I had a bad experience with a Mr. Mime as a child and as an adult am still terrified of them. My boyfriend had a mime jr, who I love to bits but I’m terrified of him evolving :( what do I do?

First and foremost, it’s extremely important for you to communicate with your boyfriend about this. That way, he knows about your condition, and he can (assuming he wishes to prolong your relationship with him) take steps to safeguard your mental well-being. This may even include discussing things with his mime jr. to see if it wishes to evolve in the first place—and, if it doesn’t, what it wishes to do to avoid evolution. You see, mime jr. can only evolve if it’s taught a certain move. Thus, staying in its base form would actually take no effort at all, save for the paltry amount it would take to resist learning Mimic. As you’ve said, you’re comfortable with your boyfriend’s mime jr. as it is, so if mime jr. is comfortable with its form, then your solution is easier than you might think.

However, if mime jr. wishes to evolve, then there are a few options that you could exercise. You could see about perhaps reaching a compromise, where your boyfriend trains his mime jr. up to be the strongest mime jr. that has ever existed, or it could evolve and simply keep its distance. Alternatively, there’s also exposure therapy, which tends to be the easiest and most effective way of treating most pokémon-related phobias, and thus, it may be the most ideal option you have, as it allows mime jr. to assume the form it most wishes to be while at the same time helping you to maintain your relationship with it past its evolution. If you wish to try this method, it’s important for you to find and talk to a certified therapist, as this is, of course, what’s technically a medical treatment (meaning I can’t in good conscience offer detailed advice on how to administer it).

Still, I can’t emphasize this enough: your most important task right now is talking to your boyfriend and making it clear to both him and his mime jr. your concerns. Let them know that it’s not his mime jr. specifically but rather a fear instilled in you by prior experiences that you would be willing to resolve if necessary. In addition to working out possible solutions (the aforementioned compromises), your boyfriend and his mime jr. will likely be your biggest form of support, should you wish to undergo exposure therapy.

Good luck, anonymous.