It’s scyther anon again, I’ve had flareon basically since he was born and I got him to sit down with my espeon and talk it out, and it turns out he was just really jealous because I haven’t added a new member to my team in a while and he’s a bit… clingy, to put it nicely. Thank you so much for your help, they get along a lot better now!

Ah, I should have guessed. Sometimes, eeveelutions can be a rather … loyal breed of pokémon.

In any case, I’m glad that it worked out well for you, anonymous! May they continue to bond with no complications!

Heya! So I’ve always taken good care of my salamence, but now he’s acting very odd. He won’t allow me into the Haina Desert, or even allow me to leave our tent at night. What’s up with that?

Well, that could be due to any number of things, anonymous. For example, Haina Desert is known for extreme weather (both extremely hot sun and fierce sandstorms), so it could be that your salamence is attempting to protect you. Alternatively, it may also be aware that it isn’t as adept at flying in extreme weather, so it may be hesitant to go wherever it knows it won’t be able to fight or defend you to the best of its abilities. Or perhaps it could have something to do with the fact that Haina Desert is supposedly home to one of the legendary tapu, as well as other fantastically strong pokémon.

Whatever the reason may be, try communicating with your salamence to see if you can pick up any hints. Perhaps it has less to do with the Haina Desert specifically and has more to do with a general want to protect you. Perhaps it’s even something else entirely. Attempting to communicate with your salamence (or at least reassuring him that he can share with you whatever his concerns are) will help you narrow down the possibilities of what’s bothering him so you can easily come up with a solution.

Best of luck, anonymous.

How does a pokemon’s nature affect its stats? Why does a pokemon with a jolly nature get an increase in speed, while its special attack? How about a sassy pokemon getting lowered speed, with an increase in special defense?

Well, that’s an odd way to refer to capabilities. I may have to use that; it’s a far less unwieldy term.

In any case, anonymous, while it might seem odd, a pokémon’s personality has a lot to do with its battle capabilities because of the distribution of will. Let’s take your traits for an example. Let’s assume that you have two pikachu. One of them is a generally jolly pikachu (“generally” because this is what trainers mean by “jolly,” as really, a pokémon’s personality is a complex set of interacting traits, the same as a human’s or animal’s), and the other is a generally sassy pikachu.

Now, where personality comes into play is in a pokémon’s preferences in self-training and development. If you have two human beings, one may prefer to build their strength and stamina, while another may prefer studying to develop themselves intellectually. In the same way, consider the jolly pikachu. Jolly pikachu tend to be highly energetic and perky, and as such, they prefer running about and getting things done quickly, as the constant exercise of speed for them is an adequate outlet for their naturally energetic personalities. Consequently, jolly pikachu tend to be faster than others, simply because they’ve preferred to train themselves to be faster. By contrast, they’re not so adept at using special (or distance) attacks, as they focus more on releasing their energies via running. It isn’t that they never have energy to use special techniques; it’s just that they don’t release as much energy via using techniques as other pikachu do. Eventually, their ability to do so is very much like a bookish human’s ability to lift weights. Even if you attempted to train them to do so, it will take quite a bit of time before they can reach the sorts of levels an athlete may have achieved. Hence, to an outside observer, a jolly pikachu is a fast one, but it’s not particularly a hard hitter.

Meanwhile, there is the sassy pikachu. Unlike jolly pikachu, sassy pikachu tend to be more self-defensive, due to the fact that they are, well, rather cheeky. In order to get away with the mischief they’re inclined to make, sassy pikachu train themselves to be able to handle a few hits. The reason why they focus so much on their special defense (as opposed to physical defense) is because sassy pikachu are usually more intelligent and realize that their species is generally faster than anything they may pester. As such, these pikachu also realize that they can simply run out of arm’s reach, but they can’t outrun an Earthquake. For this reason, they see no point in developing their agility or offensive capabilities; instead, they focus completely on their defensive capabilities.

Any so-called nature follows this same form of logic. While, yes, all pokémon can receive special training to build up certain stats (you can, for example, train a jolly pikachu to launch more powerful distance attacks than other jolly pikachu), by and large, the differences between each nature are the results of pokémon developing skills in their own times, according to what they think would be best for themselves.

I was thinking about geting a dragon type Pokemon, becuse dragon’s. Most likely goodra, or dragonite lines since I do know where to get one legally. I gess I’m looking for care tips for them or dragon types in general. And aslong as I could meet there needs would thire be any problems geting both?

Offering general tips on how to care for a particular type is a bit tricky, anonymous, and the reason why is because even within a type family, different species may require vastly different things. For example, you wouldn’t take care of a seviper the same way you would take care of a standard muk, even though they’re both purely poison-types. Or for a closer comparison, you wouldn’t care for a scyther the same way you would a vespiquen.

Similarly, dragon-types, while all draconic in nature (obviously speaking), all have slightly different variations in care requirements. For example, noivern are nocturnal, eat fruit, and require a perch; garchomp are diurnal, carnivorous, and require wide-open spaces they can burrow into. Axew and jangmo-o are both similar to take care of (as they are both primarily carnivorous dragon-types that dwell in mountains and caves, require a source of heat, and evolve into at least one aggressive stage), but haxorus has a completely different personality from kommo-o and thus requires a different sort of training and psychological support. Granted, this doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t get along at all—and in fact, haxorus gets along quite well with a number of different pokémon, not to mention kommo-o generally feel protective towards anything it considers to be part of its herd or team—but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Then you have pokémon like dragonite and goodra. Goodra, by necessity, needs to be kept moist at all times. Otherwise, the fluids coating and composing its body dry, resulting in cracked skin that may be open to infection—or worse, general tissue damage. Dragonite, meanwhile, don’t necessarily need water to survive (although dratini and dragonair, being lake and river pokémon, do), but as wild dragonite live in and around the ocean, a tame one would be happiest when given a large pool. Thus, these pokémon may be difficult to keep with the aforementioned dragons, but they do quite well with the likes of kingdra and dragalge.

Other than that, goodra are primarily vegetarian (and one of the few dragon-types that are, with noivern being the other), whereas dragonite is an omnivore. Dragonite, additionally, cannot be put onto a full vegan diet, as it needs protein from meat sources to fuel its fantastic draconic powers. Both don’t normally need toys or extensive bedding, but dragonite needs a large amount of space, as it’s both a marine pokémon and one that flies. Letting it out to stretch its wings (so to speak) for a few hours should be enough for it. Goodra, meanwhile, is a less active pokémon and will require very little beyond a normal training routine. It’s worth it to allow a goodra at least an hour to swim, however.

Finally, as both goodra and dragonite fill very similar roles on a team, they can actually train together rather well. It would be a good idea to allow them to work together as they grow and learn new moves, as one pokémon can easily help the other to adjust and perfect their techniques.

In other words, by and large, there are certain combinations of pokémon that may be difficult to raise together, but at the very least, dragonite and goodra are highly compatible. The only differences between them are diet and exercise, really, unlike other dragons that require environments and routines that differ vastly from the more aquatically-inclined dragonite or goodra. If you plan on collecting more dragons than these, it’s imperative to do basic research into the habitats of the dragons you’re considering, as their natural environments will tell you a lot about what you would need to know to raise them—such as, for example, whether or not you can house them in the same enclosures as either dragonite or goodra.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Why is pikachu classified as a mouse pokemon as opposed to rabbit with those ears? And why is RATtata a mouse pokemon too?? Who decides these names and why wouldn’t I be surprised if it was you?

When it comes to pikachu, actually, it does strongly resemble a mouse in both aesthetics (past its long ears) and behavior, especially when it comes to its habit of burrowing into walls and biting into the wires inside. Likewise, pikachu generally move about much like mice by scurrying instead of hopping, and they organize themselves into mouse-like nests instead of rabbit-like warrens. In every way, pikachu actually is a mouse-like pokémon; it’s just that its ears have evolved to be a bit longer due to their secondary function of detecting electricity in the air in conjunction with their tails.

As for rattata, that … is actually an excellent question, as they very clearly rats instead of mice. It could very well have to do with the larger raticate’s tendency to battle its own preevolution with incredible viciousness, much like how their mammalian counterparts often hunt and consume mice.

Either way, I assure you, highly qualified pokémonologists are responsible for giving each pokémon their names and official designations, and in any case, I was only responsible for dratini … which I named when I was eight. Just in case you were thinking of judging me for giving dratini a name that amounts to “mini dragon.”

Hi! I’m an electric type gym leader, and I have a Luxray, Ampharos, Jolteon, and Manetric. Thing is, I need a starter team of three Pokemon for newer trainers. Do you have any ideas for electric type Pokemon that are easy to raise? (If possible, ones that weren’t mentioned already) Thanks so much!

Honestly, mareep and electrike are excellent choices and could be easy to obtain if the members of your team have breeding partners. Mareep are a rather timid pokémon and thus are considered to be easy to tackle for newer trainers. (Novices in Johto tend to train against these, wooper, and bellsprout, for example, along with the usual pidgey, hoothoot, sentret, and rattata offerings.) Electrike, meanwhile, is speedier and a bit more aggressive, but it’s just loyal enough to understand what you mean if you order it to hold back.

Other than that, it would largely depend on which region you’re living in. While rules vary from league to league, most gym leaders seem to prefer building teams of pokémon that are native to their region. Do research into what’s available in your location and compare the average battling capabilities of each available species. Take into account both physical and special prowess, as well as what moves they can naturally learn and their special abilities.

As for which is easy to raise, they all have their individual strengths and drawbacks, but it may be important to note the following:

1. Pikachu can sometimes be a handful for unprepared trainers, as they can be both capricious and ornery at times, particularly to trainers they don’t trust.

2. While grubbin (which is not an electric-type but evolves into one) is one of the easier ones to evolve, charjabug only evolves when exposed to strong magnetic fields and thus may be difficult to raise to maturity as a result.

3. If the reason why you’re preparing a new team is because many of your challengers are novices, keep in mind that your trainers may only know the very basics of battling and type matching. Hence, pokémon such as emolga or those that can resist most types of damage (such as togedemaru and members of the magnemite line) may prove to be a bit too difficult for your average challenger.

4. Voltorb don’t learn Self-Destruct until they’re old enough to understand that using it freely is dangerous, but this doesn’t mean they won’t use Sonic Boom or Spark more often than they should.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Hi Bill, Canalave dark-type specialist here! There’s recently been a load of trainers getting Rockruff on their holidays so there’ve been a load of them evolving into midnight form around. I’ve had a lot of their owners asking me for advice on them because of their similarity to dark types so I was wondering how similar they really are? I tend to think of them as honorary dark types and they seem to get along well with them. they love sparring with my Tyranintar and hanging out with my Mightyena

Hello again! Excellent to see you settling into Sinnoh so well!

To answer your question, while it’s true that on the surface, midnight lycanroc can sometimes resemble dark-type pokémon, in truth, they have about as many similarities to members of that element as midday lycanroc. In terms of battle capabilities, midnight lycanroc’s elemental balances and lean towards defense over offense (physical attributes aside) are actually reminiscent of a rock-type, and its favored battling style (aggressive, direct assaults) diverges from a dark-type’s general preference for sneak or mob attacks. In fact, regarding the latter, midnight lycanroc actually more resembles a fighting-type like lucario than it does a dark-type.

However, off the battlefield, the comparison is apt, given the typical lycanroc’s generally aggressive and sometimes difficult-to-tame nature. For this reason, if trainers are asking you for tips on caring for a midnight lycanroc, it’s fair to advise them to take care of theirs the same way you would a dark-type. (The only difference, really, is that lycanroc should be allowed to self-groom, due to their rock element—that is, only give them baths if absolutely necessary.) If, however, trainers are asking you for tips on raising a battle-ready lycanroc, it’s important to remind them that it is a rock-type and should be raised as such.

So uh, there was a thing going around on Chatotter where couple of trainers in the Alola region got a special “Rotom” pokedex and the entries… Are interesting to say the least. Have you heard about this? If so, do you think Rotom may have something to do with the weird and creepy entries?

I have indeed, anonymous! You don’t get to where I am in the field of pokémon technology without having your fingers on the metaphorical pulse of, well, pokémon technology—and the “rotom dex,” as it’s called, is certainly the innovation of the year. I’ve heard about it for months, ever since word first spread out of Kalos about its development, and believe me, since the moment I’d heard about it, I have always wanted to get my hands on one. Unfortunately, while I could easily get the shell, the rotom is the difficult part. Even with my connections, not a single one has a rotom to trade, let alone any definitive leads on where one might be (outside of Sinnoh’s Old Chateau, which is unfortunately spoken for in terms of a trainer).

That aside, it’s entirely possible. Being ghost-types, rotom are naturally mischievous, and they don’t lose all of their personalities upon possession of an electronic device. On the other hand, Alola is hardly the only region with morbid entries (for good reason, oftentimes), so in some cases, it may simply be the nature of the subjects themselves. This, quite honestly, is one of the many reasons why I would love to get a rotom dex of my own.

(The other reasons, of course, largely involve the idea of holding actual conversations with a ghost-type pokémon.)

How long after mating should i expect eggs from my pokemon? Specifically an arcanine, but does it differ between all pokemon

It really depends on the pokémon, anonymous, but generally speaking, unlike their mammalian counterparts, pokémon can lay eggs as quickly as once a day (much like birds). However, this occurs mainly in pokémon raised specifically for breeding (and, well, all bird pokémon); wild ones and ones trained for other purposes may see eggs once a month to one or two times a year—hence why some of the larger pokémon have mating seasons. Arcanine in particular lay eggs only twice a year, following patterns very similar to estrous cycles in dogs.

Likewise, sometimes, it depends on the individual themselves. Mammalian pokémon generally prefer laying their eggs in places where they feel the safest, and some pokémon find it difficult to like their breeding partners enough to lay eggs together. However, a comfortable female paired with a male she happens to like can achieve that one-egg-a-day pace rather easily.

My mimikyu is pretty clingy, is it okay to let her sleep with me at night?

If you’re comfortable sleeping with a ghost, it should be fine. Keep in mind that just like many ghost-types, mimikyu are cold to the touch and often not that comfortable to snuggle at nights. Granted, its disguise is often padded and plush, which allows it to cushion its body and dull some of its coldness, but if you’re particularly sensitive to cold as some born-and-raised Alolans are, it may not be the most ideal sleeping arrangements.

Would it be detrimental to your mimikyu’s psychological development? Not really. Mimikyu are often insecure and lonely; this is one of two possible reasons why they create pikachu costumes, after all. Allowing yours to sleep with you will reaffirm your bond with her and reassure her that you love her as she is. Doubly so if you let her sleep with you in spite of how cold she may be to the touch.