Kakuna #0014

Maybe it’s Kakuna’s general ineffectiveness in battles and its mid-evolution status that means we never properly bonded. But that goes for #0011, too, and Metapod got chosen.

Maybe it’s those angry, waspy eyes that put you off, but whatever the reason, while both Weedle and Beedrill made off with some votes, no one rates this cocoon ‘mon highly.

Able to move only slightly. When endangered, it may stick out its stinger and poison its enemy.

GL

Machop #0066

Forgetting about the odd middle evolution, I can understand, but Machop? The Gen I fighter that kicks off one of the most troubling humanoid evolution lines in series history? Come on!

We’ve all had this little guy on our teams at some point, so I feel he’s been done a bit of a disservice to end up here.

Its whole body is composed of muscles. Even though it’s the size of a human child, it can hurl 100 grown-ups.

JN

Skiploom #0188

A Hop, A Jump, A… I’m sorry, I’m not really sure why people don’t love the gormless eyes and wonky smile of Skiploom. What is it with middle evolutions, people?

The lovely spring-time colour scheme, the ridiculous ears — it doesn’t really make sense. But honestly, it’s the perfect middle ground between Hoppip and Jumpluff for me.

It spreads its petals to absorb sunlight. It also floats in the air to get closer to the sun.

AH

Pineco #0204

When people point to uninspired designs in later gens, I always refer back to Gen II’s Pineco. It’s just a stony-looking pinecone with an uninspired name!

Wait, what’s that? It’s meant to be a Bagworm?

Its evolution was a defensive powerhouse at one point, and its Pokédex entries certainly give it a more-fearsome edge than its initial design suggests. It’s just lacking a little imagination. Bug-types have certainly improved over the decades.

It likes to make its shell thicker by adding layers of tree bark. The additional weight doesn’t bother it.

AH

Granbull #0210

Sometimes, when one evolutionary stage of a Pokémon has a bit of notoriety, the other forms suffer. Snubbull didn’t particularly shine in our Gen II poll, but the Fairy-type (formerly Normal-type) has been around since before Gold & Silver even came out.

Granbull is also drastically different in its design, shedding its pink frock for a much more intimidating look. But like any good pupper, it’s actually pretty timid if you give it a chance. So maybe don’t judge a book by its cover?

It is actually timid and easily spooked. If attacked, it flails about to fend off its attacker.

AH

Remoraid #0223

Okay, I get it. One glance at Remoraid and I can understand why it didn’t garner any votes. It’s a pretty basic fish Pokémon, and when you’ve got the utterly iconic Magikarp hoovering up the votes, it’s hard to compete.

Still, think of what it evolves into! An octopus! It makes no sense, and it’s brilliant!

The water they shoot from their mouths can hit moving prey from more than 300 feet away.

OR

Silcoon #0266

Similarly to Kakuna and Metapod, why is it that Cascoon gets votes over Silcoon? Is it that pure white is boring? Or that Beautifly is less interesting than Dustox?

Admittedly, only one of you voted for the purple equivalent, but what split the difference here? Really?

Silcoon was thought to endure hunger and not consume anything before its evolution. However, it is now thought that this Pokémon slakes its thirst by drinking rainwater that collects on its silk.

AH

Nincada #0290

People were already getting tired of ‘standard Pokémon bugs’ by Gen III, but you can’t forget about Nincada! Ninjask is one of the coolest-looking bugs out there, and I wouldn’t have it without this basic form before it. Respect the roots, guys!

Because it lived almost entirely underground, it is nearly blind. It uses its antennae instead

JN

Whismur #0293

This pink little fella might be able to make a sound as loud as a jet plane, but they didn’t make enough noise for you to consider voting for them.

And look, if Loudred and Exploud can both get votes (how??), then why not this cutie?

Whismur is very timid. If it starts to cry loudly, it becomes startled by its own crying and cries even harder. When it finally stops crying, the Pokémon goes to sleep, all tired out.

AH

Meditite #0307

Meditite’s Fighting / Psychic combo made it a mean little combination in Gen III. I can only assume that this fella got overlooked in favour of its (admittedly, very cool-looking) evolution, Medicham, but I can’t forget about this little cutie.

It never skips its daily yoga training. It heightens its inner strength through meditation

JN

Illumise #0314

When there are “twin” Pokémon like Plusle and Minun and one doesn’t get any votes, it’s a little confusing. Volbeat may have received a single vote, but that’s more than Illumise, who is essentially the same ‘mon, just… purple?

Okay, that’s maybe not fair – Illumise is more of a Special Attack-focused ‘mon. Well, if you want to make things difficult. It looks happier in the key art! It has smaller antennae… I’m trying here!

Illumise uses its sweet scent to guide Volbeat, having them form over 200 patterns in the night sky.

AH

Carvanha #0318

Evidently, Sharpedo has some fans (17 of you voted for the terrifying Water/Dark-type), so why not Carvanha? It’s got a savage design, and hints at the threatening aura of its evolution.

Okay, so there’s a lot of fish in Hoenn, but surely Carvanha stands out from the pack?

If anything invades Carvanha’s territory, it will swarm and tear at the intruder with its pointed fangs. On its own, however, this Poémon turns suddenly timid.

AH

Barboach #0339

Loaches aren’t the most inspiring creatures on our planet, so Barboach had a bit of a steep hill to climb to begin with. It’s a lovely, unique Pokémon though, and I reckon if you actually saw one of these while out and about, you’d stop and go ‘ooh!”.

Okay, maybe you wouldn’t, but I like it.

Its two whiskers provide a sensitive radar. Even in muddy waters, it can detect its prey’s location.

OR

Baltoy #0343

Turns out, even if an Elite Four member has your evolution, sometimes others don’t care. Baltoy is like an ancient balancing toy, and could easily be a fossil of some sort as it’s based on ancient Japanese figurines.

Its clicky cry and strong evolution should’ve earned it at least one vote; and look, if you’re curious, they can spin on their heads, too.

It moves while spinning around on its single foot. Some Baltoy have been seen spinning on their heads.

AH

Anorith #0347

Pokémon’s second stab at Fossils are a lot more creative, so I’m shocked that no one gave some love to this bug-eyed ‘Old Shrimp’.

There’s something endearing about its eight wings, big eyes, and vulnerability to water despite having Swift Swim and apparently being an underwater ‘mon back in the day. But apparently Armaldo, Lileep, and Cradily are a lot better. According to you all.

This Pokémon was restored from a fossil. Anorith lived in the ocean about 100,000,000 years ago, hunting with its pair of claws.

AH

Huntail #0367

Unless you had a friend and a GBA link cable, you probably never saw Huntail and Gorebyss. But while the pink-coloured eel managed to gain a few supporters, its scarier-looking cousin fared worse.

There are also a lot of Water-types to choose from in Gen III, so Huntail’s fearsome design and fish-shaped tail – used to attract prey – aren’t exactly unique. I quite like it, but I do think more could’ve been done with Clamperl’s evolutions. Maybe Gen X is the time?

It’s not the strongest swimmer. It wags its tail to lure in its prey and then gulps them down as soon as they get close.

AH

Head to page two for the next batch of love-lacking ‘mon…