Mawile
Mendax magnicornu cinere

Overview

Mawile's central appeal to trainers lies in their rare combination of cuteness and danger. They are adorable pokémon prone to playing up their innocence and acting like a petulant preschooler. Mawile also have sharp teeth, an astonishingly powerful bite, and a sadistic streak. Despite their lethality and notorious temperament, mawile almost never attack their trainer. The species gives plenty of warning before biting anything but its usual prey. Most victims of mawile attacks are children who are unable or unwilling to respect the pokémon's boundaries.

Trainers that don't plan on having children of their own might be drawn to mawile as a substitute. Fairy-type specialists used to navigating the whims of the fey may find mawile to be a good addition to the team due to its near-immunity to toxins and ambivalence towards cold iron. Some trainer just want a sense of danger in their lives without actually catching a pokémon that attacks unprovoked. Regardless, mawile make for a good battler and pet so long as their needs are met and their boundaries are respected.

Physiology

Mawile are classified as dual steel- and fairy-type pokémon.

There is fierce debate as to whether mawile are a mineral pokémon or an organic one. They have the organ systems that one would expect from a mammal of its build, but much of its body is made of metal. The parts that are made of flesh, such as the skin, muscles, and digestive tract, tend to have metal closely bound to the organic material. Iron sheaths protect blood vessels. The blood, unsurprisingly, has an extremely high amount of copper and iron in it. As is fitting for a borderline organic-inorganic pokémon, mawile eat both minerals and meat.

Mawile are bipeds. Their skin is pale yellow, as is most of their fur. The head is hairless, with progressively thicker and longer fur going down. The fur at the end of the pokémon's limbs is black. Three sharp claws adorn the hands and feet. Mawile have very large eyes to help them see in the dark. Prehensile ears extend from the forehead, most of their length covered in a thin coat of black fur.

The pokémon's most distinctive feature is their horn. The horn is made almost entirely of a blend of iron alloys. It is long and black, making it appear as a large ponytail at a glance. The horn is prehensile and can be opened to reveal a second mouth. The bite force comes not from muscles, but from a series of electromagnets that can be turned on or off. When activated, the magnets draw the horn closed with over 3000 PSI of pressure. Between their serrated teeth and awesome bite force, mawile can kill most small pokémon in a single attack. All but the toughest pokémon can be grievously wounded by a bite, especially since mawile's small stature lets them target feet and legs in order to knock opponents off balance and limit future movements. This allows mawile to simply wait around for particularly dangerous prey to die of blood loss or starvation. Mawile can swallow food with their horn, and the lack of taste buds makes it useful for eating food that the pokémon dislikes.

Early scholars theorized that mawile were formed when a gumshoos fetus partially split, creating two heads. This theory fell out of favor when genetic sequencing showed that mawile's closest living relative is rhyhorn, making the second mouth a horn. More recent studies have led to a variant of the earlier theory. Mawile fetuses, when accounting for their low amount of organic tissue, have extremely high amounts of the sonic hedgehog protein. The protein is associated with facial width; in other animals a high amount can lead to the partial or total development of multiple faces. Similar protein levels are seen in pokémon such as dodrio that naturally have multiple heads. At some point, a rhyhorn mutated to have two heads. Some of these mutants may have survived, and eventually evolved into a form that could make better use of having a second mouth.

Mawile can grow up to two feet tall, horn excluded, and weigh over forty pounds. They typically live for fifty years in captivity; their wild lifespan is unknown.

Behavior

Mawile are solitary pokémon that usually live inside of cave systems, especially those with large crystal deposits. Mawile enjoy eating energy-laden crystals, whether they come from pokémon or not. Sableye and carbink are some of their preferred prey. However, mawile are unable to jump very high and even with their long horn mawile have a limited vertical reach. As such, sableye are much easier targets than carbink. The small population of mawile in Ten Carat Hill helps check the local sableye population, and the DNR has flagged the species as having a low priority for removal.

Mawile often investigate strange objects, especially metallic ones, by eating them. Cameras in mawile territory tend to meet quick ends. Most of what is known about mawile comes from their behavior in captivity and near the surface. The pokémon often comes to the entrances of caves to hunt for meat. In the rainy season, mawile will go outside from one cave entrance, get soaked, and then go to another entrance. It will make a big show of being cold and vulnerable, tucking their horn down and keeping it shut. If a maternal pokémon takes pity on the mawile and tries to snuggle, it will be ripped apart and eaten.

The problem with this strategy is that pokémon with sophisticated enough social systems to feel sympathy for a pokémon of another species quickly learn not to trust the mawile in their range. Mawile eventually need to stray farther from the cave to find berry bushes. Mawile can stand in berry bushes and emit a sweet-smelling scent from a gland near the back of the horn's mouth. When something small and relatively slow approaches the bush, mawile will snap them up. Smaller prey are eaten whole.

Alternatively, mawile can hunt in still, murky water by wading in and breathing through their second mouth, the rest of their body concealed underwater. When something approaches for a drink or swim, it can be snapped up and held underwater until it drowns. This comes at the risk of the mawile itself drowning and is only done in areas with no good prey to con at cave edges and no berry bushes to hide in. Underwater ambush hunting can also be done inside of shallow, slow-moving cave streams. The water washes away the mawile's scent leaving them free to keep the entire horn above water rather than just the tip. Some particularly gutsy mawile will even keep their face above the surface. When something approaches for a drink, mawile will sense the movement, lunge forward, and either break the prey's neck or drag them into the stream to drown.

Mawile lead solitary lives when not nursing or raising young childrene. They strictly enforce territorial boundaries within caves, although main thoroughfares for getting to and from the surface seem to be shared. Mawile that encounter each other in shared spaces may still become aggressive. However, it is more likely that the two will ignore each other entirely, keeping wide distances. Mawile refuse to look at other mawile, with the exception of current mates and children. Even in the thick of fights mawile prefer to keep their backs turned on each other and fight with their horns. Looking directly at another mawile is considered an act of submission.

This reluctance mostly extends to humans. Many trainers are confused when their pokémon refuses to look directly at them, preferring to watch their trainer through mirrors or furtive glances. On the rare occasion when they will look at their trainer, it is typically to ask for something with wide, pleading eyes and pathetic mewling.

When mawile do strike humans, it is usually after first begging and then pouting with a fearsome glare and a stamp of the foot. If this goes unanswered, they will nudge and then slap their horn into the human's leg. Then and only then will they attack. The best way to avoid mawile attacks is to not take anything from them, especially mega stones and other beloved crystals.

Husbandry

Mawile eat a mixture of meat and minerals. They prefer their meat raw. Cooked meat or even cat or dog mixes can work in the short term, but the mawile will be displeased. Eventually, displeasure will give way to tantrums, and then to attempted violence or escape. The pokémon may suddenly appear to get over their displeasure when it starts eating nearby wild pokémon, strays, and any pets that get a little too close to the mawile and a little too far away from their trainer. Mawile have prodigious appetites and will eat as much as they can. The minimum amount of meat they should be fed in a week is half their body weight split over one to four feedings. Because they are quite heavy, this is a lot of food. More will be needed if the specimen is regularly battling.

They are less gluttonous for metal. Iron, cobalt, aluminum, and magnesium scraps will be eaten with the horn, but mawile only require about one-fifteenth of their body weight a week in metal. Very young individuals require more, and very old ones require slightly less. It is best to let mawile eat their fill of metal, as they will stop eating when their needs are met. A small dish of water should be made available, although mawile will use it infrequently unless they are only given dried meat or kibble.

Mawile can be housebroken. They prefer shallow pans of litter to proper boxes as it is difficult for them to fit their body and horn into a standard box.

As intelligent pokémon, mawile require frequent enrichment. They are quite possessive of their favorite toys and beds. If a toy must be cleaned, it is best to lead the mawile to the washing and drying machines so they can watch over it. Some mawile have been taught how to do their own laundry. This usually requires strategically placed stepladders to compensate for the pokémon's short stature. In general, mawile prefer if many locations in the home are accessible for them so they can at least pretend to do human things. Whether they find this to be a form of helping, a game, or a sort of mockery is unclear. Trainers with translator pokémon have suggested that it may be a mix of the three.

Mawile, like most steel-types, enjoy being polished. This only extends to their horn; the exposed metal on their claws should not be polished. Despite their cuteness and human-like appearance, mawile resent having ribbons or other clothing placed on them. Attempts to make them wear an outfit for Halloween or a beauty contest typically result in some form of retaliation, such as the trainer's entire wardrobe being shredded or a water pipe being torn open.

Illness

Mawile are very resistant to rust due to enzymes in their blood. Still, mawile that have been underfed or hurt in battle may begin to rust from the inside out. This is the most serious of mawile illnesses and can only be treated by blood transfusion from another mawile. Early warning signs include exhaustion, an inability to open the horn, and anorexia. It is best to treat internal rust as soon as possible as damage may not be reversible.

Evolution

Mawile's mega evolution results in the pokémon growing an extra horn and gaining a much more powerful bite in each one. Unusually, some wild mawile can mega evolve. There have also been wild mega mawile documented that never seem to revert, even when seriously hurt. Captive mawile can retain their mega-evolved state for much longer than most species can. Some trainers have reported that their mawile has figured out how to mega evolve on its own after years of practice with a trainer's help.

There is a school of thought that mawile's mega form is actually a stone-facilitated evolution. The working name for the proposed evolution is mysdouble.

Wild and captive mawile are extremely possessive of their mega stones and will resort to lethal violence to protect or retrieve them. Trainers should rely on soothing words, lots of patience, and very thick gloves when they must take one away. Even then, it is best to simply wait until the pokémon trusts the trainer with its stone before even attempting to remove it.

Battle

Mega mawile, or mysdouble, is a phenomenally powerful fairy-type that can (literally) rip apart most opponents while shrugging off hits that most fairies quickly succumb to. This makes mysdouble one of the most popular pokémon in Kalos's league, due the region's love of both mega evolution and fairy-types.

Ordinary mawile is still usable in the circuits that ban mega evolution, although it is seldom used by anyone but fairy-specialists looking to patch up a team weakness. As slow ambush predators, mawile rely on prey getting close to its prey while it is relaxed. Neither of these are likely to happen in a standard fight, even with the use of fake tears. A devastating bite is simply not helpful if nothing ever gets into biting range.

Mawile still make very effective counters to some fighting-types that have to get in close to unleash their full power. Between a powerful bite and a strong play rough, mawile can easily put down melee fighting-types that rely on stone edge or rock slide for ranged coverage. This is particularly true on the island challenge or in street tournaments where casual trainers are somewhat unlikely to have taught their melee attackers more than one option for striking at a distance.

The best way to counter mawile is to use ranged attackers and fliers to stay well out of the way of a bite. Mawile's ranged options tend to be relatively weak, as the pokémon's ordinary muscles have nothing on its magnet-powered bite.

Acquisition

Mawile are found in the caves and caldera of Ten Carat Hill, as well as in the surrounding forests. The prior description of mawile hunting techniques can be used to locate one. The easiest way to get a mawile to come with a prospective trainer is to display a mega evolution. This will entice the mawile into coming along in hopes of finding a mega stone. Presenting an actual mega stone to a wild mawile is a terrible idea: the pokémon will try to kill the trainer and walk away with the stone. This is only recommended with multiple strong mawile checks present to show that the stone can not be taken by force. This is still a dangerous strategy, as the scuffle may attract even more mawile.

Since mega evolution is not accessible to the average trainer, offering donations of meat and quartz is a good alternative. Coming back to the same territory regularly will allow for chances to bond with the mawile and eventually pave the way for capture. It is legal to feed wild mawile, but there must be intent to capture and a ranger must be notified beforehand.

Mawile are not easily bullied into submission. Instead, they must be treated with kindness and deference until the pokémon sees their trainer as either a true friend or an easy mark.

A few specialty breeders on Melemele regularly hatch mawile eggs. Most are bred and raised specifically for either battle or contests, making them rather expensive. The babies that don't take to either can sometimes be purchased for a reduced price.

Mawile can be purchased, adopted, or captured with a Class II license.

Breeding

Mawile mate every five years. One of the only times a wild mawile will look directly at another is when a female evaluates a suitor. If she is interested the two will mate and the male will leave. The female will be pregnant for roughly five months before laying one large egg. The egg will then be presented to the male to guard. Males raise the offspring for roughly three years before kicking the babies out and leaving them to find their own territory. In the unlikely event that the male dies during the pregnancy, the female will reluctantly raise the offspring herself.

Captive mating requires having pens for two separate mawile. Males and females can occasionally meet in a common area for evaluation and, if a suitable match is found, mating. Mawile are not shy about mating. Both should then be separated until the egg is laid, at which point the female should be allowed to personally present it to the male. Removing a mawile's egg is a terrible idea that will end in lots of property damage at best or multiple deaths at worst.

Males will accept plenty of help raising the children, as mawile do not seem to actually enjoy doing this. As long as he can make sure that the children are fed and generally healthy, he will be content to sit back and let his trainer do much of the childrearing. Mawile that are going to be sent to battlers can be trained from a young age to play fight. Future coordinator pokémon can slowly be acclimated to wearing clothing and holding back from doing anything too grisly in battle.

Relatives

There are two mawile species, each with several subspecies. Cave mawile (M. tenebris spp.) are generally larger and have proportionally more metal. Their eyesight is very poor or nonexistent. They live in cave systems where organic food is relatively abundant. They have no real need to leave their cave. Instead, they tend to reside at the deepest depths and subsist primary on the crystals found there. The kalosian mawile is the most famous example, but they have a curious quirk not seen in other cave subspecies. Kalosian mawile (M. t. tricapita) do not seem capable of breeding in captivity; there is some speculation that only mysdouble can successfully mate.

Forest or surface mawile (M. mendicornu spp) tend to spend less time in their cave and more time on the surface looking for food. These mawile have more developed scent glands and more powerful bites, at the cost of having less armor as they have less time to forage for metal and crystal. The mawile in Alola are descended from Galarian mawile (M. m. pernicius) a subspecies that can spend days or even weeks at a time outside of caves. In Alola the abundance of food lets them spend more time inside of Ten Carat Hill. Over a few generations they have gained heavier armor while retaining most of their bite strength. Kalosian mawile are the most popular for their size and ease of mega evolution, but Alolan mawile are starting to gain popularity abroad. A few breeders have already begun to cater to this demand.