Deoxys

Deoxys (デオキシス) is one of the fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. The purpose of Deoxys in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon Trainers. It is known as a promotional secret Pokémon because of its extreme rarity and extremely high stats in the games. It belongs to the Psychic type, a generally strong element that plays a role in most Pokémon battles. Deoxys is a Pokémon from outer space (although it probably lives high up in the exosphere, which is where the atmosphere blends into space.)

Deoxys was introduced in the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance and occupies the 386th place in the National Pokédex (last of the third generation) and place #202 in the Hoenn Regional Pokédex. However it was not 'catchable' until the release of the FireRed and LeafGreen games.

Deoxys is also one of the few Pokémon to have its own musical theme, and it is prevalent throughout the seventh Pokémon movie and when it is encountered in the games. The theme mainly consists of three primary notes (the pitches F3, G3 and C3, in that order) delivered by bell strikes, and it carries a very extraterrestrial motif. Deoxys's name is a shortening of Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA.

Biological characterics
Deoxys is a humanoid Pokémon based on the Flatwoods monster UFO with its brain situated in the crystal on its chest. From there, Deoxys has the ability to use psychic attacks on its enemies. Its arms are twisted into double helixes, a reference to DNA, though each pair of tentacles can form together into a single arm as shown in the normal form sprite. Deoxys's Pokédex entry and the Pokémon movie Destiny Deoxys indicate that Deoxys is actually a virus that came to earth inside a meteor and was restored into a Pokémon when it was "exposed to a laser beam". The viral nature of Deoxys is reflected in many of its aspects, its name being one example. The incredibly high offensive statistics of Deoxys coupled with its weak defensive and health statistics mirror the fragility of a virus as well as its destructive potential once inside a host. Its sight is obstructed in the presence of strong electric fields. Its "mouth" also appears to be vertically aligned and takes up most of its face.

Deoxys' forms
Deoxys has the ability to change its form to adapt to its current environment, a trait found in some microorganisms when introduced to hostile conditions. This feature of Deoxys manifests itself only in the Pokémon games, Fire Red, Leaf Green, Emerald, Diamond and Pearl''. Each version features Deoxys with an entirely different set of statistics, moveset, and appearance, and as such encourages a different strategy in battle. The Deoxys of each version is unique to it: if traded to the other version, it will shift accordingly. If this technique is used properly, a single Deoxys can be traded several times to obtain the best moves from each form. Moves are exchangeable, but stats recalculate when traded. For instance: in Emerald, Deoxys learns Extremespeed, a Normal-type move that always goes first. Once this move is learned, Deoxys can be traded to Fire Red'', where its Attack form can use the move to devastating effect.

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, Deoxys resides in the Meteor Cave, where the player fights all forms of Deoxys as mirages. The Deoxys mirage of each floor must be defeated before the player can progress. On floor 20 of the dungeon, a real Deoxys is fought, which the player can recruit. Whenever Deoxys enters a new floor in a dungeon, it will transform into a random form. Just like in the other games, this Deoxys will learn moves based on the form it is in when it levels up – for instance, in Attack Form Deoxys can learn Zap Cannon at Level 40, while it can learn Extremespeed in its Speed Form at Level 50. However, because of this, Deoxys cannot have moves remembered at the Gulpin Link Shop.

In all four forms, TM and HM compatibility is exactly the same.

Deoxys can also be transferred to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Once transferred, it can be freely changed between forms. In Veilstone City, there are four meteorites in the southeast corner of the town. Interacting with a meteorite will cause Deoxys to change form.

During link cable battles in the Advance games, an opposing Deoxys will always be shown in its Normal form, regardless of whether or not the Deoxys being used by the opponent is actually in that form. Despite the reused sprite, the actual Deoxys will retain the stats of its true form. In Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the sprite will be shown in the correct form.

Deoxys was created before Emerald was released, so before its Speed form came into being, Deoxys' three forms spelled out DNA (Defense Normal Attack). However, with the creation of its Speed form, this has mostly become a moot point.

Also, Deoxys will be in an item in the Super Smash Brothers Brawl, to be release December 3rd, 2007. It will cast hyper-beam on the whole stage.

Normal form
In the Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, and Pokémon Colosseum games, Deoxys assumes its Normal form. In this form, each of its arms resembles two cords arranged in a double helix pattern (quite appropriate for a creature named and modeled after DNA), which may easily change into the shape of an elastic hand.

Attack form
In FireRed, Deoxys assumes its Attack form. In this form, Deoxys' head features three points akin to horns and its cord-like arms resemble tentacles. It's central core is also more exposed. Its offensive and speed stats are boosted at the expense of its defensive statistics, which are less than 200 at their maximum. While the Ruby/Sapphire Deoxys has a few defensive moves, the FireRed version will only learn offensive attacks by level-up. Attack form Deoxys has the highest base state total for Attack and Special Attack of any of the pokemon.

Defense form
In LeafGreen version, Deoxys assumes its Defense form. In this form, Deoxys' head almost fuses with its body, its neck disappearing completely. Its shoulders and chest bulge and its arms become wide and flat. This version of Deoxys features almost completely inverted statistics compared to the other two forms, having especially high defenses while featuring at best average offensive capabilities. The list of level-up moves is similarly changed, maintaining only a couple of damaging moves while being rich in defensive and support skills. While Defense form Deoxys has the third highest Special Defense, beaten out only by Regice and Shuckle, it has the fifth highest defense, tied with Onix.

Speed form
In Emerald, Deoxys assumes its Speed form. In this form, Deoxys looks similar to its Attack form, but with a huge horn on the back of its head instead of a trio of points. Its legs become slender and more agile, and most of its excess body mass disappears. Thus, its interior gray body is exposed through the Speed form so it may move quicker. The number of tentacles is reduced to one per arm; its left tentacle is red, and the right tentacle is blue. This is the only form that was not shown in Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, as it had not been designed at that point. Speed form Deoxys has the highest Speed stat of any of the 493 pokemon.

Obtaining Deoxys
The only known legal way to obtain Deoxys is by trading it from Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, or Emerald, where it is obtainable on Birth Island. The only way to get to Birth Island is to download an Aurora Ticket via Wonderspot to the game cartridge. During the battle to capture Deoxys, a piece of music containing Deoxys's theme is played.

Pokémon Ranger
Deoxys appears in all of its forms in Pokémon Ranger. It is available as the player's first Ranger Net mission and is available to play immediately after beating the main storyline of the game. In this side mission, a Deoxys goes on a rampage and the player must stop it. After it is chased into the Krokka Tunnel, it assumes its Attack form. Attempts to capture it reveal that it must be in Normal form. Repeated attempts to capture it in the wrong forms, as well as various attempts at emotional appeal, finally lead to it assuming its Normal Form. The final battle forces the player to wait for it to assume Normal form, since it randomly switches forms during the battle. Capturing it calms it down, at which point the mission is cleared. An epilogue explains that Spenser was responsible for Deoxys' rage.

In the Pokémon anime
Deoxys first appeared in the seventh Pokémon film, Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys. In the film, it demonstrated the ability to switch between its forms (it's debatable whether speed form was used, after it was attacked and appeared to use an Extremespeed attack on Rayquaza), create shadow copies for use as drones, regenerate missing body parts, launch an aurora into the sky, and erect a city-size force field which keeps nearly every sort of machine within from operating (although some debate it was due to the blockage of wind which generated electricity for the city). The film also demonstrated that Deoxys is not a one-of-a-kind unique species like Rayquaza; more than one Deoxys is seen.

In the opening sequence to the eighth season of the Pokémon anime (in the United States, Pokémon Advanced Battle), Deoxys is seen in its Speed form. Deoxys also appears in the episode Pokémon Ranger! Deoxys Crisis!, part of the ninth season, in which its Speed form was finally introduced. It's the third Pokémon to speak through Meowth to communicate with humans, the others being Tentacruel and Haunter.

In the Pokémon manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Deoxys is captured on the Sevii Islands by Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, and is used to fight Red, Green, Blue, and Mewtwo at the Trainer Tower, following Red's defeat to Deoxys in which all 6 of his Pokemon are now critically injured and are now on the brink of death (it nearly kills Mewtwo, as well). Giovanni's main purpose for catching Deoxys is to locate his son, Silver. In the manga incarnation, Deoxys can create mirages using aurora and create wormholes in addition to other abilities. Like in the video games, Deoxys's form is dependant on its location (in Kanto, it can only assume attack or defense form, while in Hoenn it can only use its normal or speed forms), however, it can be circumvented using the ruby and sapphires used to connect the PC systems of Kanto and Hoenn. Deoxys was also revealed to not initially be one of a kind. There were originally two Deoxys, which took etheral, insubstantial forms. However, the Deoxys seen in the manga managed to escape, and in the wild it took its solid state. The insubstantial Deoxys was used by Team Rocket until they captured the physical Deoxys, at which point it is hinted that Team Rocket killed the etheral Deoxys. Deoxys is later revealed by Yellow to share Red's DNA.

Deoxys and NASA
In early 2005, NASA began a cross-promotion with Nintendo and the Pokémon Company to provide an "edutainment" program to children across the United States by Internet, teaching the science behind various Pokémon characters as they appear in Trading Card Game expansions. In the first segment of the program, based on the newly-released EX: Deoxys Trading Card Game expansion, they used the character of Deoxys to teach children about outer space, anatomy of a virus, the meaning of DNA, the existence of the ozone layer, and a definition of an extraterrestrial. Since then the program has had two other segments covering the next two expansions: EX Emerald and EX Unseen Forces.

In the Pokémon Trading Card Game
Deoxys is featured prominently in the Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion named after it, EX Deoxys (Speed form in EX Emerald), represented in two cards each, with one of each pair of cards as an EX Pokémon:
 * Defense form
 * Normal form
 * Attack form
 * Speed form

All eight cards share the same Poké-Power, Form Change, which lets the player switch its current card form with another card form in a player's deck at any time during a player's turn.

Deoxys's four forms each make another appearance in the more recent EX Holon Phantoms set, continuing to carry the Form Change Poke-Power characteristics of the previous

Other appearances
In the Super Smash Bros. series of games, Poké Balls are an item used to randomly release a Pokémon with various effects, most commonly damaging opponent players. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Attack form of Deoxys will appear from Poké Balls, where it floats around until it uses Hyper Beam downwards.