Bewear (Stufful)
Amplexator cingitur
Overview
In theory, bears are not particularly difficult pokémon to care for. Their biology and behaviors are close enough to standard cats and dogs that most trainers can understand the basics of their husbandry. The problems with all three of Alola's bears lie in the details. Snorlax require an immense amount of food. Pangoro need a specialized diet and are often aggressive. Bewear kill more humans worldwide than every other bear species combined.
This is an odd fact on the surface. Bewear are insectivores that supplement their diet with fruit and vegetables. The largest prey they hunt in the wild are caterpie.
The problem is a combination of three factors: agility, anxiety, and cuteness. Bewear are not fast or nimble pokémon. They can run at twelve miles per hour for up to one minute, at which point they must pause and cool down. They can swim and climb but are not particularly fast in trees or the water. This prevents them from running from predators. As a result bewear stand their ground against perceived threats and will attack after only minimal posturing. They are anxious creatures and often view humans as predators.
Bewear's posturing consists of standing on their hind legs, puffing up their fur, flailing their arms, and squeaking. Humans often find this cute and seldom realize they should be running as fast as possible in the opposite direction. This provokes the bewear into attacking, at which point their sickle-like claws and enormous strength can maim or kill a human in a single hit. Bewear's fluffy white or pink coat and innocuous diet makes them popular with collectors. Snorlax and pangoro at least tend to end up with trainers who know how to handle apex predators. Bewear trainers are often unused to large, aggressive pokémon.
Bewear are not actually exceptionally difficult to care for. They can subsist off of standard cat or dog chow with fruit and vegetables supplementing the core diet. They have no unusual health or environmental requirements. The only real problem with their care is their tendency to lash out in frightening situations. Trainers who are well attuned to carnivore behavior and willing to pay attention to their pokémon's emotional and psychological needs may find them a rewarding companion and the easiest by far of Alola's bear species. Trainers unwilling to understand and accept their pokémon's boundaries are likely to end up as another cautionary tale.
Physiology
Both stages are classified as dual normal- and fighting-types. The ruling is not disputed.
Stufful are small bear pokémon well known for their long, fluffy pink and white coats on their head, back, and tail. Only the legs are a different color, usually black or brown. Due to their tropical climate stufful and bewear lack an undercoat. On occasion the pink will be replaced by tan, black, or red fur. A few specimens have even had an entirely white coat. Stufful's bodies are covered in ring-like patterns of alternating colors. These are designed to create the illusion of eyes at a glance and to signal their presence to conspecifics and other species. Stufful do not have many natural predators and do not need to ambush their prey. The distinctive coat lets other species know to stay away or risk their wrath. Even a stufful is capable of shattering bones with an errant swing.
Stufful and bewear both lack upper incisors. They have prominent canines but small molars compared to other bears. Their lips are large and flexible. This configuration allows them to form their snout into a sealed tube that they can inhale insects out of a tree or termite mound with. The molars are for self defense. Bewear chew less in the wild than other bears so large molars are unnecessary. Both stages get into trees or termite mounds with their large, sickle-like claws and strong arms. They sense insects with their noses. A bewear can smell termites that are five feet beneath the ground. Bewear's large, floppy ears are useful for heat regulation and give them very sensitive hearing.
Bewear are larger than stufful. Their stripes fade into a pink head, tail, and back and a darker colored abdomen and legs. Bewear possess enormous strength and are easily capable of leveling large trees. It is theorized that bewear may have been brought to Alola by the Polynesians for their ability to easily knock down ideal canoe trees and ward off pests.
Bewear and stufful have flexible knees on their hind legs, giving them a great deal of maneuverability when climbing trees. In exchange they have a slow, shambling walk. Their hind limbs are also shorter and less powerful than the forelimbs.
Male are usually around seventy inches tall when standing upright. Females rarely exceed sixty-three inches. Males typically weigh between 240 and 320 pounds. Female typically weigh between 160 and 220 pounds. Wild lifespans are around twenty-five years. Captive specimens routinely live thirty-five years. One specimen lived to be forty-eight years old.
Behavior
Bewear typically live in pairs. These can be siblings, parent and child, mates, or just two friendly specimens. During the day adults in the pair will separate out to forage. Bewear's main prey are termites and ants. They will track termite mounds by scent, tear them open with their claws, and suck out the termites they find. Bewear can also use their noses to find trees overrun by insects, break in with their claw, and feed on the insects like a grafaiai. Bewear can do this while climbing in a tree. While in trees bewear may also forage for fruits and vegetables. Their diet can vary seasonally based on available vegetation. Bewear will eat carrion they stumble upon but it is not a staple of their diet. Large carcasses can make bewear nervous as they signal the presence of large carnivores.
Bewear carry stufful on their back while foraging. If there are twins they will compete among themselves to determine who gets to sit closer to the neck, which is considered to be the more desirable position. As they grow older the stufful will become more independent and begin to forage beside and eventually just within barking distance of their mother. Stufful are more arboreal than bewear but otherwise forage in similar ways.
Bewear with stufful will usually try to retreat rather than fight. This makes them less dangerous than bewear without children, who will almost always stand their ground for a few seconds before charging. Aggressive noises include growls, hisses, whistles, whines, barks, and squeaks. Friendly noises include hums and chuffs.
Bewear typically sleep in crude dens. These can be caves, hollow logs, abandoned buildings, or anything that provides shelter from wind and rain.
Husbandry
Bewear need not have an insectivorous diet in captivity. Some trainers use insect mixes, but this is expensive and unnecessary. Standard carnivore biscuits or cat or dog chow work as the core of a diet with fruit and vegetables making up the final quarter. Meat, live insects, honey, and candy are desirable treats. These should be used as training rewards and factored into the diet rather than being provided in addition to it.
Bewear are prone to obesity in captivity, which can contribute to arthritis later in life. Monitor the bewear's body over time. Ideally the ribs should be felt with low or moderate pressure but should not be felt just by running a hand along the skin. Pregnant or nursing bewear will put on weight. This is normal. Adjust the amount of food provided to keep the bewear at a healthy weight. The same principles apply to stufful as well, except they should be getting at minimum 5% of their body weight in food each day to facilitate growth.
Bewear should have frequent access to clean drinking water. The containers should ideally not be open top and require suction to drink from. Bewear are used to creating these forces as that is how they feed in the wild. Open containers will be played with. Bewear love swimming in and playing with water, especially on hot days. They prefer shallow water they can walk in to deep water they must swim in. Bewear can swim but they far prefer wading.
Bewear and stufful also love to climb. They should be given access to trees, playground equipment, or other climbing structures on a regular basis. Stufful should have a thick layer of bedding beneath the climbing area in case they fall.
In general bewear are intelligent pokémon that love all kinds of enrichments. Soap bubble kits are a particular favorite. Lights that change colors or patterns are also well loved. Bewear enrichment items must be sturdy as they will be subjected to the pokémon's claws and strength. Even the most durable pieces of equipment will still need to be regularly replaced.
Bewear can grow to be fond of their trainers and teammates. In the wild they often bond socially through hugs. While these can be uncomfortably tight they are rarely actually lethal to humans. Bewear never hug in the wild with the intent to kill and a max strength hug could easily break a spine. They know how to hold back, although it can still be painful as the pokémon works out how much force they can exert without causing discomfort. Bewear also express affection through licking. They enjoy being brushed and petted.
Bewear are still anxious and dangerous pokémon. They do not like crowds or strangers and can become aggressive in novel situations. Always keep an eye on the bewear when around unfamiliar people. If they start making distressed sounds or rearing onto their hind legs withdraw them immediately and send them out later in a safe, calming environment. Do not push their limits. So-called exposure therapy is likely to end in tragedy. Stufful raised around humans from birth are far more likely to tolerate them, but noisy crowds can still be upsetting and trigger a panicked reaction.
Bewear are fine with almost all teammates save very large predators, deer, and elephants. Bewear are preyed upon by Incineroar, pyroar, and dragons in the wild and will lash out at them with lethal force. Donphan and copperajah have an instinctual dislike of bewear. It is unclear why as bewear would not threaten them or their offspring. Bewear are also scared of deer as incineroar will sometimes mimic their noises while hunting to draw in prey. There are no deer in Alola. This instinct is an evolutionary holdover from their native range in South and Southeast Asia.
Prey species may dislike sharing a team with bewear as they smell like and visually resemble large carnivores. Being introduced to the species as a stufful is likely to ease tensions.
Illness
Roundworm and ringworm are some of the most common problems for otherwise healthy specimens in captivity. Ringworm can be difficult to detect beneath the fur. Hair loss, apparent itchiness, and discomfort with no clear cause are potential signs of an illness. If the bewear allows it a full body check for ringworm or abrasions should be administered. If it is not allowed the help of a veterinarian may be required. Anorexia, odd stool texture, bloody stool, and nausea may be signs of roundworm. Bewear can be treated with medications intended for canine or feline pokémon.
Alolan stufful and bewear are required to have a rabies vaccination. No other vaccinations are required or recommended at this time.
Hypothermia and hyperthermia are common ailments in captivity. Hypothermia is more common in temperate climates. Despite their thick fur, bewear do not have an undercoat and are vulnerable to hypothermia when temperatures dip below fifty degrees Fahrenheit. In Alola bewear can easily overheat without frequent exposure to shade, water, or air conditioning. Both conditions are easily avoidable with a little forethought and care.
Geriatric specimens are prone to blindness and arthritis. Blindness is usually not a major concern. Even curable cataracts are rarely removed as the discomfort of removal would outweigh the benefits of sight. Bewear navigate their world by sound and smell. They need their children to have prominent, brightly colored stripes just to recognize them by appearance alone. Arthritis is more concerning. It can lead to a significant decrease in mobility over time, contributing to obesity. Arthritic specimens are likely to have already been obese. Thankfully bewear will agree to take pills that help ease their pain and can restore some movement.
Evolution
Stufful gradually evolve into bewear around their second birthday. The formal demarcation is the subsidence of the stripes into a solid coat. In the wild stufful will usually stay with their mother until she finds a new mate, at which point they will disperse with their siblings or to find their own mate. Combat may slightly accelerate the timeline for evolution but this is disputed. In the wild stufful and bewear have little reason to fight. If there is a combat premium for evolution times it is only two to three months at most.
Battle
Bewear are strong enough to hold their own in most competitive matches. They still see relatively little use. Their fur is a decent enough defense in short, casual battles but they lack the armor required to be a proper tank. They are naturally strong and can even be taught proper fighting technique by a martial artist or another fighting-type, but machamp will always be stronger and have better form. They really only see use among trainers who raised one on their journey and on the supporting roster of a fighting-type specialist.
Bewear are an effective wallbreaker that can tank the hits of defensive pokémon and break their armor with overwhelming strength. Drain punch can be used to heal off damage sustained from stronger tanks such as rock- and steel-types. As slow melee combatants they can struggle against faster ranged threats. Fire-types can also ignite their fur and end the fight quickly. Bewear are reluctant to back down and it is difficult to break their fighting spirit, but even they have their limits.
On the island challenge they can be used to land strong hits against a slower totem before they can set up. Against faster totems they can either take down slower supporting pokémon or finish the fight after a teammate inflicts paralysis or alters the terrain.
Stufful are often reluctant to seriously train. Their preferred battle style is simply flailing their arms around and hoping they break the limbs of their attacker. Unlike bewear they can easily be scared into backing down, running away, or incessantly crying for help. They can accidentally defeat many physical attackers in the early stages of the island challenge but will struggle to keep up as more and more opponents gain ranged options or setup moves.
Acquisition
Bewear can be found in the forest and savannah areas of Akala and Poni. They were formerly found on Melemele and Ula'Ula. They were culled on both islands as a threat to the burgeoning populations there, although the abandonment of Po Town has led to a campaign to reintroduce them in northwest Ula'Ula.
Bewear territories are usually marked by signage along the trails. They are incredibly dangerous pokémon to encounter that tend to give no more warning than tearing up on their hind legs, waving their arms, and squealing. If this occurs, run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. Drop burdensome packs if needed. Extremely powerful trainers can attempt to fight. No one else should take the risk.
Bewear capture is possible but dangerous. It usually involves standing your ground and wearing them down in a proper fight. After the capture they should be taken to a secluded area and offered a great deal of desirable food such as fruit, honey, and vegetables. Over time the trainer can make themselves known through scented objects, approach through a barrier, and eventually direct contact. Carnivorous teammates should be introduced in a similar way. Bewear are relatively intelligent and social pokémon and are usually willing to exchange freedom for luxury and security. Females separated from their young by capture will kill their captor as soon as possible, but females with stufful will rarely fight a trainer in the first place.
Stufful capture is legal. In practice it requires the mother's permission. This can be accomplished with a translator and a proving battle against the bewear, as well as a bribe of fruit and honey to show the trainer can care for the stufful. Capture of stufful and bewear requires a Class IV license.
Both stages are routinely available for purchase from breeders, or for adoption from shelters once an initial purchaser realizes they are ill-suited to keep a bear. Many breeders specialize in bewear and stufful. Their pokémon are often well adjusted to humans and less dangerous than a wild specimen. Breeders usually sell older stufful or newly evolved bewear. Both stages can be purchased or adopted with a Class III license.
Breeding
Bewear age in late spring and early summer, usually between June and August. The fetus has delayed implantation and true pregnancy does not begin until October or November. Birth occurs in December or January. Females will seek out a cubbing den more secluded than their usual one, ideally a cave or a large burrow that either has been abandoned or the bewear can make abandoned. Females are known to procrastinate and can pick a den only hours before giving birth. Bewear usually give birth to one or two offspring, but litters of three have been documented.
It is difficult to determine whether a bewear is truly pregnant in the wild or captivity. Like most bears, bewear experience pseudopregnancies where they put on weight, experience hormonal fluctuations, and even begin to seek out a cubbing den without actually carrying a viable fetus. Pseudopregnancies usually end a few weeks before birth would occur. Until then it is very difficult to tell whether the observed pregnancy is real or not. The only reliable way to tell the difference is an ultrasound, and pregnant bewear can be feisty and may not agree to one. Sedating them to perform an ultrasound risks accidentally terminating the pregnancy.
Bewear will not leave the cubbing den at all for two weeks. During this time there should be cameras to monitor the den and ensure the stufful are being nursed. The male should be separated, even if he usually gets along with his mate, to prevent confrontations that could endanger the newborns. The den's bedding should be deep enough that the bewear does not need to make contact with the floor. Temperatures should be maintained around seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity should be kept low to prevent the growth of mold in the bedding. When the pokémon begin to leave the main chamber the bedding should be swapped out.
A secondary chamber in the den should contain a play area for the stufful with very shallow water bins and a climbing structure with plenty of bedding underneath it. There should also be more conventional toys such as rubber balls that are too big to pose a choking hazard. Stufful are curious and energetic.
Around the two week mark the mother will begin to leave the den to obtain food. Food should be left either in the secondary chamber or just outside the dens. Bewear are competent mothers and there is no need to separate them from their children unless they are refusing to nurse or illness is readily apparent. In these cases she will usually put the stufful outside the den for a human to take care of. Neonatal illness is rare and bewear are usually dutiful mothers. Any intervention with the cubs in the first month raises the risk of the mother abandoning them. Hand-rearing stufful is possible but best avoided as it impairs socialization.
Bewear have been crossed with every bear species in captivity. Crossbreeding in the wild is extremely rare.
Relatives
How bewear ended up on so many Pacific islands is unclear. Human intervention is the leading theory, but why would the wayfarers have brought large bears with them? Bewear fur is useful but there are other sources of rope in the Pacific. There were also other ways of toppling trees than having a group of bears squeeze them to death. One theory holds that bewear were either pets or status symbols. Stufful could have been a popular pet in ancient times for the same reasons people are drawn to them now. Stufful are not so large that they would be impossible to transport. Perhaps they were left behind on an island once they evolved, explaining how bewear ended up on so many islands.
Bewear claws were also a coveted weapon for the wayfarers as they were useful for crafts and combat alike. Female bewear have also been known to eat honey and jackfruit and regurgitate a mixture known as bear's cake, a fluffy golden brown material that is a delicacy in parts of Asia and the Pacific. Being able to take a female bewear and her cubs on a voyage would have been both a form of conspicuous consumption and a way for a chief to maintain their authority if challenged in combat.
Bewear can survive on smaller islands by acting as generalists capable of finding small prey and killing them in their sleep, scaring off birds to eat their eggs, and breaking open coconuts to expose the flesh and milk. They are forty to thirty percent smaller than mainland bewear, depending on the island they live on.
The mainland bewear, A. amplexator, are found in the forested regions of south and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and parts of the Philippines. Aside from being larger than island bewear there are few substantial differences between the species. Their closest living relatives, island bewear aside, are snorlax and ursaring.
Bewear have been introduced to portions of Europe and South America. This usually occurs after a collector or pet trader imports bewear and specimens are released after their trainer proves incapable of handling them. These introduced populations are usually rounded up and brought back into captivity within a decade due to the danger bewear can pose. Their new owners are likely to make the same mistakes as the previous ones and the cycle will repeat. Outright culling is rare due to the species photogenic nature prompting public outcry while collectors work behind the scenes to secure the rights to some of the wild bewear.