#vulpix and its evolution

[spookberry]

controversial pokepinion: I don't get why eevee has become a secondary mascot for the franchise. Sure eevee's cute and eeveelutions are a really fun gimmick but it's just? A fox?? And even then vulpix is a cuter and more unique fox design tbh

I think it has more to do with the normal to anything gimmick that its become a mascot. I cant imagine Vulpix as the mascot at all no offense. And imo Eevee works waaaaayyy better than pikachu ever did. Eevee has such a wide variety of evolution types is a really unique thing in pokemon and yet it still manages to capture something special and inherently pokemon that people really enjoy.

Its got that general audience appeal in AND a thematic relevance to the property as a whole.

[the-softest-love-is-ours]

F/O Headcanons: Pokemon Universe Edition!

(More will be added with time)

(Also, many of these are inspired from headcanons I’ve previously read, so you may recognize them. Unfortunately, most of these have been in my phone for a long time so I don’t remember some of the original sources; if you do though, please message me so I can give proper credits)

Aromatisse tend to make potpurri nests

Nessa and Raihan are cousins.

Leon does not know how to break open a safe or pick locks… Hop knows how to do both. In fact Hop has numerous skills that are also a little shady.

It’s hard keeping a Riolu at their beginning stage because they are very loving, loyal and friendly pokemon. Don’t give your kid a Riolu because you will be taking care of a Lucario.

Phantump can possess all kinds of tree stumps (fruit trees, redwoods, birch trees, etc.). This gives them some natural variation in appearance.

Kirlia will often "intern" under Gallade and Gardevoir in order to enhance their psychic abilities. Which one a Kirlia trains under is thought to influence its evolution if male.

Magikarp are popular among breeders because they have a good amount of variation and produce lots of eggs. You can get Magikarp/Gyarados in various colors and patterns because of this. This is also true among Rattata, but they’re less popular due to people considering them weak and boring.

Absol are known for being paranoid. They are extremely protective of their trainers and will try to prevent any negative thing from happening to them, even if that thing is "leaf blows into their face" or something equally mundane.

Sylveon and Umbreon get along surprisingly well because they're both stealth hunters.

One popular textile company uses a stylized Leavanny for their logo.

Modern Pokeballs create simulations for the Pokemon inside that make them feel like they're in a large environment. In addition to making the Pokeball feel extra comfortable, they also help keep the Pokemon enriched.

Eevee and their evolutions arguably have the cutest courtship rituals on the planet. They start off by showing interest with short yips and sniffing, studying each other. After that, play-fighting ensues. When that's done, the pair share tiny kisses on the cheek.

Umbreon can spray poison from their rings. They can poison themselves if they breathe it in accidentally due to not being poison-types, but the toxins are pretty mild.

Leavanny can fly, but only for very short distances and not very far off the ground.

A popular rumor states that the more powerful the Lucario the more black they have on their bodies, but there's nothing scientific to back up this claim.

There are some that believe that Fidough evolve faster when around fire-type Pokemon. This claim has yet to be scientifically backed, however.

Young Vulpix will actively try to get their trainers to "hold their paw for reassurance.

The Leavanny line becomes incredibly agitated if they don't have any materials to "sew" with, so make sure they have access to plenty of greenery.

Absol live in isolation out in the wild, only coming together to breed and take care of their pups.

Jolteon oddly prefer sparkling water. Many theorize that the breed generally prefer foods that cause ‘tingly’ sensations as it’s similar to the hum of electricity.

Legendary and guardian pokemon in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos are so rarely seen they are thought of as myths. Meanwhile the Tapu guardians in Alola have shown up in people's backyards to mess around with their sprinklers and lawn ornaments.

Luxray are used as police or medical Pokemon in Sinnoh due to their ability to see through objects and strong stature. They are good at finding and retrieving victims and people who need assistance. Along with that they can be trained to listen for heartbeats and give electricity in a way similar to an AED.

There is a superstition in Johto that if an Eevee jumps into a child's crib, the child is blessed. Often times for baby showers, the mother is gifted an Eevee egg for this very reason. When the kit hatches, it is left in the room with the baby. If the Eevee stays by the child's side, but outside the crib, the child is destined to be average and live a normal life. However, if the Eevee jumps inside the crib and sleeps next to the child, the child will be blessed with fortune, prosperity, and joy.

It's thought that having someone with a positive aura take care of Riolu eggs helps them to hatch faster.

Eevees tend to mimic the personality and habits of their trainers. If their trainer tends to be energetic, the Eevees will get a share of that energy too. If, on the other hand, the trainer tends to be more on the relaxed and a bit lazy side the Eevees will behave like that too.

Popplio are frequently used for public performances and other forms of entertainment. It works out nicely, as it serves as excellent enrichment for them

Swablu's soft, cotton-y down is a favorite filler for pillows, especially because they shed it often. Nowadays it's more common to find synthetic substitutes.

Eevee’s love to be groomed and accessorized, especially on their tail. They don't like baths though but they groom themselves well.

Hisuian Growlithe/Arcanine are still found in some volcanic regions, but they are incredibly rare and protected under law.

A group of Chingling/Chimecho are known as a gong.

While Vulpix and Ninetales have incredible fur, harming one is considered bad luck and, in some areas, sacrilegious.

[kora-kat]

Thinking about a tma pokemon au.

Michael unknowingly bringing his stantler into the distortion with him. After he is consumed, you can occasionally see a twisted deer-like creature roaming the halls of the distortion.

Gertrude having an elderly absol named Adam that ends up outliving her. He sleeps in Jon's office and refuses to leave unless vanishing into the tunnels. Jon later becomes his legal trainer, but Adam doesn't obey him at all.

Jon got a pokemon way later than normal after collage. He now has an eevee named Commander. Jon isn't very good at being a trainer but Commander loves him anyway. Like most eevelutions, Commander evolves with a close bond with Jon. Unfortunately having a close bond with an eldritch creature can cause a new type of evolution...

Martin has a swablu named Dandy. She likes to chase Commander around for fun. In season 4 Martin rarely takes Dandy rarely comes out of her ball. He doesn't want to find out what happens to pokemon in the lonely.

Peter has a really messed up wingull. It is strangely still and its colors are faded.. He doesn't seem attached to it and it doesn't seem attached to him.

Sasha had a alola vulpix named Snowflake. Everyone finds it odd when suddenly Snowflake starts growling at her trainer. Tim adopts her in season 3

Tim has a pacharisu named Erin. Erin was banned from being out of pokeball on institute grounds after trying to attack Elias's Alakazam.

Admiral is a purugly. He was Georgie's first pokemon. She also has a punkaboo and duskull. Since she can't feel fear, she gets along really well with dark and ghost type pokemon.

Melanie wanted to be a trainer when she was young, so she does have a full team. However, since keeping a full team in London is expensive, most live at a boarding facility for trainers run by a professor. She keeps a psyduck named Binky as a pet. He's a little dummy and Melanie would die for him. The rest of Melanie's team are poison and steel types.

Bassira and Daisy, as cops, both have dog pokemon. Bassira has a growlithe named Amon. Daisy has a lycanroc named Marigold. Marigold is a pokemon avatar of the hunt. She has to be muzzled or she will bite you. Daisy has regrets.

Elias can afford to have a full pokemon team. He is good at battling but doesn't have a very strong connection with any of his pokemon. He has many, many, pokemon over the years and the magic has worn off. That being said, he does seem to favor his yanmask.

[quillpokebiology]

Glaceon Facts

@sunnythesheep

-The scientific name for Glaceon is "Gelu vulpes altera" which means "Other frost fox"

-Depending on where they live, Glaceon can have longer or shorter fur. The ones who live on the open snowy field are known as standard Glaceon, the ones who live on the snowy mountains are usually fluffier, and the ones that live in forests are usually fluffier and spotted

-Glaceon, Leafeon, and Umbreon have identical footprints

-Since Glaceon have great control over their cold bodies, it shouldn't be harmful to pet them (when they want to be petted ofc)

-Ancient Glaceon looked a lot different than they do now. For one they were fluffier and had almost completely white fur, and their ears were more pointed, and they had fluffier tails

-Glaceon claws resemble icicles

-Eevee don't always need an ice stone to evolve into Glaceon. Sometimes, Eevee that live in the colder environments just evolve to keep up with or match with it

-There are theories of an ancient ice/rock type eeveelution that would make its home in icy caves, and Glaceon being a descendant of that

-There are sayings that if you look into the eye of a Glaceon, you'd be able to see an aurora in their eyes

-Glaceon mostly hunt Buneary, Snom, Minccino, and Skwovet

-While Glaceon don't like hot weather, they are able to handle it because they're able to make ice wherever they are

-Glaceon will either fight or flee when they sense danger

-Glaceon have been known to adopt abandoned eevee and sometimes even abandoned Vulpix

Completed all the eeveelutions! Here are the others under the cut (editing while it's out so it's not all here yet)

[front-facing-pokemon]

Hey about the requests thing, will this include variants that you may or may not miss? [Basculin anon waiting patiently to mention white striped basculin once basculegion is produced as to not break the order of things]

it won't include those, no. it includes the obvious things, like "hey you should do nacli (A GEN 9 POKÉMON THAT IS HUNDREDS AWAY" or "hey you should do torchic" (A GEN 3 POKÉMON THAT WAS HUNDREDS AGO), but stuff like "hey can you do the other gender variant of this pokémon you already posted" or "can you do this alternate form you missed (e.g. white stripe basculin)" are fine. i may or may not do them, but those are allowed. speaking of which:

i'll consider this basculin a "special case" on being "out of natdex order" because it doesn't have its own natdex number (which the same could be said for regional forms, but this is effectively the same pokémon, whereas something like alolan vulpix and kantonian vulpix are effectively different pokémon)

this is mean because of how much i love gen 6 but i can see where you're coming from. gens are going to be forgettable if you didn't play them as a kid, so if you just skipped gen 6 in your time as a pokémon fan, then it'll make sense that it's forgettable to you. but it kinda did introduce mega evolution and also bring the core series into 3d and also give us fucking pokémon go so i don't think you're like. Correct

i actually had to scroll all the way back on the nose ratings to see if the nose rater did these or not, and realized i didn't always tag them. you wouldn't have to ask me about that—you'd need to ask the nose rater anon themself. i don't do the nose ratings—so if they see this and decide to oblige your request, you'd be the first to know if you weren't on anon

[mizartz]

more dp x pkmn doodles (it’s free serotonin) this time with valerie!!

rambling about her team under the cut:

Valerie’s pokemon were difficult to choose… I wanted her to have a relatively uncommon fire or fighting type for her bc because 1. I just think those types fit her, and 2. she used to be a spoiled rich kid, so i doubt she’d accept just any old pokemon for her partner.

Litleo:

chosen as her starter for its fierce personality and also bc its normal typing coincidentally gives it immunity to ghost types.

Probably lazy 90% of the time but gets super aggressive when challenged. It isn’t very interested in ghost hunting unless its perceived territory (the apartment, school, and/or nasty burger) is under attack.

Maybe has a personal grudge against Cujo? (havent decided on a pkmn for him yet tho...)

The other option for her starter was Vulpix bc its evolution is characterized as “spiteful”, which i think matches her pretty well lol. Some of the fire starters would be… okay for her, but I wasn’t a fan of any of their final evos.

Riolu:

baby pokemon gifted by Vlad. Perfect IVs/EVs, trained with dark-type TMs, has Foresight to negate ghost immunity, yada yada. It’s been raised from birth to be Valerie’s ghost hunting partner and doesn’t know much else about the world.

As Riolu grows older and its ability to sense aura/emotions increases, it begins to doubt its training, leading to it refusing to hunt Phantom because it knows that he can’t possibly be evil. (This attitude gradually spreads towards other ghosts as well, but Phantom is the trigger. Alternatively, maybe Ellie is involved somehow?)

Riolu and Val get into a big fight over it and Riolu runs away, forcing Valerie to confront her grudge against ghosts or risk losing her partner forever.

Riolu’s admittedly a bit of an odd choice for ghost hunting since it doesnt have type advantage, but I’ve grown quite attached to the idea of Riolu/Lucario’s innate sense of justice coming to a head with Valerie’s quest for vengeance. And also Vlad not thinking his plan through by gifting her a pkmn known to detect ill intent is very funny to me… like why didnt u give her a pawniard or scizor or smthn?? congrats u played urself

Riolu has no idea half-ghosts exist btw! Vlad kept it in the dark so it wouldn’t turn on him or reveal his identity. it suspects SOMETHING is up with danny though, which leads to some awkward staredowns at school. (also going by pkmn game logic: riolu can’t see through illusions without attacking first, so danny’s hisuian zorua is safe so long as it assumes another form)

im trying to avoid giving out too many shinies but shiny riolu just fits val’s color scheme sooooo much better. lets just say vlad wanted to show off REALLY hard that day, ok? being one of the few ppl in school with a shiny poke would make her less unpopular than she is in canon, but she still doesn’t rejoin the A-lister crowd.

riolu being so recognizable does mean it has to wear a disguise when ghost hunting tho (which makes my red huntress sketch non-canon lmao). it either wears a mini huntress suit or just a black cloak!

[adobe-outdesign]

Thoughts on kangaskhan?

Fun fact: Judging by some internal ID numbers and the behind-the-scenes lists we have, Kangaskhan may have been the second Pokemon ever created (Rhydon being the first).

(Image courtesy of Helix Chamber)

This more "kaiju"-esq look, very common among early Gen 1 Pokemon, is one of my favorite things about Kangaskhan. It would have been super easy to just make it a regular kangaroo and call it day, but instead it's closer to a bipedal pouched dinosaur than anything, which is far more interesting.

My other favorite thing about Kangaskhan is that it's allowed to look powerful despite the motherly theme. A Pokemon that carries around a kid is one thing, but a Pokemon that will snap your spine like a glowstick if you so much as look at their kid wrong is another. And despite this, she's still super loving towards her kid:

Aww.

In terms of the design itself, like I said, I like the almost dinosaur-esq look a lot. The yellow accents and the kid being blue draws attention to the pouch, the most important part of the design, and that plate on the head works nicely with the shape of the eyes.

The only thing I don't like are those random extruded blocks on the body. It looks like it's been greebled just to add detail for no reason, and I really don't think it's needed. The spines on the back are fine, as are the "shoulder pads", but the other parts feel like they could've been dropped. I also question the ears being yellow--as it makes them feel a bit disconnected from the body--and wonder if the back spikes should've been yellow instead, but that's a minor point.

And Mega Kangaskhan is perfect. Sometimes less is more, and having all of the energy from mega evolution to the baby so it can hop out and fight alongside mom is brilliant conceptually without being overdesigned.

I also like the minor lore confirmation here. While it's always been implied that young Kangaskhan gradually change appearance to match their mom (not the only Pokemont to do this--Vulpix also does, for example, though this is the only time we see it visually represented in the games), Mega Kangaskhan confirms it and even shows the baby starting to get the same eyes and extrusions as mom has.

My only nitpick is that the extrusions around the belly are particularly unpleasant due to the way it breaks apart the underbelly markings, and doesn't make sense anyway because mom doesn't have any greebling there anyway. That's it though.

Also, side note: While not that big of a deal, it is strange we never got the baby as its own pre-evo. Sure, you would technically have it evolve with a child out of nowhere, but it's not like that makes any less sense than it hatching fully grown with a child (sometimes you just have to accept non-canon gameplay mechanics and move on). I just find it funny that someone looked at Gen 1 and went "you know which Pokemon here needs a pre-evo? Jigglypuff.

But anyway, as a whole, Kangaskhan has a pretty solid design and a very unique (and heartwarming) theme. It also has one of the best mega evolutions we ever got, period. Way to go, funky kangaroos.

[honorthysalad]

and now to reveal the true purpose of a pokemon au: giving all the characters pokemon so I can imagine cute little scenarios w/ them and their mons.

So for ‘Hikaru’ I’m feeling a Ninetales and Yanma. Ninetales was Hikaru’s; Yanma he caught in the summer. The stone for evolving Vulpix was a gift from his late father, and he had the Vulpix much earlier than was typical training age. Yoshiki can’t remember a time Hikaru didn’t have a Pokemon by his side. At the same time, Hikaru was never very good with Pokemon, so Ninetales remained the only member of his team.

Then Yoshiki has a Grimer, Teddiursa, and Murkrow. He got the Grimer as a kid while visiting Tokyo as they’re quite common in densely populated areas- less so in cleaner rural areas, making it’s an odd sight in Kubitachi. Teddiursa is a much more common pokemon, and while it is cute, its evolution is less so for how dangerous it is. Murkrow are generally despised as pests. Known pranksters, the ones on the mountains are blamed for a lot of missing people as they’re known to lead people astray. Yoshiki’s team choices are widely discussed and criticized.

Next few are less set in stone:

Asako: Azumarill, Flaafy

Yuuki: Ivysaur

Maki: Elekid, Magikarp (based on two in-universe baseball teams)

[pokemoncenter]

On Pokemon Genetics and Evolution

This is a continuation of my previous post about Pokemon genetics, where we discovered that Pokemon ncDNA contains more or less a complete record of their evolutionary history, allowing them to regain atavistic traits to suit new environments when needed.

Our conclusion was that this comes back to Mew. Mew, as the ancestor of all Pokemon, was known to have the ability to Transform akin to a Ditto... but now we must contend with the idea that it had much greater transformative abilities than the Ditto we know.

It is now theorized that regional formes are the result of, essentially, a Transform technique from the mother to alter its children. However, I posited a simple conundrum: If Everstones also disrupt the creation of regional formes, as well as evolution, could they not share a mechanism?

With the assistance of several Eevee, we recorded their DNA and checked it as they evolved, comparing the changes to the changes between formes in littermates of our Vulpixes.

Our results were almost entirely as we expected. Evolution, too, is another use of Transform. This one, however, appears to be deeply embedded in a Pokemon's genetics, enough that it is has become a part of their natural life cycle.

(This means we are further overturning the idea of Eevee as 'genetically unstable'- After all, it has no regional formes that we are aware of, only a variety of evolutions. This is not instability, but a preparedness for any environment.)

Through Champion Red's kind allowing us to examine Mewtwo's DNA, we were able to locate several parts of the genome that Pokemon that should have nothing in common do.

To confirm: Mew is the ancestor of all known Pokemon. A species-wide Mitochondrial Eve, you might say. And with this knowledge, we are now aware that all Pokemon, regardless of their appearance, are technically of the same genus. Even ones that look to be plants, or rocks- As descendants of Mew, they all belong to one genus, which we are now discussing renaming the 'Mew' genus.

... The primary hole, the flaw in this theory, is Ditto itself. Everstone prevents all of these uses of Transform to cause a forme change or an evolution, but it does not stop Ditto's Transformations. Is Ditto somehow a special case? We have far too much evidence to dismiss this entire theory, but then how does Ditto play into this?

[kittsu-and-company]

Kittsu’s silly biology infodump: Delphox!

Delphox, with the scientific name Veneficus bipedalis vulpinus, is a Fire/Psychic typed Pokemon native to the Kalos region; though they can also be found in Alola and Paldea from released specimens. They are in the same genus as Ninetales and Vulpix, and are thought to have evolved from the same ancestor; though most of the shared traits only reawakened once they were domesticated for the purpose of being Starter Pokemon.

Before domestication, wild Delphox, Braixen, and Fennekin lived in the Lumiose Badlands. They once had incredibly thick and coarse fur to protect themselves from the sandstorms, as well as from the sun and opposing Pokémon; the iconic ear tufts are a result of a natural method of keeping sand out of their ears. Their psychic abilities were believed to have been much weaker, more so being used as a method of communication during bad storms, or to keep their flames alight when in battle with ground type opponents. The coarseness and thickness of fur has been bred out over time, the process of domestication calling for a more “pettable” Pokémon, though the trait is still clear in Braixen.

Due to the lack of vegetation in the Badlands, it is presumed there Delphox line only picked up their favoring for Sticks to focus their energy when humans had begun moving them out of their territory. This has led to even more theories about how they lived in the harsh environment; many stating they could’ve been physical fighters rather than ranged like we see today.

-

Fennekin are relatively weak compared to other fire type starters, its evolutions relying heavily on psychic energy its body can’t harness at the moment. To make up for the missing type and abilities present in its evolutions, it eats dry twigs and branches to fuel its internal fire. They’re known for only allowing themselves to evolve after finding a suitable branch to wield as a Braixen. While tiny and cute, Fennekin are upset easily, and have a tendency to expend much of their fire energy while intimidating opponents. This both causes them to somehow overheat, and become lethargic for some time before they can recover their energy. Just, generally, they can handle battles, but their bodies are designed for a steady temperature.

-

Braixen become bipedal upon evolution for the purpose of wielding their chosen branch more effectively. They still lack their psychic typing, but now have the capabilities to use psychic attacks. Most wild skulks of the Delphox line are comprised primarily of Braixen, and it’s generally believed to be the minimum evolution for adulthood. Braixen fur is extremely coarse, causing enough friction to light their beloved branch on fire in battle, or otherwise. While Fennekin and Delphox’s fur have become soft due to, again, domestication, Braixen has kept the thickness and roughness of what we can assume is their ancestors’ fur. They primarily use their branch for communicating with their skulk, and spend a great deal of their time practicing their psychic capabilities needed to healthily evolve. It’s believed that Braixen evolve into Delphox when they reach a certain mastery of psychic capabilities, typically when they’re able to execute a Psychic.

-

Delphox rely much more on their branches upon evolution, using them as a center for their psychic-controlled heat abilities. Many Delphox switch out the branch they had as a Braixen for a larger, more grandiose option; so you may see many Delphox carrying hand carved staffs bought by their trainers. They have roughly the same amount of firepower as Braixen, however, with their newly unleashed psychic capabilities they can dramatically raise the temperature to up to 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit (3315 Celsius). Their branch is the center point for this, and Delphox are left near defenseless without it. Some particularly powerful Delphox, when they focus heavily on the flame tip of their branch, may even be able to sense the actions about to play in front of them. This is generally credited to “seeing the future,” but who knows! Psychic Pokémon are weird!!

-

The Delphox line, post domestication, lean a bit more towards omnivore than many carnivorous fox Pokémon. This is an adaptation to Fennekin’s need for fire supplementals in the form of dry twigs and bark.

The Fennekin line is also incredibly huggable. If you’re like me with sensory issues it might be a bit difficult with Braixen’s tough fur, but Fennekin and Delphox are like living space heaters and deserve all the (consensual) hugs

[thelostdex]

Today's Beta Pokemon of the Day is a baby Vulpix, Vulpiii!

With only three tails, this young fox lacks much of the strength of its evolution, Vulpix, but with training and growth, it will eventually learn to control flames.

[weirdandwackypokefusions]

Not sure if someones already asked but how about Hisuian Zoroark/Alolan Ninetales fusion and maybe a Hisuian Zorua/Alolan Vulpix fusion?

A Hisuian Zoroark and Alolan Ninetales fusion for you anon! Thank you for the request! I hope you like them. Both Pokémon are just so pretty so it was inevitable that I’d make this. It was tough trying to figure out how to do the hair but I think I came up with a good compromise. I may try and do its pre-evolution at some point too.

[somehowmags]

what do you think cjacks pkmn team would be

OH I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

ok first and foremost: porygon. any evolution of porygon works but i'd say porygon during lmanberg era, porygon2 during exile, and then at his death/revival it evolves into porygonz (porygonz is also the pokemon i assign him for mystery dungeon/pokepark aus askljdfhalksdf)

secondly: rotom! my first pokemon game was pokemon platinum, and you could find a rotom in that game in the old chateau by checking the tv at night, which i think fits jackmanifoldTV very well! and its also an electric/ghost type which also fits him perfectly askdjfhlaksjddfh

third: hisuian zorua! this one represents godzilla! "mags" i hear you say, "why didn't you just choose alolan vulpix, which is a white fox and also not extinct" well firstly, my opinions are absolute as i am the smartest person in the world and also the dictator of this blog. secondly bc i wanted to keep with the electric/ghost theme i had going on and hisuian zorua is a normal/ghost type. on a symbolic level i think that it's fitting for jack to have a pokemon that was seemingly rejected by the rest of the world and fled to another region in self exile! also bitter malice as a move. i rest my case.

fourth: chandelure! i think him having a ghost/fire type would be cool! also its description of spirits being burned up in its flame losing their way and wandering the world forever....that's so cjackcore

i also think he'd have a torchic that doesn't fight. fly high timothy manifold i miss u every day king

thank u for listening to my ted talk AKLJDHFLKASDFH

[adventures-on-foster-island]

An Introduction to the History of Domestication

As I study to become a professor, my main field of study has been on Pokémon domestication and the effects that humans have had on the ecosystem because of our relationship with Pokémon. The difference between wild and domesticated Pokémon vary depending on species and climate, and are often so subtle that the average person may overlook them. Things like size, fur length and patterns, disease resistances, and temperment are clues as to whether a Pokémon was born in the wild or captivity. Why is this important though?

Noticing and documenting these differences can help track populations in the wild. For example, a pack of wild Growlith in Kanto is a natural part of the ecosystem; however if domestic Growlith were introduced to the pack via abandonment or breeder dumping, the ecosystem would fall out of balance and the Pokémon may fight eachother. Another important thing to note is that some Pokémon species, such as Swirlix, Fidough, and Yamper, were never wild in the first place, and seeing them out in the wild is troubling since they lack survival skills, and upset the predator-prey balance.

Pokémon in the field egg group are often the easiest to study, as humans have been domesticating mammalian Pokémon for roughly ten thousand years. Did you know that Mareep were some of the first Pokémon ever domesticated? Through selective breeding, domestic Mareep went from an agressive species that would shock anyone who came close, to a docile Pokémon who lets caretakers shear its wool regularly. Eventually this selective breeding also produced a species without an electric typing, Wooloo, which resulted in softer wool.

Eevee is another great example of long term domestication. It is believed that long ago, wild Eevee from different climates had traits from the species they would evolve into from the time they were born. Eevee born near water with Vaporeon parents would have webbed feet, sleeker bodies, and more teeth, whereas those born in the ice and snow to Glaceon parents would have much thicker fur and hold onto more fat in their bodies. These slight variations helped the young Eevee survive until evolution. When Eevee became a popular partner Pokemon, researchers and breeders caught a lot of them to cash in on the popularity, dwindling the wild populations. Although some decendants of these original, wild, and slightly less adaptive Eevee still exist, most of the ones you can find today were bred from a mix of variated Eevees and released through special programs when they were on the verge of extinction.

Although we have been domesticating Pokémon for longer than recorded history, the science behind it wasn't truly studied until the last few centuries. One of the most noteable recent studies was done on fox Pokémon, specifically Nickit and Vulpix. This study proved that humans selected each generation of "puppy" Pokémon based on behavior rather than appearance, and that behavioral genes were linked to morphological traits, which is how we got our well known friendly canines.

[doubleddenden]

I think the worst pokemon to turn into in the PMD universe would probably be a Turtwig. And this isn't hating the little guy just hear me out

You're a human, then one day you're a small turtle on all fours. It might take some work getting used to walking again, but you might be okay. Sucks losing your hands, no more thumbs especially, so you have to do everything with your mouth which, btw, can no longer eat outside of its specialized turtle diet.

One day you evolve into Grotle, either by age or natural accumulated experience. Your body is bigger and much heavier, and you can't go as fast. You're feeling a huge weight on your back as your shell gets larger and heavier. Stairs are so much harder for you. You can at least get in and out of water if you have some help.

More time passes or you become stronger. You are now Torterra. Your body is far heavier and bigger than ever, the weight on your back intensifies as a tree and boulders forcefully grow out of your shell. You now move at a snail's pace, unable to outrun potential predators, each step heavier than the last. Winters are unbearable due to your grass/ground combination unless you find warmth. Pokemon, especially children, just decide to LIVE on your back. You're a tortoise too, so you're going to be stuck like this for a while. Hundreds of years of this inescapable hell.

You one day look into your reflection of a pond. You have to be careful because if you fall in, nothing short of a powerful Psychic pokemon or several pokemon boasting insane strength will be able to get you out or save you from drowning.

You know you used to be human. Bipedal. Thumbs and all. You had back pain but you didn't have a ton of biome growing out of your back. You weren't the fastest by a long shot but your old self would look like a professional athlete compared to your present form. You weren't a fish, but suddenly this pond looks like an easy swim to the other side if you had actual limbs again.

Out of all the Pokémon you can turn into, this has to be the most far removed from human you can possibly be. Bulbasaur and Chikorita at least have adjustable vines they can make into hands. Squirtle remains upright and has actual hands. Vulpix, Skitty, Shinx, and Eevee at least are very agile, flexible, and can eat whatever.

The lucky ones of course turn into something like Charizard and take to the skies, Blaziken and basically regain their human stature at the cost of thumbs. Infernape in fact might be the luckiest since they are almost humanoid again with THUMBS.

But a human becoming a Torterra is a punishment from hell itself. Doomed to embrace the long, LONG life of a true to form *animal* with the mind of a human. You cannot turn back due to some plot device or another- possibly your partner's crying wish as you were ALMOST set free and returned to life as a human. Possibly the direct interference of a deity that saw to keep you from dying after saving the world. Either way you're stuck like this.

Your best hope is that the kids you raise on your back are loyal enough to help you. You don't even have mega evolution to help you. You've hit your apex. I'm sure your partner thinks it's the greatest thing in the world- the irony stinging most if he's an Infernape or Incineroar. What with their upright posture and hands and ability to move more than 10 feet in an hour.

Maybe someday you'll meet a Jirachi or maybe even claim the graces of Arceus to grant you sweet freedom from the life of a Torterra. If you're lucky.

Are they magnificent creatures? Of course. Would I ever want to be one? Absolutely not.

[askbeannuts]

Apparently a group of Pokemon who knew my dad were planning to go into the tree at some point too, so they watched over me when I entered... those guys told me that I came back hours later in a weird trance... and I looked strange and even had a weird rainbow aura. I don't remember what happened after that, I blacked out and apparently changed back to a regular Charizard. Everyone who wasn't close enough to see it, said I looked perfectly fine, except for the guys who were supposed to watch over me, they said I covered in wounds, bloody and bruised. I woke up in a medical tent a few days later on the island... Everyone keeps telling me I somehow awakened a "Mega Evolution" without an Awakening Emera or an empowerment seed... from what they could piece together from my memories of what happened and what I could piece together myself... They're just simplifying it down to an "Awakened State" now, apparently. I felt so drained after it all, but, I was able to do it again reliably after I recovered! A lot of Pokemon started gathering around me, they wanted to know what happened, so... after the begging and pleading for more info got too irritating... I tried to remember...

... Someone took the time to fashion that weird rock into a necklace for me to wear and told me to never remove it, no matter what-I took that to heart, obviously. I went into the tree and, honestly... just wandered until I found the way to a higher floor, the rock was pushing that weird fog away, too, it was amazing... scary, but amazing. I lost track of how many floors I went up... 5, 10, 20? I just kept going until I started hearing something. It wasn't the voice, but movement? Someone was following me...I just kept going until I was in an open area, and it showed itself, a strange Pokemon or some kind. The longer I stared, the more it seemed fake, but its attacks were real and they hurt... a lot! I did everything I could to fend it off, but more of them showed up, they looked like Pokemon I respected, I could've sworn one of them looked like the Absol on my pop's team, too. I just kept pushing them back, but they came back stronger and stronger. I was getting tired, but the feeling kept fading away after a while... but they were so aggressive... I started to lose my nerve and tried to run away, but then... "Keep going." A voice called out to me, telling me to keep going, keep fighting back, become stronger and surpass some limit... because I needed to. The Sky Islands were in chaos and someone needed to be there to help subdue the worst of the worst... no one was doing it, someone had to: "And who better than the child of a Human Hero?" Before I could figure out who it was, I was attacked by another fake Pokemon, one that looked like a large, black Charizard... I tried to run, but it wasn't having it, it kept chasing me down and attacking, I had to fight it and in the heat of that battle, being beaten down, over and over again, it felt like I was dying, but I kept getting back up... then... I felt it, I evolved! But... it didn't help, that black Charizard was still tossing me around like a child's toy... I wasn't strong enough to do whatever that voice wanted, but I could still hear it, reminding me of what my goal was: to revive Rescue Teams... All I remember after that, I let loose a yell so hard that it surely went hoarse... I felt a weird sensation and for the briefest of moments I saw that rainbow aura everyone saw around me, then I blacked out. ...

They accepted that story and I guess that's what happened... either way, we can evolve again, but going through it is a serious trial... it won't ever be easy-not for everyone at least. I accepted that much and... I decided then and there I would continue to follow that goal, and bring Rescue Teams back. Thing is... It wouldn't just be individual teams roaming around... we'd have to get with the current system and make it a Guild. When I told my sister and her Vulpix friend that-outside of them freaking out over what happened and all, they seemed to support it. My drive motivated them to try and help others in their own ways, though their ambitions were more about being leaders in different ways, I guess. A few Pokemon did end up following after me, so I had a "team" so to speak, so, I decided to form a Guild with them and, when it came to names, we all eventually agreed that the best name would be after the one who gave us this wonderful and mysterious gift of evolution and "awakening" or at least... who I think did it...: The Xerneas Guild. Yeah... I like it!

An Excerpt From: "The Founder's Book: The Xerneas Guild"