Tag: asks

My blaziken had just laid eggs and she has been aggressive towards every pokemon around, including her mate. So far I’m the only one in general she allows near her eggs and while I can understand her behavior and was even prepared for it, this is a bit too much. Is there any way to make her feel less on edge?

Sometimes, a blaziken will grow more comfortable and at-ease if you give her treats before her mate approaches, and other times, she may grow more comfortable if you show her that she can trust others around her eggs with your usual daily care. (That means cleaning her nest, refilling her food and water supplies, getting her to exercise daily, and checking on the temperature of her eggs.)

However, it’s also possible that there’s very likely little that you can do until her brood hatches. Remember, blaziken are one of the few bird-like pokémon that don’t normally have “shifts” when it comes to incubating the eggs. That is to say, the hen lays the egg and incubates them; the mate has very little involvement in them after fertilization. It’s very likely that your hen is attempting to drive away what she perceives as a clingy mate—or, perhaps, a threat to her brood (as a male blaziken can get rather aggressive, even to his own offspring).

For that reason, at most, I would advise just keeping an eye on the hen and ensuring that the hatching goes smoothly—and, of course, that the hen doesn’t do too much damage to her mate.

trainzelda
replied to your post “So Toxicroak sounds dangerous to even be around, how is it that people…”

I thought they meant, like, how are you supposed to care for toxicroak if you can’t even touch it?

With extreme caution.

In all seriousness, though, as toxicroak are among the more humanoid pokémon in existence (even if it otherwise appears to be a giant frog), it will do much of the work that would require physical contact itself—namely grooming. Beyond that, many of the tasks involved with taking care of a toxicroak don’t require physical contact at all, and toxicroak are not particularly fond of physical forms of affection, either. At most, you may be at risk for toxin exposure whenever you clean its habitat, but this is why toxicroak handlers recommend installing filters (and wearing gloves when changing these filters) to help regulate toxic buildup in their ponds or pools.

More volatile pokémon such as muk may be a bit more of a challenge, but there’s some evidence out there that muk can actually control its toxicity and how much bacteria it harbors. No one’s quite sure how, exactly, but seeing as Professor Oak has yet to succumb to muk poisoning (or any other sort of injury resulting from periodic Body Slamming via muk), we’re reasonably sure that it’s fully capable of regulating its biochemistry.

Either that or Professor Oak is far, far more resilient than the average human being. You know, the scientific community isn’t actually sure which, so this may perhaps be a bad example.

So Toxicroak sounds dangerous to even be around, how is it that people are allowed to catch and own them? In fact, are there any pokemon you need special permission or a licence to own, due to risks like this?

As much as I joke about pokémon being highly dangerous, in actuality … all of them do have the potential for being highly dangerous to humans. All of them. Even magikarp, anonymous. Keep in mind that all pokémon have the ability to wield the elements of nature itself (although as I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, only legendaries can bend reality to do so), and for the most part, the only reason why they haven’t yet used those powers to kill off our entire kind is because they like us far too much to do so.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are dangerous, especially when tamed. In the hands of a capable trainer, a pokémon as seemingly hazardous as toxicroak—or worse, muk or weezing—can become fairly harmless. I would still not be as audacious enough as to hug any of these pokémon, of course, but it’s very unlikely that one would lash out at a human and make a conscious effort to harm them if trained well. (Granted, there is absolutely such a thing as a disobedient pokémon, but a disobedient pokémon is vastly different from a vicious one. Even if a charizard turns its Flamethrower on its trainer, it never really aims to kill. Should anyone be curious as to why that is, ask yourselves whether or not you, as a current or former rebellious teen, would actually want to do serious harm to the figures of responsibility in your life.)

In short, certainly all pokémon have the potential to be dangerous in the wild, but that goes without saying. Once in the hands of a trainer, they’re much, much safer, and there really aren’t any regulations on what you can and cannot train. Obviously, however, it’s highly discouraged that one trains a pokémon far beyond their capabilities. For example, it’s not a particularly good idea to train a tyranitar if you’re starting out unless that tyranitar has been with your family for a while, simply because the trainer may not understand how to handle that sort of power. However, that’s why new trainers are typically given more docile pokémon to handle, usually the first stage in an evolutionary line, and that’s why trainers are often encouraged to stick to parts of a route that harbor pokémon that match their skill levels.

Rather, in even shorter terms, no, there are no regulations for what species you can and cannot train. So long as you catch them legally (as opposed to poaching them or catching ones from a preserve) and so long as you treat them well, all of them are fine to handle, as all of them, with proper training, are perfectly safe, regardless of how dangerous their wild counterparts are.

Or, well, almost all of them. Honestly, just about the only pokémon you can’t train (other than one that doesn’t wish to be trained in the first place) would likely be the legendaries, but that’s largely because catching them is considered to be a cultural taboo unless you happen to be an incredibly strong trainer. This goes especially for the cornerstones of a region’s culture. For example, it’s unlikely that anyone would mind if you caught Latias, but from what my editor has told me, it would be considered impolite to catch Rayquaza.

“Impolite.” That’s … that’s a great way of putting that, Bill. So I suppose this would mean that it would be “impolite” to catch Ho-oh? —LH

Oh, downright rude. The kimono girls would be absolutely chafed if you even tried. —Bill

This may sound odd, but can a Lickitung’s tongue be TOO long? Mine keeps tripping over hers and I’m not sure if she’s just super clumsy or if there’s a legitimate problem. Either way, what can I do about this to stop her from hurting herself?

Yes, actually. There are certain mutations in a lickitung’s genetic code that could lead to a tongue being too long for its mouth. You’ll be able to figure out whether or not you have such a case on your hands if the tongue makes it difficult for the lickitung to eat and if the tongue drags on the ground, even if the lickitung corrects its posture and lifts the appendage a little. Such lickitung may even have difficulty breathing, as the tongue’s “root” will also be larger than usual.

In other words, if you notice any of these signs with your lickitung, it’s important to take her to a pokémon center and discuss your options with a Nurse Joy. There are surgeries you can try to reduce the bulk and length of your lickitung’s tongue, but it’s also important to keep in mind that the tongue is a muscle. In other words, surgery, even if it may be necessary for the well-being of your lickitung, will likely require plenty of recovery time. She will most definitely need your support.

If, however, you haven’t noticed your lickitung struggling to eat or breathe, she may be slouching either her back or her tongue (or both). Have her walk with her back straight and her weight leaning against her tail. Get her to lift her chin and stretch her tongue in an arc, rather than straight down. This will pick the tongue up and keep it away from her feet and knees.

This is a dumb question but…how do you give a Pokemon an item to “hold”? I’m just starting to train and my dad gave me a Persian to take on my journey, and I want to give him a quick claw. Does he hold it in his mouth?

For the most part, how a hold item is held depends on the actual item, but rest assured that none of them require the pokémon to hold it in its mouth. That’s a good way to end up in the emergency ward of the nearest pokémon center, watching your pokémon’s stomach get pumped.

On a less graphic note, how a hold item is held depends on the item in question. For example, many items, the quick claw included, are usually tied to a cord which is then tied around a pokémon’s neck like a collar. Some pokémon centers also sell special collars that have sewn-on satchels specifically for items to make this easier. Other items, such as the king’s rock, may be worn right away, just like an item of clothing. Then you have other items, such as metal coat, which are not actually items themselves but rather a coat of paint or a thing you otherwise apply temporarily to your pokémon. (Yes, metal coat is literally a metallic film. You remove it by using the polish remover kept in the top half of the jar.)

In very few cases, the item is literally held, but the circumstances for this are extremely specific. For example, if given a twisted spoon, members of the abra line will simply hold it in one of their claws (with alakazam choosing which claw will be holding two spoons), but for many other pokémon, the twisted spoon is simply carried in the aforementioned satchel and/or collar.

How to take care of a ralts please?

I must admit, this depends on your circumstances, especially given the fact that ralts is a branched evolutionary family. While there are certainly similarities between how you would raise a ralts who will eventually be a gardevoir and a ralts who will eventually be a gallade, when you get to preparing for their evolutions, the training regimens you will need will undoubtedly be different. Likewise, as soon as your ralts evolves into a kirlia, you may need to adjust its lifestyle, depending on whether or not it wishes to evolve at all and what it wishes to evolve into. A gallade requires a diet heavy in protein (to build muscle) as well as exercises of a more physical nature (especially to build arm strength). Meanwhile, kirlia that don’t wish to evolve and kirlia that wish to evolve into gardevoir will need exercises geared more towards developing their psychokinetic abilities, including more meditation than actual physical fitness. Additionally, as they develop their psychic abilities, they’ll need to rely more on a plant-based diet to avoid consuming anything that could experience emotions upon death, as the psychic exercises may increase their empathic strength.

Speaking of which, that’s the main challenge in raising a ralts at all: the empathic factor. Young ralts especially will be a little uneasy as they get used to feeling your emotions, and thus, from an early age, they should be trained to build psychic barriers. Keeping other, older members of the ralts family (including gallade) could help, but really, any psychic pokémon capable of using telepathy will do. Younger ralts will also require a lot of meditation in order to teach them mindfulness, which in turn will help them control their own emotions and prevent themselves from projecting onto others (including you).

A lot of these exercises may consume much of your ralts’s time, so distractions for stress relief are absolutely necessary. Soft toys may be a good choice due to the comfort the ralts may derive from the way they feel, but be wary when getting anything with a face. Ralts who struggle with controlling their psychic abilities may inadvertently bond with their stuffed toys, which increases the risk of producing a shuppet if the toy ever needs to be discarded. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give a ralts a stuffed animal—just that if you do get them one, don’t let them or the rest of their team beat it up too much, and be sure to have them draw out any psychic energy when the toy is ready to be discarded. Otherwise, believe it or not, but stimming toys normally given to humans are also excellent choices. Moon sand as well, for that matter. The more a ralts’s physical senses can be engaged when playing with the toy, the better, as it allows it to focus on the physical realm, rather than the psychic. (They’re also rather fun to collect or create, but … that may simply be my own personal preference showing through.)

In terms of food, it’s a misconception that members of the ralts family are exclusively vegan. While they can’t eat meat that had been taken from a living animal, eggs and dairy are perfectly fine. Dairy, after all, is not a complex living thing in itself, and eggs have never reached the stage where they would have developed emotions. If you’re thinking of evolving your ralts into a gallade, as I’ve mentioned earlier, protein is a necessity, so eggs—along with vegetarian proteins such as nuts or soybeans—are an essential. Otherwise, ralts that you don’t wish to evolve or ralts that will eventually become gardevoir can be completely vegan—if they wish, anyway. It’s always a good idea to ask your ralts what it prefers.

Otherwise, taking care of a ralts is very much like taking care of a small child. They sleep in small beds (with blankets and a pillow, preferably), they can be toilet-trained, they bathe in similar ways to humans, and they often need the same sorts of affection we give children. It’s just that it’s very highly recommended that you avoid physical contact as much as possible with particularly young ralts until they develop the aforementioned psychic barriers, as projection from a psychic pokémon is not a particularly wondrous experience. Thus, as tempting as it may be, your ralts will really need its own bed, and you may wish to avoid hugging it as much as possible at first.

Best of luck, anonymous.

How common is mating between pokemon of different egg groups?

It depends on what you mean by “mating.” If you simply mean “going through the motions of mating,” it’s not particularly uncommon. Some pokémon will attempt to mate with, quite literally, anything that is also a pokémon.

However, if you mean “produce a viable offspring,” this simply doesn’t happen. Egg groups are actual designations that indicate a pokémon’s genetic compatibility with another pokémon. What that means is that all pokémon within a single egg group are just genetically similar enough to breed. Anything outside of a pokémon’s egg group are too distant in terms of genetic similarities to produce anything at all. It would be like a dog attempting to breed with a cat. There’s technically nothing that would stop one from trying, but nothing would come out of it because the two aren’t compatible enough to produce offspring.

Anything on caring for a Taillow and a Fletchling that live together, will they need toys or mirrors for their cage? I may be adopting them from someone and while I’ve been assured they get along great now, will I have to worry about them fighting once they get older and evolve?

Thanks to taillow’s flocking instincts and the fact that they were already integrated with one another previously, you will likely not need to worry about these two fighting. You may need to aware of possible tension later on in their respective evolutions because of swellow’s protectiveness compared to talonflame’s preference for solitary hunting, but by then, they should have spent enough time with one another that resolving this issue shouldn’t be too difficult. Tamed pokémon generally do remarkably well together if they’re taught from early ages to see one another as teammates, rather than members of opposing species, and this is something every good trainer has some concept of already.

The only thing you’ll really need to worry about is space. Both of these pokémon will need large cages by default, but as they evolve, they’ll need more and more area to fly about in. Talonflame especially need vast swaths of territory, especially given the fact that it will very likely want to exercise its signature fire abilities. If you’re a traveling trainer, you may have all the space you’ll need for your talonflame to feel comfortable, but domestic situations may be a bit more challenging. It’s best to give your fletchling or fletchinder an everstone to avoid the problem altogether, but if your fletchinder insists on evolving, move your talonflame’s roost outdoors.

Swellow, who are more used to nesting, may be fine indoors as well, but bird pokémon generally thrive better in fresh air. Yours may be just fine sharing a space with your talonflame, however—again because its flocking instincts will drive it to share space with other birds. The only thing you would need to add to this outdoor home would be a nesting box for your swellow, especially if the swellow is the female while the talonflame is the male. (Be aware that the two may be tempted to mate. If you allow this, then the box will be necessary. If your swellow is the male in the pairing, your talonflame can build a nest anywhere. Simply provide her with materials and be aware that “anywhere” may mean your roof. If they’re the same gender, then this point is moot, although your swellow will find comfort in the box anyway.)

As for general care, mirrors are certainly a good idea to keep them occupied, as are jingling toys, ropes, and different levels of perches. Always invest in heat-resistant toys for rather obvious reasons. You will also need a sand bath for your fletchling if it evolves. If it doesn’t, it will do just fine in a water bath alongside your taillow and/or swellow. Both need sources of drinking water either way. Additionally, both have similar diets and can eat seeds as well as dried insects if they don’t eat kibble. (However, be aware that your fletchling may also prefer worms—available at pokémon bait shops—as well as larger chunks of meat in its talonflame stage.) As for lining, you can line their cages with shredded paper and untreated newspaper. This is true even as fletchling evolves, as a fletchinder’s and talonflame’s droppings do not, well, come out on fire (unlike a number of other fire-types’ excrement).

Best of luck, anonymous!