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Is the baby in a Kangaskhan’s pouch a whole seperate pokemon? Is it a Kangaskhan and is it even safe for it to be there while its mom battles?

It is indeed a whole separate pokémon—a baby kangaskhan, in fact. Now, I know that there are certain simulations out there (some may even call it a “video game”) in which players who breed kangaskhan end up hatching adult-baby kangaskhan pairs straight from a single egg. I’d like to tell you that these simulations are, in fact, ridiculous. Basically, what actually happens is that an adult kangaskhan carries an egg within its pouch that eventually hatches into a joey. The joey remains in her mother’s pouch (I say “her,” as kangaskhan is an exclusively female species) for the next three years until she reaches maturity and develops her own pouch. After that point, she leaves and finds her own mate. In tamed situations, this means the mother of your kangaskhan egg will do the same. If you’ve obtained your egg from a breeder, then that means you’ll end up with a joey, and it’s important to keep that joey warm for the next three years (usually within an artificial pouch that you strap to yourself).

As for whether or not it’s safe for a kangaskhan to battle while carrying a joey, it depends on how old the joey is. Extremely young joeys (those a year old or younger) should be kept away from the battlefield, but their mothers will often refuse to battle, making this not as much of a challenge as it sounds. Older joeys are typically stronger and more resilient, and as such, their mother will begin to seek opportunities to battle so she can teach them how to do it on their own. She will usually go to great lengths to keep her joey safe, so on your end, it is considered safe because the mother will never enter any situation she thinks would put her young in danger. In fact, in some cases (such as in “mega evolution,” which is in quotes because of things I’ve mentioned in previous posts), the mother will push her joey to battle alongside her.

In other words, is it safe? For younger joeys, probably not. For older joeys, it’s not only safe; it’s also highly encouraged. Of course, either way, the mother kangaskhan will let you know fully well when her joey can battle and how intense of a battle she may have. It would be a good idea to listen to the mother kangaskhan, of course, as the mother kangaskhan may know Sucker Punch and definitely has fewer qualms about attacking her trainer than most other pokémon.

Are pokemon with Sweet Scent, such as Bulbasaur, a good partner for someone with anxiety, specifically social anxiety? Also, what others are out there that can help deal with it?

Before anything else, you may benefit from reading my earlier post on service pokémon, as any pokémon that is kept primarily to help humans with either physical or psychological limitations through their day-to-day activities is considered to be a service pokémon. (In this sense, pokémon are a bit more flexible than animals.) This includes those pokémon that assist those who have anxiety disorders or those who simply need a pokémon to help them focus on the present. I’m throwing a link to that post in this one not to simply say “read that post” and leave it at that; that would be rather rude of me. Rather, there may possibly be information in that post that I’ve simply forgotten to include in this one.

That having been said, to answer your question, absolutely. They tend to be preferable to many other service pokémon trained to handle forms of anxiety, social or otherwise. Most Sweet Scent users have the passive ability to emit pleasant aromas with or without Sweet Scent’s assistance, and as such, they’re a bit more subtle in their approach than an empath, a Singer, or a member of the chansey line. That and this passive ability also has the added benefit of affecting all parties within its range of effect, which means the pokémon’s human companion has the added reassurance that there’s a very good chance any conversation held upwind of their partner will be pleasant.

Of course, as I’ve mentioned above, those aren’t the only pokémon that are used, and although they’re the most popular for anxiety specifically, other humans may have different preferences or needs that require the services of other pokémon. For example, some people may prefer the services of a psychic pokémon, such as ralts, to influence their emotional states. Now, keep in mind this does not mean that the psychic pokémon forcibly enters their human partner’s mind and “erases” their anxiety. That would actually be highly unethical, after all. Rather, psychic pokémon—particularly those with empathic powers (so, again, such as ralts)—have the ability to project certain auras. Think of it like feeling a rush of adrenaline when you hear a fast-paced song or feeling uneasy when you hear a low, vibrating tone. In a similar way, an empathic pokémon influences the psychic energies around itself so that it projects a certain emotion outward that your mind can sense and, subconsciously, adjust itself to. In other words, a ralts may project a feeling of extreme happiness, and your mind would pick up on it and decide for itself to feel at ease because the atmosphere simply feels safe. Thus, the process isn’t quite as invasive as it sounds. Rather, the most invasive a pokémon will ever be is to break into your mind and stop you from doing something dangerous, but obviously, those are in extreme circumstances that may not entirely be relevant to the question at hand.

Back to the point, the reason why grass-types are more preferred than psychic-types is that the passive psychic method really only works for one person. While this is fine in severe cases wherein it’s necessary to focus only on the person with anxiety specifically, it doesn’t quite have the added reassurance of guaranteeing that all human participants are essentially on the same emotional plane.

The same, of course, could be said for the less subtle pokémon, such as those with Heal Pulse (which can be soothing for some people), those who can emit soothing sounds (such as the chimecho and jigglypuff lines), and so forth, although these are seen as less desirable options than either Sweet Scent users or psychic pokémon. While some people find healer or auditory pokémon to be the most effective for their needs because they (the humans) simply respond better to healing waves or soothing melodies, these pokémon may also call attention to one’s social anxiety, which some feel defeats the purpose of having a service pokémon specifically to help them in social situations.

In short, there are a wide variety of different pokémon that may suit your needs. It depends on the specific effect you’re looking for and what your needs specifically are. After all, while it’s true that social anxiety is something specific, there are many different ways to approach it, depending on how severe it is and what a person’s situation may be.

The Lotad Line

Lotad
The Water Weed Pokémon
Type: Water/Grass
Official Registration #: 270
Entry: This small, lily pad-like pokémon thrives in the fresh waters of slow-moving streams and ponds. Friendly in nature, lotad like to use the broad lily pad adorning their heads to ferry pokémon across their watery habitat from one shore to another. Unfortunately, given that lotad weigh only five and a half pounds and therefore don’t actually have the strength to support many other pokémon, this is often more difficult than they would think.

Lombre
The Jolly Pokémon
Type: Water/Grass
Official Registration #: 271
Entry: The evolved form of lotad, by battle experience. This nocturnal pokémon spends most of the day underwater, sleeping upon a bed of aquatic moss as its pad soaks up sunlight. In this position, its diminutive stature is sometimes distorted by the surface of the water, causing many anglers to mistake lombre for drowned children, particularly by the Hoennian anglers who find them. Of course, given the fact that lombre’s skin is clearly grass-green (and not in the same way that skin appears after a human body is left to decompose underwater), the fact that a lily pad is permanently affixed to its head, and the fact that lombre is not actually otherwise child-shaped, the author fails to see exactly how lombre may be mistaken for a human child, but he’s not one to question the observations of Hoennian anglers. When they’re within earshot, anyway.

Ludicolo
The Carefree Pokémon
Type: Water/Grass
Official Registration #: 272
Entry: The evolved form of lombre, by exposure to water stone. True to its species designation, ludicolo is a notoriously carefree pokémon that is prone to dancing upon hearing a good beat. Even in the heat of battle, if it hears music, it will burst into a wild, rhythmic dance, and it will not be able to stop until long after the music has ended. One would think this is a disadvantage to the ludicolo, but in truth, it’s actually more of a disadvantage to their opponents. Apparently, ludicolo can beat an opponent into the ground normally, but their power increases if they, quite literally, stomp their enemies into the ground instead. Through salsa dancing.

My blaziken had just laid eggs and she has been aggressive towards every pokemon around, including her mate. So far I’m the only one in general she allows near her eggs and while I can understand her behavior and was even prepared for it, this is a bit too much. Is there any way to make her feel less on edge?

Sometimes, a blaziken will grow more comfortable and at-ease if you give her treats before her mate approaches, and other times, she may grow more comfortable if you show her that she can trust others around her eggs with your usual daily care. (That means cleaning her nest, refilling her food and water supplies, getting her to exercise daily, and checking on the temperature of her eggs.)

However, it’s also possible that there’s very likely little that you can do until her brood hatches. Remember, blaziken are one of the few bird-like pokémon that don’t normally have “shifts” when it comes to incubating the eggs. That is to say, the hen lays the egg and incubates them; the mate has very little involvement in them after fertilization. It’s very likely that your hen is attempting to drive away what she perceives as a clingy mate—or, perhaps, a threat to her brood (as a male blaziken can get rather aggressive, even to his own offspring).

For that reason, at most, I would advise just keeping an eye on the hen and ensuring that the hatching goes smoothly—and, of course, that the hen doesn’t do too much damage to her mate.

trainzelda
replied to your post “So Toxicroak sounds dangerous to even be around, how is it that people…”

I thought they meant, like, how are you supposed to care for toxicroak if you can’t even touch it?

With extreme caution.

In all seriousness, though, as toxicroak are among the more humanoid pokémon in existence (even if it otherwise appears to be a giant frog), it will do much of the work that would require physical contact itself—namely grooming. Beyond that, many of the tasks involved with taking care of a toxicroak don’t require physical contact at all, and toxicroak are not particularly fond of physical forms of affection, either. At most, you may be at risk for toxin exposure whenever you clean its habitat, but this is why toxicroak handlers recommend installing filters (and wearing gloves when changing these filters) to help regulate toxic buildup in their ponds or pools.

More volatile pokémon such as muk may be a bit more of a challenge, but there’s some evidence out there that muk can actually control its toxicity and how much bacteria it harbors. No one’s quite sure how, exactly, but seeing as Professor Oak has yet to succumb to muk poisoning (or any other sort of injury resulting from periodic Body Slamming via muk), we’re reasonably sure that it’s fully capable of regulating its biochemistry.

Either that or Professor Oak is far, far more resilient than the average human being. You know, the scientific community isn’t actually sure which, so this may perhaps be a bad example.

So Toxicroak sounds dangerous to even be around, how is it that people are allowed to catch and own them? In fact, are there any pokemon you need special permission or a licence to own, due to risks like this?

As much as I joke about pokémon being highly dangerous, in actuality … all of them do have the potential for being highly dangerous to humans. All of them. Even magikarp, anonymous. Keep in mind that all pokémon have the ability to wield the elements of nature itself (although as I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, only legendaries can bend reality to do so), and for the most part, the only reason why they haven’t yet used those powers to kill off our entire kind is because they like us far too much to do so.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are dangerous, especially when tamed. In the hands of a capable trainer, a pokémon as seemingly hazardous as toxicroak—or worse, muk or weezing—can become fairly harmless. I would still not be as audacious enough as to hug any of these pokémon, of course, but it’s very unlikely that one would lash out at a human and make a conscious effort to harm them if trained well. (Granted, there is absolutely such a thing as a disobedient pokémon, but a disobedient pokémon is vastly different from a vicious one. Even if a charizard turns its Flamethrower on its trainer, it never really aims to kill. Should anyone be curious as to why that is, ask yourselves whether or not you, as a current or former rebellious teen, would actually want to do serious harm to the figures of responsibility in your life.)

In short, certainly all pokémon have the potential to be dangerous in the wild, but that goes without saying. Once in the hands of a trainer, they’re much, much safer, and there really aren’t any regulations on what you can and cannot train. Obviously, however, it’s highly discouraged that one trains a pokémon far beyond their capabilities. For example, it’s not a particularly good idea to train a tyranitar if you’re starting out unless that tyranitar has been with your family for a while, simply because the trainer may not understand how to handle that sort of power. However, that’s why new trainers are typically given more docile pokémon to handle, usually the first stage in an evolutionary line, and that’s why trainers are often encouraged to stick to parts of a route that harbor pokémon that match their skill levels.

Rather, in even shorter terms, no, there are no regulations for what species you can and cannot train. So long as you catch them legally (as opposed to poaching them or catching ones from a preserve) and so long as you treat them well, all of them are fine to handle, as all of them, with proper training, are perfectly safe, regardless of how dangerous their wild counterparts are.

Or, well, almost all of them. Honestly, just about the only pokémon you can’t train (other than one that doesn’t wish to be trained in the first place) would likely be the legendaries, but that’s largely because catching them is considered to be a cultural taboo unless you happen to be an incredibly strong trainer. This goes especially for the cornerstones of a region’s culture. For example, it’s unlikely that anyone would mind if you caught Latias, but from what my editor has told me, it would be considered impolite to catch Rayquaza.

“Impolite.” That’s … that’s a great way of putting that, Bill. So I suppose this would mean that it would be “impolite” to catch Ho-oh? —LH

Oh, downright rude. The kimono girls would be absolutely chafed if you even tried. —Bill

This may sound odd, but can a Lickitung’s tongue be TOO long? Mine keeps tripping over hers and I’m not sure if she’s just super clumsy or if there’s a legitimate problem. Either way, what can I do about this to stop her from hurting herself?

Yes, actually. There are certain mutations in a lickitung’s genetic code that could lead to a tongue being too long for its mouth. You’ll be able to figure out whether or not you have such a case on your hands if the tongue makes it difficult for the lickitung to eat and if the tongue drags on the ground, even if the lickitung corrects its posture and lifts the appendage a little. Such lickitung may even have difficulty breathing, as the tongue’s “root” will also be larger than usual.

In other words, if you notice any of these signs with your lickitung, it’s important to take her to a pokémon center and discuss your options with a Nurse Joy. There are surgeries you can try to reduce the bulk and length of your lickitung’s tongue, but it’s also important to keep in mind that the tongue is a muscle. In other words, surgery, even if it may be necessary for the well-being of your lickitung, will likely require plenty of recovery time. She will most definitely need your support.

If, however, you haven’t noticed your lickitung struggling to eat or breathe, she may be slouching either her back or her tongue (or both). Have her walk with her back straight and her weight leaning against her tail. Get her to lift her chin and stretch her tongue in an arc, rather than straight down. This will pick the tongue up and keep it away from her feet and knees.

This is a dumb question but…how do you give a Pokemon an item to “hold”? I’m just starting to train and my dad gave me a Persian to take on my journey, and I want to give him a quick claw. Does he hold it in his mouth?

For the most part, how a hold item is held depends on the actual item, but rest assured that none of them require the pokémon to hold it in its mouth. That’s a good way to end up in the emergency ward of the nearest pokémon center, watching your pokémon’s stomach get pumped.

On a less graphic note, how a hold item is held depends on the item in question. For example, many items, the quick claw included, are usually tied to a cord which is then tied around a pokémon’s neck like a collar. Some pokémon centers also sell special collars that have sewn-on satchels specifically for items to make this easier. Other items, such as the king’s rock, may be worn right away, just like an item of clothing. Then you have other items, such as metal coat, which are not actually items themselves but rather a coat of paint or a thing you otherwise apply temporarily to your pokémon. (Yes, metal coat is literally a metallic film. You remove it by using the polish remover kept in the top half of the jar.)

In very few cases, the item is literally held, but the circumstances for this are extremely specific. For example, if given a twisted spoon, members of the abra line will simply hold it in one of their claws (with alakazam choosing which claw will be holding two spoons), but for many other pokémon, the twisted spoon is simply carried in the aforementioned satchel and/or collar.

How to take care of a ralts please?

I must admit, this depends on your circumstances, especially given the fact that ralts is a branched evolutionary family. While there are certainly similarities between how you would raise a ralts who will eventually be a gardevoir and a ralts who will eventually be a gallade, when you get to preparing for their evolutions, the training regimens you will need will undoubtedly be different. Likewise, as soon as your ralts evolves into a kirlia, you may need to adjust its lifestyle, depending on whether or not it wishes to evolve at all and what it wishes to evolve into. A gallade requires a diet heavy in protein (to build muscle) as well as exercises of a more physical nature (especially to build arm strength). Meanwhile, kirlia that don’t wish to evolve and kirlia that wish to evolve into gardevoir will need exercises geared more towards developing their psychokinetic abilities, including more meditation than actual physical fitness. Additionally, as they develop their psychic abilities, they’ll need to rely more on a plant-based diet to avoid consuming anything that could experience emotions upon death, as the psychic exercises may increase their empathic strength.

Speaking of which, that’s the main challenge in raising a ralts at all: the empathic factor. Young ralts especially will be a little uneasy as they get used to feeling your emotions, and thus, from an early age, they should be trained to build psychic barriers. Keeping other, older members of the ralts family (including gallade) could help, but really, any psychic pokémon capable of using telepathy will do. Younger ralts will also require a lot of meditation in order to teach them mindfulness, which in turn will help them control their own emotions and prevent themselves from projecting onto others (including you).

A lot of these exercises may consume much of your ralts’s time, so distractions for stress relief are absolutely necessary. Soft toys may be a good choice due to the comfort the ralts may derive from the way they feel, but be wary when getting anything with a face. Ralts who struggle with controlling their psychic abilities may inadvertently bond with their stuffed toys, which increases the risk of producing a shuppet if the toy ever needs to be discarded. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give a ralts a stuffed animal—just that if you do get them one, don’t let them or the rest of their team beat it up too much, and be sure to have them draw out any psychic energy when the toy is ready to be discarded. Otherwise, believe it or not, but stimming toys normally given to humans are also excellent choices. Moon sand as well, for that matter. The more a ralts’s physical senses can be engaged when playing with the toy, the better, as it allows it to focus on the physical realm, rather than the psychic. (They’re also rather fun to collect or create, but … that may simply be my own personal preference showing through.)

In terms of food, it’s a misconception that members of the ralts family are exclusively vegan. While they can’t eat meat that had been taken from a living animal, eggs and dairy are perfectly fine. Dairy, after all, is not a complex living thing in itself, and eggs have never reached the stage where they would have developed emotions. If you’re thinking of evolving your ralts into a gallade, as I’ve mentioned earlier, protein is a necessity, so eggs—along with vegetarian proteins such as nuts or soybeans—are an essential. Otherwise, ralts that you don’t wish to evolve or ralts that will eventually become gardevoir can be completely vegan—if they wish, anyway. It’s always a good idea to ask your ralts what it prefers.

Otherwise, taking care of a ralts is very much like taking care of a small child. They sleep in small beds (with blankets and a pillow, preferably), they can be toilet-trained, they bathe in similar ways to humans, and they often need the same sorts of affection we give children. It’s just that it’s very highly recommended that you avoid physical contact as much as possible with particularly young ralts until they develop the aforementioned psychic barriers, as projection from a psychic pokémon is not a particularly wondrous experience. Thus, as tempting as it may be, your ralts will really need its own bed, and you may wish to avoid hugging it as much as possible at first.

Best of luck, anonymous.