Pokémon The Alola Pokedex

[Persephone]

Commissioned as a raffle prize for @JFought. Heavily inspired by Haunted Blades by Little Miss Firebright.

Aegislash (Honedge, Doublade)
Caliburn dominus

Overview

Most phantom pokémon feed on emotions, willpower, or another byproduct of thought. Most feed passively. Others drain the strength of an emotion while feeding. There are phantoms that possess the ability to drain a target so thoroughly they experience death or a coma, although this is usually only done in self-defense or to avenge grave insults.

Only mimikyu and aegislash are believed to do it unintentionally. The former take great pains to prevent this from happening. Aegislash revel in the pain they inflict.

The species are aminovores that feed on a wide spectrum of emotions and mental attributes, including willpower and intellect. Their favorite emotion is pain. Aegislash cannot passively feed and must actively harm others to drain them. Their extremely high dietary needs mean they almost always go for the kill so they can drain everything their target has. A hungry aegislash will happily turn against their own trainer. The only reliable way to prevent this is to feed them often with lethal strikes or near-constantly with grievous but non-lethal wounds.

Aegislash are also known for their skills as manipulation and outright possession, often breaking the will of their wielder to dominate them or even render them a brain-dead husk for the aegislash’s will. Some have even stayed attached to the husk after it has been physically dead for weeks, only leaving when decay becomes too advanced to easily move it.

There are many good reasons not to care for honedge. Yet for millennia people have willingly picked them up. The reason is simple: power. Honedge are extremely formidable warriors that can keep up with most fully evolved pokémon. Doublade are nigh-unbeatable for most opponents without a tailor-made counter strategy. Aegislash can compete on even footing with some of the strongest pokémon in the world. Many an aspiring conqueror has nursed a honedge to evolution, and then to its final form, over the course of their rise. There are even tales of aegislash clashing with the gods themselves.

The authors of this guidebook cannot recommend training honedge for any reason. They are bloodthirsty, overly attached, and will probably kill their trainer if they ever choose to retire. Doublade are worse. Aegislash are known to turn their trainers into mere puppets of their will if they perceive any weakness whatsoever.

Yet, some will try despite all of the warnings we can give. The following is not meant to be a recommendation. It is written to persuade aspiring trainers not to raise the species. And, for those unfortunate enough to have already taken up the blade, this guide will explain how to make the best of a bad situation.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as dual ghost- and steel-types. The ruling is not disputed.

Honedge’s true body consists of a single eye. The eye matches common human eye colors about 70% of the time, with the remainder having eye colors found most commonly in elemental bloodlines. In the rare event that a honedge is killed (see Illness) the eye will disappear.

Honedge possess a uniquely crafted blade with elemental energy imbued into it. The blade and scabbard are made of a silver and steel alloy that modern metallurgy still cannot recreate. Each blade possesses a unique design and an ability chosen by the craftsman. Known abilities include commanding the winds, revealing illusions or lies, destroying the capacity for malice, breaking enchantments, granting the wielder limited invulnerability, cutting through almost any material, igniting in flames, preventing clotting in the cuts it leaves, and triggering a severe allergic reaction in dragons.

Whatever the sword style and ability, the blade has an eye at the hilt and a tassel extending from the base of the pommel. The tassel is usually a similar color to the eye and can be split into up to four strands . These strands can each physically and spiritually burrow into their host to drain blood, emotions, and vitality. Once a honedge has bonded with a host it can only be removed by the honedge’s choice or the host’s death.

Most honedge also have a scabbard with a hole in it that allows the eye to look out even when the blade is sheathed. The scabbard is often ornately decorated with the symbols of the swordsmith and previous wielders. Some even contain depictions of the battles they have participated in. The design of the scabbard changes over time even without being reforged. It is also the only part of themselves honedge have ever allowed to be modified by a human smith.

Doublade have nearly identical blades to honedge, just with an additional blade and an eye in it. They are still a singular organism with almost perfect telepathic communication between blades. Most scholars describe the twin blades as being more akin to the two hemispheres of the brain than as a true physically distinct organisms. The two share an elaborate scabbard, often one with a small shield incorporated in the design.

Aegislash’s primary body is a two-handed sword. While it retains the style of the original blade, it is always much larger and has a pommel that is difficult to properly grip. Aegislash no longer have a scabbard. Instead they have an ornate shield connected to the blade by a tassel. The shield will usually be similar in design to those commonly used in the area they evolve in. Modern aegislash, which evolve in a time when shields are uncommon, often draw from their parent’s design or their trainer’s imagination. Aegislash have a second tassel they use to establish a bond with their host.

Aegislash’s height and weight varies by region. The largest are four feet long and weigh one-hundred and ten pounds. They are too big for most humans to practically wield and mostly pilot themselves without their host’s input. Aegislash do not die of natural causes and are extremely difficult to kill.

Behavior

The aegislash line are parasites that attach exclusively to humans. They alternate between three states: attached, wandering, and dormant.

Attached honedge have latched onto a human on a physical and spiritual level. They passively feed by absorbing the vitality and spirit of their host or prey. Honedge are relatively simple creatures that primarily use their spiritual link to express feelings of hunger. Bloodshed and the infliction of physical and spiritual pain can sate their hunger without drawing on their trainer.

Doublade are more complex creatures. They deepen their bond with their host and can even grant some abilities to them akin to a combat-focused ghost elemental. These draw directly from the caster’s soul. The damage can only be healed by killing enemies while the doublade is already full. Unlike honedge, doublade will propose targets to hurt or kill and offer reasons why this is acceptable. They can even overshadow their host and wield their body for up to two seconds, usually using this time to kill someone and set up situations where the host may have to kill again in defense.

Aegislash are the makers of kings. They will drive their host to a position of absolute dominance. The conflict required helps fuel their massive energy needs. More than one king has been pushed by their aegislash to conquer a realm only to be drained completely when they tried to be a peacetime ruler. In the modern era where royalty is less important aegislash will often settle for their host being at the top of some hierarchy, such as a corporate latter or a regional league. The latter is preferable as it will ensure a constant supply of enemies to defeat and partially drain. Military commanders do not pair well with aegislash despite the rigid hierarchy of the institutions. Most still answer to civilian leadership and cannot make the most important decisions on their own. This is intolerable for the ghosts. More than one general with an aegislash has attempted to topple the civilian government of their country and unilaterally rule. More subdued examples have gone into politics to try and claw their way to the top of the civilian hierarchy by more legitimate means. They are often ultimately unhappy when the diplomatic and administrative work of a politician does not provide enough blood to feed their aegislash.

Aegislash are much better at possessing their hosts than doublade and can completely control them for months on end if they see the need to do so. They can also possess multiple people around the host for short periods of time. Aegislash are exceedingly clever and their possession can avoid scrutiny for some time.

The line do not usually hate their hosts. They see their relationship as being symbiotic rather than parasitic. The ghost will gain the food it needs to survive while the human will obtain a powerful and wise companion that will push them to greater heights. Most even express feelings of love and affection for longtime hosts and are reluctant to possess them. They will only do so as a last resort if they are not getting anywhere near the amount of energy they need to survive.

As spiritual parasites, the line gain some of the skills, personality, and experience of everyone to either wield or be killed by them. This gives older aegislash a deep understanding of both combat and social intricacies. They can use the skills of mothers or priests they have attached to or slain to comfort their trainer in times of need and provide wise counsel. In times gone by kings treasured aegislash for their governing advice as much as their power.

Eventually an aegislash’s host will die. The lucky will perish from natural causes at an old age. Most will be killed by their pokémon drawing too much from their soul. The average lifespan of a honedge trainer is fifty-five years. Doublade trainers live an average of thirty-five years. Aegislash trainers are lucky to survive ten years after the final evolution.

The ideal scenario for the blade is bonding with their last host’s progeny. Hosts tend to pass a dormant compulsion to any children they create that will inexorably draw them to their parent’s pokémon when the time comes. This does not apply to children conceived or born before the parent’s possession took place. These children often want very little to do with the creature that just killed their parent.

If there is not a suitable child and no one else in the immediate area wants to bond with them, the pokémon will wander in an attempt to find someone who will. A quirk of the line is that they either cannot bond with the unwilling or refuse to do so. The host must make the choice to accept the blade. The line are often drawn to the powerless and those in immediate danger. Soldiers will be offered a shield to see them through the battle, abused spouses or children will be offered a way to escape or get even, trainers on a losing streak will be offered a powerful tool. The blade will almost always convince someone to accept them. If they cannot within a period ranging from a few days for an aegislash to a month for a honedge, the pokémon will have lost too much energy to continue and will enter dormancy. They will cease moving except to defend themselves and will simply stay in place. Some aegislash have done this for millennia. When a human approaches they will passively emit an aura drawing the potential host’s curiosity. If anyone lifts the blade with the intent to use it the pokémon will reawaken and bond their new host. Newly awakened blades are extremely bloodthirsty and can easily drive their host mad with the desire to kill.

Husbandry

Feeding is the most difficult part of raising a honedge. They must feed by lethal means at least once a week or non-lethal means daily. Non-lethal feedings must at least inflict pain on the target. They strongly prefer to feed on phantom or organic pokémon rather than mineral pokémon. The former are made of spirit and are easily drained. Organic pokémon at least have blood and minds similar to their host. Mineral pokémon are difficult for the blade to draw digestible material from. Of course, the species’ real favorite food are humans. This is neither a socially acceptable nor legal way to feed them in most of the world. Doublade are even more insatiable and must be fed lethally three times a week or non-lethally multiple times a day. Otherwise they will begin to drain their host.

Aegislash can passively feed on feelings of awe, reverence, and submission for their host. However, this cannot make up the core of their diet. Aegislash with the most venerated hosts in the world will still need to hunt as often as the average doublade. This is not sustainable for most trainers. Practice matches are also not good feeding methods as they need to inflict serious pain to eat. Almost every aegislash trainer on the planet is being drained at least some of the time due to an inability to properly feed their pokémon.

A superficially good way to feed an aegislash is by working part time in a slaughterhouse. This can still be tricky as aegislash prefer to kill in combat and revel in their victim’s fear. Most slaughterhouses would prefer, for ethical and practical reasons, that the pokémon they process not be aware of their impending demise. Livestock species are also usually too unintelligent to be staples of an aegislash’s diet.

The best way to feed an aegislash is to work as a ghost exterminator. Aegislash love consuming other ghosts and enjoy the hunt and fight doing so requires. Some clients will dislike methods that destroy the ghost being removed. Others will prefer it. Make sure to obtain the proper permits to hunt nuisance ghost-types before taking extermination jobs with the intent to kill.

Some high-level trainers are also called on to put down nuisance or rabid pokémon. Rabid specimens often lack the complex emotional and intellectual lives that aegislash love to end, but a lethal strike to a pokémon will still provide them with nourishment.

Aegislash owned by extremely high-level trainers can partially subsist off of occasional competitive matches. Displaying dominance in front of a large crowd while simultaneously draining a very powerful and often very clever enemy can provide more nourishment than killing a simpler foe would. However, ranked trainers only engage in public matches every three to six weeks on average. These matches can feed an aegislash for the duration of a tournament but cannot be relied upon to keep them fed.

Outside of their hunger, aegislash are friendly and clever pokémon that love to converse with their host and even help with common chores. They almost never attack allies and very few pokémon will pick a fight with an aegislash, or even a doublade. Honedge will need to be protected from some lithovores. Some ghosts will refuse to spend time around an aegislash or associate with any trainer bonded with the line. Even among ghost-types aegislash and spiritomb are regarded as abominations best avoided. As a result the type specialists with an aegislash are almost all steel-type trainers.

Do not keep any stage of the line in pokéballs except when absolutely necessary. This will only serve to anger them and they will insist on feeding more because they are unsure of when their next meal will be. Honedge and doublade are happy to rest in their scabbard at their host’s side when not in use. Aegislash generally prefer to float alongside their trainer.

All three stages appreciate being polished. It is not strictly necessary but is a good time to deepen bonds, which are particularly necessary in this case as the trainer will be bonded to the blade for life. Showing kindness and respect to the blade will decrease the likelihood it will drain its host.

Illness

Most aminovores suffer from a variety of esoteric illnesses when their spirit is corrupted. Aegislash rarely do. The reason for this is debated. They have a corporeal form while most aminovores do not. The line eat a great deal more than any other aminovore, potentially reducing the impact of any one bad feeding. Other scholars theorize that aegislash can simply transfer illnesses or spiritual corruption to their host. Whatever the reason, aegislash do not suffer from standard spectral illnesses beyond spiritual exhaustion.

Aegislash’s blade and scabbard are extremely durable and only prone to taking minor damage in particularly heated battles. Chips, dings, and dents do not actually harm the aegislash. They do reduce their efficiency, requiring more energy from prey or hosts. Fixing them within a matter of days is a top priority for any host interested in their own longevity. Humans have not yet figured out how to create new honedge or replicate their alloy. Thankfully, the line can do most of the work themselves. Bathing in blood, especially involuntarily shed blood, can help them heal dents and other wounds that did not result in lost material. More severe damage must be healed by a forge. A mixture of blood, molten steel, and precious metals such as silver or gold should be applied to the damaged area and hammered into shape. Doublade can guide this process through shared knowledge with the host. Aegislash are prone to possessing either their host or a blacksmith and fixing themselves. Unfortunately, individual blacksmiths are increasingly rare in modern society. There are still a few who specialize in fixing steel-types and may be willing to help. Acquiring the necessary blood and silver or gold can still be a logistical challenge.

Usually this section is dedicated to keeping a pokémon free from harm or saving them from death when ill. Instead, we must talk about how to actually kill an aegislash and the difficulties inherent in doing so.

Their bodies can be harmed to an extent but they are both physically strong and spiritually reinforced. Destroying the body requires enormous physical and spiritual strength applied at the same time. This can theoretically be done by two champion-level pokémon working in tandem. However, a severely broken honedge will begin to rapidly drain the spirit of anything nearby, often killing or crippling their attackers before they can finish the job. The honedge will then go dormant, exerting almost no power, until someone picks them up and is forced to fix the blade or lose their own life in a matter of weeks due to the sheer damage done to the blade.

The only recorded cases of any stage of the line being physically destroyed involved the intervention of god-like pokémon capable of dealing enough damage to break the blade and enduring the dying curse. The dying pokémon first drained their host completely before passing, meaning that this is not a viable way to escape the bond.

Exhaustion is the only practical way to destroy the line without divine intervention. A prolonged battle against a powerful ghost- or dark-type that they cannot hit and regenerate from will leave the pokémon exhausted. If the host is completely drained and there is nothing else around to drain the pokémon will eventually have to go dormant to save their own life. Continuous spiritual attacks on the dormant blade will further weaken the pokémon until the blade can finally be physically destroyed by overwhelming power. This still requires a carefully selected battlefield, an extremely fast and strong ghost- or dark-type, and the death of the host. There are very few pokémon that can battle an aegislash indefinitely, harm them, and avoid being hit themselves.

Most people trying to kill an aegislash are doing so to free the host. Is there a way, then, to kill or drive off the blade without killing the host?

There are a handful of alleged cases of this occurring. None are recent and all are suspect, falling more in the territory of folklore than history. Three of the six involved the intervention of an extremely powerful pokémon threatening the blade with death if they did not leave them. The most famous example of this is King Oumar of Unova who was tricked into bonding with an aegislash on his path to the throne and then was freed by The Original Dragon so he could rule peacefully. The historicity of King Oumar is suspect. The fourth case involved magic, a force as poorly understood as aegislash themselves. The remaining practitioners are highly secretive and much of the ancient knowledge has been lost. In any event, practitioners are often extremely reluctant to work with aegislash and their hosts. The final case comes from another story of dubious historicity where a warrior king on the Indian subcontinent fought his way throughout a series of legendary battles and eventually achieved enlightenment, helping his aegislash pass on. The final case comes from the legends of a reclusive sect of the Church of Life that could allegedly pass their doublade from one living host to another. This suggests that doublade could theoretically choose to leave their hosts but provides little guidance on how to convince them to do so.

Evolution

Honedge evolve after they become comfortable with a host and believe that they will continue to be fed enough to support evolution. This usually occurs when battles come frequently and their host has demonstrated a drive to keep going to higher levels. In other words, trainers on journeys are close to the ideal candidates for honedge to evolve under. Honedge undergo a modified flash evolution. The scabbard undergoes the glow of flash evolution while the blade simply becomes wreathed in shadows before splitting in two. The current host of the honedge will experience a greatly deepened spiritual bond with their pokémon following the evolution. Some have reported having difficulty separating their concept of self from that of the doublade, a problem not usually reported with trainers who later bonded with an already-evolved specimen.

Aegislash evolution is similar. Doublade will only evolve if they are receiving far more energy than they need and sense great potential in their host. Most will only evolve if they regard their host as a sort of royalty or at least possessing the ability to easily become royalty with an aegislash’s help. Exposure to a dusk stone may accelerate the process but does not always trigger evolution. Even when it does the new aegislash may burn through their host’s spirit out of either spite or a lack of control. Doublade sheath both blades in the scabbard before flash evolving into their final form.

Battle

Aegislash strongly prefer to battle alongside their host. Even honedge can transfer knowledge to their host midbattle to allow amateurs to instantly master sword fighting. The exact styles the pokémon prefers to use vary heavily based on their design, their past wielders, those they have slain, and their innate abilities. Every aegislash has some unique power they can wield that was forged into the first of their line (see Breeding). Sometimes this power is nearly useless in standard competitive battles, or even makes them too dangerous to use in sport. The aegislash that inflict wounds that never heal are banned from every legitimate circuit.

In competitive play aegislash are one of the top-tier threats that are balanced by the difficulty in caring for them. Relatively few trainers have an aegislash. Not every team needs a counter for them to be viable. But trainers that go against an aegislash unprepared are likely to be destroyed. Aegislash’s shield is nigh-unbreakable and can effortlessly shrug off even spiritual damage. Direct physical contact with the shield also inflicts an excruciating curse. Only the sword is particularly vulnerable. Even then aegislash can only really be worn down to the point where they do not wish to continue losing energy in the fight. Trainers will usually forfeit the round when it becomes clear that their aegislash will expend more energy winning than it is worth. The energy intensity of battles is only worth it for the prospect of draining power from others. Losing matches can be extremely costly for the aegislash’s host.

Offensively aegislash are extremely skilled and clever combatants that can set elaborate traps and draw on firsthand or secondhand experience fighting almost every pokémon they will encounter. Their sword strikes are also sharp, powerful, and cursed. A direct hit from an aegislash is one of the most brutal wounds a pokémon can sustain. Even their ranged attacks are debilitating and can knock out some opponents in a few strikes. Some analysts believe that aegislash might be better as ranged attackers than melee ones. However, aegislash will approach even foes that can punish them to land their final strikes. It is easiest for them to drain opponents with their blade and their main goal in every fight is maximal feeding, not quick victories.

If you must fight an aegislash, there are a few ways to exploit them. They dislike hot flames. Extremely hot fire-types such as volcarona can keep aegislash from getting close, reducing their desire to fight. Volcarona can also engulf the entire arena in flames and leave aegislash with nowhere to hide. If the entire stadium is alight shielding from one direction cannot save them. Other attacks that alter the entire arena can be good for this, but most area of effect attacks take the form of a single wave. These can be mostly blocked. Aegislash also have a low movement speed and can potentially be trapped. Dark-types can shrug off shadow balls and punish the aegislash at range, but they can be devastated by a sacred sword if their opponent gets close enough. Spiritomb, while exceedingly rare, do not have this weakness and seem to be immune to most of aegislash’s curses. Mineral pokémon are resistant to spiritual damage and are often durable enough to take physical strikes from an aegislash. Slow mineral pokémon can struggle to land hits on the blade rather than the shield. The difficulty in feeding off of them also means that aegislash will be content to hang back and fire off shadow balls and flash cannons until the switch clock runs out.

In short, there is no reliable way of countering an aegislash barring extremely powerful fire-types. Successful trainers will need to have an extremely powerful pokémon capable of exploiting one of aegislash’s few weaknesses as well as an excellent strategy to win.

Doublade and honedge are relentless attackers. Most of their arsenals are offensive and they rely on getting close and continuously attacking until they can finish off their opponent with a few cursed strikes. Doublade will sometimes have one blade play defensively while the other attacks. Some will even use their scabbard as a makeshift shield. The scabbard does not have the invulnerability and curses of an aegislash shield and is less useful as a result. Doublade and honedge also lack the ranged firepower of their evolved form. It is best to fight them at range, never letting them get close enough to land a sword strike.

Acquisition

There are very few truly wild honedge, doublade, and aegislash. Most will only be actively looking for trainers for a short time after their host’s death. They will also seek out their own trainers rather than waiting to be sought. As such there is no reliable place to find them. In any event we cannot recommend bonding with one. Doing so is a lifelong commitment that will probably kill the trainer prematurely. There are few pokémon as strong as aegislash, but there are many pokémon that can carry their trainer through the end of the island challenge without being a chronic health hazard.

Technically none of the evolutionary stages possess a licensing requirement. It would be impossible to safely take the pokémon away after bonding has occurred so traditional penalties would be pointless. Besides, being bonded to the line is punishment enough. Trainers are still strongly encouraged to pursue at least a Class IV license if they find themselves bonded with a cursed blade. They are often eager to help their host learn more about the potential enemies they could be facing.

Dormant honedge should not be handled, even with gloves. Anyone who suspects the old sword they have found is actually a honedge, doublade, or aegislash should immediately contact the Pokémon League so it can be safely assessed and contained.

Breeding

Aegislash linages begin their lives as non-sentient swords. In ages long gone by mystical swordsmiths would forge blades with extraordinary powers and gift them to kings or heroes. There is no apparent consequence for using unawakened blades. These blades were typically forged to match the usual style of the area they were made in or the preferences of their intended first wielder. After they have shed enough blood, the blade will awaken. The formerly empty hole in the hilt will be filled with the pokémon’s eye and the current wielder will become the newborn honedge’s first host.

New honedge are created by aegislash. The pokémon possesses a skilled blacksmith, acquires sufficient quantities of blood, steel, and silver, and begins to forge a new blade. In the past these blades were usually unawakened so the aegislash did not have to put the effort in themselves to awaken the honedge. Now, when even magic swords are rarely used, the aegislash must use possessed hosts to kill enough people to awaken the honedge. Aegislash tend to reproduce only when they are well-fed and either believe their current host would approve of making more blades or dislike their host enough to implicate them in multiple murders. New honedge typically have the same form and abilities as their progenitor, but both of these can be tweaked to match the current circumstances. Incredibly lethal abilities are slowly becoming more suitable for competitive matches to account for the best way to gain energy now. As warfare transitions towards projectile weapons, honedge are also growing smaller to be better concealed and used in assassinations and murders rather than on the battlefield.

No new lineage has been documented in four hundred years. The swordsmiths themselves are cloaked in mystery. Whether they were possessed by ghosts, powerful elementals, reclusive sages, visitors from other worlds, or simply very skilled craftsmen is still debated. Even the most outlandish theories must be seriously considered when investigating the origins of aegislash.

Relatives

According to legend, Alola’s aegislash lineage began approximately six hundred years ago when the kahuna of Ula’Ula summoned the other kahunas to the peak of Mauna Lanakila and had them killed. At the time a witch had arrived from across the sea and slain a monster, believed to be a guzzlord. The nephew of the slain Melemele kahuna came to the witch and asked for assistance in defeating the kahuna of Ula’Ula. She agreed and provided him with a sword that was able to fire blasts of lightning. He defeated the Ula’Ula kahuna and the witch bound her soul with those of her family, guards, and co-conspirators to form a spiritomb. The hero was made the ruler of Melemele. He married the witch and had a child with her. The boy was a powerful dark elemental. The witch went on to create Alola’s stonjourner megalith. The hero, for his part, would be driven mad by his aegislash’s bloodlust and started his own attempt to conquer the islands. He was slain during the war. The witch went into the Haina Valley shortly after and was never seen again.

The names of everyone involved in this legend were not recorded to weaken their spirits and prevent them from having the legacy they desired. Its historicity is dubious, but it does explain the aegislash, spiritomb, and stonjourner on the islands. The stonjourner refer to the witch as The Pale Woman but offer few details. The aegislash refuse to speak of her at all. No one has asked the spiritomb during the brief periods they have been active. At least, no one has asked, survived, and recorded the answer. For now the true origins of Alola’s aegislash remain shrouded in mystery.

The Alolan aegislash resemble the crude skarmory feather swords used at the time due to the lack of advanced metallurgy or large iron deposits on the islands. They are long, straight, single-edged swords that are surprisingly lightweight. Almost all of them possess the ability to use electrical attacks such as thunderbolt. There is some debate as to whether the different aegislash lineages should be separated into their own species or subspecies. The proposed Alolan species is C. kukokoko, or C. d. kukokoko.

Aegislash are probably related to spiritomb, stonjourner, golurk, and claydol. There are enough myths linking them across the world that there is probably some element of truth to them. For now they are tentatively grouped together in the family Automota.

 

[Negrek]

This is a fun one! Always enjoy seeing interpretations of your not-traditionally-alive pokémon, and the honedge line is one of the stranger (and strangely dark) ones for sure. Big props for the ways that aegislash go out of their way to help their trainer, provide advice, and are generally on very good terms with them, while also generally draining them to death when they aren't able to get enough murders any other way. Really interesting combination of manipulation and self-interest combined with (usually) genuine fondness for their host.

The mystery around who forged the original honedge is super interesting to me as well, in addition to the fact that they all have their own unique magical properties. Very fun addition to their canon properties there... like they weren't cool enough already, heh. In general the mythical elements associated with the pokémon are a good time--we get a taste here, obviously, but you can imagine all the stories of hubris or revenge or corruption that involve somebody picking up an aegislash, and all the attempts to rescue the wielder or simply destroy the blade... good stuff. Definitely an iconic pokémon, and one that lends itself to loads of fun (and often tragic, lol) fanfic scenarios. A great choice for an Aloladex commission!

One aspect of this evolutionary line that I've always found odd that wasn't touched on here was the one blade -> two blade -> one blade again progression. It's really odd to me that the middle stage splits in half and then re-fuses to form the final stage. Wonder why that might happen.

 

[Persephone]

Kangaskhan
Macropod ruberupes

Overview

The giant kangaskhan of Australia fascinated the first Europeans to visit. Over time they became nearly synonymous with the continent itself in the public imagination. Kangaskhan are large herbivores with strong maternal instincts and the power to defeat almost any predator on the continent in a straight fight. Over time the giant kangaskhan has been introduced to safari parks the world over. They have often escaped to form feral populations.

There are no feral giant kangaskhan in Alola. There are, however, golden kangaskhan. This species is smaller than the giant kangaskhan but far more agile. In Australia they are commonly found in arid, rocky terrain. A mob escaped from a private collector on Akala in 1983. Since then they have begun to thrive in the area around Mauna Wela. The Department of Natural Resources has not taken action against them for a few reasons. The first is that as a large herbivore they are filling a niche otherwise unoccupied in the Mauna Wela area. They also prefer to browse from trees and shrubs than eat grasses, meaning they do not directly compete with marowak, either. The second major reason is that the golden kangaskhan are an endangered species in Australia due to poaching, capture for the pet trade, and habitat fragmentation. There is less interest in ex situ breeding efforts than the more charismatic giant kangaskhan. Akala’s feral population is therefore an important bulwark against the species extinction.

Golden kangaskhan may only be about as quarter as heavy as their giant counterparts, but their superior agility means they can be nearly as useful in battle. Kangaskhan adjust well to captivity and can even be quite protective of their trainers. They have the same logistical problems as other large herbivores but are otherwise relatively easy to care for. Kangaskhan are a good choice for trainers who are serious about seeing the island challenge to the end and want to add a relatively friendly normal-type to their team.

Physiology

Kangaskkhan are classified as pure normal-types. The designation is not disputed.

While giant kangaskhan are very stocky and usually walk upright, golden kangaskhan are smaller and only stand on their hindlegs and tail to fight or survey the area. They otherwise walk on all fours. Golden kangaskhan have relatively lean bodies. Their hindlegs are long and have an unusual toe pattern. The first digit is absent, the third and fourth digit are fused and much longer than the others, and the fifth digit is comparatively short. Kangaskhan’s hindlegs also contain an unusual Achilles’ tendon that can stretch to hold mechanical energy before releasing it in a powerful bounce. Landing stretches the tendon again, allowing for another bounce. Golden kangaskhan’s comparatively long hindlegs let them bounce faster and for longer distances than the giant kangaskhan who only bounce to get in close for a melee attack. Their tail is still stocky like their larger cousins but is longer and used more for balance while moving than balance while standing. Golden kangaskhan’s forelimbs are shorter and heavily muscled. Their digits are tipped in claws to increase the power of their punches.

Golden kangaskhan have yellow fur over most of their body with a white patch on the stomach around the pouch. Instead of thick fur they have thin red ruff on their limbs. Kangaskhan have a dark red patch on the top of their head. Leathery callouses cover important joints and arteries to provide a crude form of armor.

Kangaskhan are most famous for their pouches. Females have a pouch on their lower abdomen that contains two teats. Joeys live in the pouch until around eighteen months of age and continue to intermittently suckle until they are almost three years old. This is not the strangest part of kangaskhan’s reproductive anatomy. Aside from the day they give birth, sexually mature females are always pregnant. This is due to their two small wombs and their ability to hold embryos in a state of stasis called embryonic diapause. Upon mating the kangaskhan will keep two fertilized embryos in her wombs. After developing the embryos for a few weeks, kangaskhan can freeze their development while keeping them alive. They will continue to hold both embryo in diapause until their most recent joey leaves the pouch. Then they will resume the development of one embryo while keeping the other in stasis. The kangaskhan will mate shortly after to fertilize a second embryo to hold in diapause. Males also have pouches, but theirs lack an opening and the teats within are underdeveloped.

Like other related marsupials, kangaskhan lack lower canine teeth. Instead their two lower incisors are large enough to cover the gap. This is an adaptation to support their diet of grass and browse.

Kangaskhan can grow to be six feet tall when standing bipedally and weigh up to one hundred and fifty pounds. They live an average of fifteen years in the wild. Captive specimens can live for up to thirty years.

Behavior

Kangaskhan live in mobs of ten to two hundred individuals. The females and males have their own hierarchy with ideal basking spots and access to mates determined by rank. Captive mobs tend to have particularly strict hierarchies. In the wild where disfavored individuals can simply leave and space is not an issue social status is much less important. It can takes weeks of observations to determine social rankings if no mating is observed.

While giant kangaskhan prefer to stick to savannahs, forest edges, and tall grasslands, golden kangaskhan live in some of the harshest environments in Australia. Their longer limbs and lower weight make them ideal rock climbers that can traverse nearly vertical cliffs with ease. Golden kangaskhan can sweat, pant, and lick their forearms to help with thermoregulation in desert environments. They are primarily nocturnal so they can avoid activity at the hottest parts of the day.

Golden kangaskhan are primarily grazers that feed on grasses and shoots. They can also stand upright to eat low-hanging fruits and nuts. The entire mob will forage in the same area. If one detects danger they will thump their tail against the ground. The males will then band together to deal with the predator while the females and juveniles escape. Success in fights against predators is one of the key factors in determining social rank.

While kangaskhan live in large mobs and engage in collective defenses they are not actually social creatures. Males almost never interact with conspecifics outside of mating and battle. Adult females are doting mothers but otherwise keep to themselves. The mobs are arrangements of convenience more than elaborate social networks.

Females will almost always have two joeys. One will primarily live in the pouch. The other will primarily live outside of it. Pouched joeys almost never go more than a body length or two away from their mother. Free-roaming joeys become increasingly independent as they grow older. There is a formal ceremony of sorts for when a free-roaming joey leaves their mother. This occurs when the pouched joey becomes large enough to wander away from her mother. The ritual consists of a loud call from the mother that has been compared to a wailing lament. Translated conversations suggest that there is some anthropomorphizing in this view: the primary purpose of the call is actually to signal that the mother’s joey is now an independent member of the species and that she will be receptive to mating in the coming days once the new joey is born. The older joey would actually be kicked out if they continued to stay around too much longer after their younger sibling has left the pouch.

Kangaskhan retain a loose matrilineal network. Mothers will generally be willing to socialize with or provide some care for their adult children. They just will not watch over them constantly or provide continuous assistance like they previously did. Adult children can overstay their welcome with their mother. There are documented instances of aggression between a mother and her adult children.

In Alola kangaskhan are more prone to browsing on low tree branches than grazing on the dry grass. Marowak can already do the latter while there is little competition for the browsing niche around Mauna Wela. Kangaskhan can still feed on yellow or brown grasses, though, and often do so in Australia.

Husbandry

Kangaskhan are medium-sized herbivores. They will require one pound of vegetables and four pounds of leafy greens or hay per day. Vitamin E supplements should be given once a week to prevent deficiency. Leafy greens are more nutritious but hay is often cheaper and easier to acquire and transport. Some places will allow kangaskhan to freely graze or browse. Others will not. Check the restrictions on your travel path ahead of time. Peanuts and fruit should not be a core part of a kangaskhan’s diet but make for good rewards. Females often dislike bending over and prefer to eat out of elevated food bowls. Males prefer to eat off the ground.

Golden kangaskhan are well adapted to life in arid deserts. They can go several days without drinking water. They should still be offered a water bowl or a suction-based water dispenser at least once a day. Kangaskhan with a primarily hay-based diet should be offered water at dusk and dawn.

During the day kangaskhan mainly rest. Sometimes they will seek out shade. Most days they enjoy sunbathing. Kangaskhan prefer to be held in their ball when traveling during midday. During the night, dusk, and dawn they are more active and dislike being held in their ball. As a nocturnal species their activity spikes when their trainer is most likely to be attempting to sleep. While they are not a social species that will demand their trainer’s time, kangaskhan are large pokémon that need space to bounce around. Some pokémon centers will have fenced off yards the pokémon can use at night. Others will not. Kangaskhan are too large for most predators to bother dealing with them, making it generally safe to leave them out at night on the trail. An exception should be made in places with large carnivorous dragons or pack-hunting canines.

Kangaskhan’s favorite enrichment opportunity are chances to climb. Large piles of rocks, steep cliff faces, and some playground equipment are great places for them to explore and rest on. Kangaskhan are also generally tolerant of children and will tolerate being pet gently by strangers. This makes them popular visitors to larger city playgrounds. If they do not want to be pet they can always retreat to the roof of the structure or some other place out of reach. Kangaskhan can jump eight feet vertically or twenty feet horizontally in a single bound. Their exceptional balance lets them walk on narrow ledges. However, they do not enjoy most climbing walls. They are usually too steep and the footholds too small for them. Kangaskhan have been known to climb up the waterfalls or rapids for entertainment and bathing.

Male kangaskhan are usually wary of very large carnivores but otherwise fine with all teammates. They are unlikely to socialize but also will not cause problems. Female kangaskhan often lash out at any predatory teammates in preemptive defense of her children. Even ghosts and large herbivores can put females on edge.

Female kangaskhan will spend most of their time watching over their children and tend to see the trainer as a food source and occasional inconvenience more than anything. They can be bonded with and become strong and willing battlers, but this is difficult. Pokémon Centers will also count the free roaming joey as a separate team member, putting the effective team size limit at five pokémon. Males are easier to acquire, calmer, and somewhat larger and stronger than females.

The one advantage female kangaskhan have is that they are very nurturing. They will sometimes adopt young teammates and make sure they are well cared for and protected. Pre-teen trainers will often earn the same protectiveness.

Illness

Kangaskhan are one of the few pokémon whose most common and most serious illness in captivity is a dental problem. Lumpy jaw is a bacterial infection that begins as swelling inside of the bones of the jaw, distorting them and leading to internal honeycombing as pus builds up. The infection will eventually break through the skin and result in a great deal of discharge. Advanced cases will spread to other bones and distort the shape of the head. Infected kangaskhan have a 60% mortality rate. However, there are ways to prevent and treat the disease. Frequent dental checks can catch it early when treatment is more likely to succeed.

Curiously, lumpy jaw has never been seen in wild populations. It is believed to be a problem of captive diets, although nutritionists are still studying the exact causes. At present it is believed that kangaskhan diets should be firm rather than soft, but contain no sharp edges that could cut the mouth and be a vector for infection.

Other illnesses are usually hidden by the pokémon for as long as they can get away with. They are a prey species and are reluctant to show any sign of weakness. Females in particular will act as if nothing is wrong until they are on death’s door. Some illnesses will result in a discharge of bloody mucous. If observed the pokémon should immediately be taken to a veterinarian.

If the joeys are sick their mother will become very agitated and demand the trainer do something. They have been known to take out deaths on their trainer regardless of how responsible they actually were. Do not approach a female in mourning without ample protection and an air of caution.

Evolution

For the time being free-roaming joeys are not classified as a separate evolutionary stage. They are physiologically identical to adults save their smaller size, slightly brighter colors, and sexual immaturity. There is some debate as to whether in-pouch joeys should be their own stage. Very young joeys are developmentally similar to the fetuses of placental mammals, just moved from the womb to the pouch. Infant and planktonic forms are not usually classified as evolutionary stages in their own right. For now kangaskhan remain a single-stage evolutionary line.

Female giant kangaskhan are capable of mega evolution. Some golden kangaskhan are as well, although others do not take to the process. Males cannot mega evolve. All of the energy is directed to the in-pouch joey, accelerating their physical development and making them far stronger and tougher than they should be. The enhanced joey also appears to be mindless outside of attacking their mother’s enemies. Mega evolution does not appear to cause long-term harm to the joey. The mother will still be distressed during and after the battle. It should be used sparingly, if at all.

Battle

People still use mega evolved giant kangaskhan in battle because they are good melee fighters. The mother fights even harder with her joey on the field and the joey is unexpectedly formidable. Giant kangaskhan in general are quite durable and can punch harder than some fighting types. Anything that gets behind them can be hit by a tail swipe. They are not as formidable as machamp or hariyama but are far more durable. There are similarities between their playstyle and that of snorlax, another durable, strong, and slow normal-type. Kangaskhan are far easier to care for than the bears.

Without mega evolution giant kangaskhan can still hold their own on lower competitive circuits, even if they do not see much usage in the upper echelons. All three of the ranked trainers known to use kangaskhan consistently mega evolve theirs.

Golden kangaskhan are smaller and less durable than their cousins but are considerably more agile. They can run circles around smaller opponents, waiting for a chance to land a devastating punch or kick. This is not enough for them to see use at the top of competitive play and Australian trainers typically have access to giant kangaskhan. They are still occasionally seen and do rather well, just not well enough for them to have a consistent niche.

Kangaskhan are relatively straight forward in battle. They keep hopping around the field to find an opening and, when they find one, they leap in to land a flurry of melee strikes before leaping back out of range. Their vertical jumps give them some ability to hit fliers, especially in indoor arenas. Anything faster than them can be difficult to deal with. Particularly durable physical walls can also take their hits and land a devastating counterattack. In island trials they are best deployed towards the end of the battle when the totem is ideally tired and weakened. Kangaskhan excel at getting in and landing the final strikes.

Out-of-pouch joeys should only be battled with against very weak opponents and with their mother’s permission and presence. In-pouch joeys old enough to fully leave the pouch will be taken out and sent to the sidelines before a fight. Kangaskhan battling with an in-pouch joey will be extremely cautious about blows to the abdomen and strike with extra ferocity when they do get the chance. This is usually more of a drawback than an advantage. Mega evolution can somewhat mitigate this problem. Males are still recommended for casual trainers.

Acquisition

Kangaskhan can be found within Wela National Park. Vagrants sometimes wander into Routes 5, 6, and 7. As an introduced species capture is usually legal, even within park limits. Sometimes the National Park Service (NPS) will restrict capture of males or the entire population. The introduction program is still being studied. For now, the NPS wants a small but self-sustaining wild population.

Males can typically be captured after a proving battle and a few bribes of nuts and fruit. They settle onto teams easily enough and seldom cause problems. Be absolutely sure that the male you are attempting to have a proving battle with is an adult. Anything that appears to be shorter than five feet tall is suspect and poses too much of a risk of provoking an angry mother.

Females are unlikely to take capture attempts well. They have one to two joeys to look after and are not interested in making major life decisions with an uncertain outcome. Capture can still be done but the female is unlikely to be cooperative, even after bribes. Make sure that any out-of-pouch joeys are also captured. Most trainers who use female kangaskhan acquired theirs from a breeder rather than the wild. This is the best way of doing so. Akala has a kangaskhan specialist breeder who works with both giant and golden specimens. Ula’Ula has a generalist Australian mammals breeder that works with giant kangaskhan, marowak, blissey, lycanroc, and komala. Out-of-pouch joeys are also occasionally available for sale or adoption from private trainers.

Male kangaskhan can be captured, adopted, or purchased with a Class II license. Females can be adopted or purchased with a Class III license or captured with a Class IV license.

Breeding

Kangaskhan breeding is usually as simple as introducing a male to a female as soon as her out-of-pouch joey leaves. Mating should occur within a few days, at which point they can be separated again. To avoid conflicts the mating pair should have their own paddock away from other males or females. Males and females can use large mixed- or same-sex yards when breeding is not occurring.

At most times kangaskhan will be pregnant with two fetuses and have two children they are looking after. They are quite capable of looking after their children on their own outside of medical emergencies. Even trusted trainers should be hesitant to approach an out-of-pouch joey. Kangaskhan are anxious mothers and seldom give warnings before lashing out.

It can take several months to realize that a joey has been born. Some captive-born kangaskhan will accept pouch checks. Others will not. Around 130 days after birth the joey will begin to partially emerge from the pouch. They will not leave it entirely for another 100 days. For another 130 they will still spend a great deal of time sleeping in the pouch. At this point they will emerge from the pouch full time (except for nursing) and the old out-of-pouch joey will be kicked out. At this point it is safe to remove the joey from the enclosure and adopt or sell them to another trainer.

If a mother dies and leaves joeys behind, another kangaskhan will step up to watch over her offspring. Kangaskhan have also been observed adopting other marsupials, placental mammals, humans, and even young predators like rockruff. One was seen shepherding a geodude around the Australian desert. They are particularly likely to adopt after one of their own joeys has died. This is when almost all interspecies adoptions occur.

If no male kangaskhan is available for a month after the female becomes receptive she may become willing to crossbreed with other marsupials. Other kangaskhan species are still their preferred mates. Golden-giant hybrids are sometimes bred for their mix of durability and mobility. Males are less willing to mate outside their species than females.

Relatives

The giant kangaskhan (M. macropod) are relatively popular pokémon. Some trainers even pick them as alternative starters. Males can grow to be nine feet tall and weigh six hundred pounds. Females routinely grow to be seven feet tall and weigh four hundred pounds. They are much bulkier creatures than golden kangaskhan with femurs thicker than some golden kangaskhan’s necks. This leaves them unable to move quickly over long distances. Giant kangaskhan instead stand their ground against attackers and use their devastating strength to deal with anything that approaches. Most predators give them a wide berth. Giant kangaskhan are obligate browsers that fare poorly on a hay-based diet. Browse and leafy greens should make up over 80% of their diet while vegetables and the occasional treat cover the rest. This makes giant kangaskhan rather expensive for a casual trainer to raise. It also limits them geographically to savannahs and forest edges, while golden kangaskhan can survive much further into the desert. Giant kangaskhan are capable of moving on all fours and frequently do so. They just stand upright to survey their surroundings, browse, and jump.

There are five other living macropods, all smaller than the golden kangaskhan. Grant’s kangaskhan (M. sciurus) are only around three feet tall and are excellent climbers. They prefer to live in dense forests, using their leaping abilities to get into the branches and move from tree to tree. This ability lets them access fruits and avoid ground-based predators. The blue kangaskhan (M. wilsoni) use their tails and large hind feet to swim through the water and feed on the grasses at the bottom of shallow ponds and rivers. This does make them exceptionally vulnerable to the crocodilians that live in Australia’s waters. They were probably never common but are now critically endangered due to human development and pollution in their habitat. The other three species are smaller versions of the giant and golden kangaskhan that make up for their smaller size with numbers and the ability to hide in tall grasses. They also need less food, allowing them to survive in even harsher environments than the golden kangaskhan can.

The extinct praetorian kangaskhan (M. imprerius) was a relative of the giant kangaskhan that may have reached heights of fifteen feet or more. When the glaciers receded and the climate became increasingly hotter they were unable to support themselves in the increasingly arid interior or comfortable maneuver in the coastal rainforests, eventually leading to their extinction. There have been attempts to revive the species via cloning but they have not yet succeeded.

 

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Cinderace (Scorbunny, Raboot)
Lepis vulcanorum medioagri

Overview

Wild cinderace are native to a handful of volcanoes around Tenochtitlan, the historic capitol of the Aztec Empire and the modern state of Anahuac. The wild specimens are smaller and far more timid than their captive descendants. They are notable for their skill at climbing cliffs and their very warm fur. Wild cinderace also have flame glands on their feet to make kicks particularly effective at deterring anything that would attack them from behind. The glands are used in a strange dominance ritual between males where a pebble is kicked back and forth between them until it explodes, grows too hot for one to handle safely, or one cannot catch the pebble and send it back.

Cinderace were first domesticated by the Nahua for their fur and potentially for delivering supplies up cliffs or into precarious construction sites. They quickly became far more popular for their skill at sports. Domestic cinderace are competitive and want to prove themselves in any game that even remotely resembles their pebble dominance displays. In pre-contact Mesoamerica, wars between states and tribes were fought on the battlefield. Contests between different nobles within a city were decided on the ballcourt, either in games between humans or in a contest of cinderace. The former could generate sacrifices in a time of scarcity. The latter could provide a more dramatic spectacle given the hares’ superior athletic abilities and usage of fire. Spectacle was useful for proving a noble’s power and keeping the masses distracted from the savageries of the Aztecs.

Over time cinderace were traded across the new world and came to be used in a variety of settings across the continents, from the Algonquin ball courts by the great lakes to the racetracks of the Inca high in the Andes. One Paldean priest commented that while the standard ball games of the Aztecs were seen as practice for war, the cinderace games were framed as a form of sun worship. This was the duality of Huitzilopochtli, god of war and sun.

Cinderace’s fire made them less convenient than lopunny for creating fur. They never caught on with European peasants the same way that lopunny did. The European nobility, and later the commoners, would still delight in the cinderace’s increasingly elaborate imitations of human games.

Cinderace’s competitive spirit, relative ease of care, and general friendliness has made them the standard fire starter in Galar and a popular alternative starter in much of their range. Trainers able to get their hands on one may find them to be an excellent alternative, or addition, to the more common litten.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as pure fire-types. There are common arguments made that they should have a dual normal- or fighting-typing added on. Cinderace are remarkably adept at using other forms of elemental energy. Some of the strongest specimens have even learned to use it defensively, cloaking themselves in a shield of darkness to block psychic attacks or a layer of poison to deter physical attackers from coming closer. A normal typing is common for both pokémon that excel at using a wide spectrum of elemental energies and domesticated pokémon. Fighting would fit with cinderace’s strength and competitive spirit.

Scorbunny are hares with thick white fur that is resistant to both cold and flame. The tips of their feet and ears are colored red. Scorbunny’s most interesting features are their internal flame sac and their three flame glands. The flame sac is usually only smoldering and must be fed by increased oxygen. Thee line need some time to build up their flames through increased physical activity and deeper breaths. One gland is located on the nose with the other two on the hind legs. The gland on the nose cannot be used for long without burning all of the oxygen the pokémon tries to inhale. Scorbunny’s hind legs are also structured in such a way that they can make impressive horizontal and vertical jumps or walk bipedally for a short time. In the wild this primarily helps them survey the environment by looking above the grass and make abrupt leaps for cover or higher elevations when in danger. Domesticated scorbunny have proportionally less jumping range and an increased ability to stand bipedally.

Raboot have a more varied color scheme than scorbunny. Their lower half is coated in black fur, aside from the toes which are red. The fur from the middle of the abdomen to the lower jaw is red. The toes on the forelegs and the fur above the lower jaw are coated in grey fur. Raboot’s first flame sac has moved from the nose to the forehead. They cannot see while this is active but can continue to breathe for approximately thirty seconds. Domesticated raboot are much more capable of standing on two legs than their wild counterparts or domesticated scorbunny. Both wild and domesticated forms have an elongated and elastic Achilles tendon to allow for energy to be conserved between jumps. Wild raboot typically use this to make a few increasingly powerful leaps in quick succession. Raboot can stand bipedally and hop around the area in a series of fluid leaps.

Domesticated cinderace are primarily bipedal, only going down to all fours to rest. The fur on their upper body has lightened back to white with black patches on the shoulders and a red tuft on the forehead. The thighs on the hind legs are coated in red or yellow fur. Cinderace’s ears are much longer than their predecessors and are partially used for venting body heat. Finally, the first flame gland has expanded to cover most of the forehead with three narrow prongs.

Cinderace have a wild lifespan of four years and a captive lifespan of ten. They can grow to be fifty-five inches tall, excluding the ears, and weigh up to eighty pounds.

Behavior

Wild and feral cinderace tend to live in teams of five adults and any scorbunny they are caring for. Each team consists of two males and three females. One male and two females are dominant and are allowed to breed. The others are non-dominant and do not breed. They only grow to about three-quarters the size of their breeding counterparts. Dominant males and females often bully the subordinate members of the team, sometimes with deadly results. When one of the dominant pokémon dies or otherwise leaves the team the non-dominant member of the same sex will experience a shift in hormones that allows them to grow to full size and compels them to begin mating.

Cinderace use their powerful hindlegs to dig dens in loose soils. In rocky areas with high cliffs they may instead elect to simply rest in a small enclave that is difficult to reach from the ground. One female will stay behind to guard for the nest and nurse any young living there while the others go out during the day to forage. During the night all team members typically huddle together in the nest. In Alola the feral cinderace are less physically affectionate with each other than they are on the high-elevation volcanoes they inhabit in Anahuac.

Territorial disputes between teams are decided by contests between the dominant males. They will kick a pebble back and forth until it explodes or one party backs down. The exact ruleset of the wild game is poorly understood. Feral populations play different games, often involving the entire team, inspired by the games they witnessed in human civilizations.

Raboot tend to live in their own teams apart from the cinderace and scorbunny. When they evolve they will either attempt to form their own team with other newly evolved cinderace or replace a departed adult in an existing team. Raboot spend a great deal of their time practicing the games that are popular among the local cinderace.

Cinderace are grazers that feed on tall grasses. They prefer to live in open forests that break the line of sight for large raptors. Foraging typically occurs at the edge of the forest. In the dry season cinderace will eat shrubs and small trees to ensure they are getting enough nutrients and water in their diet. Wild cinderace almost never drink water.

Husbandry

Cinderace are relatively low maintenance, especially when compared to other fire-types. They do not have constant open flames. In fact, cinderace almost never cause accidental fires either. Their physically affectionate and social nature means they are likely to spend a great deal of time around their trainer. The hares’ competitive spirit makes them eager battlers.

Commercial rabbit pellets can make up the core of a cinderace’s diet. Carrots and alfalfa can round out the diet and constitute at least 20% of it by weight. Theoretically up to 90% of a cinderace’s diet could be alfalfa so long as Vitamin D and Calcium supplements were added. Captive cinderace should be offered a water bowl to drink from at least twice a day. Commercial pellets are drier than the foods they eat in the wild and battling is more energy-intensive than their territorial games. Like all lagomorphs, cinderace will also need to have something available to gnaw on.

One of the few problems with cinderace care is that they are natural bullies. They will seldom cause problems for teammates of the opposite sex but can relentlessly bully mammals of the same sex. This either ends up greatly straining team dynamics or with the tables being turned on the hare, putting them into a position where they may not be able to grow to their full size. The easiest way to handle this is to have cinderace be the only male mammal on a team or to have no more than one other female mammal with a female specimen. This prevents bullying. Cinderace can actually be caring teammates so long as their bullying instincts are not triggered.

Raboot will go stir crazy if they go a few days without a competition. They may drag teammates into a battle whether or not they are willing. Organized sparring matches with teammates can alleviate this problem. However, the best way to handle the matter is simply to give them real battles whenever possible.

Illness

The most common health problem in older specimens is pneumonia. The symptoms generally manifest as wheezing and a sudden lack of energy. If an older cinderace is inexplicably inactive they should be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Early cases can often be treated by antibiotics.

Coccidia is another major health problem, especially for scorbunny and raboot, and one that can be difficult to deal with. Coccidia is an intestinal disease caused by eating the feces of an infected pokémon. Cinderace, like most lagomorphs, coprophagic. That is, they eat their own feces as a matter of course. Once a specimen is infected they will need to be carefully monitored to ensure that they do not eat their feces and reinfect themselves. Common symptoms include diarrhea and loss of appetite. Stool should regularly be checked to ensure that there are no signs of infection. Pharmaceutical treatments are rarely used for coccidia cases. The pokémon should be kept comfortable and well-fed while being closely monitored to ensure they do not eat their own feces. They may need to be hydrated via syringe if they refuse to eat or drink. If the illness progresses to this state the pokémon will probably require inpatient medical care.

Evolution

Scorbunny evolve into raboot around five months of age in both the wild and captivity. The process is gradual. In the wild it is marked by the pokémon being kicked out of their mother’s team. In captivity it is usually determined by the growth of darker fur and an increased amount of time walking bipedally. Evolution into cinderace typically occurs around ten months of age in the wild or eight months of age in captivity. It is marked by a shift back towards lighter colored fur.

Battle

Cinderace are relatively popular pokémon due to their competitive spirit, strategic thinking, and versatility. Their offensive stats are only okay the higher echelons of competitive play – they can move at speeds up to thirty miles per hour and hit with approximately 300 PSI in their kicks. Cinderace are less frail than other lagomorphs but can still have their bones broken or shattered by stronger attacks.

Even at the highest levels cinderace still have a niche. They are melee attackers that can use pyro ball to turn small pebbles or clumps of dirt into devastating projectiles that can inflict second degree burns on impact. Cinderace also have great situational awareness and try to keep themselves in the optimal position before, during, and after attacks. They are known for using strategic taunts and kicks to knock enemies onto their own hazards. Cinderace’s versatility can also let them infuse attacks with additional elemental energy or temporarily use it as a cloak to shield themselves. Opponents relying exclusively on one type of elemental attack can find themselves outmaneuvered by cinderace. Versatile attackers, especially those with overwhelming power, can still hit cinderace hard enough that this does not matter.

At high levels cinderace should always be on the offense. Different situations can call for different types of offense, like pyro ball shots at a range or powerful kicks up close, but if cinderace is not attacking the opponent can find an opening and demolish them.

Galarian trainers can infuse their cinderace with dynamax energy to unlock a special gigantamax form. This state allows the cinderace to create fireballs over ninety feet tall but does not substantially alter the cinderace. This makes them extremely frail for a dynamaxed pokémon but monstrously powerful, capable of burning up even dynamaxed opponents in one or two hits.

In amateur battles cinderace’s frailty is less pronounced. They can afford to play defensively for a time, gauging an opponent while occasionally landing a strategic blow. An amateur’s cinderace is also less likely to be able to use other forms of elemental energy defensively. They are still solid choices for the island challenge that can carry their weight until the end. Just be wary of Grand Trials – some cinderace become distracted by audiences and spend more time showboating than fighting.

Raboot are relatively fast attackers that do not yet have the ability to use pyro balls to their fullest. This makes them best as rushdown melee attackers that use their speed and leaping abilities to get in close and land a flurry of kicks. They can then jump away when the opponent gets their bearings. This may not work on particularly well armored foes and their frailty catches up to them by the end of the island challenge.

Scorbunny are still relatively inexperienced. They like to fight, but only against opponents of equivalent size and strength. Their blazing kicks give them an edge on other melee attackers but can only be used to their fullest when the pokémon is facing away from their opponent. This is not always an optimal position. Thankfully scorbunny are quick to evolve into raboot.

Acquisition

Feral cinderace have established themselves in Mauna Wela National Park. Historically, lagomorphs have not been good for the environment following their introduction. Cinderace have been fine. They help fill the niche of a relatively vulnerable grazer that the many predators of the area can prey upon. It is legal to capture cinderace with a Class II license, even within park boundaries. There is a temporary moratorium on scorbunny and raboot capture to ensure the threatened or endangered predators within the park have a reliable food source. All three stages can be purchased from specialty breeders or adopted from shelters with a Class I license. Many trainers go to a breeder to obtain a scorbunny starter. The best breeders are generally clustered in northern Akala, especially in the area between Paniola Town and the various rainforest preserves in the north.

Breeding

Cinderace readily mate in the wild and captivity. If placed on the same team or in the same enclosure mating can occur in as little as ten days. After a thirty-nine to forty-one day pregnancy the female will give birth to one to three scorbunny. The scorbunny will stay in the den for the first two months of their life and then begin to venture outside under a cinderace’s supervision.

Cinderace are known to cannibalize their offspring in the wild and captivity. This can occur when there is not enough protein in their diet, there are environmental stressors such as predators, or when the scorbunny have birth defects. Make sure to provide the mother plenty of alfalfa during pregnancy and while the scorbunny are in the den. Premature offspring should be immediately removed to be hand raised. All efforts should be taken to reduce stressors during this critical period.

After three months captive-born cinderace will typically allow their offspring to be given to a trainer.

Cinderace have been crossbred with most other lagomorphs and a handful of rodents. If there are no available cinderace of the opposite sex they will readily agree to mate with anything resembling one. Homosexual mating has also been observed in the wild and captivity if no suitable mate has been provided for several months.

Relatives

The domesticated cinderace are a subspecies of the wild cinderace of Anahuac. They are larger, more aggressive, and stronger than their wild counterparts. Wild cinderace are critically endangered due to climate change limiting the amount of the mountains they can use, habitat loss from the expanding Tenochtitlan metropolitan area, and interbreeding with feral domesticated cinderace.

There is a second domesticated subspecies, the northern cinderace. L. v. americana were popular with the various Algonquin tribes of the Great Lakes region. Due to the nature of the games played in the region these cinderace have comparatively underdeveloped hindlegs and particularly strong limbs and thick skulls. They can leap into each other at high speeds while suffering only light brain damage. These cinderace have a variant of pyro ball, however theirs involves juggling and throwing a pebble rather than kicking it. Northern cinderace are regarded as aberrations by other domesticated cinderace. However, the subspecies consider themselves to be the only real cinderace. The others are mere pretenders. Despite their willingness to mate with almost every lagomorph the two subspecies will not crossbreed unless they are truly desperate.

 

[Persephone]

Magmortar (Magby, Magmar)
Perignem flammasque

Overview

Magmortar are akin to amphibians that live on land in the day but must sleep in the water at night to rehydrate. The key difference is that magmortar do not come from water, but lava. Magmortar are mineral pokémon with partially molten bodies. During the day they come to the surface to hunt and explore only to retreat to the safety of lava or eternal flame at night. This limits their surface appearances to erupting volcanoes and a handful of areas with supernatural fire. On Alola there are volcanoes that can erupt for months at a time. The magma chamber on Mauna Wela is also never far from the surface. This makes Alola one of the best places on the planet for seeing magmortar in the wild.

As creatures of flame, magmortar have esoteric care requirements that can leave even experienced fire-type and mineral pokémon specialists unprepared. They are primarily lithovorous but get very cranky if denied the ability to hunt. Magmortar will need to rest for several hours a day in actual lava or an expensive habitat ball sufficiently replicating the experience. Their body temperature means they will damage many things they come near, teammates and trainer included.

Magmortar still have their fans. They are very unique pokémon that can invoke a sense of awe in those witnessing them. They are also used to draw conclusions about the mineral pokémon of the mantle that are ordinarily impossible to observe. All three stages can be a threat in combat due to their heat and unwavering determination. Trainers should just be aware of the difficulties inherent in raising a creature that has evolved for life in the mantle onto the surface.

Physiology

All three stages are currently classified as pure fire-types. There is some argument that as mineral pokémon magmortar should be classified as rock-types as well. Their cannon projectiles lend some credence to this theory. However, aside from magmortar’s projectiles the line have little affinity for rock elemental energy. Even the minerals in their body are largely molten. The pokémon will die if their entire body hardens. For now a rock-typing remains unlikely for magmortar and extremely unlikely for magby and magmar.

Magby are bipedal mineral pokémon that superficially resemble humanoids or avians. Most of their body is usually glowing red with the area on the chest directly above the chest glowing yellow. Their body at room temperature is golden in color; their apparent coloration is a result of the heat acting on the outer layers of the body. The top of magby’s head is coated in thin metallic strands that superficially resemble fur. Magby have a mouth and appear to possess both eyes and vision. The mechanics of magby’s sight are poorly understood as the eyes tend to shatter as the carcass cools.

Magby’s body is made of partially molten rock. The innards consist of a cardiovascular system equivalent consisting of a chamber of superheated molten rock powered by a continuous mixture of inhaled oxygen, fire elemental energy, and very small-scale nuclear fission. The fission is used primarily to kickstart a reaction that amplifies fire energy and not for direct heat generation. Magby are no more radioactive than other mineral pokémon such as nosepass and metang. Even magmortar are safe to be around without radiation shielding for up to six hours a day. The heat gradient in the molten ‘blood’ is used to move the superheated blood throughout the body and keep the pokémon from cooling down to the point of hardening. The outer layers of the body are mostly solid plates of a strange alloy of iron, gold, and tungsten inside of layers of granite. The inner skin is more metallic than the outer skin, which is primarily granite. Granite is a better insulator than the metals and keeps heat inside the body. The outer skin is typically kept around 1100 degrees Fahrenheit. The joints are composed of materials with a lower melting point and have enough plasticity to allow for movement. The muscles themselves seem to be powered by the pokémon’s ability to control magma. In other words, magby use their elemental abilities to puppet their own body. This makes them particularly vulnerable to manipulation by other magma-controlling pokémon.

All three stages possess a crude digestive tract that absorbs food from the mouth, melts it down in a pouch adjacent to the main blood chamber, and then absorbs needed chemicals into the blood. Impurities are excreted by incineration and exhalation. Impurities with a particularly high boiling point are either retained in the body until the pokémon returns to lava or excreted from a joint at the base of the tail.

Magmar have a resting outer body temperature of roughly 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point a purely granite outer shell would become slightly plastic, especially when in combat. A tungsten alloy becomes mixed in with the granite to help the pokémon retain its form. The joints around the legs and neck are a modified variant of obsidian that is only partially molten at this temperature. The inner skin alloy is naturally liquid at this temperature and is only solid because of occasional venting of heat through skin vents. Even then it is still molten enough that its movements alter the pokémon’s flow of fire energy. This can manifest as a spontaneous, ever-shifting corona just above the pokémon’s skin. Magmar always appear to glow and the patterns and colors of their body are ever-shifting. Two open spouts of flame above the head resemble horns but are not at all solid. Reliable description of magmar is difficult with the naked eye due to their corona and the distortion of the air around them due to heat.

Magmortar have a surface temperature of 3600 degrees Fahrenheit. The exterior of nearly all of their body is no longer solid. Their shape is maintained entirely through control of their lava and is highly variable across time and individuals. The internal organs have either melted or have tungsten membranes. The only remaining organs of magby and magmar are the digestive tract and chamber, the cardiovascular chamber, and a mass of highly pressurized silica and mercury that appears to be the center of their nervous system. Some scientists have theorized that most actual cognition occurs inside the cardiovascular chamber through the movements of a supercharged sea of fire energy and subatomic particles. This is a niche theory but cannot be discounted given the pokémon’s strange biology.

Magmortar’s cannons are contraptions made of thick tungsten plates. Heat is used to form pressure differentials between different chambers. Stones, including living mineral pokémon, can be inserted into the cannons while the magmortar temporarily cools their body. Each shot is then sequestered into its own chamber where it can later be propelled forward by the decompression of superheated air leaving the cannon. Magmortar can fire off up to five shots in a second, but they can only hold ten total in each cannon. Once all shots are expended the cannons can be opened up and used as flamethrowers.

Magmortar’s wild lifespan is unknown. Captive specimens typically live for around eighteen months, although some have lived for up to five years. An adult magmortar typically weighs around two thousand pounds and is between six and eight feet tall, depending on the individual’s weight and preferences.

Behavior

Magmar are believed to spend almost their entire lifespan in the magma underneath the earth’s surface. They are probably lithovores and might prey upon other magma-based pokémon. There is a theory that magmortar do not naturally exist beneath the surface and only occur as an adaptation to prolonged exposure to surface conditions. Their cannon, among other things, would be of little use when constantly immersed in molten rocks with no air to use for firing. While magby and magmar are often documented retreating back into the earth after an eruption brings them to the surface, magmortar seem to stay on the surface until they find a location that can permanently support them or die of hypothermia.

The only permanent surface populations are in areas of perpetual volcanic activity, mystical flames, or other long-lived fires. Examples include the Ailell Caldera in Iceland, the Burning Tower in Japan, and the abandoned town of Empire, West Virginia, where a coal seam has been burning continuously since 1931. Mauna Wela has not been erupting for literal years like Ailell has. It can still erupt for up to four months at a time. Even when it is not erupting there are lava tunnels beneath Akala that can lead to the magma chamber. Magmar only rarely leave the tunnels outside of eruptions but they can be seen from time to time. The island’s three magmortar are documented on the surface every few weeks. During eruptions magmar are frequently sighted in and around the lava flow.

Magmortar are predators. There is no apparent reason for this. They can subsist off of minerals alone. Killing and eating mineral pokémon can help them obtain the rarer minerals they need to survive, but magmortar are equally prone to hunting organic and even spectral pokémon. Bone marrow, intestines, and livers appear to be their favorite food. Their provision in captivity leads to a statistically significant increase in activity and behaviors associated with happiness. Magmortar rarely hunt humans. There are many stories of them doing so across the world, and even documented instances in the 18th and 19th Centuries, but the advent of pokéballs has made them wary of people. Most will leave the area if they see one.

Magmar not have many of the traditional tools of a predator. They are very noticeable because of their heat and emitted light. They are not particularly fast, capping out at movement speeds of four miles per hour. Magmortar have cannons to hunt with but magmar and magby are limited to plumes of fire. Instead, magby and magmar hunt in packs. They use their natural heat to ignite the dry plants on Mauna Wela. A few walk into a patch of foliage, each from different sides. They seek to kill their prey in the confusion by blunt force trauma, stampeding, or immolating the head so that the torso’s organs are uncooked. They dislike eating food that has been burnt up before they begin eating, even though it will almost certainly be thoroughly charred by the time they finish their meal. Sometimes a group of magmar will try to ambush more formidable prey, such as dragons, by approaching their nest and forcing the prey to fight at melee range in defense of their eggs or flightless offspring. Reptiles and dragons are some of magmar’s preferred, and most dangerous, prey.

At the end of the day all of the magmar will return to the nearest source of lava to bask in it. Doing so allows them to repair all damage to their body within a few hours. Intense flames have a similar effect, albeit at a much slower rate and without providing minerals to replace lost tissue with. In emergencies magmar will sometimes breathe flame into injured specimens to keep their body from cooling to the point of hardening.

Husbandry

The primary problem with magmortar care is keeping them from dying of hypothermia. Every night they must have a sufficiently warm place to retreat to. In practice this requires industrial ovens that can reach temperatures of at least twice the pokémon’s surface temperature. Elementally charged flames, such as those from other pokeemon, lower this requirement to only the pokémon’s surface temperature. Even for magby this can be challenging. Modified pottery kilns work for magby. Magmar and magmortar will require more specialized setups, usually custom made for the purpose. Fire-type trainers with extremely hot pokémon such as volcarona may be able to get around these requirements. It is no accident that every prominent magmortar trainer is a fire-type specialist.

The secondary problem with magmortar care is keeping them from burning down things they shouldn’t at night. Magby naturally breathe out incredibly hot embers. Sometimes their nose leaks a substance similar to burning napalm when they get cold. They can be taken into the outside world with a great deal of caution. Magmar and magmortar can cause vegetation to ignite by mere proximity. Any facility built to house them must be built from specialized materials or at least designed so that the surfaces can melt and resolidify without serious damage being done. Taking them out in public is inadvisable if not illegal.

Magmortar’s diet is primarily made up of minerals. Granite and quartz should make up the core of their diet. Gold, iron, and tungsten should make up at least 25%. More food should be provided after injuries or if the heating is inadequate for a short period of time.

It is only safe to interact with magmortar while wearing highly specialized equipment. Even magmar and magby require industrial caliber heatproofing equipment for safe contact. Magby can be handled without full body gear but will still need heatproofing equipment on any limb that touches them. A full suit of personal protective equipment is still highly recommended as magby are excitable and may not stand perfectly still when touched.

In practice magmortar are only owned by researchers studying the mantle, professional fire-type specialists who can afford the expensive equipment they require, and metalworking facilities. Magmortar flames can be up to ten thousand degrees Fahrenheit, allowing them to melt even the most heatproof of metals. Keeping up these flames will also begin to deform the pokémon’s body, limiting the time they can be used. For this reason some metalworking facilities keep teams of magmortar on hand. This is not substantially more expensive than caring for one magmortar, especially for operations that end up with a great deal of scrap metal to feed to their pokémon.

Some potters and casual fire-type specialists keep magby. They are still dangerous pokémon that are quite difficult to care for, but they can still be raised outside of heavily controlled environments. Taking one onto the trail is still unlikely to succeed. Trainers who insist on using a magby on their island challenge should spend most of their time at a central base, only going into the field when absolutely necessary. This is not the island challenge experience most trainers want.

Illness

By far the biggest health problem for the line is hypothermia. When internal temperatures get too low the pokémon will begin to solidify. Once the circulatory system is frozen death will follow in a matter of minutes. The pokémon’s organs also tend to explode or crack during this process. Magmortar are capable of keeping themselves warm during daytime trips to very cold locations. There is not much difference between zero degrees and one hundred for a creature with a surface temperature of over 1100 degrees. The real risk of hypothermia comes when the pokémon does not have access to an adequately warm place to sleep and heal at night. Even standard flames may not be hot enough for them. Very large campfires can be adequate resting places for a few nights, but even these fires must be continuously maintained for several hours. Even hotter temperatures will be required for healing.

The first sign of hypothermia is a highly flammable fluid leaking from the nose or mouth. The next sign is usually the exhalation of black smoke. Magmortar’s breath is usually clear. Black smoke only settles in when they have recently eaten something with a great deal of impurities or they are tired, heavily damaged, or cooling down. All three mean that the pokémon will need to retreat someplace warm.

Most physical damage is actually not a serious, long-term problem. So long as the pokémon can find some place sufficiently warm they can melt down their body and recast it without the damage. This may require external material if part of their mass was lost in the injury. They also appreciate having granite provided as it often resolidifies in a way they dislike. The pokémon should be allowed to stay in their basking place until they decide to reemerge. Premature removal can cause far more damage than the initial wound.

Evolution

Magby evolve into magmar when they have consistently been exposed to temperatures hot enough to support their evolved form. On average this requires a month of nightly access to a sufficiently hot resting place. This makes it quite easy to prevent a magby from evolving, which is generally preferable. Magmar are substantially more difficult to care for than their preevolved form. The evolution occurs when the magby finds the hottest place they can and a helpful magmortar. Their form is melted down and entirely reforged into that of a magmar.

Magmar evolve into magmortar if their resting place is hot enough to support it, or if they believe they could find a sufficiently hot area and are facing frequent combat situations. Evolution requires incredibly hot temperatures of at least 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It also requires the pokémon to amass a great deal of gold and titanium and bring it to the forge where they will remake themselves. Magmortar evolution in captivity can be very expensive due to the metal requirements and logistically difficult due to the need to find a forge.

Battle

Magmortar are restricted in popularity by the difficulty of caring for them. They would otherwise be would be far more dominant on competitive circuits. Simply put, magmortar are dangerous for most pokémon to even approach. Melee attackers will usually hurt themselves far more than the magmortar in the process of attacking it. Common anti-fire strategies are also often ineffective. Magmortar’s outer shell will keep most rock attacks from reaching the core and their body heat will evaporate any water that gets close. Very powerful seismic attacks can disrupt their physical composure or internal circulation. This is their only serious defensive weakness.

Offensively magmortar can launch powerful cannon shots and extremely hot bursts of fire. Their cannon shots are limited and their flamethrowers are functionally limited, too, by the damage that will occur to the arm. Most trainers do not use magmortar offensively, preferring instead to have them slowly light more and more of the arena aflame until even their slow speed is enough to corner and scorch an enemy. Cannon shots or flamethrowers can be used as part of this plan or to ground pokémon that would otherwise simply fly above the inferno on the field. Magmortar can also purposefully weaken their shell to unleash flames directly from their core all over their body, creating a massive pulse of heat at the cost of greatly reduced staying power. Magmortar must be withdrawn once they have sufficiently damaged themselves or are beginning to suffer from hypothermia.

The only good way for most pokémon to play against them is to keep their distance, place obstacles between themselves and the fire-type, and wait for them to exhaust themselves. Ranged offensive attacks strong enough to dent their armor can accelerate this process. Telepaths and ghost-types can strike the pokémon’s elemental core, although magmortar’s mind and spirit are so odd that they are still resistant to both kinds of attacks. Physical engagement should be avoided at all costs, except for those few pokémon that can temporarily withstand magmortar’s flames. Rhyperior, steelix, and volcarona are the most prominent hard counters to magmortar. None of these three are particularly common on the competitive circuits.

In practice, magmortar are uncommon enough that most trainers do not need to have a dedicated check or counter on their team. Ranked trainers should still have a strategy, though, if only because the current top ranked trainer has been known to use one.

Magby may struggle in some of the later stages of the island challenge. Very little will be able to fight a magmar. There are a few pokémon that can trivialize even the final stages of the island challenge but are so difficult to care for that very few people, if any, will ever use them. Magmar and magmortar solidly fit into this category.

Acquisition

Magby can be found on Mauna Wela or any other volcano during eruptions. Trainers can catch one by getting within three hundred yards of the lava flow and waiting. Retrieving the ball after the capture can be dangerous or impossible depending on where it falls. It is best to wait for the pokémon to get more than two hundred yards away from the lava flow and in a position where the ball will not roll back into the lava after capture. Magnetic retrieval gloves can be helpful for solving the latter problem.

Magmar and magmortar can be found around Mauna Wela on a more regular basis, even if they are only seen once every few days. Consult with a park ranger to find the best place to find them. Please be aware that magmortar capture is currently prohibited to allow for research on the population.

The Ember Breeding Company on Akala occasionally sell magby of various ages, including eggs. This is safer and more reliable than trying to capture a wild specimen but will cost several thousand dollars.

Magby can be captured, purchased, or adopted with a Class IV license. Magmar and magmortar require a Class V license to possess, even if a trainer with a Class IV license legally obtained a magby and evolved them. This is because of the increased danger and care requirements involved in magmar and magmortar care.

Breeding

The mechanics of breeding inside of the mantle are poorly understood. Presumably magmar are capable of reproducing. The magmortar breeding populations on the surface are highly unlikely to be the origin of all magby that live in the mantle. However, magmar have never been documented breeding on the surface. Only magmortar have.

Magmortar reproduce in pairs. In the past it was believed that there were distinct sexes and one of each was required. Recent research has failed to uncover sex organs and has suggested that magmortar can breed with any other magmortar. Like most mineral pokémon, this takes the form of assembling their offspring. Unusually the assembled product is a spherical egg with a metallic exterior and a very hot interior where the magby finishes developing. Magmortar create two eggs but are only invested in one. The other is donated to other magmortar or simply abandoned. Abandoned eggs are unlikely to hatch absent human intervention or a chance adoption by another fire-type.

Magmortar take turns watching over their offspring. When one parent leaves to feed and explore the other will stay behind to look after their magby. Parents gather food for the magby until they are about six months old, at which point they are given increasing independence. Parental oversight never fully ends, even once the magby has evolved into a magmortar, but grows far laxer with time.

Captive breeding of magmortar is inevitable if two are kept together in adequate conditions. The magmortar will usually present their trainer with one of the eggs to raise on their own. This should be done in an incubation chamber kept at similar temperatures to the magmortar’s primary habitat. Ideally another magmar or magmortar will agree to become the egg’s guardian. This decreases the likelihood the magby will readily agree to leave to another facility but substantially reduces the work involved in raising ones. If a surrogate is not found the trainer must take it upon themselves to raise a small child that could inflict second to third degree burns with an unprotected hug.

The egg-forging magmortar will not care what happens to their second egg. It can be sold, raised separately, or given to a surrogate without issue. Attempting to remove the primary egg will result in aggression. Even removing the magby is risky until they evolve into a magmar.

Relatives

Magmortar and all other mantle-dwelling mineral pokémon are in the Class Igneminfra. Macargo and magmortar are the best known examples of this class as both are occasionally seen on the surface. Exactly how closely related the two are, or how relation would even be determined for mineral pokémon with no genetic code or consistently solid organs, is unsettled.

 

[Persephone]

Commissioned by crashmoth.


Blastoise (Squirtle, Wartortle)
Vulcanaquae japonicus

Overview

Blastoise are one of the most popular water starters in Eastern Asia, particularly in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and southeast China. This is because the final stage is powerful but docile and the younger stages are energetic and relatively easy to care for. They are also readily available as wartortle are often farmed for their meat and tails.

Even outside of Asia, blastoise are a popular alternative starter. Between the temperate and tropical species, blastoise can thrive in most parts of the world. Feral clans have established themselves on six continents. Alola’s population is the domesticated, temperate, or Japanese species, V. japonicus. These blastoise prefer cooler breeding grounds and can live in saline environments. This makes the area of Route 3 around Seaward Cave their preferred habitat in Alola. A smaller clan lives around Route 15 with non-breeding populations found around Malie City and Brooklet Hill.

Blastoise are popular for a reason. Trainers interested in raising reptiles can find squirtle to be an excellent starter.

Physiology

All stages of the line are currently classified as pure water-types. The ruling is not disputed.

Squirtle are turtles with cerulean skin and a domed circular shell. They are notable for their long prehensile tail and relatively large head. Both can still be fully withdrawn into the shell, which is unusual for big-headed turtles like Matatrap. Squirtle have large red, purple, or blue eyes that allow them to see in minimal lighting. Portions of the shell are hollow to allow for the head to be fully withdrawn and to help the pokémon float. Unusually for a turtle, squirtle have small external ears.

Wartortle’s tail and ears are far more prominent than those of squirtle. The tail is coated in blue bristly hairs that can trap air during dives. Wartortle can breathe through their cloaca, allowing them to inhale this air and breathe for up to thirty minutes while staying submerged. They can hold their breath for an additional ten minutes before they must surface to breathe. The tail can also be used to help propel the pokémon forward at high speeds while swimming. Wartortle are one of the fastest turtles and can reach swimming speeds eight miles per hour for up to two minutes. The ears can also serve as rudders when swimming.

Blastoise are substantially larger and stockier than wartortle and squirtle. Their shell is less deep. Instead the shell contains a series of chambers and valves for water and air. Blastoise can compress the air by constricting the chamber it is within. The air can then be released into a chamber of water to shoot it out through a set of two bone tunnels. This creates a powerful, pressurized blast of water that can pierce steel at short ranges and pulverize concrete at range. Blastoise are also accurate at ranges of up to two hundred feet. The ears and tail are smaller as blastoise have less need to move quickly or nimbly than their preevolutions.

Blastoise can reach lengths of six feet and weigh up to twenty-six hundred pounds. Blastoise can live up to forty years post-evolution in the wild or eighty years post-evolution in captivity. Wartortle have a lifespan measured in centuries, often predating reliable records. Japanese breeders allege they can live for up to one thousand years, but this is widely believed to be mere legend. Most scholars estimate a lifespan of four to six centuries.

Behavior

Squirtle live in clans of ten to fifty members. Their preferred habitats are cool bodies of water with small to medium-sized islands and abundant bird and insect life. These are often estuaries and they have built up a tolerance for brackish and saline water as a result.

Squirtle are energetic pokémon capable of using their sturdy hind legs, prehensile tail, and strong claws and beak to climb. They are prone to exploring every aspect of their environment. This behavior persists even when full.

Squirtle are more adept at creating bubbles than jets of water. When hunting one squirtle will rush into a thicket of vegetation to flush out the insects. Others will create bubbles to trap them and kill them when they try to escape. Squirtle can also use small jets of water to shoot down mid-size bugs flying over water, including small insect pokémon such as yanma and ledyba. When threatened Squirtle can withdraw into their shell and spit out blasts of water until the threat leaves or help arrives. During the day and the darkest hours of the night they prefer to sleep on islands, safe from purely aquatic and terrestrial predators. They will then resume activity around dusk and dawn.

Wartortle are more aquatic than squirtle and can spend up to 80% of their waking hours in the water, even sleeping in it when there is grass to anchor their tail to. Wartortle use their swimming speed to chase down slower fish and kill them with repeated slashes or a single bite to the throat. They then take their kill to the surface to eat it. Wartortle can also function as ambush predators, hiding in foliage and using their tail and hind legs to leap out at anything that gets too close. In either case, wartortle prefer to hunt alone.

Blastoise prefer to hunt with their cannons, using a single shot to break a bird’s wing and send them careening into the water. The blastoise will wait for the prey to drown and then bring them onto land to eat. Anything leftover after two days goes to the wartortle and squirtle of the clan. Blastoise can hunt prey as large as pidgeot and even noivern. On occasion they will hunt down mollusc pokémon, hauling them onto land before keeping a long watch. Shellder and clamperl can be killed with cannon shots through their shells. Cloyster must be hauled onto land by multiple blastoise and left to dehydrate or open up, at which point it can be killed.

Very few things will dare attack a blastoise given their thick shells and overwhelming power. Larger water-types such as sharpedo and feraligatr may still try to steal their kills underwater. Sharpedo and feraligatr can also use their powerful bites and piercing teeth to kill any squirtle or wartortle they manage to catch. These stages are usually careful to avoid deep, oceanic waters to avoid sharpedo. Unfortunately, feraligatr share their favored habitats and can end any squirtle that stumbles too close. Swampert can also threaten squirtle in their native range and areas where both have been introduced. Most predators without a massively powerful bite will eventually give up on attacking a squirtle before a blastoise arrives and kills them.

Husbandry

The blastoise line are carnivorous reptiles with fairly standard care requirements. Squirtle prefer an insect-based diet and will happily eat commercial insect mixes. Wartortle prefer fish, shellfish, and other kinds of seafood. Blastoise prefer a poultry- and shellfish-based diet. However, any stage will eat almost any kind of meat. There is even some evidence that diets varying from their natural food sources don’t impact overall health or development. Meat should still make up the vast majority of their diet, with grasses and fruit comprising five to fifteen percent. Food should be provided daily to squirtle and wartortle and two to three times a week to blastoise. Squirtle and wartortle will need to eat about five to ten percent of their body weight a day. Blastoise will eat up to fifteen percent of their body weight per meal, but should be limited to at most five hundred pounds of food per weak. Fully grown blastoise that do not regularly battle can get by on one to two hundred pounds of food per week.

All three stages should regularly have access to drinking water. Blastoise are particularly thirsty after prolonged battles and can drink up to one quarter of their body weight at once. This is needed to replace the water lost from cannon fire.

Blastoise are temperate reptiles. In their home environments they need to bask and brumate to survive the cold. Most of Alola is warm enough that they can get by with minimal basking. Some blastoise will still become inactive in the winter or even seek to dig in place for several weeks. Pokémon Centers will usually be understanding of brumation and will allow trainers to stay near their pokémon until they emerge.

Each stage has their own behavioral concerns. Squirtle and energetic pokémon that enjoy climbing and exploring, particularly in the late evening and early morning. Toys and inclined climbing structures can distract them. They should still be allowed to explore several times a week while supervised by their trainer or a teammate. Toys should be durable enough to withstand bites. Squirtle are also far more social than the other stages and will expect their trainer to spend time each day playing with them.

Wartortle are far more aquatic than squirtle and blastoise. They grow distressed if they cannot swim for more than two or three days. Thankfully, Alolan trainers are rarely far from large bodies of water. Many Pokémon Centers do not allow wartortle in their general pools. They are even banned from many carnivore or isolation pools because of their ability to leave the water and climb into nearby pools. Wartortle prefer to play with toys underwater. Long ropes they can latch onto are some of their favorite toys. They also enjoy being fed via long tongs, allowing them to lash out and ‘catch’ their food. Wartortle have been known to wrestle with floating balls, bringing themselves in and out of the water as it spins.

Blastoise are relatively inactive pokémon. They enjoy being around their trainer but do not require a great deal of play or socialization. The occasional cleaning or training session will do. Blastoise can also be quite protective of their trainer and can become standoffish with anyone who gets too close while their trainer is near. Blastoise are still predators that weigh a literal ton. They may not be dragons or large crocodilians, but they have many of the same drawbacks. Stationary trainers will need land and food to house their blastoise and they can become aggressive in unfamiliar situations.

In the wild all three stages, but particularly wartortle and blastoise, are prone to growing algae on their shells. This does not harm the pokémon. In fact, it helps them blend in. Wild-caught wartortle will become upset if the algae is removed. Captive-born specimens will generally tolerate cleanings and can even enjoy the touch and feelings of pressure on their shell. There is no medical reason to clean the pokémon, but many trainers dislike seeing their pokémon being dirty.

Wartortle and blastoise are long-lived pokémon. Wartortle that are not evolved are almost certain to outlive their trainer. Blastoise still might. It is important to have at least one other human willing and able to assume caregiving duties that the pokémon is already familiar with. The death of a trainer can be a stressful event, and the pokémon may not tolerate strangers during this time. This can make blastoise particularly difficult to rehome.

Squirtle are generally tolerant of all pokémon but large predators and very small insects. Even totodile or mudkip can be bonded with if they are introduced while young. This is the best time to handle any potentially fraught introductions as squirtle are social and outgoing.

Blastoise will almost never kill a pokémon they have known for over six weeks. If they must be kept on the same team as a bird, it is best to handle the introduction before they evolve. This will keep both parties calm around the other. Introductions can still happen after evolution, but they should be closely monitored and only occur after the blastoise has just eaten a large meal. Blastoise do not have an aversion to other large predators and do not claim literal and metaphorical territory in the same way dragons do. This leaves them outside of many predator social dynamics, for better and for worse. It can sometimes cause problems when they intrude on things a large dragon considers to be theirs. On the upside, blastoise will not test hierarchies or threaten to disrupt existing social dynamics. This makes them easier to introduce to an existing team of predators than other large reptiles, but their interactions with the dominant predator should still be closely monitored. This is especially true during and around brumation and mating season.

Illness

Blastoise are hardy creatures with natural lifespans sometimes measured in centuries. As a result they are incredibly hardy. There have been no documented cases of cancer in the line and other illnesses are rare. They can even regrow most body parts over the course of a year.

The main health problems to be aware of are those that aren’t serious concerns for blastoise but could be for their trainer and teammates. Salmonella is the main problem, a fairly harmless disease in blastoise that can be fatal for young children as well as the elderly and immunocompromised. The best way to avoid infections is to keep the pokémon’s environment clean and to wash any body part that came into contact with the line, their bedding, or other items they frequently interact with. People at risk should avoid direct contact with blastoise.

Shell injuries, while rare, are a major concern for blastoise. Squirtle and wartortle can heal damage to their shell in time. So can blastoise. However, the complexity of their shell means that serious damage to it can heal incorrectly, potentially to disastrous ends. Some veterinarians have proposed surgeries to install vents from the pressurized air chambers in injured blastoise to avoid the worst consequences. This does leave them unable to use their cannons, however, and may not be safely reversible.

Evolution

Squirtle evolve into wartortle after about one year. The formal demarcation line is the growth of hair on the ears and tail.

The exact trigger for wartortle evolution is still debated. The leading theory at present is that wartortle evolve if the aquatic environment they inhabit becomes volatile. This can mean a decline in fish and shellfish, sudden changes in salinity, depth, or temperature, or the appearance of large aquatic predators in a previously safe environment. Whatever the trigger is, wartortle begin to steadily grow into blastoise over the course of six months. The formal demarcation is the emergence of the cannons. Almost all battling wartortle begin the process within six months after their tail and ear fur fully develops.

Blastoise have known mega evolution and gigantamax forms. Mega blastoise’s shell anatomy shifts so that one large cannon protrudes above the head and the previously existing cannons are rerouted to exit near the wrists. Serious damage while mega evolved is the leading cause of fatal shell injuries. It is still authorized on most circuits as it is safer for the pokémon than most other mega evolutions.

Gigantamax blastoise gains many, many more cannons and trades overwhelming power for accuracy. A direct hit can seriously injure almost any pokémon, but the blastoise cannot aim. This makes it possible for particularly daring opponents to try and scout out a safe place to stand and use the blastoise’s lack of precision or mobility to stall out the transformation. Generally, however, it is far safer to just dynamax alongside the blastoise in order to survive any blasts that do hit.

Battle

Blastoise are top-tier pokémon that can go toe-to-toe with some of the strongest species. To start with, blastoise’s she’ll is durable enough to take everything short of a tyrantrum bite. Even their head and limbs are covered in thick scales. In a true bind they can fully retreat into their shell and spit out attacks, although these lack the force of cannon fire.

Speaking of their cannons, blastoise can take down most walls at range. The physical power behind the water also means they can punch through purely elemental walls such as clefable and blissey. Only a select few pokémon such as muk and castform can tank a blastoise shot unscathed. Even pokémon that can power through the injury can be worn down by repeated shots or coverage options like aura sphere, dark pulse, and ice beam.

Blastoise still have a few drawbacks. To start with, their cannon shots are limited. Blastoise have six shots. Even training cannot increase this number as their pressurized air chambers are biological and take up to an hour to fully reload. Mega blastoise have ten shots and a somewhat faster recharge time, but even they can easily run out. This is a problem as blastoise are built for wearing their opponents down over time. Instead, they must play aggressively and pursue quick knockouts. Clever opponents can stall out the shots with strategic sacrifices, double team, substitute, teleport, and protect. Blastoise are not helpless once their shots are exhausted, but they are far less powerful.

Blastoise’s shots are also powerful enough that the recoil can be a problem. If the pokémon is unexpectedly thrown off balance during a shot they can fall on their back. It takes blastoise a few seconds to get back up from that position. In the water blastoise’s shots inevitably propel them backwards, which means they cannot fire two accurate shots in a row. After the first one they will need a moment to get their bearings and fire again. Mega blastoise’s most powerful cannon shots require the pokémon to brace themselves in place by digging into the ground or freezing themselves in place with ice beams from the side cannons.

Blastoise can learn shell smash, but the risk of permanent shell damage means that almost no one will risk using it in battle.

On the island challenge blastoise can finish most totems in one or two shots. However, they can be thrown off balance, intercepted, or overwhelmed by the supporting pokémon. It is a good idea to have the rest of the team take care of them before allowing blastoise to go one on one with the totem. Blastoise currently has an excellent matchup against Hapu, the kahuna most trainers fight fourth, although her gastrodon and flygon have both defeated blastoise in the past.

Wartortle and squirtle are still durable but lack the overwhelming power of blastoise. They are best used defensively, waiting for the opponents to give them an opening to punish. It is safer for them to use shell smash as injuries cannot result in an unwanted explosion of compressed air.

Acquisition

Squirtle can be found in Route 3, Route 15, Malie Gardens, and Brooklet Hill. Capture of squirtle is allowed with a Class I license. Blastoise and wartortle capture is temporarily suspended to see what impact they have on the ecosystem.

Squirtle can be obtained from a variety of breeders on three of the four islands. They are a popular alternative starter and any specialty store for reptiles or water-types is likely to either stock them or have a breeder contact if a customer requests one. They can be adopted or purchased with a Class I license.

Wartortle and blastoise are more difficult to rehome. Wartortle can be purchased or adopted with a Class III license. They will require patience and a good deal of space as they acclimate to their new home and trainer. Blastoise rehoming is handled on a case-by-case basis. They can be purchased with a Class IV license, but this requirement is often waived during adoptions of individuals whose trainer has passed on.

Breeding

Blastoise and wartortle mate shortly after leaving brumation. In Alola the mating season is late February to early April. Prospective partners first engage in a wrestling match. If the male is able to overpower the female he mates with her. These pairings are actually consensual: a female can and will decline a challenge from a male she does not want to mate with and will often simply allow herself to lose once the male has proved his power. Females may mate with multiple males over the course of the breeding season, resulting in a clutch with multiple fathers. Towards the end of the breeding season she will dig a hole on an island, lay a clutch of two dozen eggs, and bury them. The squirtle will be born about one hundred days later.

Newborn squirtle have a soft shell that hardens over the next three weeks. Mortality is extremely high during this period. Most years none of the clutch will survive. Populations only grow or remain stable due to the longevity of the adults and the number of chances they have to reproduce.

The mother will defend her nest if she happens to see it distributed right in front of her but will otherwise pay it no heed. This approach extends to squirtle as well. Blastoise will defend any attacks on them they personally witness and will come if they hear a cry for help. They do not hover over squirtle or even try particularly hard to avenge their deaths. In captivity they can be taken from their parents as soon as they hatch without any complications.

Head start conservation programs for squirtle have had a great deal of success. A clutch taken into captivity and allowed to grow into wartortle can result in nearly 100% survival, at which point they can be reintroduced.

Blastoise will crossbreed with most turtles and tortoises. They may even choose to crossbreed with conspecifics available. Drednaw is the most common cross as the offspring usually have functional cannons. Any other cross is unlikely to have them, and improperly developed cannons can lead to fatal complications.

Because females are not monogamous, mixed sex clans can be kept together year round and even during the breeding season without issue. This makes them relatively easy to breed in captivity.

Relatives

The original, wild blastoise species, V. megacephalus, was found over a range spanning from Sumatra to southeastern China and west to Bangladesh. The adult’s head is larger and cannot fully be withdrawn. Squirtle and wartortle flesh is considered a delicacy in the region and wartortle tails are an important ingredient in folk medicine. As a result their wild numbers have been decimated by poaching and only a few remnant populations remain in Southeast Asia. However, there are still several farms of dubious legality that raise them.

Squirtle were originally domesticated for their meat. The shogun of Japan sought to bypass Chinese merchants and had his spies capture a few dozen squirtle and smuggle them into Japan. Over the period of isolation this population drifted apart from the wild species, forming a temperate species with larger cannons, greater salinity tolerance, and even fewer parental instincts. Blastoise could pierce through the armor of samurai and were often available to peasant farmers and commoners due to their popularity as livestock. This made the government wary. At various times the intentional evolution of blastoise was a crime. Only trainers of noble birth were allowed to use one as a starter. This was discontinued in the Meiji Era so that more of the population could be armed with a powerful pokémon. The temperate blastoise has since become invasive in several parts of the world due to their popularity as a starter and long lifespan. Many families release blastoise or wartortle into the local waterways after the original trainer dies, quickly creating an invasive species.

 

[Persephone]

Volcarona (Larvesta)
Rextinea prometheum

Overview

There are pokémon so powerful that they are commonly considered to be gods. Most of these are unique, or at least highly rare. Then there are entire species whose strongest members can go toe to toe with so-called gods and emerge victorious. These species are commonly large dragons, or at least pseudo dragons like milotic and gyarados. Volcarona is an insect distantly related to butterfree and wurmple. They are among the strongest pokémon on the planet.

Cultures across the world regarded volcarona as servants of the gods, or even their nemeses. Other societies worshipped the volcarona outright. There are no tales of brave heroes or pokémon going to fight one: fighting a hydreigon is one thing, but no one dared to offend a creature that could kill everyone in a city in a matter of seconds.

Volcarona are mostly content to stay out of humanity’s way. They eat plants and minerals and have no reason to actively hunt. Sometimes they incidentally help humanity by warming the winter air to help their own offspring or providing light in volcanic winters to protect their food supply. Childless volcarona will happily accept offerings and bribes as well. Volcarona with children should be given an enormously wide berth. A mother worried for her child can burn forests and towns to cinders.

There are inevitably trainers who wish to harness this power. Actually finding a volcarona to train is the hardest part, as mothers react extremely poorly to their larvesta being taken and adults are usually too proud to submit to a human.

Once in captivity volcarona are surprisingly easy to care for compared to creatures of similar power. Their diet is much simpler than that of dragons and they can cool their body enough that it is safe to touch. Volcarona also rarely lose control of their powers — they are herbivores that would lose out on food if they constantly killed the plants around them.

The few trainers that have found a way to tame a volcarona have become some of the strongest battlers in the world. There are always those who believe themselves capable of being the next volcarona trainer. Most die trying.

Physiology

Both stages are classified as dual bug- and fire-types. The ruling is not disputed.

Larvesta are large caterpillars. They have a brown segmented abdomen. Their thorax and part of the head are hidden beneath a thick layer of white fur. Five red antennae extend from the thorax at equidistant intervals. Larvesta have a patch of black scales around their eyes that make them appear to be a single large eye. Their actual eyes are blue. Larvesta’s legs are short and coated in velcro-like hairs that allow them to stick to almost any surface. Larvesta possess a set of flame sacs filled with chemical reagents that can rapidly increase the surface temperature of the larvesta’s body or be used to spit out a line of fire with temperatures over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Volcarona are large moths with six red wings and an unusually large body for a flying insect. They retain two antennae, one on either side of the head. These are used to sense air currents and help the pokémon direct the movement of heat and scales. Most of the body is coated in white hair. Volcarona have four small legs. They are not very mobile on land. Even their wings could not ordinarily support their weight for long periods of time. Volcarona fly by manipulating the air temperatures around them so that they are always held aloft by thermals.

Volcarona are notable for being one of the only organic pokémon with a fission reactor organ in their body. This allows them to produce extraordinary amounts of fire energy, survive for long periods without food, and bathe an area in deadly radiation. They are still perfectly safe to handle and train. Their fur and scales are extremely good at keeping deadly radiation from getting out: it would not do for the plants around their lair to constantly die of radiation poisoning. It is impossible to get a meaningful sample size, but volcarona trainers have not historically died at young ages from cancer. However, the kind of trainer who seeks to train a volcarona is likely to take other risks. Relatively few live long enough for gradual radiation poisoning to be a problem. Portable Geiger counters are still recommended for any volcarona trainers.

The red scales on volcarona’s wings are gradually imbued by the reactor with an enormous amount of fire elemental energy. They are harmless while attached to the volcarona’s wings. When scattered they create a burst of intense heat, flame, light, and radiation called a flare. Volcarona can regrow scales in a matter of minutes.

Volcarona’s final adaptation of note is their ability to survive for prolonged periods without oxygen. When a volcarona is flaring they will quickly burn through all the oxygen around them. This can be more dangerous than the heat of their flames. Volcarona’s cells can respirate using sulfur as a base instead of oxygen. This is not as efficient and is only used when flaring.

Volcarona can grow to lengths of eight feet and weights of three hundred pounds. Their captive lifespan is poorly documented. Wild individuals are estimated to have a maximum lifespan around two hundred years.

Behavior

Volcarona are primarily solitary creatures. They hold vast ranges and will engage in threat displays towards intruders. These displays often involve minor flaring in an attempt to intimidate their rival. The intruder will usually leave without incident. Volcarona are found throughout the tropical regions of the world, as well as a few temperate ones. They can always find a territory of their own somewhere else.

All of Alola is part of a single volcarona’s territory. She tolerated a mate’s intrusion in 2017 but drove him away a few months later. He briefly established his own territory on Ula’Ula before departing for the Marshall Islands.

Volcarona are primarily herbivorous. They feed on the leaves and fruit of cinnamon, tree of life, evergreen, and citrus trees. Volcarona can spend up to nine hours a day foraging for leaves. A mother with children will either bring her larvesta with her or never stray far from her nest.

Most of volcarona’s preferred diet is only available in tropical regions. In temperate areas they can flare on the coldest days of the winter to ensure their food supply does not die off. They will also flare when any larvesta living with them become too cold. This is actually more common in subtropical areas than temperate ones as temperate volcarona tend to find better insulated burrows. Volcarona’s flaring makes them a keystone species in their habitats. It also helped humans avoid crop failure in the aftermath of Krakatoa’s eruption.

In order to power their reactor and anaerobic respiration, volcarona need to eat minerals with high sulfur and fire energy content. Radioactive materials are highly valued, but a volcarona can theoretically go years between large radioactive meals if needed. Frequent or intense flaring greatly shortens this interval. Most volcarona live around volcanoes where sulfurous compounds and volcanic ash are readily available. The former help them breathe without oxygen. The latter are good stores of fire energy that can be used to hold power when the reactor is dormant. Reactors usually only turn on during prolonged flaring. They otherwise store their power in scales and a sooty particulate held in a flame sac organ.

Volcarona have accepted offerings of waste from nuclear power plants. A few live in close proximity in the Chernobyl exclusion zone and the area around the Bikini Atoll. It is common for volcarona to occasionally migrate there for a summer to feed. These sites appear to be communal territory and neutral ground. The oral tradition of Unova holds that volcarona held similar migrations to the Unovan desert after The War of Kings, although these migrations have slowed considerably as the ambient radiation levels have declined. At least one volcarona still lives in the desert. Some of the strongest known specimens came from the area.

Volcarona spend their nights in their den. In tropical areas these can be any shelter that offers some protection from wind and rain. Abandoned homes and cave entrances are the most common dens. Males in subtropical and temperate regions will live in the same kinds of dens as they do not have to worry about hypothermia. Females will need to find a sufficiently warm den, such as an abandoned annex of a building or a bibarel lodge. Gravid volcarona have been known to evaporate a pond and fly into a lodge and claim it as their own. Many bibarel will start building a second, terrestrial lodge when they see a volcarona. Some cultures have offered the bibarel resources to construct the dam with or even built a home for the volcarona themselves. Many sun temples around the world began as volcarona dens that were later expanded upon for human use when the volcarona died or migrated elsewhere.

When volcarona are not eating during the day they will typically patrol their territory or bask in sunlight. Do not approach the volcarona. If she approaches, stay calm and make no sudden movements. Give her whatever she wants. Feeding wildlife is generally frowned upon, but an exception can be made in this case.

Husbandry

In most parts of the world, it is difficult to care for larvesta and volcarona on the trail. Alola has enough of their favored foods that they can simply graze for themselves in most of the region. In the particularly cold and arid areas a supply of leaves will need to be brought along. They will almost exclusively eat the species listed above, although some volcarona will tolerate or even crave leaves from other species. Some larvesta will enjoy herbs as much as leaves and will retain this love after they evolve. Volcarona can eat up to thirty pounds of leaves a day. They get most of their water from their diet. Water bowls should be provided once or twice a day but the pokémon will rarely drink.

Sulfur supplements should be made available at least once a week. Volcarona can usually be trusted to pour an opened container onto their food and get as much as they feel they need. Radioactive material is more difficult to obtain. Tritium water can replace standard water bowls once or twice a month. Acting champions have sometimes made arrangements with power plants or industrial facilities in their regions. Other trainers simply take annual vacation to Ukraine or the Marshall Islands to let their pokémon feed.

Volcarona are smart enough to be housebroken within a few days. Larvesta may need a few weeks if they do not have a volcarona’s help. Even if they know what to do they may not be mobile enough to get to a litter mat in the time between knowing they have to defecate and being unable to hold it off any longer. A den with larvesta in it should ideally have a soil that can absorb the waste.

Volcarona, and particularly female volcarona with larvesta, need dens. On the trail they can go without a permanent one so long as an enclosed area such as a tent, closet, or large box is provided at night. Some volcarona will even agree to sleep in a ball. Most will not enter a ball for longer than an hour barring extraordinary circumstances. Doing so without their consent outside of a clear emergency will almost certainly provoke a flaring when they are finally released.

Volcarona prefer warm, dry environments. They can tolerate ambient moisture so long as they are not physically wet. This makes flying difficult and can lead them to flare. If the volcarona’s surroundings drop below fifty degrees Fahrenheit for a prolonged period they may feel the need to start venting energy, which can result in harmful radiation levels in the surrounding area.

Larvesta have stricter environmental requirements. Any exposure to temperatures beneath fifty degrees can cause stunted growth or illness. They grow extremely uncomfortable if they are not either being protected by their mother or in an enclosed space with no apparent threats.

There are two schools of thought on raising a larvesta. The first, and most common approach, is to let their mother handle almost everything. Volcarona are capable of raising their own children if provided sufficient resources. This keeps mother and child happy and healthy with minimal human intervention. The drawbacks are that the mother will be extremely cagey during this time and can lash out with minimal provocation. She will need a very large fenced off radius around her den to prevent incidents. Sufficiently large islands are the best childrearing spaces as it is highly unlikely anyone approaches and gets themselves killed. Unfortunately, the larvesta will grow up relatively unaccustomed to humans and may not agree to stay as a trained pokémon upon evolution.

The second approach is to try and be an active parent, or even a sole parent, to the larvesta. This requires a great deal of respect from the volcarona and frequent insertion into the process early on, calling potential bluffs and showing that the trainer can be trusted with the larvesta. Personally delivering food to the den entrance is a good way to start the process. Over time the volcarona will become more relaxed and even allow their trainer unsupervised time with the larvesta. The primary drawback of this approach is that sometimes the trainer misjudges the situation and dies of immolation or radiation poisoning. But, if everything goes well, the larvesta will probably agree to be transferred to another trainer upon evolution.

Larvesta have been successfully hand-raised without a volcarona. This is usually done in cases involving abandoned or orphaned specimens. Volcarona will also occasionally allow an older larvesta to be caught. This stage is relatively reclusive and prefer to spend all of their time in a den in captivity. The space should be climate controlled and food and water always made available. Non-flammable bedding at least eighteen inches deep should line the bottom of the enclosure. Larvesta are prone to burrowing in soft soils. Hiding toys in the substrate can make for good enrichment. There should also be a small climbing structure capable of supporting the pokémon’s weight.

Male and childless female volcarona are relatively docile pokémon that get along well with most teammates. No predator will make serious attempts to challenge them and the volcarona, in turn, is unlikely to lash out without extreme provocation. They are unlikely to be particularly social and will often stick to themselves. Bug and fire specialists usually have the behavioral and husbandry knowledge, respectively, to help them best care for the pokémon. Volcarona have much the same body language as other moths and butterflies. The need to have heat shielding equipment is similar to many other fire-types.

Larvesta are timid pokémon. They pair best with small bug-types that they will not see as a threat. Sometimes they will even socialize with caterpie, scatterbug, or venonat.

Illness

Volcarona are hardy creatures. Despite the intense radiation in their bodies there is no record of one ever developing cancer. This has made them of great interest to researchers, although actually observing a live specimen can be difficult. They are proud pokémon unlikely to comply with laboratory tests. Even standard medical examination training can be difficult. Intrusive procedures will require psychic sedation. This may still cause the pokémon to become upset when they wake up. Volcarona are relatively reasonable pokémon aware of how fragile humans and their teammates are. They will not flare at any provocation, but the possibility makes it too dangerous to antagonize them without a very good reason.

Trainers should keep a portable Geiger counter on hand to make sure that the volcarona is keeping their radiation within safe levels. Spending an hour around a calm volcarona results in no more radiation exposure than ingesting a banana. Being around a mildly distressed volcarona is equivalent to flying on an airplane. Blissey eggs have shown some ability to reduce or reverse the damage of chronic radiation poisoning. Any trainer battling with a volcarona should take all necessary precautions to ensure that the stadium is properly shielded from radiation. This often involves paying for specialized barrier pokémon at personal expense.

In the event that a trainer is inadequately protected from a volcarona flare they should immediately withdraw the volcarona, ingest potassium iodide, and seek specialized medical care. Some pokémon can reverse the effects of recent acute radiation poisoning. Without proper care organ failure or death can occur in a matter of hours.

Larvesta are frailer than volcarona. They are prone to suffering from a number of illnesses, most notably hypothermia. Larvesta can become entirely inactive when their body temperature dips too low. They may refuse to eat or start lighting everything they can on fire. Both should be treated as cause for concern and the pokémon should be taken to a qualified veterinarian as soon as possible.

Evolution

Larvesta spin a cocoon when they are almost six years old. This is the only time in their life that larvesta are likely to to produce silk. Their silk is not flammable but the oils secreted onto it are capable of burning for some time. As soon as the cocoon is formed around the larvesta, the oils are set on fire. The larvesta may stay in the cocoon for up to three months before emerging as a small volcarona. The moth will put on weight over the next decade until it grows to full size. Researchers are still unsure exactly what occurs inside of the cocoon as most cameras are rendered useless by the silk, fire, or shifting elemental energies inside the cocoon. For the first ten weeks the cocoon will not need to be shielded. Lead shields should be set up around it after this point. A sensor should be installed within the shielding to detect the volcarona’s emergence. Even without shielding the radiation is still not powerful enough to cause acute poisoning, although prolonged exposure could result in problems over the long term.

Battle

There is a reason trainers go through all of the risks involved in keeping a volcarona. They are indisputably one of the ten strongest species that are not unique. Over a fifth of professional trainers ranked them as the strongest non-unique species currently in use in the most recent Battler survey. Volcarona can instantly flood an arena in light, fire, and radiation. Every cubic foot of a standard size battleground will be at least 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit within thirty seconds of the flare beginning. All oxygen will be burned up within two minutes, at which point the flames will extinguish. The heat will remain. Around volcarona temperatures can rise to 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Even dragons struggle to survive these conditions for long. Volcarona are also surprisingly fast and can avoid telegraphed attacks. Anything that survives the flare can be brought down by bug, psychic, or grass coverage attacks.

Most trainers agree that volcarona are not the strongest pokémon available. This is because, flaring aside, they would only be as strong as a mid-tier dragon. Their max speed is only around forty miles per hour and most of their non-flare attacks are of middling power by the standards of the highest professional leagues. Volcarona are fairly durable and can patch any injuries up with roost, but they lack proper armor. Anything that can survive the flare has a decent chance of taking a volcarona down.

What, then, can survive the flare? The answer is powerful inorganic pokémon. Many top-tier mineral pokémon such as rhyperior, tyranitar, and steelix can survive the flare and retaliate with strong rock-type attacks. Phantom pokémon often do not care about the heat or radiation, although the light can present a problem. Chandelure in particular can take everything volcarona can dish out and become stronger for it. Dragapult are not particularly averse to light and can outpace and finish off a volcarona quite easily. Other ghosts can at least use tricks like disable, perish song, and destiny bond to stop the flare or take the volcarona out with them, respectively. In terms of organic pokémon, Asian ninetales can tolerate the flames and radiation and use their vast arsenal of tricks to try and shut down their opponent. They simply must do so before the oxygen runs out. Other strong fire-types such as arcanine and charizard can hope to blitz the volcarona. Extremely powerful dragons can keep their distance from their opponent and rain down draco meteors or other ranged attacks. A handful of pokémon such as castform and altaria can cancel out the flaring entirely by negating the elemental energy on the field. The former are not competitively viable, but a handful of dragon trainers keep an altaria on standby for when they must fight a volcarona trainer. Abnormally powerful true psychics can also withstand the flare long enough to strike the volcarona with a powerful mental attack. They will, in turn, probably be taken out by bug buzz or the flare.

The problem with all of these strategies is that they require keeping the counter out of the fight until the volcarona is sent out. Unless the volcarona is sent out against them they will probably only be able to revenge kill it, meaning that they will still lose a pokémon of the volcarona trainer’s choice. Volcarona also entirely negate the vast majority of pokémon. Other top threats such as metagross, tyranitar, and hydreigon can at least be fought by most pokémon and gradually worn down.

Any trainer using a volcarona on the island challenge does not need this guidebook’s advice. Most opponents will simply surrender before the flaring even begins, or even before the battle occurs at all.

Larvesta are far more competent than the average larva stage insect pokémon. They are larger than fully evolved bug-types like vikavolt and ledian. Larvesta, while not as physically powerful as pokémon like armaldo, heracross, and scyther, can still hold their own against most young pokémon or weaker fully evolved pokémon. They fight through a combination of full body tackles, blasts of fire from the horns, and utility moves such as will-o-wisp and roost. This can carry them through the second or even the third island, but their strength will plateau unless they can evolve. The other problem with larvesta is that they are extremely reluctant battlers. Most specimens will become resentful if forced to fight on a regular basis, regardless of if they are good at it. Their mother, if present, may intervene to prevent her child from having to battle. Of course, any trainer with a volcarona will hardly need to use the larvesta in battle. The difference in fighting styles between larvesta and volcarona also means there is relatively little reason to frequently use a larvesta in battle.

Acquisition

Alola’s sole volcarona lives in the old lava tunnels of Mauna Wela located beneath Alolan Rainforests National Preserve. There are entrances to the tunnels at several points in the preserve. Do not enter the tunnels. None of the other pokémon living there are only found in them. In addition to being dark, rugged, and largely unmarked, the tunnels also house a mother who is extremely protective of her child. If you must go out of your way to view the volcarona, it is best to do so through binoculars while she feeds during the day. Stay at least 1000 feet away from the moth at all times. She is no less dangerous than a salamence or garchomp and easier to provoke if her child is with her. If, for whatever reason, the larvesta is not present it may be safe to approach. Immediately retreat if any aggression is shown, no matter how much distance is already between you.

At least two trainers have attempted to coax the volcarona onto their team. One survived. She was respectful the entire time, had a psychic-type to translate, and offered a pile of cinnamon tree leaves. She made her pitch while the volcarona ate the leaves and retreated once the moth rejected her offer. The known casualty attempted an ambush with a master ball. He successfully captured her, only to be killed the moment she was released. The ball was later recovered. It is currently in the possession of the Alolan Pokémon League. As such capture is impossible without the express permission of both the volcarona and the League. Owning her would require a Class V license and a hefty insurance policy.

Sometimes volcarona are willing to part with an older larvesta if an experienced, gentle, and competent trainer comes around. Her current larvesta is three years old as of 2018, which makes it possible she would want to part with them. The larvesta’s sex is unknown. Capture is permitted with a Class V license. It is highly discouraged. If it must be attempted, show respect at all times and keep an abra on hand.

Breeding

Volcarona are solitary pokémon. Females will usually wait a few years after their last larvesta evolved to seek out a mate. In practice mating usually occurs at the end of a stay in Chernobyl or the Bikini Atoll, the species’ neutral ground. The female will fly home, chase out any intruders that have moved in during that time, and lay a single egg in her den. She will not leave the den for any reason over the next forty days. The larvesta weighs less than one pound when it hatches. They will live inside of their mother’s fur for the next three months, at which point they will become too big. The larvesta will still almost always be on their mother’s back when outside the den.

After three years the mother will gradually give the larvesta more independence. They will forage for themselves while their mother watches from nearby. Some larvesta will pick fights with weak pokémon that live nearby. Their mother will usually not intervene unless they fear their child could be killed. Most opponents have the grace to take a few blows and retreat without fighting back. Seriously injuring the larvesta would spell their own doom.

Captive breeding is difficult to impossible to force. Volcarona that meet each other at a communal site or after a battle may mate. They probably will not. There is no real way to predict the outcome of the encounter. Repeatedly exposing a female to many males may lead her to believe her territory is disputed and discourage her from mating until she feels more secure. Volcarona have been crossbred once with aurumoth, their closest living relative. Wild specimens have not been known to crossbreed with any other species.

The basics of larvesta husbandry were discussed in a previous section.

Relatives

Volcarona are capable of migrating over three thousand miles at a time. This gives them a global range with a sparse distribution. They interbreed freely across vast geographical distances and subspeciation is not necessary.

Volcarona’s last common ancestor with ordinary moths went extinct over forty million years ago. They share a family, Claratinea, with the endangered aurumoth. Volcarona are the only living members of the genus Rextinea. Another species, R. labebantur, is known only from a single mummified specimen. R. labebantur were far larger than modern volcarona and had smaller wings. They may have been entirely incapable of flight. The mummified specimen lacked a reactor organ. Insects are not often well preserved in the fossil record due to their lack of hard bones. For now there are far more questions than answers surrounding R. labebantur.

 

[Persephone]

Bewear (Stufful)
Amplexator cingitur

Overview

In theory, bears are not particularly difficult pokémon to care for. Their biology and behaviors are close enough to standard cats and dogs that most trainers can understand the basics of their husbandry. The problems with all three of Alola’s bears lie in the details. Snorlax require an immense amount of food. Pangoro need a specialized diet and are often aggressive. Bewear kill more humans worldwide than every other bear species combined.

This is an odd fact on the surface. Bewear are insectivores that supplement their diet with fruit and vegetables. The largest prey they hunt in the wild are caterpie.

The problem is a combination of three factors: agility, anxiety, and cuteness. Bewear are not fast or nimble pokémon. They can run at twelve miles per hour for up to one minute, at which point they must pause and cool down. They can swim and climb but are not particularly fast in trees or the water. This prevents them from running from predators. As a result bewear stand their ground against perceived threats and will attack after only minimal posturing. They are anxious creatures and often view humans as predators.

Bewear’s posturing consists of standing on their hind legs, puffing up their fur, flailing their arms, and squeaking. Humans often find this cute and seldom realize they should be running as fast as possible in the opposite direction. This provokes the bewear into attacking, at which point their sickle-like claws and enormous strength can maim or kill a human in a single hit. Bewear’s fluffy white or pink coat and innocuous diet makes them popular with collectors. Snorlax and pangoro at least tend to end up with trainers who know how to handle apex predators. Bewear trainers are often unused to large, aggressive pokémon.

Bewear are not actually exceptionally difficult to care for. They can subsist off of standard cat or dog chow with fruit and vegetables supplementing the core diet. They have no unusual health or environmental requirements. The only real problem with their care is their tendency to lash out in frightening situations. Trainers who are well attuned to carnivore behavior and willing to pay attention to their pokémon’s emotional and psychological needs may find them a rewarding companion and the easiest by far of Alola’s bear species. Trainers unwilling to understand and accept their pokémon’s boundaries are likely to end up as another cautionary tale.

Physiology

Both stages are classified as dual normal- and fighting-types. The ruling is not disputed.

Stufful are small bear pokémon well known for their long, fluffy pink and white coats on their head, back, and tail. Only the legs are a different color, usually black or brown. Due to their tropical climate stufful and bewear lack an undercoat. On occasion the pink will be replaced by tan, black, or red fur. A few specimens have even had an entirely white coat. Stufful’s bodies are covered in ring-like patterns of alternating colors. These are designed to create the illusion of eyes at a glance and to signal their presence to conspecifics and other species. Stufful do not have many natural predators and do not need to ambush their prey. The distinctive coat lets other species know to stay away or risk their wrath. Even a stufful is capable of shattering bones with an errant swing.

Stufful and bewear both lack upper incisors. They have prominent canines but small molars compared to other bears. Their lips are large and flexible. This configuration allows them to form their snout into a sealed tube that they can inhale insects out of a tree or termite mound with. The molars are for self defense. Bewear chew less in the wild than other bears so large molars are unnecessary. Both stages get into trees or termite mounds with their large, sickle-like claws and strong arms. They sense insects with their noses. A bewear can smell termites that are five feet beneath the ground. Bewear’s large, floppy ears are useful for heat regulation and give them very sensitive hearing.

Bewear are larger than stufful. Their stripes fade into a pink head, tail, and back and a darker colored abdomen and legs. Bewear possess enormous strength and are easily capable of leveling large trees. It is theorized that bewear may have been brought to Alola by the Polynesians for their ability to easily knock down ideal canoe trees and ward off pests.

Bewear and stufful have flexible knees on their hind legs, giving them a great deal of maneuverability when climbing trees. In exchange they have a slow, shambling walk. Their hind limbs are also shorter and less powerful than the forelimbs.

Male are usually around seventy inches tall when standing upright. Females rarely exceed sixty-three inches. Males typically weigh between 240 and 320 pounds. Female typically weigh between 160 and 220 pounds. Wild lifespans are around twenty-five years. Captive specimens routinely live thirty-five years. One specimen lived to be forty-eight years old.

Behavior

Bewear typically live in pairs. These can be siblings, parent and child, mates, or just two friendly specimens. During the day adults in the pair will separate out to forage. Bewear’s main prey are termites and ants. They will track termite mounds by scent, tear them open with their claws, and suck out the termites they find. Bewear can also use their noses to find trees overrun by insects, break in with their claw, and feed on the insects like a grafaiai. Bewear can do this while climbing in a tree. While in trees bewear may also forage for fruits and vegetables. Their diet can vary seasonally based on available vegetation. Bewear will eat carrion they stumble upon but it is not a staple of their diet. Large carcasses can make bewear nervous as they signal the presence of large carnivores.

Bewear carry stufful on their back while foraging. If there are twins they will compete among themselves to determine who gets to sit closer to the neck, which is considered to be the more desirable position. As they grow older the stufful will become more independent and begin to forage beside and eventually just within barking distance of their mother. Stufful are more arboreal than bewear but otherwise forage in similar ways.

Bewear with stufful will usually try to retreat rather than fight. This makes them less dangerous than bewear without children, who will almost always stand their ground for a few seconds before charging. Aggressive noises include growls, hisses, whistles, whines, barks, and squeaks. Friendly noises include hums and chuffs.

Bewear typically sleep in crude dens. These can be caves, hollow logs, abandoned buildings, or anything that provides shelter from wind and rain.

Husbandry

Bewear need not have an insectivorous diet in captivity. Some trainers use insect mixes, but this is expensive and unnecessary. Standard carnivore biscuits or cat or dog chow work as the core of a diet with fruit and vegetables making up the final quarter. Meat, live insects, honey, and candy are desirable treats. These should be used as training rewards and factored into the diet rather than being provided in addition to it.

Bewear are prone to obesity in captivity, which can contribute to arthritis later in life. Monitor the bewear’s body over time. Ideally the ribs should be felt with low or moderate pressure but should not be felt just by running a hand along the skin. Pregnant or nursing bewear will put on weight. This is normal. Adjust the amount of food provided to keep the bewear at a healthy weight. The same principles apply to stufful as well, except they should be getting at minimum 5% of their body weight in food each day to facilitate growth.

Bewear should have frequent access to clean drinking water. The containers should ideally not be open top and require suction to drink from. Bewear are used to creating these forces as that is how they feed in the wild. Open containers will be played with. Bewear love swimming in and playing with water, especially on hot days. They prefer shallow water they can walk in to deep water they must swim in. Bewear can swim but they far prefer wading.

Bewear and stufful also love to climb. They should be given access to trees, playground equipment, or other climbing structures on a regular basis. Stufful should have a thick layer of bedding beneath the climbing area in case they fall.

In general bewear are intelligent pokémon that love all kinds of enrichments. Soap bubble kits are a particular favorite. Lights that change colors or patterns are also well loved. Bewear enrichment items must be sturdy as they will be subjected to the pokémon’s claws and strength. Even the most durable pieces of equipment will still need to be regularly replaced.

Bewear can grow to be fond of their trainers and teammates. In the wild they often bond socially through hugs. While these can be uncomfortably tight they are rarely actually lethal to humans. Bewear never hug in the wild with the intent to kill and a max strength hug could easily break a spine. They know how to hold back, although it can still be painful as the pokémon works out how much force they can exert without causing discomfort. Bewear also express affection through licking. They enjoy being brushed and petted.

Bewear are still anxious and dangerous pokémon. They do not like crowds or strangers and can become aggressive in novel situations. Always keep an eye on the bewear when around unfamiliar people. If they start making distressed sounds or rearing onto their hind legs withdraw them immediately and send them out later in a safe, calming environment. Do not push their limits. So-called exposure therapy is likely to end in tragedy. Stufful raised around humans from birth are far more likely to tolerate them, but noisy crowds can still be upsetting and trigger a panicked reaction.

Bewear are fine with almost all teammates save very large predators, deer, and elephants. Bewear are preyed upon by Incineroar, pyroar, and dragons in the wild and will lash out at them with lethal force. Donphan and copperajah have an instinctual dislike of bewear. It is unclear why as bewear would not threaten them or their offspring. Bewear are also scared of deer as incineroar will sometimes mimic their noises while hunting to draw in prey. There are no deer in Alola. This instinct is an evolutionary holdover from their native range in South and Southeast Asia.

Prey species may dislike sharing a team with bewear as they smell like and visually resemble large carnivores. Being introduced to the species as a stufful is likely to ease tensions.

Illness

Roundworm and ringworm are some of the most common problems for otherwise healthy specimens in captivity. Ringworm can be difficult to detect beneath the fur. Hair loss, apparent itchiness, and discomfort with no clear cause are potential signs of an illness. If the bewear allows it a full body check for ringworm or abrasions should be administered. If it is not allowed the help of a veterinarian may be required. Anorexia, odd stool texture, bloody stool, and nausea may be signs of roundworm. Bewear can be treated with medications intended for canine or feline pokémon.

Alolan stufful and bewear are required to have a rabies vaccination. No other vaccinations are required or recommended at this time.

Hypothermia and hyperthermia are common ailments in captivity. Hypothermia is more common in temperate climates. Despite their thick fur, bewear do not have an undercoat and are vulnerable to hypothermia when temperatures dip below fifty degrees Fahrenheit. In Alola bewear can easily overheat without frequent exposure to shade, water, or air conditioning. Both conditions are easily avoidable with a little forethought and care.

Geriatric specimens are prone to blindness and arthritis. Blindness is usually not a major concern. Even curable cataracts are rarely removed as the discomfort of removal would outweigh the benefits of sight. Bewear navigate their world by sound and smell. They need their children to have prominent, brightly colored stripes just to recognize them by appearance alone. Arthritis is more concerning. It can lead to a significant decrease in mobility over time, contributing to obesity. Arthritic specimens are likely to have already been obese. Thankfully bewear will agree to take pills that help ease their pain and can restore some movement.

Evolution

Stufful gradually evolve into bewear around their second birthday. The formal demarcation is the subsidence of the stripes into a solid coat. In the wild stufful will usually stay with their mother until she finds a new mate, at which point they will disperse with their siblings or to find their own mate. Combat may slightly accelerate the timeline for evolution but this is disputed. In the wild stufful and bewear have little reason to fight. If there is a combat premium for evolution times it is only two to three months at most.

Battle

Bewear are strong enough to hold their own in most competitive matches. They still see relatively little use. Their fur is a decent enough defense in short, casual battles but they lack the armor required to be a proper tank. They are naturally strong and can even be taught proper fighting technique by a martial artist or another fighting-type, but machamp will always be stronger and have better form. They really only see use among trainers who raised one on their journey and on the supporting roster of a fighting-type specialist.

Bewear are an effective wallbreaker that can tank the hits of defensive pokémon and break their armor with overwhelming strength. Drain punch can be used to heal off damage sustained from stronger tanks such as rock- and steel-types. As slow melee combatants they can struggle against faster ranged threats. Fire-types can also ignite their fur and end the fight quickly. Bewear are reluctant to back down and it is difficult to break their fighting spirit, but even they have their limits.

On the island challenge they can be used to land strong hits against a slower totem before they can set up. Against faster totems they can either take down slower supporting pokémon or finish the fight after a teammate inflicts paralysis or alters the terrain.

Stufful are often reluctant to seriously train. Their preferred battle style is simply flailing their arms around and hoping they break the limbs of their attacker. Unlike bewear they can easily be scared into backing down, running away, or incessantly crying for help. They can accidentally defeat many physical attackers in the early stages of the island challenge but will struggle to keep up as more and more opponents gain ranged options or setup moves.

Acquisition

Bewear can be found in the forest and savannah areas of Akala and Poni. They were formerly found on Melemele and Ula’Ula. They were culled on both islands as a threat to the burgeoning populations there, although the abandonment of Po Town has led to a campaign to reintroduce them in northwest Ula’Ula.

Bewear territories are usually marked by signage along the trails. They are incredibly dangerous pokémon to encounter that tend to give no more warning than tearing up on their hind legs, waving their arms, and squealing. If this occurs, run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. Drop burdensome packs if needed. Extremely powerful trainers can attempt to fight. No one else should take the risk.

Bewear capture is possible but dangerous. It usually involves standing your ground and wearing them down in a proper fight. After the capture they should be taken to a secluded area and offered a great deal of desirable food such as fruit, honey, and vegetables. Over time the trainer can make themselves known through scented objects, approach through a barrier, and eventually direct contact. Carnivorous teammates should be introduced in a similar way. Bewear are relatively intelligent and social pokémon and are usually willing to exchange freedom for luxury and security. Females separated from their young by capture will kill their captor as soon as possible, but females with stufful will rarely fight a trainer in the first place.

Stufful capture is legal. In practice it requires the mother’s permission. This can be accomplished with a translator and a proving battle against the bewear, as well as a bribe of fruit and honey to show the trainer can care for the stufful. Capture of stufful and bewear requires a Class IV license.

Both stages are routinely available for purchase from breeders, or for adoption from shelters once an initial purchaser realizes they are ill-suited to keep a bear. Many breeders specialize in bewear and stufful. Their pokémon are often well adjusted to humans and less dangerous than a wild specimen. Breeders usually sell older stufful or newly evolved bewear. Both stages can be purchased or adopted with a Class III license.

Breeding

Bewear age in late spring and early summer, usually between June and August. The fetus has delayed implantation and true pregnancy does not begin until October or November. Birth occurs in December or January. Females will seek out a cubbing den more secluded than their usual one, ideally a cave or a large burrow that either has been abandoned or the bewear can make abandoned. Females are known to procrastinate and can pick a den only hours before giving birth. Bewear usually give birth to one or two offspring, but litters of three have been documented.

It is difficult to determine whether a bewear is truly pregnant in the wild or captivity. Like most bears, bewear experience pseudopregnancies where they put on weight, experience hormonal fluctuations, and even begin to seek out a cubbing den without actually carrying a viable fetus. Pseudopregnancies usually end a few weeks before birth would occur. Until then it is very difficult to tell whether the observed pregnancy is real or not. The only reliable way to tell the difference is an ultrasound, and pregnant bewear can be feisty and may not agree to one. Sedating them to perform an ultrasound risks accidentally terminating the pregnancy.

Bewear will not leave the cubbing den at all for two weeks. During this time there should be cameras to monitor the den and ensure the stufful are being nursed. The male should be separated, even if he usually gets along with his mate, to prevent confrontations that could endanger the newborns. The den’s bedding should be deep enough that the bewear does not need to make contact with the floor. Temperatures should be maintained around seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity should be kept low to prevent the growth of mold in the bedding. When the pokémon begin to leave the main chamber the bedding should be swapped out.

A secondary chamber in the den should contain a play area for the stufful with very shallow water bins and a climbing structure with plenty of bedding underneath it. There should also be more conventional toys such as rubber balls that are too big to pose a choking hazard. Stufful are curious and energetic.

Around the two week mark the mother will begin to leave the den to obtain food. Food should be left either in the secondary chamber or just outside the dens. Bewear are competent mothers and there is no need to separate them from their children unless they are refusing to nurse or illness is readily apparent. In these cases she will usually put the stufful outside the den for a human to take care of. Neonatal illness is rare and bewear are usually dutiful mothers. Any intervention with the cubs in the first month raises the risk of the mother abandoning them. Hand-rearing stufful is possible but best avoided as it impairs socialization.

Bewear have been crossed with every bear species in captivity. Crossbreeding in the wild is extremely rare.

Relatives

How bewear ended up on so many Pacific islands is unclear. Human intervention is the leading theory, but why would the wayfarers have brought large bears with them? Bewear fur is useful but there are other sources of rope in the Pacific. There were also other ways of toppling trees than having a group of bears squeeze them to death. One theory holds that bewear were either pets or status symbols. Stufful could have been a popular pet in ancient times for the same reasons people are drawn to them now. Stufful are not so large that they would be impossible to transport. Perhaps they were left behind on an island once they evolved, explaining how bewear ended up on so many islands.

Bewear claws were also a coveted weapon for the wayfarers as they were useful for crafts and combat alike. Female bewear have also been known to eat honey and jackfruit and regurgitate a mixture known as bear’s cake, a fluffy golden brown material that is a delicacy in parts of Asia and the Pacific. Being able to take a female bewear and her cubs on a voyage would have been both a form of conspicuous consumption and a way for a chief to maintain their authority if challenged in combat.

Bewear can survive on smaller islands by acting as generalists capable of finding small prey and killing them in their sleep, scaring off birds to eat their eggs, and breaking open coconuts to expose the flesh and milk. They are forty to thirty percent smaller than mainland bewear, depending on the island they live on.

The mainland bewear, A. amplexator, are found in the forested regions of south and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and parts of the Philippines. Aside from being larger than island bewear there are few substantial differences between the species. Their closest living relatives, island bewear aside, are snorlax and ursaring.

Bewear have been introduced to portions of Europe and South America. This usually occurs after a collector or pet trader imports bewear and specimens are released after their trainer proves incapable of handling them. These introduced populations are usually rounded up and brought back into captivity within a decade due to the danger bewear can pose. Their new owners are likely to make the same mistakes as the previous ones and the cycle will repeat. Outright culling is rare due to the species photogenic nature prompting public outcry while collectors work behind the scenes to secure the rights to some of the wild bewear.

 

[Persephone]

Commissioned by Crashmoth.


Greninja
Longalingua yīnyǐng

Overview

Greninja have long been known not only for their grace and power, but for their association with the legendary Chinese secret police. The yīnyǐng qīngwā were a paramilitary group that in various dynasties served as palace guards, imperial spies, mercenaries, customs agents, and assassins in and around China. At their height in the Song Dynasty the yīnyǐng qīngwā were said to have agents in every port and major city from the Red Sea to Japan and control the local and national politics of most of Asia. Even after their formal dissolution in the early 20th Century, the yīnyǐng qīngwā has lived on in the popular imagination, appearing in many movies set in Asia and rumored by conspiracy theorists to be behind every major event on the continent.

Actual greninja are known for their stealth and precision, which is why they were the pokémon of choice in the early years of the yīnyǐng qīngwā. They eventually fell out of favor with the more secretive sides of the organization as the species had become too closely linked to them, making them a liability on secretive missions. Greninja retained some popularity as a partner for members in less secretive positions such as customs inspectors and bankers.

Greninja are shy and somewhat more difficult to care for than the average starter pokémon. They will never be terribly social, but this should not be mistaken for a lack of loyalty. Greninja are devoted partners that will keep their trainer safe at great personal cost if the need arises. They are a good alternative starter for trainers looking to train amphibians or dark-types who don’t mind having teammates that won’t cuddle with them.

Physiology

Froakie and frogadier are classified as pure water-types. Greninja is classified as a dual water- and dark-type. Changes in typing upon evolution are disfavored, especially if there is not a clear physiological change to justify it such as the development of wings or venom sacs. The current typing is still well supported in the scientific community. Greninja hunt approach combat very differently from their pre-evolutions. They are masters at blending into shadows and often use dark-type attacks and underhanded tricks in combat. Froakie and frogadier are more straightforward hunters with more vulnerability to telepathy and difficulty melting into shadow.

Froakie are tree frogs with light blue skin. This gives them a superficial resemblance to croagunk and mudkip, species that predators are much less likely to attack due to their venom and overprotective parents, respectively. A pair of large brow-ridge horns adorn the head. These contain froakie’s extremely large eyes. The large eyes help them see in dim light, intimidate p. Froakie are known to coat their back and neck in a layer of bubbles with very high surface tension. These make blunt force attacks on the pokémon ineffective, although they are still vulnerable to piercing blows from teeth and claws.

Frogadier are counter-shaded with a dark blue back and a light blue stomach. Their eyes appear proportionally smaller than froakie’s but this is not the case. The horns still have some yellow coloring to make the eyes appear larger than they actually are, but frogadier’s eyes have grown to adapt to nocturnal life. The horns now slant backwards to protect the neck. Frogadier have developed long, webbed feet. These can be extended so that the digits are splayed 220 degrees apart to form fans. Frogadier and greninja can glide between trees using these fans.

Greninja have almost entirely dark blue or black skin save a small patch of yellow on the abdomen for counter-shading. Greninja’s horns are composed of four interlocking bone plates to make it difficult for predators to fit their jaws around greninja and to provide some defense against slashes towards the head or neck. The tongue has grown to be nearly half their body length. It is sticky and prehensile, allowing greninja to catch insects out of the air with a single tongue swipe or to grab onto or trip opponents. It can also be used to strike eyes and induce temporary or permanent blindness. The tongue can also be used as an addition limb when climbing or gliding. When not in use greninja often wrap the tongue around their neck as the mouth and throat are only barely large enough to enclose it. The tongue prevents greninja from having anything resembling incisors, forcing them to swallow food whole.

Greninja live for an average of six years in the wild. Captive specimens can live for up to twenty-eight years. Female greninja typically grow to be five to six feet long. Males are usually between four and five feet long. Females can weigh up to 140 pounds.

Behavior

Wild greninja are solitary pokémon that prefer to live high in the treetops of moist tropical forests. They are carnivores known to hunt small bird, insect, and mammal pokémon. This is accomplished primarily through throwing water shurikens at pokémon above them on a tree, then catching the prey as they fall. Greninja prefer not to go near the forest floor where larger predators live. If they fail to catch their prey they will leave it for the scavengers below. Greninja’s aversion to the forest floor is also why they glide between trees whenever possible.

Frogadier practice similar tactics by coating a hard object, such as a nut or rock, with a bubble. Their control of the bubble lets them throw the object at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour and accurately strike foes 100 feet away. As with greninja they prefer to hunt things higher on the tree than them to avoid trips to the forest floor.

Froakie are far less arboreal than greninja and frogadier. They primarily live in and around shallow ponds on the forest floor. Their preferred hunting method is creating a stream of bubbles to trap insects, at which point their hydrokinesis can be used to recall the bubbles and eat anything captured. Froakie also use bubble armor for defense. When threatened they depend upon their armor to protect them long enough to get to the water. Froakie have few defenses against aquatic carnivores and prefer to stay on land whenever possible. Unlike their evolutions, froakie are diurnal and prefer to hunt during the warmest parts of the day when predators are often resting. Outside of these hours they hide in thickets of dense foliage.

All three stages are solitary pokémon. They have little need to coordinate hunting. Large groups simply make it harder to find good hiding spots. Loyalty arose through extensive captive breeding in China. Truly wild greninja in Southeast Asia are not particularly easy to bond with. Feral populations around the globe are usually descended from the domesticated greninja and adapt well to being around humans. Wild froakie may even seek them out for protection.

Husbandry

No stage of the evolutionary line is particularly fond of water. They are still amphibians with relatively thin skin that need to stay moist to survive. In their native range this is a non-issue because of the humid air and frequent rain. Greninja only go to the surface to swim and rehydrate during the driest times of the year. Thankfully, Alola has a similar climate. Greninja and froagdier do not require pools, although they should still be given access to twice-daily misting through a machine or a simple spray bottle. Froakie should be given regular access to a shallow dechlorinated swimming pool with places to hide. They are extremely reluctant to use community pools at Pokémon Centers. Center staff will usually be willing to fill a small children’s pool with dechlorinated water for them.

Froakie are quite capable of hunting for themselves when insects are abundant. This is a form of enrichment, lowers food costs, and makes property owners and other travelers happy. Froakie are even used as a form of pest control in some parts of the world. Wild froagadier and greninja hunt bug-types, birds, and small arboreal mammals and reptiles. In captivity greninja are happy to accept insect mixes. They enjoy puzzles and novel containers that require manipulation with their tongue to obtain food. Frogadier will accept insect mixes but prefer larger chunks of food, such as whole or partial carterpie carcasses or artificial or real meat dishes. Frogadier’s tongue is not as useful as greninja’s for scooping up large quantities of insects at once.

All three stages are reclusive. Froakie are usually fine being stored in habitat or stasis balls for hours at a time as they provide protection. As long as dietary, exercise, and enrichment needs are met the pokémon will not object to being stored in their ball. They even see them as desirable during periods of travel. Frogadier and greninja are often more skeptical of their balls but will still accept habitat balls during the day.

Greninja are unlikely to be social with teammates. This can pose a challenge as they are reasonably intelligent nocturnal pokémon unlikely to socialize. As a result they may require additional enrichment such as frequent rotation of toys or changes in environment. At night they prefer to have a sheltered area to use as a base for exploration. Climbing structures and food puzzles are their preferred enrichment and can keep them busy for most of the night. Television or computer programs playing footage of prey are often a good way to distract predators while their trainer sleeps. Frogadier and greninja are likely to damage them with rocks or water shurikens, respectively. Devices playing ambient rainforest sounds are less likely to be destroyed. If screen-based enrichment must be used it should be placed on the floor. Frogadier and greninja will pay attention to prey beneath them but are unlikely to strike it.

All three stages can grow to tolerate most pokémon. After initial introductions they are unlikely to attack teammates either. Make sure to closely monitor them for the first few hours after meeting a teammate, especially a potential prey species, to make sure nothing occurs. After this they can be left unsupervised.

Greninja do not require much in the way of direct socialization. However, they will bond with their trainer much faster with regular time outside the pokéball. Like cats they will often linger on the periphery of a space. They do not want to be touched. Sometimes they might appreciate coordinated training and play through target practice games where a frisbee or other object is launched and the pokémon must try to destroy it with a shuriken or rock. Froakie can try to capture gently tossed objects in a bubble. Frogadier and greninja will likely destroy whatever they hit so less valuable projectiles like rocks are preferable to expensive toys. The line are often much more fond of their trainer than they appear to be. A lack of conventional affection should not be mistaken for a lack of loyalty.

Illness

In temperate and subtropical areas hypothermia and dehydration are the line’s main health problems. as long as the skin remains warm and moist this should not be an issue in Alola. Greninja, like many amphibians, breathe through their skin. The oils on human skin can interfere with their breathing or cause irritation. Greninja should only be touched with amphibian safe gloves. Ideally, they should not be touched at all. The line do not need or want physical affection.

With proper environments and care funguses are their most common ailment. These can usually be readily seen as a patch of discoloration on the skin. The pokémon should be taken to a veterinarian immediately to ensure the proper regimen of medication is taken before it spreads. Greninja are not particularly common in Alola but most Pokémon Center veterinarians know the basics of amphibian skin care.

Greninja sometimes downplay injuries. After any battle in which they sustain damage they should be taken to a Pokémon Center or given a thorough health exam to look for injuries. Greninja are relatively fragile and care should be taken to insure that injuries sustained heal properly. They should not be battled with until all wounds are fully healed and a qualified veterinarian has given the go-ahead.

Evolution

Froakie gradually evolve into frogadier over the course of four to seven months. The formal demarcation line is the first gliding flight. Frogadier flash evolve into greninja after a certain number and caliber of hunts have been achieved. In the wild this occurs around the second birthday. In captivity it can occur less than four months after their first evolution.

Rumors have long swirled around Asia about a permanent or mega evolution for greninja. These stem from The Tales of Hui Nícháng, a Fourteenth Century novel about the ambiguously historical founder of the yīnyǐng qīngwā. Hui Nícháng, according to the story, was raised by greninja in the forests of Vietnam. At one point she takes in an injured froakie and raises it as her partner. Their bond grew to the point where yīnyǐng qīngwā became her brother in all things. Towards the end of the story she merges her soul with her partner, causing him to become engulfed in a flash of light and emerge with an uncanny resemblance to his trainer’s usual attire. Attempts to replicate this over the centuries have failed. There are anecdotes of legendary warriors, shadowy assassins, or isolated monks gaining this power, but none of these records can be reliably verified. Often these rumors only began to circulate decades or even centuries after the subject’s death. The general secrecy of the yīnyǐng qīngwā means that it is not impossible they knew how to mega evolve a greninja. If the information ever existed it has not resurfaced in the century since the organization’s collapse.

Battle

Greninja are agile pokémon with powerful water shurikens. The attack’s power derives from the sharpness of the water’s edge and the speed of rotation rather than the power of the throw. These shurikens are sharp enough to split and tear through muscles and tendons until they hit bone. Greninja can accurately throw them at targets moving up to eighty miles per hour at a distance of fifty feet or hit a stationary target five hundred feet away. A well-placed water shuriken can take down many frailer pokémon in a single strike.

Greninja see usage at even the highest echelons of competitive play, but there are real drawbacks that keep them from being more common. Water shurikens are sharp and can cut most materials, but they tend to collapse shortly after making contact with their target. This means they tend to produce cuts no more than three or four inches deep. This can be devastating to bipeds and smaller pokémon. A steelix might not notice, if the shuriken can pierce the hide at all. The attack’s dependence on sharpness means that a well-timed protect can block it without wasting much energy. It is also unlikely to seriously disrupt ghosts. As a water- and dark-type greninja can compensate for bad matchups against ghost and mineral pokémon with normal attacks, but without their shurikens greninja have middling power for a competitive pokémon. The sheer versatility of attacks they can learn is useful but can only go so far against the average tank or wall. Type coverage primarily helps with pokémon of moderate bulk. These pokémon can usually be knocked out of a fight by a water shuriken, anyways.

Greninja have no armor save for their tongue. Their bones are frailer by competitive standards and, like most amphibians, even surface damage can result in serious injuries. Substitute, double team, protect, shadow sneak, and spikes can keep greninja from getting hit. While their climbing and gliding speeds are impressive on flat terrain greninja can barely exceed twenty miles per hour. This leaves them unable to avoid many counter attacks without the use of a move. Any attack that lands will probably knock them out of commission. Even weaker homing attacks like shock wave or swift can sometimes do the trick. If the round goes on for longer than a minute, greninja will probably lose the war of attrition. In the wild they are nocturnal ambush predators that strike prey from a distance without being seen. This translates poorly to flat, open arenas where both sides know they are in a fight. The power of the shuriken gives them a niche for teams that need a way to deal with other speedsters but they are not powerful enough overall to be a competitive mainstay.

On the island challenge, where most foes are frailer and less experienced, greninja can thrive. They can inflict critical damage to many totems by striking their wings or joints, putting them on the backfoot for the rest of the fight. Many totem arenas also feature uneven elevation and ways for them to maneuver other than running on a flat surface. They may even be able to power through a hit or two. Trainers who want to start with greninja may consider going through the islands in an unorthodox order. Froakie and frogadier do well against Olivia and Hapu. Most of Hala’s final team members are unable to reliably hit greninja and are bipeds vulnerable to a shuriken to the achilles tendon. If Hapu or Olivia are fought last their bulky final teams will be able to handle shurikens. The sandstorms both kahunas are prone to setting up can irritate greninja’s skin.

Froakie and frogadier have crude armor in their bubbles. This will not save them from piercing attacks or any really powerful hits, but in the early and middle stages of the island challenge it sets them apart from their almost entirely unarmored foes. The bubbles are excellent at blunting the weaker tackles or punches that many young pokémon rely upon to deal damage. They will gradually become less useful until they evolve and gain access to water shurikens. Both stages are relatively speedy and are best used by keeping a distance and landing projectiles when possible.

Acquisition

As arboreal amphibians greninja thrive in spaces that are warm and humid with available insects and plenty of vertical space. They have become common in Exeggutor Island, Akala Rainforests National Preserve, and portions of Poni Meadow and Poni Wilds. The latter has cliff walls, tropical foliage, and an abundance of insects, allowing greninja to live on the cliff surfaces or in the tall grass. Froakie and frogadier can be captured with a Class I license. Greninja can be captured with a Class II. All three stages can be purchased or adopted with a Class I license as captive specimens are ordinarily docile. There is currently a near-total ban on imports in an effort to slow or stop population growth, but there are many breeders on Akala and Ula’Ula who breed froakie as alternative starters. A tame froakie can sell for as much as $1,200. Trainers who want to capture a froakie can find them in dense foliage around waterways, especially in tropical forest environments. Frogadier and greninja are difficult to capture due to their arboreal lifestyle.

Breeding

Greninja mate at the start of the wet season. Males croak and bellow to attract the attention of females. When one approaches they will begin a ritual of gliding between trees while performing acrobatic feats or sniping prey while in midair. The female may join in. If she stays long enough she will signal interest and land on a tree for mating to begin. After a twenty-day gestation period the female will lay a clutch of eggs on the underside of a leaf. Neither parent will have any further involvement with their offspring.

Captive breeding outside of the tropics requires cycling seasons from dry to wet with a gradual increase in humidity and temperature. The enclosure should have sufficient room to glide in. While greninja are perfectly comfortable living alone they will tolerate small mixed-sex groups year-round. Greninja are not defensive of their eggs. They can and should be removed to an incubation chamber to ensure they are not accidentally harmed. Captive greninja have shown some willingness to train froakie and frogadier, even if these behaviors are never seen in the wild. They do not care if their mentee is their own offspring or not.

Greninja can reliably crossbreed with toxicroak. More distant relatives can be mated with but the greninja are often reluctant due to the perceived lax of athleticism in their mate. The few documented cases have generally occurred when both frogs (or toads) are members of a competitive battling team and have a healthy respect for each other.

Relatives

Wild greninja (L. longalingua) live in Southeast Asia. Feral greninja have been introduced to Southern Europe, Brazil, the Everglades, Alola, the Congo, and, briefly, Madagascar. An eradication campaign on the island managed to wipe out the population in 1977 after they had caused the local prosimian population to decline. A similar campaign has been attempted twice on Akala to protect the endangered passimian. Both attempts succeeded at temporarily curtailing the population before it eventually rebounded. The DNR is currently focusing their efforts on eradicating the Poni populations as they are less well established and the lessons learned during the campaign can hopefully be applied on Akala and Ula’Ula.

Compared to their captive and feral relatives, truly wild greninja have much weaker shurikens and less control over the shadows. They do not bond well with humans and will typically hide as soon as they become aware of one nearby. Wild greninja are slightly smaller than their domesticated counterparts. They also need to retreat to water to rest and rehydrate during the day due to their thinner skin.

 

[Persephone]

Hydreigon (Deino, Zweilous)
Lernaean horriblus maris

Overview

Dragons haunted the nightmares of early humans. Even as walled cities were erected and ever more powerful pokémon domesticated, the dragons could tear apart all they had built. Their only exploitable weakness were the faeries, every bit as dangerous in their own way. And hydreigon was the most terrifying dragon of them all.

Hydreigon boast a vicious temperament, cunning mind, and incredible power. Their dragonfire is the strongest of any common dragon. Their venom can leave debilitating wounds meant to make their prey an example rather than kill them outright. When civilizations progressed past a single city, hydreigon began to kidnap priests and royalty as insurance against attacks. In Mesopotamia it was viewed as imprudent to build a city or till the land within twenty-nine miles of a hydreigon’s roost. The Persians believed their pantheon had fought a mighty hydreigon in the past and that, in the future, the hydreigon would return to kill the gods and plunge humanity into an age of chaos and despair. Across the world hydreigon were almost always the foes of gods, not heroes.

Even in the modern era the remaining hydreigon have razed major monuments and skyscrapers when offended. Only the taming of stronger fairy-types and the use of poisoned carcasses has made a dent in their population. These extermination campaigns came at a price: when hydreigon realized what was going on they began to coordinate the destruction of dams, major transit hubs, and power plants until their habitats and hunting grounds were protected.

Hydreigon are sadists with the power to burn through ten feet of concrete and one of the most painful bites on the planet. They are best avoided at all costs. If one becomes a problem a champion-tier trainer is called in to handle the situation. Only the most experienced of dragon masters should attempt to raise one. Even the younger stages can be extremely difficult to care for.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as dual dark- and dragon-types. There is a minority opinion that the line should instead be dual poison- and dragon-types due to their venom. Dark-type attacks have been known to leave healing-resistant wounds like hydreigon venom. Hydreigon are also among the most psionic resistant of pokémon rather than being vulnerable to psychic attacks as a poison typing would imply.

Deino are quadrupedal dragons. A single horn protrudes from the back of their head to deter predators from attacking from behind. Their eyes are atrophied and almost always closed. Even when opened deino’s vision is limited to determining whether light is present or not. Deino instinctively avoid light. Young specimens can even be scared away by a particularly bright flashlight. Their blindness is not a problem in the cave systems they inhabit. Deino instead find food with a powerful sense of smell and navigate their home by memory.

Deino rely on fur and thick leathery scales to keep them warm in the cool subterranean air. Black or dark blue fur covers their head, neck, and shoulders. Their eyes are almost always covered. Deino’s scales are black, blue, or purple. All stages of the line heal quickly. Hydreigon can even regrow a minor head within a few months. Surface wounds heal slowly or not at all. As a result, most deino are covered in scars. Hydreigon rarely have a square foot of their body without a major scar. These scars are attractive to potential mates and make the dragons look more intimidating and experienced than they actually are.

All three stages are venomous. Deino venom interferes with clotting and prevents the wound from naturally healing. It is mildly corrosive and damages nerves in a way that leaves the victim in agony for weeks, months, or even years after the bite. Hydreigon venom ranks among the most painful in the world. A hydreigon that has recently eaten will rarely kill an intruder. Instead, they will leave a non-lethal bite. This lets the victim escape and serve as a warning to others. It also allows the hydreigon to later follow the blood trail from the unclotted wound to find the victim and their family when it is time for their next meal. Hydreigon are also capable of injecting concentrated drops of venom into their saliva, letting them inflict serious pain on opponents just by breathing into their eyes or an open wound.

Zweilous are similar to deino, with the key difference of having two heads. Each head is also capped by two horns instead of one. Each head has its own brain that controls the head and neck. Each brain can also take control of the full body, but only if the other head allows it. If the heads disagree then only the heads, necks, and autonomous functions can function. In practice the submissive head usually allows the dominant head to control the body. Dominance varies by the day depending on which head ate more at the last meal. Zweilous often overeat as both heads battle for dominance. Sometimes the heads will even attack each other in a moment of anger. The line are highly resistant to their own venom and have thick scales along the neck to protect against attack. These bites often leave scars but rarely seriously injure the other head. It is difficult to study live zweilous due to their surprising power and vicious temperament, but the few studies that have been conducted have advanced the fields of neurology and computing.

Older zweilous develop a pair of wings on their back. These wings are not yet usable. Zweilous also develop stripes as they age. In males the stripe color almost always matches the father’s scales. In females stripe color is usually a mix of their parents’ scale colors. Sometimes a female’s stripes are not readily visible.

Hydreigon have three heads. Only one, the most dominant zweilous head overall, is in control. This is the center head. The two minor heads, one at the end of each arm, contain venom sacs, teeth, and a throat that connects to the lungs and stomach. Hydreigon have been known to pretend like these heads have their own personalities as a display of intimidation or for their own amusement. This is a ruse: the heads are physically incapable of independent thought. Hydreigon’s fur covers less of their body than that of a zweilous or deino. The fur around the head also tends to be more vibrant than the fur on the rest of their body. It is usually a similar shade to their stripe color. Hydreigon also have working eyes and rather good long-range vision. Hydreigon are extremely far-sighted and can still struggle to make out fine details within twenty feet of them.

Hydreigon have six thin wings on their back and spend much of their lives airborne. The wings themselves are too thin to keep such a heavy creature in the air. Instead hydreigon use channeled draconic energy to fly. The same elemental well that gives hydreigon nearly unmatched dragonfire also lets them effortlessly keep themselves aloft. The wings are used primarily for heat exchange, intimidation, and guiding the pokémon’s movement while underwater.

In addition to their wings, hydreigon develop a prominent tail that helps them balance on land and swim through the water. Hydreigon’s unique arm structure make them unable to crawl on all fours. They must instead either slither on their stomach or walk bipedally when on the ground. Southern hydreigon are accomplished swimmers that can hold their breath for twenty minutes and dive to depths of eight hundred feet.

Hydreigon can grow to be fourteen feet long from their snout to the tip of their tail. They can weigh up to 400 pounds. Wild lifespans are probably around 110 years. Captive lifespans are poorly understood. Longitudinal studies of hydreigon rarely last for more than ten years before the hydreigon migrates or drives off the researchers. Safely subduing a hydreigon long enough to implant a subdermal tracking device is nearly impossible.

Behavior

Deino and zweilous are cave dwellers that are almost never seen on the surface. They will eat anything that comes near them, but both stages are believed to rely more on scavenging than hunting. Frequent vocalizations and stumbling into cave walls drives off most prey well before the pokémon arrives. Few predators will pick a fight with a deino and risk a bite. As a result, deino can usually eat any carcass they come across. After meals the pokémon will retreat to the lower levels of a cave for water and safety. These pokémon can and will attack anything that approaches them on land. Deino are uncharacteristically wary of bats. This lasts throughout their life. Hydreigon almost never antagonize noivern in the wild. Even captive specimens are reluctant to fight one. While hydreigon would almost certainly win a one-on-one confrontation, noivern tend to live in larger social groups and could easily kill deino and zweilous. As a result, adults of the two species tend to keep their interactions brief and polite.

Deino and zweilous are relatively solitary pokémon. They will accept food and guidance from their parents and rarely attack their siblings with intent to kill. Anyone else, conspecific or not, is seen as either food, a threat, or both. Cave routes tend to seal off access to areas that deino and zweilous frequent. When they do wander onto a commonly traversed path they will be captured by a ranger and released deeper in the cave.

Hydreigon are surprisingly social dragons. They mate for years at a time, if not for life, and seem to enjoy spending time around their partner. Hydreigon are fiercely territorial but will approach the boundary of their territories to socialize with their neighbors. They are doting parents and will sometimes adopt orphaned dragons. Adoptions of non-dragon pokémon, animals, and even humans have all been documented.

Despite being social, hydreigon appear to have an innate dislike of humans and will usually lash out at any perceived intruders in their territory. The best response to seeing a hydreigon is to run away immediately. Leave everything behind. This will distract the hydreigon and make it easier to run. Humans cannot outrun a hydreigon, but they can convince it that they did not mean to intrude and are leaving as quickly as possible. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they can smell urine and see it as a sign of submission. This may also be survivorship bias: the people most likely to run from hydreigon and be allowed to flee are also more likely to wet themselves while running away. The actual best way to stay safe from hydreigon attacks is to stay away from a hydreigon’s territory or, when this is impossible, to stick to ranger-designated paths. If a deino or zweilous is seen outside of a cave, run. Do not harm a deino or zweilous unless you are preparing for a capture. Even this is risky. See the Acquisition section for more information on negotiating with deino and zweilous.

Hydreigon are prone to migrating once every few years. This may be to allow local prey populations to recover. It may also be because they desire a change in scenery. The behavior of highly intelligent species is often divorced from simple survival instincts. Recent evidence suggests that hydreigon may have a human-comparable intellect. Laboratory studies are nearly non-existent. Field studies suggest that hydreigon are capable of employing strategies designed to take out prey they would ordinarily struggle against. Hydreigon even seem to prefer hunting them for the challenge. In competitive battles hydreigon have come up with strategies independently of their trainer and employed tactics like feigning injuries, digging trenches with their dragonfire, targeting the wings of birds, creating apparent openings to bait out an attack, and forming clouds of dust or smoke to obscure their movements. Hydreigon in Paldea were even observed creating an apparent sport involving stolen volleyballs. The game spread across Southern European and North African hydreigon populations before abruptly falling out of favor two years later. A more enduring fashion trend can be found in Siberia where northern hydreigon have dropped off carcasses by cities and let the citizens have the meat and bones in exchange for turning the pelt into a cape. Caped hydreigon are still often seen in Russia and occasionally sighted in Alaska, Scandanavia, and the Yukon. One captive specimen enjoys wearing hats.

Hydreigon are prone to living in groves of trees, especially cheri trees. There is a theory that hydreigon spread the cheri berry throughout the world on purpose. How or why they would do this is unknown. What is known is that cheri trees are abundant along hydreigon’s favorite migration paths, even the ones well outside of the cheri tree’s natural range. Hydreigon are obligate carnivores, but they will make exceptions for mint, cheri and roseli berries, and cinnamon. Many orchard owners have been driven off their land after a hydreigon decided to take over the property. Other times the hydreigon allows the owners to stay and tend to the trees as long as the hydreigon gets a share of the fruit.

For centuries Chinese villages would send sacrifices of “cheri priests” to the hydreigon. These were young girls sent to the groves on the outskirts of the city to spend their lives tending the trees. The girls were not killed and usually grew to an advanced age, at which point they would take over the care and training of the new priestesses. Cheri priests were treated with immense respect when they entered town and were consulted on matters of agriculture and war. Villages and cities with cheri priests were almost never attacked by wild hydreigon or even other dragons. Sometimes the hydreigon would even defend the settlement against foreign armies. The only recorded cases of a hydreigon turning on their hosts occurred when their priests were assaulted or a warrior dared to attack the hydreigon, their mates, or their offspring. The practice was briefly outlawed in 1966. Many priests were imprisoned, or even executed, as counter-revolutionary radicals. A group of forty-one hydreigon stormed Beijing and wiped out all but ten members of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The practice was reinstated shortly after, but relations between the central government and wild hydreigon have been rocky ever since.

Husbandry

The first consideration when raising hydreigon is not food, social structure, enrichment, or environment. The primary issue is simply how to keep one from destroying your home, killing your family, leaving you in agony, and then flying away. Hydreigon do not appear to kill for sport. Their cruelty seems calculated to make a point. Hydreigon can even be kind to certain humans. The draconic tribes seem to have relatively little difficulty gaining their trust. The dragons are wary of or hostile towards most other humans.

There is not a widely agreed upon solution to this problem. The most widely accepted approach is to raise the dragon from a deino. However, deino are deeply unpleasant to work with as they are prone to biting everything that comes within range of their mouth. Even an accidental bite can be incredibly painful. Few pokémon are willing to cooperate with a deino and few trainers are willing to risk a bite. The scarcity of captive specimens willing to donate venom has led to very high antivenom prices. Labs attempting to use deino or zweilous are often destroyed by an upset hydreigon. Zweilous are less likely to accidentally bite their trainer but more likely to do it on purpose. It is very difficult to predict a zweilous due to their two heads. Their personality can shift dramatically in a matter of hours. Zweilous seem to dislike all other organisms, including their other half.

Hydreigon will rarely bother to listen to a human explaining why they should join their team. Proving battles have mixed results. Hydreigon seem inclined to respect pokémon who can match them in combat, but this respect rarely extends to the trainer giving orders.

A few dragon masters, mostly from the dragon tribes, have kept an apparently tame hydreigon. Even the non-tribal dragon masters are often unwilling to share their secrets with researchers. A few things can still be inferred. Hydreigon appear to enjoy physical displays of affection with humans they are close to. Even the successful trainers will regularly have their orders ignored in battle and must rely on pleading as much as commanding. These interactions and preserved accounts from cheri priests suggest that hydreigon refuse to see humans as superiors, or even as equals. Some humans are the hydreigon’s cherished pets or adoptive children. Even then they will mostly refuse to recognize a human as an expert on battling worth listening to. The hydreigon seem to enjoy roaming across a fairly large territory. Almost all professional dragon masters own at least 300 acres of land. Even this is rarely enough for hydreigon. The Persians speculated that hydreigon territories had a sixty-mile diameter. Modern research suggests that this is more or less accurate, even when the hydreigon does not need to hunt. Tame hydreigon rarely cause problems while roaming, outside of terrifying anyone they come across.

Most trainers and facilities that work with deino and zweilous on a short-term basis recommend keeping interactions at a physical distance and slightly overfeeding the dragons. A full deino is less likely to cause trouble than a hungry one. Deino are known to be exceptionally passive after eating a large meal. This is the only safe time to draw venom in a laboratory setting.

The line are almost entirely carnivorous. Like most dragons they will eat up to 40% of their body weight a day and then go several days before eating again. Feeding 15% of their body weight every other day will keep most dragons reasonably active at all times while still meeting nutritional needs. Hydreigon are generalists who will happily eat almost any kind of meat. The limited available research suggests that they particularly enjoy fish and poultry. Hydreigon are capable of breaking bones to eat marrow and can digest almost every part of a carcass. In the wild hydreigon will share particularly large kills with local deino, zweilous, and even other hydreigon. It is unclear if they are defensive of their food in captivity.

Berries, mint, and cinnamon probably make for good treats. The scents might also be good enrichment. Laboratory studies suggest that the smell of mint and small amounts inserted into the diet make deino more relaxed and reduce staff injuries by as much as 25%.

In the wild hydreigon can go without fresh water for weeks while migrating across oceans. Lab deino still need to drink frequently and will get cranky if they do not have clean, cool water available for drinking and bathing at all times. All stages of the line seem concerned with cleanliness and will take multiple baths a day if the opportunity presents itself. Hydreigon may spend more time in the water than in the air. Lab deino with access to a pool spend about 30% of their time in shallow water, 10% in deep water, and 60% on land. They will often sleep near the water’s edge.

Deino and zweilous, like most subterranean pokémon, appreciate cool, damp, and dark environments. Care must be taken to keep mold from growing in their homes. Light is entirely unnecessary and only serves to agitate them. Researchers are divided on how soft their environment should be. Both stages are prone to injuring themselves against hard surfaces like concrete and stone walls. However, these injuries are common in the wild and do not seem to bother the pokémon. One hydreigon, after meeting several scarless deino raised in a lab, proceeded to slash their skin with his claws and fangs. The deino seemed to appreciate the gesture. Minor injuries may be a necessary component of a deino’s psychological development.

There is precious little research on the interactions between deino, hydreigon, and other team members. Both wild and captive hydreigon seem to be protective of any young dragon they come across and have never been observed engaged in cannibalism. Even the harshest ancient texts stop short of accusing hydreigon of that particular offense. Hydreigon also appear reluctant to attack children of all species, including humans, although they will not go through too much effort to protect them from becoming collateral damage.

Captive deino are known to tolerate noibat and zubat in their environment but never go out of their way to interact with them. They will attempt to bite mineral pokémon but are unable to do much of anything to them. Large mineral pokémon are likely to ignore the deino altogether. Hydreigon are most frequently seen on the same teams as other large dragons, but this may be because only dragon masters bother to raise one. As with all apex predators it may be unwise to keep hydreigon on the same team as prey species. Unfortunately, almost all organic pokémon are prey species. As are humans.

Illness

All three stages are usually coated in scars and constantly sustaining minor injuries. These will rarely result in lasting, non-superficial damage. They can regenerate horns, limbs, and minor heads. Hydreigon are probably cancer-resistant like most true dragons, but there is not enough evidence either way to be sure. Unlike most dragons, hydreigon are even resistant to hypothermia with their dark scales, subdermal fat deposits, and variable metabolism. This is necessary given their habits of living in water and caves. Anecdotal evidence suggests that hydreigon may even be uncomfortable at sea level in the tropics. Hypothermia and hyperthermia are probably the biggest health problems for captive specimens. Hydreigon should have access to cool pools and shaded areas in warm weather and indoor areas in cool and cold weather.

Zweilous naturally fight with themselves. The injuries inflicted may seem severe but usually heal quickly and may be necessary for establishing dominance and facilitating evolution. Attempts to keep the heads from biting each other have just agitated both heads and resulted in coordinated resistance to the facility keeping them.

Evolution

Deino evolve into zweilous around five years of age. This may be accelerated by frequent combat, but the research on the subject is limited. Very few captive-born deino are intentionally battled with. For wild-caught deino an exact age can be difficult to determine. Deino stop growing larger around their third birthday. A decrease in violent behaviors is observed in the weeks leading up to evolution. The second head appears during flash evolution. Few other changes occur. Growth continues for the next one to two years. Infighting between the heads increases dramatically for a month leading up to evolution before ceasing abruptly. The second evolution is likely to occur within a week of this point.

Newly evolved hydreigon are about twice the size as they were previously. The remainder of their growth occurs over the next three to four years. Hydreigon struggle to fly and understand the things they see upon evolution. It takes a few weeks of trial and error along with training from their mother before a new hydreigon can take to the skies and seek out a territory of their own.

Battle

Hydreigon are limited not by their own weaknesses but by the difficulty in raising one. There are very few professional trainers who own a hydreigon, and almost all of them consider it their ace. They are primarily known for their immense ranged firepower. A well-trained hydreigon can fire off dragon pulses stronger than many dragons’ draco meteors. Anything that gets close can be debilitated by a venomous bite. Hydreigon are also no slouch in melee and are strong enough to knock out frailer foes in one blow without venom. If that isn’t enough, hydreigon boast high natural intelligence and a wide variety of coverage attacks such as flash cannon, surf, flamethrower, and focus blast. Southern hydreigon’s only real weakness are fairy-types. Fairies can tank dragonfire without issue and retaliate with devastating moonblasts. The frailer fairies still need to fear a hydreigon rushdown or coverage such as flash cannon. If the fairy isn’t on the field when the hydreigon comes out then it will still probably land a knockout. It is very difficult to stall down the switch clock against a clever opponent that can fly and punch through all but the sturdiest of walls. Many dragon specialists still train the somewhat slower and weaker northern hydreigon to mitigate the fairy weakness.

Fairies aside, there isn’t really a good way to deal with hydreigon. There are simply responses that are varying levels of inadequate. Southern hydreigon do not mind the cold as much as other dragons. Northern hydreigon can shrug off all but the strongest of blizzards and sheer colds. Ranged fighting attacks can wear the hydreigon down without risking a bite. Fairy coverage attacks are also reasonably effective when available. Only the sturdiest of pokémon can afford to take a hit from hydreigon. Even steel-types should be wary. Faster pokémon are better at avoiding hits. Many are also frail enough that even a glancing blow or a coverage attack can knock them out. Blissey can deal with the dragonfire reasonably well and are all but immune to hydreigon venom. However, an outrage will likely knock them out. Aside from relatively weak dazzling gleams there is little they can do to threaten hydreigon back. Goodra, especially Manchurian goodra, are capable of holding out for a while and knocking out hydreigon with a draco meteor or two. A well set up sweeper might be able to hold their own. Destiny bond can at least allow for a draw. Just be aware that hydreigon can learn taunt to shut down trickery.

Other powerhouses like tyranitar and volcarona can take on hydreigon in a fair fight. Most of these pokémon suffer from the same problems as hydreigon, though: they are dangerous and expensive to own.

Hydreigon can also be worn down gradually over the course of a fight as they are not particularly durable. By the time they go down they may still have taken out multiple other pokémon. Dragon specialists often use hydreigon early to bait out and either knock out or do serious damage to the opponent’s best dragon checks. Then the rest of the team can run over the remaining opposition.

Anyone with a hydreigon on the island challenge is highly unlikely to be stopped by any obstacle before the Elite Four. Trainers should be aware that using hydreigon venom in battle without an available antivenom is highly frowned upon. If the pokémon is willing some labs will exchange raw venom for an antidote.

Zweilous and deino need to be trained not to use their venom in battle to be safely and cheaply used. It is simply too painful and too long-lasting to be legal in casual matches. If antivenom is available and the trainer is willing to spare it, zweilous and deino work best rushing to their opponents to deliver a bite or a few drops with their breath and then waiting, using rest and sleep talk as necessary, for the opponent to surrender.

Acquisition

A female hydreigon spends most of the year around Ten Carat Hill. She is remarkably well-behaved for her species and allows for trainers to enter for totem battles and captures, people to live in the vicinity, and even for fireworks to be launched if she’s given advanced warning. This makes her one of the only hydreigon to live within ten miles of a major urban center. She is mated to a salamence and has deino and zweilous children inside of the hill’s caves. The hydreigon has expressed a desire not to be caught. She will allow deino and zweilous to be caught if they agree to it or the hydreigon gives her express permission.

Deino and zweilous are still difficult to tame because they will bite anyone who comes near. Proving battles can upset them and risk retaliation from their mother. There is no reliable way to gain the trust of a deino or zweilous. Bribes of food over a period of several weeks often work, but sometimes don’t. Other dragons on the team can either earn the pokémon’s trust or result in territorial aggression. A mistake could end in a very painful bite.

Captive specimens are hard to come by. Most are held by specialist breeding operations or antivenom laboratories. Specimens of all three stages can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Docile specimens will cost well over one million. Adoption is handled on a case-by-case basis.

Deino and zweilous can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class IV license. Hydreigon require a Class V license to possess.

Breeding

Very little is known about hydreigon reproduction in the wild. It is known that they tend to mate for multiple seasons, if not for life, and are fiercely devoted to their mates. Female hydreigon appear to be dominant in relationships. Even in captivity male hydreigon are very deferential to their mates. There are no papers on the captive breeding habits of female hydreigon. Such knowledge is fiercely guarded by the various dragon tribes and the cheri priests. Male hydreigon have mated and had cross-bred children in captivity. They tend to leave parenting to their mate if allowed to do so.

Wild hydreigon mothers frequently enter into caves to spend time with their children. The exact nature of their bonding is unclear. Hydreigon can smell out and destroy cameras and will usually scare away or kill anything that crosses their path during these times. They are protective of their offspring and even the offspring of other dragons. Poaching of young dragons in their territory can send them into a rampage.

Relatives

Hydreigon, tatsugiri, and dragonite are the three living species in the family Aquadracones, the most ancient lineage of true dragons. Hydreigon are the last living member of the genus Lernaean, an offshoot of mostly blind species that moved into subterranean rivers and eventually onto land. Most of these species were closer in size and temperament to tatsugiri than hydreigon.

Southern hydreigon are primarily found in regions with relatively mild winters and summers. This includes most of Western Europe and the Mediterranean as well as portions of subtropical and temperate Asia and the Americas in the Northern Hemisphere and the Australia, Southern Africa, and the Pantanal and Atlantic Forest regions of South America in the Southern Hemisphere. Alola is at the edge of their preferred range and has historically only been used as a resting point for the rare hydreigon migrating between hemispheres. The only documented semi-permanent residents lived there from 1781 to 1846, 1921 to 1924, and 2010 to the present.

Northern hydreigon (L. h. zmei) prefer colder climates such as the Crown Tundra, the Canadian boreal, and the northern Rocky Mountains. There is also a subpopulation in the Andes. Northern hydreigon are officially classified as dragon- and steel-types, although there is a strong argument in favor of a dark-steel or dragon-dark dual typing. Northern hydreigon have much thicker coats and two large wings instead of many smaller ones. Northern hydreigon are capable of flying under their own power. They also have longer and sturdier legs that can let them either walk through the snow or slither on top of it. Their fangs in all three mouths and the claws on their feet are metallic and extremely sharp. Northern hydreigon have a partial resistance to fairy attacks and have much more powerful flash cannons than southern hydreigon. Powerful dragonfire and aerial maneuverability have been traded for increased durability and physical power. Northern hydreigon can still punch through city walls with time, but not as effortlessly as a fully grown southern hydreigon. They are more reliant on trickery to get what they want and tend to avoid humans whenever possible.

Hydreigon’s metal, known as dragon iron, was considered the most precious metal of all in the ancient world. It keeps a strong elemental charge even when melted down and reforged. A full sword would require slaying or looting the carcasses of at least three dragons. In exchange the sword would often have mystical powers resembling those of a pre-awakened aegislash, often leaving wounds that festered without healing, deflecting dragonfire, or easily sheering through dragon scales. Many royal families kept a dragon iron weapon or shield as their most precious heirloom. Beyond the mystical properties of the weapon it also signaled that either the wielder or their ancestor had managed to slay multiple powerful dragons.

 

[Persephone]

Krookodile (Sandile, Krokorok)
Crocodilus minalsahra

Overview

The world is full of microclimates, small areas where the weather is strongly influenced by local pokémon. These climates can be far different from areas less than twenty miles away. In Alola the two most prominent microclimates are located right next to each other: the ninetales-maintained cold of Mauna Lanakila and the flygon-maintained loose sands of the Haina Valley. Flygon are one of the most prolific creators of microclimates worldwide between their ability to fly long distances and to create perpetual sandstorms. Flygon will establish themselves in construction sites, the aftermath of natural disasters, or other disturbed areas and begin their storm. A patch of sandy desert will be firmly established in a matter of months.

Krookodile are well adapted towards these unnatural environments. In fact, they are flygon’s natural partners. It is now believed that when flygon stir up a storm to hunt, they are really just trying to drive prey into a blind panic. In their haste to escape they may fall into a krookodile’s trap. Afterwards the krookodile and flygon will split the meal with minimal physical risk to the flygon. It was long believed that krookodile came to the flygon deserts as escaped pets from local cities. In 2018 a photographer captured a swarm of flygon carrying sandile with them as they moved to a new potential desert. This would make flygon one of three known species to intentionally spread an invasive species to new continents, after humans and lapras.

Krookodile themselves are vicious ambush predators in the wild. Captive specimens can be surprisingly docile. They are not the easiest crocodilian to care for, but they are also not exceedingly difficult. Trainers with some experience with reptiles, predators, or ground-types may be up to the challenge of adding this powerful pokémon to their team.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as dual ground- and dark-types. The ruling is not controversial.

Sandile are small quadrupedal crocodilians. Their abdomen scales are pink with dark brown stripes. The scales elsewhere on their body are tan or brown with black stripes. Sandile have large eyes surrounded by thick black stripes and raised bone ridges that make them appear even larger. Their eyes also have nictitating membranes to keep sand out and further enhance their vision. Sandile and its evolved forms have excellent vision up to 500 yards away in clear conditions. The evolved stages also develop pit organs that let them see infrared light and detect heat signatures. This helps compensate for the often poor visibility in their desert habitat.

The sandile line have poor thermoregulatory abilities. They need to stay in warm areas during the day and often burrow into the sand when they begin to cool. At night they burrow up to thirty feet beneath the surface to stay warm. Temperate flygon deserts are usually located around volcanoes with an abundance of fire-types that help keep the desert warm in the winter. This effectively confines krookodile to the reliably warm areas around the desert. In Alola the line can and do safely travel along Ula’Ula’s southern coast without fear of hypothermia, although they usually retreat to the desert in the wet season.

Krokorok have broader hind feet and much stronger hind limbs than sandile. They also have a proportionally longer tail. These traits allow them to stand bipedally and hold their balance long enough to scan for nearby prey. Their jaws are also somewhat longer than sandile’s and their jaw muscles are far more developed. A series of bony plates now extend from the back above the spinal cord.

Krookodile primarily differ from krokorok in coloration. The scales on their abdomen are now white or light grey and lack striping. The remainder of their scales are red, dark brown, or even purple with thick black stripes. Krookodile’s snout is also longer and broader than that of a krokorok. Finally, krookodile are much more adept at sensing ambient ground elemental energy than krokorok. This lets them feel the movements of artificial sandstorms around them and develop a mental map of whatever the sand moves against. Their sand sense, excellent vision, and pit organ give krookodile a nearly-unmatched view of their surroundings.

Large male krookodile can grow up to twelve feet from their snout to the tip of the tail. When standing upright they can be six feet tall. Adults typically weight three to six hundred pounds, but exceptionally large specimens can weigh up to nine hundred pounds. Wild lifespans are poorly understood due to the difficulty of researching burrowing pokémon in flygon deserts. Captive specimens can live for eighty years.

Behavior

Krookodile live in gangs consisting of a dominant female krookodile, a few of her daughters or younger sisters, and several males. The gang do not hunt together. They will bask together on clear, sunny days and huddle together in their burrows to share heat. Kills will be shared with individuals too young, elderly, sick, or injured to hunt. All other members are expected to procure their own food.

Sandile and krokorok are almost exclusively ambush predators. They create small pits and wait for something to stumble in, usually during a sandstorm. Sandile are impatient and will usually lash out at anything that comes near their trap rather than waiting for it to be sprung. Their hunting success rate is exceedingly low as a result. Krokorok usually only attempt ambushes when they see injured prey wandering into the desert or when a sandstorm is raging. Otherwise, they either burrow or bask.

Krookodile will act as ambush predators during a sandstorm, but will chase down prey that comes close. Krookodile’s broad tail and hind legs let them swim through the loose desert sand like water. Few large pokémon can outrun krookodile in the desert. Anything from outside the valley that has the misfortune of stumbling in can easily find themselves falling victim to the crocodilians.

Krookodile have been known to preserve uneaten food by mummifying it under the sands. The food can then be eaten at a later date or used as bait. Krookodile will stay hidden just beneath the surface with a piece of meat lying above them. When a scavenger approaches, krookodile will burst out of the water and snap up their prey. Krookodile have a bite force of 2,500 PSI. This lets them access bone marrow and obtain more nutrition from their kills.

Any kill made during a sandstorm is partially shared with local vibrava and flygon. In exchange the dragon-types rarely bother krookodile or vice-versa. Sometimes there are conflicts between trapinch and sandile. These rarely escalate to involve the adults.

Husbandry

Krookodile are large predators with all of the usual problems that entails. A fully grown male can require up to one hundred and fifty pounds of meat in a week. Krookodile instinctively save or mummify food they will not eat. In captivity they will stop eating and attempt to cache food when they are full. This will still result in slight overeating and trainers should give them slightly less than they would try to cache. Krookodile can get almost of the water they need from their food. Access to clean freshwater once a week is ideal, although there isn’t any harm to providing a water dish at all times.

Like most crocodilians, krookodile need to swim and bask almost every day to be satisfied. Basking is easy enough: in Alola pretty much any rock on a sunny day will do. During the wet season a dedicated indoor basking area may be required. The Haina Valley and most flygon deserts experience far less rainfall than the areas surrounding them and the valley will only see about ten days of rain per year, almost all in the rainy season.

Krookodile can swim in water if they must but despise doing so. They much prefer to swim in sand. Trainers will either need an expensive habitat ball for their krookodile or frequent access to a swimming pool filled in with sand. Krookodile can be trained not to defecate or urinate in their pool. Other pokémon might do so, however, and the sand may need to be changed frequently if this is the case. Indoor pools need changed out less frequently than outdoor pools. Krookodile will need a warm, dry, and cramped area to spend the night if they dislike sleeping in their ball. Many krookodile enjoy sleeping next to their trainer or teammates. They are not particularly soft pokémon but are rarely dangerous towards those they favor.

Like many dark-types, krookodile are intelligent and easily bored. They will need frequent access to enrichment in the form of battles, toys, new sensory stimulation, or interactions with other pokémon. Other large reptiles or mid-size dragons make the best companions for krookodile. Most dark-types are nocturnal and are more likely to bother krookodile when they’re trying to sleep than to provide welcome enrichment. Smaller prey species are poor choices of teammate for krokorok and krookodile unless they were first introduced to them as a sandile.

Krookodile seem to be very uncomfortable around trees and abundant greenery. This can extend to grass-types as well. They will usually want to be in their ball when traversing forests or prairies. Outdoor pools should not have any nearby trees as they will make sandile nervous and krookodile aggressive.

Illness

Krookodile are hardy pokémon. They still must be monitored for two health concerns.

In the wild krookodile only stand on their hindlegs to intimidate aggressors who come too close to their eggs or offspring. Captive krookodile do it considerably more, either to intimidate opponents in battle, to reach high objects in their environment, or to mimic the humans around them. This can put stress on their ankles. Obesity can compound the problem and lead to serious cases of gout. Do not let krookodile overeat on a consistent basis. They should ideally only finish their food about one out of every five meals.

Hyper and hypothermia are more common day-to-day problems, especially outside of Alola. In the wild krookodile rely on burrowing and basking to maintain an ideal temperature. These options are often unavailable in captivity. Krookodile prefer temperatures in the low-80s. Access to basking rocks cool sand should be provided whenever possible. Krookodile dislike being outside in the rain and should not be taken into it whenever possible. Outside of short battles krookodile should never be released into snow or freezing temperatures.

Evolution

Sandile gradually evolve into krookodile between twelve and eighteen months of age. The formal demarcation line is the first time standing bipedally for more than one second. In the wild this time is marked by increasing hunting responsibilities and assistance raising the next clutch of sandile.

The second evolution takes place between ten and fourteen months after the first. The scales gradually shift in color and the pokémon becomes more independent. This transition is accompanied by sexual maturity and courting mates. Newly evolved pokémon often leave their gang and either attempt to form their own or integrate into another one.

Battle

Krookodile are relatively durable, are quite fast in the sand, and have a monstrous bite force. This makes them a perfectly decent choice in competitive play. At present only one ranked trainer uses one with any regularity, and even then it’s only used in about half of the tournaments she enters. They are more common among professional, unranked trainers. Simply put, krookodile suffer from competition with feraligatr and garchomp. Ranked trainers will almost always go for either a long-held feraligatr or a garchomp. Trainers who are wary of trying to train a large, aggressive dragon may find krookodile a more reasonable option. They still compete with feraligatr, which are much easier to obtain and raise, but krookodile can cover electric and psychic weaknesses that feraligatr can’t.

The one niche krookodile have on the circuits is their role as a cleaner for sandstorm teams. At the end of a match, when the battlefield is coated in sand, krookodile can outspeed and outmaneuver many opponents while seeing through the storm with their pit organs. This lets them trap and eliminate their foes with ease. This requires some set-up: the sand must be deep and airborne pokémon must be weakened or eliminated. Outside of stone edge krookodile have few ways of hitting airborne enemies. Once these conditions are met krookodile can tear through the remaining opponents. They still compete with garchomp in this role and often compound the defensive weaknesses of sandstorm teams.

Outside of professional matches, krookodile are extremely formidable pokémon. They are large, strong enough to pierce many armored foes with one bite, and surprisingly nimble. Krookodile can also learn tricks such as taunt, torment, sand tomb, and stealth rock to sway the match in their favor. On top of that their armor makes them difficult to reliably take down without powerful ice- or fairy-attacks. Grass-types can intimidate the krookodile but may also provoke an angry outburst. Most pokémon are understandably wary of facing down a furious predator that can stand six feet tall.

Krokorok lack the raw size and physical power of krookodile but are still decently armored and can break bones with their jaws. They tend to be warier of an outright brawl than their evolved form and prefer to fight on their own terms. Sending them out against weakened pokémon or with some terrain manipulation in place will do wonders for their confidence. When fighting krokorok it is a good idea to intimidate them through displays of power and terrain manipulation. They are ambush predators in the wild that shy away from fights whenever possible.

Sandile are much slower than krokorok and krookodile and unable to stand up two legs to reach the weak points of taller enemies. Their bite is still formidable for a young pokémon. Sandile work best against melee attackers that must come to them to deal damage. Fighting-types in particular struggle against sandile as they tend to rely on punches. To land attacks they must get close enough that sandile can bite their legs and hold on with a single-minded persistence. Quadrupeds are also usually low enough to the ground that sandile can cause them problems. Conversely, sandile have no reliable way to deal with levitating or flying opponents, even if they’re only a foot or two off the ground. Ranged attackers, especially fairy-, water-, and grass-types, can also cause them no end of trouble.

Acquisition

Krookodile are an introduced species, but they’re contributions to the flygon desert microclimate have led them to the DNR making no efforts to remove them. Capture of krookodile is even prohibited to allow the population’s breeding adults to continue to reproduce. The line are most often found basking along major footpaths in the valley or at the edge of the desert. These are the places that prey are most abundant. It is not safe to traverse the valley during a sandstorm. Thankfully, both stages can be frequently seen basking in sunny weather and are easy to find. A proving battle will be required to earn their trust. Very young sandile less than sixteen inches in length cannot be captured. Catching a sandile smaller than two feet in length is not recommended without the permission of a krookodile.

There are a few breeders who work with the line, but they are not commonly stocked in any major store. Contact a specialist dealer for more information on obtaining a captive-bred specimen. They are generally friendlier and more loyal than their wild-born counterparts. Some trainers enjoy having close bonds with their pokémon. Others prefer to deal with them at arms-length. Wild-born krookodile can give their trainer needed space and act independently. Captive-born specimens are often somewhat clingy and dislike being away from their trainer for hours at a time.

It is common for krokorok and krookodile to end up in shelters and dedicated rehabilitation facilities. Many trainers purchase sandile expecting them to stay relatively small and docile. Others grow frustrated by their need for pools of sand. It can be difficult to rehabilitate a wild-born crocodilian that disliked their previous caretaker. There are entire sanctuaries dedicated to the species on the mainland. Others are adopted by dedicated breeders, collectors, or flygon trainers. Krokorok or krookodile who end up in shelters are generally not suitable to be standard team members due to their hostility towards humans.

Sandile can be obtained with a Class III license. Krokorok can be captured or purchased with a Class III license or adopted with a Class IV. Krookodile can be purchased or adopted with a Class IV license.

Breeding

Krookodile live in loosely structured gangs of five to eleven individuals, depending on the availability of food and the space available. Krookodile pair off during December and January. Males compete by gathering the most food, digging the deepest burrows, and having the deepest vocalizations. Krookodile mating bellows are too low for the average human to hear them.

The pairs mate in February. In April or May the female will lay a clutch of ten to forty eggs in her burrow. Like most crocodilians, the sex ratio of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the burrow they are incubated in. The parents take turns guarding the eggs during the day. The eggs hatch in July at the height of the dry season. This is when the most food is available as desperate prey will wander into the valley in the hopes of eating the drought tolerant plants within.

Both parents share caretaking duties for the first year, at which point both the sandile are evicted from their parents’ tunnel. The male may also leave if the female chooses a new mate for her next clutch. However, it is rare for a female to change mates between two breeding seasons. It is far more common for there to be a gap with no breeding before a new mate is selected. Krokorok also assist in watching all sandile in the gang. This helps them gain practice with childrearing and shows off their prowess to prospective mates.

Captive krookodile need a large secluded burrow to feel comfortable mating. During the months before and after the eggs hatch the pokémon will withdraw from their trainer and potentially even become hostile if they approach the burrow. Once the sandile are consistently leaving the burrow a trusted trainer will be allowed to interact with them.

Crossbreeding with other crocodilians is fairly commonplace, even if the differences in swimming habits can cause friction in the relationship. This is especially true when the krookodile is the mother as the father may attempt to teach the children to swim in water. The young will survive the experience but both they and their mother will be upset.

Krookodile are only distantly related to the other extant reptiles. The crocodilians are an ancient lineage more closely related to the dinosaurs and birds than to snakes, lizards, dragons, and turtles. The only successful crosses outside of crocodilians have been with dinosaurs. Even then these hybrids are usually not fertile and the different approaches to parenting can strain the relationship.

Relatives

Krookodile are in a monotypic genus. They branched off from other crocodilians over eight million years ago. There were once as many as seven sand crocodile species. Recent ice ages led to a decline in Earth’s warm deserts and left krookodile as the only survivor.

Scientists debate whether krookodile should have two or more subspecies. The krookodile that live in flygon deserts are generally smaller and more social than their relatives in North Africa and the Middle East. However, many of these specimens are directly descended from the mainline krookodile population. For now no subspecies are recognized.

Mainline krookodile tend to live around oases, trade routes, cities, and desert edges. This is where prey is most abundant. They have long been known to prey upon pack animals and livestock that wander into the sands. Many nomadic groups still present krookodile with offerings as they pass by to avoid becoming prey themselves. Ancient civilizations in the area often regarded the krookodile as servants of a major god and offered them sacrifices, including human sacrifices, to appease them. In return the major urban areas were often spared from the incursions of even larger predators and sandstorm-summoning flygon. Natural disasters of all kinds were often seen as a sign of the krookodile’s displeasure.

 

[Persephone]

Tsareena (Bounsweet, Steenee)
Imperiosa mangosteen

Overview

Most pokémon try not to be eaten. To this end they have adopted defensive strategies ranging from camouflage and a foul taste to pyrokinesis and telepathy. One of the original appeals of the global competitive battling scene was to take pokémon from across the world and see how their adaptations matched up under an arbitrary ruleset. Skill and strategy were relative latecomers to the first circuits. in the first few years it was considered uncompetitive to coach a pokémon at all, much less give orders.

Bounsweet are specifically adapted to be eaten. Their scent is designed to lure in toucannon who will eat them and then scatter the seeds. It is only after evolution that the line develops meaningful survival instincts. This makes bounsweet an anomaly well worth studying. They force us to confront our ideas of what it means to live by taking the biological imperatives to their logical conclusion, tying reproduction and death together as the sole purpose of life. Bounsweet also have posed a problem for ethicists as they are apparently sentient beings that do not mind being eaten so long as humans agree to bring their seeds and spores to new places and look after their trees. If eating pokémon is unethical because it takes a life, what does it mean when the pokémon lives to be eaten?

Of course, the average reader skipping to this entry is not interested in the fascinating ethical and psychological questions raised by bounsweet. Tsareena are relatively famous pokémon for their associations to beauty and wellness and their adoption as a mascot by various subgroups on the fringes of society. Tsareena are competent battlers that go against most stereotypes of grass-types, relying more on speed and power over durability and utility. They also have a much different personality than other grass-types as they can be cruel and capricious to friend and foe alike.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as pure grass types. There is an ongoing debate as to whether steenee and tsareena should be classified as fighting-types. Both often incorporate fighting-type moves into their arsenals, rely on melee attacks, and are reasonably strong. They are still not quite as strong or devoted to training as the average fighting-type and show no real weakness to telepathy or fairy attacks. The Department of Agriculture is expected to make a final ruling by 2022.

Bounsweet are very similar to the fruit of the mangosteen tree that they develop from. Their body is coated in a purple rind with a green sepal on top. The sepal has four leaves and is relatively hard. The bottom half contains a small white rim of petals and two small stubs. The rind appears to have two eyes and a mouth on it. These are actually non-functional. The slits provide a way for direct oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange between the flesh and the atmosphere. They also help draw the attention of animals. Bounsweet’s flesh is juicy and tastes almost like custard. It is considered a delicacy in Southeast Asia. Lack of availability means it can sell for upwards of $150 per pound in some American markets. Bounsweet secrete an extremely sweet and fragrant layer of sap. The smell can be overpouring for humans and the sap must be diluted to be palatable for consumption. Many birds and insects adore the smell and taste and will seek out any bounsweet in the area. They will then kill and consume the bounsweet before depositing the seeds elsewhere in their droppings. Pokémon researchers are divided as to whether eating bounsweet counts as hunting behavior.

Steenee’s body splits into two main segments connected by a woody stem. The stem has two long prehensile petals attached that can act as arms. Two petals on the sepal have grown to about one third the total body length and hang on either side of the body when the pokémon is looking forward. The remaining petals and the rind are very hard and can withstand most pecks and bites. The faux-eyes have developed into proper eyespots that can detect light and movement. The mouth is still non-functional. The petals on the lower segment have grown to cover most of the rind. The exterior layer of the fruit is much thicker now as the interior has dried and begun the process of converting from a ripe fruiting body into the organs of a creature built to last. Steenee are capable of photosynthesizing most of their energy rather than being wholly dependent on digesting their own body like bounsweet. Their muscles have also developed enough to let them properly walk rather than simply controlling their rolling speed. Steenee’s legs consist of a woody sheath and prehensile roots. The roots can coil so that they are entirely enclosed within the sheath. The roots can also move to allow for walking and can plant the organism in place while water and nutrients are absorbed from the soil. Steenee’s scent is invigorating to mammals and can put nearby pokémon into a playful mood that causes them to lower their guard. This gives steenee a chance to attack or flee.

Tsareena’s sepal now consists of three petals almost as long as the pokémon is tall. The larger petals are arranged so that the eyespots’ view is unobstructed. The fourth, shorter petal is the one above the eyespots. The woody stem has expanded to encompass the mouth and extends right up to the base of the eyespots. The eyespots are now developed enough to sense shapes and even some details, although they still lack color vision. The petal arms still exist and are slightly stronger but are still too short to be particularly useful. This is made up for by tsareena’s long, powerful legs. Their kicks are far more powerful than a human’s and can easily break bones. Tsareena are sometimes said to laugh: this is only partially true. None of the three stages can vocalize. Tsareena can still rub their leaves together to create a sound that mimics laughter. They sometimes pantomime laughter, too, while beating downed opponents. Compared to their preevolutions, tsareena have a very mild scent. This fits better with their strategy of not being eaten.

Tsareena can grow to be four feet tall. They can weigh up to fifty pounds. Wild lifespans are estimated to be around fifteen years. Captive and semi-captive lifespans can be closer to thirty.

Behavior

It is difficult to discuss the line in any detail without also discussing the mangosteen tree. These trees are not pokémon. They are simply large trees that have coevolved with tsareena. A mature mangosteen tree can produce about 3,000 fruits per year. Without pokémon intervention these are just normal fruits. However, tsareena and steenee can inject the fruits with spores that cause them to develop into bounsweet. The bounsweet are mobile and sweet-smelling enough to be the preferred food of toucannon and other birds, who will then scatter the seeds across a wide area. Some of the bounsweet will fail to be eaten and live long enough to become steenee and even tsareena. In exchange, tsareena and steenee protect the tree and take a more active role in scattering seeds.

The majority of bounsweet’s short life after falling from their tree is spent rolling on the ground and spreading a sweet scent in the hopes of catching a toucannon’s attention. Their nervous system is extremely primitive and they seem utterly incapable of feeling fear or, perhaps, any emotions at all. Some scholars have argued that they count more as eggs or simple fruit than a traditional pokémon stage. They do seem to avoid other bounsweet and are drawn towards toucannon calls, even ones coming from a speaker. Over 95% of bounsweet succeed at being eaten within a week of falling.

Steenee are in a transitional phase between being walking dispersers of mangosteen seeds and sapient, self-preserving organisms in their own right. Very young steenee will move as far away from the tree as they can in hopes of either being eaten. If they make it far enough, they may root in place and deposit their seeds themselves. At this point they shift towards self-preservation and the propagation of their own species, not just the mangosteen tree. Steenee tend to stay near tsareena or other steenee during this time. A tsareena mentor will teach them how to use the sharper parts of their legs to climb up trees and fertilize fruits to turn them into bounsweet. The tsareena will also teach them how to fight, what threats to avoid, and what places have the best soil and sun.

After depositing their seeds, steenee’s scent shifts from the overpowering sweetness of bounsweet to a mix of scents and pheromones designed to lower aggression and rational thinking and increase energy in nearby pokémon, effectively making them more playful. This allows steenee to bond with other pokémon and gain additional protection from the species still trying to eat it. The play behaviors also let them practice combat with other species.

Tsareena are defenders of mangosteen trees and of the ecosystem in general. They will become aggressive towards anything that threatens the trees, the steenee under their care, or the rainforest as a whole. They are generally docile unless given a reason to attack. When provoked they are known to take apparent glee in dispatching their opponent, killing them slowly and brutally while mimicking laughter. Tsareena display the same behaviors in captivity unless the battle takes place with no apparent witnesses. In these cases tsareena are efficient and use only the minimal amount of violence necessary to achieve their goals. They do not take any apparent pleasure in the task. Scientists have hypothesized that tsareena’s apparent cruelty is simply a warning to other potential threats to the plants and pokémon under their care.

Husbandry

Bounsweet husbandry is fairly simple. They just need to be kept in a warm, humid environment where nothing will eat them and they cannot accidentally kill themselves. Enrichment and social interactions are unnecessary for healthy development.

Steenee and tsareena need at least six hours a day in natural sunlight or in a greenhouse or ball capable of replicating it. They also need frequent access to moist, nutrient-rich soils to root themselves into. Their physical needs are not particularly complicated, especially for trainers used to raising grass-types. The problems come in with the psychological needs, a field often neglected in the care of plant pokémon.

Every steenee is essentially coming into their own identity. Even the basic awareness of being an organism that has unique thoughts and desires to continue living is new to them. During this time they need mentorship. Tsareena will happily fill the role. Other grass-types with a decent amount of patience and intelligence can do so as well. Failing either of those, steenee will look towards their trainer. Raising an impressionable child into a well-adjusted adult is difficult. Doing so while being unable to understand their language would be nearly impossible. This is the situation most trainers trying to raise a steenee find themselves in. Steenee do not communicate verbally. Their language is that of scents, movements, and chemical cues. Humans are incapable of replicating most of these. With some effort humans can learn the meanings of subtle shifts in a steenee or tsareena’s scent, but the more nuanced signals will still be lost. There can be respect and a basic level of trust between human and pokémon, but nuanced communication is essentially impossible. For these reasons it is highly recommended to have a suitable mentor already on the team if raising a steenee from a bounsweet.

Tsareena are guardians. In the wild they devote most of their life to protecting their tree. Captive tsareena may not even have a tree to watch over. Planting a mangosteen tree is a good way to earn a tsareena’s trust, but this is not always possible for logistical reasons. It also results in the tsareena developing separation anxiety if removed from their tree for long periods of time.

Captive tsareena can have a more metaphorical tree. They will still desire to protect an actual mangosteen, but in time they can shift their focus towards caring for their trainer and teammates. Having steenee around appears to have significant psychological benefits for tsareena and may even make them closer to their trainer as well. Other young grass-types can also serve in this role. Tsareena may be nurturing towards juvenile pokémon from other types or even young humans, but this depends on the individual. Whatever a tsareena is loyal to, do not take them away without good cause and advanced explanation. Telepathic or aura translation may be necessary as tsareena can struggle to understand spoken language.

Humans can attempt to understand tsareena gestures and body language. Stomps are a sign of anxiety or a warning that they might attack. Gentler, more graceful movements indicates that they are calm. The soft ruffling of their leaves is designed to calm others. Quick, graceful steps without an apparent purpose are an invitation to play. Tsareena play through mock battles, dancing contests, obstacle courses, and interacting with environmental puzzles. Most conventional puzzles are difficult for tsareena due to their unique senses, but they can still feel their way around their environment and discover what happens when they manipulate it in various ways. Climbing structures, levers, soundboxes, sliding pieces, buttons, and odd textures are some of tsareena’s favorite toys.

Tsareena can tolerate cooler temperatures if needed but still prefer high humidities and temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees Fahreheit. Alola’s weather is generally pleasant for them and they will not require greenhouses. Fertilizers should be provided regularly, either in the form of grass-type soil supplements or manure. The latter is often readily available to pokémon trainers.

Steenee and tsareena appreciate having areas with live plants to retreat to. Brightness and quietness do not matter much to them for relaxation. Only the presence of healthy plants. When traveling it is a good idea to frequently take them to conservatories or botanical gardens. Wooded parks will also do in a pinch.

Illness

Tsareena suffer from three main types of illness: leaf blight, fruit rot, and parasitism. Leaf blight is usually caused by a fungal infection. The surface of the leaf will change color and texture before falling off, depriving the pokémon of its ability to photosynthesize. Severe infections may also result in much of a steenee’s flesh rotting away. Tsareena are more resistant to this stage. Antifungal medicines that do not target the pokémon’s cells are expensive, difficult to source, and often unreliable. If the infection begins at the leaf’s tip it may be safe to amputate the leaf. Losing one leaf is still better than losing all of them. in the event that a tsareena does lose all of their leaves the disease may still be survivable. Frequent injections of sugars can tide the pokémon over while the leaves regrow. This is also acceptable treatment for leaves that are critically damaged in battle.

Fruit rot can be fungal or bacterial in nature. Bacterial infections can be treated more easily than fungal infections. Fungal fruit rot is usually fatal. These infections begin at the mouth slit or eyespots. The apparent eye and mouth color may change and sap can be seen dripping from them. In its advanced stages the disease can cause the pokémon’s flesh and organs to rot away beneath the rind, eventually killing them. This is often accompanied by unusual discharges of fluid.

Parasitism is also more common in bounsweet and steenee than tsareena. There is a specific species of fruit fly that finds wounds or other openings on the pokémon and digs in deep enough to lay their eggs. The maggots will hatch a week later and consume the pokémon’s flesh from the inside. Older steenee can potentially survive the infection. Bounsweet and younger steenee will not without aggressive action. There are several pesticide treatments that can kill most or all of the fly eggs or maggots before they become a problem. However, the problem must be detected early. The first symptoms are general lethargy and a lack of coordination. Because of fears around the Indo-Pacific fruit fly and its potential to infect other grass-types it is currently very difficult to import bounsweet and steenee to the American mainland. Some other countries have their own regulations.

There is some research on the use of steenee’s perspiration as an antidepressant or stimulant. The proposed drugs have not yet been approved for testing. Other grass-type secretions, such as meganium sap, are generally more effective and easier to source. Bounsweet sap can still be used as an antiperspirant and deodorant when diluted and mixed with other ingredients.

Evolution

Bounsweet initially maintain their biological processes by consuming the sugars stored inside their body. When those begin to run low their leaves grow out to allow for photosynthesis in place. If more than two weeks pass without being eaten, the bounsweet will use its remaining energy as well as that accumulated through photosynthesis to flash evolve into steenee.

In the wild, steenee evolve when there is a mangosteen tree without a tsareena. This usually only happens when the guardian tsareena dies. Following this event the tsareena will either have a successor in place who evolves or a tournament of local steenee will begin. The strongest one will evolve.

Captive steenee evolution is somewhat more complicated. Showing a steenee an unclaimed tree will almost certainly trigger an evolution. It just is not particularly practical. There is some evidence that enough combat experience can trigger evolution on its own. Others claim that steenee are a friendship evolution. The truth may be somewhere in the middle: steenee evolve when they have something to defend and enough strength to do so.

Battle

Tsareena are the rare grass-type that functions as a rushdown melee attacker. Tsareena can learn ranged attacks and a few utility moves, most notably synthesis. They still prefer kicking attacks such as trop kick, high jump kick, and triple axel. Tsareena are rather strong attackers and they are reasonably fast. This is not enough to give them a serious place on the competitive circuits. Actual fighting-types are often stronger, faster, and more durable than tsareena. Tsareena’s only advantages, grass-type coverage and synthesis, are not usually enough to warrant usage. Their only real usage comes from trainers using one for the sake of their brand or a personal fondness for the line, usually in the lower circuits, and grass specialists who want a physical attacker. They must compete for breloom for this niche. Breloom have far more utility and stronger attacks, but they are slow and must wait between punches. Tsareena are considerably faster and can keep a barrage of kicks going as long as they need to. Still, breloom’s much greater utility makes them the more popular option.

Tsareena are solid pokémon that can take trainers through the end of the island challenge. They work best by being primed to use a move in advance and then using that continuously during a fight, mixed in with whatever the tsareena thinks will work. Tsareena struggle to interpret new commands mid-battle. Trainers have used everything from interpretive dance to small, breakable capsules of perfume to send signals to their pokémon. Tsareena can also sometimes have a problem detecting small foes that are not moving. This, unfortunately, cannot easily be bypassed with clever command techniques. Some pokémon can freely set up against tsareena as a result.

When playing against tsareena it is advisable to use a nimble airborne pokémon if at all possible. Tsareena are capable of jumping surprisingly high with reliable accuracy, but they can be outmaneuvered by attempts to dodge after an attack begins. Tsareena’s jumps are meant to take them between tree branches, not up to a moving object. The fall afterwards presents an excellent opportunity to attack the tsareena while they are vulnerable. Attacks such as counter, bide, and metal burst can also punish tsareena’s unrelenting offense and difficulty interpreting new commands mid-battle. Tsareena are excellent at tracking trajectories of moving objects and can avoid conventional projectiles easily enough. Area of effect attacks, especially ones without a physical projectile, can make it impossible to dodge. Blizzard, heat wave, and wind attacks are tsareena’s biggest weakness.

Older steenee battle similarly to tsareena, just with less power, speed, and durability. They can be useful through the second island but will struggle on the third.

Bounsweet should not be battled with.

Acquisition

Bounsweet are widely available during the dry season in any forest with a mangosteen tree. Some breeders will also have them available for sale. There is no particular point in owning a bounsweet for reasons other than consumption, which is legal. They can be acquired with a Class I license.

Steenee can be found in the rainforests of Akala during the dry season and early rainy season. They can be caught before depositng their seeds but they may struggle to adapt to captivity at this stage. More alert and curious steenee are better for capture. At this stage they are often looking for a new mentor. Trainers can step in to fill the role. Some breeders will also sell steenee. It is rare to see a steenee available for adoption since they can usually be released into a wild tsareena’s care with no issues.

Tsareena capture is prohibited to ensure their trees remain protected and wild steenee receive the necessary training. They are usually reluctant to be sold or adopted since it requires abandoning their previous charge. The only real way to sell a tsareena is to sell the land they reside on with them. Even then they are unlikely to accept the new property owner’s authority and may attempt to evict them by force.

Bounsweet and steenee can be obtained with a Class I license. Tsareena can be purchased or adopted with a Class IV license.

Tsareena could once be found on Ula’Ula. That population has since gone extinct in the wild due to deforestation, overconsumption, and the changing climates as a result of clashes between ninetales, flygon, torkoal, politoed, and castform. During the period of maximum ninetales expansion there were a few winters in northeast Ula’Ula too severe for the mangosteen trees to survive. The trees in the northeast have all since been placed into human-maintained orchards or removed to allow for more settlement.

Breeding

Most organic species have both male and female members. Even most plants have both male and female sex organs and gametes, even if both exist in the same organism. Tsareena don’t. They lack any male gametes. Daughters are a near-clone of their mother. Or, they would be if not for the biggest quirk of their reproduction. Tsareena effectively mate with their tree to produce offspring. This is done by injecting their own ovules and a species-specific virus into a mangosteen fruit. Over the coming days the fruit will grow and mutate into a bounsweet. Any differences from the mother will come from the physiology of the original fruit inherited from the tree. The tsareena virus appears to only be capable of infecting mangosteen fruits. It has no effect on the rest of the tree and has no known interactions with any other fruit. Every stage of the line carries the virus, although it can only spread through injection or sap entering into a fruit with a ruptured rind. The new bounsweet spread the mangosteen seeds. Those that survive to become steenee perpetuate the tsareena’s line.

Captive breeding is both possible and common. Tsareena are more than willing to have some of their offspring taken for battling or consumption as long as the orchard they live in is defended and expanded over time. The larger fruits of bounsweet compared to an unaltered mangosteen also make this arrangement profitable for orchard owners.

Relatives

Tsareena are found throughout the range of the Mangosteen along the rim of the Indian Ocean. The tree and pokémon have also been introduced to some Pacific islands by birds or Lapras. They were well established on Akala and parts of Ula’Ula by the time the first humans arrived.

Shiftry are tsraeena’s closest living relatives. They fit into the subfamily Arborum, pokémon with woody bodies that are dependent on trees and their fruit to survive. It is believed that there were once many species with a similar role to that of shiftry and tsareena, each for their own tree. Over time they were outcompeted by generalist grass-types that were not required to defend a single plant for decades. Now there are only ten species in the subfamily. Tsareena are the only living species in their genus. An extinct species, I. avatae, may have been bonded to a now-extinct relative of the mangosteen tree. This would have been tsareena’s closest relative and the only other species in the genus.

 

[tomatorade]

Given the suggestion to review any of the entries, I selected each very scientifically by thinking about how biased I was towards which pokemon and choosing one around the beginning, middle, and end of entries.

Going into pokedex collections like this I'm always worried they'll end up skewing hard into the rational fic side of pokemon, which I've never enjoyed all that much. It has a tendency to stick its nose up at source material and poorly explain or misunderstand science and philosophy in a way that makes me lament the lack of academic rigour in fanfic (lol).

Anyways, spoilers, I did not have any of those problems with the entries I did read. Despite definitely reading more scientific than canon in a sort of college zoology lesson sort of way, I liked the little moments where whoever's writing these logs admits they don't know why whimsicott be so fluffy or why Ledian are built the way they be built. There's a charm there that I also like about the main games struggling to understand why pokemon work the way they do. Also reminds me that human beans know more about space than the oceans, which is messed up.

I think my only real complaint is that, depending on the entry, some sections are much more interesting than others. This seems less to do with any particular entry and more to do with the structure of them. There will inevitably be some dragging spots so it's not much to worry about, I think. Plus, hovering around three thousand words gives a little meat to each entry without becoming a slog.

On to specifics.

Ledian

What a little weirdo. You certainly do them more justice than gamefreak. Like wow, you actually found something to say about their competitive prowess and it wasn't even sarcastic. Impressive! I love all the weird connections you draw to space. There are a surprising number of pokemon with that sort of origin and it's a great mine for lore considering gamefreak's not doing much with it. Then we get the unexpected turn into cosmic horror, which is unexpected but not unwelcome. They're fighting the good fight.

There's an almost-narrative structure here. The section about ledian life cycles was pretty great. The all-but confirmation that they came from space and want to share their homeland with their trainers is very wholesome :).

Whimsicott

This is what I'm talking about. Very tonally different in an exciting way. It makes the whole of the pokedex read less like a lesson plan and more like a series of inspired drabbles about all these different, somewhat intersecting niches in the pokemon world.

Whimsicott's entry starts very forcefully lol. I get what you mean but damn, how am I supposed to compete with the greatest triumphs and failings of the modern era? Tragic though. I can't say I didn't expect the parallels to the cotton industry, but it's still very sad here. Also, what monster decided to call groups of cottonee factories? Dude was eager to bleed the lifeforce from cute plant children and knit some cheap sweaters

They continue to be the best boy otherwise. I love the idea that they still rightfully hold a grudge against humanity and their revenge is to leave fluff all over your home and break your vases.

The variants at the end at very cool, too. It's interesting how much human activity has directly impacted the species beyond just exploitation even in terms of health and evolution. Very true.

Luvdisc

Ah, the exploitation continues. This time, into the aquarium trade. definitely reminiscent of a lot of tropical fishes that look cool but are hard to care for. Though wtf, flying, kissing luvdisc? It's a cool little myth though. Something you might see in the og pokedex and wonder if the writer was maybe a little stoned while watching those particular luvdisc.

And unlike with ledian, there is no pretending luvdisc is a great battler. Sorry fishy, no alomomola evo for you. it's bottom tier forever. Speaking of, I forget what the term is, but the idea that luvdisc evolved to resemble alomomola is very clever.

don't have much else to say here tbh. I like that they get their own playlists, but it's probably lofi beats to study to or smth and I judge them harshly for that. Otherwise, it's mostly what I expected.

 

[Persephone]

Comfey
Coronaflorum coronaflorum

Overview

Comfey were once the partner of choice for healers in Alola. Their ability to distribute injuries made them one of the most effective options for immediate healing. Their eccentricities and bargaining meant the humans who partnered with comfey were often held at arms length by the rest of the society. They were critically important as healers and revered as such, but often avoided during everyday life. The introduction of blissey to Alola led to comfey fading in prominence.

Comfey still have their admirers. They are beautiful pokémon with a pleasant floral smell. Comfey are also usually willing to heal their trainer and teammates at minimal cost. They aren’t the strongest fairies, but they also aren’t the most dangerous. Plant enthusiasts and fairy specialists alike can find something to live in comfey.

Physiology

Comfey are classified as pure fairy-types. There is a strong argument that they should be dual grass-types as foliage is incorporated into their body. However, comfey do not photosynthesize and can survive indefinitely with no foliage in their body. The Department of Agriculture has scheduled a hearing on the matter for Spring 2022.

The physiology of the fey often defies easy categorization. Many are tied to emotions for existence like the ghosts and true psychics. Some do not rely on food for survival as much as a nebulous life force gained and lost through unconventional means. Their anatomy is often literally alien.

Comfey fits all of these descriptions. They are endemic to Alola. The many eccentricities in their biology have led scientists to believe that they were originally an ultra beast that managed to adapt to and thrive in Alola’s rainforests.

Comfey’s body consists primarily of a head segment and a tail. The head segment is roughly spherical and contains eyes, a mouth, and two arms. There is usually mossy hair on top of the head. The tail is pale blue and far longer than the head.

Comfey can attach objects, usually flowers, to the tail. These flowers will then become physically fused with the organism and be sustained by the comfey. Some of the flower’s physical and cultural traits will be transferred to the comfey. The color, demeanor, and abilities of a comfey are all partially determined by its flowers. Comfey are capable of attaching non-flower objects. to their body. The most common are fruits, leaves, mushrooms, pearls, and gemstones. All of these are still comparatively rare compared to flowers. Studies have even shown comfey readily absorbing to objects taken from the worlds behind ultra wormholes. In the process, the comfey gains adaptations that helps them survive in that world. The anatomy of their head also shifts towards something more typical of that world, particularly focused on the most numerous and intelligent species.

Comfey appear to have cells and organs based on terrestrial plants. This breaks down the moment they are analyzed under a microscope. Comfey have plant cells that show no activity whatsoever. They appear to be frozen in time, neither living nor decaying. The organs do nothing, with the exception of the sensory organs. Comfey appear to have functional sight, smell, and hearing. How dead cells make functional organs is an open debate. One hypothesis is that they don’t and comfey replicate these senses through psionics or some other ability.

Comfey that incorporate objects other than flowers can gain bark, pearl, or stone armor. This also affects their (still dead) cells. Comfey incorporating pieces of other pokémon gain some aspects of that pokémon. They will routinely attempt to bargain for hair or blood in exchange for healing, traits that may grant them abilities, intelligence, or even memories matching that of the target.

Do not trade bodily materials with the fey unless doing so is absolutely necessary to save a life. Even then, only do so with the utmost caution.

Comfey can grow to be up to three feet long, including the tail. Excluding the tail they are only about six inches long and seven inches tall. Comfey’s weight depends on their adornments. Wild lifespans are poorly understood. Captive lifespans vary wildly for no discernible reason. Most comfey live for about thirty years. Some have allegedly lived for over two hundred.

Behavior

Many fairies bargain. The terms, objects, boons, and enforcement mechanisms vary, but the bargaining remains constant. It is usually not something they need to do so much as something they can do and enjoy doing.

Comfey depend on bargaining to survive. They have the ability to facilitate nebulous transactions of things ranging from health to intellect, talents, power, agility, and sensory acuity. The ability to exchange things other than health depends on the comfey’s age, power, and adornments. These bargains mostly follow the rule of equivalent exchange, although comfey takes a fraction of the exchange for itself as a facilitator fee. These fees of life energy are how they survive.

Comfey typically establish themselves in central locations and common thoroughfares in a forest. People and pokémon in need of healing can approach a comfey to bargain. While comfey ordinarily do not communicate telepathically, anyone who approaches them with the attempt to bargain will receive a temporary telepathic link for an unknown (but likely trivial) cost.

The most common transaction for comfey is that of health or life injury. They can nearly instantly cure wounds with the caveat that the cost must be voluntarily transferred to another. The wounds can either be inflicted nearly 1:1 on another party, can be dispersed over many, or be paid in something other than health such as age or a temporary or permanent loss in elemental energy or physical strength.

Comfey may also agree to take on some loss of life energy themselves in exchange for something highly desirable, such as flowers from a pokémon, an evolutionary stone, or a flower they want but would not otherwise have access to. Bargains that do not involve healing wounds will usually require a gift such as these.

At night comfey sleep in the canopy. They curl their tail around them and rest on a tree branch, preferably on a bed of leaves. Very few things will attack a comfey as they are borderline inedible and can become extremely vicious when avenging slights against them.

Husbandry

Comfey are surprisingly friendly companions for being as alien as they are. Most happily bond to a host who seeks them out provided that adequate care is given. Comfey primarily expect opportunities to either bargain or otherwise drain life energy to subsist on (see Battle). Second, comfey cherish all kinds of affection and may be able to partially subsist off of it. They value gifted items far more than traded or found ones. Gifted creativity, such as a made item or a song composed for the comfey, put them in exceedingly high spirits. Sometimes that which is gifted is lost, however. The singer might forget the song or the knowledge of how to make the item will be lost. The broader skills – music and craftmanship – almost always remain intact. How else would the giver make more gifts?

Gifts of affection, objects, and ideas create a debt from the comfey that can be repaid over time in the form of healing or other assistance. How much comfey value gifts and repayments is difficult, if not impossible, to understand. Unless a gift physically contains bodily material it is rarely dangerous to give. The payment is assumed to be ingenuity and time rather than any kind of ceded ownership of the person.

Other cherished gifts include beautiful things that provoke an emotional response, however fleeting, such as shards of stained glass, wildflowers, and origami. Be very careful gifting pieces of things that used to be living pokémon such as feathers, scales, pearls, or insect wings. The equivalents from non-pokémon species are usually safe to live so long as the trainer accepts that the gift might cause the comfey to take on traits of that species. Pokémon-derived gifts can only be given if the item was originally gifted consensually or if the trainer personally killed the pokémon it was taken from. This will cause the comfey to take on behaviors or abilities from the original creature, although it is impossible to predict which ones in advance.

While working with a trainer a comfey can either heal injuries under the usual terms of a wild comfey or completely with no drawbacks as a debt repayment.

Comfey require a great deal of attention. If toys are used for enrichment, they must be rather complex as comfey are too intelligent for simple ones to hold their attention. They seem to dislike television and other videos as a form of enrichment. Live theater is fascinating. Comfey are capable of distinguishing between a freely given gift intended to create a debt and an exchange of money or services the comfey incidentally benefits from.

Most pokémon get along with comfey. The exceptions are dragons, which are rarely fond of fairies, and other healers. Comfey resent pokémon that heal for free and will attempt to undermine them at every turn. Wild populations are known to instantly attack any member of the blissey line that enters their forests as retaliation for being replaced as the region’s go-to healers.

Illness

Comfey rarely sustain serious injuries for long. Very powerful fairy attacks can damage their body and some elementally-charged slashing attacks can cut off attached flowers or even cut the core body. Comfey usually play in battle (see Battle) but will become extremely serious if they are wounded, doing their best to heal the injury by draining anyone remotely responsible for it. If matters escalate the trainer could receive league sanctions, criminal penalties, or be held responsible by the comfey themselves.

If a comfey runs low on life energy it will become listless, fade in color, and stop responding to most external stimuli. A well-timed gift or a small exchange to facilitate can restore their reserves.

Despite being aminovore-adjacent, comfey rarely suffer from the diseases common among true psychics, phantoms, and even other fairies. The disorders that have been documented have almost always been brief and mild.

Comfey with no more room for adornment may sometimes exchange one of their existing flowers for a new one. The existing flower will have an invigorating scent and can be used as a healing artifact. A petal put into a bath can cure minor injuries, soothe emotional pain, and even partially counteract some degenerative diseases. Be warned that comfey’s petals will resume decaying when they are removed from the pokémon.

The nebulous concept of life energy that comfey work with has long been a subject of curiosity among researchers. Fairies, including comfey, often work as much with a physical object as the connotations that humans and pokémon attach to it. A rose is a flower but also a symbol of affection. A comfey with rose petals, and especially roselia petals, can sense and even manipulate attraction to a limited degree. Life energy and health may just be another connotation that comfey can manipulate because humans believe that comfey can do so. Research into this manipulation led to the development of a few cure-all potions for fairy-type pokémon, phantoms, true psychics, and other pokémon keyed into attributed meanings. Comfey stopped cooperating with the research when they discovered that it could make them obsolete and work has stalled. The potion is still now only manufactured in very limited quantities and can sell for tens of thousands of dollars a dose. It has not yet been made useful for other pokémon, much less humans.

Evolution

Young comfey are just smaller versions of adult comfey.

Battle

Comfey are very odd. Theoretically their ability to manipulate health should make them nigh unbeatable. It does not. To begin with, comfey are very intrigued by the idea of fair games. Competitive battling is a game to them with clear rules and expectations. They would not allow themselves to be maimed in these battles. As a result they will stop shy of maiming others. Without a debt to balance to a desire to bargain, comfey also have only a limited rate of draining. Their elemental wells are not as deep as other fairy-type pokémon such as florges, sylveon, primarina, ninetales, or clefable. Comfey have essentially no physical power. Even their offensive coverage options are a little lacking.

In practice, comfey are slow setup sweepers that use their draining abilities to keep themselves healthy while slowly wearing down opponents. Comfey can use the opportunity to set up with calm mind or support the team with healing options like aromatherapy. Once comfey is sufficiently boosted, they can attempt to sweep with weaponized draining attacks like draining kiss and giga drain or more offensive options like moonblast or stored power.

During this time comfey are still vulnerable to being overwhelmed by raw force. Attacking, boosting, and taking hits all drain into comfey’s pool of vitality. They are reluctant to burn too much on a simple game. Any pokémon that can force the comfey to expend more energy than it is recovering can force it out quickly enough. Comfey can fly, but not quickly. Powerful physical attacks or, before calm mind boosts, ranged options like hyper beam or moonblast can knock out a comfey in a few hits. They are excellent when dealing with grounded walls or tanks like blissey or snorlax but struggle to do anything at all against more offensive teams. Some fairy specialists will keep one in reserve as a stallbreaker on the competitive circuits, but they are rarely a mainstay on a professional trainer’s team.

In double battles comfey can drain multiple targets and actively heal not only their own injuries but those of an ally. Unfortunately, they can also be attacked by two opponents at once, making them equally vulnerable to being overwhelmed. An ally with follow me, ally swap, or other redirection techniques can make comfey much more difficult for enemies to deal with.

Comfey are perfectly fine on the island challenge. Fairy and grass coverage is a good combination against all four kahunas and many of the most difficult trials. Comfey can either rely on passive boosting and draining against opponents with no options to hit airborne pokémon, which are surprisingly common in the early stages of the island challenge, or use a more offensive moveset. Comfey’s lack of natural firepower is much less noticeable on the island challenge compared to the professional circuits. Trainers who can afford the calm mind TM should buy it, but doing so will not be necessary until the third or fourth island.

Acquisition

Comfey primarily reside in the rainforests of Akala. They are capable of adapting to more biomes, especially wildflower meadows, but competition with blissey has limited them to the dense, tropical forests that their rivals tend to avoid.

Comfey are reluctant to become a trained pokémon without an initial debt being created. This can be in the form of a beautiful object with high sentimental value or a wildflower the comfey would not ordinarily have access to. This can sway a comfey into joining a team and staying until they feel like they are no longer getting enough from the arrangement to justify staying. Proving battles are unnecessary and counterproductive.

Adoption and purchase are occasionally viable options. It is nearly impossible to have a proper comfey breeding operation, but individual trainers will sometimes have young comfey for sale (see Breeding). Comfey are an endangered endemic species and the private trade is restricted. Specimens occasionally become available for adoption, but most comfey are releasable. Only specimens extremely reluctant to return to the wild or too powerful for the ecosystem to accommodate are held in shelters.

Comfey can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class III license.

Breeding

Comfey appear to reproduce asexually. The moment of birth or creation has never been observed and comfey are incredibly secretive about it. A sufficiently powerful comfey will sometimes produce offspring with seemingly no pregnancy period. Newborn comfey are only about six inches long. Their first petal is gifted to them by their parent. The comfey will stay under their parent’s protection until they are around two feet long, at which point the parent will become increasingly hostile until their offspring leaves the area. This is typically when they are given to new trainers in captivity. Comfey breeding is impossible to prevent. Most comfey trainers will inevitably have to find a home for a new comfey on fairly short notice. Comfey do not tolerate conspecifics, including grown offspring, so breeding colonies are impossible without a great deal of land.

Genetic diversity is retained via mutation. Comfey’s genetic code changes with each adornment, meaning that a comfey’s cloned offspring will not have the same genetic code the parent did when they were born. Conventional cross-breeding is impossible, but the offspring will take on some traits of any pokémon the parent is adorned with.

Relatives

As extraterrestrials, comfey are difficult to place on a conventional phylogenetic tree with other pokémon. As flower-based fairies, florges are the usual selection for comfey’s closest relative. Comfey adore florges petals and the two species can be quite friendly when they interact. Of course, comfey’s tendency to adapt to the flora of their environment also means that the first specimens to come to earth may have been very, very different. Comfey’s home world has never been discovered. It is plausible, if not likely, that it was not a variant of Earth.

 

[Persephone]

Alcremie (Milcery)
Creptiodefructibus eton

Overview

Alcremie, alongside vanilluxe and slurpuff, form the family Dulcifae, the cream fairies. The three species appear to be entirely made of dairy products or sugar. They do not appear to have any proper skeleton or muscle. Scientists have gone back and forth on their origins and nature with no one entirely sure why or how they are alive.

Alcremie are generally calm, benevolent, and interested in humans, which is an almost unheard of combination among fairy-types. This is especially strange as their closest living relative is one of the most murderous pokémon on the planet.

On balance, alcremie are one of the duller fairies and are far from the most powerful. This can be frustrating for trainers on the island challenge. Alcremie are still as good an introduction as any to the husbandry of fairy-types and a must-have pokémon for avid bakers and confectioners.

Physiology

Alcremie and milcerie are classified as pure fairy-type pokémon. The classification is not seriously disputed.

Milcery appear to be large drops of cream with small tentacles extending outwards from it. Two pale dots mark the eyes. Some appear to have a thin mouth. Others don’t. The mouth, and potentially the eyes, are non-functional.

Alcremie are more humanoid with an apparent torso, head, and extensive hair. All of their body except for the eyes and adornments is homogenous. The ‘hair’ is nothing of the sort. Alcremie usually form small mouths but do not ingest food through it. Their eyes are crystalized sugar with no apparent ability to sense light. They do not have a brain. Alcremie see and think regardless. One thing alcremie lack is legs. They must glide along the ground. Alcremie are at least sticky enough to cling to vertical surfaces and even move while suspended upside-down.

Upon evolution alcremie adopt a distinctive flavor and adornments. The flavor and adornments may have an impact on their biology, personality, and combat prowess. They may not. There is an ongoing debate as to whether alcremie will only evolve into a form that matches their personality and strengths, if the form determines personality and strengths, or if there is no statistically significant difference and the perceived variation is due to stereotyping and outliers. Milcery are weak and unemotive, so it is difficult to compare a specimen’s psychology and performance before and after evolution.

No one is entirely sure what alcremie are. The leading theories until the invention of the microscope were that they were either a slug or a pile of cream possessed by a ghost. Analysis of their cellular structure has confirmed that they are not living animals. They do not photosynthesize. Most of their body is organic, although they lack most hallmarks of a complex organism such as a central nervous system and cardiovascular system or any organs at all. There is a great deal of bacteria in their body constantly producing and breaking down the cream. Some scientists have theorized that alcremie are a hive mind of the bacteria.

Alcremie also have strong ties to fairy-type energy. It is not unknown for fairies to manifest as common objects in spite of all biological evidence suggesting it should be impossible. Klefki is one such example. Alcremie may just be a fairy manifesting as a mass of cream. The strongest evidence of this is slurpuff, a similar fairy made of crystalized sugars. For now all three species in the family are classified as organic pokémon adjacent to the true psychics.

Alcremie primarily feed by absorbing biomass and converting it to cream. Food is taken up by the base of the pokémon and then slowly moved into the center of the body. The exact chemical or biological process by which this occurs is poorly understood. In the wild alcremie primarily graze on plants, fungi, and bacteria. They have been documented feeding on carcasses when grasses are scarce, but it is believed that they are simple scavengers rather than predators. Alcremie have a strong aversion to violence. Even captive specimens are known to hesitate and hold back in battle.

Well-adorned, well-fed alcremie can grow to weigh three pounds. One to two pounds is more typical for the species. Alcremie can alter their body shape far more than the average pokémon. Typical specimens are between ten to fifteen inches in height most of the time, but can potentially compress down to six inches or up to twenty by widening or thinning their body. Wild lifespans are not well documented. Captive specimens typically live for five to eight years.

Behavior

Milcery are relatively simple and solitary pokémon. They prefer to seek out dark, cool places and hunt for food to absorb. This often puts them into contact with mold, one of their favorite foods. A handful of homeowners rely on milcery to perform some cleaning and sanitation duties, or at least to direct them to the least sanitary parts of a building. Some milcery have been known to sneak into refrigerators and try to blend in with white surfaces when they hear approaching vibrations. Milcery are not particularly social organisms. They are cleverer than their appearance suggests and can use their amorphous body to squeeze into tight spaces if they smell food. They can also mold their body into a thin layer and undulate it to allow for crude, short-distance flight.

Alcremie are generally nocturnal in the wild. At night they wander fields or forests and try to absorb nutrients. They have been known to climb up trees and absorb any moss growing on them. Alcremie have many potential predators. While they will try to defend themselves, in a pinch they will simply throw out part of their body with a charm woven into it. Charmed alcremie cream is a powerful psychoactive drug that induces an intense feeling of serenity. Pokémon under its effects won’t make any attempt to pursue a fleeing alcremie or even to defend themselves if another predator comes along and takes advantage of their altered mental state. Ordinary alcremie cream has much weaker effects. It tends to increase serotonin production and reduce cortisol levels, but people under its effects can and will defend themselves and pursue other goals. The blood sugar spike and caloric intake are far more dangerous than any short or long-term psychological effects.

Most alcremie eventually end up domesticated or semi-domesticated, preferring to exchange milk for cream with humans. This can be a very profitable industry for everyone involved. So long as they are given adequate food, space, and enrichment, alcremie adjust well to captivity. Alcremie may wish to change trainers but rarely wish to return to the wild after being tamed.

Husbandry

Milcery and alcremie can theoretically eat almost anything inorganic, from plant matter to meat to microorganisms. Cream and milk are their most desired foods. Powdered milk and cream can form the basis of a diet as long as they have access to water. Neither stage will drink pure water. There must be flavorings, microorganisms, or some other kind of food suspended in it. Butter and cheese are also happily accepted but are slightly harder to digest. Meat, leaves, and bark are alcremie’s least favorite foods. Moss, mold, fruit, and algae are staples of the species diet in the wild and should make up at least 8% of a captive specimen’s food intake. Alcremie will also seek out food related to their flavor and adornments. This is often fairly self-explanatory. Trainers who are confused as to what this means for their pokémon should consult specialist literature.

Inedible waste may be excreted in the form of pellets or sludge. Alcremie are easily housebroken and can dispose of waste in the correct spot. Just make sure that their waste receptacle is easily accessible for a creature of their size and does not contain litter that will be difficult to remove from their body. A box of frequently changed newspaper is often the best option. Toilets where the bowl is dry unless flushed can also work. Alcremie can be taught how to operate the toilet themselves. So long as the pokémon’s diet is based around dairy, moss, mold, algae, and fruit, they will only need to excrete once or twice a week. More frequent excretion can be a sign of dietary problems or deeper health issues.

Milcery are less intelligent and more prone to wandering. They will tend to leave waste in random locations. Thankfully they only produce an ounce or less at a time and it is easily washed out of clothing or absorbed from hard surfaces. Milcery trainers may wish to avoid having carpets or rugs in places their pokémon can access. Milcery are capable of fitting through gaps only a few millimeters wide and flying a few feet into the air, meaning that most places in their home will be accessible to them.

Alcremie are entertained by most children’s toys and media. They are fairly solitary creatures that may wish to shadow their trainer or a teammate for an hour or so a day but would otherwise like to be left alone. Many alcremie trainers have a room for them similar to a toddler’s play area filled with toys and a cool, hard surface for the pokémon to rest upon. Alcremie are also capable of operating basic technology like a television or light switch. Some have been taught to play video games, although the controls can be difficult to handle with their biology.

Milcery need little in the way of enrichment. Hermetically sealed mazes work as housing with food occasionally put inside and waste removed. Occasional flying time outside their enclosure may be associated with better adjusted alcremie post-evolution and a shorter time period to evolution. Research on the subject has been inconclusive.

Other fairies will often tolerate alcremie without being particularly friendly. Inorganic pokémon will not try to eat alcremie and can receive cleaning in return. Spectral pokémon are often playful enough to keep an alcremie entertained without posing a risk of attempted predation. Pokémon similar to animals will often try to eat alcremie, causing tensions on a team. Plant pokémon will sometimes see alcremie as a threat and lash out.

Illness

Alcremie’s bizarre biology makes treating illnesses through surgery or medication next to impossible. Thankfully, the major health problems can all be averted through proper husbandry.

Spoiling is the most common ailment. The bacteria to cream ratio rapidly increases, resulting in the pokémon digesting most of its own body and changing its color, texture, and flavor. If allowed to continue it can prove fatal. Spoiling can be avoided by frequent access to fresh food and cool, shaded areas to rest. Spoiling is treatable for a few days after onset through removal to a cool and sanity environment and the provision of a constant supply of fresh milk. Symptoms will usually partially or completely reverse within a week.

Depletion is the most common health problem among battling specimens. Alcremie can lose portions of their body during fights. Any body mass loss to consumption or attacks must be replaced. After battles, alcremie need a large amount of high-quality food to replenish their biomass. They should be allowed to rest for a few days after depletion of more than 10% and for at least a full day for depletion between 5% and 10%. Depletion of more than 40% can be fatal without prompt treatment.

Digestive problems are marked by either an excessive amount of waste or a very long interval between defecation. If either is observed, make sure that the pokémon is getting enough to eat. Then replace all food sources with milk and moss for a few days to see if the problem continues. If problems persist or lead to spoilage or depletion, immediately consult a veterinarian.

Damage to the eyes is probably just cosmetic and will heal within hours.

Many trainers have questions about whether alcremie cream is safe for consumption. After all, it comes from a living organism and is laden with bacteria. It is safe. Alcremie’s bacteria seem to preserve the cream and even prey upon other microorganisms that would cause it to rot. They are benign in the human digestive system and may even help restore it following antibiotic treatment. The cream should still be reduced for culinary reasons as undiluted alcremie cream can cause intense sugar highs, stomach aches, and a loss of appetite for days afterwards.

Evolution

In times gone by alcremie evolution was shrouded in mystery. Folk stories told of wild dances deep in the woods where a ring of fairies would spin and dance around a milcery until it evolved. Wild alcremie populations have likely been sporadic or non-existent for centuries. Alcremie are not social with conspecifics or other fairies. Captive specimens can evolve. These stories are likely only that.

Captive milcery evolve when they have had a reliable source of food for several weeks in a row. During this time the milcery will begin to grow larger and exhibit more complex behaviors. They will seek out many food sources to sample their flavors and attempt to find edible objects such as berries or candies to adorn themselves with. Once they have picked a flavor and adornment they will begin to grow to their new full size over the course of one to three weeks. Their cream will mutate to match their desired flavor’s taste and texture. The new alcremie will seek out as many adornments as they can and add them to their body in a seemingly haphazard fashion. The adornments further alter the flavor and consistency of the cream and might have an impact on elemental affinity, personality, and future dietary preferences. Going forward the adornment will be one of alcremie’s favorite foods and an easy way to bribe them.

In their native Galar, alcremie are capable of gigantamaxing. The form results in a rapid growth into a roughly ten-feet-tall version of themselves perched on top of an eighty-feet-tall multilevel cake. The frosting is so calorically dense that eating four milligrams will put the average person into a diabetic coma. Their body hardens upon impact, making it nearly impossible to defeat them with blunt force. Blades, flame, freezing, psionic attacks, and poison are the only reliable ways of dealing with a gigantamaxed alcremie.

Battle

Outside of Galar, alcremie see no use on the competitive circuits.

On the island challenge alcremie can function as slow, bulky setup sweepers. Calm mind or acid armor can be used to increase elemental or physical defenses. The former also increases elemental power. Alcremie can then rely on fairy attacks such as moonblast, draining kiss, or dazzling gleam to attack enemies. Unfortunately, alcremie learn very few coverage moves without TMs. Their options will still be limited even then. Alcremie can also support their team with aromatherapy or keep themselves healthy with recover.

Alcremie’s main natural defense is not very useful in organized combat. Opponents can avoid the deleterious effects of charmed cream by simply not eating it. The defense nullifies biting attacks and can surprise the unprepared but does little else. Alcremie are vulnerable to blunt force attacks when not gigantamaxed. Water attacks can make it difficult to maintain their consistency. Poison attacks and even some healing moves can cause severe damage to their microbial environment. Sand-based attacks can cause them extreme psychological distress. Fast, physically powerful opponents or elemental attackers with a beam attack or good coverage can knock out alcremie well before they have a chance to set up. They can be made to work by a clever trainer who plans fights around their disadvantages, but they are not easy to fit onto a team.

Milcery should not be battled with. They can reflexively defend themselves, but any combat risks serious damage that could set back their development by months.

Acquisition

Feral milcery and alcremie can occasionally be found in the forests and abandoned buildings at the base of Mt. Lanakila. The higher regions of the mountain are too cold for them and hold vanilluxe and ninetales, two known predators. Most of Alola is too hot. The feral population mostly descend from captive specimens that were abandoned during the rapid population decline in Southern and Western Ula’Ula.

It is easiest to acquire either stage from the private trade. They are popular with breeders, confectioners, and casual trainers for their cream and relative ease of care. Many fairy-specialist breeders carry them. Even a few larger pokémon or cooking supply stores will sell milcery. Shelters rarely keep the line for long as they can be rather easily rehomed and do not do well in standard shelter facilities.

Milcery and alcremie can be acquired with a Class II license.

Breeding

Scholars believed for centuries that milcery were formed when sweet particles in the air congealed into a new organism. Meanwhile, the more mystical shrine maidens and keepers of folklore warned that the fairies would cause cups of milk or plates of soft cheese to spoil if left unattended. The folklore was ultimately right. Alcremie that are sufficiently well fed can reproduce by touching and infecting cream. However, alcremie refuse to infect food specifically given to them. They must infect cream that they believe does not belong to them and they do not have permission to access. Attempts at captive breeding must rely upon deception to get the alcrmeie to do something they believe the breeder does not want them to do.

How much genetic or pseudo-genetic influence the parent has upon the child is debated. Milcery do not inherit the flavor of their parent. Laboratory studies where a milcery is given access to a variety of different flavors and adornments show only a slight preference towards their parent’s. Personalities and preferred combat styles of battling alcremie are often similar to their parent, but this could simply be selection bias. Trainers who want to battle buy milcery made by powerful alcremie and then train their new pokémon to battle. Most proper randomized trials are for flavor and nutritional value rather than personality.

Alcremie lack parental instincts. They will not cannibalize milcery unless desperate, but they will also not care for them. Adults can even be territorial with milcery and drive them away from food sources. In captivity it is best to keep them separated from their offspring.

Relatives

Traditional alcremie are one of two morphs of the species. They are born in milk cream and have physiology resembling it. The second morph, often referred to as alcrebrie, is born from whey and have a more bitter, cheesy flavor and a more solid form. Alcremie and alcrebrie can interbreed by reproducing in whey or cream, respectively. The hybrid will often have a consistency and flavor somewhere between their parents. As a result they are not classified as separate species but as morphs within the same species akin to the evolutions of eevee or the colors of butterfree.

Vanilluxe is usually regarded as alcremie’s closest relative as they are both made of cream. Whether they are a bacterial hivemind or a possessed object remains unclear. Vanilluxe have a very different temperament from alcremie and do not have distinct flavors or adornments. They will also happily prey upon any alcremie they encounter. Vanilluxe also have no particular affinity for fairy-type energy and reproduce sexually rather than asexually. These differences have led some theorists to speculate that they may simply be convergently evolved species with no close relation.

It is difficult to form a satisfying taxonomy for fey and phantoms due to the lack or unreliability of genetic evidence. Scientists disagree as to whether they should be grouped by their physical form at all or simply split into categories based on their diet and rituals. Alcremie are classified as physical, familiar, asocial, non-bargaining fey. They eat real food, are eager to associate with humans, do not partake in rituals with other fairies, and do not have any inclination or ability to make and enforce bargains. Under this schema sylveon is one of their closest relatives. This result is unacceptable to many academics, leading to discussion of a fifth or sixth criteria, such as relation to non-fairies or reproductive methods.

 

[Persephone]

Pinsir
Rexluctationus balthus familiaris

Overview

Pinsir, alongside scyther and heracross, is one of the three Japanese battling bugs that have been introduced to much of the world. Pinsir are not native to Japan and instead hail from Central America. Upon their introduction in 1880, it became popular to settle disputes in duels between large bugs. The bugs were difficult to obtain and often expensive, making them a status symbol. Risking a rare or imported bug’s health was also a more serious affair than a standard pokémon battle. If a trainer was unwilling to risk one in a duel, they were clearly not particularly committed to their cause.

The bug duels were also popular because all three species are extraordinarily powerful. Pinsir was the slowest and bulkiest of the three, able to withstand multiple slashes or horn attacks without serious injury. They were very common on their early competitive circuits before fading as better tanks became available.

Today, pinsir are a problematic invasive species on Alola. They are prone to leeling trees to create more open forests. Adult males will also try to kill vikavolt that enter their territory during breeding season as they see the beetles as a threat.

Pinsir are a good choice for trainers who want a powerful physical threat without complicated husbandry requirements. Just be aware that they aren’t particularly social creatures. Their trainer is tolerated more than loved and even temporary lapses in amenities can cause irreparable rifts with wild born specimens.

Physiology

Pinsir are classified as pure bug-types. There has been a campaign for over a century to add a secondary fighting-type. Pinsir can learn many fighting-type moves, are exceptionally strong, and rely upon grapples and other technique based attacks in combat. However, they have no particular weakness to fairy or psychic attacks. Wild populations are often pacifists with strength contests during mating season. Their battle instincts mostly stem from a century of selective breeding.

Pinsir are large beetles with a brown carapace and two horns. The horns can move independently and can squeeze together with enough force to snap trees and spines. There are a variety of sharp, thorn-like protrusions on the horns that dig into anything gripped by them. The weight of pinsir’s carapace armor prevents them from flying with the wings on their back, although they can be used for intimidation or to slow falls.

Contrary to popular belief, pinsir do not have a gigantic vertical slit for a mouth lined with sharp teeth. Pinsir do not have teeth at all and instead rely on ridges in the mandible. The apparent mouth is simply a black marking on the chest with teeth patterns to intimidate away would be-predators.

Pinsir can grow to heights of seventy inches, or fifty-five inches excluding the horns. Captive male specimens routinely weigh nearly 200 pounds, although wild specimens rarely clear 120 pounds. Females are about 20% smaller than males on average. Wild lifespans are approximately five to six years. The average lifespan of captive specimens is closer to three years, although some specimens can live as long as ten years.

Behavior

Pinsir are almost exclusively herbivorous. They will eat tree sap, nuts, roots, tubers, leaves, and fruits. Pinsir will fell entire trees to reach higher foods or make the forest easier to maneuver. Their horns can also be used to pierce the bark and access tree sap, which pinsir will lap up. Their mouth can form a reliable seal around a piercing to drink the sap. Pinsir will also dig into the ground to access roots and tubers. They are versatile pokémon that can adapt to a wide range of foods and habitats.

At night adult pinsir will return to their burrows. Pinsir prefer to drive off other large burrowers and steal their home, but can and will dig their own as needed. Juveniles prefer to sleep in tree cavities, safe from non-arboreal predators. Former toucannon nests are popular dwellings. Juvenile pinsir are not territorial and will share largest cavities. Up to fifty hatchlings will share a hollow.

Adults are less territorial than their reputation suggests. They are unwilling to share their burrow but will tolerate pinsir living just three feet from their burrow’s entrance. Some pinsir have even intentionally caved in parts of larger tunnels to segment them into multiple burrows, each with their own occupant. Pinsir will forage side by side as long as there is enough food for all individuals. They will even band together to deal with larger threats.

Competitive behavior can be observed around the mating season. Even this is more for show than violence. Pinsir engage in ritualized contests of strength where two males will try to overpower the other and lift them with their horns. Losers are almost never seriously injured. The winner is more likely to attract a mate.

Pinsir can tolerate most insects in their range and are even known to socialize with heracross. For reasons unknown they despise vikavolt. The two species will attack each other on sight.

Husbandry

Despite being large exotic insects, pinsir are relatively easy to care for. The core of their diet can be fed fruits, root vegetables, and leafy greens. They are particularly fond of coconuts. Ensure that all vegetation provided has not been treated with insecticides. Tree sap is somewhat more cumbersome to obtain but can still be purchased from many grass-type specialty stores. Pinsir do not need to drink water and can get all necessary fluids through their diet.

The key problem with pinsir care is that they are large creatures that can eat up to ten pounds of plant matter a day. Trainers keeping them on the trail for an extended trip will need a pack pokémon or frequent stops to resupply. Pinsir can be destructive in their feeding habits and are rarely allowed to forage along trails.

Some pinsir are more ball tolerant than others. On one extreme, about 15% of captive pinsir are fine being in their ball constantly outside of battle and feedings. On the other, roughly 10% of pinsir will become enraged if the ball is used for nearly any reason. Most are in the middle. They are most tolerant of their pokéball at night when they would ordinarily be resting. Stationary trainers that can provide their pinsir with a burrow should do so as most specimens find this more comfortable than their pokéball.

Pinsir do not require a great deal of enrichment. Battle and training for it will usually suffice. Non-battling specimens should receive challenges with some food items that require them to use their horns in novel ways to get their meal.

While they have relatively few wants, be aware that pinsir are not above using violence if they believe their needs are not being met. Having a translator on hand can help deal with problems before they arise. Otherwise, pay careful attention to the pokémon’s moods and try to anticipate potential issues.

Pinsir are too large for most predators to attack. They are also herbivores that pose little risk to teammates, some grass-types aside. They fit onto most teams without issue. Do not put them on the same team as vikavolt.

Illness

Pinsir are hardy creatures that rarely get sick. When they do their diseases can be difficult to treat with conventional medicine. Many medicines are lethal to insects. Blissey eggs and other elemental healing options are usually better.

The most common pinsir ailment worldwide is hypothermia. Pinsir prefer to hibernate when temperatures drop below fifty degrees Fahrenheit. If they are not able to do so they may die from exposure to the cold. Alolan pinsir do not usually hibernate. Prolonged cold temperatures can be fatal. This is rarely a problem outside of Mauna Lanakila. Trainers climbing to the League should refrain from using their pinsir in battle whenever possible.

Molting can be used to recover from damage to the carapace. Pinsir are loathe to do so and will only molt if the carapace has sustained severe damage. Smaller wounds, even in great numbers, will not trigger molting. Pinsir even seem to take pride in minor damage to their exoskeleton. This may explain part of their reluctance to molt. The rest can be attributed to vulnerability and increased caloric requirements. Pinsir must simultaneously eat more and avoid all combat during the molting process. This makes them extremely vulnerable to predation. Other pinsir will often help a molting individual in the wild.

Larval pinsir are far more prone to illness than adults. They should be inspected at least every three days for signs of disease and infected individuals should be quarantined as quickly as possible.

Evolution

Larval and juvenile pinsir are similar to adults, just with a somewhat darker color and a much smaller size. Larvae will typically live in the soil or inside of a rotting tree. Their horns are used to dig. Juveniles, specimens more than eight inches long, move into tree cavities. Adults have no particular loyalty to their own offspring. They will still step into defend any juveniles they see being preyed upon.

Pinsir reach their final size in about five years and forty molts. No separate evolutionary stages are recognized.

Pinsir can mega evolve. The process primarily enhances their wings, allowing them to fly at speeds of up to twenty miles per hour and use them to launch out blades of air. In the hours after mega evolution pinsir will be irritable and prone to lashing out. Long term physiological damage is rare. Psychological distress has been observed related to the sudden loss of flight after gaining it. Some pinsir become obsessed with battle and mega evolution for the chance to properly fly again.

Battle

Pinsir used to be very common on the global competitive circuits, especially in Latin America and Asia. They’re durable, strong, and reasonably easy to train. Many bug-type specialists still use them. However, pinsir have some major flaws holding them back in the present metagame.

To start with, many fighting-types such as machamp are only slightly less durable while being much stronger and more highly skilled. Tanks such as rhydon, swampert, hippowdon, and aggron can take more damage and hit even harder. None of these are particularly difficult for a professional trainer to obtain. Almost all of them also have better coverage and utility options than pinsir, which is often forced to rely upon their grappling and a few coverage attacks.

Mega pinsir are more useful as they are a flying tank that hits harder than corviknight and skarmory, while not being quite as durable as either. In practice they are similar to weaker dragons that can take a few hits while dealing a great deal of damage. Their flight speed of twenty miles per hour is only okay. They are also not very maneuverable in the air. Most natural fliers can outfly and ground them easily enough. Mega pinsir are still not a competitive mainstay but they see some usage.

Pinsir is a reliable option on the island challenge. They are strong enough to take down all but the most durable of foes while still being reasonably bulky themselves. Pinsir mostly know how to fight but can appreciate training on specialized techniques and updates on field conditions they may have missed. In trials pinsir are especially prone to focusing too much on one opponent that they don’t notice what the others are doing.

Pinsir’s main drawback as their need to molt to heal injuries. It can be inconvenient to stop the island challenge and wait in place for a week after major battles.

Acquisition

Pinsir have established populations in the rainforests on Akala, Poni, and Exeggutor Island. Alternatively, many specialist breeders exist for pinsir, scyther, and heracross. Most are located in Heahea and Malie. A few can be found in and around Hau’oli City. Going rates vary based on a specimen’s age, training, and lineage. Pokémon bred for companionship are usually cheaper than those bred for battle or display. Top-tier breeders will sometimes sell specimens that do not meet the standards for a battling or show pinsir at a steep discount. Shelters will occasionally hold individuals that need rehomed but are not up to the standards of the average breeder. Even generalist shelters will often agree to hold pinsir due to their fairly low care requirements. Pinsir can be captured, adopted, or purchased with a Class II license.

Breeding

Pinsir engage in mating displays in September and October until every adult male in an area has publicly fought every other adult male. The strongest specimens will get the opportunity to mate with the most females. The female will lay her eggs in a rotting tree so the larvae will have a guaranteed source of food. If there is no rotting tree available as the mating season approaches, pinsir will deliberately kill multiple trees. This is the end of either parent’s involvement in their children’s lives.

Captive breeding is relatively easy. It requires a male and one or more females, as well as a rotting tree for eggs to be deposited in. The eggs can be removed after deposition and moved to a rearing area. Neither parent will object to the removal of the eggs or having their offspring sold to other trainers. Cross-breeding with heracross, orbeetle, pteralas, and rabsca is common. It is easiest to mate a male pinsir with a female of another species. Male heracross or pteralas and female pinsir mixes are also viable as pinsir are impressed by the other beetle’s strength. Do not attempt to mate pinsir with vikavolt. While theoretically possible, interspecies aggression makes it highly likely at least one pokémon dies in the attempt.

Relatives

Domesticated pinsir are larger and more aggressive than their wild counterparts. Wild pinsir live in the old growth humid forests of South and Central America. They spend most of their time on the forest floor. Their strength and armor are used to deter most attackers as the risk of a lethal counterattack is unacceptably high. Pinsir move backwards into their burrow at night so that anything following them in will be confronted with their horns. Despite these adaptations, harpyre and pantherma still routinely prey upon them. Many insectivores target their larvae. The loss of old-growth forest and collection for export has left the wild population vulnerable. Exports have been effectively banned in the Amazon Federation since 1998, although poaching remains a problem.

 

[Persephone]

Noctowl (Hoothoot)
Noctua tigris amazonia

Overview

Noctowl appears to have more in common with a baseline animal than a pokémon at first glance. Their many adaptations barely incorporate elemental energy. They are not exceedingly strong, durable, or intelligent. Noctowl prefer basic tactics and stealth to flashy attacks in combat. A majority of their prey are baseline animals.

Noctowl are also so dominant in their niche that most other predatory owls in their range have been driven to extinction. Even larger raptors up to and including braviary can be endangered by noctowl.

While noctowl are a fascinating example of how well purposed biological adaptations can compete outperform misapplied telepathy or pyrokinesis, this minimalism can also make them a bad choice for trainers. They rely more on stealth and strategy than their combat prowess in the wild. Most of their prey are baseline animals. The pokémon they do prey upon are rodents, insects, or nestlings. They actively avoid fights with anything near their own size. Noctowl are also more aggressive and unruly than dartrix. Most trainers will find rowlet to be the superior owl for their team and they are readily available for almost any trainer who wants one.

Physiology

Hoothoot and noctowl are both classified as dual normal- and flying-types. During the 19th and early 20th Centuries, academics were split as to whether they should be normal or psychic types. The research of Dr. Hubbard Stone showed that noctowl relied on their hearing rather than psychic abilities to find prey underneath snow. Noctowl have some telepathic and telekinetic talent, but not enough to justify a psychic typing.

Hoothoot are short, stout birds with large red eyes. They appear to only have one leg when standing. The other is tucked beneath them while standing, hidden by their feathers. When one leg gets tired they swap the leg they are standing on. The switch occurs in about a quarter of a second.

A common urban legend states that hoothoot do not have eyelids. This is false. They have three per eye. One, the nictitating membrane, cleans the eye. The second closes when hoothoot blinks. The third closes when hoothoot sleeps.

Noctowl are taller than hoothoot and about as broad. This makes them considerably slimmer. This is accentuated by noctowl’s tendency to stand tall and thin while resting to better blend in with the forest around them. Noctowl have two rows of three inverted triangle patterns on their abdomen that break up their silhouette. Two “horns” of light feathers rise from the sides of noctowl’s head. These are neither bony horns nor ears; noctowl’s ears are located on the side of their head, hidden beneath feathers.

A series of adaptations make noctowl unrivaled killers of small prey. First, their ears are slightly asymmetrical on the head. One sits a few millimeters above the other. The difference is enough to allow noctowl to pinpoint where sounds are coming from, even underneath bark, earth, or snow. Their eyes are cylindrical rather than spherical to allow for maximal vision on even very dark nights. The trade off of cylindrical eyes is that they cannot rotate. Noctowl must physically move their head to shift their field of view. As a result they have evolved to be able to rotate their head 150 degrees in either direction. They can also lean over so that their head is upside-down and to the side of their body. This makes their silhouette almost circular, which has led to reports of giant hoothoot in parts of their range.

Noctowl’s feathers are extremely soft. Their wings have serrated edges to break up the flow of wind. Noctowl’s wings are relatively small in comparison to their weight and are better suited for gliding short distances than soaring. Their feet are quite broad for the pokemon’s size to allow for better balance and a broader strike. Their talons are also used for climbing back up trees when there is no urgent need to use wind manipulation for a rapid ascent.

Noctowl can grow to be five feet tall and weigh up to twenty pounds. Females are slightly larger than males, but not so different as to allow for the reliable sexing of adults based on size alone. Wild specimens typically live for fifteen to twenty years. Captive lifespans of fifty years are common and some exceptional individuals have lived to seventy.

Behavior

Noctowl are the ultimate nocturnal stealth predators. Their silent flight, large talons, and excellent senses let them find prey moving in the dark and pick them off without being seen. Noctowl can grab spinarak off their webs with minimal risk of entanglement. They will raid the nests of other raptors while the parents are sleeping, making off with one chick a night. Even snakes and small dragons can fall prey to a talon in the dark.

However, noctowl feed almost exclusively on small mammals when they are able to do so. In Alola this means that they hunt rattata more often than not. Noctowl must regurgitate the portions of their food that they cannot digest. These pellets, often made up of bone, chitin, and hair, allow for valuable insights into wild noctowl’s diet. Polar variants of noctowl can have up to 99% of their diet composed of a single lagomorph or rodent species. Tropical noctowl, such as the ones found in Alola, still prefer to hunt rodents but will happily eat anything they come across. The easiest prey to find are the prey most frequently consumed.

In general, noctowl only use elemental energy as a last resort. It is an option if needed but not one they prefer to rely upon. This reduces the caloric intake they require and allows them to subsist on smaller, less dangerous prey.

However, noctowl can be ambitious hunters that have been documented killing prey up to five times their own body weight if desperate or overconfident. In Alola’s rainforests they have been known to prey upon juvenile oranguru, ariados, pinsir, zubat, dartrix, murkrow, and even stufful. Anything that moves at night is liable to end up in a noctowl’s path. This does not always end well for the noctowl. Anything they cannot kill or stun in a single strike will try to fight back. Noctowl are not fast fliers and can struggle to run away. As a result they tend to land and attempt to finish their prey with talon slashes and the occasional elemental attack. This can end poorly for them as they are not the strongest pokémon in a one on one fight. They mostly rely on the damage from their initial strike and sheer audacity to carry them to victory.

Noctowl prefer to hunt in open terrain where rodents congregate and their lack of aerial maneuverability is less important. They still need to live near the forest’s edge. Noctowl will often hunt by flying between perches, trying to see or hear prey and, if they fail, flying on to the next perch. They also need to roost during the day in a concealed location high in the canopy. Their habit of preying upon other birds makes them prone to being harassed and even killed by corvids or other raptors during the day. Nesting high in dense forest reduces the odds of being spotted.

Paired noctowl are territorial and will prevent other pairs from living nearby. Unpaired hoothoot and noctowl can live in their territory as long as they do not overstay their welcome.

Hoothoot are less aggressive than noctowl. They tend to hunt closer to the ground and feed more on invertebrates and small rodents. Sometimes they will stand very still and wait for something to pass by them. In Alola they are prone to using their keen hearing to find insects beneath tree bark before using their beak and talons to tear into the tree to get to their prey.

Hoothoot can be incredibly predictable in the wild and captivity. They are keenly aware of the passage of time and will perform the same activities at the same time every day. This makes them one of a handful of species, including humans, to base their schedules on a rigid 24-hour calendar rather than the variable amount of sunlight received throughout the year. This sense of time helps them maintain instinctual schedules while they are young. Noctowl retain the same sense of time but tend to improvise more based on their experiences.

Husbandry

Hoothoot and noctowl are generalists that adapt well to a variety of diets. Rodents should make up the core of the diet. Noctowl are also capable of hunting rodents on their own and, in most of Alola, hunting of rattata is legal and encouraged. Any sort of meat, including fish and invertebrates, can also supplement the diet. Some noctowl will eat commercial pellets. Others will refuse. There are even reports of noctowl that will only eat live prey. Any noctowl fed pellets or frozen food should have constant access to water. Specimens fed on live or fresh food can get enough water from their diet.

Any housebroken noctowl is only reluctantly and intermittently so. For best success, put litter boxes near their favorite perches so they can make it a game to defecate into them in midair. In addition to feces, noctowl also cough up pellets a few hours after a meal. Watch them afterwards if prey with bones, fur, or scales attached are fed. Noctowl, like most birds, fit best in homes with easily cleaned surfaces.

Hoothoot are creatures of habbit that grow distressed if their schedule is deviated from. They are also nocturnal. Their trainers should not expect to use them during the day. The hoothoot will either need to be watched at night or have another pokémon to interact with. Noctowl are more flexible but still primarily nocturnal. They also demand more attention and affection than most birds of prey. Having a mate reduces this need, although a territorial couple can attempt to drive teammates and even their trainer away from their home when nesting. Noctowl enjoy perching on their trainer. Their talons can be very sharp and up to six inches long. Make sure that proper falconry gear is used when perching and strongly discourage the pokémon from landing on humans without it.

Both stages are more intelligent than most birds of prey and will need frequent enrichment, especially if they are left alone at night. Puzzles meant to be solved should be durable enough that the pokémon cannot simply rip them apart in their talons. Noctowl can and will destroy toys and then become upset that they have nothing to do.

Noctowl’s extremely varied diet can lead them to prey upon organic teammates that weigh less than three times the noctowl’s own weight. Noctowl have even been documented attempting to prey upon incorporeal and inorganic teammates, albeit with little success. Captive-bred hoothoot are often better at tolerating other teammates but they can still be aggressive towards anything they can kill. They will also harass any teammates who are using perches or toys they want to play with. Ideal teammates should be willing and able to stand up for themselves without serious risk of physical or psychological harm to the noctowl. Wild-caught birds such as raptors, corvids, and parrots will often bully noctowl even if the owl does not begin the conflict. This can make them hard to fit onto the teams of bird specialists, further limiting their usage.

Illness

Hoothoot and noctowl are fairly hardy birds. The main health problem they suffer from is anemia. This can be caused by a number of parasites. Ensuring that noctowl have an iron-rich diet and receive a thorough medical examination every six months is usually sufficient to avoid the problem. They are more durable than most birds but they still have hollow bones that can be broken in battle. Great care should be taken in the aftermath of a wing injury to ensure that it settles correctly. Noctowl with long-term wing injuries will sometimes become obese due to inactivity, leading to further health problems.

Evolution

Hoothoot gradually evolve around two years of age in the wild. Captive specimens can evolve earlier, but one year appears to be the lower limit even with optimal nutrition and frequent battle. Over the course of three to six months they become taller. The formal demarcation line is sexual maturity in the wild and the transition of the eyes from red or amber to amber or yellow in captivity.

Battle

Noctowl are successful, highly adapted predators. They are also stealth hunters that usually pursue smaller or sleeping prey. Even their flight is limited compared to other birds of prey. This leaves noctowl in a bad position in competitive battling. They are versatile and can perform many roles, from support with tailwind, reflect, hypnosis, and defog to special sweeping with nasty plot and agility. Unfortunately, noctowl do neither well. Their ungainly flight leaves them unable to avoid many hits, and their frail bones mean that offensive pokémon can easily overwhelm them without a great deal of prior setup. Offensively their elemental well is not deep or wide enough to allow for easy sweeping or wall-breaking without boosting, which can be similarly difficult to pull off.

Even on the island challenge noctowl can struggle a great deal. They are best off fighting at range with moves such as air slash or psychic mixed with support options like tailwind and hypnosis. Noctowl are most valuable as sleep setters on the island challenge, making the totem drowsy before being knocked out themselves. Against early totems without supporting pokémon they can use the opportunity to set up or deal damage themselves. Even hoothoot with a lot of training in hypnosis can pull this off, although trainers may be better off immediately switching to a more offensively oriented opponent.

Sadly, not all pokémon are capable of pulling their weight to the end of the island challenge. Trainers interested in using a more combat capable owl should pick a rowlet as their starter.

Acquisition

The DNR has deemed noctowl an invasive species of high concern due to their tendency to prey upon already vulnerable bird populations. The risk of inbreeding with and predation on dartrix is particularly concerning. Their efforts have eliminated most of the population on the islands with the last holdouts being in the rainforests of northern Akala. They are most often found around clearings and forest edges, although they are typically found high in the canopy during the day. Trainers looking for a hoothoot or noctowl are best off wandering the forest at night and waiting to come across one eating from a larger carcass they can’t drag up a tree with them. They will require a proving battle for capture.

DNR-captured noctowl and hoothoot sometimes end up in shelters on Akala. They are culled when no space is available. Importation of the species for breeding purposes has been prohibited since 1994 and the DNR is reluctant to give wild specimens to breeders. These limitations, combined with the difficulty of keeping the species with other birds of prey, has limited the availability of captive-bred noctowl. There are still a few collectors who breed the species, but they are often reluctant to sell their hoothoot.

Both stages can be captured, purchased, or adopted with a Class III license.

Breeding

Noctowl breed relatively early in the season in temperate regions, mating in November and laying eggs in December that hatch in February. This means that their nestlings are fledged by the time that other bird eggs are just hatching. This allows noctowl to prey upon the nestlings of raptors without fear of retaliation. Noctowl are also adept winter hunters that can feed on the few species that remain active, even at the edges of the Arctic circle.

Tropical noctowl still breed on the same schedule as their temperate and polar counterparts, even if it no longer carries the same advantages. Noctowl will choose mates in November. Males will bring females food and perform courtship dances and songs in an effort to win her favor. Noctowl are generally quiet, only marking their territory with the occasional call of hoots. They can also whistle, meow, and shriek. Their mating call is primarily made of whistles and shrieks that can scare those who hear them on a dark night. After the call catches a female’s attention, the male will bend over and press his head as close to his torso as possible in an attempt to form a circular silhouette. Noctowl usually mate for life, although the pair spend less time together when they are not nesting. Every fall the male will go through some token effort to win his mate’s favor back.

Noctowl will not construct their own nests. They will pillage the nest of an abandoned bird. If none is available they will nest in a tree cavity or manmade structure. In Canada, cabins abandoned for the winter will often have their furnishings torn apart and repurposed by nesting noctowl. It can be a challenge to chase them out in the summer.

In captivity noctowl must be given a wide space free of other birds for several months. This can be an aviary or a large open plot. Noctowl breeders prefer electrified or heavily reinforced aviaries to reduce the space each pair will claim. The female will lay two to four eggs a year. She will spend most of her time on the nest while the male hunts and defends the territory. After the eggs hatch they will live in or around the nest for roughly two months before being kicked out. They will still receive some supervision and support from their parents until the next mating season begins.

Noctowl are willing to crossbreed with other owls, and even other birds of prey. The problem usually comes from the prospective partner’s reluctance to mate with noctowl. This is easier in captivity where an enforced lack of mating option and time to bond with a more docile specimen can tip the scales. They have been documented crossbreeding with iciquill and dartrix in the wild. The dartrix partners were usually social outcasts unable to find a mate of their own species.

Relatives

Noctowl have more than a dozen subspecies and are native to four continents. They span throughout temperate Eurasia and from the edge of the Arctic Circle to the middle of the Amazon rainforest in the Americas. Their closest relative, Iciquill, lives throughout the arctic and subarctic regions. The northernmost noctowl subspecies, N. t. borealis and N. t. khione live in their habitat year-round without hibernating or having a permanent burrow. They rely on their soft, fluffy, and thick plumage to keep themselves warm. These are also the only subspecies to warrant a proper psychic typing, not for using telepathy to detect prey but for using telekinesis to tear away the snow and ice they’re hiding under.

The other noctowl species all have minor adaptations for their individual habitats. Noctowl avoid dense human settlements but can be found in a diverse array of habitats including woodland, scrubland, marshes, rainforests, beaches and small islands, savannahs, and mountain peaks.

The Alolan population is descended from an introduced population of Amazonian noctowl. These are the only subspecies to naturally be found in the tropics. They are better at making tight turns than the other subspecies to allow for life in denser forests. Amazonian noctowl are particularly fond of snatching up any primates or squirrels climbing in the understory or canopy and taking them up to a branch to eat. They have the thinnest coat of any subspecies.

Noctowl were introduced to Alola in 1974 when nineteen individuals escaped from an aviary during a heavy storm. They have since been joined by escaped pets and interbed with dartrix to increase their numbers.

 

[K_S]

Slowpoke reaction
Blitz review

You know rocket was on to something with thier slowpoke market. Love how common misconception runs rampent. Reminds me of "dolphins are friendly they smile" spiel from back in the day.

The poke being a detachable organ for the shell is a really wild idea. Amd i get psychics cant comunicate with it before it evolves, but when it gets the shell does that change?

I can imagine that debate. I mean it has no brainwaves the fact its a psychic would break brains. So the turbam shell just... Injects hromones and organs into slowpoke and makes it hulk out to its new form... I mean cool, but also... Ouch.

Gotta wonder, since slowkings are so intellegent if they cant answer questions about thier previous and alternate evolutions. Also i can imagine alola colleges crawling with slowking students taking classes for giggles on thier trainers winnings during off season.

Slowbro on the other hand seem content to be watered and fed and very little else. I can only imagine the patience required to train it to do anything.

considering if you heap enough damage on the turban can make a bro de-evolve
Would tjat be a viable battle tactic against them (or a legal one?) Are slowking susceptable to the same tactic?

Love how a group of slow's are called a slumber.

Also how alola and kanto slowking are happy go lucky psycjics.

And how Galar's version are mass murdering poison lovers who'd fit in well with an evil Team.

 

[K_S]

Snorlax
Blitz review

Yeah i can't see snorlax being anything but dangerously invasive. How anyone thought it was a good idea is baffling. And what to do with them is such a thorny issue i can't imagine an answer much less a good amswer.

I'm surprised the tapus allowed the kahuna to dump the snorlaxs onto route one honestly. Much less for a "how much can we beat up this innocent eco system" experiment. The fact that they didn't put trackers on the snors or keep an eye and squad ready to capture and dispose of the excess if damage occured screams poor foresight. Really the whole experiment did.

I wonder how many trainers catch a snore' realize they cant feed it, and box the thing more for self preservation than anything else? The gistory of the lax's rise and fall as competative battlers was interesting. Figures rhey were eich persons mon back in the day.

So in short snorlax are homer simpson and everything edible is a package of donuts. I dont blame any wild alolan 'mon, i'd book it too.

Sigh, those poor kids, some idiot trainer thought to reinact "my neighnor totoro" with a wild carniverous bear and thought it would go well?

Yeah if you want to catch one of these things hit route one where the local kahuna and the governmemt are shaking thier heads at the fuzzy invaders. Please.. Just take one...

Although comparing alolan snorlaxes to the earthqake avalanche users in the him's makes them look like angels. Well relatively little angels.

 

[K_S]

Review blitz
Sudowoodo

Ah so if brock of clay were to pass out starters these would be it? I wonder what made them popular back in the day for the older gen to adore them... I mean besides minimal effort and expressive... And i think i answered by own question.

Love how its like " we got birds, mamals, plants, shards of evil intent, deer god, ufos, and... Mime tree?"

And its the last one that breaks the science comunities minds....

And of course bonslys have mouths to just scream... Why not? Do thier evolutions do too i didnt catch anything abput them digesting through them in the text but maybe i missed something?

I imagine when it starts raining in potown that Skull find drove of 'woods in thier buildings. And i admit it'd make cave exploration exciting when half of the salagmites suddenly cheer when it stops raining and shuffle out.

And i am imagining there being special restrooms with a saw blade by the door, a special mist head that simulates rain, and the trainer making out like an old fashioned sound effect technition on one of the bathroom while thier poor bonsley is screaming on the other. Then you wonder why the rock type suddenly hates bathrooms for the rest of its life.

It would make aense that even transplanted bonsley change to look like alola ones adter being stopped off in alola. They live off the soil, thus thier physique reflect not genetics but the make up of the soil the roam in...