Dartrix (Rowlet, Decidueye)

Overview

Rowlet is one of the three traditional starters in the Alola region, alongside litten and popplio. It is something of a middle ground between the ease of care but aloofness of torracat or the difficult but highly social and intelligent brionne. The species has a long history of coevolution with the seafolk. While not domesticated, they are easily adjusted to working with humans. Rowlet born in captivity seem to accept humans as large, featherless decidueye.

Physiology

Rowlet and dartrix are grass- and flying-types. Decidueye are officially grass- and ghost-type, although there is some controversy over whether or not they should retain the flying classification as well. This guidebook will not delve into the controversy over the so-called triple-typings and adheres to the official rulings of the Department of Agriculture.

All stages of dartrix possess excellent hearing and night vision. Rowlet and dartrix can see perfectly well on cloudy nights with a new moon. Captive decidueye have been able to strike targets in near-perfect darkness in laboratories. It is presently unclear how they manage this, as there is no evidence they use echolocation. Rowlet are born pure white and slowly develop their colors as photosynthetic symbiote colonies grow inside of their feathers.

Rowlet resemble a small, almost spherical owl with pale brown body feathers, a white mask and a green crest on their chest. It is widely, and incorrectly, believed that this crest forms two intersecting ovals in the rough shape of deciduous leaves. While some Rowlet do have crests like this, the exact shape and shade is unique to each rowlet. The crests of related rowlets are usually similar, allowing them to serve as an identifier.

Dartrix are slightly wider than rowlet. Adults in Alola are usually about 60 centimeters tall, but with controlled diet, humidty and sunlight, some captive dartrix have grown up to one meter They gain a green headcrest and the brown feathers on their body darken considerably. Mature dartrix have developed projectile "blade feathers" that aren't actually feathers at all, but rather thin hairs coated in keratin. These replace their talons as their main form of defense.

Decidueye are usually between 1.7 and 2 meters tall. Their green crests grow to surround their entire head and an orange one forms where their crest originally was as a rowlet. Decidueye wings are dark brown. Their quills are much sharper and harder than those of dartrix, and a trained decidueye is capable of shooting them at speeds of up to fifty meters per second at ranges of up to five-hundred meters.

Dartrix can live up to thirty years in the wild and twenty-five in captivity. Decidueye never die of old age in the presence of combat and stress.

Behavior

Wild rowlet are nocturnal, although captive rowlet can be quickly trained to be crepuscular or diurnal. They perch on top of the highest trees in their area and spread their wings to allow their symbiotic bacteria to photosynthesize. At night, they leave their perches and eat leaves. This is both for nutritional reasons and to clear up more space to roost in direct sunlight during the day. In spite of their representation in folklore as powerful hunters, all stages of the evolutionary line are strictly herbivorous (this is not true for all subspecies, see Subspecies).

Their reputation comes from the hunts of decidueye. When dartrix face predators, the decidueye in the flock are known to set out at night (or, for diurnal predators, in the day) and assassinate all members of the predator species within a several kilometer radius. Some subspecies have also been documented killing even the predators that did not hunt dartrix so, in the future, those predator species will aggressively cull any others that get too aggressive with dartrix nests.

In captivity, rowlet are intensely social while awake and prefer to rest in direct sunlight or cuddle against warm-blooded animals or other rowlet for warmth. When allowed to do so, they will frequently perch on top of their trainers. Dartrix, thankfully, grow out of this practice. They still enjoy engulfing their trainer in their wings. The purpose of this behavior is unclear.

Decidueye's behavioral differences will be further detailed in the Evolution section.

Husbandry

It is best to acquire a member of the line while it is still in its first evolutionary stage. As it develops into an adult (see Evolution), it should seldom be placed inside of a pokéball or separated from its trainer for more than twenty-four hours at a time. Separation for any length of time is stressful for very young rowlet and should be avoided whenever possible. They should be exposed to direct sunlight for at least six hours a day, five days a week. If this is infeasible, most Pokémon Centers in Alola have rooms which can simulate natural sunlight. These rooms in the busiest Centers are typically filled with rowlet and dartrix, allowing for socialization (and an exercise in remembering your rowlet's crest). During periods of particular stress, rowlet prefer to be cradled by humans or dartrix or, at the very least, given a cramped space to hide in.

The dartrix line have very inefficient digestive systems and, like most birds, they tend to defecate whenever they get ready to fly. Thankfully, rowlet and dartrix much prefer short hops and walking on their talons to flight (see Battling). They are still quite difficult to housebreak and the only real consolation is that their waste is more solid, and thus easier to clean up, than most birds. There is a five hundred dollar fine for not cleaning up your dartrix's waste in a public area.

All stages of the dartrix line should be fed a special blend of leaf-based food sold in all Pokémon Centers in Alola, and most pokémon equipment and sporting goods stores. Adult dartrix can be held in pokeballs for considerable lengths of time, although most find this irritating and using their pokéball frequently will undermine their trust in you as their trainer. Dartrix without a photosynthesis-condusive pokéball should get thirty hours of direct or simulated sunlight a week. Decidueye need only three hours of sunlight per week, although they will become more active if exposed to more light. Decidueye also tend not to have strong feelings on being held in their pokéballs.

Illness

The most common illness by far for all stages of the dartrix line is feather bleaching. During a bleaching episode, a dartrix loses all color in their feathers and become pure white across their entire body. Bleaching can be caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, severe injury, inadequate exposure to sunlight, low humidity, isolation, disease, starvation, overeating or for no apparent reason at all. So long as conditions are quickly rectified and the dartrix is given a few days to rest and either exposure to other dartrix or injections of symbiotic bacteria the problem will usually be resolved within a week. If your dartrix begins to bleach, immediately consult a veterinarian.

It should be noted that molting, the loss of feathers in certain parts of the body and slow regrowth of initially white feathers, is separate from bleaching. Unless feathers don't gain color for over a month in an adult or three months in a juvenile or molting occurs across the entire body at once it is not necessary to consult a veterinarian.

Evolution

Rowlet naturally evolve into dartrix provided food, sunlight, companionship and time. The formal point where a rowlet becomes a dartrix is the growth of a full headcrest. This typically occurs when a rowlet is nine months old. It takes another five for a dartrix to fully mature and become ready for their next evolution.

Wild decidueye are exceedingly rare. In times of great external stress, such as pandemics, sudden habitat loss, natural disasters, competition for their roosting spaces, or predation, the eldest dartrix in the quiver will begin to rapidly gain size and start to develop projectile quills. This will continue to happen with more dartrix evolving one by one until the crisis is resolved. Decidueye only live for one to three years after the most recent crisis.

In captivity, projectile quills can be surgically removed, rendering evolution impossible. Otherwise, a dartrix exposed to enough battles over the course of roughly one year (or a handful of particularly dire ones in rapid succession) will begin to evolve on its own. During evolution, dartrix should be offered greatly increased amounts of food and sunlight and given as much as it wants of both.

For a variety of reasons, dartrix evolution is not recommended for all but the most serious of trainers. Decidueye cut off from frequent, high-level battles tend to decline in health and die within a few years. This makes retirement effectively impossible for decidueye trainers. Decidueye also undergo a change in temperment arguably greater than their change in appearance. Decidueye sleep less than two hours a day and spend the remainder of their time hyper-vigilant and seeking out battles. If no opponents are presented to them in formal engagement, they will tend to pick their own fights.

They otherwise lose almost all of the cuddly and expressive nature that dartrix are known for. While they will usually not decline physical affection, they will almost never initiate it. They will stand guard for their trainer when outside of their pokéball and do little else. Because of this, many trainers who evolve their dartrix complain about a death of personality in their beloved pet and some will lose interest and abandon their decidueye. The shock of losing the quiver they evolved to protect paired with the combat withdrawal will usually kill the decidueye within six months. Decidueye seldom accept new trainers once abandoned, although many will adopt a new trainer when their old one dies.

Battle

Rowlet and dartrix are relatively durable pokémon and both are far more clever than they would appear. They have naturally good aim for the handful of projectile attacks they have. Unfortunately, they are not so capable at flying as to be able to dodge projectile attacks. Most dartrix and all rowlet are unable to dodge melee moves from average-size pokémon. They also tend to loathe battling and must be bribed into each individual fight. As such, they are not the recommended starter for trainers interested in serious battling.

Decidueye, as mentioned above, are addicted to combat and violence. They are much more adept fliers than dartrix, have near-silent movement and can put their natural aim to much better use with their quills. The species signature attack, spirit shackle, allows them to pin foes down for a short period of time, making it harder for the opponent to dodge shots or close the distance. The species has two groups of counters. The first are pokémon capable of taking a quill to any point of their body and continuing to fight because they are very durable and have no exploitable weak points. Opponents with no major weak points that can take an arrow or two and then retaliate with an even more powerful fire- or ice-type projectile move. Decidueye tend not to surrender fights until they are physically incapable of continuing, so a trainer should be mindful of the above and withdraw their decidueye if they appear to be visibly hurt.

On the professional circuits, Alolan decidueye were one of the top 1000 most used pokémon in Global Battle Federation tournaments until the late 2000s which was impressive given their very limited range and the control the Alolan government exercises over the species distribution. Their usage has declined due to the corresponding rise in South Island decidueye usage (see Subspecies)

Acquisition

Children between the ages of ten and twenty can obtain a rowlet from certified distributors free of charge with a Class I certification. Children who have cleared the grand trial on at least one island and did not receive a rowlet as a starter can purchase or adopt an additional one. Dartrix in licensed shelters can be adopted with a Class II license or higher. Decidueye adoptions are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Dartrix quivers are found in Poni Meadow, Exeggutor Island, Tapu Forest and Lush Jungle. It is illegal to collect any member of the line from the wild without explicit government approval. It is also entirely unnecessary given the strength of captive breeding programs.

Breeding

In the wild, dartrix pairs mate for life. Every three years, all of the unpaired dartrix gather away from the rest of the flock. One or two decidueye will keep watch. The males engage in an elaborate competition of skill and showmanship, including an archery contest. The females will then select their mates. Homosexuality has been observed in wild and captive dartrix with the rate appearing to increase in larger quivers. It is speculated that this evolved as a form of population control. Every Spring, dartrix mate and bring the eggs to a central location in the territory. Most of the flock's decidueye will shift to guarding the eggs, with a few watching the rowlet and dartrix instead. If there are no decidueye, the oldest dartrix will take over egg-watching duties. The eggs hatch after roughly three months. All adults help raise all of the quiver's rowlet.

Captive breeding requires a Class IV license with an additional certification in dartrix breeding. The certification course has further information.

Subspecies

As island-dwellers with limited flight, there are nearly two dozen subspecies of dartrix. As such, this section will not cover them all in detail.

Indonesian and Filipino dartrix (Filipino, Sumatran, Javan, Bornean, Varirata) typically have wingspans twice those of their Alolan counterparts at all stages. They are also much more capable fliers, and even some rowlet are capable of sustained, powered flight for a kilometer or more. Most of these subspecies are omnivorous during the wet season. However, their quills are not nearly as developed as the other subspecies and they hunt primarily through a combination of their talons and their silent flight.

The Queensland dartrix is the only subspecies with naturally venomous quills. Queensland decidueye are less than a meter tall and their dartrix are correspondingly small. Their quills take several weeks to regenerate. Between these two drawbacks, they have not gained much popularity in the competitive battling scene.

The small islands of the Pacific are littered with different dartrix subspecies. Most of them are quite similar to the Alolan dartrix, but smaller. Almost all are endangered. The Heahea conservatory has an exhibit showcasing several of these subspecies.

New Zealand previously had two subspecies of dartrix. The North Island dartrix is now extinct and the South Island dartrix at risk of extirpation. South Island dartrix regularly evolve into decidueye, regardless of external stressors. They are also nearly as large as the Sumatran decidueye and have much thicker coats. Despite their wingspan, they are nearly flightless and only use their wings for getting into and out of trees and slowing falls. Their primary weapons are their quills, by far the largest of any subspecies of decidueye. South Island decidueye make up for the seasonably variable amounts of sunlight in their environment by being carnivorous. During the summer they stay nearly stationary with their wings spread out in a field. In the long winter nights, they take up position on a low tree branch and wait to kill anything that crosses by.

South Island decidueye form mated pairs until their chicks evolve into dartrix, at which point the pairs split up and leave the dartrix on their own.

While they have nearly been hunted to extinction in New Zealand, an invasive population in the Canadian boreal has grown tremendously over the last two decades. The latest estimates placed the decidueye population in Alberta alone at over ten thousand, almost as large as the population of the total population of the Alolan decidueye. They have become a major safety risk for humans in the area, as they will kill and eat any human who enters their territory in the winter and it is all but impossible to notice a South Island decidueye before it notices you.

Due to legalized hunting and capture of Canadian decidueye, they are now the most common subspecies on the international battling scene. Seven of the Top 100 Trainers have a South Island decidueye on their main team, with only one currently using an Alolan decidueye. Further down the rankings, the Alolan decidueye is more commonly used, but still not more used than the South Island decidueye.

The South Island decidueye is also the ninth most lethal pokémon to humans worldwide (excluding disease transmission) and require a Class V license to possess in the United States.