Crossword Clue Explanation (September 2007)

4 across: All that experience has made you hot! (9)

Answer: CHARIZARD

Explanation: D/P Pokédex entry: 'It is said that CHARIZARD's fire burns hotter if it has experienced harsh battles.'

6 across: 'I see dead people.' (8)

Answer: MEDICHAM

Explanation: Diamond Pokédex entry: 'Through yoga training, it has honed its sixth sense. Its movements are elegant.' The reference is obviously to the movie The Sixth Sense.

8 across: Inflate to drift. (6)

Answer: PHIONE

Explanation: D/P Pokédex entry: 'A Pokémon that lives in warm seas. It inflates the flotation sac on its head to drift and search for food.'

9 across: Tail link! (7)

Answer: AMBIPOM

Explanation: Pearl Pokédex entry: 'They work in large colonies and make rings by linking their tails, apparently in friendship.'

11 across: Training on schedule. (7)

Answer: TYROGUE

Explanation: Emerald Pokédex entry: 'Tyrogue become stressed out if they do not get to train every day. When raising this Pokémon, the trainer must establish a regular training schedule.'

12 across: Kind of like a St. Bernard. (8)

Answer: DELIBIRD

Explanation: Gold Pokédex entry: 'It carries food all day long. There are tales about lost people who were saved by the food it had.' Kind of like a St. Bernard dog with a barrel of brandy around its neck, except a Delibird and with food in a bag.

15 across: Antennae replace eyes? (7)

Answer: NINCADA

Explanation: FR/LG Pokédex entry: 'Because it lived almost entirely underground, it is nearly blind. It uses its antennae instead.'

17 across: Eww. Better keep away from it, then. (10)

Answer: LICKILICKY

Explanation: D/P Pokédex entry: 'It wraps things with its extensible tongue. Getting too close to it will leave you soaked with drool.'

20 across: Do kids cry out in pain too? (7)

Answer: BUNEARY

Explanation: Diamond Pokédex entry: 'It slams foes by sharply uncoiling its rolled ears. It stings enough to make a grown-up cry in pain.'

22 across: Recipe for killing: bring a Pokémon with Insomnia. (10)

Answer: JIGGLYPUFF

Explanation: Sapphire Pokédex entry: 'When this Pokémon sings, it never pauses to breathe. If it is in a battle against an opponent that does not easily fall asleep, Jigglypuff cannot breathe, endangering its life.' The Insomnia ability causes it to be impossible for the Pokémon to fall asleep, so then I guess Jigglypuff will just die.

24 across: So uh... how can it battle, then? (8)

Answer: TOGEKISS

Explanation: D/P Pokédex entry: 'It will never appear where there is strife. Its sightings have become rare recently.' But... how can it avoid strife when it's battling?

26 across: Slice apart ice? (8)

Answer: EMPOLEON

Explanation: Pearl Pokédex entry: 'It swims as fast as a jet boat. The edges of its wings are sharp and can slice apart drifting ice.'

30 across: Doesn't look stuck on a wall to me. (5)

Answer: UNOWN

Explanation: Silver Pokédex entry: 'Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.'

31 across: What does it do outside, then? (8)

Answer: MONFERNO

Explanation: Pearl Pokédex entry: 'It uses ceilings and walls to launch aerial attacks. Its fiery tail is but one weapon.'

33 across: Desert spirit? (6)

Answer: FLYGON

Explanation: D/P Pokédex entry: 'It whips up sandstorms with powerful flaps of its wings. It is known as "The Desert Spirit."' Flygon isn't much of a spirit, though. o.o

34 across: So that's how the Pokémon world is so peaceful. (7)

Answer: MILOTIC

Explanation: Ruby Pokédex entry: 'Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pokémon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding.'

35 across: ...those are tail fins? (8)

Answer: LUMINEON

Explanation: Diamond Pokédex entry: 'It lives on the deep-sea floor. It attracts prey by flashing the patterns on its four tail fins.' Lumineon's actual tail is only one fin, so I suppose this is actually referring to the four wing-like fins along the middle of its body.

1 down: Hey, we've only seen two variations out of six. (5)

Answer: ARBOK

Explanation: Yellow Pokédex entry: 'The frightening patterns on its belly have been studied. Six variations have been confirmed.' However, we've only seen two distinct Arbok patterns in the games so far: one which is used in R/B/Y/FR/LG/D/P, and another one which is used in G/S/C/R/S/E.

2 down: What, only the male can move its ears? (7)

Answer: NIDORAN

Explanation: R/S Pokédex entry for Nidoran male: 'The male Nidoran has developed muscles for moving its ears. Thanks to them, the ears can be freely moved in any direction. Even the slightest sound does not escape this Pokémon's notice.' However, there is no equivalent statement in any of the Pokédex entries for the female Nidoran.

3 down: Oily tail? (6)

Answer: MARILL

Explanation: Pearl Pokédex entry: 'The tip of its tail is filled with oil that is lighter than water, so it acts as a float.'

5 down: It digs with its tongue? (8)

Answer: SHELLDER

Explanation: Emerald Pokédex entry: 'At night, it burrows a hole in the sea-floor with its broad tongue to make a place to sleep. While asleep, it closes its shell, but leaves its tongue hanging out.'

6 down: Magnetic nervous system? (6)

Answer: METANG

Explanation: Ruby Pokédex entry: 'When two Beldum fuse together, Metang is formed. The brains of the Beldum are joined by a magnetic nervous system. By linking its brains magnetically, this Pokémon generates strong psychokinetic power.'

7 down: Well, in the game it only has one cry... (8)

Answer: HOUNDOUR

Explanation: Gold Pokédex entry: 'It uses different kinds of cries for communicating with others if its kind and for pursuing its prey.'

10 down: Radar fin? (6)

Answer: MUDKIP

Explanation: Ruby Pokédex entry: 'The fin on Mudkip's head acts as highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this Pokémon can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes.'

13 down: One has to hope all the spinning doesn't make it dizzy. (6)

Answer: BALTOY

Explanation: FR/LG Pokédex entry: 'It was discovered in ancient ruins. While moving, it constantly spins. It stands on one foot even while asleep.'

14 down: Apparently preys on Exeggcute 60 miles away from its nest. (9)

Answer: PIDGEOTTO

Explanation: FireRed Pokédex entry: 'The claws on its feet are well developed. It can carry prey such as an Exeggcute to its nest over 60 miles away.'

16 down: Apparently, it stinks. (8)

Answer: CATERPIE

Explanation: Yellow Pokédex entry: 'If you touch the feeler on top of its head, it will release a horrible stink to protect itself.'

18 down: The female? Isn't it always female? (10)

Answer: KANGASKHAN

Explanation: FireRed Pokédex entry: 'The female raises its offspring in a pouch on its belly. It is skilled at attacking using Comet Punch.' 'The female' generally implies there is such a thing as a male too, doesn't it?

19 down: So it's semitransparent up close? (7)

Answer: KOFFING

Explanation: Crystal Pokédex entry: 'If one gets close enough to it when it expels poisonous gas, the gas swirling inside it can be seen.'

21 down: Cars and TVs, courtesy of this. (4)

Answer: UXIE

Explanation: Pearl Pokédex entry: 'It is said that its emergence gave humans the intelligence to improve their quality of life.'

22 down: Asexual reproduction: it's official. (8)

Answer: JUMPLUFF

Explanation: Silver Pokédex entry: 'Drifts on seasonal winds and spreads its cotton-like spores all over the world to make more offspring.' So clearly, it happens by spores in Jumpluff's case.

23 down: If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? (8)

Answer: PRIMEAPE

Explanation: Yellow Pokédex entry: 'It stops being angry only when nobody else is around. To view this moment is very difficult.' This is basically the same principle: if nobody else is around, there isn't anybody to view it. It appears that everybody thought this was either Parasect or Prinplup because their entries actually mention trees. Don't take my clues so literally, folks.

25 down: So wait, that makes it alien life form but not, say, Voltorb? (7)

Answer: STARMIE

Explanation: FireRed Pokédex entry: 'This Pokémon has a geometric body. Because of its body, the locals suspect that is an alien creature.' So... Voltorb's body isn't geometric?

27 down: ...eww. So it rots inside the fur? (8)

Answer: MUNCHLAX

Explanation: Pearl Pokédex entry: 'It hides food under its long body hair. However, it forgets it has hidden the food.' So... how long does it forget the food there?

28 down: In a real-world context, I suppose being discovered forty years ago would be recent, but you never know with the Pokémon world... (8)

Answer: LUNATONE

Explanation: Emerald Pokédex entry: 'It becomes very active on the night of a full moon. This Pokémon was first discovered 40 years ago at the site of a meteor strike.'

29 down: Soft, supple wings? (7)

Answer: NOCTOWL

Explanation: R/S Pokédex entry: 'Noctowl never fails at catching prey in darkness. This Pokémon owes its success to its superior vision that allows it to see in minimal light, and to its soft, supple wings that make no sound in flight.'

32 down: Aha! So Pokémon do have scientific names! (6)

Answer: ODDISH

Explanation: FireRed Pokédex entry: 'Its scientific name is "Oddium Wanderus." At night, it is said to walk nearly 1,000 feet on its two roots.'

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