List of Pokémon with form differences
While there are 1026 officially recognized species of Pokémon, with most members of an individual species looking relatively similar to one another, several Pokémon species have remarkable differences in appearance between members. At times, these differences are purely cosmetic, and have no bearing on the difference in the Pokémon's stats from another; however, several Pokémon not only differ in stats, but also type, depending on their form.
Among these are several legendary Pokémon, whose unique forms can be changed between at will, and are spelled officially as "Formes". Many of the forms are known to have special names, while others do not, and are thus only named in fanon. In Generations II-IV, whichever form is encountered first will be the form displayed in the Pokédex by default; i.e., a player who encountered a West Sea Shellos would have it appear in the Pokédex by default, while one who encounters an East Sea Shellos first would see that Shellos appear in the Pokédex first. In Generation V, the form displayed in the Pokédex can be changed upon reaching Mistralton City, even to a Shiny form, if it has been encountered.
Pokémon with differing forms
Pichu
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, an alternate form of Pichu will appear at Ilex Forest (but only if the player has a Pikachu-colored Pichu in their party). This Pichu has a tuft of hair on the end of its left ear, and is known as the Spiky-eared Pichu. Spiky-eared Pichu's Pokéathlon performance stats are different than a normal Pichu's. It cannot evolve or be traded and cannot be transferred to Pokémon Black and White using the Poké Transfer.
Normal
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Spiky-eared
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Unown
Unown was the first known Pokémon which had visual differences between individuals of the species. From the species' debut in Generation II, each Unown would have an appearance similar to that of one of the twenty-six letters of the Latin alphabet. In Generation III, two more forms were added, corresponding to the question mark and exclamation point.
A special Unown Dex, an upgrade to the Pokédex that was developed by the researchers at the Ruins of Alph to record the different forms of Unown, was available in Generation II after the player had caught several Unown. This was superseded in HeartGold and SoulSilver by the Unown Report, obtainable after the player completes the first tile puzzle in the Ruins of Alph.
Unown's form is determined in Generation III based on its personality value. Though the form has no bearing on base stats, ! and ? Unown have different performance stats than their alphabetical brethren.
A
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B
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C
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D
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E
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F
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G
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H
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I
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J
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K
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L
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M
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N
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O
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P
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Q
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R
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S
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T
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U
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V
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W
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X
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Y
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Z
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! File:201Exclamation.png |
? File:201Question.png |
Spinda
Like Unown, Spinda has many visual variations in its species, all involving the placement of its spots. Like Unown's letter, the spot placement is generated based on the individual's personality value, and likewise, has no effect on the Pokémon's stats. Unlike Unown, however, these differences are rarely repeated, as the calculation uses the entirety of the personality value—a number that can range from zero to 4,294,967,295 (232 - 1).
| RSFRLG | E | DPPtHGSS | BW | |||
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File:Spr 3e 327.gif | 
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Castform
Castform's first appearance at Hoenn's Weather Institute in Generation III brought about the concept of interchangeable forms. Unlike other Pokémon, an individual Castform's form is not static, and will change, due to its ability, with the weather.
Normally, Castform takes on a rather plain appearance, with a gray body. In this form, it is of the Template:Type2; as could be expected, it is in this form that it is at its least effective.
When Castform is exposed to bright rays of sunlight, it changes its form to a more sunny appearance, and becomes a Template:Type2 (Sunny Form). In rain, Castform becomes more like a raindrop, and becomes a Template:Type2 (Rainy Form). Finally, in hail, Castform takes the form of a snowy cloud, and becomes an Template:Type2 (Snowy Form). It will not transform in any other weather conditions.
If Castform has its ability Forecast negated, it will be locked in its current form, rather than reverting to its Normal form.
Castform's stats do not change between any of these forms.
Normal  Normal |
Sunny Form Fire |
Rainy Form Water |
Snowy Form Ice |
Deoxys
Deoxys, the final Pokémon in the National Pokédex as of Generation III, was the first known Pokémon whose base stats and move compatibility differed, as well as its appearance, depending on its form. First introduced in Destiny Deoxys, Deoxys was revealed to have three alternating forms, while a fourth was added later, with the release of Pokémon Emerald. Like its base stats, its Pokéathlon performance varies depending on its form.
Deoxys's forms are game-specific in Generation III, but can be changed at will in later generations by inspecting the meteorites in Veilstone City in Sinnoh, Route 3 in Kanto, and Nacrene Gym in Unova.
Deoxys's Normal Forme is the default form it takes, as well as the form it appears in in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. In this form, its stats are more balanced, though it is notably far more offensive than it is defensive.
It is in this form that Deoxys will be found in the wild on Birth Island, though it will transform after it has been captured, depending on its Generation III game version.
The Attack Forme is the appearance that Deoxys takes on in Pokémon FireRed, and it learns noticeably more powerful moves while in this form. Its Attack and Special Attack stats have been maxed out, making it the most powerful of all Pokémon in both aspects, while its Speed remains the same as its default form. Its defensive stats, however, take a harsh blow, lowering so much that it is only more powerful in Defense than seven Pokémon (tied with three others), and is tied for last place in Special Defense with five others, including Magikarp.
In Pokémon LeafGreen, the counterpart version to FireRed, Deoxys takes on a counterpart form to the Attack Forme, the Defense Forme. Whereas the Attack Forme had incredible offensive power (and incredibly weak defensive capabilities), Defense Forme inverts this somewhat, having mediocre offensive power (and a lower Speed stat) and heightened Defense and Special Defense. This form of Deoxys learns moves more attuned to attrition than to elimination, raising its already high defenses to protect against opponents' moves rather than attack them before they can attack.
By far the quickest of all Pokémon, Deoxys in its Speed Forme learns many moves that can guarantee that it will strike before any other Pokémon can. Though it can still be outsped by a Pokémon with Speed Boost, Speed Forme Deoxys takes the uneven nature of the stats of Deoxys's other forms and balances them out, keeping it from hitting too hard, but at the same time, preventing it from being hit too hard itself.
The HP stat remains the same with each of the four formes.
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| Lv. |  Normal Forme Psychic |
 Attack Forme Psychic |
 Defense Forme Psychic |
 Speed Forme Psychic |
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| Start | Leer | |||
| Wrap | ||||
| 9 | Night Shade | |||
| 17 | Teleport | Double Team | ||
| 25 | Knock Off | Taunt | Knock Off | |
| 33 | Pursuit | Spikes | Pursuit | |
| 41 | Psychic | |||
| 49 | Snatch | Superpower | Snatch | |
| 57 | Psycho Shift | |||
| 65 | Zen Headbutt | |||
| 73 | Cosmic Power | Iron Defense | Agility | |
| Amnesia | ||||
| 81 | Recover | Zap Cannon | Recover | |
| 89 | Psycho Boost | |||
| 97 | Hyper Beam | Counter | ExtremeSpeed | |
| Mirror Coat | ||||
| Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage. | ||||
Burmy and Wormadam
Both Burmy and its female evolution, Wormadam, have three separate forms, being the first Pokémon whose evolution depends on a specific form. Like others, Burmy can change form freely, depending on where it last participated in a battle actively (Exp. Share maintains a Burmy's form if it does not leave the Poké Ball); however, Wormadam's form is permanent.
If a Burmy last battled in a grassy outside area, hatched from an egg whose Wormadam parent was in the Plant Cloak, or hatched from an egg that had Mothim and Ditto as parents, it will be in its basic state, the Plant Cloak. This form of Burmy is covered in leaves and twigs. If a female, it will evolve into Wormadam in its Plant Cloak, which is a Bug/Grass Pokémon.
If a Burmy last battled on a beach or in a cave, or hatched from an egg whose Wormadam parent was in the Sandy Cloak, it will be in the Sandy Cloak. This form of Burmy is covered in sand and rocks. If a female, it will evolve into Wormadam in its Sandy Cloak, which is a Bug/Ground Pokémon.
If a Burmy last battled inside of a building, or hatched from an egg whose Wormadam parent was in the Trash Cloak, it will be in the Trash Cloak. This form of Burmy is covered in pink insulation. If a female, it will evolve into Wormadam in its Trash Cloak, which is a Bug/Steel Pokémon.
A Wormadam's stats and move compatibility vary with her form, in addition to type and appearance. The cloak a male Burmy takes on before evolution makes no difference, as it sheds it upon evolution into Mothim.
Plant Cloak Bug |
Sandy Cloak Bug |
Trash Cloak Bug |
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| Lv. |  Plant Cloak Bug Grass |
 Sandy Cloak Bug Ground |
 Trash Cloak Bug Steel |
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| Start | Tackle | ||
| 10 | Protect | ||
| 15 | Bug Bite | ||
| 20 | Hidden Power | ||
| 23 | Confusion | ||
| 26 | Razor Leaf | Rock Blast | Mirror Shot |
| 29 | Growth | Harden | Metal Sound |
| 32 | Psybeam | ||
| 35 | Captivate | ||
| 38 | Flail | ||
| 41 | Attract | ||
| 44 | Psychic | ||
| 47 | Leaf Storm | Fissure | Iron Head |
| Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage. | |||
Cherrim
Like Castform, Cherrim changes its appearance depending on the weather, though not with all kinds. It will be in its Sunshine Form in intense sunlight and its Overcast Form in any other weather. Due to its ability, its Attack and Special Defense will also increase in its Sunshine Form. Unlike Castform, its type does not change.
Overcast Form Grass |
Sunshine Form Grass |
Shellos and Gastrodon
Another Sinnoh-native evolution family, Shellos and Gastrodon also have a difference, depending on, this time, whether the Pokémon in question was caught east or west of Mt. Coronet. Like others before, neither form can change to the other, but unlike other multiple-form Pokémon, the appearance of the mother is the determinant to the appearance of the hatched Pokémon.
Both West Sea Shellos and Gastrodon take on a pink appearance, while their East Sea cousins take on a blue hue. There is also a slight difference in bodily appearance depending on the form.
West Sea Water  Water Ground |
East Sea Water  Water Ground |
Rotom
In August of 2008, shortly before the Japanese release of Pokémon Platinum, five silhouetted Pokémon were shown, with a statement that indicated that these Pokémon would be in the game. Days before the game's release, it was revealed that these Pokémon were alternate forms of Rotom.
In each of these forms, Rotom has possessed a different household appliance, and each has its own special move. Heat Rotom, which has possessed a microwave oven, knows Overheat and is Electric/Fire; Wash Rotom, which has possessed a washing machine, knows Hydro Pump and is Electric/Water; Frost Rotom, which has possessed a refrigerator, knows Blizzard and is Electric/Ice; Fan Rotom, which has possessed a rotary fan, knows Air Slash and is Electric/Flying; and Mow Rotom, which has possessed a lawn mower, knows Leaf Storm and is Electric/Grass.
Until Generation V, all forms of Rotom were Electric/Ghost-type. All alternate forms have the same base stat total, which is higher than that of normal Rotom (except normal Rotom has a higher base stat in speed).
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Giratina
Giratina, much like Deoxys had been earlier, was announced to have an alternate form in the then-upcoming Giratina and the Sky Warrior in February, 2008. One of the two forms is the familiar form to players of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, designated as Altered Forme Giratina, while the other is a more serpentine form that was not previously known, the Origin Forme.
The Origin Forme is known as Giratina's natural form, which it appears in in its home of the Reverse World (in the anime) and Distortion World (in the games). If it travels to the Pokémon world, it assumes its Altered Forme. Both Formes appear in Pokémon Platinum, where Giratina is captured in the Distortion World in its more offense-oriented Origin Forme, and will revert to the defensive Altered Forme outside of this area unless it holds the Griseous Orb.
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Shaymin
As with Giratina, an alternate form of the event Pokémon Shaymin was announced to appear in Giratina and the Sky Warrior, and is, in fact, the titular sky warrior. This new Sky Forme of Shaymin, with the previously-known form now called the Land Forme, has a completely altered appearance and, rather than being a pure-Template:Type2, is now Grass/Flying.
Like Giratina and Deoxys's transformations are activated by an external source, Shaymin's is activated by contact with a Gracidea, whose bouquets look almost like a sleeping Shaymin.
A Shaymin in its Sky Forme will revert to its Land Forme if frozen or during night.
Upon changing forms, Shaymin also changes its cry. It is the only Pokémon to do so.
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| Lv. |  Land Forme Grass |
 Sky Forme Grass Flying |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Growth | |
| 10 | Magical Leaf | |
| 19 | Leech Seed | |
| 28 | Synthesis | Quick Attack |
| 37 | Sweet Scent | |
| 46 | Natural Gift | |
| 55 | Worry Seed | |
| 64 | Aromatherapy | Air Slash |
| 73 | Energy Ball | |
| 82 | Sweet Kiss | |
| 91 | Healing Wish | Leaf Storm |
| 100 | Seed Flare | |
| Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage. | ||
Arceus
Arceus has eighteen different forms, each with a slightly different coloration, which correspond to the eighteen different elemental types.
Arceus's transformation between these forms is brought about by its held item: if it is holding a plate, it draws its type from that plate as stated in Sinnoh's mythology, while remaining Template:Type2 when not holding a plate or holding any non-plate item.
The Template:Type2 form of Arceus exists only in Generation IV, and is currently unavailable in any legitimate manner, as there is no plate to turn it to this type. Educated speculation attributes this to an attempt made by Game Freak as an error handler. This is supported by the fact that there is no ???-type sprite data for Arceus in the Generation V games, because the ???-type was removed entirely from Generation V.
While its base stats remain constant despite its changing type, its Pokéathlon performance changes slightly. Additionally, it can only learn Draco Meteor while holding the Draco Plate.
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Fire 
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Electric 
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Ice 
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Fighting 
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Poison 
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Ground 
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Flying 
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Psychic 
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Bug 
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Rock 
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Ghost 
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Dragon 
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Dark 
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Steel 
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??? 
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Basculin
Similar to Shellos and Gastrodon, Basculin can appear in two different forms — the Red-Striped Form and the Blue-Striped Form. The Red Stripe form sports a red stripe, with wide eyes and spiky fins, while the other has a blue stripe, with squinted eyes and smooth fins. Its color depends on the version it is found in, with the Red-Striped Form appearing in Black and the Blue-Striped Form appearing in White. However, rare instances of the other color can be found in the game by surfing on or fishing in swirling water.
Wild Red-Striped Basculin have a 5% chance of holding a DeepSeaTooth while wild Blue-Striped Basculin have a 5% chance of holding a DeepSeaScale.
Red-Striped Water |
Blue-Striped Water |
Darmanitan
If Darmanitan has Zen Mode as its ability, it changes into Zen Mode when its HP drops to below half. Darmanitan in Zen Mode is blue in color, has Psychic as a secondary type, inverts its Attack and Special Attack from Standard Mode Darmanitan, and has boosted defenses and lowered Speed.
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Deerling and Sawsbuck
Deerling changes its appearance depending on the season, each of which lasts a month in real time. During spring, its coat will be pink; during summer, green; during autumn, orange; and during winter, brown.
Sawsbuck, Deerling's evolved form, also differs with the season. It has flowers in its antlers during spring; a full set of leaves in its antlers, a lack of fur at its neck and legs, and the addition of a mane and upright tail during summer; brown and wilting leaves during autumn; and white antlers along with sections of thicker, white fur during winter.
In both instances, the Pokémon will change forms when the season changes (when the players exits a cave or building) while it is in the party.
Deerling and Sawsbuck belonging to NPCs will match the season the NPC is battled in, with the exception of the Battle Subway, where they are always in Spring Form.
Spring Form Normal Grass  Normal Grass |
Summer Form Normal Grass  Normal Grass |
Autumn Form Normal Grass  Normal Grass |
Winter Form Normal Grass  Normal Grass |
Meloetta
If Meloetta uses the move Relic Song (which it can learn from a man in Castelia City) in battle, it will change between its Aria and Pirouette Formes, changing its typing between Normal/Psychic and Normal/Fighting. Meloetta will revert to Aria Forme when the battle ends, or if switched during battle.
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Genesect
Genesect has five different forms, each depending on whether or not a Drive is held and which Drive it is. However, this does not change Genesect's type, but rather the type of the move Techno Blast. If it lacks a Drive, it will be Template:Type2. The four Drives that can be equipped are the Shock, Burn, Chill, and Douse Drive, which make the move Electric, Fire, Ice, and Template:Type2, respectively. Otherwise, the change is purely cosmetic, with the physical difference being the ammo cartridge in Genesect's cannon. The Chill Drive and the Douse Drive are exclusive to Pokémon White while the Shock Drive and the Burn Drive are exclusive to Pokémon Black.
Normal Bug Steel |
Shock Drive Bug Steel |
Burn Drive Bug Steel |
Chill Drive Bug Steel |
Douse Drive Bug Steel |
Other Pokémon
- The Generation I Pokédex entries for Arbok state that there are six variations of markings on its belly that differ between regions. The pattern has differed in sprites; however, this is dependent on the game the Pokémon is in, rather than the game in which it was caught. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Arbok's abilities vary depending on its pattern.
| Arbok's known patterns |
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- Shellder also changes between bivalve and spiral-shaped variations depending on whether or not it is attached to a Slowpoke's head or tail.
- Though impossible in the games, if a Slowbro or Slowking loses its Shellder, it is said to "devolve" into a Slowpoke, giving them more characteristics of form differences than actual evolutions.
- From Generation IV onward, there are many Pokémon that appear differently as a result of their gender, some drastically, some not.
- XD001 was a Shadow Lugia that was so thoroughly corrupted that its appearance changed.
- A Dialga also changed its appearance when it lost control of time in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness.
- Mantyke's Pokédex entry in Pearl says that the special patterns on its back vary from region to region. Unlike Arbok, however, its backsprite shows no difference between Sinnoh and Johto games, as Mantyke is not found wild in Johto; however, in Pokémon Black and White, where it is found, its "eyes" are slightly farther apart.
- The Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum Pokédex entries for Weezing state that triplet forms have been discovered; however, this variant has not been shown in any Pokémon media. A third section of Weezing (without a face) appears on every Weezing seen so far.
- In Malice In Wonderland, a Mismagius merged with a Rayquaza illusion it created, with the result appearing to be a form difference of Rayquaza.
- Ditto is known for its ability to transform into an exact replica of any other Pokémon. However, some Ditto are incapable of changing their face, with the result being a deformed replica of the target Pokémon with a flat, Ditto-like face.
- Porygon is able to change its color, shape and type to match its target with Conversion. It is also capable of changing its color and shape by using Sharpen.
- Frillish and Jellicent differ drastically depending on whether they are male or female. However, it is debatable whether or not these are true form differences, or simply extreme gender differences. Additionally, unlike other Pokémon that differ in appearance based on their gender, Frillish and Jellicent have box sprites and Ken Sugimori artwork for each form.
- Unfezant, like Frillish and Jellicent, have drastic form differences depending on whether they are male or female. However, female Unfezant surpass the male form in flying ability, possibly due to the females lacking the large wattles belonging to the male. Unfezant also has box sprites and Ken Sugimori artwork for each form.
Other form differences
There are several other differences that Pokémon have. For detailed descriptions of them, see Variant Pokémon.
In other languages
Giratina
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Altered Forme
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Origin Forme
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Shaymin
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Land Forme
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Sky Forme
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Rotom
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Heat Rotom
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Wash Rotom
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Frost Rotom
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Fan Rotom
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Mow Rotom
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Basculin
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Red-Striped Form
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Blue-Striped Form
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Deerling
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Spring Form
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Summer Form
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Autumn Form
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Winter Form
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