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Pansage And Simisage

By Jo

When the games first came out, I wasn’t particularly fond of the elemental monkeys. There was something to their design that just struck me as wrong. Though now, after having used them in the games, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are really useful and come in handy when trying to advance in the beginning of the game’s plot.

Pansage is known as the Grass Monkey Pokemon. Like its name would suggest, it is based off from monkeys, though also holds some physical resemblance to plants. It has green ‘pants’ and its tail has two leaves. Its upper torso, arms, and lower half of its face is a sandy, yellow color. The upper half of its face and the outside of its ears are the same shade of green as its tail and ‘pants’. Atop its head, though, appears to be a sort of broccoli-like plant. Its hands resemble mittens, and lack actual fingers. According to its pokedex entries, Pansage dwell deep in the forest. It shares the leaves on its head with weary-looking Pokemon. By eating them, the leaves are known to relieve stress and whisk weariness away as if done by magic. Pansage and its evolution are the only non-starter Pokemon to have the starter-exclusive ability, Overgrow. It is also the only Pokemon able to learn the move Grass Knot by leveling up. The ‘pan’ in Pansage’s name comes from “chimpanzee” the ‘sage’ in it most-likely refers to the sage plant. Because it is also a part of a trio, it may be a reference to the “three wise monkeys” tale.

Pansage is only able to evolve into its final form, Simisage, if exposed to a Leaf Stone. Simisage, like Pansage, appears to have characteristics of both monkeys and plants. Also like Pansage, it appears to be wearing green pants. Simisage is about a foot taller than it’s pre-evolution, though appears to be much more ‘aged’. It has fluffy white eyebrows and its features are much more defined. It has fingers and toes, as well as white shoulder pads. Its arms, ‘hair’ and outside of its ears are the same shade green as its tail and ‘pants’. According to its pokedex entries, Simisage tends to be ill tempered. It attacks and defends itself by swinging its thorn-covered tail wildly about (that’s probably why Simisage is known as the Thorn Monkey Pokemon). The leaves on its head are said to be very bitter. Simisage appears to be based off from a monkey and a tree. Because of this, it could be based off from legends of monkey trees, or a pun on leaf monkeys. Its name may be a combination of the words ‘simian’ (considered “higher primates” and are known to most as being Old World monkeys and apes) and ‘sage’.

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Panpour And Simipour

By Jo

When I first saw the elemental monkeys, I really didn’t understand their purpose. They had the same typing as the three Unova starters, and came off as being a bit strange. Though I was finally able to understand their purpose once I played through the game with a monkey of my own.

Panpour is the last member of the elemental monkey trio to be listed in the pokedex. It is known as the Spray Pokemon. Panpour appears to be based off from a monkey, though it also shares physical features with the water. Unlike the other two monkeys, it has a pattern on its chest similar to a blue shirt, rather than the ‘pants’ patterns that Pansage and Pansear have. Probably because of this, only the very tip of its tail is colored the same shade blue as its ‘shirt’, the tip being shaped like a clover. Panpour’s upper half of its face is also colored blue, as well as its ears and wave-shaped ‘hair’. The rest of its body is cream colored, its hands being mitten-like and lacking digits other than thumbs. Panpour and its evolution are the only Pokemon able to learn the normally TM-exclusive move, Scald, through leveling up. It and its evolution are also the only non-starter Pokemon that have the starter-exclusive ability, Torrent. Its pokedex entries state that the tuft atop its head is filled with nutrients. Plants that receive its water apparently grow fairly large. It does not like dry environments. Because of this, it will keep itself damp by shooting water from its ‘hair’ and tail. Panpour’s name seems to be a combination of the words ‘pan’ (most-likely coming from the word “chimpanzee”) and ‘pour’. Since the three elemental monkeys seem to be a representations of the three wise monkeys, Panpour is most-likely the ‘see no evil’ as its and its evolution’s eyes are closed at all times.
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Pokemon Woobat And Swoobat

By Jo

Bats normally symbolize fear, darkness, and at times even super heroes. Though what I love about Pokemon is that the creators normally cause people to reevaluate what they’d normally think of when seeing something and turning the tables on them. Woobat and Swoobat are prime examples of said table turning.

Woobat, the Bat Pokemon, is small and furry. It’s about the least scary thing you could think of, which is the exact opposite of what normally comes to mind when thinking of bats. Its body consists of a great blue ball of fluffy fur, a small set of black bat wings and a pink, circular nose with heart-shaped nostrils. Its eyes appear to be hidden by its blue fluff, and its mouth only contains a pointed tooth in the center. A main character in the thirteenth Pokemon movie wore a hat with a Woobat on it. It was one of the first Unova region Pokemon to be seen. According to its pokedex entries, Woobat inhabit dark forests and caves. They emit ultrasonic waves from their nose to learn about their surroundings. The suction from their nostrils enables them to stick to cave walls during sleep. They apparently leave heart-shaped marks behind. Woobat seems to be the literal interpretation of bat with a heart-shaped nose and may be based off from a type of albino fruit bat. Its name seems to be a combination of the words ‘woo’ (a possible reference to the fact that it evolves based on happiness) and ‘bat’. The Woobat line shares many similarities with the Zubat line as they both evolve into their final form via happiness, both are referred to as being of the Bat Pokemon species and both lines have the ‘bat’ suffix at the end of their names.
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Munna And Musharna

By Jo

In the first generation games and their remakes there was a female picnicker on Route 10 that mentioned wishing there was a pink Pokemon with flowers on it. Fast forward some ten years and out comes Munna, a Pokemon that fits the description Carol gave.

Munna is small and pink has rose-colored (nearly red) eyes, and sort of resembles a piggy bank. It has purple flowers scattered around it and could possibly be based off from the Baku myth (the same one Drowzee is based off from) in which a tapir-like creature eats dreams. Munna could also be based of traditional Japanese incense burners called “koro”. According to its Black pokedex entry, Munna constantly floats in the air. Despite this though, it does not have the ability Levitate. It also states that those whose dreams are eaten by Munna forget what the dreams had been about. Its White pokedex entry says that it eats the dreams of both people and Pokemon. Munna is the only Pokemon to evolve by Moon Stone since the third generation, as Skitty was formally the latest to be released. When it devours a pleasant dream, it expels a pink colored mist. Munna’s name is most-likely a combination of the words ‘moon’ and ‘luna’ (both meaning the same thing), which is probably a reference to dreams normally occurring when the moon is present.
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Pokemon Patrat And Watchog

By Jo

Normal-type Pokemon have always been pretty interesting. Every now and then you’ll come across a normal-type that resembles an actual animal, though has a bit of a twisted design so that it doesn’t resemble it too much (change in color, a feature that’s exaggerated, etc). Patrat and Watchog are prime examples of normal-types with a twist.

Patrat is small and rodent-like. It holds resemblance to a chipmunk, having chubby cheeks and a small brown body. Physically it resembles a prairie dog as well, as its limbs are a bit stubby, their midsections are a bit bigger, and they both have longer tails. However, Patrat’s eyes are ringed red and yellow and a black band surrounds both eyes on either side so that they resemble glasses or goggles. In every generation of the games, there has been a two-stage normal type evolutionary line that is encountered early in the game (Rattata in Kanto, Sentret in Johto, Zigzagoon in Hoenn, and Bidoof in Sinnoh). Patrat seems to be the Unova variant of that theme. Though ironically, Patrat has the lowest base stat out of all fifth generation Pokemon. According to its pokedex entries, they can use the food stored in their cheeks to keep watch for days. Being an extremely cautious species, Patrat take shifts to maintain constant watch over their nests. They feel insecure without a lookout. Apparently, they communicate with others with their tails. The way they stuff their cheeks with food is similar to what Chipmunks do, though their watchful habits seem to be based off from prairie dogs. Patrat’s name seems to be a combination of the words ‘patrol’ and ‘rat’, though could also be a pun on the term “pack rat”.
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Geodude, The Rock-Type Pokemon

By Anonymous

Many Pokemon there are, that is a fact. If someone thinks that is an opinion they might be crazy… And types of most elements, it is pretty remarkable. You can have a powerful dragon type Pokemon, a burning fire type Pokemon, a drizzling water type Pokemon, a toxic posion type Pokemon, a frigid ice type Pokemon, a crawling bug type Pokemon, a powerful dark type Pokemon, a wise psychic type Pokemon, and many, many more! One of these types so happen to be rock. Rock type Pokemon are all over the place, there however aren’t many pure rock type Pokemon, meaning they have only one type. Rock type Pokemon are known for high defenses. The main thing that they don’t have is usually speed. Because they are giant rocks most of the time, they are quite heavy. Rock type Pokemon can be a rampaging dinosaur like a Rampardos, which has an incredible attack stat.

There is a flying prehistoric beast rock type Pokemon known as Aerodactyl who has great attack and amazing speed. Water and rock Pokemon such as Omanyte and Omastar, giant rock snake looking Pokemon like Onix, and a Pokemon that is just a boulder with two muscular arms, this Pokemon is known as Geodude. Geodude isn’t just a rock type Pokemon, he is also part ground. In the anime it is said that electric attacks don’t effect rock type pokemon, that is not true. The only reason they don’t effect Pokemon like Onix and Geodude is because they are part ground, which gives them immunity to electric type attacks. Geodude is a rock type Pokemon and a ground type Pokemon.

In the anime, Geodude is used by the gym leader Brock of Pewter City in the Kanto region. It may not be used as much in the anime as it is in the game, it is pretty hard to take down his Pokemon because of their defense and you can’t get much to protect yourself unless you chose Squirtle or Bulbasaur as your starter. Brock uses a Geodude to help put out the fire at Celadon City’s gym, which is of course in the anime. Geodude may be a weak Pokemon in the start, but what do you think of him?

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All About Pokemon Garchomp

By Anonymous

Have you ever heard of a Garchomp? Yes or No? They answer better be Yes, because I think everyone and I mean everyone should know who Garchomp is. Did you get your entire battling team defeated by this beast? Did the Tyranitar’s get the Sandstorm up to make things worse? Garchomp as stated above is a beast. He is one of the strongest Pokemon outside of a legendary Pokemon. Taking him down isn’t easy. Garchomp is a Dragon and Ground type Pokemon. He is like a sand shark, and has some wings, red stomach, blue-purplish outer body, I’m sure you have seen him. Gible is Garchomp’s first evolution. Gible looks like a small dragon and gives off a mix between a shark and a lizard, add some sand in that too, alright?

When a Gible evolves, it will become a Gabite. Gabite is a bit stronger like all evolutions are. The head gets small and the legs are extended, did I mention that he looks like he will take a bite out of you if you make him mad? Yeah, that’s a Gabite. He looks like a small Garchomp. Pretty cool, right? Gabite will evolve into Garchomp which is just a huge form of Gabite that looks menacing and a lot scarier. Trainers with Garchomp are hard to beat, one of these trainers is the champion of the Sinnoh League, Cynthis. Cynthia uses a Garchomp, it is actually her strongest Pokemon. You will be in for a fight when it comes out.
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Purrloin and Liepard

By Joanna

I’ve always had a thing for cats, so it’s only natural that I’d become fond of Pokemon based off from felines. The newest fifth generation cats were no exception; and I’m sure many others were charmed by the new cat-like dark-types just because of what they’re based off from. Truth is, though, that there’s so much more to Purrloin and Liepard than just that.

Purrloin is an eggplant colored cat with cream colored markings. Its heavy lids are colored pink and it has large, green eyes. Its head appears to be a bit too large for its small, feline body. The tip of its tail is curved, and resembles a scythe. According to its pokedex entries, they steal from people for fun. When people let down their guard around them, they find their items taken. Due to their appearance, though, their victims can’t help but forgive them. That’s what makes their deceptively cute act perfect. Purrloin attack with their sharp claws. Purrloin seems to be based off from a black cat, its shiny form seems to only make that theory more apparent. Its name probably comes from the word ‘purr’ (the sound that a cat makes when it’s content) and a corruption of the word “purloin” (which means “to steal, in violation to one’s trust”).

Purrloin evolves soon after its canine counterpart, Lillipup, into its final form once it reaches level 20. Its evolution, Liepard, is a bit larger than Purrloin and seems to share its spots with the leopard or cheetah. It is primarily a purple color while its chest fur, lower half of its legs, and face (including its whiskers and ‘eyebrows’) are all yellow. It has rings the same color yellow on the upper half of its legs and back. It has a pink ‘mask’ surrounding its green eyes and a tail in the shape of a scythe, though curves into a question-mark shape. Its pokedex entries state that Liepard vanish and appear unexpectedly. It stealthily sneaks up on its targets, striking from behind before its victims have a chance to react. Apparently many trainers are drawn to them because of their beautiful form and fur. Liepard are known to move silently and elegantly, taking their opponents down by using stealth, a similar trait found in large cats. Despite their elegance and beautiful fur, Liepard are known as the Cruel Pokemon, as they act just as mistrustful as their pre-evolution. Considering its size, Liepard seems to be based off from the leopard cat a type of small, wild cat that inhabits South and East Asia. Leopard cats share characteristics with house cats, as well as leopards. Liepard’s name seems to be a combination of the words ‘lie’ and ‘leopard’.

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Fossil Pokemon

By Anonymous

Did you know that in the Pokemon World there are fossils of past Pokemon? Similar how we would find animal fossils, a trainer can get a Pokemon fossil. Most of the time when you get a fossil it will only be a one time chance and you can only get one of what it offered. Fossil Pokemon are usually part rock type for some reason. In the Kanto region you can get two fossils, the dome fossil and the helix fossil. When you get to Cinnabar Island, there will be a Lab that will have a scientist that can bring fossil Pokemon back to life, cool isn’t it? You can get a Kabuto or an Omanyte.

Kabuto will evolve into a Kabutops once he evolves, Kabutops has high attack but is not that widely used. Even though he is a pretty cool looking Pokemon. He has to swords or sword like structures for hands that he can use during battle. Omanyte has a shell and is a squid like structure that is blue inside the shell. It is a rock and water type Pokemon. It will evolve into an Omastar which is like Omanyte but has more tentacles and a mouth is shown, he also has spikes on his shell. There are no fossils in the Johto region, but you may come across a Kabuto or Omanyte fossil.

In the Kanto region there is also an Old Amber. It can be brought back to life as an Aerodactly which is a very fast rock and flying type Pokemon. In the Hoenn region you will come across an Anorith that will evolve into an Armaldo. I believe it is a rock and bug type Pokemon. It comes from the Claw Fossil. If you get a Root Fossil it will be a Lileep. Lileep is a plant looking Pokemon with suction cops that keep it in place, it will evolve into a Cradily.
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The Pokemon Tri-Type Theory

By Jill/Redterror117

As we all know in the Pokemon universe, a Pokemon is capable of having either one or two types, which of course affects the types of moves that learns as it levels and grows. However there are a number of Pokemon who possess an abnormal amount of abilities from a type that they are not. Having noticed this, I have devised something that I like to call the ‘tri-type theory’, in which some Pokemon would theoretically be three types, rather than the maximum two. The third type is normally affiliated by some aspect of the Pokemon’s physical appearance, moves, or history, and as a result has associated moves at their disposal. One of the best examples for this theory would be Lugia.

In the games, Lugia is a Psychic/Flying Pokemon, which lives at the bottom of the ocean. However, its close association with Water (being a direct opposite of Ho-Oh, along with the title of ‘guardian of the seas’) would mean that its ‘third type’ would be Water, which makes sense considering its ability to learn all three Water-based HM moves, as well as its habitat. Other examples of tri-type Pokemon could include Charizard and Gyarados, which both share close association with Dragons, so theoretically could have Dragon as their third type.

As of Generation 3, the introduction of abilities further aids the theory of tri-type. Flygon for example, who is a Ground/Dragon, also wields the ability to fly, though does not is not part Flying. The advantage of the Flying type is granted to Flygon with the ability ‘Levitate’, which grants it immunity to Ground-type moves. Flygon’s previous evolution, Vibrava, along with several other Pokemon capable of flight (but are not of the flying type), also tend to have Levitate as their Ability. These Pokemon include Latias, Latios, Giratina, and Hydreigon. However there are other Pokemon like Beedrill, Dustox, Venomoth, and Volcarona (the last of which can actually learn the move Fly), who do not have this benefit. Rather, their ability is associated with something closer to their primary Bug type.

While the theory is aimed more toward the Pokemon games in themselves, there is a case in the Trading Card Game where Pokemon with three types exist. These are called the ‘Crystal Pokemon’, where the Pokemon is a colourless type, but one of the card’s abilities allows it to change its type to one of three. However in most cases, only one of the card’s types are actually associated with the Pokemon’s type (in these cases, the Pokemon only has one type, or the secondary type is one not associated with a TCG symbol). Some like Celebi and Lugia, have two of the three affiliated with it.
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