Tag: Anonymous

Hi, I’ve just travelled to Johto from Hoenn with my Marshtomp. He never been left in a daycare before as he’s very nervous with strangers and I just wanted to know how trustworthy the daycare is near Golderod, especially when handling shy pokemon. I ask this as I may need to leave him there for a short while with my Linoone, who has been in a Hoenn daycare before. My friend’s (who I am currently staying with) Totodile is currently sick and I don’t want them to catch anything.

Having met them personally, I can tell you that they are absolutely trustworthy.

They’re a bit … eccentric when it comes to eggs (they have yet to train their ditto to leave their other pokémon alone, so they tend to stick passing trainers off with eggs now and then under the pretense that they have no idea how the egg came to be), but when it comes to pokémon care, you’ll find no one in Johto more trustworthy and caring, to be honest.

Well. Besides my mother, actually. But unfortunately, she’s not a licensed pokémon caretaker, so I’m afraid she won’t be available to care for your marshtomp.

Let me guess. You’re only mentioning her because she’s reading this, isn’t she? —LH

No, of course not. (Yes.) —Bill

My Hawlucha sleeps perched hunched up, which seems to be how they do it out in the wild, but lately it seems like his back is getting stiff. We get regular exercise and flying drills so I don’t think it’s anything in our training regimen. I remember getting knots in my back when I was sleeping against my Charizard on my journey, and I don’t want Hawlucha to wind up with those kinds of aches. Is there a better way for him to be sleeping that would alleviate some of his back pain?

Unfortunately, the way hawlucha sleep in the wild is actually the ideal position for a trained hawlucha to sleep, so changing that isn’t particularly something I would recommend. 

However, there are other things you can do to keep your hawlucha from experiencing back pains. Giving him a massage after every battle (or daily) as well as a warm compress will help his muscles to relax and, therefore, heal themselves. Additionally, some fighting-type pokémon—even in the wild—engage in their own forms of meditation or relaxation techniques to avoid the exact problem you’re describing (or muscle issues in general). Consider engaging in guided meditation with your hawlucha to ease his tension further.

Of course, if you haven’t already done so, adding exercises to increase flexibility and core strength may also help by stretching the muscles and reinforcing the abdominal muscle. The latter is handy by taking pressure and weight off the back muscles whenever your hawlucha performs day-to-day activities. Not to mention it strengthens his front so that moves such as Flying Press are much less of a shock to his system.

And finally, most importantly, ensure he’s standing straight when not in battle. If he slouches to eat, while walking—anything, this could further strain his back.

In short, while correcting one’s sleeping position is the easiest way to alleviate back issues in humans, in bird pokémon, it’s far more complicated. Instead, it’s far better simply to treat or prevent back pain in a bird pokémon’s waking state, when it’s active and can adopt changes to its routine.

What advice can you give me on how to take care of a drilbur or two? I have a large mostly empty and unused back yard which I think will be good for them to dig in. Is there anything I can do to make it more interesting for drilbur?

One thing you can do is offer them small boulders or a shallow pit of gravel. This may seem dangerous for a drilbur, but this is actually necessary for the maintenance of drilbur’s claws. Gravel pits give them something to dig into that will “refill” itself eventually, and boulders offer larger surface areas to scrape. (It’s extremely difficult to maintain a drilbur’s claws otherwise, although with patience, a human may be able to use a claw file on them. Drilbur generally don’t sit still long enough for this process, however.)

Planting logs or stumps (if one of your neighbors is looking to remove a stump from their yard) may provide obstacles for a drilbur to play with, especially if either of them have thick roots. They can also encourage insect breeding and provide something natural for a drilbur to snack on. Do not plant actual trees, however. Drilbur activity can damage the tree’s roots, which means planting trees in your drilbur’s “territory” may endanger them. The same can be said for gardens, incidentally (although you can use any area of your yard that your drilbur has grown tired of to garden).

Otherwise, simply giving your drilbur plenty of space (such as your entire yard) will be sufficient enough. Your drilbur will create tunnels and occupy themselves on their own, basically.

Other than that, drilbur eat insects, worms, and nuts when not on kibble, and they will often find sources of these on their own. However, it’s still recommended that you feed them regularly, especially during the winter, as those three food sources may not be plentiful enough to support your drilbur exclusively. Give them clean water for drinking as well, but keep in mind that as ground-types, they should never be bathed or placed in a wet environment. (They’ll self-groom, but you can provide them a sand bath as well if you can afford one large enough for them.)

They’re also mainly outdoor pokémon, so while you should bring them inside during the winter or during heavy rains, they can actually survive well enough by being left outside. Additionally, some trainers worry about whether or not their drilbur will wander or create tunnel systems that travel too far away from home, and quite frankly, these are valid worries. Some drilbur do dig burrows that lead far, far from home, but others prefer staying close and digging downward. To curb the potential of your drilbur digging too far from home, offer your drilbur treats and a warm, dry place for inclement weather. This will encourage it to come back or keep its tunnels close to you.

Good luck, anonymous!

Can you have more than 6 pokemon with you if some of them arent part of your team? If I had a full team of 6, would I be able to bring along my Umbreon in addition simply as a travelling companion, as he does not enjoy battling?

Absolutely! Service pokémon, for example, are always separate from your full team of six, as if you have one, then they’re absolutely necessary for your day-to-day life. It wouldn’t do at all to force you to have one less pokémon to battle at your side, just because you need another one for medical reasons.

Outside of service pokémon, people often keep pets in addition to pokémon reserved solely for battling. These trainers are often more domestically-inclined, meaning the reason why they have no problem keeping pets is because they stick close enough to home to take care of them. While teams can double as pets, some people find it’s easier to pamper a pokémon that you’re not trying to train for hard battling. There are no limits to the number of pokémon you can keep as pets in your own home, but for obvious reasons, you can’t take many of them with you on your journey. Typically, the rules for “companion pokémon” (or those that are basically pets or team mascots, rather than team members) varies from region to region, but most of the currently recognized leagues only allow for one companion per trainer. This is largely for similar reasons to the six-pokémon rule: any more than that, and it may get difficult for a trainer to manage.

In other words, you absolutely can bring your umbreon along, so long as he’s properly registered as a pet or companion, rather than as a battler. You can do this by visiting your local pokémon center (or wherever you register for a league) and informing them of your umbreon’s status.

Of course, keep in mind that the rules are extremely strict about using your umbreon to battle, and once he’s registered as your pet, you can’t even use him to help you catch new team members. This may work out for him if he continues to dislike battling, but should he change his mind, you will need to visit a pokémon center to adjust his status.

Why are some species (pichu, riolu..) classed as “baby pokemon”? Why are they different from ‘real’ baby pokemon? After some time they wont exactly be babies anymore right? And why cant they breed? (sorry so many questions)

Quite all right! These are all very good questions.

To answer, baby pokémon are more or less equivalents to larval stages of certain animals. While they’re certainly more functional than their animal equivalents (to the point where pokémon can engage in battle, problem-solve, and do much more that a larval insect or amphibious tadpole can’t do), they’re still merely infertile juvenile stages, and thus, they can never gain the ability to fully mature and breed unless they evolve. This is in contrast to many other hatchlings, which retain their forms even to sexual maturity, so a puppy growlithe is still the exact same species and form as an adult growlithe. It’s just that the puppy needs to grow into an adult before it can breed (as oppose to evolve in order to reach that point).

Thus, in other words, baby pokémon are considered as such because they’re essentially larva. They can’t breed, meanwhile, because they’re infertile until after they evolve and, thus, develop functional reproductive organs during evolution. For this reason, a three-year-old pichu will still be considered a “baby pokémon,” as this is just shorthand used by trainers and researchers to denote a larval pokémon that has yet to evolve, not literally a hatchling.

Thank you for your advice! One brave little wild Taillow from the park came up to my Haxorus and started playing with her and sometimes picked berries for them to share. We have revisited the park many times and the same taillow keeps coming back to her. Is it a good idea to catch this Taillow if they are getting along so well? And Could this show other trainrs that my Haxorus is gentle and kind?

It’s certainly uplifting to hear that your haxorus has made a friend!

To answer your questions in reverse, it’s very likely that this will show other trainers that your haxorus is kind. It’s difficult to argue against that idea when you have a large, intimidating pokémon treat a small, fragile-looking bird with respect and gentleness. Of course, it’s worth it to note that humans are unfortunately complex, anonymous, and sometimes, even when presented with overwhelming evidence of a certain point, human beings have a habit of refusing to believe the obvious. (Politics is a great example of this.) Nonetheless, while it may not convince all humans, I have no doubt that it will convince some of them, and once you can convince some humans that your haxorus means no harm, you can build up your haxorus’s connections from there.

As for whether or not you should catch that taillow, that may be up to the taillow itself. If it wishes to spend more time with your haxorus, it would be worth offering it a home. If, however, it prefers to live in the park, allow it to continue living in the park, but keep an eye on it. If another trainer catches that taillow, make an effort to befriend that trainer so that your haxorus and that taillow can continue being connected to one another. Alternatively, continue interacting with that taillow but make it clear that it will always have the option of coming to live with you if it so chooses.

Good luck, anonymous, and good luck to your haxorus too!

I set up a camera in my yard and the Deerling is still here with no signs on its mother, even at night. I’ve not noticed any trainers with Sawsbuck or any dead ones anywhere. It seems most of them have actually left for some reason. Is it possible for me to adopt the Deerling myself if the mother doesn’t show up after a couple more days, or would it be best to hand over to a pokemon centre? (My Houndoom are actually very good with other pokemon, so that wouldnt be a problem)

If you have room for them and if you were careful to educate yourself on deerling care before this point, it’s actually possible to adopt them if you wish—and, in certain cases, it may be preferable, as the deerling may have gotten used to you or their current habitat.

Here is what you should do first. Go ahead and show yourself to the deerling. You can offer them food at this point but keep your distance. If they come to you, then it’s a good possibility that they’ve gotten used to your scent and that they would actually prefer to stay with you.

In addition, it’s worth it to consider that the deerling may have become accustomed to your yard in general. To determine whether or not this is the case, take note of how they react to you when you introduce yourself to them. If they seem antsy or run away at the sight of you, call your local Nurse Joy and have her come to look at the deerling, if not send a local trainer to fetch them. These are professionals who will be able to determine whether or not the deerling have become accustomed to your yard. If the deerling have, Nurse Joy or the appointed trainer will give you the option to adopt them. If the deerling aren’t accustomed to your yard specifically, then they will attempt to round the deerling up and take them to a shelter.

Ultimately, in this case, it may be worth it to give the deerling a chance to make a decision. If they consider your yard specifically to be their home, it would certainly be worth it to consider adopting them, yes, especially if your houndoom would be perfectly happy with deerling companions.

Just this morning, my Treecko’s skin started to peel. Do reptilian-like pokemon shed like their animal counterparts, or is there a condition I need to be aware of?

Yes, if your treecko is not shedding excessively (you will know if it’s flaking off in small bits, rather than peeling off seemingly all at once), this is completely normal and absolutely comparable to the shedding of its animal “cousin.” If the skin is discolored and flaking, rather than peeling or shedding, then the atmosphere in its habitat may be too dry for your treecko’s needs, or your treecko may have contracted pokérus. It would be a wise idea—only if your treecko’s skin is discolored and flaking—to take it to the pokémon center.

I emphasize that you should only take it to the pokémon center if its skin is discolored, of course, because if you are dealing with a case of ordinary shedding, then your treecko will very likely be extremely defensive at this time. Shedding is a vulnerable period, not only because treecko can’t defend themselves as they shed but also because their natural defenses will be a little weaker as their new skin takes time to harden and adapt. You’re actually rather lucky to be watching your treecko shed (if that is indeed the case); most treecko prefer hiding themselves away in warm, moist corners of their homes, where they won’t be bothered. It’s rare, in other words, for a treecko owner to have the chance to watch their pokémon shed, and it’s a sure sign that your treecko trusts you fully.

So my friend had to move out of town and due to a set of unexpected circumstances I have to take care of her Sylveon. Any tips for raising him?

On a very basic level, much of a sylveon’s requirements are very similar to an eevee’s—and, by extension, many of eevee’s evolutions. Sylveon eats the same sorts of food (either kibble or a meat-heavy diet), requires both walks and regular battling, and will gravitate towards the same sorts of toys (including chew toys, squeaky toys, and soft toys). In fact, in many ways, sylveon is among the easiest eeveelutions to care for, as unlike eeveelutions such as leafeon, vaporeon, glaceon, or flareon, it requires no special care according to its type. Fairy-types are generally agreeable and adaptable, and although they may come with mischievous streaks, they’re generally easier to domesticate than even normal-types. This, along with their typically cute appearances, is why they make popular pets in the first place. All of this, of course, is simply to say that sylveon in general are easier to care for than one might think. It just requires some basic knowledge of how to care for canine pokémon.

However, in your case, there may be a few complications that are far more important to address. You see, sylveon evolve in response to a heightened sense of affection. To put it another way, affection is very much like happiness, so sylveon has a lot in common with espeon and umbreon. However, espeon and umbreon simply evolve due to happiness. In tamed situations, this means “whenever the eevee in question feels an overwhelmingly strong bond with their trainer.” Tamed pokémon, after all, derive their happiness from spending time with their human partners. However, happiness is actually a lot vaguer than sylveon’s evolutionary requirement because happiness doesn’t necessarily mean closeness, either. Even in tamed settings, there are rare cases in which an eevee may evolve via happiness derived from time spent with a mate, from pure enjoyment of an activity, or even from a really good joke. It’s just that it’s easiest to achieve the exact level of euphoria eevee needs to evolve by allowing it to feel love for its trainer.

Affection, meanwhile, is also a requirement derived from the bond between a trainer and their pokémon, but it’s more physical and specific in nature. Sylveon are extremely rare in the wild because affection is pleasure derived from being taken care of and loved. An eevee that achieves sylveon’s evolution requirements is typically cleaned, fed, given a home, and showered with love (that is to say, given physical forms of affection, such as petting) on a daily basis. Affection isn’t simply happiness, in other words, but rather an overwhelming sense of belonging. This feeling may occur if an eevee feels strongly bonded to their mates or packs, but the feeling of loyalty an eevee experiences as a result of human affection tends to be a lot stronger than anything it experiences in the wild.

I’m sure by now, you’ve can gather why I’m telling you this, but for the sake of clarity, allow me to put it this way. You’re being given a pokémon that evolved due to his strong feelings of belonging, instilled in him by another human. Trading itself can be a bit tricky, as it requires you to build trust in a pokémon that doesn’t know you, but this is going to be especially challenging with your new sylveon, as you are, at the risk of putting it far too bluntly, not the trainer who helped him to evolve.

That having been said, it’s going to be especially important for you to spend as much time as possible with your new sylveon. You need to work especially hard to build his trust in you, and you need to emphasize the fact that although you cannot replace his original trainer perfectly, you will still love your sylveon as much as she did. Pay attention to the routines your friend had maintained with her sylveon, and try to follow those same routines when he comes into your care. Make your new sylveon an irreplaceable part of your life. Ensure he becomes well-adjusted to the rest of your team, and set aside time each and every day to give him affection.

In other words, go into this new relationship realizing that sylveon exists due to the affection he received from its trainer. Don’t let this discourage you, either. Let it remind you that the trade may affect your new sylveon in negative ways and that it’s important for you to reassure him as much as possible that he’s still loved.

Once you get past the first few weeks and once your sylveon becomes adjusted to you and begins to trust you, you’ll find it will get easier to care for him. (As I’ve said, sylveon’s list of daily requirements is far shorter than those of most other eeveelutions.) Just try not to diminish the amount of affection you show your sylveon (as in, continue making him be a part of your life), and you should be fine.

Good luck, anonymous.