Slash used to have a 3x Crit modifier, that's probably why. Critical damage was calculated differently back in Gen 1.

I disagree; it fills a niche that Koffing and Grimer already inhabit, but in a different way. Now the three sets of evolutionary families represent air, sea, and land pollution. Sometimes a Pokemon can literally look like garbage, but if it enhances the worldbuilding of the Pokemon world, I'm all for it.

There's a theory going around now that RBYGCS take place in a separate universe than the FRLGRSEDPPBWB2W2 universe and the XYORAS universe. In which Pokemon are a recently discovered phenomena, hence the need to catalogue them for the very first time. In later games, the Pokedex being granted from a Professor to a…

It'd be good for expeditions, but not for sushi resources, since the lightning attacks would likely roast/broil the fish, even a little bit. Lumineons might make for prime sushi, though.