Unusual Evolutions Trivia Quiz

Answer: Having a spare slot in your party

In Generation III games, all that is required in order to receive a Shedinja is to have a spare slot in your party when Nincada evolves. Since Generation IV onwards, you also need to have at least one Poke Ball (presumably for the newly-acquired Shedinja to reside in).

Shedinja, a Bug/Ghost type, is a rather unusual Pokemon in that its maximum HP is 1, but it is not affected by many move types thanks to its Wonder Guard ability. Only super effective moves will cause damage, as will weather (like Hail) and status conditions (like Poison) and any other source of damage that isn't dealt directly.

Answer: Inkay

Inkay, a Dark/Psychic squid Pokemon, is the first Pokemon to evolve in this peculiar way. Upon reaching Level 30, Inkay will be able to evolve into Malamar, another Dark/Psychic Pokemon. What makes it unique is the fact that the 3DS needs to be upside down for it to be able to evolve.

This is because Malamar resembles an upside down squid. Had Inkay appeared in previous games, it would not have been able to evolve in this way; the accelerometer and gyroscope technology contained within the 3DS that can detect it being upside down is not present in the older handheld consoles.

Answer: Dark

Once Pancham evolves, Pangoro will be a Fighting/Dark Pokemon. Presumably, Pancham needs to "feed off" the Dark-type Pokemon in order for it to evolve. Pancham is only found on Route 5 in Kalos (and in a Fighting Friend Safari) and being a pure Fighting-type, is not immune to any other type.

When it gains Dark as its secondary type after evolution, it becomes immune to Psychic-type moves.

Answer: Remoraid

Interestingly, Mantyke does not need to be at least a particular level for it to evolve into Mantine. Simply levelling it up once with a Remoraid in your party will trigger the evolution. Mantyke is the first Pokemon to evolve in this way, requiring use of a specific Pokemon (as opposed to Pancham requiring a Pokemon of a specific type). Mantine was first introduced in Generation II and exclusive to 'Pokemon Gold', while Mantyke joined as a pre-evolution to Mantine in Generation IV.

Answer: Feebas

Contests were introduced in the Generation III games, and Pokemon are given the task of strutting their stuff and pleasing the judges and eager crowd the most. Each Pokemon can be judged on certain Conditions (Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Smartness and Toughness) based on how they appear and the moves they perform.

These Conditions can be raised by feeding Pokeblocks to Pokemon. Once Feebas' Beauty Condition has reached its maximum, it will then undergo a change similar to the pathetic Magikarp evolving into the fierce Gyarados.

In this instance, the rather feeble Feebas will become the beautiful Milotic. The Prism Scale item was introduced in Generation V as Contests did not appear (and consequently the Beauty Condition did not exist). Trading a Feebas holding a Prism Scale will cause it to evolve.

Answer: Ancient Power

Swinub, first appearing in Generation II, evolves into Piloswine at Level 33. Upon the arrival of Generation IV, Piloswine can now evolve into Mamoswine, provided it knows Ancient Power. Swinub will not naturally learn Ancient Power when levelling up, and neither will Piloswine. From Generation IV onwards, Swinub and Piloswine caught in the wild will already know Ancient Power and Move Tutors can teach them both this move. Of course, in Generation V, all of this can be skipped and Mamoswine can simply be caught in the wild at Unova's Giant Chasm.

Answer: Generation IV

Naturally, Gligar's evolution isn't quite as straightforward as you'd imagine. First, you need to locate a Razor Fang. You can find it in a couple of places across Sinnoh and beyond. Once you've given Gligar the Razor Fang to hold on to, you need to wait until nighttime before you can level it up once and welcome Gliscor to your party. Of course, you can go about this in two ways: you can either wait it out and come back to the game at night to get your new Pokemon, or you can take the slightly easier route of changing the time of your handheld's internal clock to some time during the night and jumping back into the game.

Answer: Rain

This group of Dragon-type Pokemon joined us in Generation VI. Goomy will evolve into Sliggoo at Level 40, but Sliggoo can also be found in the wild of Kalos. Sliggoo can evolve into Goodra, provided it's raining in-game. However, this needs to be naturally occurring rain. That is, it can't be rain that occurs during a battle as a result of a Pokemon using Rain Dance, for instance. Sliggoo also needs to be Level 50 (a surprisingly high level compared to most other Pokemon) to become Goodra. Most notably, the Pokemon League champion of Kalos, Diantha, will use a Goodra during your battle with her.

Answer: Gender

Burmy, regardless of gender, will evolve from Level 20 onwards. All male Burmy will evolve into Mothim, a Bug/Flying Pokemon, while female Burmy will become Wormadam. Burmy's appearance changes based on where it last partook in a battle. These changes in appearance will be carried onward into its Wormadam evolution, meaning there's three variations of Burmy and therefore three variations of Wormadam. Mothim will look the same regardless of which "cloak" Burmy is wearing. Wormadam, on the other hand, will change types based on Burmy's cloak.

In the Plant Cloak, Wormadam will be Bug/Grass, while a Sandy Cloak Burmy will produce a Bug/Ground Wormadam and a Burmy in the Trash Cloak will yield a Bug/Steel Wormadam.

Answer: Huntail and Gorebyss

Upon your travels through Hoenn, where Clamperl was first found, you'll find a Scanner inside an Abandoned Ship. Returning it to Captain Stern in Slateport City will allow you to choose between receiving a Deep Sea Tooth or a Deep Sea Scale. You will only be able to receive one of these items, though, so choose wisely. Trading a Clamperl who is holding the Deep Sea Tooth will create a Huntail, while the Deep Sea Scale will create a Gorebyss. Both these Pokemon are Water-type, just like Clamperl.