Talonflame (Fletchling, Fletchinder)
Peregrinator perigrinator seward
Overview
Talonflame have long been revered as fearsome aerial warriors capable of standing up to aggressors many times their size. They have been associated with heroism, royalty, and even the gods.
Their reputation comes for good reason. Talonflame have been known to attack salamence that come too close to their nest and even successfully hunt bluewing noivern in midair. Just their shape in a window is enough to deter many birds from coming near.
Talonflame have been problematic for Alolan ecology since their introduction by bird specialists in 1831. They are very good at preying on birds in midair while raticate would finish them off on the ground. When DDT and poaching decimated their population many conservationists advocated against bringing them back from the brink. In the end they did not receive nearly as robust of protections as Alola's other raptors. Today their population is confined to Wela National Park.
Talonflame are the rare pokémon that are reasonably easy to care for, capable of holding their own to the end of the island challenge and beyond, and have a reasonable temperament. They are an excellent introductory raptor and fire-type.
Physiology
Fletchling are classified as dual normal and flying types. They are not yet capable of controlled flame generation and normal is the usual placeholder secondary type for birds that do not qualify for an additional secondary typing. Fletchinder and talonflame are classified as dual fire- and flying-types.
Fletchling are small raptors. Most of their feathers are slate grey. The wingtips and a horizontal band midway down the tail are white. The feathers on their head are a rusty brown color. Their chirps are very loud for their size and usually consist of one note repeated at progressively lower volumes.
Fletchling's most interesting adaptation is their highly variable body temperature. Their resting body temperature is incredibly low for a bird at around eighty degrees Fahrenheit. They can increase this temperature by a further eighty degrees within one minute of their body being flooded with adrenaline. This surge can make them painful to touch. Adrenaline surges also change their disposition from relatively sedentary, calm birds into incredibly aggressive predators. Fletchling can only sustain these internal temperatures for three minutes at a time before their adrenaline surge ends and their internal temperatures plummet. The proto-flame sac is not yet developed enough to maintain high temperatures indefinitely. In fletchinder, talonflame, and many fire-types with superheated blood, most organs have their own internal circulatory systems that obtain oxygen from the main bloodstream and diffuse it to cooler blood to distribute within the organ. The barrier is lifted when temperatures settle to safer levels. The insulating membranes and secondary circulatory systems are not yet fully developed in fletchling, meaning sustained high temperatures would be dangerous if they were possible.
Fletchinder have rusty feathers covering their entire back. Grey feathers still cover the stomach and yellow feathers cover the underwings. The tailfeathers now have multiple white bands. Fletchinder gain more of these bands as they molt and regrow their feathers.
Fletchinder's flame sac operates as both a boiler that heats the blood and releases stores of adrenaline and a means of generating flames. The flame sac rests beneath the stomach. It is connected by vent tisssues to flame glands on the wings, beak and above the talons. Their feathers are fire-resistant and have long been used in firefighting gear or in the ceremonial clothing of fire specialists or the priests of fire and sun gods.
Talonflame have grey feathers on their stomach and underwings mixed in with small patches of rusty feathers. They are more countershaded than fletchinder as they soar before hunting. Their plumage is designed to resemble sunlight breaking through a cloudy sky when seen from below. The stripes on the tailfeathers are now yellow on top.
Talonflame are built for their stoops, during which they can reach speeds of nearly three hundred miles per hour before abruptly evening out to strike their prey. Their eyes have nictitating membranes on the eyes to keep them from being blinded when flying into particulate matter at high speeds. Their beak contains a pattern of tubercules and nares designed to allow them to breathe at high velocities.
Talonflame can use their combination of aerokinesis and pyrokinesis to create thermals of hot air to ride on. This lets them gain elevation faster than almost any other bird with minimal effort. It also lets them manipulate the air to allow them to lift things in their talons far heavier than they are. A captive specimen once picked up and carried their trainer who weighed approximately two hundred and twenty pounds.
Females are almost always larger and possess duller feathers than males.
Fletchling can live ten years in the wild and captivity without evolving. Talonflame can weigh up to twenty pounds. Their captive and wild lifespans are approximately thirty years.
Behavior
Fletchling live in loose-knit conflagrations of five to five hundred. They do not coordinate hunts, only group defenses against any birds that compete with them for food. They have been known to stage city-wide 'wars' with other bird species in times of scarcity. The birds primarily use their chirp as a warning for the rest of the conflagration. Other messages are communicated through subtle shifts of the tailfeathers and wings.
Fletchling are primarily insectivores. They will also happily eat anything small enough to fit in their beak. They sit motionless on their perch for hours, abruptly swoop down and snag a bug or very small mammal or reptile, and then return to their perch to begin the cycle anew.
Most stages of the line have adapted well to human environments. Farms are excellent hunting grounds fletchling. Talonflame often nest on cathedrals or skyscrapers and use the narrow corridors of urban centers to limit their prey's movements. Only fletchinder fare poorly near humans who tend to dislike their destructive hunting techniques.
Fletchinder are solitary and have home ranges of approximately one hundred and sixty acres. Any raptor that enters their range will be fought off, even if the raptor is much larger than they are. Fletchling are tolerated as they tend to go after much smaller prey. Fletchinder will occasionally make a show of trying to scare off a talonflame. The older bird will often feign submission but not actually leave the territory. Talonflame and fletchinder ranges can and often do overlap without any serious aggression.
Fletchinder hunt larger bug-types such as caterpie and spinarak. Their preferred hunting method is to fly over a push and scatter embers on it. When the bugs come out in a panic they will be snatched up and eaten. The fires they set can spread in dryer weather, earning the ire of firefighters and nearby property owners. Fletchinder fires were actually critically important for their native European forests as they would usually burn away brush without seriously harming the trees. This allowed for trees to have incredibly long lifespans without the risk of major forest fires, creating the kinds of dark, damp temperate forests that fairy-types thrive in.
Talonflame primarily prey on other birds. They use thermals to climb up to a soaring height well above most other birds. Their keen eyes will then pick out a target. Talonflame will then tuck their wings against their sides and enter into a stoop, a dive at speeds of nearly three hundred miles per hour. They will level out above their prey and then kick their wing, breaking it with the momentum of the dive and force of the kick. The talonflame will then pick the bird up once it is killed by the force of impact with the ground. Anything still living will be killed with a fiery kick to the neck. This hunting method can kill anything less armored than a skarmory or salamence. Their preferred prey species are wingull, pikipek, and murkrow. They have been documented hunting prey far larger than them, including subadult bluewing noivern. They seem unsure what to do with prey too large for them to carry. They will usually eat their fill and then abandon the prey for scavengers. Most prey is taken back to their perch, plucked, and cooked before being eaten. Mandibuzz will often congregate near talonflame perches to take the unwanted feathers. This does not stop particularly ambitious talonflame from hunting mandibuzz.
Talonflame are fiercely territorial. When another talonflame enters into their range the two will grapple in midair while plunging to the ground. Whichever frees themselves first is the loser and will cede territory. Alternatively, one will be killed when it hits the ground after refusing to cede the match. Whichever talonflame ends up alive is the presumptive winner. If neither escapes then their territory will be taken over by other talonflame.
Talonflame perch on very tall trees, cliff faces, skyscrapers, or other elevated areas that are hard to reach from the ground. Their nests tend to be very minimal outside of the breeding season, often consisting of a few leaves or some brush to make them more comfortable while sleeping. They accidentally ignite their bedding quite often and will need to replace it.
Despite their impressive hunting displays, talonflame have several predators. Very large raptors such as braviary can kill them when they are carrying prey or nesting. Dragons will also sometimes attack talonflame in their nest. Smaller raptors such as noctowl will pick off fletchinder and fletchling. Rattata have also been known to kill sleeping fletchinder. Very little dares attack a talonflame nest as at least one parent will be present and they will fight any intruder to the death. Talonflame have been observed fighting ninetales, houndoom, ursaluna, and even hydreigon that get too close. They have never been seen abandoning their chicks, no matter what comes for them. A guaranteed fight is enough to deter most opportunistic predators from trying their luck.
Husbandry
Talonflame were first tamed over three thousand years ago by Eastern European nomads. It is believed that the humans benefited from a strong hunting partner while the talonflame, in turn, had their nest defended while the birds slept. Talonflame husbandry would persist throughout the millennia. In the Kalosian Empire they were deemed royal birds and only the nobility could legally own them. They were used in wartime to attack messenger birds. Less chivalrous warriors sometimes used them to break the wings of flying mounts and send their rider plummeting to the ground. Galarian forces once used them ignite the sails of an invading Paldean armada, leaving the ships stranded in the water while they were picked by cannon fire off or burned down.
Northern European tribes often kept their birds close on chilly nights, usually in bedding made of fireproof feathers. Talonflame trainers also traditionally kept their heads shaved to avoid accidental ignition at night.
Talonflame are relatively easy to care for on the island challenge. All stages are usually idle outside of combat, at which point they become extremely aggressive. They may need to be withdrawn at the end of a battle if they do not recognize it is over. Most specimens will happily rest in their pokéballs in the middle of the day and night. They prefer to soar around dusk and dawn.
All three stages should be provided with water to drink and bathe in at least twice a day. No stage of the line has no open flames and they are not harmed by bathing.
Fletchling and fletchinder should be given nutrient-fortified insect mixes. They should be given just enough that they do not cache any. Feedings should occur three to four times a day. Hungry fletchinder may attempt to burn nearby shrubbery. They should be closely monitored as mealtimes approach.
Talonflame will only eat plucked poultry, ideally precooked. If the meal is raw or not cooked to the talonflame's standards they will cook it themselves. Talonflame react poorly if they are not the first pokémon to be fed, especially if there are other carnivores on the team. They may attempt to steal their teammate's meals or even snatch food off of their trainer's plate. They should ideally be fed around one pound of food around dusk. The feeding can be delayed until dawn if they are needed in battle at night.
Feeding should be slightly increased for fletchinder and talonflame leading up to molting. If the pokemon's molting cycle is unknown, the pokémon should be given more food when it appears anxious. After the first molting they will usually realize that there will be food available throughout the process and they will not seek to put on as much weight. During the week-long period of molting the bird should be kept in an enclosed, fireproof area where they will feel safe. Small windows to the outside world are good enrichment during this time, especially if there is a place in the enclosure where they will not themselves be visible from the window.
Fletchling will happily bond with conspecifics. Fletchinder and talonflame will not tolerate them, with the exception of mated pairs (see Breeding). No stage will initially tolerate other raptors. They can learn to bond over time, but they should always be fed separately and monitored when together. Consult a specialist text on managing team dynamics between large carnivores if a multi raptor team is to be attempted. They are better fits for fire-type specialists than bird keepers. Talonflame will tolerate most non-raptor birds on their team. The birds may be terrified of the talonflame, especially if they were not raised alongside the pokémon before it evolved.
Standard falconry gear can be used for some fletchinder. Talonflame are too large. They also have an unfortunate habit of kicking things they encounter in midair, which can result in a broken arm. Fireproofing or other insulating clothing should be used when making direct contact with any stage of the evolutionary line following flight or combat. It is inadvisable to sleep alongside your bird, no matter cold it is outside.
Talonflame are intelligent birds that appreciate enrichment. They enjoy having their food thrown to them so they have to catch it out of midair. Fletchling and fletchinder appreciate puzzles with food as a reward. All three stages love moving lures, especially airborne ones like kites and bird-safe drones. Talonflame have an unfortunate habit of destroying these lures, making them a good treat for special occasions rather than a normal part of their enrichment.
The best enrichment for the line is the chance to fly and explore their environment. They can even be leash trained and accompany their trainer on walks. These walls should still be accompanied by at least two flights a day. Fletchinder and talonflame must be monitored to make sure they don't burn anything down or kill endangered or captive birds, respectively.
Illness
Talonflame's high body temperature makes them highly resistant to most infections and parasites. One notable illness they do suffer from is bumblefoot, an infection of the talons that can occur when the bird spends too much time on unclean or unnatural surfaces. This is most common for stationary trainers. A variety of perches should be provided and they should be cleaned at least once a week.
Talonflame are also known carriers of malaria and must be vaccinated. They usually do not develop symptoms when infected with the disease.
Evolution
Fletchling can go their entire lives without evolving. They can even reach sexual maturity and reproduce (see Breeding). Fletchling begin to evolve into fletchinder after they reach their adult size and experience an unusual amount of combat with other birds. This is most common during wars pitting multiple conflagrations against another species. An over abundance of competing birds signals to the fletchling that they need to thin out their rivals and that there will be adequate food for more talonflame. The evolution process is accompanied by hormonal shifts and rapid development in the flame sacs, fire glands, and most internal organs.
Fletchinder evolve into talonflame over the course of roughly nine months. The formal demarcation line is the development of yellow stripes on the tail. Exceptional amounts of combat can reduce the evolution time to six months.
Most fully-grown fletchling used on the island challenge evolve rather quickly. Battling many other bird specialists or wild birds can jumpstart the process if it does not occur on its own.
Battle
Talonflame should theoretically suffer in competitive play. They cannot soar to their preferred heights and ambush tactics will not work. They succeed anyway. Talonflame are still fast and nimble fliers that can weave around attacks before kicking their opponent's weak point at maximum speed. They can also surround themselves in flames to deter other pokémon from getting close. Tricks like taunt, tailwind, defog, will-o-wisp, and roost give them a niche on quickstall. The combination of swords dance and fast flight let them set up on many grounded opponents.
This is not to say that talonflame is without counters. Rock-types can usually tank anything talonflame throw at them and eventually land a finishing blow. Talonflame have to get close to land their most devastating attacks which negates the full effectiveness of their flight. Many electric-types have area of effect options to strike them out of the skies. Finally, without the advantage of a stoop talonflame can easily find themselves outmuscled or even outflown by larger raptors and dragons. The latter also seldom mind fire. In the wild talonflame usually win these matchups by ambush tactics or scaring off predators by showing no fear. Neither of these tactics works well on the battlefield. Few pokémon used in competitive battling will be scared off by the prospect of a fight.
On the island challenge talonflame are still good enough to pull their weight all the way to the Elite Four. Even fletchinder will stay competitive until the final island. Few totems are well-equipped for dealing with fast birds. Fewer still can handle birds that are on fire. Keep the talonflame out of range, land a few devastating strikes, and spread burns when possible. Taunt may also be worth investing in a TM for as it can shut down setup strategies.
Even fletchling are far from helpless. The hormones coursing through them in battle make them fearless, which is a big advantage over many young pokémon. Few low-level trainers will have the tools they need to deal with a bird that burns on contact. They will become increasingly outclassed as totems and kahunas have more robust ranged arsenals, but in the early game they can still easily justify a team slot.
Acquisition
Fletchling and fletchinder can be found in Northeast Akala, most frequently within the boundaries of Wela National Park. They are especially common around park buildings and in the coastal forests. Capture of one fletchling or fletchinder per trainer is allowed inside the park. Talonflame capture is currently prohibited. The best way to catch one of the birds is to provide an offering of food and a pokémon defending it. If the bird defeats your pokémon, let them have the food. A defeated bird may be interested in growing stronger, especially for fletchinder. They will expect frequent battle until they evolve into a talonflame.
Generalist avian breeders rarely keep talonflame due to their aggression towards other raptors and the distress their proximity causes smaller birds. There are still talonflame specialists who usually have fletchling and fletchinder for sale that have grown up accustomed to humans. Some trainers even pick a fletchling as their starter. A trained talonflame can be very expensive, often running in the high five figures. Adoption opportunities are rare, although rehabilitation facilities will occasionally have an injured wild specimen that needs long term captive care.
Fletchling can be obtained with a Class I license. Fletchinder can be obtained with a Class III license. Talonflame can be adopted or purchased with a Class III license.
Breeding
Mature fletchinder will form pairs once every spring. The male will build a nest in a tree and the female will lay three to five pale green eggs. Both parents will take turns guarding and incubating the eggs, although they may abandon the nest if approached by a sufficiently intimidating predator. The chicks will hatch after two weeks and leave the nest after an additional month.
Talonflame breeding is similar. It starts with a far more acrobatic mating dance involving grappling, dives, and quick maneuvers. At one point the male drops food to the female while she flies on her back beneath him. Once the two accept each other they will build a nest on a secure perch. The female will begin a partial molt and line the nest with her feathers to avoid burning the nest or eggs. The male will obtain food for the mother and chicks during this time while the female guards the nest. Once the fletchling have departed the pair will separate. Pairs occasionally reunite the following season but are more likely to pick other mates.
Captive breeding of fletchling is almost inevitable if males and females are kept in the same aviary longterm. Talonflame breeding is difficult in captivity because of the aggression the birds show towards conspecifics. They must be introduced in spring. The fletchling must be allowed to leave the nest and then promptly be captured by the trainer. If they are taken directly from the nest the talonflame may become aggressive. If the nest is in an aviary and the fletchling cannot escape the parents may become agitated after a month.
Do not approach the nest under any circumstances. Provide the male with food to bring back from another room or the far corner of the breeding site. Ideally food can be provided with no contact whatsoever. The chicks can be monitored by closed circuit cameras when the parents allow it.
It is possible to hand raise fletchling if talonflame or a surrogate parent are unavailable. These imprinted chicks are the most tolerant of humans and often display behaviors not typical of the species. Imprinted females may lay unfertilized eggs every year and sit on them until they grow bored and abandon the nest. Removing the eggs will agitate the mother and likely just lead to her laying more. Some imprinted talonflame can be persuaded to incubate eggs from another mother or even another species. In general talonflame are quite willing to foster motherless fletchling. Wild males have even been known to bring abandon eggs or chicks back to their nest to care for.
Crossbreeding talonflame is incredibly difficult due to their disdain for other raptors. The few documented crosses have been born to two parents kept on the same team for several years.
Relatives
There are two subspecies of talonflame in Europe. P. p. peregrinator is the nominate subspecies and can be found in Northern and Eastern Europe. They stay in their home range for most of the summer and migrate south during the winter to breed and hunt in more forgiving climes.
P. p. imperius is native to the Mediterranean region. They are slightly smaller than the domesticated and northern subspecies and do not migrate in the winter.
The Alolan talonflame population are feral specimens from the domesticated talonflame, which is about 15% larger than its wild counterparts and less aggressive towards humans. They have been bred for their keen eyesight and obedience but are otherwise very similar to their wild counterparts.