The Dex! Butterfree! Episode 57!

*The Dex! Episode 57*

**The Dex! Butterfree! Episode 57!** is the fifty-seventh episode of The Dex! Trivia and Battle Strategy Series. It's hosted by Cool Beauty Alex and Pokekellz and it covers the Butterfly Pokémon, Butterfree! It aired on April 15th, 2014 and can be viewed [ here].

*"Every week on The Dex, Alex and PokeKellz present battle strategy and trivia for a different Pokemon! This week, it's Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokemon! And why the obsession with saying goodbye?"* - Youtube description

## Intro Trivia

* Butterfree evolves from Caterpie and Metapod, some of the first Pokémon you ever see in the first generation of games.
* It looks a lot like the real-life Black-veined White Beauty.
* Its name is a combination of the words "butterfly" and "free"; alluding to the freedom of breaking out of cocoons, or just the general idea that butterflies are free.
* Besides its shiny form, there have been two other high-profile color variants seen in the Anime:
	+ There is the orange- and yellow-winged one from Orange Islands.
	+ There is also the pink-bodied girl one that Ash's runs away with.
		- It is likely that the pink one comes from Pinkan Island, a Pokémon preserve where a special fruit turns all the Pokémon who live there pink.

## Pokemon... Behind the Balls

* It is a popular theory that one point in time, before the games were released, the sprites from Butterfree and Venomoth were switched; evidence:
	+ Butterfree and Venonat has a lot of similarities.
	+ Caterpie and Metapod's eyes, body shape, and the lack of hands are similar features of Venomoth.
		- In the original Sugimori art-work, Caterpie has six legs like Venomoth instead of four.

* It is often rumored that Butterfree replaced Venomoth to give players more of a distinctive choice between the cool and awesome Beedrill and the sweet and cuddly Butterfree.
* However, Butterfree and Venonat might be an example of divergent evolution where both started the same and maybe moved into different environments.
* Another possibility is that Butterfree evolved to mimic Venomoth's physiology to trick predator's into thinking it's poisonous.
* A more simpler explanation is that all of this is just a coincidence.

## Battle Strategy

###  **UU Sweeper**

* **Item**: Focus Sash
* **Ability**: Compound Eyes
* **Nature**: Calm (+Sp. Defense, -Attack)
* **EVs**: 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Sp. Def / 252 Spe
* **Moves**:
	+ Sleep Powder
	+ Dream Eater
	+ Quiver Dance
	+ Bug Buzz

* Using Sleep Powder with the Ability Compound Eyes raises Sleep Powder's accuracy to 97.5%
* Dream Eater will heal off Butterfree's HP while the opponent is asleep.
* Quiver Dance can make it possible for Butterfree to sweep.
* Bug Buzz is a good STAB move that goes past Substitutes.

###  **Random Thoughts**

* Using Substitute can help you set-up and frees up an items slot for Leftovers.
* A Choice Scarf is another way to go to boost Butterfree's passable speed by 50%, but be careful when choosing your moveset since it locks you into one move.
* Both Stun Spore and Sleep Powder's accuracy is boosted by Compound Eyes and when used with Substitute, you can make a somewhat stall-y set.

## Gallery

ThumbnailOriginal Sugimori ArtworkOrange- and Yellow-winged ButterfreePink ButterfreeStats