Pokémon (creature)

A Pokémon, also known as a Pocket Monster (Japanese: ポケットモンスター Poketto Monsutā) in Japan, is any of the 721 documented creatures inhabiting the (fictional) Pokémon World that are commonly captured and trained by the humans of that world, primarily for companionship or to be used in fighting competitions (called Pokémon Battles). Most Pokémon resemble animals, though some resemble mythical beings, machines, ghosts, or plants with some animal-like features. Most Pokémon appear to be natural living things, though some are clearly artificial creations (such as Porygon) or even mystical spirits (such as Arceus), with much apparent overlap and uncertainty between these categories (such as the ambiguous Magnemite). Regardless of these distinctions, nearly all Pokémon possess supernatural, element-based powers and abilities. Ordinary, real-world animals are fairly unusual in the Pokémon World.

Appearance
Pokémon come in an enormous variety of shapes and sizes, with some nearly identical to normal animals. such as Rattata's similar appearance to a rat, while others take the form of plants, such as Exeggutor which resembles a coconut tree. Other Pokémon share no resemblance to any known animals or plants, a few even having humanoid or machine-like shapes.

Life Process
Normally, Pokémon will start their life from Pokémon Eggs through breeding process, but there are a few cases in which a Pokémon is not born through hatching methods, for example with the Legendary Pokémon.

Evolution
After Pokémon hatch from an egg, they become known as Baby Pokémon, which are the "pre-evolved" forms of a Pokémon. By having proper training from their trainer, the Pokémon will receive experience points and level up. Upon reaching a certain level or happiness rating, or when given an Evolution Stone, or certain Held Items, most base-level Pokémon will metamorphose into an advanced new form, giving them a changed appearance and new abilities their previous form may not have possessed. In the Pokémon World, this transition is called Evolution.

Gender
Most Pokémon also have one of two genders, determining whether the Pokémon is male or female (in the Pokémon video games). Some Pokémon have a greater chance of being one gender than another, such as Blastoise which has a 87.5% chance of being male, but only a 12.5% chance of being female. Some Pokémon can only be one gender, such as Froslass and Hitmontop. There are also moves that will only work when Pokémon are certain genders.

In certain cases, some Pokémon are classified as genderless, such as machine-like Pokémon and the Legendary Pokémon.

Relationships with Human Beings
In the world of Pokémon, human beings have strong relationships with Pokémon, particularly as Pokémon Trainers, who capture and train the creatures in their spare time or as their main career. Successful Pokémon Training is considered a highly prestigious and labor-intensive calling in the Pokémon World, and some enter into Training with dreams of achieving the title of "Pokémon Master."

Relationships with Warriors
In Pokémon Conquest, Warriors (the Trainers in the side-game) would link with Pokémon to catch them and would be restricted from linking with some due to types of the Pokémon itself or its evolved forms. They would also only be able to reach a specific link with the Pokémon. In a case where the link can reach 100%, that Pokémon is the Warrior's perfect link. Warriors and Pokémon would be in sync with each other during this time.

Types and Attributes
There are multiple types of Pokémon, which determine the strengths and weaknesses of different Pokémon species. They lay the foundation of a complex yet mostly logical "rock-paper-scissors" or "balance of powers" system that applies to every Pokémon and their respective moves. Some advantages and disadvantages are based on common sense (e.g. Fire-type Pokémon being weak to Water-type attacks), while others are not as obvious (e.g. Fire-type attacks being strong against Steel-type Pokémon, possibly because fire melts metal when at high temperatures).