Feebas and Milotic

Feebas
The Fish Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 349
Entry: Because of its rather plain appearance, many trainers and researchers overlook this pokémon in favor of the far more wondrous-looking creatures that cohabit its native freshwater streams. It’s a shame, really, as all feebas have the potential to be fascinating subjects. For example, it’s fascinating that feebas can eat quite literally anything in its path. It’s fascinating that they’re so resilient and tenacious that they can thrive in even the most polluted environments. It’s fascinating that feebas are not rare at all but rather congregate only in the warmest parts of a river, often packing themselves tightly into a square foot of water just to remain in that spot. It’s fascinating that despite the apparent elusiveness of this pokémon, they are also apparently extremely easy to catch, as they will latch onto baited hooks over and over again, sometimes even immediately after being thrown back into a river by the exact same trainer. Or, in short, it’s fascinating that feebas are absolutely, fantastically, and uncannily human-like.

Milotic
The Tender Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 350
Entry: The evolved form of feebas, via trading if the subject has been given a prism scale. Said to be the most beautiful pokémon in existence (and certainly the most soothing to look at), milotic has been, for countless generations, a sort of muse to humankind—an inspiration to countless works of art, music, literature, and so forth. Because of the fact that it evolves from such a plain-looking pokémon, it is also said to be a bit of a metaphor, specifically for the idea that inner beauty is far more important than outer. However, considering the fact that both feebas and milotic are judged based on their looks and the fact that some milotic are extraordinarily vain pokémon liable to turn a Hydro Pump on any trainer who fails to polish their iridescent scales in just the right way, the author is inclined to believe that whoever insists milotic is a metaphor has very likely missed a rather important point here.

Hey bill I’m an exclusive water type trainer and my boyfriends parents came to me about getting a starter for their daughter. Considering they live in sootopolis, Hoenn they figured a water type would be best. While I agree, I’m Not quite sure which of my Pokémon to breed for her. I have a starmie, Dewgong, dragonair, azumarill, Lapras, and milotic. What do you think?

I can tell you right now that lapras, feebas, and seel may be a bit difficult. While Hoenn is indeed a heavily aquatic region, much of the gym circuit takes you inland—up a volcano, no less. Even if your boyfriend’s sister plans on keeping her starter in its poké ball for much of her journey, the dryness of Mt. Chimney, Lavaridge, and the Hoennian desert may make it difficult for training pokémon not well-adapted to land.

Of the remaining three, dratini may be the most difficult to train. It doesn’t learn powerful moves right off the bat, and it’s slower to raise and evolve than the other two, even considering the fact that one of them can only evolve via exposure to a water stone. However, it is the most powerful option in the long-run, so it really comes down to how much patience your boyfriend’s sister is willing to exercise.

Meanwhile, staryu and marill (or azurill, depending on whether or not you plan on giving your azumarill sea incense before breeding it) are both perfectly fine choices. Both are fully capable of traveling on land, both are equally easy to raise, and both learn moves rather quickly (compared to dratini). Staryu may be a little more challenging to bond with because it’s not as expressive as marill, nor is it quite as affectionate, but on the other hand, marill’s secondary fairy typing instills in it a natural mischievousness that may be a challenge to a trainer who’s not quite expecting it. Additionally, marill may be easier to raise (and certainly easier to evolve), in part due to its ability to bond with its trainer and in part because its defensive capabilities make it more difficult to defeat, but on the other hand, staryu and starmie learn a wider variety of moves and have generally better offensive capabilities.

In the end, I would recommend either a marill or staryu, as those two may be the easiest for your boyfriend’s sister to train. Between the two of them, you would have to ask yourself if she would prefer a more defensive, more affectionate pokémon or a mysterious pokémon that’s a bit faster and can hit harder by default.

Of course, as always, be sure to ask the new trainer what she would like as well. She may even be willing to train a dratini if she has her heart set on something a bit more mystical.

But … try to steer her away from the idea of raising a seel, feebas, or lapras in the heart of the Hoennian mainland. Just … just trust me on that.

Thank you so much for your help with my Grumpig and Feebas I took everything you said into consideration and I found out the river where I was hunting down a prism scale (which are really rare in alola) was actually an alola form Muk! My Grumpig knew the waters were a site of one of the trash storing places and a muk had escaped so we up and left to find the scale my Pokemon now get along very well! Thank you so much!!

Glad to hear that the issue has been resolved, @deliriousfan606, and it’s great to hear that your grumpig and feebas are doing well together now! Not to mention, of course, that it’s quite wonderful to hear that your grumpig actually cares for his teammate so much that he would go to such lengths to protect her from a literally toxic environment.

(Of course, it’s also worrying that the environment in Alola can be so volatile that a rainbow-colored muk can be mistaken for a river, but I suppose that’s neither here nor there.)

In any case, it is quite fascinating to know that pokémon are so much more aware of our shared environment than we are. Your grumpig seems incredibly loyal and wise, so may he continue to give you trustworthy advice from here onwards.

Dear Bill, I am wondering my grumpig has recently done nothing but use his manipulation powers on my poor feebas he makes her splash around and come on land constantly only to make me freak out and rush her into the water again I’m really worried I’ve tried telling my Grumpig it isn’t funny but he only snorts and runs off he’s been like that ever since i fished up Febas I’m really starting to get worried! Please help

Hmm. First and foremost, are you preparing your feebas for evolution, and what is your native region? I ask because in some cases, feebas require a lot of effort to maintain. This is especially so in the Hoenn region, where you have two options for evolving your feebas. The first is by way of feeding it dry poké blocks to enhance its beauty. Granted, this method is less condoned because of the Pokéblock Maker Recall of 2007, but it’s still an option in rare cases. Even then, preparing for feebas’s evolution in general can be time consuming because the alternative method of applying a prism scale and finding a trading partner not only requires the obvious trading partner but also hunting down the rather rare and extremely expensive prism scale. Never mind, of course, the fact that it’s always a good idea to prepare your feebas for evolution by feeding it a specialized diet and maintaining its scales until they shine—which, incidentally, is also something you should be doing, even if you aren’t evolving your feebas.

In other words, feebas are a bit difficult to maintain, and it seems as if your grumpig is displaying classic signs of jealousy because he realizes this.

If this is indeed the case, then I must say that jealousy within a pokémon team can be tricky to resolve. While it’s prudent to give your grumpig a bit of extra love and care (to reassure him that he isn’t being replaced), it also won’t resolve things in the long term. What will may be some team-building exercises. Engage in double-battles with other trainers using your grumpig and feebas. Give them tasks that would require them to work together (as odd as that sounds, considering one of the involved parties is a fish). Have your feebas help your grumpig by offering to help him clean his pearls (using her water-based attacks, for example), and encourage your grumpig to do the same for your feebas. The main idea is have them spend time with one another and acclimate to each other until your grumpig sees your feebas as a teammate instead of a threat to his position on your team.

If, however, he’s not doing it out of malice, see if he’s curious. Ask him if he wishes to learn more about his new teammate and offer to teach him about her. Explain to him that she needs the water to live and show him her fins and gills to illustrate why. Then offer him more information about feebas and allow him to help you take care of her to educate him on feebas care.

Alternatively, observe his reaction at the exact moment you put your feebas back in the water. If he seems angry with you for doing it or if he looks even remotely worried that you’ve put your feebas back, test the water. Grumpig noses are more sensitive than a human’s, and he may be picking up on problems with your water quality, including pH imbalances or an excess of waste.