Linoone Report

Linoone (the Rushing Pokémon) is a relatively uncommon Normal-type Pokémon (Dark/Normal in the Galar region) found in grassy fields and forests within the Hoenn, Kalos and Galar regions as well as the Kanto, Johto and Sinnoh regions on rare occasions. Deceptively fast and quick to attack, Linoone are interesting creatures that share almost nothing in common with their pre-evolved form, especially in terms of behavior and movement style. You might be tempted to go hunting with one of these creatures after you see them catch prey with little difficulty, but you would be better off with something a bit more versatile; Linoone might be fast, but if they find themselves in front of a sharply-curving path, they will take forever to traverse it!

Aside from their curiosity, Linoone are different from Zigzagoon in every way imaginable, primarily because of their niche transition from scavenger to predator upon evolving. While Linoone cannot rely on their own movement patterns or odd fur as unorthodox weapons all the time (though their fur is very strong and supple, the the point where is is often made into prized shaving brushes), the growth of exceptionally long, sharp claws negates any reason to possess such weapons. Linoone are active hunters in both the daytime and nighttime, sneaking up on small rodents and quickly pouncing on them before they have the chance to escape; if they feel like it, however, Linoone may also go fishing and attack small fish in much the same way, skewering them with their sharp claws in a blur of motion. Not surprisingly, Linoone usually depend upon their sharp claws for offense in battle, using their Fury Swipes, Slash, Play Rough and Double-Edge attacks to rip apart the opposition quickly and efficiently as well as occasionally using them to trip up the opposition a bit with their Switcheroo and Rototiller techniques. As with similar Normal-types, however, Linoone are unable to do much against heavily-armored opponents unless they are taught type-advantageous moves with TMs and HMs.

As a way of overcoming their balance issues upon evolving, the inner ears of Linoone are heavily modified and are effectively designed to allow Linoone to maintain perfect equilibrium in nearly any possible situation. Unfortunately, this alteration has drastic effects on the motor functions of Linoone and actually forces them to maintain a straight path while moving around at high speeds; if they even attempt to turn while running, these creatures will literally keel over with a headache. This tends to make Linoone even harder to train and battle with, as their limited movement patterns make split-second reactions and counterattacks difficult to pull off; consequently, they are easy to out-maneuver in battle and can be simple to defeat as long as the one constantly moves around them. It should be noted, though, that Linoone are at least partially compensated for this defect by their incredible movement speed, as they are able to run over 60 miles per hour while moving straight; only exceptionally quick opponents are able to dodge their attacks at such speeds, giving Linoone an edge against slower creatures. Finally, it should be said that Linoone are not completely incapable of turning; in order to do so, however, Linoone must stop completely and resume movement after turning exactly 90 degrees, making even gently-curving roads an obstacle.

It is lastly noted that Linoone are one of the few species of Pokémon known to have a unique variant within the confines of the Galar region. In this region, these creatures possess the same base stats but are Dark/Normal-types, show a distinctive black and white color scheme to them, have access to the Lick, Snarl, Scary Face, Counter and Taunt moves in place of the Tail Whip, Covet, Fling, Flail and Belly Drum moves, and get access to the Night Slash attack immediately after evolving in place of the Slash attack learned by non-Galarian Linoone. Oddly enough, while most variants tend to be abnormal mutations of a particular species, in the case of Galarian Linoone, these creatures are actually the original ancient model of their species and have only become different elsewhere as a result of other regions not having the same kind of harsh environment that the Galar wild is known for. Much like their pre-evolved form, Galarian Linoone are much more aggressive than their non-Galarian counterparts and will actively attack anything that they deem to be even a mild threat, using their long tongues to taunt and intimidate others before lunging at them suddenly and viciously with their bodies, tackling their enraged target forcefully. These creatures care little for their own personal safety and will gladly strike out at opponents of all kinds, even if they are stronger than what they are equipped to handle; this can make them a bit harder to control compared to their counterparts, but in the end, it overall makes them much more of a threat and worth eliminating quickly, if only to curb their erratic and aggressive behavior.

Though they might not have much in the way of tournament-worthy abilities, Linoone are decent fighters that can certainly put up a good fight against unarmored opponents. They might only be able to move quickly in straight lines, but as long as they can line up a good shot before rocketing off, it will be very difficult for the opposition to dodge their oncoming assault. If you plan on fighting with one of these creatures professionally, try to stick with open battle environments without a lot of obstacles; after all, all the speed in the world does little good when you can't turn to prevent colliding with a rock or a tree!

Professor Wormwood