Number: # 031
Type: Rock
Species: Ore
Gender: 50% Male – 50% Female
Japanese Name: Gantle
Description: As Roggenrola becomes stronger, the energy core within itself becomes more powerful too. As time passes it continues to grow until finally it cannot be contained within the body anymore, and thus Roggenrola evolves into Boldore.
As it evolves; its body enlarges to capacitate this new power, and reserves of pure energy break out and crystalize, forming orange crystalline formations jagging out of locations all around the body. Strangely, these formations always appear in the same place on every Boldore, there has never been a Boldore to have extra, missing, or alternately placed crystals at all. Perhaps it is because these are Boldore's weakest points upon evolving, so the energy bursts out at these vulnerable locations consistently.
These crystal formations seem to be directly linked to Boldore's energy core, as they glow with power whenever Boldore is readying a powerful attack. It can also make these glow for the purpose of illuminating dark areas such as caverns. Since it does not require light to see, it only does this to help humans or other Pokémon.
When broken or chipped off, the energy in these crystals disperses and reverts to common igneous rock, denying us the chance to examine them. As Boldore's core is always producing more energy, these crystals will swiftly be replaced by brand new ones.
With the addition of a spine located at Boldore's front, its single ear has now becomes two ears. Now that it can receive sound from two different places at once, Boldore's 'vision' is now much broader and Boldore can comprehend its surroundings a lot better. It can also filter unneeded noise out and focus on more specific sounds. This means that it can no longer be overwhelmed by too many conflicting sounds as it would as a Roggenrola, but this also means that Boldore can search out hidden or insignificant things that not even a Swoobat would notice.
Boldore was discovered alongside Roggenrola as both species frantically clawed their way out of the Twist Mountain fissure and into Unova. The Boldore were fewer in number and were shyer than the Roggenrola, so they fled deep into caves immediately. Over the last hundred years they have made many appearances and have integrated into Pokémon society and niche.
Upon evolving in the wild, they leave their old community to form their own groups of 3 – 6 members. These Pokémon hide away just like Roggenrola, but they still approach any exploring humans out of curiosity. They will rush to the defense of any nearby Roggenrola communities under attack. Many species of Pokémon leave their home upon evolution for differing reasons, some of which are unknown.
Personality: Boldore's personality does not change upon evolution; it remains the same friendly, curious Pokémon that you had before, just in a larger body. It is very proud of its newfound power and tries to show it off by brightly flashing its crystals. Unfortunately, many Pokémon mistake this for a threatening display and react in a hostile manner, causing poor Boldore a few unwanted battles.
They are still very curious, but behave differently than their previous form. Roggenrola directly approach humans without caution, whereas Boldore observe from the shadows and try to indirectly interact, sometimes by throwing rocks (not directly at the human, of course) or building little piles of rocks. When a human stops to investigate these, Boldore comes shuffling up to observe closely.
Boldore are equally as kind as their younger counterpart Roggenrola, and while they have little external interaction with Pokémon, most of it is spent helping or trying to help Pokémon. Due to their lack of socialisation, they sometimes think a Pokémon is in need of help even when it isn't, and get themselves into trouble. But they never mean any harm, even if they act on misguided impulse.
Lifespan: Just like Roggenrola, Boldore shows no evidence of ever dying of natural causes. The only times Boldore has been documented to 'die' is when the energy core within itself is released or severely traumatised. If exposed to thousands of years of erosion, it is possible that Boldore could wear away until it dies.
Diet: It does not need any form of nutrition. The energy core reacting within its body needs to external assistance; and since the energy core is its sole source of sustainment, it needs to external help either.
How To Bond: If you read Roggenrola's entry, then you will already know how to bond with Boldore. The only reason Boldore even looks different from Roggenrola was so it could accommodate the new reserves of power within itself; otherwise it would be completely the same.
However, Boldore is no longer afflicted by loud and conflicting noises such as those within a city, so you do not need to worry about taking it to specific places. Be advised that attacks like supersonic and machines that use extreme frequencies (such as sonar) will still have a disastrous effect on Boldore, so you must remove it immediately.
It is still a very curious Pokémon, especially if you caught it from the wild rather than evolving it up. Due to this, it will want to explore many new places and learn as much as it can from this new world. Letting Boldore earn as much as it can from this will result in a very grateful Pokémon!
For an unknown reason, they are attracted to underground water wells, which is bizarre behaviour for a Rock type as they normally fear water. If you give Boldore the opportunity to find one of these wells, it will be grateful to you for the rest of its life. When they do discover a water reserve, they shuffle around the perimeter and dab themselves into the water, while performing all sorts of eldritch rituals. We have yet to develop a conclusion on this irregular behaviour.
They seem to have sensitive hearts and can easily take someone's words to heart (or energy core!) for better, or for worse. It may be hard to tell if Boldore is sad, but it is important that you comfort it if it is. Signs of a saddened Boldore include apathy and disinterest in group activities, something that Boldore would not normally pass up.
Battling: Boldore is a bulky heavy hitter, able to take ample amounts of damage without issue, and return the favour with twice the ferocity. However, its Special Defense is paper-thin, so expect Boldore to fall if you're up against an enemy that focuses on Special attacks. Boldore is also as slow as a… boulder; but it's ability Sturdy can remedy this somewhat.
With five weaknesses, four of which are very common, sending Boldore out to battle can be a risky gamble. Before sending it out, try summing up your opponent's type and the typing of moves they can possibly learn. This may seem to be a troublesome task, but it is much better to go through this effort than send Boldore out only to have it decimated by an unexpected attack!
Iron Defense should be your first move, since you won't get many more in otherwise. Power Gem is the first move learnable after evolution, but it is rather pointless, as it is a special attack; and Boldore's Special Attack is truly abysmal. For now, stick to Rock Blast and Headbutt. Rock Slide is where things really get rolling (or sliding!) since it is a heavy physical attack backed by STAB, and can cause the enemy to flinch, buying you extra precious time. There are some places where this move cannot be used, such as city streets, simply because it would cause a huge amount of damage.
Stealth Rock is a fantastic move that deals no damage initially, but will inflict severe damage whenever another opponent is switched into battle. This will give you an advantage straight off the bat, and can quickly set you up for victory if used right. The damage inflicted depends entirely on the enemies' typing however, so if you're up against Fighting types don't expect it to do much damage.
With Fellow Pokémon: Boldore are still kind and friendly and try their best to be helpful, whether their help is wanted or not. Given Boldore's bulky form, it can sometimes causes accidents when running to help somebody. Lot of Pokémon won't take kindly to such behaviour, and will respond angrily or even aggressively in retaliation. Poor Boldore will not have understood what it did wrong, so it is important that you have a little talk about acting calmly.
As a Roggenrola it feared Water types greatly, but now it actually approaches and examines them, before walking away in disinterest. Perhaps they remind it of the underground water reserves it constantly searches for. Most Water types won't mind this, but may be slightly creeped out.
On the opposite of the spectrum, Bug types will be intimidated by Boldore; as they could easily be squished by such a big Pokémon with strong resistances. This excludes the Sewaddle family and Durant, both of which can defend themselves. To resolve this, have a little meeting between Boldore and your Bugs in a constrained place, where neither group can strike each other. When they are in this position, both sides will have to listen to what you say.
Boldore will always faithfully support its team members in battle and in normal life. Numerous Pokémon would appreciate having such a charitable ally by their side, so you should ensure that they do not abuse this opportunity.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Boldore is a faithful and useful Pokémon that can give its best inside and outside of battle, all while being your friend. While it may be hard to talk and play with a living rock, you mustn't segregate Boldore from your other Pokémon simply because it looks strange. They are overall more capable versions of Roggenrola, so it is suggested that you wait to capture one of these rather than a Roggenrola.
Next Time… Number 032 Gigalith!
A/N: I'm not really happy with this one, as it seems more like an extension off of Roggenrola rather than an actual chapter. But there wasn't too much to talk about, so I had to stretch my imagination a bit to get even this far. While I don't normally like Pokémon like these, I must admit that Boldore's shiny form is awesome! It looks like a radioactive Headcrab or something...
Fun Facts: Boldore is designed after both a geode and a crab. It is also the first Pokémon since Generation I that evolves via trading with no extra conditions.
Boldore is the only Pokémon with three legs, i.e. a tripod. Now I'm getting disturbing images of War Of The Worlds… Are the Boldore going to spread red mist all over Unova? Do they come from Mars? Yeesh... If you can't find me, I'll be hiding in my basement wearing my tinfoil hat.