1. INTELLIGENCE

Our greatest advantage over the undead is our ability to think. The mental capacity of a zombie could be compared to that of a mindless parasite. Zombies are incapable of employing reason or logic, as the process of trial and error has been lost to them. The undead are instinct-driven killing machines that are impervious to learning, and can only be destroyed.

2. EMOTION

Zombies lack the ability to feel, both emotionally and physically. These monsters are no longer living, and thus do not think like the living. Joy, despair, anxiety, fear, hatred-- all of these feelings are useless to the undead. Any attempts made to evoke an emotional response from a zombie have ended in disaster. Zombies do not retain memories and will not hesitate to consume the flesh of a loved one from their past life.

3. COMMUNICATION

The undead do not have language skills. While their vocal chords still function, their brains cannot register speech patterns. Their vocal abilities can range from low moans to rattling cries, depending on the zombie itself and how close it is to its prey. These eerie moans can serve as a rallying cry for nearby zombies, oftentimes resulting in a wandering horde.

4. PHYSICAL NEEDS

The zombie is a completely self-sufficient organism. Other than hunger, the undead show no signs of having any other wants or needs. They do not sleep, scout for shelter, or search for drinking water. Thirst is unknown to these beasts. The main reason zombies tend to congregate in urban areas is due to the higher concentration of prey compared to that of the rural countryside. Zombies are completely impervious to injury, and will continue to roam even if they are falling apart.

5. HUNTING

Zombies do not have a concept of home, and will travel miles in their search of food. Their hunting patterns are random with no calculations to be drawn from. They will feed day and night, stumbling through areas without searching. They are completely unaware of their surroundings, only mindlessly shuffling until there is prey that they can lock on to. Once detected, the undead will hone in on its victims precise location, and cannot be distracted by any means. They will continue to go after their pray, stopping only if they lose contact, successfully feed, or are killed.

6. SOCIAL DYNAMICS

Zombies have no social organization to speak of. A horde, no matter the size, is simply a mass of individuals rather than a collective. They are drawn by their own instinct, and appear to be completely unaware of each other, making no attempt to connect or communicate. It is possible for zombies to attack each other if there is shared prey, but this does not apply to all cases. While zombies do form hordes from rallying calls, the verbal detection of prey is a completely instinctive reaction, not a conscious alert.

While scouting for the undead, pay close attention to the following features to properly identify it:

• Lethargic behavior

• Glossed over "milky" eyes

• Unnatural walking patterns (stumbling, shuffling, etc)

• Guttural noises and low moans

• Impervious to fatal wounds

• No response to spoken word except for targeted aggression

• Visible bite marks

• Tinted skin and visible veins

• Black blood originating from any orifices

While destroying a zombie may seem simple in nature, it is far from easy.

Since zombies don't require any of the physiological functions we need to survive, severe damage of the circulatory, digestive, or respiratory systems would do nothing to stop them. These functions are no longer supported by the brain which is the "control center" for the undead. Simply put, there is only one way to effectively kill a zombie: the brain must be annihilated at all costs.

The timetable below roughly outlines the process of an infected Pokemon, give or take several hours depending on the individual and how/where they were infected. For reference, someone directly bitten near the heart/brain will turn within mere hours. There are also differences in the process dependent on the type of the victim. The usual time it takes for someone to fully turn is 24 hours, but this can be prolonged by a variety of factors.

Hour 1. You have just been infected. If you were bitten on a limb, that limb may be severed within the first hour to stop the spread of the infection. Beyond that, it is too late.

Pain and discolored rashes of the infected area, immediate clotting of the wound, body aches

Hour 5. Flu-like symptoms begin to set in. It is difficult to stay awake, and you find that you are struggling to communicate properly.

Discolored rash spreading across veins in a spider-web like pattern, fever, chills, slight dementia, vomiting, acute pain in the joints

Hour 8. At this point, you know that you are dying. The living world around you grows more confusing, and you can no longer keep food or water down.

Infected area along with fingers and toes become numb, increased fever, increased dementia, full-body chills, loss of muscular coordination

Hour 11. Your body is failing you. The most you can do at this point is mutter a jumble of words.

Paralysis in the lower body, overall numbness, slowed heart rate, burning fever, loss of identity

Hour 16. You are almost there.

Coma

Hour 20. You are dead.

Heart stoppage, rigor mortis, zero brain activity

Hour 23. You have fully turned.

Reanimation
No further research known.