I have a roselia and a floette that both really want to evolve, the only problem is I only have one shiny stone that i found at a fair. My middle evo pokemon are consistently fighting over it, so that leaves me with the question, where can i find more shiny stones?

Here’s a secret the stone industry doesn’t entirely want to share with you: you don’t need a fist-sized stone in order to evolve. All you would need is enough energy within a single stone to trigger evolution. Granted, there’s only a finite number of times you can split an evolution stone before it becomes ineffective (typically, that limit is when the sample is roughly the size of a key stone), but in the case of evolution stones found in the wild, you may be able to get one or two cuts from it without losing its effectiveness.

That having been said, take your shiny stone to a reputable jeweler and ask them to cut it into two. They should know what to do from there. It may not be the least expensive solution, but it will certainly save you more than a few headaches.

Besides, finding a shiny stone on the market isn’t easy. You may be able to find them in the Sinnoh Underground (which is a tourist destination, not a euphemism for their black market) or online, but I would be wary about online retailers, especially on PokéBay. Fake stones aren’t that uncommon. If you choose this option, always buy your evolution stones from a reputable seller, such as EvolutionMarketplace.com.

My pyroar, Nala, really likes sticking her paw in her water when she’s drinking. Like she’ll be lapping up the water and then all of a sudden, boom, she’s pawing at it. It gets water everywhere and so I was curious as to why she does this strange thing

There are two reasons why a cat-like pokémon may paw at their water, but because your pyroar is actually drinking it with her tongue, the first may not be relevant. (For those curious, some cat-like pokémon find it more comfortable to drink water from their paws, rather than risk getting their whiskers or fur wet.) The other reason, meanwhile, is simple: she’s playing. Water forms a still, reflective surface, so she may be amused by her own reflection, by the way light is playing off the surface of her water, or simply by the shapes the waves make. It may be frustrating to clean up, but it’s perfectly normal, even for a partial fire-type like pyroar.

Does age equal evolution in pokemon? Example, Can you have a treecko thats older than a sceptile?

It depends. In many cases involving experience-, item-, or mood-based evolution, no, age and evolution are separate concepts. You can have a newly hatched pokémon that quickly evolves due to the care it receives, or you can have a very old pokémon who’s stayed in their base form all their lives. Evolution is merely a response to outside stimulus in most cases, whether that stimulus is an increase in battle experience or exposure to the right climate or so forth.

However, age can be linked to evolution. In so-called “trade-based” evolutions such as alakazam, gengar, and so forth, the ability to evolve is unlocked over time. That is to say, it’s not just a matter of experience. It’s a matter of so much experience that it’s impossible to reach that point until an individual is advanced in age. (Alternatively, exposure to the trainer editing process of a trade machine can also unlock these pokémon’s abilities to evolve, but the point is, under natural, normal circumstances, a kadabra may be highly advanced in age before it’s ready to evolve.)

Hey there Bill, I’ve been working with my Vespiquen for most of the day these days since I don’t have classes. I’ve gotten used to having Combees surrounding us, but I’m still confused as to why they follow me around and treat me similarly even when she’s in her ball. Can you help illuminate that?

Not to be disturbing, anonymous, but you’re likely covered with her pheromones. As such, the combee see you as, well, part of her or a valued member of her court, and thus, they treat you with the same respect as her. A few good showers and a load of laundry should fix the problem, should you wish to do so.

I’ve been meaning to get kids into exercising; what Pokémon would be a good partner for running and lifting and all that?

Practically any fighting-type, anonymous, but especially members of the machop or riolu lines. Fighting-types often engage in personal exercises to maintain peak physical performance, and they’ll often push their trainers or human companions to do the same. However, members of the riolu line can sense a trainer’s physical limits and will not push a child any further than that, and members of the machop line are often sociable and more understanding of their humans’ limitations in a non-supernatural sense. As such, you can be certain that your children will be able to exercise alongside these pokémon safely.

Alternatively, other fighting-types, such as hawlucha or the tyrogue line, can make exercise fun, which may be beneficial to a child. Either way, you should look no further than a fighter to get someone into exercising.

Best of luck, anonymous!

My daughter has shown psychic affinities, going as far to bend spoons and moving things around the room with her mind. Now gym leader Sabrina from Kanto has shown a lot of interest in her and recommends I give her a Pokémon to match her psychic potential. I have a gardivor and my husband has a Mr. Mime. Would either Ralts are Mime jr be a good starter for her? She’s currently only 5 years old

Both would be, but I would recommend mime jr. over ralts. The reason why is because a mime jr.’s psychic abilities are a lot easier to control than a ralts, as young ralts are often overwhelmed by the emotional feedback surrounding them. Additionally, mime jr. controls its powers consciously and often engages in exercises to develop them, so your daughter may be able to copy your mime jr. and build control by learning from those same exercises.

Of course, it also wouldn’t hurt to ask Sabrina herself. Sabrina is a talented psychic who would know which would better fit your daughter, partly because Sabrina has an intimate understanding of psychic abilities and partly because Sabrina also have precognitive talents.

Best of luck, anonymous!

So I recently moved into a new home and was noticing a lot of strange activity. Well, it turns out it was being lived in by a duskull! She’s very sweet and friendly so I’m not upset or anything, in fact she grabbed one of the pokeballs on my nightstand and flew into it. So id like to know the proper methods of caring for duskull! I have a Rowlet, flygon, pikachu, sylveon, and gardevoir on my team

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, caring for ghost-types is actually relatively easy, anonymous. Most of them only need a bit of food, water, a place to relieve themselves, and little else. Duskull especially are among the most docile of ghost-types and rarely even need a vigilant eye (as they don’t typically engage in excessive pranking). Yours may be even easier than that, as she was eager to become one of your partners.

Thus, all I can offer is a short word of warning: duskull dislike light, more so than a lot of other ghost-types. You’ve probably already realized this through observations of the strange activity in your home. However, the point is, try to give her a cool, dark place to rest if she hasn’t already chosen a part of your home as her own corner already.

Best of luck, anonymous!

my sylveon really likes balloons. so when we go anywhere special we get her a balloon, well today she comes in the house from the yard and has a balloon in her mouth.. well it was actually a driftloon. they get along very well and refuse to part but i dont know the first thing about ghosts or driftloon care!

Well, luckily, drifloon are fairly easy to care for, as most ghost-types are. They only require food, water, a place to relieve themselves, and entertainment. You’ve already taken care of the entertainment with your sylveon (although it wouldn’t hurt to purchase other light items for drifloon to pick up and play with, especially crinkling pet toys); the rest is otherwise easy. Drifloon are omnivorous (contrary to popular belief) but can be fed kibble if you don’t wish to feed them fresh food. They can also relieve themselves outside, but be sure to keep them on a leash tied around one of their strings to prevent them from being blown away in the wind.

In fact, that’s honestly the only challenge to keeping a drifloon: their tendency to blow away if outside. Generally speaking, drifloon can be taught through strength training (that is, training involving tying weights to its strings and having it lift them to develop their flight muscles) to increase their own weight and stay in one place, but until then, it’s imperative that you or your sylveon keep a tight hold on one of its strings.

Best of luck, anonymous!

last night… there was a flash of light, too large and bright for lightening, then it was storming fiercely. this morning when i woke up, i found the pokemon raikou in my back yard horribly injured. i tried getting near it, but it growled at me. i sent my sylveon and rowlet near it to bring it food and that was accepted, but the food was not eaten. sylveon was able to treat it with a potion i had, but of course that didnt fix all the injuries. what else can i do?

If you can, take it to the nearest pokémon center. That may be odd to say and difficult to follow, but you must keep in mind that you’re not a medical professional, whereas the staff of a pokémon center is and will know how to treat serious injuries. Furthermore, pokémon nurses are trained to not ask too many questions about a pokémon—especially one that may not be identifiable—so you can trust your local Nurse Joy to help. If you can’t bring Raikou to the center (and do not attempt to catch it in order to do so, as this can be an extremely bad thing), call the center and arrange for a home visit.

Best of luck, anonymous! We’re counting on you.

Hey Bill! I’ve been worried about caring for my Togepi who I think has eyesight issues because of her Hustle ability. No matter the reason, she’s constantly running into things, and falling off of things. I try my best to catch or stop her but I’m not always quick enough. She keeps getting hurt, so I really would like tips on to “baby-proof” my home, or maybe invest in service Pokemon for Pokemon if those exist? Thank you!

A baby gate (one of those devices that you fix to a wall and extend across an entrance, such as the entrance to a staircase) goes a long way, anonymous. Additionally, be sure that the floor is kept as clear as possible, never extend cords across a room, and be sure all furniture is fixed to a wall using braces. Likewise, keep all fragile or heavy objects out of your togepi’s reach or equally secured.

While it’s imperative that you do the above first (as not everyone can get a service pokémon for another pokémon), it’s true that service pokémon are available. I would recommend consulting with your Nurse Joy for options and to register for your region’s service pokémon program. Typically, for pokémon with sight impairments, a telepath such as ralts or munna will be assigned to you and your pokémon. The reason for this is that psychic pokémon have the ability to function as another being’s eyes, which is typically a better situation for the battlefield than simply offering a service growlithe or vision augmenting tools.

Best of luck, anonymous!