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Hey bill what’s up. So my pidgy was my emotional support Pokémon’s for years, but now he’s a pidgeot and I’m having trouble bringing him places due to his size. I clearly need something smaller. Any suggestions on a Pokémon gentle and small?

It would actually be best to work with another pidgey, as that’s likely what you’re most used to, and its disposition and skillset will closely match your original emotional support pokémon’s. Sticking with the species you’re most used to will help maintain a sense of security and normalcy, which you may need at moments when your mental health is at its lowest. Just remember to give the next one you get an everstone. You may want to specifically ask for a pidgey that doesn’t wish to evolve to avoid stressing your new emotional support pokémon out.

If you wish to try something new, though, there are plenty of options for pokémon that can’t evolve (or can’t do so on their own) but fit those criteria. Munna, for example, is a rather popular choice, but if you wish to stick to flying-types, togetic is small, can’t evolve unless you give it the extremely rare shiny stone, and is well-known for being gentle, caring, and fantastically good at sensing the emotions of its trainers. Woobat, being part psychic, is also fairly popular, and it doesn’t get much bigger as a swoobat. As for popular emotional support pokémon that can’t evolve at all, you may wish to consider farfetch’d, delibird, oricorio, or chatot. Delibird especially is noted for being fairly easy to train as a support pokémon, partly due to its kind nature and mostly due to the fact that it’s not particularly well-suited for battle (meaning if it interacts with humans, it’s often to serve in a capacity other than on the battlefield … which in turn means it may already understand that its relationship with you may be more domestic in nature).

My advice would be to work with your local pokémon shelter. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and inquire about which pokémon would best suit the role of a companion to you, rather than as a member of a battle-ready team. Most pokémon shelters are run out of centers, so the staff would not only completely understand if you’re seeking an adoptee for medical reasons but also be prepared to help you if you have any questions.

But above all, though, remember that the best emotional support pokémon is actually the one you feel the most comfortable with. So while you’re at the shelter, you may wish to keep your mind and options open. If you see a pokémon that you immediately feel drawn to, consider that one. (Of course, ask the staff if the pokémon that calls out to you has a calm disposition, but other than that, you should be fine.)

Best of luck!

What pokemon would make a good sparring partner for an inexperienced noibat? I have had mine for about a week and he’s already interested in evolving, however, I live in an area where the wild pokemon are rather tough for a Noibat to deal with. This is simply for evolution purposes as I’m not a trainer – noibat is a companion pokemon – so attacks and strength building aren’t what I’m particularly looking for. Any r ecommendations or extra advice would be very appreciated!

He may fare best with another flying-type, particularly more common ones such as pidgey or pidove. It’s not because these are often weaker than noibat and thus can guarantee yours the victories it needs to evolve (although yes, that too) but also, as many of noibat’s attacks are flying-based prior to evolution, a more experienced pidgey or pidove can provide a level of tutelage and expert help. Not only that, but these pokémon can provide experience other ways, such as flight training or group hunting.

Alternatively, you could match your noibat with pokémon that have type disadvantages against him, such as grass- or bug-types. Or you can try something with a resistance (and thus an ability to take more of his attacks during sparring sessions) such as a rock-type. If you go with the latter, just make sure your noibat knows how to dodge. (For this reason, I’d strongly suggest a rock-type over an electric one. Rock-types are generally slower and may be easier to evade.)

Best of luck!

Hi Bill, I live close the rivers and canels and was considering getting a water pokemon, im quite stuck between a Lotad, Mareanie, Binacle and Shellos. what are the pros and cons of each? thanks in advance

Well, I can tell you right off the bat that mareanie and binacle are marine pokémon. They won’t exactly die if you try to keep them in fresh water (that is, rivers or presumably the canals you’re thinking of), but they won’t exactly thrive either. So because you have a choice in the matter, I would suggest avoiding those.

Of the remaining two, shellos (while also technically a marine pokémon) does excellently in rivers and canals—the colder and cleaner, the better. This pokémon is native to colder regions such as Sinnoh, so it adores fresh, flowing waters, especially those fed by snowmelt. Meanwhile, lotad is a far gentler pokémon that is often more content with drifting … which means it runs a risk of being caught up in a river’s ebb and flow.

Additionally, lotad, being part-grass, don’t fare as well in polluted waters, so if you’re planning on letting your lotad out in the waters near your home, you may wish to keep it away from the canals unless your city’s canals are particularly well-maintained (and perhaps not even then). Shellos, on the other hand, are far hardier and can withstand polluted water (although, yes, it prefers unpolluted, as noted above).

That isn’t to say lotad isn’t a worthy partner. Many trainers prefer lotad for their easygoing dispositions, which make them rather easy to care for on land. In fact, so long as you have calm water and food, a lotad will typically be perfectly content. Some people even feel that just looking at a lotad floating happily in the water is calm and soothing to them, so lotad tend to be popular choices for homes near slow-running rivers or at least backyard ponds.

By contrast, shellos do actually require some level of basic care beyond food and water, including daily affection, grooming (simply wipe a wet towel across their bodies to remove excess mucus or debris), and exercise, and it’s not unusual for curious shellos to escape any enclosure you put them in (which means you may need to keep your poké ball on hand to prevent a curious shellos from wandering too far from home).

Finally, there are the evolutions to consider. Gastrodon is a beautiful pokémon often admired by collectors due to its bright colors, and for non-collectors, it’s even hardier than its preevolution and can thrive in practically any sort of body of water. On the other hand, it doesn’t fare too well out of the water, and it requires constant hydration. Meanwhile, lotad becomes progressively more amphibious as it climbs its evolutionary ladder, but if you were hoping for something peaceful and lethargic, you’ll need to stop at lombre and avoid giving your pokémon a water stone if at all possible. Ludicolo is a high-energy pokémon that can be quite a handful for trainers who aren’t also energetic.

In short, get a shellos if you want a hardy, energetic pokémon and don’t mind keeping it in water at all times after it evolves. Get a lotad if you want peace, a pokémon that’s easy to care for, or a dance partner later on down the line. 

Best of luck!

Hello Bill, I was hoping to get your advice on something. Recently, our old family Liepard passed away. Like any death of a beloved pet, this has affected us greatly. But my nine-year-old daughter in particular is having a hard time moving on after this. How can I help her get past Liepard’s death and prepare her for her first Pokemon in the coming months?

Grief is a difficult topic, and when it comes to dealing with it, what works for some people might not work for everyone. Still, these tips may help:

  • If you haven’t already, let your daughter hold a funeral for your liepard. Let her choose how the ritual should go and what should be said. Rituals can provide closure, and letting her lead will make the goodbye personal.
  • Be actively involved with her. Talk to her about how she feels. Participate in the things she’s doing to work through her grief. Offer suggestions for activities she can do that will acknowledge (not help her ignore or forget) her feelings. Taking an active role gives her the support she’s looking for, and making it clear you want to give her the space to express herself and work through her emotions as she sees fit (so long as they’re not destructive) gives her safety.
  • Of course, also give her space if she needs it. Don’t force her to interact with you if she wants to be alone. On the other hand, step in if you see signs of self-destructive behavior or anxiety. Consider having her speak to a child therapist if she’s struggling (but only do this if she really does look like she’s in trouble).
  • You may also wish to give her media that deals with death and loss to give her stories and characters to identify with. (Having a character to identify with can be a great comfort to children.) I admit I don’t have too many recommendations on-hand, but I’ve heard that Starfall (a middle grade novel about a girl and her minior) has gained popularity among preteens and teens for this reason.
  • Above all else, give her time. Death is difficult to deal with sometimes, and so long as you’re supportive but give her the means to work through how she feels, she’ll heal eventually.

How come not all pokemon can learn moves like Bite, Crunch, Headbutt, etc.? Barring pokemon that don’t have traditional mouths or heads, it seems like anyone should be able to learn those. Same with Rock Throw. Pick up rock, throw it. Seems simple for anyone with arms, yeah?

Although this is a new ask, I’d like to answer it right now nonetheless because it bears strong similarities to this recent ask: http://bills-pokedex.tumblr.com/post/174926370417/why-are-bite-and-crunch-dark-type-moves-biting

The short of it is that although it’s true many pokémon can bite, there’s a difference between that and the technique Bite. The latter resonates with a certain type of energy that not all pokémon know how to channel (or channel in that particular way), not to mention the subtle differences that separate how Bite is executed from the simple act of biting. (The official Pokémon League rulebook concerning what each move looks like is very specific on all matters.)

Incidentally, this also answers the question of why moves like Tackle don’t affect tangible ghost-types like mimikyu. Of course any pokémon can tackle a mimikyu; it’s just that the actual technique Tackle uses a specific type of energy that ghost-types strongly resist. Because a pokémon is leaning on these energies to do damage, of course a ghost-type’s body would respond by shrugging it off, as it were. And this seems irrelevant, but the point I’m making is that in all matters concerning moves, it’s more about the energy and specific technique, not about how simple it sounds. A Tackle (or a Bite or a Rock Throw) is not the same thing as a tackle (or a bite or a rock throw) until the subtle details are present.

Hey bill, Restaurant owner here again. I wanna say thanks for the suggestion. I’m already having my cooks work on reduced Sugar menu items, though i did have to knock some sense into one of my busboys who put Tamato sauce on a table instead of Tomato ketchup in hopes of dissuading further experiences like that pikachu that guzzled that whole ketchup bottle. By the way, are there any other pokemon with specialized dietary needs that might be a problem on my budget?

Not really. Granted, most pokémon have certain foods their entire species can’t eat (a big one is chocolate for many mammalian pokémon), but most trainers will already know this. It’s just important to have a portion of your menu dedicated to healthier (lower fats or sugars) and vegetarian options, as these are often safe for all pokémon (as well as humans, of course).

I have kind of a big problem. I raised these twin Wurmple brothers. They were an inseparable duo, those two. However, they’re fully evolved now. The elder became a Dustox, and the younger became a Beautifly. It seems like Dustox is jealous of his younger sibling, however. He attacks him without provocation and steals almost all his food. My beautifly is very timid and just let’s it happen, however. I feel like it’s partially my fault since I always told them they’d both be Beautifly. Any advice?

Well, to be perfectly honest, it might also have something to do with the fact that dustox are naturally more aggressive than beautifly (which isn’t to say that beautifly aren’t more vicious, but that’s another story). So that should at the very least explain the attacks.

That having been said, the best thing to do is to help your dustox acclimate to his new form. It wouldn’t hurt to apologize for promising that he would evolve into a beautifly, but your main focus should otherwise be on convincing him that dustox aren’t so bad. While you can teach him the positive aspects of being a dustox, your lessons will definitely stick if you train with him. Set aside an extra hour to work with him one-on-one on abilities only he can learn (Light Screen, Moonlight, Psybeam, and Venoshock, for a few examples). Devise a battle style that suits him, and make your training revolve around that. Highlight his importance on your team and power as an individual until he understands how his body and abilities actually work. The closer he gets to this point, the more he’ll become proud of what he can do.

All you’ll need to do from there is keep him from attacking your beautifly out of pride, but the secret there is having the two team up and work together through battles against other trainers or team building exercises. Or through sheer positive reinforcement by bribing him not to attack your beautifly. Whichever you prefer.

Best of luck!