[IMG]http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/IfhCt.png[/IMG]

 
We now begin our expedition on Dark-type Pokémon, and we start from Generation 2! “But wait!” someone new might ask: “Why start from Generation 2?” For those who aren’t clear, Generation 2 is the time when Dark-types started making their appearance. With that said, you can never encounter Dark-types in the initial run for FireRed and LeafGreen, because none of the Kanto Pokémon were Dark-types, although Dark-type moves existed. We have five Dark-type families to cover today, so let’s get on with it!
 
 
 

Umbreon

[IMG]http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4MJMw.png[/IMG]

 
And so we start things off with the first Dark-type in the PokéDex! Umbreon is an “Eeveelution”, which is a term used for one of Eevee’s many evolutionary members. It is introduced along with Espeon, another Eeveelution. Both of these Pokémon used the new evolution method introduced back in Generation 2, where its happiness value is required to be high in order to evolve, but the twist is that you need to level up at night. This means that in FireRed and LeafGreen, Eevee cannot evolve into Umbreon because those games have no day and night. Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, on the other hand, can do so even though it has no night and day (visually) because those games have a clock. In the PokéDex, it’s said that when Eevee is exposed to moonlight, its genetic structure will change (when happy). It’s certainly not as strange as sludge being exposed to moonlight to become alive (Grimer’s case).

That said, Espeon and Umbreon can be seen as complements because they are like the day and the night, where they have qualities that are opposites from one another. First up is the most obvious characteristic: the colour. One is bright like the sun and the other is as dark as a moon, but of course, they can shine because they can both Flash. As such, Espeon learns Morning Sun and Umbreon learns Moonlight, but both of these moves have the same effect (unfortunately Solrock and Lunatone don’t learn them respectively). Although I have some trouble with the Eeveelutions’ felinity and caninity, I guess that Umbreon looks more like a canine as opposed to Espeon’s more feline appearance (it’s in the tails).

By the way, Umbreon’s dark skin can come in handy at night like some nocturnal animals, since invisibility is needed to catch prey. Umbreon can even glow its ring patterns on the body to either scare anything or provide some nice night light. What’s strange about Umbreon is its ability to spray poisonous sweat. This is not something anyone will expect from Umbreon because you never see Umbreon sweating poison in any form of media (not even Pokémon Special) up to now. This sounds like a skunk-based manoeuvre, and I can imagine the poison being hard to wash away.

Umbreon is also one of the starter Pokémon in Pokémon Colosseum along with Espeon, because, in that game, doubles are a very common battle method, so, naturally, you get two Pokémon in the beginning. As for why both of them are chosen, I believe that Eevee is a popular line of Pokémon, so those counterparts are used to accommodate to the interest of the fans, or some other reason which may be hinted in the game, but I didn’t play it so I can’t be so sure on this.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Umbreon isn’t really seen much, as it was used by Karen, who we see battling Green alongside with Will, so she could get to the Ilex Shrine, where Celebi is located. Another instance of Umbreon appearing was in the Emerald chapter (the term used for a story arc in Adventures) where Greta was seen using one. In the anime, on the other hand, Umbreon is one of Gary’s Pokémon whom evolved which we first seen in the Johto arc. This seems like a good contrast from Red’s Eevee who evolved into Espeon in the manga. Other instances of Umbreon owners are Johanna (Dawn’s mother) and one of the Kimono Sisters (Tamao; Zuki is the one with Umbreon in the games).

Each Eeveelution have rearranged values among their Base Stats, with one of them being very high (130), two of them being good values (95 and 110) and three of them being low. Of all the Eeveelutions, Umbreon has the highest Special Defence. Umbreon also has high HP and Defence, which would leave us with low Attack, Special Attack and Speed. This makes Umbreon biased defensively. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it makes Umbreon sturdy, and bad because Umbreon cannot directly threaten the foe. This makes Umbreon a great annoyer with moves that reduce the chance of a hit, like Sand-Attack, Confuse Ray and Double Team, making it hard to KO that Pokémon, as that sturdiness is foolproof in case Umbreon’s being hit. Remember that Umbreon gets Moonlight and Wish, which are decent recovery moves in their own right, so you can perform some recovery if necessary. Because Umbreon’s not that offensive, what better way to stall out the opponents than with a good old-fashioned Toxic? Umbreon is also able to utilise Curse. Since he possess high Special Defence, it allows him to survive Special hits while boosting Defence. The lowered Speed is great for the move Payback, because it relies on the opponent to go first in order to have full power.

Unfortunately, just as Umbreon’s offensive potential is low, so is Umbreon’s offensive movepool, as there aren’t a lot of options in terms of type coverage, which is bad news when facing other Dark-types or worse: Steel-types (because they can’t be poisoned). If you can at least maim them like using Yawn or Confuse Ray, that’s good, but otherwise…don’t deal with them. Fighting-types can be a hassle if they are strong or are a booster, and those with Guts can be problematic indeed. Like every Eeveelution, Umbreon gets Baton Pass, which can be used to get out in a pickle or pass any boosts. Mean Look can be passed as well to reliably take out a threat, but due to a slight mechanic change, the strategy is useless because the effect can’t be passed in Generation 5.

To tell you the truth, I will never fully grasp the appeal to Umbreon, like all the other Eeveelutions. I know it resembles the cats and dogs that pet owners just adore, but since I am not a pet person, you can say that it’s the main reason I don’t share the love.
 
 

6 Blackies out of 10!

+ Extremely defensive; can be an annoyer
+ Creative concept of contrasts; simple design
± An Eeveelution
– Poisonous sweat trait is yet to be shown
– Underwhelming first Dark-type you can meet
– Moon Stone evolution would make more sense (too late for that)

Murkrow

[IMG]http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4x8tI.png[/IMG]

 
Murkrow is a version exclusive Pokémon from Generation 3 and beyond, and its counterpart is Misdreavus. Murkrow’s head looks like a witch’s hat, which along with Misdreavus’ banshee-like design, are based on the stereotypical witches. Of course, you can also say that crows are seen as a popular pet to witches along with black cats (which Umbreon might partially be based on, and Purrloin undoubtedly based on). In fact, in the anime episode “Hocus Pokémon”, Lily (a witch) owned a Murkrow.

Understandably, Murkrow is based on a crow, but Murkrow’s colouration is different from real crows. Crows are black all over, and that includes their beaks and their legs, however Murkrow’s beak and legs are the same colour as most birds, meaning Murkrow’s colouration is more similar to the blackbird. Note that I said colouration: Murkrow’s beak still resembles a real crow. I guess having a completely black Murkrow would not have been visually interesting.

If you want an example on the “Fridge Logic” on how small birds can transport children anywhere despite being too heavy for them, you can look no further from the Pokémon Adventures manga. In that manga, just by hanging on to its legs, Silver is able to move around where his Murkrow flies (Karen too, I think)!

Crows are some of the most intelligent birds (and by extension, the animal kingdom), and it’s shown by their behaviour that they are able to adapt to human life (like how they rely on cars to crack tough nutshells), have good memory, are able to problem solve (there’s a story called “The Crow and the Pitcher”, where a crow used rocks in a bottle of shallow water to reach it), are able to plan and can conspire with one another. Murkrow shows its intelligence by luring its attacker or foe to somewhere where they might get lost (like a dark mountain trail), because that way it won’t be pursued by them for the time being. Murkrow’s also shown to be able to imitate voices like real crows and parrots, but I am yet to see this.

In the Pokémon world, Murkrow is believed to bring bad luck to those who witness it at night. I have never seen any superstition where seeing crows will bring bad luck unlike black cats, so if you know any culture with this superstition, do tell. Murkrow is also a sucker for shiny objects, so what do they do when they see it? Why, they steal them of course! Yep, even when someone’s holding it like a ring, they will try and grab it and stash them in somewhere secretive. As shown in the episode “All that Glitters”, Murkrow stole Ash’s badges (but he managed to retrieve them in the end, of course). Perhaps these are the reasons they are feared and loathed by many. Interesting to note is that in the Crystal PokéDex entry, it has some rivalry with Meowth, where they steal each other’s treasure. If Purrloin were to exist then, I am sure it will be the rival instead.

Murkrow seems to have fall under the crowd of Pokémon who are underwhelming by today’s standards, like many of its Generation 2 peers like Girafarig and Dunsparce. It has good Attack, Special Attack and Speed, but since it’s very frail, you can bet Murkrow’s not the best Pokémon to use in competitive battling despite its unique typing at that time. In fact, only in Generation 4 can Murkrow’s terror be recognised, because it became eligible in Little Play when it got an evolution. Along with Super Luck, Sucker Punch, Brave Bird and a relatively high Speed in that environment, it is little wonder Murkrow was deemed competitively unhealthy.

Murkrow got a new ability called Prankster in Generation 5, which is obtained from Dream World. This allows Murkrow to differentiate him/herself from Honchkrow, who got the more offensive ability Moxie. Prankster is often regarded as one of the best abilities, because it has a great disruption potential, and Murkrow can no doubt take advantage of the ability because it learns the vital Support moves to take advantage of it, with the notable moves being FeatherDance, Taunt, Mean Look and Perish Song. This is complemented by the introduction of Eviolite, an item which gives Murkrow a much-needed defence boost, seeing how Murkrow is frail. That means Roost is an ideal move to highlight on the defence, although it’s important to note that Murkrow’s not very bulky, so a very strong (especially Special) attack can still give Murkrow trouble.

I have to say that Murkrow’s a simple Pokémon, and that’s really saying something because it will feel at home with the other Pokémon in its era that are also simple, in addition to having unimpressive stats like half of them. Next time, we shall cover its evolution Honchkrow, and let me tell you: Honchkrow’s design is a lot more impressive that Murkrow, in my opinion.
 
 

7 Nirous out of 10!

+ Fascinating bird behaviour
+ Crows are awesome birds
+ Has a comeback in the later Generations
± Not a bird you want to interfere with
– Underwhelming addition during its time

Sneasel

[IMG]http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/2dv3v.png[/IMG]

 
With the introduction of the Dark-type, what better way to introduce a Pokémon based on a yokai (Japanese monster) than with this type? Let me get this out of the way: I never thought that this Pokémon would be part-Ice. I thought it was pure-Dark. I am not sure if I am alone in this, but when I checked the type of this Pokémon for the first time, I was surprised!

As mentioned before, Sneasel is based on a yokai. To be specific, the yokai it is based on is the [i]kamaitachi[/i], a weasel demon. Based on the legends, it looks like weasels, has sharp claws (Sneasel learns a good amount of claw-based moves) and rides on a gust of wind. Despite the wind-riding ability, Sneasel only learn one wind-based move (Icy Wind), unlike Shiftry, who is blessed with more wind-based moves. Perhaps the decision to make Sneasel an Ice-type is due to this? The [I]kamaitachi[/I] is even said to move fast that no one could inspect it, and speed is another of Sneasel’s characteristics. Actually, the legend said that it consists of a trio of weasels (weird), where one knocks down the victim, another slashes it and the last one heals. One PokéDex entry says that Sneasel cooperate in pairs to get their provisions. Perhaps Sneasel could be based on the sneaky cat demon, because Sneasel is described as being sneaky in the PokéDex entries.

Through the PokéDex, we can see what kind of crafty habit Sneasel normally have. Sneasel normally diets on eggs, and while every Pokémon produce eggs, that would have been way too bestial (joking!). Of course Sneasel doesn’t just choose any kind of egg, because who would prefer Grimer or Trubbish eggs? Because Pokémon is nature-based, the victim has to be bird-related, of course! It is natural for a Pokémon based on a weasel or a cat to prefer bird eggs as food. So what I am saying is: in order to dine on eggs from nests (Pidgey’s the typical victim), Sneasel would either chase the parents away first or take them while they are away. If able or threatened, Sneasel would just head-on attack whatever resembles hostility or foodstuff.

Sneasel is the first Pokémon to learn the move Beat Up, possibly referencing the legend of weasel demons acting in threes. That move was one-of-a-kind because no other Pokémon learnt the move, and those that can learn it relied on breeding to get it. This at least gave Sneasel some attention, because in Generation 2, an exploit is possible to be able to obtain Celebi without going for an event, and Sneasel’s Beat Up is one of the necessary ingredients. The move isn’t notable in competitive battling because it relied on a full team to have the full effects and in the past, reveal every team member the user has. In Generation 5, it has some use, because by using this move on a Pokémon with Justified, you can easily boost its Attack to the max! If there’s one thing apparent, it’s that Sneasel has a lot of low Base Powered moves, including the aforementioned Beat Up. This sounds like a job for the ability Technician, but sadly, the opportunity is yet to come.

In Generation 4, like Murkrow, Sneasel was granted an evolution called Weavile. Because of the way this evolution works, you can get a Level 2 Weavile right off the bat! This makes Sneasel seem obsolete, seeing how Weavile has an overall power boost over Sneasel. Do note that Sneasel can learn certain moves that Weavile cannot learn, notably Ice Shard, Beat Up and Agility. Sneasel also has Inner Focus, which is a more useful ability than Pressure (Weavile’s only natural ability). Both share Pickpocket as a Hidden Ability, which is a unique ability that steals the foe’s item should they make contact with them while they didn’t have an item. Not the most useful ability, but stealing something can be useful. By the way, Pickpocket is the only translated name I guessed correctly in Generation 5.

In competitive battling, Sneasel doesn’t really seem like a sound choice, given the problems that his/her type combination has (being part-Ice is already considered a curse). However, Sneasel is also offensively good, having good Attack and great Speed. The problem, though, is that in Generation 2 and 3, Dark and Ice were Special types, which is bad because Sneasel’s Special Attack is very low. This means that Sneasel had to rely on non-STAB moves to make use of the good Attack stat, like Shadow Ball and Brick Break. Even when the Physical and Special split occurred, Sneasel didn’t get much use because Weavile is a better Pokémon. In the metagame called Little Cup, Sneasel was so good that he/she got banned, primarily due to being very fast and powerful at that level, not to mention the ability to increase his/her Attack!

The origin of Sneasel is more interesting than I thought, because weasel demons that come in threes is not something I hear every day. As for Sneasel itself, I think it’s a quirky Pokémon mainly because it behaves like an animal (particularly a weasel), and has an ancient-looking face, with that bindi-like thing on its head and the eye markings. Next time, Weavile will be covered, and you can be sure that it will be in the same article as Honchkrow for a reason.
 
 

8 Nyulas out of 10!

+ Weird but cool origin
+ Very potent in Little Play
+ Received an evolution in Generation 4
+ Ancient animal appearance
– Underwhelming Pokémon at its time

Houndour & Houndoom

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Next up on this list are a couple of Doberman Pinschers with demonic qualities. They are clearly hell-based, because not only are they evil, but they breathe fire too! That is something to watch out for, especially when they come in packs! Clearly they are based on hellhounds with black colouration, skeleton decoration, ability to breathe fire and horns and, in Houndoom’s case, a pointy tail resembling a typical devil. Of course, being based on hellhounds, a comparison to Cerberus (three-headed dogs of the underworld in Greek mythology, and makes for a good guard because three heads are better than one) is expected, except the Pokémon are only one-headed. Perhaps their timing couldn’t be better, because if they were in the first Generation, Houndoom would be more suggestive since it has a devilish look, at a time when there are people who actively associate Pokémon with the devil.

I have to admit I find their species name funny because it’s a generic name for an awesome Pokémon. What is it? It’s “Dark” Pokémon, and both of them are labelled as it. Compared to “Moonlight” (Umbreon) and “Sharp Claw” Sneasel, “Dark” doesn’t properly describe the Pokémon. Perhaps “Hellhound” would sound better, but I understand its omission due to the implication that may arise.

While Houndour is relatively normal, in terms of anatomy, Houndoom is pretty odd. Instead of ears like many mammals would have, Houndoom has a pair of horns in place. Houndoom’s tail is thin and pointy, but the stranger part is its bands on its feet. The position of the bands means it must have been uncomfortable to sit (though Houndoom may be used to it). It must have encouraged them to keep standing. Do note that Houndour also has bands on its feet.

Like real dogs, they come in territorial packs. This is often to their advantage of course, because, like them, they work together to hunt for prey so that they can share their game. They utilise their cries as communication to get the job done efficiently. In fact, the PokéDex even says that their “remarkable teamwork is unparalleled”. Note that this practice is only stated to be done by Houndour. For Houndoom, one of the main things mentioned is how the leader is determined by either the horn sharpness or the winner of the result of pack in-fighting. They also howl like dogs, and Houndour does so to signify its territory, while Houndoom’s has an apprehensive effect to it (hence the ability Unnerve). By the way, according to the Pokémon Special manga, howling actually causes a target to forcefully stop on its track, which is how Roar is portrayed. Of course, because the targets shown are heroes, they have ways to snap out of it.

It is likely a standard for the leader of evil organisations to use at least one Dark-type, which obviously doesn’t apply for Generation 1 because there weren’t Dark-types. As you can guess, Houndoom is being used by one, but only in the manga, where Maxie used one in Pokémon Special since it seems to fit his type of team (Magma).

One of the Pokémon’s Abilities is Early Bird, which implies that they are diurnal. This is especially true in Sinnoh, because it’s more common to find them in the noon than the other times of the day. This didn’t match their Generation 2 encounter rate, because in those games, they are nocturnal Pokémon and can’t be found in the day. Of course, at that time Abilities were not being thought of, so the inconsistency was reasonable. What’s not reasonable is how the remake of the games kept this detail wrong. I think it is attributed to how Dark-types are assumed to be characterised by their activeness during the night (Umbreon certainly is).

Some Pokémon have a remarkably peculiar shiny colouring, and both of them fit the bill, in my opinion, more so for Houndoom. I thought blue is a strange colour for an animal that looks evil and besides, Houndoom’s shade of blue borderlines to looking unnatural. If the colour scheme from Gold and Silver were used, the shiny’s appearance would be more pleasing to the eye.

In competitive battling, Houndoom is generally a great Pokémon, despite not often being recognised as a superb Pokémon. The most important thing is its Dark and Fire STABs, which are Special types, and that works well with its higher Special Attack. Its Speed and Attack are also good, allowing it to be faster than many and provide an offensive presence on both the Physical and Special spectrums, most commonly with Sucker Punch. That’s not forgetting Hidden Power, allowing for more type coverage. All these along with Nasty Plot (greatly increases Special Attack) and you have a potent Pokémon. What’s more: Houndoom has Flash Fire, a very potent ability for a wonderful offensive type. Being immune to Fire makes Houndoom a great counter to Ghost-types because they might use Will-O-Wisp. Only problem is its frailty because of low Defence and the downside of being a Fire-type (weak to common offensive types), as well as its not-quite-there Speed. All of these apply to Houndour as well, since Houndour’s basically Houndoom Jr.

These Pokémon actually level up at a slow rate, which should be attributed to their relatively relevant distribution to their stats and the moves they learn. For your information, Pokémon that level up slowly have the tendency to be great Pokémon. While Houndoom may not be the greatest Pokémon, at least there is the consolation of Houndour evolving early at Level 24. At a low level, Houndoom should be a powerful Pokémon if it weren’t for how late you generally get Houndour (Platinum is the only exception). I guess I changed my mind when I thought that Houndoom could use a stat boost evolution, but an evolution based on the Cerberus would be neat!

I think both Pokémon make the Dark-type interesting, because I concur that they have the necessary attributes that make them cool: they looks evil, are black colour (because black will never be out of fashion), being fearsome, are dogs and have a battling potential that doesn’t disappoint.
 
 

9 Hundusters out of 10!
10 Hellgars out of 10!

+ Wonderful concept of a Pokémon for a Dark-type
+ Great representation as a Dark-type
+ Being dogs (make good pets and have canine social values)
+ Good competitive Pokémon
– Strange shiny colour (especially Houndoom)
– Generic species name

Tyranitar

[IMG]http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/YSgyD.png[/IMG]

 
Up next is the powerful tyrant itself: Tyranitar. Tyranitar is an intimidating figure, and rightfully so. In addition to its fearsome presence, Tyranitar’s also very powerful, so it’s better not to mess with one. The fearsomeness of Tyranitar isn’t limited to first impressions. Even the PokéDex entries highlight on how strong and powerful they are, as it’s mentioned how they are stalwart and resilient, and have terrain-shifting powers, not to mention they are a competitive bunch.

Tyranitar is a dinosaur-based Pokémon (therapod-type), so it’s not the least bit surprising to be in the Monster Egg Group. Speaking of dinosaurs, Tyranitar’s association to Godzilla is almost obvious because both are monstrous dinosaurs. Its green colour looks strange on something that’s suppose to be a Dark-type and a Rock-type, but I can say this to other Pokémon who didn’t adhere to colour standards of the type, so it’s just me.

It can be easy to see how it’s hard to raise one, because a trainer has to prove their strength through dedication and effort to be worthy of this Pokémon, if Pokémon Special is of any indication: Silver couldn’t control Tyranitar’s wrath (not to mention other people’s Pokémon are generally harder to command). In that example, Tyranitar is defeated by Togepi, who exploited its weak spot (one of the holes on its chest) by fitting into it, although I am not sure if it’s like Pachirisu being stuck in Hippowdon’s nose in the anime (funny comparison, since both are Sand Stream Pokémon). It’s not a good example to highlight Tyranitar’s weakness, because that Togepi is special. Raising Tyranitar is hard as I have mentioned in another series of mine. Basically, the reason it’s hard to raise is its level growth rate, evolution levels, duration of egg-hatching, rarity and having average pre-evolutions.

Tyranitar is an odd case. Unlike its pre-evolutions, its Dark-type replaced the Ground-type the pre-evolutions had. It may be attributed to the metamorphosis between evolutions that caused the type change, like how Butterfree doesn’t have the same type as Caterpie and Metapod, and how an adult insect or amphibian is very different from its young form. Unlike them however, Larvitar and Tyranitar have some common characteristics, giving the impression that Tyranitar could still be a Rock/Ground type and there wouldn’t be any inconsistencies. In addition to this, Tyranitar’s earth-moving ability makes it more suitable as a Ground-type than a Dark-type! In my opinion (that I mentioned in the intro article), the Dark-type is possibly shoehorned on Tyranitar to promote the newly introduced type. This largely worked out for the better, since that type made more impact in the metagame than Ground (and perhaps gave the Dark-type some popularity). While Tyranitar’s type combination is unique, it has some drawbacks. Being a Rock-type can be a curse because of those five weaknesses, and the Dark-type did nothing to mitigate any one of them. This means that Tyranitar has some nasty weaknesses, especially to Fighting. It’s offensively capable, but defensively not, although its huge defences makes up for that.

In the anime, Tyranitar cross paths with poachers a few times. In the fourth Pokémon movie, the villain poacher Iron-Masked Marauder has one, and because it’s caught in a Dark Ball, it becomes even more threatening and evil. In “A Poached Ego” (same episode Arbok and Weezing left Team Rocket and Cacnea joined James), Rico the poacher has a Tyranitar as a result of his evolved Pupitar. In “Mother of All Battles” there’s a Tyranitar pursued by poachers, which is the parent of Ash’s Larvitar that left in the same episode. In one non-poacher occasion in the episode “A Faux Oak Finish”, Professor Oak plucked out a splinter from Tyranitar’s foot, because when it had it, it was irritated and furious about it, so it calmed down and the problem of the episode is dealt with.

Tyranitar is regarded as one of the big guns in competitive battling. This is due to his/her unpredictability, thanks in part to the wonderful stat distribution and diverse offensive movepool. Not only that, Tyranitar is also one of the more reliable ways to set up a Sandstorm, which is great for Stall and Excadrill in addition to accommodating its Special Defence. Tyranitar is also considered one of the best Pokémon to dispose of Psychics and Ghosts (Scizor is the other) because it’s bulky and powerful, and since most of them are normally Special attackers, Tyranitar can survive most of their assaults because its sandstorm grants a Special Defence boost.

I have to say: I rarely favour a Pokémon who is a big gun in competitive battling because they appear in teams so often that seeing one team with them is no fun compared to the less used Pokémon, and Tyranitar is no exception, unless the trainer trains it through hard work. That said, I am on the fence on whether I like Tyranitar or not. While it’s a magnificent Pokémon and has some admirable qualities, I have a couple of issues with it (Dark-type but doesn’t look like one & way too common on simulators), but if I held on to the issues, it will be unhealthy for me, so I should let them go and say I like Tyranitar and leave it at that.
 
 

7 Despotars out of 10!

+ Magnificent Pokémon
+ Based on a dinosaur, a cool animal
+ Great Pokémon in competitive battling
+ Appropriately difficult to train for a powerful Pokémon
– Doesn’t look a lot like a Dark-type

 
 
 
At last we are done for the section. The roster of Dark-types this time is a good start, and more colourful recruits of the Dark-type family will be expected in the future. Generation 3 is next, which will be covered in two parts. I hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I have writing it.

Thanks for reading.