Flutes

Flutes have been used as musical instruments for thousands of years and are strongly connected to the development of culture among early humans and our relatives, but in the context of Pokémon, these items can occasionally have some interesting effects. In most cases, flutes are designed to make others feel welcome and create a pleasant tone that is a joy to hear; some flutes, however, have more important features in battle and are thus separated from the traditional instrument and covered here exclusively.

Flutes are divided into two main groups, glass flutes and non-glass flutes. The glass flute category includes five different types of flutes that are produced exclusively within the Hoenn region by a glassblower near Fallarbor Town. The man responsible for the production of these flutes is well-renowned amongst glass sculptures for his ability to create different flutes as well as exquisite furniture out of volcanic ash, a material that can be difficult to work with by hand but produces an item with quality so immense that no one could possibly exceed it with a mass-production process. Moreover, these glass flutes are exceedingly useful because they can be used indefinitely, something that mass-produced items with similar effects care incapable of doing. The non-glass flutes are much rarer items and are designed independently of one another, so their actual purpose tends to vary quite widely between different models; all, however, can or have played an important role in the lives of trainers in certain situations.


GLASS FLUTES

Blue Flute: Blue Flutes are made from approximately 250g of volcanic ash and are the cheapest to produce, making them in turn among the most common of Flutes seen among trainers in the Hoenn region. The melody that these Flutes produce is quite calm and soothing, but it has a strong enough kick to it that the music it makes is not designed to actually put a Pokémon to Sleep but to wake it up from the condition instantly. Blue Flutes tend to be a bit fragile and can break if handled too roughly, but the fact that they are still cheaper to make than other glass flutes makes this less of a concern in most cases.

Red Flute: Red Flutes are made from approximately 500g of volcanic ash and are a bit less common than Blue Flutes, but this is at least in part due to its unique purpose in battle. Instead if producing a soft, pleasant tone that wakes up Pokémon from Sleep, the Red Flute produces a vibrant, passionate tone that helps to snap Pokémon out of Infatuation and effectively brings them back to their senses. This Flute is not used much because of the rarity of moves and Abilities that actually cause Infatuation, but it is still useful in that right as no other item is designed specifically for removing that condition in battle.

Yellow Flute: Yellow Flutes are made from approximately 500g of volcanic ash and are a bit less common than most would think, especially in consideration of their surprising attributes. The Yellow Flute produces a soft but enticing tune that is designed to perk up the spirits of anything that manages to hear it. In the context of battle, this sound effectively helps Pokémon instantly recover from Confusion and brings them back to their senses, allowing them to once again reach their full potential in battle. Yellow Flutes are widely used outside of the Hoenn region because of this unique power, but the color and sound the flute makes seems to make it less desirable in Japan for some reason.

White Flute: White Flutes are made from approximately one kilogram of volcanic ash and are much sturdier than other flutes, though this also affects the quality of the sound it can make. The White Flute makes a pleasant sound that is designed to invoke happiness of some sort in all that hear its melody; in the wild, this has the effect of attracting wild Pokémon and thus making their appearance much more likely in an area. This Flute is among the most expensive of types but is more than worth the price, especially if one is trying to find some wild Pokémon to battle or capture in an otherwise barren wasteland.

Black Flute: Black Flutes are made from approximately one kilogram of volcanic ash and are much sturdier than other flutes, though this also affects the quality of the sound it can make. The Black Flute makes a screeching sound that is designed to invoke fear and nervousness of some sort in all that hear its melody; in the wild, this has the effect of repelling wild Pokémon and making it much more unlikely to find any in the surrounding area. This Flute is among the most expensive of types but is more than worth the price, especially if one is traveling through an area filled with wild Pokémon and needs to get through the area without encountering too many roadblocks.


NON-GLASS FLUTES

Poké Flute: The Poke Flute is an ancient model of Flute that is effectively almost extinct in the modern day as a result of its antiquated status. It is believed by some that the Poké Flute may have been one of the first ways that humans learned how to connect with Pokémon on a non-physical level, as the enticing and pleasant sound that it makes is so exquisite that humans and Pokémon alike are enthralled by it. The Poké Flute has the same function in battle as the Blue Flute in that it is supposed to wake up sleeping Pokémon. However, unlike the Blue Flute, the Poké Flute is built so sturdily that it is almost impossible to break with conventional tools; this is beneficial to the few humans that have these ancient items still around, as production of them supposedly ended years ago and these items have been slowly disappearing from the market ever since.

Time Flute: Time Flutes are ancient, rare items believed to now be effectively extinct, as the last known Time Flutes were used up during the Orre region's First Shadow Crisis. It is said that the Time Flute produces a mystical sound that can apparently travel between different points in time; as a result, playing one of these items supposedly summons a Celebi. During the Orre region's First Shadow Crisis, Wes used these Flutes to summon Celebi so it could use its power to free the hearts of captured Shadow Pokémon and completely restore them back their normal form. It is believed that any and all remaining Time Flutes after the First Shadow Crisis were bought up by the remaining leaders of Cipher and destroyed, in turn preventing their use during the Second Shadow Crisis.

Eon Flute: These special flutes were once quite prolific in ancient times but today are merely present as a past reminder of the intense bonds that trainers once held with their Pokémon before the advancements of modern technology. This flute is capable of summoning a Latias or Latios, but this alone will not be enough for owners to get the most out of this item. If a trainer has bonded to either one of these Eon Pokémon and is also in possession of their associated Mega Stone, however, summoning them with this flute will allow them to Mega Evolve almost instantly and provide owners with the opportunity to Soar the skies on their backs, exploring their native region and transporting said owners to places where no normal Flying-type Pokémon could possibly take them.

Celestica Flute: This incredibly rare flute is usually only spoken of in myths and legends and is thought to have been a prototype of sorts for what would eventually become the Azure Flute. In the times of the Hisui region, this flute produced an eerie and mysterious timbre when used and is thought to have been capable of speaking to the guardians of the different parts of the Hisui region, allowing the right players to use the flute to summon forth such guardians whenever their help is needed to transport the wielder across the landscape, essentially acting as the first method for calling upon Ride Pokémon in known history.

Azure Flute: Azure Flutes are still a bit of a mystery in the modern day and are effectively among the few surviving remnants of a once thriving culture in the Hisui region long ago. Made from Celestica Flutes imbued with divine power, Azure Flutes produce an indescribable sound that seems quite shallow and hollow in most cases, but it is said that the Flutes will produce a haunting, morbid melody if played in a room with a specific physical structure and acoustic arrangement. Time has destroyed many of the rooms said to be capable of producing this sound and the few that are in repairable shape are under government protection, so it is difficult to say what kind of effect the Flutes would actually have. According to ancient Sinnoh scripture and bits and pieces of known Hisuian texts, however, this 'perfect' tune should have the capacity to reach past dimensional barriers and physically summon the presence of Arceus through the Hall of Origin, though whether this is actually true or not remains to be seen.

Professor Wormwood