Goomy Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Goomy [#704]
- Sliggoo [#705]
- Goodra [#706]
Physical Descriptions
The Goomy is a neogastropod, whose entire lower body is a muscular purple foot on which the creature scoots around. The domed upper half of a Goomy is a much lighter lavender, with the dividing line between the two sections being wavy and abrupt; a large mouth is hidden under the front of this line. Five green spots are located on this hemisphere, all constantly secreting a translucent slime; the two located on the "cheeks" of the creature are much larger than those located on the "back". A pair of simple eyes are situated above the dividing line, and two pairs of retractable antenna sprout from the top of a Goomy's head, with the front of each pair being much shorter than the back.
While the Sliggoo retains the muscular foot, slime, and basic coloration of its preevolution, it has more than doubled in height and its body structure has changed dramatically. The upper portion of the creature is now divided into a small "shell" that rests on its back and round head on top of a thin neck. The eyes of a Sliggoo are developing into a more complex form, resembling broad green disks; unfortunately at this stage in the transition the Sliggoo is almost blind, compensating by sensing the world through its lengthened rear antennae. A simple wavy mouth is now visible under the eyes; four green secretion spots have migrated to either side of the neck with the fifth no longer present, and a pair of simple arms can be seen emerging from the Sliggoo's purple belly.
The Goodra is three times as tall as the Sliggoo and almost unrecognizable as being from the same line, apart from its coloration. Two thick, heavyset legs balance a pear-shaped body on tiny two-toed feet, helped along by a thick tail that ends in a tight curl. Deceptively flabby arms ending in two fingers mark the transition point between the round belly and the thin neck that takes up a good third of a Goodra's height. The Goodra's eyes have finished developing and are positioned on either side of a simple snout; the lower half of the snout is the upper end of a wide purple streak that runs down the whole underside of the creature. A Goodra's rear antennae have not only lengthened, but thickened into a pair of curl-tipped head-tails which, surprisingly, the creature can still retract at will. Four green secretion spots remain on the side of the neck right behind the eyes, and are joined by three new spots on either side of the tail; consequently, the Goodra's greenish slime is frequently visibly dripping off its arms and its chin.
One rare strain of Goomy has a mutation wherein a pigment in its skin is gathered by its secretion spots. This produces an odd discoloration, with a pink underside, a pale yellow upper portion, and the spots themselves turning blue from oversaturation. The coloration persists in its evolutions—the eyes and slime of the Sliggoo and the Goodra also being blue—and is valued among trainers due to its rarity.
Notable Biology
Despite its similarities to actual gastropods in its first and second evolutions, the Goomy line is not closely related to invertebrate pokemon and is, in fact, a highly specialized amphibian whose cartilaginous skeleton grows throughout its life. In fact, the "shell" of a Sliggoo is actually a curled up tail, with the legs being completely contained in the body and the arms only just visible. However, even when the Sliggoo is ready to evolve their skeleton requires a large amount of pure water to expand it to their full size. Since most lakes and rivers have microbes or small mineralites in them, the Sliggoo instead must rely on rain to provide the volume of water necessary for their evolution.
The slime they secrete not only helps the Goomy and the Sliggoo in locomotion, but also provides all three morphs with a slippery skin that makes them more difficult to grasp, as well as helping them to predigest the plants they eat. Some Goomy line members have slime that will even absorb the toxins in plant materials; this makes them all but immune to Plant-type moves, and increases the potential damage of their physical assaults. Other individuals have a particularly viscous form of slime that will wash away when exposed to a constant stream of water; these Goomy line members will often "catch" status-effecting substances in their slime while battling and let it rinse off in the rain. A few Sliggoo in captivity have actually developed even stickier slime that actually remains on pokemon who attack them, slowing down the attacker and making it harder for them to move.
Habitat
The Goomy line is native to Kalos and makes its home in damp and shady places, such as swamps and marshes. They will often swim in nearby water to prevent themselves from drying out; Sliggoo are also attracted to the sweet scent of flowers, though they won't stay very long before returning to their swampy home. Notably, Goomy can be found on route 14, while Sliggoo can be found on route 19; these two populations are connected by a long river that the Sliggoo will travel through (see reproduction, below). While Sliggoo will eagerly step out when it starts raining, many swamp predators have learned to attack them while they are in the process of evolving and thus weakened; this, coupled with the Goodra migration (see social structure, below), make Goodra exceptionally rare and shy in the wild.
The Friend Safari group does have a captive population of Goomy line pokemon, but they keep all the Goomy in protective custody and only allow the Sliggoo to roam; those that evolve into Goodra refuse to leave the Friend Safari and insist on helping their human companions in whatever way they can.
Diet
Goomy and their evolutions are primarily herbivorous, although both Goomy and Sliggoo will eat small insects and Goodra will supplement their diet with fish. Their slime is mildly acidic, helping to predigest their meals; Goomy will use their foot muscle to move anything caught in the slime to their mouth, while Sliggoo and Goodra often lick slime off their bodies and swallow it. The Goomy line also requires a large and frequent amount of water, and will dehydrate rapidly if they don't receive at least a gallon a day—two gallons in the case of Goodra!
Hazards
While many trainers have been hugged by their Goodra and come back covered in slime, they remain disgusted but unharmed; the acidity of the slime is fairly mild unless the pokemon deliberately gathers enough of it to increase its acidity. The true danger lies in the surprising durability their slime provides, as well as the not readily obvious strength of their musculature; Goomy and Sliggoo have been known to use their "feet" to jump at their opponents, slamming their bodies into a foe, while the Goodra's powerful punches and head-tail slaps are well known. Goomy are also known to fling water at their opponents, to varying degrees of effectiveness.
One interesting aspect of their physiology is a rudimentary secondary nervous system. While Goomy-line pokemon in the wild use this to generate power for dragon-type attacks that they spew from their mouth, trainers have discovered the secondary nervous system is remarkably versatile and have taught their Goomy, Sliggoo, and Goodra how to use assaults of electric, fire, and even ice-based capability. Trainers will often also help their pokemon learn how to gather their slime into a more poisonous, toxic substance to throw; a well trained member of this line can be surprisingly dangerous and adaptable in combat.
Thankfully, the Goomy line is remarkably friendly, often poking out of their home swamps to meet trainers that are passing through. While they are difficult to catch, due to their sheer endurance, Goomy and Sliggoo that are caught require very little adjustment time before accepting their trainer as a friend.
Courting and Childrearing
While all three morphs are capable of breeding, Goomy in the wild do not mate. Instead, during mating season, Sliggoo will migrate upstream, guarded by Goodra until they reach the breeding grounds; each Goodra will gather a small platoon of Sliggoo to present to the Goodra that remain in the breeding grounds, in hopes of securing a mate. Once a brooding Goodra has accepted a platoon, the Goodra in charge of that platoon mates with it; the platoon of Sliggoo will engage in their own mating, pairing off before locating their Goodra leader. The female Goodra will lay an egg, and the Sliggoo females will lay their eggs around it; the brooding Goodra will take the platoon back downstream, leaving their mate to guard and protect the eggs.
Once the eggs hatch, the Goodra guarding the nest will let them roam throughout the swamp. Goodra will keep track of the population as they move, patting those that seem a little dry to slime them up; any Goomy that evolves into a Sliggoo is shepherded to the river and released into the current, carried to the population on the other side of the stream.
Social Structure
Goomy and Sliggoo have a mostly informal social structure, congregating whenever they wish and separating if they find themselves bored. Goodra, on the other hand, have two distinct groups; the route 15 Goodra are known as Brooders, as they tend to nests and young Goomy, while the route 19 Goodras are known as Divers, living deep underwater and leading playful lives. These two Goodra populations switch places every mating season, but both of them remain underwater and avoid contact with trainers; however, they both require a lot of social contact, which they get by either tending Goomy or sometimes surfacing to play with Sliggoo. Captive Goodra, deprived of these two social functions, will focus on their trainers and the pokemon group they have as friends; many Goodra learn to hug their trainers both as a form of endearment and to help "slime them up" since they seem so dangerously dry.
In Human Society
Goomy slime is highly sought after in the toiletry industry, as its mild acid makes it a perfect ingredient for skin cleaners, shaving cream, and other such personal effects. This, coupled with the Goodra's need for affection, has helped to endear the line to humans in general; one company has a fashion-conscious Goodra as a commercial spokesperson, and Goodra plushies are not uncommon. One child's story even portrays a town sending a knight to slay a dragon, only to find a very non-violent and non-hostile Goodra in waiting; this was the basis for a film about filming, which flopped in its initial release but has become something of an academic piece of interest.
Written by Masterweaver
