The Pokemon of Alola: Entry 5 - Torracat

Entry 5 – Torracat

Name (Unovan): Torracat – “torrid” and “cat”

Name (Kantonese): Nyaheat – “nyā” (meow) and “heat”

Dex Number: 005

Classification: Feline, Fire Cat Pokemon

Species: Panthera viribrachius – “strong-arm panther”

Primary Type: Fire. After evolving into Torracat, the organ it once used for fur storage has now completed its development and become a proper flame sac, able to produce fire without needing flammable hair for fuel. However, it has also broken through the throat and become external. It is thought that this… unusual change is for intimidation purposes. When Torracat prepares to use a Fire-type move, the flame sac swells up and produces a loud ringing noise, giving its enemies one last chance to flee before it unleashes its newly-acquired power upon them.

Secondary Type: N/A

Overall Description: If you were hoping your Litten would stay the perfect little house cat it was before evolving, Torracat has a few things to say to you. Its appearance should make it obvious that you’re dealing with a much wilder Pokemon now. Its pelt, previously smooth and all black, has become bushier and sports an intimidating pattern of contrasting black and orange. Its whiskers have become a shaggy mane whose bright coloration perfectly complements its huge yellow eyes. The fur isn’t the only thing that’s changed – Torracat is less lithe and slender and more bulky, with a powerful body supported by muscular limbs that end in curved black claws. Its most interesting feature is the external flame sac that now hangs from below its chin.

Torracat’s development upon evolution has allowed it to become far more physically powerful. Its body sacrifices stealth for more raw power, and Torracat rarely sneaks around in the shadows hoping to swipe a mouthful – it has the strength and confidence to brashly overpower living prey. Its front legs are the most muscular part of its body, being used for bringing down other Pokemon as well as wrestling its fellow Torracat. Being able to stand on its hind legs for a few seconds at a time, Torracat uses this technique to free its paws for combat. When it throws a punch, it does so with enough physical strength to bend an iron bar with a single swat. Like many Fighting-type Pokemon, Torracat in captivity have been seen developing their muscles even further by training – they attack thick tree trunks and try to topple them.

Because it no longer relies on stealth, Torracat’s fur has changed coloration. What was once flat back with the occasional red marking has become a dramatic mix of black and orange. Torracat frequently displays the black stripes on its forelegs and the orange ones on its tail, probably meaning that the contrast is meant to be a warning to other Pokemon (much like how Beedrill display their venomous nature through bright colors). This is especially obvious on its mane, which it displays in order to let others know how it feels. Torracat’s mane usually stands fully erect, which indicates everything from happy to energetic to angry – it also deliberately flashes its mane to anything it wants to challenge. This basically means that an erect mane is a symbol of good health. A tired or sick Torracat will have its facial fur droop rather pathetically.

Its fur no longer contains the oils that once served as the main source of fuel for its fire. Torracat now produces fire all on its own through the typical Fire-type method – a flame organ, which is external and on full display in this unusual case. When this flame sac is disturbed, it chimes loudly as part of Torracat’s threat display – it can be stimulated through the preparation of a Fire-type move, or through a vocalization such as a deep, threatening growl. Torracat’s roar is often accompanied by the jingling of its flame sac, serving as an extra warning before it attacks with no mercy.

Personality: Much more so than other feline Pokemon – except for maybe Skitty – Torracat is energetic and more than happy to socialize, and its increased power has given it enough confidence to abandon its introverted behavior for good. It’s a lot more open with those around it and totally willing to express itself, and often accidentally hurts others in its eagerness to make its feelings known. Even a friendly swat from Torracat’s paw can be painful if it’s being overenthusiastic. Fortunately, it’s also willing to let itself express remorse for causing these mishaps and isn’t above showing its more affectionate side when apologizing.

Unfortunately, when I said that Torracat is more open with its emotions, I meant all of them. Its dramatically increased bulk is the result of an increase in the amount of testosterone its body produces, and this means rapid and often destructive mood swings. If you thought your Litten liked to be “difficult” with you, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Now that Torracat is much larger and sturdier than it was as a Litten, it no longer needs to sneak around and steal food from others, and its predatory instincts have awakened as a consequence. This results in Torracat becoming a lot more feral and unpredictable in its behavior. It is quick to anger and will lash out at anything that causes it so much as a prick of irritation, which can very frequently be its Trainer. What was once a perfectly docile Litten that would happily avoid confrontations with larger Pokemon has now become a brazen, sometimes even bullying, monster willing to fight to the death with its fellow teammates over the last Oran berry.

While Torracat’s temper tantrums can be horrific and frequent, there is a silver lining in that they fade as quickly as they start. Once its aggression simmers down, Torracat won’t hold a grudge and may even apologize for acting out, especially if someone got hurt in the process. It’s been shown that Torracat that grow too close to their Trainers actually have shorter tempers as a result of being spoiled, probably due to some sense of entitlement. The best way to deal with Torracat is just by showing some tough love – deal with its insolence swiftly and make sure it knows what it did wrong, so that it’ll be less likely to start a fight in the future.

(Of course, it inevitably will fly off the handle again, but every little bit of effort counts. And it’ll at least offer to lick your wounds afterwards.)

Habitat: As described in the previous entry, Torracat and its other evolutionary forms are extinct in the wild. This is due to a combination of overhunting and the usual consequences of being chosen as a traditional Starter Pokemon. Records dating back to ancient times provide evidence that Torracat inhabited much of the same habitat as Litten, frequenting coastlines and areas of particularly difficult terrain.

Based on the geographical distributions of similar Pokemon (such as the Charmander family) today, scientists theorize that Torracat became solitary upon evolution, and lived in areas too harsh for its smaller Litten brethren. It would’ve needed a larger territory to compensate for the relative lack of food, and would’ve patrolled its chosen land with diligence and ruthlessly fought off any strangers. It is also thought that Torracat on Akala, being stronger and better able to travel long distances than a Litten, would’ve occasionally ventured into the Lush Jungle on hunting trips before returning to the volcano or coastline.

Diet: Being much more powerful and aggressive than it was before evolution, Torracat is an almost 100% pure carnivore, reluctantly downing only the occasional berry when it has to. With its newfound strength, this Fire-type eagerly pounces on small Pokemon such as Yungoos, but is also gutsy enough to try and tackle harder prey. Some ancient Alolan pictograms depict wild Torracat even trying to down Kangaskhan! (It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how that ultimately turned out.)

Torracat is no longer cautious of water and will plunge to much greater depths than it was comfortable with as a Litten. On the other hand, it always makes sure to keep its head and flame sac above the surface as much as possible. It hunts any fish Pokemon that it can catch with its strong forelimbs, dragging it back to land with its formidable hooked claws.

Relationship with Humans: “Those who are quietest are often those who shout the loudest.” There is some debate over whether that proverb originated in Hoenn as a description of Whismur, or Alola for Torracat, but the description is just as apt no matter which species is being referred to. The transformation from sneaky, thieving Litten to loud, hot-tempered Torracat has been seen as one of the more dramatic changes in Pokemon personality for a long time. Its wild nature is thought to have inspired the ancient Alolans to train it as a guard Pokemon, long before the Island Challenge was created. It may have been one of the first Pokemon in the world to be domesticated, alongside Rockruff, Skiddo, and Tauros.

Torracat and its family are currently extinct in the wild thanks to excessive hunting. While Litten was more often killed for its fur, Torracat was more of a trophy Pokemon thanks to its immense strength and ferocity. Of course, its use in Alolan culture as a traditional Starter also contributed to its downfall, but it was the hunting that sped up the process.

Many people, the vast majority of which are non-Trainers, are most comfortable with leaving their beloved Litten as a quiet, well-behaved, solitary house pet. Not very many are as taken with Torracat as they are its previous form – it’s big and loud, far more restless, and somewhat “needier” than Litten. While it’s true that it expresses itself more willingly and tends to be more social, people seem to prefer the silent independence it had before. Additionally, those same people are turned off by Torracat’s rowdy behavior and tendency to get aggressive. If Torracat could still be found in the wild, this would be less of a problem, as they tend to only be encountered by people that kept them as Litten. Feline Pokemon tend to have the same temperament and keep to themselves for the most part, which is a trend Torracat doesn’t follow – it stands to reason that if Litten are typically found with those who are fond of cats, then its evolutionary forms wouldn’t be as popular or as common.

Fortunately, aside from that majority, Torracat does have a place in human society. Even as a house pet, some people do like its brash enthusiasm and tendency to play roughly. Those who exercise frequently also get along well with this more active feline. I find that a lot of Torracat fans tend to also enjoy the company of canine Pokemon, most often Growlithe or Houndour.

Battle Prowess: Torracat’s impressive muscles grant it even better offensive stats than Litten, being both faster and better able to knock its opponent’s teeth out. While Litten already had a fair few physical attacks to its name, including a dangerous Fire Fang, Torracat is capable of learning such moves as Double Kick, Bite, and Fury Swipes to add to the number of ways it can mercilessly batter down its opponent. Despite none of these attacks being particularly strong by themselves, Torracat’s great physical prowess more than makes up for that. Interestingly, Torracat also learns how to utilize a number of status moves as well. Roar and Swagger are good options for situations where this Fire-type can’t simply muscle its way out of.

Although its flame sac is fully-developed, Torracat doesn’t naturally learn very many Fire-type moves before evolving into Incineroar. Instead, it focuses on physical, non-fire-related combat, making it surprisingly well-suited to fighting Water-types among the Fire-type crowd. (I wonder if this has anything to do with its unusual affinity for water outside of battle, or if it’s just a coincidence.)

Affection: Fortunately for those who found it tough to bond with Litten, you no longer have to worry about interpreting vague gestures and slightly disdainful side glances with Torracat. As mentioned earlier, Torracat is much more open with its emotions and is not afraid to let its Trainer know how it feels. If you own one, chances are you’ve known it since it was a Litten and it will thusly be very affectionate toward you. To those it loves, it acts particularly energetic and will often demand constant exercise and playtime, if you’re not already traveling together. It expresses its affection in much the same way as other feline Pokemon do, too. It can be quite startling to see your formerly lonesome Starter suddenly rub up against your legs and purr to thank you for helping it reach its next evolutionary form!

While normally it is difficult to study the behaviors – courtship in particular – of Pokemon that are extinct in the wild, Alola’s top Pokemon professors have done extensive work with the Aether Foundation to study this behavior in Torracat. While not fully mature yet, this Pokemon does make tentative attempts, tending to treat members of the opposite sex with caution and only pairing off when both parties are fully confident in the other’s acceptance. There is no need for caution when it comes to battles over females, though – a territory-owning Torracat will not hesitate before throwing itself at a rival that seeks to steal a potential mate that’s caught its interest. (Females hold territories as well, but during the breeding season, they will spend more time exploring those of neighboring males.)

Raising a family, though, is another matter entirely. Torracat are so impulsive and hot-blooded that it’s impossible for them to focus on, or even remember, their cubs at all. Even worse, they can maim or even kill their cubs with ease in the middle of a tantrum. Pair-bonds don’t last very long either, with both the male and female losing interest and going back to a solitary life.

If your Torracat is acting quieter than usual, doesn’t get angry as often, and generally keeps to itself, chances are it’s developing a crush on you. Girls have it particularly rough, as a male Torracat will defend its lady love viciously from anything that even looks at her the wrong way. As with all of its misbehavior, a hormonal Torracat needs to be straightened out swiftly before it can strain the bonds between it and its teammates – or in the worst case scenario, injure them severely.

Special Warnings: This probably doesn’t need to be said, but you never know what kind of idiots are out there, so… please don’t touch Torracat’s flame sac. Not only will you get horrifically burned, it makes Torracat extremely uncomfortable. How would you like it if someone reached into your body cavity and touched your organs?

Rotom Dex’s Words: “Zzz-zzt! Rotom Dex reporting! Don’t worry, Volan, your zzzon has a good handle on hizzz Torracat. Under thozzze muscles and violent tendenciezzz, Stoker has a heart of gold! Azzz Professor Kukui sayzzz, Petro has to muzzzter his Focus Energy and keep at it, as the road to taming a Torracat only goes farther from here!”