Umbreon
Mutatiovulpes octoplumiter – 4

Overview

Umbreon have long been seen aloof creatures of the night, coming and going with a quiet dignity. Ancient Egyptians would sometimes leave offerings for the local umbreon to eat at night in exchange for the pokémon's protection from vermin and ghosts. Pharaohs were sometimes buried with mummified umbreon to keep their treasures safe in the afterlife.

Beneath all the mystery lies a somewhat underwhelming truth: umbreon avoid humans not because they are otherworldly protectors who see themselves as above us, but because they have debilitating social anxiety. Wild umbreon often share ranges but still never socialize, preferring to walk in different directions or find something to distract themselves with when another umbreon approaches. Their dark coat, poisonous sweat, and love for hiding places are all meant to stay away from anything their size or larger, whether or not it is actually a predator. Umbreon are only calm when they are alone and hidden. Being a trainer's pokémon is very stressful for them due to the new people and pokémon and lack of consistent hiding places. They are often seen as mean pets prone to hissing or worse at anyone who approaches. It is true that they are not good with children or loud people, but calm and collected trainers can often earn an umbreon's trust over many quiet evenings together. When an umbreon does decide someone else is worth knowing they can become fiercely protective and loyal friends.

Physiology

Umbreon are classified as pure dark types.

Umbreon are quadrupeds with a mostly typical feline build. Their legs, toes, and metatarsals are all long, allowing them to jump and walk better than most feline pokémon. Wild umbreon can walk two miles every night without growing tired. They can also jump up to six feet vertically or fifteen feet horizontally. Their height can also be useful for peeking over grass. Their long limbs also assist in swimming or climbing.

A number of adaptations help umbreon operate as a nocturnal ambush predator. The first is their eyes. Even compared to the other eeveelutions umbreon have an abundance of rod receptors that let them see clearly in very dim light. They do not have nearly as many cone receptors, leaving them with poor color vision. Umbreon also have long, sensitive ears that can each rotate 180 degrees. The ears help them track the movements of potential predators and prey around them without leaving their current hiding place.

When threatened umbreon can light up bioluminescent markings on the skin underneath their thin, black fur. These create glowing yellow rings along the sides, forehead, ears, and tail to make the pokémon look more intimidating. If all else fails they can begin to sweat. Umbreon sweat is foul tasting and poisonous, leading to stomach problems for anything that tries to bite them. Umbreon can also release a projectile stream of sweat from pores near their shoulders, although this spray is not particularly accurate. If all else fails umbreon have thick skin and durable shoulder and rib bones to keep them safe. They can also heal themselves with moonlight and time.

Umbreon can reach heights of forty inches at the withers and can weigh up to forty pounds, although heights of thirty-five inches and weights of twenty to thirty pounds are more typical. Wild umbreon can live for up to fifteen years. Captive specimens have lived for thirty-one.

Behavior

Umbreon are solitary hunters. During the day they hide in tall grass or an abandoned burrow. They prefer to live near running water and denser forests but are almost never seen in actual rainforest. On Alola they prefer to stick to the central portion of Akala, never venturing south past Heahea or north into the dense rainforests.

Umbreon territories overlap but individuals avoid each other and live alone. The one exception is a mother raising eevee, although even her children will be run off around their first birthday. On rare occasions the sire will stay to help raise the eevee, but this is far more common in captivity than in the wild.

Umbreon spend most of their nights slinking around their territory as they search for prey. Their preferred prey are rodents small enough that they can be killed with a single pounce. Umbreon are not particularly strong or fast and must rely on ambush strategies. Wild umbreon have also been observed killing reptiles, bug pokémon, and birds. They supplement their diet by eating grasses for the fiber.

Wild umbreon have been known to cache kills in burrows, grass, or up trees. Umbreon can carry small kills as far as thirty feet up some trees. They are not as comfortable in arboreal areas as persian but they will still retreat into trees to avoid conflicts on the ground or to enjoy a safe meal.

Husbandry

Umbreon are unusually fond of pokéballs and will happily spend the entire day and parts of the night in one. They prefer habitat balls to stasis balls, but will accept either. They are also easily housebroken.

Most commercial feline or canine mixes work for umbreon. The filler grain content actually serves a dietary purpose for umbreon as they naturally eat fibrous plants in the wild. Trainers wanting to feed their pokémon a more natural diet can use poultry or red meat as the core of the diet with berries and grains as a supplement. Whole maize is a toy and a treat for umbreon as they must pull back the husk. Once the kernels are eaten the rest can be played with. Putting frozen seafood in a bathtub or inflatable pool also makes for good enrichment. Seafood is not a standard part of umbreon's diet but it does make a fun novelty from time to time.

The main problem with captive umbreon is their anxiety. Umbreon are happiest when they have a place where they can stay hidden but still observe the world around them. Boxes, bags, real or artificial tall grass, and high perches make for good hiding places. Sometimes an umbreon will ask to be put inside of a closet or their pokéball during particularly loud situations or when small children are around and trying to play with them. If umbreon are given space they can entertain themselves. Over time they may begin to express more and more interest in their trainer and teammates, but this must be allowed to happen at their own pace. In time umbreon can become attached to a select group. This will not reduce their skittishness around strangers.

Despite their social anxiety, umbreon are still as destructive as any other vulpine or feline pokémon. They particularly enjoy tipping over water bowls, and may then become upset that there is no water for them to drink. Umbreon will scratch furniture to mark it or wear down their claws. Scratching posts alleviate furniture scratching but it will take persistent conditioning to get it to stop entirely. Umbreon can be effectively reprimanded with a stern look.

For whatever reason some umbreon are fond of having their claws marked with brightly colored nail polish. Some prefer a single colors while others will want multiple. Some umbreon accept spa trips as a reward as they enjoy nail painting and don't mind heat, water, and grooming. These are best done with a trusted human, as otherwise the number of new humans around may make them too anxious to enjoy the experience.

Many trainers are surprised when their umbreon starts making noises. Umbreon can make a wide variety of sounds such as meows, hisses, cackles, grunts, and chirps. They will not typically vocalize unless in heat or around someone they trust. An umbreon becoming unexpectedly vocal is not a bad thing, although one that is not spayed or neutered can become a nuisance when in heat.

Umbreon do not appreciate loud teammates or those without proper boundaries. Quiet teammates, especially those of a similar size, are the best. Small rodents are seen as prey rather than potential allies. Large carnivores will unnerve umbreon and lead to frequent defensive behaviors such as poison spraying.

Illness

Umbreon in Alola are required to be vaccinated against rabies, as well as the other standard feline vaccinations. Some veterinarians will also administer canine vaccinations as well. Umbreon are more feline than canine, but as an evolution of eevee their genotype and phenotype are both not entirely feline.

Umbreon fed a poor diet can suffer from obesity, Type II diabetes, metabolic bone disease, and dental problems. Some umbreon are quite greedy and will find ways to pilfer or cache food when their trainer isn't looking. It is important to keep umbreon food behind childproof locks, bear bags, or some other system where it cannot be easily accessed.

Umbreon are also prone to upper respiratory diseases. Colds, coughs, and sinus infections are all common. If symptoms do not go away within three days make sure to consult a veterinarian.

Evolution

Along with espeon, umbreon is one of the two generalist eeveelutions that can thrive in most environments. Exposure to lunar energy or meteorites has been known to trigger evolution, but they can evolve without unusually large exposure to these sources. Scientists are unsure of the exact trigger. High predator populations in the surrounding area, cortisol in the blood, an abundance of nocturnal prey, and cool temperatures have all been found as possible triggers for evolution into umbreon instead of espeon.

In captivity the only trigger that can easily and ethically be introduced is a moon stone. Eevee over six months old have a very high probability of evolving into umbreon when presented with a moon stone. Evolution will probably drain the stone if direct contact is allowed. Prolonged proximity to a moon stone separated by fabric can also trigger evolution without draining the stone. Be warned that an eevee might try to break into the container holding the moon stone in order to evolve, draining the stone and dramatically reducing its resale value.

Battle

Umbreon have some affinity for dark energy, but not to the same extent that the other eeveelutions can tap into their typing. Instead they rely on their durability and ability to regenerate via moonlight. They can use elemental energy to heal during the day, but it is far more effective at night. The lunar cycle also plays a role in umbreon's ability to keep themselves healthy as a battle drags on. Several professional trainers own an umbreon as a pet and occasional team members, but their unreliability and reluctance to battle in front of crowds mean that no ranked trainer keeps one on their core team.

In battle Umbreon's main advantage is their durability. They have a high resistance to elemental energy and a fairly durable body, letting them shrug off most attacks. What they can't shrug off can be healed. They also have access to utility moves such as wish, toxic, taunt, charm, heal bell, helping hand, and toxic. The combination lets umbreon keep itself healthy for long enough to support the team or whittle down a particularly dangerous opponent.

Unfortunately, umbreon are not the monstrous elemental sponges that blissey are or a near impervious physical wall like steelix. Very strong hits, the kind that most ranked trainers can bring, will wear them down or outright knock them out. Their utility movepool gives them a niche, but it's a small one. They also cannot hit particularly hard or run very fast, making them unable to deter opponents from getting close or effectively punish risky plays. Their sweat is unpleasant and can be used as a base for a toxic attack, but it doesn't do much actual harm to opponents in the short term. Even in the long term it's more of a nuisance than a serious threat.

The hits are not nearly as hard on the island challenge. Most battles are fought away from crowds, letting umbreon fight without strangers around. Some trials can even be done at night upon request. This lets umbreon function far better than it can on higher levels of play. The main problem is that utility moves can be harder to train than attacking ones, especially for a pokémon as reluctant to interact with its trainer as umbreon can be.

Acquisition

Umbreon can be found across most of Central Akala from Heahea City up to the national parks in the north. The wild population is allowed to continue with some supervision due to their effectiveness as rodent catchers. Capture is still allowed with a Class II license. Actually catching an umbreon is harder as they prefer to stay far out of view during the day and keep their distance from humans at night. Adoption is sporadically available with a Class II license and they can be purchased with the same license for a rather hefty price.

In any case, umbreon bond with their trainer and team much more effectively if they knew them before evolution. It is strongly recommended that the umbreon be obtained as an eevee and then later evolved with a moon stone.

Breeding

Umbreon go into heat about twice a year. The timing varies by region but is usually about thirty days before the most common local rodent gives birth. If a female in heat crosses paths with another umbreon in their territory she will begin to vocalize to draw their attention. It seems that umbreon do not particularly care whether the specimen they encounter is male or female. If both are receptive they will approach each other and continue to vocalize for about fifteen minutes before mating. The two will then separate and go back to avoiding each other. If another female was mated with the umbreon will continue to look for a male until she finds one or the sun rises. The female is in heat for approximately five days and will attempt to mate once on every night she is in heat.

Pregnancy lasts roughly sixty to seventy days. During this time the umbreon will find an abandoned burrow or cause one to be abandoned by harassing or killing the occupants. She will then give birth to a litter of one to four eevee, although two or three is far more common. The mother will look after her eevee for a year or until they evolve, whichever comes first. The older eevee will help raise the year's second litter.

Captive umbreon will begin to get a little desperate as sunrise approaches and they have not yet mated with an umbreon. They will agree to mate with other eeveelutions, feline, canine, or vulpine pokémon, or anything that vaguely looks like another umbreon. This is how most crossbreeding is done. The male will sometimes stay with the female in captivity, especially if they were on the same team beforehand. In any case the female will need a cubbing den that only she has access to. This will make her feel secure during the pregnancy and greatly reduces the risk of miscarriage. The inside of the den should be lined with soft material such as blankets to preserve heat and keep mother and eevee warm. Synthetic fleece is not recommended as the texture is similar to that of an umbreon's. Umbreon-born eevee will sometimes attempt to suckle on it and drink portions of the fabric, resulting in constipation.

Relatives

Consult the Eevee entry for more information.