It's Venonat! The Pokémon that I often forget exists! 

I don't mean that in a bad way, though. I actually think Venonat is really cute, and I wish I remembered the poor thing more often. Maybe this chapter will help make the Pokémon more memorable to me? Well, only one way to find out! Let's hop into it!

Type Factor: 

With a type combination of bug and poison, Venonat and Venomoth are weak to flying, rock, fire, and psychic type moves. However, they also hold a strategic advantage over grass, fighting, and bug type moves. 

Unfortunately, the addition of poison type moves does not give Venonat and Venomoth much of an advantage. This guy has more weaknesses than strengths, with this type combination.

Design Factor: 

Venonat starts out adorable and fuzzy, but then it evolves into a vaguely unsettling and somewhat horrifying creature. And I think that's cool! 

I think both designs give it a lot of character. Plus, the change from dark purple to a lighter lavender keeps things interesting. I think this Pokémon succeeds where a lot might fail: variety. It maintains its core look while still spicing things up, which I think is great!

Lore Factor: 

Let's take a look at this evolutionary line's lore, shall we? To be honest... it isn't all that impressive. 

It mostly talks about things that are fairly obvious, like the fact that both Venonat and Venomoth exude poison from their bodies. They're poison types... in my opinion, that Pokédex info isn't all that engaging! There are some other snippets here and there, like how powerful Venonat's eyes are or how they are attracted to lights, but nothing all that awe-inspiring.

Stats Factor: 

So, this Pokémon's base stats make a lot of sense! Once Venonat has evolved fully into Venomoth, the highest base stat it will have will be a tie between special attack and speed. That just feels right to me, and I don't really know why. 

As for the weakest stat, that would be defense. Again, that just makes total sense, right?! I don't have an explanation for it, either! Although this Pokémon lacks solid stats in general, I think it gets points for having stats that make total sense for no reason at all. It's weird, and I like it!

Evolutionary Factor: 

The dramatic transformation from start to finish of this evolution is eye-catching enough to make this Pokémon a very interesting one. Although, sometimes I have to wonder: why was Venonat made to be Venomoth's predecessor, and not Butterfree's? 

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually glad that they are in the evolutionary families they belong to, because I think it adds more variety that way. But doesn't it sometimes feel like Venonat was intended to belong to Butterfree's line?

Conclusion: 

Overall, I think this Pokémon is an often forgotten and totally underrated bug type. So if you're looking for a unique, often overlooked addition to your team, look no further!

To my fellow researchers: 

So, what do you think? Should Venonat have been a part of Butterfree's line? Or is it more interesting to keep them separate?