Alternative Evolutionary Lineages: Starters

[Creatinsanivity]

Okay, I'm really into evolution, so I'm also really into how animals could have turned out in different habitats and situations. I really never considered these things in relation to pokemon, but then Alolan forms happened.

So, here's some food for the thought, alternative lineages for all the starter pokemon. I would be honoured if some of these got into any fan games or somewhere, these are some fun creatures to play around with. So, without further ado, here are the first three generations. Hopefully I inspire others to play around like this too.

 

GEN I

 

Bulbasaur-line

This is one of those very smoothly transitioning lines of pokemon, and that's exactly my cup of tea. Not a lot to do with these things, they are pretty much perfect as flower/frog/dinosaur-monsters go.

 

Purified Venusaur (Grass)

This thing would have a pure white flower on it's back, symbolizing the lost poison type, how this is a purer form of Venusaur. Nothing really fancy here, just a larger and less useful breed of Venusaur, but still quite a cool thing to have roaming the wilds. These could even have a higher ranking in Venusaur society.

 

Classic Venusaur (Grass/Poison)

The generic one, bulky and dirty staller. Talking about class theory, these are the working class Venusaur. Naturally, trainers particularly love these Venusaur, always trying to make their Ivysaur to evolve into these things.

 

Bitter Venusaur (Grass/Dark)

The classic tale of unfulfilled dreams personifies in these Venusaur, roaming the woods all mopy and aggressive. These are the Venusaur who never bloomed, instead they only have the withered dark leaves on their backs. There could be dozens of reasons why this didn't happen, probably because of poachers or due to the lack of sunlight.

 

Charmander-line

This line has it's hiccups, the transition from Charmeleon to Charizard is quite awful. For starters, I would actually like it if Charmander was less upright, more of a little dinosaur. Despite it's hiccups, I still like every individual monster of this line, so I shall build these lineages on them.

 

Charmeleon lineage (Fire)

The lineage that follows the trend set by Charmeleon, with upright saurian beings. It would be cool if these evolved into a herbivore instead of the almighty carnivore, the Charizard of this lineage could even look a bit like Charonosaurus, but naturally more upright and charmeleonian. The colouring of the Charizard of this lineage could also be reddish brown, quite a natural colouring.

 

Charizard lineage (Fire/Flying)

In my opinion, if there was a missing link type of a middle evolution between Charmander and Charizard, there would not be need for any modification. For all the love and hate Charizard receives, it has quite a solid design. A fiery death from the skies.

 

Firedrake lineage (Fire/Dragon)

In my opinion, this would have been the perfect alternative for the megas that Charizard received. A flightless and bulky drake, just walking on all fours and leaving death and carnage behind. The Charmeleon of this lineage could still walk upright, but it would take effort.

 

Squirtle-line

Ah, the classic water starter. It's a well known fact that Blastoise was not supposed to be the final evolution of this line, but rather a pokemon of it's own. Still, a lot of people seem to like the whole line, and no wonder, each one of this line has a lot of charm.

 

Wartortle lineage (Water/Psychic or Water/Fighting)

This cool sensei turtle of a middle evolution should get an appropriate final evolution, which in this case could be an agile and strong fighter or mystic. Water/Psychic starter would have been an overkill in the 1st generation though, but what a cool overkill. The Blastoise of this lineage could retain the horns and the tail, which represent algae if I remember correctly, and just be like those old and powerful senseis of B-class kung fu movies.

 

Blastoise lineage (Water/Steel)

Even though there was no steel type on the first generation, Blastoise could arguably be a steel-typer with those cannons and that bulkiness. This lineage could embrace the bulk, even slightly modifying Blastoise with a bit artificial looking shell. Besides, how adorable would the middle evolution look with a bit darker blue colouring than Squirtle and a single little cannon sticking out of the shell.

 

Sea Turtle lineage (Water)

And as I have done with all of these original starters, there is a pure water type lineage with Squirtle too (as it originally was). Sea turtle is a bit underused design for pokemon, but it could be cool if the Wartortle of this lineage would be slightly less amphibian and the Blastoise would embrace the sea. I could see these things just peacefully swimming in the ocean, being very serene, which would definitely impact their movepool too.

 

Pi(ka)chu-line

What to say about these things. Everytime I see these things, they feel a bit more disjointed. Honestly, for me the only way to fix this line would be Pikachu→ Awkward middle evolution → Raichu. But still, here are the other options, based on the rodents of the forest.

 

Classic Pichu lineage (Electric)

Based on mice, these things would be everywhere. In the grass, trees, underneath the floorboards, in the cellars. These would be regarded as vermin, and the worst part would be that they are lethal, one would always be a thunderbolt away from death if they approached these things.

 

The Squirrel lineage (Electric/Fighting)

Yes, we already have a pikachulike squirrel pokemon, but this would be avery different thing. These would be quite predatorous, a hybrid between a squirrel and a stoat. These elongated Raichus would use their buffy tail as a weapon, striking their victims with the electrically charged appendage. Since these are larger and probably hairier than their classic counterpart, these too (like in real life) would be hunted for their fur.

 

The Mole lineage (Electric/Ground)

The Pichus of the dark underground. Starting from Pikachu, these things would start to adapt to the digging and the dark, growing larger and stronger fingers and nails. The Raichus would look very molelike, navigating the underground with their knowledge of electromagnetic field and feasting on the insectoids they find.

 

GEN II

 

Chikorita-line

The grass starter nobody seems to like. Very charismatic creatures, they just had a hard time on their respective generation and really couldn't keep up during the next generations. Same actually could be said about every starter of this generation, this poor little guy just had it the worst.

 

Classic lineage (Grass)

The classic, not really offputting but not really that great either, lineage of Chikorita would be bred for show purposes and for help. These strong and pretty beings would probably be the aryans of their kin, trying to purify the whole Chikorita society of anything but pure grass typers. They would probably have unexpected resolve to their cause.

 

Deadly Fruits lineage (Grass/Poison)

The classic combination of grass and poison would give these things the edge in their battle for survival. These things are lucky for their typing not to show through easily, they look like any pokemon of the classic lineage, but in their veins courses poison. Humans don't really like these things, they are not edible and they are a safety risk for curious children.

 

Clerical lineage (Grass/Fairy)

Meganiums are classic clerics, they have the healing power and some good support moves that would be better with a better typing than pure grass. Introducing this Grass/Fairy lineage would be a helpful addition, and interestingly enough would leave these things very vulnerable for those Grass/Poison Meganiums. In the Chikorita society these guys are the tolerable evil for the classic lineage, beings of imaginative colours and odd behaviour, but great skills on medicine. Sometimes these creatures are drawn to hermitage.

 

Cyndaquil-line

I really like this line. These creatures look really odd, but at the same time weirdly natural too. Typhlosion is badass, I really hope that someday they will do something cool with it.

 

Classic lineage (Fire)

These mouselike pokemon are rare, but still treated as vermins. This is mainly because of their natural habitat being grasslands, which is a poor place for a fire type pokemon. These shy things grow into temperamental adults, which can be quite territorial, but also quite family-centric and loyal.

 

Badger lineage (Fire/Ground)

This variant loves to dig deep into the hillside, creating sprawling and complex homes inhabited by whole families of Cyndaquil. Unfortunately these are easily hunted down by water types, a sport for humans banned nowadays. Quite a rare breed.

 

Smog lineage (Fire/Poison)

These Cyndaquil have a more gentle fire burning inside of them, resulting in lots of smoke and not a lot of fire. This breed loves to eat different sorts of minerals, resulting in very different types of poisons it can produce. These have become an increasingly urban breed, nesting in the alleys.

 

Totodile-line

Totodile has a good design, it's evolutions I feel a bit iffy about. These brutal beings are meant for a worthy typing though, I don't think pure water type is the way to go with these.

 

Classic lineage (Water)

These are an alligatorlike species that has spread into even cooler regions of the world, not only the warmer ones. They have a lot of strength in their jaws, which makes crippling their prey quite easy. Locals usually recognize the remains of Frealigatr's prey by the amount of crushed bones, a sure sign to stay away from the water.

 

The Ancient lineage (Water/Dark)

This is the breed of which both the Totodile-line and Sandile-line have descended. The faint black stripes were more useful thousands of years ago, when all of their habitat was covered by forests, and the shadows of trees striped the surface of the river. These are a lot sleeker breed of Totodile, the Feraligatr of this lineage relying more to it's brain than brute force.

 

The Monstrous lineage (Water/Dragon)

The dragons of the river, this breed has no competition. Only weak to the dragon type, these beings rule the rivers by force. These creatures are more specially than physically oriented.

 

GEN III

 

Treecko-line

The cool gecko. The herb lizard. This should have been an instant favourite of mine, a solid design and quite okay a movepool, but somehow I have never ended up using these. There's not that much to change with these guys either, that seems to be the grass starter way.

 

Classic lineage (Grass)

These lizards of the jungle are a stealthy and agile breed. They are attuned to the jungle, which helps them either escape or fight their enemies. Trees are their homes and they are very territorial, if they feel their territories are threathened, they will defend.

 

Airborne lineage (Grass/Flying)

I seriously thought for a long time that Grovyle was a grass/flying pokemon. This would be a nice concept, these fast grass lizards gliding in the jungle and avoiding all responsibilities. Sceptile of this breed should become more aerodynamic and winged though, lazily flying from tree to tree with that blissful look in it's eyes.

 

Soldier lineage (Grass/Fighting)

These luchadorlike grass lizards would take fighting seriously. They are fast and agile, and with their hit-and-run tactics an opponent facing them can be in a lot of trouble. These are the true guerillas, they are the forest.

 

Torchic-line

The cockfighting pokemon. Instead of making a pokemon representing cockfighting tell a story of horrors an torture, we get this thing. A weird looking chicken, that is at the same time a streamlined killing machine that everyone seems to like. The first two creatures of this line are okay, no need to make any changes to them to make the changes to Blaziken work.

 

Classic Blaziken (Fire/Fighting)

This monstrosity truly symbolizes the horror of cockfighting business. I mean look at this thing. Like, half of it's body is legs, and even it's hands are legs. This thing was meant to scratch and kick until either it or it's enemy is dead. This horrible mutant is easily one of the most efficient fighters in these games, bred for destruction.

 

Dirty Tricks Blaziken (Fire/Dark)

This thing should represent the even uglier part of cockfighting culture. It should have a horrible scar where it's crest used to be and nasty blades on it's fingers. This thing should probably be more stubbier too, harder to hit. This creature survives only by horribly clawing things to death, at the same time trying to dodge all the attempts to strike it.

 

Free Blaziken (Fire/Flying)

This thing should look more like a normal rooster, free and happy (and still used by preteen kids in their glorified animal vs animal fights). With the classic analogue of flying to freedom added, this one is every grass type's nightmare, but if a guy's gotta eat, a guy's gotta eat.

 

Mudkip-line

These muddy carnivores have surprisingly little lore to them. I could imagine parents telling kids to beware these monsters though, I bet one of these could swallow a kid whole. Is swimming an extreme sport if there are pokemon involved?

 

Classic lineage (Water/Ground)

These cute things that turn into fish on steroids lurk in the mud and hunt smaller animals. They are an average monster of the lake sort of a creature.

 

Depth lineage (Water/Dark)

These things are the lurkers of those deep and still ponds of the forests. Starting from Marshtomp, this breed should start the adapting process to the dark depths. A deeper colour, scrawnier body and empty white eyes complete this deadly thing of the dark.

 

Joyful lineage (Water)

This playful hunter from the lakes is a pure water type pokemon. It should start losing it's limbs when evolving to Marshtomp, truly making Swampert more of a fish pokemon. These fast swimmers are liked by humans for their playful movements in the water.

 

 

GEN IV

 

Turtwig-line

My absolute favourite starter! Grotle is a bit odd-looking, but if I get a Torterra in the end, it is worth it. It's hard to come up with variants for this masterpiece, it is and will be a majestic creature.

 

The Classic lineage (Grass/Ground)

These turtle/ankylosaurus-things roam the vast grasslands grazing and being small ecosystems of their own. There are various species of trees that have bonded with these creatures, forming quite recognizable families of ancient Torterras. Hordes of pokemon may live on their backs, and sometimes they befriend these critters becoming a living pokemon fortress that many predators don't wish to deal with.

 

Great Mushroom of Life lineage (Grass/Water or Grass/Poison)

Not all Torterras get the privilege of having a tree grow on their backs, there are these oddballs that have great forests of mushrooms on them. This breed is favoured by the fairy type pokemons, many of the smarter ones riding them and taking care of them. Classic lineage Torterras are quite indifferent about these guys, they appreciate the opportunity for their trees to have symbiosis with the mushrooms but at the same time they know that mushrooms are a thing of decay, they fear that they will end up like their ”unfortunate” relatives.

 

The Tundra lineage (Grass/Rock)

Torterra from harsher habitats. Their backs are less fertile, meaning that the trees growing on their backs are scrawny and deformed. These are twisted creatures, used to long winter nights and long summer days, very unpredictable. There still are pokemon that can stand it, but these are usually in a larger variety, their backs not fully capable of sustaining an ecosystem.

 

Chimchar-line

Fire. Monkey. Two words that are destructive when combined, and really don't make sense as a creature. I like the look of these things, they have this ancient feel to them. It's like the ancestors were as pissed with these as modern day human.

 

Classic lineage (Fire/Fighting)

The bane of the jungles. These guys love trees but trees unfortunately don't love fire, resulting in acres of forests easily burning because of these rascals. Unfortunately for locals, these are fierce fighters too, that don't give up easily. Stubborn and curious, hard but rewarding to train.

 

Trickster lineage (Fire/Fairy)

Even the classic lineage is infamous for their tricks, but this breed is so much worse. Their finely tuned senses and fairy skills make sure that they get the last laugh. And what a laugh it is, maniacal and loud cackling after some innocent one caught on fire. These mischievous monkeys have a loyal following though, popular culture has popularized them for their tricks and ancient legends love them.

 

Silent Night lineage (Fire/Dark)

This breed has been able to control their flames better, resulting in them being the silent shadows of the night. Loyal and reliable, these monkeys always try to stay away of their more mischievous kin. They have become a more urban breed, partly because of human interaction, but also because they feel like they belong with the humanity, even though humanity hates their kin.

 

Piplup-line

The compulsory penguin, an arctic creature that is seriously out of place. I like how these turn into majestic armored megapenguins that someone decided to just take with them for unknown reasons.

 

Classic lineage (Water/Steel)

These birds of the cold have suffered a lot of human's need to have them as pets and bodyguards. Many a Piplup has been taken away from home to live even in unbearably warm environments. They are kind though for now, many of them dreaming of uniting the piplupdom against humanity and returning home.

 

Bare lineage (Water/Ice)

The great fisherbirds of the seas. This breed is an agile one, without the cumbersome armor they can travel fast, swimming in the cold waters. This variety doesn't usually leave their homeland, humans take them into boats as help and then leave them behind for they would eat a large percentage of their catch. Like Bagon, this breed dreams of flying.

 

Hallucination lineage (Water/Ghost)

The silent ghosts of the sea. Sailors have seen these birds throughout ages, they were even thought to be hallucinations. But these ghostly and insubstantial beings are a breed of their own, diving around the oceans like they are looking for something. Superstition says they are out for revenge or still trying to find that perfect pebble fo their loved ones.

 

GEN V

 

Snivy-line

Ah, snakes. Those slithering things that some people hate and some adore. I don't think I would feel threatened by a snake made out of plants though, but honestly I haven't met one yet. These smug things really need just a good backstory, now they feel quite flat.

 

Classic lineage (Grass)

These serpents, as all my grass type starters seem to be, are social creatures. They have a complex hierarchy that favours the accomplished, so they are always out to prove themselves. For snakelike creatures, these pokemon lack the all useful venom and are limited to simple constricting. The lower evolutions are quite helpless because of this, but they still have strong grass type attacks and their wit to rely on.

 

Brash lineage (Grass/Dark)

This breed is a smaller one, and even as Serperior they still retain quite noticeable limbs. These pokemon are not afraid to swoop low to gain results, their superiority complex makes them use dirty tricks. Usually the hierarchy doesn't bend their way though, the proud classic breed doesn't share power to those unaccomplished.

 

Outcast lineage (Grass/Fire)

Now and then a weird mutation makes powerhungry Snivies part fire type, but they are thrown away from the society for obvious reasons. They usually end up as the priced possession of a pokemon trainer, a life of battle that lets them live out their ambitions. In some cases though they resent the life in slavery and start working on ways to return home.

 

Tepig-line

A fiery boar of death. Now these things are scary, like pretty much normal boars too. I unfortunately don't like their design, though. It could be improved somehow, don't know how. Probably by streamlining a bit?

 

Classic lineage (Fire/Fighting)

These little pigs are delicious, in the old times they sometimes used unassuming Tepigs to roast the meat of their own brethren. Cruel times. Fortunately, the farming of Tepig was banned because of the safety risk that unwanted evolutions caused. A pissed off Emboar can be a lethal thing, and as their intelligence grows through each evolution, so does their anger.

 

Demigod lineage (Fire/Dragon)

This breed was worshipped once. The fiery gods that needed to feed every hundred years were able to destroy a small village with ease. These were a cruel breed, but as man started breeding more pokemon the were finally able to fight them off, resulting in survival of very few of the Demigod Emboar. A rare sight these days, but an unfortunate one nonetheless.

 

Nimble lineage (Fire/Electric)

These very fit pigs are bursting with power. They are not aggressive but more than capable in defending themselves, which they do with bursts of fire and thunder. This breed loves sweet food and it is often seen eating berries, but is always on the hunt for highly processed human food.

 

Oshawott-line

I have never liked this line. But, it is an extremely versatile line, seems to me that no matter what typing you slap in there it's perfect. Here are some scrapped ideas:

Water/Dark (Crouching Otter, Hidden Frog), Water/Fire (Jedi much?), Water/Dragon (Dragon Samurai)

 

Classic lineage (Water)

These pure water types are creatures of the sea. They are innovative and smart, thinking 3-dimensionally and solving even hard problems with ease. They are known for the weapons they carry, which other pokemon don't seem to understand, and are unable to use.

 

Corpse lineage (Water/Ghost)

Zombify a thing and add a spine sword = instant hit with the audience. This breed is feared mainly because it's misunderstood. They are not carrying a zombie-virus, they just were born like this. Stop fearing these guys people, honestly…

 

Psionic lineage (Water/Psychic)

The breed that refuses to use physical force. They have honed their mind to be their sword, which makes them quite unpopular among the other Samurott. Main reason for this is that the sword that they evolve with is just a hilt, but they are proud enough not to mention that to anyone.

 

GEN VI

 

Chespin-line

This is a weird thing. A mammalian grass starter? At least it has prehistorian roots, otherwise this would be weird. I like Chespin, not it's evolution that much, Chesnaught is way too busy with it's design for my tastes.

 

Classic lineage (Grass/Fighting)

The unexpectedly fierce Chespin are creatures of the forest. Their armors grow gradually, at first hindering their movements, but as Chesnaught they have full control over their bodies. These tanky things can shrug off many attacks and attack with their devastating blows. Teasing a small Chespin might awaken the wrath of a parent Chesnaught.

 

Enforced lineage (Grass/Steel)

These knight pokemon were hunted for their armors. It was cheaper for blacksmiths to crush these creatures with their trusty fire pokemon, than actually trade or mine for the metal. Steely Chesnaughts are a worthy foe though, many just left scars on it's hide in the chase for it's armor. Quilladin of this lineage has the first implications of metal in it's body in form of metal claws that can do serious harm.

 

Domestic lineage (Grass/Normal)

This domestic breed has no armor, they are just curious rodents that rarely grow any bigger than Quilladin. Forests are their playgrounds and they have a ton of natural predators, that the classical breed sometimes protects them against. As the name of the lineage says, these are very popular pets.

 

Fennekin-line

I don't know what to think about this either. We already have a perfectly good fiery fox with psychic tendencies. But I really like that it's gimmick is a fiery stick. Somehow it makes it more mystical.

 

Classic lineage (Fire/Psychic)

These evil pyromaniac looking foxes are actually quite gentle beings. They are mysterious though and rarely choose to show themselves, no one really knows where they spend most of their time. They are graceful but powerful fighters, rarely having to retreat from a fight, but still they usually choose to.

 

Arctic lineage (Fire/Ice)

This breed of arctic foxes is a parallel breed to classical Fennekin, sharing no relation. They are the white foxes of North, running under the Northern lights and performing their odd rituals. Their typing is quite a disadvantageous one, but they make up for it with broad and versatile movepool.

 

Fair lineage (Fire/Fairy)

These even more graceful Delphox usually end up with humans, usually not submitting themselves to be trained. They view humans as companions and try to guide their way towards a better world. Of course there are the mischievous ones too, but they are usually still kind and at least not lethal with their tricks. This breed has more earthy tone to it's body and nobody dares to hunt it for it's fur.

 

Froakie-line

Finally the beloved ninja frog. I think I went a bit overboard with this one. There are lot's of concepts that work here, one could spend nights just playing with the typing of this thing. No wonder it has Protean.

 

Classical lineage (Water/Dark)

The ninja frog, stealthy bug catcher of the night. These ridiculously efficient hunters are known for their bubbles, which they use in innovative ways, trying to snare the unassuming prey. Their life is a solitary one, once a year they find a mate for couple of days, but then they return to the life of solitude. They sleep the days at the bottom of a pond, first making sure there are no Swampert nearby.

 

Spider Frog lineage (Water/Bug)

I really don't know where to start with this one. Those two words, spider and frog, should really not meet in a sentence. But it's just too perfect. A beloved, agile and versatile pokemon meets a beloved, agile and versatile superhero. It's like peanuts and chocolate, for some it's the perfect combination and some get an allergic reaction even hearing about it.

I'm not the biggest fan of Spider Man, but this concept still makes me a bit giddy. I also really like the typing, it's a fun typing for a starter, especially now that it's rivals have that psychic/dark/fighting-thing going on. Being weak against fire and strong against grass also makes bug type both a weakness and a surprisingly good type to have. I really, really like this thing.

This really should be a parallel lineage, meaning every single creature should be reinvented. Starting with Froakie, it should not yet look particularly spidery. I mean how awesome would compound eyes look on this thing, and probably couple of feelers. An insectian frog.

Frogadier is already a bit sleeker and agile, it would be cool if this thing also had an extra pari of limbs. The compound eyes should probably be slightly dimming into those black and emotionless spider-eyes, making this thing look a bit more menacing. Also, this would be the perfect point to have the blue and red coloring of both a poison dart frog and Spider Man going on.

I really am sorry for the Greninja of this lineage though, it will have to loose it's trademark tongue. I mean, it's really cool, but with webbing and another pair of extra limbs it would be quite unnecessary, also making the design a bit too busy and a mess. This thing would finally have those cold and emotionless spider-eyes that would make it look a abit more menacing. I'm not sure if there's still a need for red and blue coloring, or if it actually should be the black and white equivalent. Venom frog could be as cool as the spidey frog.

 

Neon lineage (Water/Electric)

This breed is fully aquatic, and they are not very stealthy. Their skin is riddled with bioluminescent dots that light their way even in the darkness. They are also used as a lure, for rarely a creature trying to eat a luminescent frog expects the frog to defeat them in a fight. But that is this daredevil's strategy, electrocuting and blinding it's aquatic hunters and then eating well for days.

Edited December 21, 2016 by Creatinsanivity
Added Generations IV-VI

[NatJones]

This made for a very interesting read, I could imagine the different 'Mons in their environment, are you going to continue on with the next few gens?

[Wolfox]

I'm gonna save this page for a read once I have time, seems really nice

[Frozenwolf94]

These are some really awesome evolution lines and I always thought about the totodile-line should of had some dragon lineage since it can learn dragon dance from egg moves

[Creatinsanivity]

Yeah, I'll go through the next generations too. 4th gen will be painful though, but I have some solid ideas for the 6th gen. The knight-sorcerer-ninja thing lends itself for a lot of cool concepts

[Chase]

Ok. My interest has been tickled.

 

I like the sound of steel Chesnaught in particular. Especially if it still got fighting type moves. It's perfect. 

[Creatinsanivity]

I might add the gen7 starters some day, at the moment I just feel a bit indifferent about them. Really not into them, but opinions shall change. Someday it could be cool to do this to those unappreciated pokemon that never got a chance.