Sheri Groleau - Vertebral Art

#534 Conkeldurr

CONKELDURR (Timburr, Gurdurr), #534 (#532, #533), Fighting

Social Behaviours:

In the wild, the genus' industrial behaviours and habits are transplanted with little difficulty. Companies will form and travel in an orderly, almost mechanical fashion

Ecology:

Conkeldurr and its variants are considered endemic to heavy industry, their development controlled in the service of a working pipeline. As a working species, Conkeldurr has become invaluable in the construction industry for its hardiness and intelligence, with its docility creating a near-idyllic portrait of an easily maintained working force.

Training, Care, and Temperament:

Trainers are heavily advised to make a Timburr aware of its strength as early as possible.

Breeder's Market and Cultural Value and Impact:

As an industrial species, standard and industrial Conkeldurr ovi are not available on the open market, their numbers strictly controlled by Silph Co. The selling of eggs procured from wild-captured established populations of escaped workforces, however, falls outside of the monolith's reach for lack of legislation regarding the treatment and classification of adapted wild populations of the Pokemon. Much to Silph's benefit, the species is not especially popular amongst collectors or trainers thanks to its specialised development requirements and human-like appearance.

Timburr are favoured by inspectors for their sensitivity to stability. During structure assessment, it is not uncommon to have a number of Timburr brought on site to ferret out any potential stability issues.

Outside of heavy industry, Conkeldurr are not regarded as a valued species to the local environment. While not considered pests, no expenses or efforts are expended in attempting to maintain wild populations of the Pokemon. In some areas, the industrial value of the Pokemon translates into it becoming a nuisance by association.

League Battling:

Gurdurr and Conkeldurr are rare contenders in the League for their lack established popularity amongst viewers and panel judges and, to a lesser degree, the danger inherent to employing the Pokemon for battle.

Members of the genus are capable of close- and long-range combat. Gurdurr are fully capable of utilising tools and improvising with their immediate surroundings. Gurdurr can make able weapons of anything suitable for swinging or throwing, adding to their potential reach.

Gurdurr and Conkeldurr are especially heavy hitters in the Fighting denomination of the League, able to employ greater force per swing than a heavy weight Machamp. While slower and more limited in maneuverability than most other fighting-types, the sheer weight the species is able to put behind its strikes puts it on equal footing with almost any trained type-matched opponent. Their natural hardiness will allow any battling Conkeldurr to withstand considerable assault while moving into position to strike back.

The employment of Gurdurr or Conkeldurr in a match is considered a gamble for the trainer's reputation. A prevalent stereotype against the genus is that Conkeldurr "do not know their own strength", and will unintentionally strike with enough force to maim or kill an opponent. This stereotype is not unfounded, as the species has a documented track record of causing fatalities with incidental strikes. Sending a Gurdurr into battle during a free form or type-matched event is seen as a destablising or spooking tactic meant to limit an opponent's options. An opponent heavily reliant on close-range combat will be forced to contend with the potential of encountering match-ending blows from the Pokemon's fists, or, if the opponent is ranged, face large projectiles torn from the combat field. Opponents that tarry in dealing with a Gurdurr at close or medium range may end up facing the Pokemon armed with an improvised weapon pulled from the environment.