Tag: Anonymous

How do you deal with overly affectionate Pokemon without hurting their feelings? I have an Eevee that refuses to leave my side and constantly clings to my arm, or leg.. I’ve never had a Pokemon as clingy as this Eevee, and I’ve tripped over her and nearly hurt both of us on several occasions.

Train them, actually. Not training in the battling sense, of course, but rather training in the positive reinforcement sense. A few people have encountered similar issues, so this link should offer several tips: http://bills-pokedex.tumblr.com/search/separation

The key is to be patient and start with a schedule. Schedules are often comforting to pokémon because they’re a constant. A pokémon understands time a little better once they’re on a schedule, and consequently, it’s easier for them to feel normal and safe. Thus, once you establish set times for when your eevee needs to be fed, walked, and so forth, it will be easier to change your routine to include independence.

Or in other words, once you set her on a schedule, then you can train her to handle herself on her own. For example, announce when you’ll leave her side, even for a moment, when you set her down to eat. Get her used to that idea, then use the same cue to announce when you need to leave the room, to leave the house temporarily, to leave for work, and so on and so forth. Start with small increments and work your way up so she grows more and more used to this routine.

Additionally, reward her for behavior in which she handles herself without reacting badly. If, for example, she doesn’t immediately tear off looking for you when you set her down and leave the room, give her a treat or a toy. If she does tear off, sit her back down and try again. Additionally, give her a treat before you have to leave her alone for long periods of time (for example, to take a shower at first, then work your way up to leaving the house) so she associates your absence with something good. Finally, give her something that smells like you to comfort her in between. The more she understands that not clinging to you (literally) is okay, the easier it will be to wean herself off you, as it were.

Good luck!

Hey Bill, can you offer some tips for Mawile care? I got an egg from a Hoarder Situation Rescue, and she just hatched maybe a day ago? What are some Do’s and Don’t’s i should be aware of after she comes back from Nurse Joy? Sitting in a Pokemon Center as i type this on my pokegear waiting for Nurse joy to give her a once over before i start parenting in earnest XD. A concerned Mawile Parent

It’s certainly lucky that you’re getting this mawile as a hatchling, rather than as a pokémon who was raised in the aforementioned hoarding situation. Because of this, you won’t necessarily have to help it through any resulting trauma.

That having been said, though, you’ll of course want to follow the instructions Nurse Joy will give you on infant mawile care. Once it’s grown enough to be weaned and to live on its own, basic care should be fairly easy. It will need a soft bed and a room indoors, preferably one that’s a little on the cooler side if you live in warmer climates or climates in which it gets hot during the summer. Feed it a varied diet (mawile are omnivores) consisting of mostly berries, vegetables, and grains, with leaner meats for protein. Mawile also can be trained to use the toilet, although they typically use a litterbox (as with many fairy-types), and when grooming, be sure to polish your mawile’s horns with standard steel-type polish (as with all steel-types).

About the only differences between caring for mawile and caring for most other pokémon lies in, well, its jaws and nature. First and foremost, as a part-fairy, it’s important to be on guard around it at all times. It’s not as mischievous as, say, a clefairy or a mimikyu, but it’s still well known for deception and trickery. Never hand-feed it, in other words. And make sure you place everything that can fit in its horns out of reach.

As for the second part of that equation, its horns. Those must be well-maintained, and you do this by not only polishing the outside but also brushing the inside as you would teeth. Keep your mawile calm through the process, as challenging as it may be to do so. You may wish to distract it with music, a movie, or toys when it’s young, but it’s also possible to train it to consider such grooming to be pleasurable. That should take care of unintentional bites, but when it comes to intentional, you’ll want to wear heavy gloves at first as you work with your mawile’s jaws. Of course, it’s also important to teach it that biting you would hurt more than just a little bit, but when it’s young, it may be difficult to wean it off mischievous tendencies. Just have patience and reward your mawile whenever it displays positive behavior (sitting still while not biting you), and the job will eventually get easier as time goes on.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Hi, Bill! So a few years ago I adopted a Flareon that was abandoned at my local Pokemon Center. Apparently the previous owner abandoned her after she, as an Eevee, found a fire stone meant for a Vulpix. He apparently degraded her often (I’m told he really wanted an Umbreon). But she has quickly become family to me and my longtime partner, Rye (a Manectric). But she is still very uncertain about herself and her abilities, especially in battles. How can I help her become more confident?

Keep battling with her. I know that seems like unhelpful advice, but the best thing you can possibly do to nurture her confidence is continue to train with her while at the same time giving her positive reinforcement. Have her spar every day (either with Rye or in battles against other friendly trainers), and couple this with focused move practice. Every time she successfully executes a move, say encouraging words to her, and after every battle she fought hard in, even the ones she didn’t win, give her a treat. Most importantly, if she struggles to use a move or loses a battle, speak to her softly and reassure her that she did her best. If she allows it, show some affection as well.

It’s important that you push her (gently, of course) to keep trying. The more she battles and trains and the more she hears you encouraging her, the easier it will be for her to feel both confident and comfortable in her abilities.

Best of luck!

Speaking like a true pedestrian, do you recommend any brands of Pokémon-based products that source their goods ethically?

That depends on what you’re looking for, anonymous. “Pokémon-based products” is a term that spans quite a lot of categories, from food and other basic essentials to cosmetics. In some cases, it even covers things you would never think involve pokémon at all, including building materials and electronics.

So allow me to offer a few tips that can help you choose better in general:

  • For cosmetics and other hygiene products, look for a buneary face on the label. This is a logo that indicates the product is either guaranteed to contain ethically sourced pokémon materials or guaranteed to have never been tested on pokémon (or both). If you’d like a few suggestions for brands to look at in particular, both Flower Veil and Persim carry products that don’t use pokémon at all in their production, and Flower Veil has a commitment to using ecofriendly methods (that it actually upholds).
  • When it comes to clothing, avoid leather, including faux leather. While actual leather comes from either miltank or cows (and is thus highly controversial for obvious reasons), faux leather is terrible for the environment, so it’s not worth it. Instead, choose ecofriendly fabrics such as hemp or wool. Mareep wool, contrary to what Plasma may have you believe, is perfectly fine as a material. It’s gathered by trimming mareep, not by cutting off their skins, and the mareep are typically treated well throughout the process (as mareep wool must be gathered by hand while keeping the mareep calm and happy to avoid accidentally charging the wool with dangerous levels of electricity). Shearing a mareep is also necessary for its overall health (as it is with the mundane sort of sheep), so buying wool supports not only ethical farmers but also the actual care of a flock of mareep. The same could be said for whimsicott cotton, actually. 
  • However, if you’re looking for a simpler solution than looking at the materials tag, anything that calls itself fair trade is usually a good bet. Offhand, Valerie Aino is perhaps the most well-known designer brand that commits itself to sourcing its materials ethically and using sustainable and humane (that is, to its human workers) practices.
  • For food, look for anything labeled with “free range,” “organic,” or “soft gathered.” The latter term refers to the practice of soft-gathering, or keeping a pokémon calm and gathering products or materials from it with its permission. This is particularly important for tropius fruit, but it’s also often used in reference to combee honey and moo moo milk too. Surprisingly, ShuppepsiCo is among the brands on this list, as is, of course, Moo Moo Farms.
  • For items for pokémon, you’ll want to look, yet again, for a logo. In this case, a togepi stamp usually indicates that the product meets the standards for ethical production. This is particularly important for pokémon shampoos (to indicate they weren’t tested on pokémon or use ethically sourced berries) and pokémon food (to indicate that any pokémon-based ingredients was collected humanely). Staryu & Charmander and Leppa Brand are both among the larger brands out there, but there is quite a list. Just about the only one I would never recommend is Brown Bouffalant, which has quite a few horror stories attached to where its materials come from.
  • As for the more … obscure categories under the “ethically sourced pokémon-based products” category, standard labels vary from country to country, but generally speaking, if it says “inspected by [insert your government body of product inspections here” followed by “cleared [date],” that means it met the standards of production.

Hello! I’m moving to Alola very soon with my Pokémon. It’ll be a long trip and I’m very anxious to board the plane alone. The airline allows one companion Pokémon to ride along with the passenger. I chose my Raichu, Thor, since he can ride on my lap. (The plane has size restrictions for Pokémon and those who are too large must travel inside their Pokéballs). Any tips or advice for air-traveling with Pokémon? How can I keep Thor safe and comfortable during the flight? How can I prepare better?

Generally speaking, when traveling with a pokémon, always, always keep it as calm as possible. A baby crying is one thing. A raichu consuming all of the oxygen in a closed cabin and frying the electrical system with a single Thunderbolt is something entirely different. The best way to do this is to keep your poké ball on hand and be ready to recall your pokémon at the first sign of panic. In addition to that, bring plenty of distractions in the form of your pokémon’s favorite snacks and toys. Most importantly, interact with your pokémon throughout the ride. Show it signs of affection, talk to it, and play with it—anything you can do in a limited amount of space. The more you can distract your pokémon and show it that you’re calm, the calmer it will be.

Also, when the seatbelt sign is off, don’t be afraid to get up and walk your pokémon up and down the aisle (whenever possible, anyway). The exercise will likewise keep them calm and steady. However, try to avoid letting your pokémon roam without you, and never let your pokémon out of your sight. If you need to use the lavatory and your pokémon can’t fit in the cubicle with you, put it in its ball.

On that note, while takeoff isn’t so bad, landing can be rather alarming to a pokémon, especially due to the jarring bump at the end. Some pokémon can be calmed if they’re able to look out the window and watch the plane landing, but others would very, very much prefer an aisle seat. Usually, it’s easy to predict which your pokémon will be just by how they react to both heights and stress in general. The calmer a pokémon is, the more likely they won’t be affected by the view.

And of course, leading up to the trip, be sure to explain to your raichu as clearly as possible what the trip will entail. You might wish to consider showing him clips of planes in flight or images of the inside of an airplane, just so he can familiarize himself with what it means to travel.

Good luck and safe travels, anonymous!

Why are Cryogonal, Minior and Dhelmise able tolearn attract despite being genderless species?

Surely I’m not the only one who finds sentient seaweed wrapped around a literal anchor attractive.

(I’m joking, of course. Please don’t prove my suspicions about the extent of the internet correct.)

On a serious note, the truth is that any pokémon can execute the move, as it’s easy enough to replicate, regardless of your species. That’s why quite a few pokémon can learn it, even if it wouldn’t make sense due to their lack of a conventional reproductive system. The truth of the matter is it’s fairly easy to mimic courtship techniques, regardless of what the internet and romantic comedies will have you believe.

Whether or not that move is successful is an entirely different story. That part is fairly in line with what the internet and romantic comedies will have you believe, but suffice to say, it’s easier to look aesthetically attractive to a living being than it is to actually seduce them.