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So my neighbors umbreon and my sylveon ended up mating and now I have 3 baby eevees. The only thing is, one is melanistic. Now I’ve heard albino eeveelutions and other albino Pokémon are very temperamental and neurotic. Is there any behavioral issues I should be worried about with melanistic Pokémon?

Generally speaking, no. As mentioned in an earlier post, while albinism is linked to certain health conditions (meaning albino pokémon are at a higher risk of being actually, physically sick—but do keep in mind that this is a risk and is not true for all albino pokémon by default), melanism is not linked to any particular health issue. Thus, a melanistic pokémon may act in the same way as a brown-coated eevee, albeit a melanistic pokémon may be hardier than its brown-furred cousins.

My espeon smacks his tail on the ground repeatedly when he’s upset. Why does he does this

It’s actually common body language, anonymous. When a pokémon like your espeon thumps its tail against the floor or ground, it’s expending pent-up energy. In some cases, this can be a positive thing—an outlet for excess happiness—as in the case of dog-like pokémon such as growlithe. However, among cat-like pokémon such as espeon, it’s another way of emphasizing his annoyance with you (or a situation), as he’s expending pent-up irritation. Think of it like letting off steam by doing something productive or by screaming into a pillow or so forth.

Bill, some people have asked you about enrichment for various Pokémon. May I suggest children’s picture books? Most Pokémon, in my experience, love to be read to, and to look at bright, colorful pictures. It’s a great bonding exercise between trainer and mon. My scyther especially loves books by Mo Willems, like “Knuffle Bunnelby” and the Donphan and Tepiggy series.

Ah! Excellent suggestion! Yes, books can sometimes be excellent devices for enrichment, as are art supplies, music, and so forth. Of course, it’s also important to be aware of your pokémon’s preferences as well. Some pokémon simply don’t enjoy reading or being read to and should be given other materials. You’ll be able to tell whether or not your pokémon is engaged with the material you’ve given them by their body language and whether or not they’re focused on you (as opposed to quite literally anything else in the room).

i have a bulbasaur who when she hears music dances with vines, leaves, and the coloring of sweet scent. shes very talented, and this has been noticed by several talent scouts (a video of her went viral recently and now people keep showing up at my home and trying to contact me) well shes very shy and these scouts arent taking no for an answer, and its terrifying my sweet bulbababy! what can i do to prevent these scouts from trying to invade my home?

Contrary to popular belief, the police forces of most regions are actually somewhat competent, and a restraining order is actually quite easy to get. I would suggest utilizing either if the talent scouts in question attempt any home invasions.

Alternatively, you could do what my mother often did when I was a child: use another pokémon to remove them yourself.

I read that in certain regions, Poison Pokémon aren’t allowed out of their PokéBalls. I was considering going on vacation to Kalos with my Skuntank. Would it be okay for him to leave his PokéBall and walk with me if he doesn’t use any poison-based attacks?

Certainly! Kalos has no such restrictions on tamed poison-type pokémon, and even then, there’s really no need to worry that your skuntank will do any harm to the environment. As an animal-like pokémon (as opposed to the literal embodiment of pollution, as in the case of the trubbish and grimer lines), skuntank do not passively leak toxins into their surroundings. They simply release toxins when threatened, so as long as your skuntank is calm at all times, the two of you should be fine.

I work as a Pokemon breeder, but recently my Parasect has been giving me a bit of trouble… She’s unusually protective of the eggs we keep, and considering what they’ve been known to do with their eggs, I’m a little worried? Is there any chance of them being infected by the Paras fungus?

Quite honestly, no. The tochukaso mushroom (that is, the one that grows on paras backs) requires a very specific host.

Allow me to explain with an example. The fungus O. unilateralis is a rather unassuming-looking organism, consisting of a single fruiting body (bit that reproduces and releases spores) in the form of a tiny stalk. However, the problem that O. unilateralis faces is that the floor of the forests in which it exists do not harbor the right conditions for it to thrive. The moisture there isn’t optimal, and never mind releasing spores when you’re surrounded by tall plant life.

Thus, the spores of the O. unilateralis make do … by infecting the ants it shares its habitat with. Over a matter of days, O. unilateralis’s signature stalk will grow out of the infected ant while its mycelium reaches inward and seizes control of the ant’s body. It then drives the ant to crawl up a stalk of grass or other plant, clamp down hard onto the stem, and stay there until it dies. Meanwhile, O. unilateralis draws in the moisture it needs to release its spores, and its spores travel much further than they would have if the fungus were stuck on the ground. Yet all other wildlife is more or less unaffected by O. unilateralis’s presence. Birds can eat infected ants without being infected themselves, pokémon can brush up against entire fields of it without feeling any effects whatsoever, and even humans—who are admittedly less equipped to survive the deadlier parts of nature than animals or pokémon—can touch the fungus without any ill effects (for the most part).

In the same way, tochukaso is to paras and parasect as the O. unilateralis is to the ant. It thrives on the backs of that evolution line and only that evolution line; any other organism that touches it is completely unaffected by it (assuming they’re not allergic to mold, anyway). So while it comes as no surprise that your parasect is protective of the eggs in your care (she is following her own/her parasite’s instincts, after all), it’s very, very unlikely that any of the hatchlings are actually infected.

However, it is very likely that she’s spraying your eggs with spores anyway (as per her instincts), so it’s important that you wipe each egg shortly before hatching and try to keep your parasect from spraying the newborns.

Hey bill! Ive been recently having some trouble with my toxicroak. Since I moved to alola he hasn’t been dealing well in the heat, which I’m assuming is due to his dry skin ability. Do you have any advice?

Keep him as moist as possible, anonymous. I know. That sounds a bit … odd, but that’s the simple truth. A toxicroak’s means of thermoregulation depends heavily on how moist its skin is. While toxicroak without the Dry Skin ability can generate a layer of mucus to trap some moisture in, those with Dry Skin have trouble producing this mucus. That’s why they need to be supplied with cool water: pools, frequent trips to the beach, plenty of water to drink, and so forth. The more hydrated your toxicroak is and the more your toxicroak bathes himself in water, the easier it will be for him to deal with the heat.

Of course, keeping him in a cool, perhaps air-conditioned place may help too.

Best of luck, anonymous!

My little female Bagon evolved into a Shelgon a little while ago, but now she doesn’t seem as playful as she was as a Bagon. Is this normal for a Shelgon?

Actually, yes, anonymous. While a shelgon has limbs and is generally more active than other pupal pokémon (metapod, pupitar, and so on), it’s still a pupal-stage pokémon. As such, yours and all other shelgon like her are actually conserving energy for their next evolution—while, perhaps, focusing completely on imagining their first moment of flight.

That having been said, I wouldn’t worry about her sudden change in mood, anonymous, and certainly don’t be alarmed if she seems less energetic and less hungry than usual. Simply support her as much as you can, take her to the pokémon center for regular check-ups, and give her what she needs when she needs it, and she’ll be able to evolve and … well, perhaps not be quite as playful as she had been, but at least she’ll be as energetic.

Best of luck, anonymous, and congratulations on your recent evolution!