Pokemon 10, Caterpie, The Caterpillar Pokemon, Bug type.
Intro: Caterpie is a small, green pokemon consisting from seven segments. The first segment, the head, holds the relatively big black eyes, lined with a yellow circle. The head is decorated by a red antenna, or osmeterium, which Caterpie can use to produce a foul-smelling substance (which is ironically not supported by any move). Caterpie has a small, round mouth consisting of two green circular segments. The second and third segment of the body are decorated with a yellow circle and hold the total of four legs, which caterpie uses to move. The legs have suction cups, which allow it to climb trees. The rest of the segments make up the rest of the body, which is typically referred to as its tail. The underside of the body and the rings on segments four to six are all yellow, as is the final segment, the tail horn.
Diet: Caterpie has a tremendous hunger for leaves, and spends most of its waking hours eating, preparing for evolution.
Habitat: Caterpie lives exclusively in forests, where it is a common sight.
Biology: Caterpie is a typically uninteresting pokemon, not able to learn any TM's and has for several generations been unable to learn any moves beyond tackle and string shot. In recent evolution, Caterpie has gained the ability to learn the move bug bite at level 15. The person who discovered this wishes to remain anonymous, since anyone who raises a Caterpie beyond level 7 without letting it evolve into Metapod would suffer serious defacing, since caterpie is typically battle-unworthy and halting evolution is regarded as ridiculous. The added value of the move Bug Bite is naturally limited, but it is generally regarded as humorous to steal a oran berry from a pokefan's pikachu.
When Caterpie has eaten enough, or when it has gained enough battle experience, it will start covering itself with the move string shot, creating a cocoon and evolving into Metapod. A caterpie that has been trained by a trainer retains its ability to use the move tackle evolution, while wild caterpie mysteriously lose this ability upon evolution.
Caterpie is particularly well-suited as a pokemon for starting trainers, since it evolves at a very low level. This rapid increase in strenght is a motivation for new trainers to also continue to train their other pokemon, although the rewards come slower. Additionally, Caterpie is a docile pokemon and easy to catch, making it the perfect catching target for starting trainers.
Pokemon League Commission notes:
Class D- Common Pokemon. No strict catching guidelines.
Butterfree is a pokemon that reproduces very quickly, only outdone by Magikarp, and thus Caterpie populations are typically on the rise. Regulations in certain areas actually recommend that all starting trainers catch at least one Caterpie in order to limit overpopulation and prevent deforestation.
