Pearly Whites

Glossy/Deception/Warmth
Her smile, the traitor
Brilliant and clean, the treasure they chase after

No value to her, though
Like marbles clicking together in her mouth
Spits more than she chews

Deplored/Ignored/Lesser
Worth no wider than the space between her fingers
Seen no greater than the inch they part

She thinks to tape her mouth shut
Just to hide completely
But she does not

Elusive/Lonely/Gone
Dentin in her palm
Worth their weight in gold to the world

Pearly whites men mistake for the gates into heaven
To her, nothing more than teeth in her gums
Wishing her smile had no effect at all

Shellder, the Bivalve Pokémon

“Like the hooves of the Ponyta line, the shells of a Shellder are incredibly sturdy, surpassing the hardness of even diamonds. Though they are small and weaker than most Pokémon, Shellder’s shells can withstand most attacks from opponents and predators, which does nothing more than rattle the softer, tender interior of the Shellder’s body. Once upon a time, shells of deceased Shellder were reused as shields and armor in battle, depicted by artwork that shows that this form of the Pokémon has existed for centuries unchanged even through vastly changing ecosystems. Their most vulnerable point of the Pokémon’s tongue, large and constantly left sticking out because they cannot retract it into their bodies. If attacks target their tongues, Shellder are paralyzed with pain and left vulnerable for their enemies to get in a deciding blow.”

“But their bodies serve more purposes beyond just their defensive means. Thanks to their enormous length and great dexterity, Shellder use their tongues to dig through the sands of seabeds to make holes, either to sleep in late at night or to hide in wait to catch prey swimming by with their tongue. When outrunning predators in water, Shellder flap their shells like fins to propel themselves backwards at impressively fast speeds. And their interior bodies can reform sand into pearls as it gets kicked between their bivalves and mixes with the internal fluids excreting from their soft flesh.”

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