Skarmory

Skarmory
File:Skarmory.png National Pokédex Mantine - Skarmory (#227) - Houndour Johto Pokédex Mantine - Skarmory (#198) - Doduo Hoenn Pokédex Spinda - Skarmory (#115) - Trapinch
Japanese name	Eāmudo
Evolves from	None
Evolves into	None
Generation	Second
Species	Armor Bird Pokémon
Type	Steel / Flying
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	112.0 pounds (50.8 kg)
Ability	Keen Eye/Sturdy

Skarmory (エアームド, Eāmudo) is one of the Template:Pokenum fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion dollar^[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Despite only originally available in the Silver Version of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Skarmory has risen to fame among trainers due to its overuse among both player-to-player battles and online battle simulators, such as Pokémon NetBattle. Skarmory is popular because of its ability to easily absorb physical hits.

The drawing and sprite design of Skarmory was created by Ken Sugimori for its 2000 release on the Game Boy Color. Skarmory's image is based on the Greek myth, the Stymphalian Birds. The Stymphalian Birds are most famous as being part of one of the The Twelve Labours of Hercules, as Hercules was sent to destroy the vicious crows, thought to be made of metal.

Skarmory is a portmanteau of the words sky and armory. The Japanese name, Eāmudo, is a portmanteau of the Japanese pronunciations for the words air and armored.

Biology

Skarmory is a species of avian Pokémon whose flesh is entirely comprised of a tough silvery metal, save for its distinctive red wing plumes. Its shelled skin gains its toughness from a young age through a rather harsh process: Skarmory mothers nest in bushes of bramble, and the constant exposure of the chicks to the thorny environment of a bramble bush causes scratches and abrasions that prompt the development of the skin into hard steel shells. Surviving infancy in a bramble bush ensures a strong body and a strong chance for survival in the wilderness for the rest of a Skarmory’s life.

Skarmory is by no means restricted by its protective shell; While its metal exterior is sturdy, its bones are hollow and light, allowing it easy flight just like any other bird. Onlookers often wonder if Skarmory’s anatomy constitutes a genuine improvement to its aerial mobility: the Pokémon is capable of flying at a top speed of 190 miles per hour, because of its streamlined body and hollow bones.

Skarmory behaves like a real-life bird of prey such as an eagle in its hunting and battling habits. It routinely hunts by swooping down to ground level and picking its prey with its clawed talons. Alternatively, it uses its sharp talons and sword-like wing tips to seemingly slice through its targets at its blindingly fast speed, a tactic it uses both for hunting and when in a trainer-directed Pokémon battle. Another way Skarmory is like other birds is the molting of its feathers, which Skarmory performs once a year. The wings, as a result of being battered and worn out by the battles the Pokémon wages, molt once a year to restore the feathers' sharpness. The fallen feathers left behind have been used by people in the past to craft weaponry such as swords, daggers, and arrow heads.

In the Pokémon video games

In the Pokémon video games, Skarmory has high physical defense and yet no physical weaknesses, but to two physical type immunities -Ground and Poison. Since its arrival in the Gold/Silver/Crystal generation, it has been considered a premiere physical defensive pokémon. Skarmory appears as the first boss in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.

With the coming of the Advance generation, Skarmory became more efficient by learning the move Spikes, inflicting damage each time the foe makes a swap. Although the Normal move Rapid Spin blows away spikes, Skarmory can use the move Substitute to block the effect of blowing away spikes. Additionally, Skarmory has the ability to use Whirlwind and Roar, both of which serve the function of forcing the foe to switch. This technique can be used both to negate foe stat bonuses as well as inflict more damage with Spikes. This tactic is commonly feared and is a dangerous strategy. These Spikes techniques have caused Skarmory to become a popular Pokemon in online battling, as well as it's high defense. Skarmory 's main fears in competitive battling are Magneton and its new evolution Jibacoil. They can easily shrug off anything Skarmory throws at them due to their typing, and their Magnet Pull ability prevents Skarmory from retreating to safety (leaving it open to suffer a quick KO by a Thunderbolt).

In the FireRed/Leaf Green series, Skarmory has a 5% chance of holding a Sharp Beak, an item that boosts the power of Flying-type attacks.

Skarmory forms part of the "SkarmBliss" combo which includes Blissey and Pokémon like Suicune or Dusclops to stall the opponent into submission.

In the Pokémon animé

In the episode Hot Matches, Ash and his friends meet a trainer named Mickey who owns a Skarmory. Mickey is looking for challenges against Fire-type Pokémon, as Fire-types are strong against the Steel-type Skarmory and Mickey wants to prove Skarmory's strength. Brock challenges Mickey, and Brock sends out his Vulpix. Skarmory battles and defeats the Vulpix. Ash's Cyndaquil then battles Mickey's Skarmory, but the battle is interrupted by Team Rocket. After the ordeal with Team Rocket, the battle recommences, and Cyndaquil pulls through for the win. Several other Skarmory have appeared since then, including one belonging to Atilla of Team Rocket, a second belonging to Winona of the Fortree City Gym, and one living in the Valley of Steel, which (alongside Magnemite and Magneton) attacked any humans or non-Steel Pokémon that entered the valley.

In the Pokemon anime edition of "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out Of The Gate!", Skarmory is one of the antagonists of the episode. Although she took Pikachu, and then Pichu up to her nest, she looked as if someone was controlling her actions, that and her eyes were yellow after the battle was done and they were red while they were fighting her. It was proven when she woke up from the battle and said that she didn't remember a thing. She was constantly saying that she didn't know who they were and she didn't like the situation while she was battling strangely enough.

In other media

Falkner, the Violet City Gym-leader, caught a Skarmory in Ch. 99 "VS. Sunkern".^[2] Winona, the Fortree City Gym Leader, used a Skarmory in Ch.245 "VS. Vibrava". ^[3] Emerald also uses a Skarmory in "Ch.03 VS. Illumise"^[4], most likely owned by Crystal.

Skarmory appears several times in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, popular in sets as being one of the first "Metal-type" cards. Due to Skarmory's overuse by players of the TCG, players have nicknamed Skarmory the "lost legendary bird". This theory is backed up by the artwork of the Skarmory's Neo Revelations appearance, a crop of a large picture of fellow Flying-types, Lugia and Ho-oh. Skarmory has appeared in the Neo Genesis, Neo Revelations, Expedition (appears twice), Skyridge, EX Dragon and EX Deoxys sets.

References

• The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Publications

• Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
• Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
• Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5

External links

• Official Pokémon website
• Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki)’s article about Skarmory as a species
• Template:Serebiidex
• Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry, full of statistics analysis
• PsyPoke - Skarmory Pokédex entry and Usage Overview
• Smogon.com - Skarmory Tactical Data
• Template:WikiKnowledge