You pick up a copy of National Pokégraphic. The cover has a striking image of Hoenn split down the middle, apparently showing the devastating effects of global warming and two potential futures: one where everything is completely flooded and another completely dry. Such drastic changes could never happen, right…? You flip open to a random page to try to get your mind off of such a horrible catastrophe:
Researchers have been pondering the existence of a hypothetical Psychic / Bug type pokémon, based off various recently found materials from the ancient world. This mythical insect, who appears to have resembled the modern day honeybee, was said to possess strange psychic powers and perhaps even knowledge of the future.
One of these ancient accounts reads:
...then they swarmed. Even through all the chaos, my attention was drawn to four particular individuals in the middle of it all. They stood, side by side, and, as I looked closer, I noticed they all had strange spots on their thorax, almost reminiscent of...
Before I could even finish my thought, I saw, though I hardly believe it, even now -- there on their backs, cutting through the harsh dark of night, were the letters: come. I simply stared, slack jawed. Impatient, each in unison revealed a glowing eye and thus I lost control of my body, my thoughts, myself. The humming was all I heard, their unspoken yet deafening command echoing in my ears, as my legs clumsily moved themselves, following behind the swarm...
I know not what happened next, but when I awoke, I found myself slumped in the outskirts of town, the rosy fingers of dawn dragging themselves up the sky. My pockets were heavy, full of sticky, sweet coins, and all I could recall was a vague promise to never return...
An artist's rendition of a single specimen follows:
This certainly wouldn't be the first reported story of psychic pokémon seemingly communicating directly with humans. Additionally, there are also fragments of ancient pottery and carvings depicting beings that seem to be half human, half bee. Perhaps this was also some form of psychic illusion or transformation?
Still, upon hearing these stories, one can't help but ask further questions: why is it we have had no confirmed sightings of such creatures in modern times? Have they truly all gone extinct? And just how related are they to our modern day honeybees? You certainly do hear strange stories dated back as recent as the middle ages, about entire hives apparently becoming enraged and storming off when not informed of important events in the beekeeper's family...
Beyond that, it makes one wonder about what draws the line between human, pokémon, and regular animals -- particularly, what level of sentience do the latter truly possess? What is the true nature of psychic type pokémon and their ability to seemingly bend the fabric of reality as we know it? And--
Well, I suppose that's why I became a researcher in the first place: there will always be more questions to ask, answerable and not... But, most importantly, it's best to just focus on one topic at a time.
[click here for meta!]
I love bees so much, but I'm sad that Combee is the only official bee-themed Pokémon (so far)! No offense, it just doesn't really vibe with me. I think there are a lot more interesting directions to go, re: bees with special powers and their interactions with humans. Like, in this post, I've already talked about how bees were seen as mystical in Ancient Greece / Rome, with deep connections to the gods and fortune tellers and what not.
While I feel like this particular design is a bit too literal (an actual bee with just a few weird, supernatural aspects), I still think it's a really neat idea (and would totally freak someone the hell out if they saw it, which is the most important thing!).
Also, this was, like, my first time animating anything, so please forgive the awkwardness. (Also, ignore the fact that moving pictures in print media isn't a thing, lol. I was consumed with thoughts of psychic bee and just followed my heart from there.)