Hi Bill! I’ve been having trouble with my Charizard and Feraligatr for a while now. They were both my starters of sorts, the former having hatched from an egg and the latter a gift for the start of my journey but they’ve always been incredibly competitive. First it was because charmander evolved first which caused a fight and then when croconaw evolved to Feraligatr first they went at it again. I’d love to use them for double battles but they constantly attack or trip each other up. Any advice?

Encouraging your pokémon to work out their differences peacefully is, at the risk of offering fantastically unhelpful advice, perhaps the best policy here. Start by trying to mediate their conversations and offering compromises to their differences. Point out ways that their abilities complement each other (Charizard’s flying abilities versus Feraligatr’s swiftness in the water) and offer fair solutions for whatever it is that triggered their competition in the first place. (If they were competing with one another to determine who gets to sleep in a certain spot, for example, suggest that they take turns sleeping in that particular spot.)

Additionally, encouraging them to compete tasks together off the field could potentially strengthen the bonds between them. Have them perform day-to-day tasks such as chores or certain exercises together. Always train them together, and be firm and consistent if you see hints of competitive behaviors. Give them clear goals that they can only complete when working together, rather than ones that develop their strengths separately.

In other words, cooperation can very much be a trained behavior, but you’ll need to be very consistent and firm about teaching them how to interact with one another. That and it may take quite a bit of patience and a lot of sternness on your part to keep them from simply going at it every time you try to teach them cooperation.

Best of luck!