Hello and good day, Bill! The reason I’m calling today is that I have been looking over your dex entries. And I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to be missing a particular Pokemon. A Pokemon that happens to be very important to me. I wonder if you could do me this favor? :)

Ah, yes. I believe I know exactly which pokémon you mean!

Bouffalant
The Bash Buffalo Pokémon
Type: Normal
Official Registration #: 626
Entry: A five-foot-tall buffalo pokémon known best for its luxurious mane of hair. The hair itself forms a perfect halo of soft curls that are capable of absorbing damage from almost any attack. Likewise, just as the beard of certain martial artists conceal a third fist with which they may deliver devastating punches, the hair of the bouffalant conceal a rock-hard, horn-like skull plate that adds an incredible amount of power to the species’ already deadly Head Charge attack. Indeed, the glistening, chestnut curls of this creature form the most beautiful hairstyle of any pokémon in existence. It is the hair that puts furfrou’s tamable fur coat to shame and makes milotic’s rainbow-colored scales look utterly dull by comparison. It is the mane of power, and no mere mortal is worthy to gaze upon its magnificence.

The Nidorino Line

Nidoran (male)
The Poison Pin Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 32
Entry: A small, rabbit-like pokémon. An interesting fact about nidoran is that the first pokémon ever to be recorded using the move Poison Pin were members of this and its sister species, hence why they’re both described as “poison pin” pokémon in the pokédex. Of course, the story of how Poison Pin was discovered is equally interesting. Evidently, male nidoran are very protective of female nidoran, and female nidoran have a tendency to fire Poison Pin in tandem with their mates when alarmed. Suffice to say, this writer’s father learned very quickly about the value of antidotes.

Nidorino
The Poison Pin Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 33
Entry: The evolved form of male nidoran, by battle experience. It is interesting to note that nidorina and nidorino have co-adapted for the express purpose of defending different parts of their shared territory. While it is the nidorina’s job to protect the burrow and young via defensive maneuvers, it is the nidorino’s job to protect the general area with highly aggressive offensive maneuvers. Additionally, nidorino are specially adapted to do this job well; while the barbs of many other members of the nidoran family are small and retractable, the barbs of nidorino are, at minimum, six-inch-long venomous horns of danger. This in itself is not necessarily terrifying, considering the fact that many pokémon possess fangs or horns of unreasonable lengths, but in nidorino’s case, these horns are coupled with a nasty temper and a rather unfortunate tendency to charge at anything that is not a member of the nidoran family.

Nidoking
The Drill Pokémon
Type: Poison/Ground
Official Registration #: 34
Entry: The evolved form of nidorino, by exposure to moon stone. True to his name, nidoking rule over nidoran territory, much as a human king would rule over his kingdom: with an iron fist, a penchant for violence, and an extreme fondness for imperialism. Whereas nidoqueen tend to be more focused on protecting their habitats by standing their ground and fighting off intruders, nidoking seem more content on fighting literally anything short of a nidoqueen and her young. This includes other nidoking, anything with a type advantage to nidoking, inanimate objects that happen to be in the way of a nidoking, and bystanding researchers traveling along roads that cut through nidoking territories. It should also be noted that although nidoking are referred to as the drill pokémon (which is an allusion to its drill-like horn), this creature’s preferred form of attack is by smashing things with his heavy, armor-plated tail, an appendage so powerful it is capable of smashing through the engine of a jeep … which this writer mentions as an off-handed example that has subsequently and incidentally been included in expense reports to the Pokémon Symposium.

Any notable encounters with the Nidoran line, Bill?

Ah, the Nidoran line. This may be a bit complicated because the male and female lines are so vastly different from one another that they’re officially considered to be separate species, so I’m afraid I’ll have to cover them on two separate days. Below is the first, and tomorrow will be the second.

Nidoran (female)
The Poison Pin Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 29
Entry: A small, rabbit-like pokémon. An interesting fact about nidoran is that the first pokémon ever to be recorded using the move Poison Pin were members of this and its brother species, hence why they’re both described as “poison pin” pokémon in the pokédex. Of course, the story of how Poison Pin was discovered is equally interesting. Evidently, male nidoran are very protective of female nidoran, and female nidoran have a tendency to fire Poison Pin in tandem with their mates when alarmed.

Nidorina
The Poison Pin Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 30
Entry: The evolved form of female nidoran, by battle experience. Upon evolution, nidorina and their brother evolution lose their ability to breed. However, make no mistake: nidorina still possess mothering instincts—such as, specifically, the tendency to unsheathe their barbs and emit ultrasonic cries when anything threatens their burrow and young. As a note, what the pokédex says about nidorina’s docile temperament is true except in the above mentioned case, but the trouble with pokédex entries is that they never accurately describe how frequently exceptions to the rule occur. For example, in this case, yes, nidorina are docile, but it is highly useful to know that all routes where nidorina thrive are literally covered in nidorina burrows. Thus, when traversing routes through nidorina territory, bring antidotes. A lot of antidotes.

Nidoqueen
The Drill Pokémon
Type: Poison/Ground
Official Registration #: 31
Entry: The evolved form of nidorina, by exposure to moon stone. Nidoqueen are large, bulky pokémon covered in rock-hard plates. Both nidoqueen’s size and skin are highly useful in defending its young from threats, which it does with pride and enthusiasm. On the positive side, moon stone is very rarely found in nidorina habitats, making nidoqueen a very rare evolution to find naturally. However, on the negative side, nidorina territories really only need one nidoqueen to defend them, and that nidoqueen very rarely travels far from human roads. Luckily, hospitals are likewise very rarely far from nidoqueen territories.

Love what you’re doing here. Would you consider doing an entry for Natu and Xatu? They’re one of my favorite underappreciated ‘mons. :D

Thank you! Terribly sorry for the delay. Natu and xatu are indeed fascinating pokémon.

Natu
The Tiny Bird Pokémon
Type: Psychic/Flying
Official Registration #: 177
Entry: As expected, natu is a tiny, bird-like pokémon known for its unblinking stare. It is said that natu are, indeed, constantly staring into the future, so its wide-eyed stare actually comes from the fact that it is not entirely paying attention to you as you stare at it but instead your future. This, combined with its underdeveloped wings, means natu is fairly easy to capture, as it will always be caught off-guard by your attempts to throw poké balls at it, and for it, escaping consists of hopping awkwardly away from you. Why it doesn’t simply notice that you’re about to capture it as it stares into your future (or why it never acts on any indication that you capture it) is still a complete mystery to the topmost scientists in the field of psychic pokémon research.

Xatu
The Mystic Pokémon
Type: Psychic/Flying
Official Registration #: 178
Entry: The evolved from of natu, by battle experience. Xatu is a large, four-foot-tall bird pokémon valued in various native South American cultures for its ability to see both the past and the future simultaneously—which, according to the peoples of that continent, explains why it constantly stares unflinchingly into the sun. While the ability to see both the past and the future simultaneously is indeed a useful ability, it has the nasty side effect of blinding a xatu to the present. Literally. Staring into the sun is generally a bad idea, and this writer would like to emphasize this point to any impressionable youth who may be reading this.

ekans and arbok

Certainly!

Ekans
The Snake Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 23
Entry: An ekans develops its venom as it grows. This means that the venom of a young ekans is not as potent as the venom of an older ekans, and newborn ekans lack venom entirely, although their bites are still painful. When determining the age of your ekans, always judge by the length, not by whether or not it possesses venom; the longer the ekans, the older the specimen. Allowing an ekans to bite you in order to determine whether or not it possesses venom is not only a reckless idea but also the cause of death of many early Kantonian settlers.

Arbok
The Cobra Pokémon
Type: Poison
Official Registration #: 24
Entry: The evolved form of ekans, by battle experience. It is said that the elaborate patterns on its belly vary from area to area. Unlike most rumors concerning pokémon, this is true. Arbok from different regions have adapted different patterns, based on what its prey would find most intimidating. For example, Japanese arbok possess terrifying but simple markings that resemble noh masks. European arbok possess markings that resemble the faces of dragons or local monsters. American arbok, meanwhile, possess markings that resemble the most terrifying faces of all: clowns.

Hey, Bill. Have you ever come in contact with the Krookodile line?

Yes indeed! I take it this is meant to be a request? If so:

Sandile
The Desert Croc Pokémon
Type: Ground/Dark
Official Registration #: 551
Entry: Sandile are a crocodile-like pokémon with two notable adaptations for life in the desert: skin the color of sand and the unique habit of traveling across the dunes with most of their bodies buried. Because of both adaptations, sandile are extremely difficult to spot as they move across the Unova desert, but despite this, they are also timid, easily panicked pokémon that have a tendency to snap at whatever unwittingly walks too close for comfort with their sharp jaws, regardless of whether or not that threat can actually see them. Thus, the writer has only one piece of advice for anyone who intends on traveling through the Unova desert: wear boots.

Krokorok
The Desert Croc Pokémon
Type: Ground/Dark
Official Registration #: 552
Entry: The evolved form of sandile, by battle experience. Krokorok are very similar to their evolutionary predecessor, save for three key differences: size, the tendency to travel in packs of three or more, and the fact that they will snap at hapless travelers not out of self-defense but instead because they enjoy toying with anyone who has the audacity of traveling through their territory. Thus, should you wish to travel through the deeper parts of the Unova desert where krokorok tend to nest, the writer has additional words of advice for you: wear heavier boots and bring a water-type.

Krookodile
The Intimidation Pokémon
Type: Ground/Dark
Official Registration #: 553
Entry: The evolved form of krokorok, by battle experience. Despite the fact that its predecessors call the Unova desert home, Krookodile are not native to that region but instead Australia, where the harsh environs have forced the local krokorok to evolve into larger, more aggressive forms with jaws capable of smashing through cars. This does not seem to faze the Australians, who seem to have made it a sport to find and wrestle wild krookodile to the ground. In light of this, the writer has only one last word of advice for his readers: don’t go to Australia.

Please do Sneasel and Weavile, Bill.

Certainly!

Sneasel
The Sharp Claw Pokémon
Type: Dark/Ice
Official Registration #: 215
Entry: In Johtonian folklore, there is a creature called the kamaitachi, which was originally depicted as an invisible beast or whirlwind that lacerated hapless wanderers, leaving deep but painless wounds. Later research uncovered the fact that these demons were actually teams of sneasel that used Icy Wind to startle victims shortly before sneaking up on them to take them down. It goes without saying that this is yet another reason why Johtonians inherently possess an innate urge to set fire to everything within reach.

Weavile
The Sharp Claw Pokémon
Type: Dark/Ice
Official Registration #: 461
Entry: The evolved form of sneasel, by battle experience if holding a razor claw at night. Upon evolution, weavile become far more intelligent. Not only they have the ability to communicate through written language (which they carve on boulders in their territory to communicate with other weavile), but they also have the ability to coordinate and strategize, which they do in small but lethal groups. This would be unfortunate for Johtonians, except we had the foresight to gather all of our razor claws and export them to Sinnoh under the guise of a diplomatic gift. This, as expected, did not improve Johtonian-Sinnohian relations, and because we have subsequently recognized this as a jerk move, Johtonians as a whole didn’t put up much of a fight when Sinnoh built the Battle Frontier and exported to our region something worse than weavile: tourists.

If I’m allowed another shot then. Amaura (&Aurorus)? I love the little ice-dino.

Ah, reader, you may request as many pokémon as you wish!

Amaura
The Tundra Pokémon
Type: Rock/Ice
Official Registration #: 698
Entry: This gentle pokémon lived in the northernmost regions of the planet roughly 100 million years ago. However, evidence shows that amaura actually originated from warmer climates and migrated northward due to encroaching tyrunt and tyrantrum over a period of millennia. The gradual movement of these pokémon allowed it to adapt to colder weather and develop both its affinity with the ice element and its ability to use officially normal-type moves as if they were of the ice type instead. And we know all of this partly due to the skills developed by paleontologists over the past couple of centuries and partly because certain inventors have taken to reviving amaura from fossils alongside its only predator as if there is absolutely nothing wrong with that idea.

Aurorus
The Tundra Pokémon
Type: Rock/Ice
Official Registration #: 699
Entry: The evolved form of amaura, at night and by battle experience. Aurorus has apparently gained every adaptation possible for defending itself from its tyrantrum predators. Not only has it become adept at using ice-type moves (including those it improvises as being ice-type), but it is also capable of forging a wall of unbreakable ice, breathing gusts of air that reach temperatures of -240 degrees Fahrenheit, and, if all else fails, bringing attention to itself by projecting auras into the sky. Why might that last adaptation be its last resort, you ask? Because aurorus have been known to travel in large herds, and every individual aurorus is on average 496 pounds. Factor in the fact that tyrantrum were not known for hunting in packs, and you have possibly the most effective predatory deterrent short of any water-type pokémon using wailord as a shield.

The Honedge Line

Honedge
The Sword Pokémon
Type: Steel/Ghost
Official Registration #: 679
Entry: Do not come into physical contact with this pokémon unless you would like to spend an evening having a conversation with medical specialists concerning the removal of either your arm or the honedge. But should the reader be curious, the sword strap is actually quite nice. Very soft leather, I think.

Doublade
The Sword Pokémon
Type: Steel/Ghost
Official Registration #: 680
Entry: The evolved form of honedge, by battle experience. Upon evolution, honedge splits into the two telepathically-linked swords that form doublade. On the positive side, at this point, the surge of evolutionary energy will temporarily stun the pokémon long enough for its victim to pull themselves free from its strap. On the negative side, the stunning lasts for roughly four seconds before doublade launches into a vicious double-bladed attack, and as both swords possess separate but perfectly synchronized minds that are capable of formulating a strategy between them, said double-bladed attack is typically extremely difficult for the average hospital staff to stop.

Aegislash
The Royal Sword Pokémon
Type: Steel/Ghost
Official Registration #: 681
Entry: The evolved form of honedge, by exposure to dusk stone. Aegislash possesses two forms: the sword form, in which it uses its bladed body to launch a vicious assault, and the shield form, in which it uses its iron shield to block practically any attack. Rising kings of medieval Europe were frequently given aegislash passed down from their fathers, partially because aegislash were effective guards for the crown and partly because aegislash are inherently attracted to those of royal blood. The latter is notable in that newly evolved aegislash, such as those that were accidentally exposed to a trainer’s dusk stone, will instantly calm and gravitate towards humans they perceive as being worthy of the crown, such as one very confused emergency room receptionist. Unfortunately, as aegislash also possess the innate tendency to protect the humans it claims as its charges, this is rather bad news for anyone it perceives as a threat, such as the completely innocent researcher who brought it there after what was already a very long Friday night.

Hawlucha

Hawlucha
The Wrestling Pokémon
Type: Fighting/Flying
Official Registration #: 701
Entry: Despite its small size (of about 2.5 feet), hawlucha is a master of physical combat and can hold its own even against larger, bulkier opponents such as hariyama. However, most of the reason why it can hold its own has nothing to do with brute strength or raw power and everything to do with its tendency to attack from above and behind, which in this writer’s opinion is just as effective and honorable a strategy as any when going up against opponents far stronger and tougher than you. Like the patrons of the Goldenrod City Game Corner … as an off-hand example that the writer has never experienced personally.