Florges- Queens crowned in bloodied thorns
[AN- It has been some time since I last updated this I am aware. Life situation popped up where all motivation to write went down the drain for a few months, despite my efforts. But on the bright side the situation is looking up. Thank you all for your patience in the last few months.]
Overview-
Whether they are cultivating a noble's gardens or tending to an isolated glade, the Florges line displays a grace unmatched. A Florges in the wild will always lead a court of 20-40 of their unevolved forms, alongside a variety of other Grass, Bug, and Fairy type pokemon. Native to the Kalos region, the pokemon has a long history with human nobility. Deals with local fae are a necessity to defend castles and palaces from rampaging Dragon types, and deals with Florges often only required a protected garden in the estate. Nobles looking to lure a court of dragon slayers to their home can do so with an investment of a Shiny Stone, earning the gratitude and protection of a fae queen for centuries to come.
The diet of a Florges is different from that of a Flabébé or Floette. While their unevolved forms only require nectar and moonlight to sustain themselves, Florges must supplement their diet with meat or blood. The power that comes with evolution necessitates more energy to sustain itself. When not pushing themselves the pokemon only requires 8ml weekly, commonly gathered through setting traps of thorny brambles where pokemon gather or tithes from members of their court. Captured Florges can be supplied blood meal to satisfy that requirement, and if that is not an option their blood requirement is low enough for a healthy adult to supply it indefinitely. The lifespan of a Florges is measured in centuries, with most Florges dying of old age between 400-500 years old. A Floette will often live around 70 years before passing away. Growing and living in a large strong flower garden will push either stage of the line to living longer lives, though death will claim them eventually no matter the size of their garden.
Florges are often compared to Blissey in their most used role in competitive battling, as both are able to withstand energy attacks with ease and heal away damage quickly. Florges are not quite as capable in the role of special wall as Blissey, but are much more capable of dealing damage in return with a powerful Moonblast or Petal Blizzard. A well trained Florges is very well suited to acting as a healer as well, with Wish and Aromatherapy used to restore the health and vitality of their teammates. Though they are not true Grass types the pokemon is often seen on the teams of Grass Masters, as their unique traits pair extremely well.
Lifecycle-
Flabébé eggs hatch in the early weeks of spring, when most of the flowers of their environment are just starting to bloom. Hatching in groups of 3-7, the newborn's first action will be to find the most beautiful unoccupied flower and gnaw it off its plant. The newly detached flower will be the Flabébé's conduit of Grass and Fairy energy until it evolves, slowly growing alongside the pokemon. After all of her daughters have selected their flower the mother Floette will lead them to her den.
A Flabébé will be active at all hours of the day, sleeping between one and three hours at a time whenever they grow tired. Moonlight and flower nectar make up the bulk of their diet, with honey as a favorite treat whenever they can get some. Flabébé will stick close to their mother, but if something shiny catches their eye the child will tend to wander off to investigate. Floette spend much of their time in spring keeping their children from leaving their protected glade. After enough time has passed for their flower to fully bloom, typically 6 months, the Flabébé will become more independent, letting the wind carry them all across the land. They have no fear of starvation as they traverse the region, as their bloom focus allows them to grow flowers to drink from whenever they are hungry, as long as they bask in sufficient moonlight.
Flabébé will evolve into Floette once they have passed 3 years of age and gained sufficient mastery over Fairy energy. The rule of thumb on whether a Flabébé is ready in that regard is if she can use the Disarming Voice technique several times before tiring out. Upon evolution the pokemon will settle down and either seek out and join an existing Florges court or remain independent, with the rare ambitious Floette trying to establish a court of her own. Floette no longer require a flower focus to control their energy, though in almost every case they will retain the flower they chose at birth. In some cases a Floette will have several flowers they rotate between. Floette have the same diet as their younger form, merely requiring larger amounts.
Floette are one of the few non Grass type pokemon to have the ability to increase the speed of plant growth around them. They will use this ability to grow dens out of flowering bushes and vines, weaving stems to make spherical hollows 4 feet across. These fairy homes are their pride and joy, covered in immense flowers they spend much of their time tending to. Floette gather energy from their flower garden, with the more beautiful the flowers they grow the stronger the Floette becomes. Anyone who tramples upon their garden is attacked immediately.
Not all Floette have it within them to be queens, content to tend to the garden surrounding her home. But for some Floette there is more to life than mere contentedness. Whether inheriting a dying queen's court or by building one of her own, a Floette must become a queen to evolve naturally. Most often done by ambitious Floette gathering a group of wandering Flabébé and other subjects, court building is no easy task. Power must be gathered and defended, as large gardens attract hungry Bug and Poison types from miles away. Over the years the Flabébé subjects will themselves evolve, their power used at their leaders direction. Should a court defend their home and gain enough strength the leader Floette can become the queen in truth.
On the night of a full moon with no clouds obscuring the stars the court will crown their queen. Each Floette will gift their leader the flower they chose at birth, smearing each of its petals with a drop of her blood. The leader will weave together the flowers, forming a bouquet of thorny vines and vibrant petals positively brimming with Fairy energy. Forming the bouquet will take her several days, finishing once the moon returns as a crescent, carefully growing them all together in perfect harmony. Once the bouquet is complete she will let the thorns pierce her skin, staining the mantle with her own blood and trigger evolution. A Shiny stone is capable of triggering evolution in Floette, though the resulting Florges must spend several months growing enhanced flowers before she can make her mantle. Nonetheless this is the most accessible way for trainers to evolve their Floette, even with the substantial cost of the rare Shiny stone.
The presence of a Florges will repel all but the most foolhardy or desperate of invaders. While a Floette is capable of strong Moonblast, even a Florges' Dazzling Gleam would put one to shame. Alongside their immensely increased power in combat is a corresponding increase in their growth aura. The glade she had built will thrum with empowered life radiating from its queen. A Florges is capable of reviving a ruined garden with awe inspiring speed, spilling drops of her blood among the ruined stalks and ushering in new blooms at once. The mantle she wears is sustained this way, each feeding off each other in a powerful symbiosis. The pokemon receives a focus capable of wielding immense power for Fairy and Grass energies, while the mantle is sustained by the blood of a fae queen. Each Florges is the matriarch of her own court, spending her time ensuring her subjects and garden thrive.
Reproduction-
The Florges line is female only, requiring males of other species to reproduce. Fairy types with compatible genetics are most common, with select Grass and Bug types also appearing in the pool of candidates. Long lifespans make reproduction a rare occurrence, in most cases a Floette will lay 2-3 clutches throughout her life. Florges themselves do not breed in the wild, and captured Florges only do so very rarely. Flabébé born of a Florges typically have a dark purple colouration instead of the normal green. This is not passed down further unless they also evolve to Florges.
When a Floette is wanting to mate she will wait until the end of summer, in the meantime growing her garden in a particular way, forgoing the usual focus of vibrancy in favour of a strong heady scent. After gathering petals and pollen from this crop she will go among the male subjects of the court, looking for one receptive to the scent. Aromatisse and Slurpuff are common mates, with Rosalia and Whimsicott just behind. In the Alola region Ribombee is a prime candidate for searching Floette.
After finding a mate and breeding the Floette will return to her home and begin preparations for her eggs. The garden must provide a large variety of beautiful flowers for her daughters to choose from, and she won't rest until it meets her standards. The eggs are typically laid 2 months after mating, and will take another 4 months to hatch. The clutch is laid in the center of the garden in a nest made of flower petals and exposed to the light of the moon. Typically the reigning Florges will visit the expecting mother and provide a drop of her blood to the garden to ensure the children will have a strong focus once they hatch.
Misc-
There exists a single species of flower no member of the Florges line will touch, known as "Regret of the Raging Fool" in the Kalosian language. The flower in question has 2 sets of 3 red-black petals and a prominent stigma rising from the center. This flower grows commonly around the gravestones of route 10, on the shores of the lake of Anistar city, and surrounding the ancient tree of Laverre city. This coincides with the territory of Florges courts, with the northern half of the region possessing none of the thorn tangled Courts that rule the southern forest of Kalos. When asked why no member of their species will grow the flower the only answer a Florges will give is "Life has released it from their light, leaving it for Her". Asking who She is yields only silence.
Florges are much beloved by the nobility of Kalos for their use in defending their castles, but there exists another reason that they are so popular. When happy a Floette will enhance the growth and colouration of flowers in their vicinity, and when processed correctly these enhanced flowers can be used to make strong and lasting dyes. It was often the primary duty of the heir or heiress to ensure the Floette on their estate grounds were well provided for. Wearing dull and drab clothing as a member of nobility would have had you laughed out of whatever estate you entered. A vibrant riot of colours is the hallmark of Kalosian fashion to this day. The arrangement and colouration of one's outfit was often used to convey secretive messages, with each familial line having their own code. Learning the Flower Languages of each noble family was a vital skill for spies at the time.
The south-eastern forest of Kalos are not kind to interlopers, with the Winding Woods being the kindest of the lot. The scars of wars fought long ago still mark the land and trees, wounds not yet forgiven or forgotten. Old Florges queens and towering Trevenants rule these lands, with the presence of humans being tolerated at best. Treaties have been brokered with the majority of the Florges courts where the Kalos League will not expand into their forest. Humans that trespass will merely be knocked out and returned back to a safe route, missing any sweets they had on them. Humans that attempt to harm or poach a Florges' court are not afforded such mercy.