Bounsweet Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Bounsweet [#761]
- Steenee [#762]
- Tsareena [#763]
Physical Descriptions
The Bounsweet is a foot-tall mobile spheroid fruit with a purplish pink rubbery shell that opens three quarters of the way down to expose the soft rumpled white flesh of the inner creature. It ambles about on two tiny stubs made of the same substance of its shell, with a quartet of hard pale leaves and a single stem atop its head. Yellow film forms a pair of beady yellow eyes for the creature to look out into the world, and the front of the rubber shell is often opened into a wide, grinning mouth.Upon evolving into a Steenee, the pokemon more than doubles in height and gains a more humanoid form. The rubber shell has compressed into a dress-like structure, dividing the lower flesh into six segments which as a skirt for the now longer legs. The top point of the shell has ruptured and a pinkish inner surface extends to collar the now exposed head, with a pair of supple white arms now reaching out of this new growth. The head is round white flesh, with a pair of large-white set magenta eyes each sporting a triangular purple eyelash and set above a broadly smiling mouth. The left and right leaves atop the head lengthen to a point where they can frame the hips, with a small freckling of yellowish green adorning their top.
A Steenee will only evolve into a Tsareena if they learn the move Stomp. This new stage is almost twice as tall again as the Steenee, and almost all the new height is focused in the now powerful long legs wrapped in the thick rubbery shell that flares around the thighs. The upper shell's outer portion is almost completely gone, save for a thin layer wrapping the arms. However, the pinkish inner portion has not only remained but grown further, reshaping the skirt flesh and growing to cover the lower half of the head. The magenta eyes now sport long lashes and pinkish eyeshadow, while the leaves atop the head have grown even further. The foremost leaf sweeps to the side in a curve, while the other three dangle almost to the ground and are covered in yellow spot patterns. The stem has developed into a bud-like crown, the same shade as its former shell; it is divided into quarters with small gaps exposing the yellow inner surface.
A rare mutation can cause the cloroplasts of the Bounsweet line to grow in the flesh instead of the leaves; this leaves the flesh green and the leaves a purplish gray, and is somewhat sought after by collectors.
Notable Biology
The Bounsweet line is notable for the incredibly aromatic sap that leaks from their fruity flesh; the sugar itself makes the Bounsweet line very energetic. In some members of this line an extreme amount of sun will set the biological manufacture of this substance into overdrive, allowing the pokemon to shrug off most long-term combat effects. Conversely, other members of this line have the sap running thickly in their veins, to the point where they cannot discern their ordinary level of excitement from infatuation and therefore tend to be oblivious to pokemon attempting to attract them. Members of the second group, once evolved to Tsareena, prove to be so energetic that their reflexes allow them to counter moves that might otherwise surprise them in combat. A rare few members of the Bounsweet line have learned to extend the power of their sap through their aroma, preventing themselves or those around them from falling asleep when they don't want to.There are a few other notable features to the Bounsweet line; their rubbery shell and leaves not only provide protection from predators attracted by their sweet aroma, but also serve as a primary skeleton for their bodies. This makes the entire line very squishy in certain regions, such as the head and hip area. The line is also universally female, a trait shared by very few pokemon species; some scholars suspect that the Bounsweet line might have originated as a regional mutation of the very similar Petilil line, though this speculation has yet to be confirmed.
Habitat
The Bounsweet line is native to the Lush Jungle on northwest Akala Island, and has yet to be introduced to any other environment. Young Bounsweet actually serve as a foundation of the food web in the area, though Steenee and Tsareena are less likely to be consumed.Diet
Aside from photosynthesis, the Bounsweet line generally eats fruits, berries, and small leaves. Bounsweet itself usually gathers these from wherever they fall, where Steenee actively harvest them from the trees and Tsareena will take the best harvest from their group (see below).Behavior and Social Structure
The Bounsweet line is, in a word, energetic. They will run about the entirety of their small domain almost entirely carefree, with even the more focused Tsareena indulging in amusement on a regular basis. How that energy is expressed changes with each stage, however; the Bounsweet will just move about freely, skipping if they feel the need to move faster, and generally just bounce through life. Steenee are fond of games and will often be found playing tag, hide and seek, or other group activities that require a lot of motion. A Tsareena tends to express her energy through a commanding presence, leading the way through various activities.Bounsweets are not given any particular care by their elders, left to rove the jungle and fend for themselves. They may be fed by some Steenee who think they're cute or otherwise are playing a game, and can join in games with them on occasion, but there is no sense of attachment in these interactions—it is quite simply 'having fun together' and, at the end of the day, the Steenee have no qualms saying farewell and abandoning the small fruit to its fate. Small groups of Bounsweet might form or dissipate during their foraging, but for the most part the young are on their own.
Half of all Bounsweets won't survive long enough to evolve. Those that do become Steenee, however, quickly find a need to socialize. Newly evolved Steenee will seek out others of their kind, either joining a preexisting troupe or forming one out of other wanderers. These will usually number eight to twelve individuals, but they can combine with each other and break apart at random intervals. A troupe works together to find food, shelter, and anything else that catches their fancy; they will also play games with each other and can occasionally involve other pokemon in their structure.
A Steenee who becomes a Tsareena is usually automatically promoted to leader of their troupe, though there is sometimes some argument over this if the Tsareena is not the oldest or most popular member of the group. Tsareena will usually seek to claim a specific section of the jungle for their troupe, challenging any who would defy her and demanding obedience from her sisters. However, she will also be willing to listen to their own wants and pursue those goals with equal fervor, so long as they do not conflict with her own. A troupe can have more than one Tsareena, but rarely has more than three; if there are too many arguments over how to run things, one Tsareena will leave with whichever Steenee are more loyal to her.
Courting and Childrearing
While all members of the Bounsweet line are technically capable of reproducing, it is usually the Steenee and the Tsareena that produce eggs. During the spring, a troupe will try to find and catch male members of the grass egg group, playing a number of games which will at some point include gathering pollen from the creature, and then letting them free. Those troupes with Tsareena usually negotiate for this exchange, and will place all their eggs in a safe spot (alongside any eggs they might encounter in their territory); unassociated troupes will just find whoever they like and leave their eggs anywhere.Hazards
While the Bounsweet itself is not very dangerous, the hard legs and leaves of its evolutions can inflict a surprising degree of hurt if so desired. And with their energetic natures, it isn't that hard for a Steenee to decide the best way to get what they want is to kick somebody until they get it, or for a Tsareena to express her displeasure with a round-house sweep. Trainers wishing to keep these pokemon must teach them not to assault people without provocation, and give them an alternative method to vent their frustration. A Tsareena especially will become argumentative if they believe their ideas on how to best handle things are being ignored.The bulb-crown on a Tsareena's head is especially sensitive and they will be rendered temporarily docile by a firm pat; however, this will not be taken kindly in most circumstances, which will result in the Tsareena becoming very aggressive to the individual who induced the state upon recovering. A Tsareena who allows somebody to touch her crown is committing a remarkable gesture of trust; a Tsareena who demands somebody touch her crown is most likely loyal to that person beyond a shadow of a doubt.
In Human Society
A Bounsweet's sap is used in a number of ways by modern society, being the base for air fresheners that can have a calming effect or being watered down to make a sweet juice. While the later stages of evolution can also be used for these, the energetic Steenee and commanding Tsareena tend not to hold still long enough to harvest the sap. The Steenee tends to hold a reputation of 'girl power,' being usually portrayed in fiction as liking feminine things but also being willing to get physical when the situation demands it.The Tsareena has an interesting reputation that can be summed up in a single word: "Queen." Whether as a local ruler of the Lush Jungle, a mascot of a high class beauty salon, or a domineering presence in adult-rated stories, the Tsareena always commands a certain respect in fictional portrayals.
Written by Masterweaver
