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EVERYONE: The Alola Pokedex

Honchkrow
Honchkrow (Murkrow)

Overview

Honchkrow have their flaws as a pokémon. Murkrow are fond of engaging their trainer in psychological warfare for one thing. Honchkrow are less sadistic but less likely to obey commands. Still, their intelligence and folklore make them extremely popular among a certain subset of trainer: teenage girls with no friends, a goth-inspired wardrobe, a chip on their shoulder. At least one literal vampire has befriended one.

Physiology

Both stages are classified as dual dark- and flying-types.

Murkrow have dark blue or black feathers over most of their body. There is a small tuft of feathers at the base of their tail, which fans out from a single point in all directions. Murkrow's talons and beak are devoid of feathers and pale yellow in color. The eyes are red and glow in the dark. The species strangest feature is their 'hat.' The hat has a circular brim of feathers extending horizontally from the top of their head. These feathers are quite dense and are easily mistaken for a solid layer. Three large tufts protrude above the brim.

Honchkrow are substantially bulkier than the rather scrawny murkrow. Evolution changes their tail pattern to something more typical of a bird, with a long horizontal row of feathers flowing out behind them. The talons become black with sharp white claws at the tips. White crescent markings form beneath the eyes. The tufts sticking out of the hat condense into only one or two short peaks, while the brim of the hat becomes longer at the front and back and stays roughly the same length on the sides.

Males have a white "beard" of long, soft feathers covering up the lower head, neck, and most of the chest. The inside of their wings are coated in bright red feathers. Females usually have pure black feathers; males have dark blue ones. Both sexes' feathers are iridescent.

Murkrow and honchkrow have a keen sense of smell for birds, as well as acute night vision. However, their hearing is limited to relatively high pitched sounds. Even honchkrow have relatively shrill cries despite their appearance and size.

Male honchkrow can grow up to 1.2 meters in length, including the tailfeathers, and weigh up to 15 kilograms. Females are somewhat smaller, seldom reaching lengths of one meter. They can live up to thirty years in captivity or forty in the wild. The average murkrow lifespan is closer to five years in the wild.

Behavior

The species tends to live in social groups with one mated pair of honchkrow and one to three dozen murkrow. Honchkrow are notoriously harsh bosses that punish failure through physical violence or ostracizing the offender and rallying other murkrow to bully them. However, the belief that honchkrow deliberately starve the murkrow like raticate starve rattata is false. While honchkrow prioritize their survival over the murkrow in extremely difficult times, the distribution of food in good times is usually rather equitable when adjusting for body mass.

Murkrow disperse at the start of the day. If one finds a kill, it flies back to the central nest and alerts the honchkrow. The honchkrow then fly out from their nest and stake their claim on the kill, bullying away anything that tries to take it. Historically this worked very well as most large native predators are either insects, fighting-types, or birds. The former two can be scared away by two very large corvids arriving. The latter can be beaten back by swarms of murkrow confusing them and honchkrow making strategic hits. The introduction of pack-hunting canines and snorlax has complicated this strategy. Even gumshoos and raticate can make staking a claim far harder than it otherwise would be.

The newly introduced competition has led to honchkrow gradually shifting to more of a predatory role. Their favored prey are raticate. Murkrow will swarm a raticate's nest and start carrying off food or beating up rattata. Eventually the raticate will become enraged and leave the nest. The murkrow take turns guiding the rat to the honchkrow, which descend from a high tree branch and kill or wound the raticate in a single hit. This "harass and lure" strategy works for most species that are unintelligent enough to fall for it and small enough to be killed in one strike.

Honchkrow have long been revered as psychopomps. In Alolan mythology, murkrow guide the dead to the base of Mt. Lanakila where ninetales take over and bring the souls up to the gods for judgment. "Honchkrow are psychopomps" is a common belief worldwide, largely because they are ominous and intelligent scavengers that flock to dead carcasses and scare off other would-be scavengers. The birds also tend to share territory with ghosts out of coincidence: honchkrow and ghosts prefer dense, dry forests with tall trees and abandoned human settlements. Part of the species' reputation of bringing souls to the afterlife is more literal. Murkrow have a habit of playing pranks on humans, including chasing or leading them off the trail and away from other group members in the middle of spirit-infested woods.

In terms of more benign pranks, murkrow are prone to stealing anything that interests them and can be carried away in their talons. The latter is not strictly a requirement, as one murkrow was observed trying to drag away a small television set several times larger than itself. A honchkrow eventually appeared and dragged it off into the forest. Shiny objects in particular are not safe. One of honchkrow's main activities in the wild is guarding and exploring the murder's stash of objects. This stash is usually kept in plain view to attract meowth and persian, which are promptly killed by either murkrow or one of the honchkrow.

A typical resting site is a very large tree with many branches, at least one of which needs to be thick enough to support a honchkrow or two. Ideally there will be few branches near the base of the tree so that other predators have a hard time sneaking up on the birds as they rest at night. Honchkrow periodically change nests. This involves every murkrow in the murder flying in several loops about one kilometer above the nest. Then the honchkrow take flight and all of the murkrow swoop down to join them in one large group. When the new nest is reached, the honchkrow rest as the murkrow again fly up and circle the nest. It is not known why they move nests or why the murkrow need to circle.

Husbandry

Murkrow are not an easy bird to raise. The only Alolan bird that might be smarter is xatu. And while xatu are mostly benevolent, if a little lacking in personality, murkrow are not. Murkrow are prone to pushing boundaries and playing pranks on their trainer. While they can be affectionate, breaking them in takes time and emotional energy that most trainers are simply unwilling to give.

Fortunately, murkrow are hierarchal. Unfortunately, murkrow only take orders from their parents. Unless a murkrow imprinted on their trainer at birth (see Breeding), they will not initially respect a human. Gaining their respect requires acting like a honchkrow. Many trainers assume that this just means bullying their pokémon. While setting expectations and boundaries and doling out punishments (ideally social punishments and not physical ones) is important, it is only half of the required behavior. Trainers must also subdue powerful enemies and routinely provide food. The latter is easy, but to build a connection murkrow must either only be fed when the trainer wins a battle or be allowed to eat multiple animals or pokémon the bird saw their trainer kill. Some level of physical affection is required, even when the murkrow is still prone to biting the trainer's ear whenever it gets a chance.

Honchkrow are prone to treating trainers like their children. This is true even if the honchkrow imprinted on their trainer at birth. Wild honchkrow are not particularly kind to their children. After losses in battle, they will harass their trainer just as much as a newly caught murkrow does. However, honchkrow are willing to share any kills they make and will occasionally cuddle with their trainer at night.

Both stages are very intelligent and easily bored. They will devote most of their creative talents to provoking their trainer and teammates if not given anything else to do. Sometimes training can be turned into a game of sorts, especially if puzzles are created that require a particular use of a move or combination of moves to solve. These are not easy to dream up, but there are several example training exercises online that work well. Alternatively, small puzzles that work well for humans tend to work well for corvids. Rubix cubes are a notable exception, as murkrow usually just take it apart rather than try to solve it. This is still entertaining for them, but only for a moment.

Honchkrow cannot be housebroken. They are certainly smart enough to understand the concept of it, especially when raised with other birds. The species just refuses to only defecate in one area. Murkrow waste is rather solid, but still has enough liquid to make it difficult to clean up. On the trail this isn't a problem, but it does become an issue when staying in a city or building for more than a few minutes.

The best diet for honchkrow is raw meat, bones and all. The birds will not eat the bones, but it will force them to solve a small puzzle while they eat. When they are done they even get new toys. If raw meat is not feasible, dried meat or primate biscuits can work for short periods. Unless it is particularly hot outside or they are not being fed raw meat, honchkrow do not need to drink water.

Honchkrow will usually pick up a handful of human words. While they are not the most skilled mimics of bird pokémon, they are capable of understanding the meaning of words and phrases. No fully fluent honchkrow has been observed but they can generally make their intent clear. Alola has several far nicer pokémon capable of communication and lifelong friendship, but some trainers adore their talking honchkrow companions.

Illness

Vaccination for avian cholera and the West Nile Virus is required within thirty days of capture.

The most common problems that captive honchkrow face are avian pox and parasites. Avian pox initially appears as wart-like growths on the beak or legs. If left untreated, the growths might turn into open, festering lesions that can cripple or wound the bird. There is no cure, but if treated by a professional veterinarian or birdkeeper recovery with only minimal scarring is likely.

Parasites include ticks and fleas. These are generally uncomfortable and can carry illnesses. If they latch on near the eyes they can cause permanent blindness. Grooming other pokémon and removing their parasites in front of a honchkrow will teach it that their trainer can remove the insects that they cannot. The pokémon will ordinarily groom itself, but approach their trainer and make a show of grooming themselves when they need help.

Unlike most birds, honchkrow bones are not hollow and are in fact very sturdy. If a bone does break it is unlikely to ever heal. Trainers should exercise caution in battle and immediately withdraw their pokémon and take it to a veterinarian if a bone does break. Murkrow bones are far less durable and far more likely to break, but they can recover when very young.

Evolution

Murkrow begin to evolve at around three years of age in the wild. The process takes another year. In captivity, especially when exposed to concentrated dark-type energy from a dusk stone, they can mature far faster. Evolution is marked by a period of rapid weight gain and bulking up. In the wild, this is when the new honchkrow leaves the nest. They do not immediately form their own murder, instead grouping into murders of sub-adults that roam between territories, scaring off other scavengers when possible and doing their own hunting when necessary. These sub-adult murders do have strict hierarchies with males at the top and females at the bottom. Every male and female knows their relation to every other member of their sex. While facially deferential to dominant honchkrow, the inferior bird will often do everything in their power to undermine their superior without getting caught.

Battle

Honchkrow in the wild finish their prey in one strike. They are not particularly adept fliers due to the weight their bones provide and their general bulk. The adults function mostly as a deterrent for mid-sized predators and a means of finishing off prey that murkrow cannot handle.

Unfortunately for honchkrow, there are several heavier birds that also rely on powerful impacts. Braviary and staraptor are two of their main competitors, although rarer choices such as haastile and harpyre are even stronger. The tricks that honchkrow can learn are not enough to compensate. Murkrow, while fast enough to effectively use disrupting moves, are too frail and weak to be considered a viable option.

On the island challenge things are quite different. Honchkrow do compete with braviary, but the latter is difficult to train as an adult and have a long maturation period. A single full body tackle from honchkrow plus a follow-up attack or two is strong enough to seriously hurt or knock out most opponents. The final few trials may be difficult, but honchkrow can still put a dent in almost anything. Brave bird or sky attack are ideal moves with sucker punch or dark pulse serving as a compliment. Heat wave, steel wing, or superpower provides useful coverage. Roost can keep honchkrow in a fight if it cannot win in a single hit.

Murkrow are fast tricksters. Even early on they are not very useful offensively, but their speed and intelligence let them fly circles around most opponents. Roost, a good offensive move or two, and a supporting disruptive move such as taunt, torment, or featherdance is all a murkrow really needs to annoy their foe and ultimately outlast their opponent. They work well on quickstall teams and when they evolve they can make for an effective breaker for any single pokémon the team cannot deal with.

Acquisition

Murkrow can be captured, purchased, or adopted with a Class III license. Honchkrow cannot be legally captured, but can be adopted or purchased with a Class IV license.

Honchkrow live on every island in Alola, usually in dry forests. They are most common on the lower portion of Route 2 and the Hau'oli suburbs on Melemele, Route 4 on Akala, Route 10 on Ula'Ula, and the upper levels of Vast Poni Canyon on Poni Island. It is best to capture a murkrow while it is scouting for food in the early morning. Approaching the main nest for a capture is a bad idea because the honchkrow are likely to get involved. While they are ordinarily reluctant to approach humans, much less attack them, honchkrow will kill trainers that stir up trouble near their nest.

Breeding

Honchkrow courtship occurs inside of sub-adult murders. A male will approach a female and display for her. If she shows interest, she will follow the male as he goes out to hunt. If successful, they will share the carcass and then go off to form their own nest. The female takes the lead on building the first nest while the male gathers sticks and other materials for it. Subsequent nests have their materials gathered by the older murkrow and assembled by the female honchkrow, who also mentors the female murkrow on the art of nest building. The male takes a more active role in hunting during these times to compensate for several murkrow being occupied with constructing the nest.

Honchkrow lay three to six eggs with an incubation period of about one month. The male and female take turns guarding the eggs, which are durable enough for a full grown honchkrow to sit on. Newly hatched murkrow are entirely dependent upon their mothers for regurgitated food. Murkrow that beg loudest tend to get fed more, regardless of whether they need the food as much as their quieter siblings. After leaving the nest at about fifty days old, murkrow are insatiably curious and investigate everything they see. They are escorted by a honchkrow everywhere they go outside the nest for the first three months. Older murkrow take over for another three before the young birds are accepted as full-fledged members of the murder with the same duties and supervision as their older siblings.

The species is difficult to breed in captivity largely because of the difficulty in finding a suitably partner. Female honchkrow typically accept less than 10% of their suitors. Surprisingly given their selectivity, females and males are willing to mate with other birds such as corviknight, toucannon, and mandibuzz. They can even have fertile offspring with the former. Honchkrow will also build a nest and insist on staying in one place. In captivity they are prone to stealing pillows, blankets, clothes, and other soft objects to line the nest with. Between egg laying and the chicks leaving the nest, honchkrow are prone to dive bomb anything that gets too close, including their trainer. While they seldom kill a human they know, broken bones are common. This is made worse because honchkrow usually nest near their trainer's residence, making it dangerous to just walk outside to get the paper.

Subspecies

Honchkrow range across Europe, Northern Africa, Australia, Oceania, and Asia. There are more than two dozen documented subspecies. The smallest are typically found on the Pacific Islands, although honchkrow in Alola are rather large due to competition from mandibuzz. Perhaps the most famous subspecies is the Siberian honchkrow due to their very fluffy appearance and tendency to puff themselves up around humans, forming a black ball of feathers.

The largest subspecies is the near-flightless Indian honchkrow that live in the foothills of the Himalayas. Male Indian honchkrow can reach two meters in length and are fearsome predators in their own right. They use their intelligence and keen hearing to track down nocturnal mammals while they sleep during the day. Indian honchkrow are large and powerful enough to batter their way into tree cavity nests and tear into burrows. Insects and other pokémon hiding higher up on trees are harassed by the murkrow until they fall down to the waiting honchkrow. Unfortunately, an antibiotic used in miltank farming proved lethal to honchkrow in even very small doses. Dead miltank were often left out in the fields as they were not used for meat. While the cause of the "honchkrow plague" was eventually discovered and the antibiotic is banned, the damage was done and the Indian honchkrow is now critically endangered.

Unlike most other species, honchkrow also vary substantially in behaviors across space and time. Murkrow seem to inherit very few instinctual responses and pick up most of their behaviors through teaching and experimentation. Hunting, housing, social, and childrearing behaviors can be rather different between closely related populations.
 
Crobat
Crobat (Zubat, Golbat)

Overview

Zubat have a reputation of being more of an annoyance than a potential boon to a traveling trainer. This is unfortunate as crobat are reasonably intelligent and affectionate companions that, unique diet aside, are rather low maintenance. Trainer who are squeamish around blood are generally advised to opt against training the species, as are trainers with several furry or carnivorous mammals as companions. Crobat are a natural fit on poison-type and flying-type specialist teams and do reasonably well in battle as a disruptor.

Physiology

All three stages are classified as dual poison- and flying-types.

Zubat have primarily dark-blue bodies. The legs are long and relatively thin. They have wings with a purple membrane in place of arms. Zubat have small and rather weak eyes. Their large fangs and ears balance this out.

Golbat are proportionally longer. While many people believe that their mouth makes up nearly 90% of their body, this is not the case. Golbat have a large black patch of fur on their chest with small bone growths resembling teeth growing out of their torso to scare prey and predators alike. Their actual mouth is relatively small and contains their real fangs. Golbat have much larger wings and much smaller outer ears than zubat.

Crobat look far more like zubat than golbat. The body is covered in a very thin layer of purple fur. They possess four wings, each with a unique muscular system that lets them extend or retract the membrane of their wing to their armbone, letting them crawl or fly relatively easily. The wing structure makes crobat virtually silent fliers. One crobat was observed flying for nine consecutive days without rest by switching off between the front and back set of wings when they needed to rest. Crobat have no external ears, but they do have internal ears. For reasons unknown, crobat's mouth is white on the inside.

Outside of zubat, the evolutionary line has more powerful vision than the average human. This is useful for seeing in the dark. They also have an extraordinary sense of hearing. All evolutionary stages use echolocation to scout out the world around them. Similar clicks are used for communication. All three stages have long hooks at the end of their hind-legs; crobat also have claws on their front wings. The Alolan subspecies possess multiple safeguards for their ears that let them hear very faint sounds but also cover their ear canal before very powerful vibrations can damage their hearing. This is an adaptation for routinely sharing caves with noivern.

Crobat are hemophages. They exclusively feed on blood. An all-liquid diet is not good for their digestive track and they must limit their feedings or risk overloading their kidneys. Most zubat are not patient enough to drink too much blood and crobat know their limits; golbat often have problems with overfeeding in the wild. Additionally, the liquid diet means that crobat must eat at least once every two days. Bats that do not get enough to eat will receive regurgitated meals from other members of the colony.

This unique-among-mammals diet is facilitated by the bat's specialized fangs. These are very thin and hollow on the inside. Unlike most fangs, these are used for sucking blood into the body rather than injecting venom (although crobat are venomous and can spit bloody, infected, slightly corrosive acid). Due to their frailty, these fangs often break. Crobat do not regrow fangs; upon injury, they must rely for the rest of their life on the generosity of other colony members. Defanged bats focus on protecting the colony's roosting grounds and providing assistance with childrearing.

Crobat can live up to nine years in the wild or fourteen in captivity. They can reach wingspans of 1.6 meters and can weigh as much as seven kilograms when hungry or nine kilograms when very full. Wild crobat can live up to six years; captive crobat can live up to nine.

Behavior

Zubat and golbat live in large colonies deep inside of caves. Any type of cave will do; in Alola colonies live in the dry caves of the Vast Poni Canyon system, along the banks of underground rivers in Seaward and Sandy Caves, in the frozen caverns of Mt. Lanakila, and in scalding hot tunnels beneath Akala Volcanoes National Park. Even large abandoned buildings will do. The largest colonies can contain upwards of 800 zubat and golbat at a time. The pokémon spend the day inside resting and engaging in social behaviors such as grooming. At night all but the youngest of zubat and one of the clutch's parents will fly out to hunt.

Zubat and golbat prefer to feed off of large diurnal pokémon. The bats are quiet and gentle enough, and their fangs sharp enough, that most prey do not even wake up. Smaller creatures, like humans, do occasionally fall prey to zubat in other parts of the world. However, in Alola food is almost always abundant. Attack is only likely if a trainer enters into the colony itself and either stirs up trouble or gets too close to baby zubat. Golbat will occasionally attack and kill rattata in a single impact or wing attack. They will then bring the rattata back to the colony or drain it on the spot. Tauros, miltank, ampharos, and mudsdale are some of the most common targets of zubat and golbat. Other observed prey species include kangaskhan, gumshoos, braviary, salamence, stoutland, snorlax, blissey, wigglytuff, magmortar, bewear, lickilicky, and hariyama.

Crobat tend to live in bonded pairs usually, but not always, consisting of a male and female. They either sleep or relocate during the day and then go on to hunt at night. Abandoned toucannon nests are some of crobat's favorite places to roost as they are large enough to fit two bats and still relatively difficult to access. Crobat will sometimes actively kill small pokémon to drain even in times of abundance.

Due to the many bloodborne illnesses crobat are carriers for, they have virtually no natural predators. Metagross, which are not subject to any known terrestrial diseases, do regularly hunt crobat. However, there are not many metagross in Alola and they tend to hunt more interesting prey than small bats. The zubat line's mortality rate is still rather high given the risk that feeding on much larger creatures carries.

Husbandry

The main problem with caring for captive crobat is their diet. So long as the trainer stays in one place, they are relatively easy to feed. Crobat and golbat can be provided with a dish full of blood placed at the edge of a counter. The bat will fly over and drink from it while hovering in place. Zubat can be fed from ice cube containers filled with blood. Tauros blood is rather easily obtained from butcher shops. A mix of blood and an anticoagulant (12 grams dextrose, 4 grams citric acid, 11 grams sodium citrate per gallon) should be used rather than raw blood. Crobat naturally apply an anticoagulant when absorbing blood through their fangs, but blood they drink can clot and cause health problems. The coagulant mixture can be homemade or purchased from some specialty pokémon stores. Some specialists recommend a mix of different bloods. Other experts recommend putting multivitamins into the mix. The efficacy of either dietary option has never been empirically proven and both can be rather expensive.

Crobat must be fed once every two days, although daily feedings are recommended. Recommended feedings are five to six milliliters a day for a zubat, ten to twelve for a golbat, and fifteen to twenty for a crobat. Any more and there is a risk of overwhelming the kidneys. Lower end feedings should be applied to relatively sedentary pokémon and higher end portions should be used for frequent battlers or delivery pokémon. Water is not needed on days where blood is provided. It must be provided on days where blood is not given as crobat dehydrate very quickly.

Golbat and crobat are intelligent enough to be housebroken or learn to urinate outside. Zubat can be "trained" by putting a litter mat underneath their preferred roost. This will solve most problems. Speaking of roosts, zubat and golbat need one when out of their pokéball. While they can be kept in pokéballs for a few hours a day (or in dusk balls for two six hour shifts in a twenty four hour period), all stages want to spend a lot of time out of their pokéball. They are social creatures and want to play, explore, or interact with their trainer or other pokémon. While technically nocturnal, crobat only sleep about five hours a day split into many short naps. Ideal crobat roosts provide a relatively sheltered area and a place to hang from. Shower rods work well enough, and small zubat can use coat hangers. Crobat are perfectly capable of staying in near-perpetual flight, but they also appreciate a place to roost from time to time.

Crobat rely on other bats to groom them in the wild so their trainer will need to take over this role. This is a good way to earn the pokémon's trust. Music and other strange vibration patterns can serve as toys or bonding experiences.
Some trainers let themselves be food for their crobat. While this is a cheap way of obtaining blood, it messes with the bat's bonding instincts. Furthermore crobat are known to carry many bloodborne illnesses, including HIV, malaria, West Nile virus, and rabies. The risk of contagion and their innate hunting instincts make training a crobat on a team full of diurnal mammals somewhat inadvisable, although it can be done with firm boundaries and frequent blood tests on the crobat.

Illness

Crobat are immune to almost all bloodborne illnesses. They are one of the only mammals that are extremely resistant to rabies. The species' unique immune system makes most vaccines ineffective on them. Battling trainers will need to give their pokémon periodic physicals to make sure they are not carriers of rabies or one of the other pathogens that make them unable to participate in League sanctioned battles.

The species suffers from one big drawback: they aren't built to last. Zubat and golbat rarely recover from serious wing or fang damage, and both areas are very fragile. In the wild this is counterbalanced by the many, many able-bodied members of the colony stepping up to provide for the disabled. In captivity a broken wing isn't a death sentence, although the bat may never fly again. Broken fangs do not regrow but are not a serious health problem unless the site becomes infected; captive crobat lap up blood in containers rather than pulling it in through their fangs. Defanging is even a standard operation for families who just want a zubat as a pet rather than a battling companion.

The vast majority of crobat health problems either are a result or cause of dehydration or overhydration. Mid-range portions should be given every day until a veterinarian can be consulted.

Evolution

Zubat usually evolve into golbat around sixteen months of age. The process is one of gradual growth, with the formal demarcation line marked by all four faux-fangs breaking the skin. Golbat flash evolve into crobat. Severe injury appears to prevent evolution but minor wounds are instantly healed in the process. Only the best of hunters evolve. Fewer than one in fifteen wild golbat evolve, but nearly one-third of captive golbat do. The leading theory is that consistent feedings and occasional combat fool the body into thinking that the bat is a very successful hunter. Crobat evolution can take place anywhere between the golbat's third and seventh birthday.

Battle

Crobat are too fragile and not powerful enough to have had much impact on the competitive battling scene. Even trainers who want to use a bat have the stronger kelawapi, swoobat, and noivern to pick from. In the very limited use they have seen, they served as fast disruptors firing off taunts, toxics, hypnoses, defogs, tailwinds, and supersonics before the opponent can react. Their frailty makes them an awkward fit on quickstall, though.

On the island challenge crobat can be rather effective due to the sheer difficulty of hitting it. Crobat can fly up to 200 kilometers per hour in shorts burst and they average about 120. Their moderately powerful aerokinesis and venomous spit can be used to slowly whittle away at an opponent's health. Trainers willing to shell out money on special TMs and tutoring can teach coverage moves such as heat wave and dark pulse. Nasty plot can be used for boosting, but requires a crobat to stand still for longer than is advisable.

Draining moves can be used but put crobat's delicate fangs at risk. They should only be used to finish off sleeping opponents with a powerful bug bite or giga drain. The same goes for contact moves. While crobat moving at max speed can hit opponents very hard, the impact is likely to hurt crobat far more than their opponent.

Acquisition

Zubat and golbat can be found inside of almost every cave in the commonwealth. However, wading into a colony and attempting to stir up trouble will lead to a fight. Golbat are not polite enough to charge their opponents one at a time, which makes fighting difficult and potentially dangerous. The best way to catch a zubat or golbat is to wait outside of a cave entrance at dusk. When the bats come out, try and isolate one and start a battle. As soon as they've exited the cave, only crobat looking after their children will bother to stay back and defend fellow colony members. Zubat can be purchased, captured, or adopted with a Class III license; golbat and crobat require a Class IV to purchase, capture, or adopt.

Crobat are far more difficult to find than their preevolutions. The best way to bait them is to leave a large mammal asleep in a clearing at night and wait to see if anything shows up. Alternatively, looking around forests with very large trees in hopes of finding a toucannon nest can work. Sometimes there will be something more aggressive than a crobat inside of these nests, though, and partners will back each other up in combat. All things considered, it is recommended that trainers look for a zubat or golbat instead.

Breeding

In the wild, a mated crobat pair return to the male's colony once a year to mate. Pregnancy lasts for six weeks. The female will then give birth to a clutch of eight to twelve zubat. Both parents, along with other colony members, assist in raising the children. Only one crobat will leave the cave each night, the other staying back to defend the children. As mammals, crobat nurse their young. Babies don't begin to get some regurgitated blood until they are four weeks old. They still nurse until their parents leave the colony four months after birth.

Captive breeding and even hand-raising zubat is possible. Newborn zubat require a cramped, dark place with adequate roosting space and a place to put food. For the first three weeks, hand-raised zubat will need to be fed with a syringe filled with milk. The bats will lap milk off the end of the syringe rather than suck on it. They instinctively understand to do this. After this bowls and ice cube containers can be used to facilitate the gradual introduction of blood. If a female crobat is watching after the babies, she can be trusted to nurse and regurgitate enough blood to allow for proper development. Otherwise a mixture of blood and milk should be used until the babies are four months old, at which point they can be fed blood alone. A good list of appropriate blood-milk ratios at varying ages can be found online in the AZA's guide to zubat husbandry.

Subspecies

Crobat occupy a wide range of habitats. In spite of this, their geographic range is limited to eastern Asia and remote Pacific islands, with a handful of introduced colonies in Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, and North America. Most subspecies are relatively similar to each other, with slight variations in wing power and fur thickness. The European crobat, which historically shared much of its range with noivern, has developed safeguards to their hearing similar to the Pacific crobat.

The Pacific crobat, the dominant subspecies in Alola, has the strongest wings of any crobat. However, they are somewhat slower than the other subspecies. Northern crobat can fly up to 300 kilometers per hour in short bursts, compared to 200 kilometers per hour for the Pacific crobat.

The Northern crobat have thinner fur than the harsh winters of their environment would suggest. This is because they seldom leave their homes in the winter, instead slowing their metabolism and draining other hibernating creatures who retreat into the caves with them. Snorlax are a favorite of theirs, but finding blood vessels beneath the fat can be challenging and risk waking the bear up.
 
Noivern (Noibat)

Overview

Dragons have always loomed large in the human imagination. They are on average the strongest pokémon and almost all are aggressive carnivores. Most are large enough to prey upon man. Some were powerful enough to fight ancient cities or even empires and win. Even in an age where most species have been trained, dragons are still among the hardest pokémon to handle.

Noivern is as good a start to dragon-type training as any. They aren't particularly aggressive towards humans, are easily conditioned to obey commands, are rather affectionate, and they are big enough to win battles without being so big that logistics become troublesome. Even then, they are still large and powerful carnivores with long lifespans and high intellects. Trainers should think twice before putting any dragon on their team.

Physiology


Noivern are classified as dual flying- and dragon-types. The dragon typing is disputed as noivern probably evolved apart from the "true dragons" descended from serpents. They are actually descendants of the pterosaurs such as aerodactyl. While scientists are unsure when and how the dragon-type evolved, or if it may have independently evolved several times, this is evidence that tyrantrum's dragon typing may not be a mistake of the cloning process. Noivern are reptilian like most dragons and are very competent at wielding draconic energy. There is fierce debate over whether pokémon other than true dragons should be allowed the dragon typing and, if so, whether ancient, extraterrestrial, or semi-mythical pokémon such as tyrantrum, guzzlord, and zygarde should be an exception. If noivern's dragon typing is ever revoked, water, psychic, or normal are the most likely replacements.

Noibat have primarily dark grey scales with thick tufts of black feathers around their midsection. These feathers help keep them warm in relatively cool caves. Noibat also warm themselves in caves through huddling with zubat (see Behavior) and their very high metabolisms.

Both noivern stages are warm blooded like most dragons but unlike most reptiles. The extinct and revived pterosaurs were and are also warm blooded. However, long thin membranes require some behavioral supplements to their natural temperature control processes.

Noibat have long, thin legs tipped with fourwhite claws. They have two wings with light blue membranes. Another set of claws are located in the middle of their wings. Their wings are supported by three long fingers. Other fingers form small claws on each wing. Noibat have large faces, but the size is exaggerated by the very thick feathers on their head and their proportionally large eyes with yellow feather markings that make the eyes appear even larger. Their nose is coated in purple scales.

The line's most notable feature is their giant ears. These ears can be moved independently and each are about the size of the rest of the head. Concentric circles line the interior and bright blue scales cover the back. Massive vibrations can be created from these ears. Contrary to popular belief, wild noivern are not very loud at all. Their wingbeats are virtually silent and almost all of a wild noivern's vocalizations are above or below the range of human hearing. Instead humans are likely to feel very intense but silent vibrations. Captive noivern tend to learn the range their trainer can hear in. This makes them very, very loud.

Noivern vibrations can shatter glass for a kilometer around them or kill small animals within a few meters. Alternatively, the frequency of these waves can be adjusted to disrupt thoughts or transfer crude psychic messages. Their hearing is the most sensitive of any pokémon and noivern can use echolocation to see the world for miles around them. Noivern have good, but unexceptional, senses of sight and smell.

Noivern are generally lankier than their pre-evolutions. Their main body is long and featherless Alolan noivern continue with the dark gray and black color scheme of their preevolution, although wild noivern that have interbred with other subspecies can have green stripes or even bright red feathers. Noivern retain grey scales on their face, aside from green inner ears and a purple crest over their eyes. Compared to noibat, noivern have rather long legs complete with knees and webbed feet big enough to walk on for short distances. Their tail has grown to be long and sturdy and it contains a thagomizer at the end for spearing anything that gets behind the bat.

Noivern can grow up to 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to 20 kilograms. In the wild, noivern usually live for about twelve years. In captivity they have been recorded living for upwards of six decades.

Behavior

Noivern typically share caves with zubat. The adult noivern provide protection to the golbat colonies and the golbat and crobat in turn provide socialization and basic care for the noibat. Noivern themselves rarely sleep in caves and prefer to rest on beaches or rocky cliffs.

Noibat primarily hunt non-pokémon insects. Powerful vibrations are used to stun or kill the bugs around them. The bat then cleans up, finds another swarm of insects, and then kills and eats them. If possible, they do not leave the cave to hunt. As they grow older, they venture outside and start searching for berry groves. Adult noivern, even those not related to the noibat, may take the younger pokémon on flights over the ocean.

Noivern primarily hunt fish. Wishiwashi and luvdisc are some of their favorites. The hunting strategy they use is rather similar to that noibat use on insects. Noivern fly low above the surface of the water and use echolocation to scout for schools of fish. When they find one, they fold their wings and dive into the center of the school before letting out a massive vibration. Their powerful lungs and tail let the noivern eat almost one-third of their body weight in fish before swimming back to shore. While returning to land, noivern are vulnerable to predation from gyarados and sharpedo. Wishiwashi schools are highly vulnerable to sonic blasts and seldom attempt to avenge their brethren.

Once they reach dry land, the noivern hauls itself onto the beach and spreads its wings. This serves the dual purposes of drying off the membrane and warming the pokémon. When they are not hunting or sunning themselves, noivern graze on land or in the sea. The species is fond of eating algae off of rocks and corals in relatively shallow waters. They also seek out orchards and use echolocation to identify the best berries to eat. Noivern are not particularly social but they do tend to spend the night in bands of six to eight, if only for mutual protection from larger predators.

Noivern tend not to mind humans approaching them while they are sunning and sometimes even appear to pose for pictures. They have been known to approach humans and rummage through their things with or without the owner's consent. Close contact with noivern is discouraged and feeding them is illegal. Once a noivern has tasted human food they tend to spend more of their time begging on the streets of coastal cities than hunting or foraging in the adjacent waters.

Husbandry

Noibat can be fed most insect mixes and supplemental water. The core of noivern's diet should be made up of fish with algae and seaweed occasionally added. Noivern should almost always be able to access a water dish due to their difficulties regulating their internal salinity (see Illness). Fresh fruit is an excellent motivator and reward but not a necessary component of their diet.

Some noibat and noivern are very accepting of pokéballs. Others will almost never enter them voluntarily. Be mindful of your pokémon's preferences. Noibat need a perch to hang from at night if they do not tolerate pokéballs. Noivern typically prefer to sleep near their trainer. When content, noivern tend to purr in long, drawn out rumbles. When upset, they tend to rely on short but intense ultrasonic vibrations or high-pitched screeches. Tears are not a sign of sadness; they are simply a way of ridding the body of excess salt after dives in the ocean. Young noibat can only really be housebroken by putting a tray under their preferred perch; as they get older they are rather easily trained.

Noivern will need daily opportunities to fly and at least weekly opportunities to swim. They are capable of swimming in either salt or fresh water, although they seem to prefer fresh water in captivity. Noibat do not require much space to fly in. While they are not as intelligent as many other dragons, noivern still need frequent stimulation in the form of grooming sessions, exploration of new places, games, or exposure to new music or other vibrations. As a note on the last point, noivern prefer their music to be played very, very loudly and are prone to humming their favorite tunes at deafening volumes. Some enterprising trainers have 'fed' their noivern live concerts or at least concert recordings and used them, occasionally alongside a zoroark, to replicate the experience of a live show. In any case, noivern seldom quiet themselves so living in one place with one requires either having no neighbors, paying them off, or accepting that fines for disturbance of the peace will be a recurring expense to budget for.

Most noivern tend to have distant relationships to their trainers, seeking food, attention, and occasional cuddles while maintaining a high degree of independence. Others are far more social and have been nicknamed "lap dragons." Like most intelligent pokémon, all noivern have very distinct personalities their trainer will need to account for.

Illness

In the wild, oil spill-related illnesses have killed up to two-thirds of other marine noivern subspecies. These illnesses most commonly kill by making it nearly impossible to fly on oil-coated wings or through poisoning when consumed. The blackspot disease that led to the collapse in global mountain noivern populations (see Subspecies) has been documented in marine noivern, but it is rare and the marine subspecies seem to have a higher resistance to it than the terrestrial ones.

Noivern's very large wing area and the thinness of the membrane makes them very vulnerable to water loss while in the sea. They developed the ability to shed incredibly salty tears to shed salt and help maintain homeostasis. Tear duct injuries can be fatal. If a noivern stops crying or starts needing much more water than normal without a proportional increase in time spent in saltwater, keep the pokémon in their pokéball as much as possible and keep them away from salt water. Then consult a veterinarian at the earliest opportunity. Most problems can be fixed with relatively minor surgery if acted upon quickly enough.

Respiratory problems are common in marine noivern. Breathy hisses often indicate pneumonia. Lots of panting or vigorous wing flapping on the ground can be signs of hypo or hyperthermia. In the wild noivern can retreat into caves or the water if they become too hot or sun themselves if hypothermia starts to set in. Captivity often deprives noivern of these options. While they are technically warm-blooded, noivern's homeostatic systems are rather weak compared to most mammals and require some behavioral compensation. Their body temperature is about 28 degrees Celsius.

Evolution

Noibat evolve into noivern around their third birthday. Evolution is rather distinct from growth, which occurs gradually and happens for years before and after evolution. In the wild, evolution is marked by the near-total cessation of insect hunting and the start of fish hunting. In captivity it is better measured by the shift from a nocturnal sleep schedule to a diurnal one. If a diurnal sleep schedule was enforced on the noibat, an uptick in daytime energy is the best signal that evolution has occurred.

Battle

The European bluewing noivern is the main subspecies used in competitive battling. The remaining mountain noivern also see some use. Marine noivern are only used by trainers who cannot get their hands on one of the larger and louder subspecies. All subspecies of noivern are moderately bulky, especially with the aid of roost or moonlight, and they are fast enough to avoid many hits. They are also devastatingly powerful; the bluewing noivern can pulverise granite boulders from a distance of five meters. While the marine noivern is nowhere near as powerful, they are equally fast and far more nimble. On the competitive pokémon scene, bluewing or mountain noivern are used by several dragon specialists and a handful of quickstall users. Their main drawback compared to other large dragons is a lack of versatility in offensive options and lack of any especially powerful set-up moves. However, noivern are one of the easiest dragons to train and they are fast and powerful enough to single-handedly defeat teams that are unprepared for them.

Marine noivern are not quite so fearsome. Still, their boombursts are powerful enough to defeat many opponents in a single hit and their draco meteor and hurricane attacks are also very difficult to tank. As somewhat large dragons they can also shrug off some weaker attacks. In the air noivern are fast enough to outspeed most opponents and wait for a good opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, noivern are very vulnerable to slashing attacks powerful enough to tear their membrane as well as spread ice- and fairy-type attacks. Noivern also have somewhat shallow offensive movepools and, while their utility movepools are rather good, they are not quite bulky enough to successfully serve in a supporting role.

Noibat are best used as quick harassers that wear down their opponents through supersonic and/or toxic while firing off the occasional weak ranged attack. While they are very weak, don't worry: someday they will be much, much stronger.

Acquisition

Noibat can usually be found around the entrances of large cave systems at night. They are somewhat easily scared and may retreat back into the cave where their nimble flight and echolocation will make them very difficult to keep up with. Their capture is currently prohibited on Akala and Ula'Ula to allow for population maintenance and growth. On Melemele they are most abundant in Verdant Cavern and on Poni they are most often seen around the south entrance of Terminus Cave.

Noivern are usually found in warm, shallow waters, on rocky shores, and along cliffs. It is illegal to disturb a noivern while it suns itself, even for the purposes of capture. Fruit groves that noivern are known to frequent are the best places to find and battle one. As with noivern, capture is currently prohibited on Akala and Ula'Ula.

Noibat may be purchased, captured, or adopted with a Class II license. Noivern may be purchased, captured, or adopted with a Class III license.

For both evolutionary stages, fruit and exposure to music are the best ways to gain the respect of the newly captured dragon.

Breeding

Male noivern claim territory in the resting spots of their bands. During the breeding season (September to October), males will release very powerful mating calls and perform elaborate dances to attract the attention of females. If one is interested, they will mate and stay close together for the next four to eight weeks. Then the female will go to a golbat colony and enter negotiations. She will offer some measure of protection in exchange for raising and protecting her young. Newborn noibat are only ten to fifteen centimeters long. Three to four are born in a single litter. The mother will stay to nurse her young for a few weeks and then head back to her band's sleeping area.

Noivern breeding is extremely difficult in captivity and essentially requires large plots of rural land. Thankfully, noivern mating cries are almost entirely ultrasonic. The vibrations are still among the most powerful noivern ever produce and can be felt for up to a kilometer away. Every city in Alola has an ordinance against keeping male noivern within city limits and out of their pokéball for more than one hour at a time or three hours a day during the months of September and October.

Baby noibat are rather self-sufficient. Unlike zubat, they do not require milk. The babies should still be provided with an enclosed dark space with several good perches and many small insects for their first few weeks of life. Crickets are preferred as they cannot climb up to bother the noibat if they are not immediately eaten and their songs provide entertainment to the baby dragons.

Subspecies

There are four broad categories of noivern subspecies. The smallest are marine noivern, the group that Alolan noivern fall into. These subspecies are distributed across the tropical and subtropical Pacific. While their anatomy and behaviors are similar, their color schemes vary from the pitch black of Alolan noivern to bright red in the Caroline Islands to green stripes in the Galapagos Islands to patches of blue skin in the Solomons. Mixed-breed marine noivern can have combinations of their parents' color schemes or even new patterns altogether. This has made them rather popular in captivity, although most zoos are starting to avoid mixing subspecies to better facilitate release to the wild

The bluewing noivern spend their summers on the plains of Western Europe and travel to the Sahel in winter. They are giants with wingspans of up to twelve meters and lengths of up to seven meters. While far from the heaviest dragon by mass, they are still one of the largest by size. They have the largest wingspan of any living pokémon, although the extinct Caspian noivern were larger.

Unfortunately, bluewing noivern's size makes them dependent upon the availability of large grazing ungulates, their preferred prey. The decline in wild populations in Europe was a substantial blow to them. The replacement of the old grasslands with pastures stocked with delicious gogoat but vigorously guarded by humans with ice-types and powerful weapons led to a sharp decline led to the bluewing noivern becoming critically endangered. Only the installation of strict conservation laws (some of Europe's first) and large preserves such as the Galarian wild area has kept the subspecies alive. These efforts have been bolstered by captive breeding on large ranches in the United States and Australia.

The mountain noivern used to live in the Alps, Atlas Mountains, Caucuses, southern Urals, portions of the Hindu-kush, and a handful of mountains in Japan. They are smaller than the bluewing noivern and primarily hunt small ungulates and mammals. Sometimes they rarely leave their caves at all and simply find prey inside of the caverns. Unfortunately, in the 1980s most mountain noivern subspecies began displaying blackspot disease. The illness causes vomiting, high fevers, rapid cognitive decline, the formation of black sores, diarrhea, and ultimately death. There was originally no vaccine or even a proven method of managing the symptoms, especially the cognitive impairments. While this would have been bad enough for mountain noivern populations, the disease was communicable with humans. Amid mass hysteria and a public health crisis, several military forces and private hunters went into the mountains to kill as many noivern as they could. In the end a vaccine was developed and the disease was found to originate from rattata who carried the disease with no symptoms. A handful of mountain noivern remain in the Hindu-kush and a reintroduction attempt is being made in the Alps. There are approximately 300 in captivity worldwide.

The Caspain noivern had wingspans of up to thirteen meters. They are believed to have preyed upon large desert species, similar to the behaviors exhibited by bluewing noivern in their seasonal migrations over the Sahara. Traditionally, their extinction was believed to have occurred around 150,000 BCE, along with their main prey, bactrigyn and armorossum. A discovery of a cave painting with what appears to be a noivern was recently discovered in the Gobi desert, far away from any living subspecies' range. The painting was dated to 5,000 BCE.
 
Dugtrio
Dugtrio (Diglett)

Overview

Alolan dugtrio are not the best battlers. Traditionally they were associated far more closely with peace and agriculture than war. However, they are scientifically fascinating creatures with enough power to make it through most of the island challenge. While “cuddly” is not a word often used to describe dugtrio, they are loyal and relatively easy to please. They are also a fair bit more expressive than most of the inorganic steel types and easier to obtain than all but one of Alola’s ground-types.

Physiology

Diglett and dugtrio are classified as ground- and steel-types. The ground typing is due to their terrakinesis and subterranean habitats. The steel typing is due to the metallic core of their whiskers and slightly metallic nature of their subdermal armor. There is increasing consensus that the armor is more stone than metal and their secondary typing should be changed to either rock or water. Still, dugtrio are competent at wielding metallic elemental energy.

Diglett rarely put anything more than their head above the surface. As such, most people know diglett as a dark brown creature with a long straight neck, a thin mouth, wide eyes, and a large pink nose. A small tuft of golden whiskers adorn the top of their head. Below the surface, diglett are a fair bit longer and have two sets of legs with waterproof brown fur, webbed feet, and sharp claws.

Above the surface, dugtrio resemble a group of three diglett huddled together. The one major difference is that their hair is much, much longer. In the wild it is usually unkempt and somewhat dirty, with differences in texture and length varying between heads. In captivity it has often been kept very clean and styled along the lines of human hair. While it is perfectly fine to gently clean dugtrio’s hair, cutting or styling it is no longer recommended as it makes the pokémon uncomfortable and may cause actual pain. At minimum it interferes with the pokémon’s ability to sense the world around it, navigate, hunt, and battle.

Beneath the surface, dugtrio are rather different than diglett. While diglett are relatively slender, dugtrio are very stocky and bulky. All three necks are able to rotate 360 degrees independently of each other. Each head seems to possess a degree of independence, but outside of occasional food squabbles they are remarkably in synch with each other.

Compared to most dugtrio, the Alolan dugtrio have very hard subdermal armor. Contrary to popular belief, this is not because the dugtrio need to dig through volcanic soil. All dugtrio subspecies are capable of digging very deep into the earth and withstanding relatively high heats and pressures. However, the crust under Alola is mostly composed of basalt. Most continental crust is made of the far less dense granite. Because the Alolan dugtrio takes these dense minerals and trace metals into a thin layer of armor under their skin, they are somewhat more durable. Furthermore, the Alolan dugtrio has some of the lowest physical strength of all subspecies as they seldom need to dig very fast and mostly stick to the loose soils around wetlands, coasts, and the Haina Valley.

What makes the Alolan dugtrio extraordinary are their lengthy whiskers. In addition to being aesthetically interesting, the whiskers are extremely sensitive and can detect an average car from up to ten kilometers, footsteps from up to a kilometer away, and virtually every vibration within fifty meters of them. Each whisker is coated in nerve endings and taste buds that allow them to decide if something is edible and then ignore it or move to eat it in less than one fiftieth of a second. Stranger still, dugtrio can smell underwater by rapidly blowing bubbles and inhaling them.

Behavior

Dugtrio typically live in three locations: very loose sandy soils, subterranean rivers, and shallow ponds on the surface. In deep subterranean waters, dugtrio hunt by digging beneath the lake and letting their hair rise up and sense the world around them. If they find food, the dugtrio springs into action and kills it before quickly retreating below the surface, using a strange secretion and terrakinesis to seal up their hole before it can become flooded. If they do not find food, they will seal the hole behind them and rapidly swim towards vibrations in the water until they find food. Then they will rise to the surface, catch their breath, and prepare to dive back down and back into their hole.

In shallow surface waters dugtrio do not need to dive up into the water to find prey. Instead they move along the bottom, raking up the substrate to drive out invertebrates. If they sense a fish or small dewpider on the surface they will burst out of the water and try to kill it in one go. This is when dugtrio are most often seen on the surface.

The dugtrio that live in shallow sands typically either use their vibration sensing abilities to hunt for other substrate dwellers or stay beneath the surface and wait for something small to walk over them. then they will rush out and attempt to kill their prey in a single hit. While continental dugtrio have often been observed using antlion traps to capture prey, the Alolan dugtrio has never been seen doing so and prefers to rely on blunt force impacts.

When they are not hunting, dugtrio typically relax in the elaborate tunnel system they dig beneath their territory. For sand dwelling dugtrio these burrows can be deep below the surface where the sand ends and the clay and bedrock begin. Coastal dugtrio often dig their burrows a little inland to avoid having their tunnel networks flooded.

Because taro grows best in very wet soils or patties, dugtrio naturally show up around taro farms. There they serve the dual purposes of tilling the soil in and around the taro and killing the insects that would have devastated the crops. Dugtrio’s agricultural importance, and not their hair, was why they were regarded as minor fertility gods throughout the archipelago.

Outside of evolution and maybe mating (see the relevant sections), dugtrio are relatively solitary. They do not allow other diglett or dugtrio to use their tunnels unless they are merely passing through to a different hunting ground not currently occupied by either pokémon.

Husbandry

The biggest problem in caring for dugtrio is their extreme reluctance to be entirely exposed on the surface. While they do not suffer the near-instant sunburns that other subspecies do, they still get extremely uneasy when they cannot retreat into the earth. Dugtrio will often try to dig through pavement or floors to get most of their body underground. They are strong and fast enough to make a good start before being withdrawn. Thankfully, dugtrio are incredibly tolerant of pokéballs and can spend up to twenty-three and a half hours a day in one so long as they are well fed. This probably stems from their natural tendency to relax in cramped dark spaces when not hunting.

In captivity dugtrio should be fed a mix of fish, crustaceans, insects, and occasional kibble or red meat. Small quantities of iron, obsidian, and basalt should be mixed in with their food. Dugtrio can eat up to one-third of their body weight each day. They will need to be provided with a water dish every few hours. Ideally dugtrio will have frequent access to shallow ponds or pools. Many trainers make taro patties as a source of income and a home for their pokémon.

So long as they are well fed and their other needs are met, dugtrio will often stay nearby trainer. When newly captured they may make frequent escape attempts and require constant vigilance and many withdrawals. Even the most loyal of dugtrio will rarely initiate physical affection. They generally tolerate touch when initiated by familiar humans or pokémon but will otherwise bolt away from the potential attack. Outside of grooming sessions, which are not necessary, their whiskers should never be touched.

Because of their tendency to dig when stressed or startled dugtrio do not make good housepets.

Illness

While dugtrio have lived alongside humans for millennia, they have only been held in captivity for the last three decades. The initial forays into dugtrio captivity led to many deaths from stress, starvation, infection, cuts, blunt impacts, or thirst. As such the more natural health problems that plague dugtrio have only just begun to be understood.

Rabies has been documented in the Alolan dugtrio and vaccination is required. Tapeworms and fleas are more common problems. Unfortunately, veterinarians have not yet worked out proper insecticide doses for dugtrio and medication is not advised. Coastal and subterranean dugtrio do have higher mercury concentrations in their whiskers and blood than dugtrio in the Haina Valley, but the metal doesn’t appear to have any ill effects.

Evolution

Dugtrio evolution is poorly understood. While captive dugtrio have evolved, it has been rare and poorly documented. It appears that three close diglett may make a pact to evolve and subsequently dig several kilometers into the earth. They will sometimes reemerge at the same spot several weeks later and seek out their human caretaker. Because evolution is not possible to replicate on the surface, requires three separate diglett, and often leads to abandonment trainers who want a dugtrio are recommended to catch the evolved pokémon in the wild.

Battle

The Alolan dugtrio has only been used by two unranked professional trainers, both within the last five years. Both trainers have their pokémon take advantage of loose soil and the cover of a sandstorm to make fast strikes with their sharp whiskers or undermine the opponent’s footing through seismic attacks.

The Saharan dugtrio has been used extensively in competitive battling, including by three ranked trainers. Indoor stadiums inhibit the pokémon’s movements and often outright ban dugtrio, but most high-end general purpose stadiums are either outdoors or have a deep pool of loose dirt under the battlefields. Six of the seven Continental Conference tournaments use arenas with deep soil cover. This is a relatively recent change as the finals of the Uluru Conference took place on Uluru itself until 2013. The Southern Conference takes place on an ice sheet with chalk markings delineating the field. Because it is held in the Antarctic winter only ice-types, fire-types, and other extremely cold-resistant pokémon are used.

The antlion traps used by the Sahara dugtrio block pokéball withdrawal on anything stuck inside of them. This makes dugtrio very effective slayers of steel, rock, and electric types whose opponents cannot switch out regardless of a conference’s rules. On balance, dugtrio are rather weak and incredibly fragile. One moderately powerful hit to the head will shatter the pokémon’s armor and force surrender.

On the island challenge dugtrio and diglett work best in very loose soils with sandstorm support. They struggle to do much on concrete or pavement and often immediately panic over being unallowed to dig. Under more ideal conditions, dugtrio are rather fast and can duck into the earth to avoid most attacks. Slightly precognitive pokémon can hit them when they surface and seismic moves can collapse dugtrio’s tunnels and cause substantial damage. Because newer trainers are unlikely to have either option available or the raw power to collapse tunnels by striking the ground indiscriminately diglett is very effective early in the island challenge. Dugtrio is somewhat less useful later in the challenge when opponents are bulky enough to take some attacks, fast enough to strike dugtrio when they surface, and powerful enough to win in one or two good hits.

Acquisition

Diglett require a Class I license (and $20,000 of mandatory insurance coverage) to capture, adopt, or purchase; dugtrio require a Class II license (and an identical insurance premium to diglett).

While dugtrio are most easily found in taro farms, the owners are unlikely to let trainers capture their very helpful resident moles. As such, the best places to catch them are in sandy soils and in wet caves. An exception to this rule are the terrace streams of Route 5 where dugtrio often hunt in the shallow ponds in front of waterfalls.

Beaches and the sandier portions of Haina valley are prime dugtrio habitat. Unfortunately, dugtrio seldom even peak above the surface for long. The best way to find and capture a dugtrio is with bait. While it may not be ethical to subject one of your pokémon to a (often lethal) sneak attack, follow around small pokémon and animals for long enough and you might see a diglett or dugtrio strike. The window of opportunity is very short unless a sleep-inflictor or dedicated trapper is available. It’s usually better to just throw a pokéball and skip the battle.

Dugtrio also live in the subterranean rivers, lakes, and coves of the islands. Sandy Cave, the lower levels of Verdant Cavern, Seaward Cave, Diglett’s Tunnel, and parts of the Altar Cavern-Poni Crystal Mines-Terminus Cave complex are all prime habitat for diglett and dugtrio. It is important to stay near motionless beside a stream or pond away from the most traveled paths. Ideally no lights should be used and a pokémon capable of navigating in total darkness should be on hand to initiate a battle when a mole shows up. Dugtrio completely surface when an upward dive is unsuccessful providing as good a chance as any to start a fight. The pokémon will usually be surprised enough at a large threat appearing deep in their tunnels that a few free hits can be put in. Sudden blinding light from a flashlight or headlamp can also stun the pokémon for long enough for a pokéball or two to be thrown.

Breeding

Like evolution this is poorly understood. It is not even known how to determine the sex of a dugtrio. Or how courtship works. Or whether dugtrio mate for life. Or how frequently dugtrio breed or what the size of their litters are. They have never been bred in captivity and this seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

Subspecies

Broadly speaking, dugtrio can be grouped into five groups of subspecies found throughout the Old World and Pacific islands. While there is extensive fossil evidence of dugtrio populations in the Americas, it is believed that excadrill led to the extinction of these subspecies.

Cave dugtrio are most common in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. These dugtrio are blind and have very thin skin and light subdermal armor, making them incredibly prone to sunburns and ill-suited for life on the surface. They tend to hunt in subterranean caves. Unlike the Alolan dugtrio, cave dugtrio subspecies are usually reluctant to enter the water for even very brief periods of time. Cave dugtrio sometimes hunt with precise strikes from below but are just as likely to hunt by collapsing the ground or an entire cavern onto their prey. There is evidence that cave dugtrio can live for over 100 years and can go half a decade between hunts.

Farm dugtrio typically live in the fertile grasslands of Europe. They face competition from the burrowing rattata in Africa and have been unable to establish a foothold in the savannah. Farm dugtrio do not hunt in ponds or have much affinity for water. Instead they carefully move around the root systems of grasses and other plants and eat the insects that try to feed on the roots. While they are slightly less sensitive to sunlight than cave dugtrio, they still almost never put their head above the surface. Because they both till farmland and eat parasites they were and are revered by farmers.

Sand dugtrio include the Sahara, Kalahari, Kalosian, and Gobi subspecies. While there are slight differences between the three, most notably in the properties of their traps, they follow the same general approach to hunting. All of these subspecies except for the Kalosian sand dugtrio are social. They use antlion traps to abruptly collapse the earth beneath their prey. When they hunt individually, dugtrio can snare and kill small desert species such as katsmere and sandshrew. In packs dugtrio can take down entire herds of domestic camerupt and the humans who ride them. Desert-dwelling peoples have traditionally viewed them as gods of vengeance and have often hunted other species to leave on the ground as offerings to the dugtrio. This pact has led to greatly reduced mortality rates among the nomads. In fact dugtrio often defend caravans from predatory pokémon and invading humans that do not pay proper tribute.

Mantle dugtrio probably do not live in the actual mantle. But they do live deep in the Earth, well below the seafloor. Very little is known about them. Their existence is only known through seismic tracking of small earthquakes, the existence of the Alolan dugtrio an ocean away from the other subspecies, and a single half-melted corpse found after the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens. This dugtrio specimen was nicknamed Helen by the discoverer and the media.

The Alola dugtrio is in a subspecies class of its own due to its behavioral similarities to desert, farm, and cave dugtrio. While the other subspecies are distinct from one another even when they share a range, Alolan dugtrio in all three habitats are very closely related. Dugtrio that hunt on the beaches have been known to move to caves or rice patties. Genetic testing on Helen confirmed that mantle dugtrio are the Alolan dugtrio’s closest relatives.
 
Fearow
Fearow (Spearow)

Overview

Fearow are often overlooked by trainers. While it is true that they lack the raw power of toucannon or braviary, the intelligence of honchkrow or xatu, or the durability of mandibuzz or skarmory, fearow have a niche. One of the two flying birds that is stronger is braviary, which is infamous for its slow maturation rate. The other, archeops, is incredibly difficult to obtain. Trainers who want a powerful bird that won’t take up all of their time or money are advised to consider fearow.

Physiology

Both evolutionary stages are considered dual normal- and flying-type pokémon. Neither ruling is disputed.

Spearow are small birds with relatively long featherless legs. The stomach feathers are white and the feathers on their head and back are primarily dark brown with red stripe patterns. The beaks are somewhat longer than the average bird their size. Spearow are most famous for the loud whistles they use to communicate with each other.

Fearow have longer legs and wings. The coloration of their wing and back feathers changes to a pattern of white stripes on black feathers. Fearow’s most notable features are their long flexible neck and their sharp beak. These are both employed in hunting fish: the neck lets fearow stand in rather deep water and the beak can be used to grab small fish or spear larger ones. The birds have excellent eyesight and hearing to locate their prey. Like noivern, fearow cannot fly with wet feathers and need to stand still in the sunlight with wings spread out in a semicircle as they dry. Anything that approaches a sunning fearow will be given a warning whistle before receiving a series of powerful stabbing attacks.

Despite being primarily aquatic, fearow do not have waterproof feathers or webbed feet. They are wholly unable to swim and must rely on wading to move through the water. What they lack in swimming ability they more than compensate for in flight. Fearow’s long broad wings are excellent at catching thermals and fearow can dramatically lower their metabolism when they glide. This lets them migrate up to 500 kilometers without having to touch the ground or feed.

Fearow can live up to ten years in the wild or twenty in captivity. They often obtain wingspans of two meters and can weigh up to five kilograms.

Behavior

Spearow primarily live in brush and tall prairies. Farmers who grow crops on dry soils love spearow because they hunt the insects that plague crops. They have been dubbed the diglett of the air. Spearow are rather social and live in flocks of five to fifteen birds. Both stages are primarily diurnal, although fearow often take midday naps and have brief periods of activity at night. When spearow are not hunting they prefer to take refuge in trees.

Fearow are piscivorous. Unlike the many other piscivorous birds in Alola, fearow prefer to hunt in relatively shallow estuarine waters and inland streams. Their main competitors in this role, araquanid and bewear, are deterred by the prospect of an elementally-charged peck. Fearow spend almost all of their time sunning, sleeping or fishing. They live in mated pairs rather than large flocks. While one hunts, the other watches for vikavolt and predators. At night both fearow fly into a large tree to sleep.

Husbandry

Spearow are relatively easy birds to care for. The bulk of their diet should be made up of insect mixes. Popped or unpopped popcorn serves as an effective treat for reasons that are still not well understood. Dishes of water should be provided once or twice a day. Spearow are diurnal and rather social birds and will prefer to be out of their pokéball and near their trainer for as much of the day as possible. The first major drawback to this is that spearow, like most birds, have a tendency to defecate when they take off. This means that it is difficult to housebreak them. More importantly for some trainers spearow have a tendency to stay perched on their trainer until something catches their attention and they fly after it, defecating on their trainer as they do so. The second drawback to having a spearow out is that they are territorial birds that will sometimes attack other pokémon that get too close.

Fearow are less of a hassle in public, but the larger amounts of (more expensive) food they require them somewhat more difficult to care for. Fish should be the core of their diet with periodic additions of tarantulas or other large insects. Coconuts make good training tools and treats as the birds love to stab into them and drink. When thrown they can work as a target as the fearow tries to strike through it in midair. Dips in water are also good for calming fearow and potentially even providing them with free food. While spearow are tolerant of pokéballs at night, fearow are not and prefer to roost near their trainer. Unfortunately, they are also difficult to housebreak and produce a rather large amount of waste. Stationary trainers are not advised to have carpet installed in their bedrooms.

Spearow require shows of dominance to bond with at first, followed by a slew of battles or games to keep the pokémon entertained. Fearow are best bonded with through displays of kindness and affection. Other birds are useful for enticing either bird to stay and take orders. This makes them common on bird specialist’s teams. Both stages are quite capable of cleaning themselves from anything but oil-based attacks.

Illness

Like many bird species, fearow can be carriers of avian influenza. The disease generally causes no harm to fearow, but may kill other birds. Bird-to-human transmission has been documented but is extremely rare, even among bird trainers, so long as basic sanitary measures are observed. Trainers should thoroughly wash their hands after handling fearow waste. Because of the lack of symptoms it is difficult to diagnose carriers. If another bird in the party comes down with avian influenza, a more thorough test on the fearow can be conducted.

Avian botulism has been a recurring problem among fearow in Alola. A series of outbreaks between 2004 and 2009 strongly contributed to the Alolan swanna’s numbers plummeting to twelve captive birds, all off the islands. Fearow fared little better but populations began to recover due to the lack of competition from swanna and the decreased concentration of waterfowl making it more difficult for the pandemic to spread. Trainers should be very mindful of the symptoms of avian botulism such as partial paralysis in the wing, difficulty swimming, and labored breathing. The bird stands a decent chance of survival if the disease is caught early.

Mercury, pesticide, and insecticide concentrations are problems for all piscivorous birds, fearow included. These symptoms can be best avoided by limiting the pokémon’s ability to feed in the wild, or at least to feed near agricultural or industrial sites. High concentrations of toxic chemicals tend to cause problems in reproduction such as sterility and thin eggshells. They seldom have visible consequences outside of breeding.

Evolution

Spearow gradually transition to fearow. A relatively rapid increase in size occurs between eighteen and thirty months of age. This is the evolution period. The formal demarcation is the replacement of the old coloration of the wing feathers with the black and white pattern of a fearow.

Battle

On the competitive scene where trainers have the time, experience, and money to invest in stronger birds or flighted dragons, fearow sees relatively little use.

Spearow are reasonably powerful for their size and are brutal scrappers. They seldom need or take orders once they get into the thick of things. This means that they win or lose almost purely by their relative strength and defenses to the opponent.

Fearow can be played a little more tactically. The first and biggest choice is whether they should take off or stay on the ground. Unlike honchkrow or braviary, fearow do not rely on full body tackles powered by gravity. Instead they primarily attack through beak strikes. In the air fearow are faster and better able to dodge attacks. However, they must get close to attack which leads to a lot of signaling. Furthermore wing damage while flying can cause a lot of damage and potentially even a one-hit knockout. Grounded fearow are slower but often able to use their long neck and beak to zone opposing melee fighters. They can also strike very quickly and are difficult to block. A good rule of thumb is that flight is better against ranged attackers and a grounded stance is better against melee-oriented opponents.

While fearow while struggle on the fourth island, they are otherwise quite capable pokémon. Even spearow can hold their own for the first few trials.

Acquisition

Fearow can be found along ponds, rivers, and wetlands in the interior of all four islands, as well as in a few cold-water estuaries such as Kala’e Bay. They are most easily seen in the day. Unlike noivern, sunning fearow are fair game. Trainers pursuing fearow should be advised that the bird probably has a mate that will hound the human who took partner. For these reasons, only spearow is recommended for capture. It is still legal to capture fearow, although it is usually best to capture both mated pokémon or to watch a fearow over the course of several days to make sure that it does not yet have a mate. In addition, spearow can be purchased at some agricultural specialty stores.

Spearow can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class I license. Fearow can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class II license.

Breeding

Fearow choose mates the third spring after they reach full size. Once bonded pairs stay together for life. Widows and widowers do not pick new mates.

The male begins building a nest in the early autumn by bringing sticks into the tree and building a skeleton. The female eventually adds in the fine details. Only two or three eggs are laid at a time but mated couples breed every year and survival rates for chicks are rather high. One bird will always be incubating the eggs and the nest is big enough for both parents to stand in. Fearow and spearow do make sure to defecate outside of their nest, but they seldom bother to go very far. As such fearow nests often have white rims.

Around their first birthday spearow are taken to a farm or prairie by their parents. The fearow will go back to the marsh and the spearow are left to find others and find for themselves.

Fearow can be bred in captivity. However, doing so requires staying stationary for several months at a time and accepting that one partner will always be on the nest. Fearow can breed with pelipper although they rarely do so in the wild. If there is another bird on the team of the opposite sex, fearow may still bond with it and even mate. No viable offspring will result. Mated fearow are less attached to their trainer than fearow that are single or in a non-reproductive pairing.

Subspecies

Despite being closely related to swanna, pelipper, cramorant, farfetch’d, and other waterfowl and shorebirds, the Japanese fearow seldom gets near the water. Japanese spearow are very similar to the Pacific spearow. Upon evolution, fearow keep much the same color scheme as their juvenile stage. Also unlike the Pacific fearow the Japanese subspecies must compete with pidgeot. This causes the fearow to stay near the fields where they lived as spearow. They use their sensitive hearing to listen for bugs and their beak to stab through trees or earth to snap them up. Because they share their range, fearow continue to watch out after their offspring until and even after evolution.

The California fearow was driven extinct by a combination of DDT, an oil spill, and mercury poisoning in the 1960s. They were golden in color and slightly larger than the Pacific fearow. Because they were free from competition from large piscivorous raptors or dragons, the California fearow nested on the ground and hunted for prey in the ocean.
 
heyo, a fractional amount of crossposting. tried to stay relevant to the ones you've actually crossposted here lol.

in general this one is a good staple and a good relic of a fair election. vespiquen is creepy, but in a buggish sort of way. eating through the brain is optimal. eating honey is also optimal. we must all work together as one to serve the queen. I didn't even know that dynamax Vespiquen is a thing, but I like the way you handle the repeated + government sponsored battling of it.

Persephone said:
It was once believed that vespiquen dominated combee by either fear or telepathy. Neither is true. Instead, vespiquen use powerful pheromones to gain the obedience of their subjects. This obedience is not absolute, either. All drones are loyal to the hive. If the vespiquen is badly injured and her pheromones begin to weaken the combee will not hesitate to kill her and repurpose her body mass into a new vespiquen (see Evolution).
I like this take on vespiquen biology in general, but the demystification of the hivemind is my favorite. You do a great job of showing off the other alien/very different mentalities at play here without immediately defaulting to literal hivemind.
Persephone said:
The vespiquen will make no move to resist as she also wants the best for the hive, whether or not she leads it.
yes good
Persephone said:
They use weak aerokinesis to keep their heavy armor and three bodies aloft with one set of wings.
against all known laws of aviation ...
Persephone said:
Water, pollen, and nectar can be provided directly. Providing royal jelly and honey instead allows the vespiquen to shift drone production away from workers and towards builders and warriors.
I thought this was a neat touch--seems like a detail that a lot of battlers would want to know.
Persephone said:
When the vespiquen dies the strongest princess will eat its way into the brain through the old queen’s eyes. Once inside a flash evolution will occur that “resurrects” the vespiquen. Damage is healed proportional to the number of drones sacrificed.
this is excellent and deeply horrifying. The eyes are the easiest point of entry to the brain, peak efficiency, good work.
Persephone said:
Vespiquen are best off battling as they would in the wild: with hundreds of combee at their size.
size -> side here
Persephone said:
On one notable occasion a ranked trainer’s prize aggron was killed after an amateur with a vespiquen sent a small army of drones into her windpipe and caused her to choke to death. The Brockton Incident, as it is called in competitive circles, is widely cited when limiting vespiquen to only non-combee drones in battle.
I am genuinely stunned that it took this long to get a Worm reference in this article. I was waiting for it the entire time lol.
Persephone said:
Curiously, salazzle has been found to hard counter vespiquen. The amphibian’s pheromones are more potent than the vespiquen’s own and can confuse the combee, even driving them to attack their queen. Some trainers have taken to applying salazzle or vespiquen pheromones to their pokémon before battling a known vespiquen trainer. The tactic is currently legal but frowned upon as unsporting.
Loved this as a tactic
Persephone said:
When rain falls
this is a coded cry for help from rainfall in the hivemind and you cannot convince me otherwise
Persephone said:
Killing the vespiquen is perfectly legal with the permission of the local government.
I thought the phrasing here was particularly entertaining--isn't anything perfectly legal with permission of the government?

---

went to machoke next since I needed to remember how you quantified machamp strength vs bone density for,,, reasons.

I enjoy the commitment to tons of research for one or two throwaway lines about bone density and ligaments. Herbivorous machamp who just enjoy helping people is also a really wholesome take, although I have to wonder how they got so ridiculously strong if they weren't filling an apex predator role. Classing them as therapsids is also a clever way to get around the body shape vs head shape differences that are running around.

Persephone said:
Machop are short bipeds with a human-like shape, a stubby tail, leathery gray skin, and three ridges above their head. The ridges are useful for increasing the machop’s surface area, helping vent the massive amounts of heat that their bodies can generate while exercising.
I like the reimagining of the little ridges as heat sinks--presumably this is less of a reimagining and just more of what they've always been, but I appreciate having it blatantly pointed out to me since I wasn't going to figure this out on my own.
Persephone said:
Machoke grow incredibly strong as a result, but this comes with a price. While machoke have bones much denser than an ordinary human’s, they are still not nearly strong enough to withstand a machoke’s full strength. Firing off uninhibited punches can literally shatter the pokémon’s body in the process. In the wild the plate is only removed when the pokémon is already dying and wants to accomplish one last thing.
Thought this was a particularly clever way to get around the belt silliness with biological reasoning. The question of "why and how do some pokemon wear clothes" can be dodged once again.
Persephone said:
A full grown machamp has ligaments with the tensile strength of silicon and bones tough enough to withstand their own punches. Even without removing their plate, machamp can punch 1000 times a second and exert energy equivalent to a kiloton of TNT. Unfortunately for humanity (but fortunately for machamp), the ambient energy that strengthens them dissipates after death, making machamp bones unviable as an industrial material.
Silicone actually feels like a flimsy metric for tensile strength here? Apologies if I was the one who okayed this initially. Looks like tendons (of wild turkeys) have UTS ranging from 66-112 MPa [link]; silicone ranges from 2.4 to 5.5 MPa [link]. I feel like for this one you wanted something to be slightly flimsy (since the tendons are what limit machamp from becoming the dominant species on earth by just punching things to death); can offer different material suggestions that would still fill that niche if you want to narrow it down to slightly weaker/same/stronger than actual ligaments (or! could just say that while their bones are dense, their ligaments are roughly on-par; I think that would have the same effect).

I liked the notes that the bones stop being strong after death, and specifically how this is a great sorrow for humans. Also explains why we don't just build out of corpses.
Persephone said:
Many trainers are terrified the first time a machoke jumps into their path and demands a battle. They pose very little risk in practice: the entire line is herbivorous and machoke try not to seriously hurt their opponents. The challenge that looks scary to humans is just a standard greeting in machoke society.
henlo! this is so cute
Persephone said:
In the wild machamp often follow apex predators around to watch for prey species that can put up a solid fight.
Didn't quite follow the logic here--if the prey species can put up a solid fight against the apex predator, do they come back when the prey species is no longer injured, or does it challenge it on the spot? Seems like this would only guarantee finding weakened opponents.
Persephone said:
Be aware that machoke and machamp are not built for delicate hand movements. They can safely carry bulky goods, people, or mid-size to large pokémon. Items smaller than their hand are often broken, especially if moving them requires dexterity.
This was a really cute detail.
Persephone said:
The first evolution usually occurs around the tenth birthday with the second occurring around the fiftieth birthday. Newly evolved machamp leave their dojo to wander around the wild, only briefly rejoining machoke dojos to breed.
"around" and then the specificity of the birthday was a bit strange to me--are there other celebrations for other birthdays besides 10/50? Do they sometimes delay a few weeks, hence the around?
Persephone said:
The few pokémon that can take multiple hits can also fall prey to machamp if they have a conventional head.
lmao get wrecked
Persephone said:
Many exploit the species’ relatively inaccurate throws by staying at a distance.
sad no guard sounds
Persephone said:
Some particularly strong fire -type pokémon
I don't think there's a space between the hyphen in "fire-type", but the rules for that have been traditionally bullshit for forever, so.
Persephone said:
Otherwise the machamp will easily revenge kill it.
the use of "revenge kill" feels a bit brutal in a world that probably hasn't developed seeing pokemon as pixels.
Persephone said:
Machamp are one of the most metagame defining pokémon in the world.
I like this flip from being roughly UU and below with a few standout debuts in OU when snorlax was annoying.
Persephone said:
The female will lay a clutch of three to five eggs about sixteen days later. She will drop them off at the nearest machoke dojo. Then she will leave. The male will stay another thirty to forty days until the eggs hatch.
Thought this was strange -- eggs? Then I learned that therapsids are not nearly as close to mammals as I had initially thought.

---

ended up finding the next entry I wanted to read simply by scrolling down, because all rocks are good frens and deserve love

Particularly liked the incorporation of the sunlight/sound elements of the lore--I never fully wrapped my head around why a pokemon that's mostly subterranean would evolve in a way that makes it benefit from being in direct sunlight, but sure. Ronks like sunning. It is very warm and they like light. I like the younger stages' characterization as just eating all of the metal; silly humans not understand why having so much food in one place in the open is just bad form if you didn't want it to be eaten. Plus there are so many interesting kinds of metal in one place here.

Persephone said:
The line has the peculiar ability to attune and amplify energy waves around them. While gigalith use this to unleash powerful solar beams, roggenrola and boldore generally stick to sound waves or electrical currents. Upscale concert venues typically keep a few sound-tolerant roggenrola around as part of their acoustics system.
This is a bad pun and I am here for it.
Persephone said:
The connective tissue between the main body and the legs is made of Pele’s hair.
Persephone said:
the pele’s hair is withdrawn
I think it'd be more clear to stick to the lowercase capitalization consistently throughout--given that this is Alola I thought of capital Pele instead of the crystal on first glance.
Persephone said:
Boldore are generally fine with noise as long as they are actively amplifying or otherwise controlling it. Unfortunately for trainers, this means that they are prone to magnifying the sounds of crying babies or loud arguments without being asked to do so.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Persephone said:
They live in flows of fifty to three hundred boldore. The flows slowly migrate over the island they live on, entering different caves and eating minerals found within. If a boldore dies, its body is cannibalized by other members of the flow and the area is left immediately. Boldore are relatively curious about the world and prone to spending years at a time studying interesting things, living or otherwise.
It is very important to study things and understand them!

The cannibalization element dropped casually is great lol.
Persephone said:
Small pokémon often use gigalith as a warm perch to rest on, confident that the gigalith will retaliate against anything that tries to start a fight on its body. Small felines are particularly prone to doing this. Psychics have discovered that the gigalith are seldom able to differentiate the cats currently living on them from their distant ancestors.
help. my heart
Persephone said:
Gigalith simply have no need for thought or memory unless their environment drastically changes. Then and only then will gigalith start accessing memories and slow their relative sense of time down for a long enough period of time to find another sunny perch to sit in.
this is the most important reason for migration
Persephone said:
Ideally over a dozen boldore would be housed together.
One dozen is far too few. We must line the walls of whatever room we occupy. For this reason, smaller rooms are preferred.
Persephone said:
However, at least one has become fond of games in which they move around obsidian marbles. Marble games are a good way to train the pokémon in more subtle uses of their vibrations.
hahaha oh no
Persephone said:
Ideally they will cannibalize parts of an existing gigalith. Memories are stored at the base of crystals, allowing newly evolving boldore to gain some of the memories of a gigalith that came before.
This was a cool and vaguely platyhelminthes way to approach rock eating.
Persephone said:
Unfortunately, very loud music is seldom enough to outright knock out a pokémon.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I like the use of "seldom"; like the warning tags saying not to put your Nintendo Switch in the microwave, it means that it has happened more than once
Persephone said:
Gigalith can be found at high elevations with direct sunlight. Alola’s largest lives on the steps of the Altar of the Moone. Other notable gigalith live in Wela National Park and at the summit of Ten Carat Hill. Capture of gigalith is illegal due to their very long lifespans and the probability of collateral damage to a protected site during a capture battle.
This was a really cute detail
Persephone said:
Gaining loyalty or imposing meaningful training regimens can be difficult, especially if the flow was about to migrate or was in the process of doing so when the pokémon was captured.
where are they going? what would they migrate to??? science will never know

---

for the memes and the lithovore team I had to go to sableye next. I like the angle for this one--I imagine you've already had your share of creepy ghosts doing weird human things, so here they are just doing cryptid shit that goes bump in the dark. The range of ideas covered is really impressive, and I like this idea that there's a strange, undocumented apex predator in Mammoth Cave. What is it? Is it a pokemon that we know about? One that we don't? I don't think (?) that there's an answer in this entry and I'm actually perfectly fine with it; it feels very true to the weird cave shit that we don't know about, and I like the idea that there are still ongoing mysteries in the pokemon world.

Persephone]Sableye were first sighted in 1841 by spelunkers deep in the bowels of Mammoth Cave. They were sighted again in the upper levels of the cave in 1857 said:
Now there is an increasingly popular theory that gengar may have complex emotional lives and a tragic misunderstanding of their circumstances.

This does not make them harmless.
Between this and the ending line I feel like you slipped into a more dramatic prose style here, and I'm here for it haha. ADex gets edgy let's go.
Persephone said:
The mass of a healthy, fully developed gengar is exactly 40.61 kilograms.
Purely curiosity--is there a reason why this exact number?
Persephone said:
This is complicated by haunter’s incredible jealousy: even if they are fond of their trainer, they will attempt to sabotage all of their close relationships with intelligent pokémon and other humans.
baby why don't you love me I've done so many nice things for you
Cuicatl should get a haunter. I would like to see the sheer scale of collateral damage.
Persephone said:
They are also capable of scanning memories to quickly learn the human language in full and then use illusions to speak. Gengar have human comparable intelligence and are generally capable of being treated as a close human friend.
This is deeply terrifying and I like the image of it--a ghost approaching you and then just speaking to you in full.
Persephone said:
Several prominent scholars are channelers. The chair of Goldenrod University’s ghost studies department is even a ghost-type pokémon herself.
This is also dope. Johto's doing it right!
Persephone said:
Gastly are formed from human deaths. Gengar typically believe themselves to be the deceased person in a new form. Most of the evolutionary process is about remembering and accepting who they are and what happened to them.
This is an interesting thought that I'd love to see explored in a one-shot or something. Silly humans in their prevo stage; should hold eviolite to be stronger.
Persephone said:
Alternatively, humans react to them the same way they always have: fear and disgust. After all, haunter still need to feed and their hauntings are decidedly unpleasant. Their possible victims have very good reason to shun haunter away. Even sympathetic people have to deal with haunter being possessive, violent, and unable to fully comprehend their emotions.
I think "often" over "always" would help here, since the previous paragraph suggests that cooperative and loving homes are possible and can result in a wholesome evolution for everyone.
Persephone said:
All stages of the line hate telepathic damage as it hits their already fragile and confused psyche. Mud or fine sand particulates can get stuck in their bodies and take a moment to filter out. Until cleared, debris inside of the fog substantially slows the pokémon down.
I thought this + the bright lights details in the battling section were particularly cool for explaining the weird weaknesses of Gengar specifically, based on the behaviors discussed.
Persephone said:
Gengar require a Class V license to possess without the gengar’s consent. With consent they only require a Class III license.
heh, "possess"
Persephone said:
Gengar do not breed. Some human deaths, for reasons currently unknown, produce a new gastly. Folklore and recent history suggest that gastly are most common following mass tragedies involving the air such as towns choked by volcanoes or smoke, tornadoes, hypothermia or heatstroke, the rampages of flying-type legendaries, or the use of chemical weapons on soldiers or civilians.
Ah hmmm, who would do that??? I like the range of triggers here, a long line of mostly-natural disasters, and then chemical warfare. Interesting that there are volcanoes mentioned ... should Kekoa be worried?

---

Persephone said:
Still, their intelligence and folklore make them extremely popular among a certain subset of trainer: teenage girls with no friends, a goth-inspired wardrobe, a chip on their shoulder. At least one literal vampire has befriended one.
i mean naturally how could i not.

This one is fun. It's like the sparknotes for that book on corvid biology that you recommended that I read but then the library didn't have it and eight months passed. Lots of fun features for murkrow biology, I like how they still cuddle but are little shitlords, and the hierarchy systems that they set up were super interesting as well + make for a logical segue between mob societies that are made of birds.

Persephone said:
However, the belief that honchkrow deliberately starve the murkrow like raticate starve rattata is false. While honchkrow prioritize their survival over the murkrow in extremely difficult times, the distribution of food in good times is usually rather equitable when adjusting for body mass.
this is an optimal and benevolent mob boss; good
Persephone said:
The latter is not strictly a requirement, as one murkrow was observed trying to drag away a small television set several times larger than itself.
yes good
Persephone said:
Gaining their respect requires acting like a honchkrow. Many trainers assume that this just means bullying their pokémon.
my god who would EVER
Persephone said:
Wild honchkrow are not particularly kind to their children. After losses in battle, they will harass their trainer just as much as a newly caught murkrow does. However, honchkrow are willing to share any kills they make and will occasionally cuddle with their trainer at night.
I liked the dichotomy here--bird sees you as child! This is! bad! for you! sometimes.
Persephone said:
They do not immediately form their own murder, instead grouping into murders of sub-adults that roam between territories, scaring off other scavengers when possible and doing their own hunting when necessary.
Oooh, is this common in corvids? I'm reminded of lions but I imagine the behavior is widespread.
Persephone said:
Brave bird or sky attack are ideal moves with sucker punch or dark pulse serving as a compliment. Heat wave, steel wing, or superpower provides useful coverage.
Probably a bit biased because I came off of four or five entries that I think covered moves + how they specifically are favored to the species' habits and biology in really excellent ways, but this particular battle section felt a bit clinical to me. Are any of these commonly used in the wild or do they mostly just spend their time using brute force? Maybe their intelligence makes them easily able to pick up a wide variety of moves specifically for the circuit?

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Overall this was a really excellent wikiwalk, kind of akin to just stumbling through various entries and reading dumb things on Wikipedia for an hour or so. I'm still really impressed by the sheer amount of random background information that filters here + how there are a ton of unique takes here; I had two lithovores, two ghosts, etc but they felt like uniquely studied species with their own quirks and biological niches.

Dumb suggestion and you'd probably hate implementing it, but on the subject of wikiwalks--it'd be pretty cool if there were links to the other entries as they're mentioned (i.e. the hawlucha entry mentions they train well with machop).
 
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