Fletchling Line
Morphs [Oak Catalogue #]
- Fletchling [661] – Falco erithacus
- Fletchinder [662] – Falco petroica
- Talonflame [663] – Falco ignisagitta
Physical Description
The members of the Fletchling line are a trio of avian Pokémon whom all share the Flying type secondary typing. The juvenile of the line Fletchling possess primary Normal type characteristics and stands at between 23 and 37cm tall and weighs between 1 and 3kg though as always larger or smaller members have been seen. Fletchling has grey feathers on its body and wings ad white tips on its wings. Its head is covered in reddish-orange feathers with large black eyes, a long black beak and a yellow triangular marking behind each eye. They have a long black tail that ends at two points with a white ‘v’ shape just below the split. Its legs are long and thin ending in a foot with two forward facing toes and a single rear facing toe.
Upon evolution into Fletchinder it gains not just extra size but also swaps its primary Normal typing for primary Fire typing while retaining its secondary Flying typing. During evolution into Fletchinder its height more than doubles to between 60 and 80cm and its weight increases by almost a power of ten to between 15.3 and 17kg. Fletchinder retains grey feathers on its underbelly up to its breast while its top and head retain its reddish-orange colouring including a small pointed crest atop it head. Its wings now have black feathers with yellow on the wingtips. Its tail feathers have grown longer and now possess a second white ‘v’ shape above the split which is split between the two tips. Its beak has also lengthened slightly and gotten slightly thinner while the markings behind it eyes are also slightly longer.
The final form Talonflame gains nearly two feet of height during evolution bringing it to between 1.1 and 1.3m and gains about half again of its weight putting it at between 22 and 27kg. The feathers on Talonflame’s underside, legs and rear while its head and upper body remain reddish-orange with the tip of its wings being black. The underside of its body is dotted with ovular orange markings and its tail markings have turned yellow while a third has been added near the two tips. The crest on Talonflame’s head has lengthened while its beak has shrunk dramatically while becoming hooked with a yellow cere at the base. A black and yellow mask-like pattern has formed around its eyes while its legs and feet are no longer spindly and now large yellow talons extend from the shaggy feathers on its legs.
As with all species of Pokémon the Fletchling line has members that exhibit a rare phenotype that alters their colouring. As a Fletchling these members have brownish feathers rather than grey while their orange feathers are a slightly lighter shade than normal. These members also have brownish tail feathers and eyes in place of black and yellow wingtips instead of white. As Fletchinder these members also have brown undersides instead of grey while the normally orange feathers of its head and top are now closer to red in colour and the black feathers on its wings a closer to brown. As Talonflame like its two pre-evolutions the normally grey feathers are now brown while the black feathers on its tail and wings are a reddish brown and the orange feathers in its head and the top of its body are closer to red in colour.
Notable Biology
As part flying types all three members have wings allowing them to fly quickly and agilely to the point where Talonflame is in the top twenty fastest known Pokémon. As expected of flying types the bones of this lines members skeletons are incredibly strong and light with criss-crossing struts through a hollow centre providing strength.
Fletchling as a Normal type is unusual in that it doesn’t possess the unique flexibility of the type though it does possess a rudimentary pyro-sac. Upon evolution into Fletchinder the pyro-sac has become fully developed and Fletchinder is able to use the energy produced by the pyro-sac from burning food to move faster.
Talonflame is famous for its diving speed which can exceed 300km/h during a dive for prey making it the fastest living terrestrial being during these dives. Talonflame possess a third eyelid which spread tears and clears debris to protect its eyes during a dive. It also has powerful leg muscles that combined with the speed it reaches during a dive allow it to deliver a powerful kick.
The pyro-sac in Fletchling is connected to the pores of its skin allowing it to engulf itself in flames to charge its opponent and use the energy produced to increase its speed. In Fletchinder and Talonflame the fully developed pyro-sac allow them to unleash powerful torrents of fire or an explosive fireball.
All three members also possess powerful wing muscles allowing all three members to whip up powerful gusts of wind that can be redirected behind itself or even form a blade-like blast of air that is more likely to strike a foes weak spots. All three members are also the only Pokémon naturally able to coat its wings in ferrous-compounds and strike the opponent and the only Pokémon besides Skarmory to be able use this technique naturally.
There are two distinct sub-groups of these Pokémon. The first sub-group as Fletchling are resistant to actions and attacks that weaken its guard or would cause it to lower its guard either physically or psychologically. As Fletchinder and Talonflame this sub-group constantly pipe heat and flame from their pyro-sac to the pores of their skin which can cause burns in foes that make direct contact with Fletchinder or Talonflame. It has also been noted by scientists and registered breeders that the radiant heat produced by the members of this sub-group can help incubate Pokémon eggs kept in close vicinity to the Pokémon drastically lowering the time needed for the eggs to hatch.
The second and rarest sub-group possess incredibly powerful wing muscles which allow any move associated with the flying type to move faster than normal allowing the members of this sub-group to strike before any opponent not using a move that has a higher ‘priority’. Scientists still don’t fully understand how this ‘Gale Wings ability’ works but believe it involves the Pokémon manipulating air currents but are still studying Pokémon with this ‘ability’ to try to further understand the mechanisms involved.
Habitat
The three members of this line have differing but usually geographically close habitats. Fletchling usually live in woods and forests where their small size and superior manoeuvrability allows them to escape and hide from predators and hunt their prey. The woods and forests Fletchling call home are usually found around or near the base of a mountain or cliff close to where they hatched.
Fletchinder make their home in the more sparsely wooded areas closer to the bases and on the lower slopes of mountains and cliffs where their larger size gives them protection from the predators that troubled their previous form.
Talonflame make their nest on a ledge or cave on a cliff face or mountain edge which provide protection from predators and a vantage point where their eyesight allows them to easily spot prey. They will also nest on artificial ‘cliffs’ created by window ledges on high-rises and other man-made structures.
Fletchling are commonly found in Santalune Forest in the Kalos region and are commonly found in Route 2 and 3 on either side of the forest while hunting. Fletchinder are rarely seen in the wild though a tourist attraction in Kiloude City has been known to have Fletchinder within its boundaries. Talonflame are almost never seen in the wild by trainers due to their nesting places being treacherous if not impossible to reach and their incredible speed making them incredibly difficult to spot let alone catch.
Outside the Kalos region Fletchling can be found in Route 8 and the Wela Volcano Park on Akala Island in the Alola region and Fletchinder are known to come to the aid of struggling and distressed Fletchling in both locations though there have been rare instances of Fletchinder being found on Route 8 without a Fletchling being present.
Galar is notable for having Talonflame in the wild, though they only live in the Isle of Armor there. They have been known to appear in Soothing Wetlands, Loop Lagoon and Training Lowlands. Obviously, Fletchling and Fletchinder also are native to the Isle of Armor.
Diet
All three members of the line are omnivorous to some extent with Fletchling and Fletchinder being insectivorous. Fletchling’s diet consists or around 40% invertebrates while the other 60% consists of fruits and berries.
Fletchinder has a diet that consists much more of insects than that of its pre-evolved form, while they rarely feed on fruits and berries, usually only when in the company of a trainer. They are known to hunt by setting tall grass aflame and swooping down on prey as it tries to escape.
Talonflame is almost completely carnivorous with them only eating berries when in the possession of a trainer. Talonflame’s diet consists almost exclusively of medium sized birds and has the most diverse range of avian prey of any bird. Talonflame will also prey upon any mammal smaller than itself if avian prey is unavailable.
Hazards
All three members of the Fletchling line can be dangerous with sharp beaks and talons as well as their mastery of flames and wind combined with their relentlessness in battle making them formidable attackers. Despite this this line is relatively harmless due to it being rare for any member to attack unprovoked.
Fletchling are the least dangerous of the line usually being very docile and friendly and will only ever attack if severely provoked or to defend their chicks and nest.
Fletchinder is slightly more dangerous due to being slightly more aggressive and the fact that once its flame-sac heats up it gets more and more excited and into the battle.
Talonflame are incredibly dangerous and will defend their nests fiercely if threatened using their speed and mastery of the wind and flames to fend off attackers often before the attackers know they are there. Due to the highly dangerous and precarious locations Talonflame make their nests this can cause deadly accidents if an unsuspecting mountain or rock climber unknowingly comes near a nest. Due to this notices are posted on mountains where Talonflame are known to be nesting, but it is always recommended to stick to official trails when mountain climbers and for rock-climbers to check with authorities for known nesting locations on the mountain before setting out.
Social Structure
All three members of the line are mostly solitary in lifestyle usually only spending time around their mates and young. All three members of the line will aggressively defend their territory from other members of the species and other intruders.
Courting
While both members of this line are capable of breeding in captivity, in the wild it is usually only Talonflame and occasionally Fletchinder who breed.
The members of this line are sexually mature at one to three years of age but in healthy populations will breed after two to three years of age. A pair will mate for life and return to the same nesting spot annually.
The courtship flight includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spins and steep dives and the male passes prey it has caught to the female while in mid-air. To make this possible, the female actually flies upside-down to receive the food from the male’s talons. Within a breeding territory a pair may have a number of nesting ledges.
The date of egg-laying varies according to locality but is usually from late winter to early spring. If the eggs are lost early in the season the female will often lay another clutch. The female usually lays three to four eggs but sometimes as few as one or as many as five are laid at a time. The eggs are incubated for 29-33 days mainly by the female though the male will help with incubation during the day.
The chicks fledge (when the feathers and wing muscles have developed enough to allow flight) 42-46 days after hatching but will remain dependent on their parents for up to two months.
In Human Society
The members of the Fletchling line, Talonflame in particular have a long history with humans. Fletchling are often depicted as a symbol of spring with a number of poems demonstrating this association. Fletchling are also the inspiration for a small number of popular songs.
Fletchinder’s most well-known impact on human society is as the hero name-sake of a number of DC comics characters most of whom have a history as a sidekick for one of their main heroes.
Talonflame has had a significant impact on human society and has been used by humans in hunting for over 3000 years and is believed to have been first used for such in the court of the ancient Kalos king who fired the ‘ultimate weapon’. Its advantages over other birds of prey include not only its athleticism and eagerness to hunt but its ease to train for the sport.
In more modern times tame Talonflame are used at airports to scare away birds and prevent bird-plane strikes.
Written by Shadow6666
