Do any regions/cities have leash laws? What Pokémon cannot legally walk around naturally with their trainers in public?

No. The poké ball is typically sufficient enough to keep a pokémon in line. Often, it’s seen as more humane because while a leash restricts a pokémon’s range of movements, a poké ball allows them the freedom to go about as they please while still enabling their owners to pull them out of harm’s way or keep them from doing anything damaging. Of course, most pokémon paired with a poké ball are acclimated enough to human contact to behave well in public, and most trainers who own pokémon that are aggressive or otherwise not well-adjusted to human presence often know better than to force their pokémon to accompany them through high-traffic areas.

That having been said, all pokémon are legally able to walk around with their trainers in public; it’s just that there are some pokémon that are not socially acceptable to keep by one’s side. (Muk, for example.)

When I was a child I got caught in a storm. I was lost and muddy and didn’t know how to get home and a lightning bolt struck a tree next to me and it was set ablaze. Before it fell on me raikou picked me up and threw me on its back… it took me home and saved my life that day. How can I see it again to thank it?

I’m afraid that according to Johtonian tradition, you shouldn’t seek out a legendary beast but rather allow it to come to you. This isn’t, of course, to say that you can’t; technology has evolved to the point where you can track practically any pokémon’s location through the pokédex, pokétch, or pokégear, provided you’ve seen those pokémon at least once. It’s just that it’s rather taboo to do so, and if you’re attempting to give thanks, I wouldn’t recommend it. Especially for a pokémon such as Raikou, which is known for its just disposition.

That having been said, many Johtonians use temples and shrines for this express purpose. If you aren’t a follower of the Johtonian belief, I would recommend visiting a temple; the sages there will help you learn the proper prayers to the legendary beasts. (It’s thought that certain prayers may be carried from areas of sacred ground to our wandering legendaries—or even the stationary but hidden ones—via an elaborate system of spirits. So even if you visit a temple that isn’t anywhere near where you first encountered Raikou, you may still be able to send your thanks through this system and be reasonably certain that the message would be received. Or at least, that’s what the sages will tell you. It’s actually more of a case of “it’s the thought that counts.”)

Alternatively, shrines—smaller, standalone structures, usually located in wooded areas—may be used to contact our kami, but these tend to be riskier. First and foremost, you need to leave an offering suitable for the legendary you wish to contact. As these are signs of respect towards beings more powerful than yourself, you quite obviously can’t leave just anything. Second, shrines are thought to be manned by spirits themselves, and sometimes, the spirits are mischievous and thus extremely dangerous. For example, there is a famous shrine located in the heart of Ilex Forest dedicated to Celebi. The entire forest itself is considered to be Celebi’s domain, and Celebi, a time-traveling legendary, is known to be rather capricious. Consequently, according to local legend, travelers who wander too deeply into the forest’s sacred grounds and travelers who leave the wrong kind of offering at the shrine have been known to disappear, never to be heard from again. Of course, whether or not you believe that is up to you, but all I can say is there is definitive proof that Celebi exists … so make of that what you will.

In any case, regardless of the risk, shrines tend to be the more direct route because you’re interacting directly with spirits. There are some shrines across Johto and Kanto dedicated specifically to the legendary beasts, but really, if you can find one devoted to Celebi, this will work just as well, so long as you make your intent clear and leave an offering for Celebi as well. (It’s said that Celebi is often happy to take offerings meant for one of the beasts to the beast in question, but it’s simply common courtesy to thank Celebi for doing so.)

Whatever your method for contacting the beasts, anonymous, just remember that what you’re dealing with is a regional legendary—one of the most important to a culture. As such, it’s imperative that you show the utmost respect towards Raikou as you thank it. Follow the sages’ advice to the letter or leave a generous offering, and never try to cross Raikou in the process—not even to catch it (unless it very clearly chooses you to be its trainer).

Good luck, anonymous!

Hey Bill! Alolan native here. So in my travels I came upon a Pokémon I had never seen before… it’s about 7 feet tall, white and black on its canine like. Off but it’s front feet are talons and it has something akin to a carvana tail? I think it was experimented on by humans because it has this weird cast iron piece on its head. It’s like it was made of a bunch of Pokémon. Anyway I found it hurt and alone and have been caring for it. It seems too like me a lot and Idk if I should catch it?

Well, if it seems to like you a lot, there’s nothing wrong with asking if it would like to be a part of your team. That is to say, assuming that by “travels,” you mean you’re a trainer as well, show this pokémon some of your other team members to help it understand what a poké ball means and what being a part of your team would entail. Then, ask it. If it seems excited by the prospect of being caught by you (and given the fact that it seems to like you, I have no doubt it would), then go ahead and capture it. However, if it seems hesitant or resistant to the idea, then no, it would be best to simply let it accompany you, at which point the best you may be able to do is protect it on your journey.

I will say, though, that I highly encourage you to try catching it if it consents to that. This pokémon, if it is indeed what I think it is, is extremely rare to the point where only one free specimen is known to exist. No doubt it would need a caring trainer to keep it safe, and in any case, the more trainers are paired with pokémon like these, the more we researchers can glean an understanding of those pokémon by observing the trainers’ experiences with them. In other words, catching it would provide it with many tools for survival and allow us humans to learn more about it in the future. It would be what one may consider to be a win-win situation. Assuming, of course, that the pokémon agreed to be captured.

Hi Bill, zzzrt! I’m a Rotom with an awezzzome trainer, and while we get along juzzzt fine, we have a zzzlight problem. I’m a compulsive shutterbug, and I love pozzezzing camerazzz. I take zzzo many photoz that my Trainer keepz having to zpend lotz of money on ztorage for my habit… and I can’t let him delete any! They’re too preciouzzz! I figure since you know Pokémon zzzo well, you could help me ztop. PS, he doezn’t know I’m posting thiz… yet. Thought I’d zurprize him.

I’m very tempted to ask you several questions, Rotom, but my editor is currently glaring at me via video chat, so I gather that would be a terrible idea.

That having been said, have your trainer purchase a film-based camera. Mini cameras are currently making a comeback, so if you enjoy the feel of something new, that may be an option. Alternatively, older models sell for rather cheap on PokéBay. Ensure that the camera lacks a roll of film, transfer into it, and click away.

Alternatively, if you wish to surprise your trainer, rather than ask for a camera, consider transferring into something else around the house that can move or click, such as a fan, a washer, a remote computer mouse, or any of the like. Use the movement of these objects to relieve your urge to manipulate a camera shutter until you feel comfortable inhabiting a camera without needing to take pictures. The transference of movement should help you by way of being an outlet so that you shift your needs from taking a picture to simply releasing your pent-up energy.

Good luck, little rotom!

Can humanoid pokemon be trained the same way as animal like ones (giving treats when they do sonething right) or are there other methods?

Yes, positive reinforcement works on essentially all pokémon. All people as well. Basically, anything that can comprehend a rewards-based system can be trained using one.

Just think of training a humanoid pokémon like training a child. Sure, you can simply teach a child how to do basic things such as read or tie their shoes or whatnot, but they become far more engaged if the learning was fun. This is why teachers in certain school systems reward their children for attempting to learn, either with literal rewards or by making the learning in itself a wonder. By contrast, try forcing a child to learn something they clearly have no interest in using methods that in no way makes the learning itself a pleasure. Chances are good that the child will refuse, sometimes rather vocally.

Humanoid pokémon are the same way, as are any other pokémon, and that’s the core principle behind positive reinforcement. The main philosophy is making the training seem worthwhile to the subject and helping them equate the task with goodness by associating the feeling of being rewarded with the task itself. If you want a hitmonchan to punch a target quickly, you make a game out of punching things or add a reward for doing so or both. Eventually, the hitmonchan understands that the faster and more precise it punches, the happier you and he will be, regardless of whether or not there is an actual reward for doing so.

Honestly, this method is the most humane. Simply teaching a hitmonchan the physics of punching or why he needs to punch won’t be as effective at helping him remember what he learned or why he needs to punch, and using negative reinforcement (threats and abuse) not only does more literal harm than good but also is both fantastically illegal and the sort of thing that would make you a terrible person.

My boyfriend is really attached to his aerodactyl, which is fine, but she’s always attacking me when he’s not around! He was upset that I actually used my Whimsicott to put it asleep a few times, but what do I do about it? I’m male, if that helps any.

It’s very possible that your boyfriend’s aerodactyl is jealous of you or possessive towards your boyfriend, anonymous. Aerodactyl are extremely rare and highly aggressive pokémon, and as such, you only see them in the company of trainers and collectors who would prize them extremely highly. If your boyfriend had his aerodactyl for years prior to meeting you, it comes as no surprise that he’s attached to it, and more importantly, any change in attention his aerodactyl is receiving from him will be interpreted as a threat.

What I mean to say is that this problem is unfortunately one that only your boyfriend can solve. Your best hope is to try and explain to him what his aerodactyl is doing when he’s not around. Perhaps even show him any scars or injuries you’ve suffered. Emphasize that you’re not making him choose between you or his aerodactyl and that you wish to be friendly with his pokémon as well; it’s just that you’re afraid of what aerodactyl will do if you let things escalate. Hopefully, your boyfriend will begin to understand and work on training his aerodactyl to accept you.

If that doesn’t work, however, I’ve heard that dating apps have undergone wonderful advancements in the past few years.

my gabite and my alolan ninetales used to get along fine but now gabite’s scared of him once he evolved D: i really don’t know what happened, whether it was because of the type change or something, but now, she (gabite) won’t go near him! please help!!

It’s possible that it’s the type change, anonymous, although you shouldn’t rule out a number of other possibilities.

Luckily, there’s a handy way of figuring out whether or not it is because of your ninetales’s type change. Have your gabite enter the room shortly after your ninetales leaves it. If she shivers, then she’s reacting to either the cold or residual fairy aura, and thus, it is, without a doubt, a problem with your ninetales’s type. While, yes, your vulpix, as an ice-type, may have triggered a slight drop in temperature of the air immediately surrounding his body before he evolved, keep in mind that ninetales are far stronger and possess a far more intense command over their native elements. As such, it wouldn’t surprise me if your gabite is only just now feeling discomfort or even abject fear of being around your ninetales.

If this is the case, then resolving it may be as simple as sitting down to talk with your gabite and help her acclimate to your ninetales (all while reassuring her that he is, at his heart, still the vulpix she befriended, of course). If it’s the cold that’s bothering her, then you may consider giving her a sweater to help her tolerate his abilities. Many independent artists online knit wonderful sweaters for pokémon in a number of designs, but if you’d prefer something a bit easier to come by, you may be able to find sweaters in your gabite’s size at the local pokémart. The latter aren’t normally sized to fit gabite (whereas sweaters by artists can be custom-created), so be sure to get a sweater for “medium-sized” pokémon.

As I’ve said earlier, however, this is just one possibility, and it’s certainly important to take into consideration other potential causes. For example, if your gabite looks more irritated or panicked than physically uncomfortable, there may have been an argument or even a fight between your ninetales and gabite when you weren’t looking. If that’s the case, then it’s important to serve as a mediator between them. Sit them down and try to communicate with them. Try to figure out how their differences started and work with them to repair the relationship between them. (Alolan ninetales can sometimes be mischievous, so bear that in mind as well.) Have them engage in team building exercises such as double battles in order to get closer. Ensure that you’re treating them as equally as possible to avoid making one or the other jealous.

The main thing is that it’s never a good idea to jump to the conclusion that your pokémon are rejecting each other due to a change in type after evolution. While that’s certainly a common problem, it’s not the only one. Be absolutely sure that it is the reason behind your team’s differences (through testing and observation) before attempting to treat the issue.

Best of luck, anonymous!