Ok folks, here's my Krabby article.

Krabby Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Krabby [098]
• Kingler [099]

Physical description

The Krabby line is a species of crustaceous Water Pokémon. Krabby are generally about 0.4 m (1’04”) in height, and weighing 6.5 kg (14.3lbs). They are covered with a strong exoskeleton; the top of which is mostly orange in color and has two protrusions sticking out top. Its eyes, which are just below its protrusions, are fairly large with small black irises. The bottom half of a Krabby’s body is cream like in color with two fang-like protrusions near the mouth. They have four legs and two arms that end with large pincers that serves both as powerful weapons and assist in keeping the Pokémon’s balance.

Kingler, the second and final stage of the line, stands at least 1.3 m (4’03”) in height and weighing, in general, 60 kg (132.2 lbs). While largely similar to its previous state in physical appearance there are some differences, Krabby’s two protrusions have now become six, resembling a crown when seen from the front and the fang-like protrusions on its lower jaw have developed into more teeth-like bumps. Much like it previous stage it has four legs and two arms which end in larger pinchers, with a Kingler’s left being much larger.

Like all other Pokémon there exists a rare phenotype prized amongst collectors. This phenotype of Krabby features a yellowish-green upper shell and a lighter cream color. In the Kingler stage this manifest as the upper shell being green and its cream lower body takes on a greenish tint.

Notable Biology

One trait that the Krabby line is particularly noted for is their incredible crushing and physical power. Some would go as far as to say that crushing power of a Kingler’s left claw is equivalent to 10,000 horse power, though this is a gross exaggeration they is no doubt that its crushing power is incredible. In fact, out of all Water-type Pokémon currently discovered Kingler is noted as having the greatest physical attacking strength. As such they are capable of performing Vice Grip, Metal Claw, the dreaded Guillotine and other powerful moves. They are also capable of performing a move that hammers its foe with its powerful pincher while cloaked with a semisolid sphere of water, a move dubbed Crab Hammer, and was long thought to be the only Pokémon capable of performing it until the discovery of the Corphish line. Despite the strength of their pinchers, they can be broken off in battle; though, they will grow back after sometime.

Much like Corphish line, they have a rather underdeveloped water bladder that allows it to perform a variety of hydrokinetic attacks and techniques but are only naturally limited to blowing bubbles and when combined with the sand that they sometimes eat, mud. Also though it can be taught such techniques via specialized training and T Ms, it is not potent with them as the Corphish line. They are also surprisingly quick, and capable of short burst of speed.

As with many Pokémon, there are different three subspecies that exist. The first two showing traits that also seen in the Corphish line. The first subspecies is noted for having pinchers whose edges cannot be dulled due to the presence certain enamels and resins. The second subspecies lacks these enamels and resins present in their claws, but exhibit much stronger shells than their kin.

The third and rarest subspecies exhibits stronger mental capacities that allow them to focus more power into moves. They also possess inbuilt biological support including a kind of valve or filter and the glands in their claws are cut off. Their bodies are also built to minimize the damage caused to themselves by their boosted strength.

Habitat

The Krabby line normally make their homes on the beaches, shores, and in the coastal waters of the Kanto and Johto regions; though, a population has been discover living in Vibrank City and the Vibrank Complex of the Unova region, and swarms of them have been known to appear at Sinnoh’s route 226. They generally make their homes by burrowing holes into the sand on beaches or in shallow waters.

Diet

Krabby are mostly omnivorous scavengers feeding on whatever they can find. When food is scarce they have been known to eat sand in order to obtain minerals. Kingler largely follows the same feeding pattern except they are much more carnivorous, feeding on mollusk-like Pokémon such as Shellder and on some rare occasions even Cloyster. Both members of the line use their claws to feed; however, Kingler are only able to feed using their smaller right pinchers. They feed by scraping up food into their claws transferring it to the mouth where the complex mouthparts that sift out the organic matter when they feed on sand.

Hazards

Members of the Krabby line generally only pose a threat when agitated. When threatened a Krabby’s first response is to foam bubbles from its mouth in order to appear larger. However, the threat they pose should not be trifled with for when this fails they begin to resort to their powerful physical strength which is highly destructive. Even a Krabby is capable of causing serious injury to full grown man. A Kingler in particular is especially deadly, a fully matured Kingler’s Crab Hammer or other powrfull physical strike can easily crush every bone in a person’s body and result in incredible internal damage or even death.

In order to prepare for facing a member of the Krabby line be certain to have a strong Grass or Electric Type present. If this is not possible then it is otherwise advised to have a Pokémon with a powerful defense in order to take on the lines powerful physical attacks or one with strong long range moves in order to exploit their weaker special defenses.

Courting and Childrearing

Both forms of the Krabby line are capable of mating with Krabby reaching sexual maturity after one to two years. Females of both forms in particular mate are capable of breeding every month, though they generally tie mating with the Spring tides. When it is time to mate in both forms males will wave their pinchers in the air in order to attract mates which in some cases results in fights in order to impress mates.

When females are ready to choose a mate she will wander the population of males. When she visits one the male will dart into his burrow and the female will follow, if she has chosen the male then she will not reemerge. Mating occurs in the burrow after the male seals the two inside. When mating is finished the male will reemerge and reseal the mate in the burrow as she incubates the eggs over several weeks.

The eggs release during a nocturnal high tide so that the small larvae are washed far out to sea. They will then spend several weeks developing until they are washed back to shore, molt and start out their lives.

Social Structure

Members of the Krabby line often live in groups; though, Kingler much more solitary though not so solitary that they are completely on their own. Other times members will band together and travel in vast swarms to route 226 in Sinnoh to mate.

In Human Society

Krabby and its evolutionary state have long had mix views in popular culture. In particular the line has long been the inspiration to enemies in various forms of media often being much larger.

Comments, improvements & the like welcomed.

edited 17th Mar '13 4:30:01 PM by RussellStar5641

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I don't think you should say "this former trainer".

Another green world.

So... Erm where is this Dibs page?

Dibs

edited 17th Mar '13 4:00:24 PM by rmctagg09

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

It's blank? Should it be blank?

I love Dogs: Yeah, I might remove it later. It was just sorta a spur of the moment idea.

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This Troper showing up here, funny.

Casual talk is a debate you have to win.

Planning on writing the Wingull article. I've got some ideas. I'll update the dibs page soon.

I bring updates of the tangentially, but still hopefully somewhat related variety:



Tracer's Class Updates - Part I Don’t Know Anymore



So we're about to head into the part of Pokeclass that is *all* about biology, and distributed prompts + resources for the final project of the course. Which is to make a Powerpoint coupled with a 1500+ word writeup of the "biology, ecological niche, social behaviors, life cycle, and interactions with human society" of an evolutionary line of Pokemon. (You know, the stuff that we do here. :P)

For resources, we steered them towards various fandexes (including this one) for examples of how they might want to approach their writeup. As for examples of the Powerpoint part of it. Well... I thought that the stuff from prior semesters served as decent examples, if narrower in scope.

I also got steered to this by one of the other profs for the course. We had a good lark over the alikeness of their articles' formatting with ours. (Though obviously ours aren't about RL amphibians! ^^;)

edited 22nd Mar '13 11:55:03 AM by TracerBullet

Hard Boiled Detective Since 1985

Hello, excuse me.

A long time ago, I believe I wrote a few articles for this project. I was wondering if they could be erased or rewritten by someone else? I don't want my work being used in this, if that's okay. My work is not exactly interesting anyway, and you could all easily write better articles anyway, so we both win, no?

Sorry to be a hassle.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!

Which ones did you take? Did you do Slakoth?

No, I did Skorupi, and I also made articles for berries and a "most wanted" list, though the berry one never got launched as an article.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!

[[Here it goes]]

Wingull Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Wingull[278]
• Pelipper[279]

Physical Description

Wingull are small avian creatures with very large wingspans in comparison to their size. Wingull possess black tipped beaks and white feathers, save for the tips of their tail feathers, which are blue, as well as a band of blue feathers on each wing. The feathers on a Wingull's head typically form into two crests, which aid it aerodynamically. The average Wingull has a five foot wingspan, while usually reaching only two feet in main body length, including the beak and tail feathers. Wingull also possess small yellow feet, which are webbed and have three toes.

Pelipper are much larger than Wingull, but possess a smaller total wingspan. The average individual reaches three feet by maturity, although larger cases have been reported. Compared to the relatively sleek form of Wingull, Pelipper gain much bulk, including a massive increase in height, and much thicker wings, which typically only give a four foot wingspan. The most notable change would be Pelipper's beak, which makes up the majority of it's length and height.

Very rarely members of this line have been found with green plumage where they would ordinarily have blue. This rare mutation makes them highly sought after by collectors.

Notable Biology

The most astounding feature of Wingull is the amazing glide ratio the species achieves. The exact number varies by specimen, but most easily achieve a glide ratio of 80 to 1. In addition, Wingull possess specific sensory organs in the blue patches of feather on their wing. This makes them sensitive to air currents and updrafts. These organs also allow Wingull to make subtle changes in the air as well, although the capability depends largely on the age of the specimen. Wingull also possess internal organs for the express purpose of storing water. This makes them capable of sustaining a glide for long durations without suffering form thirst, and can also be expelled violently as a defensive measure.

Pelipper lose the astonishing gliding abilities of Wingull upon evolution, but gain amazing buoyancy in the process. The shape of their beaks allow them to float atop water with minimal effort, and they are often observed doing so. A Pelipper's beak is fairly flexible, but is also fairly difficult to break. This makes most Pelipper surprisingly durable, which they often use to their advantage. Within the beak is the next most interesting feature, the tongue. The tongue of a Pelliper is rather course, flat, and disk shaped. It typically rests most of it's edges along the interior of the beak. Pelipper can raise and lower their tongues within the beak in order to prevent themselves from consuming seawater or other debris.

Both members of this line possess rather precise eyesight, which they use to spot prey from long distances. Particularly rare individuals have notably weaker sight, but seem to be much more vigorous when splashing about in water or during rainstorms. Wingull and Pelipper also possess the ability to navigate extremely well at sea. Both are fully capable of leaving a location only to return months later without any trouble whatsoever.

Habitat

Wingull typically roost in large colonies atop cliffs above the ocean. From there, they are able to dive off and begin gliding, during which time they hunt before returning later in the day. The largest of these colonies are in Hoenn and Sinnoh, although smaller ones do exist in other regions as well. Some Wingull also build smaller, more personal nests atop large rocks in the ocean, although those that do build them only seem to use them in order to

Most Pelipper abandon the tall cliffs of their predecessors and instead spend the majority of their time at sea. Thanks to their buoyancy, a Pelipper is perfectly capable of staying afloat while asleep. This does bear some risk, as aquatic predators such as Sharpedo will happily consume any Pelipper they find floating. Fortunately the durability of their beaks helps protect them from an assault long enough to awaken and attempt escape. Pelipper are also known to travel great distances, and can typically be found in the oceans near most regions.

Diet

Wingull and Pelliper each subsist almost entirely on a diet of fish. Wingull typically dive from a great height in an attempt to catch smaller fish in their beaks, or to spear larger prey and carry them aloft. This sometimes requires the Wingull to dive underwater, but thanks to their waterproof down they are capable of taking off fairly easily. Pelipper prefer to float closer to the surface of the ocean seeking large schools of fish. It then typically scoops down with its beak, capturing as many as it can.

Apart from fish, members of this line are known to ingest small stones to aid in digestion of food. They have also been observed eating certain berries when the opportunity arises. A few more clever Wingull have been observed planting berries themselves in personal nests, although this is fairly rare behavior. There was also one documented case of a Pelipper with a lump of topsoil resting upon its beak, with a sprout of a berry plant within. Efforts to locate it have been unsuccessful thus far.

Hazards

Wingull are typically content to lazily glide through the air, and are a common sight to those who live by the sea or sail on ships. Typically a Wingull will flee rather than fight back directly, although if a Wingull is sufficiently cornered and grounded, it will retaliate with a flurry of pecks, wind gusts, and water. Some individuals with more potent air manipulation abilities even seem to be capable of creating electric shocks or causing small windstorms to hurl debris. If such an individual is encountered, it should be approached with caution.

Pelliper have similar capabilities of Wingull, as well as similar temperaments. However, Pelipper are less adept at flight, and as such are likely to turn and fight if they do not believe they can outrun their pursuer. This makes much more dangerous, as in addition to their increased durability, they are much more adept at manipulating air currents and have much more powerful water blasts. Also, be wary of whether a wild Pelipper is currently carrying anything in it's mouth (see Social Structure for details).

Wingull can make fairly good pets, although they can be rather claustrophobic, so allowing one to perch near an open window is often recommended. Avoid hugging a Wingull tightly or petting it's blue feathers, as this will agitate it and possibly cause it to retaliate. Pelipper are somewhat less constrained by indoor spaces, although open space and a large body of water is preferred for an optimal environment.

Courting and Childrearing

Wingull typically mate for life, and have a breeding season lasting around four months. The mating season itself is largely dependent on the weather in the region.

Pelipper are more opportunistic in their mating habits, and only those that decide to remain with a wingull colony exhibit normal breeding patterns. Those at sea will typically breed when they meet, provided the male puts on a sufficient display.

Wingull and Pelipper usually lay two or three eggs in a clutch. These eggs have been observed as buoyant, to the degree that female Pelipper laying eggs at sea will continue floating while picking up each egg in her beak after it is layed. Eggs hatch over the course of the month, during which the female will travel to a Wingull colony to deposit the chicks.

Social Structure

Wingull form large colonies ranging from a dozen to a hundred individuals. Nests are shared by mating pairs, and each nest is considered the territory of that pair. Squabbles are common mainly due to the close quarters, but typically resolve when the intruding individual backs off. Hatchlings born in the colony are looked after their parents for a week or two, at which point they must leave to construct their own nests. Wingull chicks dropped off by Pelipper are usually claimed by the female with the fewest eggs or divided amongst those with the least.

Pelipper are mostly solitary, apart from those that continue dwelling in cliff colonies. One particular exception exists in the form of the Oceanic Super Colony, which exists in a region of sea where several currents sweep floating objects. A fair amount of litter can be found there, as well as numerous Pelipper. It is theorized that a fairly substantial number were swept there originally, and have since formed a floating colony, using themselves as well as the garbage to form something of a makeshift island. The Wingull in the colony form nests as normal, although they seem to have the added behavior of giving food to the Pelipper, which do not stray far from the colony in order to provide ample space. Several activists groups are campaigning for the cleaning of the island, citing the unnatural behavior as well as the large quantity of trash. Other groups support the colony, citing that disturbing it would cause all of the Pelipper and Wingull to be thrown out of their current learned behavior and struggle to adapt. So far no further action has been taken, save for a law requiring ships to give the area sufficient distance, so as to not upset the structural integrity of the island.

Another interesting quirk of Pelipper is their instinct to offer transport to other Pokemon. In exchange for food or protection, Pelipper sometimes carry members of small Pokemon in their mouths, ferrying them long distances. In exchange, the Pelipper is usually given food, or the other Pokemon will offer their abilities in defense. Of particular note are Bagon, who frequently ask Pelipper for rides, due to their innate desire to fly. A Pelipper with a Bagon in it's mouth is quite dangerous, as in addition to it's the Pelipper's standard attacks, it will also be able to employ those of it's passenger. In this case, it translate into Pelipper being able to have access to a Bagon's various breath attacks, as well as a particularly devestating combination where the Pelipper flings the Bagon down at an attacker at high speed, creating a living missile. This attack has been seen to cause discomfort in the Bagon, which are well known for jumping of cliffs. As such, the resulting force can be tremendous, and thus it is advised to avoid angering a Pelipper with a Bagon in it's mouth at all costs. Other Pokemon present hazards as well, but Bagon stand out as both dangerous and commonly flown.

In Human Society

Wingull are often used to carry letters long distance, due to their gliding ability and natural navigating skill. Pelipper were also used for overseas package delivery, and some still are today. This reputation inspired the logo of a package deliverly service with Pelipper as it's mascot.

In terms of competitive battles, Wingull and Pelipper are rarely seen, due to their relative carefree nature and somewhat weaker offensive abilities. However, a particular trainer formed an unofficial gym in the Hoenn region, citing the ability to battle the world's most powerful Pokemon. Said Pokemon was a Pelipper capable of using a massive variety of moves. It was later revealed that the reason behind this was a Magby, Bellsprout, and Magnemite placed inside Pelipper's mouth, allowing it to use the skills of each. Due to a series of thefts of challenger's Pokemon caused by a blackmail situation, the secret was discovered and the Gym was shut down. The owner later apologized profusely.

Wingull and Pelipper are very recognizable, and often appear in fiction. This is usually due to their association with the ocean though, and rarely do they play a major role. One prominent Wingull featured in a story about a crew member of a ship. He shot the Wingull that was gliding around their boat with a crossbow, and soon after the wind stopped and the ship was stranded. A major role of a Pelipper was in an animated movie about another Water Pokemon who is searching for his son.

Alright. Here's what I have. Suggestions and comments are welcome.

edited 28th Mar '13 4:06:23 PM by Scarab112

Ok, folks just deciding to put this out there. I've officially made up my mind and decided to do an article on the Viridian Forest, but I'm still mulling over the idea of an article on Pokémon Rangers. That being said I'm leaning largely toward working on it as well.

I'll update the dibs page as soon as possible.

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Re: Wingull

It seems like a solid framework... Though you made one or two choices that I found rather curious.

• If Wingull nest on cliffs, why is it that Pelipper nest in the water? It's not necessarily a bad thing, just a little difficult to understand why this would happen. What would be some of the advantages of Pelipper nesting on the waves? Wouldn't it be more dangerous for both the Pelipper and any eggs? (e.x. Getting disturbed by schools of Carvanha, bad weather, passing speedboats) And how would the Pelipper feed while caring for the egg in its bill? Or would it fast as brooding penguins do in reality?
• With offering rides to other Pokemon, what motivates this behavior? Obviously, it's in-character for the setting, but still, what's the rationale? Is it for fun? Is it a symbiotic behavior in which the Pelipper is rewarded with food / protection? Also, wouldn't Pelipper with riding Bagon be rather uncommon? AFAIK, the only place to encounter them that intersects with a well-trafficked route would be in Meteor Falls... But that could just be my memory ATM.
• Would Wingull and Pelipper be encounterable in inland settings around salt lakes in some contexts? Are any populations migratory in nature? Would they move inland upon the approach of storms?

Also... Here's my customary thing that I do right before bed on Tuesday:

Tracer Bullet's Class Updates

So today was the first class after what would have been spring break if my classes actually gave me a reasonable amount of work to tackle, and marked the beginning of our entry into the biological side of Pokemon.

I was kinda surprised by how far we got through 35 slides... Either we need to make these things really long, or I need to learn how to spend more than a minute on each slide. Probably the latter. >_>

Also got headcanon assignments back today... They're... Things. I am a little curious as to if there were any major sets of midterms that recently happened, no one seems to have turned in more than the bare minimum for the assignment... Or judging from the number of off-prompt and below minimum requirement assignments, perhaps we need a more glaringly obvious place for our assignment prompts. -_-;

The non-halfassed assignments had some interesting assumptions about the way the Pokeworld worked, and the more creatively halfassed assignments had a few too. One example from the latter category that really stood out to me was one that essentially viewed Pokemon as creatures composed of data (gee, where have I heard that one before...?) with literal Poke SA Vs in-universe, mass storage Pokeballs, and the world essentially being the Matrix.

On the plus side, we assigned final projects and groups today. (For those curious, here is a slightly cleaned-up version of the prompt (spoilers are not to be a jerk, just to save time for people who don't want to navigate through the prompt right away):

Make a final project that consists of the following 4 components. All 4 components MUST be a part of your final project in order for it to be counted as "complete":

• A 8-10 minute group powerpoint presentation documenting at LEAST the biology, ecological niche, social behaviors, life cycle, and interactions with human society of one complete CANONICAL as of the time of presentation (no betamons, no fakemons) evolutionary line of Pokemon with at least TWO Pokedex entries per stage. A copy of your presentation must be e-mailed to the CPA email.

• A text writeup at least 1500 words in length (if you’re doing an evolutionary line with more than one Pokemon in it, you will likely wind up using quite a bit more than that) covering the same topics as your presentation, potentially with greater depth. You must submit both a hard copy and an e-mailed file to the CPA email.

• An attribution document consisting of all media sources utilized by your document and presentation, as well as the source organisms / phenomena for the different behavioral and anatomical structures you assigned to the Pokemon. There is no minimum / maximum length or required format, just a need to explain the origins behind your thought process and illustrate where you took influences from.

• A snack that is somehow related to the topic you are presenting with servings sufficient for the entire class. (Providing grief counseling is optional for those of you who bring cake, and kudos to the English 198 class of Spring 2011 for giving us this idea.)

The different teams are free until Thursday to change their minds for their topics, but as of the moment, we have presentations slated for:

• Bulbasaur Line
• Bellsprout Line
• Slowpoke Line
• Lapras
• Cacturne Line
• Absol
• Drifloon Line

An interesting mix... Some people chose lines with fewer mons to cover, others went with the opposite approach... Wonder what their takes on them will be?

edited 3rd Apr '13 11:49:26 AM by TracerBullet

Hard Boiled Detective Since 1985

Apologies for the doublepost, but I figured that since it was an actual (and super belated) article and not just passive chatter, that it merited a bump.

---

Zorua Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Zorua [#570]
• Zoroark [#571]

Notable Biology

Zorua and its evolution, Zoroark are Pokemon that are distinguished by lithe physical builds, and a phenomenal, though poorly understood ability to manipulate some wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.

The initial morph, Zorua, is a quadrupedal vulpine Pokémon with a primarily gray pelt and a black ruff of fur around its neck. Zorua's ears are vaguely triangular in shape with dark-furred insides, and it has a large, whirled scruff of fur on its head, tipped with red fur that is similar in color to patches along its feet and nearby its eyes. Other noteworthy attributes of Zorua’s physical appearance include forward-facing eyes with small pupils, and a mouth with small, developing fangs that can be cleanly hidden when its mouth is closed. Typical individuals will stand roughly 70 centimeters tall, and will weigh a little over 10 kilograms.

Zoroark is the mature form and currently presumed final form. Unlike Zorua, Zoroark have developed stronger hind legs that are capable of supporting faculvative bipedalism, and their front limbs have developed more pronounced elbow joints and sharp red-colored claws. A Zoroark’s pelt is similar in color to that of the dominant color of its younger counterpart’s, accompanied with red markings on the interior of its ears, above its eyes, and around the edges of its mouth. Beyond this, Zoroark possess a black ruff of fur about their upper torso, and develop a bushy and striking red-and-black mane that extends for most of the creature’s body length. Zoroark appear to pin back this mane into the rough form of a ponytail, often around a “tie” that is fashioned shortly before evolution that appears to have elements of a rite of social passage. In popular art, the tie is generally depicted as being a green orb, though significantly different form factors have been recorded. Typical individuals will measure approximately 160 centimeters in height when standing upright, and weigh slightly over 80 kilograms.



Although the truly astonishing variance in individual appearance made possible through its abilities to generate illusions would perhaps render this section somewhat redundant, it should be noted that a number of natural phenotype variations among individuals have been documented. Dominant fur color has been noted to range over various shades of gray, slate-gray being the most commonly observed, though individuals with brownish-gray and lighter gray pelts are not uncommonly documented. In exceedingly rare circumstances, some Pokemon from this line will carry a genetic mutation that leads to noticeable divergence in the natural pelt color are documented. Such individuals typically have a primary pelt that is a dark gray-brown in color with darker ruffs and blue accenting fur, as Zoroark, carriers of this mutagen possess light-gray, brownish-red and violet fur and claws in place of their more numerous counterparts’ dominantly colored regions, and black and red regions. Zoroark pelt colors outside of this range have been claimed, though it is unclear whether or not such reports are accurately reflecting the natural state of their pelts, or a state created via illusory abilities.

Abilities

Zorua and Zoroark are perhaps most deeply associated with their command over the paranormal ability termed "Illusion", an ability that is only replicated by a handful of other Pokemon, and to far less extensive degrees. Contrary to popular belief, the properties of Illusion do not appear to be comparable to the technique "Transform". Rather than a physical transformation into another form, Illusion appears to rely on a barrage of stimuli that are designed to deceive sensory organs that appear to be tied to manipulation of electromagnetic radiation.

Illusion as performed by Zorua and Zoroark are noted to have a truly wide variety of potential effects. The most ubiquitous of these is that of visual distortion, where an individual can alter its appearance to take that of another object, or of their surroundings. More proficient individuals have been known to generate entire effects up to and including false landscapes with their ability. Some individuals' command over their ability appear to be capable of extending into portions of the ultraviolet and infrared range, distorting otherwise normal patterns in order to deceive prey sensitive to those spectra. Illusions by more proficient individuals are noted to sometimes have a haptic component, with limited mimicry of texture and heat.

It should be noted that individuals appear to perform their illusions on a as-needed basis, manipulating only portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that are immediately necessary to deceive present foes. This phenomenon can best be illustrated by simply maintaining more than one camera with differing recording intervals focused on a creature from this line under illusion. An individual will generally have exceedingly great difficulty specializing his or her illusion for both cameras' framerates, which will cause the true form of the individual to be visible in occasional frames of one or the other camera if the individual makes the attempt.

It should be noted that while formidable, Illusion is far from a complete camouflaging organism. Some of the most common methods of detection of individuals in wild settings by aware prey are via the smell of an individual Zorua line member that has not taken sufficient steps to attempt to mask its scent, as well as sound via a careless trodding of branches or undergrowth. Less experienced individuals from the Zorua stage are noted to often have trouble concealing their tail in their Illusions. This phenomenon appears to be the reason for Zoroark's "hair tie", as individuals that cast illusions without it were documented to often have significant problems disguising the entirety of their manes properly.

Creatures from this line have demonstrated a remarkable versatility in the techniques they can be taught in captivity, which include paranormal abilities associated with "Ghost" and "Fighting"-Type Pokemon along with the occasional use of the "Psychic" phenomenon "Extrasensory" and a wide breadth of physical techniques. A curious anatomical trait that Zoroark possess is the presence of a vestigial structure that with tutoring, can enable it to perform pyrogenic techniques such as Flamethrower. It remains unclear whether the vestigial organ in question is a dedicated pyrogenic structure, or merely an atrophied version of an "omnisac". There is presently a leaning to the former explanation given the closely-related Vulpix line, which beyond similarities in abilities, appears to be capable of disseminating a number of techniques to offspring via crossbreeding.

On rare occasions, individuals from this line have been documented communicating from what appears to be an ability akin to telepathy. Said individuals are noted to sometimes become incredibly proficient in human languages, to the point of being able to hold short conversations with unsuspecting humans. As with many aspects of these creatures, the nature of this ability remains nebulous, even after significant research under the direction of Professor Juniper. It remains unclear if this ability is learnable, or if it is an ability associated with a submorph as some researchers have proposed.

Habitat

For obvious reasons, Zorua and Zoroark have very poorly-documented ranges, though sightings of the creatures are not uncommon in Unova. Based off of the locations of most sightings, it is generally accepted that Zorua and Zoroark typically dwell in woodland and grassland settings in wild contexts. Sightings appear to be particularly high near bodies of water such as rivers and streams, suggesting a valuing of mobility amongst wild Zorua line members. A handful of accounts suggest that Zorua and Zoroark may have had a range in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and their surrounding regions, though it is unclear whether or not this is merely conflation with local accounts revolving around Pokemon such as Ninetales, which have at times been documented exhibiting more limited analogues to the illusions of the Zorua line.

Creatures from this line will often disguise areas that they dwell in through illusory landscapes. Curiously, in recent decades, these illusory landscapes have come to often incorporate features of human habitation, with a number of encounters having stemmed from seeming trailer houses and abandoned structures. This ability appears to be capable of disguising even fairly large areas, one of the most spectacular examples consisting of an entire illusory acre of flat grassland with a farm in the center, a fence surrounding the land, complete with ‘Keep Out’ sign on top of a mailbox. The illusion was only finally discovered after a group of rowdy youths set upon the premises during Halloween with the intention of vandalizing the property. When one of the youths set off a firecracker, the facade was broken after maintainers of the illusion were startled, prompting a hasty retreat by its occupants.

There are also a small number of cases documented each year of creatures from this line being encountered in urban settings, typically after a chance mishap with their illusions. It is difficult to determine how many of the cases are merely due to particularly mischievous or rowdy captive individuals, though at least some of the cases, often the ones revolving around the most impressive creators of Illusions, involved individuals that were untrained.

Diet

Creatures from this line show a significant variance in feeding behaviors, which is influenced heavily by local environments. In most settings, Zorua and its evolutions are omnivorous organisms with a heavy carnivorous slant. Prey organisms are diverse, and include a number of mammalian, avian, and invertebrate organisms. This diet is typically supplemented with a variety of berries, fruits, and grasses, though appears to be given less priority over meat. In settings with few natural predators and plentiful prey, it is not unheard of for Zorua and Zoroark to subsist entirely off of a carnivorous diet.

Prey organisms generally scale in size depending upon the form and mode of hunting. Zorua will typically prey upon small avian creatures, while solitary Zoroark have been noted to hunt quarry consisting of moderate-sized creatures. In the event of pack hunting, prey as large as Bouffalant have been observed being subdued and consumed. In exceedingly lean times, cannibalism has been documented amongst Zorua line populations, though appears to be extremely damaging to existing social structures, as individuals that engage in cannibalism appear to be subjected to lasting social stigma amongst their peers and from individuals from other packs.

It should be noted that creatures from this line do not appear to be capable of handling abrupt shifts in dietary equilibrium well. One of the most pronounced examples of this is of individuals that have become accustomed to diets consisting almost entirely of plant matter or meat, which will cause abrupt disruptions to this equilibrium to lead to symptoms akin to gastroenteritis.

Hazards

Although the often negative portrayals of these creatures' behavior as being ill-tempered, duplicitous, and violent are undoubtedly not a holistically accurate depiction of individuals from the Zorua line, it should go without saying that needlessly antagonizing an creature from this line is far from a sound proposition.

Both creatures utilize attacks that incorporate slashing at foes with claws. Although such an attack from a Zorua is unlikely to deal more than a few lacerations, it should be noted that the elder morph, Zoroark is more than capable of inflicting wounds that can potentially cause severe blood loss with similar techniques. Creatures from this line are also known to utilize attacks that exploit the momentum and movements of their assailants to deal harm, as well as attacks that involve pursuing after enemies while off guard at the sign of them faltering and beginning to fall back into retreat. Both stages of the Zorua line are known to exhibit paranormal abilities, which manifest themselves in techniques such as "Dark Pulse" and "Night Daze". While not physically harmful, it should be noted that such paranormal techniques will have effects similar to a potent psychic assault. Antagonizing an individual raised in captivity raises a number of other hazards, as captive individuals have been noted to learn a wide variety of attacks beyond the fare of their wild counterparts, including the use of pyrogenic techniques capable of inflicting second and third-degree burns.

It should be noted that in a wild context, encounters with Zorua line members are seldom with solitary individuals, and that antagonizing an individual runs the risk of drawing its packmates to its defense. Other hazards associated with these creatures include an often incredibly strong maternal instinct among female Zoroark. One particularly notorious recent episode involved an incident in Sinnoh involving a corrupt media mogul that attempted to coerce a mother Zoroark into complying with his orders through threatening her child. Through a long and somewhat incredulous series of events, the aforementioned mother Zoroark (dubbed "Meema" by the local press) allegedly wound up fighting a Suicune, Raikou, and Entei to a standstill in her quest to retrieve her child.

Other, more mundane hazards stem from an often strong affinity among creatures of this line to surprise other entities. Although this often is something as simple as a simple abrupt dispelling of an illusion or well-natured prank, antics by undertrained or simply particularly vindictive individuals can be significantly more troublesome, with accounts of persons being disoriented into effectively walking around in circles thanks to a series of high-quality and constantly maintained illusions having been documented. In folklore, it is alleged that some illusions were maintained so competently that the trapped victim was fooled all the way up to the point of eventually dying from starvation. Although such an event is undeniably implausible, the presence of contemporary accounts of persons suffering the misfortune of being caught in such an illusory maze for prolonged periods of time suggests that such an event is hardly impossible (also, there would be the far more immediate threat of being attacked by the maintainers of the illusion well before death by exhaustion).

Courting and Childrearing

Although both the Zorua and Zoroark stages are capable of reproducing in captive settings, in wild contexts, reproduction is carried out almost entirely by Zoroark. The ability to mate and have young appears to be tightly regulated by the dominant individuals of a pack. Unions that do not receive the blessing of these individuals are typically suffered exceedingly poorly. These regulations appear to have some elements of demographic engineering to them, as dominant individuals are known to favor pairings of their subordinates with individuals from outside packs and to periodically fission packs in the event of overly large sizes or severe gender ratio imbalances.

Mates are typically drawn from 1 pair of packs at a time, agreed upon by their respective dominant individuals. For a period of time extending as much as 5 months over the fall and winter, the members of the 2 packs will intermingle with each other and begin initial courtship.

Courtship among individuals of this line is typically built around displays of prowess with illusory abilities. Common modes of exhibiting such prowess include the creation of illusions for display, as well as the infiltration and retrieval of different artifacts and trinkets from places seen as being dangerous. Mate selection is typically done via the female, though inversions are recorded on an infrequent basis.

In the spring, if a pair has received the blessing of their packs' dominant individuals, they will retire to a secluded spot. Here, the two will battle to establish hierarchical dominance, and upon settling the matter will mate. Afterwards, the two will either return to the victor's pack, or remain in seclusion in order to start a new pack. Female Zoroark in wild settings appear to generally be more fecund than their captive counterparts, and will bear litters of up to 6 young, which are fiercely protected by their mother. These creatures are also capable of reproducing with Pokemon outside of their immediate line, though the practice is scarcely recorded outside of captivity.

Social Structure

Like many other mammalian Pokemon, Zorua line members appear to have a mechanism that allows for both ovoviviparous and oviparous methods of production, the latter being most commonly seen in captive reproduction, in the case of multiple birth, and in reproduction among Zorua. Newborn Zorua are born blind and dependent upon their parents, only attaining sight after the second or third week of life.

In wild settings, Zorua line members appear to typically organize themselves into pack structures based upon kinship ties. These packs typically consist of a dominant male and female, with a number of subordinate individuals. Wild packs generally are known to consist of between 8 and 10 individuals, though anecdotal accounts of packs as large as 40 individuals have been recorded.

Within these packs, there are often distinct familial units built around a breeding pair and incorporating their progeny. These units are fluid and generally dissolve after all the young of a pair of Zoroark have attained their mature form. Such units are lead by either a matriarch or patriarch determined during the mating season, which protect their young while in the Zorua state and tutor techniques related to hunting and creating illusions. As these young near evolution, these parents will fashion "ties" for their offspring's future manes. These ties are generally fashioned out of cords fashioned from vines or pieces of scavenged cloth or in the cases of populations that regularly interact with human settlements, occasionally human-sourced hairbands, along with additional layering around the tie to act as a protective buffer, leading to a typically "orb-like" appearance. Other form factors for these ties have been documented when conventional resources to fashion ties are scarce, including flat bands and ties fashioned around bones not wholly unlike how individuals from the Vullaby line incorporate bones into their feathers.

Zoroark packs appear to have a very strong focus on interpersonal ties, with individuals that remain in a pack beyond their first 3 months in their final form typically staying for the duration of their lives. Outside of the aforementioned window of time and a handful of later life events associated with mating cycles, pack desertion appears to be a sort of "cardinal sin" amongst members of Zorua line packs, with individuals that attempt to leave their packs outside of such events often becoming social pariahs amongst their peers.

Solitary individuals from this line are known to exist in wild contexts, though the status appear to typically be viewed by individuals of local packs as a sign of strong social ineptitude. If such an individual is encountered by a Zorua pack, they will sometimes attempt to incorporate the loner into their ranks, albeit with low status. These "loners" are also known to display a curious, if rarely-exhibited social behavior in which an abandoned or orphaned Zorua and solitary Zoroark of no biological relation but strong bond will mutually adopt each other as parent and child. Circumstances with weak pack structures or many solitary Zorua line members are generally seen as aberrations, and tend to correspond to periods of severe disruption within the environments of these creatures.

Creatures from this line have occasionally been documented collaborating with Vulpix line members in and around regions west of Unova Route 14. Generally these interactions amount to less intimate behaviors such as mutual assistance herding prey into traps, though the creatures have at times been documented cohabitating within common territories, particularly during cold autumn and winter months. In periods of time with limited prey and / or shelter, such amicableness is far more likely to be replaced with a fierce and hostile competition between individuals from the two lines for resources. Zorua line members in Unova have occasionally been documented interacting with Riolu line members. Interactions among forest-dwelling individuals are typically are of a similar nature to Vulpix, though it has been noted that the former tend to be noticeably disadvantaged in the event of hostility during lean times. What few accounts of interactions with individual Riolu line members hailing from more rugged settings exist seems to evidence a more aloof interaction between the two. A somewhat morbid example of mutual interaction between creatures from the two lines that has become better documented in more recent decades. There has been a startling number of accounts of would-be poachers of Riolu line members in Unova being gravely injured or meeting untimely ends via attacks via collaborating Riolu and Zorua line packs.

In Popular Culture

Zorua and Zoroark have generally possessed varying depictions in the folklore of cultures that have had contact with them, ranging from generally favorable portrayals of playful tricksters, to being castigated as malevolent and duplicitous fiends. Regardless, such cultures often imitate the imagery of these creatures, especially in Unova. A prevalent legend in Unova is of the Trickster Zoroark, who could reshape itself so thoroughly that it could switch gender at will. While Zoroark’s ability to create illusions is true, the gender switching is only true for the sexual dimorphism of a living creature it disguises itself as. The markings on the face of a fully grown Zoroark were often mimicked in Unovan stage plays dating as far back as 200 years ago, usually worn by the villain of the story. It has been noted that in historical times, Zoroark were seen as being invaluable for military applications for their ability to mask the movement of troops and equipment, infiltration of enemy targets, as well as their effectiveness in countering infiltration by ghost-type Pokemon.

Creatures from the Zorua line have had a strong historical tie to the film industry. Before the advent of computer effects, many Unovan films utilized illusions generated by Zorua line members to provide visual spectacle, a practice which remains alive in independent and small film scenes in Unova. There have been recorded cases of Zoroark cries being sampled and modified for the cries of deadly monsters. Zorua cries have also been sampled for the cries of a smaller creature, often revealed to be the reason for a larger monster's rampage. As of this writing, the only Zoroark Actress was one nicknamed 'Julia', used to play the role of 'Tweedle Dee' in the classic film 'Nidorina in Wonderland'. It should come as no surprise based off of this that other sectors of the film industry would be influenced by these creatures' iconography and portrayal. A particularly famous example stems from a series of cartoon shorts featuring a male Zoroark fruitlessly chasing an unusually speedy Unfezant with the intent to eat it. His whacky adventures have entertained three generations so far and shows no sign of stopping in the immediate future. The Zoroark, named Wile E. Zoroark, has once even been adopted as the mascot of the studio that created him, eventually replaced with Beethoven the Beheeyem, Unovan Drillbur, and finally Mint Mincinno.

Curiously enough, Zoroark appear to have become increasingly ingrained in the popular culture in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and their surrounding regions since first contact with Unova and its surrounding regions, with works derived from local folklore that is presently presumed to have been written in reference to Vulpix line members sometimes being reworked around members of the Zorua line. One example being the modeling of a shapeshifting swordsman from a video game carrying hefty influence by local folklore off of these creatures There is a small amount of evidence that suggests that Zoroark may have had a presence in these regions even before this event, though its veracity is presently hotly contested.

Original Article by Calamity Jane. 4/2013 Revision by Tracer Bullet.

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Criticisms and comments are deeply appreciated. If you're reading this, Jane, I realize that it's probably somewhat different from yours, but I hope that I did a good job at preserving the core of your original vision for these buggers.

edited 10th Apr '13 5:35:17 PM by TracerBullet

Hard Boiled Detective Since 1985

I've been inspired by a comment on acid rain glitch video.

Acid rain is an anomaly that actually makes Ability work on overdrive, to the point it's actually hindering and dangerous. It has been first sighted in [good in-univerese name for Generation IV], but has fortunately disappeared in [good in-univerese name for Generation V]

• Torrent floods the circulatory system, making breathing harder if not impossible.
• Download downloads viruses and all dangerous stuff.
• Clear Body... well for Tentacool line at least, it may clear body to the point where vital things like sugar, fat, protein and all stuff is cleared out of the body before it profits anything. Not sure about all other, since they're inorganic.
• Static paralyzes important parts of user.
• Drizzle summons... well, an actual acid rain that gets even through metal.
• Insomnia... IRL effects kick in, which are not healthy.

Someone more experiencedcould expand on this.

edited 11th Apr '13 11:49:38 AM by PinkCelebi

"Screw it, I AM going to enjoy this game!"

Isnt Acid Rain all weather conditions at the same time?

Maybe Pursuit just like.. breaks the weather?

Casual talk is a debate you have to win.

Yes, it's all weathers at once (including the unsummonbable fog and maybe Uproar [can't fall asleep], Gravity [can't fly/bounce/etc.] and Trick Room [order in priority bracket is reversed]). But why it makes Pokémon be damaged by its Ability? I tried explaining it in-universe by being some kind of an anomaly (which is Generation IV only)

Bulbapedia

edited 11th Apr '13 1:22:59 PM by PinkCelebi

"Screw it, I AM going to enjoy this game!"

I'd assume the meteorological fabric of reality being sundered would be rather painful to pokemon with abilities in tune with natural effects like Torrent and such.

Casual talk is a debate you have to win.

I'm not certain this glitch is something the Project should cover

Re: Acid Rain Discussion

Yeah, it strikes me as something that would be an urban legend at most. It's an element of the games' code that was bugged for one specific set of games, and then patched afterwards. That makes it seem more like a limitation of the medium as opposed to a definitive feature of its world.

Hard Boiled Detective Since 1985

Looks like we'll have to update Mewtwo's article soon. For those that haven't heard, everyone's favourites genetically-engineered batman pokémon is getting a new forme in the next movie...

We shouldn't do an article on Acid Rain for the same reason we shouldn't do an article on the Phantom Zone (or whatever they're calling the black area beyond the borders now)

I'm obviously such a cuddly,inoffensive soul.

Sooo, just curious, but has this group moved on to Gen 5?

We did so a while ago.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.