There are just so many different Pokémon now, what with Mega Evolutions, Alolan forms, Galarian forms and such. It’s no surprise, then, that we all 🗹have some that we think really, reall🌃y miss the mark. Will the snark about the ice cream cone, the literal trash bag and othe🍨r less-than-imaginativ🎀e creations never end?
Having said that, there are also some Pokémon designs that just nail their conc𒅌ept. For our money, Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist are perfect examples of this. Let’s take a closer look at how this Pokémon evolves, as well as some other fascinating, obscure and slightly terrifying details about it.
10 ꦡ It’s A Simple Tradeও Evolution
Now, Turning your system upside down toꦕ evolve Inkay after it reaches level 30? Who the hecko🐭la could have predicted that one if you didn’t happen to speak to one obscure NPC? Nobody, that’s who.
Luckily, other Pokémon have the decency to make things a little simpler for us. Many different species evolve after being traded (to push the whole ‘co-operative play’ thing that always been at the forefront of the Pokémon ethos), a💧nd our buddy Pumpkaboo is one of them. No fuss, no ಞmuss.
9 𓂃 It Actually Has Four Different Forms 🧔
There’s more to Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist’s evolution than just that, though. The game doesn’t really go to great pains to tell you this, but this evolution line comes in four form🦋s: Small Size, Averageꦛ Size, Large Size, and Super Size.
They’re based, of course, on jack-o-lant𓆉erns, and the many heroic and noble pumpkins that are sacrificed each year to make these spooky decorations. This is presumably why there are bigger and smaller ones: to reference the fact that a range of sizes of Jack-o-lantern are used, according to the owner’s preferences. You might well have known this, but these different forms aren’t just for show!
8 🍃 Its Base Stats Will Vary Accordingly
Of course, a Small Size Pumpkaboo will evoꦚlve into a Small Size Gourgeist, an Average Size Pumpkaboo will evolve into an Average Size Gourgeist and so on. That’s all straightforward enough, but here’s where things get a little complicated: their base sta🔥ts will also be affected by their size.
To put it simply, beginning from its Small Size, Pum🥃pkaboo and Gourgeist lose 5 base stat points in Speed f♌or each size they grow but gain 5 in HP. Small Size Pumpkaboo has 44 base HP and 56 base Speed, while Super Size Pumpkaboo has 59 base HP and 41 base Speed. Which should you go for? It depends on the kind of set you’re running. There’s a decent amount of variety here, as you’ll see later.
7 Only Certain Sizes Have Access To Its Hidden Ability 🗹
When it comes to Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist’s choice of Ability, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:they really don’t꧙ have the best options. Pickup has no effect at all in battle, meaning Frisk, which is at its best in doubles, is the way to go. Its Hidden Ability is Insomnia, which can also be handy but is quite nꦗiche. Especially so when you consider what a pain it is to get.
As reported by , Insomnia Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist is acquired via the Friend Safari, which means that only Average Size can get it there. Otherwise, the Spooky 2014 Super Size Pum🍰pkaboo event was the only way to get it on another form of the Pokémon.
6 ✨ Pumpkaboo Is Super🐽, Super Scary…
Now, you꧂ might not think that Pumpkaboo looks particularly threatening. Look at it there, with its teeny fangs, cute little legs, and generous mischiജevous air. Don’t you just want to take it home? No, friends, no you don’t, because this is one frightening, supernatural little menace.
As Pokémon X’s Pokédex states, “the pumpkin body is inhabited by a spirit trapped in this world. As the sun sets, it becomes restless and active.” What’s this spirit doing here? Baking cookies for hungry people, helping pensioners across the roads? Heck no. Pokémon Y goes on to explain that “it is said to carry wandering spirits to the place where they belong so they can move on.” It’s the grim reaper’♒s adorable little kid brother, in short.
5 🌱 …And Its Evolved Form Is Even Worse
So, yes. As we’ve seen, cute little pumpkaboo is actually a restless spirit, with no qualms about taking similarly lost souls on to a place of rest. This isn’t a Pokémon you really want sleeping at the bottom of your bed like a beloved chihuahua, ♛then. Does it get any friendlier and less frightening as it evolves? Of course it doesn’t.
Let’s see what Pokémon Y has to say about Gourgeist: “It enwraps its prey in its hairlike arms. It sings joyfully as it observes the suffering of its prey.” 𓄧There’s just something about this gleeful sadism, those gentle tendril-armed caresses, that’s much more sinister than outright evil. This thing also wanders the streets in ‘packs’ at the night of the new moon, singing a song that curses any who hear it.
4 Their Evil Deeds Are Size-Specific 𓄧
So, yes. All in all, we’re not really fans of Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist and their creepily malevolent ways. Ghost Pokémon are notorious for having grisly backstories and super dark Pokédex entries, but this evolution line has an intriguing edge on its peers in that﷽ regard: different sizes of Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist perform different ‘levels’ of evil deeds!
Of Small Size Gourgeist, for instance, Pokémon Sword reports, “small Gourgeist pretend to be children to fool adults. Anyone who falls for the act gets carried away to the hereafter.” Of its Large Size, we’re told: “large Gourgeist put on the guise of adults, taking the hands of children to lead them to the afterlife.” Now that’s just too much creepy for our minds ꦛto process. Most alarm🅘ingly of all, Super Size Gourgeist is big and powerful enough not to be choosy: it hauls away anyone to the beyond!
3 It Had A Neat Z-Move ✅
The days o🐲f Z-Moves, Mega Evolutions and other gimmicks seem to be behind us now (we’re living in the age of Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing now), but that doesn’t mean we have to forget they were ever a thing. Pumpkaboo and Gour♔geist used to have access to a very special exclusive Z-Move: Z-Trick-or-Treat.
Trick-or-Treat, as you probably know, is a move exclusive to this line, which adds the Ghost typing to the target. It’s very situational but had interesting applications (b♔oth offensively and defensively) for cunning players. Z-Trick-or-Treat, meanwhile, h🍸ad the additional effect of boosting all the user’s main stats (bar HP) by one stage each. This, too, had great offensive and defensive use but wasn’t a strategy you tended to see a lot.
2 It Can Perform Several Different Roles 𒊎
As we’ve seen, this Pokémon’s base stats differ depending on its size. Gour✅geist also gains five base Attack points for eꦰach level it ‘grows,’ meaning that its Super Size form is by far the most common in competitive battles.
It doesn’t really excel in any one area, but it functions best as a physical tank. It can take some physical punishment and it also has a variety of tools. With priority, Wi🔥ll-o-Wisp, sneaky moves like Destiny Bond and the ability to sap HP with Leech Seed (and even Curse) along with powerful STAB moves, ౠGourgeist can be everything from a bulky attacker to a defensive Trick Room setter. It’s surprisingly versatile.
1 A Pumpkaboo Became Jessie’s Only Kalos-Caught Pokémon ꦑ ♔
For our last interesting Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist fact, we’re crossing over to the anime. Notorious Team Rocket member and long-time pain in Ash and company’s behind, Jessie, caught only one new Pokémon ⛎in 🌊the Kalos region. Which Pokémon was that? That’s right, friends, it was a Pumpkaboo.
In the episode “The Bamboozling Forest!,” a disorientated Jessie encountered the creature like a true professional trainer: she tripped right over it in the wild. The startled Pumpkaboo seemed to bear no ill will towards her, 𝓰though, allowing itself to be caught without resistance. Later, as in the games, it evolved on being traded, whereupon the trade partner (Prince Pumpkaboo) didn’t want it anymore, and so Jessie had a Super Size Gourgeist on her hands. It served her well in bat𒁏tle; as well as the hapless Team Rocket tend to do in battle anyway.