Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Weedle [#013]
- Weedle is a small, larval insect Pokémon, approximately one foot long. It is a dull tan color. Several tiny, pink feet run along its underside, and a sharp stinger extends from the top of its head and the tip of its tail. Its eyes are black, and in the middle of its face is a round, pink protuberance that serves as a sensory organ.
- Kakuna [#014]
- A transitory stage, the Kakuna is covered in a yellow, plated, teardrop-shaped chitin shell approximately two feet long. It has one extendable stinger at its bottom tip, and is often found hanging from tree branches by a strand of silk.
- Beedrill [#015]
- Despite the misnomer title, the mature Beedrill bears a closer resemblance to a wasp than a bee, scaled up to a height of approximately three feet. Unlike many insects, the Beedrill only has four limbs: two spindly blue legs, and two arms that end in white 18-inch conical stingers. Its body coloring is a distinctive yellow with black stripes circling the abdomen, and its compound eyes are bright red. The Beedrill has a wingspan of approximately two feet.
Notable Biology
All stages of this evolutionary line possess poisoned stingers. The Weedle has one on either end of its body; the Kakuna has an extendable one on its bottom tip; and the Beedrill has a large conic stinger on each arm and one more at the tip of its abdomen. The toxin is relatively mild as far as poison-types go, and serves more as a predator deterrent than a primary offensive tactic. The Beedrill's conic arm-stingers serve as stabbing implements and a platform to shed and fire smaller projectile needles rather than means to administer poison, though with proper training and diet it can improve toxic potency on par with other mainline poison-types.
This evolutionary line reaches its final form extremely quickly, even more so than most bug-types. The Weedle phase rarely lasts more than three weeks, most of which is spent consuming and internally storing large amounts of food. The Kakuna phase is almost completely inert, content to hang from a tree branch by a strand of silk for another two weeks and enjoy its relative safety in a shell too hard for predators to bother with, while it processes the stored food and grows until ready to emerge as a Beedrill.
The Beedrill has tough, powerful wings, reinforced with a gridwork of veins. In the wild it is fully capable of rapid flight, hovering, and all manner of high-speed aerial maneuvers while carrying a Kakuna. In rare cases, a trained Beedrill in peak physical condition can go as far as to lift a teenage human airborne.
Of note is the Beedrill's emergency response, termed "Swarm" by trainers — over a period of a few days, the specimen will accumulate and store a large dose of catecholamine in its abdomen. In the event of injury, the Beedrill will deliver this dose into its system, sending its sympathetic nervous system into overdrive, and heightening its physical performance. Contrary to popular rumor, this effect has no adverse effects on the specimen's long-term physiology or health, nor does it dramatically increase the size of its arm-stingers (and in competitive circles, instructing a Beedrill whose Swarm has just kicked in to "pierce the heavens" will usually result in an exasperated warning to the trainer).
Habitat
This line is found primarily in light-density forests around the world, and is a commonplace sight to rookie trainers or rural citizens. Weedle are oft found foraging in the vicinity of their colony, Kakuna hang peacefully from tree branches, and Beedrill will move about freely when not maintaining a colony. This species adapts well to life in captivity, and is capable of keeping full health in a variety of different environments.
Diet
Weedle and Beedrill are omnivorous scavengers. Kakuna do not eat at all.
Hazards
The temperaments of the Weedle and Kakuna phases are quite benign. Beedrill, however, have a considerably hotter temper, and have earned a reputation for being extremely territorial while nesting — an image not helped by the fact that they provide very little warning before attacking an intruder. Traveling trainers should be on the lookout for signature compartmented nests high in branches to make sure they do not intrude upon a Beedrill colony, and should be wary if they see more than one or two Weedle within a hundred yards or so. As noted, the poison of this species is relatively mild unless one has an allergy, unlikely to cause noticeably more damage than the puncture wound used to deliver it, and mostly serves to make them not worth the trouble of predators (though carrying Antidote is always a good idea).
Courting and Childrearing
Beedrill spend much of their lives foraging solitarily, but will occasionally congregate into temporary colonies of ten or so to nest. A colony will select a tree in a low-density clearing, and construct a segmented wood fiber nest in which to lay eggs. Hatched Weedle (around 60-80 of them per colony) are allowed to forage in the vicinity of the colony, and are guarded with typical fierceness by the patrolling Beedrill colony. Once the young are in the Kakuna phase, the Beedrill consider their job essentially done, the colony breaks up, and the Beedrill resume solitary lives until the next mating season.
Social Structure
Weedle are claimed by the Beedrill colony as a whole, rather than any specific set of biological parents. Benign and curious creatures, Weedle will investigate anything that looks remotely tasty or interesting, and will often stray out of range of the colony's patrols. Kakuna are solitary, as are Beedrill when not in an active colony.
Trainer's Notes
It is unwise for a rookie trainer to attempt to capture a wild Beedrill — they tend to be quite stubborn, and it is difficult to earn the respect and obedience of one. Similarly, while Kakuna are easiest to capture, it is generally unwise for a rookie to do so as well. Kakuna tend to hold a grudge about being captured in their state of helplessness, which will manifest overtly upon their maturing into Beedrill. Attempting to earn their favor prior to their final evolution often results in either contempt or spoiling.
Weedle is a typical "first-catch" option for rookie trainers, and the battle to do so is rather trivial. However, if not captured quickly, the ruckus of battling the Weedle may attract angry Beedrill as well, and a trainer can be overwhelmed. The colony will usually relent and allow capture if two Beedrill are defeated — if more show up, it means the colony has already lost several young that season and the trainer is highly advised to leave. The best way to ingratiate oneself with a Weedle is by appealing to its appetite and curiosity. Weedle must eat ravenously to prepare for cocooning, but are used to most of it being general forest detritus — feeding your Weedle a variety of fruit, meat, and grains it would be unlikely to come across otherwise will leave quite an impression, as well as lead to healthier development. Allowing the Weedle to investigate your tools, meet your other Pokémon, and ride on your shoulder while traveling will draw its interest as well. Once cocooned, a Kakuna is content to sit in the trainer's backpack during travel, peeking out. If raised properly, the freshly-evolved Beedrill will be as warm and friendly as ever, and will retain its sense of curiosity.
It should be noted that upon evolution, a Beedrill will have a very large appetite for the next day or so while it recovers from its fasting as a Kakuna, and can strain traveling supplies. If a trainer expects a Kakuna to evolve soon (the cocoon will grow warm if evolution is imminent in the next day or two), it's a good idea to stay in town to tend to this.
A Kakuna nominally evolves after two weeks, though variance of a few days is typical. Should the specimen remain in this stage for three weeks, however, a trainer should take it to a Pokémon Center immediately. Failing to evolve prior to expending the food accumulated as a Weedle is fatal, as Kakuna have no way of eating — it may require emergency parenteral nutrition to complete the process.
Written by Pykrete.
