Pok?mon of the Day - Dratini (163/???) [being remade]

The Earth dies. There was nowhere man could run. And in the great Cataclysm of the 40th century, only those who could survive the inferno remained. Today's Pokemon of the Day is Yanma! An oversized dragonfly that weighs as much as the male player character in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl - which is pretty scary when you think about it, especially when you consider Pokemon like Sudowoodo and Togekiss are also this heavy - Yanma was one of the first Pokemon to be available via a swarming event in the second generation titles, and had a measly encounter rate of 1% otherwise. The 157th fastest Pokemon, Yanma was later given the Speed Boost ability as well as an evolution in Yanmega in Generation IV, giving it some utility in lower tiers. In the anime, Jessie owned a Yanma for a short time, before it eventually evolved into Yanmega and became one of her main Pokemon in the Sinnoh seasons. Before then it only appeared in minor roles, smashing glass and causing trouble.

Share your opinion, memories, and experiences of Yanma! As well as the general questions in the first post of this topic, here are some fun things to think about:

• Did you manage to find a Yanma swarm in Gold/Silver or their remakes?
• What is your opinion of Yanma when compared to the other bug-type Pokemon released in Generation II? Is it one you would consider using in the future?
• Would you like to see another dragonfly Pokemon based on a different species? How would it compare to Yanma?

Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dreams. Red, gold and green, red, gold and green~
Today's Pokemon of the Day is Kecleon! The first Generation III Pokemon to appear in the anime, and one of the first to be revealed - alongside Wailmer and Azurill, over fifteen years ago! - Kecleon has the ability to camoflauge itself to blend in with its surroundings...well, almost. The red stripe across its belly remains visible, providing the perfect signpost to predators that might wanted to rip out its entrails. Kecleon plays a prominent role in the DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles, serving as the shopkeeper...and has a ridiculously low recruitment rate of 0.1% even with the Friend Bow equipped. In the anime Kecleon first appeared on a boat, in which it foiled an attempt by Team Rocket to steal its trainer's belongings, although Harrison also used one against Ash in the Silver Conference. Predictably, it lost to Pikachu.

Share your opinion, memories, and experiences of Kecleon! As well as the general questions in the first post of this topic, here are some fun things to think about:

• Did you ever manage to recruit a Kecleon in either of the DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon titles?
• A purple Kecleon exists in the anime and the Mystery Dungeon titles, but is unavailable in the main games. Would you like to see this Kecleon distributed as an event, or made available in some form in future titles?
• Did you see the original announcement that revealed Kecleon as part of the next generation? What were your initial thoughts?

He's smart, he's cool, he's nobody's fool! Today's Pokemon of the Day is Keldeo! The unofficial fourth member of the Swords of Justice - Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion - Keldeo shares many traits with the Muskedeers. Despite being portrayed as their junior in the lore, it actually learns moves of a higher base power, and even gets its own signature move, Secret Sword. This allows it to transform into its Resolute Form, in which its horn gets significantly bigger and that's more or less it. Despite having the lowest base stat total of all mythical Pokemon, Keldeo is a force to be reckoned with in the upper echelons of the metagame...if you can get your hands on one; alongside Meloetta it has had the fewest distributions thus far, although it is due another one in October this year as part of the 20th Anniversary release. In the anime, Keldeo has only appeared in the fifteenth movie, in which it was trying to learn Sacred Sword and, rather than waiting to learn it properly, it picked a fight with Kyurem of all things. Needless to say, this did not go over well.

Share your opinion, memories, and experiences of Keldeo! As well as the general questions in the first post of this topic, here are some fun things to think about:

• If Keldeo and Suicune had a race across the ocean, who would win?
• What do you think of Keldeo's design and utility when compared to the other Swords of Justice?
• What did you think of Keldeo's Resolute Form when it was leaked? Would you have liked to have seen further design changes to signify an increase in power?

Come back with your Shield or On it. Today's Pokemon of the Day is Shieldon! One of the fossil Pokemon of Generation IV, for some obscure reason Shieldon habitually polishes its face by rubbing it against a tree trunk, of all things; behaviour one might just call...barking mad. Like its counterpart Cranidos, it evolves at Level 30, which is actually the earliest of any Fossil Pokemon to date...despite apparently being one of the oldest, since it was supposedly around 100 million years ago. Shieldon's only major anime appearance saw Hunter J out to capture four of them for a mysterious client...unfortunately, its debut was vastly eclipsed by the fact that Gary Oak also made a reappearance in a sexy new lab coat. Semi-mad scientist Newton Graceland also owned one in the eleventh Pokemon film.

Share your opinion, memories, and experiences of Shieldon! As well as the general questions in the first post of this topic, here are some fun things to think about:

• Did you choose Shieldon or Cranidos? What prompted your choice?
• Why do you think Shieldon tries to polish its face using tree trunks of all things?

Down at the bottom of the garden, among the birds and the bees... Today's Pokemon of the Day is Bellsprout! A disturbingly vicious Pokemon despite its relatively harmless appearance, Bellsprout was first introduced in Generation I, the Pokemon Blue exclusive Grass/Poison type mirroring Red's Oddish - it evolves at Level 21, requires a Leaf Stone to reach its final stage, and has also had its egg design revealed. It's also classified as Flower Pokemon, the same as Vileplume and Bellossom...even though it is technically a bud and evolves into a pitcher plant. Weird. Despite being a relatively low-key and weak Pokemon, Bellsprout has received a lot of attention in the games, getting its own tower in the second generation...perhaps to make up for not getting a Sun Stone evolution. In the anime, Jeanette Fisher's Bellsprout absolutely curbstomped Ash (at least until Muk) in the Indigo League, marking its finest hour. It has had several fairly prominent appearances since under the control of minor characters.

Share your opinion, memories, and experiences of Bellsprout! As well as the general questions in the first post of this topic, here are some fun things to think about:

• Bellsprout vs. Oddish - which is your favourite? Did you use Bellsprout as a part of a Blue/LeafGreen run due to its version exclusivity? Is this something you would consider doing in the future?
• Were you annoyed that Bellsprout didn't get a Sun Stone final evolutionary stage in Generation II like Oddish did in Bellossom? If you had the opportunity to design one now, what would it look like?