Deerling

**Deerling** is a dual Grass/Normal-type Pokémon introduced in Generation V.

It evolves into Sawsbuck starting at level 24.

Deerling has six forms that change depending on the season. However, this change in form does not occur after capture, unless it is present in the player's party at the time of a season change. This applies to Eggs as well.

* When the month is January, March, May, July, September, or November, it is the Dry Season, and it becomes its **Dry Season Form**.
* When the month is February, April, June, August, October, or December, it is the Wet Season, and it becomes its **Wet Season Form**.

The other four seasonal forms of Deerling are, as of Demo 0.1.0, unobtainable. There are plans to include them in future versions somehow, despite Ibaro's seasons not including Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

## Biology

### **Physiology**

Deerling is a Pokémon that resembles a deer fawn. The upper side of its body is light green in the dry season and bluish-green during the wet season. In other regions, the upper side of its body is pink in the spring, green in the summer, orange in the autumn, and brown in the winter. Deerling has a yellow-patterned rim, and its underside is peach. It sports a yellow floral tuft on its head with small antlers hidden underneath, and similar yellow coloration on the insides of its tapering ears. The tips of its limbs are colored black and its pink tail is small. Deerling also has a different scent depending on the season.

If Deerling senses animosity, it will hide in tall grass. It moves in herds, as it is timid around humans. Despite this, Deerling does whatever it wants, even around humans. Deerling will take a liking towards anyone who feeds it. It will playfully headbutt anyone it likes, even if headbutts are a little painful. It dwells in sparsely populated areas, away from humans. It is herbivorous. Despite their innocent and adorable appearance, Deerling are considered pests by farmers, as they tend to eat all of their plant shoots. Lycanroc is a natural enemy of Deerling; farmers often use Lycanroc to guard their fields from Deerling.

Unlike the Unova and Paldea regions, the two core series regions Deerling is found natively in, the Deerling of Ibaro can not be found in their Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter forms. Instead, they are found in their new dry season and wet season forms, which correspond to the Ibaro region's unique seasonal cycle.

### **Habitat**

Deerling is found throughout the New Boni Town and Senatopia City areas.

## Game Data

### **Stats**

 * Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and a hindering nature, if applicable.

* Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and a helpful nature, if applicable.

## Trivia

* Deerling's evolution level was lowered to 24 in Pokémon Honor and Glory, from 34 in the core series.
* Deerling's catch rate was raised to 255 in Pokémon Honor and Glory, from 190 in the core series.

### **Origin**

**Deerling** may be based on a sika deer fawn.

The colors of its four Unovan seasonal forms may be visual references to the colors of trees and bushes during the four seasons: with pink representing blossoms in the spring, green representing fully grown leaves in the summer, orange representing the changing leaves in the autumn, and brown representing the bare, leafless tree and bush branches in the winter. Deerling's design was worked backwards from Sawsbuck's design.

### **Name Origin**

**Deerling** may be a combination of *deer* and *darling* or *yearling* (young animal between the age of one to two years old), with -ling being a common suffix to denote something that is small or immature.