Pokémon The Alola Pokedex

[Persephone]

Salamence (Bagon, Shelgon)
Formidraco celercaela

Overview

Few pokémon inspire fear and awe in humanity like the great dragons. Of these salamence arguably has the greatest place in the human imagination. It strikes hard and fast and few pokémon but the fickle fairies can hope to take it down. Salamence menaced the pre-pokéball Old World like few species could dream of. While most of the attention has been drawn to the western salamence’s massive size and almost unmatched strength, the eastern salamence’s speed, versatility, and elemental firepower makes it every bit as dangerous.

Once humans invented weaponry that could wound or even kill salamence alongside technology that could help tame the fairies the old paradigm changed. Humans could, and did, wage their own war against the great dragons. They were largely successful. Today salamence is endangered or extirpated from most of its former range. Those that remain have become warier of humans and tend to stay away from major settlements when possible.

Alola marks the eastern extent of the eastern salamence’s range. It was formerly a common breeding ground due to the relative lack of large predators and the abundance of migratory birds. Now only one to three pairs of salamence visit Alola every year. Dragon enthusiasts bring their binoculars to Route 3 every spring to watch the salamence hunt from a safe distance.

No pokémon is truly safe. Still, most do not present a danger to entire cities or platoons without specialized armor-piercing rounds or fairy support. Salamence is the rare exception. If you insist upon caring for a salamence be mindful that any serious mistakes can lead to not only your own death but those of several other people who either try to stop the rampaging dragon or just get caught in the crossfire. Even simple mistakes on the dragon’s part can be fatal to humans.

There are many other dragons in Alola. Turtonator, noivern, kommo-o, and exeggutor are all fairly tame. Dragonite, goodra, and drampa can be affectionate and rarely attack unless provoked. Flygon, druddigon, and dragalge at least have a limited capacity for destruction if they do rampage. Garchomp, tyrantrum, and salamence are the most dangerous dragons in this guidebook. We cannot recommend them under any circumstances. Even champion-level trainers should be very careful when they consider adding one to their team.

Physiology

Both bagon and shelgon are classified as pure dragon-types. Some scholars argue they should have a secondary rock typing due to their bony growths and general durability. This is currently a minority view. Salamence is classified as a dual dragon- and flying-type. This typing is the majority view but there are strong arguments for several secondary typings. Suggested typings include dark, fire, and water.

Bagon are true dragons. This means that they are technically warm-blooded reptiles. Bagon are capable of maintain steady internal temperatures. However, salamence struggle to maintain heat. In practice they rely on basking with their wings extended to stay warm.

Bagon are bipeds with strong but short legs and weak, stubby arms. Most of bagon’s offensive power is in their head. Bagon’s jaws are powerful and full of sharp teeth that constantly regrow. Their neck is thick and muscular. Bagon’s spine is unusually durable as well. This allows them to make use of powerful headbutts. Their head is topped with a bony dome. Plates of bone armor also run down the back. The bone armor is usually white. The rest of their scales are usually light blue with occasional yellow patterns. Pink, dark blue, green, white, and black color morphs have also been observed in the wild.

Most of bagon’s senses are quite weak. Their hearing is below-average for a pokémon of their size, they only have enough vision to make out fuzzy outlines, and their sense of smell is well below that of a feline or canine pokémon. On balance they can sense nearby movement through changing wind currents.

Shelgon are quadrupeds. Their main body is almost perfectly spherical. Almost all of it is coated in large bone plates. Three long bone ridges jut out from the pokémon, one on top and one on each side. Four short grey legs prop up the pokémon. A patch of grey skin is visible in front. This patch contains two eyes and a small mouth. Shelgon is a pupal stage akin to metapod. Their internal structure varies greatly over time as a salamence body develops inside their shell.

Salamence have four legs and two wings. Each leg has three segments that roughly correlate to the human thigh, calf, and foot. In the hindlegs the upper segment extends horizontally from the body. The middle segment extends back towards the tail while the broad, slightly webbed feet stick forward. This lets them make powerful jumps to get airborne and helps them move when swimming. The front legs jut out less horizontally and trade webbing for long, sharp claws.

A long neck connects the body and head. Salamence have a mouth full of curved, backwards facing teeth that are frequently replaced. Six bony plates extend from their head. This makes it difficult for opponents to bite down on their comparatively small head. It also provides some protection from hits to the side of the head. Salamence have much better vision, smell, and hearing than bagon in addition to the ability to sense air currents.

Salamence have two broad, thin wings on their back. These can be used for gliding or flight. While salamence are incapable of getting into or staying in the air by wingbeats alone air currents can be run by the wings in such a way that they can maintain flight. This is more akin to a plane than to most birds Salamence wings have been actually used by engineers to improve aircraft design in the past. The wings size also helps the pokémon warm up.

The tail rounds off salamence’s adaptations. The tail is long, broad, and very powerful. It is their primary means of swimming. It can also be used for powerful tail swipes as an offensive and defensive tool. Dragonfire, the front claws, and the tail are used in about equal measure when taking down prey. This versatility expands to their broad elemental movepool. Salamence are not specialized in taking on any particular species, but they have the tools to adapt to almost any prey they might encounter.

Salamence are also quite clever. They seem to be able to speak a common tongue with other dragons, although the details of this language are still poorly understood. A small tribe in Japan has claimed to be able to speak the language but have been unwilling to offer proof in a controlled setting.

The back of salamence is coated in blue scales. The belly has white scales with bone armor. The wings and two lines on the bottom of the tail are red.

Salamence can grow to be over four feet tall at the shoulder and twenty feet long from their snout to the tip of their tail. The tail itself makes up half of this length. They can weigh up to 1200 pounds. Wild salamence can live for up to eighty-five years. Captive individuals usually live for around fifty years. One specimen, ‘Fangs,’ died on his 110th birthday.

Behavior

Bagon lead solitary lives. They prefer to live near water to maximize the number of prey coming to them. Because of their weak senses bagon are prone to charging at anything they see and then figuring out if it was food once it is dead. They often ram boulders: it was previously believed that this was a way to vent their rage at being unable to fly, but modern scientists theorize that they simply think the boulders might be prey. Similarly, their cliff jumping behavior might not actually be an attempt to fly so much as the pokémon accidentally charging head-first over a cliff. Thankfully bagon are strong swimmers and very durable. Falling off cliffs only irritates them.

Shelgon do very little. They stand still, gradually change inside, and wait until it is time to emerge. A shelgon will defend itself or move to avoid a natural disaster or ongoing fight, but it will do nothing more.

Salamence are some of the most impressive carnivores in the world. They can hunt prey in the air by flying close and belting out dragonfire or other elemental attacks. They are excellent swimmers that can dive for up to thirty minutes. Sometimes they use this to wait beneath the water’s surface in hopes of ambushing prey when they come nearby. Other times they simply dive after slow moving prey they see in the water. Salamence are also deceptively fast on land, capable of running up to thirty miles an hour for short distances. Alola’s salamence primarily target the birds that come to the archipelago to lay eggs. They can casually walk up to a nest and threaten the inhabitants. Either they stay put and try to defend their clutch, in which case the salamence kills and eats them and their eggs, or they go away and give the salamence an uncontested meal. Even braviary and mandibuzz are not able to reliably ward off a salamence. Despite their general weakness, delibird are the only birds on Route 3 that salamence outright refuse to target. Salamence hate cold temperatures and will do what they can to avoid ice-types. Sometimes they will kill dewgong swimming near the surface and fly away. These attacks are more about spite or threat prevention than hunting.

Salamence live in Alola during the dry season. They almost always arrive to Alola in a mated pair. The mates do not hunt together but will mutually dig and share a burrow for shelter. Particularly large and aggressive salamence have been known to take over a cave entrance and drive out all other pokémon living there.

It is very important to not disturb a salamence resting in a burrow or cave entrance. They are at their most dangerous to humans when protecting their eggs. Otherwise Alola’s salamence leave people alone unless they are provoked first. Challenging one to a battle, especially near their eggs, is a terrible idea. Salamence will often eat their downed opponents, trainer included.

Alolans traditionally presented visiting salamence with bone spears, healing herbs, and carved totems as a peace offering. This is not recommended. Salamence will occasionally tolerate a well-meaning visitor, but more often than not they will become aggressive in defense of their nest.

The DNR sets up dragon watching stations on Route 3 where salamence hunts and flights can be seen from a safe distance. Gateway stations on Route 3 educate travelers on where salamence nests are. Paths and even roads that are too close to a nest will be closed off. Ignore these closures at your own peril.

Husbandry

Bagon are stubborn and slow to recognize their own trainer. It is best to introduce yourself with a vocal identifier than hope the pokémon can make a visual identification. They have a begrudging respect towards trainers who can beat them in battle, feed them regularly, and help them improve. Bagon trainers must still be quick with the recall button as the pokémon is prone to attacking anything they interpret as a threat. Large moving objects such as cars usually upset them.

Bagon’s diet should primarily consist of meat. They can be trained to accept cooked meat but will still always prefer it to be raw. Bagon are defensive eaters. Other pokémon and the trainer should stay at least twenty feet away during the dragon’s mealtime. In addition to meat some calcium supplements should be added to help with bone growth and development. Some specimens enjoy chilled fruit as an occasional reward. Water can be obtained from creeks or other moving bodies of water that bagon can hear and move too. Some bagon can also be taught to accept bottle feeding of water. Water dishes will usually be knocked over and/or played in instead of drank from. Housebreaking a bagon requires extensive work and is generally not considered to be worth it. Their old litter pan will quickly become far too small for them upon evolution in any case.

Bagon love swimming and should frequently be brought to pools, ponds, or the ocean. They are also surprisingly affectionate and appreciate sleeping near trusted pokémon or humans. Some bagon have been known to hoard a favorite type of object. This can range from stuffed animals to geodes. Several hours a day can be spent guarding and inspecting their hoard. Only very trusted trainers will be allowed to get near it without losing a limb.

Unlike most species, bagon are very enthusiastic battlers. They will constantly seek out opponents on their own and can easily be directed into somewhat more controlled fights by a mix of positive and negative reinforcement. Losing or simple verbal rebuke is negative reinforcement enough for them. Do not actually try to severely punish a bagon or any other dragon. It will only build resentment and can be very dangerous.

Some bagon enjoy being read to or listening to radio plays or music. Others have no interest at all. In any case they are more intelligent than many people give them credit for. One captive born bagon learned to recognize 241 words by the time she evolved into a shelgon.

Stasis and habitat balls are fine for bagon at night, especially when they are slowly learning to trust their trainer. They can also be used during trips or when in crowded urban areas or when preparing for battles. Otherwise bagon appreciate being outside to explore.

Shelgon prefer to stand still and do absolutely nothing. They do not need to eat or drink. They do not produce much in the way of waste. Give them a dark corner to stand in and they will stay there until something changes that they see as potentially threatening. Thankfully, shelgon have a much higher threshold for ‘threatening’ than bagon do. Habitat balls are seen as nearly indistinguishable from being outside, although out of an abundance of caution they should be given at least thirty minutes out of their ball a day. Stasis balls may slow their evolution speed and are not recommended. Shelgon that enjoyed being read to in their previous form will appreciate it if this continues after evolution. Occasional visits from pokémon they have bonded with also help. Otherwise, they are very low maintenance.

Salamence are not at all low maintenance. They require up to twenty percent of their body mass in food every day, which is the equivalent of a full tauros every ten days. Salamence can have feast and lean days. On the former they can eat up to half their weight while eating as little as one tenth their body weight on the latter. This should balance out to around 20% in a ten-day period. Do not try to battle with a salamence within three days of feasting as they will be tired, bloated, and generally reluctant to fight. On leaner days, their instincts tell them to hunt, making them more fearsome and willing battlers. Salamence are even more food defensive than bagon. No one should be within fifty feet of a feeding salamence. Thankfully, they will usually growl or hiss before attacking.

Salamence are equally fine being migratory or stationary. Salamence held in a single place should be given access to a large yard area with a pond or pool, a shelter such as an artificial cave, and a large rock to bask upon. Heated rocks are even better. They will still fly out if they want to, but salamence rarely hunt if all of their needs are met. Even a salamence on a recreational flight can still terrify neighbors. It is not recommended to raise any large dragons near urban areas. Strangers trespassing into salamence’s yard are still killed as a matter of course. If a new person must enter the yard at the same time as the salamence they should be escorted by the trainer at all times. Salamence will share their space with humans or pokémon they have bonded with.

Wild salamence often move from place to place in pursuit of their favored prey or good weather. They are theoretically fine being on the trail with their trainer. Some even enjoy flying or swimming with their trainer on their back as they go to new places. As long as they are regularly taken to places to swim or bask they will be happy. The main logistical difficulties here are that salamence do not like pokéballs and need a very large amount of food. It is not practical for most people to carry hundreds of pounds of meat with them for every day they plan to be in the backcountry. There also tend to be limits on hunting the sort of prey that can keep a salamence fed in the wild. The aversion to pokéballs means that staying in major cities for more than a day or two will begin to irritate the salamence due to the time it must spend withdrawn. An irritated salamence can quickly become a dangerous salamence.

Even a happy salamence will often express joy by venting large amounts of dragonfire. This behavior can be reduced but not eliminated. Salamence trainers must carry a large insurance package to pay for the damage their pokémon will cause.

Salamence enjoy scratches in hard-to-reach areas. They sometimes voice satisfaction through a low rumble that sounds a little like a very deep purr. This will sometimes be accompanied by dragonfire. Be mindful of where the pokémon’s mouth is facing when grooming them. Some salamence enjoy being bathed with a hose and soap. Others prefer to bathe themselves in a very large soapy tub. And some specimens do not enjoy being anywhere near soap. Be mindful of the pokémon’s preferences.

Illness

All stages have remarkably fast healing, even by pokémon standards. This is because their wounds do not seem to become infected. Biomedical researchers are investigating the root of this, but progress has so far been slow.

Salamence in particular can succumb to hypothermia if they are not given adequate basking time. This seldom matters in the dry season but can be a problem during the wet season. No Alola-based trainer currently raises a salamence. The last salamence trainer maintained a large greenhouse for his dragon to use in the winter. Reptile specialists in the tropics have employed this strategy with other large lizards and dragons to some success.

It was previously believed that salamence mouths were exceptionally dirty, as seen by the large numbers of infections in prey that were bitten but managed to escape. This theory has been debunked. Salamence are actually slightly venomous in a way that impairs the immune response of their prey. Any infection from the large open bite wound can then turn lethal without proper medical care. The dragon’s mouths are actually quite clean by reptile standards. Salamence themselves seem to be immune to their own species’ venom.

The purpose of this venom is poorly understood as salamence usually manage to kill their prey in a single confrontation. They rarely even bother to track down what does escape. The leading theory is that the venom is largely a remnant from a time where salamence were smaller and had to rely on biting and stalking their prey rather than risking a prolonged confrontation.

Evolution

Bagon evolution seems to be directly tied to the number of successful fights they have had over their lifetime. Captive specimens that are regularly fed but seldom battled with evolve very slowly. Those that are fed equal or even lesser amounts but battled with multiple times a day grow and evolve much faster. In the wild evolution typically occurs between two and four years of age, but captive bagon have evolved less than six months after birth.

Shelgon are constantly in the process of evolution. Inside their body the old structures are being digested and reformed. Battle seems to actively slow the process of evolution at this point. A shelgon that is left alone will evolve in roughly six months. As evolution approaches its bones begin to soften.

When the new salamence is fully formed it will detach its nervous system from the shellgon’s frame. It will then claw its way out of the bone cage it is trapped in and fly off. Newly evolved salamence are smaller than shelgon and are rarely larger than six feet, tall included. Those in Alola stay until they are around twelve feet long, at which point they will fly off to the west.

Salamence does have a mega evolution. For a long time this form was only known by a small clan in the Japanese isles. A visiting researcher managed to figure out the science behind their tradition and spread knowledge of this transformation to the outside world. This led to the widespread study and usage of mega evolution. At present over forty mega forms have been identified, mostly clustered in species native to Kalos and Japan.

Mega salamence lose most of their bulk but gain much more prominent wings. They are incredibly fast and deadly dogfighters that are virtually unmatched in the air. The mega form is also far more vicious and has been known to turn on the opposing trainer, spectators, and its own trainer alike. Most circuits have banned mega salamence due to the difficulty of taming them. There is an ongoing dispute on the matter: a Japanese dragon tamer claims to understand the secret to the bonding process and has asked to be allowed to use her starter in official matches. The local league has asked for both a demonstration of this technique and an explanation of how to replicate it. Until these can be provided mega salamence will remain banned in Japan and most of the world.

Battle

Both species of salamence are premier threats on the competitive circuits. Western salamence are durable physical tanks that can sponge up damage and claw their way through the opposition. Eastern salamence (henceforth ‘salamence’ in this section) are less physically powerful but no less dangerous when played well.

Salamence can more than hold their own in a melee battle against most physical attackers. This is not the ideal way to use one in battle. Instead, they can take to the air and rain down powerful, versatile attacks to dismantle the opponent’s team. Most anti-air options are electric-types, but salamence’s draconic nature gives it a resistance to lightning-based attacks. Vikavolt and magnezone can both be taken down by flamethrowers or fire blasts. Steel-types that would give it trouble can also be burned up.

Fairies can theoretically withstand salamence’s draconic and fire attacks. Salamence’s raw power and versatile arsenal means that only the sturdiest and strongest can actually take one down before it severely damages them in return. Ice-types themselves are unreliable against salamence due to their fire weakness but can seriously hurt it by inflecting hypothermia. Bulky water-types with ice coverage are some of salamence’s best checks, but even they can be taken down in the right situations.

Many trainers rely on their own flying dragons to take on salamence. Dragapult, hydreigon, dragonite, and the bluwing noivern are all incredibly powerful threats in their own right and can threaten salamence with powerful draconic attacks of their own. Avid competitive battling fans have debated which of the five strongest aerial dragons are best. In practice it is a risk to rely on one to counter the others: they are all weak to dragon attacks and can find themselves narrowly winning or outright losing against the threats they were supposed to counter.

The real problem of using salamence is not its list of checks, but that it requires caring for a salamence. The enclosure, meat, and insurance requirements mean that all but the most experienced of professional trainers stay away from the line.

Bagon rely mostly on bites and headbutts in battle. They can be taught more complex strategies, but their senses limit their ability to execute them. Some trainers have found success teaching them to use dragon dance to increase their speed and breaking power.

Shelgon should not be used in battle whenever possible.

Any trainer using a salamence on the island challenge does not need battling advice from this guidebook.

Acquisition

Bagon, shelgon, and small salamence live on the cliffs of Route 3. Bagon prefer to live on the larger ledges. They sometimes make their way up to the main trails to hunt. They have been known to ram large tents. In practice the best way to deal with bagon is to try and fight and capture them as a temporary restraint. The ball can then be given to a local Pokémon Center. They will contact the DNR and arrange for the bagon’s safe release. Alternatively, trainers who want to raise a bagon and meet the licensing requirements can keep the pokémon for themselves after the proving battle. Be advised that although bagon only require a Class III license to purchase, adopt, or capture, possessing a salamence requires a Class V license. Trainers will have to forfeit their pokémon if it evolve and they lack the licensing requirements.

Shelgon capture is prohibited to protect them during this relatively vulnerable time. They can be found in some of the caves on the cliff face. Most will allow trainers to photograph them from a safe distance as long as they move on within a few minutes. Trying to eat or set up camp near a shelgon might provoke them into attacking. Disturbing a wild shelgon is a crime that carries a $500 ticket.

There are wild salamence in Alola. Some of these are adults. Disturbing adult salamence is both illegal and incredibly dangerous. It is safest to watch them fly or swim from far away. Certain areas of the Route 3 caves are closed off during the dry season if a salamence has been sighted near them.

Smaller salamence typically make their homes on the part of Route 3 away from the trails. Keep in mind that even a newly evolved salamence is venomous and packs a powerful dragon breath attack. Their capture is legal for trainers with a Class V license. Sometimes they will obey trainers who prove their strength to them. In any case trainers who want to own a salamence are strongly encouraged to raise them from their first evolutionary stage. It is easier to convince a young bagon that you are a strong ally than it is to convince a venomous flying dragon longer than you are tall.

Breeding

Salamence mate for life. When a female is about sixteen feet long and goes into heat she begins issuing mating calls. These can be heard for miles. All bachelor males in the area will come to the female. They will then rear up on their hind legs and wrestle each other while the female watches. Whoever wins the tournament will be invited to mate. While mating the female will attempt to fight the male. If the male can pin the female and get through the act unscathed he will be taken as her mate.

Most salamence travel to lay eggs. After establishing themselves in their new home the female will lay a clutch of six to eight eggs. One parent will always be on top of the nest incubating the eggs. The other will either be off hunting or be sleeping nearby. Incubation lasts approximately three months before the eggs hatch. The newborn bagon will be born all male or all female depending on the nest temperature. The parents will take turns hunting for the offspring and eventually teaching them how to fend for themselves. As the rainy season approaches they will fly back to their usual territory.

Females are also capable of parthenogenesis. If there is no male they deem worthy she can lay a clutch of eggs without a male’s gametes. The resulting offspring will be all male. Some scientists have theorized that parthenogenesis could be a means for salamence to colonize the Pacific: a female would fly to a remote island and lay a clutch of eggs, providing her with a future mate to help grow the island’s population with. In practice mother-son incest has never been observed and salamence do not typically live on small islands. When they do the island is typically in easy swimming or flying distance from a more reliable hunting ground.

Captive breeding is possible but very rare. Undera trainer’s care it can be difficult for a female to find a suitable mate. Most captive-born bagon were parthenogenic offspring. One trainer attempted to arrange for a proper tournament for his female salamence. He was thwarted by lack of interest from other dragon tamers. No one wanted to give up their salamence so it could stay with his mate if he won, even if they were promised the first clutch in return.

An impromptu mating ritual occurred on the battlefield in the Lumiose Invitational in 1998. A male and female salamence were sent out at the start of the match. They proceeded to ignore all orders and wrestle each other on stage. The female was able to repel the male. Her prospective mate did not take this well and proceeded to hit her with a point-blank draco meteor. Both survived the ensuing fight and eventually recovered.

Most successful two-parent breeding has occurred between a captive female and a wild male. If the female is living outdoors in salamence territory she may issue a mating call and attract males. The winner will then become her mate and effectively join the trainer’s team. Some salamence pairs have flown off to a mountain valley or remote island to breed. Others stayed in place and accepted meals from their trainer during incubation and childrearing.

Relatives

The eastern salamence lives along the western rim of the Pacific. They prefer tropical climates but sometimes seasonally migrate to subtropical or even temperate areas. Their range formerly extended into Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the northern territory of Australia. They have since been extirpated from Korea, Vietnam, Australia, and China. Childrearing sometimes occurs on the smaller islands of the Pacific, with Alola being the easternmost island they have regularly been sighted on. These islands are important for the species’ survival but are not considered part of their core range. Over 80% of the remaining eastern salamence live in the Philippines, with the remainder mostly found in Indonesia and Malayasia. In Japan they are only found on the island of Hoenn. There are fewer than twenty adults remaining there.

The western salamence, F. typhon, were once found across Europe, Central Asia and Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Today they are only found in the Crown Tundra region of Galar, a few old growth forests in Poland, Carpathian National Park in Romania, and a few preserves in the Zagros Mountains. There are occasional reported sightings in the Atlas Mountains, but none have been verified in the last fifty years.

Western salamence have wings but cannot fly. The wings help them absorb more heat from sunlight, like those of druddigon. Instead, these salamence rely upon their sheer size and power to deter potential attackers. They are much bulkier than eastern salamence because they do not need to stay light enough to fly. Their claws are also tipped with iron to help them ward off fairies. Their sheer power and excellent sense of smell lets them bully almost any predator away from their kill. Alternatively, they can outpace and overpower some slower predators. Juveniles are much nimbler and often hunt alongside their parents. The adolescent salamence will harass prey and herd them towards the adult waiting to finish them off.

Western salamence are exceptionally intelligent. Some have even figured out how to communicate with humans through crude drawings. There are rumors of them kidnapping artists or philosophers to obtain their works or listen to their musings. When the nations of Europe began systematically exterminating the salamence in their lands they often found hoards of gold, ancient artifacts, and even books inside of the caves they lived in. Some great works of imperial era and pre-imperial writing long thought to be lost were recovered from the dragons’ lairs, preserved by the cool and dry environments of the caves.

 

[Persephone]

This week’s entry of The Alola Pokedex was commissioned by Crashmoth. I also “borrowed” the concept of elastic energy from Mutitus on Deviantart. They’ve made their own pokédex project and you should definitely check it out

Downloading from The Alola Pokédex Online Appendix . . .​

Breloom (Shroomish)
Agaricustos colaphus ruber

Overview

Most fungi are stationary. This presents two problems for their survival: 1) it is difficult to spread spores to reproduce and 2) self-defense options are limited when dealing with intelligent and mobile predators. The mushroom pokémon have all evolved methods of overcoming these obstacles. The fungal portion of parasect infects a host and uses it for spore spreading and defense. Shiinotic alter the floral environment around them to better spread illusions to deter attackers. Shroomish developed an adult stage that can hop around to spread spores and punch out anything that tries to eat the mushrooms. Even by fungal standards, breloom is strange.

The tropical, or red, breloom is native to southern China, mainland Southeast Asia, and the island of Java. It has since been introduced to Guyana, Madagascar, Queensland, and Alola. Breloom is currently listed as high priority for removal by the DNR and there are bounties on the capture of breloom and the marking of shroomish spawning locations. This is not because breloom themselves are bad for the environment, but because their aggressive protection of mushrooms removes what few predators exist for shiinotic. If left unchecked the shiinotic could permanently alter several of Alola’s tropical forests to better suit their needs.

Breloom have several characteristics that make them desirable for trainers. They have a great deal of status-infliction options with the addition of powerful punches. It is also not difficult to convince breloom to fight. Unlike many pokémon that are both powerful and eager to battle, breloom have a very pleasant disposition and are cheap to care for.

The bounties mean that breloom may not be on the archipelago for long. Trainers interested in unconventional grass-types may want to catch a shroomish or breloom while they’re still around.

Physiology

Shroomish are classified as dual grass- and poison-types. Breloom are equally capable of capitalizing on status effects but have fighting as their secondary type due to their propensity for combat and physical power.

Shroomish is a mushroom with a large bell and two short stalks. Most of their scales are bright red with a few blue and green spots mixed in. The edge of the bell is fringed by several ‘petals.’ When the shroomish spins around the petals help direct the released spores and scales to the sides rather than towards the ground. Small eyes and a narrow slit that serves as both a mouth and nose are found on the bell. Shroomish have a basic sense of sight but rely primarily on sensing vibrations and smells. Their other senses are not fully developed until evolution. Shroomish’s stems can be used to walk. Their top speed is only around 0.4 miles per hour, which is still much faster than non-pokémon mushrooms.

It is true that shroomish’s spores can cause respiratory problems if inhaled. Yet the real danger is in their scales. The red scales on a shroomish’s bell are psychoactive. If inhaled or ingested the consumer will become increasingly drowsy and disoriented until they fall unconscious. The blue scales also target the brain. They result in motor control problems that can render the target unable to move. Finally, the green scales are highly toxic and will cause increasing damage to the body over time without treatment. Older shroomish can also learn leach seed to further debilitate opponents. Their flesh is also toxic to most animals.

Breloom are bipedal. Their head is separated from the rest of the body by a long stem. The bell has lost most of its depth but grown even wider and now has more prominent gills. Breloom often adorn their bell with flower petals. Right beneath the bell is breloom’s head. They have large eyes that, while not particularly well-developed when compared to animals, still give them the best vision of any fungal pokémon. Breloom also have a prominent beak and mouth. The mouth can be used for either ejecting scales or ingesting food. Breloom prefer to eat dead and decomposing things. This can include rotting wood, carcasses, and manure.

The hands of a breloom end in two hard growths vaguely resembling blunted claws. Their arms are not usually visible but are instead tightly coiled and compressed inside the body, much like a spring. They can be shot out for extremely fast and powerful punches far beyond that of a human boxer. The arms must then be withdrawn, coiled, and compressed again before another punch can be fired. The full process can take nearly a minute to complete.

Breloom’s tail is tipped in three pods. These are for spores, not scales. Scales are either shaken from the head or spit in a narrow stream from the mouth. Surprisingly, the spores are the only part of breloom that is edible, although they have an extremely bitter taste.

Breloom move by hopping. The initial hop is done by building and releasing elastic energy within the pokémon’s legs. Subsequent hops are mostly powered by the elastic energy built up by the impact of the prior one. Alternatively, breloom can make short, quick hops to better position themselves. These are energy intensive as less energy is conserved from prior movements.

Shroomish can grow to be one foot tall and can live for up to three weeks without evolving. The mycelium network that spawned them (see Breeding) can live for years and fruit multiple times.

Breloom can grow to be five feet tall and can weigh up to ninety-five pounds. Because their purpose extends beyond fruiting, they can live for up to six years in the wild or captivity.

Behavior

Shroomish are the fruiting phase of a mycelium network (see Breeding). Their only purpose is to release spores to develop a network elsewhere. From the moment they cut themselves free shroomish are looking for a place to die. Sometimes in very harsh conditions they will partially burrow back into the soil for protection. Most of the time they wander endlessly in search of ideal conditions for spore release: something decomposing in a moist, dark place. Anything that disturbs them on their quest will be peppered with scales until they go away.

Breloom are far more active and interesting to observe. While shroomish live for only a few weeks, breloom are active for years. During this time they hop around the forests they live in to check for potential threats to shroomish and the mycelium networks. If a threat is found it will be killed. They will not eat their kills. At least, not right away. Breloom eat things that are already decomposing. Plant matter is preferred but they also eat some rotting meat. A blend of fungi in their gut finishes breaking down the organic material for nutrients and energy.

Unlike most grass types, breloom are not photosynthetic. They actively avoid direct sunlight and are primarily active at night. When they are observed patrolling in the day it is almost always under dense canopy cover or in cloudy weather.

Breloom are naturally curious and can be very friendly to creatures they do not perceive as threats. Wild breloom will often watch humans from a distance to see if they eat mushrooms or disturb shroomish. If they do not see such behavior, they will hop right up to the human and carefully check them over. They will even accept petting, although it is best to pet their back instead of their head. Directly touching the cap can send scales into the air and potentially lead to serious health problems.

The species is not territorial with conspecifics and can often be seen patrolling together.

Husbandry

Shroomish do not live long unless they evolve. While active they prefer having large fenced in areas with several damp and dark places to hide in. They will not need to eat or drink. Shroomish should not be touched or even approached without protection for at least the eyes, nose, and mouth. Some mycologists recommend wearing a full hazardous materials suit when entering an outdoor garden with more than ten shroomish. It is not recommended to bring a shroomish indoors. If you must interact with a shroomish without full protections make slow movements, do not get close, and do not touch the pokémon.

Breloom make for much better companions. There are still a few safety measures that must be taken around them. While breloom are much better at controlling scale release than shroomish, trainers with respiratory problems should wear eye, nose, and mouth protection when cuddling breloom. All trainers must refrain from eating mushrooms around a breloom. The species can easily adjust from caring for the mushrooms of their forest to caring for a human trainer, but they will never entirely forget their biological purpose.

Breloom are happiest when they have a mushroom garden to watch over. More information on caring for the mycelium network that produces shroomish can be found in the Breeding section of this article. The enclosed area containing the garden should be at least 1000 square feet to support a breloom. They prefer to spend the night watching over the garden. During the day breloom can be very affectionate and will often fall asleep on the couch curled up against their trainer.

The occasional introduction of harmless changes in the garden helps to provide enrichment. These can include the introduction and removal of potted plants, changing the placement of rocks around, painting the fence a different color, or adding or removing simple toys like rubber balls. Some mycologists recommend occasionally laying down urine from other species in the garden to give the breloom something more to investigate.

The amount of exercise required varies by individual. Some are very energetic and will appreciate near-daily training exercises and chances to hop alongside their jogging trainer. A few will even attempt to follow along with exercise videos meant for humans. Other breloom will be content with the occasional low-key walk around the neighborhood with light battle practice mixed in every week or so. It is usually best to err on the side of giving too many exercise opportunities to them as they will not overextend themselves. When they are exhausted they will stop for the day.

In addition to their garden breloom should have a dark, moist den to retreat to when they want. Some trainers have found dusk balls meet this need. Most breloom are reluctant to enter pokéballs and prefer to be out at all times, even when sleeping.

On the trail breloom can scavenge for food. A tropical wilderness has no shortage of decomposing logs and corpses to be found by a pokémon willing to look hard enough. It can be more difficult to feed breloom at Pokémon Centers or in urban settings. Some grocery stores are willing to contract with trainers for the sale of expired produce and meat. Breloom will also eat manure, although decomposing produce and meat are much better for them nutritionally. Trainers should not stop breloom from eating their teammates’ droppings, but this should not be the core of their diet. In lean times breloom can go up to six days between meals with no major health consequences. Two to three days between meals is much better for a regular feeding schedule.

Illness

Trainers who inhale red shroomish or breloom scales may suffer from increasing feelings of vertigo and apathy until they eventually fall asleep. Try to immediately call for help when poisoned as it will become progressively more difficult to work up the effort to do so. Blue scales interfere with chemical receptors and nerves. Within a minute it may become impossible to make voluntary movements of the body. This effect should pass within fifteen minutes. Consult a doctor after the effect clears up to ensure there are no lasting health problems. Green scales are far more dangerous. Ingesting even five grams can be fatal in an adult human. It takes less to kill a child. Breloom will seldom discharge this much, but shroomish can and will if they feel threatened.

The biggest problem for breloom and shroomish themselves is mold. Mold, like mushrooms, is a fungus that prefers damp and dark places. Some types of mold can cause tissue damage, respiratory problems, loss of energy, and death in breloom. Make sure to regularly inspect the den and gardens of breloom for mold. Plastic dens disconnected from a permanent building are often recommended because of the ease of disposing of and replacing them if mold is found.

The easiest solution to mold, chemical fungicides, cannot be used anywhere near shroomish or breloom. A fully grown breloom might be able to survive very low doses. Shroomish and small or injured breloom will be killed by virtually any exposure.

There are some species of fly that like to lay their eggs in shroomish. The maggots will then eat the pokémon from the inside out. There is little that can be done if this occurs. Veterinarians are generally reluctant to give any care beyond a potion spray to an injured shroomish. The combination of a short lifespan and highly dangerous scales makes them undesirable patients. On balance, shroomish with minor injuries have a much greater chances of evolution than a pristine specimen.

Evolution

Ideally every shroomish would find a place to die and release their spores there (see Breeding). Occasionally there are threats to this process such as predators, wildfires, or human intervention. These problems require more mobility and intelligence than shroomish are capable of. Some shroomish in the area will begin to evolve into breloom. The process is a flash evolution that changes shape but not mass. The new breloom will need to eat to grow.

Shroomish evolution is most common in specimens that are either mildly injured or have been close to specimens that were injured. In captivity very light battle with a pokémon unlikely to be affected by shroomish scales can usually trigger evolution in the specimen used in battle. Others nearby are also likely to evolve. Inorganic pokémon, especially steel and poison types that are resistant to grass energy, are the best in this role. Do not use a team member for this battle: the newly evolved breloom will be hostile to whatever pokémon caused it to evolve.

Battle

Breloom has a small but effective set of tricks. Grass and poison specialists used to dealing with gardens and toxins often add one to their team. On occasion a non-specialist ranked trainer will also use one.

The most important trick breloom have is not their punches but their scales. They can spit a stream of red scales up to two meters out. Most animal pokémon that inhale them will become increasingly disoriented and eventually fall asleep altogether. Leagues are divided on if sleep moves are an automatic knockout or not. At present the United States League Association allows trainers to continue fighting with a sleeping pokémon. The switch timer runs at double speed for a pokémon asleep due to moves such as hypnosis or sleep powder. Blue scales can slow down enemy movements without doubling the switch timer speed but are less effective at creating an opening.

Red scales should be used with caution. Most professional arenas are stocked with antitoxins that can negate fungal or common plant-based poisons. Amateur ones may not be. Most pokémon are durable enough to take a few grams of red scales. Some are not. Killing a pokémon due to misjudging the strength of the toxin applied and being unable or unwilling to provide an antidote after surrender will result in an excessive force ticket.

Leech seed rounds out breloom’s utility kit. They are not naturally gifted with it like they are for status afflictions, but most breloom know it upon evolution. Leech seed can keep breloom healthy while whittling down opponents over time.

If this were the extent of breloom’s abilities they would not find much use on the competitive circuits. There are plenty of grass-types with similar movepools and a better ability to take damage while their opponent slowly succumbs to the inflicted ailments.

What makes breloom unique is the combination of utility moves and a very powerful punch. This punch can only be fired twice in a minute, once from each arm, so timing is everything. Breloom will make short hops from side to side to try and find a good opening for their punch. They will also spit out scales during this process to make an opening more likely. Once breloom sees their chance they will unleash one or two devastating punches to sensitive areas. Many opponents will go down to a single punch. More are unable to take two. Only the most heavily armored of foes can shrug off the hits altogether, and several of those are undone by the fighting energy imbued in the strikes.

The biggest drawback of this strategy is that breloom can only really damage foes within their six-meter reach. Anything outside that area cannot be hit by either scales or punches. Breloom need to get close for this strategy to work. Unfortunately, they are not particularly fast compared to the average pokémon used on the competitive circuits. Fast ranged attackers shut breloom down. The same goes for any flier that can dodge or tank a fairly weak stone edge.

Breloom’s cooldown time and list of counters makes them somewhat unpopular in the current metagame that favors fliers and ranged attackers. In past eras more dominated by hard stall teams and powerful fighting-types breloom was far more dominant.

On the island challenge breloom’s secondary attacks are more effective. Competitive pokémon are usually fast or durable enough that the moves breloom does not naturally employ. Breloom can learn many coverage options such as seed bomb, bullet seed, stone edge, rock tomb, and iron tail. They can also be taught swords dance, bulk up, and growth to hit even harder. Their punches can be imbued with different elemental properties with enough training. Thunder punch helps deal with flying-types, mach punch hits even faster, and drain punch can establish leech seed on contact.

Breloom’s fighting and grass attacks can be dangerous for Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu’s teams. Hala’s reliance on melee attackers also plays to breloom’s strengths. The cooldown time is also less relevant if totems can be knocked out with a pair of well-placed punches. The current set of kahunas makes breloom well suited for the island challenge, but future retirements could make the path through the island challenge more treacherous for it. Professional trainers have already learned how fickle the metagame can be for their mushrooms.

Acquisition

Shroomish and breloom can be found in Alolan Rainforests National Preserve on Akala Island. Unlimited captures are permitted and a bounty can be obtained for each breloom or shroomish captured. Shroomish can be obtained with a Class III license while breloom require a Class II.

Breloom are not particularly receptive to proving battles. Trainers desiring to keep them long term may use unfair tactics such as attacking with multiple pokémon when securing the capture. As long as the breloom is nursed back to health and given a plot of mushrooms to look after shortly after there should be no long-term problems. Eventually a breloom will come to care for its teammates and trainer as much as its garden.

Sale of breloom or shroomish to entities other than the Alolan Commonwealth is currently prohibited. Even adoption arrangements are viewed with skepticism. Trainers wanting to raise a breloom should capture their own.

Breeding

The mycelium networks that produce shroomish are not presently classified as a pokémon in their own right. They are necessary to produce shroomish and breloom prefer to have a garden with mycelium in the ground so their husbandry will briefly be discussed here. Mycelia are thin white fibers that tunnel through the dirt. They form complex networks underground. In order to spread to other areas the mycelium produce a mushroom that becomes a shroomish. In most non-pokémon fungi the mushroom is only an organ of the network and not an organism in its own right.

The mycelium networks that produce shroomish grow best in damp, dark places. They feed by breaking down organic matter in the soil. It is recommended to start a culture by spreading spores over a patch of manure in a shaded garden. If a half inch covering of manure is brought in every month there should always be enough food for the network and shroomish should be produced every two to three months.

Wild shroomish wander until they find a good place to release spores. These are areas that are shaded, moist, and free of competing mycelia. Then they will settle down and begin to unfurl from the top down. The process ends with the shroomish dead and millions of spores released. Some of these will land on fertile ground, spread roots, and establish a new mycelium network.

Breloom also occasionally release spores from their tail as they travel. They are less discriminate about where they release their spores because accidentally dropping them in the wrong place is not lethal. In time the spores will regenerate and breloom can scatter them again.

Shroomish cultivation is currently illegal on Akala and Ula’Ula due to the established shiinotic populations. Intentional breeding of shroomish is heavily regulated on the other islands as well. The Alolan government will not pay bounties for specimens born in captivity. Sale or, in many cases, adoption are also illegal in Alola. Trainers who do not desire to raise shroomish on their own or arrange for export to the mainland should clip the tail of their breloom. This prevents them from releasing spores. It also does not cause serious pain or impair daily functioning.

Relatives

There is one other species of breloom, A. c. viridilanx, more commonly known as kinogassa, or the green or temperate breloom. They are well-suited for the narrow zone of mixed forests between the tropics and the taiga. A coordinated removal campaign in China eliminated the population there in the 1950s. Today they are only found in the wild in Kinogassa Sanctuary in Hoenn. Feral specimens also occasionally pop up around the world. Some are culled by the local governments before they can outcompete native fungi. Others are tolerated because they protect endangered native mushrooms. There is currently a small experimental colony in Unova’s Pinwheel Forest State Park.

Kinogassa are much smaller than tropical breloom. They rarely grow to be more than four feet tall and are usually less than half as heavy as their tropical counterparts. They are also primarily coated in green toxic scales with blue and red patches. This gives them greater access to poison scales at the expense of sleep-inducing scales.

Kinogassa have seasonal activity patterns due to the reduced biomass to eat in their temperate homes. They are most active in the autumn when leaf litter provides an abundant source of food. They retain some activity through the early winter when the first freezes kill off some plants and animals. As the winter becomes harsher they find a cave or abandoned burrow and begin to hibernate for the winter. Come spring they will periodically emerge when they sense distress from the local shroomish population. Even when out of their burrows they spend most of their time inactive. It is rare to see a kinogassa patrol outside of the autumn and early winter. They rely upon the toxicity of their scales to deter would-be predators from eating the exposed and unmoving target.

 

[Persephone]

Another Crashmoth commission.

Downloading from The Alola Pokédex Online Appendix . . .​

Gliscor (Gligar)
Scorpioales pyleoccisor

Overview

The march of time has not been kind to the winged scorpions.

In the Carboniferous, the ancestors of gliscor were some of the first creatures to take to the skies. They used primitive wings to help them glide through the air and ambush targets from above. Between the high oxygen levels of the era and their dominance of the niche, the winged scorpions could grow to have three-meter wingspans, the largest that would be seen in the world until the late Jurassic.

The winged scorpions shrunk in size and prominence during the Permian. They went extinct in the Great Dying only to convergently evolve again from sea scorpions. They find themselves once more on the brink of extinction. Six of the seven recognized species are endangered, and three are critically endangered. In spite of this, exotic pokémon collectors regularly breed and sell the pokémon. One of these shipments led to Alola’s population of canyon gliscor in Poni Island National Park and Preserve.

It is the policy of the Alolan and federal governments to remove the gliscor to preserve the local ecosystem and prevent loss of human life. The bounty system originally put in place has been removed due to abuse by breeders, but trainers may still turn specimens over to the commonwealth or federal government to be shipped to Japan and released to the wild in their native range.

Gliscor (but not gligar) are also good companions in their own right. They are surprisingly intelligent, a trait that has allowed their line to survive when many, many others perished. Gliscor can also be physically affectionate and mischievous. Their long life expectancy and utility in battle helps offset their somewhat difficult care requirements.

Physiology

Gligar and gliscor are traditionally classified as dual ground- and flying-types. They are certainly capable of employing these elements in battle, but from a husbandry perspective it is far more useful to think of them as bug- and poison-types. Battlers should also be aware that gligar rely more heavily on their venom than upon elemental attacks.

Gligar, like all scorpions, are octopedal. Their hind and front legs are the most prominent. The hind legs are attached to powerful muscles that help them launch from cliffsides. The front legs end in large pincers. The tip of the larger claw is serrated and can be used to cut opponents in close quarters. The middle legs are attached to the wings. These legs can be used to curl the wings closer to the body, unfurl them, or change their positioning.

Most of gligar’s back is purple and most of their front is pink. The most notable exception are the wings that are brown when seen from behind and dark blue when seen from the front. The mouth contains two extended fangs used for latching onto prey. These can regrow in a matter of days if need be. Gligar also have two long horns used to deflect attacks to the head. Their tail is tipped with a stinger. Their venom is a potent neurotoxin that can paralyze or kill prey up to five times heavier than themselves.

In addition to their own venom gligar are capable of breaking down and digesting the venom or poison of some species. Even if they cannot digest it entirely they usually have some resistance to the effects This lets them prey on species that usually rely solely on venom or poison for defense. This is particularly important for the desert and marine subspecies. The canyon gligar has relatively few venomous species in its natural range, meaning that its ability has largely atrophied compared to its kin. The reef gliscor can digest mareanie and tentacruel with no health issues. The hairy gliscor, while less impressive, can still comfortably feed on venomous snakes and other scorpions.

Gliscor have a much darker coloration. The majority of their body is dark purple. Their wings are pitch black on both sides. The exceptions to the darker colors are a series of yellow markings around their eyes and patches of red scales on their head and abdomen that make them look more intimidating to prey and would-be predators. Gliscor’s venom is actually less potent than that of a gligar. They instead rely upon their large, sharp pincers and fangs to kill prey. When this fails, they can channel elemental energy to either finish off their opponent or flee into the sky or ground. The blade on the tail is occasionally used as a weapon without using the stinger to inject venom.

Gliscor can attain a wingspan and length of six feet. They can weigh up to twenty-eight pounds. Captive gliscor can live for up to twenty years. Wild females have a lifespan of ten years and wild males seldom live for more than five.

Husbandry

As their name suggests, canyon gliscor are most commonly found in canyons and steep ravines. They use their claws and tail to help them climb up the cliff face and find an indent to rest in. If there is no indent they can create one with their geokinesis.

Gliscor hunt at night. They propel themselves off the canyon wall and glide the length of the canyon looking for prey. If they find something suitable they will dive down and go for the kill. Gligar prefer tall targets that they can attack from behind. The claws will slit the throat and the stinger will go straight for the heart. Their flight is near silent and they can surprise even vigilant pokémon such as mienshao and lucario. Humans also fit the profile of ideal gligar prey and sometimes fall victim to fatal attacks. People should not walk along the floor of Vast Poni Canyon at night. Hiking during the day while the gligar are asleep is no more dangerous than walking through the canyon has ever been.

Gligar have difficulty defending what they do bring down because they are ambush predators with limited mobility while grounded. They rely on a unique quirk of their venom: it is quick to paralyze but slow to kill. This keeps the pokémon safe from retaliation but ensures that the venom is distributed throughout the body by the time the prey finally dies. Gligar seldom wait for death, however, and begin eating non-vital areas as soon as the prey collapses. By the time a scavenger or larger predator arrives the carcass may be poisonous to them from the distribution of venom. This may not stop them from attacking the gligar itself. One researcher estimated that one out of every ten hunts for a newly-independent gligar ends in the pokémon’s death.

Gliscor are less reliant on their venom to kill. Instead, they swoop down and use their sharp claws or fangs to kill the prey while passing by. Particularly small prey can be snatched up in a single bite. They will then loop back to pick up the carcass and use their limited aerokinesis to generate the lift needed to get back to their perch. This strategy is very effective for small birds, insect pokémon, and mammals. Gliscor have even been observed snatching up gligar during lean times. Gliscor rarely bother humans as they are too heavy to bring back to safety.

Nocturnal birds can easily outmaneuver gliscor and gligar in the air and kill them on the ground or mid-flight. Fortunately for them, Vast Poni Canyon currently lacks nocturnal airborne predators. In their native range large noctowl often kill smaller gligar.

If the canyon wall is not steep enough or the indent is too large gligar can also face threats during the day. The Vast Poni Canyon is too steep for most rattata to climb but one occasionally tries to kill a sleeping gligar. Murkrow have also been observed attempting to do so. Gligar sleep with their tail facing out of the burrow and gliscor sleep with their pincers facing out. This allows them to strike at predators with their most powerful weapon first.

Outside of a mother and her young neither stage is social. They are not territorial, however, and have even been seen tolerating conspecifics in the area. As long as they do not attempt to claim their nest there will not be problems. Gliscor naturally lay claim to the best roosting sites as they can either evict a gligar or simply move in while it is out hunting.

When gligar or gliscor are ambushed on the canyon floor they have three ways of escaping: into the air, the earth, or the water. Gligar cannot easily launch themselves from the ground and must climb back up to their home before daybreak. Gliscor can launch themselves, although doing so is energy intensive and far from an instant process. Gligar and gliscor are also fast diggers that can burrow through even hard rock when they see a predator in the distance. Finally, both are excellent swimmers that can go up to forty-eight hours without breathing. Gligar prefer to kill prey by rivers so that there is always a means of escape available. Unfortunately, the pokémon cannot glide until its wings are completely dry.

In Japan gligar and gliscor typically enter a period of low activity during the winter. They will burrow into the ground and sleep there until temperatures warm again. This behavior is not seen in Alola as it never gets cool enough to warrant reduced activity.

Husbandry

As mentioned above gligar is closer to a bug- or poison-type in care requirements than to a ground- or flying-type. Gliscor are calmer and are generally better suited for specialists in its official typing.

Gligar are the rare pokémon that sees humans as potential prey. Trainers should not approach an untamed gligar without proper protective equipment such as fang- and stinger-resistant armor. Antivenom should always be kept on hand. The equipment will most commonly be sold at a specialty store for poison-type care. There are branches of the Shockingly Toxic chain in Malie and Hau’oli. Some very large pokémon supply stores may also carry it. Gligar and gliscor antivenom can also be purchased from the apothecary in Seafolk Village.

Taming a gligar is a slow process that requires providing them with toys and enrichment and getting them to associate their trainer with the provision of food rather than as prey themselves. Over time they can develop a crude understanding of the human language that lets them follow more traditional commands. When a gligar starts to become physically affectionate it may be safe to interact with them without armor, although antivenom should still be kept close. Training them to be calm around unfamiliar humans will require a training process of its own.

Gligar are not recommended for traveling trainers unless there has been a year-long taming process beforehand. Even then they still struggle in casual battles as they must be trained to battle without immediately slashing the throat or stabbing their stinger into the heart of their enemies.

Stationary gligar trainers should devote time and resources into constructing their aviary as this is where the pokémon will spend almost all of its time. The aviary can be outdoors or indoors, although outdoor aviaries must use reinforced netting. Electrified wires do not bother gligar and they can cut through most bars and escape. If displayed outdoors gligar must have a heated area to escape to during rainy or cold weather. Gliscor rarely make escape attempts and are not particularly dangerous if they do escape. They can be kept in an outdoor aviary and it will usually be cheaper to build their enclosure outdoors.

The centerpiece of a gligar’s enclosure should be a climbing wall or rough tree. It should be at least six feet high for a gligar or ten feet for a gliscor. There should be at least one deep nest box towards the top for the pokémon to sleep in. The rest of the enclosure need not be more than a foot taller than the next box but should have a large enough surface area to allow for gliding. Gligar’s enclosure should be at least ten times longer than their wingspan and four times as wide. Gliscor do not need nearly as much space as long as they are taken out for flights on a daily basis.

Gligar and gliscor kept entirely indoors can live in enclosures with a reversed day-night cycle. They may be slow to adapt at first but will soon switch to being active when it is dark in the enclosure and inactive when it is light. This makes it more convenient for the trainer from a care and display perspective. Both stages glow blue under a UV blacklight. This does not seem to disturb the pokémon and they will act as if it is night even with a blacklight on. There are no apparent health benefits or drawbacks to it.

Gligar prefer to have access to a sand pit to burrow in. Ideally it would be at least six feet deep. The sand does not need to be commercial burrowing sand as they do not dig burrow networks. They simply like to submerge themselves in sand.

Water fixtures are also appreciated, especially if there is moving water in them. These need not be more than a foot deep but should have a fairly broad surface area to allow for swimming. A pokémon staying unmoving at the bottom of the pool is not a cause for alarm unless it continues for more than twenty-four hours.

More standard enrichment items such as balls and puzzles are usually ignored. Some gliscor appreciate tree branches, either as perches to hang from or as toys to pick up and carry around. Bones can also serve the latter purpose.

Indoor enclosures should be kept dry and warm with a heat lamp to bask under. Gligar enjoy temperatures of up to ninety degrees and can be harmed by temperatures consistently below fifty. They will be far less active in cool enclosures than in warm ones.

Both stages can adapt to Alola’s weather if held outside. There should be a semi-enclosed area with a heat lamp to retreat to, but Alola’s temperatures are usually within the acceptable range of the species.

Gligar are somewhat skeptical of pokéballs in general and habitat balls in particular. Gliscor are far more tolerant of being kept inside a stasis ball in the day or during transport periods as long as they are let out for most of the night.

Gliscor adjust well to travel, especially if their trainer chooses to hike at night. Many gliscor seem to enjoy hanging from their tail from the same branch as the smellable supply back. They will also want to glide and occasionally hunt. It is legal to keep them off leash in most of Alola. The primary exceptions are protected grubbin habitat. It may also be unwise to let them fly unsupervised during the day in areas with large predatory birds such as skarmory, braviary, or talonflame. Trainers that intend to be active during the day when hiking is easier may end up frustrating their nocturnal traveling companion. It is recommended to hike during the middle of the day if nighttime hiking is not possible. This at least allows for opportunities to play, bond, and train with gliscor around dusk and dawn.

Because gliscor can safely travel they can be taken to their enrichment rather than putting everything they want inside their enclosure. Trips to the beach will satisfy their desire to burrow in sand. Streams, ponds, and unchlorinated pools without large predators are good places to swim. Be advised that gliscor will want to dry off as soon as possible after swimming. Warm towels and blow dryers will be well received. Some gliscor have even been known to run off with blow dryers and put them in their nest box, only to bring them back to their trainer when they want to be dried again. For this reason battery powered dryers are preferred to those that must be plugged in as a violent unplugging by gliscor can break the cord or damage the machine or outlet.

Gliscor will also need opportunities to glide. The most popular parks for letting bird pokémon fly are not ideal as the larger birds will scare the gliscor. They do enjoy gliding off of buildings. Taking them to a roof or balcony and letting them fly will satisfy them and they will usually return before too long. Sometimes they will even return with a meal.

It should be noted that gliscor enjoy scaring their trainer. They will sometimes lie in wait hanging from a tree or ceiling fan only to drop down and give their trainer a flying tackle when they least expect it. Be careful when turning on ceiling fans or entering new rooms while carrying fragile items.

Gliscor can be housebroken with time and another pokémon to set an example. Gligar cannot be.

Gligar, on the other hand, can be trained to eat dead meat while gliscor will always require live food. Gligar should at first be fed very recently killed mammals, birds, or reptiles. Ideally the carcass will be presented hanging from something to simulate standing up. Over time the gligar will come to accept raw meat presented without the rest of the carcass. Gliscor will need to be fed live bug-types. Caterpie are the cheapest to buy and they have no capture limit in the wild. Even non-island challenge trainers can apply for a fairly inexpensive caterpie hunting permit if they own a pokémon that requires live insects.

Illness

The gliscor line suffer from two main illnesses: those brought on by too much water in their environment and those brought on by too little.

The dehydration related illnesses are easiest to fix. Sometimes a gliscor will have a somewhat shriveled appearance. This can be a sign of starvation or dehydration. Gliscor can actually go for weeks without food if necessary so the problem is usually dehydration. Gligar in a proper enclosure usually have water to swim in so it is a rare health problem for them. Gliscor, on the other hand, can dehydrate fairly easily in captivity. Many trainers assume a ground type that eats live prey needs so little water it can be obtained from its food. This is not true of gliscor. Make sure they have access to a water bowl every day. If the appearance persists after the gliscor has consumed food and water, or if the pokémon refuses to eat, consult a veterinarian.

Mold can also grow on gligar and gliscor that are not properly dried or spend too much time in a humid environment. This can be a major problem for specimens kept outdoors in the wet season. Gliscor should have their armor checked for discoloration and a blow dry offered at least every three days in the wet season. Gligar are harder to conduct a detailed inspection of. Thankfully they will dry themselves if given a heat lamp that can be accessed without climbing. The heat lamp should not be physically near the water due to the risk of electrocuting humans trying to clean the habitat. Gligar themselves are nearly immune from electric damage.

Evolution

Gligar molt nine times over the course of their life. During these molts they are without armor and extremely vulnerable. They will stay motionless in a burrow during this time. After a period of rapid growth new armor plates will begin to develop on the abdomen, portions of the tail, and around the head. The pokémon will not grow again until the next molt. Gligar molt five times in their first six months of life and four more over the next two and a half years. With each molt their venom becomes less potent, their claws sharpen, and their body grows darker. A gligar formally evolves after its ninth molt.

It is difficult to battle safely with captive gligar. This slows down evolution to an extent. Captive-born gligar usually evolve around their fourth birthday instead of their third. Those that do battle regularly might evolve slightly faster than their wild counterparts.

Battle

Gliscor are one of the premier stallbreakers on competitive circuits. Hybrids of the canyon and Uluru gliscor are particularly dangerous due to their near immunity to poisons, powerful venom of their own, and respectable size, armor, and power. They can also be taught useful tricks like sandstorm and roost to stall or taunt, guillotine, and swords dance to break stall teams. Earthquake, slash, and acrobatics do respectable damage and u-turn can be used to strike and retreat to safety.

Gliscor are hard countered by corviknight and skarmory. Knocking gliscor down or grappling with them in the air deprives them of most of the pokémon’s mobility. The stingers of hybrid gliscor are usually too weak to pierce the armored bird’s armor and their claws are not sharp enough to deal a finishing blow either. Despite their size, gliscor are not particularly heavy. Once those threats are removed, however, gliscor has the armor to take hits from most walls and the tricks to set up on or eliminate them. Many matches between gliscor trainers and stall teams come down to whether the gliscor can outlast the opposing trainer’s birds.

Dragons might fear the sting of a hybrid gliscor but otherwise have little to fear unless the pokémon has set up. Most can also fly to defeat the scorpion in the air. Ice-types can take advantage of gliscor’s cold-blooded physiology and ground elemental affinity to deal massive damage.

Gliscor are also in the unfortunate position of being a flying type that needs to get close to the target for most of its most dangerous attacks. This negates the advantages of being able to stay at range. Thankfully earthquake and stone edge can be launched from a distance.

Gligar, as mentioned above, are not well-suited for battle. They do not understand the concept of a friendly match. Something is either a threat, in which case they cannot afford to hold back, or it is prey to be killed. Some gligar raised by humans for over a year have been taught to partake in and even enjoy friendlier matches. Older gligar also have less potent venom, reducing the potential damage of a behavioral lapse. Trainers should still be ready to pay excessive force fines when battling with a gligar.

On the island challenge gliscor function well as stallbreakers or walls in their own right. Gliscor’s mobility, slow-acting venom, and armor make them capable of sponging weaker hits and recovering with roost. Many totems like to hang back and use boosting moves while their allies bog down the opponent. A mobile taunt can disrupt this plan.

A skilled gliscor trainer will keep their pokémon airborne for as long as possible. If the soil is permeable enough then dig should be used for mobility instead. A grounded gliscor, especially one with a hurt wing, is in a very bad position.

Acquisiton

Gligar and gliscor can be found in Vast Poni Canyon. Gligar can be captured with a Class IV license and gliscor can be captured with a Class III. Some hunters have employed scarecrows or other humanoid targets to bait out gligar, although this has become less effective as the wild population has become more familiar with it. Now most hunters seek them out during the day by riding along the cliff face on the back of a flying pokémon. Indents can be inspected and the gligar can either be battled or touched with a pokéball on a long stick. Net balls are the most effective.

Gliscor capture can be done by scouring the cliff face as well. Alternatively, trainers can try to find out hunting at night and catch it. This can be done on the ground – which is not recommended in gligar territory – or in the sky with a sufficiently large nocturnal flier. Most birds are diurnal, but some dragons and levitating pokémon are able to see on dark nights.

It is easier to simply purchase a gliscor or gligar. Importation has been forbidden but breeding is still allowed on Akala due to the lack of suitable territory there. Gliscor remain relatively popular pets due to their size, appearance, intelligence, and unique behaviors. Some collectors are fond of gligar as a display pokémon.

It is not usually possible to adopt the species. Surrendered specimens are evaluated for their suitability for wild release or future breeding. Pokémon that could be released to the wild are sent back to Japan. Non-hybridized specimens that are not suitable for release are usually sent to zoos, museums, or conservation centers for breeding. The few that are available for adoption are usually old, infirm, or hybridized with the Uluru gliscor. Hybrids are much more dangerous to care for and require an extra license rank than non-hybridized specimens.

Breeding

Male gliscor initiate mating by gliding to the burrow of a female around dusk. He will then try to pull her out of the burrow. She will usually resist unless the two are familiar with each other and the male is particularly clever or strong. Once the female is pulled from her burrow the male will launch off the side of the canyon wall and the two will begin to glide. The entire time the female will usually be trying to break the embrace and kill or injure the male. The male relies on repeated stings to keep the female sedated during the process. Around dawn the venom’s affects will usually begin to wear off and the female will grow anxious to return to her burrow. If the male has not finished the mating act by this time he will probably be killed and his body eaten. If he succeeds in time he will detach himself from the female and fly away quickly. If the female recovers quickly enough, she will pursue, kill, and eat the male anyways.

Pregnancy takes roughly two weeks. At the end the female will give birth to twenty-seven scorplings. She will keep the scorplings in her burrow and bring them food until they are fifty days old. On occasion they will all crawl onto their mother’s back and hang on as she glides.

The first molt occurs around fifty days. The female will protect her offspring through this molt. She will then kick them out of her home, eating those that overstay their welcome. This is the end of her parental role.

Captive breeding of gliscor is difficult as the entire act takes place in the air. Some breeders have used artificial rockwalls or trees on remote ranches to encourage natural mating behaviors. Once the female is pregnant she can be moved indoors to an enclosed area to ensure no scorplings escape. The mother will be wary of her trainer during this time but will still accept food. Pokéball use is not recommended after the first few days of pregnancy. Once the first molt is complete the gligar can be captured in individual pokéballs and moved to new homes.

Relatives

There are seven recognized species of gliscor. Four are airborne, one is grounded, and two are marine. The other airborne scorpions are the cliffside, Iberian, and Uluru gliscor.

The cliffside, or coastal, gliscor is native to portions of Quebec and New England, extending south to Unova. Their Old World counterpart, the Iberian gliscor, is found in Morocco, Algeria, the Iberian Peninsula, Kalos, and Italy. Both live primarily on cliffs adjacent to rivers, lakes, and the ocean. They dig deep downward sloped burrows with their drill-like tails and large, blunted claws. Their other major adaptation is that they have water-resistant scales and larger wings that let them glide even while partially wet.

The gliscor are solitary hunters that glide over the water at night and snatch up any fish, birds, or amphibians that get too close to the surface. They crush the prey in their claws and return to their burrow to eat it. The gligar, on the other hand, can live in frights of up to one hundred individuals. Their main hunting tactic is to startle something near the cliff edge with their frightening appearance and loud, cackling cries. They will swarm their prey until they evoke a panic response, hopefully driving them to run straight over the cliff. If they do not they will still end up corned and vulnerable to stings from gligar behind them. Gligar frights have been known to kill herds of sawsbuck. The dozens of gligar still in the air while some land to feast deters others from stealing their kill.

DDT nearly drove both species to extinction. While their greater toxin resistance let them fare better than braviary, their numbers still decreased. Conservationists concerned with protecting charismatic birds often supported culls of gliscor to ensure there was enough prey for braviary and pidgeot.

The final airborne gliscor is the Uluru gliscor native to Australia. Most rest on the side of Uluru. They are known to glide for days on end in search of snakes to kill and eat. When they spot one they will dive down, snatch it up, break the spine, and fly back to Uluru to eat. The Uluru gliscor is both highly venomous and almost immune to venom. They are smaller than the canyon gliscor and not as heavily armored. The species was formerly critically endangered due to extensive development on and around Uluru. Then the Australian government realized that the gliscor rarely attacked humans unless provoked but kept the population of venomous snakes in check. Subsequently the government banned climbing Uluru, moved the tournament held there to a nearby site, and began captive breeding efforts to help the population rebound. At present they are on the verge of being moved from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Threatened.’

The grounded gliscor, or sand gliscor, is native to portions of the American Southwest and Northern Anahuac. They live in areas with sandy soil, especially on and around sand dunes. These gliscor cannot fly. Instead, their wings have developed to let them push back sand and help them ‘swim’ through it. Sand gliscor usually wait just below the surface and rush out whenever something draws near. These are the largest gliscor and they can grow to be nearly eight feet in length. They are currently classified as endangered due to widespread hunting in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Ranchers did not want them around their herds. Urban settlements and railroad builders found them to be a threat to human life. Hunters thought they killed too many big game species and found the scorpions to be good trophies in their own right. Even the newly formed National Park Service quietly hired hunters to kill the gliscor as they believed they hurt tourism. They are currently extirpated from the United States, although there have been some attempts to release them on NPS and Navajo Nation lands. They have historically fared better in Anahuac, although instability in the area has led to poaching and lax enforcement of environmental laws. The recent authorization of new fortifications in the border provinces has further cut into the gliscor’s population. Land mines alone may have killed one-third of the surviving gliscor.

Anahuac also hosts another gliscor species: the cenote gliscor. These gliscor are believed to be almost entirely aquatic and can go days without breathing. They lie in wait in dark marine caves and attack anything that comes close. Their wings are used for swimming through the water rather than gliding in the air. Relatively little is known about them due to their dark and difficult-to-access habitat. They are listed as endangered due to fewer observed encounters. This may be because of a population decline or because they are retreating to portions of the cenotes that are less often visited by humans in order to escape from tourists and their armed guides.

The larger and more common gliscor species, as well as the only one not currently listed as endangered, is the marine gliscor. They do not have proper wings but instead have segmented armored plates over their legs that help them ‘row.’ Marine glsicor are not particularly fast, but they do not need to be to hunt tentacruel and mareanie. They are one of the only organic species that fears neither’s sting. Their stomachs are uniquely adapted for consuming gelatinous flesh, mareanie spines, and venom. Most of the time gliscor lay in wait on the bottom of the reef floor. When mareanie are rare they will swim closer to the coast to feed on tentacruel. They can be found in Queensland, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands. In the past there have been some attempts to kill them to appease tourists, but their predation of highly venomous species and docility around humans has since made them quite popular with conservationists and tourism bureaus alike.

 

[Persephone]

Another Crashmoth commission.

Downloading from The Alola Pokédex Online Appendix . . .​

Toxicroak (Croagunk)
Letelrana ramasaltadore

Overview

Toxicroak are known in equal parts for their lethality and healing. The lethality is undeniably true: less than one tenth of a gram of toxicroak’ most potent venom could kill the average adult man. While they seldom attack humans unprovoked, there are reports of one killing a naturalist who surprised him with short-range flash photography.

Healing is a little more complicated. Healing Touch Inc. was a startup company that promised a painkiller derived from toxicroak venom. The product they created was over one hundred times stronger than morphine and non-addictive to boot. The company attracted a great deal of venture capital and eventually gained FDA approval for their painkiller. Toxicroak storage facilities were opened near major markets in the United States, Japan and Europe and a breeding center was created in tropical Alola.

There were questions about the drug from the start: the painkiller dose and the lethal dose are very close in humans, and it was believed that even an experienced anesthesiologist could struggle to get the dosage right. The miracle cure Healing Touch promised would not revolutionize the industry. Physicians and hospitals were often reluctant to prescribe it due to gastrointestinal side effects and the narrow margin of error. It still has its uses, especially for those with chronic pain who can build up a tolerance over time and increase the margin of error. It is also more effective on pokémon as they are more durable overall and often larger than humans. Ivana Chirlov, one of the world’s most famous dragon tamers, swears by it as a means to sedate injured dragons and prevent rampages. Healing Touch also experimented with toxicroak venom as an epilepsy medication or hunger suppressant.

In the end the niche uses were not enough to save Healing Touch from bankruptcy when the capital flow dried up. After a lengthy bankruptcy process the company closed its breeding facility on Melemele. there was a dispute between pokémon rights activists and Healing Touch over what to do with the toxicroak, with the company refusing to pay to transport them off of Alola and the activists furious over leaked plans to euthanize the amphibians. Shortly after the government stepped in to prohibit mass euthanasia an ‘accident’ occurred in the breeding facility that resulted in the escape of nearly all the pokémon held there.

While captures are ordinarily prohibited in Central Melemele, the DNR has made an exception for the capture of croagunk and toxicroak. Trainers interested in a vibrant, deadly, but surprisingly clever and affectionate team member should go frog hunting while they have the chance.

Physiology

Croagunk and toxicroak are classified as dual poison- and fighting-types.

Both stages have a variety of color morphs. Typically they have a base color and a ‘pattern’ one over the cheeks and along the upper back. Black and white lines wrap around the midsection. Purple is the most common base with yellow as the pattern color, but blue, gold, and black base colors have been observed. Color morphs vary even more widely from red, blue, and green to pink, orange, and turquoise. The most consistent coloration is found on the eyes and middle claw, which are both always red.

Croagunk are capable of standing bipedally but are usually found on all fours. Each toe but the middle claw is tipped with a cling pad that lets them stick to trees and broad leaves. Their tongue is fairly long and can snag small bugs out of midair. The hind legs are longer and much stronger than the forelegs. This lets them jump between trees, ambush prey, and close distances in battle. Their forearms are still fairly strong and can deliver solid punches, even without factoring in their venom.

The species stores the majority of its venom in a small pouch located within the neck for croagunk and under the throat in toxicroak. They can naturally produce this venom. It acts as a moderately powerful paralytic. It can be delivered by spitting or by an injection from their middle claws. This venom is used for warning opponents, territorial disputes, and stunning mid-size prey until they can be finished off with a bite or punch. Their cheeks contain a much deadlier substance. This venom is derived from a species of durant they feed upon deep in the Amazonian rainforests. The frogs accumulate and alter the bugs’ poison into something much more formidable. Their lethal venom can kill even the largest of their prey with a scratch. Upon death valves release and flood their entire body with the venom, making it impossible for anything organic to eat them. The flesh of a living specimen is not toxic as long as the mouth, venom patches, claws, and the vessels connecting the venom pouches and claws are avoided. There are anecdotal reports that the hind legs of toxicroak were a delicacy among the Amazonians and warriors who found a way to cut them off a living toxicroak and survive were heralded as heroes.

Toxicroak are somewhat larger than croagunk. They have even larger limbs and cling pads than their preevolution. Their prominent throat poach allows them to mix and store more venom than croagunk. Their muscles are also more developed to allow for more powerful jumps and punches. Development of the hind legs lets them stand upright more easily. This is the default stance they use to intimidate opponents.

Captive specimens rarely grow to be as large as wild ones. The reason for this was poorly understood until quite recently, when a study from Healing Touch concluded that filtering water and then adding in a blend of minerals helped reduce health problems and let the pokémon grow to larger sizes.

Toxicroak can grow to be four feet tall when standing upright. They can weigh up to ninety-five pounds. Wild specimens can live for up to thirty years. Because they do not have to worry much about predation in the wild their captive lifespan is actually shorter due to the difficulties inherent in the captive care of a species whose wild behavior is still largely undocumented.

Behavior

Croagunk are primarily arboreal. They live in rainforest canopies where branches are thick enough to support their weight. Croagunk can use their extended claw to tap on tree trunks to see if they are partially hollow. This lets them sense insects burrowed within. They can then use their claw and strength to pierce a hole to the insects. Their tongue can then fold up and fit within the hole to eat the bugs within. Alternatively, they can use their jumps and venom to hunt bug pokémon they come across. Some croagunk have even learned to create crude traps for their prey.

At night croagunk congregate on large branches. There can be up to twenty frogs in the army. On cooler nights they will move down closer to the ground to find thicker branches. This allows them to pile on top of each other to share warmth. Armies usually consist of the offspring of two to five pairs of toxicroak. The toxicroak will take turns climbing into the canopy at night to watch over the croagunk. On their night they will use their powerful muscles to haul durant up to the canopy so that the croagunk can build up their venom supply.

Toxicroak live on or near the forest floor. They have been observed knocking down fruit to the ground near durant nests. They will wait for a durant to come to investigate and then leap down to attack. They use their powerful punches to strike at the ant’s relatively unprotected neck joint to score an instant kill. Toxicroak are heavily resistant to the durant’s venom and are agile enough to dance around the bites of a scouting party until they have died or retreated. By the time more durant have showed up to investigate the toxicroak will have retreated up towards the treetops. They will break off branches and throw them down at any durant that try to climb after them.

There are not durant in Alola. The interior of Melemele also has a dearth of trees rivaling those of the Western Amazon. The croagunk and toxicroak are still finding ways to survive. Most have migrated to the forests outside of Melemele Meadow. There the croagunk live in the trees and feed on caterpie and small non-pokémon insects. The toxicroak frequently venture into the meadow. The yellow ones will often crouch down in the flowers and rely on their coloration to hide them. They will then jump up and eat any cutiefly or ribombee that passes by. Other toxicroak must wait in the trees and jump down to ambush a ribombee or butterfree that stops to feed on a nearby flower. Their new diet results in a buildup of mildly toxic paralytics in their body instead of incredibly lethal venom. Most birds have still learned to avoid them due to the foul taste they acquire.

Husbandry

In temperate climates raising a toxicroak can require a greenhouse with lots of vertical space. Alola does not due to its tropical environment. Stationary trainers with toxicroak can create a netted off area with a large (twenty-foot plus) climbing structure in the middle. Some high-end playground equipment companies can set up the structure while other contractors can be found for the netting. Toxicroak can easily get through most netting. As such it will require either a system specially designed to tangle them up if they try to escape or a weak electric current. The latter can be dangerous given Alola’s frequent heavy rainstorms. It may simply be best to keep an eye on toxicroak personally or via another pokémon so that they can be withdrawn if they attempt to escape. In the dry season the area will need to have sprinklers, fountains, or mist machines installed. Toxicroak can swim but neither stage is likely to use a pool on a regular basis. Hiding places such as large boxes, artificial caves, or even just large plants or piles of leaves should be placed at multiple elevations in the enclosure.

Toxicroak are not particularly territorial as long as all individuals are fed separately and have their own place to hide. Large enclosures at zoos or dedicated breeding facilities have held up to twenty croagunk or ten toxicroak in one exhibit. Toxicroak will also socialize with croagunk, even those that are not their own children.

Traveling trainers will need to make sure their pokémon has plenty of (supervised) time to climb and investigate its environment. They are mischievous and will make frequent attempts to break away. As such it is not recommended to let them travel alongside their trainer on hikes. A particular team member, ideally a bird, should be tasked with keeping an eye on the pokémon.

Croagunk or toxicroak held simply for display or breeding purposes should be fed a diet of relatively non-toxic insects and bug pokémon. Caterpie are cheap and will make the frog only mildly venomous. Kricketot importation is currently restricted due to the probability of an invasive population establishing itself, but trainers willing to put in the time, money, and effort to get an importation permit may wish to do so.

Trainers who do want to battle with their toxicroak will need to find a diet that facilitates venom production. Professionals are sometimes willing to import military durant from Tawantinsuyo, Colombia, or the Amazonian Federation. Most rely on a less venomous insect such as weedle or venipede. Durant of any species can still make for excellent treats. In Alola weedle and venipede importation is also restricted. Ariados are probably the best venom source for the average trainer. There are no capture limits on ariados as a non-native non-keystone species, but there is also not much of a market for them. Trainers should contact a herptile or insect specialty store to set up regular shipments of one venomous bug-type or another.

Toxicroak eat their food live. They will only eat a dead insect if desperate. It is far more likely that they will make an attempt to run away and hunt on their own before they accept dead prey. Croagunk are used to accepting food from their parents and will eat recently killed bug-types. They prefer to eat non-pokémon insects live. Water should be offered at least twice a day.

Neither stage can be housebroken. In fact, they seem to take great joy in climbing up to a high perch above a well-trafficked area and defecating on anyone who passes beneath them. Thankfully their waste is only mildly toxic if accidentally ingested.

Toxicroak in particular are quite vocal. They will often make low ribbiting noises throughout the day in an effort to communicate with others in the area. Specimens may continue doing this after long periods without a response. Some neighbors may consider the frogs a nuisance.

Both stages are generally averse to pokéballs, although stasis balls will usually be tolerated.

Toxicroak will need enrichment in addition to climbing structures and live feedings. Battles and training will satisfy this for some specimens that are eager for combat. Others will require something less violent such as fountains, multicolored balls, or hidden speakers playing rainforest noises. Planting their enclosure with species native to either Alola or the Western Amazon can also provide a form of enrichment.

Illness

The lethal venom of a wild toxicroak can kill all but the most venom-resistant of organic species. It forces the sodium channels of nerves to stay open, causing paralysis and then a coma and death. Until 2001 there was no antivenom. Most general antivenoms do nothing for wild toxicoak venom and trainers will need to carry their own dosage if they feed their pokémon a natural diet. Toxicroak fed a less potent diet can usually have their attacks treated by a standard antivenom or antiparalytic.

The most serious disease affecting croagunk is spindly leg syndrome. Some captive born croagunk have thin legs and are unable to move under their own power after they exit the tadpole stage (see Evolution). This inevitably results in death. Healing Touch conducted their own research on the phenomenon and concluded it was due to an inadequate blend of minerals in captive tadpole diets. They patented their own secret blend that was very effective in preventing the disease. Just before Healing Touch went under the patent was bought by a venture capital firm that has refused to license the production of the blend until the conclusion of a lawsuit with one of Healing Touch’s creditors. Hobbyists have attempted to reverse engineer it with minimal success.

Other toxicroak diseases can be split into two categories: internal and external. Internal diseases are usually some form of parasite. The most common symptoms are weight loss combined with active eating and an abrupt change in behavior, usually including an aversion to violence and a desire to hide. There are anti-parasite drugs available from herptile specialist stores.

External wounds come in a few different variants. Lumps on the skin tend to be the result of bacterial infection. A white growth is usually a fungus. Patches with slight discoloration tend to be improperly treated wounds. Fungal and bacterial infections can be treated with special medications, ideally under veterinary care. Improperly healed wounds should result in immediate consultation with a specialtist veterinarian.

Sometimes the skin will appear dry or even tear. This is the result of dehydration. Mild cases can be treated with an increase in ambient humidity and access to a large water feature. More severe cases may require veterinary care.

Evolution

Croagunk are born as tadpoles. These tadpoles show little to no affinity for elemental energies and metamorphosize into froglets within a week. Within two more weeks the new croagunk will have lost all signs of its old tail and developed functional legs. The short period of time spent as a tadpole has led scientists to treat it as a pre-pokémon juvenile stage rather than a separate evolutionary stage. This designation is usually used for microscopic planktonic stages of marine invertebrate pokémon, so its application to an amphibian is somewhat controversial.

Croagunk evolve into toxicroak around their third birthday in the wild. Captive specimens can evolve in as little as eighteen months through increased exposure to combat without permanent injury.

Battle

Toxicroak have seen occasional use on the major competitive circuits. The former champion of the Amazonian Federation, Cipero Biswana, used a wild-born toxicroak as his ace. There were intermittent calls to ban the pokémon even though it never actually killed an opponent.

Most toxicroak are not so well trained. They struggle to understand the concept of ‘fairness’ and will consistently use whatever tactics they feel will end the match without too much regard for what is illegal under the rules. This makes them similar to many dark types. Unlike most dark types, toxicroak can pack a venom capable of killing a salamence. They will use their lethal venom instead of the paralytic against things stronger than them that they cannot escape.

Properly training a toxicroak is easiest if it does not have a particularly effective lethal venom. It is best done through sitting on the sidelines of friendly matches to get a sense of the rules. Witnessing the immediate healing of the pokémon involved can also help. The pokémon should be rewarded when they fight within the rules, even if they lose.

A well-trained toxicroak has three avenues of attack. The first is their paralytic venom that can disorient and slow down an opponent over the course of a match. The second is their fists and raw strength. Toxicroak can dance around attacks and launch blows strong and precise enough to take down many heavily armored opponents. The third is their projectile arsenal. Toxicroak learn a variety of projectile attacks such as sludge bomb, mud bomb, and vacuum wave. One popular tactic is to launch a sludge bomb or mud bomb into the air and then rupture it midflight with a quick vacuum wave, spraying poison or mud across the arena. They can also learn nasty plot to deepen their elemental well.

Toxicroak have their weaknesses, though. Without their lethal venom none of their three attack avenues are particularly effective on the international stage. Even the most well-trained specimens will often disobey orders in the heat of a fight. This can make them unpredictable as trainers react to the oral order and ignore what the pokémon is actually doing, but it also makes them hard to properly command. Their dry, folded skin makes them able to shrug off all but the most torrential of water attacks, but fire attacks and intense sunlight with low moisture can cause serious damage. And as channelers of poison and fighting elemental energies, telepathic assault hits them incredibly hard.

For all of the foregoing reasons no ranked trainer has used a toxicroak since Biswana’s retirement in 2011. These strategies are still quite effective against casual opponents, such as the vast majority of fights on the island challenge. Toxicroak can remain effective until the end of the fourth island.

Croagunk tend to place more emphasis on zoning and occasional venom jabs than toxicroak’s acrobatics and powerful punches. Wild croagunk will often rely on misdirection, traps, and luck when confronted by something they can’t escape or simply kill with their venom. Toxicroak prefer to use physical force in these scenarios.

Both stages are rather loud battlers. Croagunk make an eerie moan to intimidate foes. Toxicroak rely on low-pitched croaks to help churn their venom. Toxicroak are also prone to very loud croaking displays after they down an enemy.

Acquisition

Toxicroak can currently be found in and around Melemele Meadow State Park off of Route 3. Croagunk have remained in the interior of the island near the original breeding facility. There are currently no limits on the capture of either stage except for the licensing requirements. Both require a Class IV license to own. Some specialty breeders and importers sell croagunk as well. The licensing requirement is the same for adopting or purchasing specimens.

Breeding

Males of many species of frog engage in wrestling displays to prove their fitness to females. Toxicroak do not. Instead, they croak at each other until the loudest is determined. Females will then pick their mates after hearing the males of the forest. They will associate with one another until their children evolve.

The female will climb high into the treetops until she finds a standing pool of water on a leaf at least fifty feet above the surface. She will carefully maneuver herself so that she can deposit six fertilized eggs into the pool without touching the leaf. Over the next few days the male and female will take turns watching the eggs until they hatch. The male will then watch over the tadpoles while the female hunts and occasionally brings back insects to drop into the pool to feed her offspring with.

After the tadpoles become proper croagunk the parents will work with nearby pairs to form armies to raise their children in. The parents will take turns instructing and watching over the children until they are old enough to have kids of their own. At this point the pairs may mate again or may select different mates.

Captive breeding is somewhat difficult due to the need to have a stagnant pool off the ground. Some toxicroak will accept pools as little as ten feet from the surface, but twenty is a more common number. Amateurs can make sure a small plastic pool is firmly attached near the top of the climbing structure. Professional institutions often have dedicated breeding chambers with multistory indoor enclosures. Some of the higher levels will have permanent pools built into the floor.

Indoor setups can induce mating through a gradual decrease in temperature over a period of weeks followed by a gradual rise. Toxicroak that primarily live outdoors will mate during the early wet season.

Toxicroak are doting parents, even in captivity. Most of the parenting can be left to them, although specialized mineral supplements may still need to be inserted into the tank from time to time. The parents should be withdrawn during this process to avoid potential aggression.

Croagunk do not become venomous until they are about four months old. During this time the parents will still keep a very close eye on their offspring. They will be reluctant to entirely part with their children until they evolve. It is easiest to raise croagunk for sale by taking one or two of the tadpoles from the pond and raising them separately. Be advised that the toxicroak may react poorly if they discover the deception.

Relatives

Toxicroak are close relatives of the larger seismitoad. Seismitoad’s thick skin makes them well suited for life outside the dense rainforest. Toxicroak, with their thin, folded skin, are limited to very humid areas. Their agility and cling pads in particular make them well suited for rainforests. They are further limited to the range of the military durant in the foothills of the northern Andes. There are still a few species of toxicroak that live outside this range.

The most prominent is the golden toxicroak (L. aurum) of Central America. Instead of eating ants to absorb biological poisons, the golden toxicroak use their specially developed front legs to prospect for gold near areas of high natural concentrations. They will then absorb this gold into their body in such high concentrations that many species will suffer from heavy metal poisoning after ingesting them. The gold, in turn, forms a crude layer of armor and helps reinforce the bones. The Spanish used the frogs as a way to find gold deposits in the area. Over time extensive mining reduced the amount of gold available and led to a precipitous decline in the species numbers. They were believed to be extinct until a population was rediscovered in Costa Rica in 1971. Captive breeding and reintroduction have since been valuable tools for conserving the species. The golden toxicroak were also released into the Congo in 1997 by the British company Royal Solutions as a means of finding gold deposits.

The final species is the Cascadian toxicroak, native to the Pacific Northwest and portions of California. These species are smaller, less venomous, and have thicker skin than their tropical counterparts. Instead of kapoks these frogs prefer redwoods. Their venom comes primarily from hunting rattlesnakes and ingesting poisonous flowers and mushrooms. This leads to a split in venom types: their lethal venom is fairly lethal, but not to the same extent as the Amazonian toxicroak. The non-lethal venom is psychoactive and leads to increasing lethargy and disorientation with only a small chance of death. This can be used to stun prey and bring them to croagunk for a practice hunt. The decline of old growth forests in the region has limited the number of trees that make for suitable habitat. Today the Cascadian toxicroak is confined to a handful of state, provincial, and national parks in the United States and Canada.

The Amazonian toxicroak comes in a variety of color morphs. Generally the brightness of their colors is correlated to their venom content. However, the most venomous toxicroak have duller colors than those with less potent venom. There is only a limited amount of poison in their diet and they direct more of it to lethality than coloration. Treat every toxicroak as if it could be dangerous.

Mining, deforestation, and wildfires could eventually threaten the Amazonian toxicroak. In the meantime their habitat is so remote that they are in no real danger in most of their range. The rather strict conservation laws of the Amazonian Federation have led to better conservation outcomes there than in Colombia or even Tawantinsuyo.

 

[Persephone]

Hydreigon (Deino, Zweilous)
Lernaean horriblus maris

Overview

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

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

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

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

Physiology

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Behavior

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Husbandry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Illness

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

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

Evolution

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

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

Battle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acquisition

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

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

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

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

Breeding

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

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

Relatives

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

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

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

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

 

[Persephone]

Krookodile (Sandile, Krokorok)
Crocodilus minalsahra

Overview

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

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

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

Physiology

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

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

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

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

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

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

Behavior

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

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

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

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

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

Husbandry

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

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

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

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

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

Illness

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

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

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

Evolution

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

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

Battle

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

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

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

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

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

Acquisition

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

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

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

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

Breeding

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

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

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

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

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

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

Relatives

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

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

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

 

[Persephone]

Alcremie (Milcery)
Creptiodefructibus eton

Overview

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

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

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

Physiology

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Behavior

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

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

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

Husbandry

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

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

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

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

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

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

Illness

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evolution

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

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

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

Battle

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

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

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

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

Acquisition

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

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

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

Breeding

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

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

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

Relatives

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

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

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

 

[Persephone]

Per a bonus entry poll on my discord...

Indeedee
Lares miltonii

Overview

Indeedee have long worked alongside humans as household or personal servants. They are true psychics that feed in part off of gratitude and other positive emotions. This leads to them helping an intelligent creature, often humans, with their work in exchange for silent gratitude and token material gifts.

Despite their millennia of service, indeedee have never been domesticated. They are surprisingly prideful creatures that refuse to let humans meddle in their romantic affairs or treat them as mere pets. For most indeedee trainers their pokémon is an often-unseen servant in the background, treated as an equal, and rarely battled with. Few indeedee have the inclination and temperament for combat. Like chansey they tend to fill more of a supporting role behind the scenes of a team rather than actively fighting on the frontlines. For some trainers this trade-off is more than worth it.

Physiology

Indeedee were historically often classified as dual psychic- and fairy-types. They are mercurial creatures native to Galar with many of the same quirks as fairies. However, indeedee are absolutely adamant that they are not fairy-type. This is consistent across populations. Merely implying they are fairies can result in them leaving in the dead of night. Most indeedee ignore or subtly undermine fairy-types on the team, especially bargaining fairies. Non-bargaining, asocial fairies like sylveon and alcremie may be tolerated. Indeedee have instead been classified as dual normal-types due to their almost total immunity to curses and ectoplasm-based attacks.

Indeedee are bipedal pokémon similar to mammals. Their biology appears to be more cogent than most true-psychics with a complete digestive tract, liver, heart, and kidneys. Less than 20% of indeedee have lungs. Those with lungs rarely breathe. Their heart is in the neck.

Indeedee have proportionally very large heads and hips with a torso only slightly thicker than the neck. Their legs are about half as long as their arms. Indeedee have a short tail about three inches long. It appears two to three times as long as it is due to fur.

Indeedee have white and royal blue, navy, or purple fur three to five inches thick. It is very dense and soft. Patterns vary by sex. Males tend to have white torsos, feet, and faces with darker fur everywhere else. In females the white fur extends halfway down the hips.

Indeedee’s mouth is usually quite small, only two to three inches across. Their eyes are fairly large, up to five inches tall and two inches wide on large females. Both sexes have horns on the sides of their head surrounded by coarse black fur. In males the horns curl down. In females they curl up. Touching horns greatly improves indeedee’s telepathic abilities.

Some indeedee have shown an ability to greatly amplify all psionic energy around them, apparently through chants or small rituals. These indeedee consistently refuse to explain how the act works, just that it does. Scientists have theorized this ability only develops when it is needed for service, such as when bonded with a psychic human or pokémon.

Modern indeedee are about three feet tall. Weight can be tricky to discern as indeedee consistently only weigh about five to six pounds on a scale, although when unconscious their weight can balloon up to forty to fifty pounds. It is believed that they reflexively lift most of their weight off the ground telekinetically. In Imperium Era Galar indeedee were consistently described as being five to six feet tall. Whether these were the same species as modern indeedee is disputed. See Relatives. Indeedee can live for at least two centuries.

Behavior

Behavior varies considerably between males and females. Both sexes feed passively on gratitude. They earn this gratitude through service. It is the target of their service, and the resulting adaptations, that varies between sexes.

Male indeedee tend to serve a single individual at a time. Their ward is usually human. The indeedee will take on many household tasks and other duties as they believe necessary for proper service. They are mildly precognitive and can even anticipate and address situations before they arise, such as having new plates arrive immediately after an old one breaks. They seem unwilling to avert these incidents and only use their abilities to ensure the damage is mitigated after the fact. Males prefer to perform their duties during the day when their target is awake. They rest at night. A male may perform tasks for their liege’s family if they have time, but they tend to prioritize fixing even minor problems for their liege over solving major problems for their partner and children.

When not actively in service indeedee tend to fade into the background. It is a common conception that they can make themselves invisible. They cannot. Indeedee simply exploit the boundary of the conscious and unconscious. There are many sensory inputs that the conscious mind is not aware of due to their perceived insignificance, such as the taste of one’s own saliva. Indeedee use telepathy to keep themselves out of a target’s conscious mind. If noticed at all they will be immediately dismissed as something very ordinary.

Females are more similar to chansey. They adopt a ward to serve rather than a single individual. This can be a population of pokémon, a family, a distinct unit of unrelated individuals like an apartment building, or even an institution such as a town or university.

The amount of housework females do depends on the size of their ward. An indeedee watching over an entire town may clean the streets and important buildings but will rarely enter into homes to do laundry. One serving a nuclear family in a single household will behave much like a male. Females are much more likely to serve pokémon than males are, with roughly 40% serving pokémon and 60% humans. Some blur the line by serving a Pokémon Center, helping with the housekeeping blissey can’t or won’t do. In general the two species pair well together as blissey tend to physical and emotional wounds while indeedee handle day-to-day affairs.

Neither sex of indeedee enjoys direct attention. Masking their presence to many minds is more difficult than blocking themselves from one or two. This leads females to a more nocturnal lifestyle.

Both sexes abhor violence and will usually try to break up any they witness. For males this takes the form of vigorously defending physical assaults on their trainer. Females are more likely to telekinetically pull both sides apart and make them talk things out. If violence becomes common they are likely to leave.

Husbandry

Indeedee are capable of taking care of themselves. This section is more focused on how to avoid offending one.

While indeedee are primarily aminovorous they can and will accept small offerings of food. These usually take the form of small bowls of milk, cream, tea, or some other liquid and a few small pastries or fruits. The nutritional content is irrelevant. The meaning behind the gesture as a small expression of gratitude is important. These are best left in a conspicuous place in the evening before going to sleep. Indeedee usually dislike directly recovering things. Forgetting offerings too often will offend the pokémon. In some cases, such as illness or a sudden event, they may forgive the slight so long as a somewhat grander offering than usual is left at the next opportunity.

Male indeedee usually do most laundry and cleaning for their trainer. Females bonded to a household will usually do so as well. The trainer should avoid intentionally making messes and make some effort to do tasks themselves. An indeedee that feels like they are taken for granted will likely lash out or leave.

Most indeedee are not conversational. They are telepaths and can communicate if they want, but tend to limit their conversations to figuring out how they can be of service or relaying critical information. It is rare for one to enjoy being directly addressed or even publicly acknowledged at all.

The species still has some desire for socialization. It is common for them to allow themselves to be seen during meals. Plates left for them will likely be ignored. Any food dropped to the floor will be picked up and disposed of. It is usually disposed of by eating it. Making the feeding arrangement obvious will upset them but tacit, unacknowledged gifts are appreciated. They seem to enjoy watching over communal meals and appreciate when they are held regularly in the indeedee’s usual home. Most specimens will also stay around and listen attentively if someone reads aloud. They will promptly leave if their presence is acknowledged during the reading.

The exception to these rules is usually children too young to understand indeedee’s preferences. Females in particular seem to enjoy helping children and love babysitting. Sincere gifts from children, especially of high symbolic value, are usually kept for years or even decades. Male indeedee will at least tolerate a child’s attention and will usually honor harmless requests.

In the past it was believed that offering an indeedee clothes or trying to convert them to a religion would instantly cause them to leave. This is true, but not for the reasons previously believed. Indeedee see gifts of clothing as an insult to their body and religious conversion as an insult to their way of being. Both suggest that they are beneath humans as they are. Indeedee cannot stand being looked down upon.

Clothing given for temporary, practical reasons, like keeping sand out of fur or offering protection in a hazardous area, can be accepted if explained. Females may also dress up for children as part of a game. If this game is done often they may tolerate a shopping trip alongside their usual playmate.

Similarly, religious and philosophical discussions are not strictly off-limits with more conversational specimens so long as no disrespect is implied. It is usually best to stay clear of such subjects, though, especially if a party is particularly fervent in their devotion.

Indeedee are believed to be quite clever for pokémon. Some scholars have argued they have human-comparable intelligence. It is possible to discuss delicate, fringe situations with them. In important matters they will accept being addressed directly if their input is helpful or their life is likely to be significantly impacted.

Indeedee usually help trainers with pokémon care such as supply gathering and cleaning. They will not cook under any circumstances and tend to avoid more direct tasks like grooming. Pokémon usually annoy indeedee more than they help. This is especially true for dark, psychic, and fairy-types that can resist their mental suggestions and bother them at will. More relaxed pokémon such as inorganics are their best teammates, aside from blissey and audino. Highly intelligent pokémon can serve as an additional source of gratitude.

In any case, the most important problem to avoid with teammates is competition for food. Anything that eats indeedee’s offerings is a cause of concern. It’s best to put any possible scavengers behind locked doors or inside their ball shortly after the offering is laid out.

In terms of living arrangements, indeedee appreciate soft beds sized properly for them. If all humans in a residence have their own room they will insist on one as well. If rooms are sometimes shared they may accept a smaller space. In essence, don’t give indeedee a room substantially smaller than the smallest bedroom for humans. Do not ask them to give it up for guests unless humans are doing so as well and they were consulted beforehand. Indeedee dwellings are usually sparsely decorated beyond their bed with only a few shiny rocks or gifted keepsakes. They are intensely protective of the few material possessions they do collect.

Illness

Indeedee are fairly resistant to most of the illnesses that impact true psychics and ghosts. If they are starved for gratitude they will simply leave. Unease in a person or community they protect can bleed over into stressed behaviors like skin picking, insomnia, and vacantly staring into the distance. It can be hard to identify signs of illness as they reflexively mask their presence. It is believed that these illnesses are from the stress of perceiving themselves to be bad caretakers more than a direct telepathic burden. Explaining the cause of stress and how the pokémon can and can’t help can alleviate symptoms.

Combat injuries, while rare, can be difficult to treat due to feedback loops. Sustaining serious injury often accompanies a massive loss. The loss can result in frustration in the trainer, potentially dimming gratitude or leading them to withdraw. The pokémon also cannot actively serve while injured, reducing the chances to earn gratitude. The lack of sustenance can slow healing, exacerbating the problem. Ideally serious injuries should be avoided at all costs. A healer like blissey, alomomola, or audino should be kept on team or on call to quickly heal injuries that do occur. Trainers will also have to walk the fine line of being sincerely grateful for their pokémon without coming off as insincere or patronizing following a loss.

There are good reasons not to battle regularly with an indeedee, even if they will acquiesce to doing so. They should be kept in reserve as a last resort and the battle planned to keep them out of dangerous matchups.

Evolution

Very young indeedee lack horns. They develop as they age. Indeedee lack conventional sex organs. Gender appears to be something chosen, with the appropriate horn pattern forming as a result. It is not a subject that indeedee discuss often. Both sexes are classified as the same evolutionary stage. Juveniles are essentially just miniature adults without horns. For the time being the entire line is marked as a single stage.

Battle

Few indeedee are willing to battle. Those that will are usually males bonded to someone obsessed with the sport, making combat a form of service. On occasion a female may agree to support a human in their care or, in extremely rare cases, because they enjoy it. Never assume that a given indeedee will agree to battle. Those that have in the past may change their mind at any time. Attempting to press an indeedee to change their mindis a sure-fire way to get them to leave. The indeedee that do enjoy combat rarely enjoy large crowds.

The main asset of indeedee in battle is their telepathic masking. Opponents will know they are in a fight and maybe have vague ideas of their opponent, but not be able to detect them or remember much information on counters. This effect can also be cast on the opposing trainer in some leagues. In Alola and most of the United States, including all major national-level tournaments, this is forbidden as an assault on the other trainer. In leagues where minor telepathic interference is prohibited trainers can just tell their pokémon where to aim. In those where it is allowed indeedee are best countered by telepathy-resistant pokémon or broad area of effect attacks, although in the moment an influenced trainer is unlikely to remember this advice.

A few individuals can also passively amplify psychic attacks, including their own. They can have telepathic power akin to an alakazam or boost other teammates. Indeedee can also learn disruptive techniques like encore and more niche supporting moves for double battles like follow me and helping hand. Indeedee are generally most comfortable filling supporting roles rather than dealing damage themselves.

Acquisition

There is no reliable way to obtain an indeedee. Males tend to follow a friend or relative of their mother they believe needs assistance. Females will typically test out caring for a few institutions or families near their mother’s before finally settling on one. Both sexes tend to be drawn towards marginalized and impoverished wards rather than affluent ones, especially ones who already have servants or abundant employees of their own.

It is far easier to lose an indeedee. This is what most of the section will discuss.

Indeedee leave if they are not adequately fed with gratitude. They also do not accept ostentatious displays of it. A quiet understanding, occasional smiles, and genuine but mostly unexpressed appreciation work best. Unlike bargaining fairies, there will be no repercussions to briefly, privately thanking an indeedee.

Signs of disrespect are the second most common cause of departure. These include any signs they are taken for granted, such as leaving large messes completely unattended to, expecting an indeedee to take on more work without either consulting them or taking away another responsibility, regularly forgetting offerings, or being flippant about their service when talking to others. Any mention of ownership will also be rejected. Indeedee do not believe they can be owned, even by their ward.

Indeedee do not make many requests. They will almost always leave if a rare request is denied or an important promise is broken.

Breeding

The details of indeedee reproduction is poorly understood due to their long lifespans, telepathic masking, and desire for privacy. A male and a female living in close proximity may begin to seek each other out around dusk and dawn. Both may take a roughly day-long break from their duties and retreat to a private location. Roughly six months later, a baby will appear near the female. The exact manifestation has never been observed. The mother will act perplexed when someone suggests the baby was not always there. It is best to simply go along with it.

Children stay close to their mother’s side for the first few months of life, but do not perform any duties. Around eight months of age they begin to perform basic tasks. After another two years their horns will grow. Males will depart shortly after. Females will stay near their mother as they try and select a ward. Sometimes a younger indeedee will come back to stay near their mother after leaving their previous ward. Visits that last for more than two weeks are rare.

Cross-breeding has potentially been observed between a male indeedee and a blissey. The offspring was genetically a pure happiny, but was talented with psychic moves and regarded the indeedee as their father. The indeedee was very indulgent of the happiny and allowed her to follow him almost everywhere. Both species have extremely odd reproductive methods and it is possible that they can influence each other.

Relatives

Indeedee are described as being human-sized in surviving Imperium Era sources. Over the next thousand years they became progressively smaller in literary and artistic depictions, before settling around their current height. No one is certain as to why this shift occurred.

The leading theory is that indeedee altered themselves like jynx to a form better-suited for service. It isn’t clear why they would do this. No Imperium or Medieval sources associate servants with a very short stature. Indeedee probably wouldn’t care about human perceptions of servants anyway.

Some scholars have claimed that indeedee became smaller due to starvation in the Imperium where slaves were seen as sub-human and performed most manual labor for the nobility and merchants. The cultural explanation is weakened by indeedee being about the same height throughout the world in the present day. Unless every culture on the planet is less grateful than the ancient Celts, the cause is something genetic or otherwise universal rather than a result of a poor upbringing.

Others have argued that something unique to Galar allowed indeedee to reach massive sizes. Modern specimens on the island are about the same size as everywhere else. Another theory is that the old, larger indeedee were just adults and that no living specimens are fully grown. Scientists have documented indeedee that began to slow down over time before eventually passing off what appeared to be old age. Growth also seems to stop after around five years with no statistically significant difference in height between new adults and those confirmed to be over a century old.

Whatever the cause, most taxonomists currently reject a full species split between modern and ancient indeedee but will occasionally support a subspecific one.

Indeedee’s closest relatives are difficult to determine. It is suspected that they are a missing link of sorts between the bargaining fairies and the true psychics. Both have extremely odd biology with different elemental strengths and social behaviors. It is still often theorized that gardevoir, mime sr., hatterene, or another dual psychic- and fairy-type best represent the link. But indeedee, a true psychic with fey-like qualities that denies being a fairy, make another compelling link. Alternatively, they may simply be the descendants of fairies that, for whatever reason, reject the tribe of their ancestors.

 

[Persephone]

Pyukumuku
Mendicus quinonardet

Overview

Pyukumuku are an iconic feature of Central Pacific beaches, even if they are not always a welcome one. These echinoderms live in the tidal zone. At high tide they engage in a mix of filter feeding and scavenging in the surf. When the tides roll out, the pyukumuku partially bury themselves in the sand and wait for the sea to return. Absent stranding by particularly strong waves, pyukumuku do not need humans to throw them back into the water. They are perfectly happy where they are and will even crawl back to their usual position in time.

Humans, however, do not like to see their beaches crowded with strange, slimy creatures. The exact origins of pyukumuku tossing are disputed. Native Alolans claim it was always a children’s game. This may be true. Children have always dared each other to touch slimy creatures. Most scholars agree that the practice began in earnest with Buddhist immigrants throwing the pyukumuku back to the waves as a form of life release. This inspired the resort owners in the fledgling tourist industry to pay to have their beaches cleared. Some owners paid extra to have the pyukumuku dumped on their rival’s property.

This has given pyukumuku a reputation as a worthless, disgusting pokémon. Many trainers are turned away by their mucus coating and rejection of physical affection. They also lack direct offensive presence. However, trainers willing to play to pyukumuku’s strengths can find them to be both effective and low maintenance. Pyukumuku are top tier walls and disruptors with surprising intelligence. They can catch many opponents off guard early in the challenge and still have a role to play to its end.

Physiology

Pyukumuku are classified as pure water-types. Some scholars argue for a secondary poison-typing to reflect their primary natural defenses. This has been opposed most aggressively by tourism industry trade groups that do not want Alola’s beaches associated with an abundance of poison-types. More scientific cases against the typing are centered on their resistance to psionic and seismic damage, both unusual among poison types but reasonable for a sand-dwelling echinoderm.

Pyukumuku appear to have primarily bilateral symmetry at a glance. This is very unusual for an echinoderm, a group that includes sea stars and is known for their five-fold symmetry. Submerged pyukumuku draw more water into their body and have clearer five-fold symmetry. They have five prominent ridges running down their body under the mucus. These contain nerve clusters. Pyukumuku have ten sets of calcareous plates acting as teeth behind their mouth. The bottom three lines contain tube feet, small tentacles that let them walk along the sand or grip into it.

Most sea cucumbers have a separate mouth and anus. Pyukumuku do not. They instead have a mouth leading into one central stomach. The stomach can be ejected as needed. Most of the time pyukumuku simply passively ingest food brought to their mouth by the currents. Sometimes they will walk to a smaller morsel and eat it. Larger chunks of food are consumed by ejecting their stomach onto the prey. Smaller tendrils along the stomach wall can be manipulated to grip the food before bringing it into the core body. Some trainers have taught their pokémon to manipulate individual tendrils to form the shape of a fist and even perform imitated hand gestures.

Pyukumuku’s nervous system is primarily focused in a ring around the mouth. The nerve clusters on the ridges link the mouth to the rest of the body. They may also store information. Pyukumuku that lose large chunks of their central nervous system seem to retain past knowledge after it regenerates. This is currently the subject of a great deal of scientific curiosity.

Pyukumuku have a crude endoskeleton consisting of calcareous ossicles linked by connective tissue. This loose structure, combined with their ability to relax their body’s collagen, allows pyukumuku to bend around almost any hit and flow through any opening wider than about a third of an inch.

On land pyukumuku emit a thick black mucus over their entire body. The mucus has been shown to prevent sunburn. It is also generally unappetizing and makes them difficult to swallow. Only wimpod regularly attempt to prey upon them on land. Wimpod can be easily scared away by ejecting the stomach. When attacked underwater, pyukumuku emit a cloud of holothurin that can kill or disorient almost anything nearby.

While pyukumuku lack an anus in the typical sense, they do have a secondary opening used for respiration and reproduction. Water is drawn in through the anus as it is expelled from the mouth. The water passes by both circulatory systems and provides them with oxygen. Pyukumuku have both blood, which flows through the surface layers, and coelomic fluid that powers most of their movement and protects the organs. The two fluids are nearly identical but do not mix.

Pyukumuku can reach lengths of sixteen inches. Very large specimens can weigh eight pounds, although three is more typical. Wild lifespans are poorly understood. Captive specimens regularly live to three years but can live up to fifteen.

Behavior

Pyukumuku do very little in the course of an average day. At high tide they may passively feed by drawing in water and straining out larger pieces of debris. Alternatively, they may approach and eat larger chunks of decomposing or otherwise stationary and defenseless organic matter such as sponges. A very hungry pyukumuku may attempt to hunt by ejecting their stomach onto something that swims nearby. This can lead to serious damage to the stomach if the surprise attack fails.

During low tide pyukumuku secret mucus, anchor themselves in place, and do nothing until the tide returns or they are attacked by a known predator. They will not move to defend themselves from perceived non-lethal threats such as humans picking them up.

Pyukumuku have some sense of spatial awareness and will crawl back to their favored spot over the course of hours or days after being removed. This can sometimes cause problems when beach restoration projects or seawalls result in their preferred location being permanently above the high tide line. Most pyukumuku will stubbornly continue to return to a home no longer able to sustain them.

Husbandry

Pyukumuku are surprisingly intelligent for sea cucumbers. If they were not it would be nearly impossible to train them in any meaningful sense. Pyukumuku can come to recognize their trainer’s voice and even basic commands. With patience and another pokémon mentoring them they can be taught a good array of status moves, although pyukumuku are either unable or unwilling to deal direct damage beyond the release of poison or their stomach.

While they can survive on land for days, pyukumuku greatly prefer being submerged in warm, shallow seawater. Pokémon Center holding pools serve this purpose well. On longer trips pyukumuku trainers may need to either stay near the coast or invest in expensive specialty pokéballs for marine organisms. Thankfully, staying near the coast is usually not difficult in Alola.

Pyukumuku will only eat while submerged. Passive feeding setups are usually more trouble than they’re worth when they will happily eat algae or animal remains put in front of them. Pyukumuku will stop eating when they are no longer hungry. Excess food should then be removed to avoid fouling the water.

Enrichment is probably unnecessary. They are relatively intelligent but have rarely been documented engaging with toys or puzzles. In battle they rarely innovate and simply follow instincts or their trainer’s commands. There is some evidence that they actively dislike novel stimuli.

Almost all teammates work with pyukumuku in the sense that they will not interact with each other. Pyukumuku may need to be fed separately due to their slow speed. Pyukumuku can be held in tanks with conspecifics so long as adequate food is provided. In the wild they are known to live in large aggregations. They do not seem to acknowledge each other in any way.

Illness

Pyukumuku should not be regularly handled. Oils on human skin can disturb theirs. Brief, occasional contact is unlikely to result in harm.

Pyukumuku are reasonably hardy. They live near coasts, and often in estuarine waters, and have some tolerance for changes in temperature and salinity. Water temperatures beneath 70 degrees Fahrenheit can result in hypothermia and respiratory problems. Infections rarely develop as wounds are immediately coated in mucus and often stitched back together in minutes.

There are viral and bacterial illnesses that affect pyukumuku. These are very poorly understood and no cures are known. Specimens that produce unusual stool or refuse to eat should be immediately isolated from conspecifics.

Evolution

Juvenile pyukumuku are more likely to wander than adults but have much the same shape. No evolutionary stages are recognized.

Battle

A surprising number of pokémon have essentially no way to meaningfully damage pyukumuku. They can almost instantly heal shallow cuts. Blunt force attacks can’t break organs or bones as pyukumuku barely have anything resembling either. Psionic attacks struggle to pierce their odd mental structure. Piercing damage, deep cuts, and elemental attacks can wear them down. If a pyukumuku is sent out against an opponent that can’t damage then, they can use block to lock their opponent into the match and then use a mix of spite and toxic to wear them down while recover keeps them healthy. It is a simple but effective strategy. Alternatively, taunt can be used to shut down walls or keep opponents from setting up hazards or other effects on them during the lull in battle.

At high levels of play pyukumuku are quite rare. They can be devastating in certain circumstances, but at high levels it just becomes far more likely that offensive pokémon have some tool available to deal with pyukumuku. The best stall trainers have tricks for dealing with trappers and toxic users.

On the island challenge pyukumuku can serve as an effective finisher against later totems. Other teammates can knock out pokémon that could be a problem for the sea cucumber. Then, when only one wallable opponent is left, pyukumuku can be sent out to slowly secure victory.

Acquisition

Some properties pay trainers to remove pyukumuku from their beachfront. Captured pyukumuku are all the better as that specimen will not come crawling back within a week. They can safely be released and are locally abundant so adoption or purchase opportunities are extremely rare. Pyukumuku can be captured with a Class II license. Temporary possession for no more than twenty-four hours is permitted with a Class I license to allow for pyukumuku to be moved further away from their preferred perch.

Breeding

Male pyukumuku broadcast spawn during full moons as the tide begins to come in. Females filter out sperm from the water inhaled through the anus and move it to their reproductive organs. They give live birth to as many as 150 juveniles after two weeks. Juvenile mortality is extremely high as the newborn pokémon are less than a tenth of an inch in diameter.

Captive breeding has been achieved using chemical injections to induce spawning. They are a common model organism in laboratories and are a niche food in some parts of China and Japan. Pyukumuku were occasionally eaten by native Alolans. They have become less common in sushi as they have become regarded as vermin.

Relatives

Pyukumuku are found throughout the islands of the Central Pacific. They do not reach the continental shelves. As echinoderms they are distant relatives of starmie and toxapex. Their exact lineage is currently unknown. They are the only sea cucumber pokémon to commonly be found in the mid-Pacific. Some writers have even suggested that they evolved directly from base animals. It is difficult to prove or disprove this hypothesis as the bodies of sea cucumbers are poorly preserved in the fossil record. It is difficult to establish direct relation, or whether a given species was a pokémon, from the fossilized tracks they leave behind.