You've finally caught that Oddish. You've ground out the candies or leveled it up through the slog of the early game, and now you’re staring at this drooling, blue bipedal plant thing. It’s Gloom. Honestly, Gloom is one of those Pokémon that feels like a middle child. It’s a bit messy, literally dripping nectar that smells like rotting meat, and it’s just waiting for that final push to become something actually useful. But here’s the thing: what does Gloom evolve into? It isn’t a straight line.
Depending on which game you’re playing—whether it's the classic Pokémon Red on a dusty Game Boy or Pokémon GO on your phone—you have a choice to make. You’re looking at a branching evolution path. You can go with the classic, heavy-hitting Poison/Grass type Vileplume, or you can pivot into the pure Grass-type dancer, Bellossom.
Making the wrong choice can be a pain. If you use the wrong stone at the wrong time, you’re stuck with a Pokémon that might not fit your team’s synergy.
The Fork in the Road: Vileplume vs. Bellossom
Let's get into the mechanics. Historically, Gloom was a one-trick pony. Back in 1996, you gave it a Leaf Stone and you got Vileplume. That was it. But when Pokémon Gold and Silver dropped, Game Freak introduced the Sun Stone. Suddenly, Gloom had options.
The Leaf Stone Path: Vileplume
Vileplume is the OG. It keeps the Poison typing that Gloom had, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you get that sweet STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) for Sludge Bomb. On the other hand, you’re now weak to Psychic moves, which can be a nightmare in certain competitive brackets.
Vileplume is basically a tanky flower with a massive Special Attack stat. It looks like a Rafflesia arnoldii—the world’s largest flower that actually smells like a corpse in real life. If you want a Pokémon that can soak up hits and dish out status effects like Sleep Powder while melting enemies with Giga Drain, Vileplume is your go-to.
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The Sun Stone Path: Bellossom
Then there’s Bellossom. It’s weird because it actually loses its Poison typing. Bellossom is a pure Grass-type. You lose that Poison-type coverage, but you gain a cleaner defensive profile against certain types.
Bellossom is smaller, cuter, and often used as a "Sun team" staple because of its ability, Chlorophyll. In the sun, this thing moves fast. While Vileplume is about raw power and grit, Bellossom is often about setup. It’s the dancer of the family. You use a Sun Stone, and Gloom sheds its smelly nectar for hula skirts and flowers.
Evolution Requirements Across Different Games
The way Gloom evolves changes slightly depending on your platform. You can't just level it up. Leveling does nothing for Gloom once it hits its second stage. You need items.
In the mainline RPGs (Scarlet/Violet, Sword/Shield, etc.):
- Vileplume: Apply a Leaf Stone to Gloom. No level requirement.
- Bellossom: Apply a Sun Stone to Gloom. Again, no level requirement.
In Pokémon GO, things are a bit more expensive. You’re going to need 100 Oddish Candies regardless of which one you want. But if you want Bellossom, you also need to have a Sun Stone in your inventory. These are usually found by spinning PokéStops or completing 7-day research streaks. If you just hit the evolve button without a stone, the game will default to Vileplume, provided you have the candy.
A Quick Tip on Move Learning
Wait. Don't evolve it yet. This is where most people mess up.
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In many generations of the game, once a Pokémon evolves via an evolutionary stone, it stops learning moves naturally through leveling up. If you evolve your Gloom into Vileplume at level 21, you might miss out on heavy hitters like Solar Beam or Petal Blizzard that Gloom learns later. Always check the "Move Reminder" or look at the level-up chart for your specific game version before committing that stone. Honestly, it's better to wait until Gloom is in its late 30s or 40s to ensure you've squeezed every bit of utility out of its base moveset.
The Competitive Edge: Which One is Actually Better?
If you’re just playing through the story, pick the one you think looks cooler. But if you’re trying to climb the ladder or beat your friends, there’s a nuance here.
Vileplume has a higher Special Attack. In the current meta of games like Pokémon Showdown, Vileplume often acts as a "Check" to many Fairy-types because of its Poison resistance and its ability to heal through Strength Sap. It’s a literal wall that refuses to die.
Bellossom, conversely, is often overlooked. However, in lower tiers, it can be a monster with Quiver Dance. Quiver Dance is arguably one of the best setup moves in the entire game—it boosts Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed all at once. One turn of setup with Bellossom and you could sweep an entire team. Vileplume can't do that. It doesn't have the "dance" moves that Bellossom inherited.
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- Vileplume's Strength: Defensive utility, Poison STAB, higher base Special Attack.
- Bellossom's Strength: Setup potential with Quiver Dance, better Speed in Sunny Day scenarios.
Finding the Stones
You can't evolve what you can't fuel. Finding a Leaf Stone is usually pretty easy. In the Kanto-based games, you just buy them at the Celadon Department Store. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you can find them as sparkling drops in the Tagtree Thicket or buy them at Delibird Presents after getting enough gym badges.
Sun Stones are the tricky ones. They are generally rarer. In Pokémon GO, the drop rate for a Sun Stone from a standard PokéStop is roughly 1%. It's a grind. In the console games, you often find them in desert areas or by using the "Pickup" ability with a Pokémon like Meowth in your party.
The Lore You Might Have Missed
Gloom is interesting because it’s a "transitional" Pokémon. Its design reflects its internal struggle. The fluid dripping from its mouth? That’s not drool. It’s honey-like nectar that is so foul-smelling it can cause fainting at a distance of a mile.
When you use a Leaf Stone, you are essentially doubling down on that "corpse flower" energy. Vileplume’s petals are so heavy it can barely hold its head up. But when you use a Sun Stone, you’re basically "purifying" the nectar. Bellossom is the result of that nectar turning sweet. It’s one of the few Pokémon evolutions where the creature actually gets smaller and loses a secondary type.
Actually, there’s a fun fact about Bellossom’s color. In the original Pokémon Gold sprites, Bellossom had purple skin, just like Gloom and Oddish. But because it looked a bit too much like Jynx (which had its own controversy), the design was changed to green to emphasize the pure Grass typing.
Strategic Next Steps
If you have a Gloom in your party right now, stop. Don't just click "Evolve." Do these three things first:
- Check the Moveset: Look at your game's database (like Serebii or Bulbapedia) and see if Gloom learns a move at level 43 or 50 that its evolved forms cannot learn. If it does, keep it as a Gloom for a few more hours.
- Evaluate Your Team: Do you have a big hole in your defense against Fairy or Grass types? Go Vileplume. Do you need a late-game sweeper that can setup and win? Go Bellossom.
- Check Your Inventory: If you’re playing Pokémon GO, don't waste your Sun Stone on Bellossom if you haven't completed the "A Ripple in Time" special research yet, as you might need to evolve a Sunkern later on which also requires that stone.
Gloom is one of the most versatile early-route Pokémon you can find. It might be smelly and a little gross to look at, but what it becomes is entirely up to how you want to play the game. Whether you want the toxic powerhouse or the sun-drenched dancer, you're getting one of the most iconic Grass types in the franchise.