Buneary Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Buneary [#427]
- Lopunny [#428]
- Mega Lopunny [#428-M]
Physical Description
Buneary are small, bipedual pokemon covered in a combination of soft brown down and fluffy tan fur. Their arms and legs are short but powerful, with the legs especially granting them a high ground speed; both sets of limbs end in broad three-digit paws that give them excellent traction. Aside from a small round tail, the lower body is entirely covered in fluff. The head is almost spherical, with a triangular pink nose set in the center and connected to a mouth that seems to be constantly smiling; beady black eyes are set some distance to either side of the nose, with a dot of tan fluff just above each one serving as eyebrows. Two long paddle-like ears are connected to the top of the head, each with pink inner surfaces and capped with a ball of fluff; one ear is always curled, traditionally the left one, although there is some matter of personal preference and Buneary will curl both ears up if they feel especially threatened.
Lopuny are three times as tall as their pre-evolution, with ears just as long as they are tall; the ears bend roughly a third of the way up, each drooping to the side of the pokemon's body and their lower half covered entirely in well groomed fluff. The Lopunny has developed a small muzzle, giving its head an egg-like shape; the eyes are now larger with visible red irises, and the dots of fluff have grown into long, fluffy eyebrows that extend some ways behind the face. A thin neck leads into a tear-drop shaped body, with the muscular upper limbs jutting out from under it; the forward paws have developed into three-fingered hands, surrounded by tan fluff. The lower body is now entirely exposed, revealing powerful thighs which lead to knee-high "boots" of fluff. The lower paws have not grown at all, resulting in very tiny feet. Unlike their pre-evolution, they will shed their fur at the beginning of autumn and the end of winter; their winter coat is much more fluffy and dense then their summer coat.
Recently, stones from the otherwise ordinary collection of a new tenant in the recently developed Mauville Hills made the news when it was discovered to cause Mega Evolution in Lopunny. The new form is a full head taller than the old one, and their fluff is much less soft. The ears have grown as well, though instead of being covered in fluff the post-bend portions are divided into thirds by tiny rings of the tan fur. The eyebrows merge into one shape at the center of the forehead, resembling the outline of Beautifly. The fluff around the hands and feet are now much more clearly defined, the feet especially being larger and with fluff only extending to the ankle. Most notably, though, the mega evolution develops a thin black skin of umbrate around their legs; while this "pantyhose" does start out as completely solid, the Lopunny quickly tears portions away to cover their clawed fingers with, resulting in most images of the form having tears around the thighs.
There is a rare mutation which causes both the tan fur and brown down to be slightly transparent; this results in the Buneary's pinkish skin being more visible, with the fluff being incredibly pink. The mutation remains after evolution, and pink Buneary/Lopunny are sought out by collectors.
Notable Biology
Both Buneary and Lopunny have surprisingly powerful muscles underneath their fur. Buneary's ears are, in fact, capable of unfurling with enough force to break small boulders, and this strength only increases when they evolve. In addition to their sheer muscular prowess, the fluff can absorb sunlight; while most wild Buneary simply nestle into their fur at night, a properly trained specimen can utilize this ability to manipulate the weather and unleash powerful beams at opponents. All members of this line do have small amounts of Umbrite in their bodies: both Buneary and normal Lopunny can be trained to access it, though only the Mega evolved Lopunny uses it naturally. Mega evolved Lopunny are also far more aggressive than their normal form, which leads to enough martial prowess that they are considered to have the Fighting type atop their Normal type.
Despite all this, almost half of the Buneary line is uncoordinated, to the point where they can't use held items in combat. The remaining Buneary are constantly alert, reading any pokemon who attack them to find openings for a strategic retreat; while they lose the speed to run from a fight when they become Lopunny, their psychological examinations allow them to easily manipulate opponents into becoming infatuated with them. There does exist a rare third breed with much better physical coordination; this particular breed appears to be impossible to paralyze. Mega evolved Lopunny, due to the slightly different musculature, do not have any of these abilities; however, the umbrite on their claws and legs let them attack Ghost type pokemon with moves they are normally immune to.
Social Structure
Despite the appearance of the smile on their face, Buneary in the wild are naturally very much paranoid and untrusting of unfamiliar faces. Typically they form small groups known as husks, with newborns being introduced to each member of the husk to gain their trust. These groups will search for food together and create small nests in the grass to rest for the night, but whenever they are attacked they all try to flee without giving thought to helping their family. Husks that encounter other Buneary will be wary, but attempt to cautiously integrate into each other while trying to make sure the other group isn't actually some sort of Ghost-type prank. If a group of Buneary is reduced to one member, that member will generally rush out and try to attract predators to consume it.
The evolution to Lopunny is triggered by a level of comfort and joy that the paranoid Buneary rarely achieve in the wild, which means that their are very few studies on how they interact with their pre-evolution. The colony in Castelia park, however, has led to some level of insight into what such behavior might consist of; Lopunny tend to be very loyal to the group they're part of, taking a lookout position and deliberately drawing attention to themselves if they see what seems to be a predator. This does match up with the behaviors of captured Buneary who evolve; see Hazards, below.
Habitat
Buneary are native to the Eterna Forest of Sinnoh, and are part of a very intriguing food chain arrangement. The top predators of the forest are Murkrow and Misdreavus, both of whom coordinate to not only ensure that Buneary do not develop into large groups but also that they remain in a state of constant trauma, preventing them from evolving. While the exact reasoning behind this is unclear, the existence of Mega Lopunny—and its very dangerous combination of types and ability to Ghost-Type pokemon—has led some researchers to believe that the Misdreavus are performing these actions out of a racial memory of their old foes.
Attempts to introduce Buneary to other regions have had mixed results. In Kanto, a lack of native predators has caused the population to explode and regular swarms still cross route 25. However, both Hoenn and Unova have avoided this result thanks to limiting the Buneary to carefully watched safari zones and the Castelia city park, respectively.
Diet
The Buneary line is mostly herbivorous, but their musculature means that they require some meat-based proteins in their diet. In the wild, this is usually obtained by consuming bug-type pokemon alongside the grasses and berries Buneary eat; due to the lack of bug type pokemon in Castelia city park, the Buneary in the region have become dependent on park-goers giving them small pellets from provided dispensers. The usual pokemon food sold in pokemarts are enough for Buneary and Lopunny, though the latter will need more of it overall.
Hazards
Buneary are incredibly distrusting of strangers, due to the constant and traumatizing harassment of ghost-type pokemon in Eterna forest. This, in combination with their innate strength, makes the cute bundle a dangerous and easily triggered time bomb; captured Buneary are only docile due to their despair at being separated from their husk, and aggravating them can lead to serious injury. Trainers should be gentle and caring toward the Buneary for some time after the capture; ensuring the pokemon trusts the rest of the team as well as their new owner is essential, and should be achieved before taking them out on a battle. It is very heavily suggested that one avoids putting them in the same team as a ghost-type before they evolve, and above all do not try to fiddle with their ears.
Lopunny are usually much more friendly and confident, due to evolving when they are in a happy situation and, therefore, having already built up some trust in their team. This does not make them any less dangerous; in fact, their newfound loyalty and increased power might make them more eager to protect their team from any perceived threats, although they rarely start fights deliberately. However, Mega Lopunny are much more aggressive and will tend to exercise their new combat abilities as much as possible, even seeking out ghost types to torment. Both forms have very delicate ears and only allow others to touch them under very specific circumstances.
Courting
Sex is as much a part of a Buneary's life as being constantly hunted and tormented by predators. In point of fact, after a husk of Buneary manage to escape from some group of predators, they will engage in intercourse as a form of panic relief. While they do not discern based on age or gender, this does inevitably result in numerous births. Usually a single mother will have around six children, and all newborns will be passed around the group to be accepted by them. Young Buneary learn about eating, forming nests, and running from predators by observing their family; in roughly a year's time, about half of them will be sexually mature adults, with the other half being dead.
While Lopunny do have the same instincts, their increased confidence and loyalty means that they will usually only seek out members of a family they have grown to enjoy. In wild populations this does mean they limit themselves to those they have known since birth; however, tame Lopunny have the somewhat embarrassing tendency to throw themselves at compatible members of their team after a battle, including their trainer at times. They can be taught not to do this, or at the very least to leave their trainers out of it, but Mega-evolved Lopunny will all but insist on some form of satisfaction and will become very mopey if they aren't allowed to engage before their mega-evolution wears off.
In Human Society
Buneary have a surprisingly mixed representation in the popular culture of Sinnoh. While their adorable nature has led to the creation of Buneary dolls, people were well aware of their detached and slightly volatile personalities. This, in combination with their home in Eterna Forest, led to a number of stories where they were considered either creepy or tragic; one notable story documented their life with disturbing accuracy. Overall, though, most Buneary are considered adorable and just require a gentle touch; there is a small society that gives traumatized children Buneary in order for them to develop a bond and heal together, or Buneary dolls if they're not allowed to have pets.
The Lopunny, on the other hand, is usually considered a friendly sort of pokemon, often taking the role of comforting sister figure in stories that are aimed at young children. However, their sexual tendencies—combined with the somewhat attractive form of their lower bodies—have led older audiences to see them as minor sex symbols. Trainers with a Lopunny can expect to be teased to varying amounts about their "relationship," which is only increased if the Lopunny can mega-evolve (due to both their new appearance and the understood requirements of mega evolution). In fact, a company that specializes in adult material uses the Lopunny as the basis for their own unique outfit. However, a recent work of fiction has a Lopunny mega evolve for the purpose of fighting evil ghost-type pokemon, and there is an increasing trend towards seeing the Lopunny as heroic, feminine warriors.
Written by Masterweaver.
