Ribombee (Cutiefly)
Overview
Lucario are popular worldwide due in part to their associations with aura. Unfortunately the species' Alola population is confined to Poni National Park, riolu are very selective about their trainers, and eggs are expensive. Mienshao, often seen as a poor man's lucario, suffer from many of the same problems.
Most trainers don't know that ribombee also use aura. While their aura is used reading is used mainly for utility rather than offense or defense the beeflies are empaths and rather good at predicting and dodging attacks. Combined with their naturally high speed they can be good sweepers on the island challenge. The species also requires relatively little dedicated training and is easy to obtain. On balance feeding ribombee can sometimes be difficult and, while they are very cute, they lack the "coolness" that makes lucario (and mienshao) popular.
Physiology
Ribombee and cutiefly are classified as dual bug- and fairy-type pokémon. Their secondary fairy-typing is heavily disputed as ribombee lack most of the classic fairy-type traits (tricksters, lunar affiliation) but can read auras, a traditionally fighting-type attribute. Ribombee's natural affinity for moonblast have been used to justify the current typing. The matter is being reviewed by the Department of Agriculture and a type change to either pure bug or bug-fighting is considered likely.
Cutiefly are very small insect pokémon. They are not considered to be true bees due to their lack of hives, swarming, honey production, or stingers. Genetic tests suggest that they are actually related to—and possibly descended from—vikavolt. Cuteifly have fuzzy yellow hair on the front of their body, an exposed white exoskeleton at the back, and a short and firm proboscis. Their wings resemble those of vikavolt and rest over the pokémon's back when at rest. Wings often have patterns on them that vary by region and family. These patterns include eyes, bright colors that blend in with their feathers, or dark green or blue shades that make the pokémon resemble a small vikavolt at a glance. Four long black legs rest beneath the cutiefly's body.
Ribombee have a build more like butterfree than vikavolt's. Two antennae, a short proboscis, and large compound eyes adorn their head. A brown "scarf" of hair rests on the neck and boosts ribombee's aura reading powers. Two arms are attached just below the scarf and the other two are located at the end of the body. Special joints allow ribombee to use their wings to either flutter like a proper butterfly or fly like a vikavolt when they need to move quickly.
The species subsists on a mix of honey and nectar. Ribombee use the honey to create waxy secretions that can bind together pollen and slightly change its inherent properties. This can cause the pollen to either be a disorienting or toxic weapon or a very nutritious food source for cutiefly. Ribombee often leave a mix of toxic and nutritious puffs lying around. Only cutiefly seem to be able to tell the difference.
Ribombee grow to lengths of 23 centimeters and weigh up to 270 grams. They live for roughly eighteen months in the wild and captivity.
Behavior
Most pokémon can only exist because of other pokémon. Grass-types purifying the air and soil let forests grow fast enough to support herbivores. Predators rely mostly on large pokémon for their food rather than killing dozens of relatively small and energy-light baseline animals. Ribombee are almost entirely separate from the pokémon-based ecology of Alola. Most of their interactions are with baseline insects.
Ribombee steal their honey from ordinary bees by using their light attacks to disorient swarms and smash hives open. Their main competitors in pollination are baseline insects and hummingbirds. Most pokémon in the area don't interact with ribombee at all due to their toxic pollens, annoying binding fluids, skittishness, and high speed. Even the main pokémon pollinator in Alola—butterfree—is not a direct competitor. Rain washes away the pollen ribombee have accumulated and the species goes to great lengths to avoid it. Butterfree are most active during these storms and help keep large flowers pollinated during the rainy season.
Cutiefly and ribombee do not use their aura to attack other pokémon or better themselves in constant competition. Instead it is used to identify the plants likely to have the best nectar or to sense the movements of predators and weather patterns. When faced with a potential threat both cutiefly and ribombee prefer to turn tail and use their high flight speeds and agility to run off into the forest and evade their pursuer.
Husbandry
Honey is cheap as far as pokémon food goes. Nectar, especially from ribombee and cutiefly's preferred plants, is a fair bit more expensive. It is most commonly sold in bird specialty stores that stock it for oricorio. Relatively cheap butterfree nectar mixes can work in a pinch. Thankfully ribombee can forage for their own nectar most of the time and seem to prefer doing so as it lets them accumulate pollen. So long as there are flowers out and the weather is clear ribombee can be trusted to eat on their own and use their abilities to find their trainer when finished. Cutiefly have weaker aura reading and a few predators and should be supervised.
Ribombee and, to a lesser extent, cutiefly are clever and easily taught new tricks. Both are also affectionate and enjoy contact with their trainer and teammates. Many ribombee perch on their trainer's head or shoulder when outside of their ball and in clear weather. Many individual shops (as well as all Pokémon Center lobbies and a few small cities) ban ribombee from being unleashed in public due to the sheer amount of pollen they carry on them. Both stages prefer to be outside of their ball whenever it is not raining. Ribombee despise rain and pokéballs mimic their natural habit of hiding in tree stumps well enough. Net and nest balls are the best choices.
Both stages are neither strictly diurnal nor nocturnal. Sleep schedules tend to be based around the rain and winds rather than the sun. While far from the capriciousness of most fairy-types, ribombee get upset if their preferred sleep schedule is disrupted. Thankfully they will sleep in their pokéball with minimal fuss.
Illness
Ribombee are not built to last. A single hit from even many non-pokémon birds can kill it, their exoskeleton isn't particularly durable, and their organs are prone to failure for no clear reason if they survive to the two year mark. While their lifespan is far longer than butterfree's there is relatively little research on how to heal them. Any serious hit from a fully evolved pokémon has the potential to kill ribombee in one shot. Cutiefly have to be careful around even fairly weak pokémon. Be very cautious about using them in battle. Ideally they should be limited to fighting grounded pokémon with no way of hitting back or for field control against another utility lead.
Evolution
Between two and three months of age, cutiefly will form small cocoons for their evolution. Evolution itself only takes three to seven days. The cocoon should not be moved during this time period.
Battle
Despite their extreme frailty, ribombee have carved out a niche in professional battling. They are extremely fast and hit decently hard. More importantly, they naturally form a sticky pollen binding substance. While the quantity is normally limited by their small size a very well trained ribombee with experience around another sticky web setter can learn to use elemental energy to coat the battlefield in webs. Their high speed and small size makes them tricky to hit as they set up field control. Alternatively they can spread status or boost midflight with quiver dance. Ribombee have extremely high mortality rates on the battlefield and are near deadweight outside of field control and the occasional revenge kill. Many trainers aren't willing to give a team slot to a pokémon that will probably only fight in a few matches before dying of injury or old age.
Ribombee benefit from the relative frailty of pokémon on the island challenge vis a vis the professional circuit. Many pokémon have no options at all for dealing with an aerial attacker. In the time it takes for the switch clock to run ribombee can either boost themselves up to terrifying speeds and fairly impressive power or coat the battlefield in webs and benefit future levitators or birds. Ribombee are still extremely frail pokémon and should use u-turn to switch out as soon as their role is fulfilled.
Cutiefly function best as weak but somewhat fast flying artillery. Ideally they should not fight at all as within a fairy short period of time they will evolve on their own.
Acquisition
Ribombee and cutiefly are most common in Alola's meadows but can also be found in many savannahs on the islands. Proving battles are both unnecessary and dangerous but some sort of a trapper may be necessary to keep ribombee from fleeing the battle or at least constantly evading thrown pokéballs. Many trainers have reported success at luring in ribombee by placing a cup of a very rare or foreign flower's nectar out and sitting still nearby for as long as it takes for a pokémon to take the bait. If the nectar is good enough and the process is repeated a few times a teammate can often be obtained without a battle. Be advised that the beeflies will expect similar nectar to be provided fairly often.
Cutiefly can be captured with a Class I license. Ribombee can be captured with a Class II. No shelters take them in and there are no dedicated breeders so purchase and adoption are near impossible. If a trainer does want to sell their cutiefly or ribombee the licensing requirements are the same as capture.
Breeding
Ribombee mating occurs when a male ambushes a female in midair and overpowers her in an acrobatic contest. Mating is done while flying at full speed in seemingly random directions until both partners abruptly separate and dash away from each other. The female ribombee will then search for burrowing bug-type pokémon or non-pokémon insect nests. She uses her antennae and sensors on the tips of her feet to glean information about the nest. If it is satisfactory she will extend a thin tube from her rear and deposit her eggs into the nest. The offspring will hatch after a few days and begin to feed upon the adults, juveniles, and eggs of the host species. When nothing more remains the cutiefly will dig their way out of the nest and enter the world.
The species has never been bred in captivity due to the somewhat odd nature of their mating and parasitism. In any case they are not in danger of extinction in Alola.
Subspecies
The Galarians introduced ribombee to the gardens of their home island as well as colonies around the world. There is some dispute as to whether these populations should count as subspecies or not.