Pokémon The Alola Pokedex

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Vaporeon
Mutatiovulpes octuplumiter – 1

Overview

Vaporeon have always been somewhat uncommon in the wild. They only naturally evolve near areas of high-water elemental energy. These include some shores with an abundance of water-types and particularly pristine lakes and rivers. As these pristine places became more and more uncommon in the age of industrialization, vaporeon numbers rapidly declined. Now wild vaporeon only occur in a dozen or so European parks. However, most of these parks are often in the northern reaches of the continent or near high-altitude glacial meltwaters, meaning that the eevee there are just as likely to evolve into glaceon as vaporeon. Only in Czyste Jeziora National Park in Poland are vaporeon the most abundant eeveelution.

Vaporeon are intelligent, playful, and useful in battle. They make for excellent companions for any trainer able to satisfy their needs for pure water and whole fish.

Physiology

Vaporeon are classified as pure water-types.

All of eevee’s evolutions have strange physiology. Vaporeon’s is perhaps the strangest. Their body type is similar to a typical canine or feline, but they also have prominent gills and fins, including a broad fluke at the end of their tail. One fin extends from either side of the face. These cheek fins help pump water over the gills. They also contain distinct markings unique to each individual. Specimens will extend their cheek fins when encountering another vaporeon. A dorsal fin is located on top of the head. It is a hard, bony fin that makes it difficult for opponents to bite down on the head. Behind the head fins is a set of gills. Behind these is a white frill with more identifying markings. It can be extended to make the pokémon appear larger than it is. Scientists have speculated it may also help with gill function. A long dorsal fin extends down the length of the body. It is supported by series of spines.

Vaporeon also have a handful of adaptations for life on land. Their legs are strong enough to allow them to dig or climb. Climbing is assisted with claws at the end of each digit. The feet are also webbed to assist in swimming. More importantly, vaporeon have lungs in addition to their gills. They can breathe freely on land or in the water.

The strangest adaptation that vaporeon possess is hinted at by their pale blue coloration. Vaporeon can entirely dissolve into water for short periods of time. This makes them intangible to predators and invisible to prey. It also leaves them very vulnerable to current-based attacks or poisoning. Upon reforming in polluted or poisoned water vaporeon will ingest the toxins directly into their body. This limits vaporeon’s range to very pristine bodies of water such as springs, glacial meltwater, and continuously protected streams or lakes running from these sources. In the past vaporeon could also be found around coastlines, but seawater is now too polluted for them everywhere except Antarctica and portions of coastal Greenland. These places are too cold to make for ideal vaporeon habitats.

Vaporeon typically grow to be five feet long, including the tail, and twenty inches tall at the withers. One weighed in at sixty pounds, but thirty to forty is more typical. Wild vaporeon typically live for about fifteen years, but captive specimens routinely live to be more than thirty.

Behavior

Early studies reported that vaporeon had ‘alpha pairs’ who were the only ones allowed to breed. This is technically true. Wild vaporeon live in pairs with a few newly evolved children and any unevolved eevee. The parents are dominant over their children and typically kick out any vaporeon that become too rebellious. Offspring that evolve into something other than a vaporeon are immediately exiled.

Vaporeon spend most of their time in the water. About half of their day is spent hunting for fish pokémon such as magikarp, feebas, or basculin. In waters pure enough to allow it, ambush tactics employing their liquid state are preferred. Otherwise they often wait at the edge of the water and lunge in after any prey that come too close to the edge. Sometimes vaporeon will work together to herd larger prey towards the waters edge where they can be driven onto land and killed.

At night vaporeon rest in their burrows, which can be complex systems with multiple chambers and entrances on land and in the water. One vaporeon or eevee will stay awake as a sentry and alert the rest of the flow to anything trying to enter the burrow. Smaller intruders can be scared off or killed for food, depending on their power. Larger predators entering from the water will be fled from. Those entering from land will be fled from if there are no eevee present. If there are eevee present one vaporeon will stall for time while the eevee cling onto the other vaporeon as they escape. Eevee can hold their breath for long enough to survive a quick swim out of the burrow and to relative safety.

Vaporeon do not contend with many amphibious predators capable of posing a threat to them. Quagsire can swim in the water or walk on land and they are competent burrowers. They are also far too slow to outpace vaporeon either on land or in the water.

When they are not hunting or sleeping, vaporeon play. If a vaporeon is alone it will amuse itself by harassing other species or exploring the environment. Vaporeon living in pairs or family groups will engage in games of chase, hiding, wrestling, climbing, or exploring new “toys” they come across. Vaporeon pairs will often sleep in heaps with each other and their offspring. They are also highly vocal and have over twenty types of recorded vocalizations, variations on which can produce complex expressions akin to language.

Vaporeon keep latrines near their dens. They prefer to defecate on land rather than in the water, although nursing individuals have been seen doing so. Visiting vaporeon and other eeveelutions will begin their visit by inspecting the latrine.

Husbandry

Vaporeon husbandry is relatively simple with two notable exceptions: their needs for fish and clean water. Wild vaporeon almost exclusively eat fish. Captive specimens will sometimes take a berry as a treat, but fish should compose the bulk of their diet. This can be small non-pokémon fish or fresh or frozen fish pokémon. They will usually reject highly processed fish. If the fish is frozen before consumption, then a supplement of Vitamin B1 and Vitamin E will be required. Stationary trainers can meet this need relatively easily. Traveling trainers will need to either rely on wild-caught fish, which is sometimes illegal and often inadvisable due to mercury or other toxins in the area or haul their own fish for long distances without it beginning to rot. Ice-type powered freezers are more or less required for this. Because they are frequently handling fish without frequent chances to shower, traveling vaporeon trainers will also begin to smell like fish on long journeys.

Vaporeon also require frequent access to bodies of pure water. They can and will drink water offered to them, but at some point they will still need to submerge for their physical and psychological health. These water bodies must be free from any significant concentration of toxins, including chlorine. There are maps of Alola pointing out springs and other areas of high-quality water. Some of these are public. Others will require the permission of the landowner. Vaporeon trainers may be best off leaving their pokémon in stasis as much as possible on drier trails. Spending all of their time in an ultra ball can double the time a vaporeon can go between trips to fresh water.

Most small Pokémon Centers and larger trail stops will accommodate requests for a small tub of filtered water for a vaporeon to swim in. Larger pokémon centers sometimes have pools of very high-quality water for particularly sensitive pokémon.

Vaporeon are diurnal, so they thankfully will not be bothering their trainer at night. Wild vaporeon sleep in heaps inside their burrows. Captive specimens will often crawl under sheets or blankets to cuddle with their trainer. Sometimes they will attempt to dig into the mattress. Unlike most canine or feline pokémon, spraying vaporeon with water to discourage a behavior is less than useless. Thankfully they are quite intelligent and obedient and a few reprimands will drive the point home.

It is also possible to have a rough understanding of vaporeon’s language without a translator. They are very vocal and some of their sounds can be identified. Growls mean a vaporeon is about to attack while screams are for play fights or driving away intruders. Whistles and barks typically indicate curiosity about something. Humming is a sign of affection.

Vaporeon are natural explorers in the wild and captivity. They will approach anything they do not reasonably believe to be a threat and attempt to sniff, touch, or watch it. Wild specimens have been observed forming complex games from simple objects, some resembling a sport. They are also hoarders who will take intriguing objects into their burrow for further study.

Vaporeon are very playful and will frequently want to play with their trainer or teammates. A trainer without a great deal of free time should form a team of similarly intelligent and energetic pokémon so they can at least play with each other. Vaporeon in general do not do well on small teams. Trainers who have their own favorite games can try to teach them to their vaporeon. The species can figure out most sports and learn to play them. Some have even been taught to play board or video games. At least one minigolf course has a vaporeon as a mascot; she occasionally hops out of water features to play alongside the visitors. She holds a stick in her mouth to use as her club and is apparently quite proficient at the game.

Vapoeon are quite good with children. They have similar energy levels and intelligence, and it is very hard for children to actually hurt the pokémon.

Most vaporeon can easily learn how to use toilets or latrines. They are happier urinating and defecating in the same place as their trainer than in a litter box. Sometimes they will even help other teammates use the toilet, although initial results may vary by anatomy and intelligence.

Vaporeon will dig their own burrows if they stay in one place for more than a few days. They should be allowed to do so if possible. If it is not then a series of tubes, boxes, and blankets can form a suitable faux burrow. Pokémon Center staff are usually willing to loan out equipment to form these burrows, if only to reduce damage to the landscaping around the building.

Illness

Vaporeon will need to be vaccinated for canine distemper, parovirus, and rabies within thirty days of capture.

The most common health problem for captive vaporeon is obesity. They are greedy eaters and will beg or steal to get more fish. A vaporeon should be limited to 10% of its weight in food on a normal day, with up to 18% being allowed following difficult battles that inflict injury.

Vaporeon can heal most injuries by fading into the water and reforming. This instantly heals most minor cuts and abrasions and removes any parasites. More serious wounds will require an increase in food, lots of time in pure water, and veterinary supervision to heal. But almost all injuries they survive will be recovered from without any scarring or lasting health consequences.

Evolution

Eevee evolve into vaporeon around strong sources of water elemental energy. Particularly pure lakes, especially those home to springs or powerful water-types such as suicune, are full of this energy. Other bodies of water, particularly the ocean, also have water energy. The vaporeon that evolve in these areas may not survive long due to pollution, though.

The most reliable way to evolve an eevee into vaporeon is to purchase a water stone and let the eevee absorb the energy within it. This will usually trigger a flash evolution into vaporeon, although very small stones may not be enough to trigger the process. Spending lots of time in Brooklet Hill Commonwealth Park can also result in an eevee evolving into vaporeon. Some older eevee will also evolve after a short visit to the park.

Battle

Vaporeon can summon rainstorms by vibrating the fins on their head. The rain does not immediately begin, unlike storms summoned by politoed or pelipper. Rather, the storm will gradually grow over the course of fifteen to twenty minutes. Thankfully, vaporeon are quite capable of stalling for that long. Their durability and utility makes them popular on more defensive rain teams.

Even without access to water, vaporeon heal quickly and take most elemental hits well. They can use aqua ring and rest to heal themselves throughout the battle. Passive damage inflicted by whirlpool and scald can help them stall out most opponents. Haze can negate the boosts of opponents that try to set up on them. Several pokémon, especially fire-types, are hard walled by vaporeon even outside of the water. With access to the water vaporeon can heal minor wounds immediately and make itself very difficult to hit by fading into the water. This leaves them particularly vulnerable to electrical, poison, and water attacks, but allows them to completely negate some blows.

Vaporeon can also support their team by setting up with moves like acid armor, aqua ring, and work up before using baton pass to transfer the boosts to a teammate. But their main utility lies in their ability to keep the team healthy with moves such as heal bell and wish. A team with a vaporeon is resistant to status effects and can heal up any team member that is weakened but not knocked out. This gives them a niche over even more durable water-types such as milotic and slowbro. They occasionally see use at even the highest levels of competitive play, usually on stall, rain, or baton pass teams.

On the island challenge vaporeon’s attacks still pack enough of a punch to be effective. Vaporeon can function as a bulky attacker with strong moves like hydro pump, ice beam, and shadow ball. Alternatively, they can use their standard competitive tactics of wearing down opponents with slow acting moves like scald, toxic, and whirlpool. Vaporeon can also help restore opponents who cannot quickly heal themselves, both in battle and after it is offer.

Acquisition

A few wild vaporeon have been seen in Brooklet Hill Commonwealth Park. Whether these were released by trainers who did not want a vaporeon or evolved from wild eevee is unclear. In any event capture has been prohibited for the time being in hopes of observing a rare wild vaporeon population establish itself. It is also illegal to capture any eevee that may be born to a wild vaporeon until such time as they have been kicked out of the family unit.

Trainers who want a vaporeon of their own should either evolve it from an eevee or look to shelters in the Brooklet Hill area where vaporeon are sometimes dropped off following an unwanted evolution. Some breeders and pokémon stores will also sell vaporeon from time to time. Vaporeon require a Class II license to adopt or purchase.

Breeding

It is very difficult to breed vaporeon in captivity or to observe reproduction and childrearing in wild specimens. Vaporeon are ordinarily curious and friendly towards humans. Pregnant or nursing vaporeon suddenly become very afraid of human contact. Loud noises or unfamiliar humans can cause pregnant specimens to miscarry or nursing mothers to abandon their children. Captive breeding can only occur if the mother is given a quiet, secluded area and contact with all humans is minimized until the eevee are weaned. The stress will remain to a lesser degree as long as there are eevee living in the family unit. The loss of an eevee can send the parents into a spiral of depression that ends in them losing or abandoning their territory.

In any case, it is easiest to obtain eevee by breeding another evolution. Mated females will be stressed around humans from the time their pregnancy begins to the time their last eevee evolves or turns two. It is strongly recommended to spay or neuter vaporeon that are intended to be long-time companions.

Like most of eevee’s evolutions, vaporeon will crossbreed with a wide variety of species. They strongly prefer vaporeon or other eeveelutions, but will also mate with most canines, felines, and pinnipeds. They have even been observed mating and producing viable offspring with some fish or serpentine pokémon. Any children born to a female vaporeon will be fairly standard eevee, regardless of what species the father was. Children sired by a male vaporeon may still bee eevee if the mate is a canine or feline. More distantly related mates will result in offspring entirely of the female’s species.

Relatives

Consult the Eevee entry for more information.

 

[Persephone]

Jolteon
Mutatiovulpes octuplumiter - 2

Overview

In the pre-industrial era jolteon were one of the rarest of the eeveelutions, evolving only around areas of natural electric energy. These most often occurred in places with a high concentration of electric-types, such as caves with metals such as manganese and copper. Eevee are not naturally suited to caves of any kind, so only eevee that happened to live above these caves or around the mouth would evolve into jolteon. The rise of power stations and lines, as well as appliances entering into every home, made jolteon one of the most common eeveelutions, rivaled only by espeon and umbreon.

Jolteon are well-suited for trainers in a number of ways. They are one of the only eeveelutions that is almost entirely herbivorous. Unlike most electric-types they do not need to consume electricity on a regular basis, allowing trainers to plot out journeys without factoring in proximity to the power grid. They are also generalists that can be comfortable in all but the hottest and coldest of environments. Jolteon do not actively damage electronics, unlike magnezone or hodad, making them reasonably safe in a home environment.

There are a few drawbacks to jolteon, however. They can be very high energy during storms, wanting to race around the largest area possible and play. It is unsafe for their trainer to come outside to play with them during an electrical storm as they will die if hit by lightning. Jolteon do not see lightning as something to fear and will become irritated with their trainer’s apparent irrationality or cowardice. In general they are prone to mood swings and can go from furious or heartbroken to playful in the span of a minute. They are known for being dramatic and needing a great deal of attention, either from their trainer or mate.

Trainers who want an electric-type but are unwilling to give up electronic devices are well served by jolteon. They should simply be aware that jolteon may not actually give them the time to use those devices.

Physiology

Jolteon are classified as pure electric-types.

Jolteon are quadrupeds with a typical canine body shape. Their ears are long and quite sensitive. They are usually tucked back but can be raised upright when something has caught the pokémon’s attention. Most of jolteon’s fur is yellow, except for a white main around the neck. Many of these hairs are hollow and contain a sharp tip. Jolteon can use static electricity to raise up these quills and become very difficult to attack without being harmed. Most of the time the quills rest against the body. Jolteon’s tail is very short and often difficult to see as it is surrounded by a tuft of fur.

Two of jolteon’s most important adaptations are their lungs and legs. Jolteon can rapidly accelerate to speeds of over eighty miles an hour. They cannot maintain these speeds for more than two to three minutes because their lungs are not particularly well adapted for long distance running. They lungs contain unique cells that produce electricity with every breath. Even while at rest jolteon’s exhales have a crackling sound. After running a great deal of energy will be built up in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe unless the electricity is vented out as an extremely powerful lightning bolt. Anything still pursuing will almost certainly be incapacitated by the attack. The jolteon can resume running about ten seconds after the discharge of electricity in the lungs.

Jolteon have the longest gut of any eeveelution. This is necessary to get enough energy to run from their herbivorous diet. Leafeon, the only other herbivorous eeveelution, can photosynthesize for food and only rarely needs to eat plant matter.

Jolteon typically grow to be thirty-five to forty inches long. Typical specimens weigh less than thirty pounds, although one obese jolteon was recorded as weighing fifty-two. Wild lifespans are around fifteen years. Captive specimens usually live for around twenty-five years.

Behavior

Jolteon live in family groups (charges) consisting of a mated pair and all offspring that wish to remain in the group. Eevee can leave once a new litter is born, but many choose to remain for several years afterwards. Foraging is generally non-cooperative outside of demonstrating techniques to the youngest litter. They are primarily nocturnal but have often been observed foraging and playing during the day, usually during storms. Jolteon usually sleep in a heap on the surface with one member of the charge staying awake to watch out for threats.

Jolteon dig relatively short burrows to rest in. When threatened they will often dive into the burrow and raise their quills to deter would-be predators. If cornered without sufficient charge they can run backwards at, quills raised, to run the aggressor through. Jolteon can also launch the quills, but this requires regrowing them in the future. As such the backwards charge is preferred against all but the most dangerous of opponents. Few things prey on jolteon as a result, finding the risk of electrocution or impalement to be too much trouble.

Unlike most canines, jolteon are primarily herbivorous. They spend most of their nights digging for roots and tubers or foraging for fruit. Near human settlements they will happily eat any crops they come across, earning the ire of local farmers. Jolteon have also been known to use their claws and teeth to strip off bark, letting them eat the softer flesh of the tree.

Jolteon have been known to gnaw at any bones they find and even use them as toys or tools. One jolteon was observed brandishing a rib as a crude weapon. Charges can also scare off birds of prey from a kill site, threatening to electrocute them unless they leave the carcass behind. Jolteon take these opportunities to eat meat, although they never actively hunt. Too much meat in the diet can lead to digestive problems and obesity.

Behavior

A captive jolteon’s diet should consist of a combination of pre-made herbivore and leaf-eater mixes, whole maize, fresh greens and berries. More ambitious trainers can attempt to craft a nutritionally balanced diet without commercial mixes. It is recommended that trainers consult with a veterinarian or pokémon nutritionist before going down this route. Carnivores are relatively simple to feed without relying on commercial pellets, but herbivores require a mix of different nutrients. A bone with some meat on it can be provided as a rare reward but should not be a regular part of the diet.

Jolteon should almost always have access to at least one water bowl. Jolteon like water and will often flip over their bowl and wallow in the newly created mud if there is not a water feature nearby to swim or bathe in. Pokémon Center pools are unsuitable for this purpose as the jolteon might electrocute the other pokémon in the pool. Bathtubs work but the pokémon may end up making a mess of the area. Never get into the water with a jolteon. If the jolteon cannot wash itself make sure to wear a rubber protective suit when bathing the pokémon.

Jolteon appreciate wide open spaces and places to burrow. If it is not suitable to burrow anywhere a dark, secluded place should be provided. A jolteon confined to the inside of a room or building may cause property damage when agitated. Bored jolteon have also been known to steadily pick at something in their surroundings until it eventually breaks.

The main problem with raising jolteon is their mood swings. Jolteon can go from heartbroken to furious and back within seconds and will often demand attention when they are feeling emotional. These shifts occur most often when they are alert. Jolteon are nocturnal. This means that they will bother their trainer in the middle of the night with a pressing emotional concern that may disappear within minutes, sometimes replaced by a different but equally powerful emotion. Having a mate or at least a nocturnal teammate is crucial if the trainer wants to sleep peacefully at night. Otherwise it might be prudent to shift to a reversed sleep schedule of activity at night and rest during the day.

Jolteon prefer to sleep against their trainer. Be very careful when sharing a space with a sleeping jolteon. Sometimes their quills will perk up due to a nightmare or they will accidentally release a small shock. Jolteon can sleep in a stasis ball but become very lonely in habitat balls. This is a problem that can also be solved by giving the jolteon someone else to cuddle. Luxray and manectric are particularly well-suited for this role.

Jolteon can be safely pet when their quills are not raised. Always pet from the head to the tail. Gloves are recommended but not required.

Illness

Jolteon suffer from many of the same problems as the other eeveelutions, including rabies and canine parovirus. They will need to be vaccinated against both, as well as tetanus.

The most unique health problem jolteon suffer from is ingrown quills. Just like humans sometimes get ingrown hairs, jolteon’s quills will sometimes not properly grow out and become entirely or partially lodged underneath the skin. The difficulty in removing the quill depends on the extent to which it is ingrown. Entirely ingrown quills are best handled by a veterinarian under anesthetic.

Putting a jolteon to sleep is also somewhat complicated. Their quills are longer than most needles, making injection a risky endeavor. Hypnosis and sleep powder are the preferred methods instead. Not every Pokémon Center will have a pokémon available to use these techniques. Thankfully ingrown quills do not usually cause the jolteon distress and removal can wait until a suitable pokémon arrives.

Evolution

Eevee are most likely to evolve into jolteon when they grow up in urban environments or around power plants. Some areas also carry a natural charge, including Vast Poni Canyon. Trainers who have money and do not wish to leave the evolution to chance can use a thunder stone to induce evolution. The stone can be kept away from the eevee to gradually cause evolution, at which point it can be resold. This method still carries some risk of another evolution occurring in the meantime. The only surefire way to get a jolteon is to give an eevee a thunder stone and let it be used up.

Battle

Electric-types are great on the competitive circuits. Fliers hard counter many melee attackers, so melee heavy teams want to stock up on electric types, as wing paralysis can easily bring a bird back down to earth. Jolteon is fast and reasonably strong. It could have a niche. But in high level play, where trainers can afford the absolute best pokémon at their role, jolteon is almost never seen. Vikavolt, hodad, magnezone, rotom, and other airborne electric-types can glide above seismic waves, strike down birds, and put distance between themselves and the strong physical attackers that could threaten them.

Jolteon is relatively frail and unable to fly. It is very vulnerable to seismic moves that can trip it up and dampen electric elemental energy. Aside from its quills jolteon have fairly minimal defenses. Even their bones are lighter than the other eeveelutions to allow for faster running speeds. Like most eeveelutions, jolteon have fantastic power in their specialized element but relatively few tricks outside of it. Ground types can completely wall it and ranged attackers can usually take it down with a few hits, striking from a distance where the quills don’t matter.

On the island challenge, resources and ease of care and capture matter a lot more than they do to professionals. Hodad and magnezone’s device breaking magnetic fields disqualifies them for many trainers. Vikavolt are difficult to earn the respect of. Jolteon, emotional issues aside, are fairly low maintenance. Ground-types are rare in Alola and most trainers do not have one, making the lack of coverage a non-factor in most matches. Jolteon’s speed lets them outpace most opponents and until the end of the challenge powerful and accurate ranged attacks are rare. Jolteon do two things, run away and throw lightning bolts, but they do them well.

Acquisition

A few wild jolteon have been observed in Alola, mostly near Heahea City. These may have been strays. There is no evidence a this point of a wild eevee evolving into Jolteon in Alola, largely due to the rural area they currently call home.

Jolteon can be adopted or purchased with a Class III license. Capture is currently prohibited to allow the DNR a chance to study whatever wild populations crop up.

Breeding

Jolteon have no external sex differences. Both sex organs are stored inside the body with the penis only protruding during the copulation. It is possible to manipulate the groin to determine the sex of a jolteon, but this is best done while the pokémon is heavily sedated.

Mating rituals are initiated by the male. He will approach a prospective mate while making high-pitched squeaking sounds, only to abruptly retreat when he gets close. This will continue until the female either walks away, displaying a lack of interest, or charges the male when he tries to retreat, displaying acceptance. The two will then make an expanded burrow network before copulation. Pregnancy lasts approximately two months, at which point the female will give birth to one to three eevee. The mother will rarely let the eevee leave her side until they are six months old and never let them out of sight until they evolve or a new litter is conceived. New litters are born about once a year, although if a litter is lost to stillbirth, disease, or predation a new one will be conceived almost immediately.

Relatives

Consult the Eevee entry for more information.

 

[Persephone]

Machamp (Machop, Machoke)

Overview

Machamp are the fighting-type that all other fighting-types are measured against. Only the toughest of dragons can match them in raw strength. An equally small number of pokémon have a comparable drive to train. The two traits combine to make machamp the quintessential melee-ranged powerhouse of competitive battling.

In addition to their power in combat, pokémon of the machamp line also enjoy helping others, especially if the task involves heavy lifting or clever applications of raw strength. This makes machamp one of the most popular pokémon for construction projects. In Alola, machamp are also often used as ride pokémon. Unusually for a ride pokémon, machamp prefer it if their trainer also brings along heavy gear or other pokémon to carry. The main problem with training machamp is simply finding things for them to do.

Physiology

Machop, machoke, and machamp are classified as pure-fighting types.

Machamp are one of the few surviving therapsid pokémon, making them technically not either reptiles nor mammals. In practice they function much the same as mammals and can be treated as such most purposes.

Machop are short bipeds with a human-like shape, a stubby tail, leathery gray skin, and three ridges above their head. The ridges are useful for increasing the machop’s surface area, helping vent the massive amounts of heat that their bodies can generate while exercising. A quirk in machop’s muscles lets them exercise for long periods of time. They also require much less caloric intake that their physical exertion would suggest. On balance, machop must sleep for almost fourteen hours a day.

Machoke are taller and have much larger muscles than their pre-evolution. The head shape slowly grows into a more typical one for a therapsid, as opposed to the machop’s rather human-like face. Several long red markings appear on the arms and legs. A series of dark gray armored flaps grow over the groin area to help protect it and support the yellow plate above it. The yellow plate has an armored exterior.

The plate connects to several nerves, tendons, and strange cords that weave throughout the machoke’s body. These serve to sharply limit the amount of power that machoke can bring to bear, although they are still capable of lifting several tons. The plate can be removed in a pinch, lifting the physiological and psychological limits it imposes on the muscles. Machoke grow incredibly strong as a result, but this comes with a price. While machoke have bones much denser than an ordinary human’s, they are still not nearly strong enough to withstand a machoke’s full strength. Firing off uninhibited punches can literally shatter the pokémon’s body in the process. In the wild the plate is only removed when the pokémon is already dying and wants to accomplish one last thing.

Machamp have two key differences from machoke, one obvious and one not. The visible one is the growth of two new arms, both every bit as strong as the old ones. More subtle, but more important, is the strengthening of bones and connective tissues. A full grown machamp has ligaments with the tensile strength of silicon and bones tough enough to withstand their own punches. Even without removing their plate, machamp can punch 1000 times a second and exert energy equivalent to a kiloton of TNT. Unfortunately for humanity (but fortunately for machamp), the ambient energy that strengthens them dissipates after death, making machamp bones unviable as an industrial material.

Many people are surprised to see how small machamp actually are. Even the tallest of machamp only grow up to one hundred and seventy centimeters. They can still weigh over two hundred and fifty kilograms. Machamp can live up to ninety years in captivity. Wild lifespans are not well documented, but they are probably similar.

Behavior

Machop spend all of their time browsing, sleeping, or training. Their preferred food is shrubby vegetation that is relatively low to the ground. Fruits and root vegetables are also eaten from time to time. Machop train in the evening, usually with other machop but sometimes with machoke or other species. Sparring is their exercise of choice, although more typical strength and flexibility exercises are also mixed in. As they grow older machop will pick a single style of combat and focus all of their energies on it.

Machoke start to branch out and learn other styles of combat from the machamp in their dojo. While machop are somewhat shy, machoke often seek out fights with other pokémon to test their strength and strategy. Many trainers are terrified the first time a machoke jumps into their path and demands a battle. They pose very little risk in practice: the entire line is herbivorous and machoke try not to seriously hurt their opponents. The challenge that looks scary to humans is just a standard greeting in machoke society.

Machamp do not live in the same dojos as machoke and machop. Instead they start to wander the world, settling down only long enough to figure out a new style or move that they did not previously know. Once they have obtained mastery they will move on. Machamp are less aggressive at picking fights than machoke. They tend to hang back and watch others battle before deciding if it’s worth issuing a challenge or not. In the wild machamp often follow apex predators around to watch for prey species that can put up a solid fight.

Husbandry

Many pokémon can live happy lives as household pets or zoo animals. This line is not one of them. Caring for a member of the line requires daily training for both trainer and team. Still, each of them have different training needs.

Very young machop should be exposed to many different fighting-type pokémon or human martial artists. Once they take a special interest in one style, they should regularly be brought back to someone who could teach them. Ideally the trainer would also take lessons at the same time. Machoke prefer rotating between a few different instructors. Teaching others, including their trainer, can also make machoke happy. Machamp simply need a wide variety of opponents and teachers to work through. This is easiest to satisfy in major cities where many different types of people and pokémon are gathered in one place.

Standing water troughs or bottles should be available in the pokémon’s quarters. Machamp can go some time without water, but they drink a lot at once. Their diet should primarily consist of shrubs with small amounts of leaves, roots, shoots, and fruit mixed in. Wild-raised specimens will regulate their own eating. Captive-born machop must be taught to do so, ideally by a machoke. All three stages are easily housebroken. None of them like pokéballs, but they will tolerate them for short periods, especially in the lead up to a major battle.

One of the line’s most endearing qualities is their desire to give back to their community. In the wild this is the dojo for machop and machoke. Machamp are loyal to wherever they are currently training. In captivity this typically means the trainer, the team, and human society at large. As long as training is adequate the pokémon will gladly assist with chores, construction, or even public service. Be aware that machoke and machamp are not built for delicate hand movements. They can safely carry bulky goods, people, or mid-size to large pokémon. Items smaller than their hand are often broken, especially if moving them requires dexterity.

Illness

There are very few theraspids alive. This means that there are very few generalist diseases that affect machamp. The handful of specialist diseases and parasites usually don’t slow the afflicted pokémon down very much, but can nevertheless be easily vaccinated or medicated against.

Machop and machamp recover very quickly from almost all wounds. Machoke do as well, but they are still the most vulnerable stage. Self-inflicted injuries can occur even with the limiting plate intact. These injuries can be quite severe, although most will eventually heal. With the plate removed machoke can literally tear themselves apart. Intentional removal of the plate creates a presumption of pokémon abuse under commonwealth law.

Evolution

Machop flash evolve upon obtaining mastery of their main fighting style. They will flash evolve again after gaining proficiency in about a dozen styles. The first evolution usually occurs around the tenth birthday with the second occurring around the fiftieth birthday. Newly evolved machamp leave their dojo to wander around the wild, only briefly rejoining machoke dojos to breed.

These evolution times are very long. While they can be slightly shorter in captivity, especially for the machoke to machamp evolution, they will still take years or decades to occur.

Battling

Machamp are one of the most metagame defining pokémon in the world. Their serious attacks can bend metal and eventually overwhelm all but the sturdiest of opponents. They can even punch up to a thousand times a second, although these punches aren’t terribly strong. If machamp can reach their opponent they will usually win. Even the bulkiest of walls tend to be steel- or rock-types that fall sooner rather than later. The few pokémon that can take multiple hits can also fall prey to machamp if they have a conventional head. Machamp are prone to striking particularly stubborn opponent’s heads with enough force to cause a concussion. While they seldom outright kill opponents, the attack is disorienting enough to give the machamp and its trainer time to think.

There are a handful of ways to deal with machamp. Many exploit the species’ relatively inaccurate throws by staying at a distance. Ranged flying pokémon can fire at machamp while dodging the occasional rock slide or stone edge. Teleporters can stay away from machamp and fire back with powerful psychic attacks that machamp has no real resistance to. Ghosts can turn intangible to avoid normal blows and then use trickery moves and spectral attacks to wear machamp down. This strategy is risky because machamp are very good at weathering status effects and often only hit harder out of spite. Most machamp have also picked up a dark-type move or two and can punish ghosts that turn intangible but don’t run.

Some dragons can match machamp in brute strength and hold on long enough to run out the switch clock and get a counter in. Fighting-types can usually pull this off, too, by making machamp want to drag out the fight long enough to get a proper measure of their opponent. Rare pokémon that the machamp has not fought before can gain a similar reaction. Some particularly strong fire -type pokémon can either create an inferno so hot that the machamp dares not approach. Water-types with great bulk or speed and a very strong surf or hydro pump can potentially knock a machamp of its feet and keep it pinned and drowning under the crushing torrent of water.

Every serious team needs at least one counter and multiple checks to machamp. Care should be taken not to knock out a pokémon with something machamp can beat until the machamp is taken care of. Otherwise the machamp will easily revenge kill it. Trainers facing machamp should do everything they can to knock it out before the switch timer runs. Otherwise the machamp will be withdrawn and come back in later to score a free knockout on another pokémon.

Machoke are much weaker and a fair bit less bulky than machamp are. This makes them far more manageable to face with strong pokémon that are not particularly weak to it. All of the tactics that can check machamp work extremely well against machoke.

Machop are strong for their size, but not overbearingly so. Facing one in a straight physical brawl isn’t recommended, but at least most similarly experienced pokémon can take a few hits without fainting.

Acquisition

Machoke dojos are typically found in rocky areas where scrub plants are common. The two Alolan dojos are located in Ten Carat Hill and the Vast Poni Canyon.

The best way to lure a machop or machoke away from its dojo is to battle it with a fighting-type pokémon, or something else with a style that it can replicate. If the pokémon takes interest it might decide to focus on that style and come with its new mentor. This can require several days or even weeks living near the dojo, potentially without anything to show for it. Outright capture is not recommended as it may provoke other dojo members. Even if the captor gets away, the pokémon is unlikely to listen to commands.

Machamp capture is not possible or legal in Alola. Newly evolved machamp are typically relocated to a larger landmass where they can explore without getting upset when it runs out of styles to learn. Occasionally the DNR will allow a trainer a chance to bond with a soon-to-be-relocated machamp.

Adoption is possible, especially from injured or elderly trainers who can no longer give their pokémon the attention it needs. Shelters occasionally have machop, machoke, or machamp whose old trainer recently died.

Machop can be captured or adopted with a Class II license. Machoke can be captured or adopted with a Class III license. Machamp can be adopted with a Class IV.

Breeding

Machamp that cross path with a machamp of the opposite sex will engage in a duel. If the winner is impressed, they will mate. The female will lay a clutch of three to five eggs about sixteen days later. She will drop them off at the nearest machoke dojo. Then she will leave. The male will stay another thirty to forty days until the eggs hatch. Then he will leave to resume his travels.

Captive breeding is surprisingly easy. Two machamp brought together will challenge each other. The female will be quite content leaving her eggs with the male’s trainer. Unfortunately, the male is reluctant to directly assist with childrearing. It is best to get at least one machoke to help train the babies on the basics of combat and life skills.

Subspecies

Machamp are native to the mountainous areas, deserts, and dry grasslands of the old world. Occasionally a vagrant machamp will enter into a rainforest, marshland, or prairie but machoke dojos are not found in these locations. Because machamp have wide ranges, genes mix across large distances. As such there is only one machamp subspecies.

 

[Persephone]

Gigalith (Roggenrola, Boldore)

Overview

Gigalith are a popular choice in competitive battling due to their durability and sheer firepower. Boldore have found more use on the concert stage. The line has the peculiar ability to attune and amplify energy waves around them. While gigalith use this to unleash powerful solar beams, roggenrola and boldore generally stick to sound waves or electrical currents. Upscale concert venues typically keep a few sound-tolerant roggenrola around as part of their acoustics system.

Fans of all types of “rock” can usually find a place for the line on their team.

Physiology

All three stages are currently classified as pure-rock types. There is some dispute. Competitive battlers and the leagues that support them often push for gigalith to have am additional fire-typing as they naturally attack with weaponized heat and light. The proposed typing is what trainers facing the line should prepare to deal with. While this view has fallen out of favor in most of the world, it might find success in reclassifying the vulcan gigalith (see Behavior, Subspecies).

Roggenrola have a small, roughly spherical body with three layers. The outside layer is primarily composed of obsidian. It has no curves. It is instead made of flat plates connected by a network of sharp edges. This layer is typically black, but other colors such as brown are not uncommon. A middle layer of basalt comprises most of the pokémon’s weight. The three legs protruding from the body are also made of basalt. These help the roggenrola move, either underground or on the surface. The connective tissue between the main body and the legs is made of Pele’s hair.

The interior is rather different. A hexagonal “ear” connects the interior and exterior. Roggenrola’s core contains a powerful energy crystal that powers them through two evolutions. Quartz structures hold the crystal in place and help it amplify or cancel out energy wavelengths around it. Gigalith can simply nullify any sounds they do not wish to hear; roggenrola, however, are irritated by loud noises or powerful vibrations. Boldore are generally fine with noise as long as they are actively amplifying or otherwise controlling it. Unfortunately for trainers, this means that they are prone to magnifying the sounds of crying babies or loud arguments without being asked to do so. It is only through prolonged exposure to loud sounds and experience controlling them that boldore can learn what sounds humans want amplified and learn to simply ignore or suppress others.

Boldore’s legs have expanded and developed an obsidian coating. Each is also tipped in a colorful crystal tip that helps the pokémon sense the world. The ability to walk on three legs at once makes boldore much better adapted for relatively fast surface movements. Many other crystal spikes protrude from the body. In addition to sensory functions, these help the pokémon control the vibrations around it. Finally, a protective guard develops in the middle of the ear to make direct attacks to the weak point harder.

Gigalith are far larger than a newly-evolved boldore. They also have a much more upright body shape. More connective tissue is visible between the legs and main body. This is necessary as, unlike with boldore, the body typically rests on the ground. It must be raised up above the legs for movement. The legs do not move down with the gigalith when at rest; instead the pokémon simply extends the pele’s hairs down and lowers itself. When it wants to move, the pele’s hair is withdrawn and the body rises up to rest directly on the legs. Gigalith also have four legs, compared to boldore’s three.

The protruding crystals have developed into massive spikes, ridges, and other formations that allow for light absorption and more sophisticated vibration manipulation. The ear-guard has grown and the original ear has separated into two separate ones that do not connect before reaching the core.

A fully grown giglaith can reach a height of 2.4 meters while sitting down, including the crystalline “crest” on top of its head, and weigh over 4000 kilograms. Vulcan gigalith have much shorter lifespans than their continental counterparts. The oldest vulcan gigalith are only about 120,000 years old.

Behavior

Relatively little is known of roggenrola behavior. Most of their life is spent deep underground, and only small glimpses of it are on display when mines cut into their home. By and large, roggenrola seem to do nothing. They will occasionally eat rock by digging into it and letting some slip into their core. This slowly leads to growth. Humans seem to move too quickly to catch the pokémon’s attention. The only way a wild roggenrola will react to people is if they stay almost entirely still for several hours. Even then it can take the pokémon several days to decide to approach.

Boldore spend more of their life on the surface and are thus better understood. They live in flows of fifty to three hundred boldore. The flows slowly migrate over the island they live on, entering different caves and eating minerals found within. If a boldore dies, its body is cannibalized by other members of the flow and the area is left immediately. Boldore are relatively curious about the world and prone to spending years at a time studying interesting things, living or otherwise.

Gigalith tend to stay put for centuries or even millennia. They subsist off of the energy from sunlight, which they absorb with their crystal formations. When damage is sustained from attack or erosion, kinetic vibrations are used to lift the broken obsidian shards and move them back into position. An abrupt burst of heat then seals them in place. While gigalith can use their vibrations to create sandstorms or seismic attacks, or their sunlight absorption to unleash powerful bursts of light or fire, they seldom feel the need to do so. Very little attacks gigalith. Even the invasive larvitar on Akala tend to stick to easier targets, such as geodude, rockruff or boldore.

Small pokémon often use gigalith as a warm perch to rest on, confident that the gigalith will retaliate against anything that tries to start a fight on its body. Small felines are particularly prone to doing this. Psychics have discovered that the gigalith are seldom able to differentiate the cats currently living on them from their distant ancestors.

In general, gigalith seem to have an odd cognitive structure. While recently evolved gigalith and those whose trainers constantly move them around have some ability to identify individuals around them and remember their history and relevance, older wild gigalith are almost unthinking. They react to threats, absorb sunlight, and repair damage. Otherwise they seem to have very little cognition at all. Gigalith simply have no need for thought or memory unless their environment drastically changes. Then and only then will gigalith start accessing memories and slow their relative sense of time down for a long enough period of time to find another sunny perch to sit in.

Husbandry

Roggenrola require a lot of patience. Socializing with them will require a minimum of several hours. Unfortunately, most similarly patient pokémon are other mineral pokémon that roggenrola may try to eat. Even recording devices playing soft music or recorded pokémon sounds are often made of metal and, therefore, are potential food. Roggenrola are also prone to trying to eat tile floors, jewelry, and anything else made of stone. This is much less common if there is a pile of basalt, quartz, obsidian, and miscellaneous igneous rocks in their enclosure. The pile will almost always be more appetizing than other available food sources, especially if the food can outrun the roggenrola. Some particularly curious roggenrola may not be satisfied with the pile and will still attempt to eat other minerals.

Boldore are far more social and curious than roggenrola. Thankfully, this allows them to bond with even somewhat fast-paced pokémon. However, they do require far more socialization than roggnrola do. Frequent attention from either a human or at least one another pokémon (preferably a boldore or roggenrola) is required. Ideally over a dozen boldore would be housed together. The environment should be altered every few months, with new toys added and old ones occasionally removed. Boldore can tolerate, and even enjoy, louder music.

Gigalith are traditionally housed outside, at least during the dry season. They are very comfortable living alone and will seldom interact with humans or other pokémon. For the most part they will sit still and absorb sunlight unless disturbed. Trainers who do wish to bond with their gigalith must battle with it or move it around rather frequently. This has the unfortunate side effect of irritating the pokémon, sometimes to the point of attacking the nuisance trainer.

Rock-type specialists have recently discovered that gigalith enjoy being placed in enclosed structures with retractable glass roofs. The roof can be opened up on sunny days to allow for maximum solar energy absorption and closed on rainy ones to minimize erosion. The setup tends to interest gigalith enough to partially bring them out of hibernation to study their environment. Trainers, especially those with other rock-types, can bond with their pokémon in relative safety. Gigalith enjoy having their obsidian polished but exposed crystal and connective tissue should seldom be touched, much less polished. Even the most social of gigalith will seldom play with toys. However, at least one has become fond of games in which they move around obsidian marbles. Marble games are a good way to train the pokémon in more subtle uses of their vibrations.

Illness

The only way to truly kill a member of the line is by causing irreparable damage to the core. This is usually only possible by specifically targeting the weak point with a powerful attack. Once the core has broken to the point where further functioning is impossible, the pokémon will stop moving and partially collapse. In the wild, it will then be cannibalized by other members of the species. Core damage is borderline impossible to treat in captivity and should be avoided at all costs.

Normal wear-and-tear damage is far easier to fix. A gigalith can simply move the severed portions of its body back into place and seal them there. Roggenrola and boldore prefer to simply eat enough rock to grow larger and replace the damaged area (see Evolution). Medical attention is not typically required and may actively slow the pace of evolution.

Evolution

Roggenrola eat infrequently when they do not need to heal damage. When injured they will immediately eat enough food to not only repair the wound but to actively grow larger when the rocks are repurposed. They evolve into boldore once they reach about 100 kilograms in weight. Battling with roggenrola can make them evolve on a human-friendly timescale rather than on that of a rock. Evolution is marked by a series of abrupt physical and behavioral changes.

Boldore do not go from their first to second evolution quickly, even when near-constant battle. Trainers who wish to one day have a gigalith are advised to start by catching a rather large boldore. After a long period of battle, boldore will start to seek out and eat an unusual amount of crystal. Ideally they will cannibalize parts of an existing gigalith. Memories are stored at the base of crystals, allowing newly evolving boldore to gain some of the memories of a gigalith that came before. As they grow larger, other members of the flow will help move the last pile of obsidian, pele’s hair, quarz, and basalt to a high location with direct sunlight. They will then leave their flowmate behind to complete the final few growths and become the island’s newest gigalith.

Battle

Vulcan gigalith are powerhouses of sun teams or solid physical tanks on weatherless ones. Defensively, gigalith can rely on their obsidian armor to deflect very weak attacks. Stronger, physical ones are prone to shattering the armor into sharp glass that punishes follow up attacks. Beneath the armor is still sturdy basalt protecting the core. The adage goes that the best defense is a good offense, and gigalith also embrace this. Getting a chance to land a hit at all is not common.

Gigalith’s offensive capabilities include extremely powerful solar beams and fire blasts unleashed from the stored energy in the core. Alternatively, gigalith can use vibrations to weaken or create seismic attacks, launch volleys of small rocks, or blunt or slightly redirect beam-based attacks. Powerful sonic attacks are the go-to for gigalith that were trained as boldore to amplify sounds.

The pokémon’s biggest weakness comes from their limited energy supply. Gigalith tend to unleash all their stored power within a few spectacular attacks. Then they must rely on sunlight to recharge themselves. On sun teams this allows them to keep going for quite some time. On weatherless ones, especially if the battle is fought at night, gigalith must spend a substantial amount of time recharging between attacks. While they are still bulky enough to stall out this period, it is not ideal. Gigalith trainers, if they can train their pokémon at all, are encouraged to work on moderating the initial attacks.

On the island challenge, six-on-six battles are rare. This means that gigalith only having a few attacks in them barely matters as most battles can be finished quickly enough. Totem battles in particular can be short with a gigalith’s firepower.

Boldore really prefer not to fight. When placed into battle they will usually attempt to leave the battlefield. They will only attack as a last resort. Boldore used as amps are more likely to defend themselves from the start, using sonic attacks to deter potential attackers. Unfortunately, very loud music is seldom enough to outright knock out a pokémon. Even well-trained boldore that can use rock attacks do not hit particularly hard.

Roggenrola seldom attack anything but other mineral pokémon. The most use they serve is being a very dangerous targe to hurt with melee attacks and potentially stalling out the timer on a pokémon afflicted with toxic poisoning, perish song, or other residual damage.

Acquisition

Roggenrola and boldore are now uncommon on Akala due to predation by introduced larvitar. They were never particularly common on Ula’Ula as it lacks the extensive cave systems of Melemele, Akala, and Poni.

Roggenrola are only found in abandoned mines, cooled lava tunnels, and other caves deep underground. They seldom make an effort to flee from trainers and can usually be caught with a few pokéballs or one great ball without a battle.

Boldore are normally found on the surface, moving between caves and mines as part of their flow. On Melemele they are most common in the stretch of land along Routes 1 and 3 connecting Ten Carat Hill to the Verdant Cavern system. Flows will seldom collectively defend themselves, although individual boldore might fire off a few attacks to prevent capture. Gaining loyalty or imposing meaningful training regimens can be difficult, especially if the flow was about to migrate or was in the process of doing so when the pokémon was captured.

Gigalith can be found at high elevations with direct sunlight. Alola’s largest lives on the steps of the Altar of the Moone. Other notable gigalith live in Wela National Park and at the summit of Ten Carat Hill. Capture of gigalith is illegal due to their very long lifespans and the probability of collateral damage to a protected site during a capture battle.

Roggenrola and boldore can be captured with a Class II license. All stages can be adopted or purchased, often from music or mineral stores, with a Class II license.

Breeding

No one knows how roggenrola are formed. Psychic questioning of gigalith has yet to yield any meaningful results.

Subspecies

Gigalith are separated by the most common minerals they are made from. Vulcan gigalith are scattered throughout the volcanic islands of the Pacific Ocean and are made primarily of basalt and obsidian because of it. Sunlight is seldom an issue during the dry season and rainy seasons can be waited out by entering an even deeper hibernation than normal.

Sandstone gigalith live in the Sahara Desert and Arabian Peninsula. These gigalith are particularly adept at manipulating sand to ensure that they do not get buried by it. Ancient civilizations in the area exploited this by building massive pyramids, pedestals, or temples in their cities. The gigalith would be placed on top, away from nuisances and closer to the sun. In exchange the gigalith would ward off the worst sandstorms and keep the site from being reclaimed by the desert. Most of these ancient gigalith were captured and relocated to European or American museums during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many archeological sites have been covered in sand during the intervening years, and the Egyptian government has formally called on Galar, Kalos, and the United States (among others) to return the rock-types. These pleas have yet to be answered, and at least five of these Egyptian gigalith have been killed on the competitive battling scene.

Continental gigalith are by far the most common subspecies. These gigalith live on every continent but Antarctica and most non-volcanic islands. Japan is a rare exception, as the native aggron and tyranitar have driven the population to extinction. Introduced aggron are steadily reducing the population of gigalith in mainland Europe as well.

This subspecies is almost entirely composed of granite and quartz. While they possess neither the obsidian armor of vulcan gigalith nor the fine sand manipulation of their sandstone counterparts, continental gigalith can grow to be up to five meters tall. They can also live for hundreds of thousands of years, unencumbered by sinking islands, lava flows, or the need to constantly move the sand around them.

 

[Persephone]

Carbink

Overview

Carbink must compete with rockruff for the role of introductory rock-type. Carbink have much easier care requirements, but rockruff have more familiar ones. More trainers had a rockruff or growlithe pet growing up than those that had a sentient rock in the home. There is a perception that the mammalian rockruff are more social and affectionate than the silicon-based carbink. This is actually untrue. While lycanroc can be standoffish, carbink stay affectionate and social throughout their lives. They are also a good introduction to the fascinating world of inorganic mineral pokémon. Trainers who hope to someday wield a magnezone, golem, or gigalith are strongly encouraged to start with carbink.

Physiology

Carbink are classified as dual rock- and fairy-type pokémon. The typing is disputed. Carbink can levitate using electromagnetic repulsion or localized gravity manipulation, but they can also use telekinesis to lift themselves. Diancie have also been confirmed as telepathic. Many of carbink’s utility moves are more aligned with psychic energies than fey ones. Yet, carbink’s main defense in the wild is unleashing moonblasts. They are also nocturnal and prone to congregate outdoors in large groups during full moons. For the time being, the Department of Agriculture has settled on a secondary fairy-typing out of tradition. Further research by geologists and psychics, as well as revelations about diancie, may change the designation.

Carbink have conical and botryoidal bodies. The body’s exterior is composed of basalt. Peridot crystals, silicon, and magnetite make up much of the core. Peridot occasionally grows out through the basalt, exposing the gemstones inside. Mental processing is done with a silicon-based nervous system. The peridot appears to generate, channel, and store energy, although the exact mechanisms for this are poorly understood.

A small “head” sits on top of the main body. Two specialized crystals rest here. While they resemble eyes, carbink are blind. One eye crystal senses radiation and the other is dedicated to picking up electromagnetic waves. Two soft “ears” on top of the head are used to sense movement and sounds through air currents.

A small white mane wraps around the head. This is not part of the carbink’s body. It is actually a lichen. In exchange for a place to live, the lichen helps carbink socialize. The lichen is partially unwrapped with gentle telekinesis and then used to polish another carbink’s protruding gemstones.

Beneath the mane is a small slit for ingesting finely ground rocks. Carbink rarely eat in captivity, only ingesting rocks once every one to two decades. Their digestive system moves equally slowly. As such laboratory studies must be long-term, limiting the amount of research available. In any case, carbink seem to get most of their energy from floating in strong magnetic fields and absorbing moonlight with their peridot crystals.

The largest carbink are around 33 centimeters in height and weigh around twenty-five kilograms.. Analysis of the peridot in carbink has determined that carbink can live for over two million years.

Behavior

Carbink live in social groups, or hardnesses, of thirty to fifty individuals. During the day the carbink retreat into the cooled lava tunnels of Melemele and Poni. On clear nights, especially during full moons, the entire hardness will emerge and bask in the moonlight. Sometimes they will interact with nearby pokémon. Carbink tend to see organic life as both curious and harmless. Some will even approach humans without fear and try to polish eyeglasses or phone screens as a sign of good will.

Telepathic conversations with diancie and continental carbink have hinted at a large underground kingdom filled with carbink and ruled by diancie. This may very well be true for corundum carbink. In Alola this seems not to be the case. Carbink are seldom found deep in the caves of Melemele and Poni. They seem to be entirely absent from the caves of Akala and Ula’Ula where the volcanoes are still active.

The species had very few natural predators before the introduction of sableye. Unfortunately for them, the sableye of Alola prefer to dine on carbink. As such all hardnesses have taken to keeping a few members on sentry duty when inside of caves. Individuals seldom wander away from the main group anymore. Spelunkers have seen carbink floating through the caves en masse, frequently casting dazzling gleams to drive out sableye. A blinding volley of moonblasts follows each successful reveal.

Husbandry

Carbink rarely need to eat. A small tray of gravel can be kept around but is not necessary. On the very rare occasions when it is hungry, a carbink will seek out small rocks to ingest. Carbink should be allowed to bask during full moons, and at least a few other moons a month. This keeps them energetic and allows them to put more energy into battle.

They are rather independent pokémon and, in areas away from sableye populations, can be granted a fair amount of freedom to wander. There is a tradition in Alola where retired people and young children help return lost carbink to their homes.

Sableye are terrible teammates for carbink. The arrangement will end with at least one of them dead. Carbink are naturally distrustful of other ghosts as well. Most lithovores are good teammates for carbink. This is unusual for rock-types and is a major boon for would-be specialists. Carbink simply float above most would-be predators, shrugging off weak attempts to strike them down to earth.

Most people do not realize that carbink are highly intelligent and social pokémon. They resent being stored in their pokéball and prefer to be exploring or floating around near their trainer at almost all times. Mechanical devices, from grandfather clocks to electronics, are fascinating toys to observe. Carbink are also quite good at not frying electronics, although a newly captured carbink will still occasionally break a device. Other pokémon can make for stimulation opportunities as well, and carbink are prone to floating just out of reach of available teammates.

The best way to show affection to a carbink is to gently dust off the stone portions of its body and to polish the exposed gemstones. Do not polish the eye stones.

Illness

It is difficult to seriously hurt a carbink. Carbink typically stop battling when they deplete their moonlight reserves or get bored. Conscientious steel-type trainers will focus on breaking down carbink’s shields and exhausting them rather than going in for the kill. While this does help keep carbink alive, responsible trainers should simply withdraw their pokémon when faced with a potentially fatal matchup.

Carbink can regenerate surface level damage by bathing in moonlight and slowly fusing small stones to their body. Anything that strikes the core or seriously cracks the peridot is likely to be fatal. Surgeries on mineral pokémon are still largely experimental. Surgery is further complicated by carbink’s nature as psychic or fey creatures: once one has been dead for a fairly short period of time, its peridot begins to crumble and the body falls apart. Only well-timed interventions by a small number of ghost, psychic, and fairy-types (sableye included) can prevent this.

Most “illnesses,” such as an abrupt inability to stay floating, are really the result of exhaustion. A break from battling and plenty of time to rest in the moonlight should be enough to fix the problem. More serious cases may require the proximity of a moon stone or healing from a fairy-type such as clefable or comfey.

Evolution

Peridot diancie is currently just a myth. However, corundum diancie exist and it is widely believed they evolve from corundum diancie. As such it is possible that peridot carbink can evolve.

Battle

Carbink are incredibly durable utility pokémon. Most attacks, physical or elemental, simply do not phase them. In the meantime they can set up trick room, reflect, light screen, sunny day, sandstorm, hail, or stealth rock. Magic coat can be used to deter taunt users. The pokémon’s intelligence lets them learn many tricks and use them as necessary.

On balance, carbink are incredibly passive. Even their strongest moonblasts and power gems aren’t enough to put a real dent in anything that is not both weak to the attack and relatively frail. Even on the island challenge carbink struggle as offensive threats. This passivity allows other pokémon to freely set up against them or steadily whittle carbink down. Furthermore, carbink’s role as the ultimate utility pokémon is compromised by their real limit: energy. Once a carbink becomes exhausted it will simply stop battling. This will occur long before it can set up screens, trick room, weather, and hazards. Trainers will need to prioritize the most important field advantage for a given battle.

Acquisition

During the day, carbink are often found just inside the caves under Ten Carat Hill and Vast Poni Canyon. They venture outside at night. Carbink were once common, but the introduction of sableye led to a dramatic decline in their numbers. Sableye themselves are almost entirely gone from Alola due to carbink hunts and DNR action, but the damage has been done. Carbink numbers are unlikely to fully recover before the islands are subsumed by the waves.

The easiest way to catch a carbink is to simply show up in the caldera of Ten Carat Hill or the bottom of Vast Poni Canyon night after night around the time of a full moon. Small gadgets should be gathered and laid out. Interesting but inoffensive pokémon will also help the process. A carbink may eventually take interest in a prospective trainer and agree to travel along for some time. Proving battles are unnecessary.

Breeding

No one has ever documented carbink reproduction. Even the chattiest of carbink do not wish to discuss the matter with psychics. Given the absurdly long lifespans involved, it is probable that no carbink has been born in Alola since the kingdom was founded over five hundred years ago. There are still theories. Early scientists speculated that carbink were formed by the pressures deep within the earth. No active participation by extant carbink was required.

Recent research in mineral pokémon has revealed that most are not formed ex nihilo in this way. Instead, extant members of the species carefully assemble their offspring, either within their own bodies or outside of them. Whether carbink do this, and what involvement diancie might have in the process, is currently a subject of scientific debate.

Subspecies

Carbink on mainland Europe, Africa, and Asia are mostly of the corundum subspecies. These are mostly identical to peridot carbink, except their gemstones are blue or red corundum. The one major biological difference is that these carbink live much longer lives as their homes are not slowly sinking into the waves. Some corundum carbink are over seven million years old.

 

[Persephone]

Sableye

Overview

Sableye were first sighted in 1841 by spelunkers deep in the bowels of Mammoth Cave. They were sighted again in the upper levels of the cave in 1857, and a crypt of sableye explored a nearby farm in 1871. Sableye have since used their stealth and intelligence to find their way across the world, finding new caves and mines to live in.

Despite their unsettling appearance and creepy laughter, sableye do not represent a serious threat to humans. They are, however, an existential threat to gemstone-based pokémon. Carbink populations have plummeted in Alola and are only now starting to level off. Sableye are now rare themselves, although dedicated trainers can find one by spelunking into the depths of Melemele and Poni islands’ cave systems. In return they will find themselves with a surprisingly fast and durable trickster that can slowly wear down opponents many times larger than itself.

Physiology

Sableye are classified as dual ghost- and dark-types. There is a school of thought that sableye should be classified as ghost- and rock-types due to the prominence of crystals in their body. This theory is currently not dominant. Sableye are highly resistant to telepathic assault, can meld into shadows better than most ghosts, and originally lived in total darkness. These traits make them well-qualified for a dark-typing.

Sableye are small bipeds. Their dark purple “skin” is actually a variant of ectoplasm that fades into nearby darkness very well. Each limb ends in three sharp claws. A variety of gemstones rise to the surface of the pokémon’s body, typically on the head and torso. Many sableye have eye-like gemstones. The evolutionary purpose of faux eyes for a creature that lived in total darkness is disputed. It may have helped deter bioluminescent threats, but relatively few have been documented in the Mammoth Cave system.

One of sableye’s more unusual features is often hidden. When leaping or falling, sableye can extend shadowy “wings” from their upper arms, allowing them to make slightly higher jumps or break falls. The wings can also be used to appear larger than the pokémon is, deterring predators and competitors.

Unusually for a phantom, sableye eat like an organic or mineral pokémon. They seldom feed on emotional energies in the wild, although research has suggested that they can passively feed on curiosity and fear. Instead, they primarily feed on rocks, particularly coal and gemstones. Sableye use an unusual curse-like process to break down the rocks into spectral energy that is ingested. Some of the physical stone remains and leaves the body with a gemstone impurity. These stones make sableye harder to take down, but they also gradually slow the pokémon until it is nearly immobile and unable to reliably feed.

Sableye have fluorescent green fluid in their body, presumably fulfilling a similar purpose to blood. The liquid evaporates rapidly at room temperature, forcing sableye to keep their own bodies highly pressurized. Wounds are almost-instantly sealed with a smell stretch of shadowy skin.

The oldest of sableye can weigh up to twenty-five kilograms, although most weigh barely more than ten. Fully grown sableye are forty-five to fifty-five centimeters tall. Captive sableye’s lifespans vary depending on the frequency of gemstone feedings. Specimens fed gemstones every day usually die within ten years of capture. Those fed gemstones sparingly, once a month or less, can live for several decades.

Behavior

Most wild sableye, in Mammoth Cave and around the globe, live far underground in gemstone mines or large cave systems. They live in crypts of four to eleven individuals. Most of their diet seems to be made up of limestone, with slate and granite rounding out their meals. Gemstones such as quartz, peridot, diamond, and corundum, are less frequently consumed but highly desired. Most of the gem is ingested and transformed into spectral energy. Some remains and physically fortifies the body, boosting the pokémon’s strength and durability at the cost of speed.

The depths of Mammoth Cave are still poorly understood. Strange energy fields block teleportation to and from all but the uppermost caverns and tunnels. This makes exploration even more dangerous, as there is no good means of escape should something go wrong. Drones that attempt to explore the deep reaches of the cave system are quickly destroyed, usually by curious sableye. The spelunking expeditions that dare to venture down are notoriously unlucky, with electronics breaking, fires quickly going out, and strange accidents plaguing the crew. Many camps have been found years or decades after the fact, stones and gemstones consumed but otherwise intact. The remains of spelunkers are rarely found.

All of these obstacles mean that not much is understood about the environment sableye first adapted to. A need to defend against predators would explain the slow accrual of gemstone armor and social behaviors. Lithovores and the rare predator of phantom pokémon go after sableye in other parts of the world. There are roggenrola in the Mammoth Cave system, but it is the unencumbered, young sableye that can climb up stalagmites and cling to stalagtites that fair best against roggenrola. Very old sableye often meet their end at the hands of the small rock-types.

Circumstantial evidence suggests an agile but weak predator, making a lithovore unlikely. There are many ghost-types in Mammoth Cave, but most seem to prey on living pokémon or the humans that wander in. Others wander up to the surface to hunt. A handful have been documented feeding on other ghost-types when starving, but this does not seem to be a common occurrence. Scholars, paranormal enthusiasts, and spelunkers continue to speculate on the identity of Mammoth Cave’s apex predator.

Sableye usually just dig for their food. On occasion they will have individual crypt members lure a target away from its social group, only for the others to surround and overwhelm it in the darkness. Carbink is their most common target in Alola, although they will occasionally go after a stray roggenrola or boldore.

Unfortunately for sableye, carbink have adapted to their presence. Individuals rarely stray from their hardness. Carbink have also been documented hunting the ghost-types by scouring the cave system, flushing out sableye with dazzling gleam, and then going for the kill with repeated fairy-type attacks. What sableye remain typically live deep inside the cave systems of Poni and Melemele, away from the territory of carbink. It is presumed that they just dig for rocks rather than hunt them, but it is difficult to document sableye behavior. Spelunkers are likely to miss them in the darkness, and cameras are quickly dismantled or devoured by sableye or other lithovores.

Husbandry

Do not keep sableye on a team with carbink, minior or a member of the gigalith line. Conversely, lithovores that are faster than sableye are prone to hunting them. Garchomp and gabite are particularly likely to eat their would-be teammate.

About 80% of sableye’s diet should be made up of limestone, with shale, magnetite, and granite making up the rest. Sableye should eat about two hundred milligrams of stone a week. Gemstones should either be mixed into the diet or presented as a reward on special occasions. Quartz is the most cost-efficient means of meeting this need for most trainers, although those living in some parts of Ula’Ula and Akala may find obsidian easier to come by.

Gemstones should be kept away from sableye in the home, but this is a futile endeavor in the long run. Sableye are intelligent, patient, and have very sharp claws. In time they will pilfer any gemstones in their home. Many trainers do not think to protect their electronics. Synthetic diamond is extremely useful for absorbing heat. Quartz semiconductors are also common. Between the two, sableye are known to rip apart computers, phones, and gaming consoles to get to the gemstones inside. There is no cheap way to safeguard these, beyond experimental technology that withdraws pokémon when they cross certain boundaries. This is generally useless on the strongest of pokémon, but it can work for the relatively small sableye. Keeping the electronics in a room with constant, extremely bright lighting can also help deter the ghost-types.

It is unwise to let a sableye out in public unless it is constantly supervised. Trainers otherwise run the risk of their pokémon eating something rather expensive.

Sableye living in one place should have a space dedicated to them. It should be kept dark, humid, and cool at almost all times. The sounds of running water help calm sableye, but it may be difficult to play the sounds with a device that the sableye will not dismantle or eat. Poles, especially stone poles, help sableye interact with their environment as they would in the wild. Sableye also enjoy scratching posts, most cat or dog toys, blocks of ice, and, strangely, stuffed animals. These toys can be occasionally placed in or removed from the habitat or moved around within it to stimulate the pokémon.

Zoos and farms typically keep entire crypts of sableye to ensure that social needs are met and reduce the need for toys. Individual trainers, especially traveling ones, should spend lots of time with the pokémon to help compensate for the absence of conspecifics. Other ghost-types will rarely prey upon sableye and make for decent companions or playmates. If nothing else, sableye see other ghost-types as fascinating creatures to observe.

Polishing the protruding gemstones is a good method of bonding with a sableye. Even the eyes can be polished with no negative reaction. Physical affection, by contrast, is not recommended due to sableye’s sharp claws.

Battling can also serve as enrichment, especially against opponents that have little to no chance of harming sableye. They are cruel pokémon that enjoy steadily wearing their opponents down while dodging hits or shrugging off damage.

Illness

As they are not aminivores, sableye do not suffer from the same illnesses as most ghost-types. Most sableye illnesses instead stem from physical damage. Blood loss and massive trauma, especially if it damages crystals, can result in difficulty moving or reforming, loss of senses, an inability or unwillingness to eat, memory loss, or strange deviations in future crystal growth. The causes and treatments for all of these illnesses are poorly understood. Prevention is the only real solution. Keep sableye out of fights with very powerful fairy-types or pokémon that can strike with enough power to instantly shatter gemstone.

At the end of their natural life, sableye are gradually encumbered by their gemstones to the point where they can no longer move. In the wild they will be killed by lithovores. Captive sableye can survive for some time longer, but eventually will die when they can no longer eat. Their gemstones survive them, making sableye farming a difficult but lucrative venture. A great deal of small, low-quality gems must be fed to a sableye but, in turn, a few pure, massive gemstones will be harvested.

Evolution

There is some debate as to whether the oldest sableye, encumbered by their gems, constitute a separate evolutionary stage from younger ones. At present most paranormal studies researchers reject this view. The oldest of sableye are differentiated from the youngest only by the exaggeration of a single feature that the youngest already possess. There is no substantial difference in size or biological processes. Even their elemental signatures are nearly identical.

Sableye are capable of mega evolution. The process removes all the gemstones from the pokémon’s body and reforms them into a single large one outside of it. This gemstone can be used as a powerful shield and a source of energy for spectral attacks. However, sableye will faint and the mega evolution will be reversed if they come out of contact with the gem for more than a few seconds. This makes mega sableye bulkier and stronger at the cost of speed and stealth. Competitive battlers and analysts are torn over whether mega sableye is better than its base form.

Battle

Sableye are a quintessential component of quick stall teams. Their ability to slip in and out of shadows to dance around attacks helps them dodge hits. Weak attacks can be tanked and then shrugged off with recover or pain split. In the meantime, sableye can wear down opponents with taunt, night shade, and will-o-wisp.

Strong attackers and fairy-types with dazzling gleam can overpower sableye before it can be too annoying. However, powerful normal- and fighting-type pokémon may need to rely on elementally charged attacks to hit sableye in the first place.

In practice, sableye is disadvantaged by the tendency of competitive matches to take place on open fields of dirt or grass under bright lighting. There are relatively few places to hide and shadows to move in. There are also few things to climb on to use for escape or a better attacking point.

The island challenge is a very good environment for sableye. Few pokémon can harm the average sableye. Most totem matches and some kahuna battles will take place in non-standard battling environments, such as caves and buildings. These environments present plenty of opportunities for sableye to avoid and wear down opponents.

The main drawback of sableye on the challenge is the difficulty of feeding them. Rocks are heavy and, unlike most lithovores, sableye are not able to help carry the weight. Teaching sableye all the tricks they need to win matches with passive damage can also take time and money.

Acquisition

The easiest way to find sableye is to go spelunking into the depths of either Verdant Cavern or Ten Carat Hill. Deep down in the tunnels, sableye start to appear. The pokémon are not particularly shy, but they are also difficult to spot in a dark cave system. Laying out bait of some sort, such as a large quartz crystal, is the best way to lure them out. Then more quartz should be shown, with the implicit promise that there will be more waiting on the surface. After a quick proving battle, the sableye will follow its new trainer.

There are very few restrictions on sableye capture given their status as a particularly destructive invasive species. Anyone with a Class II license can capture them, and they can be handed over the DNR or sold on the open market for a fair bit of money. In turn, importing sableye is illegal and purchases with the intent to keep the pokémon in the region are discouraged. Sableye that would be placed up for adoption are usually either put down or transferred to the mainland.

Breeding

Sableye do not have sex and do not appear to have gender. Any two sableye can mate. The pair gathers a few small gemstones. Then they both pour shadows into the stones, creating a new sableye nearly as large as its parents. Newborn sableye are not particularly durable but can slip in and out of shadows with ease.

Captive breeding is prohibited on Alola. While a few laboratories breed sableye as part of their research on phantom pokémon reproduction, the captive demand is easily met by capture from the places where sableye are disrupting ecosystems.

Subspecies

None known.

 

[Persephone]

Mawile
Mendax magnicornu cinere

Overview

Mawile’s central appeal to trainers lies in their rare combination of cuteness and danger. They are adorable pokémon prone to playing up their innocence and acting like a petulant preschooler. Mawile also have sharp teeth, an astonishingly powerful bite, and a sadistic streak. Despite their lethality and notorious temperament, mawile almost never attack their trainer. The species gives plenty of warning before biting anything but its usual prey. Most victims of mawile attacks are children who are unable or unwilling to respect the pokémon’s boundaries.

Trainers that don’t plan on having children of their own might be drawn to mawile as a substitute. Fairy-type specialists used to navigating the whims of the fey may find mawile to be a good addition to the team due to its near-immunity to toxins and ambivalence towards cold iron. Some trainer just want a sense of danger in their lives without actually catching a pokémon that attacks unprovoked. Regardless, mawile make for a good battler and pet so long as their needs are met and their boundaries are respected.

Physiology

Mawile are classified as dual steel- and fairy-type pokémon.

There is fierce debate as to whether mawile are a mineral pokémon or an organic one. They have the organ systems that one would expect from a mammal of its build, but much of its body is made of metal. The parts that are made of flesh, such as the skin, muscles, and digestive tract, tend to have metal closely bound to the organic material. Iron sheaths protect blood vessels. The blood, unsurprisingly, has an extremely high amount of copper and iron in it. As is fitting for a borderline organic-inorganic pokémon, mawile eat both minerals and meat.

Mawile are bipeds. Their skin is pale yellow, as is most of their fur. The head is hairless, with progressively thicker and longer fur going down. The fur at the end of the pokémon’s limbs is black. Three sharp claws adorn the hands and feet. Mawile have very large eyes to help them see in the dark. Prehensile ears extend from the forehead, most of their length covered in a thin coat of black fur.

The pokémon’s most distinctive feature is their horn. The horn is made almost entirely of a blend of iron alloys. It is long and black, making it appear as a large ponytail at a glance. The horn is prehensile and can be opened to reveal a second mouth. The bite force comes not from muscles, but from a series of electromagnets that can be turned on or off. When activated, the magnets draw the horn closed with over 3000 PSI of pressure. Between their serrated teeth and awesome bite force, mawile can kill most small pokémon in a single attack. All but the toughest pokémon can be grievously wounded by a bite, especially since mawile’s small stature lets them target feet and legs in order to knock opponents off balance and limit future movements. This allows mawile to simply wait around for particularly dangerous prey to die of blood loss or starvation. Mawile can swallow food with their horn, and the lack of taste buds makes it useful for eating food that the pokémon dislikes.

Early scholars theorized that mawile were formed when a gumshoos fetus partially split, creating two heads. This theory fell out of favor when genetic sequencing showed that mawile’s closest living relative is rhyhorn, making the second mouth a horn. More recent studies have led to a variant of the earlier theory. Mawile fetuses, when accounting for their low amount of organic tissue, have extremely high amounts of the sonic hedgehog protein. The protein is associated with facial width; in other animals a high amount can lead to the partial or total development of multiple faces. Similar protein levels are seen in pokémon such as dodrio that naturally have multiple heads. At some point, a rhyhorn mutated to have two heads. Some of these mutants may have survived, and eventually evolved into a form that could make better use of having a second mouth.

Mawile can grow up to two feet tall, horn excluded, and weigh over forty pounds. They typically live for fifty years in captivity; their wild lifespan is unknown.

Behavior

Mawile are solitary pokémon that usually live inside of cave systems, especially those with large crystal deposits. Mawile enjoy eating energy-laden crystals, whether they come from pokémon or not. Sableye and carbink are some of their preferred prey. However, mawile are unable to jump very high and even with their long horn mawile have a limited vertical reach. As such, sableye are much easier targets than carbink. The small population of mawile in Ten Carat Hill helps check the local sableye population, and the DNR has flagged the species as having a low priority for removal.

Mawile often investigate strange objects, especially metallic ones, by eating them. Cameras in mawile territory tend to meet quick ends. Most of what is known about mawile comes from their behavior in captivity and near the surface. The pokémon often comes to the entrances of caves to hunt for meat. In the rainy season, mawile will go outside from one cave entrance, get soaked, and then go to another entrance. It will make a big show of being cold and vulnerable, tucking their horn down and keeping it shut. If a maternal pokémon takes pity on the mawile and tries to snuggle, it will be ripped apart and eaten.

The problem with this strategy is that pokémon with sophisticated enough social systems to feel sympathy for a pokémon of another species quickly learn not to trust the mawile in their range. Mawile eventually need to stray farther from the cave to find berry bushes. Mawile can stand in berry bushes and emit a sweet-smelling scent from a gland near the back of the horn’s mouth. When something small and relatively slow approaches the bush, mawile will snap them up. Smaller prey are eaten whole.

Alternatively, mawile can hunt in still, murky water by wading in and breathing through their second mouth, the rest of their body concealed underwater. When something approaches for a drink or swim, it can be snapped up and held underwater until it drowns. This comes at the risk of the mawile itself drowning and is only done in areas with no good prey to con at cave edges and no berry bushes to hide in. Underwater ambush hunting can also be done inside of shallow, slow-moving cave streams. The water washes away the mawile’s scent leaving them free to keep the entire horn above water rather than just the tip. Some particularly gutsy mawile will even keep their face above the surface. When something approaches for a drink, mawile will sense the movement, lunge forward, and either break the prey’s neck or drag them into the stream to drown.

Mawile lead solitary lives when not nursing or raising young childrene. They strictly enforce territorial boundaries within caves, although main thoroughfares for getting to and from the surface seem to be shared. Mawile that encounter each other in shared spaces may still become aggressive. However, it is more likely that the two will ignore each other entirely, keeping wide distances. Mawile refuse to look at other mawile, with the exception of current mates and children. Even in the thick of fights mawile prefer to keep their backs turned on each other and fight with their horns. Looking directly at another mawile is considered an act of submission.

This reluctance mostly extends to humans. Many trainers are confused when their pokémon refuses to look directly at them, preferring to watch their trainer through mirrors or furtive glances. On the rare occasion when they will look at their trainer, it is typically to ask for something with wide, pleading eyes and pathetic mewling.

When mawile do strike humans, it is usually after first begging and then pouting with a fearsome glare and a stamp of the foot. If this goes unanswered, they will nudge and then slap their horn into the human’s leg. Then and only then will they attack. The best way to avoid mawile attacks is to not take anything from them, especially mega stones and other beloved crystals.

Husbandry

Mawile eat a mixture of meat and minerals. They prefer their meat raw. Cooked meat or even cat or dog mixes can work in the short term, but the mawile will be displeased. Eventually, displeasure will give way to tantrums, and then to attempted violence or escape. The pokémon may suddenly appear to get over their displeasure when it starts eating nearby wild pokémon, strays, and any pets that get a little too close to the mawile and a little too far away from their trainer. Mawile have prodigious appetites and will eat as much as they can. The minimum amount of meat they should be fed in a week is half their body weight split over one to four feedings. Because they are quite heavy, this is a lot of food. More will be needed if the specimen is regularly battling.

They are less gluttonous for metal. Iron, cobalt, aluminum, and magnesium scraps will be eaten with the horn, but mawile only require about one-fifteenth of their body weight a week in metal. Very young individuals require more, and very old ones require slightly less. It is best to let mawile eat their fill of metal, as they will stop eating when their needs are met. A small dish of water should be made available, although mawile will use it infrequently unless they are only given dried meat or kibble.

Mawile can be housebroken. They prefer shallow pans of litter to proper boxes as it is difficult for them to fit their body and horn into a standard box.

As intelligent pokémon, mawile require frequent enrichment. They are quite possessive of their favorite toys and beds. If a toy must be cleaned, it is best to lead the mawile to the washing and drying machines so they can watch over it. Some mawile have been taught how to do their own laundry. This usually requires strategically placed stepladders to compensate for the pokémon’s short stature. In general, mawile prefer if many locations in the home are accessible for them so they can at least pretend to do human things. Whether they find this to be a form of helping, a game, or a sort of mockery is unclear. Trainers with translator pokémon have suggested that it may be a mix of the three.

Mawile, like most steel-types, enjoy being polished. This only extends to their horn; the exposed metal on their claws should not be polished. Despite their cuteness and human-like appearance, mawile resent having ribbons or other clothing placed on them. Attempts to make them wear an outfit for Halloween or a beauty contest typically result in some form of retaliation, such as the trainer’s entire wardrobe being shredded or a water pipe being torn open.

Illness

Mawile are very resistant to rust due to enzymes in their blood. Still, mawile that have been underfed or hurt in battle may begin to rust from the inside out. This is the most serious of mawile illnesses and can only be treated by blood transfusion from another mawile. Early warning signs include exhaustion, an inability to open the horn, and anorexia. It is best to treat internal rust as soon as possible as damage may not be reversible.

Evolution

Mawile’s mega evolution results in the pokémon growing an extra horn and gaining a much more powerful bite in each one. Unusually, some wild mawile can mega evolve. There have also been wild mega mawile documented that never seem to revert, even when seriously hurt. Captive mawile can retain their mega-evolved state for much longer than most species can. Some trainers have reported that their mawile has figured out how to mega evolve on its own after years of practice with a trainer’s help.

There is a school of thought that mawile’s mega form is actually a stone-facilitated evolution. The working name for the proposed evolution is mysdouble.

Wild and captive mawile are extremely possessive of their mega stones and will resort to lethal violence to protect or retrieve them. Trainers should rely on soothing words, lots of patience, and very thick gloves when they must take one away. Even then, it is best to simply wait until the pokémon trusts the trainer with its stone before even attempting to remove it.

Battle

Mega mawile, or mysdouble, is a phenomenally powerful fairy-type that can (literally) rip apart most opponents while shrugging off hits that most fairies quickly succumb to. This makes mysdouble one of the most popular pokémon in Kalos’s league, due the region’s love of both mega evolution and fairy-types.

Ordinary mawile is still usable in the circuits that ban mega evolution, although it is seldom used by anyone but fairy-specialists looking to patch up a team weakness. As slow ambush predators, mawile rely on prey getting close to its prey while it is relaxed. Neither of these are likely to happen in a standard fight, even with the use of fake tears. A devastating bite is simply not helpful if nothing ever gets into biting range.

Mawile still make very effective counters to some fighting-types that have to get in close to unleash their full power. Between a powerful bite and a strong play rough, mawile can easily put down melee fighting-types that rely on stone edge or rock slide for ranged coverage. This is particularly true on the island challenge or in street tournaments where casual trainers are somewhat unlikely to have taught their melee attackers more than one option for striking at a distance.

The best way to counter mawile is to use ranged attackers and fliers to stay well out of the way of a bite. Mawile’s ranged options tend to be relatively weak, as the pokémon’s ordinary muscles have nothing on its magnet-powered bite.

Acquisition

Mawile are found in the caves and caldera of Ten Carat Hill, as well as in the surrounding forests. The prior description of mawile hunting techniques can be used to locate one. The easiest way to get a mawile to come with a prospective trainer is to display a mega evolution. This will entice the mawile into coming along in hopes of finding a mega stone. Presenting an actual mega stone to a wild mawile is a terrible idea: the pokémon will try to kill the trainer and walk away with the stone. This is only recommended with multiple strong mawile checks present to show that the stone can not be taken by force. This is still a dangerous strategy, as the scuffle may attract even more mawile.

Since mega evolution is not accessible to the average trainer, offering donations of meat and quartz is a good alternative. Coming back to the same territory regularly will allow for chances to bond with the mawile and eventually pave the way for capture. It is legal to feed wild mawile, but there must be intent to capture and a ranger must be notified beforehand.

Mawile are not easily bullied into submission. Instead, they must be treated with kindness and deference until the pokémon sees their trainer as either a true friend or an easy mark.

A few specialty breeders on Melemele regularly hatch mawile eggs. Most are bred and raised specifically for either battle or contests, making them rather expensive. The babies that don’t take to either can sometimes be purchased for a reduced price.

Mawile can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class II license.

Breeding

Mawile mate every five years. One of the only times a wild mawile will look directly at another is when a female evaluates a suitor. If she is interested the two will mate and the male will leave. The female will be pregnant for roughly five months before laying one large egg. The egg will then be presented to the male to guard. Males raise the offspring for roughly three years before kicking the babies out and leaving them to find their own territory. In the unlikely event that the male dies during the pregnancy, the female will reluctantly raise the offspring herself.

Captive mating requires having pens for two separate mawile. Males and females can occasionally meet in a common area for evaluation and, if a suitable match is found, mating. Mawile are not shy about mating. Both should then be separated until the egg is laid, at which point the female should be allowed to personally present it to the male. Removing a mawile’s egg is a terrible idea that will end in lots of property damage at best or multiple deaths at worst.

Males will accept plenty of help raising the children, as mawile do not seem to actually enjoy doing this. As long as he can make sure that the children are fed and generally healthy, he will be content to sit back and let his trainer do much of the childrearing. Mawile that are going to be sent to battlers can be trained from a young age to play fight. Future coordinator pokémon can slowly be acclimated to wearing clothing and holding back from doing anything too grisly in battle.

Relatives

There are two mawile species, each with several subspecies. Cave mawile (M. tenebris spp.) are generally larger and have proportionally more metal. Their eyesight is very poor or nonexistent. They live in cave systems where organic food is relatively abundant. They have no real need to leave their cave. Instead, they tend to reside at the deepest depths and subsist primary on the crystals found there. The kalosian mawile is the most famous example, but they have a curious quirk not seen in other cave subspecies. Kalosian mawile (M. t. tricapita) do not seem capable of breeding in captivity; there is some speculation that only mysdouble can successfully mate.

Forest or surface mawile (M. mendicornu spp) tend to spend less time in their cave and more time on the surface looking for food. These mawile have more developed scent glands and more powerful bites, at the cost of having less armor as they have less time to forage for metal and crystal. The mawile in Alola are descended from Galarian mawile (M. m. pernicius) a subspecies that can spend days or even weeks at a time outside of caves. In Alola the abundance of food lets them spend more time inside of Ten Carat Hill. Over a few generations they have gained heavier armor while retaining most of their bite strength. Kalosian mawile are the most popular for their size and ease of mega evolution, but Alolan mawile are starting to gain popularity abroad. A few breeders have already begun to cater to this demand.

 

[Persephone]

It's Sunday somewhere, isn't it?

Lycanroc (Rockruff)

Overview

Lycanroc were probably domesticated or semi-domesticated when they first came to Alola. Since then they have lapsed back into wild behaviors. The indigenous people lived in close quarters with lycanroc, even hunting together on occasion, but they are not friendly and subservient in the same way as domesticated dogs. They are only ever tame. This makes them a poor choice for a first canine pokémon. Still, the captive-bred population is much larger than Alola’s other wild canines like houndoom and ninetales. Trainers who grew up with a stoutland or eevee but want to train a more challenging dog on the trail may be well-served by a stand-offish but loyal lycanroc.

Physiology

Rockruff and lycanroc are currently classified as pure rock-types. There is a significant minority of scientists that supports a secondary normal typing as the current typing is misleading given lycanroc’s actual physiology. The USDA is set to hold hearings on the matter beginning in April 2020.

Both stages are primarily organic. The only parts that identify it as a rock-type are their claws, collar, rib guard, and horn. Their claws are primarily made of gabbro, a common mineral in oceanic crust. A layer of gabbro also surrounds their ribs to protect internal organs from attack. Lycanroc have a gabbro horn extending from their forehead. The horn first appears after evolution and continues to grow as they age. Rockruff have a series of small “pebbles” growing from the skin on their neck. In lycanroc four of these grow into prominent horns that make it difficult to strike at the pokémon’s weakest point.

Rockruff are small canines. Their goat is usually light brown but tan, orange, red, black, and white coats have also been observed. The mane around their neck and the tuft of fur around their tail are almost always white. Rockruff have a powerful sense of smell, even by canine standards. Rockruff can sometimes track prey that passed by three to five days ago. On balance, their sense of vision is weak.

Rockruff and lycanroc supplement these weaknesses by a form of geosensory. The rocks on their body are used to attune them to the surrounding earth. This lets them sense the position of the rocks around them. It also makes their rock-type attacks particularly potent. Lycanroc can use these abilities to run up near-vertical cliff faces and sense the footsteps of prey nearly a kilometer away. This ability is thrown off by the loose sands of beaches and the Haina Valley. This weakness can be mitigated with extensive practice.

There are three different forms of lycanroc. These are not currently considered distinct species, but the matter will be reviewed along with their typing in the upcoming USDA hearings. These three forms are formally known as the diurnal, nocturnal, and crepuscular lycanroc. Breeders and hobbyists often refer to them as the midday, midnight, and dusk lycanroc, respectively. The rest of this guide will use the formal terminology.

Diurnal and crepuscular lycanroc have similar builds to rockruff. Their limbs, claws, tales, and manes grow longer. If it weren’t for the growth of a horn and neck spikes, they probably would not be classified as being distinct from rockruff. Diurnal lycanroc are nearly blind and hunt almost entirely based on smell, hearing, and geosensory. Crepuscular lycanroc have the strongest sight of the three, including a limited range of color vision. They are well known for their flamboyant coats during the mating season. Their hearing and geosensory are somewhat weaker than their diurnal counterparts.

Nocturnal lycanroc are much different than rockruff. Their muscles and bones are aligned so that they can easily sit upright with their forepaws in the air. Some even learn to walk on two legs for short distances. Lycanroc wrists are built in such a way that they can grip objects more easily than the average dog. Only nocturnal lycanroc are in a position to fully exploit this. They can carry objects in one paw while walking on the other three. Their rib guards grow out to extend through the skin. The nocturnal form’s mane grows to be longer and extend all the way up to the horn. This makes the pokémon look larger than it actually is. The eyes of the nocturnal form glow red in the dark. This is the only purpose of the eyes, as nocturnal lycanroc are fully blind. Finally, the nocturnal form has a much darker coat than rockruff. Some even have blood red fur.

Lycanroc seldom bark. Their more common vocalizations are hisses, growls, screams, chortles, snorts, and purrs.

All forms grow to a height of roughly eighty centimeters at the withers. They can weigh over twenty-five kilograms. Males are usually slightly larger than females. Wild specimens seldom live for more than seven years, but captive ones can live for up to twenty.

Behavior

Rockruff are typically curious and prone to exploring the world around them, almost always under the aegis of their nearby mother. As soon as a rockruff’s eyes open they will begin to pick fights with small bugs and other weak pokémon. Sometimes they will even engage with a larger opponent. As long as the enemy at least puts up a good show for the rockruff the mother will let it leave alive. Anything that dares to ignore or hurt her child will suddenly find itself dealing with an angry lycanroc.

With the sole exception of mothers and young children, crepuscular lycanroc live alone. They use their vision and intelligence to try and hunt one or two small pokémon every dusk and dawn. After their hunts they will usually retreat to a secure burrow or cliff face to sleep through the night and day. Days with cloudy skies and nights with bright moonlight are a rare chance for the crepuscular lycanroc to play. During these times they will often find herds of pokémon, especially mareep, and run alongside them. Crepuscular lycanroc are easily fast enough to kill their playmates, but they choose not to. There is some evidence that they actually target species that dare to hurt mareep in their range. This has made them surprisingly popular with the ranchers of Paniola despite the occasional lost sheep to an injured lycanroc unable to hunt its usual prey.

Diurnal lycanroc live in mated pairs raising their most recent litter and sometimes the litter before it. Their territories are regularly patrolled to make sure that other lycanroc are not intruding. Watering holes are usually considered common ground and territorial ranges often converge there. Diurnal lycanroc are snipers, using geosensory and geokinesis to fire off small rocks with incredible speed and unerring accuracy. They blend in among the rocks until something gets into their range. Then it is killed with a few accelerocks. Lycanroc can hunt prey up to three hundred meters away from them. Fathers are the primary caregivers of weaned pups. They use their superior size to protect the children while the female hunts.

Despite their fearsome appearance, nocturnal lycanroc are the most social. Families are still tight-knit and spend most of their time by themselves. Hunts are often coordinated affairs of three to five families. They primarily target creatures larger than themselves. Lycanroc compensate for their blindness by using harsh screams and a fearsome appearance to scare prey into running. From there they can use their geosensory to track its movements. The packs will take turns harassing the prey until it is worn down or babies fall behind. From there the lycanroc will finish the prey with a powerful claw swipe to the neck. This is where their bipedal attacking stance and superior jumping ability come into play. Rockruff are brought along to most hunts. It is believed that they help the blind adults aim so that they can more reliably strike the vital points of their targets.

Husbandry

Standard canine kibble is a good base for a rockruff or lycanroc diet. Meaty bones and gabbro or bastalt can supplement the diet. Some breeders and trainers feed their pokémon the whole carcasses of small pokémon. Despite being rock-types, the lycanroc line do need to drink lots of water and should always have access to a bowl.

Rockruff can be trained to defecate and urinate outside if training starts from a young age or another, older canine can model the behavior. Wild-caught lycanroc seldom learn.

The diurnal and nocturnal lycanroc are social creatures that expect near-constant attention from either other pokémon or their trainer. Training them with another canine is the best approach. Try to make sure that the canine companion is active at the same times of day. Otherwise, the two may fight over when to play and when to sleep. Lycanroc love climbing structures made up of a boulder pile or rock wall.

Earlier guidebooks suggested that rockruff needed to be dominated in such a way that they would recognize their trainer as an alpha. No affection was allowed as it was a sign of weakness, and showing weakness to a large predator who lives in your house is dangerous. Recent scholarship has revealed that lycanroc do not form strict social hierarchies. Instead, their packs are made up of parents and children, with the former expecting some level of submission from the latter. Lycanroc parents are still prone to doting on their children. While lycanroc’s horns and claws make them poor cuddling partners, physical and social affection is very much encouraged. Grooming serves a double purpose of reinforcing social bonds and looking after the pokémon’s health.

Lycanroc do become increasingly temperamental as they approach evolution. This is where boundaries will need to be enforced, ideally by another large canine. A quick recall also works. The pokémon will calm down when the evolution is completed. Trainers who keep a firm hand but show plenty of affection through the process will find their new lycanroc to be intensely loyal to them.

All lycanroc can open doorknobs. Nocturnal lycanroc are particularly prone to doing this. All locks that lycanroc are not supposed to open should be childproofed. Any yard they have access to should be fenced off by a barrier at least two meters high. This is because lycanroc are actually quite skittish towards intruders and prefer that they be kept out. It also keeps overeager rockruff contained. Fences meant to contain rockruff will need to extend below the ground for at least one meter.

Illness

Like most dogs, lycanroc are prone to getting worms. Deworming medication should be administered every two months to fully grown lycanroc and monthly for rockruff. The Alolan government requires that all captive rockruff and lycanroc be vaccinated against rabies, distemper, parvovirus, and hepatitis.

Evolution

Lycanroc begin to evolve around their first birthday. Evolution is marked by a period of rapid growth and physical changes. The entire process takes roughly six months to complete. This is well understood. What is not well understood is the mechanism that determines which form the rockruff evolves into. The earliest theorists pointed to astrology and other omens. Charles Darwin theorized that it had to do with what rocks they were fed. The leading theory at present is that the form is determined by nearby predator and prey species. In areas with few other predators and abundant prey, lycanroc can afford to become solitary, diurnal hunters. Areas with competing predators and abundant nocturnal prey will lead to evolutions into nocturnal lycanroc. If the prey is mostly diurnal, then diurnal lycanroc is the most probable evolution.

Replicating these conditions in captivity is difficult.

Alola is brimming with predators. Unless trainers can afford a large, well-fenced property keeping them away is nearly impossible. This makes crepusclar lycanroc very common in Australia, where there are few competitors, and virtually non-existent in Alola. Some trainers have had luck evolving them on Aether Paradise or the minor outlying isles. Others go the extra mile and travel outside the region to evolve their rockruff.

In practice lycanroc most often evolve to match the habits of their smaller traveling companions. A lycanroc raised on a team with plenty of diurnal pokémon will likely take that route. The inverse is true for a team of night-lovers. Temporary acquisitions of gumshoos or raticate can help lead the rockruff down the favored path. These methods do not guarantee success and Alola’s shelters frequently receive lycanroc that either evolved into the wrong form or proved too difficult to handle during evolution.

This is a problem as lycanroc do not rehome well at all (see Acquisition).

Battle

Lycanroc are powerful enough to be used in competitive battling, but not so powerful that they are a mainstay. Champion Selene’s crepuscular lycanroc has led to an increase in the specie’s usage.

Crepuscular lycanroc are quite fast and have sharp claws and teeth. This makes them solid rush-down attackers that can constantly press the attack. Landing a solid hit on them is also difficult due to their well-placed spikes. Opponents that rely on their jaws find crepuscular and diurnal lycanroc to be particularly difficult opponents. Crepuscular lycanroc can also be taught accelerock, the signature trick of the diurnal lycanroc. Theirs will never be quite so fast or powerful as that of the other form, but they do have one advantage: sight. Crepuscular lycanroc can reliably aim their accelerock at birds. Their terrakinesis is not as strong as diurnal lycanroc and they are not as strong as the nocturnal form, making them a balanced pick between them. Crepuscular lycanroc are by far the most popular form on competitive circuits.

Diurnal lycanroc are snipers. Their preferred means of offense in the wild is firing off sharp rocks at high speeds. If opponents get too close, diurnal lycanroc can either rely on bites and slashes or upheave the earth into a mess of spikes and ditches. Unfortunately, their reliance on geosensory makes them almost entirely unable to hit birds. Many trainers are unwilling to add a rock-type that is hard countered by fliers.

Nocturnal lycanroc are brawlers. They rely primarily on heavy paw strikes, sharp claws, and a fearsome bite to deal damage. Their spikes protect their critical areas, but they otherwise have fairly light armor. This means that most brawlers, like fighting-types, can out damage them. The team and fear based strategies that they employ in the wild are more or less useless in singles matches against disciplined opponents. Their terrakinesis is also weaker than the crepuscular lycanroc.

They have a niche as the fastest grounded rock-type. Nocturnal lycanroc still face stiff competition for a team slot. Aggron, for example, can deal lots of damage up close while also being able to counter birds and tank hits. Kabutops are reasonably fast rush-down brawlers with sharper claws and heavier armor. The average trainer might not have access to either, but professionals typically do. Many other canines are also both faster and more durable than nocturnal lycanroc.

Rockruff are not particularly strategy intensive. They rush in and bite and scratch until they win. Strategies like scary face or rock attacks can be used to supplement their core offensive tactics, but rockruff typically rely on being stronger or better armored than opponents.

All three lycanroc forms are perfectly serviceable on the island challenge and can keep up through the very end.

Acquisition

Shelters receive lots of recently-evolved lycanroc. This is a problem because lycanroc are not easily rehomed. Even moving between permanent locations with the same trainer can be jarring for them. Fewer than 10% of attempted adoptions are successful. They are still an endangered species and the government is reluctant to put them down. Plans are in the works for releasing some of these lycanroc either in their current Alolan ranges or in the Haina Valley or Australia. At present most are held in specialty care facility on Route 3.

Rockruff can be obtained from the wild, but parents are often unwilling to let go of pups. Injured lycanroc may willingly cede puppies they can no longer properly care for. Hungry orphans and capture orphans sometimes seek out trainers and attempt to get captured.

Lycanroc capture is not recommended. Few bond with trainers. Even attempting it requires another large canine, usually an arcanine, to enforce boundaries and show the captured specimen the ropes. Crepuscular lycanroc capture is prohibited due to their small wild numbers.

Most of Alola’s lycanroc live on Poni Island, particularly in the mountainous interior. They used to be common on all four of the main islands, but competition from other canines that either grow larger or work in larger packs has reduced their numbers. Ranchers also systematically eliminated lycanroc from most of Akala and Ula’Ula to protect their livestock. Reintroduction has been approved for Ula’Ula, but the agricultural lobby has prevented any attempts to bring them back to Akala. The Melemele population is confined to portions of the interior and the area around Ten Carat Hill. A small population of four lycanroc and five rockruff exists on Route 3 and is protected to prevent further losses.

Rockruff and lycanroc capture is legal on all of Poni Island and within Ten Carat Hill Commonwealth Park. Trainers are allowed a maximum of one capture. There are relatively small annual capture quotas. Capture and adoption of rockruff requires a Class II license. Capture and adoption of lycanroc requires a Class IV.

Rockruff are best purchased as newly-weaned infants. Breeders will often sell the rights to a rockruff before it is even born. The older rockruff get, the less likely they are to grow comfortable around humans or to obey the rules of human society.

Breeding

Lycanroc should be spayed or neutered by trainers who do not plan on breeding them. This greatly reduces the effects of heat. Heat begins in January and ends in July. Females will often try to escape to find other males to mate with. Males will begin seeking out females. If puppies are not desired, they should be separated from any canines of the opposite sex. The start of heat is marked by bloody discharge from females. Smaller discharges will repeat every few weeks until heat ends. When a male and a female find each other they will mate and pregnancy will likely follow. Assistance in mating is unnecessary and undesired.

Pregnant females should be fed a puppy mix instead of standard kibble. This should be maintained through the end of lactation. Pregnancies last roughly fifty-nine days. Litters typically consist of two puppies, but one to three puppies are also common. Mothers appreciate a dry, warm nest to live in with her offspring. The puppies will open their eyes around one week of age and be weaned a week later. They will begin to poke their heads out of the nest at five weeks and start exploring outside at eight. Interference before this time is strongly discouraged and will likely result in a display of aggression from the parents.

Lycanroc can breed once every year. Nocturnal and diurnal lycanroc prefer to mate for life. Crepuscular lycanroc show no preference between an old partner and a new one.

Subspecies

Lycanroc were brought to Australia by the indigenous people. They are the feral descendants of a now-extinct dog pokémon. The main subspecies in Australia is the desert lycanroc. While alpine lycanroc are well-attuned to firm rock, desert lycanroc have stronger vision and an affinity for controlling loose sands. This allows them to create antlion traps and stir up sandstorms to retreat under. They can also move quickly and with sure footing over even the loosest sands.

European settlers introduced competitors and other canines which reduced the dingo population and diluted their genes. Ranchers began killing and poisoning the survivors. Very few purebreds remained by the 1940s. The alpine subspecies was almost extinct. Fortunately, this subspecies had been brought by other wayfarers to Alola. The largest remaining population in the world now lives on Poni Island.

Feral specimens have become established on a few other rocky and sandy islands around the world. While some are proper breeding colonies, few have enough genetic diversity to survive long-term. Whether the populations should be rounded up, managed with new introductions, or left to die on their own is a matter of some debate.

 

[Persephone]

Spinda
Fauxvulpis album

Overview

Spinda are usually seen as small, perpetually dizzy pokémon that somehow manage to survive in a world of monsters. This impression was formed because humans only see spinda when the pokémon is encountering a large, unfamiliar biped that has encroached into the pokémon’s territory. Early scientists only saw the pokémon’s attempt to scare them away, not how they actually live their lives when there are no people around. Wild spinda spend most of their time in the treetops, where they are quite fast and agile.

Collectors have come to prize spinda for their unique spot patterns. Some have a collection of ten or more spinda. This is quite difficult for the average person as spinda do not like other spinda. Almost every new adult will require their own living space. They also do not breed well in captivity, making the purchase of new spinda the only viable way for an amateur to grow their collection.

Traveling trainers may not see much use for spinda. The pokémon is easily scared, slow to bond, and has dietary requirements that are difficult to meet on the trail. Trainers with a love for spinda, a pack pokémon for carrying bamboo, and money for lots of TMs may still get some use out of it.

Physiology

Spinda are currently classified as pure normal-types, but recent research has led to a strong push towards a pure psychic-typing or a dual normal- and psychic-typing. The United States Department of Agriculture is currently reviewing the matter, but as an invasive not found on the mainland it is a low priority. Nepal and India have adopted a pure psychic-typing within the last decade and China is expected to make a similar change within the next few years.

Contrary to popular belief, spinda are usually quadrupedal. They use their sharp claws to climb trees. Spinda have tails about sixteen inches long. All subspecies have large ears. Their eyes are just below the center of a black spiral pattern that disorients attackers and makes it difficult to immediately pinpoint their small, dark eyes. The coat is cream colored with light red or orange spots spaced randomly across their body. The spot pattern is unique to every spinda.

Spinda primarily eat bamboo in the wild. However, spinda are recently descended from carnivores and have not had time to evolve stomachs that can efficiently digest woody plants. They must eat lots of food just to take in enough energy to survive. One adaptation that does help them is a bony growth in their paw that can function as a pseudothumb. This helps them grasp bamboo stalks and better hang on while doing tricky climbing maneuvers.

When threatened, spinda rear up onto their hind paws, raise their front paws, and move around to threaten their perceived enemy. Spinda have weak vision and a very broad definition of ‘threat’ that can encompass tree roots and rocks. They have very poor balance and low speed when moving this way. It was traditionally believed that spinda’s ‘dance’ could inflict confusion on enemies. Spinda actually use their minor telepathy to disorient enemies even without dancing. This is particularly useful in arboreal chases as even slight confusion can drive their pursuer to a painful or lethal fall.

Spinda grow up to five feet in length, tail included, and can weigh up to ten pounds. They can live for twenty-five years in captivity. Their wild lifespan is unknown.

Behavior

Spinda primarily live in areas with high elevation, dense tree cover, and lots of bamboo. This lets them jump from tree to tree without going to ground. Dense foliage helps them hide from birds. Telepathy-induced confusion usually lets them deal with arboreal predators, but the presence of dark-type species of persian and raticate serves to limit their numbers in Alola.

They are primarily solitary, only interacting with other spinda when mating or raising young children. More than half of their day is spent asleep. The rest is mostly spent eating. They can grow thick fur and wrap their tails around themselves to stay warm in cool climates or shed all but a thin coat of fur and spread their ears out to stay cool when it is too hot.

Spinda use pores on the bottom of their paws to mark their territories. If a rival gets too close to their feeding grounds, spinda will first engage in hissing and paw swipes to deter their rival. Then they will descend from the treetops and perform their war dances at each other in an effort to assert dominance. If this does not lead to a winner, they will once again climb into the trees and try to unbalance the other until they fall or yield.

Husbandry

Replicating spinda’s diet is very difficult in captivity. Roughly seventy percent of their food by weight must be fresh bamboo. Spinda prefer to eat their bamboo when it is attached to a tree or other vertical surface. This is a cumbersome requirement for stationary trainers and nearly impossible to meet on the trail. Only trainers with a large budget and pack pokémon should attempt to raise a spinda while traveling.

Another quarter of the pokémon’s diet can be met by leaf-eater biscuits. Be advised that spinda will gorge themselves on these biscuits. Trainers should make sure that roughly three times more bamboo is eaten than biscuits. If the spinda is eating too many biscuits, the amount given should be reduced until the diet balances again. The remainder of the diet can be met with nuts, fruit, vegetables, or mushrooms. Spinda love small eggs, but these should only be provided as a rare treat.

Spinda do not like living with conspecifics. They can tolerate other spinda only if both have separate feeding areas, nest boxes, and a sight barrier between their preferred sleeping spots. Large predators unnerve spinda and proximity can lead to behavioral changes and eventual illness. Even smaller dogs are not recommended companions as they can expose spinda to canine distemper (see Illness). Flea-prone pokémon are also bad companions for health reasons (see Illness).

Spinda can usually tolerate other herbivores, especially ones that can be escaped from by climbing up the nearest tree. There are some reports of spinda playing with herbivorous or pescatarian birds in their party or enclosure. Parrots and cranes seem to be particularly good companions for reasons that are not well understood. Finally, komala and spinda have similar enclosure requirements. Several breeders have raised the two together. Older komala do not appreciate the relatively high energy of the spinda, but younger komala can peacefully share an enclosure.

Any spinda enclosure should have an elaborate climbing structure that allows the pokémon to move from one end of the enclosure to the other without touching the ground. Food and nest box locations can be changed from time to time to provide enrichment. Scratching posts, food frozen in ice, rubber balls, and wind chimes all make for good enrichment. Just make sure that toys cannot be easily swallowed.

Many trainers find out the hard way that spinda are excellent escape artists. Habitats should ideally be entirely enclosed by mesh strong enough that the pokémon cannot escape. For larger habitats this may not be practical. Spinda are excellent climbers and strong swimmers, but they are not good at vertical jumps. Walls that are at least six feet tall and made of a smooth material are usually enough to keep spinda in. Make sure that there are no trees or other objects spinda can climb and then jump from to escape. Electric wires are more likely to hurt spinda than they are to deter them.

The ideal spinda enclosure has places to retreat to away from Alola’s heat. Spinda begin to suffer from heat-related illness at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. At sea level this means that lots of shade, cool misters, and access to a climate-controlled area will be necessary.

Illness

Spinda are extremely vulnerable to canine distemper. They cannot receive a vaccine with a live strand. Even vaccinated spinda must be kept away from the feces of unknown wild pokémon. It is not recommended to keep spinda on the same team as a species that can carry the disease.

They are also quite vulnerable to parasites. A veterinarian should examine a stool sample twice a year to check for worms. Fleas are also a common nuisance, which is particularly bad because common flea baths might kill spinda outright. Treatment is delicate and something best handled by a specialist.

Spinda do not molt in Alola as they always keep their summer coat. Hair loss should always be seen as a cause for concern.

Evolution

Not applicable.

Battling

No serious trainer has ever used a spinda in battle. A handful of coordinators have made use of one for their surprisingly wide movepool and natural cuteness. Any contest ruleset with actual battles puts spinda at a natural disadvantage.

Simply put, spinda are fast, strong, and tricky enough to outcompete most young pokémon. One can even be used as a solid battler through the first island. Then they will start to severely fall off. Spinda are actually quite good in arboreal combat, but leagues tend to have limited climbing structures. Their best bet is confusing the enemy long enough to land a few sharp claw strikes before going down.

Spinda are also very averse to fights. Battling with one too frequently can cause stress-related illnesses. Trainers should not attempt to use spinda in any sort of high-level fight.

Acquisition

A small population of spinda lives in the highlands of Melemele. The most accessible place spinda live is the forest around the caldera of Ten Carat Hill. More live in the island’s rugged interior, but this area is designated a No Catch Zone where the population of invasive species is directly managed by the DNR.

Spinda spend almost all of their time in the trees and are quick to flee from anything that approaches. Capturing one can be a long, drawn-out process. Some trainers have reported success using a persian to ‘hunt’ the spinda in the trees, especially during the day when most are asleep or drowsy.

It is easiest to simply adopt spinda from a breeder or collector. Several can be found scattered across the major cities and trading hubs of Akala, Ula’Ula, and Melemele.

Spinda can be obtained with a Class III license.

Breeding

Spinda mate in January or February. Females will begin displaying interest by rolling around on the ground. If a male is introduced, they will mate. She will then enter into a dark, enclosed space to make her nest. Provided nest boxes, especially those built into a wall and connected to other climate-controlled boxes and other indoor spaces, are best for this. The female will begin to line her nest with soft materials as birth grows nearer. She will deliver one to two cubs in June or July. She will then spend at least one month in her box, relying on fat reserves, food stores, and deliveries from her mate to survive.

Baby spinda have a very high mortality rate. Breeders are lucky if one cub survives out of every four that are born. Some have found success by using hatches in the side of the nest box to access the spinda, rather than withdrawing her or sticking their hands through the main entrance. Large indoor complexes of climate-controlled nest boxes also seem to get better results.

Some females will reject their cubs. Hand-rearing may be necessary. Newborn spinda cannot use a bottle as they are likely to choke on the milk. Instead, the food must be injected directly into their stomachs. This changes after seven days and they can be shifted over to a feline formula after seven days.

Relatives

There are three recognized species of spinda. All three are owned by collectors in Alola, although only one has an established wild population. This is the highland spinda native to Tibet, Nepal, and portions of northern India.

The lowland spinda (F. rufus) has only a short-stubby tail and is about one-third larger. They can still climb when necessary, but they spend most of their time on the ground. Paradoxically, this is because there are fewer arboreal predators in the lowlands. Highland spinda rely on the threat of a confusion-plagued chase through the treetops to deter the common persian in the area. The predators in the lowlands can be escaped by simply climbing higher. They do not need to outrun or outmaneuver anything once they have safely reached higher elevations. Lowland spinda also have a much higher tolerance for warmer climates, making them the easiest to raise in Alola. This subspecies can be found in the remaining forests of eastern and central China. Their telepathy is also weaker as it is less of a deterrent to predators.

The Hoennese spinda (F. caudabrevis) are descended from the lowland spinda. As such they do not have the long tails of the highland species. They have since evolved to better survive in the volcanic mountains of Hoenn. This includes specialized fur and toepads that let them dig or bury into fields of ash. Their lungs are designed to filter out the small, toxic particulates of ash fields. They use weak telekinesis to keep these burrows from collapsing while they rest under the surface in a place too hot, toxic, and loose for most predators to bother traversing. At night these spinda venture to nearby bamboo forests to eat. Sometimes they relax in the hot springs of the area.

 

[Persephone]

Tentacruel (Tentacool)
Sicarius fleckeri

Overview

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of species of tentacruel. Alola is home to several species. Most are not sentient, much less sapient. The sentient ones tend to be small. The largest and most intelligent species of tentacruel found in Alola is Fleckeri’s tentacruel. While it is not the easiest to care for it is the one that behaves closest to a normal pokémon. The ‘Relatives’ section will detail the smaller, safer, and stupider alternatives.

Even being the most intelligent tentacruel, S. fleckeri lacks a brain. It still has a complex enough nervous system that it can detect and react to threats. They can even mimic some of the attacks they witness. There is some evidence that they can recognize their trainer. Some specimens learn to associate battling with large food rewards and begin to instinctively attack anything unfamiliar they encounter. This is not a good thing, as Fleckeri’s tentacruel is one of the most venomous creatures on the planet. A full powered sting from a very large tentacruel can permanently cripple a wailord or kill a gyarados.

Thankfully, tentacruel hold back. They gauge the size of their target and only release enough to severely wound. This avoids spending excessive venom and ensures that the target will both never bother them again and live with their disfigurement as a warning to others. Thankfully, tentacruel antivenom has been developed and widely distributed. Almost every beach and stadium in Alola has some prepared. Research into tentacruel venom has helped lead to treatments of other cardiovascular ailments. It is possible that in the near future there will be more lives saved by tentacruel every year than lost to them.

Outside of antivenom research there is very little reason to own a tentacruel. They are not intelligent enough to be social or refrain from stinging their trainer. Tentacruel quickly dry up on land, making them near useless in most battle arenas. Finally, tentacruel use is generally considered unsporting. The Alolan League once outright banned them. The new, relaxed policy is that they can be used if the trainer informs the referee ahead of time that they will be using the pokémon and there is time to secure a dose of antivenom. The trainer using tentacruel will have to pay for this dose if it is required. Tentacruel antivenom costs a minimum of $50 a dosage.

Physiology

Tentacool and tentacruel are classified as dual water- and poison-types.

The body is almost entirely made up of water. What remains is thin, gelatinous flesh. The main “bell” is roughly box shaped, with four corners on top and curtains draping down from it. The bell can be relaxed and constricted in such a way that the pokémon can swim. Tentacruel can reach speeds of seven knots for short periods of time. The bell contains a mesh of nerves just below the surface that helps the tenatcruel process information. The sheer size of the pokémon makes them more intelligent than other species.

Curiously, tentacool and tentacruel also have fully functional eyes with corneas and irises. In fact, they have twenty-four eyes. These are grouped into four clusters, two on each ‘side’ of the bell. From a distance they resemble two normal eyes, but when viewed up close it becomes clear that each eye is six closely packed stalks, each with an eye at the end.

Tentacruel have no need for lungs as oxygen can be absorbed directly through their thin skin. The bell is wrapped around prey and emits acids to break down the flesh. Nutrients are then directly absorbed into the bell’s cells. Individual tentacles are occasionally brought into the bell alongside the food so that those cells can also be replenished. With no need to carry oxygen or nutrients throughout the body, tentacruel do not need blood. This means they have no use for a heart.

While most of their body is translucent, tentacool and tentacruel have three markings on the bell. These are bioluminescent and can be made to glow red. The purpose this serves is debated. The old dominant theory was that this was a means of communication between tentacruel, but recent research has shown that tentacruel show no reaction to simulated light patterns if there is not a conspecific physically present. It is now believed that tentacruel send this signal to warn other species to stay away. It is only shown in deeper waters where tentacruel do not hunt and it saves them from making biologically expensive venom. Tentacruel have only two predators in Alola, both uncommon, so they gain more from conserving venom than they lose from increased predation. These lights can also be used to mimic confuse ray, but this is only seen in captive specimens who feel the need to stun foes long enough to catch up and sting them.

The most distinctive feature of the species is their long tentacles. Tentacool have only two, while tentacruel can have up to sixty-four. These are lined with nematocysts that inject venom into anything organic they come across. Tentacruel venom is designed to inflict shocks great enough that the heart of their prey stops functioning. Lesser doses are designed to inflict severe pain, scarring, and mild disruption of the cardiovascular system. These rarely result in a heart attack and death unless the tentacruel intends on eating its prey. Anything longer than half the width of the tentacruel is functionally inedible. This means that humans and most large to mid-size pokémon are safe from even the biggest tentacruel. Some species with weak hearts or lungs will still die from a tentacruel sting. Humans who are very old, very young, or who have weakened cardiovascular systems can also be killed by a strike intended to maim.

Tentacool can survive being almost entirely dehydrated. When they are left stranded by currents or tides, tentacool will begin to shrivel up and contract. They will rehydrate and begin functioning once a storm or high tide puts them back into the water. Tentacruel cannot survive full dehydration and use their weak hydrokinesis to resist waves and currents pushing them ashore. They move out to sea and towards the ocean floor when storms approach.

Tentacruel can grow to a diameter of three feet across the bell. Their tentacles can reach over fifteen feet in length. The largest recorded tentacruel had a dry weight of only fourteen pounds. Captive and wild tentacruel seldom live for more than two years after reaching the medusa stage.

Behavior

Tentacruel come into the shallows during the day to hunt. Their main prey are small fish such as magikarp, feebas, remoraid, basculin, and wishiwashi. Tentacool typically eat non-pokémon fish and invertebrates. The pokémon drifts on the currents and spreads out its tentacles far enough apart that it becomes difficult to see any single one. When a hunting specimen feels something brush its tentacles it uses hydrokinesis to judge how large it is. If it is just the right size to be both edible and worth eating a killing sting is delivered and the tentacles are used to reel in the prey. Even as digestion begins the tentacles are spread out once more in hopes of obtaining more food.

At night tentacruel swim out to deeper waters. They slowly lower themselves on to the ocean floor and bury tentacles in the substrate as anchors. The pokémon will remain motionless until daylight comes and it is time to resume hunting. Tentacruel will also do this when they sense a storm coming in. One day without food will not kill the pokémon – in fact, one captive specimen stayed in stasis for over three months when feedings stopped. It promptly began to move and hunt the moment prey was added into the tank again.

Alola’s most popular beaches are surrounded by netting capable of keeping tentacool and tentacruel out. The remaining beaches close at the times of the lunar cycle when the tides push more of the pokémon in than usual. Attempts to spot the dull red parts of the bell are sometimes successful, but the pokémon is built to blend into the water. Visual spotting is not particularly reliable as such.

Alomomola primarily subsist on eating tentacool. Lapras occasionally eat one, but this is not the core of their diet. Both are highly resistant to tentacruel venom, so their prey’s only defense is to disorient them with current manipulation or flashing lights.

Husbandry

Tentacool and tentacruel need tanks that are at minimum the length of their body in all three dimensions. These tanks also need to be custom built with small currents in mind. A day-night cycle should also be employed. There is some research that simulated lunar and tidal cycles also help improve health. In practice only professional trainers, wealthy collectors, and public aquariums have the resources to accommodate large tentacruel species. Tentacool can be stored short-term in smaller tanks, but eventually they will outgrow their enclosure.

Very young medusa should be fed brine shrimp. Tentacool can have slightly larger fish placed into their tanks. Ordinarily it is not recommended to feed pokémon living food for ethical and practical reasons. It is unfair to put prey in a situation which they cannot escape. There is also a real chance of injury to the predator. The problem is that tentacool and tentacruel do not actively hunt. They rely on things brushing against their tentacles to trigger a reaction. Some aquarists recommend live feedings for this reason. Others have found dropping food directly in to the pokémon’s tentacles every so often does the trick. Some aquariums employ current systems sophisticated enough to keep prey floating in the water column without having currents so strong that they injure the predator. The pokémon will begin to light up once it is done eating.

Enrichment is mostly unnecessary. There should be enough substrate at the bottom of the aquarium to anchor in. Anything more complicated is more likely to harm the pokémon than it is to be used as a toy. Battling trainers may occasionally wish to put their pokémon into a pool with other pokémon, ideally with a barrier separating them from each other. The tentacruel may come to imitate moves it sees observed, especially water- and poison-type attacks. Some have even learned to use recover to speed up their natural healing.

Illness

Tentacruel do not recover lost eyes and tentacles. Almost every other part of the body can be regenerated over the course of days. Elderly individuals slowly experience senescence as their bell begins to fray and tentacles gradually fall off or stop working. Eventually the entire pokémon will stop moving and begin to break apart. This process is a natural part of the pokémon’s life cycle.

Trainers stung by tentacruel should immediately apply antivenom. Even with quick exposure it is likely that the sting area will scar. It will probably remain extremely painful for days or weeks. Failure to use antivenom can result in shock, delirium, cardiac arrest, and death.

Evolution

Tentacruel’s life cycle contains a third stage that is not technically a pokémon. This is a polyp, a small creature that attaches itself to flat surfaces and steadily grows. Unlike most ‘eggs,’ the polyp can both hunt and reproduce. It uses small tentacles to catch nearby zooplankton for food.

Eventually the polyp will grow out two tentacles and absorb the others into the main body, which will become the bell. It will break off into the water and begin moving. Over time the tentacool will grow a bell with a diameter of around fourteen inches. Then the other tentacles will begin to grow in. Evolution into tentacruel formally occurs when the new tentacles reach the same length as the original two.

Battle

S. fleckeri is intelligent enough to learn rudimentary battle strategy. Some even listen to their trainer’s verbal commands. They are excellent combatants in the water, able to knock out most opponents in a single sting from one of their long tentacles. They also have very little ability to harm things out of the water beyond shooting hydro pumps or scalds out of the pool and hoping they hit something. Faster water-types can outspeed tentacruel, although maneuvering around every tentacle can be tricky. The species is popular in underwater battling exhibitions. It sees almost no use outside of these specialized matches.

Both tentacool and tentacruel are essentially useless on land. They struggle to hit enemies not in the water with them. In aquatic matches it is best to let them hunt on their own. Luigi Ricci famously defeated half the team of a water-type specialist by sending in his Fleckeri’s tentacruel and letting it stand still, waiting for the opponent to inevitably stumble into a translucent tentacle and get stung. Trainers who want to take a more proactive path can attempt to teach their pokémon confuse ray, scald, or ice beam.

Acquisition

The easiest way to obtain a tentacool is to go onto any unenclosed beach in Alola at low tide, find a dried out specimen, and then drop a ball onto it. Tentacruel capture is more difficult and requires going out on a boat or a long pier. During the day of a new moon or full moon there will be an abundance of tentacruel in shallow waters. A pokémon can try to wear one down from a distance before capture is attempted.

Do not sail towards a tentacruel while riding on the back of a pokémon. This is likely to end in disaster.

Tentacool require a Class III license to possess; Tentacruel require a Class IV.

Breeding

Polyps can reproduce asexually via ‘budding,’ where a second genetically-identical individual grows out of the polyp before eventually splitting off into a separate organism. Fully grown tentacruel reproduce in January and July. They congregate in a handful of spawning areas. All adults will then release a cloud of sperm or eggs. A tentacruel seems to pick whether to release sperm or eggs at random and they are all capable of releasing both. Should the tentacruel survive to a second breeding session they will release the other gamete. Some eggs will encounter sperm and become fertilized. They will then latch on to any hard surface they find and begin to develop into a polyp. Tentacruel death rates are exceedingly high following spawning events, perhaps to reduce competition for new young or to put more biomass in the water as the adults disintegrate.

Tentacruel in aquariums have never been observed spawning. Captive specimens will spawn if released into a group of other spawning tentacruel. It is impossible to keep the children of the captive specimen, so this is seldom done.

Relatives

The most impressive species of tentacruel is the aptly named giant tentacruel (S. magnalux). This species can have a bell nearly ten feet across and tentacles over fifty feet long. It also has the ability to concentrate light into powerful laser attacks launched from the bell. Unlike S. fleckeri, it can also sense the world above the surface with enough detail to aim attacks. The giant tentacruel has been known to actively hunt birds by shooting them out of the sky and then reeling the stunned bird into its bell. The giant tentacruel’s venom is not nearly as potent as that of Fleckeri’s tentacruel. It is only strong enough to kill zooplankton and small fish. Lasers are relied upon to kill everything else.

The giant tentacruel lives in cold waters near the Arctic. Some can be found as far south as Sinnoh or the mainland United States, but this is rare. These sightings are becoming even less common due to climate change. Because their lasers require solar energy to fire, the giant tentacruel is only active for eight months of the year. During the winter they dive deep into the ocean and become dormant for months.

The Rockingham tentacruel, by contrast, might have the smallest adult stage of any known pokémon. Their tentacruel phase has a bell less than a quarter inch across. Their sting is initially painless. Humans stung by Sicarius rockingham will go into cardiac arrest within fifteen minutes. There is effective antivenom, but most victims will have no idea they have been stung in the first place. Once symptoms arise it will be too late for the antivenom to have any effect.

Most tentacruel are nowhere near as large as the giant tentacruel or as venomous as those in the Sicarius genus. The coral tentacruel (Alcyoneumanes sp.) does not have a tentacool stage. To some observers it looks like they barely leave the polyp state. The bell is anchored to a hard surface such as a rock or coral reef. The tentacles grow out into the water and rise towards the sun. Zooxanthellae on the tentacles lets the pokémon gain food via photosynthesis. They almost never move.

The species most often seen in public aquariums is the minor tentacruel (Marispiritus hensonii). Minor tentacruel reach bell widths of one to two feet. Their venom is only potent enough to kill zooplankton, their main prey. Researchers did not classify them as pokémon until 2004, when it was demonstrated that they possessed the ability to manipulate elemental signatures. This effect can be observed by running weak electrical currents through the water or using area of effect attacks such as trick room. The tentacruel will begin to glow strange colors as the energy around them is partially negated, sparing the pokémon from the brunt of the attack. Why a pokémon with almost no natural predators evolved such a sophisticated defense system is unclear.

 

[Persephone]

Lumineon (Finneon)
Pantodon luxor

Overview

The deep ocean is still largely unexplored. The creatures that live there have adaptations that can seem alien to surface dwellers. Yet it is not far away in linear distance. The ocean floor around Alola is about two miles deep. The distance is short enough that creatures theoretically could frequently travel from the bottom to the surface. Few species actually do this as it requires adapting to two very different environments.

Relicanth, clamperl, and lanturn all dwell on the abyssal plains off Alola’s coast. While all three can survive at the surface with a long enough decompression period, none intentionally make the trip. Lumineon is one of the very large few species in Alola to do so with any regularity.

The species, once relatively unpopular, has seen a spike following the 2003 film Finneon’s Wake. Alola’s wild population of finneon has sharply declined since the movie’s release. This is particularly ironic as Finneon’s Wake centers around a finneon trying to escape the confines of an aquarium. Trainers hoping to give their lumineon a life on the trail, away from aquaria, will be disappointed: like most fish, lumineon do not do well on long-distance overland journeys.

Physiology

Both finneon and lumineon are classified as pure water-types. Both partially subsist on moonlight, leading some scientists to argue for a fairy-typing. This view has been rejected by the USDA as neither stage attacks with moonlight, is injured by cold iron, or has an extraterrestrial origin.

The scales on the dorsal side of finneon’s body are dark blue, while those on the ventral side are light blue. The area around the lateral line is pink. There are also pink spots on the caudal fins. The pink areas contain receptors that absorb and store moonlight. It can later be released to form a shimmering silver light. Finneon also have a mucus coating that makes them difficult for predators to grip. The coating also allows them to live inside of some venomous anemones.

Most of finneon’s fins are rather short. The notable exception are their pectoral and caudal fins. The caudal fin is the most compact and muscular. It is mostly hidden by the pokémon’s very long pectoral fins. The movements of the long, wing-like pectoral fins in water currents combined with the shimmering light creates a disorienting effect. It can be difficult for predators to identify the pokémon’s weak points. This is doubly true if dozens of individuals are lit up in close proximity.

Lumineon lose their mucus coating upon evolution. The pink lateral line and counter-shading are also lost. They are replaced by horizontal stripes and a solid pink coloration inside of the pectoral fins and at the end of the caudal fin. The rest of the pectoral fins are dark blue with a light blue fringe. Lumineon’s pectoral fins are even larger than those of finneon. Their pelvic fins have also greatly expanded. The pectoral fins are thin and free-floating. This makes the pokémon look much larger than it actually is. The pelvic fins, by contrast, are straight and sturdy. These are used to anchor the pokémon into the substrate.

Lumineon can reach lengths of four feet and weights of 20 pounds. Captive specimens can survive up to six years. The lifespan of wild lumineon is unknown.

Behavior

Finneon rest inside of anemones in sunlit reefs during the day. The finneon gain a safe place to rest. They, in turn, occasionally bring food to their host. They also help ward off more active predators that are not deterred by the anemone’s stings alone.

The finneon come out at night to school. Swarms of dozens or hundreds of finneon form near reefs. Members take turns basking in the moonlight at the surface. Their first line of defense against predators is to stun or confuse them with shimmering lights. If this does not succeed, the finneon will pool their limited powers of hydrokinesis to create strong currents around the school.

Wishiwashi are primarily diurnal, but on occasion a school of finneon will encounter a wishiwashi school. These tend to lead to mass death events on the wishiwashi’s side as the lights disrupt their coordination and leave them vulnerable to predators. Finneon themselves would never eat anything as large as an adult wishiwashi. They eat a diet of zooplankton. Finneon will also eat released eggs and sperm during other species’ spawning events.

Relatively little is known about the habits of wild lumineon. What we do know is mostly pieced together from footage from submersibles. The presence of large, strange intruders at the bottom of the sea naturally alters the behavior of the pokémon it observes, making this data somewhat unreliable.

Lumineon appear to spend most of their time near the ocean floor ‘walking’ along on their pectoral fins. They sense the substrate beneath them for anything edible. They will happily eat worms, crustaceans, and anything weak or slow enough to be killed and small enough to be eaten in a single bite. Their have been videos taken of lumineon trying to eat starmie. The latter usually releases a single leg and flees.

Lanturn, gorebyss, huntail, and golisopod could all plausibly kill a lumineon if they crossed paths. This occurs fairly often on submersible streams as being bathed in light ruins lumineon’s ability to blend in to the darkness. Lumineon glow when threatened in an attempt to make themselves look larger and more dangerous than they are. They otherwise stay dark as making any light is a good way to be found and eaten.

Every full moon some lumineon will surface. They typically do so far away from land, as pelagic areas have fewer predators than coastal waters. Lumineon will spread out their fins and bask in the moonlight until dawn approaches, at which point they will slowly begin to descend back to the depths to feed.

Husbandry

Finneon are best stored in large saltwater tanks. Their tank should ideally have plenty of coral and at least one large anemone per pokémon. Finneon have also been known to hide inside of crevasses, clams, and plants if they cannot find an anemone. There should be plenty of surface area in the tank and a moonlight-lamp hung above it to allow for basking. Outdoor pools can do without the lamp as long as there are no major barriers to natural moonlight. They should not be stored with fin-nippers. Filtration currents should be kept weak to avoid damaging the pokémon’s fins.

Many inexperienced aquarists make the mistake of buying finneon when they are less than five inches long and placing them in a reef tank suitable for a fish of that size. Even without accounting for evolution, finneon can grow to be over 1’ long. They prefer to live in schools of ten or more individuals. A very large tank or pool is needed to properly house them.

Lumineon prefer open tanks with a sandy bottom. It is not necessary to pressurize the water as lumineon can survive at the surface. Anything small enough to fit in lumineon’s mouth and slow enough to fall prey to it will be eaten. Fin nippers should also be avoided for similar reasons as finneon. Fish that stay near the top of the water column can peacefully coexist with lumineon. Burying toys in the sand can make for good enrichment. Make sure the toys are either small and edible or otherwise too large to be a choking hazard. Moonlight lamps should be turned on at least once a month in a regular cycle.

Raising a finneon or lumineon on the trail is possible but very much not recommended. Finneon tend to grow nervous in the open public pools at pokémon centers, and even lumineon are prone to getting their fins nipped. Neither likes being in coastal waters or shallow pools, preferring reefs or the open ocean instead. Near-constant storage in a stasis ball will be required. This carries a danger of malnourishment and migraines.

Finneon can be safely fed a diet of brine shrimp placed near the water’s surface at night. Lumineon prefer to have worms, flatfish, or crustaceans buried in the sand for them to find.

Some resorts have taken to ‘seeding’ the water with brine shrimp and finely minced fish at night to encourage finneon to come out. This is often successful and can lead to mesmerizing light displays without keeping any finneon in captivity.

Illness

Fin damage is the most common category of illnesses for the species. Fin nipping occurs when an opponent tears or bites the fin. It tends to result in serious rifts in the fin or even entirely missing pieces. This can limit the pokémon’s ability to create lights. Serious cases can result in infections or death. It can be mitigated or cured by an immediate healing potion or move.

Fin rot occurs in water of low quality. It tends to appear as steady discoloration or weakening of the fin, eventually resulting in the loss of the fin or death by poisoning. The best way to treat fin rot is to transfer the pokémon to cleaner water. It can be treated by some antidotes and a competent veterinarian, but the damage is unlikely to be entirely reversed.

Evolution

Lumineon flash evolve after absorbing a set amount of lunar energy throughout their lifetime. In the wild this typically occurs around ten months of age. It can be much faster in captivity, but evolutions that occur before the six-month mark can result in stunted growth or defects in the evolutionary process. Evolution can be accelerated by more powerful lunar lamps or by placing a moon stone in the tank.

Battle

Lumineon are not natural battlers. They can access a wide range of energy spectrums for attacks, but they lack the physical or elemental strength to use any of them well. Coordinators, on the other hand, have made lumineon a staple of the field. Their weak-but-varied arsenal, natural beauty, and bioluminescence make them very good at displays. The power level of contest battles is much lower than that of professional matches, allowing lumineon to hold their own.

In normal battles lumineon will struggle, even on the island challenge. There are two ways to go about training one: offense and utility. Offensive lumineon can learn a variety of tricks such as hydro pump, ice beam, signal beam, and hidden power. These can allow lumineon to batter grounded opponents from the safety of a saltwater pool. Alternatively, lumineon can use tricks such as defog, rain dance, and toxic to support the team and gradually wear opponents down. Beware of anything that can hit lumineon in the water, as their frail fins and lack of armor make them easy to knock out.

Finneon are sturdier for their size and better suited for utility movesets over offensive ones. They can be a decent choice for early battles with a saltwater pool, but will quickly fall behind their teammates.

Acquisition

Finneon can be found in reefs during the day. At night they tend to come a little closer to the coast. They will be very visible, although it can be hard to aim a ball at any given pokémon. Finneon do not typically form a collective defense against captures from docks or boats, but may attempt to fight back against trainers on the back of a pokémon. Lumineon can be found in deeper waters on the nights of full moons. They will dive at the first sign of trouble, making capture somewhat difficult. Aquarium specialty stores usually carry finneon and occasionally sell lumineon.

Both stages can be obtained with a Class III license.

Breeding

Lumineon are hermaphrodites that can produce both eggs and sperm. The details of their reproduction are unknown. They have never been bred in captivity nor been observed mating or spawning in the wild. It seems probable that they use bioluminescence to attract mates as their lights are otherwise seldom used.

Relatives

P. luxor is known as the reef lumineon. They can be found on most reefs in the tropical and sub-tropical Pacific.

The other species, P. neolant, is an anadromous fish native to Sinnoh, Kamchatka, and the delta of the Amur River. They are born in the spring just as the ice begins to melt. They will then head to the sea to evolve as the ice returns. After evolution they will dive down to the depths, only surfacing once a month to bask in moonlight. The finneon have more muted colors compared to P. luxor. This helps them blend in with the grasses and mud lining the rivers and lakes they call home. Bioluminescence is usually only employed to ward off predators that approach a school. Captive schools can be taught that light displays lead to feedings, encouraging the behavior.

A few resorts in Unova kept schools of P. neolant as they had a higher tolerance for cold surface waters compared to P. luxor. The finneon delighted guests until 2003, when Hurricane Charlie hit the region and broke many of the sea pens. At least one resort forgot to withdraw the pokémon before the storm hit, leading to a school escaping into the wild. Improbably, this school has since begun to breed. Finneon are now somewhat common in Unova.

 

[Persephone]

Wishiwashi
Scholae milibus alola

Overview

As the possibility of invasion loomed over Alola in the War of the Pacific, Governor Olson proclaimed that the territory was a wishiwashi: a myriad of people who would band together as one to resist those who dared attack them. His prediction proved correct: Alola’s people and the soldiers stationed there rallied to keep the territory in American hands. The wishiwashi has since become the mascot of the naval bases on the island and many of Alola’s sports teams.

Unfortunately, fish pokémon are difficult to keep on the island challenge. A whole school of wishiwashi magnifies the challenges of raising a single fish. Stationary trainers with the funds and space for a large enough tank or pool may find a small shoal of wishiwashi to be good pets. Professionals with no shortage of funds, skill, and ambition often try their hand at taming a school. Those who succeed are rewarded with one of the most powerful threats in the ocean.

Physiology

Wishiwashi are classified as pure water-types.

Individuals are counter-shaded with light silvery scales on their bottom half and dark blue scales on the top. A series of large white scales cover the lateral line.

Wishiwashi schools are much, much larger. Their entire body is dark blue. It is shaped like a large predatory fish with a deeper body form than individuals. The dorsal fin is not physically attached to the main body and made up of a series of fish-like entities that form the rough shape of a dorsal fin. The school is wholly unable to eat or perform any important biological functions other than breathing. They possess large white eyes that do not serve any purpose beyond intimidation. Wishiwashi schools exclusively sense the world through water, including that within living creatures.

Individual wishiwashi grow to lengths of 14 inches and weights of five ounces. Schools can reach lengths of thirty feet and weigh up to 1,350 pounds. Wishiwashi can live for up to fourteen years in the wild.

Behavior

Wishiwashi live in shoals of two to four thousand fish. They feed by swimming through the water with their mouths open. Zooplankton such as copepods are caught in the water entering their mouth and moving towards their gills. There they are intercepted by gill rakers, small strands that catch any zooplankton coming through and direct it down the esophagus. Wishiwashi swim near constantly in slow loops around the islands. Their swimming speed slows at night as they enter a resting state.

Individuals are prime targets for many predators due to their small size and high nutritional value. When they come under attack, wishiwashi begin to move together and congregate into a school. Once the school has formed it will set about punishing whatever dared to prey on the individuals in the shoal. Even gyarados learn that it is not worth preying upon wishiwashi.

The species still has some predators in Alola. Sharpedo are known to rush into the middle of a school, eat what they can, and quickly swim away before a school can form. Schools are rather slow and sharpedo can easily outrun them. Long distance water-type attacks can be dodged by momentarily leaping above the surface as they pass. Other predators can entirely negate the ability to school and prey upon the individual wishiwashi without fear of serious retaliation. Lumineon’s flashing lights, bruxish’s telepathic attacks, and noivern’s sonic blasts can disrupt the concentration of a school, causing it to collapse.

Wishiwashi can mostly avoid these threats. Sharpedo are uncommon in Alola outside of the waters of Poni Island. Bruxish seldom leave reefs. Lumineon only surface once a month far offshore and can be avoided by moving closer to the coast. Wishiwashi previously used to live further out to sea where noivern would be reluctant to strike due to the long swim back. The decline in noivern populations has allowed the shoals to move closer to the shore over time.

Husbandry

Wishiwashi can be captured while schooling. This allows the entire school to be held in one ball. Almost every league allows for wishiwashi to be used as one pokémon, even when thousands of individuals are used. Stasis balls are far preferable to habitat balls for this. The latter can result in disorientation and difficulties swimming for a short time after release.

Since wishiwashi only school when threatened they will spend most of their time separated into individuals. A large pool, sea pen, or pond will be needed to hold a full shoal of wishiwashi. Large tanks (1,000 gallons or more) can be used for smaller shoals of up to thirty or forty individuals. Ponds should ideally be free of larger fish that could stress the fish into schooling. Larger shoals prefer their enclosure to be at least ten feet deep and at least fifty feet long by twenty feet wide. These are minimum requirements: bigger enclosures are better. Some aquarists recommend building an aviary or greenhouse over the pond to keep out birds or other potential stressors. This is only practical for top-tier professional trainers or very wealthy hobbyists.

It is best to feed wishiwashi by training them to associate a lure with feeding. The fish will then move towards that lure and swim with mouths wide open in anticipation of food. Food can then be scattered. Baby brine shrimp are their preferred food. If the fish schools with any regularity more food will be required. Some outdoor ponds and sea pens fed with natural seawater can develop their own copepod populations capable of supporting a shoal with little to no additional food. This is especially true for larger enclosures.

Wishiwashi socialize among themselves. Shoals can learn to tolerate humans. Getting to the point where they obey commands is trickier. Coming to view cooperation as a reliable source of food and other luxuries (larger spaces, additional protection) helps.

Farmers raising wishiwashi for food usually wish to avoid schooling. This can be averted by harvesting them before adulthood or keeping fewer than five hundred individuals in each pond.

Illness

Wishiwashi held as individuals are very prone to stress-related illnesses and death. Wishiwashi captured and raised alone have very high mortality rates. Individuals taken and held in shoals of ten to fifty have a roughly fifty percent mortality rate within the first month. Post-capture death rates for individuals captured and housed alongside their entire shoal are less than twenty percent. Mortality rates typically decline sharply after the initial capture.

Frequent schooling also raises problems. Wishiwashi cannot eat or metabolize food while in school form. Doing this too often can lead to stress related illnesses, underfeeding, and sometimes toxic shock from holding in waste. Trainers are recommended to battle with a wishiwashi school at most three times a week.

Finally, trainers should accept that wishiwashi are not particularly durable. Their survival strategy in the wild depends on having so many individuals that no predator could kill them all. An occasional individual death is no great tragedy to the shoal. If fish do get sick, they should be immediately removed from the shoal. Any infected fish will probably die due to a combination of limited veterinary experience with fish and the general frailty of the pokémon. Isolation actually makes death more likely. It is still necessary to prevent an infectious disease from killing many, many more pokémon.

Evolution

Wishiwashi do not evolve. They enter into a school form, a composite of thousands of individual fish. It is temporary and more akin to dynamax or mega evolution than to standard evolution. This process is only possible in a handful of places on earth where background levels of elemental energy are unusually high. Western Europe, Hoenn, and Alola are among the only places that meet these requirements. A wishiwashi shoal taken outside of these areas will gradually lose the ability to form schools.

The school process begins when enough wishiwashi gather in one place. The largest wishiwashi will send out a pulse that will begin the merging process. A single, massive creature will form in the place of the shoal. This school form is not built for ordinary functions such as feeding, defecating, and reproducing. It is simply an extremely powerful means of defense. Once the predators have left and a message has been sent the school will collapse and individuals will swim free.

If the school takes sufficient damage, then it can break prematurely. All individuals in the shoal will be stunned for nearly a half hour after the break. Breaks caused by attacks that disrupt concentration only lead to a few seconds of disorientation.

A school requires at least one adult to activate it. Juveniles cannot form a school, regardless of how many are present.

Battle

Wishiwashi schools are some of the strongest aquatic pokémon in the world. Almost all of the world’s top fishkeepers live in their habitats on at least a seasonal basis just to keep a school on their team. Very few pokemon stand a chance of overpowering one in the water. Wishiwashi have access to incredibly formidable physical and elemental attacks such as massive waves and blizzards. Wishiwashi’s coverage options are limited, but they still have some important moves such as earthquake and beat up at their disposal.

Some pokémon can win by disrupting the school. Individuals are too cowardly to do much but run and hide. Even if they were to fight, they would stand little chance of harming a professional trainer’s pokémon. Powerful telepaths such as alakazam, beheeyem, and sigilyph can break apart a school fairly quickly. Some pokémon with absurdly loud sonic attacks can achieve a similar affect. Noivern is the most notable abuser of this strategy. Some pokémon with especially potent confuse rays can also break a wishiwashi’s concentration. This last tactic is mostly limited to natural bioluminescent pokémon and a handful of ghosts.

Other pokémon must exploit one of wishiwashi’s two main weaknesses to win: they have a natural time limit and they are slow. The time limit can be hard to abuse in practice due to wishiwashi’s power. The school lacks several important organs, leaving them very vulnerable to poisons. Some species are bulky enough to abuse it. Walls such as cloyster, gastrodon, blissey, aegislash, hyboareas, mega slowbro, or milotic can simply close their armor or begin to heal themselves while waiting for their opponent to faint.

Abusing wishiwashi’s slowness can also be difficult. Some sweepers can use their speed to dodge wishiwashi’s telegraphed attacks and strike back with their own powerful hits. These will eventually overwhelm the opponent. Sweepers will usually fall in one or two hits. A few quickstall pokémon can take some hits, avoid others, and gradually wear wishiwashi down.

Finally, some pokémon are so powerful that they can fight the school one-on-one. A well-trained gyarados can take on a school much more reliably than a wild one. Powerful dragons that aren’t extremely vulnerable to the cold can potentially overpower wishiwashi. Electric types such as vikavolt and magnezone can take advantage of wishiwashi’s typing. Some grass types with sunny day support can do the same, although most plants tend to have limited offensive power and an extreme dislike of the cold. Some Ultra Beasts and other rare-but-very-powerful pokémon can also overwhelm wishiwashi.

This may sound like a long list of counters. Do not be fooled: this is a near-complete list of the pokémon that can take on a school and win. Most professionals have one or two of the above pokémon on their team, but when those are sufficiently weakened wishiwashi can run roughshod over the remainder.

Hobbyists and island challengers will rarely have to deal with wishiwashi schools unless they go out of their way to antagonize one. This can be avoided by simply not attacking wishiwashi or riding on a predator near them.

Acquisition

Capturing wishiwashi requires antagonizing them. Particularly bold trainers aiming to capture an entire school will necessarily have to face said school. Those content with individuals can rely on a magnet recall glove to drop a ball into a wishiwashi shoal from altitude, capture something (wishiwashi individuals are unlikely to escape their ball), and then promptly raise it back up before fleeing. The DNR should be notified in advance to ensure that no one else is in the water. Wishiwashi are not particularly smart and do not often distinguish between one human who attacked them and other nearby humans.

The DNR also issues very few permits for wishiwashi capture. Trainers who cannot get a permit or do not want to risk fighting a school can simply purchase wishiwashi from aquarists. The fish are expensive due to the difficulty of acquiring them and their value as a food fish.

There are two approaches to building a school. The first is to gradually assemble one from purchased or captured individuals. When enough are obtained the shoal will be able to form a school of their own. The second is to obtain an existing school. Those few aquarists with enough wishiwashi to form a school are often unwilling to part with it. Hefty payments will be required. The alternative is to take on an entire school at once. This is occasionally permitted when a school becomes a problem to the ecosystems or the humans living nearby. Trainers who wish to capture a school can be put on a waitlist by the DNR. On average a school capture is approved once every three years.

Owning a wishiwashi shoal with fewer than five hundred individuals requires a Class II license. Owning a shoal with more than five hundred individuals requires a Class IV.

Breeding

Wishiwashi are broadcast spawners. Shoals pack tightly together. Every adult female then releases thirty to fifty thousand eggs. Males release far more sperm. The shoal will mix up the water currents to maximize the chances that eggs and sperm collide. Spawning occurs between February and June. There are usually four or five spawning events a season. Then they will move on. Juveniles will join the first school they encounter after hatching.

Captive shoals will only breed if they are big enough to school. They are not particularly protective of their eggs and will allow trusted humans to enter the pond to harvest them. It is much easier to induce spawning via chemical injection. The eggs and sperm can then be collected and artificially mixed. This averts the largest problem with in-pond breeding: wishiwashi eat their own eggs. If they are held in an enclosed environment with their eggs then almost all of them will be eaten before they can hatch.

Relatives

There are two species of wishiwashi. The Alolan wishiwashi is the only subspecies or species that is not endangered or critically endangered.

The other S. milibus subspecies, S. milibus europa, was hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The Kalosian and Galarian governments had long seen wishiwashi as a nuisance. They were not easy to fish for and they often attacked military and commercial vessels. The HMS Challenger’s discovery of lanturn marked a turning point. Fishing boats soon began to use lanturn to disrupt schools of wishiwashi and capture the individuals. The fish quickly became a beloved food in the region and the number of fishing boats continually increased.

The Galarian government for its part assisted in the capture and breeding of lanturn to help make the waters safer for naval passage. Kalos began using bluewing noivern and imported marine noivern to disrupt schools and protect its vessels. Galar’s bluewing noivern population had sharply declined. The wild area was founded in large part to facilitate the recovery of the noivern population to the point where they could be used for commercial fishing.

There used to be tens of millions of wishiwashi in the seas around Galar and Kalos. By 1950 there were only five known schools remaining. Conservationists lobbied for the creation of a protected area to save the species. One of the world’s first marine preserves was established around the Isle of Armor to protect two of the remaining wishiwashi schools. Another two were captured and moved to the preserve. The population has grown in recent decades, but water pollution and the limited size of the marine preserve have kept the subspecies from returning to its former glory. There are currently more captive wishiwashi in European aquariums, fish farms, and trainer’s estates than wild ones in the seas of Europe.

The second wishiwashi species, S. volcanus, lives in three mid-sized lakes in Hoenn. These lakes are formed in the calderas of volcanoes. The species is much smaller than S. milibus and only live in shoals of about seven hundred individuals. The remoteness of their habitat and preserves designed to protect the area’s hot springs kept the population stable for centuries. Recent events in Hoenn led to two of the three volcanoes erupting. The population in one lake was eradicated and the other lake’s population is barely holding on. Ash falling in to the third lake has made it toxic to the point that very few eggs have successfully hatched. The remaining wishiwashi have been taken in to captive breeding programs until their natural habitat is once again safe.

 

[Persephone]

Luvdisc
Discus suavium

Overview

Luvdisc is not a powerful pokémon. They must breathe underwater once every fifteen minutes, making them impractical for travelers. The pokémon are also notoriously hard for beginners to care for in captivity and rarely bond to their trainer. Despite everything, luvdisc is one of the most popular pokémon in the aquarium trade. This is because of their cultural association with love and happiness. Many hotels in popular honeymoon areas keep large aquariums, pools, or sea pens of luvdisc. Some of the honeymooners that visit will be inspired to take in a luvdisc of their own as a sign of the couple’s eternal love.

Most of these fish will die quickly in the hands of inexperienced aquarists.

Physiology

Luvdisc are classified as pure water-types.

Luvdisc have a laterally compressed, heart-shape body. They are surprisingly nimble fish capable of making sharp turns while moving through the water at speeds of up to twenty-five miles an hour. Luvdisc’s scales are bright pink and coated in a thin layer of mucus. Because red wavelengths are absorbed quickly by water, luvdisc actually appear to be black to most sea creatures.

Luvdisc usually grow to be two feet tall and one foot long. They can live up to fifteen years in the wild but rarely survive for more than ten in captivity.

Behavior

Algae and coral polyps are the main component of a wild luvdisc’s diet. They dart around coral reefs and use their small mouth to pick off clumps of algae they find. Zooplankton and benthic crustaceans are also a good source of food when there is not enough algae to go around. An algae-based diet allows luvdisc to stay close to the coral, ready to dart into crevasses or the space between corsola branches. This is vital as luvdisc have no real defense mechanism other than hiding and mimicry.

Luvdisc live in bonded pairs. Contrary to popular belief, mated pairs cannot kiss each other and then use their bodies like wings to fly. Sometimes luvdisc will jump out of the water to scout for reasons unknown. It is suspected that this is either a scouting mechanism against birds or a way to communicate across long distances through the sound of the impact. This is the probable origin of the folklore around flying luvdisc pairs.

Husbandry

Luvdisc need warm aquariums with both crevasses to hide in and open spaces where they can attain their max speed. Tank temperature should be between 78-and 800degrees Fahrenheit. Warm tanks require lots of aeration. Bubblers meet this need and provide enrichment. If luvdisc are kept with another species they will need more hiding places than normal, at least two per luvdisc in the tank. Luvdisc will want the options to escape or hide even if their tankmates are entirely docile. Even tanks without other pokémon should have at least some places to hide.

Because they primarily subsist on algae, luvdisc work best in tanks with a high surface area and lots of live rock. Dried algae food mixes provide nutrition without running the risk of the tank being overrun by algae. The remaining third of luvdisc’s diet can be met by coral polyp mixes or brine shrimp. If the pokémon spits out its food and has to take several more bites it is too large. Large earthworms make for good enrichment items. They will also sometimes make a game of trying to break open mollusks if they believe the open water to be safe.

Luvdisc should be kept in groups of at least two and ideally five. The gender composition is irrelevant as luvdisc will happily bond with either sex. Luvdisc do not typically pair bond, but they do prefer to socialize with at least one other conspecific. This allows one to graze while the other keeps an eye on the environment. They are also surprisingly playful fish and enjoy having a companion to explore with or chase around the tank.

Tropical corsola are some of the best tankmates for luvdisc. They can thrive at the temperatures that luvdisc prefer and also tend to accumulate algae. This provides both a home and a food source for luvdisc and mitigates one of corsola’s health problems. Aquarists attempting to breed corsola may want to temporarily remove either species during spawning as luvdisc will eat the polyps. In the open ocean they rarely eat enough for their presence to matter. In enclosed tanks they very much can. Pyukumuku have a very high temperature tolerance, but can cause problems if they die and foul up the tank. Clamperl, despite being docile creatures, are rarely good tankmates. Luvdisc will sometimes try and break them open to consume them, and a clamperl that unexpectedly evolves can decimate the luvdisc population overnight.

Luvdisc are skittish creatures. It is best to keep them in a secluded, quiet place. In homes with children there should be barriers to prevent them from tapping the glass and disturbing the luvdisc. Research has shown that some forms of quiet background music can help calm the pokémon and drown out other sounds. Specialist forums contain recommended playlists.

Pokéballs should be used infrequently and primarily for transportation. Stasis balls prevent the luvdisc from panicking upon finding itself alone. Despite assertions from at least one high profile coordinator, love balls do not have a statistically significant impact on luvdisc welfare.

Illness

The most common problem in captive luvdisc is stress. Luvdisc are disturbed by loud noises, low temperatures, lack of hiding places, aggressive tankmates, bright lights, total darkness, and loneliness, among other things. A stressed luvdisc will either spend almost all of its time hidden away, leaving for less than two hours a day, or it will begin to dart madly around the tank at all hours. The best treatment is to remove the stressor. Be careful to do so in a way that does not cause further stress.

Evolution

N/A

Battle

Wild luvdisc prefer to flee or hide instead of fighting. They only prey upon zooplankton small enough to fit inside their mouth and mollusks that are unlikely to retaliate. Simply put, luvdisc are not built for combat. The most they can do in a real fight is flit around the battlefield while trying to wear down opponents with whirlpool and toxic. Unfortunately, luvdisc lacks the sheer speed that lets most quickstall pokémon avoid attack after attack. Most water-types that luvdisc would try to trap have stronger hydrokinesis than their would-be trapper. This means that luvdisc can be blown off course by a powerful wave.

The only battle-adjacent field where luvdisc have found any success is coordination. Even there luvdisc can struggle in the face of loud sounds and unfamiliar spaces. They also lack the raw power expected from even performance-only pokémon in the highest echelons of the contest scene.

Acquisition

Luvdisc numbers have declined after the introduction of toxapex to Alola. Their capture is now prohibited on most reefs throughout Alola. Capture is always allowed on at least two patches of reef somewhere in the Commonwealth, but the exact locations vary over time. Consult the DNR website for more information. They can be purchased from most high-end aquarium stores. Specimens are not generally available for adoption due to the demand in the aquarium trade.

It is best to obtain luvdisc in pairs or groups. Ideally the luvdisc would already be familiar with each other when captured.

Luvdisc can be obtained with a Class II license.

Breeding

Contrary to popular belief, luvdisc do not pair bond. They are social and prefer to pair up when out and about. The individual they pair with can vary over months or even minutes. They tend to be friendly with all conspecifics in an area, although they do have their preferred friends. Due to the nature of their mating practices they are not actually more likely to breed with these friends.

Wild luvdisc participate in mass spawning events four times a year. Females can release over 3,000 eggs into the water. Most will settle onto nearby surfaces. The ones that land in crevasses or other hard to reach places are much more likely to survive the ten days until hatching. Newly hatched luvdisc find the nearest pair of luvdisc and stay close to them. Recent research has shown that the mucus coating of adult luvdisc contains important nutrients and antibodies critical for early development.

The discovery of the need to have luvdisc in the fry tank has greatly improved the captive breeding program. Before 1990 almost all captive luvdisc were taken from the wild. Now most luvdisc in the international aquarium trade are born in captivity. The majority of wild-caught luvdisc are taken to small private aquariums in the area in which they are captured.

Breeding of luvdisc is still very difficult and best left to professionals with tanks designed for breeding and a great deal of experience with the species.

Relatives

The saltwater luvdisc are found on reefs throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. Escaped captive specimens have become established in portions of the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

The freshwater luvdisc (D. discus) is native to portions of the Amazon river basin They are smaller than the saltwater luvdisc and far less brightly colored, boasting a mottled brown color scheme rather than a bright pink one. D. discus prefers to live in relatively fast-moving waters with hiding places nearby to sleep in. They can use their body shape to face minimal resistance when moving against currents, letting them escape predators by racing upstream. The water temperatures they live in mean that they do not have to bask often.

Luvdisc are not closely related to alomomola. It is believed that luvdisc evolved to resemble the larger pokémon so that fewer predators would try to eat them. Alomomola are slimy and their mucous can result in choking when consumed in large quantities. Most specimens that survive past the larval stage will survive to adulthood. Adult luvdisc that resemble a juvenile alomomla will only attract the attention of larger predators they can outmaneuver on the reef.

 

[Persephone]

Corsola
Corallium carus

Overview

Corsola jewelry has always been popular in cultures located near reefs. Worldwide it has long held an association with fertility and the protection of children and women. This belief likely stems from the relatively rapid regeneration of the species.

In some times and places corsola has been very, very popular. Maurya India and 19th Century Galar are two such examples. These spikes in demand tend to drive local corsola populations extinct and drive up the price worldwide to the point where corsola jewelry becomes a status symbol everywhere.

Alolan corsla are now facing a new threat: toxapex. The introduced poison-type can crawl over reefs and leave them dead. They can even snag corsola from the water with their tentacles or knock them down to the substrate with their ranged attacks. In light of this threat, the Alolan population has become seriously endangered.

That’s how the popular story goes. In truth, there is no evidence that toxapex outbreaks do permanent harm to either the reefs corsola live on or the population of the species itself. Their predation of old coral and corsola might enhance the biodiversity of reefs and the long-term prospects for corsola populations. Reefs and corsola have been declining for decades, but the blame rests on anthropogenic causes: climate change and chemical spills.

Corsola are the rare water-type that can survive out of water for more than an hour. Many trainers mistake this for an ability to live out of seawater most of the time. Corsola still need to rest in saltwater for at least eighteen hours a day. Stasis balls or aquatic habitat balls can be used to delay dehydration long enough to get to the next Pokémon Center. Corsola will not thrive on the trail but they can be used by traveling trainers. They are still best suited for stationary aquarists with a greenhouse pool or a large reef tank.

Physiology

Corsola are classified as a dual water- and rock-type.

The species comes in many colors. The most common color scheme in Alola is a predominately pink body with a white underside. Individuals can also be blue, yellow, maroon, or green.

Corsola’s body is mostly made up of a hard, porous armor made of calcium carbonate. The rest of the body is either hollow or filled with the soft, flexible tendrils of the actual pokémon. Surprisingly, corsola are relatives of starfish. A particularly hard shell surrounds the pokémon’s core. Each of a corsola’s four to six horns contains a small cluster of nerves. In ideal conditions corsola can regenerate their entire body from the core in less than two days. A broken horn and tentacle can form an entirely new corsola in about three weeks. The durability of their armor and rate of regeneration make corsola difficult to hurt and almost impossible to kill.

The pokémon has functional eyes and surprisingly high intelligence. Their mouth contains hard tooth-like structures that help them break off chunks of coral and grind it into smaller pieces. They prefer to target dead coral but will eat live hard corals if necessary.

Corsola primarily ‘eat’ via photosynthesis. They are not themselves capable of converting sunlight, but they attract small organisms called zooxanthellae to live within the protection of their armor. These zooxanthellae, in turn, make food for the corsola. Other symbiotic bacteria make the proteins that let corsola bind the layers of calcium carbonate together.

A corsola’s body contains various cavities, valves, and simple pumps. These can be used to adjust the pokémon’s weight and allow them to rise or fall in the water column. Weak hydrokinesis can propel them to the surface where they can then fill all of their cavities with air. They are at their fastest on the surface, but this is still only fast enough to resist weak ocean currents.

Corsola can live for up to ninety years in the wild. Their maximum captive lifespan under modern care techniques is currently unknown. Corsola can grow to be three feet tall from base to the tip of their horns and weigh up to forty pounds.

Behavior

There are two types of corsola groups: gardens and rafts.

Gardens of corsola live on coral reefs. They usually settle into the existing reef and bind themselves to the coral with hooks on their underside. This gives them additional protection from attack and anchors them during violent storms. Corsola help the reef ecosystem by allowing algae-eating fish to nestle inside of their horns. Gardens cluster together on the same reefs but tend not to socialize outside of breeding.

Rafts form when reefs are threatened or there is an overabundance of corsola. Some corsola will float to the surface and link together, either with the crooks in their horns or with the help of sargassum ropes put in place by fish pokémon hoping to curry favor with the new raft. The corsola will then drift off into the open ocean. As long as there is sunlight in the sky and calcium carbonate in the sea corsola do not care where they drift. Open oceans also lack many of corsola’s predators. Miniature ecosystems can develop around corsola rafts, from algae that grows on them to creatures that eat the algae to apex predators that eat the algae-eaters.

Corsola do have predators that are able to break through their armor and eat the organic material inside. Toxapex can use acids and the strength of their tube feet to weaken the pokémon’s shell and rip them open. Bruxish can simply smash the armor with their jaws. Outside of these pokémon corsola have no natural predators in Alola.

Certain pollutants can either kill corsola outright, kill their zooxanthellae, or cause their armor to weaken. Climate change is also warming the oceans. This makes coral bleaching heat waves more likely. Carbon storage in the oceans also results in acidification. One of the most direct consequences of acidification is a reduction in the deposition of calcium carbonate, making it difficult for corsola to grow new armor.

There are many stories of towns built on the backs of corsola rafts. Some of these communities even advertise themselves as places to see humans and pokémon coexist. These accounts have some basis in truth. Most of these towns are simply built on atolls or other reefs that reach above the surface. Settlements can be built on coral islands on atolls. The nearby reef will likely house corsola. The island itself is likely to contain small fragments of long-dead corsola. Others are groups of ships or other buoyant structures connected by planks. The anchors and regular seeding of rock attracts corsola rafts. The corsola, in turn, can be harvested for jewelry. During times of high coral prices these communities pop up along tropical shores.

There is a drifting town that floats throughout Melanesia. Rain barrels and extensive gardening provide for water and plants. Fish makes up the bulk of the diet. The town floats on the backs of corsola bodies filled with air and then sealed with resin. The process is only performed on dead corsola. It would be fatal to a living one.

Husbandry

Corsola can survive on the trail with either an ultra ball or an aquatic habitat ball (lure, dive). They can occasionally be released for battle, practice, socialization, or other enrichment. Corsola can come to view trainers and teammates as part of their raft. This affection will be expressed by cuddling, especially by trying to hook their horns through necklaces, pockets, fur, or anything else that can be a tether. Corsola cannot be placed in a pool with toxapex, mareanie, or bruxish. Pokémon Center staff are prepared to deal with situations where predators and prey need access to the same pool.

It is best to keep corsola in one place whenever possible. A central tank or saltwater pool should be provided. If a pool is chosen it should be in a greenhouse or indoors with artificial lighting designed to mimic sunlight. In either case corsola do best in a tank with an already-established reef with hard corals and liverock. The tank should have a pH around 8.0 and a temperature between 70 and 80 degrees. There should be places for corsola to anchor themselves to the reef without causing too much damage. The tank should regularly be seeded with new shells to ensure that there is enough material to repair damage.

Corsola’s photosynthesis is greatly impaired if they are coated in algae. They appreciate fish and invertebrates, pokémon or otherwise, that will clean algae off of them. If no tankmate is provided for this a human diver can do so. In tanks where the trainer cannot get into the tank but the corsola is still too deep to reach the pokémon can be trained to come to the surface for cleaning. Corsola on a reef are not particularly active or social but some basic training like this can be used to inspect for health problems or for bonding.

Beyond algae eaters corsola can tolerate almost any reef pokémon that will not actively eat them. Smaller fish and pokémon appreciate the ability to take shelter between corsola’s horns. Colorful species can complement their aesthetics.

Illness

Corsola are capable of regenerating from almost anything, sometimes even forming more pokémon than there were at the start. Damage to the core will kill the individual, although more can form from the horns if left in a tank with no disturbances and ready access to material for armor. Whether the pokémon grown from horns are the same pokémon on a spiritual or mental level is disputed among scholars, psychics, ethicists, and priests.

Some chemicals can kill corsola. Powerful bleaches and other industrial chemicals should be kept far away from the aquarium. Some poison-types or particularly strong pokémon can kill corsola outright, even preventing the horns from spawning a new corsola. If corsola absolutely must be used in battle it should be kept far away from anything that can inflict permanent damage.

In high temperatures or when under great stress corsola will expel their zooxanthellae. This leaves them unable to create new food until conditions normalize. Prolonged heatwaves or sudden shocks on the reef can result in mass die-offs of corsola. In captivity there is usually time to correct the problem before death occurs. Some aquarists have also been able to reverse recent total bleaching in corsola.

Tanks should be heavily filtered to remove chemicals such as copper and algaecides. These can harm either the zooxanthellae or the corsola themselves. Anything furniture or food placed in the tank should be sterilized first whenever possible. Corsola are surprisingly vulnerable to bacterial infections.

Evolution

N/A

Battle

Corsola are reasonably durable and can learn a variety of useful utility moves such as whirlpool, toxic, and stealth rock. They get more out of the move recover than most other pokémon. They are still not bulky enough to be used in high level play. They are decent on stall-focused teams for the first half of the island challenge but will quickly be unable to withstand enemy hits long enough to be useful. Corsola is best left to hobbyists, aquariums, and coordinators.

Galarian corsola (C. carus mortuus) has seen quite a bit of use on professional stall teams as it is nearly impossible to take out of a fight, has an even wider utility movepool, and can withstand far greater damage without permanently dying. Its evolution, cursola, is not fast or bulky enough to find a solid niche despite its power. Many trainers and leagues also find the use of incredibly powerful curses to be unsporting. Most corsola are retired or given away upon evolution.

Acquisition

Corsola can be found on and around most reefs in Alola. Their capture is currently restricted due to the ongoing decline in their numbers due to climate change, pollution, and a surge in toxapex numbers. Trainers wishing to acquire a corsola can buy one from a number of breeders and most aquarium specialty stores. Capture is legal on at least two reefs at a time. The allowed reefs rotate. Consult the DNR for more information.

Corsola can be acquired with a Class I license.

Breeding

Corsola can reproduce asexually from broken off horns. The tendrils within the horn will extend and allow the pokémon to slowly move across the environment. Small pieces of broken coral will be brought inside to a small stomach near the horn’s central nervous system. Over time a small body will develop. A core will be formed inside. Then more rapid growth will begin.

Sexual reproduction is occasionally observed in reefs and common among rafts. The corsola will congregate on the surface before releasing gametes en masse. Females can release up to five thousand eggs during a spawning event. The eggs will hatch three days later and then begin building up their own bodies. As with most mass spawning events, mortality is extremely high among both eggs and newly hatched pokémon.

Spawning is easy to induce in captivity. An abrupt change in water temperature can stun the corsola into releasing gametes. Some chemical compounds can trigger the same result when injected. The gametes of a male and female can then be mixed in a controlled setting. The fertilized polyps should be placed into a tank with slow currents, a great deal of surface area to latch onto, and abundant calcium carbonate.

Corsola are also usually fine with having their horns broken off. This can be used to obtain material for jewlery or for reproduction. Injured corsola will sometimes try to eat broken horns to regain material. The horn will need to be placed in a new tank with plenty of armor-building material if asexual reproduction is desired. Once fully regenerated it can be reintroduced to the main tank.

Corsola have been crossbred with pyukumuku and starmie through mixing of gametes obtained by induced spawning. The resulting offspring are not reproductively viable. In the wild the species spawn at different times of the year and never crossbreed.

Relatives

Corsola can be found in tropical waters worldwide. Some rafts will drift into temperate coastal areas in the summer and then go back to the tropics in the winter. Some scientists maintain that there should be as many as twelve corsola subspecies. The current consensus is that aside from the nominate subspecies there is only one other subspecies.

The Galarian corsola is a result of human intervention in the natural world. In 1959 the Galar Chemical Company began manufacturing the laundry detergent Miragel. One of the chemicals used in the product’s creation was released into the rivers of Galar and eventually ended up in the oceans. Almost all of the coral reefs around Galar died within seven years, bringing the corsola with them.

The corsola did not stay dead. Instead, they began to move again even though they were pure white and devoid of zooxanthellae. No living tissue existed inside of them. The new corsola were merely armor shells possessed by phantoms. Galarian corsola mostly stuck to the dead reefs and periodically repaired their armor by breaking off some of the dead coral. Their food source was and is unknown. Sometimes one of these corsola would be too badly injured to repair itself. This would result in evolution into cursola, a phantom given semi-physical form with only a few pieces of coral to attach itself to. Cursola are all but immobile and have no armor to speak of. They are also able to weave some of the strongest hexes of any ghost type. The reefs of Galar are off-limits to human visitors to avoid curses from the coral ghosts. On occasion a bold documentarian or adventurer will venture into the old reefs.

The lucky ones do not live to tell the tale.

 

[Persephone]

Toxapex (Mareanie)
Duodecim acanthaster

Overview

Toxapex has an unfortunate reputation as the bane of reefs. It is true that they eat hard corals. If they appear in very large numbers they can even radically alter a reef. It is also true that they are natural denizens of reefs that play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem. Without toxapex eating the fastest-growing hard corals, their prey would quickly outcompete the slow-growing corals. Toxapex also make a point of only eating the polyps and leaving the skeleton. This frees up space for new corals to grow. It is only when toxapex suddenly appear in much greater numbers than normal, or when a reef is much weaker than it should be, that there is a problem. Climate change, water pollution, and the removal of natural predators have all contributed to a toxapex population spike and a declining reef.

Captive toxapex are known more for their durability than their ability to menace reefs. Armor plating, potent venom, long spikes, and rapid regeneration make toxapex extremely difficult to take down. They have found a niche as one of the premier walls in the international metagame. Toxapex are also the rare pokémon that is both very powerful and easy to obtain. Multiple countries have declared open season on toxapex and even advertised themselves as a place where competitive trainers and world-renowned breeders can come to capture as many of the poison-types as they want.

Mareanie and toxapex are also water-types that can survive on land for several hours at a time. Traveling trainers still might want to opt for a friendlier and safer water-type. Mareanie are venomous, antisocial, and have a strange (and heavy) diet. Toxapex are somewhat friendlier and easier to train but are much more venomous. Trainers who want a bulky water-type are encouraged to look into slowbro, swampert, blastoise, gastrodon, mantine, or vaporeon instead.

Physiology

Both stages are classified as dual water- and poison-types.

Toxapex and mareanie come in a variety of colors. While light blue is the most common they can also be blood red, brown, purple, dark blue, black, or pink.

Mareanie are composed of ten legs, a discus, and a small head and body. The legs are just long enough that the head can take shelter under them and the discuss, separating it from water currents and potential annoyances. Long, sharp spines also cover the legs and discus. Beneath the spines are armored plates. The underside of the legs contains tube feet. Mareanie can grab coral and then rip it out with the powerful hydraulic pumps inside their legs. Every leg has an eye at the end, allowing mareanie to see everything around them.

The head is proportionally small and hangs from the discus. There are two more eyes on the head. A short ‘body’ hangs from the head. This body contains the stomach while it is inside the pokémon. Mareanie and toxapex feed by vomiting up their own stomach onto the coral they want to digest. The acids in the stomach break down their meal and cause the absorbed nutrients to stick to the lining. The stomach is then swallowed back up, bringing the food with it.

Mareanie rely on powerful venom for defense. All of their spines connect to a venom sac. Venom can be injected on contact. Toxapex venom mainly works by breaking down red and white blood cells. This induces anemia, shuts down the immune system, and eventually results in death. It also contains a neurotoxin that is tailored to inflict excruciating pain. The combined effects result in a slow, painful death for the target.

Toxapex’s head is about the same size as mareanie’s. The rest of the ‘body’ atrophies to nearly nothing as the stomach is now stored in the discus. The head is proportionally much smaller because the rest of the pokémon grows during evolution while the head does not. Two more legs grow in. All of the legs are now long and wide enough that they can be interlocked into a layer of armor that entirely hides the head. Toxapex also link their individual venom sacs so that all of their venom can potentially be injected through a small number of spines. A full injection can cause permanent injury or death to a wailord or gyarados.

Toxapex can reach diameters of five feet and weights of thirty-five pounds. They can live for twelve years in the wild and captivity.

Behavior

Mareanie comb the reef during the day. Their legs provide partial shelter while the head and stomach feast upon hard coral. In times of abundance they will descend to the reef’s floor when they are nearly full. While there they will search for corsola horns, their favorite food.

Toxapex can be a bit more active when hunting corsola. Sometimes they will rip one out of its place on the reef and eat the main body. Particularly audacious toxapex may even try to snag one out of the water column with their legs. The corsola’s horns are always left intact. Two are dumped into the crevasses, the remainder are left to fall to the ocean floor. Those that end up in tight crevasses will steadily regenerate into an entirely new corsola. The horns that fall are gifts to mareanie.

Both stages sleep at night. Mareanie will find tight or visually obscured places to hide and then draw their legs up around their head. Toxapex simply form a dome with their legs wherever they are standing when darkness falls. The dome is not or protection from predators: even venom-resistant bruxish will hesitate to attack a sleeping toxapex for fear of being stung. It is to protect the head from unnecessary disturbance by water currents. Even in strong storms toxapex can dig their legs into the coral, form their dome, and stay entirely unbothered near the surface. Even lightning strikes are seldom enough to kill a healthy toxapex.

Very young mareanie are preyed upon by baseline animals such as pufferfish and conches. Older mareanie only fear bruxish and human divers out to kill them. Toxapex are seldom bothered by anything at all.

Humans have targeted mareanie for many reasons over the years. The first inhabitants of the Pacific realized that primarina carrying spears in their mouth could impale the pokémon and bring them to the surface. The mareanie would be placed in a barbed pen often lined with the spines of dead mareanie. Eventually the pokémon would dry out and die. The needles were then carefully extracted and thoroughly cleansed. These were then used for giving tattoos and in some forms of medicine. There are still tattoo artists in Alola and New Zealand who use mareanie needles.

Modern mareanie culls rely on pokéballs. The captured pokémon are often sold to competitive trainers or private aquarists looking to raise a toxapex. The remainder are killed via dehydration and then incinerated.

Husbandry

Mareanie and toxapex should have tanks to themselves. Even mixing them with conspecifics is risky. Some aquarists have tried to put them in deep tanks with pokémon that swim near the surface but it simply is not worth the risk of injury to the poison-type’s tankmates. An adult toxapex will require approximately 3,000 gallons of water to be comfortable. They appreciate some rock or metal structures to climb on. Any coral left in the tank will be eaten. Some very large public aquariums have kept a single mareanie in their reef tanks. The reef regenerates fast enough for the mareanie to feed without destroying the reef. The major problem with the concept was that every pokémon that might cross paths with the mareanie needs to have grown up around them, either in the wild or in captivity. Otherwise, they might attack the pokémon and be killed, potentially taking down the mareanie with them. The last attempt at a multispecies tank with a living reef and a mareanie was abandoned in 2006.

Toxapex and mareanie prefer to be fed with slabs of hard coral. They will eat the polyps on the outside and leave the central skeleton untouched. The skeleton can then be used for decoration. The amount of coral area required is dependent upon the pokémon’s size. An eighteen-inch diameter mareanie will need about nine square inches a day. A fully grown toxapex will need about two hundred square inches of hard coral a day. This figure increases if the pokémon battles—and must regenerate limbs and venom—frequently. Corsola horns are comparatively dense in energy. A mareanie can eat a single horn and be content for days. A toxapex will need at least two every three days if this is to be the core of their diet. Toxapex are much more willing to eat corsola horns if the trainer puts two into a bag or other enclosed space while they feed the toxapex. This convinces them that the non-existent mareanie are being fed.

A coral-based diet is both heavy and expensive. Traveling trainers with a mudsdale and a thick wallet can make it work, but the pokémon is still best suited for professional aquarists and battlers with a semi-permanent home base. Toxapex travel surprisingly well in stasis or habitat balls. The minor side effects that can accompany days-long stays in a stasis ball can be healed in minutes or even seconds.

Toxapex and mareanie are perfectly happy to lead solitary lives with minimal interactions with their owner. Those wishing to properly train the pokémon for battle may want to take a more active role in the pokémon’s care. This can include playing games with them via strings with coral at the end. Surprisingly, toxapex will (slowly) chase laser pointers designed for use in the water. Behaviors can be rewarded by classical conditioning to gradually teach the pokémon how to fight. Over time toxapex will come to associate their trainer with food and entertainment. A sort of bond will be formed. Even the best trained of toxapex will (thankfully) never want to be touched. They will still try to keep an eye on their trainer, even following them out of the water to do so.

Illness

Almost nothing can kill a toxapex. Not even cancer. Their resistance to the disease has led to a good deal of medical research into their genome and regeneration. Bisecting the pokémon can result in two separate specimens regenerating in the original’s place.

Sodium bisulfate injections can kill a mareanie or even a toxapex, but this comes with a catch: getting close enough to the pokémon to inject them with poison gives them a chance to strike back with their own venom-filled needles. Mechanical arms can be used to achieve the same effect, but toxapex are deceptively good at shifting their body and armored plates around to avoid strange metallic objects.

The best way to kill toxapex and mareanie is by prolonged dehydration. Mareanie will die within three hours on dry land. Toxapex can survive for up to twelve. The next best alternative is to find a powerful psychic-type and assail their nervous system until even the pokémon’s regenerative capabilities falter.

Trainers should take some care to keep their pokémon out of prolonged fights with powerful psychics. Toxapex tend to play dead when they’re done fighting. Experienced referees will call a knockout at this point.

Evolution

Mareanie experience a rapid growth spurt around their third birthday. The discus will expand and open up a gap that will be filled by two new legs. A cavity opens in the discus and the stomach is sucked up into it. The ‘body’ will fall off the head shortly after. This process of growth, extra leg development, and stomach replacement occurs over the course of three days. The mareanie will eat far more than usual in the leadup to evolution and nothing at all during it. Over the next month the poison sacs will become interconnected.

Captive mareanie that evolve primarily or exclusively upon corsola horns mature faster than wild specimens. Evolution can occur around eighteen months of age with no long-term consequences.

Battling

Toxapex do not seem to mind battling. It is even seen as something of a novel or absurd circumstance. Something tries to break the toxapex and it gets to show that it cannot be broken. Eventually they will get fed up with battling and play dead, especially if they are concerned that regeneration from the fight will take more than half a day. It can take literal hours of abuse against some teams before forfeiting. Stall-based teams often cannot deal damage faster than toxapex can heal itself. On top of that toxapex are highly resistant to most toxins and pack a debilitating venom of their own. Every serious stall or quickstall team needs something capable of breaking toxapex.

Bulky offense also struggles with toxapex. Haze, scald, and venomous spines can make it hard for set-up sweepers to get past toxapex. Only brutes that have immense strength off the bat can really get through toxapex’s armor. This can still be played around. After exhausting the switch timer toxapex can be withdrawn into a ball that does not induce physical stasis. This will let them steadily heal themselves before being sent back into the fight later on.

Psychic-types are the most reliable way to break toxapex as they target the pokémon’s relatively simple brain rather than its armor. Alakazam is fast enough to avoid most attacks, can levitate above spines on the field, and deal enough mental damage to knock out some toxapex before the switch timer. Of course, alakazam is not available to non-psychics. These trainers often settle for espeon, gardevoir, or a rarer psychic-type.

Spectral and mineral pokémon are toxapex’s next best counters. Most of these pokémon are highly resistant to organic poisons. Toxapex is also not a strong enough hydrokinetic to seriously threaten bulky rock-types. They may still struggle to out-damage toxapex’s ability to heal itself via recover and time in a ball. Some pokémon are strong or stealthy enough to slip past toxapex’s armored legs and threaten the head. Toxapex can regrow their head if need be. The threat of serious injury to their central nervous system can still drive them to play dead.

Magnezone, hodad, and vikavolt can also threaten toxapex by sailing high above them, out of range of most of toxapex’s attacks. They can then bombard their opponent with lightning bolt after lightning bolt until the pokémon eventually gives up.

Toxapex’s venom is not as much of an ethical concern as tentacruel’s. Toxapex venom is very, very painful. However, it is seldom outright fatal if given professional treatment within a few hours. The venom is designed to cause pain and gradually break down blood cells, not to immediately destroy important organs. It is a deterrent rather than an offensive weapon. Wild toxapex want would-be predators to live long enough to show others why attacking them is a bad idea.

Mareanie are not quite as durable or venomous as toxapex. The general strategy is the same. Stay in place or slowly crawl across the battlefield. Scatter venomous spines around them. Use haze to deter set-up sweepers. Use recover as needed. Try to deal chip damage in the meantime. Losing matchups should be pivoted out of as toxapex and mareanie lack the tools to deal with their counters and are better served stonewalling something else.

Acquisition

Mareanie can be captured or purchased with a Class IV license. Toxapex capture is currently handled exclusively by the DNR to avoid amateurs getting hurt or killed while trying to catch them. They can be adopted purchased with a Class IV license. Mareanie are seldom available for adoption as shelters will rarely take them. They can be easily purchased from divers who make a living scouring the reefs for mareanie to capture. Toxapex can sometimes be adopted from the DNR after culls.

Capture of mareanie is legal with no limits on the reefs of Alola. They are most easily found during the day as they graze coral surfaces in broad daylight. Mareanie can be difficult to wear down before capture. Trainers should go into mareanie capture sessions with an idea on how to fight them successfully without electrocuting everything in the surrounding water. Psychic-types are the best way to do this.

Breeding

Toxapex can breed asexually by regeneration. When a full leg is broken off it can regenerate into an entire pokémon genetically identical to the original. Some well-intentioned divers have tried to kill mareanie by cutting them apart, accidentally creating ten times more mareanie than there were in the beginning. Professional trainers will often end up with severed arms during fights. The toxapex do not seem to mind losing limbs much at all, especially if they know their trainer will put it into a tank, feed it, and let it regenerate.

Toxapex are also capable of sexual reproduction. The act itself is a delicate one as both individuals try to avoid impalement on the other’s spines. Once intercourse is completed the female will move on to find a crevasse in the reef to lay her eggs in. Toxapex lay ninety eggs at a time and can reproduce once a month. They do not live in mated pairs and do not look after their children beyond ensuring that some corsola horns reach the seafloor for them to find.

Breeding toxapex sexually without artificial insemination can be difficult. Their sex can only be determined by x-ray. Toxapex introduced to a same-sex conspecific will either ignore or attack it. Opposite-sex pairs may attempt to mate if there is a suitable place for egg-laying in the tank. One female living in a room with multiple tanks was observed exploiting a faulty latch to climb out of hers and into another one to lay her eggs. There was another female toxapex living in that tank that allowed the intruder to enter, lay her eggs, and then leave. Some breeders have speculated that reproductive rates may be higher if lids are temporarily removed during mating so the female can pick which tank to lay her eggs in.

As with most echinoderms, artificial insemination is relatively easy. A combination of heat shock from being released into a tank between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit and an injection of a chemical agent can induce spawning in a male. These gametes can then be collected and released into the same tank as a female. If the tank is small and has good circulation odds are good that the female will be fertilized.

Mareanie developing inside the egg have five-fold symmetry. As they develop they grow an additional five legs and then a pair of eyes and a mouth. They have bilateral symmetry by the time they hatch.

Relatives

Toxapex appear in reefs across the tropical and sub-tropical Pacific. How they get from reef to reef is a mystery as they are not broadcast spawners. There is some speculation that corsola rafts may allow toxapex to deposit eggs onto them. This is based entirely on evidence from traditional songs on the island of Tonga.

Taxonomists are torn between classifying all toxapex as part of a single undivided species or dividing them into one for every area they appear in. The consensus for now is to lump all toxapex together into D. acanthaster.

 

[Persephone]

Commissioned by crashmoth.


Blastoise (Squirtle, Wartortle)
Vulcanaquae japonicus

Overview

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

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

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

Physiology

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

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

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

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

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

Behavior

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

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

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

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

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

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

Husbandry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Illness

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

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

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

Evolution

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

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

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

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

Battle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acquisition

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

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

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

Breeding

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

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

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

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

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

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

Relatives

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

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

 

[Persephone]

Cloyster (Shellder)
Armis inalgesco

Overview

Every species needs some way to defend against predation. Some pokémon are simply too large or formidable in battle for any native predator to challenge them. Venom or foul taste can deter all but a select few hunters. Other pokémon can run away or avoid being seen at all. One approach works on a population level rather than an individual one: have so many babies that it is unlikely they all get eaten. The last is a very common approach for surviving the larval stage in the ocean.

Cloyster have a different strategy: be so hard to damage that nothing bothers. This has its risks as any motile species that can break their armor see them as a free meal. Shellder have their share of predators. Cloyster, on the other hand, have perfected the art of invulnerability. Almost nothing can outright break the armor of a cloyster. All but the strongest of gyarados will eventually admit defeat. The only ways to truly defeat them are to bypass the armor entirely with mental or sonic attacks, electric currents, or poisons. Occasionally a desperate bruxish or a group of blatoise will take a crack at a cloyster, but for the most part they succeed in having no predators while almost never moving at all.

Although they prefer to stay tethered to seawalls or submerged rocks, cloyster have still ended up thousands of miles away from their home in the arctic and sub-arctic. This is due to humans. Ships carrying ballast from northern Europe, Japan, and Galar fill up with ballast water from the region. They then dump it upon arrival in Alola. One of these ships brought cloyster to Kala’e Bay. One legend has it that Captain Cook’s ship was the one to drop them there, but this seems unlikely. The location is correct. But Cook had dumped and filled the ship’s ballast tank several times when he reached Alola. Whoever brought them here, cloyster have thrived for two centuries in the cool waters of Alola where underground or mountain streams meet the sea.

Cloyster are not well-suited for the island challenge. Neither stage will eat outside the water, although it will take them several hours to suffer adverse health consequences. They tend to clamp up on land to preserve the water inside of their shell. This makes them reluctant battlers and poor companions. Trainers who want a very durable water-type are encouraged to catch a slowpoke, mudkip, or shellos instead.

Physiology

Shellder are classified as a pure water-type. Cloyster gain a secondary ice-typing. While shellder do prefer cold waters, they have no greater affinity for ice attacks than the average water-type. Cloyster, on the other hand, prefer to attack with spears of ice. This is the justification for the secondary typing.

Shellder have a two-segmented shell joined by a hinge. Internal muscles let them forcefully close the shell and keep it closed. The muscles that open the shell are much less well developed. Some crafty predators tie seaweed around them so they cannot open up and feed. The shell is almost as durable as steel. They were integrated into suits of armor in some early civilizations. Traded shells have been found as far south as Mali and India.

One of shellder’s most distinctive features is their large tongue. This is not actually a tongue. It is a foot used for digging and movement. The tongue grows slightly faster than the shell. In very old shellder that have not evolved the tongue will begin to stick out even when the shell is closed. Shellder ingest food through their siphon, a tube that is ordinarily stored inside their shell. The tongue is not used for eating.

Both shellder and cloyster have two well developed eyes with lenses. They primarily sense the world through sight. A less obvious organ is the byssal gland. Cloyster and shellder can excrete thin white fibers that are used to attach them to other objects. Byssal fibers are extremely sturdy: attempting to tear a shellder with brute force is almost certain to fail. The byssal fibers are easily cut and doing so does not hurt the pokémon.

Cloyster’s shell is often referred to by non-scientists as ‘harder than diamond.’ This fundamentally fails to identify the strengths of a cloyster’s shell. Diamond shatters easily but is nearly impossible to scratch. Cloyster shells can be scratched but are nearly impossible to shatter. There is a second layer of the shell beneath the shatter-resistant armor that is hard to cut but easier to break. The twin layers protect the cloyster from virtually all forms of damage. Upon evolution cloyster are very smooth. Every scratch to the outside layer of the shell is healed in such a way that the area is rougher. Particularly large injuries to the shell result in armored spines growing in the area.

In addition to their armored siphon cloyster also have a more conventional mouth. The mouth is built to bite anything that gets past the armor rather than to eat food. Cloyster are almost exclusively filter feeders.

Cloyster’s foot atrophies considerably after evolution. When they must move they propel themselves with jets of water.

Shellder grow to be eighteen inches across and can weigh up to twenty-five pounds. Their wild and captive lifespans are around four years. Cloyster can grow to be six feet across and can weigh up to four hundred pounds. Wild cloyster can live up to thirty-five years. Captive specimens typically live for fifteen.

Behavior

Shellder spend most of their time buried in the sediment. They crawl through the benthos and use their siphon to ingest the sand. What is unused is excreted out of the pokémon’s back. On occasion shellder will come to the surface to check for available food there. This is when they are most vulnerable to predators.

Bruxish are shellder’s main predator in Alola as they can bite through the shell or inflict telepathic damage from a distance. The Melemele population of bruxish was culled in the 1980s to prevent damage to coral reefs frequented by tourists. This resulted in a rapid increase in the shellder population that has only recently leveled off with the reintroduction of bruxish. Some flying-types such as braviary or, bizarrely, drifblim will lift up shellder high into the air and drop them down onto jagged rocks. This is sometimes enough to kill the pokémon outright.

Cloyster prefer to attach themselves to a hard surface with their byssal glands and set about passively filtering the water. Phytoplankton are their preferred source of food although they will digest almost anything that goes through their siphon. When something antagonizes a cloyster it will either clamp up and rely on its nigh-invulnerable shell or begin bombarding the prey with icicle spears. A particularly annoyed cloyster can even use shell smash, burning away some of their armor for a massive influx of elemental power. Nothing regularly bothers cloyster and cloyster seldom bother anything in return. Theirs is a life of live and let live.

Husbandry

Shellder prefer to live in cool brackish water with a temperature between fifty-five and sixty-five degrees. Calcium and carbonate levels should be kept high to encourage for shell growth. The best tanks for shellder are well-established community tanks with a thick layer of sediment at the bottom. Food will regularly need to be placed on the seabed or buried within it. Shellder being kept in single-species tanks should have their food placed on the surface so the trainer can regularly check up on them. Sometimes shellder in community tanks die unnoticed in the sediment. They can foul the water as they decompose. If a shellder is to be fed beneath the sediment’s surface they should be withdrawn at least once a week to ensure it is alive.

Cloyster are trickier to keep in captivity. The tank must be designed in such a way that phytoplankton or marine snow deposited in the tank will flow past the pokémon’s preferred resting spot. Almost no aquarium will naturally produce enough organic material to feed a cloyster. Even large cold-water aquariums such as those in Kuchiba and Monterey Bay supplement the diet of their cloyster. Their husbandry is further complicated by the time it takes for them to die of starvation: up to seven months in some cases. It can be hard to tell if a cloyster is being fed well enough until it keels over dead. Introducing too much food runs the risk of decomposition skewing the chemical balance of the tank.

Thankfully, cloyster can thrive in brackish water and feed on phytoplankton. The usual problems facing uncovered saltwater ponds – decreased salinity over time and algae blooms – are not major problems for cloyster as long as the pond is properly aerated. Outdoor ponds in Alola tend to become too hot for cloyster to be comfortable with. An artificial cooling system or weather manipulating ice-types can negate this problem as well. Cloyster themselves can cool the water around them to an extent.

Trainers who do not care about the aesthetics of their tank can simply keep it filled with enough phytoplankton to keep a greenish tinge in the water. Aeration features are necessary to keep dissolved oxygen levels high. It is better to simply introduce new phytoplankton over time than keep nutrient levels high enough for them to sustain high populations, as that could poison the cloyster in the process.

Neither stage is very social. Cloyster enjoy having their shell cleaned and will sometimes come to love battling. Outside of cleaning, training, and the occasional battle cloyster are content to sit still and filter the water. Shellder sometimes appreciate shell cleanings but will generally clamp up if anything gets too close. A human they come to associate with food will sometimes be allowed to train them, but shellder tend to dislike battle.

Neither stage is well-suited for trail life. Cloyster and shellder alike struggle to feed in the sediment-free, all-purpose pools at Pokémon Centers. Many of these pools are also uncomfortably warm for them.

Illness

Cloyster can filter over 5,000 gallons of water a day. This leaves them vulnerable to picking up even minute concentrations of pollutants in the water and incorporating it into their flesh. Because cloyster’s organic tissue is almost always concealed from sight and touch it can be very difficult to assess their health. Some cloyster will open up and allow their trainer to inspect their foot from time to time.

Cloyster and shellder aquaculture is a small but established industry on Ula’Ula. There are specialist veterinarians near Castleton and Tapu Village who can conduct proper checkups on bivalves.

Any change in behavior or appearance can be a cause for concern, especially in cloyster. A potentially sick pokémon should be withdrawn into a stasis ball until it can be seen by a veterinarian.

Evolution

Sometimes sand grains get caught inside of shellder. There they gradually mix with bodily fluids to become pearls. These pearls are eventually deposited into the sediment when they become too large. The pearls are of a high quality and are quite valuable, but they have no other special properties.

Cloyster pearls become charged with ice elemental energy. Other strange compounds are mixed in as well. The resulting pearl can trigger a flash evolution in any shellder that touches it. Evolution also consumes the pearl. There is some evidence that it can also trigger evolution in other species, although much of this research is anecdotal. The effect of the pearl on eevee is well documented. Roughly 72% of eevee exposed to a cloyster pearl evolve into glaceon, 15% into vaporeon, and 13% do not evolve as a result of exposure.

Battle

Cloyster are a premier tank or sweeper, especially in metagames that allow for pools. They can stand still and steadily spread layers of spikes or toxic spikes onto the field. They can also try to trap some threats by clamping down on them with full force, keeping them still. The clamp can also be used as an opening for blasting foes with repeated point-black icicle shards or rock blasts. Cloyster struggle to move around well enough to aim attacks on land, but this problem is fixed in the water where hydrokinesis and water jets can allow for small or large adjustments in position.

Alternatively, cloyster can use shell smash. This move makes cloyster far more vulnerable to attacks, but also makes them a lot faster and frees up a great deal of elemental energy. Cloyster are great at linking together many small projectile attacks into an overwhelming torrent. Icicle spear and rock blast are their standard moves. Hydro pump, razor shell, blizzard, and ice beam can be used as the fourth move in a match. Unfortunately, move-per-match limits make it difficult to use cloyster as both a hazard-setter and an effective sweeper in the same match.

The two approaches do not share many counters. Bulky water-types or very fast fighting- or electric-types can outlast or overwhelm shell smash cloyster. Defensive cloyster is best handled through standard stall-breaking tactics such as taunt, encore, and poison.

Shellder may not have cloyster’s near invulnerability, but they are still difficult for most weaker foes to take down. Shell smash is seldom the best approach for them. Shellder do not regularly move via water jets so the additional elemental energy does not boost their speed alongside their power. This leaves them as a suddenly vulnerable sitting duck for anything that can get past their attacks.

Acquisition

Shellder and cloyster can be found in Alola’s cool waters. The two most notable areas are Route 15 and Kala’e Bay. Capture of shellder is currently allowed only in the latter. The Route 15 population is unstable. Cloyster provide vital ecosystem services by filtering the water. They also do not disturb the native wildlife like many introduced species do. The combination of these traits was enough to grant shellder protection from capture in areas where they are at risk of extirpation. Cloyster capture is prohibited to protect the continued viability of the species. It would also be somewhat unsporting as cloyster never move and are unused to dealing with things that can threaten them.

Shellder can be obtained with a Class III license. Cloyster require a Class IV license to possess, even for trainers who evolved their shellder. Shellder do not inevitably or accidentally evolve into cloyster. The elevated requirement for possession is to deter trainers from evolving their shellder if they are unprepared for caring for a cloyster.

Breeding

Male cloyster are broadcast spawners. They release millions of sperm into the water at once. Some of these may find their way into a female cloyster’s siphon. She will then use the sperm to fertilize her eggs. The developing shellder grow up inside of their mother’s shell until they are about six inches across. She will then release them. Once they hit the seafloor the new shellder will bury themselves and begin to search for food.

Captive cloyster are easy to breed as there is no need for mate selection. Sperm can be inserted into a female cloyster’s tank. After roughly two months shellder will be released. The mother has no particular attachment to her offspring and the new shellder are independent from release. This means they can immediately be sold or relocated.

Relatives

Most cloyster live in the cool waters of the northern oceans. Small populations can also be found in the tropics where underground rivers or glacial meltwater meet the ocean. They were introduced to the waters around Antarctica in the 1970s. At the time Argentina and Chile were attempting to build permanent populated settlements on the continent to shore up their claims to territory there. The Argentinians created a shellder and cloyster farm for food and profit. The project was eventually scrapped due to the severe winter weather making the area unsuitable for year-round civilian populations. One employee let the pokémon go free as an act of mercy. They have since spread throughout the coast of the Weddell Sea.

Local shorebirds have learned how to kill the shellder for food. Ecologists are divided over whether the shellder should be exterminated. They do not seem to be actively harming the ecosystem, but they are an introduced species in an otherwise pristine continent set aside as a nature reserve. The shellder in the farm had been selectively bred to increase their pearl size and growth rate. These traits remain in the feral population. Some taxonomists have proposed that the Antarctic cloyster should have its own subspecies, tentatively dubbed Armis inalgesco australis.

 

[Persephone]

Clamperl (Huntail, Gorebyss)
Aequor acritesta gigas

Overview

Coral reefs are typically associated with brightly lit warm waters. But not all reefs are found on the surface. The seamounts around Alola are home to many deep sea reefs, vibrant and biodiverse communities thriving well beyond the light’s reach. Deep sea corals feed on tiny organisms drifting through the water currents. The reefs provide food and shelter for a diverse and poorly understood ecosystem. These corals tend to be soft. They often resemble trees or shrubs growing from the ocean floor.

Clamperl are bivalves that live near deep sea reefs. Most of their diet is composed of organisms they filter from the water. Would-be predators also make up a healthy portion of their diet.

Huntail and gorebyss are some of the dominant predators of the deep sea reefs. Even their hunting styles differ from those commonly found on land: huntail try to draw prey to them and gorebyss act more like parasites than hunters.

Just reaching clamperl’s home requires either a very long fishing line or descending in a special suit designed for deep dives. As a result they are very expensive pokémon to obtain, whether or not you catch them yourself. Some collectors still find the pokémon to be worth it – especially because their pearls also sell for a high price.

Physiology

Clamperl are classified as pure water-types. Gorebyss and huntail have secondary psychic- and dark-typings, respectively. Gorebyss have increased psy-sensitivity over clamperl and use it to stun their prey in the wild. Huntail are all but immune to telepathy and often charge their bites with dark-type energy.

Clamperl are bivalves. Their main nervous system and most of their organs are contained in a small pink mass of flesh nestled in their shell. Clamperl’s nervous system is surprisingly well-developed and can create bursts of psychic power. The byssus is the one major organ outside the main cluster. It is positioned at the rear of the pokémon and is used to create byssal fibers that help it latch on to the environment. Clamperl’s shell is not quite as hard as that of a shellder, but the rim is very sharp. They can also close their shell with forces of up to 800 PSI. Like shellder they also sometimes get grains of sand stuck in their shell. These can be coated in layer after layer of body fluids until they become white pearls. The white pearls, unlike the pink ‘pearl’ composing clamperl’s body, can be removed without hurting the organism.

Huntail are long blue snake-like pokémon. Their dorsal fin is very long and connected to their caudal and anal fins. Huntail have large heads with massive jaws full of needle-like teeth. They can bite with similar forces to clamperl. Their skeleton is very durable to deal with the pressures of their home. Huntail have brown skin but their body is coated in a layer of blue mucus to deter predators. As deep sea fish huntail have a greatly atrophied sense of sight. The only well-developed sense they have is that of smell.

Great senses are not necessary for their survival. Huntail can light up the tip of their tail and wiggle it around. This resembles a small fish in motion. Their prey come to them. They have no need to hone the keen senses or high speeds of more conventional predators.

Gorebyss have vibrant pink skin with red, purple, and white patterns running across it. Their skin is very thick to withstand the pressures they live at. This also makes them very durable. Gorebyss have long, thin mouths with dozens of tiny, needle-like teeth at the end. Two antennae, one on top of the head and one on bottom, amplify their psychic abilities. A circular tail fin rests at the tip of their slender body. Gorebyss are capable of much faster movement speeds than huntail, but they can still only swim at about twelve miles per hour.

Clamperl can grow to be thirty inches across and can weigh up to eight pounds. Huntail reach lengths of ten feet and can weigh up to 110 pounds. Gorebyss reach lengths of twelve feet and can weigh up to 60 pounds. The lifespan of wild gorebyss and huntail is unknown. Captive specimens can live for up to ten years after evolution.

Behavior

Clamperl are almost entirely sedentary. While they can move by creating jets of water this is only done when food is no longer drifting by the pokémon’s location. Almost all of their time is spent in one place filtering the water that comes to them. Occasionally another pokémon will approach and try to eat the soft pink flesh of the clamperl. The moment they insert themselves into the bivalve’s shell it will clamp down and bisect the would-be predator. The clamperl will stay closed until the meal they cut off is properly digested. Then they will open back up and resume filtering the water as if nothing had happened.

Some predators can pierce a clamperl’s shell from behind and eat them. Golisopod are believed to be clamperl’s main predator. Chinchou and lanturn can also electrocute a clamperl until it is dead, pry open the shell, and eat the organs without risk of reprisal. Malamar probably eat clamperl although this has never been directly observed. Cephalopods often view bivalves as both a game and a meal. The shells can even be a home for smaller cephalopods.

Huntail float about five meters above the sediment to stay out of reach for golisopod and other benthic pokémon. They illuminate their tail and wiggle it around to draw out mid-size predators. These predators will quickly become the prey when huntail whirls around and clamps its large, powerful maw full of needle-like teeth down. After their food is digested the huntail will illuminate its tail again. Huntail can eat pokémon up to two-thirds of their body mass. This is accomplished by means of a set of double jaws, one of which can be detached.

It is not believed that huntail have many predators. Gyarados seldom dive beneath the photic zone and huntail are simply too small for wailord to bother with. The odd malamar might try to fight one, but huntail are very resistant to psychic attacks and attempts at hypnosis. Golisopod have been observed launching themselves off the seafloor to attack a huntail. Should they miss they open themselves up to reprisal. Huntail’s teeth can pierce golisopod’s armor and inflict a fatal blow.

Gorebyss feed exclusively on blood. It is believed that they use long-range telepathic scans to find prey they can latch on to and drain. They prefer to attach themselves to diving wailord. Gorebyss will then follow the wailord throughout their dive and even back to the photic zone. A single gorebyss is unlikely to kill an adult wailord. Two dozen might. As a precaution wailord usually float into the air after being bitten. They can float above the surface for long enough that the gorebyss need to detach themselves and return to the water to breathe. Gorebyss try not to stay in the photic zone for too long as there are far more predators up there (sharpedo, braviary, noivern, gyarados) than in the deep sea. When there are no wailord available gorebyss will latch on to smaller pokémon such as relicanth. If their prey dies they will simply swim away and let the remaining flesh sink to the seafloor.

Gorebyss have demonstrated social behaviors in the wild. Sometimes they can be observed in long trains of gorebyss wrapped around the tail of the pokémon in front of them. They will swim through the water like one big organism. This is suspected to be a mating ritual.

Husbandry

Clamperl are relatively easy to care for. They can simply be placed into a shallow, cold, and dimly lit pool. It is possible to feed them via filtration, but it is much easier to simply use a long pair of tongs to put a dead fish into the clamperl’s shell. It will then bite down on its meal and slowly digest it. Whenever the clamperl opens back up it will need to be fed again. This results in a rather uninteresting pokémon that constantly stays closed.

Trainers who wish to properly bond with their pokémon will need to let it filter feed. Regularly inserting marine snow or zooplankton into a tank can ensure the pokémon will have enough to eat. Ordinarily filter feeders will peacefully coexist and passively clean the water in a community tank. Clamperl, unfortunately, tend to kill any curious tankmates. It is best to keep them in a well-monitored and designed single-species tank.

Huntail are difficult to feed. They will eventually learn to eat dead meat placed in the same tank but they will be reluctant at first. Going to eat dead things on the benthos carries a risk of being killed by a golisopod in the wild. Aquarists have had more luck dropping a fish, squid, or crustacean over the tip of the pokémon’s tail. Attempting to feed the pokémon directly with tongs will result in broken tongs or teeth.

Huntail do not need pressurized water as long as they have been properly acclimated to surface pressures. They prefer water between 32 and 40 degrees. Darker tanks are better than brightly lit ones. They can survive for up to an hour out of water but this is stressful for the pokémon. They do not need a large tank as they rarely move around. Conventional enrichment is unnecessary. Moves and commands can be taught but it tends to go slowly. Thankfully they do gradually develop a bond with humans they associate with feeding time.

Gorebyss can live in bright, warm tanks as long as there are places for them to hide. They are not good for community tanks as they will try to kill most tankmates. Some aquarists have had luck keeping them with shellder and corsola. Feeding them can be difficult for those faint of heart. Gorebyss need to be fed live prey. They will attach themselves to their prey, drain their bodily fluids, and then promptly lose interest. Mammals are preferred to fish. Reptiles are only drained as a last resort.

Gorebyss are far more curious than huntail and can be taught basic and even advanced commands in time. It is still dangerous to enter the tank of even a trained gorebyss. They may simply wrap themselves around a trusted human. It is more likely that they latch on with their sharp teeth and start drinking their blood.

Illness

One problem with keeping filter-fed clamperl is that they require having large amounts of nutrients free-floating in the water. If these rot they can create buildups of toxic chemicals and potentially kill the clamperl outright. Their tanks must be regularly monitored for nitrate or ammonium buildup.

Gorebyss and huntail are very hardy. The only common illness observed in either is bacterial infection. If the skin or eyes seem to be cloudy take the pokémon to a veterinarian. Bacterial infections caught early will almost always be fully recovered from.

Evolution

Clamperl’s body grows continuously. At some point the shell stops growing alongside it. The clamperl will eventually become unable to fully close its shell, making it increasingly vulnerable to predators. If a gorebyss or huntail swims by a clamperl at or near the limits of its shell they will descend and give the bivalve a gift. Huntail donate a tooth and gorebyss give a scale. The clamperl will then clamp itself shut as best as it is able and begin the evolution process.

X-rays have provided insights into what happens in the shell of an evolving clamperl. The pokémon’s nervous system seals itself off inside of a bubble and separates from the rest of the flesh. It then begins to divide like it were a single cell, slowly consuming the rest of its former body as it grows. When everything is consumed the new gorebyss or huntail will push its way out of the shell and swim off. Over the course of the next six to eight months it will grow to full size.

Any oysters are abandoned with the shell. This is the ideal time to harvest the oysters from captive specimens. Alternatively, the pokémon can simply not be evolved. This only works for filter feeding setups where the ability to fully close the shell is mostly irrelevant. The clamperl will eventually die from an inability to pump blood throughout the entire body with its primitive circulatory system, but this won’t happen for at least a year after the pokémon is unable to fully close its shell. Very large clamperl may be unable to successfully evolve.

Captive evolution requires a huntail tooth or a gorebyss scale. It can be triggered at any time after the pokémon’s shell has stopped growing. A tooth will result in evolution into huntail and a scale will evolve the pokémon into a gorebyss.

Battle

Clamperl have a small niche as shell smash abusers. Cloyster is generally a better choice for this role due to its greater ranged options and initial bulk but clamperl can be used by trainers with budget or resource constraints. After weakening its own shell the clamperl can move with very fast and powerful jets of water. The clamping force of its bite is not weakened, allowing it to quickly force the surrender of many opponents.

Gorebyss and huntail retain some ability to use shell smash, weakening their own armor or skin but greatly increasing their ability to draw on elemental energy. If shell smash is not used both are durable water-types. Huntail is slower and primarily dependent on melee options, but both issues are partially fixed by shell smash. Gorebyss is faster and has more long-range attacks such as psychic, hydro pump, and ice beam. Using shell smash undermines gorebyss’s walling potential but dramatically powers up its attacks.

Neither is necessarily a bad choice in competitive battling but they are seldom used in practice. Gorebyss and huntail are expensive. Many aquarists consider them the crown jewel of their collections. Using one in battle in a way that intentionally makes them more vulnerable to harm threatens a very valuable pokémon.

Gorebyss and huntail mostly lack the tools needed to capitalize on their bulk. They can eventually be taught toxic but they have no natural venoms or poisons to enhance the poison-type energy. Whirlpools are good for passively damaging foes but neither creates one so strong that high level opponents will not be able to escape it. Additionally whirlpool requires getting their opponent into the water, something that neither pokémon has the tools to reliably accomplish.

No stage of the evolutionary line is a good pick on the island challenge. They require large pools of water to reach their full potential. These will seldom be available during totem and kahuna battles.

Acquisition

Most of Alola’s deep sea reefs are in the seamounts at the tail end of the archipelago. Catching pokémon from one requires a boat, either to store SCUBA equipment or to house deep sea lines. The best way to catch a live clamperl, huntail, or gorebyss is to dive down to their home with specialized equipment. This is best done with a powerful water-type for protection, especially one that does not need to surface to breathe and can withstand the pressures over 100 feet down.

Once a clamperl, gorebyss, or huntail is found it will need to be put to sleep or otherwise incapacitated. Then the trainer must scoop it into a net and slowly bring it to the surface. Rapidly ascending or trying to capture the pokémon in a pokéball at depth will result in depressurization sickness, potentially killing the newly captured pokémon. Gorebyss handle ascension better than huntail who in turn require fewer delays than clamperl. There are experimental pokéballs that negate the effects of depressurization sickness, but these are still very expensive and hard to come by at present.

Clamperl can be captured or purchased with a Class II license. Gorebyss and huntail require a Class III. Due to the difficulties in caring for them and the high market demand it is very rare for a shelter to have one.

Breeding

Neither gorebyss nor huntail has been bred in captivity. It is not understood how they breed as the process has never been observed. They only have one pair of sex organs. It seems likely that they reproduce via direct deposit of sperm into the female rather than by broadcast spawning. The act itself has never been witnessed. Gorebyss trains might be a precursor to the mating act but the trains have always dispersed before any gamete exchange has been observed.

Relatives

There are two main types of clamperl. The first, the filter feeders, A. acritesta. The other are photosynthesizers, A. plantesta. These clamperl live near the surface and have colorful ‘lips’ loaded with zooxanthellae. They passively gain energy from the sun until it is time to evolve. Whenever a gorebyss has followed a wailord to the surface in these areas it will do a quick scan for any clamperl in need of evolution. If it finds one it will telekinetically lift it up and carry it down to the deep seas. A. plantesta gorebyss are larger and more colorful than those seen in Alola. The clamperl are also larger and can use grass elemental attacks when threatened. The huntail are about the same size as those seen in Alola.

Alolan clamperl and its evolutions, A. a. gigas, appears to be somewhere between the standard deep sea clamperl and the tropical photosynthesizers. Alolan clamperl are larger than the other deep sea clamperl that can be found in the trenches and seamounts of the North Pacific. Alolan gorebyss and huntail are also larger than most of the deep sea subspecies.

Recent studies have suggested that this is because Alola’s clamperl might actually be descended from surface dwelling photosynthesizers. Fossilized shells of A. plantesta have been found in Alola and legends describe the early kahunas wielding large, colorful shields. It sems likely that the Polynesians drove A. plantesta to extinction on Alola. Those that survived did so by retreating to the depths and becoming more like their ancestors. There is some debate over whether the Alolan clamperl should be reclassified from a subspecies of the deep sea clamperl to a subspecies of the surface clamperl. Some argue it should be a species in its own right.

 

[Persephone]

Octillery (Remoraid)
Pseudocephalus viscaput

Overview

Many people are confused by octillery and remoraid: are they fish or cephalopods? Do they change between the two as they evolve? The answer is that they are both fish. Octillery’s ‘tentacles’ are fins they have some prehensile control over. The line lacks the intelligence, dexterity, and frailty that are shared by many cephalopods. They trade these for greater social bonds, even stretching across species, a hard skeleton, and powerful projectiles.

Remoraid tend to fare poorly in captivity due to their anxiety. Trainers with the space and know-how to care for large aquatic pokémon can add a few remoraid to their home. They are otherwise best left to more advanced and ambitious aquarists.

Octillery, on the other hand, are sedentary and mostly asocial pokémon that adjust well to captivity. They can even tolerate being out of the water for up to an hour at a time, although they struggle to move on land. Intermediate-level aquarists may find one to be an excellent addition to their collection and a valuable partner in battles with available pools.

Physiology

Both octillery and remoraid are classified as pure water-types. The ruling is not disputed.

Remoraid are slightly elongated fish with light blue-green scales. A short dorsal fin is located just above the eyes. Two caudal fins are located at the pokémon’s rear, one extending from the top of the body and the other from the bottom. Two of remoraid’s most interesting features are their complex eyes and mouth. The mouth is shaped in such a way that the remoraid can raise its tongue and create a narrow channel that is wider at the back than the front. Their eyes are excellent at tracking moving targets. Between the two they can fire powerful jets of water or other elemental energy accurately for up to 300 feet. Even larger predators are often reluctant to take fire from an arsenal of remoraid.

The final feature of note about remoraid is the suction pad just behind their dorsal fin. This lets them attach themselves to the underside of larger pokémon such as lapras, mantine, wailord, sharpedo, and gyarados.

Octillery have a short and deep body that is almost spherical. Remoraid’s pale blue-green scales are replaced by vibrant red ones that help them blend in better on coral reefs. They keep the complex eyes they had as a remoraid and gain an even longer and more advanced mouth for firing projectiles out of. This mouth also visibly extends from the rest of the body. Octillery are proficient in many more spectrums of elemental energy than remoraid. Most wild remoraid only make use of water attacks, but octillery can easily learn ice, fire, psychic, grass, normal, rock, ground, and poison attacks.

Eight tentacles trail out from octillery. These are two modified pectoral fins and six modified caudal fins. The former two traditionally face forward while the latter six trail behind. Each fin has two orange suction pads similar to the one on remoraid. Octillery have control over each fin but they do not have the fine motor skills required for tool use.

Another major difference between octillery and cephalopods is their skull. Octillery have a hard, bony skeletal system surrounding their organs. This makes it difficult for them to move through the open water without relying on jets of water to propel them backwards. It also makes them much more durable the invertebrates they resemble.

Octillery can grow to be three feet tall when sitting on their fins. They can weigh up to fifty pounds. Captive octillery usually live for twenty-five years, although some have lived for as many as thirty-five. Their wild lifespan is unknown.

Behavior

Young remoraid live in arsenals of fifteen to twenty individuals. They tend to stay near sharpedo. In return for protection and the ability to clean up leftovers, remoraid will pick the parasites off of the larger pokémon. Older remoraid will begin to congregate around mantine. Mantine schools can host arsenals of up to 100 remoraid. They attach themselves to mantine’s wings and eat anything that escapes the feeding whirlpool. While they do pick off parasites, remoraid’s more important service is as a means of defense. Mantine mostly rely on their size and durability to keep them alive. Mantyke and sub-adult mantine do not have this protection. Remoraid will fiercely attack anything that tries to harm the nearby mantyke or mantine.

Octillery move to the reefs of Alola and mostly live alone. They find large crevasses to live in and, should one not be available, they will use their hard skull and powerful blasts to make one. Octillery hunt by killing small fish and pokémon with a single projectile. Then they make the journey across the seafloor to their down prey, threatening off scavengers with their water jets. Once the prey is devoured they will go back to their nest and repeat the process whenever they become hungry again.

Clawitzer are threatening Alola’s octillery population. Octillery are not used to predators as the only things that can reliably tank a hit and shatter their skull in return seldom visit the reefs. Not only do clawitzer prey upon octillery but they also have a similar niche. Their projectiles are even more powerful than those of octillery, although they are less powerful. The difference barely matters when hunting luvdisc and other small pokémon.

Efforts to remove clawitzer from the reefs of Akala, Ula’Ula, and Melemele have been mostly successful. The population still holds on near Poni and the smaller islands of the archipelago.

Husbandry

Remoraid grow anxious when there is not a large pokémon to hang on to. Lapras, sharpedo, gyarados, wailord, and mantine, alomomola are suitable hosts. Milotic tend to grow irritated by remoraid and attack them if they try to latch on. All six ideal hosts require very large enclosures and have complicated care requirements. Remoraid are usually inserted into the enclosure as an afterthought to help with parasite removal or to create a multispecies habitat featuring a large predator that seldom tolerates companions. They will help themselves to any leftover food from sharpedo or gyarados. If housed with a lapras, wailord, alomomola, or mantine they will need to be fed small fish or have larger fish cut up into pieces for them. This can occasionally lead to problems with food-defensive lapras trying to claim all the food as their own. Some aquarists recommend withdrawing the lapras or moving it to a separate tank while the remoraid are fed.

Some trainers attempt to house remoraid and miltoic together. This seldom works out unless another host species is in the enclosure. Milotic are capable of removing their own parasites and view remoraid as a nuisance.

Octillery need a saltwater tank of at least 1000 gallons. A water temperature between 75 and 85 degrees is preferred. They are not particularly active, but they do occasionally like to explore their surroundings. They are generally asocial, although they will tolerate species that they cannot kill and that will not attack them. Corsola are one example of a compatible species. The tank will need an almost entirely enclosed hiding space the pokémon can retreat to. Octillery will not attack remoraid but they will become territorial when sharing a tank with another octillery.

Captive octillery strongly prefer to eat live food they kill themselves. This is complicated by their means of hunting: a missed octazooka can easily shatter most tank materials. Some trainers use a shallow saltwater feeding and training pool in addition to the main tank. The octillery can be withdrawn, moved, and then put in the pool. Mid-sized fish can then be thrown into the feeding pool where the octillery will kill and eat them. Octillery expect at least two feedings every three days. If they are not hungry they will not kill the available prey unless it attacks first.

Octillery enjoy learning new attacks. Teammates with projectile moves will catch the pokémon’s interest and it will try to mimic them until it masters the technique. Octillery are not physically affectionate, but they will swim to the edge of the pool or tank to greet their trainer. They can learn a few basic tricks in addition to their battle training. Target tests, where objects are thrown over their enclosure for them to hit, are good for bonding.

Illness

Some of remoraid’s potential hosts can live in brackish or freshwater. Remoraid can become acclimated to brackish water but will never be comfortable in freshwater. Spending more than a few hours in it can result in organ failure and death. Make sure to use a saltwater enclosure. If this is not possible, at least make sure that the pokémon is steadily acclimated to brackish water.

Outside of water quality issues both species are remarkably hardy. One important thing to note is that octillery are not quite as durable as actual cephalopods: if hurt, they need time to heal. They cannot regenerate lost limbs under their own power.

Evolution

Remoraid evolve into octillery upon reaching a length of about two feet. As they approach evolution their fins begin to grow out and their suction pad becomes less prominent. Sometimes red scales will begin to appear. Eventually the remoraid will swim to the nearest reef and undergo flash evolution. Remoraid will sometimes delay evolution in captivity until they come across coral. Some aquariums or private collectors are willing to give trainers access to their reef tanks to help remoraid evolve. Trainers can also bring them out to natural reefs, although a remoraid that has become used to captivity make become skittish in an unfamiliar environment full of wild pokémon. It may determine that it is not a suitable place to evolve and refuse to do so.

Battle

In leagues where clawitzer or intellion are available they come to replace octillery. Not only is clawitzer stronger, but it also can breathe air. Intellion is much, much more maneuverable, far more sociable, and does not require an aquarium setup at all. While intellion is less powerful, the maneuverability lets it easily avoid attacks – something octillery struggles to do without protect. Kingdra, while comparatively difficult to raise, mixes the ability to snipe targets with long-range water jets with much greater durability and physical strength.

This is not to say that octillery is inherently weak: a few super effective projectiles to vulnerable points will take down all but the most durable of pokémon. The problem is landing these hits. Octillery have very little maneuverability outside the water and cannot quickly turn their head to aim. In shallow water they can rotate around but not much else. Trick room teams have had great success with octillery, negating its main weakness and letting it land multiple strikes before the enemy can hit it. Outside of trick room octillery is a stationary turret: deadly from afar, but with relatively few options to deal with an opponent that slips behind it and starts attacking up close.

Remoraid can survive out of water for up to two hours at a time but struggle to move on dry land. In the water remoraid can submerge and take shots at anything that approaches. Unfortunately, water is not guaranteed to be available for major fights on the island challenge.

Acquisition

Remoraid tend to follow around mantine and sharpedo. It is far safer to approach the former than the latter, especially if there are no newborns in the school. Remoraid may band together to ward off a human trying to capture one, but ordinarily they just seek shelter and leave the encountered pokémon on its own. The ideal way to capture a remoraid is to approach with a suitable host species. Let the remoraid bond to the new host and decide if it wants to stay. Trainers wanting to battle with the new capture may want to show off a pokémon that knows interesting projectile moves. Remoraid that are interested in fighting will be drawn to the display.

Octillery can usually be found in reefs. Specimens can be found lounging on the reef floor if they have just eaten. A proving battle with a projectile move user can get the octillery’s attention and pave the way to a capture. Make sure that the pokémon displayed is not easy prey for octillery: it might just decide to hunt your pokémon instead of sparring with it.

Mantine surf companies usually keep remoraid with their school to help with parasite removal. They will sell one to interested trainers. Adoption opportunities are limited as surrendered remoraid are usually just given to the surf companies. Adoption is much easier for octillery: surf companies tend not to want their remoraid once they evolve and will be willing to get rid of them either for free or for a small fee. Some aquarium specialty stores also sell octillery. Remoraid and octillery can be captured or purchased with a Class III license.

Breeding

Octillery mate around April. If a male and female encounter each other they will engage in a short sparring match, followed by displays of their power and accuracy. If they find the other to be suitable the male will deposit his sperm into the female and swim away. The female will lay about 50,000 eggs in her nest a few days later. She will stay in her nest for another two weeks until they hatch. The offspring are less than one-half inch long at birth. The male will routinely bring food to the female as she defends the nest. Once the babies are born they are kicked out of the nest and tasked with finding their way to a host.

Prospective mates should be introduced in a large, durable pool to avoid tank walls being shattered in the target practice displays. Potential targets should be thrown above the tank, placed over 200 feet away from it, thrown into the water, and moved back and forth mechanically. Octillery are thorough when evaluating mates. If both accept the other the mating act will occur. The male can then be removed. The female will not leave her nest until the eggs hatch. Food will need to be brought to her at the end of a long feeding pole. This is the one time that octillery will readily accept dead fish.

If the tank is sufficiently large and well stocked with plankton the newly hatched remoraid can live in it until they are large enough to be captured in a pokéball. Most aquarists recommend moving them before this to a separate fry tank. It should be shallow and wide with a variety of hiding places. Currents should be kept to a minimum. Brine shrimp should regularly be fed to the fry. Once they are about six inches long they can be moved to a tank with a proper host species.

Relatives

P. viscaput is the only saltwater species in the genus. There are a few color morphs that might constitute separate subspecies, but the physiological and behavioral differences are minimal.

The other subspecies in the genus is P. bell, named after the scientist who rediscovered it. The remoraid of this line are much smaller than those of P. viscaput and only reach sizes of seven to eight inches long. They once live in cold, fast-moving freshwater streams throughout China, Korea, and Japan. Pollution, water overuse, overharvesting, and dam construction brought the species to the brink of extinction. They were believed to be gone altogether when a scientist found them living near a spring in Johto. They have since been reintroduced to many parts of their former range.

As they grow older the remoraid swim out to see to evolve. They spend two weeks in an estuary before flash evolving and swimming out to sea. The female octillery will make her way inland after fertilization. Once she finds a cool, slow-moving pond she will give birth and die. The babies will find shelter and food in her body until they are old enough to swim further upstream.

 

[Persephone]

Mantine (Mantyke, Mantitan)
Marevespertilio navis

Overview

Mantine are peaceful giants of the sea. They only hunt plankton and small fish. In turn few creatures hunt them. Wild mantine are indifferent to humans and will let them get close so long as they do not approach any mantyke.

Captive mantine are known for their docility and use as a ride pokémon. In the early days of Alolan settlement common people and soldiers moved between island in canoes. Nobles and priests often rode on the back of a lapras. There are reports of individual trainers bonding with a mantine and riding on its back across the waves, but this was always gentle travel.

Mantine surfing in its current form was not invented until pokéballs arrived in Alola. The natives were well aware of the aerial prowess of wild mantine. One thrill seeker captured one in hopes of riding through the air. To get airborne he had his mantine ride up the surface of a high wave like wild mantine are known to do. Over time more trainers would follow in his footsteps and begin to add their own twists, sometimes literally, to the sport.

At the time the burgeoning foreign population in Alola saw mantine riding as dangerous and degenerate religious practice like hula dancing. There were several attempts to ban it. It was not until service members stationed in Alola saw a native Alolan (illegally) riding the waves that the practice became well known outside of Alola. Word spread and soon tourists came to Alola just to watch the mantine surfing. The practice was quickly legalized and many mantine surf companies were established that captured and trained mantine for tourists and thrill seekers to ride. The wild mantine population dropped considerably before their capture was heavily restricted by the government. Due to mantine’s very long lifespans and gestation periods the population still has not fully rebounded. Most new captive mantine today are either imported from other parts of the world or born in captivity.

Trainers who want a ride pokémon of their own or who would like a gentle giant to bond with may be drawn to mantine. Be forewarned that captive mantine will either need to spend most of their time in the ocean or have a very large saltwater enclosure to live in. If they see their lodgings as inadequate they will attempt to fly away.

Physiology

Both mantine and mantyke are classified as dual water- and flying-types. There is an argument that mantyke should be a pure water-type because of its awkward flight. This is a minority view. Mantyke can still fly to an extent and make use of flying-type energy. As such their current typing is unlikely to be changed in the future.

Mantyke have two-toned bodies with a lighter shade of blue on the belly than on their back. Other color morphs have been observed. Black backs and white bellies with the occasional black marking is the most common morph. Others include grey, fully black, fully white, or even pink.

Mantyke’s flat, broad pectoral fins have a triangular shape. The caudal fin is very short and they have no dorsal fin. Instead mantyke have two prehensile cephalic fins that expand outward on either side of their mouth. These are primarily used for sensing water and air currents to keep track of conspecifics and potential predators. Mantyke are coated in a layer of mucus that keeps infection and parasites at bay.

Mantine have much the same body shape as mantyke. They are roughly twice as wide as they are long, excluding the caudal fin. The pectoral fins grow out in a normal shape. They are still proportionally small. The cephalic fins grow more rigid and are used to channel attacks instead of sensing the water. A long, ribbony caudal fin takes on this purpose. Mantine do not rely on their caudal fin for movement. Instead, they beat their pectoral fins like wings to push back water.

Unlike most fish, mantine and mantyke have both lungs and gills. Juvenile’s lungs are still small and underdeveloped, but mantine can breathe air indefinitely. Their mucus will eventually dehydrate and necessitate a dive back into the water, but this will take up to forty-eight hours. In the air their pectoral fins are held wide and air currents are manipulated to keep them aloft. Their current manipulation is not so strong that it can get them airborne on its own. They must instead ride a wave out of the water or use a great deal of energy to breach. Thankfully mantine are unusually adept at the move surf and wave creation in general, meaning that they can make their own waves to get airborne with.

Mantine can grow to be 16 feet wide and 600 pounds heavy. Their wild lifespan is estimated to be around 100 years. Captive specimens typically life for fifty to sixty years. It is possible that the Pacific mantine can grow far larger, but at present it is disputed whether these are a separate species or an evolution (see Evolution)

Behavior

Mantine live in schools of about twenty adults and their children. The school moves between island chains in the Pacific. When they reach an island they will rest there for up to three weeks. During the northern hemisphere’s summer they can be seen as far north as San Francisco Bay and Japan. During the autumn and spring they seek out more equatorial islands. In the Southern Hemisphere’s summer they can be found as far south as Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand. Different schools have different migration routes. Mantine are most abundant in Alola during the months of April, May, September, and October. Alola is warm enough that there is usually at least one school in the archipelago every month.

During resting times mantine will go to reefs to be cleaned. There a variety of cleaner fish, most notably remoraid, will remove parasites from their body. This helps mantine as they are not able to remove the parasites on their own. The cleaner fish get a meal out of it. When they are done the mantine will explore the area to investigate changes and educate their children. In time they will swim off to the next destination on their migration.

Mantine feed by bringing food to their mouth. They can generate weak-but-precise whirlpools that draw zooplankton and small marine organisms into their mouth. Mantine have no teeth so they simply open their mouth and let their food be sucked in by the currents. Sometimes mantine will swim after each other in circles to form stronger whirlpools that draw in more food. The mantyke will then swim through the whirlpool to eat the collected food.

There are few predators for mantine, especially when they are out at sea. When marine predators approach the first line of defense is the remoraid arsenal that follows mantine around. They will fire water jets at the attacker in hopes of deterring them. In the meantime the mantyke will swim up to the mantine and attach themselves via a groove on the underside and the mantine will hold them with their pectoral fins. The school will create a wave and the mantine will launch themselves out of the water and away from their would-be predators. Sharpedo can breach the surface to keep an eye on where the mantine are heading. The fleet will then track the mantine as they fly and be waiting for them when they touch back down. Gyarados can create a storm that drives the mantine back to the water. A few very large flying predators will attempt to fight them in the air but cannot reliably kill them in the water. Noivern could kill mantine, but it would then be left vulnerable for any survivors to drown it. They also could not carry an adult mantine’s body to shore.

Husbandry

Mantyke do not require a mantine to be happy. They adjust well to humans and can be very friendly and affectionate. They enjoy it when their trainer gets into the pool and holds them. Sometimes they will attempt to leave their pool to follow their trainer. Mantyke raised in one place will require a pool with at least ten times the number of gallons as the pokémon is wide in inches. This is a problem as newborn mantyke can be seventy inches across, mandating a 700-gallon aquarium. By evolution they will need at least 15,000 gallons. Ideally the aquarium would be wide and fairly shallow. Trainers are encouraged to use a greenhouse saltwater pool for raising mantyke. This helps regulate the temperature and provides the pokémon with natural light. The best tank for mantyke would have the ability to create small waves to help the pokémon get airborne.

Some mantyke enjoy flying harnesses. They can be secured and brought to a park or into the backyard. The harness will be attached to a long rope whose other end is firmly secured to the ground. The mantyke can then be tossed into the air on a particularly windy day. There a mantyke at least six months old can glide on its own power. A large bird should be available to deter potential predators and break a fall. The pokéball should also be on hand to allow for withdrawal in a worst-case scenario. Be very mindful of what the harness will fall on without the mantyke in it. Harness retrieval is one of the other functions the spotting bird can serve. Well-trained birds can be rented out for spotting mantyke flights in some parts of Alola.

Mantyke are social pokémon. Ideally there should be either another mantyke or another social water-type of similar size in their tank. Frequent exposure to their trainer can also fill this need, but most trainers do not have ten hours a day to spend watching over or playing with their mantyke. Brionne and juvenile alomomola make good companions. Primarina and milotic will also happily babysit mantyke. Remoraid will make the mantyke feel more secure but will not meet their social needs.

Of course, mantine are the best options for watching over mantyke. Unfortunately, their care requirements are even more demanding. Because they are much stronger swimmers mantine require more water. Thirty thousand gallons is the absolute minimum required for a full grown mantine. Unless the trainer plans to frequently socialize with the mantine at least five should be held together. A recommended setup in the industry is a 500,000 gallon pond, pool, or tank with ten to twelve mantine and a few smaller fish such as remoraid and mantyke. Many mantine companies have simply netted off a portion of a bay or inlet.

In any case, keeping mantine enclosed is its own challenge. Mantine can fly wherever they want to. Some companies and trainers accept this and simply fit a tracking collar onto them. They will occasionally go to meet up with their pokémon for a quick checkup and potential transport back to the mainland for a battle, ride, or full physical. Others bond with the pokémon as mantyke. Specimens raised in captivity usually remain fond of their trainer and try to remain close. Sometimes there can be misunderstandings where the mantine attempts to kidnap their trainer and bring them along on a journey to sea.

Mantyke should be fed food less than two inches long. Food can be served whole or cut up. Cooking is unnecessary. The ideal diet consists of five parts crustaceans and one part fish. Mantine eat roughly three parts crustaceans to fish and can eat chunks up to six inches long. A bucket of food can be slowly slid into the water in front of the pokémon and they will use a whirlpool to ingest the contents. When the pokémon is no longer hungry the whirlpool will dissipate and feeding should stop. For the first few weeks after capture feed the pokémon whenever it begins creating whirlpools. After this a rough feeding schedule can be devised and implemented based on the individual’s needs.

The line can be taken on the island challenge. Both stages prefer to have frequent access to saltwater so trainers wanting to raise one will need to carefully plan out a coastal route and ensure there are frequent Pokémon Center stops when inland trips must be taken. Mantyke will also need to be tossed into the air at the start of battles to keep them airborne. Mantine can learn how to take off from the surface. Feedings can be very difficult on dry land. It is recommended that trainers keep an inflatable pool on hand that the mantine can fill and then feed out of. Mantyke can be fed by slowly pouring a bottle of finely minced seafood suspended in water into their mouth.

Mantyke and mantine can be taught to urinate exclusively in the water. However, they are on land for long stretches of time and see no end in sight they will urinate whenever they feel the need.

Both stages strongly prefer aquatic habitat balls such as dive and lure balls. Stasis balls are acceptable but not ideal. Land-based habitat balls are unsuitable for the line.

Illness

Injured mantyke and mantine are quick to heal. The wound might scar but all but the most serious injuries will eventually be repaired. Most wild mantine can be identified by color morph or spot pattern, but some have a variety of distinctive scars that can also be used.

This resilience is greatly weakened after a few days away from saltwater. Their mucus covering will begin to dry up and flake off. Water-attacks will become slower and less powerful. Metabolism and activity will plummet. Upon any observable change in the consistency of mantine’s mucus it is very important to immediately take them to saltwater. If the problem persists after rehydration contact a veterinarian. Make sure mantine have ample opportunity to hydrate before all major battles.

Mantine are liable to accumulating parasites if they swim in publicly open saltwater pools or the open ocean. Absent remoraid or other cleaner fish the trainer will need to learn how to remove them. This is a somewhat delicate art and interested trainers should consult a specialist guide.

Evolution

Mantyke begin to grow more muted scales as they grow. Upon reaching twelve feet in width their ribbon tail will start to grow out and their cephalic horns will harden. These changes mark the formal demarcation line between mantyke and mantine. Wild specimens can take up to ten years to evolve. Captive specimens have evolved slightly faster given excellent care and occasional battle opportunities but no known mantyke has evolved before its seventh birthday.

There is a disputed third stage, tentatively dubbed “mantitan.” Some wild specimens have been found with a wingspan of over twenty-five feet. Their caudal fin has developed into a long barb tipped in a stinger. ‘Mantitan’ can weigh as many as 7,000 pounds. These giants seem to be unable to fly due to their massive weight. Size alone helps them defend themselves. As of now it is disputed whether the so-called mantitan are truly an evolution of the Pacific mantine or another species altogether. In any case no captive mantine has ever exceeded a twenty-foot wingspan or been found with a stinger. If mantitan a separate evolutionary stage it is unknown what the trigger for evolution is.

Battle

Mantine are potent walls in matches with available pools. They are large, somewhat resistant to elemental attacks, quick to recover, and in possession of a decent utility movepool. Whirlpool, defog, and roost help mantine hold opponents down, remove hazards, and keep themselves in top condition, respectively. Mantine have a significantly more potent toxic attack than most other species, even if it is still nowhere near as effective as that of a true poison-type. They are also capable of using powerful wave-based attacks such as surf. The rest of mantine’s offensive movepool is shallow and consists mainly of ice beam and air slash. In any case mantine are not well suited for offense so a shallow but effective utility movepool is fine.

Mantine competes for a slot as a bulky water-type with milotic, slowbro, and alomomola. It is the least durable of them but has better healing than all but miltoic. The pseudo-dragon greatly outclasses mantine with a more expansive utility movepool, better armor, higher intelligence, and faster regeneration. On balance mantine hit somewhat harder with surf and whirlpool. Water-type specialists sometimes prefer mantine as their defensive backbone as access to wind attacks helps shore up matchups against grass-types. Unfortunately, pelipper can set up rain and fire off relatively strong hurricane attacks so it faces competition in this niche, too.

There are a few things in the later stages of the island challenge that can defeat down an adult mantine that knows roost. Strong electric- and rock-type attackers can outpace mantine’s damage output, but the latter must fear retaliation with water-type attacks. However, mantine’s strongest moves are dependent on available water for them to manipulate. Their rate of water generation is slower than offensively oriented water-types. Very powerful physical attackers, especially those with the ability to inflict puncture wounds, can badly injure any mantine they can catch. Birds can also easily outmaneuver mantine in the air and drive them to ground.

Mantyke are rather large for a baby pokémon. Their size alone can give them an advantage against most weaker adversaries on the first island. After that they will struggle more and more. The very slow growth rate of mantyke means that a mid-challenge evolution is unlikely.

Acquisition

Mantine abundance varies seasonally. The best times to see one in the wild are in the late spring and early autumn. Wild capture is very limited. Three capture permits are raffled off every year to trainers on the island challenge, two for mantyke and one for mantine. Given the high demand for these permits it is much easier to simply by one from an established breeder or surf company. Young mantyne can still run up to $8,000. Mantine that have not been trained for surfing run less due to the difficulty of teaching an adult. Trained mantine can sell for up to $35,000.

Mantyke require a Class II license to capture or purchase. Due to their higher care requirements mantine require a Class III license to possess. Acquiring one through any means other than evolution requires a Class IV permit.

Breeding

The pectoral fins that are used to bring mantyke in the air can also be used for two mantine to temporarily latch on to each other. The male will swim upside down beneath the female until his sperm is deposited. Then he will swim away. Mantine pregnancies last for approximately one year. At the end the female will give birth to one or two live pups. The mother will pay close attention to her pups for about thirty days before she mostly ignores them. All adults in the school pay some attention to the mantyke, but none are held singularly responsible for them. Female mantine wait at least a year after pregnancy to become pregnant again. Males can mate every year.

Captive breeding requires a holding area with portions at least thirty feet deep. If a specific pairing is desired than the two should be the only adults in the tank. A few mantyke should still live inside it to keep them company. Infant mortality is high in captive specimens. The reasons for this are still not well understood. Roughly 40% of mantyke are stillborn in captivity. Miscarriages have been observed in the wild, but they do not appear to be common.

After one month the mother will let a trusted human take her child. If left in the tank she will show no particular fondness for the baby over other mantyke.

Relatives

There is debate as to whether mantitan is an evolution of mantine or the adult form of another species. If it is another species than it is speculated to grow up deeper in the ocean before coming to the surface when it is too large to be easily hunted. The main problem with this theory is that mantitan are regularly seen in mantine schools and almost never seen with each other. It is odd that a species would surface and then spend its adult life in the company of another species altogether.

Atlantic mantine (M. n. pliny) are smaller than their Pacific counterparts. They have proportionally larger wings as well. These mantine do not create their own waves to get airborne with. They breach directly out of the water and take off. To compensate they have stronger aerokinesis but weaker hydrokinesis. Crossbreeding between the two subspecies has produced specimens that struggle to become airborne through either method.

Most Atlantic mantine stay close to shore. There are not an abundance of islands to travel between. Instead, they spend the spring in the Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of the United States. Then they travel east to Europe at the height of the summer. As temperatures drop they migrate south, first to the Mediterranean and then to Africa. As winter approaches they make another trans-Atlantic trip to South America. Eventually they will make their way back up to the Caribbean and repeat the cycle.