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My Cubchoo is a pain! He has this disgusting habit of slathering his mucus, gnawing and leaving freezing saliva on things that he likes. Including me for some reason. It is not a pleasant experience, I’ll tell you that. Why is he doing this? There are moments where he taps me with his paw and looks up with this blank, vacant stare before he whacks me on the shin with his hardened snot like a club. And then he runs away. Yet he keeps stalking me too (he caught himself). What is wrong with him?

Nothing, really. A lot of base-level bear pokémon (such as teddiursa, pancham, and—yes—cubchoo) are mischievous in nature and enjoy displaying affection through bizarre acts designed to catch their trainers off-guard. It sounds as if your cubchoo is particularly affectionate towards you, which is a good thing! Cubchoo can be difficult to get close to compared to their ursine cousins.

However, if you’d like for this behavior to stop (especially if it’s physically painful for you), it may be best to train him not to do this. Use positive reinforcement to teach him acceptable ways of showing affection, and avoid responding (even through shock) when he reverts to using this method instead.

My brother and I both adopted a pair of sibling Pikachus we found on our ranch when we were small. Mine has now long evolved into a Raichu. When my brother returned from his stay in the Alola region, his Pikachu had evolved too, except it looks completely different from the Raichu I have, with a rounded physique and the ability to float?! He told me it might have something to do with the diet of his Pikachu during its stay in Alola. Something about sweets? I’m so confused!

Your brother is not that far off. You see, your raichu evolved into a standard form, whereas your brother’s evolved into the Alolan variation. To be more specific, certain pokémon, such as pikachu, are capable of evolving into different forms in the region of Alola than the forms they attain anywhere else. In most cases, this has to do with the unique environment of the Alola region itself.

However, pikachu’s evolution into the half-psychic Alolan raichu has less to do with the environment specifically and more to do with the fact that the pancakes of that region really are about as powerful as natives say they are.

Hey Bill, can you get me Cassius’s contact info? I was hoping to employ his services for… a thing. You’re less culpable if you don’t know any more than that, but suffice to say it’s technically legal in international waters via an esoteric loophole in maritime law, and also it’s pretty cool.

I’m neither going to inquire any further about your upcoming project, nor inform you that you may reach Cassius at [REDACTED]@[REDACTED].com so long as you tell him that I did not send you and that you are perfectly willing to pay in Bitpyen, as that would be irresponsible of me, and as I’ve said to my partner, I am in no way going to use this blog to encourage anyone or Cassius to engage in business that is frankly none of my concern.

I recently got a baby togepi and people keep getting very concerned because if rides on the back of my houndoom. Now my houndoom is nothing but loving and nurturing, having had a litter of her own and adopted a shinx and growlithe when they were rejected by their mothers. I’m just really frustrated with all the bias

Unfortunately, anonymous, I’m afraid that there is quite a lot of discrimination against dark-type pokémon and their users. This is largely in part due to long-standing folklore that states dark-types in general are ruthless, bloodthirsty, or dangerous tricksters. Houndoom in particular are victims of this, as their alarming appearances, pack habits, and notorious bites made them rather frightening creatures to the humans who lived near their territories. This is all despite the fact that members of the houndour line are among the most loyal and gentle fire-type pokémon (never mind the most loyal dark-types) one can own.

The best you can do is try your best to not let it affect you. If someone attempts to confront you about your houndoom, show them that yours is gentle and do your best to educate them while deescalating the situation. Don’t give in to your frustrations. The important thing is whether or not your houndoom and togepi are safe and happy.

Best of luck, anonymous, and hang in there!

Hey Bill, has the research community considered adding a sound type? There seems to be several techniques to justify the inclusion, and historically sound-based moves have caused different effects than the normal type they are generally classified as (see: St. Wulfric of Rovngalad).

Actually, yes, especially considering pokémon such as the whismur line, the jigglypuff line, and chatot, all of which are reliant on sound-based maneuvers or come with abilities that make them immune to sound-based techniques. We’ve certainly amended the registered type list with fewer on-hand examples, no less.

But the problem is that none of these pokémon display the physical attributes that would indicate any other type than the ones they already have. (Well, jigglypuff was recently discovered to be a fairy-type a well, but you get the idea.) In order to amend the type list, a proposed type must be present not only in techniques but also in pokémon examples—the latter of which tends to be more of a priority than the former. That is, without compelling evidence that a new type of pokémon exists, a researcher can’t amend the list at all, whereas nothing in the Symposium rules prevents us from registering a new type without examples of techniques.

In short, while sound-based moves such as Chatter and Uproar may hint at a new type, we can’t present evidence that a sound-type exists without first locating a pokémon that clearly is of the sound element.

What’s the best kind of Pokémon partner to use at a salon where you wash and trim and pretty up someone’s Pokémon?

This depends on what you need them to do specifically. If you’d simply looking for a pokémon capable of making precision cuts under strict guidance, the aipom family, kricketune, ninjask, the elemental monkeys, leavanny, the oshawott line, the pawniard family, sylveon, and scizor are all excellent choices. (Note: Contrary to popular belief, scyther is not recommended in such circumstances, due to its naturally aggressive nature. They may be better suited to gardening and topiary work, however.)

If you’d like a pokémon that can assist you with washing hair and fur, practically anything that can use Water Gun would be advisable, although the oshawott and panpour lines are both also capable of Cut to precise degrees.

Finally, if you’re looking for a pokémon that may offer some fashionable input, jynx, leavanny, and most fairy-types—particularly aromatisse and sylveon—quite frankly have the best tastes, objectively speaking.

Also, as a note, for assistance with dying pokémon fur or hair, never use a smeargle. Smeargle tend to take artistic liberties with their work, so they may do more harm than good. Instead, try jynx, as jynx are both careful and able to see color the way a human would.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Genetically is there a reason some shinies are less conspicuous than others? A shiny eevee has less ability to hide from predators due to silver coloring but a Pokémon like gabite does not change much when altered forms are involved. Moreover is the reason shinies are so rare due to their lack of ability to hide or hunt due to their coloring make them more of a target? I gave a hiding example with eevee but for hunting a shiny sharpedo is more likely to be spotted by prey, giving warning by hue

Actually, the reason why shinies are rarer than standard pokémon is because shininess is a genetic mutation. It’s very much the same as albinism in humans. Just as albinism is possible but extremely rare in humans (and is often tied to health problems and is, thus, not an ideal condition), shininess is likewise possible, rare, and may lead to issues for the individual. (In some cases, those issues may even be the same—that is, the issues may actually be tied to health problems in certain pokémon species, not simply conspicuousness.)

Granted, yes, in some cases, shiny populations of some species are low because the conspicuousness of a shiny-variant pokémon makes it difficult for individuals to hunt or hide from predators, but really, it’s just that shiny populations are low to begin with purely because shininess is a mutation.

it started snowing really hard where i live, and after about 3 days a snorunt came to my door! its currently in my house playing with my houndoom. is this okay? why did the snorunt come here?

By nature, snorunt are nomadic. Typically, they travel in packs, but this doesn’t mean that coming across a single wandering snorunt is unusual. In fact, in Hoennian folklore, it’s said that being visited by a single snorunt will bless a household with prosperity, indicating that this was not a strange occurrence to Hoennian natives (although, yes, packs of snorunt are far more common).

As for why they wander, it tends to be for a number of reasons. Some snorunt clans actually claim vast amounts of territory—sometimes even entire mountains—which means that the wandering behavior may simply be that a snorunt is traveling from one nest site to another within a sizable claim. Alternatively, a snorunt that’s completely nomadic (in that it hasn’t claimed a territory at all) may be hunting for a suitable nest site before it begins its search for a mate, or perhaps a snorunt is looking for a new food source. Very, very occasionally, a snorunt may be attracted to the food stores and warmth of a human home, which is very likely why the ancient Hoennians noticed snorunt arriving at their doorsteps. The latter may be the case with your new visitor, although if it leaves again, it may also be that it simply stopped to rest for a bit before pursuing a much larger goal (such as locating a suitable place to build a nest).

As for whether or not it’s okay to treat it, while normally, it’s a bad idea to feed and offer water and a safe home to a wild pokémon, as snorunt stays tend to be brief (assuming the intent for their journeys is something other than to find food or water), it’s fine to offer this one temporary shelter, especially if the weather outside is less than ideal. Additionally, so long as your houndoom knows not to attack or use its fire abilities so close to snorunt, allowing the two to play is perfectly fine as well.

Enjoy your visitor, anonymous!

Heya bill, big fan! I had a question about a Lillipup I got as a rescue from a mill. She’s really shy and loving, but every now and again she’ll have something akin to an anxious breakdown. Can Pokémon have PTSD? How can I help her without triggering her by accident? There’s only one other Pokémon in the house (Starly) and they typically don’t interact beyond the occasional play session. I don’t know what’s setting lillipup off, but I want her to be comfortable for the rest of her days.

Thank you!

To answer your first question, it depends on the species (some pokémon, such as the slowpoke line, never seem to be affected by anything, including events that would logically induce extreme trauma and stress), but with dog-like pokémon, absolutely.

The most important thing to do when you’re taking care of a rescue—and not simply one with PTSD, but absolutely this as well—is make them feel safe. Provide them with a comfortable home. Give them plenty of food, water, and soft toys. Show them affection, but be slow and speak with a soft, easy tone when you’re around them. Remove anything that might seem threatening, and avoid raising your voice, even if your anger or frustration isn’t even directed at them.

Additionally, establish routines with them. Pokémon with PTSD see routines as safe, as maintaining regular habits gives them a sense of control. They know when they’ll be fed, walked, groomed, and so forth, so it’s easier for them to understand what’s going on at all times and to anticipate what you’ll do next. Thus, always be sure to fill your pokémon’s food and water bowls at the exact same time every day (with kibble high in Omega 3 and other nutrients that can boost serotonin), take them out for walks at a specific time and for a specific duration, and so on and so forth. And on that note, be sure to exercise your pokémon, but don’t engage in battles with them until it’s clear they can handle them. Play-fighting with other pokémon may help you gauge when yours is ready.

General notes out of the way, it’s difficult to say what might be causing your lillipup’s distress unless you’ve followed the above notes to a T. In her case, she may benefit from a calming collar (a special collar treated with pheromones or flower oils to give off a calming scent), herbal supplements, or actual drug therapy, depending on the severity of her episodes and the actual diagnosis Nurse Joy helps you reach. (Yes, you may need to take your lillipup to a pokémon center as well, especially if her episodes are particularly severe.)

Alternatively—or perhaps in addition to the above—observe her carefully. Very rarely does a pokémon do something for no reason, so there may be a source you haven’t noticed yet. Keep your eyes peeled especially for subtle movement or sound around your lillipup whenever she has an episode. Don’t forget to pay attention to what’s going on outside as well, as she may also be alerting you to an intruder.

But really, start by taking her to a pokémon center to determine whether or not she does have PTSD and then work from there (although the above-mentioned tips certainly wouldn’t hurt either).

Best of luck, anonymous!