Entry 7 – Popplio
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Name (Unovan): Popplio – "pop" and "leo" (lion, as in sea lion)
Name (Kantonese): Ashimari – "ashika" (sea lion) and "mari" (ball)
Dex Number: 007
Classification: Pinniped, Sea Lion Pokemon
Species: Hydrapraticus bullacreo – "bubble-creating water performer"
Primary Type: Water. In addition to being a highly aquatic species to the point where it is not well-adapted for land environments, Popplio has the ability to blow small-to-medium water balloons from its nose. It has a special ability to manipulate moisture in the air to create these balloons, as it lacks a proper water-storage sac like most Water-types. This ability becomes further refined as it evolves.
Secondary Type: N/A
Overall Description: The third of the traditional Starter Pokemon of the Alolan islands, Popplio is a mammalian Water-type that is known for making people and other Pokemon alike smile with just a pose. Its appealing appearance is defined by its long snout topped by a round pink nose and a fancy ruff that flutters around its neck. Two small ears flap expressively on either side of its head, and the image is made complete by bright, soulful eyes that seem to shine with enthusiasm. Its body is optimized for travel through the sea, with a large pair of front flippers acting as arms to prop it up while it sits on a second pair of flippers way back on its posterior end.
Popplio's most famous quality is its ability to produce water balloons, which can either be filled with air or water depending on the situation. While the contents of these bubbles can change, they are always formed by a layer of mucus expelled through Popplio's nose, providing a relatively flexible casing that allows each balloon to take on a spherical shape. This ability depends on the amount of moisture in the air, which Popplio is able to somehow condense into liquid water and use to fill its balloons. This means that, although it is definitely only able to reach its highest potential by the sea, it can use this ability anywhere, allowing it to fight or perform in almost any environment. Popplio is so proficient at this that it is able to execute attacks such as Bubble Beam by producing multiple water balloons in rapid succession.
Because of this unique dependence on water vapor, Popplio has no need for a standard water-storage sac, which many Water-types rely on to power their elemental attacks. Such an adaptation has allowed Popplio's body to become maximally streamlined for efficient swimming. Without a bulky organ full of ballast to slow it down, Popplio is able to reach a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour, which is impressive for its small size. Its fur is short and sleek, further cutting down on water resistance. Its tail flippers, while making for clumsy movement at best on land, beat at a powerful pace that propels it through the water without trouble.
The tail is actually the most muscular part of Popplio's anatomy, and it is capable of using its tail in amazing ways on land as well. It can stand on its flippers without requiring additional support, and it is even capable of executing impressive jumps. It combines this with its water balloons to increase its mobility to truly jaw-dropping levels, which it uses to great effect in its performances!
Personality: Playful, energetic, and optimistic are the words one can most easily associate with Popplio. It's always looking on the bright side of life, even in seemingly hopeless situations. Even if the Trainer is down over a particularly catastrophic loss in battle, you can count on Popplio to try its hardest to raise their spirits. However, sometimes its optimism can be synonymous with naivety, and this can lead to trouble. One of the reasons why Popplio populations were so quickly hunted to the brink of extinction was because they consistently proved too naïve to show a fear of humans. (Of course, peaceful interactions with the natives of Alola for hundreds of years only served to reinforce this behavior.)
Popplio simply loves to play and fool around. You might feel tempted to compare Popplio to any species of canine Pokemon due to their love of social interaction, but the truth goes beyond that. Popplio will find a way to invent some kind of game even when all alone, seemingly out of boredom. It amuses itself most frequently with its water balloon techniques, and also likes to perform new kinds of jumps and acrobatic feats, which often involve more water balloons. This Water-type will show particular delight in showing off its moves when someone is watching, especially its friends. The feeling of being at the center of someone's attention motivates Popplio like nothing else, granting it the encouragement it needs to execute even more spectacular moves.
Play is more important for a Popplio's development than you might think. All that practice it does with its water balloons and various jumps is not simply a game to it – it takes it seriously and works hard to push past its limits. Some people are skeptical of its devotion to what may seem like a frivolous activity on the surface, but Popplio takes great pride in its ability to produce large balloons – indeed, this skill will become essential later in its life, so it has to practice as much as it can now! Water balloons are also an effective and prominent part of its battling strategy, using their springy surfaces to its advantage when blocking attacks or dodging them.
Habitat: Popplio are very rare, as is the case with all Pokemon used as Starters in their respective regions. Popplio is one of the more fortunate species that has not yet become extinct, and can be found today in remote coastal areas of Akala Island. There, they congregate in small colonies on beaches and cliffs, where they spend all their time whenever they're not in the water. Said colonies are also home to a few Brionne, which will leave either when their current colony becomes too crowded or they are close to evolving. Very rarely will any two Popplio or Brionne in these groups be related, at least to their knowledge – they wander from their nests soon after birth.
All known Popplio colonies are distributed around the southern portions of Akala, most notably in the vicinity of the Ruins of Life. Perhaps, with the latent powers of Fairy-types in their genes, Popplio are drawn to the presence of Tapu Lele. Similarly to how Tapu Koko protects the last remaining Rowlet populations in his territory, Tapu Lele does the same for these endangered Water-types (although it's doubtful that her intentions are as noble as Tapu Koko's).
Since they spend the majority of their lives in the ocean, Popplio have no particular nesting spots when they come onto land. For them, it's first come, first serve. There may be some favored sunbathing spots that are squabbled over, but for the most part, Popplio aren't territorial and do not fight amongst themselves. Together, they will even work on their water balloon skills, sometimes coordinating their efforts and eventually becoming able to put on synchronized displays. Usually, these performances are led by a Brionne. The Popplio that work together with this more experienced member of their family are somewhat jokingly referred to as "backup dancers".
Diet: A naturally omnivorous species, Popplio is unlike many other pinniped Pokemon in that it will happily consume plant matter as well as meat in the wild. The Dewgong, Samurott, and Walrein families all rely completely on fish and molluscs, but members of Popplio's evolutionary line also forage on aquatic plants ranging from sea grass to kelp. On land, they will also add berries to their diet when they can find them.
On their own, Popplio are not good hunters. Their speed allows them to easily overtake lone Wishiwashi, but aside from small non-Pokemon cephalopods, this is the only prey they are large enough to catch and bring back to shore to eat. However, Popplio have been known to band together in teams, usually led by a Brionne, and take on small schools of Wishiwashi (see cited research elaborating on the differences between Wishiwashi schools and Wishiwashi School Form). Notably, Popplio will go after sessile molluscs if the opportunity arises, but are not as specialized as Oshawott and lack the necessary tools to crack open the shells.
Relationship with Humans: In every region, there are three Pokemon that are traditionally assigned to aspiring Trainers as their first partner. These are always a Grass-type, Fire-type, and Water-type, the three basic elements. Each species representative of these types is chosen based on how easy it is to raise, how well they get along with human adolescents, and how powerful they will become when fully mature. Unfortunately, this centuries-old practice has caused these chosen "Starter" Pokemon to become extremely rare, and in some cases extinct in the wild. Breeding programs headed by Pokemon professors are all that keeps these culturally-important creatures from being lost forever.
In Alola, Popplio fills the role of the Water-type Starter, and it is just as well-known and well-loved as you'd expect from a traditional Starter Pokemon. While more high-maintenance than Rowlet and Litten due to its energetic, fun-loving personality and highly social nature, Popplio nevertheless makes an excellent companion for a traveling Trainer or even someone who just wants a loveable house pet. It is normally a Pokemon reserved for rookie Trainers, as the whole point of the breeding programs is both to provide the Trainer with a reliable first companion and to make sure the Pokemon grows to maturity so it may breed later on. However, anyone who is able to provide for a Popplio's needs, including any aquarium-related home renovations that may be necessary for this amphibious Pokemon, is welcome to raise one.
Back in the old days, Popplio was hunted for its fur and meat – this practice proved unsustainable as its numbers swiftly plummeted. It was fortunately saved from the brink of extinction, although it is still rare in the present day. Popplio was also popularly used in circuses during this time, both for its clown-like appearance and for its love of performing. However, using Popplio as part of a circus act was eventually outlawed when the wild populations became too unstable, and its role was henceforth given to the far more common Seel and Sealeo.
Nowadays, Popplio are generally well-liked, and have their own fanbase just as every other Starter does. It seems to be a trend for Popplio Trainers and regular fans in Alola to call themselves part of "Team Popplio". I've noticed the same thing for Rowlet and Litten fans as well, complete with merchandise catering to each of these separate factions. It's quite endearing – not something we had in Unova, certainly.
Battle Prowess: Popplio is much like Rowlet in that no one of its stats is particularly higher than the other, with the exception of its special attack. Indeed, Popplio can take a few hits and fight back with reasonably powerful ranged moves, which is good because it is quite the slow fighter on land. In the water, it's a different story, but its water balloons are also not as effective when used underwater.
Before it evolves, Popplio has a good range of both offensive and status moves to make use of. Water Gun, Disarming Voice, and Aqua Jet are all great for fighting at range, while Pound should be used only as a last resort if the battle becomes too close-quarters for comfort. Some Popplio have also been known to use Bubble Beam if they've put in an exceptional amount of work with practicing their water balloons, but this move is usually learned after evolution into Brionne.
While Torrent is a good ability for Popplio to have when in a pinch, some have a very rare ability called Liquid Voice. This will be elaborated upon in a later entry, but those with this ability have an innate talent for vocalizing that normally comes into play much later in life for the average Popplio.
Affection: Popplio is just like an energetic child when it comes to showing affection. Due to its already friendly personality, it doesn't take much effort on its Trainer's part to bond with it. Interacting with it on a daily basis is enough to get it excitedly jumping around and blowing balloons like there's no tomorrow. But that's the bare minimum of what you can do – actually working with Popplio and offering it advice, especially when it comes to its water balloon practice, is what will really get you in its good graces. Popplio enthusiastically lavishes its affection upon its Trainer via constant nuzzling and ecstatic flipper-clapping.
It's actually quite difficult to tell when Popplio is behaving normally and when it is being particularly affectionate, and the same is true for when it is possibly developing a crush on its Trainer. In fact, it's so difficult to discern Popplio's emotions based on its actions that it may not be capable of harboring such feelings at all. It is such a naturally-affectionate species that Pokemon psychologists are still attempting to determine whether or not this is true. However, if you feel that your Popplio is becoming too affectionate, exercise the same method I explained in the Rowlet entry – explain to it, gently, that it needs to back off and learn the fine line between playful and disruptive. It'll probably take a few tries to get it to remember, but as with all Starter Pokemon, Popplio's devotion will win out.
Special Warnings: None, although I did make an earlier reference to needing an aquarium or other spacious body of water nearby if you're hoping to keep one at home.
Professor Kukui's Words: "Although not as popular as Rowlet or Litten, Popplio's still won over the masses like a Hyper Beam to the heart! It's sure to impress with its love of performing and its surprisingly strong work ethic. Fortunately, in Alola, water is never far away, so raising a Popplio is the perfect choice for those who like to Play Nice!"
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AN:
My least favorite of the Starters, but unlike in other generations, I still have a great love of Popplio and its relatives. I used it twice – once in Moon and once in Ultra Sun. Their names were Poseidon and Mizu.
Headcanon time – the only "real" animals to exist in the Pokemon world are relatively primitive ones like fish, clams, insects, protozoa, etc. Why aren't there any vertebrates other than fish, you ask? Well, Pokemon would've outcompeted them to extinction, probably. (But I'm NOT getting into the evolutionary history of the Pokemon world – that's a whole other fanfic right there.)
Popplio: "Parp! Arp arp parp! Review, please please please!"
