. A third was featured in this generation, with Aerodactyl (based on a pterosaur) coming from it. I will generally be doing each generational fossil together, because they are generally a set.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Brine > Rock Blast || Aqua Jet > Liquidation || Hyper Beam

Side B: Rollout > Shell Smash || Sand Attack > Slash || Iron Head

Up B: Ancient Power || Ancient Power || Wing Attack

Down B: Withdraw || Harden > Stone Edge || Ancient Power

Final Smash: Lord Helix || Ancient Calamity || Mega Aerodactyl

Entrance: From the resurrection machine.

Taunts: Stretching their limbs, roaring, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The swirly shells, the hard shells, and Aerodactyl's head.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Ancient Power

Spirit Battle: On Mt. Moon

Victory Screen: Swimming freely in the ocean for the first four, roaring over a jungle for Aerodactyl.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, I'm going to be doing the one-offs, because it doesn't feel right to do them post-Legendaries. So, Farfetch'd takes up the sword!

Character Sheet: The Eevee Line

EEVEE/VAPOREON/JOLTEON/FLAREON

And now, we come to the Eevee line, our first experience with branching evolutions. We start out with just Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, their evolutions brought about by contact with the various stones of the game, but we would eventually go on to get Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon, each with their own distinct typings. My general concept for these is going to be that they will build off of Eevee, each of them, but will only be vaguely similar to each other, each one gaining new moves as it fits them.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Tackle > Water Gun (V) | Thunder Shock (J) | Ember (F)

Side B: Quick Attack > Pin Missile (J)

Up B: Take Down > Aqua Ring (V) | Fire Spin (F)

Down B: Tail Whip > Acid Armor (V) | Discharge (J) | Lava Plume (F)

Final Smash: Gigantamax Eevee > Eeveelution All-Out Attack (All)

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Rolling around and doing cute fluffy animal things.

Kirby Hat: Their ears and any other head things the various evos may get.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Baton Pass to one of the other evos?

Spirit Battle: On Pikachu's Bedroom.

Victory Screen: All nine running around and frolicking together.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, references to each of the other evos.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Omanyte awakens to rule a new century!

Character Sheet: Gyarados

GYARADOS

While, technically, this is the Magikarp line post, Magikarp falls into the same category of one-to-two move Pokemon as Caterpie and Weedle, that being only Splash and Tackle, meaning it gets to be a Poke Ball Pokemon, functionally replacing Goldeen by just flopping around helplessly. The Magikarp line is based on an ancient legend that when a fish reaches one hundred years old and manages to climb to the top of a waterfall and jump over a gate, it will be transformed into a dragon. It also serves a gameplay mechanic by teaching the players patience. If they are willing to put in the time and effort to raise up a functionally useless Pokemon, they will be rewarded with one of the biggest powerhouses in the game. Which makes it all the more confusing that Gyarados is not Dragon type. I understand not making one of the starters Dragon type, but like, if the point is to reward patience, why not make the reward the player's first Dragon? Like, hello?

Here's the moveset I came up with for Gyarados specifically:

Standard B: Hydro Pump

Side B: Thrash

Up B: Hurricane

Down B: Aqua Tail

Final Smash: Mega Gyarados

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Roaring, thrashing, lots of other violent temperamental reactions.

Kirby Hat: The head crest thing, plus fins.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Hurricane

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne, with high winds.

Victory Screen: Roaring as a tempest swirls above it.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Eevee evolves to a new level!

Character Sheet: The Staryu Line

STARYU/STARMIE

Next up, we have Staryu and Starmie, the "starring" Pokemon of Misty's original team (which was always wierd to me, like, there's so many water types, and you're just using this one line?). Anyway, they're based on starfish, and possibly actual stars, with gemstones in their centers that give them psychic powers.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun > Psybeam

Side B: Swift

Up B: Rapid Spin

Down B: Harden > Power Gem

Final Smash: Falling Stars

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Spinning, twinkling, laying flat, so on.

Kirby Hat: So, like Starro's whole mind control thing from The Suicide Squad, but it's Staryu and Starmie on Kirby's face.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Swift

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Spinning around and then shooting off into space.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Magikarp finally evolves and rages into battle as Gyarados.

Character Sheet: The Goldeen Line

GOLDEEN/SEAKING

Goldeen and Seaking are a relatively forgotten line based on goldfish and koi. I suppose it's also a good time to remind everyone that my general stance when it comes to undersea creatures and characters is that they will move around on stage as if they are underwater. Goldeen won't just be flopping around uselessly like its Poke Ball version did.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Horn Attack > Megahorn

Side B: Aqua Ring

Up B: Agility > Waterfall

Down B: Flail

Final Smash: School of Fish

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Swimming around, showing off its fins, so on.

Kirby Hat: Their horns and fins.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Horn Attack

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Swimming around and flourishing.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Staryu takes a starring role!

Character Sheet: The Horsea Line

HORSEA/SEADRA

Skipping over Chansey, Tangela, and Kangaskhan for now, we now come to Horsea and Seadra, a line based on seahorses. In Gen II, they gain a third evolution in Kingdra that gains the Dragon type (based on the specific type of seahorse called a sea dragon), but we'll cover that in another post.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun

Side B: Bubble Beam > Water Pulse

Up B: Agility > Dragon Dance

Down B: Smokescreen

Final Smash: Dragon Storm

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Jetting backwards quickly, squirting water like a fountain, stuff like that.

Kirby Hat: Their fins and mouth tubes.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Water Gun

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Dancing around in the surf and trumpeting.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Goldeen takes the crown!

Character Sheet: The Rhyhorn Line

RHYHORN/RHYDON

Rhyhorn and Rhydon were the first Pokemon ever designed. They are based on rhinos mixed with kaiju, with rocky armor covering them, and a drill for Rhydon's horn. They gain an additional evolution in Gen IV, but we'll be covering that one later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Horn Attack > Megahorn

Side B: Bulldoze

Up B: Smack Down > Drill Run

Down B: Stomp > Earthquake

Final Smash: Stampede

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Pawing the ground, stomping around, thing like that.

Kirby Hat: Their heads as helmets.

Kart: Just charging.

Special Move: Bulldoze

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Island

Victory Screen: Letting out a bellow and pawing at the ground.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Horsea rides the wave.

Character Sheet: The Koffing Line

KOFFING/WEEZING

Skipping over Lickitung for now, we come to Koffing and Weezing, James's mains from the anime based on toxic gas (also I think Weezing is supposed to be a CO2 molecule, but I'm not sure). In Gen VIII, Weezing gained a Galarian form that gives it smokestacks that refine the gasses it pumps out, but we'll cover that later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Smog > Toxic

Side B: Sludge > Sludge Bomb

Up B: Smokescreen

Down B: Self-Destruct

Final Smash: Keep Out! Hazard Zone

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Hovering around, spewing gas, bouncing up and down, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The gas pores and the skull-and-crossbones.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Smog

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City

Victory Screen: Smoke filling the entire area around it as everyone else chokes out and collapses.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Rhyhorn charges full speed ahead.

Character Sheet: The Hitmonlee Line

HITMONLEE/HITMONCHAN

Now, at the time of their debut, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were technically just a pair of standalone Pokemon with no evolutions, treated as partner Pokemon but nothing more. Gen II changed that, introducing a shared pre-evolution in Tyrogue and a third possible evolution in Hitmontop. That said, even if their later connection was never a thing, I'd still be doing them together as I will be for Plusle and Minun, Lunatone and Solrock, and Throh and Sawk, and every other notable set of unrelated Pokemon.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Double Kick | Mach Punch

Side B: Brick Break | Close Combat

Up B: High Jump Kick | Focus Punch

Down B: Low Kick | Counter

Final Smash: All-Out Cage Fight

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Hopping around, performing a couple of practice hits, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The mask for Hitmonlee, the head ridges for Hitmonchan.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Double Kick, Mach Punch

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Stadium

Victory Screen: Holding up a championship belt.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Koffing smokes the competition!

Character Sheet: The Cubone Line

CUBONE/MAROWAK

Next up, we have another one of my all-time favorites, Cubone and Marowak. They are based on some form of generic dinosaur, wearing the skull of its dead mother and carrying around a bone as a club, with a general air of sadness and loneliness to them. In Gen 8, Marowak got a regional variant based on Hawaiian fire dancers.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Headbutt > Bone Rush

Side B: Tail Whip > Bonemerang

Up B: Stomping Tantrum

Down B: Retaliate

Final Smash: Mother's Ghost

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Sitting down and crying for a second, swinging around its bone, so on.

Kirby Hat: The skull

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Bonemerang

Spirit Battle: On Mt. Moon

Victory Screen: Kneeling before a small grave and looking at peace.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Hitmonlee kicks into high gear.

Character Sheet: The Exeggcute Line

EXEGGCUTE/EXEGGUTOR

Next up is Exeggcute and Exeggutor. Exeggcute is a pile of seeds that look like eggs and share a consciousness. Exeggutor is a palm tree with three coconut heads. They're an odd line to say the least, but I've always liked them a little. In Alola, Exeggutor got a regional variant that gave it a really long neck and the Dragon-typing, but we'll cover that later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Mega Drain > Giga Drain

Side B: Bullet Seed > Wood Hammer

Up B: Synthesis > Growth

Down B: Confusion

Final Smash: Solar Beam

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: The eggs hopping, the tree dancing around, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The cracked egg shell for Exeggcute, the green palm fronds for Exeggutor.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Giga Drain

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Island.

Victory Screen: Leaning back and taking in the sun.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Cubone seeks vengeance.

Character Sheet: The Voltorb Line

VOLTORB/ELECTRODE

Voltorb and Electrode are famous for basically being the first "fakeout item" Pokemon, being Poke Balls that were accidentally brought to life in a lab experiment and now run wild. In Legends Arceus, they got a regional variant made of wood, but we'll cover them later. They are just round balls, so programmers will probably struggle with them a bit, but I think they're still doable.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Thunder Shock > Discharge

Side B: Rollout > Gyro Ball

Up B: Spark > Magnet Rise

Down B: Self-Destruct

Final Smash: Ultimate Self Destruct

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Rolling around, closing its eyes and pretending to be a Poke Ball, so on.

Kirby Hat: Imagine one of them, but with Kirby's face, arms, and shoes.

Kart: Just rolling.

Special Move: Self Destruct

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City.

Victory Screen: Rolling into a pinball slot and fireworks going off.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, various Poke Ball types.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Exeggcute executes a flawless victory.

Character Sheet: The Krabby Line

KRABBY/KINGLER

Next up, we have Krabby and Kingler. They're crabs. They're basically just crabs. Kingler specifically pulls from the fiddler crab with the one oversized claw, but that's about it. They did get a Gigantamax form in Gen VIII, so there's that.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bubble Beam

Side B: Metal Claw > Crabhammer

Up B: Stomp > Razor Shell

Down B: Harden

Final Smash: Crab Trap > Gigantamax Kingler

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Scuttling back and forth, snapping its claws, so on.

Kirby Hat: The spiny crowns.

Kart: The Poke Ball Car

Special Move: Bubble Beam

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne.

Victory Screen: Scuttling back and forth then returning to the ocean.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Voltorb rolls in!

Character Sheet: The Drowzee Line

DROWZEE/HYPNO

Skipping over Onix for now, next we have Drowzee and Hypno, based on both hypnotists as well as the Japanese yokai, the Baku, a tapir that feeds on your dreams while you sleep. It is rather infamous in internet circles, but I suppose that's to be expected when your whole gimmick is putting people to sleep.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Hypnosis

Side B: Psybeam > Psyshock

Up B: Headbutt > Zen Headbutt

Down B: Confusion

Final Smash: Eternal Nightmare

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Waving its charm at the screen, falling asleep itself, so on.

Kirby Hat: The yellow ears and nose, and Hypno's ruffle.

Kart: The Poke Ball Car

Special Move: Hypnosis

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City.

Victory Screen: Performing one last hypnosis on the player.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Krabby claws its way to victory.

Character Sheet: The Gastly Line

GASTLY/HAUNTER/GENGAR

Next, we have the first and only Ghost types of Generation 1: Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar. They are mostly just generic poltergeist-type ghosts, who are possessing poisonous gas for some reason (best I can figure is in reference to the eerie fog in a lot of horror movies). Gengar specifically has stood the test of time as one of the most popular Pokemon out there, and has gained both a Mega Form and a Gigantamax Form.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Lick > Shadow Ball (III)

Side B: Confuse Ray > Shadow Punch (II)

Up B: Vanish

Not really a Pokemon move, it's just . . . what they'd do, you know?

Down B: Curse > Hex (II)

Final Smash: Destiny Bond > Mega OR Gigantamax Gengar (III)

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Doing a jump scare, waggling its tongue around, things like that.

Kirby Hat: The smoke or the purple fur.

Kart: The Poke Ball Car

Special Move: Shadow Ball

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City (Lavender Town was so close to getting in purely for their sake)

Victory Screen: Laughing at their opponents' terror and vanishing.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Drowzee entrances its opponents.

Character Sheet: The Shellder Line

SHELLDER/CLOYSTER

Next up, we have Shellder and Cloyster, based on clams and oysters, and our second Ice-type when Cloyster gains it upon evolution. There's not much else to say about them, really, unless we want to discuss the innuendoes.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun > Icicle Spear

Side B: Supersonic > Aurora Beam

Up B: Whirlpool

Down B: Protect > Iron Defense

Final Smash: Giant Clam

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Waggling around its tongue, tucking back into its shell, so on.

Kirby Hat: The shells.

Kart: The Poke Ball Car

Special Move: Iron Defense

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Settling in a nice comfy alcove and closing itself up.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Gastly haunts the battle!

Character Sheet: The Grimer Line

GRIMER/MUK

Next up is the Grimer line, purple blobs of toxic pollution, based heavily on 80s and 90s cartoon depictions of what pollution looks like (see Captain Planet and the like). They are, at least to me, the quintessential Poison types, the first ones I think of when I think of the type. In Gen VIII, we got Alolan regional forms based on oil spills, gaining a Dark type, but we'll cover them later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Sludge Bomb

Side B: Mud Slap > Belch

Up B: Sludge Wave

Down B: Harden > Acid Armor

Final Smash: Ecological Devastation

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Creeping, oozing, releasing gasses, all kinds of gross stuff.

Kirby Hat: Made of Grimer/Muk gunk.

Kart: The Poke Ball Car

Special Move: Sludge Bomb

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City.

Victory Screen: All life wilting around them as they spread everywhere.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Shellder comes out of its shell!

Character Sheet: The Seel Line

SEEL/DEWGONG

Next up, we have Seel and Dewgong, a line people seem to like to pick on as the most creatively bankrupt/most forgotten of Gen I. Which, I guess, fair, but I still think they're fun. And we at least have the very first Ice type with Dewgong.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Aurora Beam

Side B: Headbutt > Ice Shard

Up B: Aqua Jet > Dive

Down B: Rest

Final Smash: Put on a Show!

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Bouncing a ball, clapping, other seal tricks.

Kirby Hat: The head as a hat, with the spike

Kart: The Poke Ball Car

Special Move: Aurora Beam

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Pulling off a grand finale.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Grimer stinks up the competition!

Character Sheet: The Doduo Line

DODUO/DODRIO

Skipping over Farfetch'd for now, we next come to Doduo and Dodrio, a line of two- and three-headed ostriches commonly portrayed as steeds throughout much of the early Pokemon days, but really haven't had much attention given to them since.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Peck > Drill Peck

Side B: Quick Attack > Fury Attack

Up B: Agility

Down B: Double Hit

Final Smash: Doduo Stampede > Dodrio Stampede

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: The different heads pecking at each other and so on.

Kirby Hat: Two or three heads bouncing around on top like those hats with the springs attached.

Kart: Just running.

Special Move: Drill Peck.

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Island.

Victory Screen: A herd of them running together into the sunset.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Seel puts on a show!

Character Sheet: The Magnemite Line

MAGNEMITE/MAGNETON

Next up is the Magnemite line, a race of living magnets that like to feed on electricity. They started as just Electric, but gained Steel when it was introduced in Gen II. They also gained a further evolution in Magnezone in Gen IV, and a Paradox Pokemon in Sandy Shocks in Gen IX, but we'll cover them later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Thunder Shock > Flash Cannon

Side B: Supersonic > Tri Attack

Up B: Magnet Rise

Down B: Electro Ball

Final Smash: Super Magnet

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Twirling the magnets around, picking up small bits of junk, stuff like that.

Kirby Hat: The magnets and screws.

Kart: The Poke Ball car.

Special Move: Magnet Rise

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City

Victory Screen: A whole bunch of them flying together.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! It gets wierd from here. I'm going to be skipping over all the standalones for now, but don't worry. We'll get to them. Instead, Doduo performs a tag team!

Character Sheet: Slowpoke

SLOWPOKE/SLOWBRO

Next up, we have Slowpoke and Slowbro, a line of . . . pink somethings that are extremely slow in mind and body, and like to hang out near water with their tails in the water. When a clam bites the tail, it gives their brain a boost and they become Slowbro. In Gen 2, we got an alternate evolution where the clam bites the head and it becomes Slowking instead, while Gen 8 gave us regional variants where the clams were toxic and made them zombies. The closest thing I can say they're based on is the Sazae-Oni in Japanese mythology. Side note: because of their whole "slow" gimmick, they might be frustrating to downright unplayable in actual gameplay, but that's for the fictional programmers to figure out, not me.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun > Psychic

Side B: Headbutt > Zen Headbutt

Up B: Surf

Down B: Amnesia

Final Smash: Mass Amnesia > Mega Slowbro

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Very little, thinks like losing the tail and so on.

Kirby Hat: The ears, the tail with the clam on it.

Kart: The Poke Ball car.

Special Move: Amnesia

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Getting ready to start the match.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Magnemite draws in its opponents.

Character Sheet: The Ponyta Line

PONYTA/RAPIDASH

Ponyta and Rapidash are a line of flaming horses native to Kanto. Around the Galarian era, they gained a regional variant based on unicorns, which may have been their original. Other than that, they haven't really had that much fanfare over the years.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ember > Megahorn

Side B: Flame Charge > Flare Blitz

Up B: Flame Wheel

Down B: Stomp

Final Smash: Flaming Stampede

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Whinnying and bucking, standard horse things.

Kirby Hat: Their flaming manes.

Kart: Just running.

Special Move: Flame Charge

Spirit Battle: On Pikachu's Bedroom

Victory Screen: Rearing into the air and posing against the sunset.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Slowpoke joins Melee!