Salazzle (Salandit)
Aeaea aeaea
Overview
Salazzle do not possess the power of Alola's native dragons or the speed of vikavolt. Yet of all the pokémon in Alola, it was the salazzle that left the biggest impression on the initial Western explorers to land on Alola's shores. The fascination continues to this day in art, philosophy, gender studies, medicine, and chemistry.
Salazzle are known for their reverse harems. All salazzle are female. Each rules over a reverse harem of three to fifteen salandit. The males are enthralled by the females through a compound of pheromones known as imorin and are bound to almost total obedience. They will sacrifice their lives to keep the salazzle and female salandit comfortable. Imorin also works on most mammals and reptiles, as well as some insects.
Most humans who experience sexual attraction towards women are vulnerable to imorin and will experience decreased reaction times and complex reasoning abilities and increased obedience when exposed. Victims often report feelings of awe and inferiority towards the source of the imorin. This has made diluted imorin-based perfumes extremely desirable. More concentrated doses are sometimes used for less than legitimate ends. Imorin is banned or heavily restricted in 149 nations. The United States is one of the remaining few with relatively lax laws. Only using it in furtherance of a crime or fraud is illegal. Salazzle trainers have a free source of imorin.
The combination of imorin, salazzle's reverse harems, and salazzle's undulating movements made them extremely unpopular with missionaries from the Church of Life. Salazzle were exterminated from Alolan waters during the early 20th Century. Some specimens remained in European collections and the volcanic regions of Paldea. A reintroduction effort in 1966 restored them to Wela Volcano Park and a variety of hot springs in protected lands of Northern Akala. The population has rebounded enough that capture is allowed for trainers on the island challenge. The population is not stable enough for them to be removed from the Endangered Species List, despite lobbying from religious conservatives.
Imorin aside, salazzle are crafty battlers that can hold their own through the end of the island challenge. They are intelligent and surprisingly affectionate creatures that can make for great companions. There are still three major problems in caring for them. The first is their need for warm waters, which can be difficult to fulfill on the trail. Expensive spring balls may prove necessary for the traveling trainer. Salandit and salazzle can release carbon disulfide to disorient and poison foes. This is the preferred hunting method of male salandit. Prolonged exposure to carbon disulfide may increase the risk of stroke and cancer. Stay away from the battlefield when salandit are battling and wear a respirator if exposure to the fumes is unavoidable. Trainers are also not immune to their own pokémon's imorin and salazzle are not above using it to get what they want.
Physiology
Salandit and salazzle are classified as dual fire- and poison-types. Neither ruling is disputed.
Salandit are predominately black salamanders. Both sexes have red markings on the back. Males may have far more red coloring than females. Some specimens are entirely red. Salandit have prominent fangs. In addition to the fangs and a row of sharp teeth, salandit and salazzle have two more rows of vomeropalatine teeth in the upper back of their mouth. Salazzle's fangs can inject a dose of tetrodotoxin that can be fatal to humans within thirty minutes. Seek medical attention immediately following a salandit bite that breaks the skin.
Their second variety of venom is created by using their flame sacs to heat a venomous compound stored in the tip of their tail. High temperatures cause an enzyme to break the venom down into its components, including carbon disulfide. Carbon disulfide has similar effects to carbon monoxide. Exposure can result in disorientation, suffocation, and death. Salandit tend to emit it in doses meant to disorient targets rather than kill them outright. Alternatively, the base substance can be secreted from glands in the mouth, mixed with water at high temperatures, and spit out as sulfuric acid.
Female salandit can secret imorin from glands behind their nostrils. Males cannot.
Salandit's flame sacs vent to their mouth, soles, and the tip of their tails. They are not adept at spitting their flames out for long distances and prefer to use fire to finish off disoriented prey or scare away predators.
Salazzle are slender salamanders with a humanoid build. Their forelimbs are slim and their hindlimbs are bulky and powerful. Each paw contains five digits. Salazzle appear to have three tails. Two are much smaller and contain keratin spikes to support them rather than a skeleton. This makes them very inflexible. The faux-tails are primarily used to defend themselves from attacks from the rear. The actual tail is long and used to balance the pokémon when it stands upright. They are still not particularly stable when walking on two legs and must constantly correct themselves with undulating, full-body movements. In the wild they only walk on two ways for intimidating or to spit sulfuric acid or fire directly into the eyes of taller foes. Their build and upright walking were not evolved to distract humans as they had already been living in Alola for hundreds of thousands of years before the first explorers arrived.
Salazzle have more varied markings than salandit. They are usually counter-shaded with a grey ventral area and darker skin on the back. Red markings are common on the chest, head, and underside of the tail. Some salazzle, particularly those descending from a population on Ula'Ula, are much lighter in color.
Salandit and salazzle have both gills and lungs. Their skin is moist and slimy. The mucus they secrete is a fire-resistant insulator that keeps them safe from their own flames. Both stages can leave the water for hours at a time, but will eventually need to return to rehydrate and rest. Like many salamanders, the line also possess astonishing regeneration abilities. Mild wounds, especially in the mouth, can be quickly healed. Larger wounds, including full loss of a limb or the lower jaw, can be healed in a matter of days. Medical research into salazzle's regeneration is far less visible than the trade in imorin but no less important.
Tetrodotoxin and sulfuric compounds come from the pokémon's diet. If they are not fed sulfur supplements and insects containing trace amounts of tetrodotoxin, they will lose the ability to make their venoms.
Salazzle can reach lengths of six feet, including the tail, and can weigh up to fifty pounds. They can live in the wild or captivity for thirty years. Male salandit rarely grow larger than two feet long and typically weigh around ten pounds. Females are about 30% larger on average.
Behavior
Salazzle and salandit live primarily in volcanically-heated hot springs and other warm waters throughout northern Akala. There are few terrestrial predators in the Wela Volcano area willing to follow them into water and most large aquatic predators cannot survive in the warm and chemically distinct waters on the mountain. The salamanders can comfortably hunt the aquatic invertebrates and fish that do live in the ponds without much in the way of competition. Fish are usually killed via tetrodotoxin while aquatic invertebrates are usually small enough to kill and eat without the assistance of venom.
Both stages can also hunt on land. They prefer to target invertebrates but have also been documented hunting mammals and reptiles. Males are lured in to their death by the salazzle's imorin before being finished off by salandit. Female victims can still be outwitted and killed. Salandit in particular are fond of luring would-be predators into an enclosed cave other salandit have filled with carbon disulfide. They will wait until the predator is disoriented before killing and eating it themselves. The salazzle can also provide a distraction while a salandit sneaks up behind them and delivers a venomous bite or slow death through carbon disulfide. Whatever their tactics, both salazzle and salandit are exceptionally clever hunters that can use their many natural weapons to bring down even large foes with minimal risk.
Salazzle are best known for their reverse-harems. Only females are capable of evolution and producing imorin. The males are almost always chemically enraptured by the salazzle and will go to great lengths to do their bidding. Early Western scientists reported that male salandit would starve themselves so the females could eat. The resulting malnourishment was why they could not evolve. This is not true. Even well-fed captive males will not evolve. The males eat less than females because they have a smaller maximum body size and do not need to fuel a larger frame or the production of imorin.
There are usually a few females in a salazzle's reverse-harem. They are not chemically enthralled and are instead receiving direct training from the salazzle. In times of extreme scarcity, salazzle have been observed cannibalizing female salandit to prevent future competition. Upon evolution the new salazzle leaves the area, usually after stealing away one or two salandit to begin her reverse-harem. Salazzle fighting over territory will rear up on their hind legs and wrestle while releasing as much imorin as possible. Salandit may be swayed to leave their reverse-harem by the other female's imorin. Territories are adjusted based on the winner of the physical contest and the movements of the salandit.
In the wild salazzle and salandit feed on Wela black snails, a small mollusk that contains tetrodotoxin. This is how they obtain it for their diet. Sulfur is passively ingested from the volcanic environment around them.
Husbandry
Male salandit are easier to care for than females due to their lack of imorin. Trainers who do not care about their battling capabilities can feed them about 8% of their body weight in a mix of fish and invertebrates every three days. Trainers who want their salandit to have tetrodotoxin will need to seek out invertebrates that contain trace amounts and add them to their pokémon's diet. Sulfur can be added through the addition of trace amounts of sulfur crystals, eggs, or exposure to very small amounts of natural gas. The latter method can be dangerous as salandit are also pryrokinetic and should only be attempted outside and far away from the pokémon. Sulfur-fed specimens should have very well-ventilated living quarters to prevent a buildup of carbon disulfide.
Salandit prefer to live in freshwater pools between eighty and one hundred degrees Farenheit. They should have daily access to a pool of this temperature for at least five hours. Spring Balls are an acceptable substitute on the trail, although warm water should still be provided as often as possible. Salandit also enjoy heat lamps, heated rocks, and small crags to hide in.
Both stages are highly intelligent and appreciate puzzles of all sorts, so long as they are capable of manipulating it with their feet or tongue. They cannot use some puzzles made for humans that require force to be exerted in an area the size of a finger. Some salazzle appreciate music and can even develop preferences for certain genres. One salazzle learned to play simple video games with a modified controller. There are scientists who claim salazzle possess human-comparable intelligence, although this is still a minority view in the field.
Female salandit are similar to males for trainers who are not sexually attracted to women. For those who are they pose an additional challenge. Salandit are not afraid to manipulate their trainer to get what they want. There is no way to alter their diet to prevent the formation of imorin. Anti-psychic tactics such as frequent diary entries, therapy visits, and meditation can reduce the influence of imorin. A healthy bond built upon respect and caring for all of the pokémon's needs can reduce their desire to use it. Finally, a high-quality respirator can limit the chance it can act altogether. Constant use of an industrial respirator is often undesirable. The other methods are often better in practice, especially for experienced trainers and reasonably compliant pokémon.
Salazzle are far more domineering than salandit. They should have at least one other pokémon in their thrall to keep them happy. These can be male salandit or other male pokémon. Trainers should be aware that imorin manipulation can cause tensions on a team if the target is unwilling. Lacking thralls, salazzle can become extremely unpleasant and double down on their efforts to manipulate anyone they come across. Frequent battle can reduce these impulses as salazzle have opportunities to manipulate their opponents. Salazzle that were reasonably compliant on the island challenge can still become unruly once the fighting ends.
Illness
Salazzle are capable of regenerating their tail, limbs, lower jaw, and some organs. In fact, spitting sulfuric acid actively harms the pokémon's mouth tissues. The damage will be healed within minutes. Injured pokémon should be kept inactive, given a safe place to retreat to, and well fed. Full regeneration should occur within three days.
Salazzle are also more resistant to disease than many amphibians. Their naturally high body temperatures kill many viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that would be a serious problem for non-fire-type salamanders. One exception are some thermophile fungi, which can grow along the skin or in cysts. Any discoloration or unusual lumps should be investigated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
The bigger problem with salazzle is their ability to injure or sicken their trainer. Touching them can cause irritation to the skin of both human and pokémon. Carbon disulfide inhalation can result in disorientation, forgetfulness and, ultimately, death. Thankfully, it has a distinct sulfurous odor unlike the odorless carbon monoxide. If the smell is distinct indoors the pokémon should be withdrawn and the area immediately evacuated and vented.
Do not sleep near salazzle in an enclosed space.
Evolution
Female salandit evolve into salazzle around ten months of age. The process is gradual and the formal demarcation line in the wild is the new salazzle being forced out of their old reverse-harem. In captivity the demarcation line is the first instance of walking upright for more than two seconds. Trainers should be ready for potential challenges to their authority from newly evolved salazzle, even if they were previously docile and obedient.
Battle
Salazzle are pack hunters that prefer to use tricks and poisons to bring down foes rather than brute force. This should make them subpar on the competitive circuits.
Doubles formats are where salazzle truly shines as their natural instincts combine well with the format. They can set imorin or carbon disulfide traps for opponents or disrupt opposing strategies with tricks like fake out, encore, and taunt. Salazzle are also fast enough on their feet to fire off quick protects when needed, compensating for their low natural durability.
Salazzle are also excellent wallbreakers as most slow, bulky opponents can be worn down or subdued with imorin, carbon disulfide, or tetrodotoxin. Even inorganic steel- and rock-types dislike the corrosive properties of sulfuric acid. Steel-types also tend to be vulnerable to fire-type attacks softening their armor.
Against opponents immobilized by imorin-induced infatuation, salazzle can take the opportunity to boost their elemental strength with nasty plot, greatly increasing their short-term firepower. Salazzle must be taught to rely on ranged fire as they naturally prefer to employ fiery palm strikes, which are not good for their low in-battle durability.
Salazzle can heal off almost every wound, but they cannot do so within the timeframe of a standard match. It is best to withdraw them as soon as they are seriously hurt.
The best counters to salazzle are inorganic flying pokémon that can hover out of sulfuric acid range and are immune to imorin. Pokémon immune to imorin should attempt to knock out the salazzle as soon as possible so that it doesn't land a bite or have time to fill the arena with carbon disulfide. Imorin-affected pokémon should constantly keep moving, ideally via teleportation, and manipulate the winds if possible. Quick, ranged knockouts are preferred as they reduce the power of the imorin and keep the salazzle constantly on the backfoot. Area of effect moves such as earthquake can defeat the pokémon's attempts to dodge.
Salazzle are very good on the island challenge. They can infatuate and defeat a few totems on their own. The others can still be severely hampered by a bite at the start of the match that will take its toll as the battle wears on. Salazzle may have a poor matchup against two of the kahunas, but if proper research is done they should be able to come in on an imorin-vulnerable pokémon and take them out. Even Olivia's rock-types do not appreciate sulfuric acid.
Female salandit play similarly to salazzle. Males can still be useful through their debilitating bite, although they may not be able to contribute beyond that as the island challenge progresses.
Acquisition
Salandit and salazzle can be found in warm ponds and rivers on Mauna Wela and in a handful of subterranean rivers in northern Akala. It is easiest to find them by fishing in the hot springs on the mountain at night. Trainers on the island challenge are limited to one salandit or salazzle apiece. Members of the general public are not allowed to catch either. Staff at Wela National Park are willing to help trainers' pokémon learn to differentiate between the scents of male and female salandit. Salazzle will usually need a proving battle. Salandit will not.
Salandit can be purchased, captured, or adopted with a Class III license. Salazzle can be purchased, captured, or adopted with a Class IV license. Salazzle must also be registered with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It may not be legal to take them into some countries. Trainers wishing to sell imorin, especially across international boundaries, should familiarize themselves with the existing laws around it. Simple use of imorin is legal for non-criminal purposes. Its sale is subject to excise taxes and sales above a certain quantity must be reported to the DEA.
Breeding
Salazzle breed around January. They will lay forty eggs at a time on a plant or partially buried in the substrate. One male will fertilize them. She will repeat this process for every male in the reverse-harem. The eggs will hatch about three weeks later. Salazzle, unlike many salamanders, show a level of maternal care and will protect the hatchlings until they are big enough to properly join in on hunts.
Salazzle without any male salandit in their reverse-harems, most typically newly evolved specimens, will seek out another salazzle and mate with her. This will initiate parthenogenesis, allowing the pokémon to lay forty self-fertilized eggs that will hatch into male clones of herself. Parthenogenesis is relatively rare in the wild but quite common in captivity. Most females will attempt it every year and then insist on caring for their offspring. This can grind journeys to a halt for up to a month, at which point she may reluctantly agree to give the salandit away. Ideally some would be kept to reduce the pokémon's desire to assert their dominance over others. Salazzle that cannot find another salazzle to mate with have been observed seeking out other salamanders. If even this is not possible, they may run away to find a suitable partner.
Salazzle are particularly easy to crossbreed as they will mate with male amphibians in the absence of a male salandit. Offspring may not be able to produce venoms, flames, or imorin. Phenotypes will vary widely depending on the partner chosen. Crosses with other salamanders are usually capable of growing to adulthood, evolution, and sometimes viable reproduction. Crosses with frogs and other amphibians are almost never reproductively viable and may not be able to survive to adulthood.
Breeding salazzle will appreciate having a well-planted pool about six feet deep and ten feet across. Temperatures should be kept between 80 and 100 degrees Farenheit and food should regularly be provided. There should be a thick layer of substrate, ideally composed of a mix of sand and smooth pebbles. Salazzle tend not to allow non-salandit mates to enter their pool due to the risk of cannibalism. Trainers may be allowed to approach but should not attempt to enter for at least three weeks following the salandit hatching.
Relatives
Salazzle are not closely related to any living salamander. It is believed that they diverged from a now-extinct marine species, A. sirenia, around five million years ago. The only evidence of A. sirenia is a partial fossilized skeleton found in New Caledonia.