Hi, Bill! Could you give me some advice? I want to spend more time with my girlfriend but she is terrified of my beloved Chandelure–for obvious reasons. Is there anything I can do to show her that it can still be a good companion? What positive characteristics should I emphasize for her?

Well, first thing’s first, you may want to dispel the notion that any of the folklore surrounding chandelure is true. That may be the source of your girlfriend’s trepidation. In as gentle and polite a manner as possible, remind her that you’re perfectly fine, even though you spend the most time around your chandelure than any human. Likewise, educate her (again, in a gentle, encouraging manner) about chandelure and how safe tamed ones can be.

If, however, her source of anxiety about your chandelure is not caused by popular folklore, consider asking her (politely) why she feels uncomfortable. Perhaps there are reasons you can address individually, and either way, listening to her can only improve your relationship.

Also, consider why you like your chandelure and highlight those reasons when describing it to your girlfriend. Illustrate through demonstrations (for example, if you consider your chandelure gentle, show your girlfriend how gentle it can be by allowing it to interact with your other pokémon) so she might begin to understand what your pokémon is like.

Finally, introduce your chandelure to her gradually. Consider including it in some of your activities (while keeping a close eye on it, of course) and work your way up to the point where your girlfriend may be able to interact with it directly.

In short, convincing a human being that a pokémon means no harm tends to be a gradual, complicated process that requires a level of effort on your part, but if you take things slow and do your best to portray your chandelure as the friendly, nonthreatening pokémon it surely is, your girlfriend may come around. It will just take a lot of patience for that to happen.

Best of luck, anonymous!

So, I was at the Opéra de Lumiose to see La Bohème, and in the middle of the show, a large chandelure dropped from the ceiling onto the audience. I’ve seen the opera before, but I don’t remember that being a part of it. Is this normal behaviour for chandelures? Mine has rarely done such things.

Well, for older, European opera houses (such as the Opéra de Lumiose), it’s not exactly a common occurrence, but it is one that isn’t unheard of. Places such as those tend to attract a lot of litwick and their evolutions, and some individuals may get more restless or mischievous the more people are there to surprise.

As with most ghost-types, tamed chandelure are often less likely to engage in this kind of behavior, as training will naturally help a ghost-type wean off this need to scare others. The reason why is because the need to scare is often linked to either a ghost-type’s hunting techniques (as startled prey is easier to disable and feed on) or a ghost-type’s need for enrichment. Steady diets and a reliable source of both entertainment and mental engagement typically satisfy a ghost-type’s needs, so you will rarely see haunting behavior from a trained ghost-type except in mild examples or in cases of neglect.

In short, it’s not surprising that a chandelure dropped in on the performance (forgive the pun). It’s more surprising that the Opéra de Lumiose has apparently let its litwick infestation go so far as to produce a mischievous chandelure. Normally, one would think an opera house would round up and tame its resident ghost-types as much as possible to avoid interruptions of performances.

But of course, that’s neither here nor there.

are ‘dangerous’ pokemon such as chandelure, banette and hydreigon volatile to their own trainers? for example i’ve been raising my chandelure (orion) and i’ve had many of my friends to tell me to be careful because of what its pokedex entries state.

Not at all, actually. Many of the pokédex entries only cover wild instances of each species—and even then, not all wild pokémon behave the way the pokédex describes. I won’t get into that because that would be another entry entirely, but when it comes to tamed pokémon, so long as you treat yours with respect and kindness, they’ll treat you the same. As such, the most responsible trainers can expect from their pokémon would be mischief, not anything dangerous or even deadly.

So don’t worry, anonymous. As long as you’ve treated your chandelure well, it will never intentionally hurt you.

Me, my Chandelure, and my Volcarona all recently moved to Alola from Unova and since Alola’s more… tropical, Chandelure seems to have a bit of trouble adjusted to the weather, although my Volcarona seems just fine. I’m not sure what to do or if I can even do anything, as it seems to be weather-related?

Hm. Without knowing the exact symptoms, it’s difficult to say. It is worth it to note that, given chandelure’s typing, it would be rather odd for it to feel the heat, so to speak. Perhaps it’s struggling with the humidity, at which point I’m afraid there’s not much you can do besides provide your chandelure with as dry a place as possible to rest. (Space heaters are especially effective with removing moisture from the air, so those may be a worthwhile investment.)

More likely, your chandelure is struggling to cope with the particularly bright and sunny daytime climate of the region. Many ghost-types like chandelure struggle with the brightness of the archipelago—doubly so for trained ghost-types, as their trainers frequently forget that most ghosts detest sunlight. If this is the case, be sure to allow your chandelure to sleep in a dark room during the day and train it only at night. This may wreak havoc on your own sleep cycle, but it will ensure the mental and physical health of your chandelure.

The Litwick Line

Litwick
The Candle Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Fire
Official Registration #: 607
Entry: Litwick are known for two things. First, they exclusively inhabit old mansions and other stately buildings. Second, they feed on the life force of those who mistake its cute smile, its candle-like appearance, and its eagerness to help for an actual attempt to lead lost travelers to safety. Due to both of these facts at once, litwick encounters are among the highest causes of death for anyone who has seen the film Beauty and the Beast in recent years.

Lampent
The Lamp Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Fire
Official Registration #: 608
Entry: The evolved form of litwick, by battle experience. More benevolent compared to the other members of its evolutionary line, lampent do not prey on the living but rather wander the streets of populated areas and feed on the dead. For this reason, lampent are popular to keep within the house as wards against evil spirits, but it should be kept in mind that this also means that lampent are rather tasteless gifts for the elderly. (For this reason, lampent are extremely popular gifts for the elderly in their home region of Unova.)

Chandelure
The Luring Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Fire
Official Registration #: 609
Entry: The evolved form of lampent, by exposure to dusk stone. While not necessarily any more docile or benevolent than its previous forms, chandelure are not known for actively hunting down prey. Instead, they lures prey into their flames by maneuvering their arms in hypnotic loops, and once prey is ensnared, chandelure passively allow their fire to consume the prey whole. Fifty years ago, Unovan children liked to “help” chandelure out by making a game out of attempting to get as close to one’s flames as possible without being burned, resulting in massive numbers of children being burned alive by this pokémon. The only thing that stopped these numbers from climbing any higher were newly enacted evolution stone control laws, put in place not because of the massive amounts of childhood deaths to pokémon that evolve by dusk stone but instead because the Unovan government realized exactly how much money they could make off state-controlled sales of evolution stones. There are groups in Unova who vehemently oppose such laws, less because of the state’s apparent disregard for children and more because of their personal right to own evolution stones, and if any of this sounds horrific, the writer would like to remind you that he’s speaking of the Unova region, so this should come as no surprise to anyone.