Politoed (Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath)
Patetpellis mantella cisequitoria
Overview
Politoed are one of the most widespread pokémon on the planet. They can be found in rainforests, estuaries, wetlands, and lakes around the world. This is partially because of poliwrath's exceptional swimming ability and wanderlust. It is also because of politoed's ability to manipulate weather patterns. Semi- areas can become substantially wetter when enough politoed gather. This has helped stave off climate change-induced aridification in parts of Africa and Australia, such as the area around Lake Chad. Several governments have taken to breeding and shipping in politoed to semi-arid environments in an effort to make them more fertile.
Unfortunately, politoed do not create moisture. They simply call it down from the sky as rain. When all of the available moisture falls on one lake or river basin, the amount of rainfall downwind is dramatically reduced. In extremely arid environments there is very little politoed can do at all. This has set up conflicts over politoed and water in Southwest Asia, the Sahel, and the American Southwest and Anahuac where some nations and states use politoed bands to call the rain to the detriment of other nations. Niger, Nigeria, and Chad fought the four-month Lake War over poiltoed bands. The liberal use of politoed to bring back life to the Trinity Dead Zone may have also exacerbated the civil war in Anahuac. There are ongoing disputes between the states and tribal nations of the Southwest over the flow of the Colorado River, distribution of major aquifers, and the moisture in the air.
In Alola a lack of rainfall is not a problem. Politoed are actually seen as a nuisance for their harsh, bellowing cries near popular parks and tourist resorts. Some modern artists have made symphonies and other compositions based on politoed cries to challenge the idea of what is beautiful. Most people just find them annoying. Many of the politoed used in the Southwest have been exported from Alola.
Politoed and poliwrath are both solid choices on the island challenge. Poliwrath are strong, tough, and willing to train. Politoed can call down rain to enable weather-based strategies and they know their share of tricks to boot. While poliwag can be difficult to raise, trainers who do so often find the end result to be worth it.
Physiology
Poliwag, poliwhirl, and politoed are all classified as pure water-types. Poliwrath are classified as dual water- and fighting-types. The pure water designation is disputed. Some taxonomers would assign them a secondary psychic-typing to reflect their spiral organs effect. Beyond the specific purpose of putting foes to sleep, poliwhirl have very little psychic ability. Others would assign politoed a flying-typing to reflect their ability to call moisture from the air. Politoed display next to no other aerokinetic abilities. For now a type change seems unlikely.
Poliwag are tadpoles born with short, semi-functional hind legs. They have a long, broad tail they can use as a paddle. Their most notable feature is their translucent skin that allows their internal organs and bones to be seen. All stages have green bones. They bleach quickly after death, so the color can only be seen in live specimens. Poliwag are not photosynthetic. The bones are oddly colored due to a unique protein in their blood. Like birds, poliwag have hollow bones. This allows them to store a great deal of oxygen. The bones are still remarkably strong for reasons that are poorly understood.
Poliwag's second most notable feature is the spiraling organ visible on their abdomen. Some of the spiral is the intestines. The rest is a specialized organ that generates psionic waves as the pokémon swims. Anything that stares directly at the spiral may have their brainwaves disrupted in such a way that they become drowsy or black out. The sleep spiral is poliwag and poliwhirl's main defense against predators.
Finally, poliwag have pink lips that can function as suction cups. This helps them hold on to grasses in rough currents and storms without expending a great deal of energy.
Poliwhirl have more developed legs and feet than poliwag. They have fully lost their tail. In addition, they also grow a pair of white hands with two opposing digits, one much broader than the other. Their eyes are forward facing and protrude slightly from the rest of the body. The mouth can be difficult to identify but is located beneath the nostrils at the very edge of the visible sleep spiral. It usually appears to be a thin slit but can open up to a 270-degree angle when consuming very large prey. The stomach is located behind the sleep spiral. It is commonly and incorrectly believed that poliwhirl sweat on land. They cannot as they lack sweat glands. Instead, they draw moisture from the air to keep their skin hydrated. They are not yet adept enough to change the weather without expending a great deal of their elemental well.
Poliwag, politoed, and poliwrath have black skin coated in a layer of blue mucus. Their abdomen is translucent and primarily appears white because of the flesh behind it. Politoed have much thicker green skin that is no longer translucent. The jaw, the clingpads, and a spiral on the stomach above the sleep spiral are all cream, yellow, or orange depending on the individual. Politoed have pink markings at the end of the jaw. Finally, politoed have a horn extending from the base of their head. The horn is very thin and spirals at the end, making it look like a hair. The horn is used to channel elemental energy when changing the weather. Politoed have very large lungs that let them make loud, bellowing cries.
Even though the sleep spiral is no longer visible, the organ has developed to be intense enough to send psionic waves through the skin in all directions. This can put disrupt enemies that are not looking directly at them.
Poliwrath are in many ways simply a more developed poliwhirl. They have much stronger musculature and broader hands and feet. Poliwrath also gain a swim bladder and a few specialized organs for handling salt. When at sea they excrete hard pellets of salt and feces every two to three days. Poliwrath are known for their endurance, including the ability to swim across entire oceans with only minimal periods of pure rest. They can swim even as most of their brain rests. Poliwrath have a secondary vascular system designed to quickly drain and process lactic acid formed by the muscles to prevent buildup.
Politoed grow to be forty-three inches tall and weigh forty pounds. Poliwrath grow to be fifty-two inches tall and weigh eighty pounds. Both typically live for around five years in the wild. Politoed routinely live to fifteen years of age in captivity; poliwrath rarely live for more than seven.
Behavior
Poliwag live mostly solitary lives at the bottom of densely planted bodies of water. They spend most of their time hiding in the grasses. When there are no predators around they will forage on the grasses around them. Their primary tactic when threatened is to expose their abdomen and attempt to put the predator to sleep. Poliwag use as little energy as possible to facilitate growth and limit the amount of time they must expose themselves to forage.
Poliwhirl begin to live in bands under the control of the local politoed. There can be up to fifteen poliwhirl serving a single politoed. On rainy days poliwhirl will emerge from the ponds and hunt small bug pokémon like caterpie and spinarak. They can hunt the latter by knocking them off of their webs with water gun. On dryer days poliwhirl hunt in their home pond for small fish. Once they have eaten their fill, they will grab one more bug or fish as an offering to the band leader.
Every night the politoed around a pond will compete for dominance by croaking as loudly as they can. This intimidates rivals and might woo mates. If a politoed is clearly losing these contests some of their followers may leave. Both males and females lead bands. Politoed very rarely socialize outside of mating, coordinated rain calling, and the nightly contests.
During times of drought, all of the politoed in an area will come together and sing together in order to summon rain. They may also coordinate collective defenses whenever predation gets out of hand. Individual politoed are expected to either scare off or kill any predators that get too close to the band's usual resting place. They also watch over the sleeping poliwhirl at night.
Politoed spend most of their life within a mile of where they hatched. Poliwrath are wanderers constantly on the hunt for new territory. They enjoy following rivers or the open ocean to see what is on the other side. Poliwrath are mostly solitary outside of raising poliwag (see Breeding). After very long journeys, such as moving across oceans, poliwrath will stop in an area with clean water and abundant prey to rest. When there are conspecifics around they will become a guest of the area's strongest politoed.
Politoed are generally ambivalent or hostile towards humans. Poliwrath tend to be fond of them and will even help small children learn how to swim. They frequently follow oceanliners to see where they are going.
Husbandry
All stages have rather different needs.
Poliwag are herbivores that prefer to eat freshwater plants. Saltwater plants like kelp can contain too much sodium for them and should be avoided. Most specialty stores in Alola sell freshwater plant mixes, although they can be a bit expensive. Poliwag prefer to be fed in a water-filled bowl large enough to at least partially submerge themselves in.
Poliwhirl and politoed are carnivores that need to be fed some blend of insect mixes and fresh fish. Different trainers use different ratios, but a rate of two parts fish per one part insect is generally agreed to be the best. Trainers that cannot afford this can use an even split.
Poliwrath need a very high protein diet consisting of fish. They will also eat poultry and red meat. If protein supplements are added to the fish the pokémon will need less food. Their digestive system is not able to efficiently process carbohydrates or fats and the pokémon primarily needs protein to live.
Poliwag and poliwhirl will need access to water to soak in every few hours. Politoed will need to be misted frequently in dryer weather but can otherwise keep themselves hydrated. Poliwrath, despite having thin skin, are able to retain water well and will only need moisturized once every six hours. In very humid weather they will not need to be misted.
Poliwag are ungainly on land and will need help practicing how to walk, including encouragement like access to favored toys, environments, and food. Outside of walking practice they are not particularly social and prefer to spend most of their time withdrawn or well hidden.
The older stages are social in their own ways. Poliwhirl like to sleep near their trainer. Unfortunately, they will sometimes grow upset when their trainer falls asleep 'on watch.' Having a trusted nocturnal pokémon stand vigil at night can help alleviate their concerns. Poliwrath enjoy having a partner to train with. They prefer trainers who will frequently swim alongside them. Politoed like to be doted on. They are entitled pokémon that can loudly rebuke trainers who are not providing them adequate food, water, enrichment, and companionship.
Politoed can be civil with most pokémon, except for other politoed. Other adult amphibians can be treated like visiting poliwrath. This means that they will become upset unless the other amphibian is also doted on. Poliwrath will be distant but polite towards most species. Poliwag are anxious and unlikely to socialize with teammates.
Illness
Fungal infections are one of the most common health problems for the line. These manifest as white patches on the skin. If treated immediately there may be no lasting health effects. If allowed to linger they will likely kill the pokémon.
Dehydration is another serious health concern. Poliwag, poliwhirl, and politoed must be allowed to soak themselves frequently, or at least be misted regularly if this is not possible. Starvation can also be an issue for poliwhirl and especially politoed. They are gluttonous and need to eat every few hours during the day and night, respectively, just to survive. Poliwrath prefer to eat bigger meals once or twice a day. Poliwag should be allowed to eat frequently but are far less likely to suffer from starvation-related illnesses.
Internal illnesses are unusually easy to diagnose in poliwag, poliwhirl, and politoed due to their translucent abdomen. Any discoloration of the sleep spiral or other organs should be considered extremely serious. A veterinarian should be consulted as soon as possible.
Evolution
Poliwag slowly evolve into poliwhirl over the course of ten months. The formal demarcation line between the two is the complete loss of the tail.
Poliwhirl evolve based on their habitat and social dynamics. Poliwhirl will evolve into politoed if the water they swim in is slightly brackish. This tells the pokémon that they are near the sea and should evolve. This effect can also be replicated by being around water stones. Poliwhirl do not need to consume the stone to begin evolving.
Poliwhirl evolve into politoed when they are fully grown and there are not many politoed in the area. The exact trigger is not fully understood for wild specimens. Captive specimens usually begin to evolve into politoed shortly after they finish growing unless they are exposed to brackish water or a water stone, in which case they will begin evolving into poliwrath instead.
Battle
Politoed see some use as a support on competitive circuits as a support pokémon for rain teams. They can summon some of the strongest storms of any pokémon for the time and energy exerted. Politoed can also buy themselves time to strengthen the storm with tricks such as protect, substitute, hypnosis, scald, and encore. Unfortunately, they are not very powerful or naturally durable pokémon and must rely on status moves to stay in the fight. They are also somewhat redundant with other water-pokémon.
Poliwrath are theoretically quite good with their ability to put pokémon to sleep and then punch them very hard. This is complicated in practice because the strategy can be thwarted by simply looking away. Poliwrath are not fast enough on land to chase down prey and aside from powerful punches and a decent disruptive option in hypnosis they have little going for them.
Both are perfectly usable pokémon on the island challenge. Neither is weak, they are just not well suited for facing down metagames filled with alakazam, machamp, and dragons. In a league with much lower power levels politoed can outlast their enemies while tripping them up. If well trained they can even be offensive threats in the rain.
Poliwrath can use belly drum to unlock the full power of their muscles, even if this causes them to damage their own skeletal system if they are not careful. Without resorting to belly drum they are still versatile, wearing down opponents from afar with ranged water attacks or knocking them out up close with a solid punch. Opposing trainers are also less likely to be prepared to handle a hypnosis.
Poliwhirl are in an awkward middle ground. They are not yet as strong as poliwrath or able to summon the rain like politoed. They are best used as slow ranged attackers that can disrupt opponents with hypnosis.
Poliwag are not built for combat, especially on land where they have trouble moving. Put enemies to sleep, hit them with water guns or bubbles if necessary, and ideally switch out to something better able to take advantage of the opening.
Acquisition
The line can be found in most ponds, lakes, and streams on the archipelago. Poni is a little too arid for them, making it the one exception. Several municipalities will pay trainers to catch politoed. Others just remove legal barriers around pokémon capture in city limits. Poliwag can be caught by fishing with a piece of grass. Poliwhirl need fish as bait.
Politoed are best caught by approaching them at night when they are bellowing. Send out a pokémon of a similar size to challenge their authority without scaring them away. If defeated they may agree to go with the trainer to avoid the shame of facing the other politoed after a defeat in front of their entire band.
Poliwrath can occasionally be seen around politoed territories. If approached and given a proving battle they may decide the trainer is a worthy one and agree to come along for a time.
Poliwag and poliwhirl can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class I license. Politoed and poliwrath can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class II license.
Breeding
Politoed breed in early spring. In the wild females evaluate males based on the pitch and volume of their voice and length of their horn. Males with deeper and louder voices as well as longer horns are more likely to attract females. Females lay thirty eggs on foliage above moving water. The tadpoles stay in their eggs until they have begun to develop legs, at which point they leave the egg, fall into the water below, and swim to the nearest plant life. The female will defend the eggs until they hatch, at which point she shows no further care for the offspring beyond eliminating predators.
Poliwrath are all female, regardless of their sex before evolution. They also have delayed implantation. A poliwrath can mate with a male politoed and wait years before implanting the eggs. This is done when the poliwrath finds a new location suitable for politoed that does not yet have a population. Poliwrath zealously safeguard their eggs, poliwag, and poliwhirl until the first evolutions into politoed happen.
Poliwrath do not readily breed in captivity. Politoed can be bred once every spring by introducing them to a suitable mate. Males may be willing to mate with females from other species. Females are often reluctant to do so, but it has been documented. This usually occurs on teams where the politoed was frequently around a male amphibian of another species for several years.
Politoed are often willing to entrust their eggs to their trainer. They can be safely moved to an incubator where they must be kept moist and warm. If discoloration is spotted on an egg it should be removed immediately before the potential infection spreads. Once the developing poliwag get large enough the eggs should be placed on a thin mesh above a pan of water and plant matter.
Relatives
Politoed can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Poliwrath are well traveled enough that populations on different continents experience relatively little genetic drift. The one exception lies south of the equator. For reasons unknown, poliwrath refuse to cross the equator. They get extremely anxious going near it. As a result the southern hemisphere has a genetically distinct politoed population, P. m. transquitoria. They are visually quite similar except that their sleep spiral rotates counter-clockwise instead of clockwise.