The Pokédex - Extended Fanon Edition

Just saying hi, and letting everyone know that I'm almost done with the Surskit entry. Also it saddens me to see the thread inactive for 4+ days...

Also, I finally got permission from the Zigzagoon fanart to make use of the piece so long as is credited so I wanted to ask what would be the better way to link it or include it in the entry, since I'm really out-of-date with those things (also, it is Deviantart).

Oh and before anyone asks I'm most likely doing Glameow next but that's unconfirmed, and I'd rather wait to see what are we going to do next (the Pokédex entry(es) or something?).

That's kinda all. I could actually keep talking about life and stuff and it'd be quite normal since I'm verbose, but I'm sleepy and inet connection is not good where I am. Also, I'm off to FINALLY buy Soul Silver next week, and I want to buy early so I don't run into any chance of someone recognizing me or the "it's for kids" talk (Pokémon has an unfortunate fame where I live).

And I think that's all.

Fanfic Recs orwellianretcon'd: cutlocked for committee or for Google?

I appologize for my own inactivity, Reverance—I've been busy with other things in the last few days. I'll have my Cacnea entry up by Monday.

The Danse Macabre Codex

I guess that this would be a fine time as any to say a brief mea culpa for not contributing anything for the past month or two. I'll try and cobble together a Buizel/Floatzel article when I have a little time (I'm on a bit of a road trip right now)...

EDIT: Tweaked the Sandshrew entry a bit, since we're not sticking hard and fast to the in-game rules of Poké-reproduction...

edited 24th Jul '10 7:53:44 AM by CaptainNapalm

Let's play a game about Pokémon...

For the image, I'd upload a small version with the author's name left in the filename/image note, and include it in the entry with a link to the DeviantArt page.

It appears we've all been a bit busy with other stuff, but hey it's a weekend now. I'll probably start drafting a entry on one of the Pokédex components an a day or two, if not sooner. Thoughts/open questions are always welcome.

Also, a lot of the old entries are looking embarrassingly short now, so feel free to make notes on them. (It occurs to me that the Gym article never got fully fleshed out...)

Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?

I had an idea for the Bulbasaur line... something like the Groveback from Alien Planet/Expedition.

Formerly known as Crow T. Robot.

And... after almost a month of waiting...

Shieldon Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Sheildon [410]
• Bastiodon [411]

Notable Biology

Shieldon and Bastiodon were once widespread herbivorous quadrupeds- fossils of them have been found across the nation. However, the line was rendered extinct some 70 million years ago, after a catclysmic meteor strike. Only recenty have scientists managed to recreate this line, and it was not long before they became one of the more popular Pokémon among the devoted Trainer community, more and more wealthy or lucky trainers using them in competitive Gym or League battles.

Shieldon are small reptilian quadrupeds. Their most distinguishing feature would be the large, raised crest that adorns their head. This crest is actually hollow- it is primarily cartridgenous and quite bendable, to ensure that a young or inexperienced animal does not accidentaly wedge itself between two trees. Shieldon are quite playful, and males spend much of their time playfully charging or mock-charging targets in order to practice for their important mating rituals when they grow up. Still emotionally immature at this stage, they enjoy physical contact and petting.

Bastiodon are enormous, heavyset creatures. Content to spend most of their day sleeping or eating, they are nevertheless a potent opponent in a battle. Their head, crest, and mouth are ringed with large, heavy spikes, presenting an almost impenetrable surface. Their head frill has ossified, and is now flushed with blood vessels. This frill is not primarily for defense, but is instead used for courtship purposes. Nevertheless, they are a formidable opponent in battle, and are capable of trampling most foes into the ground or goring them with their fearsome array of horns.

Habitat

In their native time period, Bastiodon and Shieldon were widely dispersed, and fossils can be found in many countries. Approximately 750 Sheildon and Bastiodon are alive today. Most of these live in a large preserve designed for reanimated Pokémon (see Cranidos entry for details), although about 100 are currently being cared for by Trainers or Gym leaders.

Diet

Both animals are primarily herbivorous. Bastiodon may also ingest small pebbles to help with digestion, grinding down soft plant matter within the stomach. However, evidence suggests that Bastiodon may have occasionally preyed upon Grass-type Pokémon, still a relatively new breed of Pokémon at the time. One famous fossil depicts the skeleton of a bull Bastiodon and what appears to be a mature Tangrowth locked in combat, even as they sunk into a pit of volcanic mud, where they were quickly suffocated yet exquisitely preserved. This famous fossil was excavated years before the development of tissue regeneration technologies, and at the time it proved to be an exciting find indeed. This fossil can be seen today at the Pewter City Museum.

Hazards

Like most extinct Pokémon, Shieldon and Bastiodon are not well adjusted to today's world. Their immune systems are not used to modern day pathogens and viruses, and even simple ailments like the flu or the common cold can potentially kill a full-grown Bastiodon. The environment of 65 million years ago too was different. In addition to far warmer temperatures, oxygen levels were higher than they were today. As such, a Shieldon or Bastiodon will constantly be gasping for oxygen, something that will wory their Trainer. It is not reccommended to use them for too long in cool climates- they will swiftly become sluggish and disoriented.

Male Shieldon can prove to be very energetic. An affectionate tackle can seriously wind a trainer or even injure or kill some smaller, more fragile Pokémon such as Roselia. An agitated or angered Bastiodon is easily capable of killing a human, and several, when provoked long enough, have. Like other large, extinct Pokémon, it is also not reccommended to enter them in events such as Contests- they are disturbed by flashing lights, loud crowds, and enclosed spaces. Like many other fossil Pokémon, they also lack the instinctive sense of restraint when it comes to battles. They will often view the opponent as a legitimate threat, and react accordingly- unfortunately, this sometimes results in the death of the opponent's Pokémon. Such an event occurred in the 201X Sinnoh League Championship, when a Bastiodon, alarmed and enraged beyond control, successfully killed an oponnent's Charmeleon before breaking free of the stadium. Fortunately, a Pokémon Ranger in the crowd had a Venusaur and Swampert on hand, and he managed to subdue the animal long enough for it to be returned to it's Pokéball.

Courting and Childrearing

Every six months, female Bastiodon will enter reproductive readiness. At this time, males will face off against one another for mating rights. This involves the males flushing blood into their crests, swelling them and displaying a dazzling display of patterns. Ocasionally, two males will compete in non-lethal shoving matches. Several months later, females will lay eggs in the forest. The eggs are buried in soft soil, and the mothers will stand guard over them, fiercely protecting them from any real or imaginary threat (including curious biologists!). Several weeks later, the clutches of young Shieldon will hatch, and the exhausted newborns must dig themselves out, without the help of their mother. After they are safely above ground, the mother will lead her new children back into the herd. Shieldon grow quickly, and within four years most will evolve into Bastiodon.

Social Structure

From what researchers have witnessed, Bastiodon form large herds led by one or more senior males. These herds can be very large and all of them follow a similar layout- the largest and strongest male Bastiodon are located on the outside, females and the elderly are closer to the middle, and Shieldon in the middle. Biologists theorize that this allows mothers to keep track of their children and to keep them safe from predators.

edited 24th Jul '10 8:37:52 AM by CrowT.Robot

Formerly known as Crow T. Robot.

Its nice, but I don't think the clips about unfamiliarbility with Contests and Battles. This implies a Nature over Nurture mechanic which seems antithesis to what has previouly been established in canon with baby pokemon and the like. Aside from that I think it might be the time for an article on fossil pokemon in general and maybe the Pokemon Legue(s) as well.

Closet DCLAU fan.

I like the reference to a certain fossil found in the Gobi, involving a Protoceratops and a Velociraptor locked in combat.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Edited the Zigzagoon entry and placed the fanart. I may be doing something wrong though since the caption won't stay at the right under the picture it works now, it was my browser cache. Also the entry has more Tropes now. I'll look for fanart for the Nido entry as well (OF COURSE!).

edited 24th Jul '10 4:26:06 PM by SilentReverence

Fanfic Recs orwellianretcon'd: cutlocked for committee or for Google?

Has anyone claimed the Riolu line yet?

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

I am honestly not sure, rmctagg.

Cacnea Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

• Cacnea [331]
• Cacturne [332]

TODO: physical descriptions

Notable Biology

Cacnea are a curious species of Pokémon which resembles nothing so much as a sentient, mobile cactus. The creature has a roughly spherical body with two long arms, a small flower on the top of its head, and it is covered in numerous spines of varying density and thickness, two of which are utilized as ersatz “feet” in locomotion. It possesses a rather distinct method of walking, wherein it uses on arm to prop itself up slightly on one side and throws the other arm forward at an angle, thereby swinging its other “foot” forward. Cacnea’s flesh, which bears a far greater resemblance to plant tissue than animal tissue, is both photosynthetic and succulent, allowing it to remain active even under the desert sun and store vast quantities of water for later consumption; observation of wild specimens has shown that a Cacnea can go for up to a month (28 days) between rainfalls before it begins to get dehydrated.

Cacturne, by contrast, is a humanoid Pokémon equal to a preteen human in size. The spikes that served as Cacnea’s feet are gone, replaced by two fully functional legs, and the flower atop its head has been replaced by a quartet of broad triangular leaves that have fused together to form a sort of hat, shading Cacturne’s face from the desert sun; this, along with its disturbing habit of holding its arms perpendicular to its body and remaining utterly motionless during the day to conserve moisture and energy, has garnered Cacturne the nickname of the Demon Scarecrow.

Habitat

As these Pokémon have adapted to survive in the most arid climes, Cacnea and Cacturne are most frequently encountered in the deserts of Hoenn; curiously, none have ever been seen in the Orre region, suggesting that even they cannot survive in that barren wasteland.

Cacnea and Cacturne have also been encountered in certain areas of Sinnoh, particularly in the sand-swept path that is Route 228; strangely, while Cacnea are more common than Cacturne in the wilderness of Hoenn, in Sinnoh the reverse is true; Poké-biologists and botanists have had difficulty determining why this is so.

Diet

Despite being Grass-type Pokémon capable of drawing sustenance from the sun itself, both stages of the Cacnea line are aggressively carnivorous. Cacnea is a sessile predator that roots itself in place and releases a cloud of intoxicating spores from its flower to beguile nearby herbivores and insects, which it then stuns with an array of vicious attacks and eats alive.

Cacturne, by contrast, is an active nocturnal predator that chases down its prey in packs while harrying it with blows from its spine-covered arms, slowly whittling away the prey’s ability to flee and resist until they can run no more and collapse from exhaustion. Cacturne is a truly implacable creature, being able to chase its victims for weeks on end, and oral history from natives of Hoenn’s desert reveal that they also preyed on early humans in much the same fashion, forcing primitive nomadic tribes to band together and destroy them while the creatures remained inactive during the day; this may account for the reduced number of Cacturne in Hoenn.

Hazards

As the above paragraph indicates, Cacnea is not to be underestimated. While a trained Cacnea will treat its trainer with love and affection, its overenthusiastic hugs can be extremely painful or even fatal to younger children; because of this, trainers are required to trim and prune their Cacnea’s spines. In addition, Cacnea’s typical method of feeding makes it dangerous to household pets, paralyzing them with repeated spine attacks and then injecting them with potent enzymes in order to liquefy their innards.

Furthermore, despite their friendly demeanour Cacnea can be utterly ruthless in combat, often attacking their opponents just before the match begins, going for the eyes when launching their spines, and sometimes attempting to eat a defeated opponent alive. Cacturne behaves in much the same way, and it can also poison its opponent with venom-coated spines potent enough to kill a Snorlax.

Courting and Childrearing

Both stages of the Cacnea line become sexually mature early on, a necessity for a species native to the desert that spends most of its time alone. The species does not follow any sort of mating ritual; if two Cacnea of the opposite sex come across one another, the male will impregnate the female by releasing a cloud of spores from his flower in the general direction of her flower; whatever spore fortunate enough to take root there will grow into a larval Cacnea over the course of a few weeks, whereupon the female’s flower will detach and grow into a juvenile on the spot. The parents part ways immediately after mating, and the mother remains with her child for little more than a week before abandoning it.

Reproduction and childrearing is much the same for Cacturne, the only difference being that the female will lay an egg rather than have her offspring grow on the top of her head for a few weeks.

Social Structure

Cacnea are solitary creatures, coming together only to mate. Cacturne of the same sex will form packs of five to ten individuals to hunt prey, but there is no real emotional attachment amongst them; they will not be overly concerned should one of their companions die, and if food is scarce they may even consume the recently-deceased Cacturne in question.

edited 26th Jul '10 2:47:25 PM by SullenFrog

The Danse Macabre Codex

You can't really use the term "cephalothoraxe" for something that's not an arachnid or a crustacean. I think simply using "head" or "body" would be a much better choice. I also don't think "ersatz" should be used as a biological term, but that's just me being picky.

Good entry otherwise. Between Cacnea/turne and Trapinch, it's a wonder any of those 10 year old trainers can make it through the desert...

XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!

Hey, when you're packing five hundred pounds of living heat in your belt a few cacti and a couple bugs don't seem so scary.

Closet DCLAU fan.

Reading the new entry on Cacana makes me wonder how Pokemon Trainers manage to get through the desert and not be hurt at all.

It's very simple; don't travel in the desert at night. If you can't, then make sure you've got a strong Bug or Fire-type Pokemon on hand.

The Danse Macabre Codex

Its like MAD for ten year olds!

Closet DCLAU fan.

Huh?

Formerly known as Crow T. Robot.

^ Mutually Assured Destruction...

Let's play a game about Pokémon...

Oh, I thought you meant the MAD magazine...

Formerly known as Crow T. Robot.

It's a reasonable assumption; it's what I thought it was at first.

...Now I'm trying to wonder what sort of bizarre abominations we'd end up with if Mad Magazine had created Pokemon.

The Danse Macabre Codex

Go, ALFRED E. NEUMAN!

Formerly known as Crow T. Robot.

OK; I've been a bit distracted lately. Index is back up to date.

I think I'll be starting with an article on the Pokédex project, first. Entries on devices can be done later by me, or someone else.

It needs a better name, likely; the Pokédex Initiative? The Coordinated Pokémon Catalog?

For the history, can I assume that the organization was started by Oak? Obviously other researchers have been keeping records for centuries, but perhaps he was the first to attempt a coordinated effort on this scale. Likely enabled by the recent development of computer networks.

Come to think of it, Bill's PC could be tied in here. Say he helped Oak set up a system allowing for the inventory and exchange of Pokémon specimens in labs all over the country- then instead of having to catch a bunch of Pokémon yourself for a detailed study on a species, you can borrow specimens caught by lab-assisting trainers.

Do you highlight everything looking for secret messages?

Well, we've been using "Morphs [Oak Catalog #]" this whole time, so I'd assume Oak is in charge of, or at least started, this whole thing. Bill being involves also seems to be a given.

As for the name, why not just keep it simple and stick with "The Pokédex Project"?

XP granted for befriending a giant magical spider!

Um Tangent, you forgot my Burmy entry.

^ I'm going with Blissey on the name.

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

I agree with Blissey and rmctagg for the name; the "Oak Catalog" refers to the database itself, rather than the collective effort.

The Danse Macabre Codex