on my journey i came upon a home i thought was owned by a normal elderly couple; my goodra had no problems with them, so we decided to spend the night. The moment i walked the threshold my happinny burst from her pokeball and started crying and screaming, trying to push goodra and i back out. the elderly couple turned out to be haunters, luring us in. my houndoom took care of them but how do i make sure to never fall for the ruses of ghost pokemon? what would they have done to us if we stayed?

Ghost pokémon are unfortunately notorious for being tricksters, anonymous, and many of them have the ability to either turn invisible or mimic the appearance of something else. Even those that have tangible bodies or are tied to tangible objects (such as sableye and spiritomb, respectively) have some techniques in their arsenals that allow them to trick a passing human.

The best strategy to avoid such encounters is to be heavily aware of your surroundings. Never enter buildings in the middle of nowhere unless you know who lives there, and never enter abandoned structures, either. Be very careful when you enter graveyards and memorial towers, and do so in a group if at all possible. Most importantly, always keep a pokémon on hand that can sense danger if you happen across any of these structures. Your happiny, for example, is a baby pokémon, which means it has a heightened sensitivity towards all things supernatural—a quality that allows her to notice by instinct if something is wrong. However, a better choice for future reference would be any pokémon with Foresight, a psychic, or even a fellow ghost-type.

As for what the haunter might have done, oh, any of a number of things, anonymous. Some haunter merely like to play with humans by tricking them and scaring them. Others lure humans in to feed on their life forces. Either way, it’s safe to assume it wouldn’t have been pleasant for you.

i recently came into the possession of three baby pokemon: an igglybuff, togepi, and hapinny. will they make good playmates with each other or should i separate them? what kind of toys should i be giving them? all they do right now is sleep and eat.

Actually, certain baby pokémon do better when placed in groups, rather than separated, even if that group consists of various species. This is especially true with pokémon either known for bringing happiness (happiny) or that evolve via levels of happiness (igglybuff and togepi). This is because socialization helps them develop a healthy mental state and allows them to form the bonds that eventually lead to the development of their abilities or to their evolution, respectively. Likewise, none of those pokémon are particularly discerning when it comes to their companionship (or at least, not generally speaking), so quarrels between any of them are unlikely.

So to answer your first question, absolutely, those three will make excellent playmates.

To answer your second question, believe it or not, the same sorts of toys you would give a human baby often work well for these pokémon. Soft toys, durable plastic toys, and anything that lights up and makes music are all excellent choices—especially the latter if you’d like something that will ensure they’ll stay in one place when you take your eyes off them for a moment. Never give them anything that can fit in their mouths and be swallowed, especially igglybuff (as it will attempt to chew anything). It’s also a good idea to give your happiny a round, smooth stone the shape of a chansey egg (but slightly smaller, so she can carry it), as happiny take comfort from carrying one of these around. Yes, it’s a good idea even if you don’t wish to evolve your happiny right away. Don’t worry—the round stone isn’t happiny’s only evolutionary requirement. Also, keep a stock of these stones on hand, and make sure they’re as close to identical as you can get them. Your happiny may lose her stone often, and it’s worth it to have a replacement ready.

Best of luck, anonymous, and congratulations on the new litter!

how do i become a pokemon researcher like you or oak or any of the other professors?

Well, regarding the specific details of it, generally speaking, becoming a researcher requires years of academic work, sometimes in conjunction with an internship or an abundance of lab work under a professor. From there, it really depends on the specific type of pokémon researcher you wish to be. For example, Professor Oak is strictly an academic researcher, meaning he’s associated with Celadon University and thus the world of academia, not with the industry. By contrast, my partner and the editor of this blog, Lanette Hamilton, works strictly as an industry researcher, meaning she’s employed by commercial laboratories (the Pokémon Cutting-Edge Technology Research Center and Devon Co., specifically) to come up with new ideas that can be marketed and sold to trainers. I work as a bit of both: my behavior research is done in a more academic realm (through Celadon University, specifically), but my technological research is supported through the PCETRC. (No, there is not an easier acronym … much to our dismay.)

And as one can expect, each of these paths were vastly different, as the specific way academic research works is different compared to working in the industry. Think of it as the difference between becoming a novelist and a journalist. Both are essentially jobs that require many of the same skills and the same academic foundations, but where those paths end are entirely different. As such, whereas journalists tend to have steady work and structure to their daily lives (and thus security to pursue their work), novelists may have the freedom to write what they want, when they wish to write it. In a similar fashion, being an industry researcher means you’re employed by a lab, and thus, you may use your skills on very specific projects. On the other hand, you also get all the funding and equipment you need (generally speaking) to pursue that work. By contrast, academic pokémon researchers have their own personal labs where they may carry out whatever research they wish when they wish to do so; they simply need to report to the university every so often (or, well, teach) in order to maintain their sources of funding.

Then, of course, it depends on the specific field you wish to research. Pokémon researchers who focus on pokémon medicine may find themselves doing quite a bit of lab work. Those who focus on paleontology or ethology, meanwhile, may find themselves doing quite a bit of supervised fieldwork.

At its root, though, the path to becoming a pokémon researcher starts with self-reflection and finding the right mentor. Once you’ve decided that you wish to become a researcher, pay attention to what about pokémon catches your interest the most. Follow your heart, not your skills. I know that seems a bit unusual considering the fact that pokémon research requires more intellect than any other pokémon-centered field, but a good researcher is nothing without passion.

Also, forge a relationship with your professors, especially those who specialize in the fields you wish to pursue. Find a mentor and let them help you decide what path to take. (Never be afraid to ask for guidance! A good mentor will be eager to help you on your path.)

Most importantly, be prepared to work hard. Every step of the way, especially if you work in academia, you will always be asked to show your work, as it were. In the world of academia, if you don’t have tenure (as Professor Oak has with Celadon University), it may be tricky to secure funding and equipment for your work. Industry researchers, meanwhile, are required to provide results according to a schedule. Either way, it’s not easy to be a researcher, but of course, if it was easy, it wouldn’t nearly be fun, would it?

how can you tell if a pokemon like swirlix or kadabra or pumpkaboo want to evolve considering they only do so via trading? what about ones who evolve via stones?

Even though trade-based evolutions take an exceptionally long time to evolve naturally, they’re still aware of the process. Likewise, they’re often aware of their evolutionary requirements’ relationship to the trading system, especially if you explain, very simply, that they can evolve by trading. (That is to say, they may not know the exact details, but they understand that you’d be telling the truth if you explain that they can evolve through the process.)

With that having been said, they and pokémon with stone-based evolutions have a slight advantage over most other pokémon: they have complete control over when they evolve. As such, they will let you know if they want to evolve through body language. Watch your pokémon for any of the following signs:

Excitement when you bring up the topic of evolution

Interest in evolutionary stones (if they evolve by stone) or trading machines or devices (if they evolve by trading)

Eagerness to train (as to them, training and growing more powerful is still a part of their evolutionary requirements, even if they don’t evolve by battle experience)

If your pokémon shows one or more of these signs, consider sitting down with them and discussing evolution. Then, at your earliest convenience, present them with either your trading device or an evolutionary stone and watch for their reaction. If they seem excited and ready, then it’s time to help them evolve. If not, leave them alone and consider discussing evolution with them at a later time.

In other words, you’ll be able to tell whether or not your pokémon is ready to evolve simply because they’ll tell you so; it will just be a nonverbal confirmation.

Hey Bill, why do some Pokémon evolve when traded? How do technological advancements influence a pokemons evolution?

To answer this, allow me to go into a very brief description of what happens during evolution.

Now, most of you have probably noticed that a pokémon glows when it evolves. This is because there’s a sudden buildup of energy within a pokémon’s body. While most of that energy is consumed, the glow comes from the output of the specific processes that trigger evolution. It’s just that the buildup itself is the evolutionary trigger. This is also why pokémon either need to reach a specific level of strength or inner power or they need to be exposed to items that have high amounts of natural radiation of a compatible type in order to fulfill their “evolutionary requirements” (or, in other words, the specific levels of specific types of energy they need to trigger evolution). Endorphins can also present enough energy to trigger evolution, which is why some pokémon can evolve simply by being happy enough.

In other words, consider evolutionary requirements to be akin to a light switch. Most pokémon have switches that can be flipped “on” (for “evolve now”) or “off” (for “don’t evolve”). Evolutionary requirements are the specific factors a pokémon needs to have enough energy to flip that switch from on to off.

With so-called trade evolutions, the requirements are a bit different. For those species, the energy they need to evolve is typically a significant amount—far too much for many to store during their careers as battle-ready pokémon. Because of this, if you see a “trade-based evolution” in the wild, they’re typically extremely old. In other words, unless an extreme surge of energy is involved, these pokémon have evolutionary switches that are extremely difficult to nearly impossible to flip on their own, so they spend their entire lives building up that energy.

However, these pokémon may also change that switch through trading—and even then, only through specific kinds of trading. You see, just handing someone else a pokémon and reregistering it at a pokemon center (as many trainers tend to do) isn’t enough to flip that switch, but editing trainer data automatically via the digital trading system (incorporated in the GTS, the PSS, Wonder Trade, and the older trading machines available at any pokémon center) may also override a pokémon’s evolutionary requirement data with conventional data. The reason why is because for these specific pokémon—and not for any other pokémon, hence why evolutions don’t happen after trade for every species in existence—evolutionary data tends to occupy the same space as the data for their current trainer’s identity. Reregistering at a pokémon center desk allows a human to input the trainer’s identity manually, avoiding editing any unnecessary information, but doing it automatically overrides the entire block, including the part that dictates that the subject needs extra energy to evolve. (To preemptively answer a question, the reason why this trainer data needs to be edited is so that each pokémon may be officially recognized as having changed hands. Without those edits, official league equipment will register that pokémon as belonging to another trainer, which may inadvertently trigger anti-theft measures.)

Consequently, the process of editing each pokémon’s information makes it easier for them to flip their evolutionary switch from don’t evolve to evolve. Meanwhile, the extra boost of energy given to them (through the process of being converted into electricity and data for the transfer and then being converted back into matter) stands in for the energy any other pokémon needs to evolve, which results in, very long story short, evolution.

In other words, the simple answer is that trading involves directly editing a pokémon in data form and giving them an extra boost as they come out of this state, which is why they can evolve. This can’t happen with any other pokémon simply because their data isn’t formatted the same way.

I recently adopted a squirtle, and in preparation for his arrival got a lot of toys and I have a big pool for him to be comfortable in, but when I brought him home I found out he’s scared of water! He’s a water type that hates water and I’m not sure how to help him?

Well, that’s certainly unusual, but it sometimes happens when a water-type faces trauma or neglect in relation to water. For example, if an amphibious pokémon such as squirtle had been kept in a tank with no dry area for them to climb on top of or if the tank itself was never cleaned, then a young squirtle may adopt a strong aversion to water because it associates water with that past trauma.

For this reason, it’s important to treat the trauma in addition to acclimating your squirtle to his natural environment. Always start slow and employ an ample amount of positive reinforcement and affection. Begin by socializing with your squirtle. Spend as much time as possible with him, and give him as much gentleness as he can tolerate. Offer physical affection and soft tones of voice, as well as the toys and treats he can take without being exposed to water. As always, be very aware of his body language and if he shows any sign of stress (stiffening, withdrawing partway into his shell, looking at you with a glazed expression), disengage and try a different method of affection. Trauma and stress in pokémon rarely come with just one symptom—as in, water may not be the only thing that will trigger your squirtle’s anxiety. Your squirtle might also have an aversion to certain types of human contact, so it’s important to be observant as you interact with your pokémon.

When it comes to water, meanwhile, you will still need to give him a water bottle either way, as allowing him to avoid all forms of it may induce dehydration. At first, you may be able to work with him. Hold him in one arm and give him the bottle with the other, just as you would if you were feeding a baby. Offer verbal encouragement whenever he accepts the bottle, and reinforce the act with a treat when he’s done. Continue doing this until he seems comfortable enough to drink from the bottle or from a dish without your assistance.

Bathing your squirtle may be trickier, but this is also vital, not only because it will help him adjust to water again but also because it will keep his skin from drying and cracking. (Dry, cracked squirtle skin can become infected rather easily, so it’s not an ideal state of being for your pokémon.) You can help your squirtle by filling a shallow tub or your bathroom sink with water while he’s outside the room. Then, bring him in and continue to hold him as you let him see the sink or tub. Dampen a cloth or sponge in the sink with your free hand and wring it out as best as you can, then use it to moisten part of your squirtle’s skin. After this, slowly and carefully lower your squirtle into the bath and begin bathing him. All the while, continue offering verbal encouragement to soothe your squirtle and help him accept being exposed to water. After a few weeks of this, you can move him to a larger tub (or your own bathtub). Once he becomes acclimated to this, you can move on to filling the tub while he’s present to help him get used to running water. Once he gets used to this, you may allow him to bathe himself (either in your presence or quite literally by himself, depending on his comfort level), and once you pass this stage, you may move him to the pool.

As one would expect, though, always let your squirtle lead: let him decide when he’s ready for each new step. Likewise, be as supportive and loving as possible, and keep in mind that even if you help him with his fear of water, he may still need plenty of emotional care from you. However, although this may be an unexpected challenge for you, raising a pokémon that requires a deeper level of emotional care than others is ultimately rewarding, as it enables you and your pokémon to cultivate a unique bond that you might not develop with any other training experience.

Best of luck, anonymous.

I’m taking a trip to Kanto and my cyndaquil has been very nervous about all the packing to the point she’ll accidentally set a table on fire. (My poliwag makes sure it goes out quickly) but what can I do to help my Pokémon with her separation anxiety?

Treating separation anxiety in cyndaquil is very much like treating separation anxiety in any other pokémon, but in your case, it depends on how long you’ll be gone and whether or not cyndaquil is going with you. If you’re going to Kanto for a short time period and your cyndaquil will be staying behind, it’s important to get her used to either her poké ball (if you plan on storing her in the PC) or her caretaker (if not). If you plan on having someone take care of her, have them spend time with your cyndaquil. Give that caretaker your cyndaquil’s toys and treats and allow them to feed and play with your pokémon. If you plan on storing her, meanwhile, have her spend at least an hour a day in her poké ball. Start with only one hour, then increase the amount of time she spends inside until she has no problems with being stored. It may also help to switch the wallpaper of the box you plan on using to store her to something she might like; you could even let her decide. Each wallpaper is designed specifically to help a pokémon adjust to their stored environment, so choose something your cyndaquil finds comforting.

If your cyndaquil is going with you, it may also help to use poké ball training as well. Just as described above, have your cyndaquil spend some time within her ball each day until you leave. Then, when you get to Kanto, let her out in environments that she may be familiar with (such as a field or a wooded area—something that resembles even at a cursory glance the outside of your home) for increasing amounts of time until she grows used to being somewhere other than home.

It may also help to keep her out of the room as you pack, as the idea of you going away may be stressful for her, even if she’s going with you. Give her new toys to play with as you work and leave her in a separate room. If you’re not going to be taking her, it may also help to give her toys and leave her at home as you run short errands as well to get her used to you not being physically around. If she is going with you, be sure to take some of her old, more familiar toys as well in order to help her adapt to the new environment.

In short, the key is simply to train her to get used to different situations, depending on whether or not she’ll be going with you. Keeping your poliwag handy is definitely a good idea, but overall, it’s important to train her to get used to not only your absence (if she’s not going with you) or a new environment (if she is) but also, if applicable, her ball and her temporary caretaker.

Best of luck, anonymous!

I recently evolved my haunter into a gengar and he’s become very cuddly since. He used to wander off and return after a certain distance but not he won’t leave my side unless it’s to battle. Is this normal?

I assume you evolved your gengar via trading, rather than by obtaining a particularly old haunter who was just about to evolve naturally. (That’s a possibility as well. A little-known one, as neither trainers nor the pokémon involved find waiting that long to be all that pleasant, but it’s still a method nonetheless, which is why you might come across wild steelix or gengar.)

That having been said, even if you receive your gengar back, the act of trading can sometimes shake a pokémon. Certainly, many who agree to the process do just fine afterwards, but there are those who can’t help but feel as if the act of trading trivializes their relationship with their trainers. Some of these cases feel indifferent to their trainers afterwards, and their partners must then work to rebuild their bonds and reassure their pokémon that trading did not affect how much they care.

Other cases are very much like your gengar: afraid that they can lose their trainers very easily. In these cases, it’s important for the trainer to reinforce the idea that their pokémon that they would never give them up and that the fact that they wanted them back means that those pokémon are still wanted. You can do this simply by making gengar an even more important part of your team. Spend more time with him. Give him a little more affection. Work with him through an extra hour of training. Do everything you can to make him feel wanted and loved, and this will allow him to understand that all you wanted was to help him evolve.

So in a sense, it’s normal, but it’s not usual. It’s rare that this happens. (Normally, either of the other two possibilities—in which a pokémon isn’t affected by trading at all and in which a pokémon grows distant—are far more common.) But it’s also reversible through a bit of extra care.

Of course, also don’t rule out the possibility that it could be something else. Communicate with your gengar and see if he just wants to be more affectionate or if he’s actually being protective due to a real and valid threat. It’s most likely simply a side-effect of the process, however.

I have a service animal Sylveon, and because hes so cute and pink people think they can just come up and pet him. this makes him very uncomfortable because hes working to ensure i am safe and not near panic when we are out. he wears the vest saying “service animal” and everything. what do i do?

Sadly, this is a common problem for those with “cute” service pokémon, as not many people understand the fact that touching service pokémon may distract them from the very real, very important job they need to be doing. Until able-bodied people fully understand what service pokémon do and what it takes to be one, this will continue to be an issue, I’m afraid.

The best that you can do is, if you have the energy to do so, educate people who try to approach by informing them that your sylveon needs to concentrate on his task and that touching him will interrupt his concentration. Some people might not even understand then, but if that’s the case, then it’s best to deescalate the situation as much as possible or remove yourself (and your sylveon) quickly.

It may also help to have a friend along on days when you don’t feel up to explaining your sylveon’s purpose if you can. That way, you may have someone who can offer the explanation for you—or at least protect you from the more persistent individuals.

I apologize that this isn’t quite as helpful as you may have hoped, anonymous. Unfortunately, sensitivity towards the disabled is a concept that isn’t quite as widespread as it should be yet, and there are a lot of people in the world who simply don’t know how dangerous it can be to touch or otherwise interrupt a service pokémon. For this reason, it can be a bit tricky because these same people may not understand what their actions may do, especially when pet pokémon or pokémon that are otherwise okay to touch are so commonplace most humans who see a sylveon automatically think it’s a pet and therefore fine to touch, rather than assuming they should ask for permission first (and then listen if and when their humans say no). By attempting to educate those who approach you and try to touch your sylveon, there’s a chance you can defuse the situation before it happens—or at least give yourself a reasonable excuse for removing yourself from the situation.

And yes, it is rather unreasonable to ask someone (or their companion) to educate when approached, but that’s quite possibly the safest or more peaceful means of dealing with someone who has actually stopped in front of you and is currently reaching for your sylveon. Simply confronting them will make the situation worse, and if your sylveon is wearing an obvious service pokémon vest, you’ve done the best you can to offer prior warning before they approach.

Best of luck, anonymous.

Completely, totally innocent question because I am curious. Are pokemon affected by alcohol in any way. This is for science.

Yes. For some smaller pokémon, alcohol is literal poison, so I would not recommend giving them any. It’s also completely lethal to fire- and electric-types, as it interacts badly with their internal fire and electric sacs.

Meanwhile, alcohol has similar affects on larger and more humanoid pokémon as it does on humans, but I wouldn’t recommend this either, as a drunk pokémon’s abilities may have adverse affects on the human body.

In other words, please don’t get your pokémon drunk, anonymous.