Monferno Report

Monferno (the Playful Pokémon) is an exceptionally rare Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon found among craggy mountains and grasslands within the Sinnoh and Hisui regions, some parts of Africa, the Blueberry Academy Terarium and the Alola region on rare occasions. Incredibly friendly but dangerous to fight against, Monferno are fun creatures that can definitely heat up the battlefield with their impressive fighting skills. They might only learn a few Fighting-type attacks and are unable to utilize some of the powerful special attacks of their pre-evolved form, but these energetic creatures can certainly show opponents that they are more than just a cute face with a flaming tail!

In order to increase their overall threat level against the many Ground and (in particular) Rock-type Pokémon that roam their habitats, Chimchar develop a passion for physical brawls soon before evolving into Monferno, at which point their skills become enhanced enough to be classified as Fighting-types (this transition is also generally marked by the acquisition of the Mach Punch attack, immediately after evolving). As a way of making them more specialized in close-quarters combat, Monferno develop a tail that takes the place of their colon in serving as the ignition source for the volatile gasses in their stomach. By adjusting the amount of gas they generate within their stomachs, Monferno can precisely change the intensity and length of their tail flame in order to repel oncoming opponents. Monferno rarely travel alone in the wild and often hunt for small berries and fruits among medium-sized groups. The leaders of these groups are usually easy to pick out due to their greater combat experience and especially their appearances, as the blue markings on their faces deepen in color and their tail flames generally increase in size as they age and approach evolution. However, as with Chimchar, their flame will weaken and shrink if they become ill.

While the powers that Monferno begin to develop upon evolving are nothing to sneeze at, it should be noted that they are still generally limited in terms of combat effectiveness. Both Monferno and Infernape, although Fighting-types, are quite limited in terms of move versatility because of their unique fighting styles and limited use of pure muscle to achieve success; in fact, the only Fighting-type attacks that they learn naturally are the Power-Up Punch, Mach Punch and Close Combat attacks, though their tendency to use rapid motion to strike from many angles helps to counter this somewhat. Secondly, the development of anatomical features (such as moving the ignition area of their flame from their colons to their tails) designed to assist in physical combat can sometimes keep Monferno and Infernape from naturally learning moves like Flamethrower without help, and learning the Feint attack in place of the Nasty Plot technique normally learned by Chimchar. This can prove to be a detriment to trainers unable to access TMs, as Monferno and Infernape are equally efficient at using both physical and special attacks; this loss is, however, at least partially compensated by their ability to utilize the devastating Flare Blitz attack.

Though they might be more playful than aggressive in their actions, Monferno are still interesting creatures that can give trainers a unique experience in close-quarters combat. You might have to use a few TMs on them to properly utilize their strong Special Attack stat, but in terms of physical offense and agility, these creatures are set for battle. Fire-type specialists should love training these apes, especially considering what lies at the end of the road for them; Monferno have a lot to offer, but you'll really be thanking yourself for choosing them once their skills fully develop upon evolution!

Professor Wormwood