002 & 003
These fellas were originally conceived as a fakemon design contest entry (for the Mazah Fakemon region, hence the borrowed dex format), but even though I didn’t win, I still really love these designs! It’s extremely basic, but I genuinely adore just regular animal-like normal type pokemon, and brown is unironically one of my favorite colors (ALSO I LIKE GREEN SHINIES! THERE, I SAID IT), so these designs were 100% catered to my exact tastes. And who doesn’t like a tapir? Nobody, that’s who.
Taprei (Tapir + prey)
The Tapir Pokémon
Due to their fatty bodies and lack of offensive strength, Taprei are the primary source of food for nearly every predator in the rainforest, including Mazian Persian, Suchobile, Lupacabra, and even human beings. Because of this, Taprei have evolved a knack for staying hidden, and their elusive nature once led many scientists to believe that they had gone extinct in the wild.
Paropilli (Paraceratherium + tepoztopilli)
The Justice Pokémon
No longer fearing predation, Paropilli develops a strong sense of justice on behalf of smaller, weaker Pokémon. A single Paropilli will fight to the death in order to protect other Pokémon from predators, and it is not uncommon to see Paropilli among packs of Taprei; apparently training them to evolve. This display of forethought and empathy is an obvious testament to this Pokémon’s intelligence, though some argue that Paropilli’s coddling of the young and weak disrupts the balance of nature, and makes it more difficult for predatory Pokémon to find food.
