We've seen two examples (in the main series) of Pokémon that have unique properties compared to the rest of their species: Spiky-eared Pichu and Eternal Flower Floette. The former may only be more special than a shiny Pichu in that it has altered Pokéathlon stats, but what's more pertinent is its backstory: It traveled through time with Celebi, apparently more than once. AZ's Floette not only has a backstory (which is fleshed upon, perhaps even more than we currently know) but also a BST rivaling Florges' as well as an exclusive move. Of particular note is the fact that said move, Light of Ruin, demonstrates one of Floette's Pokédex descriptions: "It draws out the power of flowers to battle." None of these two Pokémon can breed or evolve, and thus they retain their uniqueness.
What I'd like to explore in this thread is the possibility of introducing special representatives of other species. I think that this could be more interesting than revisiting species through Mega Evolution, which seems to have little to do with enriching the background of the Pokémon world. Unique Pokémon should have subtle design changes, but their stats may be greatly improved, bringing the BST up to the range of 550-600; exclusive abilities and moves are also possible. But the important part is that they would warrant in-game events exploring their backstory (which might be hard to imagine since Game Freak barely does this for the legendaries). Of course, this should be done for a limited number of species, or the concept might get stale or forced. My criteria for picking the candidates are based on the Pokédex entries, which in some cases lend to personal stories rather than general descriptions. Without further ado, here is my list:
Ninetales: This is probably one of the most obvious candidates. Perhaps every Ninetales has a life span of 1000 years and the ability to lay a 1000-year long curse (although its moves don't support this), but there is one myth that pertains to Ninetales' origin: "Legend has it that Ninetales came into being when nine wizards possessing sacred powers merged into one." Is this the original Ninetales, and could it still be alive? Why did the wizards merge? What is the scope of their combined supernatural powers? This wizard-based Ninetales could be part Psychic-type (Fairy wouldn't really fit given the type's current attributes) and have an ability with the effect of Curse (as used by ghosts) which would be triggered upon Ninetales' defeat.
Kadabra: Like Ninetales, there is a myth about Kadabra involving human transformation: "It is rumored that a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformed into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers." My assumption is that the Abra line already existed before this event, and this special boy might have unknowingly swapped bodies with an existing Kadabra that took interest in him. I'd like to see how the boy adapted to being a Pokémon, although the idea of catching him is rather bothersome (but that's part of a general problem). The transformation might be reversed, but the original Kadabra would still be special due to its strange experience.
Marowak: This is actually the first unique Pokémon in the series: The spirit of Cubone's mother. Although I once considered it possible that all Marowak died upon giving birth (as is the case for certain animals like the octopus and squid), Origin implies otherwise as Cubone was living peacefully alongside its mother before she was murdered. It's better this way for narrative purposes (the murder would lose its impact otherwise), although it does beg the question of why all Cubone are said to live alone. Regardless, what I'd like to see from Ghost Marowak is her role in the afterlife as a protector of Pokémon from the likes of Team Rocket. This would also be an opportunity to remove her skull and give her Ghost as a secondary type (and perhaps turn Thick Club into an ability). I'd really like to see more of this Pokémon in the context of a greater story involving Mr. Fuji and his own backstory.
Dragonair: I consider Dragonair to have a fairly complete design that doesn't warrant an evolution at all, so I wouldn't be particularly satisified even if Dragonite Mega Evolved into something resembling Dragonair. But I digress: Practically every Pokédex entry references Dragonair's ability to instantly change the weather, but it merely learns Rain Dance like many other Pokémon. This property does seem like too much for an entire species to have, so perhaps there is only one mystical Dragonair out there, which can even fly occasionally. It could have an ability that would automatically change the weather to benefit the move used by Dragonair, as well as giving it a secondary type. Given Dragonair's current moves, this ability should exclude Sandstorm and include Electric Terrain instead.
Xatu: The entry that strikes me as particularly interesting is this one: "In South America, it is said that its right eye sees the future and its left eye views the past." Many Psychic-type Pokémon are said to be able to predict the future, but Xatu is allegedly omniscient rather than focusing on events in the near future involving its vicinity. Like with Dragonair, this ability is too much for an entire species to have, but there may be a special Xatu somewhere in South America. Does it share its knowledge with others, or does it keep silent? It isn't really possible to translate its all-seeing powers into an in-battle effect, but it would suffice if Xatu had an ability that would allow it to hit the current opponent regardless of a switch (the idea being that it senses the incoming switch and acts promptly).
Slowking: I think that Slowking stands out from other intelligent Pokémon in that it is said to be an intellectual researcher: "Slowking undertakes research every day in an effort to solve the mysteries of the world." And yet, it only differs from Slowbro in having rotated defensive stats, which is disappointing. It stands to reason that a particular Slowking is a greater scholar than others, and Movie 2 did give us a hint of what it might be like. Could it be a talking Pokémon? What exactly has it discovered about the world? I imagine it having an ability called Enlightenment increasing its Special Attack or Special Defense by one stage every turn, or alternatively, a move of the same name doubling both Special Attack and Special Defense.
Shiftry: We haven't seen it take the purported role of the guardian of a dark forest: "It is said to arrive on chilly, wintry winds. Feared from long ago as the guardian of forests, this Pokémon lives in a deep forest where people do not venture." This wouldn't make such a Shiftry unique per se, but we haven't seen such a forest yet, so for all intents and purposes there might only be one of them. Improving its stats and giving it a physical variant of Hurricane should suffice.
Banette: Like with Ninetales and Kadabra, Banette has an origin story that is unlikely to hold true for the species in general: "Strong feelings of hatred turned a puppet into a Pokémon. If it opens its mouth, its cursed energy escapes. It seeks the child that disowned it." It seems that there is a Banette with a vendetta against the person who abandoned it. Catching it might be the only way to prevent it from exacting its revenge. This Banette wouldn't Mega Evolve, but it would have rivaling attributes without needing an item.
Bronzong: It is possible that a special Brozong from ancient times is still alive: "It brought rains by opening portals to another world. One caused a news sensation when it was dug up at a construction site after a 2000-year sleep." Which other world was involved? I'm guessing that it just moved rain clouds from another place in the Pokémon world. In terms of an in-battle ability, Bronzong would benefit from a Trick Room inducer rather than Drizzle.
Mamoswine: This species is probably ill-adapted to the world after the ice age, so it may have been stronger before it nearly disappeared. But there may be a survivor from a previous ice age: "A frozen Mamoswine was dug from ice dating back 10,000 years. It woke up to much amazement." Does it hold a greater power than that of the modern Mamoswine?
Froslass: This is yet another Pokémon with an alleged human origin: "Legends in snowy regions say that a woman who was lost on an icy mountain was reborn as Froslass." Does this Froslass remember her past? Did she leave a family behind? Perhaps she's a seemingly ordinary Froslass that needs to remember her family to ignite her powers.
Zoroark: Zoroark was already given an in-game event in Black and White, as well as notable cameos in B2W2. However, the former event was an awkward reference to Movie 13, which didn't make sense in the context of the games. Then in B2W2, the same Zoroark appeared again with the ability to mimic speech, tricking the player into believing that he's the Hiker from the original event. There was also N's Zoroark, which is the only one of N's old Pokémon not available to the player. It is notable in that it was able to communicate with Hugh's sister through her dream. Now in XY, Zoroark is just regularly obtainable in the wild. I suppose that every pack of Zoroark has a leader that has greater powers than the others do. It might be interesting if N's Zoroark followed him to another region.
Furfrou: Fufrou was special to the kings of Kalos: "Historically, in the Kalos region, these Pokémon were the designated guardians of the king." Did AZ have another companion? If he did, he certainly seems to have neglected it in favor of his precious Floette. Did he sacrifice his own Pokémon to activate the ultimate weapon? Alternatively, the Furfrou tradition was started after AZ's reign. Either way, the modern Furfrou seems to lack qualities as a guardian due to the grooming gimmicks. A royal Furfrou from the ancient past, whose life was prolonged due to Xerneas, might be interesting to see.
There are other interesting Pokédex entries that lack context, but at least from what I've seen, they don't quite lend themselves to creating unique Pokémon. I should note that Spiritomb is essentially unique as-is (nowithstanding of repeated use of the Odd Keystone), but the Sinnoh event was rather lackluster due to the Underground gimmick, so it would be nice if the Hallowed Tower were revisited in another region without changing what Spiritomb already is. Similarly, Volcarona is treated as a deity in the Relic Castle, which was an adequate event; I don't think that Volcarona needs to be further distinguished.
Feel free to add your own ideas.
What I'd like to explore in this thread is the possibility of introducing special representatives of other species. I think that this could be more interesting than revisiting species through Mega Evolution, which seems to have little to do with enriching the background of the Pokémon world. Unique Pokémon should have subtle design changes, but their stats may be greatly improved, bringing the BST up to the range of 550-600; exclusive abilities and moves are also possible. But the important part is that they would warrant in-game events exploring their backstory (which might be hard to imagine since Game Freak barely does this for the legendaries). Of course, this should be done for a limited number of species, or the concept might get stale or forced. My criteria for picking the candidates are based on the Pokédex entries, which in some cases lend to personal stories rather than general descriptions. Without further ado, here is my list:
Ninetales: This is probably one of the most obvious candidates. Perhaps every Ninetales has a life span of 1000 years and the ability to lay a 1000-year long curse (although its moves don't support this), but there is one myth that pertains to Ninetales' origin: "Legend has it that Ninetales came into being when nine wizards possessing sacred powers merged into one." Is this the original Ninetales, and could it still be alive? Why did the wizards merge? What is the scope of their combined supernatural powers? This wizard-based Ninetales could be part Psychic-type (Fairy wouldn't really fit given the type's current attributes) and have an ability with the effect of Curse (as used by ghosts) which would be triggered upon Ninetales' defeat.
Kadabra: Like Ninetales, there is a myth about Kadabra involving human transformation: "It is rumored that a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformed into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers." My assumption is that the Abra line already existed before this event, and this special boy might have unknowingly swapped bodies with an existing Kadabra that took interest in him. I'd like to see how the boy adapted to being a Pokémon, although the idea of catching him is rather bothersome (but that's part of a general problem). The transformation might be reversed, but the original Kadabra would still be special due to its strange experience.
Marowak: This is actually the first unique Pokémon in the series: The spirit of Cubone's mother. Although I once considered it possible that all Marowak died upon giving birth (as is the case for certain animals like the octopus and squid), Origin implies otherwise as Cubone was living peacefully alongside its mother before she was murdered. It's better this way for narrative purposes (the murder would lose its impact otherwise), although it does beg the question of why all Cubone are said to live alone. Regardless, what I'd like to see from Ghost Marowak is her role in the afterlife as a protector of Pokémon from the likes of Team Rocket. This would also be an opportunity to remove her skull and give her Ghost as a secondary type (and perhaps turn Thick Club into an ability). I'd really like to see more of this Pokémon in the context of a greater story involving Mr. Fuji and his own backstory.
Dragonair: I consider Dragonair to have a fairly complete design that doesn't warrant an evolution at all, so I wouldn't be particularly satisified even if Dragonite Mega Evolved into something resembling Dragonair. But I digress: Practically every Pokédex entry references Dragonair's ability to instantly change the weather, but it merely learns Rain Dance like many other Pokémon. This property does seem like too much for an entire species to have, so perhaps there is only one mystical Dragonair out there, which can even fly occasionally. It could have an ability that would automatically change the weather to benefit the move used by Dragonair, as well as giving it a secondary type. Given Dragonair's current moves, this ability should exclude Sandstorm and include Electric Terrain instead.
Xatu: The entry that strikes me as particularly interesting is this one: "In South America, it is said that its right eye sees the future and its left eye views the past." Many Psychic-type Pokémon are said to be able to predict the future, but Xatu is allegedly omniscient rather than focusing on events in the near future involving its vicinity. Like with Dragonair, this ability is too much for an entire species to have, but there may be a special Xatu somewhere in South America. Does it share its knowledge with others, or does it keep silent? It isn't really possible to translate its all-seeing powers into an in-battle effect, but it would suffice if Xatu had an ability that would allow it to hit the current opponent regardless of a switch (the idea being that it senses the incoming switch and acts promptly).
Slowking: I think that Slowking stands out from other intelligent Pokémon in that it is said to be an intellectual researcher: "Slowking undertakes research every day in an effort to solve the mysteries of the world." And yet, it only differs from Slowbro in having rotated defensive stats, which is disappointing. It stands to reason that a particular Slowking is a greater scholar than others, and Movie 2 did give us a hint of what it might be like. Could it be a talking Pokémon? What exactly has it discovered about the world? I imagine it having an ability called Enlightenment increasing its Special Attack or Special Defense by one stage every turn, or alternatively, a move of the same name doubling both Special Attack and Special Defense.
Shiftry: We haven't seen it take the purported role of the guardian of a dark forest: "It is said to arrive on chilly, wintry winds. Feared from long ago as the guardian of forests, this Pokémon lives in a deep forest where people do not venture." This wouldn't make such a Shiftry unique per se, but we haven't seen such a forest yet, so for all intents and purposes there might only be one of them. Improving its stats and giving it a physical variant of Hurricane should suffice.
Banette: Like with Ninetales and Kadabra, Banette has an origin story that is unlikely to hold true for the species in general: "Strong feelings of hatred turned a puppet into a Pokémon. If it opens its mouth, its cursed energy escapes. It seeks the child that disowned it." It seems that there is a Banette with a vendetta against the person who abandoned it. Catching it might be the only way to prevent it from exacting its revenge. This Banette wouldn't Mega Evolve, but it would have rivaling attributes without needing an item.
Bronzong: It is possible that a special Brozong from ancient times is still alive: "It brought rains by opening portals to another world. One caused a news sensation when it was dug up at a construction site after a 2000-year sleep." Which other world was involved? I'm guessing that it just moved rain clouds from another place in the Pokémon world. In terms of an in-battle ability, Bronzong would benefit from a Trick Room inducer rather than Drizzle.
Mamoswine: This species is probably ill-adapted to the world after the ice age, so it may have been stronger before it nearly disappeared. But there may be a survivor from a previous ice age: "A frozen Mamoswine was dug from ice dating back 10,000 years. It woke up to much amazement." Does it hold a greater power than that of the modern Mamoswine?
Froslass: This is yet another Pokémon with an alleged human origin: "Legends in snowy regions say that a woman who was lost on an icy mountain was reborn as Froslass." Does this Froslass remember her past? Did she leave a family behind? Perhaps she's a seemingly ordinary Froslass that needs to remember her family to ignite her powers.
Zoroark: Zoroark was already given an in-game event in Black and White, as well as notable cameos in B2W2. However, the former event was an awkward reference to Movie 13, which didn't make sense in the context of the games. Then in B2W2, the same Zoroark appeared again with the ability to mimic speech, tricking the player into believing that he's the Hiker from the original event. There was also N's Zoroark, which is the only one of N's old Pokémon not available to the player. It is notable in that it was able to communicate with Hugh's sister through her dream. Now in XY, Zoroark is just regularly obtainable in the wild. I suppose that every pack of Zoroark has a leader that has greater powers than the others do. It might be interesting if N's Zoroark followed him to another region.
Furfrou: Fufrou was special to the kings of Kalos: "Historically, in the Kalos region, these Pokémon were the designated guardians of the king." Did AZ have another companion? If he did, he certainly seems to have neglected it in favor of his precious Floette. Did he sacrifice his own Pokémon to activate the ultimate weapon? Alternatively, the Furfrou tradition was started after AZ's reign. Either way, the modern Furfrou seems to lack qualities as a guardian due to the grooming gimmicks. A royal Furfrou from the ancient past, whose life was prolonged due to Xerneas, might be interesting to see.
There are other interesting Pokédex entries that lack context, but at least from what I've seen, they don't quite lend themselves to creating unique Pokémon. I should note that Spiritomb is essentially unique as-is (nowithstanding of repeated use of the Odd Keystone), but the Sinnoh event was rather lackluster due to the Underground gimmick, so it would be nice if the Hallowed Tower were revisited in another region without changing what Spiritomb already is. Similarly, Volcarona is treated as a deity in the Relic Castle, which was an adequate event; I don't think that Volcarona needs to be further distinguished.
Feel free to add your own ideas.
