Manectric

The line ends here. Electrike reaches level 26 and turns into this 1.5-metre, 40.2-kilogram quadruped, with no third stage afterwards or intermediate form separating it from the beginning. The mane running along its back is not decoration: it stores the electricity in the surrounding environment there and releases it from that point in large doses.

Pokédex entries repeat two ideas. One is that it avoids people and places its nest where lightning strikes. The other is that sparks escaping from its fur have caused forest fires. When it enters battle, it generates storm clouds that hang above its head, so a thundercloud appearing somewhere it should not usually has one underneath it.

The best detail is in the latest description: the current stimulates its muscles, which accounts for both the speed at which it moves and how quickly it recovers from muscle pain. An animal that self-administers electrical stimulation and sleeps beneath its own storm.

Its official category is the Discharge Pokémon. Yellow in colour, quadrupedal in shape, with the grassland as its habitat, and a skinny dog-like silhouette that never tries to look like anything else.

Two 105s and not much else. Special Attack and Speed single-handedly support its 475 base points; 70 HP with 60 Defense and 60 Special Defense leave it with a body that drops to almost any serious neutral hit. The 75 Attack also ruins half its movepool: Thunder Fang at level 24, Wild Charge at 48 and Iron Tail by TM are physical moves on a Pokémon that does not hit from that side.

Lightning Rod is the ability that defines it. It draws Electric-type moves towards itself, nullifies them and raises its Special Attack, which in double battles turns a vulnerable partner into something untouchable by that route. Static can paralyse on contact and depends on the opponent. Minus, its hidden ability, raises its Special Attack only if there is another Pokémon with Plus or Minus on the field, and outside that setup it does absolutely nothing.

Pure Electric has a single weakness, Ground, and resists Electric, Flying and Steel. The problem is on the other side: it cannot touch Ground types, and anyone with Garchomp or Swampert on the team gets to come in for free and watch. The answer is in the TMs. Overheat, with 130 power, and Flamethrower, with 90, cover Grass, Ice and Steel; Volt Switch, with 70, takes advantage of its Speed to hit and get out before it has to take the return attack.

With a Mega Stone, things change: the ability becomes Intimidate and Special Attack and Speed go up, so it no longer needs the opponent to make the mistake of throwing an Electric move at it to do something on entry.

Field Egg Group, one group only, with a 50% gender split. It is one of the easy cases: anything in the Field group works as a partner, and there is no need to deal with a skewed ratio or rely on Ditto out of obligation.

The 20 Egg cycles come out at roughly 5355 steps, a fairly short average. In Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, it has no Egg moves, so anything inherited will have to come from TMs.

The evolution has no trick to it: Electrike at level 26, with no items, no time of day and no friendship involved. Its experience growth rate is Slow, so reaching level 26 costs more than it would for a Pokémon with a Medium growth rate, and the jump comes later than expected. Defeating it awards 2 Speed effort points, which fits the only thing it does well.

Its registered habitat is grassland, and in Hoenn it appears in the wild on Route 118 in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, already evolved and at high levels for that point in the adventure. Its catch rate, 45, is that of a difficult Pokémon: without weakening it first and using a regular Poké Ball, most attempts are wasted.