Teddiursa Report

Teddiursa (the Little Bear Pokémon) is a relatively uncommon Normal-type Pokémon found among mountainous terrain, swamps and forests within the Kanto, Johto, Kalos, Hisui and Paldea regions as well as the Sinnoh region on rare occasions. Adored for their cute appearances and childish antics, Teddiursa are interesting creatures that take great pains to make food that would otherwise be impossible for them to obtain. It's a good thing that these little critters are smart enough to know how to make their own food, as the alternative is a poor choice; after all, how many people would be foolish enough to take on a colony of Beedrill for some honey in the first place!?

Although many types of bears love the sweet taste of honey and will often go to great pains in order to obtain some, Teddiursa are unique in that they actually need honey to survive, as it contains all of the natural nutrients and preservatives they need to pacify their insatiable hunger. From the moment they are born, these creatures are effectively on the fast-track towards evolution and suffer from high metabolisms and extreme hunger as a result; if they cannot pacify their hunger and anger with honey, Teddiursa will become exceptionally agitated and may die within a few days. Unfortunately, a lack of Vespiquen and Combee in most of their natural habitats in modern times (though it is believed that this was far from the case during their time in the Hisui region) means that Teddiursa would normally have to contend with adult Beedrill for honey, a fight that they are not fully equipped to deal with at a young age. As an alternative, Teddiursa sneak into Beedrill dens while the colony is away and merely steal the pollen and nectar that they bring back during mating season (for the production of honey as a food source for young Weedle) and mix the items together in a different place to create their own honey. Once made, Teddiursa soak their paws in the home-made brew until honey literally coats every single hair fiber on and around their paws; from then on, whenever they feel hungry, all Teddiursa have to do is suck on their honey-soaked paws until they feel fine again. Since honey never spoils, Teddiursa are able to produce and store large quantities of the food during the otherwise brief Beedrill mating season for the rest of the year, with exceptionally large reserves being created and hid around their dens for use in the winter. It is interesting to note that, when near honey, the crescent on the foreheads of Teddiursa actually lights up; while bizarre to most, this is merely the result of an advanced metabolic reaction that only takes place in their skin when their noses detect even the slightest trace of honey in the air (not counting their paws). It is also important to realize that, since every single Teddiursa is unique, every set of honey-soaked paws tastes and smells different, indicating that the species as a whole (as well as their evolved forms) tends to live individual lives in isolation, where diversity in crafts usually flourishes.

Teddiursa and Ursaring are uniquely different from one another in that Teddiursa do not hibernate during the winter. In truth, Teddiursa cannot afford to go without food for exceptionally long periods of time and must constantly be feeding in order to reach adulthood as soon as possible. Ursaring, which have already reached their adult form, do not have these worries and can thus hibernate for extensive periods of time; oddly enough, though, Ursaring actually hibernate longer than most other bears, sometimes beginning the process as much as a month in advance of other bears. This is possible because Ursaring actually eat far more than they really need to survive during their time awake and can store excess nutrients in deceptively dense amounts of body fat with little trouble, allowing them to last much longer without food; the why, however, is currently a mystery. At the moment, it is strongly believed that modern Ursaring first began to develop in a time where winter weather may have approached more quickly and more violently than usual and simply began hibernating earlier as a survival tactic. Although it is difficult to say when this could have happened, it's entirely possible that modern Ursaring could have begun developing as early as the last ice age; more research will be needed to determine if this proves to be true, though.

Though they might seem to be nothing more than cuddly creatures, Teddiursa are surprisingly powerful fighters that can easily deal considerable damage against unarmored opponents. Experienced fighters might not take a second glance at these critters because of their poor move diversity and limited combat abilities, but if you're a beginning trainer looking to add some serious power to your team, consider taking one of these little bears under your wing. Even if you can't battle very well with them at first, things should turn out alright once they evolve; if anything else, you could probably get some free honey off of them if you treat them nicely!

Professor Wormwood