Cranidos Report

Cranidos (the Head Butt Pokémon) is an exceptionally rare Rock-type Pokémon found among tropical jungles and craggy peaks across the world, though only in exceptionally limited numbers. Though they certainly might not be the largest of creatures out there, Cranidos are devastatingly powerful beasts that can easily take down lesser creatures without even breaking a sweat. Surviving might not exactly be their strong suit, but that certainly does not mean that you should underestimate them; get in their way, and you'll likely be on the receiving end of a Headbutt attack you won't soon forget!

Cranidos and Rampardos are normally nonexistent in the wild today, but as a result of modern science's advances, these beasts have finally been brought back to the world through the use of Skull Fossils. Interestingly enough, Skull Fossils are probably one of the few specialty fossils that physically share much in common with the creatures they are associated with, namely in regards to the density and mass of their skulls, and are so sturdy themselves that in ancient times they were dug up and used as helmets by people due to them being harder than steel. Cranidos and Rampardos are believed to be related to if not part of the genus Pachycephalosaurus and likely died out at around the same time at the end of the Cretaceous. As with their ancient relatives, Cranidos and Rampardos possess massively thick skull caps that are designed primarily for head-butting matches against other members of their species as a way of deciding the ownership rights of food, mating, and (at least in their case) just about everything else. Unlike their relatives, however, these beasts are also known to use their massive skulls offensively as well, specializing in moves that result in massive damage to both themselves and the opposition in tandem to fight off ancient predators such as Aerodactyl. This alone can make them fun to try out, but what truly makes little sense about these creatures is their astonishing lack of an actual type; aside from the Rock-type alignment they earn as a result of their resurrection from fossils, these beasts technically have no natural type and are probably one of the closest members to the line that separates Pokémon from normal animals known. This does not mean that they should be ignored, however, as their astonishing physical abilities more than make them a dire threat against any beast unfortunate enough to be slower than them in battle.

Although they are still quite young, Cranidos are devastating beasts that can hit harder physically than almost any other unevolved Pokémon with the capacity to evolve as a result of their 8-13cm-thick skull caps, the sound of any collision causes a ringing noise to issue forth from them. Back about 100 million years ago when the species and its evolved form were at the peak of their existence, Cranidos likely would have been feared by even adult organisms for their reckless attacks and devastating power, though this is oddly leveled out by their relatively slow movement speeds and weak defenses. Unlike their closest relatives, Cranidos were not herbivores but actually omnivores and took great pleasure in running down prey and smashing their skulls in with devastating Headbutt attacks at close range while crashing through any tree or obstruction that would dare to get in their way (usually eating any berries that happen to fall off in the process), as indicated by the presence of broken, fossilized tree trunk halves within the same rock layers as and in the vicinity of their fossils. Despite their immense power, however, Cranidos are not well-suited for most battles as their brains are fairly underdeveloped and their ability to follow advanced tactics is quite limited; in effect, they are little more than pure brutes from the moment they are born. This is little discouragement to most trainers willing to gamble on them, though, as Cranidos more than make up for their lack of intelligence with nearly unbeatable power and enough pure strength to reduce all but the most heavily-armored of opponents into quivering piles of flesh and broken bones.

While their chances of lasting very long against a quick, offensive opponent are quite slim, Cranidos are wonderful beasts for young trainers to try out if they are looking to specialize in fully-offensive Pokémon in the future. With more physical strength than even a Machop can handle and the attitude needed to blow right through a bus without even caring, anyone looking to bet an entire match on these brutes can certainly be said to either be crazy or have a good idea of what they are doing. Granted, their overall usefulness might not be as high as other fossil Pokémon, but on the bright side, at least they manage to grow up faster than any other fossil species; of course, if you're still struggling just to take care of them, your troubles will only grow when you have to take care of something literally too strong for its own good!

Professor Wormwood