A recent ask about Gallade got me wondering. Why can only male Kirlia evolve into it but Gardevoir can be either gender? Thinking about it, the same happens with Snorunt’s evolutions. Is it a coincidence that they both can evolve with a Dawn Stone?

The fact that they both evolve via exposure to dawn stone is one theory behind it, yes. Dawn stone affects those with abilities that are either waiting to be unlocked completely or that may be boosted through an alternate evolution. Gallade, for example, is the final evolution of a line that’s best known for their fierce loyalty to their trainers and their collective dedication to protecting the ones they love, and as such, gallade is the embodiment of that idea. Froslass, conversely, are wraith-like creatures made of ice and snow, known for their human-like appearances—very much the extension of their childlike preevolution, snorunt. They are the alternate evolution of creatures made of rock and ice, yet they’re hollow by contrast, which is to say froslass is what glalie could be if glalie didn’t seal itself up in armor. So in other words, whereas gallade represents the enhancement of what it means to be a member of the ralts family, froslass represents what snorunt has become underneath the hardened ice-and-rock body of glalie.

That having been said, back to your original question, as I’ve implied above, there are a couple of reasons for why only male kirlia and female snorunt are affected by this stone. The first theory is that only male kirlia and female snorunt may reach the potential outlined above. That is, only male kirlia can experience the need to protect others so strongly that being a gallade is an option for them, and only female snorunt may experience the need to be free so strongly that being a froslass is an option for them.

However, the other theory is a lot simpler: that for these lines, part of the evolutionary requirements are coded by the sex chromosomes. Think of it like binary, where 1 is on and 0 is off. For the snorunt line, this concept is straightforward. If snorunt have two X chromosomes—or two 1s—then that means their ability to evolve by dawn stone is “on,” as they receive two “on” signals. Male snorunt, meanwhile, have one “on” signal and one “off” signal, rendering them incapable of evolving because the requirement for their species is that both switches must be flipped to “on.” Conversely, it’s the reverse for the ralts line. Whereas the question being answered with the snorunt line is “can this pokémon evolve,” the question being answered with the ralts line is “will this pokémon not be affected by this.” Thus, a 1 with the ralts line means part of their resistance to dawn stone is active, but it’s not complete. Two 1s in a row, meanwhile, means that the resistance is complete and active. Hence, females, even those who are willing to evolve by dawn stone, cannot because their bodies dictate that they can’t be affected by it, whereas their male counterparts don’t have that same defense.

How do you stop a Growlithe from barking at nothing? I haven’t slept for days.

When it comes to correcting pokémon behavior, the most important first step is determining why that behavior is occurring. Your local Nurse Joy may be able to assist you with that step, but other than that, it’s highly recommended that you observe your growlithe closely to see if any part of its barking patterns can give you a hint as to what’s wrong.

That having been said, there are a number of reasons why your growlithe may be barking at nothing. One possibility has to do with the fact that growlithe possess extremely powerful senses of smell and hearing. Your growlithe could be responding to a howl or a bark outside of your home, or it could be responding to pokémon or animal sounds inside. Remember that growlithe are highly territorial pokémon. If any of your neighbors have dogs or dog-like pokémon—including other growlithe—yours will attempt to assert dominance and claim your neighborhood as its own, especially if it’s lived with you at your current residence for a long time. Pay close attention to your neighborhood whenever you take your growlithe for a walk to see if any other dogs live near you.

Alternatively, yes, growlithe also bark at vermin, even if those intruders are inside your walls. Growlithe are hunters, after all, so if your growlithe is staring at a wall during or shortly before barking, it’s trying to alert you to possible prey.

If it’s neither of these things, there may be a plethora of other reasons why your growlithe is barking. Some growlithe bark because they’re scared or anxious, particularly if you’ve just adopted them, if you’ve added new pokémon or people to your home, or if you’ve just moved to a new location. (Some are even afraid of the dark or of storms, so knowing precisely when your growlithe barks may be helpful.) Other growlithe bark because they’re bored and want your attention. Still other growlithe bark out of sympathy. (Growlithe, being highly loyal pokémon, are acutely in-tune with their owners’ moods. If you feel overwhelming negative emotion—say, for example, due to a lack of sleep—your growlithe may be barking as a means of saying, “Hello, trainer! I am here! What can I do for you?” Growlithe unfortunately lack the capability of understanding that they may be the cause of your problem unless you’re visibly upset with them.) In all of these cases, pinpointing the root cause of your growlithe’s barking is simply a matter of observing its body language and the timing of its barks.

Regardless of what the underlying cause is, it’s important to use positive reinforcement with your growlithe. Be firm with your growlithe but never shout or punish it for barking. Rather, reward it for not barking whenever it stops. Knowing the underlying cause just helps you to figure out how, specifically, to get your growlithe to stop barking, whether it’s removing vermin from your walls, soundproofing your home, reassuring your growlithe whenever it’s scared or anxious, or simply being stern with it if it’s simply trying to get your attention.

So typings are interesting. Before the Fairy type was discovered, some pokemon (granbull, clefable..) were classed as Normal types, meaning they should be weak to Fighting and not weak to Poison and Steel, etc. Now they’re Fairy type and all this has just changed dramatically… How do types work?

Allow me to use a metaphor to explain.

Let’s say it’s the middle of summer, and you put a group of human beings in a room with no air conditioning. All of these humans are physically the same species, but some tolerate the ensuing heat more than others. On one extreme of the spectrum, you have the people who are perfectly fine sitting in a hot room. On the other, you have the people who become lethargic and moody—even a little sick. Everyone else is somewhere in between.

Types are like that. You may have a number of pokémon that are all the same type, but not all of them will express the type’s signature weaknesses and resistances the same way. For example, some rock-types take fire-type attacks without flinching, while others feel visibly uncomfortable by proximity to heat. Conversely, magnemite and a number of other steel-types absolutely hate heat, but lucario and more mammalian species are more capable of tolerating it (so long as they aren’t exposed to direct fire). This is why it’s often difficult to pinpoint a pokémon’s type.

Also, think of it like any other element of taxonomy. Yes, to researchers, pokémon types are merely another form of taxonomy, or classification of living organisms. With the broader classification of organisms, system used by modern scientists splits all organisms into seven kingdoms: Bacteria, Protozoa, Chromista (for algae), Plantae, Fungi, Animalia, and Pokémonica. Sixty years ago, however, there were only four kingdoms, as scientists grouped algae and fungi with plants and pokémon with animals. As our understanding of the world grew, we realized that this system was insufficient to describe the organisms we were studying, and so, the system changed to fit our needs. Types, being another form of taxonomy, are just as fluid as the grand system of taxonomic ranks.

That is to say, although we researchers do our best to classify pokémon accurately, sometimes, our way of describing them needs to change due to newly acquired information. The fairy type is actually an excellent example. The pokémon that have been reclassified into that particular type have a wide variety of offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as a variety of secondary types, all of which made it difficult for researchers to notice that they shared any characteristics between them.

For example, clefable and wigglytuff are both hardy pokémon, but because of that, both are able to withstand venomous attacks far better than a number of other fairy-types on record. As such, scientists didn’t realize either of them had a weakness at all until their battling abilities were compared to other normal-types. (In actuality, it was only recently pointed out that both types weren’t simply tolerating Dragon Claw and other dragon-type attacks due to their hardiness; they were quite simply immune to dragon moves. After that, a full-scale study was done on them to determine why.)

Conversely, gardevoir is a far more fragile pokémon than clefable and wigglytuff, and as such, it was originally thought that its weakness to both poison and steel can be easily explained by its lack of defensive capabilities. It certainly didn’t help that its secondary type could easily dispatch both poison and fighting—the latter of which gardevoir boasts a double resistance to—making understanding the abnormalities of the species’ weaknesses and strengths particularly difficult to understand. It was only after we had compared gardevoir’s ability to withstand bug- and dark-types to gallade’s that anyone had realized that perhaps there was something else going on.

The point is that the type classification system is a classification system first and foremost. Each pokémon within every type actually has differing tolerance thresholds when it comes to withstanding other elements. Even clefable and granbull—both mammalian pokémon who were reclassified from pure normal-types to pure fairy-types—don’t handle poison and steel moves in the exact same way. Ultimately, however, whenever the scientific community obtains new information that sheds brand-new light on a group of pokémon, we change the classification system as necessary.

Can pokemon have different markings than the ones in “official artwork” or in the pokedex? For example are all Charmanders plain orange and cream, or could they have, say, a few brown spots or something?

If by “official artwork,” you mean photographs in the pokédex, absolutely. The pokédex images are merely photographs of the specimen a trainer or researcher has on hand. Actual wild pokémon may possess markings that might vary greatly due to a number of factors, including environment, certain genetic factors, physical condition, and so forth.

More specifically:

Pokémon may change colors in response to their environment. This not only refers to adaptive evolution but also individual response to environmental influences, including the chemistry of the available food sources. For example, even visiting pokémon to Pinkan Island in the Orange Islands archipelago have been known to turn pink due to the fact that pinkan berries—a rare, pink berry that happens to be high in lycopene—are the most reliable food source for pokémon on the island. (On that note, it’s highly recommended that trainers feed their pokémon commercially produced kibble while on the island unless they want a pokémon the color of a jigglypuff.)
But yes, evolution is also a possibility. Take the Alolan and Kantonian vulpix, for example. Vulpix in Kanto have adapted to warmer climates, and hence, they possess a fire-red coat of coarse, short hair. Alolan vulpix, meanwhile, thrive primarily in colder, snowier climates. Thus, they sport snow-white coats that allow them to blend in with their surroundings, and their fur is thick and soft enough to trap the heat they need to survive cold, wintry nights.
While pokémon inherit the species of their mother (unless that mother is a ditto), it’s not at all unusual for some to inherit traits from either parent. It’s not normally so drastic as to produce pokémon that are entirely a different shape or color than the ones you might see in your pokédex, but as an example, a meowth whose father was a pikachu may have more golden fur than normal, whereas a meowth whose father was an eevee may have thicker fur around the neck and a bushier tail. In short, the meowth will still be immediately recognizable as a meowth, but certain traits may be slightly different from the official photograph thanks to its father.
Pokémon fur, skin, and so forth are notably more vibrant the healthier the pokémon in question is, and likewise, fur will usually be thicker and shinier. By contrast, duller, grayer, or thinner fur or skin indicates a general illness. Likewise, pokémon with unusual spots, lumps, or moles may be suffering from cancer, cysts, or other unfortunate conditions, and pokémon can certainly be born with deformed limbs. Alternatively, some injuries sustained on the battlefield or elsewhere may lead to permanent damage, such as scars, missing eyes, torn limbs, and so on. Old age can also bring about arthritis, which in some pokémon pronounces itself via enflamed joints. If your pokémon suddenly changes in physical appearance or if you have a pokémon with any physical condition that seems a little unnatural, it’s best to take them to a pokémon center for an examination.
Of course, these are just a few of the most likely possibilities for an explanation as to how you might acquire a pokémon with unusual spots. There are certainly others as well, including the possibility that you’ve just encountered a specimen in a particularly dire need of a bath.

Okay my grovyle just evolve into sceptile recently and now he just wants to fight everyone. How can I get him to chill out? (no ice jokes pls)

No ice jokes? I’m disappointed, anonymous!

However, glare I’m receiving from my editor as I discuss these questions with her over video chat tell me I should nonetheless press on, jokes or not.

As everyone knows, among the pokémon we know about, evolution brings on both biological and psychological changes. In terms of biology, there are of course the obvious physical changes, but with them come what is usually a boost in power. This contributes to the psychological changes, which consist not only of a shift in the pokémon’s personality (usually) but also typically a boost in confidence, especially if the pokémon in question experiences a particularly significant jump in battling ability. Starters are among those that experience the most drastic changes in terms of power and are frequently among the stronger pokémon available to a trainer, and as such, evolution will typically bring about the sort of behavior you describe.

While this is generally true for all starters, it’s worth it to note that this is not a motivation. It’s merely an explanation behind why ending up with an aggressive final evolution is very likely. Usually, pokémon have a specific reason for being aggressive on top of that, and it’s important to figure out what that reason is before anything else.

For example, in some cases, your sceptile may be going through a period where he’s actively looking for a challenge in order to establish dominance. Sceptile in particular are susceptible to this mode of thinking, as the species as a whole takes pride in their virtually unrivaled jungle combat abilities. If this is the case for yours, usually, such behavior can be stemmed (albeit not stopped altogether) by reinforcing the trainer-pokémon bond. Establish that you still respect your sceptile and that you only wish the best for him by creating a specialized training routine that you and your sceptile engage in alone, outside of the company of the rest of your team.

Alternatively, many pokémon evolution lines wait until their final forms to set out and establish their own territories and nests, and in other lines, it’s the final evolution that serves as the leader of the rest of the pack. (In this sense, it is also an issue of dominance, except the dominance in this case is more domestic in nature.) This is also a possibility with sceptile, as the reason why the species hones its combat skills is to protect the treecko communities that live in the trees of each sceptile’s native jungle. If this is the case with your sceptile, then it’s important to establish team dynamics with him. Increase the amount of time he spends with the rest of your team and get him to bond with them outside of the battlefield. Once your sceptile begins to feel as if he’s needed to protect the rest of his team, his aggression will become more focused. This may sound like a bad thing, but once his aggression becomes more organized, it will be easier to identify what, specifically, he sees as a threat, which in turn will make it easier to train him to tell the difference between a legitimate threat and everything else he may be identifying as such.

Finally, the sceptile stage in the treecko evolution line is also the stage of peak maturity. While all members of the line can breed, it’s usually sceptile who are the most aggressive in their mating rituals because for them, mating is not simply about finding a partner with whom to raise eggs. It’s also about holding onto ideal territory in which two mating sceptile can create a new colony of treecko. Moreover, male sceptile have full access to the evolution line’s battling potential, and as such, they use everything they’ve got in their mating displays to establish that their line is far better to mate with than any other pokémon species. In short, seeing as your sceptile is male, he may also be looking to show off his power for potential females, especially if his targets are primarily male as well. If this is the case, then there’s not much you can do except perhaps assisting him in his search for a mate. Your first step in this case would be to contact a breeder as soon as possible.

In any case, anonymous, I wish you the best of luck, and congratulations on your recent evolution.

Is it weird that my gallade likes to sleep next to me. My friend thinks its weird. I think I’m just warm lol

For a gallade, this is actually normal behavior, as gallade experience strong urges to protect their trainers at all times. Hence, even when sleeping, they prefer to keep as close as possible to their “charges” to ensure that no matter what, their trainers are safe from harm.

If you do anything else with your gallade, however, or if you allow your gallade to do anything besides sleep next to you, then it would perhaps be a little odd. Or even frowned upon by most societies, depending on what that something is.

Wait, dragon types are carnivorous? My Noivern eats nothing but berries and I dont think hes ever touched meat. Is that normal?

Noivern are an interesting case, actually. By and large, the majority of noivern subspecies are actually insectivorous, meaning they subsist entirely on insects and bug-type pokémon—hence why pokédex entries for noivern state that they use ultrasonic waves to detect and snatch prey in the darkness of moonless nights. However, many noivern are not obligate carnivores and can eat both berries and insects, and some subspecies are even frugivores in that they strongly prefer fruit over anything else.

So generally speaking, noivern as a whole are considered to be carnivorous, but admittedly, it is true that there are herbivorous variations of the species.

My shuppet just evolved into banette and i’ve heard multiple legends about banettes attacking their owners Should i be scared? Are there any downsides of him evolving?

The important thing to realize about banette is that just because it was animated because of feelings of resentment doesn’t necessarily mean tamed ones will continue to harbor resentment towards their trainers. The legends you hear about banette attacking trainers are indeed true, but they’re true because their trainers fed the feelings that brought about banette’s existence. At the risk of being repetitive, these feelings essentially consist of isolation, loneliness, and inadequacy, all turned into the sort of rage one feels when consumed by self-loathing.

However, although these feelings generated banette’s soul, it’s possible to calm them … simply by bonding with them. Show them the love and affection they crave, and they will go from vengeful spirits to fiercely loyal companions.

Of course, some banette are still prone to fits of violent jealousy, and for this reason, obtaining more pokémon or even a significant other (or children) may be tricky when you own a banette. This, in fact, might just be the answer to your question about downsides to having yours evolve. However, even this is a problem that can be easily surmounted. Like with all pokémon, remember to acclimate your banette to new catches. Reassure him that although you’ve gotten new team members, all that means is that he has new companions to befriend and that he is not being replaced. The same can be said for making additions to your human family. Always introduce your significant other to your banette, do your best to get the two to form a decent enough bond, and allow your banette to bond with new children by giving him some level of responsibility in protecting them. The more you include your banette in your life, the less likely he will lash out at you or anyone else you care for.

Hi Bill! Do you have any tips for beginning dragon tamers?

Ah, the dragon element. It’s a difficult type to specialize in at first, but with patience, dragon tamers can become among the most fearsome trainers in existence.

But first, a note about your likely starter. Outside of the Kalos region, which boasts an unusually high population of dragon pokémon, dragon-types are extremely difficult to find for good reason. The dragon type is one of only three element classifications that refers to the dispositions of its bearers as well as its offensive and defensive advantages and weaknesses. (The other two are the bug and fairy types.) That is to say, dragon-type pokémon aren’t just pokémon with a specific set of strengths and weaknesses. They’re also pokémon who are bestial in nature. They avoid human contact, and they’re notoriously difficult to tame in earlier stages (and sometimes, especially in the cases of the Unova dragons, later stages as well).

More importantly, yes, they’re extremely rare, which in turn means your starter may be the only dragon you’ll own for quite some time (unless, again, you live in Kalos). Hunting for dragon-types is time-consuming, and it frequently requires a lot of skill and experience from trainers who wish to do it because of the extreme locations dragons tend to nest. It’s best to train your starter for a long while, perhaps in combination with pokémon of other types, until you build up the skill and strength you need look for more dragons to tame.

Of course, there are certainly dragons you can acquire via other means. Swablu, for example, are common to the Hoennian and Kalosean mountains, and they evolve into the dragon-type altaria. Likewise, horsea, with enough time or a good friend to help you, may one day become the formidable kingdra. It would certainly be a good idea to obtain and train these, although they may still require some patience on your part—swablu because they’re not particularly strong pokémon at first, and horsea because seadra can be rather temperamental.

Which, of course, leads to the other warning that many dragons are either not very strong at first or very difficult to handle. Dratini, for example, can only learn weaker moves such as Wrap or Twister until they grow closer to evolution. Bagon, meanwhile, learn stronger moves but tend to break out into tantrums or ignore orders in favor of finding places to train itself to fly. In this sense, even if you catch a dragon, you may find that you must still be patient in order to help your pokémon to grow.

Then, of course, there are the other, smaller issues to take into consideration. For example, dragons should not be exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time (although a few species can handle cold water), most of them rely on a strictly carnivorous diet, dragons need a lot of space (making settling down a difficult prospect for some tamers), always acclimate new dragons with your old ones (meaning ease new catches in with your former team to avoid in-fighting), and never handle your dragons and eat without washing your hands in between (as some dragons may carry salmonella).

This all isn’t to discourage you from launching into a career as a dragon tamer, anonymous. It’s more to say that the biggest advice I can offer anyone who wishes to become one is that the profession takes a lot of patience, courage, and understanding of your element. It’s no wonder why dragon tamers are famous for being dedicated to their craft. While, certainly, specializing in any type requires a full understanding of that element, the dragon type requires a lot more attention to the details outlined in your pokédex.

However, as I’ve noted earlier, it’s ultimately a rewarding experience. Out of all the type specialists in existence, dragon tamers are known for having the most colorful stories attached to their adventures—with good reason as well, given how difficult it is to find dragons in the first place. Likewise, dragons tend to evolve into some of the most powerful and intelligent species of pokémon in existence, some of which rival humans in terms of wisdom. If you’re successful at raising a dragon to its most advanced level, you will find yourself with some of the closest companions a trainer can ever have.

So even if the task itself is daunting and sometimes even dangerous, never give up, trainer. In the end, all of the adventures you’ll have and all of the bonds you’ll forge with your dragons will be worth everything, including the possible case of salmonella poisoning.

My Komala lost her stump and I was wondering if it is possible to get a new one for her as she is very distressed!!!

Absolutely, but it must be done as soon as possible. Komala require many hours of sleep a day—hence why they’re very rarely seen awake. Some pokémarts in the Alola region will stock “komala pillows,” which are specially crafted items meant to be roughly the size, weight, hardness, and texture of the average komala log. These can be used until you can find a suitable replacement of real wood. Alternatively, simply go out and cut a piece of wood roughly the size and shape of her original stump if you can recall it. Bringing your komala out during this process will guarantee that you’ll cut a piece she finds suitable.

Good luck, anonymous.