Ninetales (キュウコン)

Biology: Ninetales is a quadrupedal canine Pokémon covered in thick, luxurious golden-white fur. It has a small mane of thicker fur around its neck and a long, fluffy crest atop its head. It has slender legs with three-toed paws and nine long tails with pale orange tips. It has red eyes, pointed ears, and a triangular black nose.

A legend claims that Ninetales is the reincarnation of 9 united noble saints. While intelligent enough to easily understand human speech, Ninetales is a vengeful Pokémon known to curse those who mistreat it. Ninetales will also curse anyone who wakes it up by grabbing one of its many tails. The curse can last up to 1,000 years. As mentioned in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, once a Ninetales casts its curse, it cannot be removed even by Ninetales itself. It can live for 1,000 years due to the energy within its nine tails, each of which is said to have a different mystical power. Flames spewed from its mouth can hypnotize an opponent and its gleaming red eyes are said to give it the ability to control minds. As mentioned in the Sleep Style Dex, Ninetales is known to sleep while wrapped inside its tails, giving it a mystical appearance.[1] In the first Pokémon movie, it's shown that it can swim. Pokémon-Amie shows that Ninetales lick their paws to clean themselves. Being the result of an Evolution via Evolution stone, Ninetales are rarely found in the wild, though they can be found in grasslands.

Forms: Ninetales has a regional form: Alolan Ninetales.

In the Alola region, Ninetales have a different appearance. Its coat is pale blue, and its fur is more flowing and wispier. The tips of its tails and crest and the lower halves of its legs are white. The crest on its head is longer, and its nine tails are less distinct. Additionally, it has larger blue eyes and small tufts of fur in front of its ears.

Alolan Ninetales lives on Alola's snow-capped Mount Lanakila, which some consider holy ground. As such, it is revered as a sacred messenger or deity. Alolan Ninetales has a gentle and calm temperament and is known to aid lost humans in distress, though this is primarily done to keep them out of its territory. It will punish any threat to its pack of Vulpix. Those who anger it will be frozen stiff in an instant. It can produce ice crystals from its fur, which it can use for both offense and defense. The ice crystals can act as a shield or form balls that can be fired like bullets with enough force to shatter rock. They can also be found in the Polar Biome of Blueberry Academy's Terarium, where Alola's island life is simulated. As mentioned in Pokémon Sleep, Alolan Ninetails can be seen sparkling in its sleep while it bathes the area around it with powdery snow.

Evolution: Ninetales evolves from Vulpix.

Size: 3'07" tall, 43.9 lbs.

Facts/Origins: In English, the category "Fox Pokémon" is shared by Vulpix, Fennekin, Nickit, and their evolutions. No other Pokémon has the same type combination as Alolan Ninetales. Ninetales's name is misspelled as Ninetails in the Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy Color and in some prerelease material. Alolan Ninetales was featured in the sixth episode of Beyond the Pokédex series. Ninetales may be based on a red fox and the 狐 kitsune of Japanese legend, which are said to have many tails, extremely long lifespans, and supernatural powers such as the ability to breathe fire. After reaching an advanced age, kitsune take on spirit forms, which may explain why Ninetales can learn various Ghost-type and Psychic-type moves. Specifically, it may be based on the kyūbi no kitsune, whose fur turns white-gold after it has lived for 1,000 years and gains its ninth tail. Alolan Ninetales may be based on an Arctic fox, which grows a white coat of fur in the winter to camouflage in the snow. Its mountain habitat and lore as a deity incarnation may be a reference to Poliʻahu, the Hawaiian goddess of snow who is said to reside on Mauna Kea. It could also be inspired by tulikettu, a mythical fox creature of Finnish lore whose radiant fur is said to be responsible for the creation of the northern lights. The Finnish word for aurora, revontulet, also literally translates to "fox fires" which could be intentional as Ninetales' original form is a Fire-type. Ninetales may be a combination of nine and tales, referring to fairy tales (alluding to it being based on a mythical creature) as well as being a homophone to tails. It may also reference the cat o' nine tails whip (due to its tendency to punish anyone who grabs its tails).