Vibrava Report

Vibrava (the Vibration Pokémon) is a relatively rare Ground/Dragon-type Pokémon found among desert areas within the Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, Alola and Galar regions and the Blueberry Academy Terarium as well as the Sinnoh region on rare occasions. Generally weak by themselves, Vibrava are relatively unskilled combatants that are sorely lacking in the physical attributes that made Trapinch dangerous, instead relying on ultrasonic waves as their primary means of defense. In comparison to their pre-evolved form, Trapinch, Vibrava are completely different creatures in terms of strength and abilities, and not in a good way; when it comes to true challenges, putting up with this strange critter is one task few trainers dare to attempt!

Trapinch are among the few species of Pokémon that mutate into Dragon-types upon evolving due to an extremely rare genetic condition. However, this mutation comes with a serious cost for Trapinch because, while most of their stats go up at least slightly, they lose 30% of their base Attack stat upon evolving into Vibrava. This is because Vibrava can't develop quickly enough upon evolving from Trapinch and are thus locked in an incomplete larval stage, only reaching adulthood upon evolving into Flygon. Lacking the strong jaws of Trapinch, Vibrava are physically weaker and are less adept at close-quarters combat, making them somewhat difficult to battle with. The addition of the Dragon-type to their type assignment does help alleviate this a bit, at least, as they gain access to the Dragon Breath attack as soon as they evolve as well as the Dragon Tail and Dragon Rush attacks later in life among other unique moves.

The most important change that occurs as a result of this evolution is the addition of wings; this sort of change in of itself is not wholly surprising, as many Dragon-type Pokémon possess at least some flight capabilities. However, due to the incompleteness of their body, the wings of Vibrava are only suited for short flights; in truth, the only flight-based benefit that Vibrava receive from their wings is the Levitate ability and the power to learn Fly through artificial methods. As a result of their current form, Vibrava do not hunt like Trapinch at all; instead, Vibrava employ their poorly designed wings as ultrasonic weapons. By vibrating their wings rapidly and violently against each other, Vibrava are able to generate massive ultrasonic waves that can easily give humans headaches and stun most small Pokémon. While their prey is stunned, Vibrava then employ their only other means of offense, their relatively powerful acidic saliva, to melt their prey into a gooey mess that their weak mouths can easily handle; if they are unable to feed at a given moment or need to save food for some reason, on the other hand, they will use what physical strength they have to bury their prey in the sand to preserve it. Though they might not be as physically dominating as their pre-evolved form in terms of raw power, their appetite is much more voracious as they hurriedly attempt to acquire the needed energy to fully develop their wings, guzzling down prey items throughout the entirety of the day with little to no patience in waiting for the next meal. It should lastly be noted that, while the loss of their powerful jaws prevents Vibrava from using many of the moves that Trapinch learn naturally to their fullest effect, the addition of wings does give Vibrava the ability to learn several unique moves, including the Bug Buzz, Uproar and Boomburst attacks and the Supersonic and Screech techniques, which can help them survive longer and deal more damage in battle, though it is recommended that trainers wear ear plugs when having them use these moves to prevent severe hearing damage when in close-quarters.

While they might not be very impressive in combat, Vibrava are nonetheless interesting examples of how strange evolution can truly be among Pokémon. While they might seem like the biggest joke out of all Dragon-types, these hardy creatures can still be loyal companions if you give them a chance, even if their lack of strength might make them impossible to properly battle with. Besides, you could always look at the bright side: It won't take too long for Vibrava to mature into Flygon, and for Dragon Tamers that like to experiment with abnormal Pokémon, that is certainly one species worth waiting for!

Professor Wormwood