Pouks

"You’re a Piraka, also our sworn enemy. Why don’t we kill you? Because we need you, serpent – and we may well need him too."

- Pouks to Zaktan, Dwellers In Darkness

Pouks was the Toa Hagah of Stone and formerly one of the six Rahaga.

Toa
Little is known of Pouks's life before his recruitment into the Toa Hagah. What has been confirmed, however, was that he was active as a Toa for quite some time beforehand, operating as a member of another Toa team. Whether or not Pouks was this team's leader has not been revealed. When the Brotherhood of Makuta decided that Makuta Teridax needed Toa bodyguards, Pouks was selected as representative Toa of Stone. He was endowed with metallic armor to indicate his status as an elite Toa and his former teammates presented him with his current Kanohi as a badge of honor.

Toa Pouks became a member of the Toa Hagah, six elite Toa who served the Brotherhood of Makuta. Pouks's new Toa team performed this task well and protected Teridax from such threats as Rahi intrusions. Later however, the Toa Hagah discovered that the Brotherhood was actually enslaving and oppressing Matoran. The Toa Hagah then raided the Brotherhood of Makuta fortress. In the process, all except for Norik and Iruini were captured. Pouks and the other three Toa were then mutated by Roodaka into the Rahaga. They were eventually rescued by Norik and Iruini, who were also mutated into Rahaga at the hands of Roodaka.

Rahaga
After their mutation, Pouks and his friends traveled Metru Nui.

When the Toa Metru were mutated into Toa Hordika and their cocoons dropped, the Rahaga saved the Toa Metru at the last moment. They then told the Toa how to revert themselves to their original forms. Understanding something about bestial appearances, the Rahaga were able to connect with the Toa Hordika, and teach them about their inner darkness.

The Rahaga, minus Norik, were later captured by Vakama after he gave in to his inner Rahi. They were later saved and participated in the battle for Metru Nui. Afterward, they helped the Toa Metru place Matoran Spheres onto their airships.

In the 1,000 years that the Toa Metru were gone, the Rahaga, Dume, and Keetongu began to rebuild the city. Eventually, a Visorak hoard arrived in the city, but were defeated by the eight.

They later welcomed the Toa Metru, now Turaga, and the Matoran back to Metru Nui.

Hunt for Teridax
After they were transformed back into Toa Hagah, Pouks and the others were keeping watch over Roodaka and, despite their mutual hatred, protecting her island from being destroyed by the battle between the Kanohi Dragon and the Tahtorak.

The Toa Hagah had been fighting the Tahtorak and the Kanohi Dargon when Toa Gaaki used her Kanohi Mask of Clairvoyance to see that there were hundreds of "Seekers of Shadow" (Dark Hunters). Iruini soon found out that The Shadowed One was on the flagship. Toa Helryx, leader of the Order of Mata Nui soon arrived, flanked by a warrior in golden armor (Botar's replacement) and a four armed giant with two long horns coming out of his head. She nodded and the golden warrior vanished. He reappeared an instant later with the other five members of the Toa Hagah in tow. Toa Helryx requests them to perform a mission. The Order of Mata Nui would be mounting an attack on the Brotherhood of Makuta, but their leader eludes them. Their best information tells them that Teridax was last seen in the Pit in a Maxilos robot. Toa Herlyx gives them a guide - Zaktan. All of the Toa Hagah nod their heads except Toa Gaaki, who sees a premonition of death.

The Toa Hagah hoped that their return to Metru Nui would be a happy one. However, news of their most important building's impending destruction made the Toa Mahri attack them. After the two sides created a truce, Pouks, Hewkii, Norik, and Jaller then used their powers to carve a tunnel through the ground beneath the Coliseum while Bomonga, Kualus and Hewkii lifted the huge structure.

While underground, the team came across a inscription on the wall in a dialect which none of them could read. Pouks suddenly brought on the fact that their mission had been going well, only for the first trap to spring. The Hagah were magnetically forced to the ceiling, while molten Protodermis rushed down to destroy them.

They were saved by Makuta Miserix who, in his quest to kill Teridax, found them. Then, Miserix teleported the Toa Hagah and Zaktan into another chamber. While the other Hagah talked to Miserix, Pouks attempted copying the Makuta's power, although he was slashed across the face by the dragon, who claimed he 'didn't like being imitated'. After a while they found across a room filled with machinery, and two corpses. Miserix tore off a section of one of the corpse's armor, and found out that it was not made of Protodermis. Suddenly a portal opened and Helryx and Keetongu emerged, while Axonn and Brutaka emerged from another portal. After Zaktan was killed by Teridax (by fragmentation), Brutaka's mask shattered by a blast of energy, Brutaka revealed that they were inside the brain of the Great Spirit. Miserix was then transformed into an image in the room by Teridax, while the Hagah were hit with a wave of mental energy that would make them see only happiness and peace in everything, even when others were in peril.

Reign of Shadows
When Tren Krom arrived in Metru Nui he broke the mental illusion in the minds of the Toa Hagah. He later escaped the Matoran Universe after Teridax was killed and is now living on Spherus Magna. After Kopaka spoke with Toa Gaaki, the Toa Team went in search of the Toa Mahri, who had fallen under the influence of a strange gold being.

Dark Mirror
Pouks and and Gaaki helped kill Brutaka by distracting him so that Bomonga could hit him from behind.

Abilities and Traits
As a Toa of Stone, Pouks could create and absorb stone. This also gave him the ability to control stone, and create landslides. These abilities were lost when he was turned into a Rahaga, but he has since regained his powers.

Pouks was loud and boisterous, and he believed in plain speaking and taking direct action rather than sneaking around. He specialized in capturing the largest terestrial Rahi. He truly loved the massive beasts and could teach others how to befriend them.

Tools
As a Toa Hagah, Pouks had an Avalanche Spear to channel his Stone powers and a Rhotuka Launching Shield. He also wore a Great Mask of Emulation.

As a Rahaga, Pouks could leave an invisible mark on the Rahi with his staff so they could be tracked later. His Rhotuka was his bolo spinner, which could entangle Rahi in bonds of energy to bring them down.

Set Information

 * Pouks was released in 2005. His set number was 4869 and had 28 pieces.

Trivia

 * Pouks was one of the only two Rahaga not to speak in Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows, the other being Kualus.
 * The canon appearances of Toa Hagah Pouks, Bomonga, Gaaki, and Kualus were drawn by Specter-L and won TTV Message Boards' Canon Contest #3: Honor Guard. Kodiak built a model of Pouks that won the first part of the contest and was used as a basis for Pouks' appearance. The model wears a 3D-printed Kakama designed by Galva_Nize.