Falinks (Pokémon)

**Falinks** (Japanese: **タイレーツ** *Tairetsu*) is a Fighting-type Pokémon introduced in Generation VIII.

It is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon.

## Biology

Falinks is a group of small, bipedal Pokémon. A single Falinks is a formation of six individuals, similar to Exeggcute. It consists of five troopers and a leader, known as "the brass". Falinks usually march in a single file line headed by the brass, giving their formation the appearance of a caterpillar. However, Falinks occasionally break their formation to attack. They are genderless and have no visible mouths.

The six members rely on teamwork as their strategy to win battles, and constantly change formation when they fight. The five troopers follow their brass loyally, and the brass's orders are considered absolute by them. Falinks are capable of fitting into small holes, as shown in Route 8, where they can be seen marching and charging through small caves and crevices.

An individual Falinks trooper has a black, spherical body with two stout, trunk-like legs. They also have blue, ovular eyes which can either be interpreted as having white pupils or glowing slightly from their dark body. Each trooper has a golden, armored shell resembling a spartan helmet that covers their dorsal half. This shell is topped with a red crest that terminates in an anterior horn and flanks the lateral sides of the trooper with two horned plates resembling shields. Each of these shields features a red, central horn ringed in white. Each trooper also has a small red horn on their posterior resembling a tail.

The Falinks brass is larger than its five troopers. They have a larger crest with an extendable horn they use to attack. The horn is supported by a golden anterior strut absent in the troopers. The brass's golden shell extends to the ventral half of its body. Unlike its troopers, the brass's lateral shields can be opposed. The brass's shields are often chipped or nicked. When Falinks is marching in formation, the brass holds its two shields in front of its face. Falinks is the only known Pokémon capable of using No Retreat.

## Game data

### Pokédex entries

 Shield  | The six of them work together as one Pokémon. Teamwork is also their battle strategy, and they constantly change their formation as they fight.

### Stats

#### Base stats

* Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.

### Learnset

#### By breeding

 * Moves marked with an asterisk (\*) must be chain bred onto Falinks in Generation VIII
* Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
* Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Falinks in that game.
* **Bold** indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Falinks
* *Italic* indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Falinks

#### By tutoring

 * **Bold** indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Falinks
* *Italic* indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Falinks

## Trivia

* Despite Special Defense being its lowest stat, Falinks awards Special Defense Template:EVs when it is defeated.
* Falinks is the tallest Fighting-type Pokémon.

### Origin

Falinks may be inspired by a group of soldiers in the phalanx formation, where each unit is lined up close together and cover all sides with their shields, which Falinks's limbs resemble. The individual units resemble Spartan helmets during the period of Ancient Rome, adorned with golden plates and red crests. It may also be inspired by the Legio IX Hispana, also known as the 9th Roman Legion or the Lost Legion, which mysteriously disappeared in Britain around 120 AD.

It may also take inspiration from eusociality, a kind of social animal behavior found in certain insects, crustaceans, and mammals characterized by, among other things, the division of labor of the members of the colony, which are sometimes called castes, like soldiers, workers, and the queen. In Falinks's case, the castes are the troopers and the brass.

In addition, Falinks may be inspired by an admiral caterpillar.

#### Name origin

Falinks may be a combination of *phalanx* and *link* (chain link).

Tairetsu may be derived from 隊列 *tairetsu* (a rank or formation of troops).