Hey, Bill! Long time no see. I’ve got a question about my Zorua; my Zoroark recently had a cub and she was born blind. We’ve baby-proofed my apartment and more, so she’s not in any danger, but we’ve got another problem. Her dad’s a Ninetales, so she was born knowing Extrasensory; and she /loves/ using that to toss things that end up in her way. It’s handy, but you can imagine that can get a lil’ destructive. Got any ideas on how I could train her to use it with more control? Thanks!

Hello! It has been quite a while—excellent to see you!

Regarding your zorua, there’s a good chance you don’t have to, actually. If you still have her father, you also have a pokémon with experience with this sort of move who your zorua may trust. In other words, encourage your zorua’s father to teach her better self-control. Alternatively, if the father doesn’t wish to train his daughter, the mother might, as zoroark possess their own special abilities that they need both concentration and discipline to use effectively.

If neither parent is available to train your zorua, one thing you may wish to do is present her with one of the objects she’s tossed. Have her feel it, particularly if there’s any damage to it, to help her better understand that there are real consequences to her actions. This may sound harsh, but it’s the first step in teaching her the proper times she should use her abilities. After that, it’s a matter of rewarding her for holding back or for using her abilities in an appropriate manner and withholding rewards if she uses them inappropriately. Positive reinforcement is fairly universal, regardless of a pokémon’s abilities.

Best of luck!