Recently, a new neighbour moved in, and they let their Sylveon roam around the neighborhood. The problem is, my Hydreigon is terrified of the thing, and it keeps visiting our yard! It always elaborately waves it ribbons at my Hydreigon, and I can’t tell if it’s trying to threaten or flirt with her. How do I make it known to this Sylveon that my yard is not its territory, and to leave my Hydreigon alone?

I must admit that a sylveon waving its ribbons can mean a number of different things, depending on the circumstances. It’s very much an analog to the act of an eevee wagging its tail. In most circumstances, ribbon waves are simply an expression of excitement—particularly excitement over seeing a potential playmate or friend. However, if paired with signs of stress, ribbon waving can be an intimidation tactic or a sign that the sylveon is afraid or provoked.

The easiest way to tell these two ends of the emotional spectrum apart from a distance is simply by looking at the height at which the sylveon is waving its ribbons. If the ribbons don’t rise above its ears, if they seem loose, and/or if the sylveon is waving its ribbons’ entire length, then the sylveon in question is relaxed, and the waving is a sign of excitement and eagerness to play. If, however, the ribbons rise above its ears, and only the tips seem to move, then the sylveon is attempting to make itself look bigger while telling your hydreigon to keep her distance.

Either way, it may be a good idea to meet with your new neighbor and explain the situation. Your neighbor will know best how to train their sylveon to stay away from your yard, and in any case, it’s very possible that this neighbor isn’t aware that their sylveon is escaping at all. Bringing this to their attention, as awkward as that may be for a first meeting, allows them to address the issue from their end and do what’s best to keep their sylveon safe.

That having been said, if this sylveon is trying to make a new friend, then this may be a good time for you to befriend your new neighbor and talk about how best to introduce the two in a more comfortable setting. At the same time, make it clear to your hydreigon that your sylveon means no harm. (Your neighbor may be able to help you with this.) Of course, you’ll also want to let your neighbor know in as polite a way as possible that their sylveon is wandering into your hydreigon’s space. Consider suggesting other places for your neighbor to let their sylveon roam, such as a nearby park, to give them both options.

If, however, this is a threat display, notifying your neighbor (again, in a polite manner) might help prevent a confrontation between both of your pokémon. Additionally, consider reinforcing the boundaries of your property with a fence, or adopt a hardy poison-type that would get along well with your hydreigon (such as a member of the salandit or ekans lines) to act as a bodyguard of sorts.

Another idea that you could try is addressing why this sylveon is coming into your yard. Something about your property may seem enticing to it, be it a bit of shade or a berry bush. Removing these things will make your yard less enticing to your neighbor’s sylveon and encourage it to go home. Likewise, it may be a good idea to cover up its scent (as it may have marked its territory), which you can do by spraying repel on the areas where this sylveon seems to rest the most. Spraying repel around the boundaries of your property or planting thorny bushes that a sylveon can’t push through may also help keep this sylveon away (although your hydreigon might find it just as irritating).

In short, there are a number of things you can do, anonymous, although it would likely be best to start by contacting your neighbor in a calm, non-confrontational manner.

Best of luck!

What happens to a zweilous’s second head when it evolves? Do both its heads become the hydreigon’s hands? Are the hand-heads conscious like the main head?

Evolution is a bit more complex than it looks, I must admit. During evolution, pokémon convert themselves to an energy state and reform into the shape best suited to maximize their power. In zweilous’s case, their heads first merge, then split back apart so that the pokémon operate on one central brain but maintains their ability to attack with multiple mouths. It’s the best of both worlds, essentially.

In other words, the central head is the merger of both of zweilous’s heads, but the hands do in fact have rudimentary intelligences themselves, as they contain fragments of both original brains.

I caught a Hydreigon recently and since I brought him home he’s been bringing me… presents in the form of killed pokemon… why is he doing this? He seems excited to show me these presents. He’s been mostly staying away from my other Pokémon, so no fights have been happening. I’m really concerned that one of my Pokémon could become these bloody presents at my door though

Unfortunately, hydreigon are also like cats in a way. As fearsome, bestial pokémon, they take pride in their ability to hunt … but they also expect their young to do the same. Technically, there are actually two possibilities at work here, but both of them are very, very similar. Either your hydreigon is trying to show you his catch because he’s expecting praise for it, or he’s showing you his catch because he’s trying to teach you how to hunt. You’ll be able to figure out which by observing his body language when he brings you his kill. If he sits back and cranes his main neck or if he lies down and rolls over, craning his neck at the same time, then he’s searching for praise. (Both positions are signs of submission among the hydreigon.) However, if he’s pawing at the corpse and looking at you expectantly, then he’s trying to teach you that this is what a kill looks like.

In both cases, thank him for the offering, give him a treat, and dispose of the body (perhaps by burning it, if it’s large) whenever he’s not looking. If he’s trying to show you how to hunt, tell him politely that you appreciate his efforts but that it’s not necessary for you to hunt the way he’s trying to show you. You may even want to let him watch you cook and eat to show him that you’re perfectly fine without hunting. (Sometimes, this method remedies the other motivation behind displaying a kill, but usually, otherwise, that behavior will simply continue until your hydreigon realizes on his own that he doesn’t need to show off a kill to get affection out of you.)

As for your other pokémon, luckily, you don’t need to worry. It’s not so much because your hydreigon recognizes them as teammates as it is because your hydreigon recognizes them as tamed pokémon. Wild pokémon are much more of a challenge to catch and kill (as they more often run or congregate in large groups), and thus, your hydreigon will always go after them instead. Even when faced of a shortage of wild prey, hydreigon would rather go without killing anything at all than killing something owned by a trainer. I’m not sure how comforting that statement is, but at the very least, the point is that your pokémon are safe.

The Deino Line

Deino
The Irate Pokémon
Type: Dark/Dragon
Official Registration #: 633
Entry: An aggressive, dragon pokémon primarily native to caves. Beneath the black fur covering its head, there is nothing but dragon skin—that is to say, this pokémon cannot see, as it has no eyes. Strangely enough, unlike other pokémon that lack eyes, it does not navigate its surroundings by either feeling the vibrations of the earth or through the use of echolocation. Rather, it simply moves forward, bumping into anything in its way and biting anything that moves in response. One would think this wouldn’t be particularly advantageous to the species’ survival, and in any case, why would anything adapt to the point where it would do that, but the answer, readers, is that when you develop the ability to Crunch and Dragon Pulse anything that could possibly pose as a threat against you, your species can develop into anything it merry well pleases.

Zweilous
The Hostile Pokémon
Type: Dark/Dragon
Official Registration #: 634
Entry: The evolved form of deino, by battle experience. This aggressive dragon pokémon is built to eat and does little else besides that. When it completely depletes its food sources in its current part of the cave, it moves to another part and begins eating once more. This process, of course, is a bit more complicated due to the fact that zweilous’s twin heads rarely get along and constantly compete for food, which you would also think would be a disadvantage to the species, but again, very little poses a true threat to zweilous. This is because if there’s one thing that its two heads can agree upon, it’s “we like destroying things very much.”

Hydreigon
The Brutal Pokémon
Type: Dark/Dragon
Official Registration #: 635
Entry: The evolved form of zweilous, by battle experience. Upon evolution, zweilous’s brains merge, and the newly emptied head splits into two at the ends of both of hydreigon’s arms. Additionally, this pokémon grows a set of six wings, which it uses to travel out of its cave home and into the surface world, where there are enough food stores to feed all three of its heads. The author would take the time to describe this pokémon as “an aggressive dragon,” but by now, he’s convinced his readers can already figure that part out. They learn Outrage at this point, so if you see one in the wild, godspeed.