#625 Bisharp

One day during my travels, a Tuesday if I remember correctly, I was walking by the banks of the river in Unova's Route 11 when I heard a very rhythmic sound coming from across the stream. I hid in a nearby bush to try and figure out what the sound could be coming from. To my surprise I was presented with a stunning view of a legion of Pawniard being led by an officious looking Bisharp marching in time along the riverbank. The militaristic nature of these Pokemon makes them a formidable opponent.

Bisharp is a Dark/Steel type and the evolved form of Pawniard.  Standing at 1.6m tall and weighing 70kg, this Pokemon is a daunting foe. Known as the Sword Blade Pokemon, Bisharp have razor sharp blades on the back of their forearms and ribs.

In the wild, a single Bisharp will lead a pack of Pawniard. when one of the Pawniard evolves it will have to challenge the Alpha Bisharp for leadership. Whichever one loses is cast out of the pack.

When hunting, the Pawniard allow their Alpha Bisharp to land the finishing blow out of respect. They are highly skilled hunters.

Unova's Dark type Elite 4 member, Grimsley, has a Bisharp on his team and it is one of the most feared opponent in the entire battle.

It is interesting to note that no other Pokemon has the same type combination as Pawniard and Bisharp.

#570 Zorua

I am never entirely sure of the number of Zorua I have encountered since they possess the unique ability to disguise themselves anything, be it Pokemon or Human, until first attacked.

This little, grey, fox-like Pokemon keeps its true form hidden to hide, and takes on the form of other more powerful Pokemon in order to scare of aggressors. Though, this disguise is merely an illusion since Zorua keeps its original stats and moves. However when in its disguised state, its tail still shows and it has been said that if you grab its tail then it reverts back to its true form instantly.

Zorua are very mischievous and love to play tricks on others. It is also the only Pokemon I have encountered to know the move Night Daze. Night Daze is an attack that both deals damage and can lower the opponents accuracy.

They are very tricky to battle since they are unpredictable. Their evolved form, Zoroark, is a formidable opponent.

I would say that this Pokemon is one of the most interesting to encounter, due to their sheer unpredictability.

#566 Archen

Archen is hypothesised to be the first Bird Pokemon ever to have existed, though this species cannot be caught in the wild anymore because it died out over 100,000 years ago. They can be obtained via the remarkable Fossil Resurrection services.

Sharing it's Rock Flying typing with its evolution, Archeops, it used to hunt prey living in forested area. Archen are not fond of conventional Pokemon food but thoroughly enjoys a species of Berries that went extinct a long time ago.

Weighing roughly 9.5kg and standing at 0.6m high, Archen are rather the smallest of all the fossil Pokemon and are not actually able to fly. Instead they hop from branch to branch. It is this reason that they live in woodlands and forests.

The first Plume fossils containing Archen's DNA were found in Unova in Twist Mountain alongside the Cover fossil later found to contain the DNA of Tirtouga.

Oddly, Archen and it's evolution are the only Pokemon without Hidden Abilities. This makes it a whole lot less stressful when hatching one since one doesn't have to worry if theirs is rarer or not. Unless it's shiny of course. But that's a story for another day.

#470 Leafeon

In all my travels I have never encountered a Leafeon in the wild, though I have battled against many trainers with this Pokemon on their team. After questioning these trainers, the general consensus was that Leafeon evolves from Eevee when it is trained in close proximity with specific mossy rocks in forests. An example of one of these rocks would be the rock in Pinwheel Forest in the Unova region.

Leafeon is a Grass type Pokemon that has many green sprouts growing out of its body, the longest of which is found on its forehead.

Upon studying one of them, I found that their cellular structure is more similar to that of a plant rather than an animal. Due to this it can photosynthesise and oxygenate the air around it whenever it is in sunlight.

These Pokemon are very docile and prefer not to fight unless their trainer is in great danger. Instead they prefer to heal allies and nurture young Eevee.

During the day, Leafeon become rather lethargic and often rest in patches of sunlight in order to perform photosynthesis. They are friendly and will approach other trainers out of curiosity.

Interestingly, Leafeon have the exact same footprint as their close relatives, Umbreon and Glaceon.

I have never owned a Leafeon, yet they are said to be wonderful companions despite not being very useful in a combat situation. One of my peers did own a Leafeon if I remember. A man who always wore a scarf around his face to obscure his identity. If I remember correctly he had a channel on Youtube. I wonder what my old friend is up to now. Maybe my readers could check out for me.

#105 Marowak

Marowak is the Evolved form of Cubone and has been found to take bones from graves in order to add them to their collections. Some have argued that Marowak are trying to reconstruct a skeleton, yet no one knows what of. Marowak, although commonly Ground type, has been found to be Fire and Ghost type when found in the Alola region. Alolan Marowak carries a bone surrounded by an ethereal fire, often thought to be made of the same substance as St Elmo's fire.

Marowak's bone club, which it keeps about it's person at all times, is used as a weapon and can be quite painful. They are a highly protective species and if threatened they will most likely club their aggressor half to death with this bone. The bones them selves are said to come from a hidden graveyard, though in all likelihood it is just the closest bone too it when it evolves.

This species, along with its predecessor: Cubone, are the only known Pokemon to be able to learn the moves Bone Club and Bonemerang.

Cubone are filled with Grief at the death of their mother however once evolved they overcome the grief by turning it into hatred and violence.

They live in mountains to test their skill as to better themselves for combat. Standing at roughly 1m tall and weighing  between 35 and 45kg, Marowak are a foe to be wary of. It is a very skilled weaponmaster, using it's club for a variety of attacks.

When holding their club, Their attack and defence is doubled.

#320 Wailmer

Wailmer are often found off the shores of Lilycove City but can be found in many oceans around the world. Often when sailing I have found myself next to a few of these magnificent creatures. Not only does it dwell in the sea but it can also live on land for up to a week by storing water in its massive spherical body.

When filled with water, Wailmer become bouncy and can leap high into the air. However, when low on water supplies, they can look almost deflated. My companions and I once came across a deflated Wailmer on the beach one day and had to push it back to the sea. Luckily it survived!

Wailmer can be up to 2m tall and weigh roughly 130kg. They eat tonnes of food a day, their diet ranging from plankton to shoreline plants and even the occasional small fish.

If threatened, a Wailmer will rapidly expel water from its nostrils, located above its eyes, as a cannon of water. This can be quite dangerous to ships that are seen as a threat.

Despite this, they are very playful and often shoot seaweed out of their noses as a game.

One of my old friends had a Wailmer on her team. It was very resilient and a formidable opponent in battle.

To conclude, Wailmer are a fascinating species that I would love to research more into in the future.

#207 Gligar

Gligar is a very useful pokemon due to its duel Ground and Flying type, making it immune to both Electric and Ground type moves. Gligar is often mistaken for being like a bat, however a more accurate description would be a flying scorpion.

 Usually found in the Johto region, Gligar have been found to evolve into Gliscor when levelled up holding a razor fang but only at night.

Weighing in at roughly 64kg and standing at an impressive 1.1m tall, Gligar are hunters that use sonar to navigate at night. They glide silently through the air and can drop onto unwary prey. They feed of larger rodents, such as rabbits or hares.

Gligar live in mountainous regions and nest on rock faces. Once tired of gliding, a Gligar can simply glide straight back to their nest to rest up. 

Although potentially dangerous, Gligar are not that tough unless they manage to land a poison sting attack on you. In which case you should probably get to the nearest hospital.

Overall, in my travels, I have found Gligar to be a great companion for many trainers who are looking for a skilled but friendly Pokemon.