"Despite common belief among early researchers, and despite the homogenising effects of evolution into Marowak, there is no one Cubone species. Much like the reports of Kangaskhan orphans, it is apparent that many pokémon with this particular morphology will exhibit a particular trauma response to the loss of a family group at a certain age.

Key characteristics of this response - informally dubbed "Cubone Syndrome" - include adopting a deceased parent's skull and other bones as rudimentary armour and weapons, isolating oneself from secondary family groups, and the smearing of dirt or mud on the skin, sometimes in the form of patterned 'war paint'.

More peculiarly, as the orphaned pokémon ages, a number of morphological changes will ensue, though it is not known if this is a result of the trauma itself, or some other cause. Many physical attributes, that were not yet fully developed at the time of the trauma, will recede entirely; spines, claws, even a Charmander's tail-flame will extinguish. The pokémon's typing invariably shifts to ground, and the dermis shifts to more closely match the colour and texture of the applied dirt.

By the time the pokémon is old enough to trigger evolution, their traits will have harmonised to the point that only minor differences in physical structure remain, and the easiest way to intuit their original species is to examine their helmet."

I have been minorly Cubone-brained as of late, and had a thought that boiled down to: "What if the Kangaskhan is Cubone theory, but bigger?" This isn't a serious attempt at theorycrafting, obviously what we see in the games and shows doesn't at all match this concept, but I just thought it was neat!

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