Noivern Report

Noivern (the Sound Wave Pokémon) is an exceptionally rare Flying/Dragon-type Pokémon found among caverns within the Kalos, Alola, Galar, Paldea and Kitakami regions. Vicious to behold and more dangerous than they might appear, Noivern are among the most powerful of beasts in the Kalos region and are more than capable of leveling the opposition in a heartbeat. Granted, they might not be particularly strong in any one stat, but don’t let that fool you; get in the way of these massive bats, and not even your hearing will able to survive the fierce power of their Boomburst attack!

Noibat and their evolved form, Noivern, are different from most other bats in that they are considered to not only be primary Flying-types but, due to their genetics, partial Dragon-types. It is still the subject of great debate as to why this adoption of Dragon-type abilities and powers ever occurred in the first place, but much as with the members of the Trapinch family, the most likely culprit is random genetic mutation. Even so, it is odd that they have managed to retain the type’s strengths and weaknesses even at birth, which is a bit cumbersome for Noibat because they cannot actually learn any Dragon-type moves at all until after they evolve. In terms of combat abilities, these creatures are somewhat limited to moves that are used by other Pokémon, namely the Zubat family, and thus have little in the way of offenses or even defenses to protect themselves at a young age. Thankfully, though, as with their bat relatives, the members of the Noibat family have learned how to specialize in one particular feature in order maintain their otherwise low numbers in the wild. While the members of the Zubat family have come to rely on toxins for defense and the members of the Woobat family have developed psychic powers, the members of the Noibat family have learned to specialize in using sound. This a normal adaptation that they already have with them as part of their natural biology, as these creatures primarily rely on echolocation to sense their surroundings. This is not to say that they cannot see, however, as they do have good eyesight; it just makes it easier for them to fly through areas, as their brains can react more quickly to their sound-based senses than they can to their visual senses. Moreover, this adaptation serves a practical purpose as these creatures go to feed on fruit, as they can use these ultrasonic waves to detect which fruits are ripe for eating. In battle, these creature turn this power into a natural weapon in battle, blasting opponents and predators alike with massive, concussive sound waves capable of making even the sturdiest of beasts dizzy, giving these creatures the chance to either flee with no issue or attack while the opposition is left unguarded. As such, trainers will have to be very careful about how they work with these beasts, as the devastating sound blasts they are capable of unlashing are damaging to all that hear them, making strong headphones or noise suppressors a vital tool of the trade when training them.

In comparison to their pre-evolved form, Noivern are violent, hot-blooded monsters that will attack anything that gets in their way ferociously and are capable of using their natural powers in battle far, far more effectively than Noibat could ever hope to (to the point where even Hydreigon will avoid them at night). For one thing, while these beasts still enjoy the taste of fruit (and can be instantly tamed if you provide them a ripe fruit that is a favorite of theirs), they are more or less predators, attacking their prey in the darkness of night where they cannot easily be seen. Aggressively and cruelly hunting in the dark (especially when the moon is not visible) works perfectly fine for these beasts as they can easily use echolocation to determine their exact position before swooping down silently behind their target and tormenting them with their stone-crushing, ultrasonic cries and finishing them off with their sharp fangs by biting in deep to sever their jugular vein. Despite their large body size, though, these beasts prefer to attack smaller game, as their fangs are not large enough to puncture the thicker hides of fully-evolved Pokémon. Evolution from Noibat effectively also increases the destructive power these creatures possess in terms of sound, as they can release concussive sound waves from their ears so strong that they can rattle a large boulder into pebble-sized fragments in a single blow. This in turn has enabled Noivern to learn the devastating Boomburst attack naturally, a move so powerful and difficult to use that only they and a handful of other Pokémon are known to be able to utilize it in battle. Additionally, the draconic genes of these beasts seem to fully activate after evolution, enabling them to learn the powerful Dragon Pulse attack immediately after evolving. Lastly, it is noted that these beasts, although connected to the dark, seem to enjoy the glow of the moon’s light so much that they can actually learn the Moonlight technique; why this is the case, though, is still under investigation. Overall, Noivern might not have the defenses or raw offensive power of other Dragon-types, but they are still more than fast enough to fly circles around most opponents before finishing them in a fairly violent and destructive manner.

They may not be the easiest of beasts to come by or have the sheer might of other fully-evolved Dragon-types, but Noivern are deceptive beasts that can more than shake the opposition to pieces without even having to touch them. With incredible agility that can help them turn and move on a dime and the monstrous Boomburst attack at their disposal to crush the competition, it can at least be said that these bats will more than likely give even the best of trainers a bit of trouble in battle. Of course, if you are into moonlit flying tours, taking a ride on one of them might not be such a bad idea; just make sure that you don’t accidentally spook them over a town or city, or you may end up having to pay a substantial fine after your ride ‘accidentally’ levels the entire area flat in a single blast!

Professor Wormwood