Which snake pokemon would you say is the best cuddler? Serperior seems most capable, but probably too haughty.

That depends on your definition of “snake.” Before I continue, yes, serperior is a good cuddler, but there are others that might be better suited to the task.

For example, arbok is notoriously a good cuddler, being an expert at the technique Wrap. Many consider it to be better than serperior, if only because serperior’s fighting techniques don’t quite rely on immobilizing an enemy that way, which means that you are, quite literally, training arbok to cuddle, more so than serperior. Ekans is just as good as its evolution, but arbok really has the advantage of length (and thus, more length with which to cuddle). Meanwhile, if we expand our definition of “snake” to include all serpents, including those that are more dragons, dragonair can not only cuddle but also change the weather of the immediate surroundings to a rather pleasant temperature for maximum comfort of both its trainer and itself.

Of course, if we expand our definition of “cuddler” to include snakes that are excellent for cuddling, you really can’t get any better than dunsparce.

Hey Bill! Since its starting to get a bit winter-y over here, any tips for how to care for Grass-Types? I recently evolved a Leafeon and her leaves are going from a green to a more orange-red, is this normal?

As uncomfortable as it may be for your grass-types, it’s best to bring them inside for the winter. If you have a larger grass-type such as a venusaur, make sure you have enough room in your home, or consider building a greenhouse for it. Either way, it’s essential for their health that they remain in a temperature-controlled environment. Grass-types, especially those that are purely plants (the bellsprout line, the oddish line, and so forth), can’t thrive in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a day. In some cases, it can even be dangerous for them, as they risk wilting the colder it gets. If your pokémon must go out, such as for a battle or to play, remember to limit their time in the cold. Always keep their poké balls at hand, and it wouldn’t hurt to give them warm water after they’re done.

Once inside, light is essential. Give them access to a sunny window during the day, and supplement this with a couple of hours under a sunlamp at night. (A sunlamp may be an excellent investment for you and your pokémon, on that note.) This not only keeps a pokémon’s mood up, but it also ensures the plant parts of them are photosynthesizing as they should be.

Additionally, make sure your pokémon are well-hydrated. Central heating units tend to dry out the air in a home, which in turn can lead to stress or browning from a grass-type. Consider adding a humidifier to rooms where your grass-type will be spending the most time, and always make sure their water dishes are topped off. For pokémon that don’t often drink or otherwise can’t (namely cacnea), remember to spritz a little water on them every other week, but check often for any signs that they’re dehydrated (such as softening needles or bruising skin).

For pokémon in a greenhouse, remember that all pokémon need love and attention to survive. In other words, don’t forget to check on your grass-types daily. Spend time grooming them and giving them plenty of water, and reassure them that you’ll be back the next day.

Finally, keep in mind that all of this concerns pokémon that aren’t coniferous or weather-resistant in nature. Snover and abomasnow actually thrive in colder temperatures, so if anything, now is the time you should be letting them stay out longer. On the other hand, certain pokémon, such as Alolan exeggutor, can’t be kept anywhere and should really be stored in the storage system or at least within their balls any time you don’t need them to battle (or eat, drink, and relieve themselves).

As for your question about leafeon, this is a possible reason why, yes. The other reason why your leafeon’s ears might be growing a little golden around the edges is simply due to age. If her ears don’t return to a vibrant green after spring arrives, you’ll know for certain it’s age. Of course, it’s still not something to worry about; leafeon can be quite healthy, even after their ears turn.

Bill I need help with a female Croagunk I got from my dad. He wont say how he got it but it was shady I’m sure. Nature Adamant. She’s a bit distant but she seems to accept me ok, but she seems to bully my cleffa, and standoffish with any other females on my team. But will go nuts on anything she sees has bullying or abusive. Which has helped me with my father problems but that’s something else. I’m concerned for her and scared for the team. Is she showing dominance or something? Help me please!!

Hmm. This is a bit complicated, I’m afraid, and I think the biggest question I have before answering this is whether or not your croagunk displays this aggressive behavior towards just your father or towards bullying or abusive behavior in general.

If the former, then what you’re seeing may actually be anger towards her own treatment. She may see the fact that she now belongs to you instead of your father as protection; she doesn’t have to face your father’s treatment if she acts out towards him, as you’ll pull her away before your father can punish her.

On the other hand, if it’s the latter and it’s a general response, then it may be tied into her bullying tendencies. There is always a reason why anyone—human or pokémon—treat others the way they do. The simplest and most common explanation, though, is that bullies have faced abuse of some sort themselves from a very young age. In many cases, bullies seek out weaker targets than themselves in order to either release their own frustrations or treat them terribly out of the idea that this is just normal interaction. It’s possible, given that you’re not entirely sure what your croagunk’s past was like, that she was on the receiving end of a heavy amount of abuse, perhaps since she was a hatchling.

However, bullying can be corrected. It starts with establishing that your croagunk’s in a safe environment. Provide for her and give her affection whenever you can until she understands that you’re there for her and will care for her. Of course, pay attention to her body language at all times and give her space if it seems like she’s distressed or about to become aggressive. This will also help her understand that you know her boundaries, which will make it easier to reason with her and win her over.

Once she begins to feel safe, you can work on training the more aggressive behaviors out of her. Pokémon are far more malleable in this regard. (That is to say, don’t attempt to shower a human with affection if they’re abusive towards you, and certainly don’t try to “fix” a human’s aggressive behavior. If you find yourself in an abusive relationship, please use whatever resources you have to get out of it.)

With pokémon, meanwhile, respond well to simple Pavlovian training. That is, when your croagunk shows good behavior you wish to reinforce, reward her. When she shows aggressive behavior, don’t use aggression yourself to correct it; rather, tell her that this behavior is not proper. When she realizes she can be rewarded for certain types of behavior, she will begin to learn that following similar behaviors will result in more rewards. You can even use this technique to teach your croagunk the difference between aggressive and peaceful resolutions. Whenever she does something gently, reward her. Whenever she interacts with one of your pokémon in a positive manner, reward her then too. If she doesn’t, then simply scold her verbally (with a calm but firm tone).

Additionally, yes, some of her bullying behavior is dominance-based, as of course, your croagunk likely sees the rest of your team as weaker and therefore acceptable targets. You may need to establish her order in your “pack” as it were through establishing that she isn’t the dominant pokémon. For example, dominant pokémon in a wild herd are fed first, so by feeding your croagunk slightly behind the other members of your team (that is, giving your other pokémon their bowls first and then giving your croagunk hers), this will help her understand that, if anything, you are the herd (or army, in her case) leader. This will also help you train that aggressive behavior out of her, as it will also establish that she needs to follow you to be rewarded and to move within her team.

Finally, you may need to reintroduce your croagunk to the rest of your pokémon after her behavior reaches an acceptable level. This doesn’t mean separate her from the others as you’re training her (in fact, she should be allowed to freely interact, although yes, you should separate her from the others if she’s bullying them again); rather, it means gradually introducing her to individual members of her team and helping her establish healthy relationships with each member. In other words, serve as a mediator between your croagunk and your other pokémon. Have them work together on tasks. Encourage your croagunk to interact with your team in a positive manner.

Best of luck!

Hi, Bill. I really want to become a trainer, it’s been my dream since I was little kid, but… this is embarassing… I’m really scared of ghost type pokemon. The stories surrounding them, where they come from, it all gives me chills. Do you have any advice?

For the most part, it’s likely you won’t have to worry too much. Ghost-types dwell in very specific, very distinct habitats: abandoned buildings (typically the older the better), dark forests, very occasionally caves. The basic rule is that if you hear rumors that a place is haunted, it’s actually home to ghost-type pokémon.

Or in other words, ghost-types are easier to avoid than you might believe, so don’t worry.

Should you encounter one, though, stay calm. Most ghost-types feed on fear, and in any case, the more you panic, the less you’ll be able to navigate out of the situation. I realize that this may be difficult, especially if you’re dealing with a phobia, but doing everything you can to keep yourself from panicking is absolutely vital. Take a deep breath and find your center. Think of your body right where it is and concentrate more on feeling your weight than on the ghost-type in front of you.

Once you do this, identify an exit and make your way towards it. Try not to summon any additional pokémon, as that might provoke the ghost-type to engage with you.

If you’re cornered, however, try to remember that most ghost-types don’t actually want to kill humans unless you’ve invaded what’s very clearly their inner territory. Ghost-types are ultimately like any other pokémon in that the ones you’re more likely to see actually want to be around humans and form a bond with us in order to be trained. It’s just that some of them might be mischievous or liable to feed off your fear (which is less dangerous than it sounds, as the consumption of fear actually leaves you in a rather euphoric state or a state of mind in which you feel empty—the latter of which will fade and give way to other emotions over time). Just keep this in mind and, if you absolutely have to engage, try to form some kind of friendship. Rather than show fear, show interest. This may confuse a ghost-type enough to allow you to escape or to get it to leave you alone.

As a note, normally, I respond to asks about fear with advocating exposure therapy, and if you want to get over your fear of ghost-types, I wholeheartedly encourage you to try it too. Find a trainer you can trust who owns a ghost-type and ask them to help you by setting up times to meet their ghosts and spend time with/help take care of them. Start off with a little bit of time of exposure, then gradually increase your time until you can tolerate being around that ghost-type for long periods. This is also a great way to meet a potential traveling companion.

Best of luck, and congratulations on the beginning of your journey!

Hi Bill! So, strange question here, but something seems to be wrong with my Espeon. He is somehow no longer able to use his psychic moves. Do you think he may be sick? How can I help him?

There’s a chance he might actually be exhausted, anonymous, which is good because that is perhaps the easiest problem to fix for a pokémon. The unfortunate side of it, though, is that you’ll need to give him some rest. That means no battling, limited use of his abilities, and plenty of sleep until he recovers. Also, monitor his diet and make sure he’s eating right. With this combined care, it may take a few days to a week before he’s capable of using psychic techniques again.

If he doesn’t improve, definitely consider taking him to a pokémon center for a stress test, to check his heart, and perhaps to test for parasites or bugs that may interfere with psychic abilities. Nurse Joy may also suggest other tests if none of these solutions seem to work.

Best of luck, and may your espeon get well soon!

How come humans can’t see the items Pokemon hold during battle?

Usually, trainers will give their pokémon special pouches to hold their items in (unless the item can be held or worn in-battle). Sometimes, these pouches are designed to match the color of the pokémon in question. Custom orders of such pouches are incredibly popular, especially on independent artists’ Shuppetsy storefronts.

Alternatively, some pokémon actually have thick enough fur or rolls of fat (it sounds disgusting, I know) to hide smaller items, particularly everstones.

zolatul
replied to your post “hiphoppip replied to your post “Bill are you sure you’re exclusively…”

Have you considered a using some sort of sensor inside the pod (weight sensor under the flooring or maybe a laser senser due to some Pokemon’s near-neglible physical weight) hooked up to a monitoring system to have it (the entire teleporter) refuse to activate if both pods are occupied at the same time? Just a thought that occurred to me.

Hmm. This might be a bit complicated with the gastly line (which is only arguably tangible enough for a laser to detect, especially where gastly is concerned), but perhaps if I add in a chemical analyzer to detect significant changes in the internal composition of a pod in addition to the laser senser…

Well! It certainly sounds like I’ve got a healthy bit of work ahead of me! Thank you for the fascinating suggestion!

The Vespiqueen post interested me, how on earth do pokeballs differentiate between pokemon? Between members of the same species?

DNA locks, actually. When a poké ball activates on a pokémon for the first time, it scans its capture in order to take careful notes about what it’s containing. This—combined with a pokémon’s decision to either stay or break free, of course—is why there’s a window of time between the ball drawing in a pokémon and the capture being confirmed, wherein the ball could, well, break. It’s simply taking the time to scan and record the genetic code of the pokémon it’s meant to contain.

This all is relevant because even if you have two members of the same species, there are subtle differences in the genetic code of one individual compared to the next. After all, you might not be like any other human in the world, and so, too, each pokémon is different and individual from the rest of its species.

Vespiquen is an interesting case because it forms a symbiotic relationship with another living being. (Actually, slowbro/king and mantine are very similar in nature—it’s just that they share existences with other pokémon, rather than animals.) In her case, though, the point still stands. It’s just that the poké ball scans and records all beings drawn in, rather than just one.

Of course, it gets a little more complicated with evolution, particularly ones that involve multiple members of the same species to achieve (magneton and metang, for a couple of examples). In these cases, though, so long as a considerable amount of the subject’s DNA is present and so long as the subject’s species matches the pokédex database in terms of pokémon that incorporate others into their evolutions, the poké ball will still recognize the pokémon it belongs to. It would then modify its internal code in order to adjust.

Truth be told, modern poké balls seem like they’re simple devices, but they’re actually highly complex and fascinating machines. Of course, I also say that this is all true for modern poké balls. Antique poké balls, particularly of the apricorn variety, are a bit more mysterious, and the art of creating them is a carefully guarded secret.

Is it true that some pokemon like darmanitan and oranguru can learn sign language?

Absolutely. Actually, any ape-like pokémon—even those only marginally apes, such as slaking—are capable of learning sign language. All of them have strikingly human intelligences … as well as the appropriately shaped hands to use with most forms of human signing. It’s quite interesting, actually, and the subject of ape pokémon communication has been the focal point of pokémon behavior and intelligence studies for the past five decades. There was even a rather famous darmanitan named Koko who was known for having lengthy, meaningful conversations with her trainers completely in ASL. I would highly recommend doing a bit of research into Koko to learn more about ape pokémon communication, should you be interested.

hiphoppip replied to your post “Bill are you sure you’re exclusively human in the first place? It…”

If your problem is with things being sent at the same time a solution could be simple: Place doors on the teleporters, and only one can be physically opened at a time. It might be a bit of wiring with a lock system, but it could prevent mistakes.

Strangely enough, there are already doors, and that’s what they’re supposed to do. Unfortunately, the safety lock system doesn’t entirely work if you have one pokémon in a pod already and something else accidentally trips on a wire and stumbles into the other pod or accidentally forgets to turn off the auto-activation system and then accidentally pulls the door closed behind them with their shirt or accidentally believes the system really is powered down thanks to a blackout but actually it isn’t…

Do you ever think a higher power might be trying to tell you something? —LH

No. Why? —Bill