Furfrou
Normal
1 male/1 female
In lands of bogs, swamps, and rivers, Furfrou stands as one of the most popular Pokémon. The only reason the League does not list them on the starter list is that they do not have the learning curve associated with Evolution.
Description
Furfrou is a canine. Exact pedigree influences size, but on average they reach waist height. The most obvious distinction of these dogs is the large fluffy coat of fur, usually white. The fur may look silly, especially if styled, but it serves practical purposes. Styled right, it protects against cold, increases buoyancy in marshy or wet terrain, and aids in swimming. The Fur Coat is fluffy enough to reduce damage from some moves, like a suit of natural armor.
Battle Characteristics
In order from least to greatest: medium Toughness, then Power, then moderate Constitution, moderate-high Strength, high Power, and very high Speed.
The natural move pool of this Pokémon is fairly shallow and mostly Normal. Training and TMs offer a wider list, but more importantly, offers more than twice the number of moves available naturally.
Legends/Folklore
History lesson. Humans are endurance predators. Instead of taking prey down in one swift fight, they inflict injuries and then pursue the prey for hours, if not days. Canines also hunt this way. The partnership between humans and canines has thus existed for many millennia. Furfrou is the result of thousands of years of natural selection where the environmental pressure was 'what is most useful to humans' and similar issues. They are adapted to wetter environments than the Lillipup and Arcanine lines, and are easier to manage than Lycanroc, Houndoom, and Mighyena. Wild Furfrou only exist because natural disasters wiped out human populations, but the dogs survived and live wild.
In the history of some regions, the concept of wergild exists. This is the blood price owed for murder. A killer could get found out and pay off the family to avoid being stoned, put in stocks, or otherwise punished. A chief or master craftsman would have a higher wergild than a humble baker or farmer. In these lands, it was not unheard of for a family's Furfrou to have a higher wergild than many human members of the family. In fact, the only people with higher wergild prices were chiefs/jarls, master craftsmen, mystics, and priests. Ninety percent of the human population had lower wergilds than their pets. Being an aid in hunting, warm for snuggling on cold winter nights, helpful in herding, good with kids, and able to kill vermin gets that sort of value. These dogs were worth their weight in gold.
The moves Sunny Day and Rain Dance became additions to Furfrou's moves specifically to help farms.
Furfrou were the personal guards of Kalosian royalty.
Furfrou is a Working Class domesticated Pokémon. This means that they were bred by humans, to work with humans. They can hunt, guard, act as service dogs, help fire fighters and other rescue operations, track criminals, and more. They are the smartest dogs in the world, narrowly beating out Stoutland for that title.
The number of heroic stories associated with these canines is incalculable. Every year, more stories of these fuzz balls helping out humans or other Pokémon in times of need emerge.
Life Cycle/Evolution Conditions
Furfrou is independent at a year old. Before that, it is still too young for real training, and it needs soft foods or milk for the first six months. Furfrou, due to the ages of cooperation, has lifespans comparable to humans.
Diet
Meat. They are carnivores, and fruit is only an occasional part of their diets.
Breeding
Field Group. Furfrou goes into heat every month or two, but will not produce more puppies as long as she has puppies. Eggs are laid in clutches of four to eight. Standard prices are about 20,000P because the supply is plentiful.
Due to how intelligent Furfrou is, the mother and possibly father (if also a Furfrou) will teach the puppies some tricks of the trade. So, a Furfrou born of parents that were both guard dogs will be a good guard. These pedigree Furfrou can cost as much as four times the price of a general breed or egg.
Wild Behavior/Threat Level
Again, not natural in the wild. The only wild populations exist because disaster separated them from humans and they survived. Over ninety percent of Furfrou live with humans.
The feral Furfrou are not dangerous to humans. Fairly friendly in fact. At the worst they will guide a human out of their territory, at best may ask to come along.
Bonding and Care
Love them, feed them, and play with them.
Furfrou run the gamut of personalities. Some are slightly prissy and fussy, loving the grooming and fashion. Others happily gambol across swamps, hunting for Deerling.
Human/Pokémon Relations
Very positive. They like humans and humans like them. They are used as service dogs, helping the disabled or sick or those in need of therapy.
If a trainer is having trouble with a Furfrou, report it to the authorities. Over ninety percent of such cases involve the human being involved in crime.
With Family
Gentile with children and accepting of spouses. They can be trusted to watch over young children, even infants.
Team Compatibility
Little risk of being eaten unless a large dragon or similar predator is on the team. They are smart enough that they will rarely eat team members. If they do, that team member was plotting against the team.
Warning
A small percentage of the human population is allergic to them.
Summary
One of mankind's best friends and longest alies.