Pokemorph Society
From PMMWiki
Pokemorph society, like most societies, is a balance of many different cultures and traditions. It is always growing, however, and is considered young and barbaric by some humans.
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Elemental Types
- Main article: Elemental Types
Pokemorphs are beings of amazing powers. In battle, the elemental blasts and techniques make Pokemorphs an incredible sight to see. However, most Pokemorphs don't wish to fight any more. That doesn't stop Pokemorphs from using their powers every day, though. Fire types can light candles and fireplaces with a quick breath. Water types can wash their houses or vehicles without hoses or buckets. Electric types can power small appliances without an outlet or batteries. Flying types can, well, fly. However, even without the prejudices of humans that Pokemorphs must face on the mainland, life as a Pokemorph is no cakewalk. Many Pokemorphs have tails, for instance, which can get caught in doors or stepped on. Pokemon with thicker tails might have trouble even sitting in chairs with solid backs. A Sandslash or Nidoking might have trouble even wearing a shirt, or sitting on anything but a stool with their spikes. Snake Pokemorphs don't have legs, and can easily get chilled moving across icy streets. Fire types' clothing is generally heavy and somewhat uncomfortable to avoid combusting. In short, like all things, Pokemorphic life has its high and low points. The Pokemorphs just have to learn to adapt.
Health
- Main article: Pokemorph Health
Pokemorphs, in a general sense, tend to be at least somewhat tougher, hardier and more resistant to disease and injury than humans, as well as most pokemon. They are, however, far from invincible, especially when faced with attacks of opposing elements, and they are no strangers to injuries that inflict both humans and pokemon.
Technology and Weaponry
While Pokemorph Island is a far cry from uncivilized, the sheer isolation of it has left the Pokemorphs a good deal behind the majority of Indigo Island, despite thriving import lines. Computers exist, but are several generations less powerful than those on the mainland, and not many morphs have them for personal use. Automobiles and motorcycles travel the roads, though hover technology has not yet reached Pokemorph Island. However, given the generally active lifestyle of Pokemorphs, and the lack of distant destinations one could reach by land, only about one in four Pokemorphs owns a motor vehicle, most traveling by foot or wing, while others travel by bicycle, skateboard, or other manually propelled means of transportation. All in all, the technology of Pokemorph Island is reminiscent of the late twentieth century rather than early twenty-first.
Electronics still exist in many items, such as calculators, watches, pagers, phones, and just about anything else that could obviously benefit from added technology. As opposed to the lack of state-of-the-art technology, weaponry on Pokemorph Island is much more common than on the mainland, and, for the most part, unrestricted. After all, what justification would there be to disallow a Rattata-morph to carry a large knife for defense, when a Sandslash-morph's claws can do just as much, if not more, damage? How could there be a law banning the carrying of the swords some Pokemorphs were trained with, when Scyther-morphs have such deadly blades growing from the backs of their hands? In short, most traditional non-projectile weapons go unrestricted, as many morphs are just as lethal without them. However, firearms, such as handguns, rifles, shotguns, assault rifles, and basically anything else that fires bullets, are illegal to possess on Pokemorph island. Though it could be argued that Pokemorph powers are even more dangerous than guns, the devastating effects of guns, and the natural ability of Pokemorphs to defend themselves without a firearm, have caused the government of Pokemorph Island to ban them completely.
Perhaps more notable than firearms, however, is the ban of capture balls; Pokeballs, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, Master Balls, and any other ball designed to hold a Pokemon. Although capture balls are unable to hold Pokemorphs, they can be the single most harmful weapon to a 'morph. If a Pokemorph is hit by a Pokeball, the ball will indeed activate, reacting to the Pokemon DNA, but will be unable to successfully complete the matter to energy conversion. Visually, a bystander would see the Pokemorph turn red and semi-transparent, as the Pokemorph becomes stuck between pure matter and pure energy. Needless to say, the experience is incredibly painful and completely paralyzing.
Fortunately, however, a standard Pokeball will short out after 8.3 seconds, which destroys the Pokeball, and returns the Pokemorph to his normal state, though more than likely stunned and aching. A Great Ball would put considerable force on the Pokemorph as well, and not short out for 14.6 seconds. Not only is a Pokemorph converted between matter and energy, but the process of being absorbed begins before the ball shorts out. The process of having one's matter compressed often leaves a Pokemorph hospitalized and/or slightly disfigured. Ultra Balls take 21.8 seconds before shorting out, and exert enough force to seriously disfigure or kill a Pokemorph. A Master Ball, the most powerful and rare of the capture balls, is designed with internal mechanisms that prevent the ball from shorting. The result on a Pokemorph is, without exception, lethal, tearing the Pokemorph apart at the molecular level, and reducing them to their base elements, mostly Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Carbon.
However, since some Pokemorphs have become somewhat attached to the Pokeball that held them as Pokemon, Pokemorphs have the option of having their capture balls professionally deactivated. A deactivated ball can no longer perform any function of a Pokeball, and is easily distinguished by the pure black color of the front lens. Additionally, non-functioning replicas, so long as they are not perfectly accurate, are not only permitted, but rather a popular design on necklaces, keychains, and other paraphernalia.
Entertainment
Pokemorphs' interests in entertainment are as varied as those of humans. Just about everything humans do for fun, save for training Pokemon, is enjoyed by Pokemorphs, as well. Twin broadcasting stations both receive and rebroadcast transmissions from Indigo Island, as well as transmit Pokemorph programming to Pokemorph Island. Pokemorph Island also sports an all-purpose outdoor sports stadium, as well as an indoor arena. Boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, and other combative sports are replaced with a single sport. The Pokemorph Fighting League, or PFL, is open to all Pokemorphs, and is highly regulated for the safety of the Participants. Much like boxing, if a Pokemorph goes down for ten counts, he loses the match. Claws, blades, and other spikes are capped, teeth are covered with mouthguards, and the power of elemental attacks is limited. The PFL holds frequent tournaments, often with elemental themes or other restrictions, with the final matches televised, and the winner going home with the trophy, the prize money, and the knowledge that he is truly the best.
Relationships
Pokemorphs, much like the humans and Pokemon they were created from, have emotions, and can fall in love. However, unlike humans or Pokemon, Pokemorphs have little in the way of formal, accepted mating rituals such as humans' marriages or some Pokemon's competitions. The result is that dealing with personal relationships differs from Pokemorph to Pokemorph. Some feel the need for a formal commitment, and arrange for something similar to a wedding, though most Pokemorph relationships are more casual, and understood by the pair. While only certain Pokemon can produce offspring with each other, all organic Pokemorphs are physically compatible, though most Pokemorphs find their own kind most attractive. Children of differing species are generally of the female's species, though a small fraction is of the male's species. The child will often carry small traits of the other parent's species, mostly manifesting as instinctual abilities, but occasionally coloration may differ. Humans and Pokemorphs cannot produce offspring together, but that is just as well, as the two species rarely get along well enough to form friendships, much less a deep meaningful relationship.
Communication
Humans speak the language of Humans. Pokemon speak the language of Pokemon. Pokemorphs speak both. Though many Pokemon can understand humans, and some humans can understand a few Pokemon, Pokemorphs have the definite advantage, as far as languages go. Communication on Pokemorph Island is done mostly in the language of humans, as most First Gens were conditioned to speak in that language almost exclusively. Additionally, there is no written counterpart to the Pokemon language, so the human written language is necessary in that case. However, many Sec Gens and Freebirths prefer the spoken language of Pokemon, so there are many conversations in that language as well, though it is rarely used in a formal speech.
Humans on Pokemorph Island have little trouble communicating, with their language as the primary one used, though only highly experienced Pokemon Trainers, of which there are none permanently residing on Pokemorph Island, would be able to understand conversations spoken in Pokemon. Pokemorphs often use this fact to their advantage when wishing to speak without the overhearing ear of a nearby human. Dialects differ from Pokemorph to Pokemorph as well, often influenced by the way their masters spoke when they were Pokemon.
However, there are also several terms used by Pokemorphs that are mostly unique to the island, as listed in the glossary here. Notably, unlike in many cultures, to call someone by their species or element before knowing their name is not considered at all rude, and is a rather common practice. For example, someone meeting Fault for the first time might call him 'Sandslash' or 'Grounder' until Fault introduced himself, and Pokemorphs often call humans simply 'Human'. However, once a name is given, calling a Pokemorph by species or element may be considered an insult. Of course, as in human culture, peers often insult each other playfully, and differing species of Pokemorphs often play on each others' species in that manner.
Domesticated Pokemon can understand Human language, depending on their circumstances. Pokemon who belong to a trainer can pick up on it pretty easily whereas wild Pokemon tend not to understand it, unless they hang around urban areas often.
Glossary
- The Change (noun)
- The actual process of Pokemon Anthropomorphication, or the period of time before the War in which Team Rocket was mass-producing First Generation Pokemorphs
- 'morph, Morph (noun)
- A Pokemorph
- The War (noun)
- The Pokemorph Revolution, when the First Generation Pokemorphs rebelled against Team Rocket
- First Gen (noun, adj.)
- Short for First Generation, also a term referring to a First Generation Pokemorph; Created Pre-War/Camp
- Sec Gen (noun, adj.)
- Short for Second Generation, also a term referring to a Second Generation Pokemorph; Created Post-War/Camp
- Freebirth (noun)
- A Pokemorph born to two Pokemorph parents
- Flamer (noun)
- A fire-type Pokemorph
- Shocker (noun)
- An electric-type Pokemorph
- Grounder (noun)
- A ground-type Pokemorph
- Esper (noun)
- A psychic-type Pokemon, or a human who possesses ESP
- Red Death (noun)
- The killing of Pokemorphs via a capture ball
