Fusion Crystals & Fusion Types
When exposed to fusion crystals prior to breeding, all recorded pokemon eggs appear to have an unrecorded chance to make hybrid amalgamations rather than purebred pokemon as usual. These bizarre hybrids have so far been shown to be sterile, but are otherwise typically healthy and are, most especially, sometimes seemingly capable of learning moves and inheriting abilities from either parent.
There are three categories of fusion types:
Lesser Fusions:
Lesser fusions are those which have been exposed to only a small amount of fusion crystal while in their egg. These are usually just chips or shards of a larger crystal, and they have little alteration power. Lesser fusions do not inherit any abilities, moves, or types from their fusion parent, but they do inherit their colors! These pokémon will have body structures standard to their species, and they will only learn moves from the same, but their coloring and patterns will match that of their "other" parent. A lesser fused skitty with a wailord parent, for instance, would have a standard shaped skitty body, but it would be colored blue and white and have a lightly striped belly.
In terms of shop art, lesser fusions are base lines colored like the 'other' parent.
Standard Fusions:
These fusions have been exposed to a larger fusion crystal before birth, usually a chunk around the size of a human fist. These pokémon are still identifiable as their "base" species, but they have unusual body structures or features that resemble the non-base parent, as well as that parent's patterning. These pokémon are generally referred to as fusion-base - so a bulbasaur with dragonite features would be documented as a dragonite-bulbasaur. The features that show may vary from individual to individual; one dragonite-bulbasaur might have a long tail while another might have wings instead of leaves on its bulb. Colors and patterns, however, will remain consistent, so as long as both examples were not shiny, both would be orange with a cream belly.
Standard fusions are able to use their normal movelist, as well as the movelist of their fusion. A dragonite-bulbasaur would be able to use bulbasaur's moves as well as dragonite's, and when it evolved into a dragonite-ivysaur, it would retain the ability to learn dragonite's moves.
In terms of shop art, standard fusions are base lines edited to have features from the 'other' parent and colors to match.
Greater Fusions:
When exposed to particularly pure specimens of fusion crystal, greater fusions may occur. These pokémon are a more complete fusion of species, with their bodies being more thorough mix of the two. Typically there is still considered to be a "base" and a "fusion" species, but the line may not be so clearly drawn as colors and patterns from both species may be seen. These full fusions are generally called by some combination of their name as their physiology is no longer close enough to consider them just their base - a rattata/servine, for instance, may seem like an extra long ratlike creature, and it might show both purple and green in its core markings. It would be called a "rattavine" instead of rattata or servine-rattata.
Greater fusions are able to use the movelist of their base species as well as their fusion, like standard fusions. In addition, their base typing is changed and will reflect a mixture of the two; the previously mentioned rattata/servine, for instance, would be normal/grass. The typing will be picked largely based on what seems sensible for the physiology - a charizard fusion displaying fire would be at least partially fire type and might give up its flying type. The stats of the fused pokémon are also combined, with their max potentials drawn by averaging the stats of the base and the fusion.
In terms of shop art, greater fusions are fully unique art made for that fusion. They are largely available only through RLC or special events, and may currently only be drawn by polliwoggi.
For information on fusion evolution, click
here.
