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A weekly Pokédex Podcast from Bald Man in Japan Luke Summerhayes. A different Pokémon family every week.
I’m Luke Summerhayes and I love Morelull.
Central to classic European fairy lore is a fairy ring, a suspiciously circular mound of fungi appearing in a forest or grassland. Good luck or evil, magical in nature or a crop circle left by extraterrestrial intelligence, regardless on one’s beliefs, it is undeniably weird.
Of course, fairy circles are actually just a natural occurrence of a mushroom species growing outwards from the centre, then dying outwards from the center as resources are exhausted. That shouldn’t be a disappointment. Nothing is more magical or alien than mushrooms, the kingdom of life that gives us the beautiful spectacle of bioluminescence and the existential horror of ant mind control, not to mention allowing psychedelic trips into greater mysteries.
Morelull is a grass and fairy type mushroom Pokemon, floating like a spore on the wind and glowing faintly.
Ultra Sun
It scatters its shining spores around itself. Even though they're dangerous, nighttime tours of forests where Morelull live are popular.
Sun
It scatters spores that flicker and glow. Anyone seeing these lights falls into a deep slumber
The name Morelull combines this habit of lulling opponents to sleep with the morel mushroom genus. The Japanese name Nemasyu takes Ne, or sleep, and combines it with the English word mushroom.
As well as putting opponents to sleep, it also drowses itself.
Moon
As it drowses the day away, it nourishes itself by sucking from tree roots. It wakens at the fall of night, wandering off in search of a new tree.
We did see Morelull wake up for its cameo in the movie Detective Pikachu, in which it was the only seventh generation monster and therefore the newest Pokemon to appear in live action.
With a child movie star, it’s a gamble how they end up doing later in life. When Morelull gets to level 24, it seems to pick up some vices when it evolves into Shiinotic.
Shiinotic is a humanoid mushroom creature, with a spooky vacant expression and lethargic limbs. It engages in classic fairy or alien abduction behavior.
Sun
Forests where Shiinotic live are treacherous to enter at night. People confused by its strange lights can never find their way home again.
Shield
If you see a light deep in a forest at night, don't go near. Shiinotic will make you fall fast asleep.
Like many mushroom Pokemon, Shiinotic has a nice little competitive niche in paralysing, poisoning and draining opponents, keeping itself alive as status moves eliminate the opposition. What it may lack in stats is made up for by the defensiveness of the fairy typing.
Moon
It emits flickering spores that cause drowsiness. When its prey succumb to sleep, this Pokémon feeds on them by sucking in their energy.
Shiinotic is a shiny, hypnotic shiitake mushroom. In Japanese, the name Mashade is a combination of mushroom and shade, referring to its looming cap.
Mushrooms are sold in supermarkets as vegetables. In this light, it seems wild that they have so many different Pokemon. In reality, though, fungi are a kingdom of life on the same scale as plants, animals, bacteria and viruses, so we have barely scratched the surface of the variety and mystery of this world.
Music for Luke Loves Pokemon was composed by Jonathan Cromie. Artwork for the show is by Katie Groves. Funding is by supporters at patreon.com/podcastiopodcastius.
I love hearing from listeners! Get in touch on youtube, social media or email and let me know about your favorite monsters. Coming up next are Salandit and Stufful, so let me know your thoughts about those or any other monsters.
Even if you don’t feel like doing any of that, thank you so much for listening.
I love Morelull. And remember, I love you too.