Horsea Report

Horsea (the Dragon Pokémon) is a relatively common Water-type Pokémon found among bodies of saltwater across the world. Though relatively harmless and lacking in serious offense early-on, Horsea are interesting creatures that can certainly take a lot of physical damage and deliver a decent amount of special damage before finally falling in defeat. They might not be able to live up to their draconic namesake until relatively close to evolution, but these odd little creatures can still give you some serious trouble if you don't take them seriously and let them squirt you in the eyes with ink!

Although Horsea are rather weak against special attacks and are unable to learn any physical attacks naturally, their decent base Special Attack and surprisingly high base Defense stats can allow them to survive fairly well against many oceanic predators. What really saves these critters most of the time, though, are their dorsal fins and tails. Despite their relatively small size, the proportionally-large dorsal fins on the backs of Horsea are highly-developed and can allow Horsea to make exceptionally quick escapes in addition to allowing them to swim in nearly any direction (including backwards) while still facing forwards, which often proves to be particularly effective when trying to escape from predators. They are known to put this exceptional swimming control to good use in making graceful, dance-like movements in the water, though this process often ends up generating whirlpools; it is not uncommon to see Horsea compete to determine who among them can make the biggest whirlpools. Their coiled tails, while not exactly useful in terms of mobility, aid Horsea in aiming their attacks because the coiled mass acts as a counterbalance in the water and thus allows Horsea to balance their aim and maintain almost perfect precision. In addition, their tails can be tightly wrapped around rocks or coral as an anchor whenever surrounding currents suddenly become rapid and turbulent. This often proves to be a lifesaver for both them and their nests, as they almost always choose to nest within the shade of large corals where gentle currents flow; the closer an anchor point for them and their belongings is, the better their chance at survival, especially if their nest if full of eggs. When not in dire straits, though, Horsea often enjoy uncoiling their tails and playfully twisting them together with the tails of other Horsea.

While Horsea are known to enjoy eating the moss that naturally grows on rocks in relatively shallow waters, their favorite food is airborne insects. In order to shoot down the flying insects without scaring them away, Horsea use precise bursts of ink to shoot them down while remaining below the surface before slurping their wriggling bodies up with their snouts. Horsea can still shoot water if they need to, however, so the ink they produce is usually relegated to a defensive use outside of hunting. Even so, the ink is extremely potent because its viscosity actually increases considerably as pressure increases, so predators that dare to attack Horsea relatively deep below the water's surface often have an exceptionally difficult time removing it. Secondly, the ink is relatively volatile and can easily be vaporized with a little bit of internal body heat to produce a small Smokescreen technique, which usually makes it difficult for predators above the water's surface to pursue Horsea. Most importantly, though, Horsea are extremely cautious and will literally blast anything that scares them with ink on the spot, fleeing immediately afterward to avoid any repercussions. Needless to say, Horsea have been able to proliferate fairly well with this sort of defensive ploy, as the only real predators that prove to be a threat are the ones that utilize stealth effectively enough to catch them off-guard.

Despite their small size, Horsea are wily survivors that can certainly avoid predators with grim determination…but don't think that means they will be so successful in battle. These little critters might have a couple tricks up their sleeve, but if you get overconfident in their abilities, you'll probably find yourself out-gunned and out-maneuvered. Play it safe until these creatures evolve, and you certainly won't be disappointed with the results; besides, by that time, every opponent you face will be doing their best to avoid getting close to your Pokémon, lest they run the risk of getting Poisoned by a fish!

Professor Wormwood