Pokémon The Alola Pokedex

[Persephone]

Beheeyem (Elgyem)
Scullensis mulderi

Overview

In 1948, metallic debris was found scattered near Roswell, New Mexico. Two weeks later, a new species was found wandering the desert. Scientists continue to debate whether the two events were at all related.

Beheeyem have become synonymous with extraterrestrials in flying saucers in the public imagination. They are clever, strange, and just malevolent enough to make for a good stock villain in pop culture.

Most trainers are not advised to train the species. On a practical level, beheeyem cannot perform telepathic translation like the most popular psychic types can. They are also nearly impossible to fully pacify and are prone to using hypnosis to manipulate or outright control people they do not respect.

Beheeyem, like malamar, are best left to trainers with the psionic strength to resist their aggression or the experience to manage a rebellious team member.

Physiology

Both stages are classified as pure psychic-types. Some scholars argue for a secondary rock- or even steel- or electric-typing due to their biology or behaviors. These opinions remain in the minority.

Elgyem are silicon-based pokémon with a tough exterior shell. The very outer layer is roughly a quarter inch thick and composed of an alloy of tungsten, copper, molybendum, platinum, and nickel. Oxidation of the copper is the cause of their typical blue-green coloration. This exoskeleton is extremely smooth.

Beneath the exoskeleton is a porous structure akin to pumice. They are filled with a strange, blood-like liquid with high concentrations of suspended metals, especially arsenic. Denser crystalline and metallic structures are found throughout the body. The function of most of these organs has yet to be determined.

Most of elgyem’s body is composed of a roughly ovoid head with two flat planes carved into it. The “forehead” is marked by a black, y-shaped pattern. Two parallel lines run along the head perpendicular to the eye crystals.

It remains unclear how beheeyem sense the world. They appear to have eyes, but these seem to primarily emit light rather than sense it. They work in concert with similar crystals on the hand to amplify or attune telepathic signals to allow for mind-reading, telepathic assault, and hypnosis. Beheeyem struggle with basic vision and hearing tests when there are no nearby organisms to sense through. They may be entirely dependent on hijacked senses for vision, hearing, and scent. It is currently believed that they communicate with each other and sense the world primarily through radio waves.

Beneath their head, elgyem have a fairly small humanoid body with crystal-tipped hands. Their legs serve no apparent purpose as they lack hypnotic crystals and do not walk outside of dire emergencies. Elgyem are almost constantly levitating via telekinesis. The only typical exception is when they are riding in a vehicle or on another pokémon. The legs may help them sit. Their short, stubby tail might serve a similar purpose.

The only gap in the outer layers is a narrow horizontal slit on the back of the head. Elgyem grind up and levitate food to this slit and into the body. It is covered by a hydraulically raised and lowered plate when not in use. Waste is rarely created but seems to be disposed of through this slot as well.

Beheeyem have less copper in their exoskeleton, leading to a more consistently brown or red coloration. The top of their head remains roughly ovoid with carved out panes, but the bottom flares out to a rim before tapering back in. The eye crystals are located beneath the rim.

The exoskeleton extends past the end of the lower body in a thin, flared layer of armor that provides extra protection to the leg joints and lower body. Four knobs extend out of the front of the front of the armor. Another two ridges protect the joint between the head and body. They are the only protrusions anywhere on their body that do not generate light. The exoskeleton rarely has other bumps or aberrations taller than one twentieth of an inch.

Beheeyem can reach heights of roughly four feet tall, although three is more typical. Weights typically range between 100 and 140 pounds. Lifespans of wild specimens are poorly understood. Captive individuals have not demonstrated senescence.

Behavior

Beheeyem can be found in many arid areas worldwide, especially around meteor craters and recent meteorite impact sites. Their typical wild behavior, including their diet, is poorly understood. Beheeyem are typically found in swarms of five to fifteen individuals, although very large swarms are sometimes documented in the Mojave. These aggregations are believed to actually consist of multiple individual swarms temporarily associating with one another.

Beheeyem are primarily nocturnal and usually avoid or hypnotize nearby humans. Field cameras are often identified and dismantled. It is not known what they typically do during the day. Resting wild beheeyem have not knowingly been found, leading to theories they guard their resting places with subtle hypnosis or a cloaking ability not demonstrated by captive specimens.

Beheeyem are almost never seen during rain. Captive specimens are disdainful of water and often complain of oxidation. Exposure to water brightens their color and spurs their mood. This does not appear to have any deleterious health effects.

Active beheeyem are often seen watching other species, including humans, from a distance. They are particularly drawn to intelligent creatures such as fairies, dragons, ghosts, and other psychics. Some have been documented making strange runes in the sand or nearby rocks. These runes appear to be consistent with those made by specimens on the other side of the planet, raising the possibility of a shared written language. The runes have yet to be deciphered.

Wild beheeyem are rarely dangerous if they are not injured or disturbed. They may even approach humans and their machines to examine them. Beheeyem are technologically gifted and can easily disassemble and reassemble simpler vehicles. Swarms working together have been known to make crude aircraft, although none of their devices appear capable of reaching escape velocity or surviving atmospheric reentry.

Beheeyem are perhaps best known for their hypnosis and unwilling translators. The species is telekinetic, but they prefer to harness other creatures and have them perform manual labor rather than doing it themselves. A pattern of flashing lights is used to lull a target into a susceptible state before fully seizing control of their body and mind. Victims retain no awareness of their actions while in this state. Beheeyem appear to have access to all of a victim’s senses, memories, and skills and frequently speak to other humans through a hypnotized subject. They have not been known to directly speak to an alert human telepathically. Beheeyem may retain access to their victim’s memories and senses even after active control is forfeited.

Hypnosis appears limited to particularly intelligent creatures. It fails against most pokémon and some humans. The exact number of creatures that can be controlled at once varies by individual. One swarm of six beheeyem and twenty elgyem hypnotized seventy-one humans at the same time.

There is a great deal of speculation as to beheeyem’s intentions. They are neither as reclusive and passive as the clefable or as overtly hostile as the metagross. They do not rampage like the Ultra Beasts. The species is certainly intelligent enough for theories of a unified campaign of some sort to be plausible. However, the rare instances of beheeyem hostility or mass hypnosis have few connecting threads. They are usually a response to some real or perceived threat. A few involve the assembly of unknown machinery. At least six raids on human settlements were intended to secure a supply of some rare mineral. Beheeyem have yet to state a coherent political objective deeper than a desire to be left alone. This has not stopped people from suggesting motives ranging from world domination to helping humanity ascend to a higher plane of existence.

Disappearances of livestock in arid areas are often blamed on beheeyem. They have not been documented eating meat or abducting domestic pokémon. It is unclear what they would have to gain from doing so.

Husbandry

The species is generally capable of taking care of their own needs, although their trainer may dislike the occasional hypnotism of themselves or teammates in the process. Generally speaking, beheeyem require small quantities of metallic and non-metallic minerals, roughly matching the composition of their exoskeleton. Silicates such as sand and glass are also important for their diet. Beheeyem eat at most a few ounces a week. Their food can be stored in a pouch they have constant access to. Overeating is not a concern.

The main problem with beheeyem husbandry is obedience. They are not particularly inclined to obey humans. It is easiest to raise an elgyem to adulthood as the young are not actively hostile to humanity. They are actually quite curious and can easily be convinced to stay and respect their trainer through frequent provision of documentaries and advanced toys. Nature and engineering documentaries are a particular favorite. Some specimens are confused and disturbed by fiction. Others greatly appreciate it.

Most beheeyem and some elgyem begin to tinker with mirrors, electronics, vehicles, or other objects. An individual’s pet project can potentially grow to the size of a car, although most are no larger or heavier than a microwave. They should not be taken from their project for more than a day or two. Carrying it around on the trail can be a source of frustration for trainers. Beheeyem are also prone to stealing parts due to the difficulty of communicating their needs with their trainer and a general disregard for human laws. Allowing short-term possession, while mildly distressing to the average person, can resolve some of these problems.

Having less intelligent teammates decreases the risk of hypnotism. Having intelligent teammates reduces the amount of enrichment that must be provided and seems to improve a beheeyem’s mood.

Most trainers are at some risk of hypnotism. The exceptions are psychics and those in the bottom quintile of intelligence. Trainers outside of these categories are advised to keep a frequently updated physical journal and have another psychic type on the team to consult with. Most trainer hypnotism involves memory alteration. This is usually harmless, with common examples involving the prevention of embarrassing but trivial mistakes from being stored in the long-term memory. Long-term effects can be as intensive as major personality modifications. Full physical and mental possession can occur in the short term, but this tends to have few lasting impacts.

Illness

Scientists are still unsure what most of beheeyem’s organs do. This makes serious ailments difficult to treat. Thankfully, conventional illness is rare. On rare occasion a beheeyem will become infected by a terrestrial bacterium and die within a few days of exposure. Infected individuals are extremely contagious to their own kind. There are no documented cases of beheeyem infecting another species. Illness is particularly likely to occur following damage to the exoskeleton or consuming damp minerals contaminated with fungi or bacteria.

Serious damage to the exoskeleton is also rare. Dents, deformations, and even small cracks can be healed over the course of hours or days. The injured beheeyem should be allowed a dry place to rest and given plenty of minerals. More serious injuries, such as large ruptures, require the immediate intervention of another beheeyem or conceptual healing such as comfey pacts or heal pulse.

Dark and ghost type attacks can bypass the exoskeleton. This can result in bouts of disorientation, lethargy, pain, panic, paranoia, and a loss of fine telekinetic control. Electric-type effects may have similar effects. Most assaults on humans by a single beheeyem are believed to be the result of this type of injury. Thankfully, the effect usually clears on its own after a day or so.

The pokémon does not appear to suffer from age-related ailments. It is unclear if this is because of an exceptional lifespan or a genuine lack of aging.

Evolution

Older elgyem gradually begin to lose their blue-green coloration and take on a reddish hue. The tail grows broader and longer as it forms the exoskeleton skirt. The formal demarcation line between stages is the skirt coming to completely encircle the pokémon’s lower body. The exact catalyst for the start remains unclear. The age range is also uncertain given the lack of confirmed births or a reliable way to determine a specimen’s age.

Battle

Beheeyem see no real use on the competitive circuits. Their hypnosis is a good counter to many of the pokémon that define the metagame, but it is useless against many other species. Outside of their hypnosis, beheeyem are capable of moderately powerful psionic attacks, have decent armor, and a variety of energy and telekinetic attacks. Their contributions do not justify the difficulty in raising one.

Beheeyem fair quite a bit better on the island challenge. They can bypass their low speed with trick room and learn a handful of useful coverage options. They are also comparatively durable and powerful. Beheeyem will also usually copy their trainer’s knowledge and are quite capable of commanding themselves with minimal input. Trainers who want to set up outside of trick room may also teach their pokémon nasty plot or calm mind. Their memory borrowing allows them to easily learn moves from pokémon they can possess. They still appreciate trick room and screens support to allow them to immediately begin hitting hard with telepathic attacks. A beheeyem can hypnotize many totems into submission once their supporting pokémon are removed.

Elgyem are surprisingly durable for a young pokémon thanks to their exoskeleton. This allows them to effectively serve as a tank or setup sweeper when their hypnosis fails, as it will against many other young species.

The main drawback to using a beheeyem on the island challenge is having to manage a beheeyem while on the trail.

Acquisition

There is a beheeyem swarm that ranges from the lower slopes of Mauna Hokulani to the Haina Valley. During the dry season they may wander closer to the sea or higher up the mountain. They generally avoid moisture. A hostile capture of an elgyem is ill-advised due to the possibility of reprisal and the likelihood of subversive behavior. Instead, their curiosity should be piqued and the offer should be built up to over the course of hours or days. Capture of beheeyem is currently prohibited as none of the known adults have shown an interest in leaving their swarm.

Adoption and purchase opportunities for both stages are rare. Individuals in need of rehoming are typically released into the Haina Valley. Specimens are rarely willing to be purchased. Beheeyem sales are fraudulent in one form or another more often than they are genuine.

Elgyem can be captured with a Class IV license.

Reproduction

Beheeyem almost certainly reproduce. Swarms are frequently documented with more elgyem than there were the previous year, even after accounting for evolutions. The exact mechanism of reproduction remains unknown. Captive specimens have never reproduced. Active assembly, eggs, or pregnancy have never been documented in the wild. Given their composition and the relative size of “newborn” elgyem to adults, some form of assembly is likely.

Relatives

It remains unclear where beheeyem come from. Extraterrestrial origins theories are popular among the general public and scientists alike. Beheeyem are odd creatures unlike anything else found in the Mojave. While the U.S. military maintains that the Roswell Incident was the result of a crashed spy balloon, many conspiracy theorists maintain it was the beheeyem crash landing on Earth. The species appeared for the first time shortly afterwards in the nearby desert. They struggle to communicate with terrestrial life, even telepathically. Finally, beheeyem have frequently founded new swarms far outside their previous range despite lacking long-distance teleportation abilities.

However, an extraterrestrial origin is not confirmed. There remain plausible alternatives. Beheeyem could have been constructed by an ancient civilization, perhaps the same one responsible for sigilyph. They could have either been awoken by the Roswell Incident or coincidentally emerged around the same time. Alternatively, some conspiracy theorists believe they were created by the U.S. government for unknown reasons. Appearances outside their range could be explained as moving around by possessing a pilot or creating a vehicle. There have also not been similar “crash sites” in other areas prior to beheeyem emergence. None of their known vehicles appear to be capable of space flight.

The beheeyem themselves have yet to explain their origins. Their typical response is that the question is irrelevant. Beheeyem that have possessed a translator are rarely in the mood for entertaining questions they do not view as essential to the matter at hand.

Beheeyem’s closest relative is hotly debated. The core arguments concern origin and composition. The leading contenders are sigilyph for possible shared creators and minior due to a nonmetallic silicon-based core. The latter is made more plausible by their tendency to share habitats worldwide.

 

[Persephone]

Minior
Altesupra leo

Overview

Most airborne pokémon regularly come to ground. Few fly higher than the tallest mountains. The list of species that leaves the stratosphere and enters the very edge of Earth’s atmosphere is smaller still. It is limited mostly to extraterrestrial creatures that occasionally come and go, but spend most of their time on Earth at or near the surface.

Minior reject all of these conventions, making them one of the two species that primarily lives in the thermosphere. The other, Rayquaza, consists of only a single specimen. This makes minior the only reproducing species that calls low Earth orbit home.

The species is both a help and hindrance to satellites in their orbit. They are relatively large objects that occasionally change direction or velocity. This makes them impossible to easily predict and risks damage to any satellites that orbit at a similar elevation. However, minior’s taste for small space debris helps clean up low Earth orbit and, in the event of runaway collisions in the future, could help humanity return to space within a single lifetime.

Minior are rarely on the surface for long and a great deal about their biology and husbandry remains shrouded in mystery. Their care is best left for specialists and researchers. Other citizens of Alola may still appreciate their spectacular trails of light from a distance.

Physiology

Minior are tentatively classified as rock- and flying-types. Their outer shell is largely composed of non-metallic minerals and power gem appears to be their attack of choice. The flying-typing largely derives from their habitat and occasional use of pressurized jets to move. Some scholars advocate for a steel-typing for at least some forms to better reflect their anatomy. Fire- and psychic-typings have been proposed, but these views are distinctly in the minority.

Minior have vibrantly colored cores. These are primarily made of metallic salts and elemental metals. Some cores are higher in non-metallic minerals. Different colors are tied to different components and impurities. Orange yellow cores are rich in sodium. Yellow cores are primarily iron, while blue cores are primarily nickel. Green cores contain a great deal of magnesium and are particularly volatile at the surface. Violet cores are typically calcium-rich with a mix of metals. Red cores are rare and rich in silicon.

Some geologists believe that the presence of human-made satellites in minior’s habitat has made metallic cores more common than they otherwise were. Potential minior cores in museum collections often contain more non-metallic minerals. However, this could be due to the lower reactivity of the non-metallic cores. As for the possibility of core colors changing with available minerals, anecdotal evidence suggests the Krakatoa eruption led to an increase in red silica-rich minior in the following decades despite being extremely uncommon in records from the early twentieth century. It is again difficult to verify these claims due to fragmentary records and the rapid decomposition of most cores on the surface.

Most cores react poorly to the high water and oxygen levels at the surface. They may slowly decay due to oxidation or violently react with elements in the environment. Less reactive, non-metallic shells formed around the core protect it from damage from reentry, impact, and the surface level atmosphere. These shells are cobbled together from whatever non-reactive minerals can be found in the environment. In Alola, sandstone and basalt shells are most common. Obsidian, granite, marble, coral, and even plastic shells have also been recorded.

The exact physiology of a minior core remains poorly understood. Cores tend to quickly decay at the surface, and especially after the pokémon’s death. Oil bath preservation can help slow the process. Even this cannot solve the challenges of understanding the anatomy of a mineral pokémon. Different core colors also appear to have different fundamental structures. This suggests that there may be six or more minior species rather than just one. See Relatives.

Minior have five spines located equidistantly around one meridian. These spines are the only part of the body that the shell does not cover. They are typically made of quartz or other silicates. Their exact purpose is shrouded in mystery. Early scientists believed they were sensory organs. Further research has failed to find anything resembling nerves or a conventional silicon-based organ. They may be used in mate selection.

Two orbs, long believed to be eyes, are located perpendicular to the spine meridian. They are crystalline and almost always brightly glowing. Research with live specimens has suggested that these are not eyes in the conventional sense. Minior, even without their shells, do not regularly respond to visual stimuli such as colors or patterns. They may possess a form of LiDAR as they can recognize three-dimensional objects and judge their distance from them. Tactile and acoustic sensations are most easily registered. They appear to communicate among themselves with a mix of high- and low-frequency electromagnetic pulses. Low frequency signals are infrequent and varied, suggesting a potential form of communication. High frequency signals are frequently broadcast and appear to repeat the same pattern. These may be used to track other members of their swarm.

There remains a considerable amount of debate as to how minior stay airborne on the surface. They can manipulate air currents and magnetic fields, but that does not appear to be how they hold themselves aloft. The actual answer appears to be some form of pseudo-gravitational manipulation. The primary debate is to whether this is physics-based or conceptual. A more psionic method of holding enemies down or holding themselves up would apply telekinetic forces necessary to do so, which aside from their origin should otherwise obey most of the standard laws of physics. Minior do not often demonstrate any telepathy or telekinesis beyond their gravitational abilities. The other route is conceptual, or fey, in origin. Minior stay aloft because that is what an orbital species should do. They can hold others down as an extension of this. Belief or fairy elemental energy powers the process, but not in a way that is easily measured or quantifiable. Minior also do not have a particular affinity for fairy-type energy. Some scholars have argued that the abundance of gravity manipulation abilities in extraterrestrial pokémon may suggest the existence of a nineteenth type, tentatively ‘space type’ or ‘gravity type’ binding them together. No elemental wavelength has been identified for this proposed type.

Minior are typically about one foot across. Weights can range from one hundred to three hundred pounds, depending on the composition of the shell and core. Their lifespans are poorly understood. One captive specimen lived for twenty-two months on the surface. Most live far shorter lives in human care. Wild lifespans are believed to be much longer.

Behavior

Minior are typically seen living in swarms of twenty to twelve hundred individuals in the lower thermosphere, one hundred and ten to one hundred and fifty miles above the surface of the Earth. They have few natural predators and spend most of their life hurtling around the planet collecting small pieces of debris.

Rayquaza has been frequently documented preying on minior, although this does not seem to be a serious stressor on their population. It may even be an important part of their life cycle (See Breeding). Other documented predators in the thermosphere include metagross and deoxys. They are also sometimes stressed into a flight response by large satellites or space shuttles approaching them.

Minior swarms descend to the ground when they believe they are threatened. Their shells are critically important for surviving atmospheric entry and potentially the subsequent impact. It has been theorized that minior use aerokinesis to reduce air resistance during reentry and potentially slow themselves down to avoid a crash as the surface approaches. Many still do strike the ground at speed and seriously damage their shell. During reentry, the swarm’s cores may react with the air to form bright, colorful streaks in the sky. A large swarm descending can make a spectacular show visible for hundreds of miles. These events are known as minior showers.

Minior appear capable of adjusting their descent to target one of their preferred landing areas. This is especially impressive since minior never make the descent more than once. Ideal terrestrial habitats are near the equator, have few predatory lithovores, and are in close proximity to relatively dry environments. Mauna Hokulani and the Haina Valley satisfies almost all of these requirements, even if a determined garchomp or metagross can wipe out a small swarm. Larger swarms deal with this threat through predator satiation. A garchomp will grow full and content and a metagross will become bored and move on long before a large swarm is eliminated.

Immediately after impact, minior quickly begin scavenging all nearby materials to try and rebuild their shell. Sixty to seventy percent will survive the impact and fully rebuild. Those that do spend roughly two to three months wandering the interior of Ula’Ula. They seem drawn towards metallic devices and advanced machinery. Hokulani Observatory occasionally has to shut down following larger swarms to better protect equipment. Smaller swarms can be gently escorted away.

Husbandry

Minior care is still very much a specialist field. Assuming a minior has an intact core and shell, they need very little in the way of food. Sometimes they will incorporate small fragments of minerals presented to them. Most of the time they will either be investigated and left uneaten or ignored entirely. Minior evolved to feed on dust particles in the thermosphere. The abundance of minerals on the surface is unnecessary for their survival and sometimes overwhelming. The sole exceptions are when repairing the shell and core.

Minior should be kept in fairly dry environments. Thirty percent humidity is ideal for buildings that are frequently shared with humans. Minior-specific spaces should have as low of a humidity as possible. Outdoor trips to coastal areas should be limited to two hours at a time. It is best to stay in the rain shadow of mountains whenever possible.

Most captive specimens are reasonably curious about electronics and other mineral pokémon. Predatory lithovores should be avoided as teammates due to the risk of aggression. Reasonably intelligent mineral pokémon, especially those with an extraterrestrial origin, make for ideal companions. Minior, metang, porygon-z, and beheeyem can spend a great deal of time studying each other.

Minior that have been on the surface for more than a month are generally fine being left undisturbed for a few hours, or even for days at a time. They are still social creatures and prefer to have something else nearby. A sedentary mineral pokémon such as a gigalith will do. Some will still grow bored and cause trouble while investigating their surroundings. Their electromagnetic pulses are too weak to damage electronics, but can still interfere with other signals.

Few trainers have attempted to travel with a minior. Stasis balls should be used liberally in more humid areas. Stasis pokéballs seem to have few, if any, ill effects on minior. Habitat balls seem to bore them. An emergency supply of minerals to rebuild a shell with should be kept on hand.

Illness

Minior cores are extremely vulnerable to deterioration with direct exposure to ice, liquid water, or even humid air. The exact level of vulnerability depends on the core color, with green cores being the most susceptible and violet cores the least. Having an intact shell dramatically reduces the risk of exposure. Using dehumidifiers or fire-types also lowers the risk.

Physical damage to the core has varying and unpredictable effects. Minior can withstand most fractures by just holding the split pieces together until they can be properly rebounded. The main risk is actually from increasing the corrodible surface area. Actual loss of material can result in no apparent changes or instant death. The scarcity of live specimens and the advent of ethics boards have dramatically curtailed research into this subject.

Evolution

There may be a juvenile stage, colloquially dubbed miniminor. Miniminor are much smaller than adults, and rather than holding a full shell they typically only have a cloud of dust ‘orbiting’ them. The formal demarcation between the stages is the formation of a full-body shell. No miniminor has ever survived the descent to the surface. NASA has announced plans to capture one in orbit and then bring it down to the surface inside of a pokéball in the coming years. Even then, it may not be able to survive outside of climate-controlled spaces.

Battle

Almost no one attempts to battle with minior due to their fragility and scarcity. They typically defend themselves with rock-type attacks such as rock slide, power gem, ancient power, and smack down. When deprived of their shell, minior can move very quickly and are difficult to meaningfully damage without moisture-based attacks. This also increases either their power or their desire to end the fight quickly. Some theorists have proposed using a minior on sun teams, especially after it was confirmed that they can learn shell smash.

Trainers wishing to use one on the island challenge are advised to reconsider. Those who insist upon doing so anyway should use sunny day support and treat minior as akin to a faster and frailer carbink in its general role.

Acquisition

There are not always minior in Alola, but they do come to the island more frequently than almost any other place on the surface. They can typically be found on the eastern and southern slopes of Mauna Hokulani or in the Haina Valley following a minior shower. There are fairly strict seasonal catch quotas depending on the estimated population.

Minior will often approach and show interest in other unusual mineral pokémon, predators aside. Odd electromagnetic signals and electronic devices can also attract them. Thankfully, minior researchers are likely to have access to both.

Adoption and purchase opportunities are essentially nonexistent. Minior can be captured with a Class IV license.

Breeding

Minior never have to come to the surface to complete their life cycle. On rare occasions, sexual reproduction has been observed in orbit. Two minior, usually of the same color, will shed their shells and begin to fly in an increasingly tight spiral. The two will then collide, shedding more and more of their cores until they are nothing more than one fused core with many fragments trailing behind them. Larger fragments can begin smoothing out their core and gathering dust as they develop into miniminors. The remnant core will also smooth itself out and, after a period of two to three weeks, begin forming its own shell.

Fallen minior engage in asexual reproduction. After spending a few weeks on the surface, they will find a high point and launch themselves upwards. They are capable of ascending on manipulated air currents and whatever their ordinary stabilization method is into the mesosphere. Then, they explode. Most of their core will be launched down to Earth, inert. It will almost certainly burn up in the atmosphere. Smaller fragments will be blasted upwards at high speed into the thermosphere, each with their own small shell to survive the process. Minior are believed to subtly reconfigure themselves with the increased material they gained on the surface to allow for this. Each upwardly ejected fragment has the potential to develop into a miniminor upon reaching their normal orbital altitude.

Relatives

Determining relations for mineral pokémon, especially one as odd as minior, can be extremely difficult. They likely have an extraterrestrial origin as scavengers of small debris. Minior have also been seen in the orbits of Mars and two of Jupiter’s moons. They will occasionally approach probes that fly too close to their orbit, but have not yet accidentally or intentionally destroyed one. There is a possibility that these minior originated on Earth before colonizing other celestial bodies. This would make them the first known Earth-originating species to do so. Scholars who assign minior a terrestrial origin typically classify them in the order Automata, the self-replicating steel-types, due to being primarily metallic rather than crystalline. Proponents of extraterrestrial origins place them in an orphan taxa.

 

[Persephone]

Metagross (Beldum, Metang)
Diabolus estmachina

Overview

Beldum and metang are broadly helpful, reasonably powerful pokémon that many trainers would benefit from having on their team. Metagross possess the cruelty and power of a hydreigon combined with the intellect of an alakazam. Only a handful of exceedingly skilled trainers have managed to keep one on their team without a tragic ending.

Metagross are almost certainly extraterrestrials given their habit of entering and leaving the planet’s atmosphere, occasionally putting them at odds with Rayquaza. At least one has survived this encounter.

Unlike beheeyem, metagross almost certainly have some sort of coordinated plan given their habits of aligning with well influential trainers and confirmed history of hacking into sensitive databases. What exactly that plan is remains unclear.

Wild metagross are typically monitored by the regional league and champion. The general public are encouraged to stay far away from their range and exit any encounter as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, the vast majority of metang do not evolve. They are generally safe pokémon that are low maintenance enough to be kept around after the island challenge.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as dual steel- and psychic-type pokémon.

Beldum’s core body is composed of an extended bar of metal with protrusions on the sides and a long extension above the head. The body is mostly solid and composed of a titanium-cobalt alloy. There are two cavities, one for the cooling system and reactor and one for the processor.

On one side of the body a ball and socket joint containing the head, a fifteen-sided, roughly spherical ball of metal containing a single red eye. The visible red eye consists of tiny luminescent machines on a black pane. The pane is metallic but has similar properties to glass. Beldum can detect light above and below the visible spectrum, sense vibrations in the air, and send and interpret electromagnetic signals. They communicate with each other exclusively with high frequency radio waves.

The main segment terminates in a flat plane on the other end with three sharp claws protruding from it. There is also a small hole for gas exchange and food consumption. Two more holes exclusively used for gas exchange is located behind the head.

Beldum and metang have batteries consisting of a magnetically anchored piece of radioactive metal. The battery is internally lined with tiny machines that convert the ionizing radiation into electricity. Attempts to reverse engineer these power cells have not yet been successful, in part due to active interference from metagross. Beldum only need to consume more fuel every fifty to eighty years.

The species consume metals more frequently to help them repair their body. Their body either consists of billions of individual nanites or can be moved as if it were liquid through elemental energy manipulation. All stages can reshape the exterior of their body to buff out defects or even restore structural integrity as long as they have access to enough time, energy, and metal.

Beldum and metang cooling systems are mostly based on fans that vent warm air out cool air in. Water vapor and methane are also removed from the air and taken to a specialized reactor. Inside the reactor, the water vapor and methane react to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas while also lowering the gas’s temperature. Hydrogen can be stored internally while around active flames to reduce the likelihood of the waste gas stream combusting.

A beldum’s head appears to primarily be a communication and sensory device. The processor itself is located in the main body segment behind the head. It appears to be an optical computer, although its exact mechanics remain beyond the understanding of modern engineering.

Metang’s core is disc-shaped with angular metallic planes. There are few smooth curves on their body’s exterior. A sharp horn protrudes between two eye panes. On each side of the body are two thin, triangular spikes. The top faces are parallel to the top of the disc and. relatively dull. The downward facing blades are extremely sharp. Metang have two arms, each of which resembles a beldum’s core body. Each is tipped in sharp metallic claws.

Most of metang’s internal systems are similar to beldum’s. The exception is their processor’s size. Beldum have a main processor roughly four cubic inches in size surrounded by another two inches of tiny particles that carry different levels of charge. This appears to be a memory bank. Metang have processor and memory banks roughly four times larger than their pre-evolution, and their central computer appears far more sophisticated, incorporating several elements that appear to be based in quantum computing principles. They are capable of sending and interpreting electronic signals and will connect to the internet or cellular networks when able to do so.

Metagross consist of a central disc with two silvery bars crossing between the eyes. The top plane is typically, but not always, much smaller than the disc’s maximum circumference. They have four beldum-shaped limbs. Their internal anatomy is poorly understood. They tend to self-destruct upon death, obliterating their most sophisticated systems. It is believed, based on the remains of three known specimens and accounts from metagross themselves, that their main processor is primarily a photonic quantum computer. They claim that most of their body is a memory bank storing information on the atomic or even subatomic levels. Their cooling and generation systems are believed to be enlarged and refined versions of those in beldum and metang.

Metagross’s armor consists of multiple layers. The outer layer is an alloy of iron, titanium, cobalt, and tungsten. The middle layer appears to consist of depleted uranium. These may be recycled fuel rods. There is at least one layer of liquid mercury beneath the uranium. The deepest layers are primarily iron-based.

Metagross are capable of channeling elemental energy into their armor to make themselves essentially invulnerable to conventional physical damage. They are also strong enough to tear apart thick sheets of steel or elementally reinforced armor.

The exact propulsion mechanism of the line remains partially unknown. Beldum and metang seem to levitate themselves with a mix of magnetic field manipulation and telekinesis, depending on whether any sensitive electronics are around. Metagross do not appear to possess conventional motors or hydraulic systems. Their limbs are partially hollow and contain liquid metal “blood.” It appears to act more as hydraulic fluid, enabling the pokémon’s devastating physical attacks through pressurization and release in a complex series of chambers.

Metagross are typically five to six feet in disc diameter and weigh about thirty thousand pounds. Some appear to be far lighter, potentially due to a difference in composition. However, they could also be slightly levitating to throw off the scale’s reading. Metagross may not have a natural lifespan as humans would understand it due to their ability to self-repair.

Behavior

There are two broad behavioral types for beldum. The first type is swarm-based behaviors. These beldum live in swarms of ten to fifty individuals that seem to move and think as one combined entity. They typically secure an area and either chase our or carefully monitor anything that enters. Research suggests these beldum are more physically and behaviorally uniform than their solitary counterparts. The swarm may occasionally leave their territory to hunt for supplies or fulfill some inscrutable purpose before returning to their home range. Some swarm members latch into cliff faces or buildings with their claws an enter a low activity period while others remain active.

Solitary beldum in the wild typically spend most of their time near a single site or individual. They observe it without pause for years or even decades. While they do not engage in sleep behaviors, they also seem to move only one or two body lengths in the average year. Most of these beldum are entirely unwilling to join a trainer and will frequently attempt to escape and resume their old duties. On rare occasions they will actively seek a trainer out and insist upon joining their team. These beldum seem to have far more eccentricities than swarm beldum and may engage in behaviors that seem to serve no purpose at all.

Most metang in the world seem to be captive, while most beldum are wild. Some wild metang live with beldum swarms and appear coordinate their behaviors. Others are solitary and seem utterly devoted to a single task, usually one more complicated than that of a solitary beldum.

Wild metagross typically claim a large, sparsely inhabited area as their domain and rarely leave it. They hunt far more frequently than is likely required, sometimes pursuing organic prey rather than other mineral pokémon. Metagross are brutal predators that typically maim their opponent until they are no longer able to fight and then either consume them alive or leave them to die on their own.

Metagross fall on a spectrum of behaviors. The most logical, or machine-like, of metagross have motivations that are nearly impossible to understand. These are the safest metagross as they rarely engage in violence unless it is for their own consumption or absolutely necessary to advance one of their inscrutable goals.

The most dangerous metagross are the most human. The behavioral anomalies of a beldum can sometimes resemble emotions, but these are typically limited to vague satisfaction or disappointment. In metagross these almost invariably culminate in boredom or sadistic glee. Metagross kill or hurt things because they can and they are usually clever enough to ensure they suffer no meaningful consequences from their behavior. When dealing with a particularly volatile metagross, your best defense is to pray you’re not interesting enough for them to bother with.

Husbandry

Beldum held in swarms can be trained to coordinate surveillance or other simple tasks. They are almost entirely devoid of personality and require little to no attention. Beldum will find scraps of metal when they need more material. Foraging behaviors can be reduced by providing them with a central supply of their constituent metals. Please note that beldum cognition is very different from humans and they will need to be supervised to prevent unwanted outcomes.

Solitary beldum are naturally curious. They will want to explore everything around them. Beldum that learn telepathy or how to communicate with humans through their electronic devices will have an almost endless barrage of questions about the world. They generally simply tolerate polishing, although some will have a strong affinity or aversion for it. Beldum will happily perform any task they are capable of, although they are not capable of much given their lack of usable limbs and crude telekinesis and technopathy.

When beldum and metang experience something akin to emotional turmoil, they can be calmed by patient answering of their questions and, ideally, the provision of a magnet. Many beldum will use magnets like a child would use a toy or security blanket.

Swarm-derived metang (see Evolution) are moderately curious but have relatively few eccentricities. If they have a swarm to manage, they will spend most of their time doing so.

Metang evolved from solitary beldum retain their curiosity, but now have access to the internet for research. Their increased size, telekinesis, and intelligence make them far more useful and they remain generally eager to please. Some eccentricities will be lost in evolution. Others will remain and some entirely new ones will surface.

Whatever their origin, metang do not require much in the way of care. Older metang may seek out small amounts of radioactive material. Otherwise, they will only need small amounts of metal to survive. They generally get along with teammates, even metallic ones, although they can annoy other pokémon with their curiosity.

Metagross are best handled on a case-by-case basis. No plan will survive contact with the enemy. Metagross are capable of solving almost all of a trainer’s problems and/or creating far more. The most mechanical of metagross, such as the one owned by Daigo Tsuwabuki will be fairly docile as long as they are provided with interesting things to do. Mr. Tsuwabuki’s metagross and it’s subordinate Beldum swarm handle essentially all of the administrative and information security work of a regional league and multinational corporation.

More emotional metagross will put their trainer in a series of impossible situations seemingly for their own amusement. Trainers who attempt to be more restrictive will result in an endless litany of seemingly unrelated problems surfacing to distract them. More lax trainers only encourage more direct lashing out, either physically or through targeted psychological attacks on themselves and those around them. Metagross rarely engage in direct telepathic manipulation. They also rarely need to do so in order to trigger a psychotic break. Metagross will also relentlessly push every boundary set. Either approach is likely to eventually end in death, either of the trainer or people around them.

Illness

Beldum and metang are capable of restoring their structure to baseline given enough time and material. However, they are not capable of improving themselves. Individuals, and especially solitary individuals, may have defects they cannot cure by themselves. Both stages also struggle to repair organ damage. Beldum are almost entirely unable to repair their sensory, chemical cooling system, reactor, or processor in the unlikely event they are damaged during battle. Metang can repair all but the most serious of injuries.

Metagross appear capable of self-repair from even serious structural or organ damage, as unlikely as they are to sustain it. They can also heal injured beldum and metang presented to them.

One of the only ways metagross have been known to die is in a self-induced explosion. Metagross are capable of triggering meltdowns in their reactors and venting the heat and radioactive gasses out of their body. They can also telekinetically tear themselves apart and create an explosion of radioactive shrapnel. This has only occurred when victory or escape became impossible, typically due to confrontation with a legendary pokémon or multiple ranked trainers.

Evolution

Swarm beldum and metang can flash evolve. The evolution to a metang consumes and merges two beldum. Metang evolve into metagross by absorbing two nearby beldum in a simultaneous flash evolution. These evolutions are incredibly rare and likely account for only a small fraction of metang and metagross.

The more common evolution method, and the only one observed with solitary beldum, is mechanical disassembly and assembly. This process is conducted by a single metagross working in isolation. It can take several days. Some physical deviations from the constituent beldum remain after evolution. Behavioral eccentricities typically derive primarily from one of the beldum in the case of metang formation or the metang in the case of metagross formation.

Captive beldum are prone to running away, evolving, and then returning. Captive metang almost never evolve without the permission of their trainer. The exceptions tend to occur in dire situations where the trainer is unable to be reached.

Metagross are capable of mega evolution. Unlike most mega forms, each mega metagross has a slightly different configuration composed of their own body, a metang, and two beldum. The metagross have claimed the additional pokémon are “echoes” of their constituent forms. The form dramatically increases their physical and psionic power. Few trainers ever engage in it. This is partially because metagross rarely require more power to win a fight.

Like most mega evolution, there is some mental bleed through between trainer and pokémon. The result is typically temporary emotional deadening and social difficulties for the trainer. It makes the metagross far more emotional and unpredictable. And the most human metagross are the most dangerous.

Battle

Metagross are nearly invulerable to physical damage. Iron defense can render their armor literally impenetrable by any traditional force. They are powerful enough to literally rip most physical tanks to pieces. Only physical walls like tyranitar and steelix can stand up to metagross’s baseline slashes and pummels. Both will eventually fall to hammer arm or other elementally infused attacks.

Like most extremely powerful pokémon, there are only a handful of ways to have a chance against a metagross. A metagross’s mind is usually extended beyond their body and their armor is not designed to protect their spirit. This leaves them vulnerable to the corrosive effects of dark- and ghost-type attacks. Some form of spiritual trickery such as will-o-wisps, curses, and destiny bond can also take them down. Metagross are not uniquely weak to these attacks and can usually weather a few from ranked trainer’s pokémon before finally calling off the fight due to growing decoherence in their processor.

Fire-type attacks can steadily cause overheating, weakening the metagross’s internal magnetic fields, sapping their energy reserves, and potentially warping the armor or damaging the processor. Metagross are capable of withstanding the heat of atmospheric reentry and are more damaged by prolonged elevated temperatures than single bursts.

Electric attacks can bypass metagross’s armor and damage their internal organs. Strikes can stun a metagross and either open them up for immediate retaliation or eventually wear them down enough to withdraw.

Finally, physical force can may not actually damage the armor, but it can rattle the core. The mercury layer of the armor mostly dampens the shock, but repeated extremely powerful attacks can at least wear down the battery as the pokémon stabilizes its flight.

None of these approaches are foolproof. It is important to remember that metagross are one of the most intelligent pokémon known to science and are acutely aware of their own weaknesses. Any strategy an opponent is likely to employ has already been considered. And the list of pokémon that can inflict meaningful damage on a metagross and survive multiple hits in turn is very, very small. Most pokémon on it are limited in use primarily by the difficulty in obtaining or raising them rather than by their viability.

Between one and three ranked trainers at a time have had a metagross at a time over the last thirty years. They are never entirely absent from competitive battling, but they are also never so common as to warp the metagame around them. They simply fill the role of an elite trainer’s ace, best checked by opposing aces.

Metang are incredibly resistant to physical damage. They are typically limited either by their weakness to ghost- and dark-type attacks or by their battery. The line are built for long periods of quiet, punctuated by brief moments of incredible violence. Sustained combat can wear them down and force them to withdraw. In the meantime, they are best used as fairly straightforward physical tanks.

Beldum have a very limited movepool but are also difficult to damage without a fire-, electric-, dark-, or ghost-type attack. Many beginning trainers and some totems will not have these, allowing beldum to keep tackling their opponent for a surprisingly long time.

Acquisition

There is a beldum swarm on the eastern face of Mauna Hokulani. They have shown little interest in being captured. Solitary beldum are scattered throughout Ula’Ula. They can be captured, but will likely escape at the first opportunity. Sometimes trainers who wander Mauna Hokulani being very vocal about their intent to find a beldum and add it to their team will be rewarded by one appearing. This is the most reliable way to acquire a wild beldum. Some trainers will also be randomly approached by a beldum. It is almost always safe to catch them.

There are no known wild metang in Alola at this time. When one appears in the wild swarm they are typically captured within a week or two. It is easiest to get them to stay by indulging their curiosity and providing intellectually stimulating tasks.

Some trainers maintain captive swarms or individuals they are willing to sell. Adoption is unavailable as all beldum and metang can be released to the wild. There are no captive breeders in Alola.

Beldum and metang may be captured or purchased with a Class I license.

There is a single wild metagross in the Haina Valley. It is not safe to approach but rarely bothers people. It is illegal to catch without league approval. Do not attempt to do so.

Metagross require a Class V license to possess. Some writers have argued to waive the licensing requirement altogether and treat them like aegislash, where any trainer stuck with one has larger problems than the government trying to take it. The Alolan League maintains the requirement to discourage unprepared trainers from trying to evolve their metang for a boost in power.

Breeding

Metagross are incredibly secretive about their reproduction. Wild specimens are believed to assemble new beldum. Standard beldum join swarms. Defective specimens are given individual assignments. Of the five known captive metagross, two are willing to let their trainer sell individual beldum or swarms they have assembled. Another occasionally produces beldum but does not allow for their sale.

Relatives

Some metagross appear to have slightly different armor colors, such as a more silvery or white shade in Japan compared to the blue found elsewhere. Others appear to have different armor composition, sometimes ditching the depleted uranium in favor of an expanded layer of mercury or even a full vacuum for insulation. Finally, there are well known differences between swarm and solitary specimens.

Metagross are still currently viewed as monotypic given their odd reproduction and evolution schemes. Some scholars argue that solitary and swarm beldum should be placed in their own species to account for anatomical and behavioral differences. However, they are likely made by the same “parent” and the differences between solitary beldum are not consistent.

The silver and vacuum metagross may eventually be assigned their own species or subspecies. Classification remains difficult as few autopsies have been conducted and even specimens willing to cooperate with researchers are rarely helpful.

Metagross are evasive about their origins and purpose. They are almost certainly an extraterrestrial species, even if most specimens on the planet were likely born here. Not only have they been seen in space, but most extraterrestrial pokémon seem to recognize and fear them. They also do not have any presence in the fossil record.

It is possible that metagross shared their home planet with another species known to science. Translated accounts from pokémon have yet to identify a match. Their unique engineering also isn’t replicated in any other known pokémon. Metagross are currently placed in an orphan taxon. It is quite possible they orphaned themselves.

 

[Persephone]

Porygon-Z (Porygon, Porygon2)
Mensmechanica hopperi

Overview

Porygon was the first and, so far, only pokémon to be made primarily of computer code. It was a breakthrough of both computer science and pokémon studies. The species continues to underpin much of the world’s cybersecurity infrastructure.

Porygon and porygon2 remain good personal digital assistants that can also be used in battle as needed. Porygon-Z are primarily used by dedicated battlers as they can be unreliable personal assistants.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as pure normal-types. Many scholars and some countries give them a secondary electric-typing given their composition and preference for electric-type attacks. Some authors argue for a ghost-typing based on their origins. This remains a minority opinion.

All stages of the porygon line are primarily made of code. They prefer to inhabit computing devices where they passively feed on electricity. They can also empower themselves by actively performing calculations. Porygon were loosely based on aminovorous ghost-types. The calculations performed imitate thought enough that it can generate elemental energy. Porygon2, and especially porygon-z, are much more capable of elemental generation than base porygon, but have substantially higher electricity requirements.

All three stages are capable of manifesting a “physical” body outside of their host computer. This is an elemental construct with no real substance. They resemble blue-and-pink ducks as a nod to drinking birds. These toys inspired animatronics, machines designed to mimic life. Base coloration can be changed, including quickly in real time as a form of camouflage. Porygon2 and porygon-z are far more adept at this than base porygon.

Porygon have angular bodies with clearly visible edges, vertices, and faces. They have eyes. These were originally non-functional. In fact, porygon were originally completely unable to sense the world through their projections. Electrosensory, hearing, and vision were added in subsequent updates. Individual body parts cannot be moved. The entire projection must move as one.

Porygon2 have rounded bodies with distinct, fused segments. They are able to independently move segments. They otherwise strongly resemble porygon. Porygon2 can also vocalize, a feature still absent from base porygon.

Porygon-Z have a somewhat divergent body plan. The main body is typically held perpendicular to the ground instead of parallel to it. The legs are perpendicular to the main body instead of parallel and act as arms. The head is not fused to the rest of the body and can move up to eighty feet away from it. They have yellow eyes with concentric circles in them. Porygon-Z can sense gravitational and electromagnetic fields, air pressure, and atmospheric composition.

All three stages have projections that are about two feet long. They weigh about a tenth of an ounce. Lifespans are variable and depend on usage and upgrades installed. See Illness.

Behavior

Porygon prefer to spend almost all of their time inside of a host device executing pre-programmed behaviors. They struggle to adapt to changing situations and can be difficult to program. Learned and preferred behaviors can be altered via patches.

Porygon2 are more sophisticated than their base form. They can independently learn and prioritize behaviors. This makes them far more capable digital assistants as they can intuit the meaning of a phrase from its syntax and component words, even if their exact order is not in its database. Unwanted behaviors can be discouraged or removed when they surface.

Porygon2 typically work in large networks alongside other porygon and porygon2. They are useful for directing porygon, which can otherwise be inflexible and difficult for the average person to program. The porygon have seemingly developed their own language distinct from all other known human, pokémon, and machine languages. They can communicate with each other far more efficiently than with humans.

Porygon-Z have much greater programming flexibility than porygon2. They are also far more powerful computationally and elementally. Their flexibility can be a drawback as porygon-z code quickly becomes almost impossible for a human to understand. They are capable of frightening leaps in logic as well as frighteningly inaccurate ones. Porygon-Z may accurately predict an opponent’s strategy down to the third level of contingency plan or amend three days trying to make a fire hydrant sentient so that it may understand why it is inconveniently placed. Their interpretation of orders may abruptly change. Porygon-Z are prone to uncritically accepting information they come across online or through their projection and extrapolating from it. Behavioral variance can be reduced with the assistance of a porygon2.

Husbandry

Few trainers keep base porygon. They are usually promptly upgraded into some variant of porygon2. Base porygon are difficult to command for any trainer not well versed in the intricacies of porygon coding. They also have little personality to speak of. Their primary uses at present are to test new upgrade packages and to work alongside porygon2 in large networks. Some traveling trainers also prefer them over their evolutions as they require far less electricity and computational power to keep.

Porygon2 need to spend at least twelve hours a day attached to a standard laptop if they are to remain active full-time. Specialized laptops designed for use primarily by porygon2 are more efficient for charging and housing them. Most porygon2 configurations allow for a low-power mode while resting inside of a pokéball that can let them survive for several days without access to a suitable host computer. Most modern smartphones can also sustain somewhat reduced operations in a pinch.

Traveling trainers sometimes make use of a host server. The porygon2 primarily lives in a server at a fixed location. It can transfer itself to and from another computer connected over the internet. This is different from simple remote access and takes roughly twenty minutes to complete.

Porygon-Z have similar power requirements to porygon2 but are better adjusted to sustained low power operations punctuated by bursts of full activity. Porygon2 need relatively little attention. This is not the case for porygon-z. They require a full-time porygon2 minder to keep them on track, frequent attention from a human, or, ideally, both. Detailed answers to questions and follow-up questions can help reduce unwanted behavioral deviations.

Any teammate that will not damage a polygon’s host computer is a good teammate. Rotom and metang often clash with porygon, although some trainers have managed to raise them together.

Illness

Porygon’s projection cannot get sick as it is not their true form. It also cannot truly sustain injuries. However, continued shattering and recreation of the projection will steadily drain the porygon’s energy reserves. A fully drained porygon will be unable to form a projection or interact with the physical world. It can still draw power and run calculations inside of its host computer.

Porygon obsolescence mainly occurs when their memory banks fill or deviations have accumulated to the point where they can no longer effectively run their own software inside their host computer. Some patches allow porygon to temporarily offload some of their memory to a storage device, but this can result in severe behavioral deviations when operating as a projection.

Some preferred behaviors, memories, and inclinations can be copied from an obsolete porygon onto a new one to allow for continuity. However, this necessarily destroys the original porygon due to anti-duplication code designed to prevent a rapid, unapproved escalation of processing power. This code also prevents porygon from being anchored in multiple computers at once. A porygon can be killed by the destruction of its host computer followed by depletion of its energy reserves. Alternatively, porygon2 and porygon-z can attack and destroy each other’s code in a process that is still poorly understood.!

A porygon that experiences a steady loss in electrical reserves will steadily lose features and the pokémon will eventually be forced into low power mode. It can theoretically die if its host pokéball goes without any external charge for a period of days to years, depending on the exact stage and version. Porygon2 require the most frequent charge. Base porygon-z are designed to stay in lower power mode for years if need be, although many updates cut into this ability in favor of some other upgrade.

Evolution

Porygon can be modified without evolving via software patch. Evolution can occur through one of a few related upgrades, depending on the exact specifications are porygon2 for the porygon2. Most non-evolutionary patches can be undone. Full evolutions cannot. There are free upgrade patches available for evolution, but these are outdated and can result in undesirable traits. More recent upgrades remain under copyright protection.

Most porygon-z upgrades require a physical disc. Most of the software is no longer copyrighted, if it ever was, but it is best to buy from a reputable supplier. Porygon-Z are unstable enough without having malware baked into their core. At least one programmer has managed to de-evolve a porygon-z back into a porygon2, raising some questions as to whether it truly counts as a unique evolutionary stage.

Battle

The porygon line have fundamentally different mechanics than almost every other species. They do not take incremental damage to their bodies or ectoplasm. Elemental energy is either sufficient to completely shatter their projection or it will do nothing at all. Once shattered, the projection will be fully recreated after a buffer period. A well-rested, often-battled porygon2 can reset their projection up to eighty times in a match. This makes them excellent at stalling out attackers that rely on singular big attacks. While they are not fast, they can move freely in any direction. This lets them hover out of reach of most melee attackers while unleashing ranged attacks down. Note that every attack fired decreases the energy available for future projection resets.

Porygon-Z have access to fewer resets, but they are considerably faster and have a great deal more firepower. A hyper beam from a porygon-z is comparable in strength to dragonfire from a hydreigon. They can also fire them nearly continuously, although doing so quickly depletes their ability to maintain a projection.

Porygon2 and porygon-z can also learn a number of status and field altering effects such as thunder wave, trick room, and gravity. Porygon can easily navigate through almost any field effect, however esoteric. They can be taught to use their palette swapping ability as advanced camouflage.

Porygon are resistant to singular attacks but can be quickly felled by fast or area of effect attacks. Examples include shock wave, heat wave, and smog. Some passive effects like a volcarona’s radiation can also force almost instantaneous resets from a porygon. Mud sport can also weaken their ability to form projections barring a specific patch and specialized training.

Porygon can be difficult to keep at full strength throughout the island challenge due to the lack of power on the trail. Trainers who do use them can often confuse totems due to the species’ abnormal defenses. They are also excellent field manipulators.

Acquisition

There are no truly wild porygon in Alola. “Feral” porygon, especially porygon-z have been observed following the death of their trainer or a particularly severe behavioral alteration. They are typically destroyed or suborned by another porygon.

Porygon, accessories, and their associated upgrades can be purchased from many computer and pokémon supply stores. Some minor patches are available online. Be certain of a patch’s origins before modifying a porygon.

Porygon and porygon2 require a Class I license to possess. Porygon-Z require a Class II license.

Breeding

Porygon can not reproduce. This is foundational to their code and cannot be removed without destroying the porygon. They even struggle to create particularly sophisticated bots.

Porygon are instead created in a process involving supercomputers and specialized hardware. It is significantly easier to create a baseline porygon and then upgrade it then than it is to create a porygon2. This is why the largely outdated porygon is still manufactured.

No porygon are produced in Alola. Ninety-five percent of the world’s supply are manufactured in California, Virginia, Japan, Kalos, or Kazakhstan.

Relatives

Porygon were first developed by the United States Navy and NASA in 1985 as an experiment in covert infiltration of computer systems. The details of the Navy’s involvement remain classified. NASA hoped that porygon could be used to fix programming and potentially hardware problems for future deep space probes if contact was lost from Earth. The proposed Voyager 3 has never been greenlit and porygon’s usage in spaceflight remains purely theoretical.

The original porygon were extremely crude and limited by the hardware of the time. The first commercial porygon were made by Sylph Corporation and released in 1995.

Porygon2 was developed primarily for casual computer users and was released in 1999. It has received numerous specialized and general patches and upgrades throughout the year and the original porygon2 models are now only used by trainers unwilling to pay for a patented upgrade.

Porygon-Z was made by a NASA contractor in 2009. Its release to the public was not sanctioned. Its creator maintained at trial that his work was going to be destroyed as a potential national security risk. He refused to allow an entire species to be driven to extinction that way, even if the species consisted of only a half dozen variants on porygon2. The copyright status of porygon-z remains contentious, but most countries have allowed it to be produced without fines or royalty payments. As of 2021, this includes the United States.

Scientists have begun exploring porygon-z’s application for potential inter dimensional probes. Many of its upgrades have been towards this end. Porygon-Z’s abilities to navigate odd environments and upgrade its own software could make it invaluable in traversing alien landscapes and communicating with their inhabitants when its home dimension cannot be reached. At present, the Voyager-Z program also remains purely hypothetical.

 

[Persephone]

Pangoro (Pancham)
Bambusaedax bellator

Overview

In the late 19th Century, Darwinists, scientific and social, contended with the problem of the two pangoro. The greater pangoro are energetic, powerful, and aggressive. The lesser pangoro are emphatically not. Yet both coexisted in the same range eating many of the same foods without the lesser pangoro being outcompeted. In fact, the greater pangoro seemed to fare worse than its lazier counterpart throughout the next century, despite having a more generalist diet.

Outside of the scientific community, pangoro have had many fans around the world for at least two centuries. Many nobles planted large bamboo gardens just to house a pangoro or two. The greater pangoro, being easier to tame, breed, and house, ended up being exported more widely than the lesser pangoro. This is how Alola’s bears arrived in the 1890s. Today they can be found throughout Routes 10 and 11 in the middle of invasive bamboo forests. The Department of Natural Resources tolerates them as they check the continued expansion of the bamboo and are generally well-liked by tourists. Locals and traveling trainers, however, tend to dislike the bears.

Pangoro undeniably have their fans. Trainers interested in raising one will find them to be powerful, loyal allies, albeit ones that can be quite expensive to feed in the springtime.

Physiology

Pangoro are classified as dual fighting- and dark-types. Pancham are only classified as fighting-types as they are not particularly resistant to psionics and rarely employ dark-type moves in the wild. Pangoro are Type I fighting types that prefer raw strength and ferocity over honing their technique. They are still incredibly strong and regularly employ fighting-type moves.

Pancham are small bears with a primarily black coat. They have an undercoat of fine hairs with a second coat of longer, coarser hairs growing above the undercoat around their arms and pectorals. Their head and bobbed tail are cream-colored, save for rings of black around the eyes. Pancham often stand on their hind legs when trying to intimidate or impress an opponent. They tend to walk on all fours when humans or other larger animals are not around. Pancham are almost always seen with a leaf in their mouth, typically of a bamboo species, but this is a sign of social status rather than a physical necessity.

Pangoro do not grow an undercoat in Alola. The undercoat grows in when average temperatures cool beneath fifty-five degrees, which only happens near mountain peaks. Instead they have very shaggy, coarse fur. The legs and posterior are coated in black fur. There is a stripe of cream fur around the midsection. The upper body is coated in black fur, including a “cape” of extremely long back fur hanging over the back from around the shoulders. Their face is coated in cream colored fur save the ears and tip of their muzzle.

Pangoro have large paws. Their claws are shorter than many bears and they rely more on brute force or their bite to deal damage. In lieu of large claws, pangoro have a pseudo-thumb. This is a bone that has grown out to serve as a sixth finger for bracing bamboo shoots in place while eating. It is notably smaller than that of the lesser pangoro.

Despite eating vegetation almost exclusively throughout the spring and early summer, pangoro’s digestive tract differs little from that of other bears. They cannot effectively digest high-cellulose foods. This limits pangoro to soft bamboo shoots as they cannot derive much nutritional value from the leaves or stems.

Pangoro are strong enough to snap trees in half with their arms. Their bite is the second strongest of the bears, only behind the lesser pangoro. This allows them to crack bones and access the marrow.

Pangoro can grow up to seven feet tall and weigh up to seven hundred pounds. Wild lifespans are around fifteen years. Captive specimens can live twice as long.

Behavior

Pangoro do not often socialize with other adults, even though their ranges can have substantial overlap. Males are territorial with other males and females with other females. They prefer to completely ignore adults of the opposite sex, even if they are only a few feet apart.

Pangoro of both sexes can often be seen caring for pancham. Females raise their offspring until they are eighteen months old, at which point the pancham find a male pangoro willing to mentor them until they evolve. Many pancham can pick the same pangoro. Having multiple mentees is a sign of status that makes them more attractive to potential mates.

Pangoro habitually chew a twig or stalk of bamboo. The purpose of this behavior is unclear. Folklore in their native range states that pangoro can use the leaf to sense their enemies and see the future. Pangoro have consistently failed precognitive tests and their performance in battle is not substantially altered by the loss of their bamboo. Pancham like to imitate pangoro by chewing leaves. A misbehaving pancham can have its leaf privileges revoked by their mother or mentor until they do something to redeem themselves.

Pangoro diets vary considerably throughout the year. They are most associated with bamboo shoots. These are only seasonably accessible in the wild. Outside of spring, pangoro eat whatever they can find. This includes fruit, vegetables, and meat. Both pancham and pangoro are willing to take prey as small as a rattata or pikipek if it presents itself. Pancham in particular are rather arboreal and are prone to looting birds nests or bee hives. Pangoro can hunt prey larger than themselves, but rarely have the opportunity in Alola.

Pangoro are famously aggressive towards humans and other large carnivores who enter their territory. They are prone to charge towards the intruder and growl while swiping a paw through the air. This is an assertion of dominance. Humans who run away, play dead, or at least cower in fear are usually fine. Challenging the pangoro to a battle shows defiance and is a terrible idea. The only real risk to travelers who submit is a chance encounter with a particularly aggressive mother with young cubs. Even then, she is likely to simply intimidate the offending human so long as they do not appear to be an active threat to her offspring.

Property owners or others who insist on repeatedly reentering the pangoro’s territory are likely to be met with violence as the pangoro sees their presence as a challenge to their territory. Defeating them in battle can lead to them retreating from the victor’s property, as they have won the right to that territory. Still, many landowners or farmers in native or introduced pangoro ranges will use underhanded tactics to rid themselves of pangoro.

Husbandry

Greater pangoro are substantially easier to feed in captivity than lesser pangoro. On balance, they are more aggressive and must be carefully managed lest them become dangerous.

Pangoro and pancham prefer to be given large amounts of tender bamboo shoots during the proper seasons. Presenting them with shoots in the late summer or fall can be counterproductive as the pokémon comes to expect their favorite food to be available year-round. Bamboo shoots out of season tend to be substantially more expensive than the other vegetation at the core of their diet. Pangoro appreciate a diet made up of root vegetables, berries, and meat in roughly equal portions. Some mix of carnivore and leaf-eater biscuits can also satisfy them.

Pangoro are generally quiet, but tend to become more vocal around humans. They express happiness or curiosity by bleating or chirping. Displeasure tends to be shown by rearing up on their hind legs, hissing, barking, or swiping a paw through the air. Knowing these signals helps understand and manage their moods. Pangoro are reasonably intelligent and can often find ways to communicate what they want or what upsets them. They may not understand why a human cannot satisfy their request. This can be upsetting.

Pangoro and pancham are very concerned with image and dominance. Publicly backing down from confrontations in front of the pangoro can lead to problems. They may not understand why their trainer has to move without even trying to fight the new resident for the territory. Pangoro and pancham can be physically affectionate and appreciate headpats, belly rubs, and grooming. This must be done in private, ideally even away from other teammates. Public affection is seen as undercutting them and may provoke retaliation.

Pangoro expect their trainer to at least put up a token fight when setting a boundary. These fistfights between pokémon and trainer are generally safe and the pangoro often allows themselves to lose in private contests so long as they believe their treatment is fair. Pancham expect their trainer to provide useful combat training and ideally be athletic enough to respect. Breeders who do not actively battle should consider giving away older pamcham when they leave their mother.

Pangoro in Alola can struggle with overheating at surface level. If they must be kept outside in temperatures greater than eighty degrees Fahrenheit, pangoro should be offered lots of cool water to drink or wade in. Ideally pangoro should always have an option to go inside or into their ball in ambient temperatures outside the range of thirty to eighty degrees.

Pangoro are quite playful and enjoy elevated resting places, durable toys, hillsides to roll down, dust bathing opportunities, and pools to wade or swim in. They prefer solitary play to playing with conspecifics, other pokémon, or their trainer. Pancham should be allowed to climb trees at least once a day.

Pancham raised without a pangoro need occasional discipline to keep them in line. Smaller punishments can include temporarily reduced meals or simply ignoring them for a time. Punishment should be carried out almost immediately after the offending behavior to establish a connection. Alternatively, a translator can help explain punishments that occur several hours after the fact. Very serious violations are best punished by removing their leaf and growling at them if they try to chew another one. This is the most effective way to send a message. It can also lead to rebellion if the pancham does not understand what they did wrong and why they should not have done it. The pancham should be presented with another leaf when they have a great accomplishment. Restoring leaf privileges without an apparent cause can confuse the pancham and potentially lead to increased testing of boundaries.

Illness

Pangoro are ursids and subject to many carnivoran diseases. They require vaccines for rabies, canine distemper, and parovirus. Veterinarians accustomed to canine diseases often find bear illnesses to be relatively familiar. Most pangoro end up being carriers of toxoplasmosis but rarely suffer from any symptoms. Trainers should be careful about keeping pangoro on the same team as pokémon susceptible to toxoplasmosis complications.

Pangoro are often most willing to show symptoms of illness when alone with their trainer. Limps, anorexia, vomiting, or other unusual behaviors should be taken as a sign of illness. Pangoro generally prefer to be treated privately without a big deal being made of it to the rest of the team. This is also true of battle illnesses. Pancham raised by pangoro should have the adult bear watching them during veterinary appointments and procedures whenever feasible.

Evolution

Wild pancham typically leave their mother around eighteen months of age and spend another eighteen months with a mentor before evolving. Evolution seems to be contingent on a set amount of combat experience and evolution times can vary widely in captivity. The formal demarcation line in captivity is the development of the black cape. In the wild it is when the pancham leaves their mentor.

Battle

Pangoro are undeniably powerful. While wild pangoro care little for fancy techniques, captive specimens are often willing to learn. They are also very resistant to psionic attacks, a rarity among fighting types. This gives them some usage on competitive circuits among fighting-type specialists and fans of the species intent on proving their viability. They are still relatively uncommon among professional trainers outside of China and few professionals specifically plan strategies for dealing with them. They also usually have a check or counter just from preparing for other strong melee attackers.

Pangoro can use moves like swords dance or bulk up to become even more powerful, but they generally lack the endurance to set up against all but the most passive of walls. Instead they specialize in simply tearing into opponents with their raw strength, occasionally supplemented with elemental energy. This is effective on most organic pokémon. Their dark-type attacks let them hit phantom pokémon and fighting-type moves are generally effective against mineral pokémon. Pangoro still lack the power to take down the sturdiest of walls. They are also outsped by many pokémon and struggle to hit airborne opponents. While pangoro are reasonably durable bears, they also can’t take many hits from the strongest attackers. This is especially true for fairy-type attacks. Pangoro also need to be trained out of their instincts to simply intimidate foes and instead go for maximum damage right out the gate.

Pangoro are reasonably effective pokémon. They just have drawbacks common to melee fighters. Pangoro can be very effective on the island challenge where most opponents are land bound and relatively slow. They will still struggle against the most durable of totems and may struggle in the Poni Island trials due to poor matchups.

Pancham are quite strong, but can be undisciplined. This is still good enough against many early opponents. They can struggle against craftier enemies with the tricks they need to avoid close-quarters combat. These losses can motivate pancham to train harder to avoid similar defeats in the future.

Acquisition

Pangoro and pancham can be found in the bamboo forests of northeast Ula’Ula. Actual encounters with a pangoro can often be dangerous. Pancham that approach a trainer with a great deal of curiosity are often young and still under their mother’s care. In these situations, running or walking away is recommended. Camps can always be returned to later. Survival is not guaranteed. Aggressive pancham are most likely older and have a mentor. These can be safely battled without the mentor stepping in. Most of these pancham are looking for a battle and may become even more aggressive if one is not given. Capturing a defeated pancham is likely to anger the pangoro looking after them.

There are effectively two ways to make a pancham capture. The first is to find and defeat a pancham that has left its mother but not yet found a mentor. This pancham is likely to continue following the victorious trainer for a few days. In this case, capture is possible and advisable. The only other reliably safe situation is to defeat the supervising pangoro if he challenges the trainer to a battle after watching his mentee’s defeat. In these situations, one of the pancham may request capture.

In some cases, orphaned pancham need human care. Nursing, weaning, and raising a young pancham is very difficult and best left for ursid specialists.

Pangoro may sometimes allow themselves to be captured after a particularly bad defeat. Choosing to stand and fight against a pangoro is risky, but some trainers may choose to do so in order to potentially capture it. Please note that, unless a fighting-type is used, defensive wild pangoro may aim for lethal strikes in battle if they believe their territory is being challenged. This is especially likely if the trainer has another ursid on their team. Pangoro typically respect standard dueling rules with other fighting-types.

There are breeders who specialize in pancham, but they are few in number and have a very mixed track record. Captive-born pancham available for purchase can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Adoption opportunities are typically very brief.

Pancham can be captured, adopted, or purchased with a Class III license. Pangoro can be captured, adopted, or purchased with a Class IV license.

Breeding

Wild pangoro will assess each other over a period of months before the mating season in January or February. They will monitor the other’s parenting or mentoring skills, their apparent physical condition, and the size of their territory. This is often done through smelling each other’s droppings at communal latrine sites on territory edges.

These dynamics are difficult to recreate in captivity. Even pairs that tolerate each other’s presence outside the mating season may not be willing to mate when it comes around. As a result, captive breeders have increasingly turned towards artificial insemination. This can be difficult on both ends of the process due to the pokémon’s temperament. Even them, artificial insemination offspring are likely to be rejected. Infant mortality is high with parental care and almost 100% without it. One slight saving grace is twin swapping. Pangoro either cannot recognize their own children or do not care if a cub is theirs. A pangoro that trusts its trainer enough to let her cub out of site can have the pancham removed for routine medical tests and then swapped with a second cub, either a twin or an orphaned or rejected cub from another pair. The pangoro will proceed to nurse and care for this cub as well, so long as only one cub is presented at a time. Even pangoro that give birth to twins will only accept one of them to raise. Curiously, after weaning occurs around twelve months the pangoro will accept the presence of all of the cubs she has raised. This does raise questions about their mindset during the twin-swapping process.

One more irritant for pangoro breeders is the pseudo-pregnancy. Most springs, ovulating females will begin to demonstrate signs of pregnancy such as increased appetite, weight gain, nest digging, and an absolute intolerance for male pangoro. This occurs whether she is pregnant or not. Ultrasounds are usually only able to detect the presence or absence of a baby around eight weeks into pseudopregnancy.

Relatives

The lesser pangoro (B. poensis) is smaller in stature, greater in girth, and generally far less aggressive than the greater pangoro. They are also dietary specialists. More than 99% of their wild diet is made up of bamboo shoots, leaves, and stems. Their digestive system is not substantially better at extracting nutrients from bamboo than that of the greater pangoro and they must eat fifty to one hundred pounds of bamboo a day to survive.

Lesser pangoro respond to most stressors, from potential predators to other bamboo eaters such as tocking by retreating away from them to an area where they are unlikely to be eaten and do not have to compete with others for food. This has made them vulnerable to habitat loss but far less likely to be killed by farmers than the greater pangoro. There is also much less competition for food as few large pokémon eat bamboo outside of the spring. Lesser pangoro are generally very inactive and do very little other than eat and sleep. This makes them very popular among some people and dismissed by others. Despite their almost total reluctance to train, one myth in China states that the greatest warrior of all the highlands will be a lesser pangoro. This seems unlikely given their extreme reluctance to train in battle in captivity has cost them their fighting-type. Most sources classify them as dark- and normal-types.

Urshifu are the closest relative of the pangoro, and some scholars have advocated for putting them in the genus Bambusaedax. These pokémon were believed to be either domesticated or extinct in the wild until the 1960s as they were only known from temples and government institutions that raised them. Their husbandry was and is very poorly understood outside of the organizations that care for them and no necropsy was performed on one by a Western scientist until 1986. Explorers in 1965 found a small population living in the Tibetan highlands. They have only been seen by scientists twice in the subsequent decades. Only handful of urshifu are cared for outside of China at present. All have sworn to keep the secrets of their husbandry.