Oftentimes, the Pokémon franchise is seen as a bit of a figure of fun. Sure, it has millions of fans all over this wide world of ours, but it also has legions of detractors and snark.

They’ve got ample ammunition, after all. First and foremost, you’ve got the franchise’s aesthetic itself. In a gaming landscape of hyper-realism, Pokémon really hasn’t evolved all that much over the years. If that sort of ‘kiddie’ image is something that bothers you, the adorably toon-tinged series really isn’t your sort of thing.

Speaking of a lack of evolution, that’s an accusation leveled at the franchise all the time. Pokémon Sun and Moon may have stirred things up, with its removal of series stalwarts like gyms and HMs, but the general view is that a Pokémon game is a Pokémon game.

You know what you’re getting here. A small child who’s way too young for this sort of thing embarks on a journey around the region, tackles the Evil Team™ of the day, and generally has a Poké Centre-visitin’ good time.

Along the way, as is well established by now, you’re going to want to catch ‘em all™. To do so, you’re going to need to liberally use your Pokédex, that handy-dandy high-tech encyclopedia.

The question is, have you ever actually stopped to read some of the entries in this thing? The ridiculous and hilarious Pokédex is the highlight of the games, in my eyes. In this series, we’re going to take a look at some of the most downright bizarre entries it has to offer, starting today with generation one Pokémon. Strap yourselves in.

25 Psyduck And Whatever Its Super Secret Powers Are

Via: Twinfinite

The Water-type, as the Pokémon masters among us will know, is the most common of all. As of Pokémon Sun and Moon, there are 133 Water-types, which makes for 16.5% of all known ‘mon so far. Naturally, in terms of a quality-over-quantity approach, there’s going to be some shonkiness in there.

As with all types, not every Water Pokémon is created equally. Far from it. You’ve got top-tier threats like the OG Water beast, Gyarados, and you’ve got steaming mounds of Poké-poop like Luvdisk.

It’s just a natural consequence of having so many Pokémon. Balancing is impossible, so some are going to be furious ballistic missiles fuelled by raw hatred and power, and others are going to be about as usual in battle as a one-legged kitten in a coma.

In between, you’ve got a huge, sprawling desert of meh. Right there is where Golduck resides. Reasonably useful, but dropped like Snoop Dogg when it’s hot as soon as something better comes along. Which happens often. Nevertheless, its pre-evolved form, Psyduck, seems to have some unplumed powers we have no idea about. According to Pokémon Gold:

“It has mystical powers but doesn’t recall that it has used them. That is why it always looks puzzled.”

Come on now, Psyduck, work with us here. If you’ve actually got some redeeming qualities in there, somewhere, you really can’t afford to be keeping them secret.

24 Diglett And The Creepy Truth Of The Rest Of Its Body That’s Hidden Underground

Via: Pokémon Wiki

The old iceberg metaphor is one that crops up a lot in our day-to-day lives. It’s all about how what you see is really just a fraction of what’s actually going on. It’s a tough concept to grapple with, and it’s one of those things that contributes to mental health being such a controversial issue to talk about and seek help for.

On a lighter note, it’s also one of the things that contributes to all of the hilariously bizarre Diglett fan art out there.

As you no doubt learned a couple of chapters into Pokémon For Dummies, Diglett is a Ground-type, a peculiar little mole thing that evolves into Dugtrio (essentially just three Diglett grouped together). Sure, you knew all of this, but do you know what the rest of Diglett’s body looks like? No, no you don’t, because nobody does.

As Pokémon Stadium reports:

“Its head pokes up approximately eight inches out of the ground. However, its real size remains a mystery to this day.”

Now, quite apart from making us imagine just what is possible under the ground below that head (as I say, the fan art is some truly incredible stuff), this brings up a whole different mystery. How can we not know? What about Pokémon trainers who use Diglett and Dugtrio? How do they not know? How does that even compute? What kind of shenanigans are you trying to pull here, Game Freak?

23 Alakazam And Its Heavy, Heavy Brain

Via: Smogon

Ah, Alakazam. One of my very favourite Pokémon from the first generation. Back in the days of Pokémon Red and Blue, when Game Freak didn’t understand the unstoppable abomination they had created with the Psychic type (what was its only real weakness, Bug, going to do? Twineedle its way to victory?), Alakazam ruled all.

Its glory days are well behind it now, but when you want a solid special sweeper, Alakazam can still got the job done. Give it its mega stone, Alakazite, and you’re dealing with a threat with more than twice the spoons (and at least ten time the moustache). Ouch-amundo.

I guess you could say it’s the Psychic-type posterchild. As such, then, it’s got to embody everything that being a Psychic-type is supposed to mean: physical frailty, offset by great mental strength and intelligence. Alakazam takes this ball and runs with it, for sure.

In the words of Pokémon Ruby:

“Alakazam’s brain continually grows, making its head far too heavy to support with its neck. This Pokémon holds its head up using its psychokinetic power instead.”

That’s right, friends. Much like a rat’s teeth, this thing’s brain never stops growing. Neither, as a result, does its head. So, what are we talking here? Do truly elderly Alakazam have gigantic swollen heads, like they’ve had an unfortunate reaction to a bee sting? Will they eventually explode, like in cult sci-fi movie Scannerz? The world may never know.

22 Growlithe, The World’s Only Well-Behaved Puppy

Via: Pokémon Wiki

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something distinctly shonky about this one. Let’s take a closer look, and see if you can spot it too.

Before we get deeper into this, let’s just make one thing darn clear, right from the off. I have no qualms with Arcanine. Who could have, after all? This series stalwart Fire-type has been by our sides for over two decades now. Its design is simple, but effective, and it’s still admired for that (by fans and in-game).

It’s darn magnificent all around, in short. While its stats don’t excel in any one area, it’s flexible enough to take an offensive or defensive role on a team, and it’s blessed with one of the best abilities in Intimidate.

So, yes. Arcanine gets seven thumbs up from me, which is about the maximum number you can get. There are no more thumbs, friends. No more. As for Growlithe, though, I’m just not convinced. It may look just as perfect, but something doesn’t quite check out with its Pokédex entries. According to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, Growlithe is:

“A Pokémon with a loyal nature. It will remain motionless until it is given an order by its trainer.”

Whoa there, Game Freak. We’re just going way beyond the realms of believability here. There isn’t a puppy alive that comes close to those levels of obedience. Remain motionless until given an order, you say? Chew on the drapes and poop on the kitchen lino until given an order, then ignore the order and take another poop in a shoe is more like it.

21 Is It A Bird, A Plane Or A Ponyta?

Via: Amino Apps

Now, sure, Pokémon is set in a fictional world. A magical land where irresponsible parents send their little urchins off into the world, with nothing but a giant lizard THAT’S ON ACTUAL FIRE for company. I don’t know where this world is supposed to be, but it’s nowhere I want to visit. That’s for darn certain.

Being a video game, of course, there’s really no need for the laws of logic and/or general common sense to apply here. Why are we able to catch Arceus, the Poké-god himself, and just slap him into the PC with Pidgey, Weedle and other rubbish? Because we just are, that’s why. Don’t question it.

Even with all of this said, the games do insist on making real-world references. This is where the levels of crazitude just get a little beyond the pale. Take Ponyta, for instance, an otherwise fairly standard pony Pokémon.

Pokémon Stadium tells us it is:

“Capable of jumping over the Eiffel Tower in a single giant leap. Its hooves are ten times harder than diamonds.”

Darn. It’s like buy one hilariously nonsensical sentence, get another for free. Those diamond-crushing hooves are one thing, but the Eiffel Tower thing is the real offender here. I… it… what?

20 Cloyster: Taking Missiles To the Face Without Giving A Single Care Since 1998

via mayaidanan.deviantart.com

Yep, that’s right. I’m one of those indecisive Pokémon fans who claims that a couple of hundred different Pokémon are ‘one of their favourites ever.’ You’d better believe that this is true when it comes to Cloyster as well.

Having said that, my answer as to a favourite typing hasn’t changed since the series first began. I’ve always had a natural proclivity for Ice, for whatever reason. As players will know, Ice is one of the most controversial typings out there. Like Rock, it’s very solid offensively, but very poor defensively. Put simply, it’s a great type to use (move-wise), but a horrible type to be.

Nevertheless, the heart wants what it wants, and I’m a Ice-type gym leader through and through. In generation one, there were slim to bupkuss Ice-types, but one we did have was Cloyster.

This heavily-armoured Pokémon is another that can serve both defensively and offensively. In either case, whether it’s shrugging off (physical) hits like they’re nothing or dropping its Shell Smash sweeping shenanigans, that shell is central to everything Cloyster does. It’s lucky it’s so impossibly, hilariously tough, then. As Pokémon Crystal puts it:

“Even a missile can’t break the spikes it uses to stab opponents. They’re even harder than its shell.”

Even harder than its shell. Even a missile. A… what is going on here?

19 Grimer, The Hunk Of Inexplicable Radioactive Moon-Sludge

Via: The Biology Of Pokémon

I don’t know if you remember, but back in the nineties, the world was treated to the glorious spectacle that was the Biker Mice From Mars cartoon. The titular mice were a trio of anthropomorphic bikers named Vinnie, Modo and Throttle. The whole thing centered around their battles against the evil Plutarkians, who destroyed their homeland.

When it comes to sheer, utterly cringe-tastic attempts at nineties cool, Biker Mice from Mars was about as bizarre as it got. The reasons for this are threefold, and you’ve probably notice them already: they’re mice. They’re bikers. They’re from Mars. If you thought that was strange, you haven’t heard anything yet.

Step back, Vinnie, Modo, and Throttle. It turns out, you’re not the most peculiar space-related pop culture reference around here.

That’s right. Grimer, the garbage-eating Pokémon, is another generation one staple. It’s a big old hunk of poisonous waste, which evolves into an even bigger hunk of such. Throughout the franchise, I guess it’s been used as a subtle commentary on the world’s littering problem (see the waste disposal plant in Sun and Moon). None of which explains this little doozy from Pokémon FireRed:

“Sludge exposed to X-Rays from the moon transformed into Grimer.”

X-Rays from the moon? Sure. Come on, guys. That’s not Grimer’s Pokédex description, that’s a Marvel supervillain origin story.

18 Dodrio: Three Hearts, Three Lungs, Three Who-Knows-What Else

Via: LetsPlayVideoGames

Well, okay then, Dodrio. If that’s how you want to be, you just go right ahead.

As an ardent Doctor Who fan, I’ve seen a lot of the snarky jokes that can result when somebody has a few extra organs than usual. As a Time Lord, the Doctor has two hearts, and there have been more than a few shady what else has he got two of jokes over the show’s long history.

In the Pokémon world, it isn’t unusual for ‘mon to have two or three heads. You’ve got Zweilous and Hydreigon, whatever’s going on with Exeggcute and Exeggutor, Dugtrio is technical a grouping of three heads (plus whatever’s going on under the surface)… anything goes around here, basically. Doduo isn’t too unusual, then, even when it evolves and grows a third head. That’s just the start of it, though.

According to Pokémon Sapphire:

“Apparently, the heads aren’t the only part of the body that Dodrio has three of. It has three sets of hearts and lungs as well, so it is capable of running long distances without rest.”

So, there we go. Three heads, three hearts, six lungs… that sounds entirely legit to me. I wonder what else is going on with Dodrio’s odd biology?

17 Slowbro And The Shady Story Of Shellder

Via: Pokémon Wiki

Pokémon evolution is a curious thing, isn’t it? Depending on the species, they can completely reinvent themselves, to the point that there’s absolutely zero resemblance to what came before. Take the elegant, serpentine Dratini and Dragonair, for instance. What the heck went wrong there? Where did the brilliantly derp-tastic Dragonite come from? The world may never know.

Some species’ evolution lines have some basis in real-world logic. Like Bug-types, which often follow the larvae-to-pupae-to-butterfly/moth pattern. Many Pokémon just goes from creature to slightly bigger creature, to even a bigger creature, and that makes perfect sense too.

And then there’s Slowpoke, which just gets bitten on the darn tail by a Shellder. What are you trying to pull here, Game Freak? Stop this. That’s what counts for evolution around here, apparently. Granted, we already knew that, but the most peculiar thing –as far as I’m concerned—is this, as reported by Pokémon Yellow:

“Lives lazily by the sea. If the Shellder on its tail comes off, it becomes a Slowpoke again.”

I’m just not quite following this. You can’t magically ‘unevolve.’ Can Butterfree hop straight back into its cocoon and emerge as a crappy Caterpie again? Not in my dang lifetime it can’t. Slowpoke is a unique case in that its evolution is strictly ‘physical’ rather than biological. Don’t even get me started on Slowking, either.

16 Poliwrath, The Greatest Swimmer You Ever Saw

Here in the bad old world of 2018, cynics will tell you that everything’s gone to heck. To be fair to them, they’re right for the most part. I haven’t given up just yet, though. My glass might not be half full, but I’ve got something in there at least. There are always people around who will restore your faith in humankind.

You know the ones. These are the people who do good deeds without instantly shoving them down our esophagus’ on Facebook. The people who are good for the sake of being good, simply because it comes naturally. This is one of the things I love my wife for, if you really want to get cheesier than a triple cheese Cheese-splosion pizza with extra cheese and a side of cheese about it.

Mostly, though, you get those people who are in it for the attention. For the likes, retweets, shares and little heart emojis. The dang show-offs, in short. Poliwrath is most definitely one of those. Not content with simply being a strong, superhuman swimmer, Pokémon Gold actually tells us:

“This strong and skilled swimmer is even capable of crossing the Pacific Ocean just by kicking.”

Bear in mind here, the Pacific Ocean has a surface area of just under 64 million square miles (over 165 million square kilometres). That is, I hardly need to tell you, a whole darn lot of ocean right there. Can it cross it by kicking? Can it really?

15 The Amazing (And Terrifying) Transforming Kadabra

Via: Reddit (Gaming)

You know what, Abra evolution line? I’ve had enough from you guys. If you could just sit your cheeks down on the carpet and quiet down, that’d be great. There’s just too much going on here.

Already in this rundown, we’ve seen the impossible story of Alakazam’s brain. How it never stops growing throughout its lifetime, enabling it to remember everything ever. Nothing is confirmed vis a vis its head also growing to accommodate this, you’ll notice. We’re just left with grim mental images of what will inevitably happen if its head doesn’t also grow. Either way, this can’t end well.

So, yes. I’d already had my share of Psychic-type weirdery, but then Kadabra comes along too. Not wanting to be outdone by its bigger, moustachier sibling, Kadabra’s got a super-creepy Dex entry of its own. As Pokémon FireRed states,

“It happened one morning - a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra.”

Right. Okay. I hear you. The question is, what can we possibly do with this information? What are the connotations here, for the whole relationship between humans and Pokémon? Is a Kadabra-exclusive phenomenon? If I wake up one day as a Magikarp, I’m not going to be amused. I’m going to flop right over to Game Freak HQ and Splash all over EVERYBODY, I promise you that. I’ll Splash with all the righteous fury that my tiny, feeble body can muster.

14 Machoke Likes Poetry, Long Walks In The Park And Juggling Sumo Wrestlers

Via: Pokémon Wiki

Long-time fans will have noticed that the series has mellowed a little of late. With regards to its Pokédex entries, that is. Sure, later installments definitely go full weird on us when they want to, but that tends to be the exception.

The original 151 were where it was really at in that department. In this rundown, we’re looking at generation one Pokémon rather than games, but that still holds true to some extent.

As such, there’s a theory that the dex entries were written by a young child (in-game, that is, rather than somebody’s son or daughter at Game Freak). They’re not literal or factual, the theory goes, but exaggerated in a way that children see the world.

This is just a possibility, but there are so many hilariously impossible entries that seem to lend credence to it. Remember Ponyta, leaping over the Eiffel Tower in a single bound like freaking Superman? Close your eyes, try and actually picture that, and you’ll know what I mean.

On that note, here comes Machoke:

“This Pokémon has so much strength, it can easily hold a sumo wrestler aloft on one finger.”

Thanks for that mental image, too, Pokémon Ruby. I’m going to be laughing at that one for at least the next three hours.

13 Geodude: Because It’s Not A Snowball Fight Until Someone’s Been Sent To A&E

Via: Tumblr (annadoglover1)

You know, it’s funny how times change. Back in my day, pranks were harmless enough. You’d put saran wrap over the toilet seat, or leave thumbtacks on somebody’s chair, or… well, maybe harmless isn’t the right word. Artless, low-tech, emotionally scarring, whatever you want to call these sorts of shenanigans.

My point is, I grew up reading comics like The Dandy and The Beano, which featured characters like Dennis the Menace. Back then, ‘menacing’ consisted of things like itching powder, whoopee cushions and other classic pranks. I had a box full of fake dog poop, soot to spread on telescope lenses and all of that sort of thing.

We don’t see much snow here London, where I live, but when we do, another vintage favourite would come out: eggs in snowballs. The more vicious among us (which was definitely me, hence the thumbtacks) would evolve to stones in snowballs, which is a darn terrible idea which I cannot condone.

Nobody appears to have told the people of the Pokémon world, though, because according to FireRed:

“Its round form makes it easy to pick up. Some people have used them to hurl at each other in a snowball fight.”

We’re not talking pebbles here, people. Geodude weighs 20 kilos, which is like four or five average-sized newborn babies flying at you. Only newborn babies made of rock and pain.

12 Venonat Has Eye-Lasers Cyclops Would Be Proud Of

Via: Pokémon Wiki

Now, don’t get me wrong here. I’m an all-inclusive sort of guy, and I fully support Pokémon’s rights to learn any dang move they want. I am all about that life. With this piece being focused on first generation Pokémon, that’s even more relevant than ever. Back in these days, a lot of Normal-types were given access to all kinds of moves, for no real reason. Why not slap Ice Beam, Surf and Thunder on Snorlax, just for the heck of it?

YOLO, as the kids say. I’m totally on board with all of this, as I say, but there’s one thing I could never quite understand. Why do Venonat and Venomoth, the Bug/Poison types, learn a whole glut of Psychic-type moves? Confusion, Psychic, Zen Headbutt, Psybeam… what’s going on here?

Don’t worry, friends. As it turns out, there’s a simple explanation for this. Or, rather, there’s a totally bemusing explanation for this: Venonant shoots laser beams out of its eyes (FireRed):

“Its eyes act as radar, enabling it to be active in darkness. The eyes can also shoot powerful beams.”

Hence, Psybeam. See? It’s all so clear now. Of course it is, Game Freak, of course it is. I’m just going to nod along.

11 Putting the Rapid And Dash In Rapidash

Via: Amino Apps

If you’ve ever spent much time in and around the Pokémon community, you’ll know that they tend to be an opinionated bunch. This is the case for any community, of course, any fandom, but still. The whole thing’s heightened where Pokémon is concerned, because we’ve got almost one thousand individual characters to critique, love, hate on and generally debate.

Oftentimes, you’ll hear the so-called genwunners, lamenting the fact that Pokémon designs just aren’t what they used to be. The original 151 were the best, they’ll tell you, and nothing since has compared.

To an extent, I guess they have a point. This was the time of peak originality, simply because no Pokémon could look like any that had come before. In Rapidash’s case, it was also a time when names could be brilliantly and brutally literal and inspired.

Now, I’m a simple man. I like people to say what they mean and mean what they say. If you’re going to give me a horse Pokémon named Rapidash, you’d darn well better deliver something that runs fast. Dashes rapidly, if you will.

Heck, though, there’s rapid and there’s rapid. According to Pokémon Stadium, Rapidash is:

“Unable to restrain itself from running after fast trains or cars. Capable of reaching 150mph at full speed.”

What makes this entry, for me, is the image of this thing careening after your car at 150mph. Take that, Jurassic Park T-Rex jeep chase.

10 Where Did You Come From, Where Did You Go, Cotton-Eye Magnemite?

Via: Pokémon Wiki

I know, friends. I hear you. I may have tried a little too hard to make that headline joke work, but there it is. I’ve written it. I'm committed. All we can do is move on with our lives and pretend that it never happened.

We’ve already touched on the fact that there are almost one thousand different Pokémon out there now. With some of them, we really are stretching the definition of what a Pokémon actually is. Some of their numbers, for instance, are Ultra Beasts, which are a form of multi-dimensional extra-terrestrial being. Aliens, really. We’ve also got many Ghost-types, many of which are literally the spirits of the departed.

Some of them aren’t even living creatures, and others… well, it’s tough to tell. When it comes to something like Magnemite, that line is well and truly blurred.

It’s sentient. It has a fa… well, it has eyes. Is it alive, though? That depends how technical you want to get with all of this. Pokémon Stadium’s dex reports that it appears as if out of nowhere, seemingly in contradiction to Pokémon Yellow’s entry that came before:

“It is born with the ability to defy gravity.”

B… born? I guess it does hatch from an egg in the games.

9 The Literal Lurking Doom That Is Gengar

Via: Pokémon Wiki

Speaking of Ghost-types, this is where the seemingly ‘kiddy’ Pokémon franchise can turn super dark in a microsecond. If you’ve played through that little Trainer School event in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, you’ll have seen the genuinely unsettling things that Game Freak can do when they’re in the mood.

Through the generations, Ghost-type’s dex entries have become notorious for being quite macabre. Banette is a vengeful doll that has come back to seek vengeance on the child that discarded it, while Drifloon spends its days trying to steal children away. What have you got to offer, Gengar? It had better be pretty darn special.

This guy, of course, is the OG Ghost. Back in the day, the three members of Gastly’s evolution line were the only Ghost Pokémon, period. Since then, Ghost numbers have swelled, but many fans have a special place in their heart for Gengar. Does this ghoul make the creepiness cut? You’d better believe it does. Pokémon Sun tells us that,

“Should you feel yourself attacked by a sudden chill, it is evidence of an approaching Gengar. There is no escaping it. Give up.”

Whoa there, Game Freak. Who’s a Debbie Downer, then? You can’t be this hilariously blunt in a Pokémon game, you just can’t.

8 Having A Nose-Ticklin’, Dream-Eatin’ Good Time With Drowzee

Via: PopKey

Drowzee is one of those Pokémon that I’ve always had mixed feelings about. I’m totally conflicted here.

On the one hand, the whole idea of extracting dreams from others is intriguing to me. As a child, Roald Dahl’s The BFG was one of my favourite books ever, totally capturing my imagination in its gigantic grip. Drowzee is, to me, a kind of reverse BFG, not passing on dreams to the sleepers but extracting and eating them. There’s something about that connection that means I can’t help but like Drowzee, despite how bizarre and disturbing it is.

Now, this whole concept didn’t begin with Drowzee and The BFG, of course. The Pokémon is inspired by the legend of the Baku, an iconic figure of Chinese and Japanese folklore. It was often depicted as an odd composite creature, with an elephant’s trunk and all kinds of other biological weirdness going on. Today, the term also refers to the tapir, which Drowzee’s design also resembles.

Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s check out Pokémon Emerald’s deliciously terrifying and bizarre dex entry:

“If your nose becomes itchy while you are sleeping, it's a sure sign that a Drowzee is standing above your pillow and trying to eat your dream through your nostrils.”

You’re welcome.

7 TIL: Voltorb Actually Is A Poké Ball (Except It Isn’t… Or Is It?)

Via: Gfycat

Oh, Voltorb. You really are a pain, my guy.

My lingering memories of this Electric-type revolve around two different scenarios. Firstly, the Power Plant, where it would lurk disguised as a Poké Ball. There you were, expecting to nab an item, when an encounter with one of these stealthy swines resulted instead. This must be how those hapless guards felt in Metal Gear Solid, on discovering that it’s not just a box after all, and now there’s a bullet hole between their eyeballs.

Dang it, Voltorb. Secondly, there was the time that I actually found a shiny version of this ‘mon, only for it to… yep, you saw where that was going. Your Shiny Used Explosion! Your Hopes, Dreams, And Earthly Soul Fainted!

Playing the original games back in the late nineties, I always wondered why it was that Voltorb looks so like a Poké Ball. The Pokédex has long been hinting that there’s some mysterious connection between the two, never more bluntly than with Pokémon Ruby:

“Voltorb was first sighted at a company that manufactures Poké Balls. The link between that sighting and the fact that this Pokémon looks very similar to a Poké Ball remains a mystery.”

It’s an interesting one, whichever way you slice it.

6 Electrode Explodes Just To Be A Bozo (Literally)

Via: Playbuzz

That’s right, friends. We’re double dipping in the Voltorb evolution line, just because… well, I’m not done griping about this thing yet. After all, a shiny encounter wantonly exploding on you is about the worst feeling a Pokémon game can inflict on you. I do not forgive, Voltorb, I do not forget.

If there’s one thing we can say in Electrode’s defense, it does look a little less like a Poké Ball. It at least had the decency to flip its color scheme, going from the red top with a white bottom to white bottom with a red top. That’s something to appreciate, in my book, given Voltorb’s deception.

Don’t worry, though, because Electrode found a way to be even more hateful. We all know that these things have a penchant for using Self Destruct and Explosion, but this one takes that to extremes. The way Pokémon Gold tells it,

“It is dangerous. If it has too much electricity and has nothing to do, it amuses itself by exploding.”

Oh, yes indeed. I guess using certain extreme attacks when you’re under threat is one thing, but just to do so for kicks, because you’re bored? That’s a whole new level of d-bag.

“I’m bored, what’s on TV?”

“The Big Bang Theory reruns… again.”

“I don’t think s—BOOM!”