Well, you cant exactly make pikachu look menacing without going the Rattata/Ratticate route. And even then, Mouse and Rats are supposed to be different sub-species of each other.
This was Red's real team, it was removed from the games, being deemed too graphic and manly for children, GameFreak couldnt risk a mass pregnancy of all Females (paradox) playing the game and seeing this level of badassary at the end of the game.
replace the next generation pokemon of cuteness with this level of badassery and i might actually consider picking up pokemon black and white when it launches in the US.