WIP Pokedex by Birdboy - T - Pokémon

DeathShade · Feb 23, 2013

Title: Pokedex
Author: Birdboy
Rating: T
Genre:
Status: Work In Progress
Library Category: General
Pairings: None
Summary: A drabble collection of the sort of pokemon world lore you might find in an expanded version of the pokedex.

I did a quick search and couldn't find this here.
It's exactly what it says: an extended version of the pokedex.
It starts with Bulbasaur and then takes the rest in the correct order from the pokedex in the games. So far its 424 entries long.
It reminds me a little of the pokedex entries from Lamoras fic.

MonkeyEpoxy · Feb 24, 2013

A lot of these are badass.

After they evolve from Grotle, Torterra quickly get used to Sudowoodo impersonating the trees on their back, or Starly nesting in the real trees, and as they grow in size they become home to a wider and wider variety of pokemon. There is no known limit to a Torterra's natural lifespan, but when they reach a sufficiently colossal size they cease to reproduce, become unable to eat, and must survive on photosynthesis. Often, bereft of energy, they go into periods of hibernation which can last for millions of years.

Pioneers have often tried to avoid building their cities on the backs of Torterra, but these pokemon have grown so large and covered in dirt, rock, and vegatation there they are impossible to avoid. Whole cities have been found relocated after a night of the ground shaking and moving beneath them, or dug deep into the ground to be confronted with a telltale white spike or green shell, and travelers have often been knocked over by powerful roars, then watched the Torterra on whose back their destination rested walk briskly away. At times, the Torterra do battle with one another, the world begins to shake, and people fall to their deaths off the rounded sides of its shell or are trampled by a pokemon which dwarf even Wailord in size. Snorlax may block the road, but Torterra are the road, and often the destination as well.

Torterra are adept swimmers and perfectly buoyant, and many a Torterra has been mistaken over the years for an uninhabited island. Yet nothing could have prepared us for the relevation that one of the most terrifying parts of our foundation legend was absolutely true. One can only wonder what will happen to the civilization on its back when the Torterra named Sinnoh awakens once more.
Click to expand...

MattSilver · Feb 24, 2013

... Oh my fucking Arceus. The plot bunnies from that entry alone.

This is good times right here.

Sin Saiori · Feb 24, 2013

It's like the author had a Pokémon creationgasm and just couldn't stop. The result is pretty damn cool.

I will note that as I keep reading, I'm noticing increasingly sardonic tones. Maybe it's just me, but some of these entries are surprisingly tragic and paint an ugly picture of early Pokémon society.

Some mountains are entirely natural, formed solely through plate tectonics, and indeed many mountains can be found in lands where no Aggron dwell. And while many have noted that Aggron are strictly territorial and each one calls a single mountain home, few understand the reason for this behavior: Aggron are mountain-builders.
Even for a pokemon as large and resilient as Aggron, building mountains is a nigh-eternal task. Even if it did not take decades for their hills to reach the level of climatic variation necessary to be termed mountains, no Aggron ever considers their mountain complete. They continue to build higher until they die, seeing in their mountain's growth a lifetime of accomplishment, one which they must defend from raiders – hungry Tyranitar, other Aggron looking to seize the dirt and stones used for their own mountain, or humans wishing to do the same to win building materials for their cities. They cultivate them as another form of defense: with poor planning erosion can deal damage faster than a pokemon can build, so trees are used to make an Aggron's mountain ever taller. When an Aggron dies, they will try to pass the mountain onto their children, but a mountain's size is an expression of the ruler's power, and few can match the greatness of their parents when still young.
In every ocean are found islands consisting of nothing more than a mountain rising out of the water. This is what happens when an insular Aggron is able to claim total victory; only the vast size of our homelands gave Man and other pokemon room to develop in a multiplicity of terrain. Had one ever triumphed, we would live on a single mountain ruled by an Aggron king, his throne at the summit in the heavens.
Click to expand...

Fuck yeah, Aggron. Fuck. Yeah.

Republic · Feb 24, 2013

I died when I read the Mew entry.

5/5

Oruma · Feb 24, 2013

MonekyEpoxy said: ↑

A lot of these are badass.
Click to expand...

The world of Pokemon is supported on the back of four Phanpies, who in turn stand on the back of a giant Torterra swimming through space?

Verse of Darkness · Feb 24, 2013

Typically, to speak of a legendary pokemon is to speak of a unique pokemon. There is one Articuno, whether it rests in the seafoam islands or races around Sinnoh. There are two Mew, but one is a clone so warped it's considered "Mewtwo", a different pokemon entirely. And yet, anyone with a Growlithe and a Fire Stone (which you can buy at the Celadon department store) can possess an Arcanine.

These Arcanine, however, are pale copies of the original. While some legendary pokemon have been captured by great trainers and only regained freedom after their deaths, Arcanine – the real Arcanine – has never been captured. It is a beast more like Groudon or Kyogre in size than Entei, capable of running across all Eurasia in the space of a couple days, and its fire is hot enough to melt the Onix it steps on when racing around the world for fun.

Its cult is among the largest and most faithful of all the world's legendary pokemon. Arceus, although always acknowledged as creator, is too distant to attract much devotion, and most of the legends hole themselves up in caves like hikkikomori, completely withdrawn from the world, or run away whenever encountered by man. Arcanine, however, seems as though it is everywhere performing miracles and setting the unholy aflame, and it always sticks around for its temples to pay their respects. Even its commonality makes it more popular: it is far easier to relate to a big, evolved Growlithe than some weird thunderbird.

More legends have sprung up about Arcanine than any other pokemon, and it is with good reason that the Pokedex calls Articuno a freeze pokemon, and only Arcanine a legendary.
Click to expand...

Dat Arcanine... My favorite Pokemon.

MonkeyEpoxy · Feb 24, 2013

Oruma said: ↑

The world of Pokemon is supported on the back of four Phanpies, who in turn stand on the back of a giant Torterra swimming through space?
Click to expand...

It actually has bearing on some real-world mysticism:

The World Turtle (also referred to as the Cosmic Turtle, the World-bearing Turtle, or the Divine Turtle) is a mytheme of a giant turtle (or tortoise) supporting or containing the world. The mytheme, which is similar to that of the World Elephant and World Serpent, occurs in Hindu, Chinese, and Native American mythology.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Turtle

I'm actually reading through all of them now, instead of just going to my favorite Pokemon. Still very cool, but as was said above, some are pretty sad or just plain creepy as fuck.

See:

Magmar said:

The volcano of Cinnabar Island, because of its great height and useful location, is popular as a resting spot for migratory birds and has a local population of Pidgey and Spearow as well. These birds are cautious to avoid flying over the volcano's center, a crater of fire, for although warm air rises there are a surprisingly high number of birds who lose their energy over the magma and fall in.

It was once believed that these birds were incinerated so thoroughly that not even their bones could be found. It is true that this happens to their wings, but not true of the body: they instead burn eternally, the fire melting away their feathers and merging with their skeleton until it hardens into a new form. This, not Magby (who are only found in captivity) is how most Magmar are born. Once alive, they are a vicious pokemon which in the wild burns everything it can, wishing others to know their pain, for the fire sears them even as it bonds with them.

There is only one known case of a bird emerging from the Cinnabar volcano, and it is often thought to belong to myth, not reality. Nonetheless, all Magmar envy Moltres, and many leave offerings at its shrine on Cinnabar, wishing it could teach them to rise from the ashes to touch the skies once more.
Click to expand...

or

Weedle said:

In open combat, a Weedle is a weak pokemon which poses no threat to anyone save an already exhausted trainer. Weedle trainers, however, do not use them for open combat.

Weedle also stand at a height of only one foot and possess the ability to crawl up walls, on ceilings, through windows - anywhere an assassin might conceivably need to go. The venom they naturally produce is not especially potent – perhaps strong enough to kill an equally small pokemon, but not nearly dangerous enough to kill a man.

Long ago the Koga ninjas of Fuschia City learned how to replace a Weedle's venom with deadlier poisons, and despite a herculean effort of clan warfare and targeted assassinations, the secret has by now become common knowledge within the criminal underworld. Weedle have become the most common method of assassination in the pokemon world, so feared that a Weedle on one's ceiling is often used by criminal gangs as a warning to would-be opposition, who typically comply out of self-preservation instinct and terror.
Click to expand...

or

Teddiursa said:

Although Beedrill and Vespiquen honey is harmless, one must be careful when eating honey, for the honey concocted by Teddiursa contains a powerful spell. In small quantities, it only means extra body hair and a somewhat plush-like appearance, but if too much is eaten, one must be careful not to go outside on the night of the crescent moon, lest they turn into a Teddiursa.

Parents have often warned their children of the dangers of eating too much honey, but the children seldom listen; surrounded by Teddiursa toys and obsessed with pokemon training, it encourages them as often as it discourages them. Nor is a Teddiursa's life a harsh one; it is spent climbing trees and making and eating honey, and the paw over their face hides a smile. Most Teddiursa continue to live in their old homes, their horrified and loving parents pretend they had captured these pokemon, and that their children had run away. Others whose families are not so kind flee for the forest and for the most part live peaceful lives, but must dodge avian predators such as Fearow and find shelter to hibernate in during the winter.

It is not only children who choose to become Teddiursa, nor who change into it by accident. Many an adult can find grave sorrow even in this world of pokemon training, and choose to start over as a pokemon, or simply have a sweet tooth and eat the wrong honey. They are distinguished from younger Teddiursa only in that the crescent moon on their chest is far less open and more circular, a sign of the pokemon's experience: when it closes completely, they evolve into Ursaring.
Click to expand...

foreveryone · Feb 25, 2013

Oruma said: ↑

The world of Pokemon is supported on the back of four Phanpies, who in turn stand on the back of a giant Torterra swimming through space?
Click to expand...

That pokédex entry is a reference to the Discworld series by the most noble sir Terry Pratchett.

Oruma · Feb 25, 2013

foreveryone said: ↑

That pokédex entry is a reference to the Discworld series by the most noble sir Terry Pratchett.
Click to expand...

I know. I never said I dislike it, and I didn't.

In fact a few entries later the author referenced that more explicitly.

MonkeyEpoxy · Feb 27, 2013

Here's another neat one I found:

Floatzel said:

Humans have often studied the Floatzel in order to understand what propels them, for their limbs are legs, not fins, yet they are as quick in water as any other pokemon. Although their speed makes hunting them extraordinarily difficult, many domestic Floatzel have been given to research laboratories after death, for they are a popular pokemon which inspire curiosity and have long been used as lifeguards. Yet it was not until Floatzel began to be used in undersea exploration (for their sac can deflate, letting them sink, and reinflate to surface and rescue the drowning) that science began to understand their speed.

It was noticed that Floatzel moved much slower beneath the sea than they did on its surface, slower than the water pressure alone would account for, and therefore that their flotation sac was more than a simple device to allow these pokemon to float. In truth, the mysterious, large scarf-like sac wrapped around the back of every Floatzel not only gives these pokemon buoyancy, but also provides them with a fuel that propels them through the water with breakneck speed.

The discovery of Floatzel fuel inspired the development of rocketry, although synthesizing it from natural elements proved far more difficult than doing so with wild Floatzel, and the composition had to be tweaked to move rockets through air instead of water. Yet the principles are more or less the same, and one can find a remarkable resemblance in body shape between the Floatzel who speed through the water and the rockets which send humans and pokemon into space. Pokemon trainers have also experimented with using this fuel to speed up other pokemon. They have thus far succeeded only at a heavy price, for the pokemon who carry these fuel scarves find themselves unable to switch between techniques.
Click to expand...

Dat fucking choice scarf!

Probellum · Feb 27, 2013

There's just something off to me about the Alakazam one...

It is one of prehistory's greatest oddities that it is Man and not Alakzam which became the world's dominant species. It would seem to anyone that Alakazam were primed for dominance; their intelligence is so vast that human tests fail completely at measuring, and the opposable thumb is far inferior to telekinesis. And yet it is Man which rules from Isshu to Kanto, and Alakazam which are primarily found within pokeballs.

Odder still, Alakazam do not use their brains to command armies, manage economies, or any of the other myriad tasks which intelligent humans and supercomputers perform; perhaps their trainers fear that, given such authority, they would rebel. Or perhaps they find these tasks so simple and unappealing that they refuse them as an insult to their genius. These pokemon have excellent brains for the recollection of memory, but little in the way of creativity, and they were not able to invent civilization. Alakazam have declined to answer, however, and humans lack the intelligence to comprehend their minds.

It is currently believed that most Alakazam spend their days in unrelenting sorrow, so intelligent that nothing actually occupies their mind – and this sorrow is one which dulls mental acuity. A powerful brain is more hindrance than help for those who spend all their time moping, a piece of wisdom which Alakazam know all too well.
Click to expand...

To me, it just kind of reeks of the researcher's being envious and butt-hurt egos. You know, like, "Oh, Alakazam are way smarter than we are. They must be in constant despair!"

It's far more likely they're subtly influencing us to do all the grunt work, while they get to stay nice and comfy in their Pokeballs.

Striker · Mar 1, 2013

You sound like an envious and butthurt Alakazam.

MonkeyEpoxy · Apr 9, 2013

Nrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg

Smeargle said:

It is quite common for pokemon such as Ditto, Parasect or Cradily, who develop amazing skill in performing a rare or unique attack, to regard Smeargle with jealousy or even hatred. It is not difficult to see why, for not only can Smeargle learn an in instant these attacks which take pokemon years to master, but they can combine them in nearly infinite ways of which other pokemon can only dream. This versatility has made Smeargle a popular pokemon among trainers and brought them to the highest heights of the Pokemon League.

There was once a Smeargle for whom merely being among the greatest was not enough, for he sought the power of the gods. He traveled from across the lands, tracking down and doing "battle" with various pokemon of legend, losing each match. He was a brilliant painter of objects as well as techniques, and used his income to purchase countless Focus Sashes, which he used in order to last long enough to Sketch their wrath. In time, he climbed Mount Coronet, faced off against Dialga and Palkia in turn, and gained control over time and space itself, a power which he used to perform miracles for personal gain.

To preserve the harmony of the world, Arceus descended from the heavens and cast Judgment upon this Smeargle. Smeargle, badly wounded but not yet vanquished, sketched out the attack in all its heavenly glory, and the god was too surprised to move. Smeargle then cast his own Judgment on Arceus itself, bringing forth and condemning it for every atrocity of mythology, every cruel thing in creation. And Arceus – Mighty Arceus, Arceus the Creator –was defeated in battle for the only time in its life.

Thus passed the power of the priests. Thus began the Age of Reason.
Click to expand...

MonkeyEpoxy · Jul 22, 2013

It has been updating fairly frequently for a while now that school has apparently ended, and they're frequently excellent. Figured I'd bump this topic with the neatest dex entry in a while:

Rotom are capable of possessing any device which runs on electricity, and although they are best known for haunting televisions, they have received a great deal of attention from the video gaming community with their occasional penchant to possess consoles and handhelds alike. A Rotom's presence in these systems prevents other games from being recognized; instead, the game system will play a single, bizarre game of the Rotom's own devising.

The games differ from Rotom to Rotom, at times taking inspiration from existing titles (most often those their haunting interrupted) but Rotom are creative pokemon who are just as capable of using board, card,or dice games to build their strange universes. The graphics these Rotom create are impressive, often using capabilities otherwise impossible for the system, and the games themselves are noted as much for their extreme difficulty as for their often disturbing storylines. Most gamers who encounter these games attempt to play them, although the lack of any walkthroughs or strategy guides combine with the bizarre rules the Rotom devise to create a mighty challenge.

With enough time and practice, virtually any game is beatable, and a Rotom will only cease to haunt a system once the game they created is finally defeated. The Rotom is then captured as surely as it would be by a pokeball, and other games can finally be resumed.

Those gamers bored by the challenge of a Rotom-possessed game, or who give up in frustration or can not wait to play other titles, soon find that their systems sell for more than when they bought them. Not only is catching a Rotom through battle even harder than catching one through video gaming, but many gaming enthusiasts are willing to spend vast sums to play the challenging games which only a Rotom can provide.
Click to expand...

Shit I can't wait until the Dialga/Palkia/Giratina entries, not to mention Arceus. Hopefully he'll expand on the "Sinnoans are Arceus-zealots" motif he had painted earlier.

Ched · Jul 22, 2013

^ That explains Milon's Secret Castle!

MonkeyEpoxy · Aug 1, 2013

The author has finally got to the Sinnoan legendaries, and this is an interesting interpretation to Regigigas' slow start ability. The increase in post rate makes me so fucking happy.

It is often repeated that Regigigas built Regice, Registeel, and Regirock, and the people repeating this statement mean it as proof that only the gods, not ancient peoples, could create such marvelous automatons. But this argument displays a certain lack of knowledge of Regigigas itself, for this pokemon and the civilization which built it are often considered to be one and the same.

The way that a small, isolated community with centuries of history converted itself into a single pokemon remains unknown. Some suspect Regigigas was the product of a massive human sacrifice, for its creators, defeated in war, disappeared soon after its creation; others say its massive size holds the souls of everyone who has ever lived on that mountain, or is the moving armor of its last, undying king. But the association is as old as Regigigas itself, and has been accepted by all of Mount Coronet's neighbors and conquerors. This is partially because the plant which grows on Regigigas was domesticated by the people living there and considered a local delicacy, but the knowledge of how to raise it has been lost everywhere except on Regigigas itself. Moreover, the black stripes covering this pokemon, in conjunction with its six lights, read out messages in their complex forgotten script. It is said that should any lost communities survive from that ancient nation, or (more likely in this era) any archaeologist learn to decipher their texts, Regigigas would be able to communicate as many concepts as human writing.

Regigigas retains hope that someone somewhere has learned the ancient ways which it was created to preserve, and begins every battle by "speaking" a series of messages and fighting only halfheartedly; only when it realizes its foe's lack of understanding does this forgotten automaton of a god unleash its true power.
Click to expand...

I think this is the easiest 5/5 fic in the "other section" of DLP, and 98%+ of the entries are excellent. I'm just waiting for an entry that hits me as hard as, "Snorlax may block the road, but Torterra are the road, and often the destination as well." Did.

MonkeyEpoxy · May 25, 2014

And with the completion of the Zygarde entry, this is, as of now, complete. He's waiting on the Diancie movie to learn more about that legendary before he writes that one, and he's waiting for the Hoopa and Volcanion events for those two.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6161819/718/Pokedex

MonkeyEpoxy · Dec 22, 2016

This has updated and Sun/Moon entries are starting!

Dartrix said:

Dartrix is often portrayed as a pokemon more interested in looking sharp (or, for that matter, looking smug) than in actually winning battles. As the story goes, Dartrix have the potential to be strong pokemon, and can brag with the best of them, but is too worried about getting its wings dirty or bloodied to actually put up a fight. When challenged, it is said, Dartrix fly away; when backed into a corner, they focus too much on dodging and defense to knock out the other pokemon.

In truth, Dartrix are not preening, but fletching. Dartrix quills are not like Skarmory's bladed wings or Scyther's scythes, which grow naturally from birth; each quill requires extensive cleaning and manipulation of wing feathers in order to fly with pinpoint accuracy. It is for this reason which Dartrix cultivate an impression of smugness, and that their equally smug trainers refuse battles with those they consider beneath them; dispatching a low-level Pikipek and Rattata is simply not worth the hours of preparation.

Rumors of surviving wild Dartrix suggest a further reason for them to be reluctant to fight – one which accounts from the pre-monarchic period in Alolan history largely corroborate: Dartrix, they claim, are deadly distance hunters whose quills can fly accurately for over a mile. Perhaps it is indeed true that Dartrix refuse open confrontations because they are cowards, but this is not a cowardice based on inferiority; instead, they believe that if their targets can see them, they are already far too close for comfort.

After all, most of Dartrix's foes – whether human political leaders, fearsome warrior pokemon, or unfortunate and delicious travelers – died long before they saw their attacker.
Click to expand...

Rowlett's has a fun genetics thought experiment within it.

orangeyensign · Dec 22, 2016

Yea, the author does do a good job of explaining why most starters of each region can't be found in the wild. It does make you wonder whether it is acceptable to bring such endangered species out into the wild.

Overall, i do wish such fics would get more views, rather than having more Ash!wank stories

DLP Flash Christmas Competition + Writing Marathon 2024!

Hi there, Guest

WIP Pokedex by Birdboy - T - Pokémon

DeathShade Fourth Year

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MattSilver The Traveller

Sin Saiori Death Eater

Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

Oruma Order Member

Verse of Darkness Denarii Host

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

foreveryone Third Year

Oruma Order Member

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

Probellum Death Eater

Striker What's up demons?

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

Ched Da Trek Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

orangeyensign Squib

Complete Lull by Br33zy - T - Pokémon

DLP Flash Christmas Competition + Writing Marathon 2024!

Hi there, Guest

WIP Pokedex by Birdboy - T - Pokémon

DeathShade Fourth Year

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MattSilver The Traveller

Sin Saiori Death Eater

Republic The Snow Queen –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

Oruma Order Member

Verse of Darkness Denarii Host

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

foreveryone Third Year

Oruma Order Member

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

Probellum Death Eater

Striker What's up demons?

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

Ched Da Trek Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

MonkeyEpoxy The Cursed Child DLP Supporter

orangeyensign Squib

Complete Lull by Br33zy - T - Pokémon

Useful Searches