Hello! Thanks for checking my post, please hear me out before you think or say anything.
TLDR: They are Suri Worm Finger mons that promote inclusivity in a place whose real world counterpart could use more of and it also shows off the gimmick of the region.
These guys are for my Fakémon region based on Peru, which is a beautifully diverse country in my opinion but unfortunately it has a non-insignificant Xenophobic part (the most relevant for this being some people in the capital against those up in the Andes looking for opportunities) so this line contrasts that by being super inclusive with each other. In Peru the most common way people divide the country is with the Coast at the west of the mountains, then the Mountains themselves and finally the Jungle at the east where the Amazon Rainforest is. How it would work in game is that you'd be able to find all 3 forms wherever you are in the region but depending on what part you're in some forms become rarer or more common than others.
Originally they were just finger fakemon (hence why they're Normal type and because my planned dex is a little short on those) since my first inspiration was finger-walking but then I realized they could be mixed with worms and I thought that was so good that even though I already had the 12 drawings needed for the line I decided to redesign all of them. It just took me a while because of life and stuff but now I can say I'm proud to call them Fakémon. They are about the size of Cutiefly and Ribombee and their whiskers are like the hairs on a finger.
They are Suri worms specifically, some people eat them like anticuchos after removing the insides and they are also known as Cocotero Worms. They grow up into Palm Weevils and they've been incorporated into Dedotero's design, the hoverboards meanwhile represent the thumb and are used like the Extreme Gear from Sonic Riders while also doubling as Chinese Finger Traps. Also they have face paint patterns inspired by how tribes in the Amazon do the same.
The gimmick of my region is infected forms, a virus apocalypse that mutates Pokémon that have been infected enough. Dedotero here gets the luxury of being the first one the player would encounter so I wanted to make it clear that this makes Pokémon mutate and grow up incorrectly, hence it missing features from its normal evolution. It does get the remaning fingers of the hand and in the Enfragity Form it gains a second pair, justified by how some Chinese deities were depicted as having 1000 arms (China and Peru do have some history together btw, it was really the extra pair idea that came first). Mirror Hand Syndrome is a real thing some people have that looks like it but the idea came before I was made aware of it and I wouldn't want to villanize stuff like that. Part of the game's story involves helping these infected Pokémon handle their changes and feel accepted.
And finally, their shinies are a reference to the Fugate Family's blue skin with the Enfragity Form having a fingerless glove kinda vibe going on. Sorry for dumping all this text on you and thanks for reading all the way, I'm a little nervous with the reception of these guys even though they're my favorite of the project. I'll link my Instagram where you can learn more stuff about them.
Hope you enjoyed!
by Boi-the-Bulbasaur