Our next Pokemon has earned itself a spot in the Interesting Specimen category not so much for what it can do, but for what it used to be able to do. Presenting one of the second generation’s Pokemon curiosities, Shuckle.
Shuckle is one of those Pokemon that I end up forgetting about fairly often, mainly because I never used one much in the games. The main reason for that is because Shuckle is mainly a defensive Pokemon, and I’ve always been more of an offensive type when it comes to battle. Hit ‘em fast and hit ‘em hard has more or less been my motto. In the games, Shuckle’s defense and special defense stats are practically through the roof, while all of its other stats are almost nonexistent. The most interesting trait of this species is its tendency to store berries in its shell for such a long time that they turn into juice. There was a time in the games that this fermentation of berries could produce something much more valuable if enough time passed, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
In the Games: In most games, the only way to find Shuckle is to use the move, Rock Smash. In the original Generation 2 games, depending on the version in question, Shuckle could be found under the rocks on Route 40, the rocks outside Cianwood City, and the breakable rocks that could be found in the Burned Tower, the Dark Cave and the Ice Path. There was also a guy who would loan you his Shuckle as a means of protection, but more on that in a bit. The only place to find Shuckle in the Generation 3 games was in the Hoenn Safari Zone in Emerald. In Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, Shuckle could be found on Route 224 if the Emerald version was inserted into the DS. In the Generation 5 games, depending on the version in question, Shuckle could be found on Unova’s Route 14 and in the Seaside Cave. Finally in the Generation 6 games, Shuckle can only be found in X and Y on Kalos Route 18, inside the famed Terminus Cave, and in the Kalos Victory Road.
The Candy Maker: Back in the glory days of the original Gold and Silver games, before the concept of Pokemon special abilities was added, Shuckle had its own very unique power that was true to its Pokedex entries. By having a Shuckle hold an ordinary Berry and leveling it up, the Berry inside Shuckle’s shell decays and becomes the HP restoring item known as Berry Juice. If memory serves, Shuckle would have to go up at least two to five levels before it would make Berry Juice. Just yesterday though, when I decided to brush up on this Pokemon to see whether or not I should do a post about it, I made a very startling discovery about Shuckle’s power that I never knew before. By having Shuckle continue hold the Berry Juice and after leveling it up a few more times, the Berry Juice hardens into a Rare Candy.
That’s right; Shuckle could once produce that rare level-boosting item known as the Rare Candy. If I had known years before, I would’ve used a Shuckle to make several Rare Candies so I could stockpile then and use them for harder to train Pokemon. All of the Shuckle that could be found in Gold and Silver had this juice making and candy making power, but the Shuckle that was most efficient at berry converting was the Shuckle given out by the guy in Cianwood City, one that was nicknamed Shuckie. Since that Shuckle had a different Trainer ID Number, it was basically a traded Pokemon and thus leveled up much faster than the average Shuckle. Because Shuckle can only produce Berry Juice and Rare Candies after going up a few levels, Shuckie was the best Pokemon for the job.
Sadly, since the advent of the third generation games, Shuckle has lost its juice making and candy making powers. Whether this was because of the introduction of Pokemon special abilities or the fact that the original Berry items from Gold, Silver and Crystal were replaced with more exotically named berries, no one can say. Whatever the reason, Shuckle can no longer be used as the player’s personal juicer and candy machine. It is possible to find a wild Shuckle holding the Berry Juice item from time to time in the Generation 3 games and beyond, but that’s about it. The trait that made Shuckle a truly interesting Pokemon is now nothing more than a memory and a line mentioned in its Pokedex entries.
That wraps it up for this post. I currently have no clue what Pokemon I’m going to cover in the next Interesting Specimen post, but I’m sure that I’ll think of something soon.
