Lycanroc (Rockruff)
Overview
Lycanroc were probably domesticated or semi-domesticated when they first came to Alola. Since then they have lapsed back into wild behaviors. The indigenous people lived in close quarters with lycanroc, even hunting together on occasion, but they are not friendly and subservient in the same way as domesticated dogs. They are only ever tame. This makes them a poor choice for a first canine pokémon. Still, the captive-bred population is much larger than Alola's other wild canines like houndoom and ninetales. Trainers who grew up with a stoutland or eevee but want to train a more challenging dog on the trail may be well-served by a stand-offish but loyal lycanroc.
Physiology
Rockruff and lycanroc are currently classified as pure rock-types. There is a significant minority of scientists that supports a secondary normal typing as the current typing is misleading given lycanroc's actual physiology. The USDA is set to hold hearings on the matter beginning in April 2020.
Both stages are primarily organic. The only parts that identify it as a rock-type are their claws, collar, rib guard, and horn. Their claws are primarily made of gabbro, a common mineral in oceanic crust. A layer of gabbro also surrounds their ribs to protect internal organs from attack. Lycanroc have a gabbro horn extending from their forehead. The horn first appears after evolution and continues to grow as they age. Rockruff have a series of small "pebbles" growing from the skin on their neck. In lycanroc four of these grow into prominent horns that make it difficult to strike at the pokémon's weakest point.
Rockruff are small canines. Their goat is usually light brown but tan, orange, red, black, and white coats have also been observed. The mane around their neck and the tuft of fur around their tail are almost always white. Rockruff have a powerful sense of smell, even by canine standards. Rockruff can sometimes track prey that passed by three to five days ago. On balance, their sense of vision is weak.
Rockruff and lycanroc supplement these weaknesses by a form of geosensory. The rocks on their body are used to attune them to the surrounding earth. This lets them sense the position of the rocks around them. It also makes their rock-type attacks particularly potent. Lycanroc can use these abilities to run up near-vertical cliff faces and sense the footsteps of prey nearly a kilometer away. This ability is thrown off by the loose sands of beaches and the Haina Valley. This weakness can be mitigated with extensive practice.
There are three different forms of lycanroc. These are not currently considered distinct species, but the matter will be reviewed along with their typing in the upcoming USDA hearings. These three forms are formally known as the diurnal, nocturnal, and crepuscular lycanroc. Breeders and hobbyists often refer to them as the midday, midnight, and dusk lycanroc, respectively. The rest of this guide will use the formal terminology.
Diurnal and crepuscular lycanroc have similar builds to rockruff. Their limbs, claws, tales, and manes grow longer. If it weren't for the growth of a horn and neck spikes, they probably would not be classified as being distinct from rockruff. Diurnal lycanroc are nearly blind and hunt almost entirely based on smell, hearing, and geosensory. Crepuscular lycanroc have the strongest sight of the three, including a limited range of color vision. They are well known for their flamboyant coats during the mating season. Their hearing and geosensory are somewhat weaker than their diurnal counterparts.
Nocturnal lycanroc are much different than rockruff. Their muscles and bones are aligned so that they can easily sit upright with their forepaws in the air. Some even learn to walk on two legs for short distances. Lycanroc wrists are built in such a way that they can grip objects more easily than the average dog. Only nocturnal lycanroc are in a position to fully exploit this. They can carry objects in one paw while walking on the other three. Their rib guards grow out to extend through the skin. The nocturnal form's mane grows to be longer and extend all the way up to the horn. This makes the pokémon look larger than it actually is. The eyes of the nocturnal form glow red in the dark. This is the only purpose of the eyes, as nocturnal lycanroc are fully blind. Finally, the nocturnal form has a much darker coat than rockruff. Some even have blood red fur.
Lycanroc seldom bark. Their more common vocalizations are hisses, growls, screams, chortles, snorts, and purrs.
All forms grow to a height of roughly eighty centimeters at the withers. They can weigh over twenty-five kilograms. Males are usually slightly larger than females. Wild specimens seldom live for more than seven years, but captive ones can live for up to twenty.
Behavior
Rockruff are typically curious and prone to exploring the world around them, almost always under the aegis of their nearby mother. As soon as a rockruff's eyes open they will begin to pick fights with small bugs and other weak pokémon. Sometimes they will even engage with a larger opponent. As long as the enemy at least puts up a good show for the rockruff the mother will let it leave alive. Anything that dares to ignore or hurt her child will suddenly find itself dealing with an angry lycanroc.
With the sole exception of mothers and young children, crepuscular lycanroc live alone. They use their vision and intelligence to try and hunt one or two small pokémon every dusk and dawn. After their hunts they will usually retreat to a secure burrow or cliff face to sleep through the night and day. Days with cloudy skies and nights with bright moonlight are a rare chance for the crepuscular lycanroc to play. During these times they will often find herds of pokémon, especially mareep, and run alongside them. Crepuscular lycanroc are easily fast enough to kill their playmates, but they choose not to. There is some evidence that they actually target species that dare to hurt mareep in their range. This has made them surprisingly popular with the ranchers of Paniola despite the occasional lost sheep to an injured lycanroc unable to hunt its usual prey.
Diurnal lycanroc live in mated pairs raising their most recent litter and sometimes the litter before it. Their territories are regularly patrolled to make sure that other lycanroc are not intruding. Watering holes are usually considered common ground and territorial ranges often converge there. Diurnal lycanroc are snipers, using geosensory and geokinesis to fire off small rocks with incredible speed and unerring accuracy. They blend in among the rocks until something gets into their range. Then it is killed with a few accelerocks. Lycanroc can hunt prey up to three hundred meters away from them. Fathers are the primary caregivers of weaned pups. They use their superior size to protect the children while the female hunts.
Despite their fearsome appearance, nocturnal lycanroc are the most social. Families are still tight-knit and spend most of their time by themselves. Hunts are often coordinated affairs of three to five families. They primarily target creatures larger than themselves. Lycanroc compensate for their blindness by using harsh screams and a fearsome appearance to scare prey into running. From there they can use their geosensory to track its movements. The packs will take turns harassing the prey until it is worn down or babies fall behind. From there the lycanroc will finish the prey with a powerful claw swipe to the neck. This is where their bipedal attacking stance and superior jumping ability come into play. Rockruff are brought along to most hunts. It is believed that they help the blind adults aim so that they can more reliably strike the vital points of their targets.
Husbandry
Standard canine kibble is a good base for a rockruff or lycanroc diet. Meaty bones and gabbro or bastalt can supplement the diet. Some breeders and trainers feed their pokémon the whole carcasses of small pokémon. Despite being rock-types, the lycanroc line do need to drink lots of water and should always have access to a bowl.
Rockruff can be trained to defecate and urinate outside if training starts from a young age or another, older canine can model the behavior. Wild-caught lycanroc seldom learn.
The diurnal and nocturnal lycanroc are social creatures that expect near-constant attention from either other pokémon or their trainer. Training them with another canine is the best approach. Try to make sure that the canine companion is active at the same times of day. Otherwise, the two may fight over when to play and when to sleep. Lycanroc love climbing structures made up of a boulder pile or rock wall.
Earlier guidebooks suggested that rockruff needed to be dominated in such a way that they would recognize their trainer as an alpha. No affection was allowed as it was a sign of weakness, and showing weakness to a large predator who lives in your house is dangerous. Recent scholarship has revealed that lycanroc do not form strict social hierarchies. Instead, their packs are made up of parents and children, with the former expecting some level of submission from the latter. Lycanroc parents are still prone to doting on their children. While lycanroc's horns and claws make them poor cuddling partners, physical and social affection is very much encouraged. Grooming serves a double purpose of reinforcing social bonds and looking after the pokémon's health.
Lycanroc do become increasingly temperamental as they approach evolution. This is where boundaries will need to be enforced, ideally by another large canine. A quick recall also works. The pokémon will calm down when the evolution is completed. Trainers who keep a firm hand but show plenty of affection through the process will find their new lycanroc to be intensely loyal to them.
All lycanroc can open doorknobs. Nocturnal lycanroc are particularly prone to doing this. All locks that lycanroc are not supposed to open should be childproofed. Any yard they have access to should be fenced off by a barrier at least two meters high. This is because lycanroc are actually quite skittish towards intruders and prefer that they be kept out. It also keeps overeager rockruff contained. Fences meant to contain rockruff will need to extend below the ground for at least one meter.
Illness
Like most dogs, lycanroc are prone to getting worms. Deworming medication should be administered every two months to fully grown lycanroc and monthly for rockruff. The Alolan government requires that all captive rockruff and lycanroc be vaccinated against rabies, distemper, parvovirus, and hepatitis.
Evolution
Lycanroc begin to evolve around their first birthday. Evolution is marked by a period of rapid growth and physical changes. The entire process takes roughly six months to complete. This is well understood. What is not well understood is the mechanism that determines which form the rockruff evolves into. The earliest theorists pointed to astrology and other omens. Charles Darwin theorized that it had to do with what rocks they were fed. The leading theory at present is that the form is determined by nearby predator and prey species. In areas with few other predators and abundant prey, lycanroc can afford to become solitary, diurnal hunters. Areas with competing predators and abundant nocturnal prey will lead to evolutions into nocturnal lycanroc. If the prey is mostly diurnal, then diurnal lycanroc is the most probable evolution.
Replicating these conditions in captivity is difficult.
Alola is brimming with predators. Unless trainers can afford a large, well-fenced property keeping them away is nearly impossible. This makes crepusclar lycanroc very common in Australia, where there are few competitors, and virtually non-existent in Alola. Some trainers have had luck evolving them on Aether Paradise or the minor outlying isles. Others go the extra mile and travel outside the region to evolve their rockruff.
In practice lycanroc most often evolve to match the habits of their smaller traveling companions. A lycanroc raised on a team with plenty of diurnal pokémon will likely take that route. The inverse is true for a team of night-lovers. Temporary acquisitions of gumshoos or raticate can help lead the rockruff down the favored path. These methods do not guarantee success and Alola's shelters frequently receive lycanroc that either evolved into the wrong form or proved too difficult to handle during evolution.
This is a problem as lycanroc do not rehome well at all (see Acquisition).
Battle
Lycanroc are powerful enough to be used in competitive battling, but not so powerful that they are a mainstay. Champion Selene's crepuscular lycanroc has led to an increase in the specie's usage.
Crepuscular lycanroc are quite fast and have sharp claws and teeth. This makes them solid rush-down attackers that can constantly press the attack. Landing a solid hit on them is also difficult due to their well-placed spikes. Opponents that rely on their jaws find crepuscular and diurnal lycanroc to be particularly difficult opponents. Crepuscular lycanroc can also be taught accelerock, the signature trick of the diurnal lycanroc. Theirs will never be quite so fast or powerful as that of the other form, but they do have one advantage: sight. Crepuscular lycanroc can reliably aim their accelerock at birds. Their terrakinesis is not as strong as diurnal lycanroc and they are not as strong as the nocturnal form, making them a balanced pick between them. Crepuscular lycanroc are by far the most popular form on competitive circuits.
Diurnal lycanroc are snipers. Their preferred means of offense in the wild is firing off sharp rocks at high speeds. If opponents get too close, diurnal lycanroc can either rely on bites and slashes or upheave the earth into a mess of spikes and ditches. Unfortunately, their reliance on geosensory makes them almost entirely unable to hit birds. Many trainers are unwilling to add a rock-type that is hard countered by fliers.
Nocturnal lycanroc are brawlers. They rely primarily on heavy paw strikes, sharp claws, and a fearsome bite to deal damage. Their spikes protect their critical areas, but they otherwise have fairly light armor. This means that most brawlers, like fighting-types, can out damage them. The team and fear based strategies that they employ in the wild are more or less useless in singles matches against disciplined opponents. Their terrakinesis is also weaker than the crepuscular lycanroc.
They have a niche as the fastest grounded rock-type. Nocturnal lycanroc still face stiff competition for a team slot. Aggron, for example, can deal lots of damage up close while also being able to counter birds and tank hits. Kabutops are reasonably fast rush-down brawlers with sharper claws and heavier armor. The average trainer might not have access to either, but professionals typically do. Many other canines are also both faster and more durable than nocturnal lycanroc.
Rockruff are not particularly strategy intensive. They rush in and bite and scratch until they win. Strategies like scary face or rock attacks can be used to supplement their core offensive tactics, but rockruff typically rely on being stronger or better armored than opponents.
All three lycanroc forms are perfectly serviceable on the island challenge and can keep up through the very end.
Acquisition
Shelters receive lots of recently-evolved lycanroc. This is a problem because lycanroc are not easily rehomed. Even moving between permanent locations with the same trainer can be jarring for them. Fewer than 10% of attempted adoptions are successful. They are still an endangered species and the government is reluctant to put them down. Plans are in the works for releasing some of these lycanroc either in their current Alolan ranges or in the Haina Valley or Australia. At present most are held in specialty care facility on Route 3.
Rockruff can be obtained from the wild, but parents are often unwilling to let go of pups. Injured lycanroc may willingly cede puppies they can no longer properly care for. Hungry orphans and capture orphans sometimes seek out trainers and attempt to get captured.
Lycanroc capture is not recommended. Few bond with trainers. Even attempting it requires another large canine, usually an arcanine, to enforce boundaries and show the captured specimen the ropes. Crepuscular lycanroc capture is prohibited due to their small wild numbers.
Most of Alola's lycanroc live on Poni Island, particularly in the mountainous interior. They used to be common on all four of the main islands, but competition from other canines that either grow larger or work in larger packs has reduced their numbers. Ranchers also systematically eliminated lycanroc from most of Akala and Ula'Ula to protect their livestock. Reintroduction has been approved for Ula'Ula, but the agricultural lobby has prevented any attempts to bring them back to Akala. The Melemele population is confined to portions of the interior and the area around Ten Carat Hill. A small population of four lycanroc and five rockruff exists on Route 3 and is protected to prevent further losses.
Rockruff and lycanroc capture is legal on all of Poni Island and within Ten Carat Hill Commonwealth Park. Trainers are allowed a maximum of one capture. There are relatively small annual capture quotas. Capture and adoption of rockruff requires a Class II license. Capture and adoption of lycanroc requires a Class IV.
Rockruff are best purchased as newly-weaned infants. Breeders will often sell the rights to a rockruff before it is even born. The older rockruff get, the less likely they are to grow comfortable around humans or to obey the rules of human society.
Breeding
Lycanroc should be spayed or neutered by trainers who do not plan on breeding them. This greatly reduces the effects of heat. Heat begins in January and ends in July. Females will often try to escape to find other males to mate with. Males will begin seeking out females. If puppies are not desired, they should be separated from any canines of the opposite sex. The start of heat is marked by bloody discharge from females. Smaller discharges will repeat every few weeks until heat ends. When a male and a female find each other they will mate and pregnancy will likely follow. Assistance in mating is unnecessary and undesired.
Pregnant females should be fed a puppy mix instead of standard kibble. This should be maintained through the end of lactation. Pregnancies last roughly fifty-nine days. Litters typically consist of two puppies, but one to three puppies are also common. Mothers appreciate a dry, warm nest to live in with her offspring. The puppies will open their eyes around one week of age and be weaned a week later. They will begin to poke their heads out of the nest at five weeks and start exploring outside at eight. Interference before this time is strongly discouraged and will likely result in a display of aggression from the parents.
Lycanroc can breed once every year. Nocturnal and diurnal lycanroc prefer to mate for life. Crepuscular lycanroc show no preference between an old partner and a new one.
Subspecies
Lycanroc were brought to Australia by the indigenous people. They are the feral descendants of a now-extinct dog pokémon. The main subspecies in Australia is the desert lycanroc. While alpine lycanroc are well-attuned to firm rock, desert lycanroc have stronger vision and an affinity for controlling loose sands. This allows them to create antlion traps and stir up sandstorms to retreat under. They can also move quickly and with sure footing over even the loosest sands.
European settlers introduced competitors and other canines which reduced the dingo population and diluted their genes. Ranchers began killing and poisoning the survivors. Very few purebreds remained by the 1940s. The alpine subspecies was almost extinct. Fortunately, this subspecies had been brought by other wayfarers to Alola. The largest remaining population in the world now lives on Poni Island.
Feral specimens have become established on a few other rocky and sandy islands around the world. While some are proper breeding colonies, few have enough genetic diversity to survive long-term. Whether the populations should be rounded up, managed with new introductions, or left to die on their own is a matter of some debate.