Grimer and Muk

bills-pokedex:

Grimer
The Sludge Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 88
Entry: Born from polluted rivers, this pokémon’s body consists entirely of highly toxic sludge. It consequently thrives on pollution, and as such, it flocks to polluted waterways, where it has been known to clog up entire sewer systems in its zeal to consume raw waste. Despite all of this, grimer populations are considered to be the most prevalent in Kanto and Hoenn, home to two of the most aggressive green campaigns in the world, despite the fact that other regions historically had difficulties with pollution, are centers of mining and manufacturing, and are currently so polluted that their environment has given birth to sentient garbage bags.

Muk
The Sludge Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 89
Entry: The evolved form of grimer, by battle experience. Like its preevolved form, a muk’s body also consists entirely of a highly toxic sludge. However, due to its increase in mass, power, and age with evolution, muk is able to cultivate highly powerful strains of bacteria and viruses that infest every inch of its skin. Physical contact with this pokémon can kill plants and smaller or weaker animals on contact … which should speak volumes about the resilience of pokémon researchers and their assistants as a whole, considering the fact that certain muk express affection via alarmingly frequent tackling.

Grimer (Alola form)
The Sludge Pokémon
Type: Poison/Dark
Official Registration #: 88
Entry: This sludge-like pokémon actually descends from grimer imported from Kanto. Decades ago, when Alola was facing a pollution crisis, the regional government took notice of how grimer consume waste and attempted to bring in a small but tame population to consume the considerable amounts of garbage clogging Alolan streets. Naturally, some of these grimer escaped and reproduced, and over generations, they mutated to match their comparatively less toxic food sources (that is, compared to the diets of standard grimer) … as well as the psychic and steel predators also brought in to handle the out-of-control grimer population. Long story short, this is exactly why: A) there are infestations of grimer, abra, and magnemite in certain parts of Alola, and B) coming up with good ideas should not be left to people in politics.

Muk (Alola form)
The Sludge Pokémon
Type: Poison/Dark
Official Registration #: 89
Entry: The evolved form of the Alolan variation of grimer, by battle experience. Despite its fangs and sharp spikes, this highly colorful pokémon is actually sweeter, gentler, and far less fragrant than its standard cousins. Additionally, its skin is comparatively clean, making it safe to touch. However, contrary to popular belief, it’s often a bad idea to hug one unless you’re experienced with training this variation of muk, as both its bodily fluids and its spikes are highly toxic. Naturally, considering the toxicity of certain parts of its body, combined with its vivid coloration and docile nature as well as the Alolans’ general ability to make sound decisions, most residents of Alola consider their variation of muk to be a highly popular mascot for children’s programming and products.

Grimer/Muk make wonderful companions once you get over the smell, my little Alolan Muk named Diesel is just the sweetest thing!

This is absolutely true, anonymous. Many trainers are perfectly happy with their grimer and muk. It’s just important to wash one’s hands after handling them, even if you’ve acclimated to their smell.

(Although, of course, it should also be noted that Alolan grimer and muk lack the standard form’s signature odor, so actually, members of that particular breed are even better choices for those who can’t imagine ever getting used to a grimer’s stench … as unfortunate as that may be.)

on pokemon stench, I would like to mention that it is entirely possible to find grimer and muk that dont smell at all. These are the ones without the ability “Stench”, generally. I really wish more people would realize that not all of these goopy friends smell awful….. They still are pretty toxic though.

Actually, all of them do smell due to the combination of chemicals and bacteria in their bodies. It’s just that some grimer and muk’s bouquet of aromas are more subtle than others’, and in any case, the longer you spend with a grimer or muk, the less you notice their stench.

Speaking of which, it’s true that grimer and muk with the Stench ability possess more potent aromas than those without, to the point where they’re able to weaponize it (as opposed to making use of their sludgy, amorphous bodies or their toxic composition, as with Sticky Hold/Gluttony/Power of Alchemy or Poison Touch, respectively). These pokémon are indeed harder to become acclimated to, so whereas the scents of Stenchless grimer and muk are actually rather bearable after a while (perhaps even pleasant to a number of people), the scents of those with Stench may be a different story.

Nonetheless, though, I agree that grimer and muk are a highly misunderstood pokémon, and even if they do possess rather odd aromas, this should be no deterrent to a human trainer.

Just … don’t handle them with bare hands. Trust me on that.

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.

Grimer and Muk

Grimer
The Sludge Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 88
Entry: Born from polluted rivers, this pokémon’s body consists entirely of highly toxic sludge. It consequently thrives on pollution, and as such, it flocks to polluted waterways, where it has been known to clog up entire sewer systems in its zeal to consume raw waste. Despite all of this, grimer populations are considered to be the most prevalent in Kanto and Hoenn, home to two of the most aggressive green campaigns in the world, despite the fact that other regions historically had difficulties with pollution, are centers of mining and manufacturing, and are currently so polluted that their environment has given birth to sentient garbage bags.

Muk
The Sludge Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 89
Entry: The evolved form of grimer, by battle experience. Like its preevolved form, a muk’s body also consists entirely of a highly toxic sludge. However, due to its increase in mass, power, and age with evolution, muk is able to cultivate highly powerful strains of bacteria and viruses that infest every inch of its skin. Physical contact with this pokémon can kill plants and smaller or weaker animals on contact … which should speak volumes about the resilience of pokémon researchers and their assistants as a whole, considering the fact that certain muk express affection via alarmingly frequent tackling.