Hi Bill, I have a lovely Sylveon who is really social, and that sometimes leads him to some trouble, particularly with my Bewear and Incineroar, both of whom nearly crush him in their attention, any way to help them not accidentally rip eachother to shreds?

In your case, strength training is of the utmost importance. This may sound odd—training your pokémon to get stronger and all—but in truth, strength training also involves a lot of discipline. By helping your incineroar and bewear to grow stronger, you also help them familiarize themselves with the way their bodies work, which in turn allows them to understand how to apply weaker amounts of pressure if needed. You may also wish to target precision specifically by having them attack specific targets, rather than use all of their force in order to achieve a particular goal. Either way, be vigilant during your training exercises and be sure to guide your pokémon into understanding that control, rather than pure strength, is the key to success both on and off the field.

Once they grasp this, having them show affection to your sylveon should be rather simple.

Your sylveon, meanwhile, might need to be taught a bit of restraint—especially if his charisma has anything to do with his fairy-type abilities, such as Baby Doll Eyes—but by and large, it may be more effective to target your bewear and incineroar’s levels of discipline, especially given the fact that this is their teammate.

Best of luck!

Stufful and Bewear

Stufful
The Flailing Pokémon
Type: Normal/Fighting
Official Registration #: 759
Entry: Although this pokémon strongly resembles a stuffed animal, humans should take caution in its presence. Even the smallest, youngest stufful is capable of knocking a pro wrestler flat on his back. This may sound like a rather specific comparison, but luckily, the research community actually has a handy subject for verification. Unfortunately, the author is not at liberty to say who, but let’s just say he’s in a prime position to study Alolan pokémon, and his wife has asked us all to humor him.

Bewear
The Strong Arm Pokémon
Type: Normal/Fighting
Official Registration #: 760
Entry: The evolved form of stufful, by battle experience. This red panda-like pokémon is famous for its unusual behavior, which is commonly studied by pokémon ethologists. While most pokémon smile and approach to interact with humans in a friendly manner, smiling, waving, and approaching are all signs of aggression in bewear. Signs of happiness, meanwhile, are often displayed in the form of curling up on the ground and crying, as these are the most prone and vulnerable positions for bewear to take. However, humans should take caution: just because a bewear is prone doesn’t necessarily mean it’s open for approach, and it can go from crying to breaking a human’s arm with a smile in a matter of seconds.

How can I keep my bewear from crushing my spine? I would love to hug her but dying doesn’t seem like a good idea

In bewear’s case, it may be prudent to pressure train them. Begin with a large log, a boulder, or something extremely sturdy and have your bewear hug it. If she manages to do so without breaking the item, give her a reward. If she breaks it, find a replacement and try again. Keep training her in this way until it’s clear she won’t break the stone or log, then move on to something a bit softer. Continue your training in this manner until you get to the point where your bewear is embracing punching bags or training dummies. Whenever you feel comfortable, try hugging her yourself at that point, and she should be able to restrain herself just enough that her embrace will be harmless to you.

In short, getting your bewear to hug you without crushing your spine is a rather simple matter of training, but it may take time and effort on your part before it can happen.

Best of luck, anonymous!