Cryptic Pokémon

As I've noted in my post about Pokémon Picross, I've read puzzle periodicals like GAMES World of Puzzles. Besides Picross/Paint by Numbers, these periodicals contain many puzzle types, many of which are word puzzles like crosswords. One of the possible featured types of crosswords is the cryptic crossword, which is among the hardest types because their clues are obfuscated. However, I do have some grasp of these clues, can solve them, and can even apply them to Pokémon - that is to say, make clues that involve it.

Aside from what are called "pure cryptic" clues, many cryptic crossword clues work by providing a definition/description about the word as with a typical crossword clue, as well as wordplay that concerns the word. Here are seven examples that illustrate how they work using (English name) Pokémon examples, one from each currently known generation:

Bug-type Pokémon serve fruit dessert (8)

The answer is Caterpie. Caterpie is a Bug-type Pokémon, hence the definition. The wordplay here is charades: "serve" is "cater", and "fruit dessert" is "pie", and they describe the word by its spelling.

Long for company as conifer fruit (6)

The answer is Pineco. The wordplay involves another instance of charades as "long for" is "pine" (grieve) and "company" indicates the abbreviation "co.", which taken together becomes the Pokémon described as looking like a fruit of conifers (that is, pine trees). It's important to note that complex clues may involve the use of more than one form of wordplay, which make these extremely challenging.

It can stomach plug-in arrangement (6)

The answer is Gulpin. Gulpin has the species description of Stomach Pokémon, which means it can stomach (digest) things. Here the wordplay is anagram: "arrangement" is a cue word that something has to be scrambled, which happens to be the two hyphenated words before it ("plug-in"), yielding the Pokémon.

Electrical device in reverse has multiple forms (5)

The answer is Rotom. Aside from anagrams, cue words may indicate reversals, which simply has words read backwards, here being "in reverse" for "electrical device". One electrical device is a "motor", which when reversed leads to the Pokémon, which indeed has multiple forms.

Group frames ship head and evolves by trade (7)

The answer is Shelmet. This clue contains a container/content wordplay, where the word "set" ("group") is to contain or "frame" the word "helm" ("ship head") in the manner of "s-helm-et", hinting at the Pokémon whose evolution process in the main series involves a trade.

A young goat in what this kid does (6)

The answer is Skiddo. Look closely: "what this kid does" contains the letters of the Pokémon name, in sequence; this is wordplay by hidden words (indicated by "in"). Skiddo is the Pokémon that precedes and evolves to Gogoat, hence the description.

Third-stage fruit speaking of Russian female ruler (8)

The answer is Tsareena. Tsareena is the third in the evolution line of Bounsweet and Steenee, and they all look like a fruit (the mangosteen). A "Russian female ruler" is a "tsarina" (also spelled "czarina"), and this is phonologically equivalent to how the Pokémon is pronounced; the wordplay involved is homophones, as indicated by "speaking of".

There are a couple of other mechanisms by way cryptic clues may be delivered, but these seven are representative of many clues. And I'm only a relatively amateur solver and clue maker in regard to cryptic crosswords, so I can only manage simple clues like these; someone who is a total expert should be able to solve and may contrive rather complicated clues. Furthermore, the use of Pokémon may be limiting, as in the cases above, the definitions or descriptions may immediately be known, especially to those who are Pokémon fans as I am.

Nevertheless, it may be possible to fully set a cryptic crossword with a Pokémon theme, if these clues are any indication. For those who understand the clues as well as Pokémon well enough, such a puzzle may be of interest. It should make for quite a challenge, as if these puzzles aren't already hard enough. I already have some spirit for cryptic crossword puzzles, and perhaps will be more so if Pokémon can be included.

One year ago: Two Games at Once?
Two years ago: Cosplay: Japan LovEvolution Vol. 2 - Kaizen