I’ve adopted a Flechinder off another trainer that didn’t know how to raise a bird Pokémon and its since reinforced a lot of bad habits. He’s now a Talonflame, and I have a lot of problems with his habit of picking fights with my other Pokémon. Do ypu have any tips?

First and foremost, establish trust with your new talonflame. I realize that might be stating the obvious (especially given the fact that you’ve had him long enough for him to evolve), but the stronger a traded pokémon gets, the more likely their trainer will find them difficult to control. This is because even after a considerable amount of time, some pokémon are unwilling to “replace” one trainer with another—or, in other words, they grow less and less accepting of their new trainer, as they feel said new trainer has yet to establish that they’re as trustworthy and strong as their old one. That and some pokémon interpret being traded as being abandoned, and those feelings can fester if not immediately corrected.

I say this because trust is vital for undoing quite a lot of negative behavior. Once your talonflame fully trusts you, he will be more willing to listen to you, which in turn will help you reinforce good behaviors.

After that, a lot of what you’ll need to do will require much patience. Begin by introducing the concept of rewards to him by rewarding him for any good behavior he displays automatically. For an aggressive pokémon, rewards are of the utmost importance, as those have a wonderful tendency to appease tempers. Once he understands what a reward is, move on to teaching him, both verbally and through the use of positive reinforcement, good behaviors. Fail to reward him for the behaviors you wish to phase out. Rather, respond with a firm “no” whenever you see such behavior happening, and reward your talonflame only if he restrains himself. Keep your talonflame close by to effectively manage his behavior, and above all else, be consistent about what you do.

Finally, also try to mediate between your talonflame and the rest of your team. Try to introduce him to your other pokémon in a calm environment, and ensure that both sides are not engaging in provoking behavior. (Naturally, try to train your pokémon not to engage in any provoking behavior you see—and that goes for both your talonflame and the rest of your team.)

As I’ve said, it will take a lot of patience, but it’s surmountable if you’re consistent and vigilant, anonymous. Best of luck!

Anything on caring for a Taillow and a Fletchling that live together, will they need toys or mirrors for their cage? I may be adopting them from someone and while I’ve been assured they get along great now, will I have to worry about them fighting once they get older and evolve?

Thanks to taillow’s flocking instincts and the fact that they were already integrated with one another previously, you will likely not need to worry about these two fighting. You may need to aware of possible tension later on in their respective evolutions because of swellow’s protectiveness compared to talonflame’s preference for solitary hunting, but by then, they should have spent enough time with one another that resolving this issue shouldn’t be too difficult. Tamed pokémon generally do remarkably well together if they’re taught from early ages to see one another as teammates, rather than members of opposing species, and this is something every good trainer has some concept of already.

The only thing you’ll really need to worry about is space. Both of these pokémon will need large cages by default, but as they evolve, they’ll need more and more area to fly about in. Talonflame especially need vast swaths of territory, especially given the fact that it will very likely want to exercise its signature fire abilities. If you’re a traveling trainer, you may have all the space you’ll need for your talonflame to feel comfortable, but domestic situations may be a bit more challenging. It’s best to give your fletchling or fletchinder an everstone to avoid the problem altogether, but if your fletchinder insists on evolving, move your talonflame’s roost outdoors.

Swellow, who are more used to nesting, may be fine indoors as well, but bird pokémon generally thrive better in fresh air. Yours may be just fine sharing a space with your talonflame, however—again because its flocking instincts will drive it to share space with other birds. The only thing you would need to add to this outdoor home would be a nesting box for your swellow, especially if the swellow is the female while the talonflame is the male. (Be aware that the two may be tempted to mate. If you allow this, then the box will be necessary. If your swellow is the male in the pairing, your talonflame can build a nest anywhere. Simply provide her with materials and be aware that “anywhere” may mean your roof. If they’re the same gender, then this point is moot, although your swellow will find comfort in the box anyway.)

As for general care, mirrors are certainly a good idea to keep them occupied, as are jingling toys, ropes, and different levels of perches. Always invest in heat-resistant toys for rather obvious reasons. You will also need a sand bath for your fletchling if it evolves. If it doesn’t, it will do just fine in a water bath alongside your taillow and/or swellow. Both need sources of drinking water either way. Additionally, both have similar diets and can eat seeds as well as dried insects if they don’t eat kibble. (However, be aware that your fletchling may also prefer worms—available at pokémon bait shops—as well as larger chunks of meat in its talonflame stage.) As for lining, you can line their cages with shredded paper and untreated newspaper. This is true even as fletchling evolves, as a fletchinder’s and talonflame’s droppings do not, well, come out on fire (unlike a number of other fire-types’ excrement).

Best of luck, anonymous!

The Fletchling Line

Fletchling
The Tiny Robin Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Official Registration #: 661
Entry: A small songbird pokémon native to the fields of Kalos. Fletchling is famous for its intricate dances and beautiful songs, which it uses in combination to perform what is objectively considered to be the cutest form of communication in the pokémon world. The author would go on to say that, despite the fact that fletchling is considered to be cute, it is somehow one of the most vicious and territorial pokémon in the Kalos region, but to be frank, many of you have been following this blog long enough to know that this is exactly what to expect from it.

Fletchinder
The Ember Pokémon
Type: Fire/Flying
Official Registration #: 662
Entry: The evolved form of fletchling, by battle experience. Using its newly acquired fire element, fletchinder hunt by setting tall grasses on fire and pouncing on whatever flees from the flames … because the pokémon kingdom is a brutal and often horrifying concept, which is exactly what many researchers consider to be fascinating about it.

Talonflame
The Scorching Pokémon
Type: Fire/Flying
Official Registration #: 663
Entry: The evolved form of fletchinder, by battle experience. With diving speeds of up to 310 miles per hour, talonflame is among the fastest pokémon in existence. In the excitement of a battle, it uses both this and its ability to expel fire from the spaces between its feathers to overwhelm and devastate its opponents … or to burn down whatever parts of a field its preevolved form has yet to set ablaze.