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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 Cutiefly.
The word fairy probably conjures to mind a very specific image for most people today. Tiny beings, perhaps humanoid or perhaps just motes of light, flying around on a set of thing, almost ethereal butterfly wings. This very specific image of the fairy was popularized by the character of Tinkerbell, the fairy companion from the popular play Peter Pan.
For a long time, though, the word fairy had a much more nebulous meaning in English. The fairies, or the fey folk, could refer to any of a number of creatures and entities on the border between the world of man and the worlds of magic and nature. Elves, dwarves, goblins and gnomes, as well as djinn or spirits from other cultures, might all fall under the umbrella of fairies.
Usually, when introducing a fairy Pokemon, I’m at pains to remind people about the earlier definition of fairy. In the case of Cutiefly, it seems more inspired by the latter. At first glance, it looks for all the world like a fluffy little bug Pokemon.
Ultra Sun
Nectar and pollen are its favorite fare. In fields of flowers, it gets into skirmishes with Butterfree over food.
In reality, though, this is a bug and fairy type Pokemon.
Sun
It feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers. Because it's able to sense auras, it can identify which flowers are about to bloom.
Moon
Myriads of Cutiefly flutter above the heads of people who have auras resembling those of flowers.
The existence of aura, a sort of life energy, has been around a little longer than the fairy type but the two of them are a good match.
Scarlet
When it senses the auras of people or Pokémon who are having fun, it will draw close and give them a painful poke with its long proboscis.
Violet
Cutiefly sucks up pollen and nectar with its long proboscis. It stores any pollen it doesn't finish eating in its fur.
This long, rigid proboscis is similar to that of a bomber fly, or bee fly, a genus of pollen-eating bugs in the real world which resemble bees but are actually harmless – unlike Cutiefly, which resembles a cute fly but is actually a surprisingly powerful type. The Japanese name, Abuly, even comes from this bug’s Japanese name, tsuriabu, combined with the English word fairy.
Cutiefly is one of the very smallest Pokemon. This changes, though not by much, at level 25, whrn Cutiefly evolves into Ribombee.
Ribombee has slightly more humanoid proportions, somewhere between a pure bee and a modern, winged fairy. It has a brown, scarf-like growth around its neck, the “ribbon” in its name. The Japanese name, similarly, is Aburibbon.
Fairies are known for sprinkling magic “fairy dust” in today’s stories – going back to peter pan, fairy dust could allow one to fly.
Sun
It rolls up pollen into puffs. It makes many different varieties, some used as food and others used in battle.
Moon
Some of Ribombee's pollen puffs are highly nutritious. They are sometimes sold as supplements.
In older stories of fairies, though, it was always taught that it was wise not to take their food. Ribombee is closer to a harmless modern fairy, or real-life bomb fly or bee fly, than these nefarious entities.
Old world fairies are said to have held dominion over the famously rainy british isles. Flying insects, and indeed many modern fairies, are not so fond of wet weather.
Ultra Sun
Rain makes pollen damp, so Ribombee hates rain. When it sees ominous clouds, it finds a hollow in a tree, where it waits stock-still.
Ultra Moon
It can predict the weather from moisture levels and wind direction. Ribombee only reveals itself when there are a few clear days in a row.
Ribombee did not reveal itself as a competitive monster initially. It has the useful move Sticky Web, lowering the opposing team’s speed, but many better pokemon had the same move. In the ninth generation, Ribombee found itself at last in a format where it was the best web setter, alongside a teammate in Gholdengo who could keep the webs on the battlefield indefinitely. For a brief moment, in enjoyed competitive infamy!
I am often at great pains on this podcast to explain why the fairy type is cooler than just little people with butterfly wings. But sometimes, a little cutie with butterfly wings is just what we want.
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 Rockruff and Wishiwashi
, 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 Cutiefly. And remember, I love you too.