Hi Bill, I have an Excadril whose dream is to be a world champion Pokeathlete in the jumping events. What are some training regimens that will help him pierce the heavens?

Just tell your excadrill to believe in his trainer who believes in him. Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb! Row, row, fight the power!

Bill. If you cram in one more outdated anime reference… —LH

Who the heck do you think I am?! —Bill

[BILL has been temporarily banned until [DATE], [TIME] for: We’ve talked about this, sir.]

Any tips on taking care of a pokemon that’s close to evolving?

Continue the usual sort of care you would give its current state, but ensure that it’s comfortable too. Some evolutions, particularly those for bug-type and reptilian pokémon, might be painful or otherwise uncomfortable, as their bodies begin to change and adjust before the full evolution occurs. Additionally, for most evolutions, there will be an adjustment period in which the pokémon will need a bit of time to get used to their new size or physiologies, so in general, it wouldn’t hurt to make them as comfortable as possible throughout the process. That means making sure they have plenty of easily accessible food and water for the days leading up to and through their evolution, as well as soft bedding and, in some cases, sturdy toys that can be clawed, chewed, or otherwise made to withstand destruction.

Also, this is something not a lot of trainers think about, strangely enough, but always do your research on your pokémon’s evolutionary stages. Furthermore, stock up on their needs. Evolved pokémon tend to need more food and space than their preevolutions, and in some rare cases, their needs may change completely. (You don’t take care of a huntail or gorebyss the exact same way you would a clamperl, for example.) Educating yourself and preparing beforehand will make the transition easier not only on your pokémon but also yourself.

Other than that, care is generally straightforward. Just be alert: your pokémon may be more excited or agitated immediately before or after evolution. Keeping a second pokémon at the ready to calm it down may help.

Best of luck!

My daughter just turned 12 and really wants to be a Pokemon trainer, and she is dead set on her starter being a dark type. I’ve considered getting her an Eevee but there’s no guarantee it’s evolve into Umbreon. Do you have any suggestions?

Actually, umbreon is one of the easiest eeveelutions to obtain because all it requires is for you to befriend an eevee and have it hold an everstone until nightfall, but since I can feel my editor leering at me through the internet, allow me to point you to this post, as it offers a more comprehensive guide to dark-type starters: http://bills-pokedex.tumblr.com/post/166971002585/my-daughter-will-become-a-trainer-soon-she-adores

Best of luck to your daughter!

Through shenanigans involving a trapinch and a really, really old floor, i recently fell into what looked to be partially excavated ruins in hoenn, where I found a volcarona with a manmade clip on its wing. I’m worried that it was a team magma capture, in addition to the trauma of being transported so far from its home region if so. In addition, it’s grown on me, and i want to keep it. What challenges should i expect from training an older Volcarona, and how worried should I be about team magma?

Because it’s grown close to you, take a good look at the clip. If it has Magma’s emblem on it, then you may need to be very worried. If, however, it has Devon or Silph’s (or any other brand), it may actually be a research tag. Sometimes, we researchers seek out and tag pokémon known to migrate (such as volcarona) in order to observe and better understand their migratory patterns and seasonal habits. If that’s the case, then you may wish to leave this volcarona alone. (You may also bring it to your local professor to be absolutely sure it’s a tracking tag for research purposes. If it’s not, then that researcher will also know what to do from there.)

Actually, come to think of it, you may wish to bring this volcarona to your nearest professor first before thinking too much about training it. You never know if you may be interfering with vital data … or having an actual criminal organization after you.

So my uncle allister is planning on making a blog as well. He’s kind of an adventurer guy. He doesn’t quite know tumblr yet, but he asked me to ask what you think about differing forms of pokemon? He has a budew named Briar that is.. Different. Its less like a rose bud and more like a tulip bulb. He’s theorizing that she coupd evolve into a new regional variant of Roselia, with tulips instead of roses.

It’s entirely possible, actually. Generally speaking, regional variants are much less documented than the “standard” forms (which are often far more common), but they do indeed exist. In this case, budew does indeed have a regional variation native to very specific regions of the Netherlands, where they find it much more useful to blend in with tulip fields than wild roses. These budew are often well cared for and are thus both pure grass and taller than standard. (Care for them is roughly the same, though.) Finally, they’re not that common as breeding stock outside of their home region because, bizarrely enough, they’re more fragile, but consequently, they’re well sought-after by truly avid grass-type collectors. In short, your uncle may be quite lucky!

Hello Bill! I’m going to move to an apartment soon. Due to the building’s code, I’ve had to make the decision to leave my longtime Noivern companion with my family. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a loyal and friendly Pokémon, maybe even a guard, under 60 pounds (who’d melt a nasty landlord’s heart?) I’ve never owned an Eevee/-lution before — are they a good place to start? I’m also worried about “surprise evolution”, so I’d prefer not to go with anything that becomes too big.

I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a loyal and friendly Pokémon, maybe even a guard, under 60 pounds (who’d melt a nasty landlord’s heart?)

Eevee.

I’ve never owned an Eevee/-lution before — are they a good place to start?

Absolutely.

I’m also worried about “surprise evolution”, so I’d prefer not to go with anything that becomes too big.

Yes, get an eevee. 🙂

Bill. We talked about this. —LH

What? Eevee is a great companion for all your needs! —Bill

And there are an untold number of other pokémon to recommend too. —LH

But it’s cute, fluffy, easy to care for, and doesn’t shed! AND it takes effort to evolve one, so wins all around! —Bill

…fine. But just this once. —LH

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 —Bill

Hi Bill, I want to ask you something about Zoruas/Zoroarks. Can a Zorua/Zoroark keep his/her illusion even when theire sleeping?

Unfortunately, unlike ditto, the illusions of zorua and zoroark actually require some level of concentration to maintain. (This is why striking them once will dispel the illusion they’ve created.) As such, no, they can’t maintain the images they’ve created while sleeping.

On the other hand, if a zorua or zoroark has a particularly vivid dream, you might see them sleep-weaving. Just as a fascinating note there.

Hi there! I’ve been traveling with my Growlithe and I started wondering, is there a right time to evolve it? Should I wait until it learns a certain move or is it ok to evolve it when I feel the time is right?

This is actually quite an interesting question because it depends. Some trainers prefer to wait until their growlithe learn Flamethrower, as it’s sometimes easier (by which I mean cheaper) to let it learn that move naturally, rather than use the TM system. Others prefer waiting until their growlithe learns Crunch, which typically happens much, much later. On the other hand (compared to both options), some trainers prefer evolving their growlithe right away, as arcanine is very adaptable to the TM system, and only younger arcanine can learn Extreme Speed (a move inaccessible to growlithe). Likewise, such trainers very rarely have use for Crunch, or if they do, they also are acquainted with a move relearner or tutor capable of teaching newly evolved arcanine Extreme Speed far later than they would naturally.

In short, the answer is it depends in part on which move you would like your arcanine to know. If you’d prefer a faster arcanine, evolve it sooner, but a stronger arcanine (or an arcanine that requires fewer TMs) should be evolved later. (There are no differences in health if you choose to wait. In fact, the vitality an arcanine gets through evolution means that a growlithe that waits to evolve is just as healthy as one that’s evolved immediately.)

Ultimately, though, waiting until the time is right is also sound advice and perhaps the better avenue, especially if your growlithe has a strong opinion one way or another. If your growlithe is impatient to evolve, consider doing so sooner, whereas a hesitant growlithe should hold off until they’re ready.

Best of luck!