#arktofolio

[prof-cypress]

the 2nd and 3rd evos of the Leeno region's grass starter, nitacub!!

art done by @prof-peach

middle one is stemkuma and final evo is arktofolio

[prof-cypress]

Nitacub, stemkuma, arktofolio.

Based on American black bears.

Pure grass type starter for the first two evos, then ends up grass/steel.

For nitacub: “Nita,” Alabama/Chickasaw/Choctaw word for bear, + “cub.”

For stemkuma: “Stem” + “kuma,” Japanese word for bear.

For arktofolio: “Árktos,” Greek word for bear + “folio,” Esperanto word for leaf.

Nitacub are known as pretty timid pokémon, constantly following around anyone or anything it imprints on as a parental figure. They're also playful and love eating berries regularly. Don't let their shy and dependent demeanor fool you, though, they're eager to please their trainers.

Stemkuma like to rummage through people's trash bins for food. This is often seen as a pesty and undesirable behavior, but this pokémon's omnivorous instinct to forage is far too strong for the behavior to ever really die out.

Arktofolio are fierce protectors of anyone and anything they dearly care for. Impressive and intimidating, they're a huge and important part of native Leenoan cultural lore, revered as great defenders of family, and it's easy to see why: they would never let a loved one be hurt.

[prof-cypress]

Continuation of this post.

Ceana's paternal grandma (Belinda Cafferty/"Grammy") got wind of her son not allowing her granddaughter to take on a typical kid trainer's journey and did something about it when Ceana was 11. If Stanley wasn't willing to keep an eye on her for the journey, then she would! She and Ceana had never been very close, so she saw it as a bonding opportunity.

As an adult Ceana of course, realized 11 years old was far too young to begin such a thing, and advocates for a minimum age of 15 for a kid to begin proving they're prepared to become a true trainer. But that's the present day. Back then, she just wasn't ready mentally for the intense responsibilities of caring for other life-forms by herself. Her first 'mon was the Leeno region's fire starter, a young male yotey.

She named it Ivan. Try as she might, Ivan was rowdy and didn't listen to her well, and this resulted in Ivan dying in a battle against a far stronger, fully-grown, wild arktofolio which had no mercy for little fools. Ceana was 12 and hadn't caught any other 'mon for her team, so she had to run for her life back to the nearest town. It scarred her badly, and even though she's worked past her fear of arktofolio since then, it's still a dark memory that she doesn't talk about much. The gentle lesson with the shuppet before fiercely paled compared to this.

Belinda had been waiting inside the PokéCenter of that town waiting for her grandkid to return from the local woods with a newly caught nyazome, as the girl had planned to do, only to be horrified at the state Ceana came back to her in. Ceana was mute for weeks. She resolved to not be a trainer anymore. After a year or so of psychological recovery, she tentatively focused on becoming a poké-professor (now 13 years old) instead, which became her new special interest.