Are there actual laws against carrying more than six pokemon at a time, or just against using them in battles and the like? I’ve always viewed my pokemon as some of my best friends, and I hate the idea of leaving them for long expanses of time while I go gallivanting around with someone new. The belts I’ve seen only have six holders, so I’ve been carrying everyone’s pokeballs around in my backpack… will I get in trouble for this?

Not necessarily, but yes, you won’t be able to enter any league battles unless you select six to carry with you, and if you have a trainer’s license (this also applies to those registered as any of a number of trainer off-shoots, such as coordinators), there are League-enforced rules and regulations on team limits you’ll be forced to follow. Of course, if you have a trainer’s license, you’ll also have a storage system account, so the six-pokémon limit will be enforced automatically anyway.

That aside, though, even outside of League rules, it’s actually highly discouraged to carry a large number of pokémon at once. This is because the more you carry, the more difficult it is to give a pokémon the care they need. Additionally, there are certain environmental laws in place that limit the amount of impact a trainer may have on a location. For example, some parts of Alola are protected areas, which means that while trainers are welcome there, there are strict rules in place that basically state that they must leave the area (jungle, national park, wilds, and so forth) as they found it. Or in other words, you wouldn’t be able to release all your pokémon at once to feed them, as this would be considered a disruption to the natural landscape.

However, if you weren’t traveling and if you had a home of your own, this would of course be a non-issue, and so long as you can take care of all your pokémon in a humane way, there are no laws restricting the number you can have. Note of caution, however: There have been many cases of pokémon hoarders, particularly those who treat their pokémon as objects, neglect them, or raise them in fantastically unhealthy living conditions. In these cases, yes, it’s possible to have pokémon be taken away from you, but we’re assuming you’re capable of taking care of your pokémon in a humane manner here.

In short, not necessarily in legal trouble, no (although you may be in trouble for related reasons in the case of environmental and pokémon welfare laws), but all in all, it would be safer to leave your pokémon at home, to stay home with your pokémon, or to store them in the system.

So how are non-damaging given a type?

All moves are categorized not by the offensive effects they have on other pokémon but rather on the element they apparently are aligned with. All moves, regardless of whether or not they do damage, resonate with a certain elemental energy that can be either observed outright or measured through any of an array of sensitive lab equipment, such as the elementometer (a device geared specifically towards sampling and breaking down a move’s resonant energies into types). A researcher just needs to get close enough to the move in use to take samples or record data, and the rest is fairly standard procedure from there.

Pokémon prey on each other in the wild. Would it be a problem if I had both predator and prey Pokémon within the same team? They seem to display certain levels of animosity.

So long as they’re well-trained and well-fed, no, not at all. Predator and prey pokémon typically have no trouble getting along on the same team so long as they understand that their minimum needs will be met and that they’re meant to work together as a team.

Of course, keep in mind that you will need to actively teach your pokémon both of these things, as we’re talking about a behavior modification. You will essentially need to train your pokémon to understand that they’re no longer in the wild, and this can be as easy as establishing and following a routine. Feed your pokémon every day at the exact same time so they can know that they have a daily source of food, and the rest should be easy.

Granted, should your pokémon display animosity towards each other anyway, even after you train them to know when they’ll be fed, you’ll need to consider it a form of interpersonal hostility, determine the exact source of your pokémon’s disagreements, and work towards making both sides feel more relaxed towards one another. The tips outlined in this post should provide further help in that matter: http://bills-pokedex.tumblr.com/post/165308388176/my-umbreon-and-charizard-will-not-stop-arguing

Bill, my daughter has always loved ghost-type pokemon, and now that she’s turned eight my wife thinks we should get her one. She won’t be going on her pokemon journey yet, but we thought this would be a good way to introduce her to taking care of her own pokemon. However, I’ve heard that ghost-types, as a whole, don’t tend to be very good around kids. Is this a misconception? And which pokemon would you recommend we get her?

At the risk of being blunt, it is indeed a misconception. While some ghost-types are more difficult to control than others (spiritomb, for example), most ghost-types can be very docile in the hands of someone willing to give them proper attention. Moreover, while it’s true that a ghost-type’s abilities can be rather dangerous, the truth of the matter is this isn’t unique to the ghost-type. All pokémon are gifted with fantastic powers that can be highly destructive or even deadly if handled recklessly, but most pokémon are fully capable of controlling these abilities. It’s only when a trainer forces a pokémon to use its powers recklessly or when a trainer fails to respect a pokémon as a living being that pokémon become threats.

In other words, seeing as your daughter loves ghost-types, I have no doubt she’ll be safe in the company of them. It’s usually those who adore particular pokémon or types who can see the beauty in them and thus know how best to respect them.

That having been said, it depends on where you are and what your daughter would like. Start off by asking her which one is her favorite, and consider getting her the most basic form of that pokémon’s evolutionary line. If she has no preference, allow me to share a few notes on the matter:

Many ghost-type enthusiasts start with gastly, as these tend to be the hardiest and most readily available ghost-types in existence. (They live in practically every region except Unova and Hoenn, and they’re far more common than even native species of ghosts.) However, they can be tricky to handle, not because of their capricious natures or poison-typing but instead because they don’t learn especially powerful moves until they evolve. Not to mention they’re famously difficult to evolve into their final forms as well.
If your daughter is interested in ghost-types that also share elements with traditional starters, litwick and frillish are both exceptional choices for fire and water, respectively. At their most advanced stages, litwick (or chandelure, rather) possesses formidable offensive power that pairs well with its particular battling style, and frillish (jellicent) grows to be fantastically resilient, especially given either of its potential hidden abilities.
As for a grass analogue, pumpkaboo may be the better choice (over phantump), especially if you can obtain one of the “super-size” varieties. This is largely due to the fact that pumpkaboo—particularly at that size—is all-around faster and more defensively capable than phantump … and also partly because of, well, what phantump likely is. However, either way, remember that both pumpkaboo and phantump are difficult to evolve, so if your daughter wishes to train either of these, she should be aware that the road ahead of her may be difficult than that of most trainers.
As an alternative, rowlet may not be a ghost-type, but it eventually evolves into one. Never rule out pokémon that evolve into ghosts just because they don’t start out as one, as that may exclude several potentially excellent partners, such as froslass and Alolan marowak.
If your daughter is interested in more unconventional ghost-types, or if she’s more interested in personality than in type or battle capabilities, golett, being automaton pokémon, are naturally loyal to humans, or at least possess more of an affinity for them. They’re also fairly easy to care for, as they don’t need much more than food, a bit of liquid (but not much at all, given that it’s made of clay), and weekly grooming by way of polishing.
Honedge is likewise more docile than most ghost-types as well as resilient (being part steel), but it’s important to note that the warnings concerning its hilt are true and that honedge can easily be a bad choice for a starter if your daughter is particularly curious.
Sableye is just as easy to care for as golett (its needs consist of water, a plentiful source of rocks, and dark spaces), but as it prefers a quiet life in the darkness of a cave, it may be a bit of a handful for a novice trainer unless the sableye in question is one of the more docile varieties (or unless your daughter befriends it quickly by giving it particularly valuable rocks to eat).
Finally, as ghastly as it may sound (forgive the pun), yamask are also excellent partners for new trainers. Their needs tend to be simple (food, water, and a place to sleep, as with golett and sableye), and like golett, many tend to be loyal and friendly. However, it’s said that yamask are actually incarnations of deceased humans, so in some communities, it may be … not exactly taboo as it is awkward. And even if you don’t believe in the idea that yamask are the returned departed, that they all have complex personalities, and it’s vitally important that you make sure you find a trustworthy, actually friendly yamask to give to your daughter.

Best of luck on your daughter’s journey, anonymous!

I recently befriended a Beheeyem. While it’s a wonderful Pokemon and has been getting along fine with the rest of my team, I’ve noticed that my Rotom seems to be acting as a rather poor influence. At first the two were just pulling harmless pranks, but now they’ve got an obsession with purposfully erasing certain memories, watching me in my sleep, and inflicting inconvenient bouts of hypnosis. Is there any way I could encourage the two to cease this behavior without separating them? Thank you!

Believe it or not, it might be most effective to treat them like human children. Ghost-types and psychic-types tend to be highly intelligent, so they can sometimes comprehend discipline the way a younger human would.

That having been said, start off by explaining to them in a simple but calm and firm manner why their behavior is harmful. Perhaps explain to them that using hypnosis on you could actually hurt you, or ask them why they do it (other than because they think it’s funny). At this point, also try to determine why, specifically, this behavior is happening—whether it’s because they want your attention or because they’re bored or so forth. Once you determine the specific source, try to remedy that as well.

Rather than a permanent separation, consider a temporary time-out. Separate them for a short amount of time into two safe but relatively uninteresting parts of your home until they calm down. Once they do, explain to them again what specific parts of their behavior is unacceptable.

Implement “fun” activities into your routine, or make certain parts of it more exciting. The more fun your pokémon have (in ways you believe are acceptable), the less likely they’ll resort to pranks.

Finally, consider rewards. For every day they go without pulling a prank or engaging in negative behavior, give them a treat. This will also allow them to enjoy their day without engaging in bad behavior.

Ultimately, remember to be firm and calm. You’re correcting behavior, not punishing them, and there is very likely a reason why they’re engaging in this kind of behavior. If you assert yourself but show you’re willing to negotiate, it’ll be easier to control and unlearn bad habits such as these.

Best of luck, anonymous!

About a week ago a Yamask decided to catch himself in one of my spare pokeballs. I was planning on keeping him, but a superstitious friend of mine is really freaked out by this. My friend says that only ghost types that knew you in a past life would let itself be captured like that, but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like this Yamask before, living or dead! The face on his mask doesn’t look familiar either… Should I be concerned about this?

Not really, anonymous. Unless you managed to make quite a few enemies. At which point probably.

In all seriousness, so long as your yamask is friendly towards you, there really shouldn’t be any reason to worry. There’s a possibility that it remembers who it was and is trying to resume that relationship with you, but if that’s the case, then there really isn’t anything wrong with that—again, unless you can recall anyone in particular who exhibited rather worrying behavior towards you.

Can Pokémon experience gender dysphoria?

Gender is an exclusively human social concept, so no, not in the wild.

Granted, yes, there are instances in which certain pokémon might attempt to mate with a member of the human-assigned gender they wouldn’t normally be attracted to, much to their own confusion, but these examples tend to exist among tamed pokémon and seem to be artificially impressed upon individuals by their trainers. In that sense, it’s possible for a tamed pokémon to perceive themselves as a particular gender according to their trainers’ definition of it, but even then, there’s little evidence that a pokémon would fully understand what that means on their own. If anything, the confusion arises from the fact that a pokémon comes to realize that it can’t produce fertile eggs with its object of affection, not from specific gender definitions.

What really happens if you do successfully capture a legendary Pokémon? Somehow I got my hands on a Lugia from a trade yesterday. Also, should I even keep it in the first place? Please help!!

Well, seeing as we’re all still alive, it’s very likely it likes you. This would be a very, very different story if it didn’t.

Nonetheless, regarding your second question … please put the god of the sea back in the Whirl Islands where the other trainer found it. Just because it likes you doesn’t mean it gets to shirk its duty of ensuring that typhoons don’t destroy us all.

Thank you.

Is Wally depressed? I talked to wally’s uncle and he says that Wally has gone somewhere after he lost to me in mauville , his Pokémon made him passionate and have a will to live because of them. Is there a theory about this? I’m worried.

I’m … not sure who that is. You may need to be more specific, anonymous. (May? Brendan? Lanette may be more familiar with who you are.)

I apologize if you’re reading, Wally, and if you are depressed, please remember that regardless of what happens on your journey, you are not alone. Your pokémon love you, and quite clearly, you have friends who care enough to reach out.

As for you, anonymous, I do hope things work out with Wally. Do everything you can to be with him, and in the meantime, best of luck to the both of you.

What do you know about the “Infinity Energy” used by Devon?

I’ve heard rumors about Infinity Energy—specifically concerning what it really is. Devon Corp of course publicly denies all of them but has yet to fully explain what it is to the public, and according to public knowledge, it’s merely a source of natural energy, similar to solar power. As an inventor, I’m of course interested in knowing more about this energy source and perhaps gaining a chance to experiment with it myself, but on the other hand, if the rumors are true, it would go against quite a lot of what I (and hopefully the rest of the world) stands for.

Still, knowing Steven, I trust that his family isn’t involved in anything nefarious, so I doubt the rumors are anything more than the same sort of internet conspiracy theories that insist clefairy from outer space are planning an invasion or that Team Plasma bioengineered multiple legendary pokémon.