Entry 10 – Pikipek
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Name (Unovan): Pikipek – "Picidae" (woodpecker family) and "peck"
Name (Kantonese): Tsutsukera – "tsutsuki" (pecking) and "keratsutsuki" (woodpecker)
Dex Number: 010
Classification: Avian, Woodpecker Pokemon
Species: Rhamphacavas picoides – "woodpecker-like hollow beak"
Primary Type: Normal. It is not known why all Flying-types that would ordinarily be classified as having no other elemental affiliation also share characteristics of Normal-types. It is thought that none of them possess a great enough control over the air itself to be considered solely Flying-types, hence the existence of a primary Normal-type classification to compensate.
Secondary Type: Flying. Even fliers that have a primary type other than Normal almost always show insufficient natural qualities that doom them to being classified secondarily as Flying-types. Pikipek relies entirely on pecking attacks as its Flying-type repertoire, and doesn't show any sign of wind manipulation at all (offensively, at least).
Overall Description: A common sight in the skies over Alola's islands, Pikipek is a diminutive bird that makes its home in gardens and thick forests around the region. Clad in primarily black feathers all over its tiny form, Pikipek also sports white plumage around its face and breast. Its head sports a bright red tuft, the only spot of color on its otherwise monochromatic body. Uniquely among avian Pokemon, its beak is conical in shape and its toes are arranged in a configuration biologists refer to as "zygodactyl", meaning that two of its toes point forward while the other two point backward.
Pikipek's beak is a multipurpose marvel of nature. Its most famous behavior is drilling holes in trees, producing an incredibly loud drumming or hammering noise. It does this for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which are as follows – hunting for food and nest-building. Solitary Pikipek sustain themselves mostly on insects and build their nests through the excavation of cavities in the bark. Their beaks are also as hard as steel and extremely effective weapons, and with enough force applied, a small Pikipek is able to shatter rocks with a single peck.
Because Pikipek are communal breeders that flock together during the breeding season, they use their beaks for one other purpose at this time of year. The conical structure is well-suited for threading through tangles of vines, which they weave together to build enormous spider web-like structures upon which they raise their young.
It should not come as any surprise to learn that Pikipek depends almost solely on vision in its day-to-day life. Its wide blue eyes grant it extraordinarily good visual precision in its forest home – it can't pick out objects over long distances, like the Staraptor or Pidgeot families, but it can focus in on tiny objects in a cluttered environment, which is crucial for such a small bird in a dense forest. This also explains its shocking crimson crest – since Pikipek does not have a strong voice, it cannot rely on song to communicate with other birds, and so it uses its tuft for visual communication with others. The tuft can be used either to signal its comrades (when part of a flock) or warn others away from its territory (when solitary).
Visual communication, though, is not always reliable, especially over long distances. This is yet another reason for Pikipek's drumming behavior. The loud rapping notes it jackhammers into the bark of trees while hunting for bugs serves to advertise its location to other Pikipek. Careful studies done on the frequency and speed of Pikipek drumming (see cited articles, too numerous to list here) show that its rhythm actually contains information about its mood, health, any predators in the area, and more, which other Pikipek can listen in and act on accordingly.
Personality: Pikipek distinguishes itself from common bird Pokemon in other regions by being bolder and more curious. You won't find it inhabiting towns and cities as prolifically as Pidgey or Starly – and especially not Pidove, the definitive "city bird" – but despite it not being as familiar with humans as they are, this inhabitant of Alolan forests is an intensely curious Pokemon that rarely shows fear except around its natural predators. This Normal-and-Flying-type is similar to most other common avian Pokemon in that it is comfortable living around humans, but not so much that it won't react adversely to their immediate presence. They're bold enough to visit bird feeders and parks and will only fly away if they sense something approaching them, and so they make themselves known to people quite often.
Pikipek's curiosity is shown best in its inherent love of shiny things. It toys with such things whenever it finds them, pecking at them and moving them around with seemingly no purpose in mind, and will even fly off with them to store in its nest if it takes a particular shine (no pun intended) to them. Unlike Murkrow, which are always found in large groups and are aggressive enough to rob people of their valuables, Pikipek will opportunistically snatch any dropped item that catch their interest. It often takes these objects of fascination back to its nest, which it stores alongside excess food.
Habitat: Pikipek and its family are found on every island, where they occur in abundance apart from Ula'ula. Except for the more urbanized areas, Pikipek can readily be found in almost any environment. Single individuals only need a small grove of trees to call home, so they can be sighted even in your own backyard provided you live in a rural area.
Despite how common these birds are, however, it is true that they prefer the denser forests to other locales, and flocks tend to gather only in these areas to raise their young. Outside of breeding season, each Pikipek separates from the flock to claim a small territory of its own. A Pikipek defends its territory by rapidly pecking at a tree, using the resulting rapping sound to announce its presence to any that might otherwise want to move in. The best Pikipek territories contain fallen trees, which are hotly contested over. A decomposing log is both a great source of insect food and serves as an excellent resonating chamber to broadcast territorial announcements far and wide.
Diet: Like most small birds, the Woodpecker Pokemon feeds on a balanced selection of nuts, fruits, and insects. Berries are easy enough for it to find and eat, but the other parts of its diet require its multipurpose beak to acquire. Even the hardest nuts are drilled into and cracked open by its relentless hammering, while bugs that try and take refuge under tree bark are easily exposed by Pikipek's industrious efforts.
Pikipek will also go after Bug-type Pokemon, and is absolutely vicious when it attacks them. Larval Pokemon like Caterpie and Grubbin are incredibly plump and succulent, which – despite being almost the same size as this tiny bird – provide a veritable bounty of food and have no exoskeleton to defend against Pikipek's razor-sharp beak. Even Metapod are vulnerable to attack by Pikipek, although they ultimately don't provide much of a meal.
(Given that Metapod is able to harden its shell to the likeness of steel, it's probably a good thing for us that Pikipek doesn't hunt anything larger than that.)
Relationship with Humans: Pikipek are numerous and one of the most frequently sighted Pokemon in Alola, so people are well aware of them. Like most common Pokemon, people tend to ignore Pikipek for the most part, but it can be a bit of a nuisance for farmers, since it dines on berries. However, fields of produce that find themselves under siege from marauding Bug-type Pokemon or swarms of insects will enthusiastically welcome this bug-eater.
Pikipek can also make a nuisance of itself because of its fascination with shiny objects. This can be a huge pain for anyone that loses their valuables – anyone you meet with a negative opinion of Pikipek is most likely someone who once lost something important and found that it had been scavenged by one of these birds. An Alolan proverb states "Something lost or something missed, check within the Pikipek nest", although this advice is rarely followed nowadays. Most people don't want to go through the trouble of searching a forest for one Pikipek hole, especially when so many objects are easily replaceable in today's materialistic age.
Interestingly, Trainers that spend enough time with this Pokemon are able to pick up on its current mood based on the speed and frequency of its constant pecking. There hasn't been much conclusive research on how the connection is formed or how long it takes, but studies show that these Trainers nonetheless have a better understanding of their Pikipek partners than anyone else. Of course, it's long been known that Trainers quickly become familiar with the species of Pokemon they train, but being able to distinguish between different patterns of Pikipek pecking as a guide for what it's feeling is a particularly impressive feat.
Battle Prowess: Pikipek is frail defensively, but packs remarkable offenses for something so small. Its main offensive moves are Peck and Rock Smash, but some individuals come with the innate knowledge of powerful attacks such as Brave Bird. Being small and maneuverable fliers, they are tricky to battle due to being so hard to hit. Pikipek also shows an affinity for sound-based moves like Supersonic, Echoed Voice, and even Boomburst, which become far more developed in its following Trumbeak stage.
Ability-wise, Pikipek can come with Keen Eye and Skill Link. While Skill Link admittedly is useless to Pikipek until it evolves, Keen Eye is a great ability for any Pokemon and is common amongst Flying-types.
Many, many Pikipek Trainers teach their Pokemon Brick Break. It is a rare skill for avian Pokemon to learn, relatively easy to teach, and helps defend against nasty Rock-types.
Affection: Perhaps it is not as naturally friendly towards people as, say, traditional Starter Pokemon, but Pikipek is perfectly capable of forming a bond with its Trainer. It will engage in typical avian behaviors as nuzzling against its Trainer, pecking lightly at their fingers and other extremities, and attempting to preen them.
During the breeding season, Pikipek gather in large flocks, often the same flocks year after year. They don't do this to breed themselves, however – Pikipek, as it turns out, is a communally-breeding Pokemon, which means a large family group will pitch in to raise the offspring of a central breeding pair. By using their beaks (is there nothing it can't do?), Pikipek flocks work together to weave enormous nests out of vines for a Toucannon matriarch (see Toucannon entry for more details). Pikipek itself is too young to breed, but instead of sitting through the season and letting that time go to waste like other juvenile birds, they actively help out their parents or close relatives raise a new generation of Pikipek hatchlings. In the past, it was theorized that Pikipek actually lacked reproductive organs, similar to Combee, since it takes on a purely worker-like role in comparison to Trumbeak and Toucannon.
On rare occasions, one will see a Rowlet working closely with a communal group of Pikipek. This happens when a Rowlet egg somehow finds itself in the resident Toucannon's nest, which won't happen often, but still more often than you'd think. The foreign hatchling, despite it not being from the same family, pitches in and does its share of work before it flies off to spend the rest of its life alone. This phenomenon will be explained further in the Toucannon entry.
Because of its social nature, Pikipek has no problems functioning on an average-sized team of Pokemon and, if they allow it, it will act just as affectionately towards its teammates as it does for its Trainer. It will also increase the amount of tree-hammering it normally does as an attempt to communicate with those closest to it, which is perfectly reasonable considering that it uses its percussive signals in the wild to communicate over long distances with its flock. In other words, a Pikipek that grows close to its Trainer and its team will start to see them as part of its family.
Special Warnings: Mind the beak.
Professor Kukui's Words: "A little bird with an unconventional fighting style, Pikipek comes packing tons of surprises for those that train them. It's easy to give it an Attack Order or two to win a battle quickly, but don't drag things out – it just doesn't have the defenses to Endure longer battles."
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AN:
Probably the best "early-game bird" in my opinion, competing with Pidove for the top spot. It's so cute!
Definitely took some inspiration from the anime in this chapter. Pikipek is shown to be a communal breeder in SM, with a whole family banding together to feed the nestlings. Additionally, they nest in large tangles of vines, and not tree holes. All in all, my interpretation of Pikipek takes inspiration from woodpeckers, African weavers, and scrub-jays.
Pikipek: "Piki, pek pikipikipek! Leave some reviews for us, please!"
