Helioptile Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Helioptile [#694]
- Heliolisk [#695]
Physical Description
Helioptile and Heliolisk are reptilian creatures that undergo dramatic changes in body plan and locomotion during their life cycle that are distinguished by electrogenic capabilities, adaptations to survival in arid regions, and a unique biology that supports multiple modes of sustenance including photosynthetic and directly ergovorous feeding patterns.
Helioptile, the initial form, is a reptilian facultative biped that stands roughly 50 centimeters tall in a neutral pose on its hind legs and averages around 6 kilograms in weight. Unlike most reptilian creatures, male Helioptile generally bias above this average and trend larger than their female counterparts. Helioptile have a bodyplan that is characterized by a tailed narrow and lanky body with four limbs that are oriented in a vaguely splayed manner. Each limb terminates in a set of three small claws, with more developed hind limbs facilitating bipedal movement. Helioptile possess a distinctive head structure with a small, compact snout with nostrils located above its jaws, two large forward-facing eyes, and a pair of manipulable folds of skin which at rest vaguely resembles a pair of pendant ears which fully unfurled reveal a interconnected trio of vaguely rhombal-shaped folds. Helioptile possesses a distinct appearance dominated by patterns of black scales and yellow scales, with the former covering Helioptile's claws, the tip of its tail, all but the tips of its rhombal head folds, and most of the top of its head while the latter dominates the other regions of its body.
The second, and presumed final form, Heliolisk, is a strictly bipedal creature that generally stands roughly a meter tall and usually weighs just over 20 kilograms, if subject to the same individual variances possessed by Helioptile. Heliolisk's limb structure changes significantly along with its change in body plan. While it maintains its general paradigm of more developed hind limbs and lankier forelimbs, it develops lower limbs that are directly oriented under the bulk of its body weight better supporting rapid linear movement, and longer and more dexterous digits with the musculature to support more refined grasping and manipulation of objects with its forelimb claws. Heliolisk's head structure also changes dramatically, in favor of a head with a vaguely triangular snout, laterally-facing eyes located under protruding crests. Like its smaller counterpart, Heliolisk possesses manipulable folds of skin, which consist of a radially-arrayed series of folds tipped with occasional vaguely-triangular spikes that begin at the base of the skull and protrudes down to Heliolisk's shoulders. Heliolisk's hide appears similar to that of its younger counterpart, if distinguished with the addition of orange scales in some regions. The tip of Heliolisk's tail, its neck frill, its claws, and the entirety of its head barring its lower jaw are covered in black scales, the "spikes" on its frill, a region on its lower tail, and two "bands" on its upper legs are covered in orange scales, while the remainder of its body is covered in the same yellow scales that predominate the hide of Helioptile.
It should be noted that due to a particular characteristic of these creatures' biology noted later in this article, their appearances may possess variances in tinges based upon their diets. In rare cases, individuals will carry a mutant phenotype which supports the formation of red scales, which for Helioptile affects all the normally yellow-scaled regions of its body barring those on its frill and a small region of its forehead, as Heliolisk this phenotype affects all yellow regions below the head, leaving only the patch of yellow scales under its jaw untouched. Carriers of this phenotype are particularly sought after in some training circles.
Notable Biology
One of the defining features of Helioptile and Heliolisk are their electrogenic and electromanipulative properties. Helioptile and Heliolisk possess electrogenic cells throughout their body, and utilize their "frills" as conduits when unfurled with which to release large amounts of electrical charge at once. These creatures have been known to exercise formidable control over local electric charges, which makes them capable of controlling the rate of release of their charges from their bodies, which can range from small currents continuously supplied over extended periods of time, to massive currents for fractions of a second comparable to those drawn by high-rise buildings from electrical grids. These creatures also appear to be capable of manipulating localized charge distributions in their surrounding environment, which allows them to better direct and amplify battle techniques incorporating releases of static electricity.
Another significant characteristic of Helioptile and its evolution is the manner in which its evolution occurs. Helioptile is one of a number of Pokémon that do not naturally evolve with age progression, but rather through an outside stimulus. In Helioptile's case, it appears that evolution into Heliolisk is only possible when exposed to the combination of chemical and radioactive triggers provided by the absorption of a Sun Stone. In wild contexts, such evolutions generally occur via gradual accretion from trace amounts of Sun Stones carried in airborne dust, though in captive settings, this evolution can easily be triggered by providing a suitably-sized Sun Stone for a Helioptile to be exposed to. It should be noted that such exposure appears to cause exponentially accelerated radiochemical decay in the Sun Stone.
Along with this evolution comes a significant alteration in locomotion. Although the early days after evolution are often awkward for Heliolisk to adjust to, upon acclimation, they appear to develop abilities to manipulate muscle contractions and movements through small electric charges. One of the most spectacular examples of this behavior is in Heliolisk's ability to run in short bursts at speeds approaching 65 kilometers per hour thanks to manipulation of the muscles in its legs via this method, which enables it to outspeed most prey and foes. A fascinating side effect of this running ability is that due to the structure of Heliolisk's feet and the presence of scaly fringes along its toes, individuals are often capable of fording small bodies of water by exploiting forward momentum and generating pockets of air by the fringes flattening out and forcing air into the water below its feet.
These Pokémon are also defined by possessing a unique metabolism that appears to be very water-efficient, allowing for some individuals to survive entirely off of moisture garnered from consumed food. The metabolism of Helioptile and Heliolisk appears to exhibit a good deal of systemic redundancy. Creatures from this line also appear to be capable of limited ergovorism, which enables them to absorb electric energy from sources such as the ambient energy around substations and high-voltage wires and to directly store this energy and utilize it in conjunction with ingested water and salts in the formation of coenzymes critical to cell function and life such as adenosine triphosphate.
One particularly peculiar facet of this metabolism is their ability to acquire photosynthetic properties via kleptoplasty, in which plastoids from algae consumed directly or in water along with those of some plant matter consumed for food are sequestered intact subcutaneously to assist in providing energy for their host. This property is also capable of affecting the coloration of these creatures, one of the most common occurrences of this phenomenon being the development of a green tinge to these creatures' scales through consumption of chlorophyll-rich algae and substances. Other colored tinges have been recorded under studies of creatures fed foods rich in other plastoids such as caratenoids.
Among Helioptile and Heliolisk, there are three presently known submorphs that distinguish individuals through variances in physical traits. One of the most common of these consists of individuals whose abilities are known as "Dry Skin", which appears to coincide with individuals with particularly refined kleptoplastic abilities, which as a result makes said individuals more vulnerable to desiccation and in need of more hydration than most of their peers. Such individuals also appear to have bodily enzymes which cause regenerative effects in the event of hydration, though it remains unclear whether these enzymes are inherently tied to sequestered plastoids or not. Another exceedingly common submorph among these Pokémon consist of individuals whose abilities are typically referred to as "Sand Veil". These individuals appear to generally have slightly thicker scales, keener senses, and more developed leg muscles at the expense of their kleptoplastic abilities, which allow the creatures to more easily move about under conditions consistent with desert sandstorms. The last, and rarest of the presently documented submorphs consists of individuals that appear to be capable of "overtaxing" their metabolisms under conditions of strong sunlight, at the expense of eventual fatigue. These individuals appear to be characterized by kleptoplastic abilities that sequester and replace plastoids more rapidly than other individuals, though appear to have a less dense distribution of sequestered plastoids on average than individuals in the "Dry Skin" submorph.
Habitat
Although Helioptile and Heliolisk are predominantly associated with desert environments; the two creatures have been documented also living in mountainous regions, arid plains, and in a few isolated cases, in tropical environments.
In their host environments, Helioptile and Heliolisk will maintain nests in coarse-grained sandy soil surrounded by sparse plant and/or leaf litter, with the nest either being open-air or in a burrow depending on surrounding environmental conditions. In environments where naturally occurring sites for such nests are sparse, it is not unheard of for these Pokémon to gather appropriate soil for the purpose of constructing a suitable nest.
Diet
Although creatures from this line are theoretically capable of surviving with little or no food for extended periods of time, in practice, such a non-diet is generally insufficient to support all but the lowest-energy of lifestyles. These creatures in their natural settings generally use photosynthesis and ergovorism as a supplement along with plant matter to a otherwise primarily carnivorous diet, generally favoring arthropod-like prey or organisms with high concentrations of plastoids in their bodies.
The primary methods of obtaining sustenance for these creatures also generally varies with the form they possess. As Helioptile, consumption of prey is generally done via scavenging or ambush hunting, with individuals often teaming together to ambush and share large but weakened prey. As Heliolisk, individuals generally shift towards a more active hunting regimen and often engage in limited pursuit hunting patterns. It should be noted that group hunting is also significantly less common of an occurrence among Heliolisk than among their smaller brethren.
Hazards
Despite their generally innocuous appearances and often playful temperaments, it should go without saying that as with most other Pokémon, trifling with Pokémon from the Helioptile line is an exercise in stupidity.
Both creatures from this line are capable of releasing powerful shocks either through via techniques such as "Spark" and "Thunderbolt". While encounters of this nature with solitary Helioptile are unlikely to be particularly threatening, it should be noted that the more powerful Heliolisk, a sufficiently group of Helioptile, or simply an individual that has manipulated environmental static charges through techniques such as "Electric Terrain" can be significantly more damaging and life-threatening. One particularly hazardous technique appears to involve draining electric charges from victims to metabolize through rapid ergovorism. Effects of prolonged or repeated exposure to this technique in short intervals of time appear to be capable of disrupting vital cell and organ functions dependent upon the transmission of electric charges such as inter-neuron communication. Some creatures from this line appear to be capable of causing localized tremors which can knock foes down, and impede their movement to escape through uprooting the local terrain. Both creatures also utilize tackling techniques, which although mostly unthreatening as Helioptile, can lead to broken bones and internal bleeding if struck by the much swifter and heavier Heliolisk.
Other less health-related hazards stemming from the training of Helioptile and its evolution include the standard risks associated with undertraining and evolving before a trainer is sufficiently capable of handling a larger and more powerful organism, which has lead to many a trainer having paid an unplanned visit to an emergency room. Under no circumstances should one attempt to pry open the "frill" of one of these Pokemon from its "inert" position, as there is the potential for serious electric shock if the Helioptile or Heliolisk is disturbed. Last, but not least, these creatures are also known be capable of inadvertently damaging electronic equipment either from accidental discharge or through careless manipulation of environmental static electricity, which should be kept in mind during early training.
Courting
While courtship among Helioptile and Heliolisk is fairly uncomplicated relative to those of some other Pokémon, the rite of courtship still plays a pivotal role in the choice of mates by females. Such courtship generally consists of fanning out "frills" on behalf of the female and giving displays of one's command over electric abilities. Competition for mates can be fierce, and it is not unheard of for suitor Pokémon from this line to get into brutal brawls with each other over mates. Upon mate selection, a male and female individual from this line will mate, and then separate, leaving the mother to lay and brood over her eggs alone. Mating pairs generally do not last beyond this encounter in the wild, though exceptions are occasionally documented.
Both Helioptile and Heliolisk are capable of reproducing, and have been reliably documented doing so in the wild. Individuals reproduce via oviparous means, Helioptile generally laying 1-2 eggs and Heliolisk laying clutches of 4-5 eggs in wild settings. Both creatures are also known to be capable of mating with Pokémon from outside their immediate line, though this is a behavior that is seldom recorded outside of captivity.
Social Structure
Pokémon from the Helioptile line are known to generally be socially aloof from their peers and generally not maintain particularly tight bonds with each other when not mating. Young Helioptile generally receive minimal care from their parents after the first month of their life and will often immediately transition from this stage of life by living in a small, loose group along with its siblings. These groups, often of 3-5 individuals, generally evolve on the basis of pragmatism for food and shelter, and it is rare for an initial group of siblings to last unchanged for more than 6 months. It is not uncommon for groups to dissolve abruptly, causes ranging from there simply no longer being sufficient food or shelter, to challenges of dominance within the group, to territorial squabbling.
Upon evolution, Heliolisk will generally lead a solitary life, and is known to generally be significantly more territorial than its smaller counterpart. The primary subversions to this behavior are during mating season, or in environments where populations are very large relative to available claimable territory, in which case, it is not unheard of for Heliolisk to maintain organization in small, mostly socially aloof groups of peers.
In Human Society
Historically, Helioptile and Heliolisk have seen primarily niche applications with their handlers in human societies near their habitats. The creatures were known to be particularly helpful for gilding via electroplating, with Kalos maintaining a particularly long-lived tradition of using these creatures in the craft. Heliolisk also saw some specialized use within military contexts, one of the more interesting of which was its employment for infiltrating and assaulting opposing ships and their often primarily "Water-type" defenders at close quarters.
In contemporary culture, Helioptile and Heliolisk have enjoyed a surge of popularity and general awareness among the public, with the two becoming increasingly commonplace as pets for young trainers. This is perhaps due in no small part to the rise of the prevailing depiction of these creatures in media as hyperactive and playful creatures, which is generally seen as endearing among young trainers. A popular practice among some Helioptile trainers is to allow their Pokémon to perch on top of their heads on account of its relatively low weight and compactness, a trend which in some regions has become reflected in more specialized circles, including within some segments of the Kalos' fashion world.
Written by Tracer Bullet
