Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Larvitar [246]
- Pupitar [247]
- Tyranitar [248]
Physical Description
The creatures of the Larvitar line are reptilian creatures that share few physical features in common beyond the presence of structures that emit pressurized gases to varying extents, the presence of rigid sections covered by fused scales on their bodies.
Larvitar is a bipedal creature that averages 60 centimeters in height when fully grown, with females generally trending larger than males. In most early Pokedex entries, Larvitar are recorded as having an average weight of 70 kilograms. Although the average Larvitar will indeed average such a weight shortly prior to its evolution, for the bulk of its existence, a Larvitar will weigh a fraction of this stated figure, with newly hatched Larvitar rarely exceeding 15 kilograms in weight. Some of Larvitar's most immediately obvious physical features include a prominent, fin-like head crest, a pair of arms lacking defined digits, two single-toed feet, a red rhombal patch of fused scales similar in structure to the keratinous shells of creatures such as Squirtle on the abdomen, and the presence of four ports for pressurized gases ringing a Larvitar's body that are typically closed by "caps" of black soft tissue. Larvitar also possesses a short, banded tail with a large flower-shaped structure with seven petals that opens up at its base (researchers are still uncertain as to whether this structure serves any practical role for Larvitar, though some observations suggest this "flower" is used as a traction aid while excavating soil). Barring its patch of fused scales, the tissue covering its ports, and a small pair of patches of black scales just under its eyes, the bulk of a Larvitar's hide is covered in a layer of unfused olive scales.
The second form of this line, Pupitar, is a spiky chrysalis-like Pokemon that averages 120 centimeters in length and typically weighs just over 150 kilograms. Unlike Larvitar, the bulk of the ports on a Pupitar's body are not covered by layers of soft tissue, but rather thick extensions of its larger hide, with two very visible exceptions above its eyes retaining caps of soft black tissue. Barring the aforementioned caps and two small regions around its eyes, Pupitar are covered in a durable layer of bluish semi-fused scales, which despite their superficial similarity to similar structures on Larvitar and Tyranitar, appear to capable of being readily flaked off and molted. The primary features of Pupitar's body include a virtually imperceptible mouth, and a "mask" composed of a set of three backwards-raking spikes on either side of its eyes, a cluster of three backward-swept head spikes, and two nublike spikes along its lower body to aid with stability, which foreshadow the structures that will be present on the body of Pupitar's final form.
Tyranitar, the final stage of the Larvitar line, is a truly massive and imposing creature that typically stands a full two meters in height and weighs over 200 kilograms. Some of the most immediately apparent facets of a Tyranitar's appearance include prominent its spikes, including a set of head and neck spikes with structures carried over from the "mask" spikes possessed as a Pupitar, which are coupled with three pairs of spikes above a Tyranitar's shoulders. Other notable structures include the emergence of three prominent clawed digits on Tyranitar's feet and hands, the emergence of two rhombal regions of fused scales similar in coloration to those possessed as Pupitar, one occupying a position analogous to that of Larvitar's patch of fused scales along with a second along its lower back, a long tail with a banded tip and a five-petaled flower near its end, and the emergence of gas ports closed by layers of black tissue on a Tyranitar's chest, thighs, and upper back. As with Larvitar, the bulk of a Tyranitar's hide is covered in unfused olive, which in this stage, take on a segmented appearance on some regions of the body, not wholly unlike that of an exoskeleton, most notably in regions along the limbs.
It should be noted that the appearance and physical stature of creatures from this line are often influenced by such a creature's host environment. The most immediately obvious influence of local environment upon these creatures' appearance appears to be the relationship between soil composition and hide coloration, with coloration trending lighter or darker depending upon the relative abundance or scarcity of a small number of different minerals. Environmental factors such as the amount of food present appear to also influence the size of these creatures, which can lead to dramatic differences in these creatures' later stages. One of the most dramatic examples of this influence of environmental conditions can be seen in a side-by-side comparison of Johto and Quest Island Tyranitar, the prototypical individual from the former averages over 220 centimeters in height, and the latter averages less than 170.
As with other Pokemon, creatures from the Larvitar line appear to have a mutant phenotype that manifests itself in exceedingly rare circumstances, which appear to affect regions of the body that are not covered in black scales or soft tissue. As Larvitar, carriers of this mutant phenotype display magenta rhombal scales and light green scales covering the rest of their body, as Pupitar such individuals are covered in violet fused scales, and as Tyranitar, possess a tan hide and violet rhombal scales.
Notable Biology
One of the defining features of creatures from the Larvitar line is the presence of structures that dispel pressurized gases from these creatures' bodies. These structures are particularly pronounced in the Pupitar stage, where these structures provide the primary means of movement for these creatures, via the use of releases of pressurized gases for a form of crude rocket-like propulsion. In all stages, these structures appear to accumulate a great deal of particulate matter, which enables creatures from this line to generate billowing clouds of sand and dust to help disorient and wear down opponents in battle.
Creatures from this line are noted for having exceptionally tough hides composed of fused and unfused scales, depending upon the region of the body, which grow increasingly durable and rigid with evolution due to the accumulation of minerals from feeding, with properties not wholly unlike the exoskeleton of some invertebrate Pokemon. These hides, especially in the Pupitar and Tyranitar stages are immensely resilient, capable of shrugging off most blunt force attacks and rendering these creatures largely immune to the pain from all but a handful of especially potent techniques. The hides of these creatures do carry some notable soft points, which are markedly more responsive to sensation and susceptible to irritants than most other regions, some of the most prominent regions including the black regions of tissue that close these creatures' gas ports and the soles of a Tyranitar's feet. While quick to regenerate in the Larvitar and especially the Pupitar stages, the hides of these creatures are notoriously slow to regenerate in the final form, Tyranitar, which can cause regions of hide that have been damaged in the wild to remain susceptible to irritants for months after the initial wound.
Members of this line also appear to have a set of organs consisting of a sac that accumulates flammable chemicals generated from the process of consuming food and a series of vestigial electrogenic cells scattered in different regions of the body, though most notably at the back of the throat. These structures typically remain dormant until the late Pupitar or Tyranitar stage, where they help to facilitate incendiary breath techniques such as Hyper Beam, and with training, can be utilized to perform a number of other battle techniques.
Two distinct submorphs of creatures from the Larvitar line are known to exist, which are differentiated primarily by traits that individuals exhibit while in the Larvitar and Tyranitar stages. In the most common submorph, individuals as Larvitar exhibit a pronounced fight or flight response when afflicted with one of a certain range of physical ailments, which causes attacks to become markedly more powerful. As Tyranitar, these individuals appear to instinctively generate clouds of sand and dust when aggressive, which has helped to contribute to the popular imagery of these creatures as walking wastelands. Individuals hailing from the second, and vastly rarer submorph have a dramatically less pronounced fight or flight response to the same ailments that their more common counterparts do, but appear to be less susceptible to irritants in their eyes, which enables them to move around more easily in sandstorms. As Tyranitar, these individuals are noted to lack the instinctive dispersion of sand and dust when aggressive, but appear to trend more physically imposing than their more common counterparts, and are often physically larger with more prominent teeth and claws, which are known to have an often demoralizing effect on opponents.
Habitat
Although rare, stable populations of Larvitar are known to exist in a range of mountainous and cave environments, ranging from massive inland mountain ranges, smaller coastal ranges, and in a few cases, on isolated islands. Particularly large populations of Larvitar are known to exist in the general vicinity surrounding the western end of Kanto Route 28, on Quest Island, especially in the Sevault Canyon area, and in the ranges along the western foot of Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh, overlapping with local Routes 206 and 207. Although individual Pupitar and Tyranitar are known to dwell in the general vicinity of regions supporting stable populations of Larvitar, Pupitar and Tyranitar are virtually unknown. One of the most prominent exceptions is Unova's Route 15, which houses one of the largest populations of Pupitar and Tyranitar presently known to exist. As for Pupitar alone, stable populations exists on Kalos' Route 18 and the Terminus Cave.
The interactions between members of the Larvitar line and their surrounding environment appears to be heavily influenced by the relative availability of food and territory. In regions where food and territory are plentiful and geologic activity is minimal, some of the most dramatic manifestations of Larvitar and its evolutions as a disruptive force can be observed, making these creatures at once a blessing and a curse to cartographers. Particularly (in)famous phenomena that have been recorded amongst such populations include the wholesale destruction of forest cover, the diversion of the course of streams in order to expose riverbed sediment for consumption, and in a few truly remarkable cases, the literal erasure of mountains from their places. One of the most heavily documented instances of this phenomena involved a breeding pair of Tyranitar and their progeny removing a 1000 meter tall peak from existence over the course of 150 years through progressively chipping away at the mountain through their activities.
The behavior of Larvitar and its evolutions in regions where food and/or territory is scarce, whether by geography or by population density, or where their surroundings are potentially geologically volatile, appear to be markedly more subdued, with ecologically disruptive activities associated with members of this line in other regions bearing evidence of being vastly more structured in nature. Perhaps the most extreme example of this can be seen on Quest Island, where local Larvitar line members have been recorded periodically abandoning portions of settled territories to live elsewhere, only returning after the landscape has returned to its equilibrium before these creatures' presence. Larvitar members from this population also appear to generally be more loath to trigger landslides or otherwise undermine the structural integrity of the peaks that they dwell around, which is presumably due to the combined effects of Quest's isolation from potential replacement territories via the sea, as well as the island's volcanic nature.
Diet
All three stages of the Larvitar line are theoretically omnivorous with an increasingly heavy carnivorous slant with each progressive evolution, in the wild, members of the Larvitar line are better known for transitioning from a primarily lithovorous to a primarily carnivorous diet with evolution.
Larvitar exhibit the most versatile diet among its brethren in captivity, and have in some cases been recorded as being capable of metabolizing substances ranging from plant matter, meat, to less conventional materials such as clay and iron filings. In their native environment, Larvitar possess a diet composed primarily of soil, augmented by a wide variety of plant matter and the occasional opportunistic kill or scavenged carrion. Larvitar possess an astonishingly fast metabolism, meals typically pass through a Larvitar's digestive system in under an hour, with Larvitar in some regions having been recorded consuming dozen of times their body weight in food over the course of a day. The bulk of a Larvitar's meal passes through without being digested, which when coupled with their most common source of sustenance, leads to the creatures playing a role as major aerators of soil in their host regions, not wholly unlike Onix and its evolution.
Pupitar exhibit the most versatile diet among other members of its line in the wild, with wild Pupitar deriving the bulk of their sustenance from opportunistic hunting, but also from plant matter and occasional lithovorous behavior. Pupitar's hunting habits evidence influence by its still-present lithovorous tendencies, with the most frequently documented prey for Pupitar in most regions consisting of Rock and Steel-Type Pokemon. Unlike Larvitar, Pupitar's metabolism is both markedly slower and efficient at digesting food, with Pupitar in regions subject to seasonal food scarcity exhibiting activities similar to hibernation.
In both captivity and especially in the wild, Tyranitar's diet as an apex predator trends heavily carnivorous. Among wild Tyranitar, with the demands for a constant influx of mineral nutrients to preserve the durability of its hide are typically satisfied by the consumption of Rock and Steel-Type quarry, with direct lithovorous behavior effectively non-existent amongst wild Tyranitar outside of severely malnourished individuals. Consumption of plant matter is similarly rare in wild settings without the absence of normal prey.
Hazards
Larvitar and its brethren have long been subjected to an exaggerated and often extremely vitriolic depiction in human media and folklore, which has only recently begun to improve thanks in part to greater understanding of these creatures' roles in long-term patterns of geological activity in their host mountain regions. Despite this, saying that undue harassment of creatures from this line is inadvisable would be an understatement at best.
Although Larvitar are generally shy and by far trend the least aggressive of all of the forms of this line, they are by no means defenseless creatures, and as with any other Pokemon, are not unknown to lash out at perceived aggressors. One of Larvitar's primary modes of attack is to utilize biting techniques, which in spite of its seemingly underdeveloped jaws, are more than capable of leaving deep puncture wounds. Larvitar also utilize techniques that incorporate the lobbing of heavy objects, typically stones, at aggressors, which are capable of causing lacerations, bruises, and in more extreme cases, hairline fractures in limbs. Larvitar also utilize tackling attacks, which although generally not particularly powerful can lead to fairly serious injuries, especially from attacks of this nature launched by physically heftier individuals such as Larvitar nearing evolution.
Larvitar's initial evolution, Pupitar, shares most of the same methods of attack as its younger counterpart, albeit with much greater potency, a greater gravitation towards tackling attacks, and a markedly less pronounced preference to flee from the face of perceived threats. Unlike most Pokemon that undergo a similar pupal stage, Pupitar is relatively mobile, traveling in short rapid bursts in straight lines from the release of pressurized gases as a propellant. Pupitar are known to build up truly immense amounts of momentum during these bursts, with records of particularly forceful Pupitar impacts triggering landslides and leaving impact craters in cliff faces. With an average weight in excess of 150 kilograms, encounters with flying Pupitar are typically extremely grave, if not outright fatal. Pupitar are known to exhibit limited abilities over paranormal phenomena, one of the most common manifestations of this ability being the use of the technique Dark Pulse, particularly strong Pupitar are also known to be capable of employing incendiary beam attacks, which are capable of readily inflicting second and third degree burns over large portions of the body.
Although known to exhibit great fealty to their trainers and other allies, Tyranitar are truly in a class of their own in comparison to their younger brethren and most other Pokemon in terms of raw destructive potential. With an immensely territorial and often belligerent nature, sharp claws on each limb, immensely powerful jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth, and a strength known to be capable of altering the topography of mountainsides and reducing even the most formidable mountain into a molehill given a sufficient timeframe and focus, it goes without saying that a large number of run-ins between humans and irate Tyranitar are lethal. Attempting to encounter Tyranitar, especially without the protection of Pokemon of one's own, is generally inadvisable, as individuals generally have an extremely limited tolerance for creatures beyond potential mates, offspring, and close acquaintances on their territory. If an encounter is unavoidable, it is almost always preferable to use Repels or techniques such as Stun Spore in order to buy time to retreat rather than to engage a wild Tyranitar in battle.
A number of other hazards related to training or otherwise remaining in near proximity to individuals from the Larvitar line exist. It should be noted that while Larvitar and its evolutions are not recommended Pokemon for novice trainers by any stretch of the imagination, that individuals from environments with more numerous natural predators or rivals are known to be difficult for even veteran trainers to accommodate. Individuals hailing from around Unova's Route 15 are known to be infamously demanding to train, and often have significant problems learning to exercise restraint in battle, and thanks to behaviors associated with female individuals with young, are known to be especially difficult to control if attempting to organize breeding in captivity. As with other Pokemon, the relative level of difficulty of training a member of the Larvitar line increases significantly with each progressive evolution, with wild Tyranitar considered to be effectively impossible to train reliably in most circles. Regions that are known to house stable populations of creatures of these lines are often subject to frequent rockfalls and landslides, making unwary travel an unwise proposition. Trainers traveling through regions that share populations of Larvitar and Aron line members within proximity of each other are strongly urged to avoid traveling with members of one line in areas known to host individuals from the other. In such environments, creatures from these lines are almost always natural rivals, which when coupled with the immensely territorial bent of both lines' final stages, leads to an animosity with a virulence that rivals that of the aggressive tendencies documented between Seviper and Zangoose, resulting in immensely destructive battles that often do not end until one of the two has been slain in combat. For Aggron trainers with enough of a death wish to attempt to engage a wild Tyranitar with their respective natural nemesis in such an environment (encounters with Tyranitar elsewhere being only marginally better), it is often recommended to pray to any deities that one may venerate that it is not the Tyranitar that emerges triumphant.
Courting
All stages of the Larvitar line are theoretically capable of mating, though it should be noted that in wild contexts, mating is documented only among Larvitar and Tyranitar, with effective mating between Pupitar virtually impossible without the aid of artificial insemination. Among wild Larvitar, courtship appears to be revolve around offerings of gifts of food, typically berries or portions of meat, coupled along with feats of strength to woo suitors. No consistent courtship patterns appear to have been documented among Tyranitar, with most studies suggesting that wild Tyranitar engage in fundamentally opportunistic mating. Female Tyranitar appear to have eggs fertilized successfully roughly once for every three incidences of mating, which yield clutches of 1-2 eggs, with female Larvitar laying solitary eggs, with a markedly lower incidence of successful fertilization. Mating pairs typically dissolve shortly after the act, though exceptions to this rule have occasionally been documented, one of the most remarkable of these was an incidence of a mating pair between two Larvitar surviving well beyond both individuals' eventual evolution into Tyranitar. As with other Pokemon, Larvitar and its elder brethren are capable of mating with creatures from outside their immediate line, though this practice is seldom recorded outside of captivity.
Social Structure
Once a female individual from this line has laid her eggs, she will bury them deep underground, typically far apart so that her young aren’t forced to compete with any siblings or other Larvitar for food, and wait until they hatch, watching over her offspring from a distance and only interceding if they are threatened. This vigilant, but aloof relationship is maintained for the bulk of a newly-hatched Larvitar's existence, ending only with the natural drift of offspring away from their home environment, the death of the mother, or failing both of those, the evolution of the young into Pupitar. It should be noted that Tyranitar appear to exhibit a markedly more intimate relationship with their offspring, and typically maintain a closer orbit to their charges than most Larvitar mothers do, with maternal behaviors in the populations on Quest Island and most notably in the regions surrounding Unova Route 15 known to be especially strong.
Because of their rarity and low birthrate, Larvitar and its evolutions are primarily asocial creatures. As Larvitar, individuals typically lack intimate interaction with others from their line barring with siblings and their mothers, and typically only exhibit grouping behavior for the purposes of feeding. As Pupitar, individuals begin to drift further apart from each other, and begin to exhibit stronger territorial behaviors, though it is not unknown to find a number of Pupitar sharing a common peak together. It is unusual, but not unheard of, to find multiple Tyranitar sharing a common mountain. In all but a handful of host environments, if this phenomenon occurs, the two will either court with or attempt to destroy each other depending on what genders the Tyranitar are, which often results in the effective obliteration of the local topography. In spite of this territorial bent, Tyranitar are known to allow certain Pokemon to reside within their territories unmolested, as part of a symbiotic relationship either for the benefit of the individual or the long-term viability of his/her territory, one of the most documented examples of these relationships is the bonds formed between Tyranitar and Pokemon such as Gligar that act as cleaning agents.
In Human Society
Larvitar and its brethren have historically been demonized by most cultures that have come into contact with them as insolent, vicious brutes that sow destruction without the slightest consideration of the effects on other creatures. Larvitar were often widely reviled for their disruptive habits of feeding upon topsoil, Pupitar for being a bane to travelers and livestock along mountainous passes. Compared to these two, the amount of sheer vitriol directed towards Tyranitar in folklore appears to truly be in a class of its own, and are often depicted as mindless, inherently self-centered engines of destruction.
Despite this generally unflattering depiction, it should be noted that these creatures have long had a history of being trained by humans. Most of these applications were primarily military-oriented, with these creatures often being raised by handlers from a young age, if not from eggs to eventually see deployment as weapons against fortifications and would-be underminers. Not unlike many other Pokemon with a history of extensive military service, Tyranitar in the service of opposing miitaries were often widely reviled by contemporaries of the conflicts that saw their use. These creatures also saw more nuanced applications within the traditions of some mountainous villages, with the very creatures so utterly despised in most folklore and typically used as weapons of war serving as deeply respected agents helping to make mountains more suitable for the cultivation of crops and to clear new passes for purposes of transportation.
In modern media, the long shadow of historical perception continues to color most depictions of Larvitar and its evolutions. One of the most prominent of these is a decades-old movie franchise based off of the mythical exploits of a truly massive Tyranitar, which sees its main subject presented as, at best, a Destructive Savior. Members of this line, especially Tyranitar, see employment as antagonistic figures in a truly dizzying array of media. A number of more positive portrayals of creatures from this line have arisen in more recent years, many of which are parodies of Larvitar and its brethren's traditional portrayal within media, including as a recurring background show-within-a-show character in a much vaunted animated television show following the world as perceived by a group of infants.
Original Article by Sullen Frog. 10/2011 Revision by Tracer Bullet.
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