Darcy (DEX: TAUROS-W)

Druddigon is one of the hardiest dragons out there, but is just as temperamental as any other. Partnership with a Druddigon means other team member options may be highly limited.

Reptiles cannot sweat or lose heat if they are forced to remain in the sun. Many can thus be killed in a very short time by overheating. This is not the case with Druddigon, who thrives in dry conditions. That said, it is uncomfortable for the pokemon to remain cold, and it is ill-advised to miskeep a Dragon.

As is the case with its cousins, Druddigon's head skin is fused to the bones of its skull. This enables very strong defense against serious injury, as well as a noted capacity for ramming attacks. Due to the buildup of spiked scutes, one headbutt from a Druddigon is lethal to humans and small pokemon. It is of utmost importance to train this Dragon out of using its full force.

Do not mistake endurance for painlessness. As some of the least expressive Dragons (even compared to Salamence), it can be hard to properly assess a Druddigon for injury. Be aware that some Centers will refuse to treat hostile Dragons and plan accordingly.

Druddigon partnership is legal only under a Class V license gained with affiliation to Dragon studies. A plan must be in place for the relocation of the specimen after its trainer's death, as partnered Druddigon can rarely be reintroduced to the wild.

Druddigon are highly dangerous. It is not recommended to approach one if sighted, even if it is partnered.

The only thing outclassing Druddigon's physical strength is its cunning. As great spur-of-the-moment tacticians, Druddigon makes for an excellent defensive force in the Professional Circuit, and is also why only experts may engage in their husbandry. Druddigon are known to be sneaky and manipulative to even trusted partners, and outright violent to those it knows it can cow. Partnership with one often involves a lot of aggravation, as they're capable of quickly learning what pushes their handlers' buttons. A handler must avoid expressing frustration around their partner, since it lets them know they're on the right track -- and when given an inch, they will take a mile. Establishing firm boundaries and unbending rules goes a long way to mitigating the cheekiness of a Druddigon.

Vicious by nature, Druddigon are at their most companion-friendly when introduced to them at around one year of age. However, there is still significant danger in rearing prey species alongside them, as a bored Dragon is liable to attack and eat them. In battle, trainers must be very careful to regulate their partner's natural aggression, especially towards prey species and other Dragons.

Partnered Druddigon can be kleptomaniacs. They seem to enjoy the thrill, and it allows them to exercise their deft claws. Keep a close eye on the nooks and crannies of your Druddigon's habitat.

While their rock-solid skulls make for the bulk of their offensive leanings, Druddigon also have scythe-like claws and sharply-armoured flanks with which to defend. They are highly dexterous with their claws, and have a surprising reach with their long arms. Their legs are equally limber, able to launch them ~5ft into the air in a dead leap. Touching a Druddigon is an involved task; contact should be limited to the scutes running down its neck and across its belly, as the rest of its body carries significant potential for harm. Only those who know their partner very well should consider contact with its head.

Druddigon's other limbs have little range of motion. Its wing-like growths are not prehensile, do not allow it to fly, and act more like solar panels than anything. Its tail cannot sway very far, and tends to be mainly used as a bludgeon. Druddigon with particularly stiff tails can have poor balance, but the species is not known for that anyway.

Druddigon gains its strength from the sun, and is one of the most referred-to examples in debates of the applications of the Dragon typing. Demonstrating a remarkable mastery over flame, Druddigon is nevertheless at its best utilizing Dragon tactics, preferring to apply its destructive ability to neutralize targets.

Druddigon's diet is another deterrent to all but the most serious of trainers. Requiring large quantities of meat every week (2-5 kilos of per day, or roughly 5% of its weight per week), Druddigon's food intake only increases as it grows. Age has little bearing on its size, but a well-fed specimen will grow at a steady pace for its entire life. Trainers are advised to not overfeed, as it can quickly become very unfeasible.

Fish, butcher's meat and poultry are good options. Livers and hearts can be used with priority to hatchlings.

Very fatty meat should not be given; it may be eaten but then regurgitated. Bone must not be given to hatchlings except when crushed. If no bone is given, another form of calcium (such as powdered shell) should be sprinkled over the food. With a varied diet including red meat, liver, fish, and perhaps some invertebrate food, there will be no need for feed supplements. If it is suspected that the diet is not rich enough, a proprietary vitamin and mineral mix could be tried. Special dietary requests can be made at most Centers.

As is expected of large reptilians, Druddigon need vast, undisturbed nesting places. Druddigon has less need of water than most of its cousins, instead favouring craggy cliffs and dens.

A mandatory part of a Druddigon enclosure is wide space in which to dig. In the wild, they regularly infiltrate the tunnels of other Pokémon to hunt. If kept in an area with other species, be aware that territorial spats may occur -- Druddigon tend to steal the nests and living spaces of other pokemon.

Local climate is a prime consideration. In selecting a site for outdoor pens, it may be possible to create a warmer environment (by a few degrees) simply by making the most of windbreaks. Windbreaks should not be so close that they prevent early morning and evening sun from reaching the pens. Shelter from cooling winds is usually easy to arrange. If no sheltered site exists, a belt of trees and bushes may make an effective windbreak. More quickly, a belt of sugar cane or bamboo can be established until the trees grow. However, Druddigon may eat both of these once discovered, which is not in the best interests of its health. Where there is a possibility of lower night temperatures, compensation for this must be provided (potentially in the form of a warming lamp).

Druddigon partnership is handled on a case-by-case basis. A partnered Druddigon found roaming outside of natural habitats may be apprehended and reappropriated from its Trainer. As an endangered species, Druddigon are not and will likely never be available to send abroad.

Druddigon hatchlings do not often survive. Clutches of around forty eggs are laid once every ~fifty years, and the hatchlings that remain through their treacherous early days have to contend with many predators. Druddigon parents do not raise their young past their hatching, and their small size and relative weakness are often fatal. As they grow, the danger from predators becomes less and less until eventually only man and other Dragons can threaten them.

Dragons raised in the wild are rarely recommended for partnership. Baby dragons are often accompanied by a parent, or are otherwise quite capable of defending themselves from humans; Dragons are apex predators, and thus have little reason to seek the comforts of society. As one of the few exceptions, Druddigon make excellent adoptees. Baby Druddigon are weak and defenceless, and are often abandoned by their parents. It is not uncommon for baby Druddigon to learn to rely upon their human for survival once partnered with. Such specimens are much less standoffish than their wild counterparts and often hold a strong fondness for their trainer(s), leading to dramatic reduction in handling injury.

If raising a Druddigon from a hatchling, it is important to allow a cohort of 2-4 siblings for their first few months of life. They may take well to partnership, but many baby reptiles need seclusion, and in this, Druddigon is no exception. Hatchlings socialize through roughhousing, loud vocalization, and "dragonpiles" (a rather cute burrowing of under one another until all the hatchlings are lying in a heap). This is normal behaviour and should not be interrupted. If encroached upon extensively, hatchlings may resist feeding or even keeping warm. In badly designed enclosures or under careless management, Druddigon may remain hidden in a cold place, rather than brave the exposure of a warmer place with food. A captive Druddigon raised with no cohort is unsuited to exposure to other partnered pokemon, and will be unlikely to fully grasp the extent of its power. Most specimens banned from the battling circuit were found to fall into this category.

It is usually found that within a few weeks, some Druddigon hatchlings grow to be much bigger and stronger than others. The dominant ones can then suppress the growth of the weaker individuals by affecting their feeding and other behaviour. If raising a clutch, bullying should not be tolerated -- separate the instigator and target until things cool down. Physical reprimands are ill-advised. Leaving dominant hatchlings to usurp the others will often result in violent Druddigon on both sides.

The oldest partnered Druddigon on record was 121 years old.