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My pikachu is the son of my fathers raichu, and has become extremely depressed since it’s passing. He barely eats or drinks and has become very listless, not even hopping on my shoulder to join me when I leave the house. What should I do? :(

It’s incredibly important to bond with your pikachu as much as possible. Don’t be smothering or overprotective, of course, but be there for him. If he’ll allow you to do so, pet him and hold him. Some grieving pokémon take especially well to physical contact, as it makes your bond with them literal: you’re essentially telling them that you’re there and that they aren’t alone. To this end, yes, you’ll need to spend much more time with your pikachu, even if he doesn’t seem to respond to you at first. Even just an extra half an hour a day will be of immense help to him.

Also, don’t be afraid to use a little positive reinforcement as well. If your pikachu likes a particular type of toy, buy more of that toy and give him one whenever eats. Show him affection for coming close to his food bowl or water bottle, and whenever he responds to you in a positive manner, give him a bite of his favorite types of treats.

Toys are also excellent distractions, as odd as this may sound. It’s simply that giving your pikachu a means to keep his mind occupied whenever you’re unable to sit with him helps him avoid dwelling on how much he misses his father, which in turn will allow his mind to heal. It’s very much like how humans sometimes find ways of distracting themselves when they’re faced with grief so they don’t dwell on their hurt and allow it to dominate their psyches.

Speaking of, try to enforce your pikachu’s daily routine as much as possible. Like toys, routines are excellent distractions, and they establish a sense of normalcy in a pokémon’s life. If your pikachu is fed at a certain time every day, be sure to feed him at that time. If he trains at another time, don’t let that hour go by without training.

Most importantly, remember that pokémon are very sensitive to their trainers’ emotions. If you’re strong, calm, and patient for and with your pikachu, this will help him remain calm and open up to you. Yes, this means the grieving process will take a lot of effort on your part, but you need to show you care and that your pikachu can rely on you when he needs you. So have patience and do everything you can to remind him that you love him and that he’s not alone.

Best of luck, anonymous.

I found a Dratini and a Spheal, both female, at a nearby lake. (I don’t know why a Spheal is down so far south, but she must be pretty resilient to the summer to still be here.) Both of them are friendly and we have been hanging out for two months. I recently asked them if they would like to be with me more, and they agreed and were caught. Any advice for raising them? Thanks!

The most important thing is to figure out their living situation, considering both are largely aquatic pokémon. This would be a bit more complicated due to the average spheal’s need for slightly colder waters than what a dratini can handle, except it seems your spheal is strangely acclimated to warmer temperatures. (It may be worth it to see if anyone had lost track of a dratini and a spheal by taking yours to a pokémon center, but given their eagerness to be with you, the answer to that question isn’t quite as important as it would normally be in situations like these.)

Thus, you only need one pool, but be sure to make it large enough to accommodate both a dragonair and both of spheal’s evolutions. Dragonite are not quite as reliant on water as its previous forms, so you don’t need to be concerned about space for one. However, walrein can get pretty large, and their space requirements can potentially get rather demanding, so be sure to place this pool outside if at all possible. I would also recommend keeping a close eye on your spheal as it evolves, as its temperature requirements can also shift, and dratini and dragonair—being members of an evolutionary family that isn’t quite as quick to evolve—may not be able to handle the temperatures walrein needs. If your walrein can handle warmer climates as your spheal can, however, perhaps this won’t be as much of a problem. Alternatively, if your spheal’s special ability is Thick Fat, then you won’t need to worry, as this is the likeliest explanation behind its ability to tolerate warmth.

That aside, once you figure out where they’ll be homed, be sure the pond or pool you construct for them is always supplied with fresh water. Also be sure to have a source of drinking water (such as a nearby water bottle), as pokémon should never drink the water they live in. This is, after all, where they will normally relieve themselves. On that note, also be sure to clean the pool or pond as often as possible—once a week at the absolute minimum. Install a filter system to take care of the days in between cleaning, and be sure to test the pH levels each time you clean.

As for food, both are carnivorous and feed primarily on fish. Don’t feed them canned tuna, as this can be too fatty for them. Instead, try to secure salmon or tilapia, but cod and bass will do just as well. If you absolutely cannot afford fish, you may be able to feed them with chicken, but by then, you might as well just give them kibble. For their spheal and dratini stages, food should be cubed, but as they evolve, they’ll gain the ability to handle whole fillets. If you’d like to give them treats, both can eat shrimp, and some people like to give their spheal squid or octopus if it’s available in their region. Additionally, dragonite become omnivorous and typically eat a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, and meat from land animals in addition to seafood.

When it comes to grooming, both will largely self-groom, especially thanks to their pool. Dratini will shed their skin now and then; simply provide a nice, flat rock for her to crawl onto and rub herself against during this process. Be warned that she may turn defensive towards her spheal friend for a few days during and after shedding. This is completely normal and comes as a result of the fact that pokémon that shed have softer skin that’s not quite as resistant to damage for those few days after their upper layer has been shed. It takes a few days for their new scales (or exoskeletons or what-have-you) to harden or toughen to the consistency the old layer had. This will typically happen four to six times a year for dratini, so if it’s been a couple of months since she last shed, you may wish to prepare (by informing your spheal and keeping her away from her friend for a bit).

In terms of entertainment, spheal enjoy anything that they can balance on their noses, particularly round objects. (Some behaviorists believe they also like round objects because spheal see themselves in them, so it’s much like playing with dolls for humans.) Supply your spheal with plenty of these, and she’ll be happy. Your dratini will likely play with anything you give your spheal; dratini aren’t particularly discerning when it comes to toys.

As for sleep, neither really need beds of their own, and because spheal are warm-blooded, you may not even need a pool heater for your dratini. It may be a worthwhile investment anyway, though, particularly for colder months, but if you do get one, be sure to test it out by observing how your spheal reacts to it. If the water is too warm for your spheal, simply provide a nest of blankets for your dratini to crawl into at nights or bring her inside and allow her to sleep in your bathtub.

Finally, training. Be warned that it may be tricky to train the two together, as dratini, until they evolve, rely largely on physical moves. This is a problem because your spheal’s mainstays are colder moves that could do serious harm to your dratini if she gets caught in them. Thus, it’s wise to train them separately and to use them for single battles, not doubles. Alternatively, use TMs and be extremely cautious when training your pokémon in tandem.

Best of luck, reader, and congratulations on your new pokémon!

Hoenn Legendaries Part II

Regirock
The Rock Peak Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 377
Entry: One of the three legendary golems said to have been gifted to humans early in Hoenn’s civilization by the legendary Regigigas. Having been sealed away for thousands of years, Regirock was only recently unearthed in the Hoennian desert. Because early Hoennian records fail to describe Regirock in great detail (besides its purpose as the servant of both humanity and Regigigas), there are many mysteries surrounding it, such as why it was sealed away, how its body can be composed of rock from across the globe, how Regirock is capable of thought, and whether or not it is, indeed, the source of such charming sayings as “you’ve got a head full of rocks,” “you’ve got a stone heart,” and a few others that the author can’t repeat for fear of inciting the editor’s wrath.

Regice
The Iceberg Pokémon
Type: Ice
Official Registration #: 378
Entry: One of the three legendary golems said to have been gifted to humans early in Hoenn’s civilization by the legendary Regigigas. Like its sibling golem, Regice was sealed away for thousands of years, has only been unearthed recently, and is the source of quite a few mysteries of its own. Unlike Regirock, many of these mysteries revolve around two questions. First, why is its body made of solid, Antarctic ice when the Arctic Circle is far, far closer? Second, in what way is that practical for a tropical region, even accounting for the fact that Regice is incapable of melting? (Sure, perhaps it would be nice to have a block of ice to cool down a village, but considering the fact that only one was ever made….)

Registeel
The Iron Pokémon
Type: Steel
Official Registration #: 379
Entry: One of the three legendary golems said to have been gifted to humans early in Hoenn’s civilization by the legendary Regigigas. Like its sibling golems, Regsteel was sealed away for thousands of years and has only been unearthed recently. Unlike its sibling golems, besides the mystery of why it was sealed away, we pretty much understand quite a lot about registeel. The idea of a large, hollow body with a metal coat being tempered by underground heat and pressure for thousands of years makes perfect sense to us. Especially, you know, that describes most steel-types anyway.

Last week my noivern was attacked by a wild crobat when I let her out for her nightly fly. She’s recovered well. In the years I’ve had her, this is the only time this happened but now she’s terrified of going for a fly alone. I still own her mother who I send out with her now, but she won’t be around forever (she’s an old lady) so is there a way I can train her to fly alone again?

Have patience, anonymous, but keep allowing her to fly with her mother. It can take some time for pokémon to heal from trauma, but so long as your noivern is spending time with the pokémon who likely taught her how to fly in the first place, it’s probable that her healing period will go quicker than you think. Her mother will likely be able to sense her fear and work to correct this by herself; as both a maternal figure and a member of a species that relies on flight, your noivern’s mother will likely know best how to teach her daughter to embrace flying again. It’s important for you to give them space to do this but show your support for your noivern throughout this healing process.

If necessary (such as cases in which your noivern can’t move past her trauma), you may also want to consider allowing her to fly on short jaunts during the early evening as well, when it’s unlikely that she’ll be attacked by crobat (or anything else, for that matter). By “short jaunts,” I mean “anywhere you can watch her.” If she has the comfort of someone who cares for her, she’ll be able to grow back her confidence to fly on her own.

Either way, it will be a gradual process, so it wouldn’t be at all unusual if it takes your noivern months to gather up the courage to fly on her own again.

I’ve noticed my greninja bubbling it’s young recently. Like the 3 froakie babies will be in a nest of bubbles. Is this normal?

Absolutely. Greninja frequently bubble their young to make them comfortable, to protect them from harm, or to keep them warm. Assuming you live in the northern hemisphere, it’s currently autumn, going into winter, which means the temperature is dropping. Your greninja is likely preparing for this. In addition, the unusually warm temperatures we experienced through the summer may explain why you’re only noticing this recently—because it wasn’t as needed a few months ago.

Alternatively, some greninja subspecies bubble their young to teach them how to create bubbles themselves. By surrounding them with bubbles, the greninja forces her young to watch her as she creates the nest, so they can figure out how to weave their own later on in life.

In short, so long as your froakie can breathe and stay moist, they shouldn’t be in any danger.

I have a lot of self esteem issues… is there a Pokémon who can help me feel more comfortable with myself?

Admittedly, while there are plenty of pokémon that are capable of instilling a sense of confidence in you (in fact, all pokémon can, thanks to the bonds they have with their trainers and the amount of trust they place in us), no pokémon can really force you to feel comfortable with yourself. The only real way to do that is to look within yourself and find all the talents that lie within. Remember that each of us has a reason for being—a meaning that drives us. However, don’t get me wrong. That meaning is not divinely ordained. Rather, it’s entirely dependent on self-reflection. We determine who we are simply by embracing what we can do and what we have within ourselves, no matter how difficult that may sound.

There are ways pokémon can help, of course, but it’s not in the way you would think. They can’t really do so directly. Rather, they accompany you on your journey. And I mean that quite literally.

You see, this is a lot of the reason why humans go on trainers’ journeys. It’s true that our society puts pressure on us to go on one, but there are reasons for that. A trainer’s journey pushes us to unlock our own potential, to open our minds by experiencing the world, and to find for ourselves what makes us who we are. It’s true that some people walk away from a journey never figuring that out, but for others, the journey is a deeply spiritual experience that could trigger an evolution of our own into the people we’re meant to be.

If you haven’t embarked on a journey, I would recommend that you think about it. If you have, keep your mind open and consider every challenge as your opportunity to find out exactly who you are and what you’re capable of.

However, if you choose not to go on a physical journey at all, don’t worry. Some people figure things out on their own without ever leaving home. The journey just helps some people, and the act of going on a journey can be metaphorical. You can “go on a journey” simply by interacting with pokémon on local battlefields or by doing quite a bit of self-reflection and meditation. Just remember that you have a lot of potential inside you, just waiting to be discovered. Don’t compare yourself to others and remember that your identity and abilities are yours alone.

But if you wish to get a pokémon, literally any one of them will help you with this. All pokémon tend to see us as we are, rather than through the lens of our own self-doubts. Each of them will believe in you over time, and all of them serve as excellent reminders, in their own ways, that there is something inside you worth respecting.

I hope this helps, anonymous. Best of luck.

Bill, whats your opinion on shiny hunters/breeders? Like the people who breed to find shinies (or natures or egg moves or stats or abilities) and toss all the babies that aren’t shiny or useful to them? I think it’s really inhumane :( I’ve heard of places who do exclusive shiny breeding! Like someone can go to them and ask for a specific shiny Pokémon and they’ll breed for it… it’s sick!

On the one hand, although I’m always excited by the prospect of finding and encountering rare pokémon, I am uncomfortable with the concept of collecting pokémon in the way some pokémaniacs do. Pokémon, after all, are living, breathing creatures, and to reduce their value down to their pelt or skin color is a little … problematic.

On the other, if you’re referring to shiny specialists (those who are paid to find or breed shinies for others), rest assured that there’s more to it than that. Shiny pokémon sometimes struggle in the wild as noted here, so trainers who are hired to find and catch them through legitimate means (that is, by obeying capture laws and avoiding poaching) often focus on species whose shiny variations would fare much better in a domestic setting than in the wild.

Likewise, all reputable breeders require certification to run a day care, so those who run services to breed for shiny pokémon are required to rehome the non-shinies. Oftentimes, if you ask these day cares, you’ll find that they often either give their non-shiny pokémon to starter distribution centers or run sizable no-kill shelters themselves, which are often open to those who wish to find pets as well as partners for trainers’ journeys. (Breeders are barred from culling their hatchlings or releasing them en masse into the wild. Either are great ways of failing inspections and having licenses revoked.)

Of course, reputable trainers-for-hire or shiny breeders are few and far between, and the shiny enthusiast culture often encourages seedier practices, rather than the legitimate ones. All too often, I hear about a trainer who essentially poaches a shiny or a trainer who accepts eggs from non-specialist day cares, only to release non-shinies into the wild en masse (thus often disrupting the local ecosystem). These would be irresponsible, especially because they’re often coupled with the tendency to treat the shinies they obtain as trophies, rather than as living beings. It’s unfortunate that this happens, yes, and it’s not something I condone, even if the shiny in question is a particularly rare pokémon I would love to see.

Thus, to put it in short, I’m fine with the idea if you obtain your shinies through legitimate means or set up honest, humane businesses that follow strict ecologically-friendly policies. I’m less comfortable with the idea if you don’t intend on following humane, eco-friendly practices.

Do researchers know/have theories as to why evolutionary lines seem to cap at three stages?

It’s an issue of power, anonymous. At the third stage, a pokémon is usually at its peak potential without any enhancements. Pokémon don’t really have the sort of energy to achieve an evolution beyond the third stage, as the power involved in such a state would be extremely difficult for a non-legendary to control and highly risky for a pokémon’s physical form to contain.

This is, incidentally, why mega evolution is a temporary process and why many pokémon experience berserker states when first tapping into it. The mega evolution stone is essentially a catalyst that unlocks any remaining potential a pokémon has and pours it into their forms all at once. As this potential is usually not enough to trigger a full-scale evolution by itself, the stone provides an additional boost of energy, which often far exceeds the amount a pokémon is capable of handling. The end result is not only that blind rage but also the inability to hold that form permanently. After a while, if forced to maintain their mega evolved state, a pokémon will revert to their original forms on their own, as their energy will simply be completely spent.

But the point is, the reason why pokémon can only evolve twice at most is because they just don’t have enough—power, energy, aura … any one of those, depending on which researcher you ask—to achieve proper evolution for a third time. The closest some will ever come is mega evolution, which is half external anyway.

I’m a Pokémon coordinator, and I’ve been using my wigglytuff primarily but I’ve been thinking about getting her a partner. Any recommendations as to what would pair with her best?

Well, it depends on the contest and your routine, anonymous. I must admit, I’m even less well-versed in contest strategy than I am when it comes to battling strategy, so my advice on the matter would be severely limited. However, from what I understand—based on what I know from my younger sister and Lanette’s days as a coordinator—it’s best to begin by asking yourself what effects you want to evoke during your battle. Know your wigglytuff’s strengths and pinpoint what parts of her abilities you wish to highlight. For example, if much of your routine centers around her singing ability, consider getting her another pokémon that can use Sing so the two of them can perform in harmony. If, however, your routine focuses on her use of elemental abilities, get her a partner that would compliment the elements she uses. (Fire if she uses ice-type attacks, for example.) Think hard about what would compliment everything she does on stage, and that should simplify your choice considerably.