In chess, the player who goes first has a bigger chance of winning. Just like chess, Pokémon is a turn-based game, which means whoever initiates the battle has a significant advantage over the other person.

In the Pokémon world, you don’t get to decide who strikes first; instead, this is determined by the Speed stats of each Pokémon. If you like to have the upper-hand in battle, take a look at the speediest Pokémon in Gen I

10 Gengar - 110

Gengar is a very strong Ghost and Poison-type Pokémon, and it’s best known for his Special Attacks. However, Gengar can hide in the shadow of any object, allowing him to be stealthy, which explains its nice 110 speed stat.

Gengar is a natural trickster and a very mischievous Pokémon. It enjoys playing jokes and casting curses. One of his favorite things to do is to pretend to be a person’s shadow, once someone notices he relishes in the victim’s terror.

9 Tauros - 110

This Normal-type Pókemon is a male-only species considered to be Miltank’s counterpart. Tauros’s temperament is rather violent, when he starts to whip himself it’s a sign for you to get out of his way, as Tauros is getting ready to charge with its astounding 110 Speed stats. Once he starts charging he’s unable to stop until he hits something.

Although this Pokémon is ferocious, people managed to find a way to ride on them. This practice started in the region of Alola, where Tauros seem to be a little bit calmer, due to the region’s climate.

8 Persian - 115

Persian is a large cat-like Pokémon, with Speed being its more developed stat at 115. You can find Persian in towns and cities, but its temperamental personality discourages people from raising them as pets.

This oversized cat will scratch anyone without warning, yes, that includes its trainer. Still, a Persian becomes temporarily docile when you pull its whiskers. Due to its appearance and sophistication, this Pokémon is very popular among rich people. However, it is a big target for hunters due to its jewel.

7 Starmie - 115

Starmie is a Water and Psychic-type of Pokémon that looks like two starfishes glued together. However, the second starfish is only semi-attached and can spin 360 degrees, giving Starmie its ability to swim through the ocean and launch itself out of the water. This spinning motion might be the reason this Pokémon has such a high speed, with a stat of 115.

Starmie has in its center a red jewel core, which resembles a precious jewel due to the way it’s cut. Many believe this center is a method of communication for the species. As seen in the anime, this jewel turns dark if Starmie is unconscious and will flicker if the Pokémon is low on health.

6 Alakazam - 120

Alakazam is Abra’s final form and can Mega Evolve to turn into Mega Alakazam when you use Alakazite. This Pokémon carries silver spoons everywhere he goes as these act like amplifiers for its psychic abilities.

Alakazam’s 120-speed stats only match the power of his special attack. Nevertheless, this Pokémon shines with its psychic abilities. It uses these powers to move its body and support its head. Alakazam has to do this because its brain keeps growing, which eventually makes its head very large and unable to be supported by its neck.

5 Dugtrio - 120

A surprise addition to this list, when you see Dugtrio, you don’t think this team of Diglett triplets are speedy, but with 120 Speed stats, they are! You can see just how fast this Pokémon is when it’s making tunnels under the ground, achieving 60 mph to a depth of 60 miles.

Although Dugtrio consists of three Digglets, the three heads think like one and act cooperatively. These guys are capable of burrowing endlessly, even triggering earthquakes wherever they dig. To make this task easier, each head will move up and down to loosen the soil.

4 Jolteon - 130

Jolteon is one of Eevee’s original evolutions (long before Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon were in the picture). This Pokémon is the speediest of all the Evolutions, with 130 Speed stat. It also has a very impressive Special Attack stat that makes it effective at dealing damage. However, Jolteon’s defense stats are relatively low, so keep that in mind when bringing Jolteon into a fight.

This Pokémon’s fur consists of electrically charged needles, so you better not anger or startle Jolteon because its fur will rise to attack.

3 Aerodactyl - 130

This ancient Pokémon comes from an Old Amber, it doesn’t evolve into or from any other Pokémon but becomes Mega Aerodactyl when you Mega Evolve it using Aerodactylite.

While old, Aerodactyl is very fast, having 130 in Speed stats. Straight out of a Jurassic Park movie, this Pokémon comes from the restoration of DNA that was in an Old Amber. This scientific experiment resulted in Aerodactyl displaying much more violent behavior than anticipated, as you can imagine, this led to a few casualties.

2 Mewtwo - 130

Mewtwo is an iconic member of the Pokémon franchise, making him feared and coveted anywhere he appears. This Pokémon is the result of years of DNA alterations and experiments done to a Mew, as such Mewtwo DNA is almost identical to Mew.

This Psychic-type Pokémon is extremely powerful; its base stats come to 680 in total, Speed being one of the higher ones with 130, only next to its 154 Special Attack stat.

1 Electrode - 140

Due to Electrode’s shape, many people try to pick it up thinking it’s a Poké Ball laying on the ground. Trainers have to be careful though, as this round guy stores electricity in its body and even the slightest movement could trigger a disaster (giving him the nickname “Bomb Ball”).

This Electric-type Pokémon likes to live in places where it can consume freshly generated electricity, like power plants. The more electric energy Electrode ingests, the faster it moves, which is why this Poké Ball looking Pokémon has a 140 Speed stat and is the fastest Pokémon in Gen I.

NEXT: Ranking The Main Pokémon Games (And Their Remakes), Best to Worst