Sentret

In Gold and Silver, the grass on Route 29 was the first thing anyone stepped into after leaving home, and Sentret appeared there in the morning and during the day. Johto needed a welcoming creature and this one got the job: brown, ring-tailed, with nothing unusual about it.

What defines it isn't what it does but how it positions itself. It stands upright supported by its tail, which is rigid enough to hold the animal's 6 kilograms, and from there it gets enough height to keep watch over the area. The three Pokédex entries repeat the same scene: it shrieks, strikes the ground with its tail and warns the others as soon as it spots something. The Silver entry adds the detail that says the most about the species — it can't sleep if nobody is standing guard, and away from its herd, fear keeps it awake all night.

Standing upright, it measures 80 centimeters. Its official category, Scout Pokémon, describes the job poorly: it doesn't scout, it warns, and the one doing the warning stays still. It's the first half of a two-stage line that closes with Furret at level 15, and the half that almost nobody keeps for long.

215 base stat points, and the problem isn't spread around: it's concentrated in Speed. 20. With that figure, it moves last against practically anything it runs into, including much of what also appears on the first route. The rest doesn't hold up either — 46 Attack at most on the sheet, 45 Special Defense, 35 HP and 34 Defense, which is a glass cannon without the cannon.

Of its three abilities, two do nothing in a serious battle: Run Away only guarantees escape from wild Pokémon, and Keen Eye prevents its Accuracy from being lowered. Its Hidden Ability, Frisk, at least provides information — it reveals the item the opposing Pokémon is holding as soon as it enters, and that information is useful even if the holder faints immediately afterwards.

Pure Normal means one immunity to Ghost, one weakness to Fighting and not a single resistance; offensively, it doesn't hit anything super effectively. The little it has going for it is in support: Helping Hand at level 16, Follow Me at 19 to draw attacks aimed at a teammate, and Baton Pass at 39. Sucker Punch, at 31, is a Dark-type priority move with 70 power and the only move of its own that gets ahead of the opponent. Through TMs it can learn Super Fang and Endeavor, which completely ignore its 46 Attack.

In a normal playthrough, its real use ends quickly: Quick Attack at 7 and Fury Swipes at 25 are enough for Johto's first Gyms, and from there the sensible thing is to take it to 15 and let it evolve.

It belongs to a single Egg Group, Field, the most populous of them all, so it inherits easily from half the terrestrial Pokédex. The gender split is clean: 50% female. Its 15 Egg Cycles work out at around 4080 steps, among the shortest stretches there are.

Of its six Egg Moves, three are worth the trouble. Last Resort has 140 power in exchange for using up everything else first, Reversal hits harder the less HP it has left — and with 35 HP, that doesn't take long — and Tidy Up clears hazards from the field while raising its Attack and Speed in one go. Focus Energy, Slash and Baby-Doll Eyes complete the list.

Evolution asks for nothing: level 15 and there you have Furret, with no items, no friendship and no time of day. It has a Medium growth rate, so it reaches 15 before almost any starter.

Its habitat is grassland and its catch rate, 255, is the maximum possible: a regular Poké Ball thrown at point-blank range is almost always enough. 215 total stats with trivial capture is consistent. Defeating it yields 1 Attack effort point and 43 base experience, and it sometimes holds an Oran Berry.