All right everyone, let's discuss some Pokémon. This post will be about Absol since the whole "bringer of doom" thing is still somewhat prevalent, especially among older populations.
We'll be going over biology, personality/behavior, habitat, powers, and (if applicable) how they differ between Morbur and their home region.
Each Pokémon we discuss in this series will get its own post, with generally the same format
The bulk of the conversation will be about the pokedexes and how we interpret them, with other interpretations being discussed when applicable
Most entries will be met with the understanding that a child is writing them while on their journey
This is a general overview of the species and how they are in the wild, rather than how to train/house them
If you have any further questions, you're free to ask
Absols are quadripedal, mammalian (almost feline) Pokémon with dark blue skin and white fur
Said fur ruffs around its neck and chest, and forms a tuft on the top of its head
Which is adorned with a single dark blue oval
The white fur on its head curves toward the left side of its face/neck
Between the coloration of the body/fur and the curvature of the fur and horn, the face resembles the Yin and Yang symbol
Humanoid face with almond-shaped, red eyes, a scythe-like tail/scythe-shaped horn on the side of its head
Broad feet that are equipped with three claws each, and dewclaw-like spikes protruding from the heels of its hind legs/the elbows of its front legs
It walks with a pacing gait like that of a bear
The horn can be extended and used in battle
Rarely seen because of things we'll get into later
These mountain-dwelling Pokémon often keep to themselves, only coming down to warn people of disasters
One of the entries even says that they became targets and fled into the mountains, while another one says that it was driven there presumably by humans
Discussed in the habitat section
They also have a calmer disposition and dislike fighting
Even hating having to change into the mega forms during battles
Mega Absol Z states that the clawlike shapes on its back are used to cut foes down with a single blow, which is a “kindness to keep them from suffering."
Behavior-wise, they race through fields and mountains to warn people, as stated earlier
Now here's where I'm split, I don't know whether this next point fits here or in the power section, but Mega Absol is stated to send intimidating auras at opponents
There's an entry that says that "fainthearted people expire from shock at the sight of it," so I guess that's more power stuff
It does flap its back fur to do this, so that might be the behavior part
Moving on, when I say “solitary lifestyle,” it means that they keep to themselves unless necessary
When it comes to the “packs vs no packs” debate, that's just a family, at least it's hypothesized to be
With most long-lived and non-evolving Pokémon, including Absol, group dynamics often confuse researchers because there are fewer ways to tell how the parents are
There are ways to tell, though, it's how they interact with each other, mostly play fighting, or teaching them how to handle their sensitive fur and horns/generally keeping them calm while doing damage control
Despite that, I'm not telling you to go out and find them in the wild; we would rather you go observe them in poke centers or sanctuaries
The families are usually kept together for conservation reasons
We have both versions in our sanctuary for education purposes, especially on the differences between the 2, which will be discussed later
I don’t think they're endangered like Lapras used to be, but considering how humans treat them, it would pain me, but it wouldn't be surprising
All in all, we're trying to raise awareness for many issues Pokémon deal with
Whether it fled there on its own volition or it was driven there, it lives in harsh, rugged mountain environments
So if the region has mountains and is cold enough, the shapes seen with both megas are fur mind you, just know that it might be in the mountains somewhere, just trying to live its life
They did become targets, especially from elders, due to superstition, so maybe they originally lived somewhere else, but they live in the mountains now, so that's the environment people tend to look at
While it has been widely confirmed that Absol detects natural disasters in the vast majority of its Dex entries, the way it does it is debated
“It detects disasters because it's that sensitive to sudden shifts in general,” vs “it specifically detects disasters with its horn, as it's the most sensitive part.”
Using my own Absol, Aki, as a baseline, I can confirm through personal observations that the mechanism by which this detection works leans closer to “despite general sensitivity, the horn is the most sensitive part.”
Of course, this is one Morburian Absol out of the entire population, so anyone else who has an Absol or knows someone who does is free to chime in with whatever information they have
Yes, I am looking at Dex entries from every region, despite Morbur having a regional variant. The difference will be discussed later
Anyway, I believe the horn can be used by Absol to confirm/disprove its suspicions with how sensitive it is
This does make bath time more difficult, but hey, it's not his fault
Other than detecting disasters, it can also run as "swift as the wind" and "live up to over a hundred years."
Its more feline body does lend an explanation as to why it's so fast, and its solitary lifestyle means it's less likely to get itself killed by other Pokémon and even humans, and thus has a longer life span
The detection powers remain active even when it sleeps, allowing it to detect danger while sleeping
They sense subtle changes in the sky and the land (which I forgot to mention)
The horn extension mentioned in the biology section can also be seen as a power
The difference between regional forms is pretty much just coloration and how they’re treated by people
Morbur has a slightly dirty look to it, almost like mud or dirt, and they don't get blamed for the disasters as much
People from Hoenn do give them shit, but that's about it
They often get praised for their role in prevention and recovery
Morbur might be superstitious at times, but we know a hard-working Pokémon when we see one
The Morbuan Dex also mentions how the variant is resistant to the region's psychic types but I think that's just dark types in general
And there we have it, now I did mention that some of this information was based on my own Absol and such a small sample size is not indicative of the entire species. Thus I invite others to share their thoughts as they wish.
I'm planning on tackling Espeon next, since I also work with my own on a daily basis, but the others and I are open to suggestions.
(OOC: Side note, I love how Dark Resists both psychic and ghost types, which are the other two types Yana uses.) That’s poetic, right?
Also, I originally had Yana go into how the Morburian dex mentions a very specific incident with a Hypno and her resulting insomnia, but maybe I’ll save that for the Hypno one, which she’ll absolutely hate.
Also, the note about child researchers will be more for entries with generally ridiculous claims, like some of Jolteon’s regarding voltage.)
