Milotic (Feebas)
Propedraconis pulchraesunt
Overview
For millennia sailors have regarded gyarados and milotic as either the ultimate monsters of the sea or mercurial gods of the ocean. Modern popular culture tends to frame them in opposition with milotic acting as protectors of mankind and gyarados attacking ships for no reason. This is both ahistoric and misunderstands the behaviors of actual milotic. It is true that milotic would sometimes heal sick sailors or guide lost ships back to shore. They were more likely to doom ships for no apparent reason. Milotic's mercurial nature, intelligence, and occasional sadism can make them more akin to metagross than blissey.
Captive milotic raised from before their evolution tend to be more benevolent. They also tend to have more knowledge of the behavior of fictional or captive milotic than of their wild counterparts. This can lead to them valuing different things and actively trying to grow into the pop culture depiction of the species.
Milotic are beautiful, intelligent, and powerful. So are many of the true dragons. Milotic are no less difficult or dangerous to care for than their cousins. Trainers who would hesitate before raising a gyarados or salamence should be equally hesitant when deciding if they want to take on the challenge of caring for a milotic.
Physiology
Feebas are classified as pure water-types. Milotic were traditionally classified as pure water-types as well. The species was poorly understood by scientists for a very long time due to the difficulty in obtaining cooperative specimens. They have recently been reclassified as water- and psychic-types. There are scientists who advocate for a dragon or fairy typing replacing either of the current types. Milotic are primarily aquatic hydrokinetics that rely heavily on telepathy and telekinesis. They are also closely related to true dragons and have similar anatomy and behaviors. The Galarians have traditionally regarded miloic as one of the fey, they have been known to bargain, possess literally supernatural beauty, and can be fickle creatures with incomprehensible but deeply valued rules. The rationale for the current typing is practical as much as anything: they are unable to use moonblast or draco meteor in battle and are vulnerable to typical anti-water and anti-dragon strategies.
Feebas appear to be compressiform fish. They are actually marine reptiles. Feebas possess both lungs and gills. They can survive outside of water for several hours and use their ventral fins as legs to slowly crawl back to the water's edge. Feebas are incredibly hardy organisms capable of surviving polluted and cloudy waters, fresh water and salinities rivaling the Dead Sea, temperatures between 35 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit, and even zero gravity conditions. Milotic can even survive the pressures of the bathypelagic zone.
Feebas are known for their shabby, sickly appearance with brown blotches, faintly visible skeletal system, and often half-shed scales. This is a defense mechanism: feebas rely on tasting bad and looking sick to avoid predation. Gyarados will violently protect magikarp populations that have experienced too much predation. Milotic will lash out at anything that attacks a feebas in front of them but will not avenge acts of predation like their close relatives would.
Milotic are serpentine pokémon with four long antennae and a fan-like set of four caudal fins. Their upper body is usually white or cream colored. Their tail consists of an interlocking pattern of white and red rectangles with black lines separating them. Milotic, like snakes, do have separate torso and tail segments despite not possessing legs. Milotic's head contains a horn and four antennae. The two upper antennae are thin and red. The lower antennae are long, blood-red ribbons. The lower antennae are used to sense water currents and blood. They are also used to fine-tune the pokémon's manipulation of both. The upper antennae are designed to amplify psionic signals. Both sets of antennae can be shed and regrown if damaged.
Like feebas, milotic possess both lungs and gills. They can swim through the water with their caudal fins and hydrokinesis, float through the air with telekinesis, or slither on land. The pokémon's skeletal system is designed to support their body at depths of up to 5,000 feet. The muscular system is designed to let them move on land under their own power. They mostly rely on hydrokinesis to swim, although the caudal fins can be used to steer. Feebas possess a small gas bladder to help them stay in place while sleeping in deep waters. Milotic do not and depend on their hydrokinesis to stay afloat. They are capable of mild telepathy and hydrokinesis even while asleep.
Both milotic and feebas have gill-rakers and four rows of teeth. They can either suspension feed off of plankton by swimming with their mouth wide open or actively hunt their prey. Crustaceans are feebas's preferred prey. Milotic have a specialized stomach and strong resistance to most venoms and enjoy preying on jellies. They have also been observed hunting wishiwashi, lumineon, spheal, alomomola, humans, birds, gorebyss, inkay, and even very young wailmer.
Milotic possess vocal chords that let them sing and below audible pitches. Their songs can carry for several miles in the water and are often accompanied by a full-body feeling of unease due to the latent telepathic and hemokinetic signals mixed in. Other milotic can perfectly understand the messages in all three mediums. Humans can only decipher the telepathic signals specifically aimed at them.
Both feebas and milotic are homeothermic. It would otherwise be nearly impossible for them to survive in deep, cold waters without sunning themselves.
Milotic can grow up to forty feet in length and weigh seven hundred pounds. Their lifespans in both captivity and the wild are poorly understood but likely to exceed three centuries.
Behavior
Feebas tend to live in schools of fifty to four hundred individuals. They prefer estuarine or coastal environments with seagrasses, but can also thrive in well-planted freshwater or brackish ponds if needed. At least three populations have adjusted to subterranean rivers and lakes. Feebas schools tend to be very compact with members swimming very close together. The compactness and tendency to hug the seabed can make them difficult to find even in areas where they are numerically abundant. Feebas are opportunists that hunt whatever food is available. In times of stress they may retreat to less desirable habitats that are inhospitable to their main predators.
It is difficult to ascribe any single norm to milotic. Their behaviors are highly variable by region and individual. In general, milotic are solitary creatures that prefer to live in the open oceans. They are capable of deep dives and spend most of their time well beneath the surface. Autonomous submersible footage has revealed that they may be more social in the deep sea. One found a group of nearly eighty milotic sleeping vertically in close proximity to each other. One eventually woke up and began to toy with the submersible, prompting others to join in. The machine was rendered inoperable within minutes. One milotic surfaced days later and delivered what remained of it to the research vessel piloting it. He became upset when the researchers were unable to immediately repair his toy or provide another one. The voyage ended early after the crew began suffering strange health problems.
This is a good example of the difficulty in dealing with milotic at sea. They are in many ways best dealt with as bargaining fairies. They may float above the surface to heal a single sick sailor, only to cast a plague on the remainder of the ship. This is because they expected something in return and were not provided it. Some milotic have learned to telepathically speak with humans. Others have not. Speaking milotic are usually far less dangerous as they can make their desires clear. If their desires are entirely unclear it is best to offer them something most milotic like. Large quantities of meat work. So do particularly complex or well-made toys that can survive underwater. Old ships often had detachable figureheads as a potential peace offering to milotic. At least one milotic has been found sitting on a hoard of figureheads, including some from long-sunken ships. It is unclear if the milotic sunk these ships herself or merely salvaged the figurehead from the wreck. Another milotic took a great deal of interest in the forks on a cruise ship and offered to protect the vessel in exchange for exactly eighty-seven forks.
As with all bargaining fairies, it is best to stay away from milotic whenever possible. If they offer something for free then something should always be offered in return. Offerings made of iron can be seen as a threat, while silver is generally desired by the fairies. Milotic do not appreciate it, however, as it quickly corrodes underwater.
Milotic have three different hunting strategies. They can feed off of plankton or jellies in the water column by swimming through it and using their hydrokinesis to draw currents towards them. Milotic can hunt more advanced prey with telepathic waves that induce awe and lower aggression, leaving prey entirely helpless to defend themselves while milotic slowly finishes them off by constriction, drowning, or hemokinesis. Finally, milotic can use their hemokinesis to gradually sicken prey or cause they to bleed out from minor cuts. The last two strategies work on humans. Milotic used to be infamous for floating above atolls and using their telepathically enhanced beauty to lure sailors close. The sailors could then be safely picked off one by one once the vessel had run aground.
Only sharpedo prey upon milotic. Anything else that tried could be dealt with through telepathic calming. Even sleeping milotic are always emitting a calming aura to dissuade attackers. Even sharpedo can struggle to hunt milotic due to their tough scales, intelligence, and hemokinesis. Milotic that survive sharpedo attacks have been known to gather allies and systematically eliminate every sharpedo in the area.
Some milotic, particularly those that live in rivers, regard themselves as the lords of their environment. A few have even been willing to negotiate treaties between humans and different pokémon species provided they are adequately rewarded for their services. In parts of East and Southeast Asia it was common to view the river milotic as intermediaries between humans and the gods. When offered tribute they could end plagues, summon rain, or portend disasters.
Milotic's ability to predict disaster is the subject of a great deal of scientific debate. Some believe milotic are genuinely precognitive. This is not beyond belief as precognition is a known ability of both human and pokémon psychics. Others maintain that the milotic were simply 'predicting' disasters that they would then 'avert' or cause themselves if tribute was not given. This is also possible and in line with the behavior of wild milotic. Finally, milotic's bizarre senses may be able to pick up on some impending disasters, like earthquakes, without the use of precognition.
Husbandry
Feebas are hardy creatures that need little more than a non-chlorinated pool to swim in. Ideally their enclosure should contain sufficient plant cover and other hiding places to make them feel safe. This is especially important if only a single specimen is being raised. While feebas can handle contaminants better than most fish, water changes should still be performed regularly to keep ammonia from building up. Feebas can eat most commercial fish mixes, small crustaceans, or any meat. If kept in ponds they can get much of their diet from suspended plankton. Whatever is fed, it is critically important that the trainer be seen providing the food. This will help build bonds that will become necessary for ensuring compliance after evolution.
Unlike milotic, feebas are unintelligent creatures that need little in the way of enrichment. They still appreciate companionship. If only one feebas is being kept then similarly-sized fish or reptiles should be made available to school with. Feebas will happily associate with whiswashi, magikarp, finneon, and luvdisc if their own kind are not available. They will also attempt to socialize with skrelp and dratini, although the dragons might find feebas to be too dull to bother with. Carvanha and basculin are too aggressive for feebas.
Feebas are difficult to care for on the trail and there is little purpose in doing so. They are highly unlikely to contribute in battle until they evolve and feebas that are constantly moved around may not be appreciative of their trainer when evolution comes. Milotic are beyond the capacity of most island challengers to care for. Trainers who insist on having one on the island challenge should obtain a Class V license before setting out on the trail and raise their feebas to evolution at home.
Milotic have much more demanding requirements. To start with, milotic will need either a very large pool or a pond. Grasses are not strictly required. Sandy beach areas where they can interact with their trainer are appreciated. If a pond is not provided, milotic will find and claim one for themselves. Milotic tend to care little for property ownership or the prior inhabitants of their desired pond.
Food preferences vary by individual. Milotic are also intelligent enough to understand the concept of lab-grown meat. They have varying opinions on it, ranging from a refusal to eat either natural or lab-grown meat to indifference. Young milotic should be provided with a wide range of foods so they can figure out what they enjoy. Crustaceans or plankton should make up a about 30% of their diet with other meat making up the remainder. Lean meats are better than fattier ones for the pokémon's health.
Milotic are highly intelligent pokémon that will require a great deal of enrichment. Some can learn to read. Others will not bother. Ready access to a television with internet access or many channels as well as a remote they can operate with their teeth, tail, hydrokinesis, or antennae are the best way to satisfy them in the long term. Milotic are usually more invested in storytelling and fiction than documentaries and learning about the wider world. As always, preferences vary.
Milotic, like most large carnivores, are poor teammates for particularly skittish pokémon. Ordinarily it is a bad idea to partner a large carnivore with a typical prey pokémon. This is particularly difficult for milotic as there is very little that they will not eat when given the chance. Teammates should ideally either be too large for the milotic to comfortably eat, inorganic or incorporeal, or intelligent enough for the milotic to properly befriend them. Milotic usually give dragons a respectful distance. Despite having no paternal instincts in the wild, milotic will seldom attack pokémon introduced to the trainer's team at a young age. Milotic that are particularly well bonded to their trainer are unlikely to eat teammates in general. This will not stop teammates from being concerned about the milotic.
Milotic are behaviorally difficult as they possess some of the most problematic traits of both dragons and fairies. Milotic are fiercely protective of their territories and prone to hoarding items like most dragons. The exact objects milotic likes to hoard vary by individual. Most place little value in precious metals, although gemstones can interest them. They also do not appreciate challenges to their strength or honor and will hold long grudges if slighted. Most dragons can work their grudges out in the course of a battle, either satisfying their honor or deciding that it is not worth upholding against their opponent. Milotic tend to hold grudges regardless of the outcome of battles they participate in.
This is where their behaviors begin to resemble those of fairies. Captive milotic tend not to have the esoteric rules of their wild counterparts. They can still have rules of their own that should not be broken. The following are the most common: Anything they regard as theirs should never be stolen away, only bargained for. Services rendered should be compensated for. Healing or battling should be rewarded with food, toys, one-on-one time, or something else of value. Likewise, they should be allowed to satisfy their perceived debts to others. Do not make major decisions for them. Do nothing to undermine them in public. Pet names that may be appreciated in private can be embarrassing to them in front of strangers.
Some of these rules may be relaxed for trainers or teammates they are close to. In general, it is best to assume these rules are in effect unless the milotic says otherwise. Do not assume a rule has been abandoned simply because a transgression goes unpunished. Milotic possess human-comparable intelligence and are capable of holding telepathic conversations. Take advantage of this. Talk to them whenever possible. The pokémon will appreciate the socialization and it can prevent disastrous miscommunications.
Illness
Feebas usually appear to be sick as a defense mechanism. They often swim at a slight angle, their fins are somewhat ragged, and their gills are often slightly inflamed. These are normal. If any of these behaviors is far more prominent than it typically is, consult a veterinarian immediately. White slime or open sores are also of immediate concern. Be careful not to use cleaning products containing ammonia around their enclosure as this can result in fatal ammonium buildup. If the pokémon has crawled out of the water, assume something is very wrong. Move the pokémon to another tank or withdraw them into their pokéball before performing testing the water. If the chemical tests reveal a problem, perform an 80% water change and conduct another round of testing. If no problems reveal themselves after routine chemical tests, take a water sample and send it to a veterinarian specializing in ichthyology for pathogen analysis.
Milotic are almost never sick. They can even heal themselves of almost any injury in time. Some hydrokinetic pokémon specialize in manipulating fresh water and struggle with water with a great deal of solvents. Others use the salt in water to amplify their control. Milotic can do either, but they have the unusual ability to sense and manipulate red blood cells. Their control is nowhere near as powerful or refined as it is over pure water or saltwater, but it is enough to sense, sicken, or heal nearby organisms. Their ability to purify water can also be applied to blood at close range, allowing them to purge toxins and viruses from the bloodstream. As mentioned above, do not treat this as a free service unless explicitly stated. Particularly strong milotic at close range can inflict fatal blood clots. At longer ranges they can prevent blood from clotting around injuries or inflict a gradually intensifying malaise. In battle they can keep their own blood inside their body, limiting the usefulness of inflicting superficial damage against them.
Evolution
Feebas evolve into milotic after some unknown threshold is met. Combat appears to be counterproductive in accelerating evolution. Friendship and an energy-rich diet are the two leading hypotheses for triggering feebas evolution. Once the threshold is reached, feebas flash evolve into a seven-foot-long milotic.
In the wild, the new milotic will seek out older conspecifics to provide mentorship. Over the next two to three years the milotic will continue to grow in strength and size while learning from their mentor. The milotic will only set off on their own after reaching full size.
Milotic are highly intelligent pokémon with little instinctual knowledge. They require education to learn most of their specie's talents and traditions. This education does not occur at birth, but after evolution. Milotic that evolve in captivity thus have very different behaviors than wild specimens and will depend on their trainer and teammates for guidance. Raising a newly evolved milotic can be very similar to parenting a primarily school aged child. They are insatiably curious and will need guidance in forming their worldview and values, as well as mastering their abilities. Trainers without other dragons or pseudodragons on their team may want to enlist the help of a milotic trainer or dragon master when teaching their newly evolved pokémon how to battle.
Battle
Milotic are durable pseudo-dragons with a great deal of tricks. Many of the top water-, dragon-, fairy-, and psychic-type specialists use them on their teams. They are more common still in the world of coordination for their beauty, intelligence, and varied arsenal that lets them put on stunning performances. Almost every professional coordinator at least investigates the possibility of adding a milotic to their team. Some circuits have even considered banning them.
Unlike most large predators, milotic prefer to win gradual victories using their natural defense mechanisms and healing factor rather than overwhelming power. The first trick opponents will need to get around is their disarming aura. Milotic can send out pulses that erode the will of opposing pokémon and trainers to fight. These work through a combination of telepathic assault and manipulating hormone levels in the blood. The pulses are more potent up close. They are nearly impossible to dodge as they flood the entire arena.
Dark-types hard counter these pulses. So do other milotic, inorganic pokémon, some ghosts, and pokémon with emotions so different from normal animals that the pulses are nearly useless. The pulses also primarily work by dulling emotional responses. Trainers and pokémon alike should try to approach the battle as logically as possible, keeping emotion to the bare minimum, when dealing with milotic. Feelings, or a lack thereof, should be dismissed.
Milotic's second trick to deal with is their hemokinesis. Injuries of opposing pokémon will not clot and may not even heal through moves like recover or wish. The milotic's own injuries will not bleed. The longer the battle goes on, the worse organic pokémon will feel when fighting milotic. Hemokinesis can be partially mitigated by fighting at range. Melee pokémon, if they must get close, should take care to avoid the milotic's antennae. Getting wrapped in one will dramatically worsen the symptoms. Lacerations are nearly useless. Poisons are also unlikely to register as the milotic can simply purify their blood with a thought. The more esoteric the damage inflicted, the more likely it is to register to the milotic. Fairy, ghost, dark, dragon, and electric attacks are the most useful.
Time is on the milotic's side. The longer the fight goes on, the more difficult it will be for trainer or pokémon to care. Injuries will compound and eventually organic opponents will simply fall asleep or stand still, apathetic towards their own fate.
If both tricks are overcome by an inorganic pokémon or ghost, the battle is not yet won. Milotic are surprisingly fast in the air, capable of reaching speeds of fifteen miles an hour and performing elaborate maneuvers to avoid attacks. They are faster in the water. Milotic can use recover to quickly restore their health, mirror coat and light screen to reduce the impact of projectiles, trip opponents up with bulldoze, or further disorient them with attract, hypnosis, or confuse ray. Milotic are not as formidable offensively as gyarados, but their hydro pumps and ice beams are still more than enough to take out frail opponents and those weak to water energy. Outside of their best counters, such as magnezone, there is no truly safe way to handle a fight with a milotic. Trainers unprepared for them will be dispatched on the milotic's own time.
Milotic are not as useful on the island challenge as they are in competitive battling. Any milotic used on the challenge is likely to be young and still learning how to fight. It is best to stick with telepathic pulses and water attacks early on. Offensive hemokinesis has too much risk of inflicting more damage than intended and trickier options like mirror coat take some time to master.
Acquisition
Feebas can be found in seagrass estuaries throughout Alola. The best place to find them is in Brooklet Hill. Patience is a virtue when fishing for feebas as it can be rare to get a bite, even in ponds where they are abundant. Feebas can also be purchased from some aquarium specialty stores.
Milotic are most common in deep waters. A few sometimes venture into Brooklet Hill to rest and interact with humans. Give them a wide berth. Capture of wild milotic is illegal. Milotic require a Class V license to possess and can be purchased from some specialty stores. There are also occasionally young milotic available to adopt after a trainer without a Class V license has a feebas evolve.
If a feebas does evolve and the trainer does not have a Class V license or does not believe themselves to be up to the task of parenting a young pseudodragon, they can be rehomed easily enough shortly after evolution. The new milotic will not yet have any firm attachments to their trainer at this time.
Breeding
Milotic come to shore to lay their eggs. They lay approximately 800,000 eggs scattered throughout an estuary and then depart back to the ocean. Feebas eggs are bright orange and sometimes glow faintly in the moonlight. They hatch after four days. The young feebas are less than half an inch long and mortality is very high. Fully grown feebas have been known to cannibalize juveniles. Juveniles will sometimes cannibalize each other if there is not enough food to eat. Feebas steadily grow to their full size over the course of ten weeks.
It is unclear how milotic select mates in the wild. Wild specimens have never been observed mating and the eggs have already been internally fertilized by the time the female arrives on shore.
Captive milotic lack any sort of formal mating ritual. They may decide they like another pseudodragon, snake, or dragon enough to mate. This is most likely to occur with other milotic or highly intelligent species. New parents may stay with their mate or watch over their offspring. They may not. Behavior varies widely. Milotic that are not attached to their eggs will leave them in their trainer's care. It is usually best to enlist a professional breeder or public aquarium due to the sheer number of feebas eggs laid. Hatchlings should be provided with blends of small zooplankton or very finely shredded fishmeal.
Relatives
Milotic's closest relatives are gyarados and, more distantly, dunsparce.
East Asian cave feebas may qualify as a separate subspecies. They have much paler coloration, thicker scales, and smaller eyes than standard feebas. They can be found in a few aquifers and subterranean rivers ranging from Malaysia to Kamatchka. It is unclear where these populations come from. Their habitats are often difficult for researchers to access and they are unusually skittish. A proper subspeciation has not yet been made as a wild cave milotic have only been captured on camera once. The specimen was observed in an aquifer near the ocean and appeared quite similar to oceanic milotic. Interbreeding may regularly occur. The handful of captive cave milotic that have been observed were physically and behaviorally quite similar to oceanic milotic. Research is ongoing as to whether oceanic feebas develop differently in cool, dark waters than they do in estuaries. If so milotic may be split into a three-stage line with very young juveniles classified as a baby form and feebas split into a branched evolution that reconverges into milotic.