Shiinotic (Morelull)
Vulucem subturpis
Overview
Shiinotic are difficult pokémon to care for on the trail. Unlike most fungi, shiinotic are dedicated parasites that feed on grass-types, large trees, and any pokémon or animals they can put to sleep and drain blood from. Most pokémon and trainers are unwilling to be living blood banks for their teammates. Few parks or private landowners allow parasites to drain their trees.
Even if a trainer can feed their shiinotic, they may find it difficult to stay awake around them without inhaling their spores. Caring for them successfully requires caution, a high-quality respirator, time, and money.
Some trainers, usually fairy-type or fungi enthusiasts, may find the hassle to be worth it.
Physiology
Morelull and shiinotic are classified as dual grass- and fairy-types. Both typings are somewhat controversial.
Shiinotic are not plants. They do not photosynthesize. While they primarily feed off of plants, they can also feed off of sufficiently large animals or pokémon. Shiinotic are assigned the grass-typing because there is no fungi specific typing and they have similar relative elemental strengths and weaknesses to grass-types. They are highly flammable, dislike wind attacks, are cold intolerant, and can weather water and electric attacks easily enough. Herbicides also occasionally work as fungicides. Shiinotic also fight like most grass-types, relying more on spores and energy draining to wear opponents down rather than brute strength.
Shiinotic's fairy typing is largely ceremonial, although they do have some affinity for fairy-type energy. Shiinotic rings were long held to be a gateway into a world of faeries. Their eerie lights have been known to lead travelers astray. Their uncanny faces and willingness to feed on blood has made humans dismiss them as otherworldly threats wholly unlike standard animalistic predators or unstoppable forces of nature. It is true that fairy-types often congregate around shiinotic rings, but they do so to meet conspecifics and obtain low-risk meals rather than for any mystical purpose.
Morelull closely resemble mushrooms, although they are not as related as they may appear. Morelull's 'face' is a white or yellow basal bulb that is buried in the ground during the day. Aside from their face, the best way to identify a morelull is the faint smell of chlorine around them. A rim of scales extend from its top. There are two ovular pits on the bulb. These are actually eye spots that can sense light patterns, large moving objects, and heat. Small visual details are beyond morelull's ability to perceive.
Two to five separate caps extend from the basal bulbs. These are usually tall and narrow with bright coloration. While most mushrooms have gills on the underside of their caps, morelull and shiinotic have small seed pods growing from the bottom.
Morelull have a few thick roots extending from the bottom of their basal bulb. These roots have sharp tips that can bore into tree roots or trunks and drain vascular fluids. They can also be filled with fluid and manipulated at joints to allow for limited movement, either through or above the soil.
Shiinotic have a single fruiting body. The mushroom cap alone is a majority of their mass. This cap stores nutrients and energy, allowing the pokémon to rapidly regenerate part of their body in a pinch or to go without food for several days. Their leg roots are also short, hampering their movement. Shiinotic gain a thin black 'mouth' upon evolution. The mouth curves upwards, giving the impression that shiinotic is always smiling. In reality the mouth is simply a shallow marking with no purpose beyond unnerving potential predators and prey.
Shiinotic's second most useful adaptation are their long, root-like arms with needle-like tips. These arms can be used to drain fluids from plants and animals alike. Shiinotic are not picky about their prey so long as it will not run away from them. In a pinch the needles can also be plugged into the cap of a weakened morelull or shiinotic to infuse them with nutrients and elemental energy.
Their most useful adaptation by far are their spores. Shiinotic are known for producing far more spores than other fungal pokémon. A single individual can have five pounds of seed pods hanging from their cap with the ability to release another pound of loose spores from the folds the pods are hanging from. Shiinotic spores glow with hypnotic patterns that can disorient predator and prey alike. The loss of urgency and navigational ability draws them closer. Shiinotic's spores contain chemical and hypnotic properties that lull their victims to sleep. While the victims are unconscious, they can be drained of their blood at the fungus's leisure.
Shiinotic can grow to be three feet in height and weigh up to twenty-five pounds. They live for four years in the wild and captivity.
Behavior
Morelull almost exclusively feed on trees. They prefer to congregate in large rings of fifty to three thousand individuals in places deep in the forest where the trees are large enough to handle the loss of xylem. If anything unfamiliar or dangerous approaches all the morelull will unleash their spores at once. Particularly large rings can unleash enough spores to make the area dangerous for up to a kilometer around. One outburst even downed a low-flying plane.
Morelull, shiinotic, and parasect fight for control of particularly large trees. These fights are most intense at dawn and dusk as the diurnal parasect and nocturnal shiinotic meet each other. Ecologists generally prefer shiinotic as they rarely outright kill large trees, while parasect use up everything they can before moving on. If a morelull's host becomes too weak they will abandon it and find another. In fact, shiinotic were purposefully introduced from Galar in the hopes that they would compete with the parasect and limit the damage they did to Alola's old growth rainforests. So far the introduction has been successful and parasect populations have declined.
Shiinotic tend to prey more on animals, especially near rivers and other choke points. They congregate in a ring of ten to thirty individuals and begin releasing spores at night. The spores draw nearby pokémon closer and lead to them falling prey to the shiinotic. Some of these spores will also inevitably lead to new morelull being created (see Breeding). Predatory fairy-types that live near shiinotic rings will often protect the fungi in exchange for killing the occasional sleeping pokémon.
Despite the obvious dangers, nighttime tours of the dark and damp forests that shiinotic call home are incredibly popular. All visitors must wear a respirator and at least one guide pokémon must be alert and watching for any signs a tourist is falling too far under the shiinotic's spell. Some people find the flickering lights of the spores to be beautiful. Others are there primarily for the other fairy-types that live around the rings. In the parts of Galar that both gardevoir and shiinotic call home, many ralts and kirlia visit the fairy rings in hopes of bonding with one of the tourists.
Husbandry
Feeding morelull can be exceptionally difficult. Ideally, they should feed off of live plants. If this is not possible they can be fed real or artificial xylem. They will only drink if there is a membrane or wooden barrier they must permeate first. Some facilities use wooden boxes with synthetic xylem inside to feed the morelull. The container must be refilled frequently as the morelull will stop drinking if there is not enough xylem for the 'plant' to survive.
Shiinotic must be fed blood in addition to xylem. Blood should make up no more than 40% of their diet, but can also be as little as 10%. The easiest way to feed shiinotic is by battling with them. Draining non-lethal amounts of blood is generally acceptable in the context of a pokémon battle. They are also similar enough to hunting for the shiinotic to readily grasp what they need to do. Shiinotic will be reluctant to drain fairy-types. Xylem can be fed through the same method as morelull.
Shiinotic will often attempt to drain teammates and their trainer when they are thirsty. This is perfectly normal for shiinotic as healthy individuals regularly gift fluids to weaker ones. The pokémon may be perplexed or even angry if their attempt is resisted. Having a telepathic translator can help, but shiinotic minds are very unusual due to their decentralized fungal nervous system and fey influences. They also do not understand spoken words very well and are best trained through positive reinforcement.
Both stages are gregarious and become uncomfortable if there is no one familiar around. Ideally they should be raised alongside other conspecifics. Trainers that only have one should make an effort to spend time around the shiinotic when they are active at night. Other nocturnal pokémon make good companions, although grass-types tend to dislike shiinotic as parasites and may make an effort to kill them. Parasect and shiinotic fight whenever they meet and it is nearly impossible to keep both on one team.
The second most challenging part of shiinotic husbandry is their spores. Every night shiinotic will release at least a quarter pound of spores into the air. If there are other shiinotic around they can release several pounds worth of spores at once. These are difficult to clean and can be mildly hazardous if inhaled, especially for those with breathing difficulties. It is recommended to take shiinotic somewhere remote at night and wear a respirator while they release their spores. With patience and steady reinforcement they can be trained to wait to release their spores until they are away from enclosed spaces.
Outside of their primary care challenges, shiinotic are fairly low maintenance. They enjoy the climate of most of Alola. A few days in Haina Valley or even on Lanakila will not be fatal for them. Shiinotic quickly heal from injuries. They also do not require any sunlight. In fact, they prefer to stay in dark areas as much as possible.
Illness
Shiinotic's biology and frequent clashes with parasect have rendered them essentially immune to fungal infections. As long as the cap is mostly intact they can quickly heal from any injuries they suffer, often by draining the blood of the pokémon who inflicted the injury upon them in the first place. If shiinotic begin to dehydrate, a common problem for grass-types, they will become unusually aggressive in their attempts to drain blood from their trainer and teammates. This is annoying, but also a good sign that they need food.
Shiinotic's main health problem are viral and bacterial infections. These often manifest as discoloration along the body, a sudden loss or surge in appetite, and eventually the slow rotting of the cap. So long as a veterinarian is consulted early in the process this is seldom fatal. It is also relatively uncommon, with only one in five shiinotic trainers ever reporting a viral outbreak.
Evolution
Morelull typically evolve around five to seven months of age. All of the caps wilt and fall off. A new one sprouts and grows increasingly large. The whole process takes approximately three weeks. The formal demarcation line is the ability to drain fluids from animals through their prehensile roots. In captivity morelull can be battled with safely throughout evolution.
Battle
Shiinotic do not have much ability to perceive sound. This leaves them almost unable to understand commands in the middle of battle. Thankfully, shiinotic have good combat instincts. They throw up spores, throw up more spores if the first wave fails, and then drain their target. Anything that can avoid their spores will be hit by moonblasts.
The downside to these instincts is that shiinotic are easy to plan and play around as their trainer cannot adjust strategies midbattle. Ranged wind attacks are the best ways to counter them as strong winds can blow spores out of the air and damage the shiinotic. Fire attacks are also good at causing the shiinotic to stop directly attacking and flee. Inorganic pokémon that are not at all affected by shiinotic's spores can also hard counter them. This is especially true for steel-types that have little to fear from moonblasts or energy balls.
Shiinotic see some usage in the lower competitive circuits. Trainers not prepared for them can lose a pokémon to their simple but effective spore and draining combination. Trainers that are can usually stall out the switch timer and then send in a hard counter. This is a good risk for trainers just getting started, but not one veterans with years to train up their team are often willing to take.
Most island challengers don't use shiinotic. This means that some totems can be blindsided by their spore and draining routine. Usually only one to three totems are entirely resistant to shiinotic spores. Trainers are usually more capable of working around shiinotic, but their type combination gives them an advantage over all of the current kahunas. Trainers should keep in mind that Olivia is actually a rougher matchup for shiinotic than the type chart would suggest as many of her pokémon are inorganic. Several also lack vascular systems.
Morelull are slower and slightly less durable than shiinotic. They also are not nearly as powerful and, most importantly, cannot directly drain the victim's fluids. Morelull must instead use standard attacks like giga drain and leech seeed. Energy ball and dazzling gleam are often more reliable ways of doing damage.
It is possible to slightly influence a morelull or shiinotic's in battle behavior through positive reinforcement of certain techniques during training. Be careful to limit the number of moves trained. It is very easy for shiinotic to fall afoul of the four move limit in matches that enforce it.
Acquisition
Shiinotic can be found in the dense rainforests of Akala and Ula'Ula. They are most common along Routes 5 and 11, but can be found in lesser numbers along Mt. Hokulani's base, Route 17, Po Town, Route 8, Paniola Town, and Routes 4 and 6. They are easiest to spot at night but most docile during the day. Shiinotic's large caps are readily identifiable. Morelull, especially when buried, can be far more difficult to spot. Look for the faint chlorine smell around them.
Morelull can be captured or purchased with a Class III license. Adoption is rare as specimens are almost always releasable. Shiinotic require a Class IV license to possess. Trainers with a Class III license are not grandfathered in when their morelull evolves. This is due to shiinotic's tendency to drain the blood of even well-liked trainers.
Breeding
At night shiinotic emit huge clouds of spores, even if nothing is around to hunt. If two spores collide they will clump together and fertilize. Some of these spores will then fall on decaying wood. Morelull begin their life as a small fungus growing out of a rotting log. Eventually they will develop intelligence and mobility. At this point they will leave their log and set out to find live food. This usually takes about six weeks. If the log has not yet completely rotted away the fungus might grow another morelull. The second is usually smaller and will take several more weeks or months to reach its full juvenile size.
Captive breeding can be done by placing two shiinotic in a field with a thick layer of mulch and a few logs. Some breeding facilities have the mating occur indoors in a well-filtered, climate-controlled room. This prevents complaints from neighbors when spores blow into their yard and, inevitably, morelull start developing and walking around.
Shiinotic are generally protective of any morelull but show no particular affection for their own kin. Captive specimens will not expect to raise their offspring and will be perfectly fine if they are immediately sold to trainers, botanical gardens, or other interested buyers.
Relatives
Shiinotic's closest living relative is breloom, a species native to the other side of Eurasia. They are distantly related to parasect. Alcremie is their closest relative that can be found in their native Galar and Ireland.
In Galar they can be found in old growth forests such as the Glimwood Tangle and Slumbering Weald. In Ireland they can be found in Fang's Bog and the Great Ring. The forests of the islands are filled with fairy-types. Superstitions abound and the local populations remain deeply cautious when entering into the woods. One of the drivers of Galar's industrial revolution was the need to produce more iron and steel for dealing with the fairies during and after The Rose War against the florges. Even following the removal of florges from the islands and the subsequent deforestation of many parts of Galar, the forests remain more the realm of superstition than science. Most of the research on wild shiinotic has actually occurred in Alola within the last twenty years.
Shiinotic's ability to thrive in the warm rainforests of the archipelago suggests that shiinotic may have once lived in warmer climates. Their native forests are usually cold to cool year-round. Alolan shiinotic have also begun to develop tougher skin to ward off parasect slashes. Their spores have also slightly adjusted to be slightly toxic to other fungi, including the tochukaso mushrooms on parasect's back.