Pokémon legends/pokédex entries

[moon]

Spurred on by some talk about what pokémon could be considered "legendary", I'm wondering if there is any pokédex entry or rumor or history about a pokémon that you find really fascinating or really odd?

Maybe some pokédex entry is downright creepy to you, or maybe there is some pokédex entry that you just don't think is true? Be it in the games, anime or any other medium. Some things might even be different between the media.



As an example, there is Arcanine's original entry that says it is a legendary pokémon in China. That tells us that China exists in the pokémon world, or at least it used to do. Nowadays we can't be sure that the gen VII region isn't based on China! Also, it makes one wonder what "legendary" really means, as seen in the Volcarona thread a while ago.
Although, it was only in gen I and II it was called legendary. They might have realized their little blunder and retconned it!

A legendary Pokémon in China. Many people are charmed by its grace and beauty while running.
This legendary Chinese POKEMON is considered magnificent. Many people are enchanted by its grand mane.

Another example I think of is Drifloon's entry. That it makes children holding it vanish sometimes ._. I want to believe that's not really true. We were discussing whether or not pokémon can be evil and if they are not, why would they take away little children? Maybe it's their instinct as ghosts, or maybe they are kind of evil. But most likely it's just a play on kids holding on to balloons that are too light for them.

These Pokémon are called the "Signpost for Wandering Spirits." Children holding them sometimes vanish.

 

[Khoshi]

I found Dusknoir's entry rather odd, as it mentions what seems to be the underworld.

From Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: "The antenna on its head captures radio waves from the world of spirits that command it to take people there."

Now, let's compare this Pokemon's D/P Pokedex entry to its Platinum entry: "It is said to take lost spirits into its pliant body and guide them home."

Now I always debate: is it a good Pokemon, helping lost souls back home, or taking people to the world of spirits?

 

[moon]

That implies that there is a canon afterlife! Pretty cool. Hm, in the PMD games, it was an evil pokémon. And all ghost pokémon are rather shady and half-bad, it seems. I think the question as to whether or not it means harm or just guides already dead people into the afterlife might be better for the "are pokémon evil" thread, haha.

But radio waves? Does that mean that someone is sitting there in the underworld, commanding Dusknoir to be the grim reaper? *shudder*

 

[moon]

With the Arcanine thing, I think when they say legendary they mean it literally, like being a swordsman or hero might have a title of great fame could be called a legend, rather than our idea of a demigod Pokemom that is one of a kind and commands elements of the world. For my entry I don't disbelieve it, but Latias being able to refract light from it's down to make itself invisible is wow, really? You think an animal based thing could do that with physical features from it's body? I wish I could do that...

Yeah, that sounds about right. That is probably what they mean, the tiger being a special animal in real world China and all.

As for Latias powers... I don't really disbelieve it either. If Vaporeon can melt into water and frankly if Pikachu can call down thunders from the sky, why wouldn't Latias be able to use some kind of power to refract light and disguise itself? I think it sounds plausible enough in the pokémon world where they present plenty of things that wouldn't make sense in our world. :> Haha, who wouldn't want to be able to become invisible now and then!


I thought about Ninetales' entry too. Some are pretty strange.

NINETALES casts a sinister light from its bright red eyes to gain total control over its foe's mind. This POKéMON is said to live for a thousand years.

I don't really think they live for 1000 years because then there would be reeaaaallly old Ninetales here and there and new ones (Vulpix) wouldn't pop up as often, would they? Also, total control over its foe's mind? Sounds like Ninetales should be psychic type; it can learn psychic type moves. Maybe Fennekin will be a part psychic variation on the same idea which Vulpix/Ninetales were based on.

Legend has it that NINETALES came into being when nine wizards possessing sacred powers merged into one. This POKéMON is highly intelligent - it can understand human speech.

More strange lore. I think this is just a tale and not truth, about its origins I mean. They evolve from Vulpix, after all. It is probably intelligent though, as many other pokémon are too.

Very smart and very vengeful. Grabbing one of its many tails could result in a 1,000-year curse.

They live for 1000 years and they can curse someone for 1000 after they've just grabbed their tail? I don't think we've seen this in the anime, have we? I don't think its truth.


While some pokémons' entries are very fact-based, some (like Ninetales) sure have some strange things in them.

 

[Crunch Punch]

I like that theory about Fennekin being what Vulpix and Ninetails were supposed to be. Makes sense to me.

One weird one I find is Delibird:

"It nests at the edge of sharp cliffs. It spends all day carrying food to its awaiting chicks."

Chicks? As far as I can remember Delibird doesn't evolve, so what are these "chicks"? Do Delibird hatch small and go big? I'm pretty sure Pokemon do not grow in height at all; actually they all stay the same, no matter what. (not counting in-battle moves like Growth, obviously) So who are these chicks? I also don't think the PokeDex is talking about female Delibirds aha

 

[moon]

I think that dex entry could be fact, and that it is small newly hatched Delibird they call chicks.

Look:

In the anime, pokémon can be different sizes, and the anime is being more detailed in differences between unique pokémon than the games are. For obvious reasons (making unique sprites for every unique pokémon? askhdgajs). :3

Weren't Delibird like, pseudo penguin pokémon before Piplup's line was introduced? Male penguins often take care of the egg and the young I think. Not an expert on that though xD

 

[zdude18]

actually there is an episode in the anime, i forget the name or number, in which they come across a ninetales living in a mansion by itself that tricks them into coming in, and tries to capture brock so that he could become its new master, because brock looked like its dead master. they learned that ninetales live for a thousand years, and all of what you said is true.

 

[CrypticX]

Charmander's FireRed entry
"From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. Its life would end if the flame were to go out."

Wth? If this is true then Charmander and its evolutions should talk with Wobbuffet for some advice on tail protection methods...

 

[Lowstah]

Kadabra's emerald entry:
It is rumored that a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformed into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers. [Bulbapedia]

Always fascinated me... why Kadabra... why not abra?

Also one of the most haunting dex entries i ever read:
Yamasks black and white entries:
Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry. [black]
These Pokémon arose from the spirits of people interred in graves in past ages. Each retains memories of its former life. [white]
[bulbapedia]

So yamask are former humans who are tormented by the memories of when they were alive, and they are in a constant emotional pain... -_-

 

[NightOfRemorse]

The whole Duskull line has pretty weird entries.
Duskull
Platinum: It loves the crying of children. It startles bad kids by passing through walls and making them cry.
HGSS: If it finds bad children who won't listen to their parents, it will spirit them away--or so it's said.

Dusclops
Ruby: DUSCLOPS's body is completely hollow - there is nothing at all inside. It is said that its body is like a black hole. This POKéMON will absorb anything into its body, but nothing will ever come back out.
Sapphire: DUSCLOPS absorbs anything, however large the object may be. This POKéMON hypnotizes its foe by waving its hands in a macabre manner and by bringing its single eye to bear. The hypnotized foe is made to do DUSCLOPS's bidding.

Dusknoir has already been covered so I won't mention it. Seriously though, just imagine if someone went psycho and started doing the most demonic things but really it's a Dusclops having fun with you.

The Fire Red dex entry of Gastly cracks me up though. "A being that exists as a thin gas. It can topple an Indian elephant by enveloping the prey in two seconds." Indian elephant... THAT IS SO SPECIFIC?!

 

[moon]

Kadabra's emerald entry:
It is rumored that a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformed into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers. [Bulbapedia]

Always fascinated me... why Kadabra... why not abra?

Also one of the most haunting dex entries i ever read:
Yamasks black and white entries:
Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry. [black]
These Pokémon arose from the spirits of people interred in graves in past ages. Each retains memories of its former life. [white]
[bulbapedia]

So yamask are former humans who are tormented by the memories of when they were alive, and they are in a constant emotional pain... -_-

Maybe Kadabra already existed since long, but the boy somehow transformed into a Kadabra during this research. Like, they don't mean that he came to be the very first Kadabra but rather that he stopped being human and became a Kadabra. Still, whether or not this is true, as with most pokédex entries, might depend on what media you are referring to. The anime probably wouldn't say that this is true.

Same with Yamask. I prefer to think of them as ghostly pokémon rather than as actual ghosts, but the games might hold these pokédex facts true. It sure didn't seem like the anime did when Yamask appeared though.

The Fire Red dex entry of Gastly cracks me up though. "A being that exists as a thin gas. It can topple an Indian elephant by enveloping the prey in two seconds." Indian elephant... THAT IS SO SPECIFIC?!

Haha. That's not strangely specific actually. An indian elephant is one of two common kinds of elephants (Indian and African) and an Indian elephant is much smaller than an African. So if they would just say "an elephant" someone might think of an African one and Ghastly maybe wouldn't be able to topple one of them.

Okay now that I think about it, it's a bit unimportant to specify still haha!

 

[NightOfRemorse]

Haha. That's not strangely specific actually. An indian elephant is one of two common kinds of elephants (Indian and African) and an Indian elephant is much smaller than an African. So if they would just say "an elephant" someone might think of an African one and Ghastly maybe wouldn't be able to topple one of them.

Okay now that I think about it, it's a bit unimportant to specify still haha!

Oh well you do have a point there, though I think it's still strange they chose a real life animal and not maybe a Donphan or something? Raichu's Fire Red dex entry also mentions an Indian elephant lol.

Its electric charges can reach even 100,000 volts. Careless contact can cause even an Indian elephant to faint.

I can understand why they wouldn't use Donphan for this one since technically Raichu's electric charges would have no effect, but what is it with Fire Red and Indian elephants?? Hahahah.

 

[moon]

That is a bit strange yeah. I would say that gen I might mention animals because it wasn't as set in stone as it is nowadays that animals don't exactly exist in the pokémon world like they do in our world. But if it's Fire Red, I don't know :p Because that's a relatively late game.

 

[bobandbill]

On the Arcanine point, I think a curious thing to point out regarding the legendary mention is that going by a rather early anime episode (the second, perhaps?) it was indicated to be a legendary. There were plates showing it with other (actual) legendary Pokemon in Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno. Maybe it was meant to at some stage have a higher role? (I am not too convinced by that, as it could say have been just an error on the anime's part which isn't unlikely at all and make sense as they were/are separate to the games, but it is a curious fact at any rate).

Also it was called legendary after gen 2, like in HG:

This legendary Chinese Pokémon is considered magnificent. Many people are enchanted by its grand mane.

 

[King Of Pokemon]

i find it weird that kadabra is said to have an IQ of over 500, but it can still only learn 4 moves. I mean come on, we can memorize heaps of attacks, but this super-genius pokemon can only learn 4, it's ridiculous.

 

[bobandbill]

i find it weird that kadabra is said to have an IQ of over 500, but it can still only learn 4 moves. I mean come on, we can memorize heaps of attacks, but this super-genius pokemon can only learn 4, it's ridiculous.

Well to be fair, that's a restriction all Pokemon have and more a purely game mechanic fact than something that can be said to reflect a Pokémon's intelligence.

 

[PlatinumDude]

i find it weird that kadabra is said to have an IQ of over 500, but it can still only learn 4 moves. I mean come on, we can memorize heaps of attacks, but this super-genius pokemon can only learn 4, it's ridiculous.

That's Alakazam you may be talking about, and its IQ is 5000+.

Anyway, a Hydreigon's Black and Black 2/White 2 Pokedex entries state that it attacks anything that moves. Ignoring game mechanics, would this mean that Hydreigon may try to attack its Trainer, even if it's unintentional?

 

[FSNW5yiFrXVXqv]

The funnier thing about Alakazam is that, with 5000+ IQ, why are they even listening to their human trainers?

I'd imagine that Alakazams would be the heads of research, would even speak their own language and lead humans... but no. They would use moves like Flash to blind a Zubat, cause their trainer said so.

 

[amerininja]

About Arcanine's legendary stuff.... Well let's just say that GF made Moltres last and even named the other two legendary birds after making who the real fire legend was to be. Arcanine. However they felt it odd that there were 2 birds and 1 tiger thing so they created Moltres and gave Arcanine a legendary title in reference to this.

 

[moon]

I'd imagine that Alakazams would be the heads of research, would even speak their own language and lead humans... but no. They would use moves like Flash to blind a Zubat, cause their trainer said so.

Haha, yes, I always found that a bit strange. But again... game mechanics.


This though:

Spoink bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing – if it stops, its heart will stop.

o__________o

Don't make it faint because then its heart will stop! Or will it keep bouncing after it's fainted? Just... automatically? What happens if you pick Spoink up and hold it in your arms? Will it sorta bounce against your arm or something or should you really not pick one up despite their adorableness because if you do they'll die?