I recently caught a Drifloon. Since I have read it’s Pokédex entry, I am horrified of it being near kids. What is the best method in trading my Drifloon to alleviate this fear?

Trading or training? I get the sense that you want to keep your drifloon (as you mention overcoming your fear of it), but then again, you may be asking how best to rehome it in order to alleviate your fears in an entirely different way.

So allow me to answer both questions separately.

If you mean training, the key here is trust. Remember that the pokédex is largely a generalization; while it indeed describes the most common behaviors of a species (usually), species are often complex, with members who might not fit the “standard” description. It would be like assuming all humans act in a very particular way.

That having been said, it’s important to get to know your drifloon. The only way to do this, however, is through training: the more time you spend with a pokémon, the more you begin to understand its needs, interests, and personality. That and you’ll naturally begin to train yourself out of your fear of drifloon via exposure therapy. So my advice is simply keep training it and spend more time with it. Eventually, you’ll alleviate your fear naturally.

If you mean trading, you have two options. The first is giving your drifloon up to a shelter and allowing them to find a good trainer for it. The second is using a trading network like the GTS to find a trainer who specifically wants a drifloon. (Many type specialists use the GTS in this manner, so you may have a good chance of finding someone who already knows about drifloon’s quirks and is prepared to offer good care.) Either way, be sure to talk to your drifloon first and reassure it that the reason you need to rehome it isn’t because of something it did but rather because you can’t give it the care it needs. Such a talk will make the trade less traumatic for it.

Best of luck!

my sylveon really likes balloons. so when we go anywhere special we get her a balloon, well today she comes in the house from the yard and has a balloon in her mouth.. well it was actually a driftloon. they get along very well and refuse to part but i dont know the first thing about ghosts or driftloon care!

Well, luckily, drifloon are fairly easy to care for, as most ghost-types are. They only require food, water, a place to relieve themselves, and entertainment. You’ve already taken care of the entertainment with your sylveon (although it wouldn’t hurt to purchase other light items for drifloon to pick up and play with, especially crinkling pet toys); the rest is otherwise easy. Drifloon are omnivorous (contrary to popular belief) but can be fed kibble if you don’t wish to feed them fresh food. They can also relieve themselves outside, but be sure to keep them on a leash tied around one of their strings to prevent them from being blown away in the wind.

In fact, that’s honestly the only challenge to keeping a drifloon: their tendency to blow away if outside. Generally speaking, drifloon can be taught through strength training (that is, training involving tying weights to its strings and having it lift them to develop their flight muscles) to increase their own weight and stay in one place, but until then, it’s imperative that you or your sylveon keep a tight hold on one of its strings.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Any tips on raising ghost Pokémon? I hear a lot of bad things about them but I recently met a very sweet driftloon who I fell in love with and adopted as soon as I met

Well, it depends on the ghost, anonymous, as each ghost is its own species with its own requirements. I’m a little concerned about the sweetness of this drifloon, however, as drifloon are rather notorious for acting sweet until you grab hold of their strings, at which point they try to carry you away to parts unknown. Of course, the likelihood of it succeeding is slim (as drifloon can’t even lift a toddler on their own), but still, be wary of possible ulterior motives when it comes to wild ghosts.

If the drifloon actually wants to live with you for reasons that have nothing to do with your soul, then I do admit that ghosts are generally easier to take care of than most other pokémon. Mostly incorporeal ghosts such as the gastly and drifloon line are clean in that they don’t need baths, nor do they relieve themselves, thus eliminating two of the less desirable aspects of raising pokémon. They still may make a bit of a mess (as they’re far more mischievous in general than most other types), but this would be limited to typical poltergeist activity. This kind of behavior is difficult to train out of a ghost-type until you bond with it to the point where it takes your requests (for it to stop tossing your possessions about) seriously. Try to occupy it with soft toys instead—anything you wouldn’t mind allowing it to throw about.

By and large, while most ghosts are nocturnal, this is not the case for drifloon, whose normal hunting habits require it to be awake during the day, when its typical prey (small children) are awake. Thus, don’t be surprised if your drifloon keeps the same sleep schedule you do. Additionally, when they sleep, most ghosts prefer to take on incorporeal/invisible forms, to float in an unreachable corner, or to simply rest on a shelf where they can’t be bothered, depending on the pokémon and their usual mode of self-defense. The drifloon family prefers the second method, which means the usual beds I would recommend are not necessary in its case. However, be sure that your drifloon rests in a room without a ceiling fan or uncovered vent, as your drifloon won’t be consciously monitoring where it floats as it sleeps.

Normally, a drifloon’s diet consists of … well, let’s just say there is absolutely no way you can procure what a drifloon normally eats without being arrested. Luckily, drifloon will happily take most human food and poké-kibble as a replacement. As a general rule, ghosts (with the exception of sableye) are omnivores, but most, drifloon included, lean more towards a carnivorous lifestyle than a herbivorous. However, while scientists have argued for decades over the subject of what, exactly, the more incorporeal ghost-types get out of eating (as they don’t seem to need any particular set of nutrients), it’s always worth it to feed them a variety of foods, rather than feeding them exclusively meat. Granted, you could also get away with not feeding them at all, but this may encourage drifloon to go out and hunt your neighbor’s children instead.

As for activities, your drifloon won’t actually need much exercise, and ghosts by-and-large already have a full mastery of their powers by the time they make themselves known to humans. When the two of you get closer, your drifloon may allow you to hold one of its strings, at which point, it’s fine to take it outside and get it some air. Try to avoid taking it outside before it allows you to hold onto it, however. A stiff breeze may separate the two of you, and that would be rather unfortunate.

If you happen to be a trainer, however, it’s worth it to note that most ghosts can learn a variety of moves, and they tend to be eager students. Drifloon is no exception to this. What I mean to say is that it’s worthwhile for trainers to capture ghost-types, as these are quite easy to train (once you get past their mischievous streaks) and quite capable of being rather flexible on the battlefield.

But most importantly, anonymous, keep your drifloon away from small children. Technically, the child won’t be in danger because, again, drifloon can’t carry off a toddler on its own, but it will be just the worst for drifloon’s self-confidence.

Good luck, anonymous!

Drifloon and Drifblim

Drifloon
The Balloon Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Flying
Official Registration #: 425
Entry: A small, balloon-like pokémon first discovered in the mountains of Sinnoh. This potentially dangerous pokémon is well-aware of its cute, balloon-like appearance, as it uses this to its advantage when hunting its meal of choice: the souls of children. When it spots a potential victim, drifloon floats close and offers one of its string-like appendages for the child to take. In theory, the next step would be that the drifloon lifts the child and carries them away from their home, but considering the fact that the average toddler weighs ten times (at minimum) as much as the average drifloon, what typically happens instead is that the drifloon is dragged away from its natural habitat and presented to understandably horrified parents. (This is why most drifloon who survive in the wilderness feed on a supplemental diet of berries and dreams.)

Drifblim
The Blimp Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Flying
Official Registration #: 426
Entry: The evolved form of drifloon, by battle experience. Upon evolution, this blimp-like pokémon loses its desire to hunt. Rather, it adopts a more easy-going personality and has been known to befriend both people and pokémon very willingly. Moreover, drifblim gain an increase in strength, which, combined with drifblim’s more docile nature, tends to lead trainers into believing this pokémon would be an ideal candidate to teach the Fly technique to. However, it should also be noted that although drifblim can support the weight of a fully grown human being, it cannot control where it goes once airborne or how long it remains in the air, which is to say that drifblim is really the only ideal candidate to teach Fly to if one does not mind spending a week to go from Hearthome City to Canalave by way of Sunyshore and Oreburgh … somehow.