Spinarak

It has a face drawn on its back. It isn’t its real one: the real face is at the front, with white pupils, a pale horn on its forehead and two red jaws. The one on its shell is a pattern that changes expression, and it’s the first thing you notice about this half-metre-tall, 8.5-kilogram green spider.

Almost everything else is stillness. Pokédex entries repeat the same scene over and over — it spins its web, positions itself on it and waits. Whole days in the same posture, without moving from the spot, until something brushes against the threads. That’s what sets it apart from any other bug in the forest: its web works like a second nervous system, and the vibrations tell it what has fallen in before it comes over to look. The poison in its fangs isn’t dangerous; it only keeps its prey immobilised for as long as necessary.

Its favourite thing to eat is Cutiefly, and it waits for one with what the Pokédex calls extreme patience. The thread has uses outside the forest too: some fishermen make nets from it to catch fish Pokémon, because it holds up better than ordinary rope.

The official category, String Spit Pokémon, sums up what it does. It’s the first half of a two-stage line: at level 22 it evolves into Ariados, and that’s where it ends.

250 base stat points, with a high of just 60 Attack. Behind that come 40 HP, 40 Defense, 40 Special Attack, 40 Special Defense and 30 Speed, which leaves it moving last against practically anything. Nothing stands out, and the only figure above 50 isn’t enough to break through anyone.

Swarm, its usual Ability, powers up Bug-type attacks when its HP is low — with 40 HP, that threshold is crossed by the first hit it takes, and it usually crosses it on the way to the floor. Insomnia at least does something consistently: it prevents sleep. Sniper, its Hidden Ability, multiplies critical-hit damage, but without any high critical-hit-ratio move or way to force critical hits, it’s just decoration.

On the attack, Bug and Poison cover Psychic, Dark, Grass and Fairy, and not much else. Defensively, four weaknesses — Fire, Flying, Rock and Psychic — on top of 40-point defences.

The only reason to bring it out is to do the dirty work. It learns Sticky Web at level 47, slowing down everything that comes in afterwards under its own power, and it gets Toxic Spikes by TM. Sucker Punch, at 26, is its only priority option, with 70 power. Megahorn, which comes from an Egg Move, has 120 power and, with 60 Attack behind it, is more of a threat on paper than in practice. In a normal playthrough, its role is clear: come in, set the web and go down.

One Egg Group, Bug, which pairs it with half the insect bestiary, Ledyba included. The gender split is even, 50% female, so setting up your own breeding line doesn’t depend on luck or force you to go through Ditto.

Its 15 Egg cycles work out at about 4080 steps, among the fastest there are: Bug types tend to hatch quickly, and this one is no exception. It also grows at the Fast rate, so it reaches the higher levels sooner than almost any teammate, and its base experience of 50 means defeating it gives little.

Five moves can come from the Egg, and one of them actually matters: Megahorn, with 120 power, well above what its level-up movepool gives it. The others are Night Slash, Rage Powder, Disable and Iron Defense.

The evolution has no trick to it. Reach level 22 and that’s it: no item, no time of day, no friendship or trade.

It lives in forests, and its catch rate is 255, the top of the scale. Any basic Poké Ball will do on the first try with full HP; there’s no reason to waste anything better. The EV it gives on fainting is 1 Attack.