Komala

Komala
The Drowsing Pokémon
Type: Normal
Official Registration #: 775
Entry: A small, koala-like pokémon native to tropical regions. This pokémon is in a perpetual state of total slumber. It’s born asleep, clinging to a log given to it by its sleepwalking parents, and everything it does from that point until the moment it dies is really the effects of komala’s tossing and turning in its sleep. Given that this also includes mating, battling, and controlling its fine motor skills, this may just make komala the most talented pokémon in existence, a creature worthy of even an abra’s envy.

So Bill, when do you think we can get Entries on Alolan Grimer and Muk? And is it true that non-Alolan Grimers and Muks are possibly going extinct? I’m worried for my blob-shaped friends!

I’ve actually been considering tackling all Alolan variations at some point, as each one of them is so vastly different from their outside counterparts that it’s often inadequate to simply address one form but leave the other completely out of the picture. (On a similar note, I’m still intending on covering mega evolutions for the same reason.) I just don’t entirely know when—perhaps when I’ve completed the main entries for each currently indexed pokémon.

As for whether or not non-Alolan grimer and muk are going extinct, that’s true … within Alola, anyway. It’s a mixed blessing, really. While on the one hand, a sharp decrease in any pokémon population is always unfortunate, but on the other, high populations of grimer and muk indicate severe issues in the habitability of a biome. A decrease in their populations, then, would mean an increase in the populations of many other species of pokémon.

Still, for those of you who may be fond of the grimer family, rest assured that there are still plenty of cities in the world with sufficient enough pollution levels to maintain healthy grimer and muk populations. Castelia City in recent years, for example.

Yungoos and Gumshoos

Yungoos
The Loitering Pokémon
Type: Normal
Official Registration #: 734
Entry: A notorious example of introduced species, this mongoose-like pokémon is a carnivore native to Asiatic and African regions, not to a Pacific region such as Alola. However, in the mid- to late-19th century, yungoos were introduced to the Alolan Islands by berry farmers wishing to control the local rattata populations. This, of course, is mildly amusing (that is to say, horrible) for two reasons. First, rattata—including and especially the dark-type Alolan variation—are nocturnal, whereas yungoos are primarily diurnal, meaning the two rarely to never cross paths, and due to the relative newness of the field of behavioral pokémonology, this was not discovered until after mass amounts of yungoos were released into the Alolan wild. Second, rattata was an introduced species itself, meaning human beings are, in general, fantastically terrible at the whole concept of preserving the environment.

Gumshoos
The Stakeout Pokémon
Type: Normal
Official Registration #: 735
Entry: The evolved form of yungoos, by battle experience. Due to its incredibly patient nature, combined with its incredible hunting abilities, gumshoos had been introduced to the Alolan environment shortly after it was determined that its preevolution had failed to control the local rattata and raticate populations. However, while it is indeed true that gumshoos’ favored prey are rattata and raticate, this mongoose-like pokémon’s signature patience and dedication to hunting said rattata and raticate were still not enough to overcome the problem that is the fact that the entire yungoos line consists of diurnal pokémon attempting to hunt strictly nocturnal prey.

(You could even say that gumshoos failed to make Alola great again, but the author has been told by his editor that he is under strict orders not to make such a joke.)

Rockruff and Lycanroc

Rockruff
The Puppy Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 744
Entry: Thought to be the cousin of growlithe, this small, puppy-like pokémon possesses very much the same disposition. It is highly loyal, and it’s very fond of humans. As such, it’s considered one of the easier pokémon for beginning trainers to start off with, as its loyal and agreeable disposition make it easy to teach rockruff new tricks. For this reason, rockruff is also generally considered to be a Good Dog.

Lycanroc (Midday Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained during the day. Exposing rockruff to sunlight during its evolution causes it to evolve into a quadrupedal form of lycanroc. This form retains a lot of the same loyalty and agreeable disposition as its preevolved form, and as such, this pokémon is considered to be a stalwart battler and excellent companion. However, be warned: while it normally uses the sharp rocks around its collar as weapons, some retain the tendency to rub these rocks against their trainers as a form of affection. Considering the fact that these rocks can grow to be a foot long and roughly as sharp as knives, this may result in unfortunate mishaps. Nonetheless, this form of lycanroc is still generally considered to be a Good Dog.

Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained during the night. Allowing rockruff to evolve under the cover of night causes it to assume a more violent, impulsive form. While this form of lycanroc loses its rocky collar, it gains a hard head, which it uses to smash its opponents into submission after it goads them into attacking. Well aware of its boots in power, midnight lycanroc actively seeks opponents and will attack without being ordered to, rendering this form of lycanroc highly difficult to tame and train. However, despite the comparative difficulties of training this form (as opposed to rockruff or midday lycanroc), midnight lycanroc is not considered to be a Bad Dog but rather a Not Quite Great But Still Pretty All Right Dog.

Pikachu? (Part II)

Togedemaru
The Roly-Poly Pokémon
Type: Electric/Steel
Official Registration #: 777
Entry: Contrary to popular belief, not a round, pointy pikachu. However, this pokémon’s pointy hairs are as just as sensitive to electricity as its mouse-like counterpart. Each hair is an individual lightning rod capable of collecting electricity from the atmosphere and of releasing this stored electricity upon contact. Likewise, when agitated, togedemaru can raise and stiffen these hairs, creating an additional, needle-like line of defense. It is, in other words, just slightly ill-advised to pick this pokémon up.

Mimikyu
The Disguise Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Fairy
Official Registration #: 778
Entry: Contrary to its own belief, not a cuter, more likable pikachu. In fact, as adorable as this pokémon’s pikachu costume is, the actual form of this creature is most definitely not a pikachu. DO NOT ENGAGE.

Cutiefly and Ribombee

Cutiefly
The Bee Fly Pokémon
Type: Bug/Fairy
Official Registration #: 742
Entry: To most pokémon and humans, this small, fuzzy bee fly pokémon is both adorable and essential to the environment. Their abundance of soft fur and love for resting in flowers make them ideal pollinators, and the docile natures they have as adults make them highly popular pets. Given these traits, it should really come as no surprise to anyone who had read this blog for very long that young, wild cutiefly are vicious predators of other insect pokémon and that it singlehandedly controls certain insect populations of its native Alola by way of laying eggs in their nests and burrows, forcing them to take care of the hatchlings, and allowing said hatchlings to feast on the eggs and young of their own victims.

Ribombee
The Bee Fly Pokémon
Type: Bug/Fairy
Official Registration #: 743
Entry: The evolved form of cutiefly, by battle experience. This bee fly-like pokémon gathers pollen from a wide variety of flowers to roll into balls. The easiest way to tell the difference between a male and female ribombee is by what each specimen does with these balls: males will roll them up and give them to females, and females will keep both the balls they form and the balls given to them on their bodies. These balls are highly nutritious and vital to the health of a ribombee’s young, and as such, they’re normally given to newly hatched cutiefly that have consumed the young or eggs of their host species. It’s also possible to harvest these pollen balls for human consumption, as they’re thought to be excellent probiotics and general nutritional supplements in the same way honey is for our species. However, this is ill-advised for two reasons, other than the obvious fact that wild ribombee are more than capable of defending themselves. First, there isn’t enough evidence to definitively prove that a ribombee’s pollen balls are as nutritional to humans as they are to cutiefly. Second, to be blunt, whereas male ribombee carry their pollen balls in their scarves (because they handle so few of them at a time), female ribombee not only utilize their scarves but also the fur on their backsides, and yes, farmers aren’t particularly discerning as to which part of the ribombee pollen balls are harvested. According to the very same people who take ribombee pollen balls as daily herbal supplements, the “added organic matter” is a bonus. Make of that what you will and take at your own risk.

The Jangmo-o Line

Jangmo-o
The Scaly Pokémon
Type: Dragon
Official Registration #: 782
Entry: A small, dragon-like pokémon native to the rocky canyons of Alola’s Poni Island. Although they look fierce, jangmo-o are actually highly timid pokémon around anything but other jangmo-o. As a result, they reside deep within Poni Islands’ cave and canyon system, in rugged terrain that’s very difficult for most humans and pokémon to traverse. There, they train against each other, bashing into one another with their rock-hard crests in order to harden their hides into steel-like armor … which of course is perhaps not the most advantageous thing they could do to preserve their reclusive lifestyle, seeing as the sound of one jangmo-o bashing itself against another jangmo-o produces a loud clang that resonates throughout their native cave system and thus alerts any possible outsider to their nests’ specific locations, but who is the author to judge?

Hakamo-o
The Scaly Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Fighting
Official Registration #: 783
Entry: The evolved form of jangmo-o, by battle experience. As this pokémon grows, it sheds its scales. Through this process, each hakamo-o develops a coat of scales that grows harder and sharper with each subsequent shedding. On a hakamo-o, these scales are invaluable and become integrated in their owner’s vicious, physical techniques. Their sharp edges can serve as weapons in a pinch and can inflict lacerations upon the slightest touch, especially as hakamo-o grows older or nears evolution. Off of a hakamo-o, however, they’re either great for slicing vegetables or a fantastically easy way to earn yourself a visit to one of Alola’s many lovely emergency medical facilities, depending on whether or not you were able to spot these shed scales before stepping on them.

Kommo-o
The Scaly Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Fighting
Official Registration #: 784
Entry: The evolved form of Hakamo-o, by battle experience. In order to intimidate any enemy it spots, kommo-o vigorously jingles the metallic scales on its tail. The author assures you that when facing a five-foot tall, 173-pound dragon that can either maul you with its claws, throw you, or slice you in half with the aforementioned tail, this jingling is a lot more intimidating than it sounds.

The Popplio Line

Popplio
The Sea Lion Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 728
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Alola. Using its own bodily fluids, popplio blows bubbles from its nose. These bubbles are highly elastic and resistant to damage, which means they’re ideal for smashing into opponents or using as springboards for acrobatic stunts. A word of advice from the author, however: it’s best not to think too hard about which bodily fluids make up these bubbles.

Brionne
The Pop Star Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 729
Entry: The evolved form of popplio, by battle experience. This sweet and innocent-looking pinniped pokémon is known for its elaborate and adorable battle strategy, consisting of cheerful movements and a dazzling shower of bubbles that it launches towards its opponents as if it’s dancing to a upbeat pop song. However, a few years from now, after spending years dancing and singing for the human public, brionne will be known for its extreme lifestyle, triggered by half a lifetime of media overexposure in which tabloids will microanalyze its life for even the slightest scandal to latch onto. Jaded by such treatment by the humans who once adored it, brionne will spiral into a dark abyss fueled by overindulgence and far too many rare candies, after which brionne will be a bitter and cynical shell of its former self, an X-rated version of the innocent child star it once was. There will be no return from this. Only edgy and mediocre PG-15+ content and perhaps a half-hearted return to or reboot of the thing that made it famous in its early teens.

Bill … are you okay? —LH

Perfectly fine, Lanette. Why do you ask? —Bill

Primarina
The Soloist Pokémon
Type: Water/Fairy
Official Registration #: 730
Entry: The evolved form of brionne, by battle experience. Primarina prides itself on its singing voice, largely because its hydrokinetic abilities are extremely reliant on it. As a result, song is equally important to primarina. Each primarina undergoes a strict routine geared towards preserving its voice, and it rehearses songs for hours each day when not in battle. In addition, each song is unique to every primarina family, as primarina pass their songs from generation to generation. For this reason, it’s perfectly understandable that some of these songs date back for thousands of years, perhaps even to the dawn of music itself. Less understandable, however, is how certain trainers (namely ones who have befriended certain students of the author’s) had managed to raise a primarina that would sing Tom Jones’s “What’s New, Pussycat” in practically every battle, except for those rare ones in which these specific primarina sing “It’s Not Unusual” instead.

The Litten Line

Litten
The Fire Cat Pokémon
Type: Fire
Official Registration #: 725
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Alola. Litten is known for its self-grooming habits, which it tends to engage in most of the time in lieu of expressing affection or paying attention to its trainer. This routine consists of litten bathing itself by raking its rough tongue over its fur to clean itself of loose hair and dirt. During this process, it has a tendency to swallow stray hair, which collects in its stomach and forms hairballs that are then ignited by litten’s internal flame sacs. Sometimes, litten expels these hairballs as Ember attacks during battle, but more often than not, it will simply expel these flaming hairballs on your wooden floor or carpet and proudly sit next to the growing fire until its humans come to clean it up.

Torracat
The Fire Cat Pokémon
Type: Fire
Official Registration #: 726
Entry: The evolved form of litten, by battle experience. The organ at its throat is a hollow, bell-like structure that rings every time torracat spits fire. This is convenient, largely because torracat possess the same grooming habits as litten and far fewer qualms about spitting flaming hairballs onto perfectly good wooden or carpeted floors. How any houses in Alola are still standing after young trainers bring this pokémon or its preevolution back home is a mystery and point of wonder to the author.

Incineroar
The Heel Pokémon
Type: Fire/Dark
Official Registration #: 727
Entry: The evolved form of torracat, by battle experience. Incineroar is infamous for its openly vicious, selfish persona—a persona that often makes it difficult to tame and handle. However, underneath that violent, selfish persona is really a caring and complicated soul just looking for a kind, gentle trainer who will help it heal from an unspecified past trauma and begin its long and arduous redemption arc … according to most fangirls on the internet, anyway. (In reality, this pokémon will Throat Chop any being it considers to be a challenger, including humans who approach it from the front. Handle it with caution and definitely do not attempt to give it a hug.)

The Rowlet Line

Rowlet
The Grass Quill Pokémon
Type: Grass/Flying
Official Registration #: 722
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Alola. Generally a nocturnal pokémon, rowlet spends much of the day sleeping and photosynthesizing and is most active at night. This sleeping pattern of course makes it an ideal beginning pokémon for eleven-year-old children for whom the vitamin D obtainable via exposure to sunlight is essential in the development of mental and physical health.

Dartrix
The Blade Quill Pokémon
Type: Grass/Flying
Official Registration #: 723
Entry: The evolved form of rowlet, by battle experience. According to the Alolan pokédex, dartrix is “a bit of a dandy” who is “obsessed with preening its feathers and keeping them clean, sometimes to the point at which it may refuse to battle.” Incidentally, dartrix is also armed with an entire coat of razor-sharp feathers called “blade quills,” and it’s such an excellent marksman that it rarely misses anyone who calls it “a bit of a dandy” when it’s within earshot. (It also rarely misses anyone holding a pokédex that happens to call it the same.)

Decidueye
The Arrow Quill Pokémon
Type: Grass/Ghost
Official Registration #: 724
Entry: The evolved form of dartrix, by battle experience. Generally speaking, decidueye is known for its cool and collected demeanor. However, it’s also easily startled, and should it hear a sudden loud noise (for example, a twig snapping under the foot of a researcher studying it at a distance), it can easily fly into a panic. Incidentally, decidueye retains the impeccable aim and sharp quills its preevolved form is known for, and it has a tendency to only register what it’s shooting at after it shoots.