Octillery (Remoraid)
Pseudocephalus viscaput
Overview
Many people are confused by octillery and remoraid: are they fish or cephalopods? Do they change between the two as they evolve? The answer is that they are both fish. Octillery's 'tentacles' are fins they have some prehensile control over. The line lacks the intelligence, dexterity, and frailty that are shared by many cephalopods. They trade these for greater social bonds, even stretching across species, a hard skeleton, and powerful projectiles.
Remoraid tend to fare poorly in captivity due to their anxiety. Trainers with the space and know-how to care for large aquatic pokémon can add a few remoraid to their home. They are otherwise best left to more advanced and ambitious aquarists.
Octillery, on the other hand, are sedentary and mostly asocial pokémon that adjust well to captivity. They can even tolerate being out of the water for up to an hour at a time, although they struggle to move on land. Intermediate-level aquarists may find one to be an excellent addition to their collection and a valuable partner in battles with available pools.
Physiology
Both octillery and remoraid are classified as pure water-types. The ruling is not disputed.
Remoraid are slightly elongated fish with light blue-green scales. A short dorsal fin is located just above the eyes. Two caudal fins are located at the pokémon's rear, one extending from the top of the body and the other from the bottom. Two of remoraid's most interesting features are their complex eyes and mouth. The mouth is shaped in such a way that the remoraid can raise its tongue and create a narrow channel that is wider at the back than the front. Their eyes are excellent at tracking moving targets. Between the two they can fire powerful jets of water or other elemental energy accurately for up to 300 feet. Even larger predators are often reluctant to take fire from an arsenal of remoraid.
The final feature of note about remoraid is the suction pad just behind their dorsal fin. This lets them attach themselves to the underside of larger pokémon such as lapras, mantine, wailord, sharpedo, and gyarados.
Octillery have a short and deep body that is almost spherical. Remoraid's pale blue-green scales are replaced by vibrant red ones that help them blend in better on coral reefs. They keep the complex eyes they had as a remoraid and gain an even longer and more advanced mouth for firing projectiles out of. This mouth also visibly extends from the rest of the body. Octillery are proficient in many more spectrums of elemental energy than remoraid. Most wild remoraid only make use of water attacks, but octillery can easily learn ice, fire, psychic, grass, normal, rock, ground, and poison attacks.
Eight tentacles trail out from octillery. These are two modified pectoral fins and six modified caudal fins. The former two traditionally face forward while the latter six trail behind. Each fin has two orange suction pads similar to the one on remoraid. Octillery have control over each fin but they do not have the fine motor skills required for tool use.
Another major difference between octillery and cephalopods is their skull. Octillery have a hard, bony skeletal system surrounding their organs. This makes it difficult for them to move through the open water without relying on jets of water to propel them backwards. It also makes them much more durable the invertebrates they resemble.
Octillery can grow to be three feet tall when sitting on their fins. They can weigh up to fifty pounds. Captive octillery usually live for twenty-five years, although some have lived for as many as thirty-five. Their wild lifespan is unknown.
Behavior
Young remoraid live in arsenals of fifteen to twenty individuals. They tend to stay near sharpedo. In return for protection and the ability to clean up leftovers, remoraid will pick the parasites off of the larger pokémon. Older remoraid will begin to congregate around mantine. Mantine schools can host arsenals of up to 100 remoraid. They attach themselves to mantine's wings and eat anything that escapes the feeding whirlpool. While they do pick off parasites, remoraid's more important service is as a means of defense. Mantine mostly rely on their size and durability to keep them alive. Mantyke and sub-adult mantine do not have this protection. Remoraid will fiercely attack anything that tries to harm the nearby mantyke or mantine.
Octillery move to the reefs of Alola and mostly live alone. They find large crevasses to live in and, should one not be available, they will use their hard skull and powerful blasts to make one. Octillery hunt by killing small fish and pokémon with a single projectile. Then they make the journey across the seafloor to their down prey, threatening off scavengers with their water jets. Once the prey is devoured they will go back to their nest and repeat the process whenever they become hungry again.
Clawitzer are threatening Alola's octillery population. Octillery are not used to predators as the only things that can reliably tank a hit and shatter their skull in return seldom visit the reefs. Not only do clawitzer prey upon octillery but they also have a similar niche. Their projectiles are even more powerful than those of octillery, although they are less powerful. The difference barely matters when hunting luvdisc and other small pokémon.
Efforts to remove clawitzer from the reefs of Akala, Ula'Ula, and Melemele have been mostly successful. The population still holds on near Poni and the smaller islands of the archipelago.
Husbandry
Remoraid grow anxious when there is not a large pokémon to hang on to. Lapras, sharpedo, gyarados, wailord, and mantine, alomomola are suitable hosts. Milotic tend to grow irritated by remoraid and attack them if they try to latch on. All six ideal hosts require very large enclosures and have complicated care requirements. Remoraid are usually inserted into the enclosure as an afterthought to help with parasite removal or to create a multispecies habitat featuring a large predator that seldom tolerates companions. They will help themselves to any leftover food from sharpedo or gyarados. If housed with a lapras, wailord, alomomola, or mantine they will need to be fed small fish or have larger fish cut up into pieces for them. This can occasionally lead to problems with food-defensive lapras trying to claim all the food as their own. Some aquarists recommend withdrawing the lapras or moving it to a separate tank while the remoraid are fed.
Some trainers attempt to house remoraid and miltoic together. This seldom works out unless another host species is in the enclosure. Milotic are capable of removing their own parasites and view remoraid as a nuisance.
Octillery need a saltwater tank of at least 1000 gallons. A water temperature between 75 and 85 degrees is preferred. They are not particularly active, but they do occasionally like to explore their surroundings. They are generally asocial, although they will tolerate species that they cannot kill and that will not attack them. Corsola are one example of a compatible species. The tank will need an almost entirely enclosed hiding space the pokémon can retreat to. Octillery will not attack remoraid but they will become territorial when sharing a tank with another octillery.
Captive octillery strongly prefer to eat live food they kill themselves. This is complicated by their means of hunting: a missed octazooka can easily shatter most tank materials. Some trainers use a shallow saltwater feeding and training pool in addition to the main tank. The octillery can be withdrawn, moved, and then put in the pool. Mid-sized fish can then be thrown into the feeding pool where the octillery will kill and eat them. Octillery expect at least two feedings every three days. If they are not hungry they will not kill the available prey unless it attacks first.
Octillery enjoy learning new attacks. Teammates with projectile moves will catch the pokémon's interest and it will try to mimic them until it masters the technique. Octillery are not physically affectionate, but they will swim to the edge of the pool or tank to greet their trainer. They can learn a few basic tricks in addition to their battle training. Target tests, where objects are thrown over their enclosure for them to hit, are good for bonding.
Illness
Some of remoraid's potential hosts can live in brackish or freshwater. Remoraid can become acclimated to brackish water but will never be comfortable in freshwater. Spending more than a few hours in it can result in organ failure and death. Make sure to use a saltwater enclosure. If this is not possible, at least make sure that the pokémon is steadily acclimated to brackish water.
Outside of water quality issues both species are remarkably hardy. One important thing to note is that octillery are not quite as durable as actual cephalopods: if hurt, they need time to heal. They cannot regenerate lost limbs under their own power.
Evolution
Remoraid evolve into octillery upon reaching a length of about two feet. As they approach evolution their fins begin to grow out and their suction pad becomes less prominent. Sometimes red scales will begin to appear. Eventually the remoraid will swim to the nearest reef and undergo flash evolution. Remoraid will sometimes delay evolution in captivity until they come across coral. Some aquariums or private collectors are willing to give trainers access to their reef tanks to help remoraid evolve. Trainers can also bring them out to natural reefs, although a remoraid that has become used to captivity make become skittish in an unfamiliar environment full of wild pokémon. It may determine that it is not a suitable place to evolve and refuse to do so.
Battle
In leagues where clawitzer or intellion are available they come to replace octillery. Not only is clawitzer stronger, but it also can breathe air. Intellion is much, much more maneuverable, far more sociable, and does not require an aquarium setup at all. While intellion is less powerful, the maneuverability lets it easily avoid attacks – something octillery struggles to do without protect. Kingdra, while comparatively difficult to raise, mixes the ability to snipe targets with long-range water jets with much greater durability and physical strength.
This is not to say that octillery is inherently weak: a few super effective projectiles to vulnerable points will take down all but the most durable of pokémon. The problem is landing these hits. Octillery have very little maneuverability outside the water and cannot quickly turn their head to aim. In shallow water they can rotate around but not much else. Trick room teams have had great success with octillery, negating its main weakness and letting it land multiple strikes before the enemy can hit it. Outside of trick room octillery is a stationary turret: deadly from afar, but with relatively few options to deal with an opponent that slips behind it and starts attacking up close.
Remoraid can survive out of water for up to two hours at a time but struggle to move on dry land. In the water remoraid can submerge and take shots at anything that approaches. Unfortunately, water is not guaranteed to be available for major fights on the island challenge.
Acquisition
Remoraid tend to follow around mantine and sharpedo. It is far safer to approach the former than the latter, especially if there are no newborns in the school. Remoraid may band together to ward off a human trying to capture one, but ordinarily they just seek shelter and leave the encountered pokémon on its own. The ideal way to capture a remoraid is to approach with a suitable host species. Let the remoraid bond to the new host and decide if it wants to stay. Trainers wanting to battle with the new capture may want to show off a pokémon that knows interesting projectile moves. Remoraid that are interested in fighting will be drawn to the display.
Octillery can usually be found in reefs. Specimens can be found lounging on the reef floor if they have just eaten. A proving battle with a projectile move user can get the octillery's attention and pave the way to a capture. Make sure that the pokémon displayed is not easy prey for octillery: it might just decide to hunt your pokémon instead of sparring with it.
Mantine surf companies usually keep remoraid with their school to help with parasite removal. They will sell one to interested trainers. Adoption opportunities are limited as surrendered remoraid are usually just given to the surf companies. Adoption is much easier for octillery: surf companies tend not to want their remoraid once they evolve and will be willing to get rid of them either for free or for a small fee. Some aquarium specialty stores also sell octillery. Remoraid and octillery can be captured or purchased with a Class III license.
Breeding
Octillery mate around April. If a male and female encounter each other they will engage in a short sparring match, followed by displays of their power and accuracy. If they find the other to be suitable the male will deposit his sperm into the female and swim away. The female will lay about 50,000 eggs in her nest a few days later. She will stay in her nest for another two weeks until they hatch. The offspring are less than one-half inch long at birth. The male will routinely bring food to the female as she defends the nest. Once the babies are born they are kicked out of the nest and tasked with finding their way to a host.
Prospective mates should be introduced in a large, durable pool to avoid tank walls being shattered in the target practice displays. Potential targets should be thrown above the tank, placed over 200 feet away from it, thrown into the water, and moved back and forth mechanically. Octillery are thorough when evaluating mates. If both accept the other the mating act will occur. The male can then be removed. The female will not leave her nest until the eggs hatch. Food will need to be brought to her at the end of a long feeding pole. This is the one time that octillery will readily accept dead fish.
If the tank is sufficiently large and well stocked with plankton the newly hatched remoraid can live in it until they are large enough to be captured in a pokéball. Most aquarists recommend moving them before this to a separate fry tank. It should be shallow and wide with a variety of hiding places. Currents should be kept to a minimum. Brine shrimp should regularly be fed to the fry. Once they are about six inches long they can be moved to a tank with a proper host species.
Relatives
P. viscaput is the only saltwater species in the genus. There are a few color morphs that might constitute separate subspecies, but the physiological and behavioral differences are minimal.
The other subspecies in the genus is P. bell, named after the scientist who rediscovered it. The remoraid of this line are much smaller than those of P. viscaput and only reach sizes of seven to eight inches long. They once live in cold, fast-moving freshwater streams throughout China, Korea, and Japan. Pollution, water overuse, overharvesting, and dam construction brought the species to the brink of extinction. They were believed to be gone altogether when a scientist found them living near a spring in Johto. They have since been reintroduced to many parts of their former range.
As they grow older the remoraid swim out to see to evolve. They spend two weeks in an estuary before flash evolving and swimming out to sea. The female octillery will make her way inland after fertilization. Once she finds a cool, slow-moving pond she will give birth and die. The babies will find shelter and food in her body until they are old enough to swim further upstream.