Thank you for your advice with Leafeon. I sent him to my sister a while ago, and while she hasn’t been able to go out of her way to send him back, we’ve been face timing and he seems to be doing better. Seeing as how we’re both too busy to pass him between us all the time, is there any kind of schedule you would recommend to allow him to keep seeing me, and my sister’s Lapras? Thank you again!

It’s great to hear your leafeon is getting better, anonymous!

That having been said, unfortunately, it’s difficult to recommend a particular schedule without knowing personal details about you. If your schedule was much like many other college students, then it may be possible to spend a weekend—be that every weekend, every other weekend, or one weekend a month—with your leafeon. On the other hand, if your schedule was like mine when I was earning my first degree (that is to say, if you spend nearly every waking hour juggling multiple majors, an internship, and possibly a part-time job), reserving time on weekends may be … a bit more difficult.

However, there are certainly alternatives. You may be able to visit your leafeon during holidays, for example, and some studies have shown that even doing a video call with your leafeon can maintain the bond between the two of you. Perhaps you can even arrange for your leafeon to come visit you (rather than the other way around) now and then.

Ultimately, this may be a case wherein you’ll need to do what’s best for you. Think carefully about how much time you devote to your studies and everything else you need to do in order to maintain your daily life. It’s sad to tell a trainer that they need to put themselves before their pokémon, but in this case, now that your leafeon is doing better in your sister’s care, it’s up to you to decide how much time you need to take to do all the things you need to do for you.

Best of luck, anonymous, and I hope that you’ll be able to find that balance between following your dreams and taking care of yourself and your pokémon.