For the nuclear reactor, see SLOWPOKE reactor. For the comic strip, see Slowpoke (comic).

Slowpoke (ヤドン, Yadon in original Japanese language versions) (1995-2007) is one of Template:Pokenum fictional species from the Pokémon franchise. The name is derived from the word "slowpoke", an insult directed at a lazy or sluggish person. This usage has then been reversed, using the Pokémon as a metaphor for such a person in the real world.^[1] "Slowpoke" could also be interpreted as a combination of slow and Pokémon (or poke, as in poking its tail into the water). In the beta versions of Red/Blue, Slowpoke was originally going to be called Slowmo (presumably short for "slow motion"). Its Japanese name is likely derived from 宿借り yadokari (hermit crab). Slowpoke is famous for being unbelievably slow at moving and thinking^[2], and for having two separate evolution options.

Biological characteristics

They are moderately large, pink, quadrupedal animals vaguely reminiscent of a cartoonlike hippopotamus with bright pink flesh. Their vacant facial appearance and strikingly sluggish behavior have earned them the none-too-flattering Pokédex classification as the “Dopey Pokémon”, and they do not perform anything in their natural life cycle to counteract this popular image. Tradition holds that Slowpoke are able to bring nigh-immeasurable rain merely by yawning. Slowpoke can be thought of as yawning whenever they say their own name. This could act as a way for them to sharpen their senses (which yawning is supposed to do), though it obviously doesn't help.

Most of the time Slowpoke are seen standing in a daze and apparently lost in thought, though no one knows whatever they could be thinking about. Slowpoke are not necessarily sluggish by choice; their nervous systems appear to be unfit for reacting to an external stimuli in under five full seconds, even if that stimulus is a physical attack by another Pokémon such as a predator. And even when they do move and react, their alacrity is not impressive at all.

The primary activity of Slowpoke is to dip their apparently pain-resistant tails into rivers and use them as fishing rods when it is time to look for food. A Slowpoke's tail excretes a sweet sap-like substance on its end, which is appealing to fish for them to bite on the tail. Provided the fish wasn’t strong enough to literally bite the tail off (which is something that happens occasionally if Slowpoke catches a Carvanha), the Slowpoke lifts its tail back up and feeds on the fish. Even when fishing, a Slowpoke can forget its original purpose and remain on the same spot for days at a time, never noticing its catch, and suggesting that it is not vital for Slowpoke to consume food at a constant rate. Also, if its tail was bit off, it can regrow it much like how Staryu can regrow a missing limb. The easily regrowable nature of a Slowpoke’s tail, as well as its pleasant taste (though it lacks nutritional value), made it a popular enough delicacy that an underground Slowpoke tail trade flourished briefly among groups like the criminal Team Rocket, where items were often sold at astoundingly high prices.

The most perplexing quality of a Slowpoke is a slight transformational phenomenon that occurs when the Slowpoke comes into direct contact with a Shellder. Whenever a Shellder bites onto a Slowpoke’s tail while fishing in a river, which is a rather common occurrence, the body composition of both the Slowpoke and the Shellder change and reconfigure themselves so that one entity known as a Slowbro A similar transformation occurs when a Shellder clamps onto the head of a Slowpoke which is wearing a King's Rock, which is a much rarer occurrence, and a slight transmutation turns the two into a single Slowking. In both cases this can be reversed by removing the tightly clamped Shellder from the Slowpoke’s body, which will revert back into the body composition of a standard Slowpoke (this is not possible in any of the video games).

In the Pokémon anime

Slowpoke is prominently featured in two episodes in the anime. The first one, #68 (The Evolution Solution), features a Slowpoke belonging to Pokémon researcher Professor Westwood V of the Seafoam Islands, which evolves into Slowbro thanks to Team Rocket agents Jessie, James and Meowth. Professor Westwood subsequently figures out the details of Slowpoke's evolution.

The second one #144 (A Shadow of a Drought) features the rainmaking Slowpokes of Azalea Town and Kurt. The townspeople become angry at Ash after he steps on a Slowpoke's tail.

In other media

Slowpoke, having existed since the first generation of Pokémon video games and other products, is featured on many individual cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, in all cases as Psychic-type basic Pokémon unless otherwise noted: Fossil, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes (as Sabrina's Slowpoke), Neo Genesis, Aquapolis (Water-type), EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua, EX FireRed & LeafGreen, EX Team Rocket Returns, EX Unseen Forces, and EX Delta Species (Water-type).

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 Slowpoke as a species
• Template:Serebiidex
• Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry, full of statistics analysis
• PsyPoke - Slowpoke Pokédex entry and Usage Overview