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“Invasive” Grass-types

Invasive species have been touched on in the world of Pokemon, namely in the Alola region, but I feel like invasive plants have yet to be properly covered. So, I decided to toy around with the following variants of Grass-type Pokemon, inspired by real life invasive plants.

“Eurasian watermilfoil” Tangela and Tangrowth

Type: Grass/Water

This variant of the Vine Pokemon tends to prefer lakes, streams, and deltas over the dense jungles of the Kantonian version. The vines Tangela and Tangrowth are wrapped in are pinkish in hue and covered in delicate, feather-like leaves that collapse immediately when held out of water. Both of these variants love to let their vines (in Tangrowth’s case, including its arms) grow up to the surface, forming dense mats that block sunlight from reaching plants below. This turns the lake into a forest of swaying vines and little else. While individually these vines are weak and easily breakable, they grow in such quantities that any who would try to prey on these Vine Pokemon, or just remove them from the lakes they infest, quickly find themselves swamped by piles of heavy, wet vines. When fragments of these Pokemon break off, even tiny ones, they will quickly form roots and eventually become entirely new Tangela.

“Buckthorn” Sawsbuck

Type: Grass/Dark

This “invasive” Pokemon is one of the few variants that does not include its pre-evolution. These Season Pokemon begin as normal Deerling, until they come into contact with the tiny seeds of a vicious, unpleasant type of woody plant. These seeds quickly grow into the Deerling’s skin, irritating it to the point of causing uncharacteristic rampages. Once the Deerling evolves, the characteristic antlers Sawsbuck is known for are replaced with wide, bushy, thorny branches. The plant that now has completely bonded with the Pokemon pays no heed to seasons, only dropping its leaves in the absolute coldest part of winter. Armed with these new weapons, this Sawsbuck variant will seek out fights wherever it can, goring its opponent with its massive sharpened antlers. The only time it is not fighting is when the plant becomes laden with berries, making the antlers so heavy the Sawsbuck can’t lift its head. At that point it hunkers down in the undergrowth, leaving bird Pokemon to feed on the berries, thus spreading the influence of the dastardly plant even more.

"Salt Cedar" Snover and Abomasnow

Type: Grass/Rock

Unlike their polar and alpine relatives, this variant of Snover and Abomasnow make their homes in dry, arid, rocky areas of the world. They retain their snowy white appearance at first glance, but on closer inspection their pale complexion is due to a buildup of salt crystals on the outside of their dense wooden bodies. If left to their own devices, these Frost Tree Pokemon will send their roots deep into the earth, plumbing hidden pockets of mineral rich water to sustain themselves under a scorching sun. While they retain the water from their search, any dissolved salts will first coat them, then spill out onto the ground, turning the soil barren and preventing anything else from growing, Pokemon or otherwise. Removal of these Pokemon can be tricky, as not only can they utilize their long roots as whips, they can break off pieces of their jagged salty exterior and launch them like sling bullets.

"Water hyacinth" Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur

Type: Grass/Water

Hailing from the rivers and oxbow lakes of a tropical land, these Seed Pokemon spend very little time outside of the water. In fact, unless the rivers and lakes they live in completely dry up, they never really take root either. Instead of the characteristic bulb planted on the backs of normal Bulbasaur, a plant full of inflated herbaceous tissue is attached, allowing the line to gently float on the surface from the moment they’re born. As the Bulbasaur evolves to Ivysaur and then to Venusaur, the bloated plant sends up stalks that eventually bloom into brilliant purple flowers. The legs of these Pokemon have developed into broad paddle-like flippers, better suited to subtle adjustments than sustained swimming. What goodness they can’t get from the sun they can draw directly from the water, using small roots that grow from their bellies. Originally bred as living decorations, these Pokemon have gotten out of hand in the areas they’ve been introduced to. Each gas-filled branch that breaks off can become a new Pokemon, and since they never need to take root, they can often entirely cover the surface of even massive inland seas. What these Pokemon may lack in offensive power they more than make up for in tenacity and stubbornness, so complete removal is extremely difficult.

“Kudzu” Turtwig, Grotle, and Torterra

Type: Grass

One of the more infamous examples of invasive Grass-types, these Pokemon begin life as a Turtwig, a Tiny Leaf Pokemon, with a growth that looks like a tangle of shaggy vines more than the usual sapling. While this affords a small amount of protection, it also obscures the Turtwig’s vision, causing it to bump into trees and rocks, tangling its long vines into the surrounding landscape. Once it is nearly immobilized by its tangled vines and evolves to Grotle, the vines spread along every solid surface around it, engulfing anything standing still in a blanket of leaves. The immense amount of power that gets generated by its leaf carpet allows it to evolve to Torterra, normally a walking mountain, whose shell is entirely composed of tangled and compacted vines. Having mastered control over its plant growth, it is able to move from forest to forest, spreading its influence and gaining more power with every square meter it consumes. While the Turtwig and Grotle variants can usually be contained more easily, a fully grown Kudzu Torterra is a biome-level threat, towering over its less invasive cousin, requiring coordinated effort and no small amount of caution, as it is in full control over every vine that extends from its body. An unsuspecting human or Pokemon can quickly find themselves hung upside down by their feet when trying to push back an infestation, or completely blanketed by new growth.