SYNTHAN (AKA CYBERDOLL), the Customizable Pokegirl

SYNTHAN (AKA CYBERDOLL), the Customizable Pokegirl

Type: Near Human (Varies)
Element: Ghost/Steel (Tech)
Frequency: Uncommon
Diet: Omnivore
Role: Jill of all trades
Libido: Average
Strong Vs: Bug, Dragon, Ice, Magic, Poison, Psychic, Rock
Weak Vs: Dark, Electric, Fire, Ground
Attacks: Chain Whip, Energy Drain, Enlarge, Grand Illumination, Gut Punch, Reduce, Roar II, Vibro Palm, Vice Grip
Enhancements: Affinity (varies), Body Sculpting, Computer Interface, Deathsight, Enhanced Durability (x3), Enhanced Intelligence, Intuitive Aptitude (Analysis, Body Sculpting, Computers, Computer Interface, and Electronics)
Evolves: Video Girl (Networking Stress, or Dawn Stone)
Evolves From: None
Revised: November 2012

The time shortly after the Revenge War was one of trouble, worry, and constant fights for survival for humans and pokegirls alike. As leagues were born from the ashes of destroyed countries, those that had the means to do so immediately began to take stock of what, and who, had survived. One of the first things that was discovered was the greatly diminished human population that had managed to survive in their own ways, and had to eke out a living as best they could in a hostile world that now existed with human-like threats that could end their lives with little to no effort. The fact remained in the end that there were tragically few human females capable of reproduction compared to those who could not. And so, despite not knowing at the time that humans and pokegirls were compatible enough to interbreed and the chances for threshold, programs were initiated to research ways to further the chances of the human race's prolonged survival. After the fact that pokegirls and humans can interbreed was discovered, research into pokegirl genetics were deeply delved into.

Early attempts to create pokegirls by Indigo resulted in the NurseJoy, and within only a few short years the OfficerJenny and Maid Yvette breeds were brought into existence as well. Though publically touted as successes for the leagues' ingenuity and technical prowess in understanding Sukebe technology, they were, behind closed doors, merely testbeds. The NurseJoy was the prototype, the breed itself an attempt to make certain that the genetic manipulation devices and technologies worked not only in theory, but in practice as well. The OfficerJenny was designed to instill a certain code of conduct into the pokegirl's mind: Obedience. Their greatest achievement, though certainly not stated as such to the masses, was the Maid Yvette breed, which showed that a pokegirl could be created without a personality or sense of self that they could call their own.

With these breeds as successful stepping stones to draw data from over the coming years, research continued in several leagues into how to incorporate this knowledge into the ongoing efforts to keep the human race afloat. However, as more and more genetic material became available, researchers in various leagues eventually began their own programs to create a new pokegirl breed that could be utilized to help continue the legacy of the human race. It took fifty years or so, and joint projects between the leagues were off and on at best, but eventually the Synthan breed came into the world around 78 AS. Other names, such as 'Xuanwo' from the mainland of the Edo league and the 'Netadma' from Indigo were considered, but were rejected. Eventually, once the pokegirl became available to the public, they began to be called 'Cyberdoll' in numerous leagues, which is a name still utilized to this day.

Appearance-wise, the average Synthan is very close to human, though this can change as time goes on. Typically, however, the breed ranges the normal standards of human females, though their skin is tougher and more durable than a human's skin is. Their eyes and hair have a metallic sheen to them, however, and range outside the human norms and to most any given visible color on the spectrum that can be conceived. One main physical detail of the breed that remains no matter how much they change is a small horn on the forehead, which is roughly 5cm in length, which connects directly to the pokegirl's skull and to nerves that act to connect the horn directly to the brain. The horn is easily hidden by the pokegirl's hair, if she has any, which does nothing to impede the wireless capabilities that the horn imparts to the pokegirl breed. The pokegirl can even utilize the Reduce and Enlarge techniques to reduce herself to one-sixth her normal size and back again (but cannot actually use Enlarge from her normal size to become six times larger). This actually makes the breed, in their small form, excellent range extenders for wireless communication. However, though these features do make them stand out somewhat from human females and most other rather near human-looking pokegirl breeds, they pale in comparison to the Synthan's truly remarkable ability that was designed into them by those that created the breed.

The Synthan is a breed designed for ease of use by their tamers and owners, to be functional both in and out of battles. This attention to detail, as well as the knowledge that many pokegirls would simply overpower the Synthan in general, led the geneticists in charge of her DNA to create an intricate method of adaptation into the breed. Using the genetic material of other pokegirls while inside a pokeball, the Synthan can actually access parts of the programming of the pokeball while inside it, allowing the breed to alter their own code as well as that of the genetic material brought into the pokeball with them to gain features, or change parts, of their own body. It should be noted that the breed cannot access the pokeball's programming code to change the pokeball into something else, but this does give the breed a near-universal ability to escape a pokeball at will. The digitization process allows a connection between the Synthan's code and that of the genetic material brought into the pokeball with her, allowing the breed to absorb as much of the material as she may wish and to take it for her own. For example, a Synthan can physically appear to be exactly like a Sphinx, and yet, pokedex programs will still scan her as a Synthan. This 'Adaptation', as researchers call it, is more than simply fusing parts onto a pokegirl or stitching one together. Instead, the breed actually melds with the still-living genetic material she has at hand, though she is limited to only one particular genetic material to absorb at once. A Synthan could gain a tail from one pokegirl's genetic material, and wings from a completely different pokegirl- but each one must be done separately. It takes anywhere between six and forty-eight hours for the Synthan to absorb the genetic material (the more absorbed at once, the more time is required to meld with it). Upon emerging from the pokeball, the excess genetic material is released from the pokeball as a vapor. Though the pokegirl can change her body while inside a pokeball, she cannot obtain metamorphic abilities outside a pokeball from any genetic material that she may gain access to. The only known portion of the Synthan's body that cannot change dramatically is her brain and core nervous system. It should be noted that some Synthans gain an affinity for the main element of the breed(s) that she assimilates the most of, though none have ever been known to have more than one. It is uncertain that the pokegirl can have more than one, however, as attempts to change the affinity by having the Synthan adapt with another breed can actually alter the affinity instead. Researchers believe that the affinity will change, rather than become an additional one, upon Adaptation of another pokegirl.

There are, as one might suspect, drawbacks to their Adaptation abilities that go further than simply conservation of mass (where the pokegirl cannot gain more genetic material than is provided by what she brought in with her into her pokeball). The Synthan must attune to a pokeball before she can utilize her Adaptation ability, a process that requires roughly five to seven days on average that must be spent outside of her pokeball so she can re-train her new body's form. The breed, after altering her body, must take time to attune to her new body and for her nervous system to synchronize with her new parts or body shape, which can take anywhere between five days to two weeks, typically (again, the greater the changes, the more time is needed to get used to them). The final drawback is a result of the pokegirl's adaptation capability- unlike any other pokegirl breed, the Synthan's body and mind does not 'pause' while in a pokeball. That means that unlike other pokegirls, who when hurt or near death can simply be recalled into a pokeball to be healed later, the Synthan's wounds will continue to worsen and likely become fatal if left untreated when inside her pokeball. This is due to the way the pokegirl is attuned to her pokeball and is able to connect with the code of the storage device to utilize her adaptation abilities. Wounds in digital form will worsen in the form of the code of the wounds degrading into nothingness, and can expand beyond even minor wounds in physical form to become life-threatening as time passes. Fortunately, placing the pokegirl into deep-stasis (such as in a poke-pack) will 'pause' the pokegirl's mind and wounds, just like any other pokegirl in a pokeball.

The typical Synthan, in a battle, can do well if she fights strategically. However, the breed itself is not well equipped for battling before 'adapting' herself using salvaged materials. Though they do pick up on techniques quickly, their skills are mediocre at best but are typically capable of inflicting paralysis using several of their attacks. They are just as sub-standard in sex battles as well, which often leads tamers to go feral hunting just to increase their Synthan's combat capabilities to where she can hold her own. Though most tamers may not have realized it, this was a decision made by the geneticists involved in the creation of the breed. It is within a harem that the breed shines, though not at first. At first, the Synthan has no true personality or sense of self, much as the Maid Yvette breed lacks, though unlike that breed, the Synthan is capable of developing their own identity with socialization. This means that younger Synthan tend to be logical and cold, speaking little and wanting little to do with others in a physical capacity. However, with enough socialization and perhaps Adaptations, this early lack of personality is commonly lost and a much different personality, and identity in general, grows in its place. Once this occurs, the breed can become excellent leaders, and many become an Alpha or a Beta within a tamer's harem.

The breed is equally useful among pet owners, pokegirl hunters, and tradesmen. Their early cold-logical personality makes them excellent in working in various computer-related fields and factories, while also making them quite useful around the house as well. Some pet owners have even gone to call them Hand Maids, or in some places, Yvette II's, due to their methodical cleaning schedules and techniques. As they become more socialized, a Synthan's experience tends to gain more and more dominance over cold logic, which in turn influences their decisions. The effectiveness of their core logic personality vs. the experienced personality, however, varies per individual. And all this leads to the leagues' clandestine plan and intended role for the Synthan in general. Very few studies released ever show these numbers to the public, but the fact remains that the breed gives birth to more human babies and females that do not threshold than any other breed yet known. Roughly seventy-two percent of all babies born from a Synthan mother (always a pokewoman, just like all other pokegirl mothers of human children) result in a human, and eighty-five percent of these female children never threshold.

Feral Synthan are extremely rare due to the fact that the breed was created by humans, and their ease of use, capabilities, and adaptive qualities ensures a popularity that keeps most of them tamed in some manner. That is not to say that their feral state has never been documented, however. Ferals of the breed become completely prone and catatonic, much like the feral state of an Elf is. It is assumed by most tamers and researchers that this was built in deliberately by the geneticists (an assumption that is quite correct). Threshold cases are very rare, but known, and is a relatively simple and painless affair. The pokegirl-to-be will go into a catatonic state much like that of a feral case's for roughly ten hours as her body changes to match that of a basic Synthan. Threshold Synthan gain the core logical personality of a typical Synthan, though this is greatly tempered by the new pokegirl's old memories and experiences. Again, the effectiveness of that core logic personality against that of the pokegirl's own personality varies per individual.