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Gliscor (Gligar)
Scorpioales pyleoccisor

Overview

The march of time has not been kind to the winged scorpions.

In the Carboniferous, the ancestors of gliscor were some of the first creatures to take to the skies. They used primitive wings to help them glide through the air and ambush targets from above. Between the high oxygen levels of the era and their dominance of the niche, the winged scorpions could grow to have three-meter wingspans, the largest that would be seen in the world until the late Jurassic.

The winged scorpions shrunk in size and prominence during the Permian. They went extinct in the Great Dying only to convergently evolve again from sea scorpions. They find themselves once more on the brink of extinction. Six of the seven recognized species are endangered, and three are critically endangered. In spite of this, exotic pokémon collectors regularly breed and sell the pokémon. One of these shipments led to Alola's population of canyon gliscor in Poni Island National Park and Preserve.

It is the policy of the Alolan and federal governments to remove the gliscor to preserve the local ecosystem and prevent loss of human life. The bounty system originally put in place has been removed due to abuse by breeders, but trainers may still turn specimens over to the commonwealth or federal government to be shipped to Japan and released to the wild in their native range.

Gliscor (but not gligar) are also good companions in their own right. They are surprisingly intelligent, a trait that has allowed their line to survive when many, many others perished. Gliscor can also be physically affectionate and mischievous. Their long life expectancy and utility in battle helps offset their somewhat difficult care requirements.

Physiology

Gligar and gliscor are traditionally classified as dual ground- and flying-types. They are certainly capable of employing these elements in battle, but from a husbandry perspective it is far more useful to think of them as bug- and poison-types. Battlers should also be aware that gligar rely more heavily on their venom than upon elemental attacks.

Gligar, like all scorpions, are octopedal. Their hind and front legs are the most prominent. The hind legs are attached to powerful muscles that help them launch from cliffsides. The front legs end in large pincers. The tip of the larger claw is serrated and can be used to cut opponents in close quarters. The middle legs are attached to the wings. These legs can be used to curl the wings closer to the body, unfurl them, or change their positioning.

Most of gligar's back is purple and most of their front is pink. The most notable exception are the wings that are brown when seen from behind and dark blue when seen from the front. The mouth contains two extended fangs used for latching onto prey. These can regrow in a matter of days if need be. Gligar also have two long horns used to deflect attacks to the head. Their tail is tipped with a stinger. Their venom is a potent neurotoxin that can paralyze or kill prey up to five times heavier than themselves.

In addition to their own venom gligar are capable of breaking down and digesting the venom or poison of some species. Even if they cannot digest it entirely they usually have some resistance to the effects This lets them prey on species that usually rely solely on venom or poison for defense. This is particularly important for the desert and marine subspecies. The canyon gligar has relatively few venomous species in its natural range, meaning that its ability has largely atrophied compared to its kin. The reef gliscor can digest mareanie and tentacruel with no health issues. The hairy gliscor, while less impressive, can still comfortably feed on venomous snakes and other scorpions.

Gliscor have a much darker coloration. The majority of their body is dark purple. Their wings are pitch black on both sides. The exceptions to the darker colors are a series of yellow markings around their eyes and patches of red scales on their head and abdomen that make them look more intimidating to prey and would-be predators. Gliscor's venom is actually less potent than that of a gligar. They instead rely upon their large, sharp pincers and fangs to kill prey. When this fails, they can channel elemental energy to either finish off their opponent or flee into the sky or ground. The blade on the tail is occasionally used as a weapon without using the stinger to inject venom.

Gliscor can attain a wingspan and length of six feet. They can weigh up to twenty-eight pounds. Captive gliscor can live for up to twenty years. Wild females have a lifespan of ten years and wild males seldom live for more than five.

Husbandry

As their name suggests, canyon gliscor are most commonly found in canyons and steep ravines. They use their claws and tail to help them climb up the cliff face and find an indent to rest in. If there is no indent they can create one with their geokinesis.

Gliscor hunt at night. They propel themselves off the canyon wall and glide the length of the canyon looking for prey. If they find something suitable they will dive down and go for the kill. Gligar prefer tall targets that they can attack from behind. The claws will slit the throat and the stinger will go straight for the heart. Their flight is near silent and they can surprise even vigilant pokémon such as mienshao and lucario. Humans also fit the profile of ideal gligar prey and sometimes fall victim to fatal attacks. People should not walk along the floor of Vast Poni Canyon at night. Hiking during the day while the gligar are asleep is no more dangerous than walking through the canyon has ever been.

Gligar have difficulty defending what they do bring down because they are ambush predators with limited mobility while grounded. They rely on a unique quirk of their venom: it is quick to paralyze but slow to kill. This keeps the pokémon safe from retaliation but ensures that the venom is distributed throughout the body by the time the prey finally dies. Gligar seldom wait for death, however, and begin eating non-vital areas as soon as the prey collapses. By the time a scavenger or larger predator arrives the carcass may be poisonous to them from the distribution of venom. This may not stop them from attacking the gligar itself. One researcher estimated that one out of every ten hunts for a newly-independent gligar ends in the pokémon's death.

Gliscor are less reliant on their venom to kill. Instead, they swoop down and use their sharp claws or fangs to kill the prey while passing by. Particularly small prey can be snatched up in a single bite. They will then loop back to pick up the carcass and use their limited aerokinesis to generate the lift needed to get back to their perch. This strategy is very effective for small birds, insect pokémon, and mammals. Gliscor have even been observed snatching up gligar during lean times. Gliscor rarely bother humans as they are too heavy to bring back to safety.

Nocturnal birds can easily outmaneuver gliscor and gligar in the air and kill them on the ground or mid-flight. Fortunately for them, Vast Poni Canyon currently lacks nocturnal airborne predators. In their native range large noctowl often kill smaller gligar.

If the canyon wall is not steep enough or the indent is too large gligar can also face threats during the day. The Vast Poni Canyon is too steep for most rattata to climb but one occasionally tries to kill a sleeping gligar. Murkrow have also been observed attempting to do so. Gligar sleep with their tail facing out of the burrow and gliscor sleep with their pincers facing out. This allows them to strike at predators with their most powerful weapon first.

Outside of a mother and her young neither stage is social. They are not territorial, however, and have even been seen tolerating conspecifics in the area. As long as they do not attempt to claim their nest there will not be problems. Gliscor naturally lay claim to the best roosting sites as they can either evict a gligar or simply move in while it is out hunting.

When gligar or gliscor are ambushed on the canyon floor they have three ways of escaping: into the air, the earth, or the water. Gligar cannot easily launch themselves from the ground and must climb back up to their home before daybreak. Gliscor can launch themselves, although doing so is energy intensive and far from an instant process. Gligar and gliscor are also fast diggers that can burrow through even hard rock when they see a predator in the distance. Finally, both are excellent swimmers that can go up to forty-eight hours without breathing. Gligar prefer to kill prey by rivers so that there is always a means of escape available. Unfortunately, the pokémon cannot glide until its wings are completely dry.

In Japan gligar and gliscor typically enter a period of low activity during the winter. They will burrow into the ground and sleep there until temperatures warm again. This behavior is not seen in Alola as it never gets cool enough to warrant reduced activity.

Husbandry

As mentioned above gligar is closer to a bug- or poison-type in care requirements than to a ground- or flying-type. Gliscor are calmer and are generally better suited for specialists in its official typing.

Gligar are the rare pokémon that sees humans as potential prey. Trainers should not approach an untamed gligar without proper protective equipment such as fang- and stinger-resistant armor. Antivenom should always be kept on hand. The equipment will most commonly be sold at a specialty store for poison-type care. There are branches of the Shockingly Toxic chain in Malie and Hau'oli. Some very large pokémon supply stores may also carry it. Gligar and gliscor antivenom can also be purchased from the apothecary in Seafolk Village.

Taming a gligar is a slow process that requires providing them with toys and enrichment and getting them to associate their trainer with the provision of food rather than as prey themselves. Over time they can develop a crude understanding of the human language that lets them follow more traditional commands. When a gligar starts to become physically affectionate it may be safe to interact with them without armor, although antivenom should still be kept close. Training them to be calm around unfamiliar humans will require a training process of its own.

Gligar are not recommended for traveling trainers unless there has been a year-long taming process beforehand. Even then they still struggle in casual battles as they must be trained to battle without immediately slashing the throat or stabbing their stinger into the heart of their enemies.

Stationary gligar trainers should devote time and resources into constructing their aviary as this is where the pokémon will spend almost all of its time. The aviary can be outdoors or indoors, although outdoor aviaries must use reinforced netting. Electrified wires do not bother gligar and they can cut through most bars and escape. If displayed outdoors gligar must have a heated area to escape to during rainy or cold weather. Gliscor rarely make escape attempts and are not particularly dangerous if they do escape. They can be kept in an outdoor aviary and it will usually be cheaper to build their enclosure outdoors.

The centerpiece of a gligar's enclosure should be a climbing wall or rough tree. It should be at least six feet high for a gligar or ten feet for a gliscor. There should be at least one deep nest box towards the top for the pokémon to sleep in. The rest of the enclosure need not be more than a foot taller than the next box but should have a large enough surface area to allow for gliding. Gligar's enclosure should be at least ten times longer than their wingspan and four times as wide. Gliscor do not need nearly as much space as long as they are taken out for flights on a daily basis.

Gligar and gliscor kept entirely indoors can live in enclosures with a reversed day-night cycle. They may be slow to adapt at first but will soon switch to being active when it is dark in the enclosure and inactive when it is light. This makes it more convenient for the trainer from a care and display perspective. Both stages glow blue under a UV blacklight. This does not seem to disturb the pokémon and they will act as if it is night even with a blacklight on. There are no apparent health benefits or drawbacks to it.

Gligar prefer to have access to a sand pit to burrow in. Ideally it would be at least six feet deep. The sand does not need to be commercial burrowing sand as they do not dig burrow networks. They simply like to submerge themselves in sand.

Water fixtures are also appreciated, especially if there is moving water in them. These need not be more than a foot deep but should have a fairly broad surface area to allow for swimming. A pokémon staying unmoving at the bottom of the pool is not a cause for alarm unless it continues for more than twenty-four hours.

More standard enrichment items such as balls and puzzles are usually ignored. Some gliscor appreciate tree branches, either as perches to hang from or as toys to pick up and carry around. Bones can also serve the latter purpose.

Indoor enclosures should be kept dry and warm with a heat lamp to bask under. Gligar enjoy temperatures of up to ninety degrees and can be harmed by temperatures consistently below fifty. They will be far less active in cool enclosures than in warm ones.

Both stages can adapt to Alola's weather if held outside. There should be a semi-enclosed area with a heat lamp to retreat to, but Alola's temperatures are usually within the acceptable range of the species.

Gligar are somewhat skeptical of pokéballs in general and habitat balls in particular. Gliscor are far more tolerant of being kept inside a stasis ball in the day or during transport periods as long as they are let out for most of the night.

Gliscor adjust well to travel, especially if their trainer chooses to hike at night. Many gliscor seem to enjoy hanging from their tail from the same branch as the smellable supply back. They will also want to glide and occasionally hunt. It is legal to keep them off leash in most of Alola. The primary exceptions are protected grubbin habitat. It may also be unwise to let them fly unsupervised during the day in areas with large predatory birds such as skarmory, braviary, or talonflame. Trainers that intend to be active during the day when hiking is easier may end up frustrating their nocturnal traveling companion. It is recommended to hike during the middle of the day if nighttime hiking is not possible. This at least allows for opportunities to play, bond, and train with gliscor around dusk and dawn.

Because gliscor can safely travel they can be taken to their enrichment rather than putting everything they want inside their enclosure. Trips to the beach will satisfy their desire to burrow in sand. Streams, ponds, and unchlorinated pools without large predators are good places to swim. Be advised that gliscor will want to dry off as soon as possible after swimming. Warm towels and blow dryers will be well received. Some gliscor have even been known to run off with blow dryers and put them in their nest box, only to bring them back to their trainer when they want to be dried again. For this reason battery powered dryers are preferred to those that must be plugged in as a violent unplugging by gliscor can break the cord or damage the machine or outlet.

Gliscor will also need opportunities to glide. The most popular parks for letting bird pokémon fly are not ideal as the larger birds will scare the gliscor. They do enjoy gliding off of buildings. Taking them to a roof or balcony and letting them fly will satisfy them and they will usually return before too long. Sometimes they will even return with a meal.

It should be noted that gliscor enjoy scaring their trainer. They will sometimes lie in wait hanging from a tree or ceiling fan only to drop down and give their trainer a flying tackle when they least expect it. Be careful when turning on ceiling fans or entering new rooms while carrying fragile items.

Gliscor can be housebroken with time and another pokémon to set an example. Gligar cannot be.

Gligar, on the other hand, can be trained to eat dead meat while gliscor will always require live food. Gligar should at first be fed very recently killed mammals, birds, or reptiles. Ideally the carcass will be presented hanging from something to simulate standing up. Over time the gligar will come to accept raw meat presented without the rest of the carcass. Gliscor will need to be fed live bug-types. Caterpie are the cheapest to buy and they have no capture limit in the wild. Even non-island challenge trainers can apply for a fairly inexpensive caterpie hunting permit if they own a pokémon that requires live insects.

Illness

The gliscor line suffer from two main illnesses: those brought on by too much water in their environment and those brought on by too little.

The dehydration related illnesses are easiest to fix. Sometimes a gliscor will have a somewhat shriveled appearance. This can be a sign of starvation or dehydration. Gliscor can actually go for weeks without food if necessary so the problem is usually dehydration. Gligar in a proper enclosure usually have water to swim in so it is a rare health problem for them. Gliscor, on the other hand, can dehydrate fairly easily in captivity. Many trainers assume a ground type that eats live prey needs so little water it can be obtained from its food. This is not true of gliscor. Make sure they have access to a water bowl every day. If the appearance persists after the gliscor has consumed food and water, or if the pokémon refuses to eat, consult a veterinarian.

Mold can also grow on gligar and gliscor that are not properly dried or spend too much time in a humid environment. This can be a major problem for specimens kept outdoors in the wet season. Gliscor should have their armor checked for discoloration and a blow dry offered at least every three days in the wet season. Gligar are harder to conduct a detailed inspection of. Thankfully they will dry themselves if given a heat lamp that can be accessed without climbing. The heat lamp should not be physically near the water due to the risk of electrocuting humans trying to clean the habitat. Gligar themselves are nearly immune from electric damage.

Evolution

Gligar molt nine times over the course of their life. During these molts they are without armor and extremely vulnerable. They will stay motionless in a burrow during this time. After a period of rapid growth new armor plates will begin to develop on the abdomen, portions of the tail, and around the head. The pokémon will not grow again until the next molt. Gligar molt five times in their first six months of life and four more over the next two and a half years. With each molt their venom becomes less potent, their claws sharpen, and their body grows darker. A gligar formally evolves after its ninth molt.

It is difficult to battle safely with captive gligar. This slows down evolution to an extent. Captive-born gligar usually evolve around their fourth birthday instead of their third. Those that do battle regularly might evolve slightly faster than their wild counterparts.

Battle

Gliscor are one of the premier stallbreakers on competitive circuits. Hybrids of the canyon and Uluru gliscor are particularly dangerous due to their near immunity to poisons, powerful venom of their own, and respectable size, armor, and power. They can also be taught useful tricks like sandstorm and roost to stall or taunt, guillotine, and swords dance to break stall teams. Earthquake, slash, and acrobatics do respectable damage and u-turn can be used to strike and retreat to safety.

Gliscor are hard countered by corviknight and skarmory. Knocking gliscor down or grappling with them in the air deprives them of most of the pokémon's mobility. The stingers of hybrid gliscor are usually too weak to pierce the armored bird's armor and their claws are not sharp enough to deal a finishing blow either. Despite their size, gliscor are not particularly heavy. Once those threats are removed, however, gliscor has the armor to take hits from most walls and the tricks to set up on or eliminate them. Many matches between gliscor trainers and stall teams come down to whether the gliscor can outlast the opposing trainer's birds.

Dragons might fear the sting of a hybrid gliscor but otherwise have little to fear unless the pokémon has set up. Most can also fly to defeat the scorpion in the air. Ice-types can take advantage of gliscor's cold-blooded physiology and ground elemental affinity to deal massive damage.

Gliscor are also in the unfortunate position of being a flying type that needs to get close to the target for most of its most dangerous attacks. This negates the advantages of being able to stay at range. Thankfully earthquake and stone edge can be launched from a distance.

Gligar, as mentioned above, are not well-suited for battle. They do not understand the concept of a friendly match. Something is either a threat, in which case they cannot afford to hold back, or it is prey to be killed. Some gligar raised by humans for over a year have been taught to partake in and even enjoy friendlier matches. Older gligar also have less potent venom, reducing the potential damage of a behavioral lapse. Trainers should still be ready to pay excessive force fines when battling with a gligar.

On the island challenge gliscor function well as stallbreakers or walls in their own right. Gliscor's mobility, slow-acting venom, and armor make them capable of sponging weaker hits and recovering with roost. Many totems like to hang back and use boosting moves while their allies bog down the opponent. A mobile taunt can disrupt this plan.

A skilled gliscor trainer will keep their pokémon airborne for as long as possible. If the soil is permeable enough then dig should be used for mobility instead. A grounded gliscor, especially one with a hurt wing, is in a very bad position.

Acquisiton

Gligar and gliscor can be found in Vast Poni Canyon. Gligar can be captured with a Class IV license and gliscor can be captured with a Class III. Some hunters have employed scarecrows or other humanoid targets to bait out gligar, although this has become less effective as the wild population has become more familiar with it. Now most hunters seek them out during the day by riding along the cliff face on the back of a flying pokémon. Indents can be inspected and the gligar can either be battled or touched with a pokéball on a long stick. Net balls are the most effective.

Gliscor capture can be done by scouring the cliff face as well. Alternatively, trainers can try to find out hunting at night and catch it. This can be done on the ground – which is not recommended in gligar territory – or in the sky with a sufficiently large nocturnal flier. Most birds are diurnal, but some dragons and levitating pokémon are able to see on dark nights.

It is easier to simply purchase a gliscor or gligar. Importation has been forbidden but breeding is still allowed on Akala due to the lack of suitable territory there. Gliscor remain relatively popular pets due to their size, appearance, intelligence, and unique behaviors. Some collectors are fond of gligar as a display pokémon.

It is not usually possible to adopt the species. Surrendered specimens are evaluated for their suitability for wild release or future breeding. Pokémon that could be released to the wild are sent back to Japan. Non-hybridized specimens that are not suitable for release are usually sent to zoos, museums, or conservation centers for breeding. The few that are available for adoption are usually old, infirm, or hybridized with the Uluru gliscor. Hybrids are much more dangerous to care for and require an extra license rank than non-hybridized specimens.

Breeding

Male gliscor initiate mating by gliding to the burrow of a female around dusk. He will then try to pull her out of the burrow. She will usually resist unless the two are familiar with each other and the male is particularly clever or strong. Once the female is pulled from her burrow the male will launch off the side of the canyon wall and the two will begin to glide. The entire time the female will usually be trying to break the embrace and kill or injure the male. The male relies on repeated stings to keep the female sedated during the process. Around dawn the venom's affects will usually begin to wear off and the female will grow anxious to return to her burrow. If the male has not finished the mating act by this time he will probably be killed and his body eaten. If he succeeds in time he will detach himself from the female and fly away quickly. If the female recovers quickly enough, she will pursue, kill, and eat the male anyways.

Pregnancy takes roughly two weeks. At the end the female will give birth to twenty-seven scorplings. She will keep the scorplings in her burrow and bring them food until they are fifty days old. On occasion they will all crawl onto their mother's back and hang on as she glides.

The first molt occurs around fifty days. The female will protect her offspring through this molt. She will then kick them out of her home, eating those that overstay their welcome. This is the end of her parental role.

Captive breeding of gliscor is difficult as the entire act takes place in the air. Some breeders have used artificial rockwalls or trees on remote ranches to encourage natural mating behaviors. Once the female is pregnant she can be moved indoors to an enclosed area to ensure no scorplings escape. The mother will be wary of her trainer during this time but will still accept food. Pokéball use is not recommended after the first few days of pregnancy. Once the first molt is complete the gligar can be captured in individual pokéballs and moved to new homes.

Relatives

There are seven recognized species of gliscor. Four are airborne, one is grounded, and two are marine. The other airborne scorpions are the cliffside, Iberian, and Uluru gliscor.

The cliffside, or coastal, gliscor is native to portions of Quebec and New England, extending south to Unova. Their Old World counterpart, the Iberian gliscor, is found in Morocco, Algeria, the Iberian Peninsula, Kalos, and Italy. Both live primarily on cliffs adjacent to rivers, lakes, and the ocean. They dig deep downward sloped burrows with their drill-like tails and large, blunted claws. Their other major adaptation is that they have water-resistant scales and larger wings that let them glide even while partially wet.

The gliscor are solitary hunters that glide over the water at night and snatch up any fish, birds, or amphibians that get too close to the surface. They crush the prey in their claws and return to their burrow to eat it. The gligar, on the other hand, can live in frights of up to one hundred individuals. Their main hunting tactic is to startle something near the cliff edge with their frightening appearance and loud, cackling cries. They will swarm their prey until they evoke a panic response, hopefully driving them to run straight over the cliff. If they do not they will still end up corned and vulnerable to stings from gligar behind them. Gligar frights have been known to kill herds of sawsbuck. The dozens of gligar still in the air while some land to feast deters others from stealing their kill.

DDT nearly drove both species to extinction. While their greater toxin resistance let them fare better than braviary, their numbers still decreased. Conservationists concerned with protecting charismatic birds often supported culls of gliscor to ensure there was enough prey for braviary and pidgeot.

The final airborne gliscor is the Uluru gliscor native to Australia. Most rest on the side of Uluru. They are known to glide for days on end in search of snakes to kill and eat. When they spot one they will dive down, snatch it up, break the spine, and fly back to Uluru to eat. The Uluru gliscor is both highly venomous and almost immune to venom. They are smaller than the canyon gliscor and not as heavily armored. The species was formerly critically endangered due to extensive development on and around Uluru. Then the Australian government realized that the gliscor rarely attacked humans unless provoked but kept the population of venomous snakes in check. Subsequently the government banned climbing Uluru, moved the tournament held there to a nearby site, and began captive breeding efforts to help the population rebound. At present they are on the verge of being moved from 'Endangered' to 'Threatened.'

The grounded gliscor, or sand gliscor, is native to portions of the American Southwest and Northern Anahuac. They live in areas with sandy soil, especially on and around sand dunes. These gliscor cannot fly. Instead, their wings have developed to let them push back sand and help them 'swim' through it. Sand gliscor usually wait just below the surface and rush out whenever something draws near. These are the largest gliscor and they can grow to be nearly eight feet in length. They are currently classified as endangered due to widespread hunting in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Ranchers did not want them around their herds. Urban settlements and railroad builders found them to be a threat to human life. Hunters thought they killed too many big game species and found the scorpions to be good trophies in their own right. Even the newly formed National Park Service quietly hired hunters to kill the gliscor as they believed they hurt tourism. They are currently extirpated from the United States, although there have been some attempts to release them on NPS and Navajo Nation lands. They have historically fared better in Anahuac, although instability in the area has led to poaching and lax enforcement of environmental laws. The recent authorization of new fortifications in the border provinces has further cut into the gliscor's population. Land mines alone may have killed one-third of the surviving gliscor.

Anahuac also hosts another gliscor species: the cenote gliscor. These gliscor are believed to be almost entirely aquatic and can go days without breathing. They lie in wait in dark marine caves and attack anything that comes close. Their wings are used for swimming through the water rather than gliding in the air. Relatively little is known about them due to their dark and difficult-to-access habitat. They are listed as endangered due to fewer observed encounters. This may be because of a population decline or because they are retreating to portions of the cenotes that are less often visited by humans in order to escape from tourists and their armed guides.

The larger and more common gliscor species, as well as the only one not currently listed as endangered, is the marine gliscor. They do not have proper wings but instead have segmented armored plates over their legs that help them 'row.' Marine glsicor are not particularly fast, but they do not need to be to hunt tentacruel and mareanie. They are one of the only organic species that fears neither's sting. Their stomachs are uniquely adapted for consuming gelatinous flesh, mareanie spines, and venom. Most of the time gliscor lay in wait on the bottom of the reef floor. When mareanie are rare they will swim closer to the coast to feed on tentacruel. They can be found in Queensland, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands. In the past there have been some attempts to kill them to appease tourists, but their predation of highly venomous species and docility around humans has since made them quite popular with conservationists and tourism bureaus alike.