Hey, Bill. Recently, I was rescued from a Seviper by a wild Altaria who even went as far as to escort me home, and I want to know how to thank it properly. Any advice?

Altaria (when outside their territories, anyway) tend to be very benevolent, actually. If you see it again, it will likely not expect anything at all, and it might not fully comprehend gestures of gratitude.

On the other hand, if you look out for any swablu hatchlings or fledglings you come across, that may be enough. For example, if you see an injured or sick swablu, consider giving it a hand. If you see a predator attacking a swablu and you have the pokémon to defend it, consider doing so. Or simply construct a feeder or shelter fit for swablu in your hard if you have enough space. Even the little things can go a long way, but the important thing is to repay kindness with kindness.

But resist the urge to feed or give toys to the altaria who saved you. This might cause it to expect you to feed it regularly, and unless you want an altaria on your team, that may be a bit of a problem.

Best of luck!

Swablu and Altaria

bills-pokedex:

Swablu
The Cotton Bird Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Official Registration #: 333
Entry: A small, bluebird-like pokémon most commonly found in the mountains of Hoenn. This gentle pokémon is known for its highly friendly demeanor towards humans. When a human wanders into their territory, swablu like to swoop in and settle onto the human’s head like a hat made of down and soft, pillowy cotton. This specific behavior is likely due to the swablu’s preference for soft, pliable building materials for their nests, so therefore, it is said that if a swablu settles on you, then it deems you both trustworthy and comfortable. If, however, two swablu settle on you and proceed to lay eggs on your head, then they deem you extremely trustworthy and comfortable. Or at least this is what the author’s partner and editor assured him when he suddenly found himself with an entire team of swablu.

Altaria
The Humming Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Flying
Official Registration #: 334
Entry: The evolved form of swablu, by battle experience. This graceful pokémon is known for its singing ability and its soft, cloud-like wings. When bonding with its trainer, an altaria will envelope said trainer in its wings and sing a beautiful, soothing melody to lull them to sleep. Or, at least, scientists assume this is an act of bonding and that any unfortunate mishaps involving dense wings and songs that lull a human to sleep are entirely accidental. This is also something the author’s editor (or, rather, her sister) assures him whenever her altaria shows “displays of affection” and “excitement to see him.”

Mega Altaria
The Humming Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Fairy
Official Registration #: 334+
Entry: The advanced form of altaria, via altarianite. The mega evolution of altaria is noted for being far more sociable and vocal than its base form. It’s highly affectionate, and it often sings a soothing, melodic tone when it’s about to display affection towards a given target. This is handy for said target, by the way, should he wish to not be smothered to near death by a cloud of feathers from a very familiar altaria. Again.

My altaria and flygon have been fighting a lot recently since flygon evolved. Before I used to fly primarily on alratia but since I’ve been training my flygon I’ve been taking Him more often… im really worried one of them is going to get seriously injured. What do I do?

Ah, therein lies the problem, anonymous. Any time you shift attention from one pokémon to another, especially if you don’t explain the situation beforehand, you risk instilling a sense of jealousy in one of them. Yes, this happens even if the jealous pokémon is one of the nicest, most selfless you’ve ever worked with or if the jealous pokémon had been close friends with the one you’re affording more attention to.

With that in mind, in order to rectify the situation, you need to do two things. First, you need to explain clearly to your pokémon (both of them) that you’re not replacing either of them. You’re simply redistributing tasks. Of course, it’s also important that you offer this explanation without implying that your flygon is simply better suited to flight than your altaria. Otherwise, you risk provoking your altaria to “prove” that it’s just as capable of a flyer (by fighting your flygon again).

The second task will help you avoid this implication. What you need to do is, quite simply, spend more time with your altaria. Find something that it does best and work with it every day. Spend a little more time training it. Do everything you can to make it feel important to you or to make it feel as if you’re spending an equal amount of time with it as you do with your flygon. The more effort you put forth to make your altaria feel like a part of your team, the more your altaria can rest easy that its place hasn’t been taken by flygon. And thus, once you figure that part out, it will be less likely to instigate fights with its partner.

Likewise, your flygon may also be less likely to display dominance over your altaria, but I would also keep an eye on him and reassure him that your altaria is not a threat too.

Best of luck, anonymous.

Swablu and Altaria

Swablu
The Cotton Bird Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Official Registration #: 333
Entry: A small, bluebird-like pokémon most commonly found in the mountains of Hoenn. This gentle pokémon is known for its highly friendly demeanor towards humans. When a human wanders into their territory, swablu like to swoop in and settle onto the human’s head like a hat made of down and soft, pillowy cotton. This specific behavior is likely due to the swablu’s preference for soft, pliable building materials for their nests, so therefore, it is said that if a swablu settles on you, then it deems you both trustworthy and comfortable. If, however, two swablu settle on you and proceed to lay eggs on your head, then they deem you extremely trustworthy and comfortable. Or at least this is what the author’s partner and editor assured him when he suddenly found himself with an entire team of swablu.

Altaria
The Humming Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Flying
Official Registration #: 334
Entry: The evolved form of swablu, by battle experience. This graceful pokémon is known for its singing ability and its soft, cloud-like wings. When bonding with its trainer, an altaria will envelope said trainer in its wings and sing a beautiful, soothing melody to lull them to sleep. Or, at least, scientists assume this is an act of bonding and that any unfortunate mishaps involving dense wings and songs that lull a human to sleep are entirely accidental. This is also something the author’s editor (or, rather, her sister) assures him whenever her altaria shows “displays of affection” and “excitement to see him.”