Serperior (Snivy, Servine)
Smugleaf oculacomedentis

Overview

Serperior are one of the most popular serpentine pokémon worldwide. Their relative intelligence, sociability, hardiness, and power make them an excellent choice for a first pokémon.

The catch is, snivy are not actually snakes. Snivy are dragons. They are not even serpentine pseudo dragons like dunsparce, gyarados, and milotic. Snivy are draconic lizards closely related to applin. As they grow their legs become less prominent until they are reduced to little more than flaps. In exchange, serperior have long vines they can manipulate with a high degree of power and dexterity.

Serperior get almost their entire diet from sunlight and tree sap. As far as dragons go they have an excellent mix of power, temperament, and ease of care.

All of this has led to many snivy being imported to Alola over the years. Some have invariably been released with good intentions in forests home to a variety of grass types.

This has had unintended consequences. Female serperior can reproduce through parthenogenesis, creating male offspring they can mate with to form a self sufficient population from one founder. Unlike most true snakes, serperior do not eat birds. This spares the rowlet population from another stressor, but means that decidueye don't go out of their way to kill serperior. All the while serperior are damaging the often endangered trees of the forests they live in.

Capture of wild snivy, servine, and serperior is encouraged in order to combat this problem. Trainers can obtain an excellent party member and help the archipelago's environment at the same time.

Physiology

All stages of the evolutionary line are classified as dual grass- and dragon-types. The designation is uncontroversial.

Snivy have long, lithe bodies with short limbs. Their underside is cream colored while the back is green but not photosynthetic. The tip of the tail contains a flat, leaf-like growth that is photosynthetic. Snivy derive much of their energy from the tail. The rest is gained from tree snap.

Small nubs extend from six points along the lizard's back. Each of these can be extended into hollow vines with a sharp tip. The vines can pierce the soft flesh of some tree species and extract sap directly from their vascular system. Snivy's specialized digestive tract can then digest this sap.

Snivy have a small "hood" of yellow scales extending behind the neck. The hood's primary purpose is intimidation. Snivy have large eyes and very impressive glares, further complimented by the hood making their head look larger than it is. If this fails snivy are mildly venomous. The venom is not a danger to humans and usually only causes mild bruising. It is very painful for a short period and often tricks attackers into thinking the snivy is far more of a threat than it really is.

It is commonly believed that tropical snivy lash out at the eyes when attacked. In some parts of Central America they are even known as "eye eaters." These claims are false: snivy are reluctant to put their head anywhere near an opponent's jaws.

Servine are longer than snivy. Their forelimbs are little more than flaps while the back limbs have been greatly diminished. Servine usually move by slithering and are surprisingly fast. Some servine can move at speeds up to twenty miles per hour in short bursts.

Servine also gain several more leaflike growths around their back. These are partially for photosynthesis and partially for camouflage. Most of servine's back scales are photosynthetic. In order to operate efficiently they must be regularly cleaned. Servine use their flexible body and long tongue to meticulously clean themselves several times a day. At times they will even swim in relatively clean bodies of water to wash off.

Serperior are much longer than servine. Up to two-thirds of the body length consists of the tail, identified as anything behind the cloaca. The limbs are reduced to small, useless flaps. Serperior are still very agile between their powerful muscles and long vines. On flat ground serperior can slither at up to forty miles per hour. Even while climbing in dense rainforest canopies serperior can move atover thirty miles per hour, rapidly weaving between different limbs and even jumping from tree to tree.

Almost all of serperior's scales are green. The scales on the stomach are light green and not photosynthetic. The back scales are a rich emerald green and contain chloroplasts. Serperior get most of their food from photosynthesis and only rarely drink tree sap. Captive specimens that battle frequently will still need it as a major component of their diet to keep up with the energy demands of combat.

Serperior also have a pair of yellow horns extending from the back of their head. These help with intimidation and make it harder to bite their head. In a pinch they can also be used to parry attacks.

The strangest part of serperior's anatomy is a system of organs that refine and convert photosynthetic and elemental energy. Serperior are extremely efficient photosynthesizers. They also have a peculiar ability to keep unleashing increasing elemental energy throughout a battle no matter how much has already been spent. Serperior can fire off draco meteors and life storms for an hour and only get stronger as time goes on. After the battle ends they will crash and go into a near comatose state until they have absorbed enough energy. For the duration of the battle, however, serperior can come to match some of the strongest pokémon in the world.

All of this is especially odd as serperior go out of their way to avoid fighting. Not only do they have a very long hood, now supported by finger-like bones, they can also transmit elemental energy with a glance that can lock up the muscles of their opponents, providing serperior time to slither away without a proper fight. Part of serperior's glare is psychosomatic: opponents that are not intimidated have a high resistance to the paralytic effects of the attack.

Serperior typically to be fifteen feet long and weigh one hundred pounds. The largest specimen recorded was a female that was twenty feet long and weighed two hundred pounds. In the wild they typically live for around twenty years. Captive specimens can survive for sixty years.

Behavior

Snivy and Servine spend almost all of their time in the upper canopy of rainforests. During the day they venture to the very top levels of the canopy and bask in sunlight. At night they retreat to the lower levels. They are careful to camouflage themselves with the surrounding leaves at all times to avoid catching the attention of harpyre. They rarely drink as they absorb their liquids from tree sap. On occasion they will find water pooled in a leaf and drink from it.

Serperior are too large and heavy to be as fully arboreal as their juvenile forms. They prefer to live around rivers where they can be no more than fifty feet off the ground but still in direct sunlight. Sometimes serperior will venture to the shore or into the water for a time. If a harpyre or pantherma approaches they can race into the water to ward off the fire-type predators. Within the water itself very little will attack a serperior and risk taking a leaf storm in retaliation.

Outside of basking, socializing with conspecifics they cross paths with, and the occasional swim, the species is fairly inactive and prefers to stay still and camouflaged at all times. The species is not territorial but prefer but do not live in groups, except for serperior concentrated around a river. These groups are referred to as vineyards. Serperior within a vineyard will occasionally socialize or share advice. The groups are not hierarchical and the members usually ignore each other unless a major threat appears. Even then the serperior will only form a joint defense if a member is unable to get into the water in time.

Alola does not have harpyre and pantherma. Exeggutor Island's biggest predator is pinsir, which serperior can easily outrun. In groups they can overpower the beetle. Sometimes individuals can even scare one off with a glare. The forest is also less dense than in Central America or the Amazon. As a result serperior spend most of their time basking on the ground, only approaching trees to drain their sap. Snivy and servine are still arboreal because of their instincts.

All stages stay away from the coastal portions of the island that are occasionally visited by braviary or mandibuzzz. Because of the lack of predation the serperior population has rapidly grown on the island. It is estimated that there are around thirty serperior and as many as two hundred snivy and servine living there. A full scale elimination would require thoroughly examining the entire canopy of the island and also provoking a vineyard of dragons in the middle of a protected area. For now the DNR is simply allowing trainers to catch the lizards, hoping that the value of snivy as a starter and serperior as a partner will take care of the problem on its own without the pokémon realizing they are the targets of an elimination campaign.

All stages are most energetic and active during the late stages of the day and get progressively more sluggish as the night wears on. If attacked right before dawn they might not even have the energy to defend themselves.

Husbandry

Snivy tend to be much more sociable in captivity than in the wild. Even wild-born specimens will often crawl over their trainer during the day and sleep curled up next to them at night for warmth. They are intelligent and inquisitive but rarely destructive. They may, on occasion, break something that cannot support their weight when they try to climb on it.

The most important behavioral quirk to know about the line is their pride. Snivy hate losing face and will not tolerate pet names or anything they find humiliating while other humans or pokémon are around. Handling should be done sparsely in favor of letting the pokémon decide what it wants to do. This pride can also lead to them staying in against opponents past the point where they should. They may be upset when withdrawn for their own safety. Eventually the grudge will past and they will go back to being sociable.

Serperior can get almost all of their energy from basking in sunlight. Snivy and servine love to spend most of their time basking, but also need a great deal of tree sap substitute. It is usually not permitted to let a pokémon feed directly from a tree. The line can eat substitutes such as nectar, diluted maple syrup, or fruit juice. Some reptile or grass-type speciality stores also sell powders that can be put in water to create artificial sap. Stationary trainers may want to buy a property with at least one tree big enough to be perpetually fed from.

Solutions will need to be found when travel does not allow the pokémon to bask as much as they would like. Snivy can sleep on top of a pack with a few strategic hooks and loops. Servine may be too heavy for this. Serperior always are. Solar balls simulate sunlight for photosynthesis while within the artificial habitat. These balls are also very expensive. Trainers on a budget may want to shift their travel plans towards moving in the early morning or late evening or only traveling short distances a day.

Servine and serperior frequently groom themselves. Sometimes they will swim in clear waters when offered. Never directly bathe a servine or serperior. They see this as an insult and they may retaliate to preserve their honor.

The line generally get along with other pokemon. They may object to particularly energetic teammates that do not respect their boundaries. Serperior get along best with other lizards and dragons. They may be hostile to fire types until boundaries are established.

Illness

Serperior are hardy creatures like most dragons. They are unlikely to get sick from communicable illnesses. Despite being grass types, serperior are also immune to most plant based illnesses on account of being lizards.

The most common serperior illnesses are tied to nutrition and overexertion. A specimen that has not received enough liquids may appear to be shriveled up, especially around the photosynthetic areas. Specimens without enough sugar will be very drowsy and may lose some color. Serperior deprived of sunlight for too long will begin to wilt and stop moving. Thankfully, serperior are intelligent and can usually learn to recognize enough of the human language to answer yes or no questions about what is wrong with their health. After being given adequate sunlight and tree sap the symptoms will fade.

Serperior are very vulnerable to cold. In Alola this is seldom an issue. Trainers traveling on Mt. Lanakila should keep their serperior in its ball as much as possible. If the pokémon is not needed for the ascent it may be practical to leave it with a friend near the basin for a few days and then have the ball sent up the mountain by express delivery. Minor cold shocks from combat can be healed from by letting the pokémon soak in warm water. More severe cold shocks may require veterinary attention, especially if they resulted in unconsciousness or may have frozen tissue.

Serperior will become exhausted after firing off an escalating barrage of leaf storms. They will lie sprawled out and rarely move. This is normal. Make sure they have adequate sunlight and tree sap available and keep a guard pokémon around to make sure that predators don't take advantage of them in their vulnerable state.

Evolution

Snivy slowly grow into servine over the course of a year. Frequent battle and healing can accelerate the process and lead to evolution in as little as six months. Servine take another year to evolve when unstressed, which again can be reduced to about six months. This means that trainers who obtain a two month old snivy at the onset of their journey can have a serperior by the end. The formal demarcations for evolution are the loss of function in the forelimbs for servine and the hind limbs for serperior.

Battle

Serperior see a good deal of use in international circuits and American regional leagues alike. They boast a combination of durability, intelligence, speed, and power that lets them pulls off a number of roles successfully. Tropical serperior compete with the other two species for usage. Compared to the other two they are the most vulnerable to cold but also the strongest and fastest. Southern serperior are the most durable but also the slowest. Northern serperior are the least vulnerable to cold and nearly as fast as the tropical serperior at the expense of raw power.

All serperior strategies revolve around leaf storm and draco meteor. As the attacks are used throughout the battle more and more power comes available to the pokémon. Most strategies revolve around giving the serperior enough time to really get going. These include the use of leech seed or synthesis to stay healthy. Substitute, calm mind, light screen, and/or reflect reduce the damage of incoming attacks. Taunt can be used to prevent other pokémon from setting up on serperior as it steadily boosts. Any combination of two of these moves with draco meteor and life storm can be a winning set.

Serperior's biggest weakness is their extreme vulnerability to cold. Ice-types must be eliminated before serperior can sweep. Even pokémon with ice coverage can knock them out. Their second weakness is their lack of coverage. Serperior are very skilled at manipulating grass and dragon energy but are inept at wielding other wavelengths. What coverage options they have tend to rely more on their mediocre physical strength than their elemental reserves. Steel-types can tank most of serperior's attacks well. Their only drawback against serperior is that most steel types are slow while the lizards are fast, thin targets. Eventually serperior can overpower the threats that wall them if they can avoid being hit in the meantime.

Servine and snivy are fast and full of tricks, but lack the sheer power that serperior can build up to. They can slowly boost through calm mind while keeping themselves healthy with synthesis or leech seed. This will require purchase of a calm mind TM and training emphasizing recovery methods. The species can also provide support for trainers who can afford TMs for the screens and defog. They work best as bulky and annoying opponents that steadily whittle the enemy down. On the bright side, few young pokémon in Alola have ice coverage. Ice-types are also unpopular in the region given its warmth.

Acquisition

All three stages can be found in the wild on Exeggutor Island. The best time to catch them is just at daybreak when the pokémon are very lethargic. Most adapt to captivity quite readily after capture. Even if battled during the day others will not defend a specimen being captured unless they are a snivy under two months of age. Capture under this age is legal but not advised given that it will provide the wrath of a mother serperior.

Breeders also regularly have snivy to sell. These snivy are well accustomed to humans and are typically very loyal to the trainer they eventually accompany. Their parents are also usually skilled battlers who may have taught their young a trick or two. Snivy are a popular alternative starter, especially for recent residents of Alola who moved from the mainland.

Snivy and servine can be captured, purchased, or adopted with a Class I license. Serperior require a Class II license to capture, purchase, or adopt.

Breeding

In the wild serperior mate through an elaborate dancing display involving leaf storm and draco meteor attacks and fully flexing the hood. If a female accepts a male they will intertwine around each other and mate.

Mating occurs in March as the rainy season comes to an end. A clutch of about fifteen eggs is laid in April. The snivy will emerge in June. Mother and father will take turns sitting on the eggs. Any predator that attempts to steal one will be met with a full assault if the initial glare fails to deter them. After the eggs hatch the mother provides almost all of their care. For a time she will spend most of her time in trees with her offspring.

Mothers watch and teach their offspring intensively for two months. For the next ten months she will make daily trips to the canopy but spend her nights closer to the surface. The year after is mostly spent in usual serperior habitat with occasional trips to the canopy to check on her offspring and teach more lessons. At the end of the two years she will mate once more and lay another clutch.

In captivity most snivy are given away after two months. Mothers spend nearly all of their time with the offspring condensing two years of education into two months. At the end they are almost always willing to let their children go to trainers she trusts. Sometimes she will reflexively distrust a trainer and not allow her snivy to travel with them.

Most breeders use a greenhouse setup with no predators and adequate light for all individuals. Some breeders even use hollow faux trees with artificial tree sap stored inside. Others collect real tree sap and bring it to the snivy. The father can be kept in a separate enclosure after the children are born. If this is not the case he can be kept in a separate enclosure. If the snivy are removed by the next mating season the mother will mate again.

Relatives

Serperior's closest living relative is applin. While flapple has a similar niche and habitat, appletun has very different behaviors from serperior.

There are three recognized species of serperior. The species in Alola is the tropical serperior, which are originally native to Central America, the cloud forests of the Andes, and the Amazon Basin. Introduced populations can be found in Indonesia, Alola, the Maldives, and Hispañola. Their ability to swim helps them thrive in archipelagos and islands, especially since these areas often lack the large predators that prey on them in their native habitat.

The northern or temperate serperior (S. borealis) can be found in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States, as well as in portions of southeastern Canada. The species is by far the smallest and are more adept on the ground than in trees. They spend most of their time in forest clearings but can bolt into trees if trouble approaches. Snivy are an official starter pokémon in many states and reservations, including Unova. Northern snivy are not dragon-types. As a result they are much more tolerant of the cold. During the worst of the winter the pokémon bury into the soil and go into brumation. They will occasionally surface to drink but will promptly go back into their burrow.

Southern serperior (S. bombacioris) are a largely aquatic species native to the salt marshes, bogs, and rivers of the southeastern United States. Southern serperior have far more potent venom than the other two species and can pose a serious threat to humans with their bite. They are also much heavier and wider. Some specimens have weighed up to three hundred pounds. They are still shorter than the tropical serperior and rarely exceed lengths of ten feet, although some individuals can grow to be twelve or thirteen feet long. Their weight makes it impossible for the serperior to live in trees. Instead they spend most of their time in or around the water. Serperior spend most of the day basking on land. Feraligatr, the apex predator of the region, seldom risk a confrontation with a venomous snake that can launch highly effective leaf storms. During the night the serperior retreat into the waters. They live in vineyards of five to ten serperior. Two individuals stay awake to keep guard while the rest sleep. After an hour or so they trade off watch duty.

Southern snivy and servine receive much less parental oversight than the other two species. They may occasionally venture to the water to learn from their parents. Most of their time is spent in the treetops to avoid larger predators.