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Analysis of the Grass-type

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INTRODUCTION

The Grass-type is one of the most fundamental types in existence and is both respected for the beauty of those who train under its banner and feared extensively by those who are unprepared for the unique status effects and powers this type brings. The Grass-type is often cherished among younger trainers as a result of it being one of three specialty types chosen for beginning trainers, but those who want to bring the type to a professional level, hard work will be the only thing capable of making a journey safe. It's unlikely that many Grass-types will be able to strike with much versatility in battle or be able to overcome their greatest weaknesses, but with the right combination of training and strategy, even the lowliest of plants can be elevated to stardom and potentially made indestructible in the right weather.


POWERS AND ATTRIBUTES

The Grass-type is unique among other types in that it effectively defines an entire kingdom within this planet, namely plants. Plants are autotrophs that are capable of harnessing sunlight in order to make food through photosynthesis; while this lifestyle makes it very easy for plants to survive and reproduce to the point of being present on most of the planet's surface, it also means that they generally are not designed for intelligence. The actual degree of intelligence within a species defines how much energy they are capable of taking in in order to maintain some sort of neural function; since the act of photosynthesis does not provide a lot of energy, plants are normally devoid of significant intelligence and are pointless in battle. Grass-type Pokémon, on the other hand, are different in that they possess an advanced metabolic system that allows them to take in much more sunlight than normal and effectively keep their bodies in a state of permanent overdrive; with this on their side, most Grass-types have been able to develop into semi-intelligent creatures with a bundle of primitive neurons for a brain that can be trained and commanded on the battlefield with little trouble. Because Grass-types are all at least partially plant-based, they do not need to feed on much of anything for sustenance and are generally able to keep themselves healthy simply by standing in rich soil and bright sunlight. Some species, however, have gone even further and devour other plants or even animals for survival and are certainly far more dangerous than any traditional plant could ever be. Interestingly enough, Grass-types have made a significant advancement in terms of powers through evolution in that they are able to harness their own internal metabolisms and bodily features to strike with both decent physical strikes and abnormal energy-based attacks, such as Energy Ball and Giga Drain, that are perfectly designed for both keeping the user safe and dealing considerable damage against other Pokémon. This is only the icing on the cake, however, as some of these plant-based organisms have also learned how to use the pollen and toxic spores they produce as a weapon in battle, giving rise to dangerous status-infliction warfare that can decimate entire teams while the attacker slowly whittles away whatever energy their targets has. The relatively low intelligence of most Grass-types makes them a bit difficult to train and they usually are unable to learn a wide variety of moves outside of Normal, Grass and Poison-type attacks, but considering that Grass-type attacks are powerful against some of the most common elemental types, this is only a minor issue that can be overcome with a bit of patience and practice.


CATEGORIES OF IDENTIFICATION
There are currently 130 recognized species of Grass-types, 46 of them being pure-types and 84 being dual-types (not including Shaymin Sky Forme and Hisuian Lilligant). Additionally, 57 of the dual-types are primary Grass-types while the remaining 27 are secondary Grass-types.

NON-ANIMALISTIC AND NON-CARNIVOROUS: Tangela, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Bellossom, Sunkern, Sunflora, Cherubi, Cherrim, Cottonee, Whimsicott, Petilil, Lilligant (also Hisuian Lilligant), Exeggcute, Exeggutor (also Alolan Exeggutor), Seedot, Hoppip, Skiploom, Jumpluff, Budew, Roselia, Roserade, Ferroseed, Ferrothorn, Trevenant, Gourgeist, Bounsweet, Gossifleur, Eldegoss, Hisuian Voltorb, Hisuian Electrode, Smoliv, Dolliv and Arboliva

These creatures have only recently departed from their more primitive plant relatives and are still quite plant-like in regards to their physical construction and attributes, making them both difficult to teach and difficult to use offensively in most cases. These organisms still rely on the dispersal of seeds and the use of flowers for reproduction in the wild, but they are still unique in their ability to breed with other creatures and produce eggs, an issue that has yet to be fully understood. These creatures tend to be on the lowest level of intelligence among Grass-types and tend to rely on primitive features such as leaves and toxic powder for defense, but this is generally supplemented by their capacity to utilize powerful attacks like Solar Beam and Leaf Storm naturally.

NON-ANIMALISTIC AND CARNIVOROUS: Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Tangrowth, Carnivine, Capsakid and Scovillain

These creatures have also only recently departed from their more primitive relatives but are primarily defined by the fact that they regularly feed on animals to survive. These creatures tend to grow and live in places where the soil is deficient in nitrogen, an element that is critical in plant growth. To make up for this lack of nitrogen, these creatures have developed the capacity to capture and kill animals with powerful digestive enzymes that effectively break down the bodies of their prey and leave only hard parts like exoskeletons and bones behind. These organisms tend to be much more aggressive than other Grass-types but are still generally limited to the same powers other non-animalistic Grass-types possess, though their sheer ferocity can still make up for this detriment.

ANIMALISTIC: Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium, Turtwig, Grotle, Torterra, Shaymin (Land and Sky Formes), Nuzleaf, Shiftry, Tropius, Snover, Abomasnow (also Mega Abomasnow), Fomantis, Lurantis, Steenee, Tsareena and Ogerpon

These creatures a bit different from other Grass-types in that they are still purely plants but have developed animalistic traits, such as true feet and limbs, that are never seen among normal plants. These traits are believed to have come as a result of animals developing into plants or plants simply utilizing animal-like forms in order to increase the chances of survival in the wild. This latter function works surprisingly well in most cases, as it can allow these creatures to adapt to climates and conditions that would otherwise be too much to handle, in turn making them relatively powerful combatants and difficult to capture in the wild.

MUSHROOMS: Shroomish, Breloom, Foongus, Amoonguss, Paras, Parasect, Morelull, Shiinotic, Toedscool and Toedscruel

These creatures are not true plants but fungi and generally reproduce using spores instead of seeds, which is a more primitive method of reproduction but nonetheless quite efficient in moist climates. Despite being all fungi, these creatures possess radically different attributes in battle. While the members of the Foongus and Toedscool families are true mushrooms but have the capacity to utilize photosynthesis in the former case and exceptional movement capabilities in the latter case, Shroomish are simple mushrooms with few powerful abilities and Breloom are devastating close-quarters combatants. The members of the Paras family are not mushrooms themselves, but the fact that their parasitic life-form of choice is a mushroom means that they are still classified under this category.

PARTIAL PLANTS (NON-PARASITIC): Wormadam (Plant Cloak), Leafeon, Sewaddle, Swadloon, Leavanny, Deerling, Sawsbuck, Virizion, Chespin, Quilladin, Chesnaught, Skiddo, Gogoat, Rowlet, Dartrix, Decidueye (also Hisuian Decidueye), Grookey, Thwackey, Rillaboom, Zarude, Sprigatito, Floragato and Meowscarada

These creatures are anatomically distinct from other Grass-types in that they are actually only part plant; the rest of the creature is a true animal. These hybrid creatures continue to mystify scientists in regards to how they are formed, particularly since the extent of plant integration varies significantly depending upon the species. In some cases, such as Virizion, the plant-based components of its anatomy are all but nonexistent, but they still retain the ability to use some Grass-type moves; others, such as the members of the Sewaddle family, are closely tied to their plant components and are effectively dependent upon them for survival. The only real characteristic that links all of these creatures together is the fact that the plant components are not parasitic in a way that would actually harm the host creature on a regular basis.

PARTIAL PLANTS (PARASITIC): Treecko, Grovyle, Sceptile (also Mega Sceptile), Lotad, Lombre, Ludicolo, Snivy, Servine, Serperior, Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur (also Mega Venusaur), Pansage and Simisage

These creatures are also only partial plants and contain both plant-like and animalistic characteristics, but the striking difference is that the plant-based components of these species are parasitic and effectively take over part if not almost all of the hosts' living functions in time. It is unknown how many of these creatures first became infected by these parasitic life-forms, but the hold they have managed to obtain on their anatomy is so dominant in some cases that it can severely affect the development of a species and bend the hosts' growth cycles to the will of the plant. However, the degree to which these parasitic plants actually harm the host varies, as Pokémon such as Grovyle are mutated beyond recognition by their parasitic plant while Pansage and Simisage feel no real pain at all and develop with their parasitic plant peacefully even as it steadily infects them and begins to control their nervous system.

CACTI: Cacnea, Cacturne and Maractus

These creatures are distinctly related to cacti and are noticeably different from other plants in that they are designed for arid climates that are ordinarily fatal to other plants. This survival is generally due to their ability to alter the rate at which their stomata open and close to breathe, in turn conserving water loss and enabling these creatures to survive for months if not years on end without any water. These organisms generally do not have access to many of the energy-based Grass-type attacks possessed by regular Grass-types, but they more than make up for it with a surprisingly diverse array of moves and thick barbs on their body to bludgeon attackers brutally and relentlessly.

SPIRITUAL: Rotom (Mow Forme), Phantump, Pumpkaboo, Dhelmise, Bramblin, Brambleghast, Poltchageist and Sinistcha

Rotom are usually classified as an Electric/Ghost-type Pokémon, but when they take possession of a certain type of lawnmower, they automatically become a Grass-type by converting the actual function of the object into a true elemental power. This form does not do much to help these creatures defensively, but it can make a difference in that it allows them to utilize the powerful Leaf Storm attack about as well as any real Grass-type. Phantump, Pumpkaboo, Dhelmise and the members of the Bramblin and Poltchageist families also are created from spirits possessing something; in their case, they have possessed and animated an old stump, a pumpkin, seaweed, tumbleweeds and tea caddies and bowls, respectively.

DRAGONS: Applin, Flapple, Appletun, Dipplin and Hydrapple

The members of the Applin family are unique in that they are technically dragons that have adapted a Grass-type nature to them as a consequence of living in and eventually becoming part apple in their form. These creatures start out life as wyrms that live within the bodies of apples for protection, as they are very weak and unable to do much to defend themselves. When they are exposed to certain rare types of apples, they gain the capacity to fuse with their apple containers to evolve into either Flapple, Appletun, Dipplin and/or Hydrapple depending on the flavor of the apple they have bored into. All of these forms have their own combat specialties, and despite their small forms, they are surprisingly powerful and more than capable of holding their own in battle.

CRINOIDS: Lileep and Cradily

These fossil species are not true plants, nor are they related to anything even remotely plant-like, but their unique access to Grass-type powers and physical reaction to intense cold is strong enough to render their classification vague but definite. Because no crinoids have ever managed to develop into Pokémon in the modern day, it is difficult to say whether they would be Water-types or not. In the case of the Lileep family, they do live primarily in the water and show resistance against the type but are weak against extreme cold; this is not a feature that would be present if they were partial Water-types, in turn leaving the Grass-type assignment as the only type that fits their general abilities.

GUARDIAN LAND SPIRIT: Tapu Bulu

This legendary Pokémon is said to be the guardian spirit of Ula’ula Island in the Alola region and is the deity responsible for the appointment of Nanu as the Kahuna of the island in the recent past. In the past, this island guardian served alongside the other Tapu Spirits in protecting the region against attacks from Ultra Beasts, and in turn helped establish the modern system of Kahuna leaders and the Island Challenge. This mystical fairy has the power to cause vegetation to grow from just about anywhere, though it does not do this completely out of the goodness of its heart as it absorbs some of the energy released from this growth in order to sustain itself. This creature is relatively lazy and will prefer to command plants to immobilize enemies from afar before it charges at them full-force with its horns, but if needed it will uproot entire trees and swing them around like clubs to fight back anyone and anything that dare to put the safety of its home island in jeopardy.

EXTRA-TEMPORAL: Celebi

Celebi are distinct from normal Grass-types in two key ways, namely their body form and powers. For one thing, it is unknown if Celebi are plants, animals, something in between or none of the above, but they are classified as Grass-types because of their ability to effectively take and deliver damage as a Grass-type would. Secondly, they are the only Grass-type and one of only two Pokémon (the other being Dialga) capable of time traveling. It is believed that this is done by opening a tiny, barely usable wormhole that is only open for a few seconds at the most but is otherwise stable enough to enable time travel. This makes Celebi extremely difficult to find and nearly impossible to capture, cementing their legendary status in turn.

ULTRA BEAST: Kartana

This Ultra Beast possesses a paper-thin body that has a texture similar to that of paper, but is glossed over with an unidentified organic compound that renders the paper beyond razor-sharp at the edges. Although this does provide a barrier that protects the creature against an array of basic attacks, it does not protect against moisture (which seems to hinder its mobility) and fire in particular. Its weakness to fire is incredibly high, much more than what would be expected with by a single type weakness, suggesting that both of its primary types are weak to the element. Combined with the advanced skill and power the creature demonstrates when using attacks like Leaf Blade and the microscopic organization of its cells, which contain alien proteins that resemble cellulose, it seems that Kartana share the basic elemental characteristics of the Grass-type, and is thus classified as such.

KING OF BOUNTIFUL HARVESTS: Calyrex

Calyrex is known to have been an ancient king of the Crown Tundra, both of Pokémon and humans alike, and it is believed that his Grass-type attributes are primarily derived from his capacity to use his psychic powers to control the developmental cycle of other plants, giving them the energy they need to reach their full potential. While not a plant himself, these powers do grant him many of the same benefits and shortcomings the type is known for, hence his classification as part of the Grass-type. It is noted, though, that this only applies to him while he is in his standard form, as he gains the primary type of either of his steeds when fused with them in place of this type.

PARADOX POKEMON: Brute Bonnet, Iron Leaves

Paradox Pokémon as a whole consist of Pokémon that appear to exist outside of the normal boundaries of time as seen in the present day; in other words, in the case of these specimens, Brute Bonnet are creatures from the ancient past that has been brought to the present, while Iron Leaves come from the distant future, and their biological functions are still a mystery. At the very least, it seems that Brute Bonnet is a relative of Amoonguss of some sort and has taken on the form that is more savage than its modern representative, and one of of obviously different elemental traits, as the creature has lost most of its natural poisonous powers, existing as wilder variations of their modern counterpart with aggressive tendencies and notable Dark-type powers. While this might take away from the limited Poison-type attacks they can still learn, it also grants them a different selection of strengths and weaknesses, and thus grants them a different degree of versatility than that exhibited by the supposed descendants that exist in the present day. On the other hand, Iron Leaves are a futuristic, robotic form of Virizion that have taken a far more aggressive role in the way that they interact with their environment, having a more rigid stance in their form with a more calculated, mechanical sense of mind with how they approach others compared to their present-day relatives; as such, these monsters are extremely ruthless and will strike down all that dare to confront them. What really stands out about them, however, is the fact that these creatures possess several open energy ports on the sides of their neck and the top of their head that can be energized and extended to form a trio of ethereal blades that they can then use to slash at others from quite some distance away, the blades of psychic energy proving to be an effective weapon against non-Dark-types and others that do not otherwise resist the damaging power of psychic energy.


TREASURE OF RUIN: Wo-Chien

This plant-based creature is the result of a set of tablets used to record the deeds of an evil king becoming corrupted by the negative emotions possessed by those that pass them from one carrier to the next, with grudges and revenge being the feeling of focus for this particular cursed being. Because its body is made mainly of plants with the tablets that gave life to it stuck and fused to its back like  a shell, it can use its natural Grass-type powers to freely drain the vitality of all other plants they come near. The being once brought great destruction and ruination to the people of the Paldea region in ancient times, but was sealed away eventually to keep its dark power from falling into the wrong hands once more. While it may be difficult to locate, that is entirely the point, as it was sealed away so only those with a pure heart and strong bonds with their Pokémon could ever release it, if only perhaps with the hope of someone eventually purifying the dark corruption that gave it life in the first place.


TYPE ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES (OFFENSIVELY)

Advantage against Ground: Because Grass-types are generally related to some form of plant-life, they are all capable of using roots or some other force to wedge their bodies into the ground, even to the point of cracking apart bedrock through root wedging. This capacity for anchoring themselves on land allows these creatures to apply the same physical and chemical principles on Ground-types, in turn bypassing whatever armor or hide they have and dealing critical damage to them from the inside out.

Advantage against Rock: As with Ground-types, Rock-types are also susceptible to the effects of root wedging and can thus have their rocky armor broken down and destroyed through physical contact, dealing severe damage in the process. Energy-based attacks work differently in that they bypass the rocky armor, but the damage done by its effects is still the same.

Advantage against Water: The act of photosynthesis requires water as one of its key components; consequently, many Grass-types have learned how to quickly and efficiently suck up moisture from the ground and other life-forms to keep themselves healthy. These principles make Water-types very weak against their effects, as Grass-type attacks can quickly drain the water around and from inside these creatures, either placing them on dry ground in a vulnerable state or simply drying them out and weakening them in the process.

Disadvantage against Fire: Most Grass-types suffer from the simple flammability possessed by their plant relatives and are thus unable to strike as efficiently against Fire-types as they would want, generally out of the fear that getting too close would just give their target an excuse to incinerate them.

Disadvantage against Steel: Unlike rocky armor, metallic armor is sturdy enough to both heavily suppress physical Grass-type attacks and deflect energy-based attacks, weakening the overall impact a Grass-type can make.

Disadvantage against Dragon: Dragon-types are renowned for their ability to suppress damage from a wide array of elemental properties (generally due to having scaly skin that can reflect the energy-based properties of certain types) and are able to sustain such defenses indefinitely in battle, weakening any impact a Grass-type attack could ever possibly have.

Disadvantage against Flying: Flying-types have generally learned how to use sharp beaks and claws to pierce through the exoskeletons of insects and soft flesh of plant-based organisms; this in turn makes Grass-types quite fearful of even getting close to a Flying-type and thus weakens their ability to efficiently deal damage in battle.

Disadvantage against Grass: Since Grass-type powers are all effectively based on the same primitive body systems, each Grass-type automatically has some built-in resistance against attacks from other Grass-types from the moment of birth.

Disadvantage against Poison: Grass-types generally do their best if possible to remain as far away from Poison-types as possible as a result of their weakness to the type; as such, any form of direct or even indirect attack is hampered by their psychological fear of poison, lessening the overall impact of any attack.

Disadvantage against Bug: Bug-types are known to often use plants for their own reasons, such as collecting pollen or nectar, and only help out in this process by possibly fertilizing the defending plants or otherwise allowing them to reproduce. While this is almost never the case with Grass-types, this same dependence applies psychologically, making them unable to effectively damage Bug-types as much as they would want.


TYPE ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES (DEFENSIVELY)

Strong against Water: The fact that Grass-types are able to feed off of Water-type powers for nutritional purposes also means that they automatically have a built-in resistance against the element, suppressing the chances of them being drowned or otherwise defeated by a Water-type attack.

Strong against Ground: Since many Grass-types have the capacity to plant themselves in the ground and can deal exceptional damage to Ground-types, they are dually resistance against seismic movement and are able to take damage from Ground-based assaults far more efficiently than one might otherwise think.

Strong against Grass: Since Grass-type powers are all effectively based on the same primitive body systems, each Grass-type automatically has some built-in resistance against attacks from other Grass-types from the moment of birth.

Strong against Electric: As in the case of the Ground-type, Grass-types generally have the capacity to dig themselves into the ground or even stand in relation to the ground as if they were a single circuit with only one discharge point, the Earth. As a result, Grass-types generally have the ability to effectively absorb electrical current and use the Earth as a ground, in turn heavily reducing the amount of damage they actually take from an Electric-type attack.

Weak against Bug: The dominance that Bug-types have over plants in a traditional sense applies here as well; not only are Grass-types psychologically incapable of dealing effective damage against Bug-types, but they are also unable to mentally resist the effects of Bug-type attacks and are thus considerably weak against them.

Weak against Flying: Because many bird Pokémon and Flying-types in general have developed sharp beaks and claws designed to pierce through the exoskeletons of Bug-type Pokémon, they have no difficulty doing the same to the soft, tender flesh possessed by many Grass-types.

Weak against Fire: Plants tend to be a bit more flammable than most would like simply because of how their bodies are built, namely in regards to a lack of fireproof components; since these creatures do not have an internal anatomy capable of resisting burning or are otherwise coated (internally and externally) with some sort of flammable chemical, they are dually vulnerable to fire and heat. As such, Grass-types are fundamentally weak against fire and are unable to defend against it in most if not all cases.

Weak against Ice: Similar to how their weak, fleshy bodies are vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat, Grass-types are susceptible to extremely cold temperatures and will become incapable of moving very fast in the presence of such temperatures, even to the point where they might completely freeze solid and effectively cease to be alive in certain conditions.

Weak against Poison: Because their bodies tend to be simple in construction and are generally lacking in the way of an immune system, Grass-type Pokémon are some of the few creatures capable of taking super-effective damage from Poison-type attacks, the other ones being those classified as Fairy-types; this weakness is perhaps their greatest biological downfall, as even weak poisons that wouldn't affect humans can potentially make even a strong Grass-type sick and potentially result in death.


DIFFICULTY OF USE/REQUIRED TRAINING SPECIALTIES

The Grass-type is a bit more difficult to work with than other types simply for the fact that many Grass-types cannot learn attacks or technique that can give them an edge over Pokémon that are resistant to their offenses or otherwise capable of defeating them in a flash. Most Grass-types are not intelligent enough to be able to learn a diverse array of moves and are difficult to use offensively, but this is partially compensated for by moves such as Giga Drain that restore the attacker's energy and status-based moves like Stun Spore and Sleep Powder that can incapacitate opponents in a second. The fact that many Grass-type Pokémon are fairly unintelligent can make them a bit difficult to use offensively in many cases, so the type certainly has its faults; thankfully, most Grass-types naturally understand how to effectively incapacitate an attacker with toxic powders and energy-draining attacks, so their best assets won't be that hard to bring out. In a defensive or tactical fight, Grass-types can often bring out nasty surprises that can keep the opposition from delivering an effective assault and can quickly drain their energy reserves without wasting their own energy, though this will only work when the opposition does not have a super-effective attack on their side. The moment that such move becomes available, only a dual-type counteraction will be able to save most Grass-types from devastating physical injuries. Despite their limitations, Grass-type Pokémon tend to be easy to work with in many cases and are friendly to humans, though they might not display the same courtesy toward other Pokémon. This has made the type a top choice among Pokémon Professors distributing starter Pokémon to new trainers, as it lacks the sheer agility and offense of the Fire and Water-types but makes up for it with tactical skills the other two types are unable to regularly display. Additionally, many Grass-types are perfectly designed from birth for sunlight-dependent strategies and in truth obtain more benefits from intense sunlight than Fire-types ever could, allowing them to move at abnormal speeds, protect against certain effects and even utilize moves like Growth and Solar Beam to devastating effectiveness in combat. The diversity of the Grass-type in battle might be relatively poor and the sheer number of types it is weak against and unable to effectively damage might make it seem all but useless, but considering Grass-types can take a considerable bite out of the exceptionally common Water, Ground and Rock-types, it is still a type worth trying out even if it can never completely dominate a strategy without supplementation from other types.

Professor Wormwood
An analysis of the Grass-type. Enjoy.
© 2012 - 2024 Mutitus
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