What does a completely black pikachu mean? I just hatched one and his eye color is blue; it’s so pretty. I hope this means good luck, I really want to keep him on my team.

It either means your pikachu is melanistic or due for a very strange, somewhat violent life. Not that the latter is a bad thing, of course. Or it isn’t a bad thing if you’re an aspiring pokémon master who also happens to be an anarchist with supernatural abilities.

That … sounds oddly specific. —LH

Yeah, I’m not quite sure where that came from either. —Bill

Please help! I recently moved to Alola with my Glaceon and she seems incredibly sick all of the sudden. Could it be the sudden change in temperature? She’s been staying close to the air vents and rushes into the refrigerator whenever she’s able, and spends all her energy freezing the house, it was 40 degrees this morning! She’s refusing her food, and I don’t want to spend a ticket going all the way back to Icirrus City, Unova, but I will if I need to.

This would be heat sickness, yes.

If you can, try to install an air conditioner in your home. If you can’t, improvise with a fan, a tub of water (which your glaceon will need to freeze), and perhaps a bag of ice. Give her plenty of cold water to keep her hydrated, and try to give her cooling foods (lettuce in addition to cold meats) to help keep her temperature down.

Whenever possible, you may wish to take her to the Pokémon League now and then. The facility is located at the top of Alola’s highest mountain, and as such, it’s perpetually covered in snow. The break will be good for your glaceon, and you might run into a potential ice-type partner that will work with her to keep her temperature down at home.

Best of luck!

My Primarina and I have a great relationship, on and off the battlefield. Recently, my parents hired what they thought was a good vocal coach for her. However, as the days passed on, my starter’s voice became hoarser and hoarser. We’ve decided to take a break from battling until further notice. My mom went back to check the coach’s credentials and turns out, he wasn’t certified at all! My parents are taking legal action against him. What should we do to prevent this from happening again?

Always check a professional’s credentials before leaving your pokémon with them. Anyone can create a seemingly legitimate business these days, even if they actually lack the credentials or training to perform the skills they’re offering. It’s especially a problem in regions where criminal organizations (namely Team Rocket) are active, as many will use these businesses as fronts for money laundering, if they aren’t simply attempting to scam customers out of money or their pokémon partners.

So yes, verify a business’s credentials first. Read reviews from other customers. Do a lot of research on the business and, if possible, the person running it. Never assume that a business is legitimate, just because it looks that way at first glance.

(Also, don’t feel bad about falling for this “singing coach.” There have been reports in Kanto and Johto of a pair of Rocket underlings scamming the same trainers out of their pokémon using entirely different scams every week for years. Some con artists are simply good at what they do.)

Should I take any precautions when taking my ice types out during the day? I just recently got an Amaura from a friend and I’m worried about how well she’ll do in the Alolan heat.

Absolutely, especially if your pokémon isn’t native to Alola. Luckily, what this actually entails can be as simple as providing plenty of shade, preferably indoors, with air conditioning if you can afford it. (A fan will work just as well if you can’t. So would a kiddie pool full of water that your pokemon freezes.) Moreover, keep your pokémon well hydrated, and educate yourself on the signs of heat exhaustion. (Nausea, lethargy, and confusion being the topmost signs. If your ice-type is mammalian in nature, they may also run a fever.) When your pokémon start exhibiting signs of danger, bring them into a cool, shady area and provide plenty of water as they rest. If any of those symptoms worsen, take them to the pokémon center immediately.

That having been said, there’s a chance that your amaura will fare better than most ice-types because of its rock typing and natural hidden ability (Refrigerate tends to cool the air around the pokémon that possess it), but most definitely keep an eye on her for the next few days for any sign of discomfort or exhaustion.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Hello Bill! I’ve got an eevee drama. Recently, my neighbour has gifted an eevee egg to me (my friends says he has a crush for me, but he’s a kid, it’s impossible right?), and it’s the most adorable little thing you’ve seen. The problem it’s that there is no eevee formula in the pokemart because Customs problems and giving her raw miltank milk can cause intolerance. The recommended me to give her formula from another pokemon within the same egg group. Would she be allright with it? I’m from Alola

Strange. As eevee are actually native to Alola (and abundant on one of the islands, at that), you shouldn’t have any trouble finding eevee-specific formula. Moreover, formula is not typically an item seized by customs, as if processed correctly (that is, not laced with lead-based pigments, as some countries with less scrupulous quality control tend to do), formula contains nothing that would be considered harmful to the Alolan ecosystem or population. You may wish to ask again or look in larger supermarkets. If all else fails, try shopping on Akala Island, where eevee tend to thrive in the wild.

That having been said, using different formulas for baby pokémon tends to be trickier than using generic kibble for adults. Babies require a very precise balance of nutrition that varies greatly by species. However, if you absolutely must, you can give your eevee formula from a different species of pokémon, but (and this is a very important but), it can’t simply be formula for a member from the same egg group. Try to match up the other species with eevee as much as possible. Your target species should be a carnivore, preferably a canine, as these will have the same nutritional requirements (or as close to the same as possible) that your baby eevee will have. Rockruff or vulpix may be your best choices.

Good luck, and congratulations on the new addition to your family!

Grimer/Muk make wonderful companions once you get over the smell, my little Alolan Muk named Diesel is just the sweetest thing!

This is absolutely true, anonymous. Many trainers are perfectly happy with their grimer and muk. It’s just important to wash one’s hands after handling them, even if you’ve acclimated to their smell.

(Although, of course, it should also be noted that Alolan grimer and muk lack the standard form’s signature odor, so actually, members of that particular breed are even better choices for those who can’t imagine ever getting used to a grimer’s stench … as unfortunate as that may be.)

hey bill! recently I got an eevee that I plan on evolving into jolteon. however when I try to introduce him to thunderstone I have for him, mai, my alolan raichu, snatches the stone and hides it. it takes me hours to find it each time >:( I don’t know why shes doing this can u help

Pay close attention to the body language of your eevee, anonymous. Mai, as an Alolan raichu, is half-psychic and highly empathic as a result. Thus, it’s likely she’s picking up on your eevee’s anxiety about evolving (at all or into jolteon specifically) and trying to stop you from forcing your eevee to evolve against his will. Communicate with your eevee and make it absolutely clear to him that evolution is his choice, including and especially when it comes to the topic of what he wishes to evolve into. If he seems hesitant at the idea of becoming a jolteon, ask him if he would prefer a different form or if he would wish to stay an eevee. Be sure to go over all of his options carefully so he can make the decision on his own. If you absolutely must have a jolteon, you can try convincing him, but do so in a way that makes it clear you have his interests at heart.

If he actually does want to evolve into a jolteon, then the other possible issue at play here is Mai’s worry that you’re getting another electric-type to replace her on the field. If this is the case, then be sure to reassure her that she will always be valuable to your team and that you by no means intend on retiring her.

Of course, there is also the possibility that neither of these are Mai’s concerns, at which point you’ll need to communicate with Mai as much as possible to figure out what it is that’s troubling her. Take her aside, sit her down, and ask her about her concerns. Keep reassuring her that you only want what’s best for your entire team, but you’re willing to be perfectly flexible to meet their needs.

Best of luck, anonymous!

My Charjabug, Philly, has been refusing to eat for the past few days and I can’t work out why. Nurse Joy checked him over and there doesn’t seem to be any obvious health issues. She suggested changing his diet, but that hasn’t helped either. He’s still drinking water, thank goodness, but I’m worried about how long this might continue for. I’m taking him back to the Pokecenter if he still isn’t eating by tomorrow, but in the meantime, do you have any advice or suggestions?

Have Nurse Joy perform a scan on your charjabug’s digestive tract to ensure that there are no obstructions. If your local nurse doesn’t detect anything, then the only other obvious solution would be to take your charjabug to Poni Island (or any other location with high levels of magnetite) as quickly as possible, as it’s likely she’s attempting to evolve.

Good luck, anonymous, and may Philly get well soon!

my lycanroc isnt very comfortable with her new size and pointy bits on her neck. she cannot fit into her old spaces she could as a rockruff, and gets so frustrated that she sulks on the floor and even sighs (shes dramatic). how can i help her become more accustomed to being big?

It will take time, anonymous, but have patience. Evolution is always jarring to a pokémon, even if it was both planned and wanted from the outset. Give her plenty of space (no pun intended) to adjust, but be very supportive and sympathetic throughout this period of her life. Reassure her that although she outgrew her old spaces, you’re still a solid, familiar presence she can count on.

That having been said, stick to schedule and routine as much as possible to establish a sense of normality for her. If you always feed, walk, train, or so forth with her at a specific time, continue to do so. At the same time, construct new spaces that she can find comfortable: something large enough to accommodate her form, lined with something soft that will withstand the sharpness of her rocks. During training, focus mostly on physical tasks to help her understand her limits better and thus adapt a bit easier to her lycanroc self.

In short, through a combination of your support, grounding from routine, and training, post-evolution adaptation should be a little less traumatic for her than it has been. However, I can’t emphasize enough that it will take a lot of time and patience, so don’t be surprised if it takes a bit of time before she seems comfortable.

Best of luck, anonymous!

I’ve recently gotten a battle ready midnight form Lycanrock from an event and he is very wary of his new environment. I’ve given him his own space and I’ve set up a feeding and training regiment. He doesn’t seem to trust me, but I was in an accident recently and can’t train him as often. He paces and whines when in the same room as me. How can I help him through the stress without straining myself?

Midnight lycanroc are rather difficult to handle, so I admit I’m not entirely surprised that yours is having difficulties adjusting. This is, of course, compounded by the fact that midnight lycanroc are often eager for battle, so to be placed in a situation where he isn’t fighting as often as he normally does means he’s bottling up energy due to a lack of constructive outlets for it, rather than releasing it on the battlefield the way he would naturally.

That having been said, the best thing you can do for your lycanroc is to provide him with an alternative means of releasing that energy. This may be as simple as setting up a training area with a training dummy (have a friend assist in the construction of such a space) where he may practice his moves on inanimate objects while you observe. Alternatively, you may wish to call on a friend to battle against your lycanroc daily or to take him out for battles while you recover.

Granted, the former may require some physical exertion on your part, and the latter doesn’t entirely build trust. These are simply straightforward answers to lycanroc’s predicament, but there is a third alternative: channeling his energy into another activity. For example, some dog pokémon trainers teach their partners ordinary dog tricks to help them bond and to hone their focus on a particular task. Some trainers simply take long, easy walks through scenic parks or along trails. And some—particularly the owners of dog-like pokémon that are also humanoid in nature (midnight lycanroc being one example, with the likes of lucario and zoroark being others)—teach their pokémon more complicated skills such as painting, playing instruments, yoga, or even cooking. Perhaps allowing your lycanroc to do more about the house would also be an effective outlet.

Ultimately, be creative but also try to see what interests him the most (besides battling). Communicate with him as much as you can and give him options. And above all else, promise him that you’ll battle alongside him eventually, but your own physical limitations prevent you from doing so right now. You’ll be surprised by how easily he’ll understand that point, even if he’s naturally eager to battle.

Best of luck, anonymous, and get well soon!