...Is it wrong that I now want a Scolipede for a mount?

I don't know what I'd do with it, but...

I'm not much up for writing articles right now (lousy exams), but I'll happily contribute ideas if anyone needs them.

Venipede , the larvae of the line, sporting deadly poison on their fangs at the ready to kill prey, hints that the offspring is pretty much independent from birth and need no actual care from the parents once they have come out from their eggs. And most probably, a lot of them spawn at once, so most probably they wil be considered pests.

More or less what I had in mind.

I really wonder how Whirlpede eats. Could it be an oddly shaped coccoon that is able to roll about? The energy it uses to ram at attackers must come from somewhere, but so I read, they keep still most of the time in the wild. Maybe their energy is limited and those Whirlpede who have little to no energies left will be easy prey, as they will be too tired to fight back. This could also explain why Scolipede is rarely seen in the wild.

The way I'm writing it, Whirlipede function similar to some reptiles: they're largely dormant except to defend themselves or take in prey when overexertion demands it. Your average Whirlipede in the wild shouldn't need to move or eat much at all, though trainer owned or particularly impatient/violent/bored/constantly pestered Whirlipede would need to eat. In the anime, a Venipede was shown draining an Oran Berry of its nutrients instead of consuming it whole, so it's possible Whirlipede can do the same with one or both of their horns.

nd, Am I the only one who thinks Scolipede would make an awesome mount? Considering almost every Pokémon in existance can be domesticated, It's not hard to imagine a fierce group of warriors in the past who raised and used Scolipede as cavalry. As Scolipede is bulky, fast and most importantly, ferocious. (Screw your Ursaring cavalry)

Haha! I love this! Beats the hell out of my idea that they make for popular guard Pokemon in orchids, large gardens, or other privately owned complexes. Yeah, this could fit into the "In Human Society" section.

As the history of Unova is pretty vague at the moment, maybe this tribe, after conquering most of Unova with their army of angry centipedes, attempted to conquer the city where Relic Castle now stands but were completely wiped out by an army of Sigilyphs, who then proceeded to wipe them out from history as well.

Likewise this. Maybe someone could get whoever wrote the Sigilyph article on board for this, too, so that their article reflects it?

Well for one thing, Scolipede is the biggest Bug type Pokemon, bigger than Yanmega, who previously owned that title. Also, they are fast.

Their size is something I wanted to address with more than a passing line. You can't really attribute this to particularly rich oxygen or some other such hand wave for the increasingly urban Unova, either.

As the person who wrote the Sigilyph article: if you send me details, I'm happy to add it in.

Dunsparce didn't stop being a thing or anything.

Hey! Good thing you liked the Scolipede Cavalry idea!

Another thing I'd adress with Scolipede is that it is most likely the Apex Predator of Pinwheel Forest. A Scolipede pretty much can crush and devour any other Pokémon in there with its only match in power being Leavanny, and even that pokémon will find itself in disadvantage against a hungry Scolipede preying on it's young due its typing. The only exception would be Virizion, who would pretty much outmatch it by far and pretty much the only thing that is able to keep it in check from time to time. Conkeldurr is also strong enough to fight back.

Speaking of Leavanny, I'd say Leavanny would be a bitter enemy of Scolipede and it's pre-morphs, as its young is amongst the main dishes for Venipede and Scolipede, and Leeavanny doesn't like its children being eaten.

BTW: Are you asking Hashil or are you asking me?

edited 6th Jun '11 4:51:35 PM by heartlessmushroom

Sawk and Throh would also be strong enough to stand up to a Scolipede.

Sorry, I can't hear you from my FLYING METAL BOX!

They wouldn't be able to fight back against a Scolipede particularly effectively, though - they only get offensive Fighting and Normal moves by level up, and those moves are mostly Fighting which really aren't going to do much against a Scolipede (x4 resist). But a Throh would be able to stand up to a Scolipede if it didn't get poisoned. I suspect a Scolipede probably wouldn't bother with them, they'd be a little too troublesome.

True, but there's nothing really a Scolipede can do against a Sawk or a Throh either. Bug type attacks do half damage, and Poison types neutral (and if they poison a Throh, they have to deal with Guts kicking in). Even then, the intention isn't to beat them handily so much as deterrence, Sawk/Throh/Conkeldurr's presence keeps Scolipede from getting too aggressive or risk fighting something they can't curbstomp.

Also on the mount thing, I'd be weary of trying to ride something without a backbone...

edited 6th Jun '11 5:41:07 PM by Neo_Crimson

Sorry, I can't hear you from my FLYING METAL BOX!

I don't want to chalk up things like a 'mon's ecological niche to some of the more bizarre type matchups*

, but I'll see if I can find a way to fit in a few of these with a little grace. Throh's Guts work: it's just not smart to risk a skirmish with something that'll benefit from one of your greatest weapons.

edited 6th Jun '11 7:29:14 PM by Hashil

Well, on the subject of Leavanny vs Scolipede, Leavanny do have friends.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

That's an interesting point. Leavanny gives the looks of being way more sociable than other bug Pokémon, not to mention it also sports a gentle and sophisticated appereance, as if it was an aristocrat . Leavanny could befriend Throh or Sawk and recruit them into protecting its young from Venipede and Scolipede. The games dont establish that Leavanny befriends other Pokémon to protect itself and its nest, but it's actually a viable survival tactic.

This symbiotic relation would be more in favor to Leavanny than to the helping Pokémon as I suspect it won't gain much advantages from this kind of relationship. I highly doubt Levanny would share food with its protectors as Leavnny usually have lots of Sewaddle and Swadloon to feed already.

Well, I did mention that stuff in my Sewaddle Line article.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Throh / Sawk need someone to make their clothes, after all.

Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?

Oh. Didn't know you made a sewaddle entry already. I sure wasn't here for a while. I'll check it out.

In relation to the Rayquazza debate, I think this is supposed to be As Reality Unless Noted. And I can only think of two major problems with the Space Shuttle. With both being shuttles blowing up.

I'm pretty sure an Air Lock wouldn't work that way Silent. And why would that many natural disasters be about to hit Missouri anyway?

And what did you mean by demands? my article only worked from Canon sources and that of other preexisting articles, if anything demeands were put on me when writing it.

And I suppose i'll have to post the Litwick article myself then.

edited 7th Jun '11 11:44:58 AM by JusticeMan

Let's make a TCG!

But that is how Air Lock works.

You got some dirt on you. Here's some more!

I'm still around to work on it, I just have had a lot of work lately. Hopefully, it will stop in a few days when school ends for me.

After way, way, way, way, way, way, WAY, too long. Here's Regigigas!

Regigigas

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Regigigas [#486]

Physical Descriptions

Regigigas is massive humanoid creature standing at 12' 02'' (3.7 m) tall. Its body is primarily white with strange geometric lines running across its body, similar to the markings found on the Greater Hoenn Trio. Its head is dome-like with a sloping section that tapers down into its torso. Its arms are quite long, extending well past the waist and reaching nearly to its ankles. Its hands, hidden slightly by large rings surrounding its wrists, have three digits which exhibit a degree of dexterity and strength far above the lesser Regis. Regigigas’ head, along with the rings on its shoulders and arms, are covered with a brilliant golden hide. This hide is nearly as tough as the ones found on Steel-type Pokémon, but Regigigas is not considered such since there is no actual metal on its body. On its chest are a set of three gemstones, two rubies, two sapphires, and two gray quartzes. It’s unknown whether these gems are simply decorations or are actually the creature's eyes. Its legs are very sturdy; they are easily able to support its top heavy body. With them, Regigigas walks with thundering steps, slowly but not so much where it becomes a liability. On its face, like the other Regis, are a set of seven dots with four of them forming a diamond shape, while the other three form a line on its chest. Unlike the other Regis, this mark is not some sort of universal symbol, though it resembles the Ancient Sinnohan word for "king".

The moss growing on Regigigas’ shoulders and legs was originally thought to have grown naturally on the Pokémon in the vast amount of time it was in stasis. This was proven to be not the case when it repeatedly scraped off the creature’s legs. Each time, the moss grew back within two days. It was then thought that Regigigas exhibited cellular differentiation similar to some Grass-types, and that the moss was a natural growth similar to hair. This was again refuted when samples showed that Regigigas' genetic material and the moss' were completely different. In fact, the moss is unlike any known living strain and is more akin to fossilized species dating back to pre-Ice Age times. The prevailing theory is that the moss is a parasitic organism that has taken root under Regigigas' skin and siphon's off small amounts of nutrients from the Pokemon, alongside normal photosynthesis.

Regigigas' body is entirely organic, unlike its golem-like brethren, it is for all intents and purposes a living creature; despite the fact that it does not need to eat or breathe. Tissue samples from Regigigas show that the creature has nothing even close to resembling conventional genetic material, only previously unknown Organic Regicite compounds. While Organic Regicite compounds are not completely unheard of, in fact such compounds have been recently found in Pokemon such as Vanillite and Cryogonal, this particular species has never been observed before, much less as an effective replacement for DNA.

Lore and History

Regigigas is prominent figure in traditional Sinnohan and modern Arceusist mythology. Exactly how prominent is a matter of contention between the two major denominations of Arceusism.

Gigant Arceusists believe that Arceus was born at the center of the universe, where it created the raw cosmos with the help of its first creations Dialga and Palkia. Regigigas was one of Arceus' many envoys used to tame the wild universe. It took pure, shapeless, ether and personally forged it into the Earth. It filled the seas, raised the mountains, and created all living things. The three Regis were its purest creations, living embodiments of this planet's most basic components. Because of this Gigant Arceusists consider Regigigas to be the one true god and ruler of this planet. To worship Regigigas is to worship the Holy Creation of Arceus.

Coronet Arceusists, on the other hand, believe that Arceus created the Universe from its throne on Mt. Coronet, with its first three children, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina at its side. Arceus first created the Sinnoh region, then the Earth, then the vast cosmos themselves, and finally all the Humans and Pokemon that would reside within it. Regigigas, while a powerful and very divine being, was simply Arceus’ servant and architect. Endowed with the “Spark of Life”, and tasked with pulling the continents in place with giant ropes, wading through the empty seas and trudging through the barren lands bringing life to wherever it went, in the process. All in order to build a suitable home for the humans and Pokemon that would come live on it. The lesser Regis were Regigigas’ attempts at mimicking the Holy Creation, instead of pure elemental avatars. Though they were powerful and wise, they were ultimately outside the Holy Creation. Arceus, in its infinite mercy, allowed them to live and walk among its own creations. At first, Humans revered Regigigas and his noble children, worshipping them as Gods and basing their society on what they learned from them. With their patronage, the Empires of Man became a great and powerful force. However, Man grew proud and enslaved their Gods, turning them into fearsome weapons. Then Man declared war on all Pokemon, to secure their place as the rulers of the world once and for all. The ensuing bloodshed was called the Great Pokemon War in Arceusist texts. It is said that the carnage raged on for hundreds of years, taking countless lives. The war did not end without the intervention of The Original One itself. It was then the legendary Pact of Arceus was created. Where Humans were to respect and care for Pokemon, and in exchange Pokemon would always be there to help and fight for mankind. After the war was over, Regigigas went into seclusion, ashamed that its children were used to commit such horrible atrocities. The Regis themselves, were said to have followed their father. Though some versions have it that the Lesser Regis were sealed away by humans who wanted to forget the terrible things they did in the war.

Out of the two interpretations, the latter version of the myth is the most predominant; with Coronet Arceusism being the more mainstream denomination in general. In the past, both denominations held more or less equal numbers of followers and political power. Though, until very recently, Gigantic Arceusism mostly fell to the way side. Almost all remaining Gigantic Arceusists congregate around northern Sinnoh, particularly in Snowpoint City. Outside Arceusist mythology, Regigigas is non-existent. Even in Hoennese mythology, which features the Regis heavily, mentions nothing about a 4th Regi or a being that lords over them. It insists that the Regis are entirely human created constructs, made with a combination of magic and alchemy, created for the mythical King Hoenn in his conquest to unite the known world under his banner. Many think that King Hoenn is actually a stand in for Regigigas and that Hoenn’s bloody conquest was actually the Pokemon/Human war spoken of in Sinnohan and Unovan myth. Nonetheless, Regigigas’ discovery sparked renewed interest in Ancient Hoennese civilization and mythology along with an upsurge in Gigant Arceusism.

Known Sightings

Unlike its brethren, Regigigas is assumed to be a completely unique creature. It was found in previously unexplored sections of Snowpoint temple; untouched by humans for hundreds, if not thousands of years. At the bottom floor, with the prescience of the three lesser Regis, a giant effigy of the creature came to life. With its awakening, and subsequent capture, three previously unremarkable ruins opened up across the Sinnoh region. Revealing a 3rd set of Lesser Regis, in addition to the trio owned by Pyramid King Brandon and the set discovered in Hoenn. This revelation has sparked a massive worldwide search of similar ruins by Trainers and Archaeologists alike, in hopes of finding additional specimens.

The discovery of Regigigas itself has caused severe religious backlash across Sinnoh. Gigantic Arceusists were overjoyed at the sight of their god, the ensuing jubilation, bordering on hysteria, lasted for weeks. The same cannot be said for Coronet Arceusists, many thousands had crisis of faith, several converted to Gigantic Arceusism, some extremists thought that this was a herald of the End Times, and others flat out denied that Regigigas’ existence.

Abilities

Regigigas’ most obvious, and by far its most famous trait, is its titanic strength. Regigigas has been shown to be able to lift hundreds of tons, crush reinforced concrete with its bare hands, and punch through the 3-feet thick steel-plating with ease.

Like the lesser Regis, Regigigas proves capable of manipulating electricity, heat, psionic waves, and , to a limited extent, Obscura. However, the creature mostly just uses these abilities to compliment its sheer physical power, and therefore does not seem to be able to use them to as a sophisticated level as Regice. Furthermore, it does not appear to have the ability to detonate itself as a last resort, and it seems to be rather uncomfortable with the notion.

Again unlike the robotic lesser Regis, Regigigas is a completely sentient being, fully capable of speech and complex thought. While it does not have a mouth to speak in the conventional sense, Regigigas can communicate like several other Legendary Pokémon. By psychically vibrating air particles, it can mimic the sounds of human speech. The result is a sophisticated psychic voice in a deep bass, with a strange echoing, almost mechanical sounding filter, and a slight northern Sinnoh accent. It speaks with archaic diction, laced with the type of intelligence that give the modern speaker the impression that they are speaking with a being of unparalleled wisdom accumulated over unfathomable eons.

Bizarrely, as erudite as Regigigas can be, it experiences bouts of Dementia-like symptoms whenever it is brought out of any sort of stasis (sleep, Pokeball, etc.) It exhibits greatly altered speech patterns, such as speaking in riddles, shifting to long dead languages and back, slowed or nonsensical speech, and strange diction. Furthermore, it experiences severe lapses in memory and awareness, often forgetting names and constantly asking what the time and years is. This state also affects its physical capabilities as well. During this state, dubbed Slow Start, Regigigas’ movements become very sluggish and awkward. Its gait becomes clumsy, and its massive strength is greatly reduced. This is most obvious in combat, where it operates at approximately half its full power while in Slow Start. Fortunately, the Slow Start state is temporary, lasting anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes before regaining lucidity, and in battle, it gains a sudden burst in strength and agility. However, these symptoms always appear after Regigigas has been put into any kind of stasis, no matter how short the duration. For example, if Regigigas was placed into its Pokeball while lucid, then immediately brought back out, the effects of Slow Start would appear as normal. Furthermore the length of time Regigigas was put into stasis has no effect on the time it takes for Slow Start to wear off. In a bout of lucidity, Regigigas was asked what exactly Slow Start was and why it occurs, Regigigas became very evasive and refused to answer the question, becoming rather incensed when pressed. The prevailing theory is that Slow Start is some sort of mental block imposed on Regigigas by an unknown source, for an unknown reason.

Hazards

While it is stating the obvious, Regigigas’ strength is absolutely immense, even by Pokemon standards. It very well has the potential to kill any human hundreds of times over. Fortunately, Regigigas has proven to be an incredibly patient and restrained creature, lucid or otherwise, with an exceptional grasp on its own power. However, that does not mean that one should take advantage of that patience. Regigigas has never been seen truly enraged, and one can scarcely image what would happen if it was.

In battle, Regigigas is a totally different animal. As said before, Regigigas heavily favors close combat, it often uses bone-crushing punches, sometimes wreathing its fists with psychically-ignited fire, electricity or heat leeching effects. Barring that, it may resort to cruder methods, such as smashing its opponents under its massive legs, or crushing them under the entirety of its form in a devastating body slam. Though, by far its favorite technique is to grab its opponents and squeeze with the force of an industrial press. This simple but brutal technique, named Crush Grip, has enough crushing power to shatter the outer hide of a Golem with ease. Suffice to say, most Pokemon have no chance at standing up to Regigigas in close quarters combat. It must be said, that any opponent must keep out of its reach. While Regigigas is not completely incapable of ranged combat, it is largely limited to streams of electricity, burst of concentrated plasma, and mind numbing Obscura-based rays. While powerful, these techniques are far weaker than Regigigas’ physical attacks.

The greatest thing that Regigigas has against it is Slow Start. Its greatly reduced fighting strength can be easily taken advantage of, at the cost of making the fight a race against time. Regigigas must be taken out before the effects of Slow Start can wear off or most opponents lose any hope of defeating it. Fortunately, despite Regigigas’ mishmash of traits, it has the strengths and weaknesses analogous to Normal types. Therefore, quick and powerful Fighting type attacks are the best weapons against it.

In Popular Culture

Aside from Arceusist circles, Regigigas has very little presence in modern culture. Even within Coronet Arceusism, Regigigas’ role is vastly downplayed. Often being portrayed as a mere servant, and given very little credit in the Genesis myth in favor of Dialga and Palkia. Some versions of Coronet texts omit Regigigas entirely. It is not known if this downplaying is an intentional act of defiance against Gigantic Arceusism, but due to past friction between the two denominations, this is not unlikely.

Outside Arceusism, Regigigas fares even worse. To the world at large, the Regis are one of the least known Legendary Pokemon out there. Even in Hoenn, the only other region besides Sinnoh to feature the Regis, they are still relatively minor figures in the mythology. Regigigas itself is a complete non-entity. In other regions, the Regis as a whole are completely unheard of, in favor of local legends.

Before its recent discovery, Regigigas was only widely known by Gigantics, historians, and mythology aficionados. The latter often calling Regigigas “The Forgotten God”.

Today, with the existence of the Regis out in the open, while interest among trainers and archaeologists is high. Depictions in mass media are, however, still quite rare.

—-

Of course Rolling Updates are in effect. If you find any inconsistencies, typos, grammar errors, awkward or redundant passages, Fridge Logic, etc. Please do not hesitate to point them out.

edited 8th Jun '11 5:51:03 AM by Neo_Crimson

Sorry, I can't hear you from my FLYING METAL BOX!

"With them, Regigigas walks with thundering steps, slowly but so much where it becomes a liability" This doesn't make sense

Great Article! I love how you interpreted Canon inconsistency as religious differences, that was pure genius.

But a question, why would the discovery of Regigigas cause a crisis of faith for Coronet Arceusists, going by what we know of there religion and myth, both from canon and the articles (yours and otherwise) his appearance is perfectly compatible with there beliefs.

And a note, where did the canon inspiration for Gigant Arceusists come from?

Let's make a TCG!

How do you handwave evolution in this canon instance? What is it? Is it some sort of metamorphosis akin to real life's bugs? I mean, some of the evolutions don't even really make sense in the straight sense of "evolution". What about the evolved forms not being encountered in the wild at all?

>> Sawk/Throh/Conkeldurr's presence keeps Scolipede from getting too aggressive

Buildurr learns Rock attacks via level-up, so there's that.

>> I really wonder how Whirlpede eats.

They don't. They wait for metamorphosis to kick in, as supported by the fact that they only fight back, as opposed to Venipede and Scolipede who are extremely violent since they hunt for prey.

edited 10th Jun '11 11:08:27 AM by Aminatep

   I will consume not only your flesh, but your very soul.   

For the evolved forms not being encountered in the wild, it depends on the species. For example, certain fully evolved forms are incredibly rare in the wild due to over-hunting or the disruption of their environments. Other times we simply chalk it up to Gameplay and Story Segregation.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

The reason I'm asking this is because I was thinking about writing an entry on Shroomish line (my third-favourite after Absol and Flygon in III), but the Breloom don't... fit. What are they? As I understand, they seem to be the fully-grown variant, while Shroomish are the pupal stage, accumulating as much energy as possible.

if we had a theory that some pokemon do not exist in the wild at all...

edited 10th Jun '11 11:17:15 AM by Aminatep

   I will consume not only your flesh, but your very soul.   

Shroomish line? Uh, you might have a bit of a problem there.

You got some dirt on you. Here's some more!

For the reason of higher evos being unknown in the wild, it's just a factor of Energy Pyramids, basic 8th grad Biology.

More advanced/complex/mature life forms will significantly be outnumbered my weaker smaller life forms.

By the laws of Biomechanics as a creature goes up the food web, the inherent energy inefficiencies of the various creatures means that the available energy becomes smaller, couple that with larger size requiring more energy anyway and you see that "higher evo" rarities are common in real life.

Compare the population of Opossum to that of Ants for example.

Let's make a TCG!