I am a pokemon groomer, and i have my own shop where my psychic types: Gardevoir, alolan raichu, and meowstic, and my fairy type: sylveon and mimikyu help me groom the pokemon. Well, a ghost type pokemon that i havent been able to identify has been haunting my shop and scaring the customers pokemon! I’ll feel a cold chill and objects in the shop will start floating or get thrown across the room. What do I do to take care of this?

You have a couple of options, anonymous.

The easiest would be to use your gardevoir’s empathic abilities to detect the location of the ghost and determine what it might want. (It’s unlikely that you have a ghost/dark-type on your hands—that is, a pokémon who can resist your gardevoir’s psychic abilities—as most of those have clear, tangible forms, which means you would already know where it is.) Have your gardevoir follow its mental signature or its emotions back to the source, then either try to reason with it or use your mimikyu’s ghost-type techniques to draw it out into the open. Once in the open, you may wish to battle and capture it, or simply chase it out of your shop. (I would recommend capturing it, however, as letting it go risks amusing it with your reaction and thus encouraging it to return.)

The second easiest would be to hire a trainer or a channeler to remove the spirit for you. Of the two, the trainer would likely be the more desirable route, as a channeler’s methods can sometimes lead to unpredictable results, including more violent hauntings.

The third and possibly the hardest would be to acquire a pokémon that can use either Odor Sleuth or Keen Eye, both of which are techniques capable of locating or uncovering ghost-type pokémon, even when disguised. Use either of these techniques, then attempt to calm and reason with the pokémon (again, by having your gardevoir detect what it may want and then using a bit of verbal diplomacy to reach a compromise) or battle and capture it (by using either the pokémon who identified it or your mimikyu—or perhaps even both).

In short, the most important first step is to find a way to locate this pokémon and draw it out into the open. From there, what happens next may be a simple matter of befriending a pokémon, either by simply talking to it and helping it get what it needs or by battling it, depending on its preference or actual aggression levels. However, in my opinion, it seems that this ghost-type in question may simply be playing with you, which is why I say this part may be far, far easier than you would think—at least, compared to locating it in the first place.

Best of luck, anonymous!

I have a bed in my living room for my meowstic s and their babies. My meowstic recently had two baby espurrs and they both keep sneaking into my room in the middle of the night. I wake up with two balls of fluff cuddling my side, while I love their affection I think it’s making their mother upset. What should I do?

How recently, anonymous? If it was a couple of months ago, it’s likely that your espurr have grown old enough to leave their mother’s side, at which point it may be important to show your meowstic that you can be trusted with her kittens. Allowing her to care for the espurr during the day and starting them off with light training should help, as you’re actively showing your meowstic that you have no intention of overstepping your bounds while at the same time allowing her to see how you intend on treating her kittens when they’re old enough to battle.

If, however, they’re younger than eight weeks old, then this is indeed a problem and may indicate that they’ve imprinted on you. Granted, this isn’t entirely a bad thing; it’s simply that it’s understandable that your meowstic feels some level of jealousy or apprehension if this is the case. As separating yourself from the kittens may cause them stress (never mind the fact that espurr generally develop telekinetic abilities at a young age and may find ways of getting back at your side regardless of what you do), it may be a good idea to move their bed into your bedroom and allow the family to sleep with you until the kittens grow more independent.

Alternatively, it may be possible to coax your espurr into their bed (as opposed to yours) by covering it with a shirt you’ve worn or leaving an object that smells like you with your meowstic. If your espurr can curl up with something that reminds them of you in their bed, then they’ll be less likely to seek you out during the night.

Best of luck, anonymous, and congratulations on the new additions to your family!

My meowstics just recently had an espurr, who is absolutely adorable but he gets nightmares and cries at night. What can I do to help him?

If you can, try to pair him with a munna. Not only are munna extremely non-threatening pokémon (that is to say, they’re just plain calming to look at), but they also consume nightmares as their basic form of sustenance. As a fellow psychic-type, it will likely do everything it can to comfort your espurr, especially if the munna is older.

However, if you don’t have access to a munna, encourage your meowstic to lie down with their kitten and comfort him as he sleeps, at least for the next couple of months. Eventually, try to have him “weaned” off this care by letting his parents lie with him only until he falls asleep.

It may also help to reduce stress through aromatherapy. In fact, the various incenses were originally created for the express purpose of lowering a pokémon’s stress and heightening their mental serenity and clarity. (The secondary effects of each type were simply perks that humans had stumbled across sometime afterward.) Of the various types, psychics tend to respond most to odd incense, but pure incense is just as calming … and likely less aggravating to the human nose. Once you’ve chosen a scent that your espurr likes (and you wouldn’t mind filling your home or apartment), place it in its special holder and place the activated holder somewhere near your espurr, in a spot where its scent can’t be blocked and where the holder can’t be knocked over by his developing telekinetic abilities.

Of course, on top of all of this, see if there are any possible causes of stress in your espurr’s waking life. Considering he was only recently born, it’s doubtful, but nonetheless, it’s entirely possible that your espurr may have been worked up over something that didn’t quite get resolved before he was put to bed. Also check for any possible ghost-types or members of the drowzee line in the vicinity, as these could cause nightmares as well.

Hi Bill, I’d love to hear about your research on the Espurr line, especially any notes you have on the differences between male and female Meowstic. Thank you!

Certainly!

Espurr
The Restraint Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 677
Entry: Espurr release psychic waves from organs hidden beneath their ears. These psychic waves are incredibly potent and capable of destroying anything within a 300-foot radius of itself, yet curiously, the only thing stopping it from doing so is literally its ears. The fact that it is known as “the restraint pokémon” seems to be either a misunderstanding or a sardonic note on behalf of a particularly terrible researcher, although recent studies have shown that the expression on its face is not blank but rather a strained expression of raw panic. In short, handle with care.

Meowstic (male)
The Constraint Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 678
Entry: The evolved form of male espurr, by battle experience. Although technically the same species, meowstic display a fascinating form of gender dimorphism. Whereas female meowstic are developed to be more noticeable and aggressive, male meowstic are armed with dark fur and several abilities capable of disabling or hindering its opponents. In other words, stray male meowstic are not meant to be seen whenever they rob you blind and leave you disarmed and incapable of defending yourself in the rougher neighborhoods of Lumiose City.

Meowstic (female)
The Constraint Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 678
Entry: The evolved form of female espurr, by battle experience. Although technically the same species, meowstic display a fascinating form of gender dimorphism. The female meowstic in particular possess a bright, white coat and several showy, powerful offensive abilities, both of which make females highly visible and noticeable. In this writer’s opinion, this is a rather handy fact, as it’s nice to see the highly territorial female meowstic coming after you after their male counterparts rob you blind in a Lumiose back alley. This will not save you from taking a Charge Beam in the chest purely because you happen to be in what they consider to be their territory, but when you find yourself in a back alley, one less surprise is a certain comfort.