In order for a Clamperl to evolve into a Gorebyss, it is not enough that it simply find one of the mysterious deep sea scales; their own shell must also be smashed to pieces. For a trained Clamperl, this is handled in trading machines, for this is a traumatic event which no Clamperl will undergo when properly bonded to its own trainer; an event which trainers themselves are reluctant to assent to, and refuse to personally carry out.
In the wild, the Clamperl who wish to evolve in this manner must personally smash their shells. This task is as difficult as it is painful, for sufficiently tough rocks of the non-pokemon kind are rare in the deep-sea environment they call home, and pokemon such as Relicanth and Corsola rarely assent to being bashed repeatedly with Clamperl shells until one of them breaks. For most Gorebyss, the rock pokemon used is a second sacrifice on the path of evolution. Yet for others – those who survive this process in the wild or used this way in trading machines – it is the source of a lifetime bond as strong as that of Escavalier and Accelgor.
Although the shell is left behind regardless, it is not surprising that far more Clamperl choose to become Huntail, a form where the shell morphs to form the exoskeleton and is not completely left behind. Yet though they may regret it at times, the Gorebyss can point to their superior power as justification for their sacrifice. Indeed, a great number of shelled pokemon have learned to re-enact some part of Gorebyss' evolution ritual in order to dramatically increase their power and speed at the expense of their defenses.