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Fridge Brilliance
New mons
- There are many fan theories related to guessing that Alola would be the region that the A.Z.-led Kalos fought against 3000 years ago. While that theory has yet to be confirmed, the starters give somewhat of a nod to it. Between the regions, the starters are opposites: the Grass/Fighting Chesnaught is weak to Rowlet/Dartrix's Grass-Flying type or Decidueye's Grass-Ghost; Delphox's Fire/Psychic to Incineroar's Fire/Dark; and Primarina's Water/Fairy is super-effective against Greninja's Water/Dark. At the same time, several of Kalos's starters have a type advantage against the super-effective Alola starter: Greninja's Dark-typing beats Decidueye's Ghost while Chesnaught's Fighting-type attacks are super-effective against Incineroar. The only exception is Delphox, whose typing and movepool do it no favors against Primarina. This slight edge in Alola's favor may be what led Kalos to feel the need to create the Ultimate Weapon.
- The secondary typings of Alola's starter choices' final forms make even more sense in light of the backstory developments from Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Decidueye's Ghost typing and Incineroar's Dark typing have a type advantage against Psychic types, and Primarina's Fairy-type is strong against Dragon types; given that Alola has prior experience with Necrozma's world-threatening shenanigans, it's probably not a coincidence that the starter Pokémon possess the perfect types to counter Ultra Necrozma. After the first time Necrozma trashed the region (and the Tapus and Solgaleo/Lunala had to step in to stop its rampage), the rulers of Alola decided that it would be best for all Trainers in the region to have a sporting chance at taking down the light-guzzling beast.
- Ultra Necrozma's typing is also part of the "It All Comes Together" theme of the Seventh Gen, as both of its types are the types once considered overpowered and new types were introduced into the game to counter them (Dark for Psychic and Fairy for Dragon).
- Decidueye's classification as a Grass/Ghost type, compared to Grass/Flying like its evolutionary predecessors, seems odd, until one realizes that Decidueye's design is inspired by the stilt owl
, a species of owl from Hawaii that evolved to have long legs that made it better able to walk. This would explain why it loses its classification as a Flying type Pokémon. As for why its secondary type becomes Ghost: the stilt owl is dead, having been rendered extinct around the first millennium AD.- Decidueye also looks very similar to the pueo owl, one of the more famous examples of animals believed in Hawaii to be a physical form of the aumakua, the ancestor spirits.
- Why is Decidueye an archer?
- It's a form of irony. Prior to the invention of guns, early men hunted and caught prey from a distance using owls.
- Owls have excellent vision and hearing during night and day in order to pinpoint prey.
- As a former flying type from its previous stages (although its animations hint it's still capable of flight), it would naturally know how to react to and wield wind and air currents, appropriate abilities for an archer.
- There's a "dead eye" pun in there somewhere.
- There's a second pun as well; it went from having a Bow... to having a Bow.
- Upon its introduction, Incineroar hasn't been too well-received: people were disappointed that it became bipedal, that it's yet another brawling fire-type starter... which is actually perfect for Incineroar, as it's the Heel Pokemon, and getting "heel heat" from the fans (or, in layman's terms, being booed, rejected and expecting its comeuppance at the hands of a babyface, unlike the other type of heat) is exactly what a heel wrestler is supposed to do.
- The Fire/Dark type works on 2 levels because, in addition to representing heels, the Dark typing gives it a weakness to Fighting-types, and wrestlers are (wrongly considered) weak to "real" fighters.
- Alola has variations of the same bird Pokémon per island. Oricorio, the mon in question, is based on the hawaiian honeycreepers, a group of about 20 (formerly nearly 50, but many are extinct now) songbirds endemic to Hawaii.
- Each of Oricorio's forms take inspiration from different dances. However, each of these dances are from all over the world. We have the Spanish inspired Baile style, a Pom-pom style, which is based on American Cheerleading, Pa'u style is obviously Hawaiian, and last but not least, we have the Japanese Sensu style. These four different cultures also influenced modern Hawaii in some way.
- Rockruff's typing is often assumed to be in reference to how Hawaiian dogs were often thrown in the graves of their child owners if they died, but it could also be a reference beyond that. Hawaiian Poi Dogs, the breed most commonly thrown in with the children, are extinct. And what typing do the in-universe extinct Fossil Pokémon have?
- Why does Wishiwashi go from a school of fish to just one fish when it takes enough damage? Because all the other Wishiwashi fainted or scattered out of fear or the realization that their bluff isn't working.
- The disproportionate ratio of male-to-female Salandits threw gamers for a loop, especially since only female Salandits are capable of evolving into Salazzles. But if you pay attention to the Pokédex entries, it's revealed that the packs are composed of Salazzle (which are the alphas) and their male Salandit harem. So it would only make sense that female Salandits are harder to come by.
- This may also be a reference to how some parthenogenic lizards reproduce. Many of these reptiles have ZZ genetics, where a male has one chromosome while a female has two. When no mates are available, a female will lay a clutch of eggs that will all hatch into males. Even after mating, at least some of their offspring will be male, producing a gender imbalance.
- Salazzle evolving from a female Salandit might seem off at first, until you realize she isn't just based off of salamanders, but whiptail lizards as well. For those who don't know, whiptail lizards are generally female only, but are capable of breeding with other females.
- Why is it that even captured male Salandits are unable to evolve? The Pokédex pretty much spells it out — malnutrition. Malnutrition at a young age can permanently stunt growth, even if properly fed later in life.
- Looking at Oranguru's movepool, one might notice that it's incapable of learning Attract, a TM move that almost all Pokémon with a gender (and two who don't) can learn. This inability to learn the move makes sense when you consider that it's partially based on a Hermit Guru, who are too focused on achieving enlightenment to get involved in something like romance.
- Wimpod being so cowardly is even funnier when you consider how it's based on an arthropod — and as such is literally spineless.
- Its evolution Golisopod is still a coward at heart, having pretty much the exact same ability as Wimpod except with a Tactical Withdrawal flavour to it. It also has a Signature Move in First Impression, a powerful attack with high priority that only works on the user's first turn on the field — implying that it wants to give a good first impression of looking like a badass to the opponent before they notice its inherent cowardice. This is Guzma's signature Pokémon, and thus Golisopod also represents Team Skull as a whole: Intimidate the opponents, try to make them run away... but if they fight back and have a chance of winning, flee.
- Sandygast and Palossand are Ground-type, which initially makes them weak against water. Their ability, Water Compaction, however, gives them a step up by sharply raising their defense after they're hit with water attacks. When sand is hit with water, it can become mud, considerably a lot tougher than before.
- While the Ground typing definitely makes sense, some people may ask why Sandygast and Palossand are Ghost types, since they don't seem too much like ghosts. It's actually a Stealth Pun; they're Haunted (Sand) Castles! (Or, if you prefer, ghosts possessing sand castles.) Their weakness to water is also reflected in the fact that sand castles are washed up/destroyed after water hits them.
- Pyukumuku is able to spit out its innards and form a fist out of them. This reflects a real life sea cucumber's ability to expel its intestines from its anus to repel predators.
- Many people have noted that Pyukumuku's orifice is shaped like a Dai/Oo symbol, but it's also a reference to sea cucumber biology: Sea Cucumbers are Echinoderms, which are a group of marine animals that have a radial symmetry (this group also contains sea stars). Usually, they have five points, which can explain Pyukumku's orifice. Many species of sea cucumber also exhibit a kind of secondary bilateral symmetry, which explains why it has spines on its back and not all around it.
- Type: Null was created to deal with a threat — in this case, the Ultra Beasts. Look at how balanced the stats of its unleashed evolution, Silvally, are. Then look at the Min-Maxing of the stats on the Ultra Beasts. In other words, Silvally's stats could (mostly) prove this claim.
- Not to mention that most of the Ultra Beasts have a crippling weakness to specific types (for example, Guzzlord is 4x weak to Fairy, Nihilego is 4x weak to Ground, and Kartana is 4x weak to Fire). So it makes sense for Silvally to be able to change type to the one most effective to take down a certain Ultra Beast.
- Another interesting note: Ultra Beasts enter battle with a Totem Aura to increase their stats, and Beast Boost gives them another stat boost when they KO an opponent. Most of them are encountered at level 65, the same level at which Silvally learns Punishment, which deals increased damage based on the target's stat boosts. Guess the developers of Type: Null thought of everything.
- Why does Turtonator have an ability that makes it immune to critical hits when its lore outright says it has a weak point on its belly? Because in battle, it is constantly facing with its belly away from the opponent!
- Hakamo-o and Kommo-o can learn Sky Uppercut and the latter is said to be able to perform extremely powerful uppercuts. The Shoryuken is one of the most famous uppercuts in gaming and it means "dragon punch". They're basically capable of performing a Dragon Punch, literally and figuratively.
- There is some discernible logic to Cosmog's Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism if you look at the flavor text. Cosmog grows when exposed to light, Cosmoem's evolution depends on the version it's evolved in, which is implied to be under the influence of the legendaries exclusive to those titles. Midday Lycanroc's evolution is attributed to the solar energy exuded by Solgaleo, whereas Lunala is stated to absorb such energy, leading to the evolution into Midnight Form. To clarify, Cosmoem evolves into the lithe Lunala when there isn't enough energy to support its growth, while it otherwise evolves into Solgaleo due to an abundance of solar energy.
- Cosmoem's name. Cosmo (referring to space) and embryo. Embryos are what most beings are before they're born, like how Cosmoem is what Solgaleo and Lunala are before they evolve. Some languages render the name as Cosmovum, which is much less subtle; "ovum" literally means "egg", both in Latin and as the proper scientific term.
- Both Solgaleo and Lunala being Psychic makes sense, as most "alien" Pokémon are usually Psychic, like Deoxys, Starmie, and Elgyem/Beeheeyem.
- Lunala being a Ghost type instead of the expected Dark type. All the darkness/shadow-based moves are considered Ghost-type (except Dark Void and Night Daze) and Dark-type, in Japan, is actually Evil-type, which includes dirty tricks and otherwise cruel maneuvers.
- Solgaleo being a Steel-type makes a lot more sense when you acknowledge metals (especially steel) are incredible reflectors of sunlight. Massive, old stars have iron cores. As a further nod, its Secret Art Sunsteel Strike basically has Solgaleo form a sun around itself (with Solgaleo in the center) before charging. Also, a lion devouring the sun is an alchemical symbol for the purification of metals, and Solgaleo is known as "the beast who devours the sun", which might also explain its Psychic typing.
- Solgaleo and Lunala are not embodiments of the sun and moon like previous legendary Pokémon. This makes sense when you learn that Cosmog is considered an Ultra Beast. Because they came from outside the Pokémon world, they do not embody any part of it.
- Wonder why Cosmoem, despite being a tiny little orb of energy, weighs 999.9kg? Look at its classification: the "Protostar" Pokémon. While protostars are rather young, they're still incredibly dense entities that will only grow even more dense.
- After scanning the QR code needed to get Magearna into a game, it can be obtained in a specific area and not a Pokémon Center like most Mythicals. Where does one pick up their 500-year-old clockwork robot? An antique shop, of course!
- Mimikyu's cry is strange, as it sounds like it's saying its own name… until you remember that the Pokémon it's trying to copy is the only one that actually does say its name.
- Mimikyu can learn the move Wood Hammer, a grass-type move which initially seems incongruous with its fairy/ghost typing and general theme. That is, until you remember that it's holding a wooden stick for its Pikachu tail!
- Komala is one of the handful of Pokémon that can't be S.O.S. chained. Komala is also constantly asleep, and in the game Pokémon that are afflicted with a status condition (Burn, Paralyze, Sleep, etc.) cannot call for help during fights.
- Nihilego's Rock/Poison-type makes perfect sense when you think of its physiology — its body is made of crystal (Rock) and it's equipped with mind-altering toxins (Poison).
- Most people have noticed it odd that Passimians have only Trumbeak for their SOS Battle allies, what with their 'dex entries would have you think. Then there's the original source of Passimian information where it says the boss of the troop puts the troop through such rigorous training, some run away. So all the Passimians you find are basically the washouts of the training sessions.
- Why are "Full Metal Body", "Shadow Shield", and "Prism Armor", Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma's signature abilities, unaffected by Mold Breaker and similar effects? They are of alien origin. That's why they don't have a way to disable said abilities.
- Why does Meltan's Pokédex entry mention the strongest one of the pack absorbing all the others to become Melmetal? Because that's how the CP system works in Pokémon GO; if a Pokémon has higher CP when evolved, the evolution will usually also have higher CP. Therefore, players tend to pick the strongest one out of the bunch, then evolve that one with the candies obtained from catching the others.
- UB-04 BLASTER (Celesteela) only appears in Moon. UB-04 is based on the tale of Kaguya-hime, who comes from a lunar civilization.
- Nihilego makes a lot of sense as a UB that can control others, and induce evil. Why? Nihil is latin for "none". None Ego. No Ego. And if you know what the Ego does...
- Why do Ultra Beasts like Sun's UB-02, UB-04 (Buzzwole/Absorbtion and Kartana/Blade respectively), and both version's UB-05 (Guzzlord/Glutton)'s names sound so contemporary? The first time you encounter them in the Aether lab or post-game missions, they'll be called ???. Meaning no one actually has a name for them, save for the codename. You being the first one to catch one, you get to give them a name, and that's what happened. Your teenage player character just named them after their appearance, with their own vocabulary: Buzzwole being a giant muscular mosquito, Kartana a razor-sharp origami (and a mispelling of katana), and Guzzlord being nothing but mouth. This can be proved as Gladion, being the first and only trainer who made Type: Null evolve, named the evolution no one knew about Silvally.
- Mareanie and Toxapex are based on the crown-of-thorns starfish. One of the natural predators of the crown-of-thorns is the triggerfish, which Bruxish is based on. Bruxish, being part-Psychic, can inflict boosted super-effective attacks on the part-Poison Mareanie and Toxapex — via a potentially Strong Jaw-boosted Psychic Fangs, no less. It's like they're tailor-made to eat the starfish!
Regional forms
- Dark seems to be the most common typing for Alolan forms, with 1/3rd of them being dark types (Alolan Rattata, Raticate, Meowth, Persian, Grimer, and Muk). Now remember how much of a Game-Breaker Psychic was in Gen 1 and how all Alolan forms are Gen 1 Pokémon.
- Also, unlike Fairy and Steel, no Gen 1 Pokémon was reclassified into the Dark-type upon its introduction, so this finally gives Gen 1 Dark type representation.
- Similarly, Ice-types were rather rare in Gen 1: only 5 were available, and one was Articuno. Thus two Alolan Forms. Other rare Gen 1 types like the one-line Dragon and Ghost also got Alolan forms.
- In the Let's Go games, which have only Gen I Pokémon (and the Meltan line) available, this is precisely what happens. Aside from Mega Gyarados, the only available Dark-type Pokémon are the Alolan forms.
- The variation factor somewhat justifies the Alola versions. Alolan Vulpix's Pokédex entry in Sun says, "Elderly people in Alola call this Pokémon by an older name — Keokeo." This could mean that Alolan Sandshrew didn't originally have "sand" in its name, and is now known by its new name like Alolan Vulpix.
- In Japan, the Dark-type is the 'Evil'-type, despite the fact that quite a few members of the type aren't evil; just pragmatic, mischievous, or any number of things. No doubt for Sandshrew, the majority are the normal ones and were named Sand; the Ice ones are simply offshoots, which can happen in nature per regular evolution, not the franchise's version — their name is the same because of convenience, presumably.
- Alolan forms appear to be a strange addition to Pokémon, but when you think about the reasons behind these changes, they become quite brilliant.
- All the regional variants in this gen belong to Gen 1 species. While this may seem like fanservice at first glance, there is indeed some in-universe justification for it: Hawaii, on which Alola is based, has a sizable Japanese population. This is reflected in the design of Alola, in that it was mentioned (in Oricorio's bio) that many inhabitants of Alola hail from Kanto (which is more or less the Pokémon world's counterpart to Japannote ). Maybe there are so many Alola forms of Kanto Pokémon because they were first brought in by immigrants from Kanto, as mentioned in the entries for Alolan Vulpix and Meowth, who were brought to Alola by people from elsewhere.
- The Alolan forms may also be deliberate attempts by Game Freak at making these Pokémon better competitively or at least stand out, particularly ones that they feel are under-used. For example, the new typings given to Marowak and Sandslash's Alolan forms let them fulfill new and unique roles separate from the myriad of Ground-types that they received extreme competition from, such as Garchomp and Therian!Landorus. Alolan Exeggutor is a real conversation piece as well as a more effective mixed attacker, and Ninetales is faster, can summon Hail, and immediately make use of Aurora Veil, which is effectively Reflect and Light Screen rolled into one move.
- Alolan forms in general are just a brilliant nod to Hawaiian wildlife. In Hawaii, animals have evolved differently from their mainland North American and mainland Asian counterparts. Pokémon Sun and Moon have taken the concept and ran with it in the Alola region, with Alolan forms giving Pokémon new appearances, types, and abilities.
- Alolan Exeggutor (and Alolans calling it the "true form" of Exeggutor) may be a rather clever nod to its third gen (and ORAS) Pokédex entries which refer to it as having originated in the tropics and that strong sunlight makes it grow larger (albeit that point was about its heads growing larger). It may be that Alola is meant to be the region that Exeggutor originated.
- Also, the Japanese Jungle TCG Booster Box◊ featured a Palm Tree Exeggutor on the front and depicted a tropical environment. While it may be unintentional, Alolan Exeggutor's existence has been foreshadowed all this time. Game Freak never forgets.
- Alolan Exeggutor's size difference is tied to that of real-life palm trees: they are tall and thin on islands and short and stocky elsewhere as a response to different weather and water conditions.
- Also, the Japanese Jungle TCG Booster Box
- Alolan Vulpix: its Pokédex entries mention that it's born with a single snow white tail. Also, Ninetales has already been shown living in icy areas in some side games.
- Alolan Sandshrew: The Yellow dex entry states that "Its body is dry. When it gets cold at night, its hide is said to become coated with a fine dew."
- Alolan Marowak being part Ghost might have something to do with Lavender Tower, where Cubone were first found and having to fight a Marowak ghost.
- Alolan Meowth's Dark-typing might be a reference to being associated with at least the anime's depiction of Meowth and Giovanni. Or, more likely, to the Alolan Meowth being so pampered that it increased their pride to the point that they became Dark-types.
- Alolan Raichu is a love letter to Puka, the surfing Pikachu who can sense waves.
- Its ability grants it boosted speed while Electric Terrain is covering the field. Why is that? Well, the electricity covering the ground lets it float better, allowing it to spend more of its psychic power on actual movement instead of floating.
- Why does it float on its tail, other than for the heck of it? Alola happens to be home to a evolutionary line of living sand: Ground-types that swallow their prey from below. The artwork of Palossand devouring Pikachu gives a pretty good reason why the Alolan Raichu learned to float on its tail. note
- Alolan Rattata, who are part Dark-type, became nocturnal to avoid the diurnal Yungoos. It's also noted that Alolan Raticate serve as Alolan Rattata's 'boss', meaning that Rattata and Raticate have some sort of syndicate going on — referencing that the Dark type is called 'Evil' in Japan. Additionally, Alolan Rattata and Raticate have Gluttony as one ability and are noted for their love of fresh food compared to normal ones. Their greed may be what caused the change to Dark-type. It is also a reference to how Team Rocket frequently used Ratatta and Raticate.
- This design choice also helps the line be parallel to the Yungoos and Gumshoos line. Yungoos and Gumshoos are based off of detectives, who solve mysteries and stop crimes. In this case, the Rattata and Raticate line would be the criminals that Yungoos and Gumshoos would be trying to stop, especially considering they were brought into the Alola region to stop them in the first place.
- Alolan Grimer is a Dark-type; like Ratatta, it's a common evil team Pokémon.
- It could also be a reference to Big Oil, which many people see as evil (and supported by how colorful Alolan Muk is; oil spilled in water creates a rainbow).
- Alternatively, as with Rattata and Raticate, the change to Dark-type may be due to them being able to freely indulge in gluttony by eating garbage.
- The Alolan Grimer and Muk notably have their regular and shiny colors reversed from the normal Grimer and Muk. Why is this the case? Alola being in the tropics means it gets pretty hot. Perhaps what happened is the shiny Grimers and Muks had an easier time adapting to the warmer environment because lighter colors absorb less heat, and over time, it became more common for the Grimer line to be green. And the shiny Grimers and Muks being purple is actually a remnant of the normal Grimers and Muks they evolved from.
- Alolan Grimer's fruity colors caused people to complain about it, and Alolan Muk has those same fruity colors, except they shift about its body. Alola is an archipelago region with several islands, meaning that oil spills are a real threat to the wildlife, and since oil takes on a prismatic sheen in sunlight...
- A thing that few people have noticed about the regional variants is that 3 families (Vulpix, Sandshrew, and Meowth) used to all be exclusive to one version of the Gen 1 games (Green in Japan, Blue internationally). Maybe it's coincidental that the former 2 are have regional variants that are blue in color (what with being Ice types) while Alolan Persian has a blue gem. It might also be a possible hint that Ekans, Growlithe, and Mankey (version counterparts of those three families) may get regional variants in a future game?
- Sure enough, we got a regional Growlithe in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. No word on Mankey and Ekans just yet.
- Something else to note is that no Water or Flying Pokémon were given Alolan forms. This is due to the fact that these Pokémon can easily travel to or from Alola (either by flying or swimming). Thus, there's little chance for genetic isolation and Darwinian evolution to occur.
- Alolan Dugtrio has two main features that set it apart, its fabulous blonde hair and steel type, and what does that make them? A hair metal trio.
Fridge Horror
New mons
- Yungoos are quite literally an invasive species in the Alola region. Think about the repercussions of this.
- Yungoos were brought in to deal with Rattata, another invasive species. This is based on how in the real world, rats accidentally introduced to Hawaii became highly invasive, with predators brought in to deal with them becoming invasive too.
- The part-Fairy type Cutiefly being based off a Bee Fly. Bee Flies are known to infiltrate bee hives, lay their eggs there, and their larvae eat up the bee larvae while being taken care of by the bees. Now we know why it's part Fairy-type — its real-life inspiration is similar to that of a Changeling Tale!
- Sandygast and Palossand seem pretty funny, being a haunted sand pile and sandcastle, respectively. However, they drain souls. Imagine what would happen if an unwary child came across them on a beach. That said, they specifically love to eat the souls of other Pokémon, not humans, and even then are not said to actually kill them.
- Children might not need to worry about Sandygast and Palossand, but small Pokémon sure do. One piece of artwork shows a Palossand dragging Pikachu into itself via a vortex. Oh, and the lingering regrets/souls of its victims become Sandygasts, too.
- Less Fridge Horror and more Fridge Squick: Pyukumuku is a great example of Shown Their Work, spitting out its innards as a defense mechanism. However, it should be noted that many species of sea cucumber have tentacles around their mouths, which can resemble a floofy "tail"; this is what Pyukumuku's own fluffy appendage is likely meant to represent. Which means that that "mouth" near Pyukumuku's eyes is actually its anus.
- Magearna's backstory opens up a lot of this. Its Heart Drive? Made by gathering up Pokémon souls... much like AZ's Ultimate Weapon and Devon Co.'s Infinity Energy. Given this information, what kind of person made Magearna? And for what purpose? And just how did they get those souls, and how many souls were used to create it?
- What makes this even worse is that its ability, Soul-Heart, causes its Special Attack to go up every time a Pokémon faints in battle. Almost reminiscent of Beast Boost, which is the ability of the Ultra Beasts.
- Blacephelon's "eyes" are on the sides of its head, a feature usually found in prey animals. Meaning there is something out there in Ultra Space capable of hunting and eating it.
- Minior's Meteor Form Pokédex entry in Ultra Sun states that "It lives in the ozone layer, where it becomes food for stronger Pokémon". As established in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Rayquaza likes to snack on meteors. So, either Rayquaza natural eat Minior, OR there's something else in the ozone layer. SM079 of the anime also showed Rayquaza near a meteor shower of Minior as well.
Alolan formes
- It's stated that the crystals in Alolan Grimer's mouth, its "Teeth", are both indestructible and toxic. Alolan Muk's crystals are also stated to be the same thing and said crystals are said to fall out constantly. Put two and two together and...
Fridge Logic
- It's said that Yungoos is not native to Alola, and it was brought in from another region. That's all well and good, but we haven't seen it in any of the regions that have appeared so far, so... where exactly did it come from?
- Maybe it's going to be a hook for a future game?
- Corphish was a similar case, having been stated to be foreign Pokémon imported to Hoenn as exotic pets.
- And we later saw that Corphish also lives in the Sinnoh and Kalos regions, so maybe we'll have a future region with Yungoos.
- Or it will never be touched on again.
- One possibility is Paldea, as the Yungoos line are found in the wild there and none of the dex entries for Yungoos and Gumshoos mention them being from another region. They may also be from an unseen region based in the Pokémon world's equivalent to South Asia to reflect the specific mongoose species the line is based off of, the small Indian mongoose, akin to many of Cufant and Copperajah's dex entries mentioning them being from an unnamed "distant region," and Legends: Arceus retconning the Indian elephant mentioned in Raichu's FireRed and Sun dex entries into a Copperajah.
- Why is Gumshoos a Totem Pokémon? Don't they evolve from Yungoos, which are specifically mentioned to be imported from another region? How long have they been in Alola to be hold such a presumably sacred position? Is the island challenge just an event where they pick random Pokémon at hand for each at the totems?
- Totem Pokémon are specifically noted to be larger and more powerful than normal members of their kind. Presumably if you attain or are given such power, you can qualify for the position regardless of how long your species has lived in Alola.
- Good on the people of the Alola region to not hold such prejudices.
- It'd be pretty easy for an invasive species with no natural predators to become an apex specimen.
- Totem Pokémon could be a name given to Pokémon who've been exposed to otherworldly power, so Gumshoos was just in the right place at the right time, and these spots were discovered by humans and any Pokémon living in these spots were considered Totems. Another possibility is hinted at in the library in the game, where one of the historical texts states Solgaleo/Lunala gave the Tapus power of unknown origin (Ultra Wormhole energy, most likely). It would stand to reason that the Tapus could also give this energy to other Pokémon they consider worthy, making them into Totem Pokémon.
- Also, all the Totem Pokémon are stated to have been trained by the Trial Captains, so using them seems to be out of personal preference.
- Totem Pokémon are specifically noted to be larger and more powerful than normal members of their kind. Presumably if you attain or are given such power, you can qualify for the position regardless of how long your species has lived in Alola.
- Why are the two forms of Lycanroc considered different forms and not completely different species? They have different shapes, cries, flavor-dex behaviors, base stats, most of their abilities, and level-up moves.
- In a way, they're pretty much the opposite of the Alolan forms: same typing, same moves (the only divergences being their evolution moves and two that they get from the relearner), but different behaviors and appearances. But like the Alolan forms, people in-universe presumably saw enough similarities to lump them under one species.
- Why does Sensu Oricorio remind people of Kanto specifically about their homeland? Johto is the most traditional region with most of the old ways remaining, so doesn't that apply to people from there as well? (In fact, much of traditional Japanese culture originated from Kansai, which Johto is based on).
- Well... Kanto and the Sensu style are both based on Japan, so it's not really that much of a stretch. Especially when you consider that Kanto is literally right next to Johto; people from Kanto would likely have at least passing knowledge of Sensu.
- Actually, I figured it was more of a reference to how one Hawaiian island (I forget which) has a higher Japanese American population and cultural influence than the other ones.
- How the heck can Wishiwashi summon a bunch of other members of its species at any place, at any time, no matter how inland?
- The August 1st trailer introduced Mudbray, the pre-evolution of Mudsdale. Mudbray is a donkey that grows up (evolves) into a horse. Wait, what? Still, stranger things have happened (Remoraid to Octillery, anyone?).
- Well, the donkey is a member of the overall horse family; one could say he simply changes breeds upon evolution.
- We've had tons of Pokémon who become a different species when they evolve, it's nothing new even discarding Remoraid and Octillery (sparrows becoming birds of prey or cranes, rats turning into muskrats, rattlesnakes becoming cobras, mice turning into kangaroo rats, pangolins turning into porcupines, mites turning into moths, house cats turning into pumas, one breed of goldfish turning into another breed of goldfish, common starfish turning into crowns-of-thorns, horseshoe crabs becoming Eurypterids — those are just the Gen 1 examples!). There have always been Pokémon whose evolutionary families covered more than one species growing up (or even related species! Remember the sloth that turns into a gorilla?) and never 100% followed the biological logic of the animal it's based on.
- Plus the anime episodes where Ash's Treecko was introduced had an elderly Treecko and a later episode where a Torchic younger than May's evolved before hers, showing that Pokémon can age normally even if they don't evolve into later forms.
- Might be accidental, but they probably were going with the mimic octopus and the fact the sometimes cephalopod (especially squid larvae) looks slightly similar to planktonic fish larvae, except the false "fish larvae" constantly moves and floats upward like a cephalopod. That could be solved by giving small nubby tentacles around Remoraid's mouth or making it capable of shooting small multiple watersprouts out of its mouth.
- It also helps if you look at Remoraid and Octillery as a gun evolving into a cannon, rather than a fish into an octopus.
