Ledian (Ledyba)
Overview
There is a peculiar sort of modern arrogance that history can be divided into two phases: the era of primitive mysticism and the Age of Science. The latter began only a few centuries ago. Before it no significant advances were made beyond, perhaps, the very basics of mathematics. Sometimes in their rush to repudiate 'superstition,' scientists rush to dissenting opinions when, in reality, the ancient wisdom was largely correct. Ledian appears to be one of those cases.
The ancient poets, from India to Kalos to the Andes, claimed that ledian fed upon starlight. In the late 1700s a man by the name of John Alabaster published a lengthy treatise on how this belief was the height of ancient foolishness. Cultures around the world had built and protected homes for ledbya near their fields because ledyba prey upon other bugs. The same farmers would also complain when ledian ate the fruit from their orchards. What place was there for starlight in their diet?
It is true that ledyba hunt bugs and ledian are very fond of fruit. However, it has been recently discovered that the cells on a ledian's carapace appear to generate energy in reaction to starlight that isn't from the sun. It is unknown what advantage they reap from this that they would not gain from simple photosynthesis. The leading theory, that they need only dim light, has been disproved routinely in experiments. Extrapolating from close relatives is also difficult. While ledbya look almost exactly like a larger version of a baseline insect, their organ systems are closer to a klinklang than a butterfree, to the extent that their physiology is understood at all.
Ledian are fascinating and loyal pets that can hold their own in even international competitions. Unfortunately, "the cycle" (see Breeding) limits the times in which ledian are available and even further limits the amount of time most trainers will have to bond with their partners.
Physiology
All stages of ledian are classified by the Department of Agriculture as dual bug- and flying-types. The department is currently in the process of reconsidering its prior ruling in favor of a bug- and fairy-typing because of the species' strong connection to starlight.
Ledyba have two segments. The larger of the two contains its wings and six proportionally small legs. The back of its carapace is marked with five black stars. The exact size and pattern of the stars varies between individuals. The second segment contains the ledyba's head. Unusually for insects, their eyes are complex and quite similar to those of cephalopods or vertebrates. They have two large black antennae on their head. These antennae are used for smelling the world. Ledyba have scent glands located right beneath their antennae. They use these glands to signal their emotions, location and intent to conspecifics. ledyba are counter-shaded; their bellies are yellow and their back is primarily orange.
Ledian are some of the largest flying insects, reaching heights of up to 1.6 meters in parts of the world that are both warm year-round and have excellent air quality. Alola is one of those places. Ledian have a proportionally large head segment and a proportionally small 'body' segment. The two are connected by a short but visible neck. Ledian have a visible black dot where their scent glands are. Curiously, ledian have conventional compound eyes rather than the more complex eyes of their juvenile form. Ledian legs become more specialized, with two serving as 'feet' used for balance mid-flight and four growing longer and developing hard, round tips that vaguely resemble boxing gloves. Ledian gain a darker red coloration upon their backs.
Ledbya appear to subsist entirely upon starlight. Ledian sometimes eat very sweet fruit or berries during long summers, long periods of continuous cloud cover, or during periods of abnormally bad air quality. Ledian have never been observed producing waste. Their digestive system, like almost all of their other organs, appears to be entirely different from known organic pokémon. The inner workings of ledian are still largely a mystery. Some organs (their 'brain,' their scent glands, their three hearts) readily appear to have a purpose. Most of their organs do not.
The amount of energy a ledian obtains from starlight appears to be based upon the number of stars visible, air quality, cloud cover, the phase of the moon and the length of the night. There is preliminary evidence that ledian energy production might depend upon the alignment of planets, long-term fluctuations of the Earth's tilt and distance from the sun, and the presence of nearby comets.
Behavior
Ledyba are some of the most gregarious of all pokémon, preferring to live in swarms of several hundred members. Ledian are less social, but still prefer to live in groups of six or more. In the wild ledyba are known for forming huge swarms and, when attacked, grouping together and throwing up reflective shields around the entire swarm. However, particularly powerful or stealthy birds enjoy preying upon ledyba, which causes their numbers to steadily decline. Even with human training and protection, the total number of ledian in Alola inevitably declines to roughly 1000 at its low point.
Ledyba have long been known to find and kill other non-pokémon insects in their home. Ledyba emit a steadily stream of a weak insecticide from their scent glands and use their weak punches and wind attacks when their poison alone won't do the trick. The purpose of these hunts is unclear, as they do not compete for food with these insects and they seldom attack ledyba except in self-defense. Because they usually spare pollinators, ledyba are beloved by farmers. The species was deliberately introduced in 1851 to safeguard sugar plantations. This introduction has led to a decline in local insect populations, but the popularity of Alola as a rookery for large birds of prey (fearow, braviary, honchkrow, mandibuzz, talonflame, skarmory, noivern, noctowl) has kept the ledian population in check.
Ledian also make a habit of hunting bugs. Unlike their juvenile form, they hunt down pokémon insects. They spare pollinators such as ribombee and butterfree. There are records of ledian going after vikavolt in the first few cycles after their arrival in Alola, but they have since stopped hunting vikavolt and vikavolt, in turn, have stopped hunting them. Almost all other bug-types are fair game. Ledian punches are surprisingly powerful and can be unleashed at rates of up to 130 total punches a second when counting all four arms. Ledian's preferred tactic is to ambush a bug while it rests and unleash fast, targeted punches to a particular area on their target's exoskeleton. The resulting force is not intended to break the exoskeleton. Rather, it is meant to put pressure on weak points elsewhere and cause the insect to burst open. Ledian hunt insects that do not compete for space and food. They do not eat the remains or lay eggs in it.
Attempts to discern their reasoning through telepathy have only succeeded in traumatizing the psychic. Past editions of this guidebook have referred to this trauma as simple arachnophobia. This no longer appears to be the case. The creatures telepaths see when they sync with ledian have nine long legs covered in spines that branch off into clusters of more spines, a core body that appears to be made up of a dodecahedron with giant, rapidly-moving eyes visible on each pane, translucent purple wings almost as large as the rest of the creature, and a constant scream one telepath described as "…a baby crying on a plane, but its voice is a car crash, metal on metal... the volume is always changing… [like] if pure, all-consuming hatred was condensed to a single word…" Telepathic scans have further confirmed that ledian minds are structured nothing like those of any other observed insect pokémon. These traits have made them minds a subject of intense curiosity among non-telepaths in the field of telepath studies, but and also a subject that almost no telepath wants to touch.
It is hypothesized that the so-called "ledian spiders" may be relatives of metagross, a pokémon that is also quite likely to have extraterrestrial origins. Metagross seem fascinated by ledian; ledian will attempt to flee from metagross, disregarding their own safety in the process. Ledian exposed to metagross with no escape route available will frequently attempt suicide. It is strongly recommended that trainers not keep both species on the same team.
All stages of the evolutionary line rest in the day and fly at night in what appear to be elaborate dances and social rituals. It is unclear what the purpose of these are or what they mean, as ledian are just as likely to perform them with a member of their swarm they appear to dislike as they are to perform them their closest partner in the swarm.
Husbandry
As ledyba need no extra food than natural starlight and produce no waste, they would appear to be ideal pets. Unfortunately, several factors complicate this analysis.
To start with, ledyba are uncomfortable living in swarms with fewer than twenty members. This is infeasible to replicate on most standard teams of six pokémon. Ledian are less gregarious, but still require either a full team of six pokémon or near-constant interaction with their trainer. They are intelligent and loyal creatures and enjoy play.
Ledyba prefer to sleep in their pokéballs. Ledian have no particular preference. However, ledyba and ledian both drain their energy reserves while they are in their pokéballs and will need to be let out each night. It is recommended that they have a guard pokémon, preferably an electric, rock, or ice-type, to ward off birds of prey.
Ledian are almost constantly releasing powerful scents to signal their moods. Sometimes these scents can be quite pleasant. Sometimes they are not. It should be accepted that a ledian trainer will gradually gain a rather distinctive scent due to their pet's communications. The species' fondness of cuddling only accelerates the process.
Ledian are some of the easiest pokémon to tame due to the almost absurd lengths they will go to in pursuit of the fruits they enjoy and their love of puzzles. Providing challenges or games with fruit as a reward will convince a ledian to practice their moves, engage in battle, or pick up prosocial behaviors for a comparatively low cost. Ledian do not appear to pick up weight when overfed, but it is best for a trainer's wallet if they don't overdo it. The more rewards a ledian gets, the less they will respond to the opportunity of obtaining food.
As the ledian's life cycle ends, they will attempt to leave their trainer. They should be allowed to go as every surviving ledian is important for restoring the population at the end of the cycle (see Breeding).
It is extremely difficult to train a ledian alongside other bugs. Butterfree, ribombee and vikavolt, as mentioned above, are the only exceptions in Alola. Very experienced bug specialists can sometimes pull it off, but it's a task best left to zookeepers and the world's top trainers and researchers.
Illness
Ledian very seldom get sick. When they do there is absolutely nothing a veterinarian can do for them given their odd physiology. Ill ledian should be comforted, exposed to as much starlight as possible, and left outside of their pokéball. Sometimes they will recover on their own.
However, tempting as it may be, ledian should not be overfed when sick. More than one ledian has come to view feigning illness as a trick they obtain fruit for performing.
Evolution
Ledyba grow steadily after birth through repeated molts until they reach a height of roughly 0.7 meters at roughly seven months of age. At this point their size remains stagnant for one to three months until they begin metamorphosis. The soon-to-be-ledian will drop down to the floor of the swarm's nest and remain there, protected by other members of the swarm, for roughly two weeks. During this period they undergo repeated molting and rapid growth.
Ledyba only evolve when they have a ready source of protection. In most cases, this is their swarm. When a ledyba is held without other ledyba, something that is legal but generally inadvisable, ledyba will only evolve when provided a dark and sheltered area that remains a constant presence in their space for at least one month.
Battle
Ledyba are cowards that actively avoid battle with anything bigger than a few centimeters long. They are more likely than not to simply freeze up when exposed to an opponent.
Ledian are naturally combative and can be disciplined to hold back from killing other bugs with the help of some wild pokémon and fruit. Ledian have access to highly targeted punches, even if they aren't particularly strong, aerokinetic attacks, and low-level telepathic attacks. However, ledian are perhaps best used as supporting pokémon that set up telekinetic barriers, annoy the opponent or set up a sweep. If a trainer is willing to invest time and money on specialized training and TMs, ledian can learn a plethora of nasty tricks to capitalize upon their screens. Roost and drain punch compensate for their relative frailty, even with screens. Tailwind, agility, substitute, swords dance and baton pass can help set up another teammate. Encore, infestation and u-turn can help establish momentum. Ledian are also intelligent enough to know multiple tricks simultaneously which can keep opponents guessing as to whether ledian is a momentum-builder, a sweep enabler or an all-out attacker. This has given ledian a niche in competitive battling circuits despite their lack of bulk or power.
For amateurs with less time, resources and knowledge to put into training a ledian, it is best to go for a screen-augmented attacker route. Mix the classic protective screens (reflect, light screen, safeguard) with moves such as comet punch, bug buzz and air slash together and you'll have a pokémon that can continue to play a role through either the end of the island challenge or the end of the cycle, whichever comes first.
Acquisition
Ledyba require a Class II license to capture, adopt or purchase. Ledian only require a Class I license. The disparity is in place to prevent trainers without the time, resources or skills to wrangle twenty or more ledyba from trying to do so.
The abundance of ledian and their evolutionary stage largely depend on the time in the cycle. To learn about ledian availability, consult a bug pokémon or agricultural supplies store. At some points in the cycle the capture of ledian is strictly prohibited. Late in the cycle when ledian are present and no longer living in large swarms, they can typically be found near orchards, gardens, plantations or some sparse temperate forests. Ledian are easily intrigued and bribed with fruit and, after they have let their guard down, hugs. They can be overpowered and captured, but it's usually best to get them to join your team voluntarily. Simply giving them food, attention and a community is enough to establish dominance over them.
Breeding
It is impossible to breed ledian in captivity.
Ledian operate on well-known cycles based around total lunar eclipses, which occur about once every 2.5 years. Eggs are laid during the eclipse and hatch two to three weeks later. Ledyba eggs are about the size of a ping-pong ball and look and feel more like a crystal than a standard egg. The eggs are translucent and the growing ledyba is clearly visible.
When the ledyba eggs hatch, there are suddenly hundreds of thousands of tiny ledyba in Alola guarded by roughly 1000 ledian. Predators, pokémon and otherwise, take advantage of this. When the start of the cycle coincides with the breeding season of migratory birds mortality is particularly high. By the time ledyba reach full size, there are typically only ten thousand remaining in the archipelago. Once all the ledyba have evolved roughly ten months in to the cycle, they begin to split off into smaller swarms of ten to twenty individuals. Individuals and swarms are gradually coaxed into captivity or killed off by predators until only about 50 swarms remain in the wild, with another 25 in captivity on large plantations. The remainder are held by private trainers or zoos and botanical gardens.
As the end of the cycle nears, the captive ledian will begin to leave their trainers to return to the place of their birth. On the night of the total lunar eclipse, the ledian will begin one final moonlight ritual, this one with a clear purpose. Details of this event are largely unknown as ledian react with hostility to humans approaching their mating grounds and have even been known to destroy drones sent in to observe. The next morning, the ground of the mating areas are littered with eggs. Ledian will spend the next six months fiercely defending their offspring. Most will die in this process as predators flock to the swarms.
The remaining ledian will begin to die off six months after the eclipse, unleashing powerful and incomprehensible psychic waves as they do so. Some captive ledian will choose to return to their trainers to die. Those that successfully return will embrace their human and initiate a psychic connection. Trainers report visions of vast fields of brightly colored stars and what appears to be a nebula in the middle-distance. The humans often report feelings of confusion and awe at mundane objects such as trees or forks in the following weeks, along with an overpowering sense of love for almost everyone and everything.
Subspecies
None known.