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! Pawniard Line

!! Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

* Pawniard [#624]
* Bisharp [#625]
* Kingambit [#983]

!! Physical Description

Pawniard is a Steel-Dark Pokémon. It is half a meter tall, and weighs 10.2 kilograms. It has a humanoid figure; however, its body is almost entirely covered by a tough, metallic exoskeleton, with only a pair of large, yellow eyes uncovered. Pawniard’s torso is gray and egg-shaped, with four curved blades forming a shape resembling a ribcage. Its arms and legs are red and highly flexible. Its feet are rounded white hooves. Its arms both end [[BladeBelowTheShoulder in six-inch blades]] made from a material that greatly resembles bone. This suggests that Pawniard may have an internal skeleton in addition to its outer shell (See Notable Biology). Pawniard’s head is small and round, with a white patch over its mouth. The head is covered by a large, thick, gray and red helmet with a sharp crest emerging from the top. This gives Pawniard the appearance of a chess piece when inactive (Thus its [[MeaningfulName name]]).

Bisharp is now 1.6 meters tall, weighing 70 kilograms. Its torso has thinned into a cylinder, and the rib-blades have lengthened and thickened. It now has thicker armor around its shoulders (including a new yellow ring between shoulder and arm) and thighs, giving it far more endurance than its pre-evolved form. Its hooves have lengthened greatly, and are now a pair of foot-long toes (giving Bisharp surprising speed). Bisharp’s arms are now uncovered, revealing a gray interior, and the arm-blades have transformed into white bladed gauntlets. Its eyes are smaller, and the white patch has become yellow. Its helmet now extends over its brow, with a huge yellow blade reaching from the front of the helmet to the back.

There are rare accounts of Pawniard being found with blue replacing the red parts of its body. These mutants evolve into Bisharp with similar changes, in addition to a much lighter shade of yellow replacing the original. Although these variations do not seem to have any difference from normal members of the Pawniard line (outside of aesthetics) they are highly prized by collectors.

!! Notable Biology

The only noticeable aspect of Pawniard and Bisharp’s anatomy is its exoskeleton, which appears to be a combination of bone and metal. (See Diet for information on the metal composition of Pawniard’s exoskeleton)
This exoskeleton is Pawniard’s only natural defense. As such, Pawniard will, when not hunting, sleeping (Pawniard do not sleep often, due to their Steel typing), or eating, constantly sharpen their blades, polish their armor, and generally keep themselves in good condition. Bisharp and Kingambit are no less picky about this, and are, if anything, more so.

Pawniard grow this exoskeleton over time, and do not have it from birth. As such, scientists have studied what Pawniard look like under their shell. They have found that Pawniard is, in fact, a vertebrate with an internal skeletal structure (several people have noted a vague resemblance to a shell-less Shuckle, but very little is made of this, and most people believe the resemblance to be coincidental). One scientist in particular (Dr. Jenkins Hark, a mostly unknown Pokémon Researcher) made a career out of studying shell-less Pawniard, creating conditions in which the Pawniard is unable to grow a shell. He has found that a Pawniard unable to produce its trademark pseudo-exoskeleton will become anxious and depressed, and refuse to do almost anything under its own volition. Dr. Hark recently announced his intention to attempt to evolve a Pawniard without its shell to observe the result. Few people believe it to be possible, and Professor Juniper awaits his findings.

In addition to its anatomy, there is an aspect of the Pawniard line’s behavior that bears mentioning. A group of four to six Pawniard and a single Bisharp (usually all siblings, although not always) form groups. Interestingly, Bisharp appears to have a sort of mental control over the Pawniard in its group, although it may simply be an extremely strong example of pack instinct. Either way, a Pawniard has never been seen to disobey a Bisharp, even when a given order is borderline suicidal. (See Social Structure for more information on this.)

!! Habitat

Within Unova, Pawniard and Bisharp are found near Opeleucid City. Pawniard are usually found on Route 9 (With their leader Bisharp almost always hiding in wait for food), while Bisharp are found primarily on Route 11. These Bisharp, however, are mostly rogues who have been exiled from their pack, and they often do not have a long life expectancy, as most Pokémon will kill them on sight to prevent the Bisharp from eating them or their young.

!! Diet

Pawniard and Bisharp are both primarily carnivorous, preying on almost any non-Poison-type Pokémon they can find (Bouffalant is a favorite, with Minccino and Cinccino a close second). Strangely, they will also leave Solosis and its evolutions alone, despite their type advantage over the Cell Pokémon. Scientists have provided many reasons for this behavior, but most people believe that Solosis simply does not taste good.

Pawniard and Bisharp have a unique method of hunting for prey. First, a pack will prowl around, searching for prey. When prey is found, the Pawniard will attack, leaping onto their chosen target, latching to them with the rib-blades, and slashing until shaken off. They will continue doing this for as long as necessary, following prey incessantly. When their prey finally stops running (either from exhaustion or from deciding to fight back), Bisharp will step in, delivering a finishing blow. Bisharp will then apportion the meat.

However, a large part of the Pawniard line’s diet is metal. Bisharp will use the Pawniard at its command (see Social Structure) to mine veins of metal out of the walls of mountains, eat them, and absorb the metals into its exoskeleton. While Pawniard and Bisharp do not need the metal for nutrients, it is essential to keeping their exoskeleton in good condition.

!! Hazards

Members of the Pawniard line are, of course, extremely dangerous. Their blades are sharp enough to slice through rock, and flesh is much softer. Strikes from a Pawniard will cause deep wounds, although not usually fatal. Bisharp, on the other hand, has been known to cut off limbs with its slashes.

Both Pawniard and Bisharp are capable of adding energy of various sorts (usually Dark or Ghost, although some people have reported [[PsychicPowers Psychic]] energy being involved). In addition, well-trained Pawniard and Bisharp are capable of using their blades to quickly and systematically kill an enemy in a [[SingleStrokeBattle single strike,]] no matter how well-armored the foe. This technique has been [[FanNickname dubbed Guillotine]] by Trainers, for obvious reasons. This attack has been illegalized in almost all leagues (Even the Big Five), unless you have been given a permit by special Move Tutors, indicating that your Pokémon is able to simply knock out a foe with Guillotine.

If you are attacked by a Bisharp pack, do not run, as they are most likely much faster than you. Do not remain still, as Bisharp will then kill you. The proper response is to release all your Pokémon. Bisharp and Pawniard will rarely attack if outnumbered or outpowered by their foe, and, as such, they will (hopefully) leave you alone. If they persist (indicating that they are extremely hungry, or that you have very weak, edible-looking Pokémon), prepare yourself for a tough battle. Bisharp are intelligent, and teach Pawniard under their command surprisingly complex tactical maneuvers.

!! Courting and Childrearing

Pawniard do not mate in the wild, although they will do so in captivity.

When packs led by two Bisharp of the opposite gender meet, the two Bisharp will [[SlapSlapKiss fight.]] The winner will, if impressed by the battle, initiate mating with the other Bisharp. The female will lay 5-10 eggs, burying them in a secluded spot. Eggs take approximately 5 months to hatch.

Bisharp do not care for their young, and if they are encountered in the wild, they will be treated the same way as any other pack (fight to the death if same gender, mating fight if opposite gender).

!! Social Structure

As mentioned, Pawniard and Bisharp travel in groups. From the first day of having a full exoskeleton, one Pawniard from a clutch will establish dominance over the others through [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership battle]]. This Pawniard will get the lion’s share of any food found or killed by the group, and will evolve into Bisharp more quickly. At this point, the Bisharp will gain full control over its pack.

If a non-dominant Pawniard evolves into a Bisharp (an unusual event, as Bisharp usually do their best to prevent Pawniard from getting sufficient food to evolve), the two Bisharp will battle each other for dominance. The winner will become (or remain) leader of the pack, while the loser will be exiled. If an exiled Bisharp is found by its old pack, it will be attacked on sight and [[ImAHumanitarian eaten.]] Similar behavior will result if two Bisharp packs meet. Fortunately, this rarely happens.

[[Trainer Note: Never under any circumstances capture a Bisharp. It will see you as an opposing Bisharp, and will attack you at its first opportunity, a fight which you are unlikely to win. If you catch a Pawniard, keep it mind that it will take some discipline for it to acknowledge you as pack leader. As such, upon introducing a Pawniard to your party, expect disobedience at first, and be prepared to quell it.]]

!! In Human Society

The Pawniard line has a bad reputation in human society for its aggressive tendencies. In media, they are almost [[AlwaysChaoticEvil always portrayed as villains.]] Despite this, many Dark or Steel type enthusiasts are very fond of the Sharp Blade Pokémon, both for its power and its elegant appearance.

Recently, a trade has sprung up in Pawniard exoskeletons (They are extremely hard and shiny, and can be made into both jewelry and weapons). Local government does not mind, as the hunting keeps Pawniard populations from overrunning Opeleucid City. However, Drayden has imposed several restrictions on hunting of Pawniard, as if the Sharp Blade Pokémon went extinct, other species of Pokémon (Bouffalant especially) would themselves overrun Opeleucid.

Finally, a member of the Unovan Elite Four, Grimsley, recently acquired a Bisharp. This has led to [[TheRedStapler the popularity of the Pokémon increasing greatly.]]

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[-Written by Tropers/{{MemyselfandI2}}.-]