A ninetales hybrid walks onstage, a little bedraggled.
Ta-Ni: Hey, everyone. Yes, I've returned, but I have a legitimate excuse this time. I...may have taken a jab at a certain legendary, and they took their revenge by...well, take a look.
He waves off to his left, and another ninetales hybrid walks onstage. This one, however, is an alolan variant, and due to the lack of clothing, is decidedly female.
Ta-Ni: (sigh) I thought we agreed to not walk around in the fur...
Lumi: But it's too hot out! And it's not like they can really see us...
Ta-Ni: Anyway, this is Lumi, an alternate version of me from a different dimension. As you can see, she's an Alolan ninetales, an ice type. However, everything else about her is mostly the same as mine, which led to some...issues. We eventually hashed things out, and now she will help me with my uploads.
Lumi: I'll be here, taking care of his research papers, while he can focus on his stories.
Ta-Ni: Right. I'm going to handle the research part, but she will write each paper after this one.
Lumi: Hey, I can do research, too...
Ta-Ni: Well, you can add your viewpoint later. Anyway, on to the main event. Enjoy!
When I first became a Ninetales, a number of human individuals mistook me for a female. Part of the reason may have to do with the fact that when the Spirit of the Stone lent me their form as a basis for my own, it was a female's body. The other part simply boils down to the minor differences between males and females of my species being hard to notice. Aside from the obvious reproductive parts, there is very little to separate male and female anatomy, and this is true of most Pokémon species. However, it is rare in the wild for Pokémon to mistake another's gender. So, I decided to look into why this is, as well as how we Pokémon handle those without gender and Legendary Pokémon. I also wanted to highlight the few cases where Pokémon species are typecasted as being one gender or another, like I was for a time.
Before mentioning those Pokémon who suffer from gender dysphoria, we must speak of the few Pokémon that have distinct differences between genders. For example, Unfezant has distinct headpieces, while Pikachus have a different-shaped tail. Speaking of, as a result of Eevee becoming so popular alongside Pikachus, they actually developed the same gender distinction. And we cannot forget Nidoran, who look so different they are treated as different species. There are even some Pokémon that cannot evolve unless they are of a particular gender, like Combee and Salandit.
Every time a new generation of Pokémon is revealed, there are one or two species whose body type or physique seems more masculine or feminine. Starting in Gen 1, we had the Machop line, whose bodybuilder look made a lot of people think they're all male, despite this not being the case. Likewise, we Ninetales, as well as our pre-evolution Vulpix, are viewed with a decidedly feminine outlook, because of our sleek curves and 'primp' nature. And of course, we cannot forget Mr. Mime, the Pokémon always given the male title, even when they're female. (I know in Japan, they call them "Barrier", but that's more the exception than the rule)
Fast forward to Gen 7, and we have poor Poplio, who has to suffer the embarrassment of evolving into a mermaid-esque form by the end. I have personal experience with helping out a male Poplio overcome his shame at looking feminine, which was impeding his desire to evolve and get stronger. You can make the same claim for Litten and its final form, but there is more evidence for female wrestlers than there is for male mermaid opera singers.
Another example is Ralts, whose second form is definitely inspired by a ballerina. However, they have gained a chance after that, once Gallade was discovered. Now, male Kirlia doesn't have to surrender to the stereotype of Gardevoir, when they can become a more masculine Gallade. Most Pokémon don't have that option, though. They will have to deal with that awkwardness, at least in the eyes of humans.
And yet, Pokémon have little to no issue distinguishing between male and female, at least in the wild. Why is that? Because of two things: voice, and scent. For a number of species, their sense of smell is distinct enough that they can tell the difference between genders completely by scent. For most of the year, males Pokémon tend to carry a stronger scent of their signature species. The only exception is during mating season when the opposite is true: the females carry the stronger scent because their desire to seek a mate causes an increase in scent production.
For those species that cannot smell well enough, the other method of distinction is through voice. It's faint but noticeable; male Pokémon cries and speech have a deeper pitch than females. This is how humans can figure it out as well if they are willing to listen closely; they rarely do, though. I've trained myself to listen carefully whenever I meet a new Pokémon, both to the cry itself and the words underneath. I have avoided a lot of awkward moments because of this trick, and I advise all trainers working with a new Pokémon to do the same.
But what about those who have no gender? There are a few species that are considered 'genderless', meaning they appear neither male nor female, or in the case of Legendaries, transcend gender. I'll get to those in a bit; first, the common genderless species. Those like the Magnemite line, Voltorb line, and Beldum line seems to possess no gender distinctions, even using the tactics mentioned earlier; both their scent and voice are strangely mechanical, lacking any fluctuation in pitch or tone. To avoid insult, I've found it common courtesy to using the pronoun 'they' over 'it', which oddly fits for Magneton and Metagross, since they seem to possess multiple 'selves'.
However, Legendaries are wildly regarded by humans as being genderless because they 'transcend' gender roles. A rare few are strictly male or female; namely the Lati twins and Heatran. In Pokémon circles, though, an interesting trend appears to surface. As a show of respect, many Pokémon will refer to Legendary Pokémon as either 'Lord' or 'Lady', and there is a distinct pattern to these titles. Every pair or triplet of higher-ups must have at least one Lord and one Lady. For example, among the Legendary Beasts, Entei and Raikou are Lords, while Suicune is a Lady. Likewise, the three Genies are split similarly, though Tornadus and Thunderus are Ladies while Landorus is the sole Lord.
(This trend has caused some problems, though. It is rumored that of the Creation Trio, Palkia got the short end of the stick. Both Dialga and Giratina claimed the title of Lord before Palkia could object, which unfortunately left them with the title of Lady. This, on top of their coloring, resulted in a general dislike of being called by that title, so be cautious of speaking of it in front of them. The wrong word could net you a one-way trip to another dimension!)
Of the Legends that don't group up nicely, which includes many of the Mythicals, the titles of Lord and Lady are decided by popular demand. For example, the Time Traveler, Celebi, is usually called a Lady, while the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy, is a Lord. The only two that don't have the title of Lord or Lady are Arceus, because he is considered the overlord, and Mew, because they're gender-fluid. No, seriously; both Mew and Ditto are gender-fluid, as they can switch between genders whenever they want. Mew is referred to as the Progenitor, as well as Mother of All Pokémon, so it makes sense they can switch between genders. And since Ditto is a by-product of trying to clone Mew, it too is gender-fluid.
One last thing I wanted to cover in regards to gender: the ratios of male to female. These figures, of course, vary from species to species, including between evolutions of the same line. However, there have been some theories trying to explain why some ratios change within the evolutionary line, claiming that Pokémon can switch genders during evolution. This is incorrect; I have tested it myself, as well as asked a few subjects personally. The answer I've observed is quite the opposite: they simply chose not to evolve. In wild populations of Pokémon, not every member of a group will evolve to the next stage, and some genders are more inclined to refuse than others. When I asked them why they chose not to evolve, the reasons they gave had no bearing on their sex, but other preferences. Because of their choice, however, the ratio of male to female within the population shifted.
To close, I'd like to return to my own experience. As a ninetales, whether as a by-product of the Spirit's life or outward pressures, I have found myself predisposed to act more feminine than I actually am. This is not a source of shame or embarrassment, however, as it actually reflects an aspect of my life from before I changed. As a human youth, I was often teased for having a high-pitched voice, which made me sound 'girly', and even into my adult years, I would often be mistaken for a woman over the phone. However, my change into a ninetales made me feel more comfortable about acting girly because I knew those around me wouldn't regard me differently for it. To them, I'm undeniably male, and no act or appearance can change that. So, to all the Pokémon out there suffering from gender dysphoria or embarrassment, don't let your form dictate your behavior or outlook. Be confident in who and what you are, and don't let others bring you down.
Ta-Ni: One thing I wanted to point out. I did not intend for this piece to cover gender equality or morality; this is a purely scientific piece. I will remain neutral on how people wish to be perceived.
Lumi: On that note, on to the next one! What do you readers want him to cover next? Moves? Evolution? (pause) Breeding?
Ta-Ni: (loudly) NO!
Lumi: Just kidding! Anyway, I'll see you all next time, and may your Ice Crystal never melt!