Better than a cross.
Meh, the numbers really don't have much bearing in a world were pokemon from any gen show up in all regions. I thik Oak and the other Profs developed the Pokedex and Bill and the others developed the Box System.
Closet DCLAU fan.
Totally Not a Schoolboy
Maybe the Pokedex project is really several decentralized programs running at once? It would explain why there are so many different regional Pokedex systems...
Let's play a game about Pokémon...
insert title here
the Pokédex Project we're talking about is what we're doing right here. There's still all the regional dexes, and the national dex, but this is bigger than all that. This is...The Pokédex Project.
XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!
Better than a cross.
So it's the International Dex.
Closet DCLAU fan.
The Wanderer
Figured I'd do this since it appeared no one had claimed it.
Spheal Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Spheal [#363]
- Sealeo [#364]
- Walrein [#365]
Notable Biology
Spheal are small, blue pinniped Pokemon that live mostly in the polar regions of the world. As opposed to Seel, which are phocid pinnipeds, Spheal are otarrid, or eared seals, due to the presence of true ears. One interesting facet of their biology is the fact that they are completely spherical in shape. This makes them rather poor swimmers, but they are also very buoyant as a result. Due to their poor swimming ability, they are very dependent on their mothers for food. To move around, Spheal use their spherical bodies to roll across ice floes. If threatened, they are capable of rolling at speeds of up to 30 mph using Rollout.
To protect themselves from the cold, the Spheal line has thick fur and a massive amount of blubber, which is often used by native tribes for fuel and clothing. During the 18th and 19th centuries, hunters from other regions hunted Spheal and its evolutions to the brink of extinction through overhunting for fur and lamp fuel. Today, Spheal hunting is only afforded to natives, and a large fine and/or jail time is given to poachers who break the law. Due to the population boom following the moratorium, there have been increased cries by southern regions to lift the ban, to the anger of Sinnoh and other northern regions.
Once a Spheal evolves into Sealeo, generally after a year, they become far better swimmers and start spending more time in the ocean. An interesting quirk of Sealeo is their compulsion to roll and/or bounce things on their noses in order to learn their odors and textures, which is primarily responsible for their classification as "The Ball Roll Pokemon". Occasionally, this can include a Spheal just for fun. Their powerful flippers are easily capable of breaking through ice, as well as the bones of a predator. They dive for prey about five times a day.
After about five years, Sealeo evolve into Walrein. Unlike their previous forms, the placement of their back legs allows them to to move on land as easily as any land Pokemon, though they prefer the water. Their most prominent feature are their massive tusks, which are capable of shattering ice in one blow, as well as the shells of Shellder and Cloyster. Walrein are more aggressive than their previous forms, and are often found at the center and edges of their herds, where the biggest male serves as the beachmaster.
Walrein are a species built for battle. Their thick manes protect them from neck attacks, whereas their thick blubber allows them to withstand most attacks directed at the body, including Fire and Ice moves. They are very protective of their herds, and will even die for them if neccessary, which is why they serve as herd security. [[Trainer's Note: A good idea for training a Spheal or its evolutions is teaching it to see its team as its herd for better cohesion.]] Walrein tusks can break off in battle, but they can grow back within a couple of months.
Habitat
The vast majority of the Spheal line are found at the poles living on the ice. However, there is a rather famous population of Spheal that live in Hoenn's Shoal Cave, due to its cooler temperatures compared to the rest of the region. to the point of eclipsing the Artic Spheal. These Spheal are also known as Monk Spheals due to their cave dwelling. They can also be found off the waters of northern Sinnoh.Scientists theorize that the Shoal Cave Spheal may have been a vestigal population that was left in Hoenn after the last Ice Age. Due to the difficulty of reaching the poles, the vast majority of trained Spheal, Sealeo, and Walrein come from the Shoal Cave.
Diet
Spheal and its evolutions are primarily piscivorious, living mainly off of fish and mollusks. Walrein, however, have been known to attack and kill Seel to eat on occassion, though this has only been recorded in times of extreme hardship.Hazards
While Spheal and Sealeo are fairly docile, often making friends with humans if they don't move away, all members of the Spheal line are capable of using Ice Ball, a compressed ball of ice used to defend themselves if threatened. Ice Ball gets progressively bigger and harder with each use, and is capable of breaking ribs and causing severe internal injuries, if not death.Sealeo flippers, as previously mentioned, can break a person's bones with a strong slap if threatened. They also know powerful Ice-type moves such as Aurora Beam and Blizzard and have a rather nasty bite. However, they prefer to flee than risk direct confrontation. Their habit of rolling objects on their noses can lead to trouble if traveling with a trainer, with at least one incident involving a trainer's Sealeo bouncing a Voltorb on its nose leading to an unfortunate ending.
Walrein, on the other hand, are far more aggressive and willing to attack humans, especially if they encroach on their herdmates. Besides having piercing tusks and a Body Slam capable of breaking every bone in the human body, older Walrein are capable of learning a move known as Sheer Cold, a blast of absolute zero which freezes opponents solid instantly if it connects. Luckily, the energy required means that they use it very sparingly and only as a last resort. It would also be a good idea not to get between two warring Walrein, as they don't care who gets killed in the crossfire of their battle. Also, since they are capable of moving well on land, they can chase you down and gore you with their tusks. [[Trainer's Note: Make sure your Spheal has respect for you when it's younger, otherwise once it evolves it will challenge you for the position of the team beachmaster. Make sure your Pokemon understands who the beachmaster is at all times.]]
Due to their thick blubber and lack of sweat glands, Spheal and its evolutions can easily overheat in warmer environments, so it's a good idea to refrain from having them battle in places like deserts or tropical rainforests.
Courting and Childrearing
Mating is done primarily by Walrein and older Sealeo. The beachmaster (always a Walrein)is the only one allowed to mate, and its courting ritual consists only of picking a receptive female and then mating. If there is a rival, the fights can be quite bloody as the two Walrein rise up and joust with their tusks.After mating, the female Sealeo or Walrein has a gestation period of four months before giving birth to one or two Spheal pups. Due to the young's inability to swim well, the mother gets them food and helps them practice until they are close to evolving, at which point she abandons them to their fate.
Social Structure
Spheal and its evolutions live in large colonies lead by a male Walrein which serves as the beachmaster. It is also not unusual to see lone Sealeo and Walrein that lack a herd due to either competition or choice. They can also be seen in mixed groups with Seel and Dewgong, though those are rather rare.edited 18th Aug '10 11:26:08 PM by rmctagg09
Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.
Wait, he isn't dead! Shia Surprise!
I like it, but something tells me it could have used just a little extra. Perhaps you should have a bit more information on their past interactions with humans, maybe something about controversy over continued use of Spheal blubber as fuel in some parts of the world?
edited 31st Jul '10 7:49:30 AM by SullenFrog
The Danse Macabre Codex
Totally Not a Schoolboy
Well I finally stopped being a lazy bum finished that Buizel entry, thoughts and commentary are welcome...
Buizel Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Buizel [418]
- Floatzel [419]
Physical Description
The Pokémon of the Buizel line are lutrine bipeds that share an orange-and-cream color scheme, ridge-like growths covered by blue scales extending from the sides of their arms, twin tails, crested heads, small ears obscured by their pelts, and yellow air sacs used aid buoyancy.
A typical Buizel stands 70 centimeters from from foot to the tip of its crest at the back of its head and weighs just under 30 kilograms. Buizel are characterized by an orange pelt, with cream regions covering its underbelly, muzzle, its paw pads, two regions above its eyes resembling eyebrows, the tips of its tails, and one or two dots along its back depending upon the individual's gender. Although they have no apparent claws, careful inspection of a Buizel's digits will reveal small but sharp claws which enable it to both better grip food as well as surfaces in order to exit bodies of water. A Buizel's yellow buoyancy sac rings its neck, giving a collar-like appearance.
Average individuals from Buizel's final stage, Floatzel, stand roughly 110 centimeters in height and typically weigh a scant 4 kilograms more than their younger and less lithe brethren. Floatzel pelts are similarly colored to those of their younger counterparts, and have cream regions covering the entirety of their underbellies barring a teardrop-shaped patch of orange fur on the front of their lower abdominal regions, the entirety of their forepaws and forearms, their muzzles, tail tips, one or two moderately-sized elliptical dots on their backs, and a small circular patch on their foreheads. Floatzel have more defined proportionately larger head crests than their younger brethren, more prominent claws, and have a buoyancy sac that rings the entirety of their torsos and abdomen, with an appearance not wholly unlike that of a yellow inflatable dinghy. Floatzel also possess proportionately narrower and longer scaled ridges on their arms than Buizel, which have an appearance not wholly unlike that of two large, dulled spikes.
In rare circumstances, members of the Buizel line with yellow and white pelts and white buoyancy sacs have been recorded, and are prized among collectors.
Notable Biology
One of the defining features of members of the Buizel line is the presence of inflatable air sacs that act as buoyancy aids. These sacs are extensions of the respiratory systems of members of this line, not wholly unlike the internal air sacs of many avian Pokémon. These air sacs are protected by relatively thick and durable tissue layers and are separated from the rest of a Buizel/Floatzel's respiratory system via a series of folds of connective tissue that prevent a Buizel/Floatzel's lungs from becoming flooded by water in the event of a ruptured air sac. In addition to greater buoyancy, these air sacs also enable members of the Buizel line to remain underwater for extended periods of time. It is not uncommon for members of the Buizel line to perforate their air sacs at some point during their lives. Individuals with such injuries typically adopt a temporarily terrestrial lifestyle until the puncture wound(s) in their air sacs have fully healed.
Another defining feature of these lutrine creatures is their unique double tails, which Buizel and Floatzel manipulate by forming corkscrew motions in water to propel themselves. These motions are very rapid, and are forceful enough to allow members of this line to slice through lesser obstacles in bodies of water such as mats of seaweed with ease. Members of the Buizel line with injured tails can easily be spotted by their slow, awkward movements in the water. A popular, though widely disparaged, practice among some Buizel trainers is to encourage their Pokémon to rotate their tails fast enough to allow for short airborne hops. Although amusing, this trick is both a safety hazard and puts the performing Buizel at risk of straining the muscles that it uses to manipulate its tails.
Both members of the Buizel line are renowned for their generally genial and playful temperaments, and are one of a small number of Pokémon are considered (relatively) safe to be in close proximity to in the wild. Floatzel have also been recorded rescuing drowning humans and other creatures in bodies of water, which makes the creatures a staple among lifeguards. Among fishermen, Buizel and Floatzel are seen as both a blessing and a curse, as wild individuals have been known to steal catches and damage valuable fishing equipment, but captive individuals are prized among hobbyist fishermen for their assistance in herding catches into nets and near lures. Buizel and Floatzel were once prized for their pelts among fur traders, though the proliferation of media, particularly works directed towards children, revolving around Buizel and Floatzel and a corresponding surge in popularity has all but annihilated the trade. Buizel and Floatzel remain fixtures of modern media, and occupy prominent roles in a truly staggering number of movie, television, literary, and video game franchises.
Habitat
Despite their classification as "Sea Weasel" Pokémon, Buizel and Floatzel can be found in a truly astonishing variety of aquatic habitats, ranging from coastal areas and estuaries, to rivers and swamps, to isolated lake systems in caves and mountainous regions. Members of the Buizel line are most commonly encountered in Sinnoh, though small but stable populations have been recorded throughout Kanto and Johto.
Diet
Members of the Buizel line are noted for their fast metabolisms, and healthy individuals have been noted to consume in excess of 15% of their body masses in food on a daily basis. While Buizel and Floatzel appear to be capable of subsisting on an omnivorous diet like a majority of Pokémon, wild individuals appear to have a heavy slant towards a carnivorous diet comprised mostly of fish-like, mollusk-like, and crustacean-like prey. Both morphs appear to consume plant matter on a fairly regular basis, and appear to have an affinity for the Wacan Berry. In circumstances where both normal prey and edible plant matter is scarce, it is not unheard of for Buizel and Floatzel to hunt other aquatic creatures for sustenance.
Hazards
While Buizel and Floatzel's reputation for being playful and amiable and their perception as being creatures suitable for beginning trainers is not wholly undeserved, they are by no means creatures to take lightly. Like any Pokémon, Buizel and Floatzel are usually most hazardous when they are irritated or frightened. Members of this line have been known to lash out at perceived threats or aggressors through a wide variety of methods. Both members of this line employ a range of tackle attacks, including several that incorporate feigned retreats in order to catch opponents off guard. Tackles from a Buizel are more than enough to knock adult humans off their feet and can leave deep bruises as well as lacerations and scrapes from their claws, tackles from the aforementioned mustelid's elder morph have been known to break bones, cause internal bleeding, and leave gashes deep enough to necessitate medical sutures. Both morphs in this line are also known to attack by expelling pressurized jets of water out of their mouths. Although painful, these attacks are arguably among the least hazardous attacks employed by members of this line, though it should be noted that humans attacked by these jets of water have been known to suffer bruising, and in some instances involving attacks by Floatzel, loss of exposed patches of skin. Among captive Buizel and Floatzel, a there is a commonly taught battle technique that involves attacking opponents with jets of unusually salty water. Although this attack presents no greater danger on its own in comparison to the naturally learned attacks in this vein, it is typically employed on opponents with visible wounds, an experience which has been noted to be vastly more painful for the unlucky party on the receiving end. Both creatures in this line have been known to employ biting attacks, especially Floatzel. Buizel bites are seldom serious, and usually employed as a desperation attack, though they will easily leave puncture wounds and carry a risk of bacterial infection. Floatzel bites are far more dangerous, as the mustelid's unassuming jaws are more than capable of severing digits and fracturing bones. Irritated and frightened Pokémon in this line also pose risks toward imprudent trainers on bodies of water, as both Buizel and Floatzel have been known to attack foes in marine environments by creating localized whirlpools capable of capsizing small boats.
There are also a number of more mundane hazards that members of this line pose towards trainers, which can quickly turn an affectionate romp into a trip to the emergency room. The most prominent of these lesser hazards are the twin tails that members of this line possess. Both Buizel and Floatzel employ their tails as a means of propulsion in their native environment, using their muscles to manipulate them into moving in a screw-like fashion not unlike the motion of a propeller, a practice that manifests itself by habit when these creatures are on dry land. Although this practice is seen by many trainers as endearing, it is also capable of inflicting bruises, lacerations, and in more extreme cases hairline fractures and dislocated limbs upon a trainer foolhardy enough to stick a bodily appendage near a Buizel's or Floatzel's moving tails. Both Buizel and Floatzel are known to generally be very energetic and playful, which can lead to problems among individuals that have a poor grasp of their own strength. Poorly trained Buizel and Floatzel have sent many an inexperienced trainer to the hospital through well-intentioned but excessive roughhousing or overly playful nips and scratches. Reports of Floatzel accidentally drowning or nearly drowning their trainers while cavorting in bodies of water are not unheard of. Due to their popularity among novice trainers, a number of communities near large bodies of water with a large Buizel or Floatzel population maintain public awareness campaigns focusing on safely raising and encountering these creatures.
Courting
Both Buizel and Floatzel are capable of reproduction, though reproduction among Buizel is uncommon outside of captivity. Courtship is usually initiated by male suitors, which will attempt to impress a potential mate through a variety of observed methods including what appear to be marine "acrobatics" and the offering of gifts of food. It is not uncommon for a single female to receive advances from multiple males, which often leads to heated battles among prospective suitors. Buizel and Floatzel have also been recorded courting and being courted by individuals outside of their immediate line, though these interactions are fairly rare outside of captivity. After selecting an appealing suitor, a female member of the Buizel line will mate with her chosen male, typically in bodies of water, and typically remains with the male until her offspring are capable of fending for themselves. It is not unheard of for a single breeding pair of members of the Buizel line to remain together for the duration of their lives, though this practice appears to be more common in captivity than in the wild.
Social Structure
Both Buizel and Floatzel exhibit a biological quirk that enables their eggs to survive reproduction through both ovoviviparous and oviparous methods. The former reproductive method is most commonly seen among Floatzel, and typically occurs in the event of the birth of single offspring. The latter method is seen most commonly in the event of the birth of multiple offspring, and curiously, appears to occur in an overwhelming majority of observed captive births.
Buizel are born blind, typically in a holt either dug into the ground or fashioned from a sufficiently large hollow log, and are wholly dependent upon their parents and any older siblings for protection and sustenance during the first weeks of their lives. In addition, Buizel and Floatzel organize themselves into rafts consisting of anywhere from 6 to over 150 individuals, which act as an additional supportive structure for the offspring of members of a raft. During their first 2 months alive, Buizel develop their swimming capabilities through observation and emulation of its parents and siblings, and begin to receive their first hunting lessons from members of their immediate family as well as incorporation into the social structures of the broader raft. Buizel are typically sheltered by their parents for the first 12 months of their lives, after which they are left to take care of themselves as members of their raft.
Rafts appear to exhibit fairly loose social ties, and fluctuate in size due to members leaving due to internal squabbles or to start their own rafts. As Buizel age and draw near their evolution into Floatzel, they will typically join progressively smaller rafts due to increased competition for food.
edited 13th Aug '10 8:56:57 PM by CaptainNapalm
Let's play a game about Pokémon...
Some mention of the Brine attack may be warranted as well.
Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?
insert title here
and the Hazards entry is approaching Wall of Text size, break it into a paragraph or two!
also
female member of the Buizel line will mate with her chosen male, typically in bodies of water, and typically remains with the female until her offspring areI sounds like you're saying the female stays with the female. Change it to "remains with the male until their offspring" or something like that.
edited 1st Aug '10 1:08:57 PM by Blissey1
XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!
Wait, he isn't dead! Shia Surprise!
It is a very good article, man, but most of the paragraphs need to be broken up for easier reading.
The Danse Macabre Codex
adopting kitteh
I'm finishing the Surskit entry (sorry for taking so long) and I already contacted an artist to ask permission for a Nido art featuring most of the family. The problem seems to be Lileep — they don't seem to be popular enough to have good artists ogling over them.
Fanfic Recs orwellianretcon'd: cutlocked for committee or for Google?
Your army sucks.
Strange, with all Naughty Tentacles potential, you'd think Lileep would be more popular.
I'm sorry I went there.
Sorry, I can't hear you from my FLYING METAL BOX!
insert title here
I actually have seen something of that nature.
err, not that, ya know, I actively look for that kind of stuff...but yeah, they are kinda rare.
XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!
Totally Not a Schoolboy
I made a few tweaks to the article I posted, oh and I'm looking forward to that future Surskit article...
Let's play a game about Pokémon...
adopting kitteh
Strange, with all Naughty Tentacles potential, you'd think Lileep would be more popular.[insert inane amount of unicode smileys] ಠ_ಠ (ಥ_ಥ) (¬_¬) ⍨
*Ahem*
Why yea, I think about that as well. I guess the Combat Tentacles niche is already filled with Tentacruel (and Venusaur, although I've never been able to surmise how may whips does that thing have). Besides Lileep are funny to look at in Battle Revolution.
Anyways... uh. Yeah.
Again.
Anyone to review the Starters entries? I had açsome comments about Bulbasaur and Totodile, I'd have to check if I haven't forgotten them already.
Fanfic Recs orwellianretcon'd: cutlocked for committee or for Google?
Wait, he isn't dead! Shia Surprise!
Sure, I'll be willing to fix up the Totodile entry—once I've heard these comments first.
The Danse Macabre Codex
Yeah, I can revisit the Bulbasaur entry.
...sorry I haven't written much on the Pokédex Project entry yet...
Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?
Your army sucks.
Still working on the Regirock entry. By that I mean, I wrote the first parts, gave up, and haven't touched it since.
Sorry, I can't hear you from my FLYING METAL BOX!
adopting kitteh
Totally Not a Schoolboy
I guess I'll write about the Cubone line next, if I can figure out a handwave for the whole "Marowaks die after breeding" thing that doesn't sound stupid...
Let's play a game about Pokémon...
NOT THE BEES
You can always say the skull is just an external growth and the whole "wears its mother's skull" thing is a myth solidly disproved once someone realized a mother couldn't have enough skulls for a litter (unless she lived in Mortal Kombat).
Totally Not a Schoolboy
Wait, but weren't Rocket grunts in R/B/Y stealing Cubone sku- Oh... Oh, my...
edited 1st Aug '10 10:05:35 PM by CaptainNapalm
Let's play a game about Pokémon...
adopting kitteh
Also. You can always go a bit meta and say that the "wears the mother's skull" thing was a rumour that young Trainers tried to spread around so that people would leave the Pokémon alone because they're so Bad Ass even right after birth (or even better, they took the skull of their murdered mothers and went on for vengeance), and it became a sort of Memetic Mutation (to the point that it had to be explicitly pointed at and discredited, maybe). It works in both directions, even.
edited 1st Aug '10 10:13:03 PM by SilentReverence
Fanfic Recs orwellianretcon'd: cutlocked for committee or for Google?
Crazed Lawrencian
Hello. Is there anything I have to do before making an entry here? Many of these are really inventive, and I'm afraid that I won't be up to snuff.
Proud member of the IAA What's the point of being grown up if you can't act childish?
^^ doh! x.x Fixed.
Okay, I'll go with "The Pokédex Project" for now. The Oak Catalog probably refers to a particular (and in retrospect rather Kanto-centric) numbering system.
Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?