We're his little henchmen and we take our job with pride!

331: Cacnea

Grass/Dark is such a neat typing, but Shiftry felt like it didn't utilize it in a meaningful way, so here's a spooky cactus to spruce things up! Cacnea is simply lovable as a little ball of cactus with bigger, more usual cactus-y arms. Though the coolest details in Cacnea's design come in with the jack-o-lantern-like face. Not only with the big eyes, but also the sunk-in, deep, black eye sockets that almost look like holes. Then the smile that is made up of several holes, looking simply adorable in a sorta spooky way. Cacnea is already a lovely addition to Pokémon's Halloween roster, but it only gets Halloweenier.

When the sands lie calm, and wind stands still

Run home, run home

332: Cacturne

You would think Cacturne was a little more boring, being yet another plant person 'mon. But its less-than-obvious inspiration is that it's a cross between a cactus and a scarecrow! And that's just genius!! But it's most identifiable when you notice the straw hat, permanent t-pose, "buttons" down its chest, and the fact that it's kept Cacnea's pumpkin face! SO glad a quintessential Halloween critter got incorporated into Pokemon in such a neat and unexpected way!

It even gets spooky with the Pokedex entry, as you'd imagine. It apparently stalks people lost in the desert at night, just menacingly standing in the distance and drawing closer as their victims become weary and tired. Imagine wanting to take a rest after a long, exhausting desert trek when dark falls, only to see these things skulking just behind the dunes and coming closer every time you look away. But of course, by the time you notice how close they've gotten, it's too late and a pack of Slender-Cacti have surrounded your little camp. This is SUCH a KILLER concept of a desert monster, let alone a cactus creature that Cacturne is impossible not to love!!

We just wish Cacturne had just a little more cactusy of a look, cause Cacturne always shocks us with how naked it looks. C'mon, you'll give loads of Pokemon an excessive amount of spikes in the not too distant future but you'll choose NOW to hold back on spikes?! For a cactus Pokemon?!?!?! And where's the body-lines Cacnea had! They would've made the scarecrow look even better with how much they'd look like seams in cloth! Also it feels like it could've been a tinge more unsettling if it had spines for tippy-toes like Cacnea did too.

That's honestly the most painful thing about Cacturne. An idea like this SHOULD be a 10/10; this SHOULD be up there as one of our top favorites of all time, but the design JUST falls short of the cool promise, sadly.