Rockruff and Lycanroc

bills-pokedex:

Rockruff
The Puppy Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 744
Entry: Thought to be the cousin of growlithe, this small, puppy-like pokémon possesses very much the same disposition. It is highly loyal, and it’s very fond of humans. As such, it’s considered one of the easier pokémon for beginning trainers to start off with, as its loyal and agreeable disposition make it easy to teach rockruff new tricks. For this reason, rockruff is also generally considered to be a Good Dog.

Lycanroc (Midday Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained during the day. Exposing rockruff to sunlight during its evolution causes it to evolve into a quadrupedal form of lycanroc. This form retains a lot of the same loyalty and agreeable disposition as its preevolved form, and as such, this pokémon is considered to be a stalwart battler and excellent companion. However, be warned: while it normally uses the sharp rocks around its collar as weapons, some retain the tendency to rub these rocks against their trainers as a form of affection. Considering the fact that these rocks can grow to be a foot long and roughly as sharp as knives, this may result in unfortunate mishaps. Nonetheless, this form of lycanroc is still generally considered to be a Good Dog.

Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained during the night. Allowing rockruff to evolve under the cover of night causes it to assume a more violent, impulsive form. While this form of lycanroc loses its rocky collar, it gains a hard head, which it uses to smash its opponents into submission after it goads them into attacking. Well aware of its boots in power, midnight lycanroc actively seeks opponents and will attack without being ordered to, rendering this form of lycanroc highly difficult to tame and train. However, despite the comparative difficulties of training this form (as opposed to rockruff or midday lycanroc), midnight lycanroc is not considered to be a Bad Dog but rather a Not Quite Great But Still Pretty All Right Dog.

Lycanroc (Dusk Form)
The Wolf Pokémon
Type: Rock
Official Registration #: 745
Entry: The evolved form of rockruff, by battle experience, if trained at dusk (if the subject’s ability is Own Tempo). When exposed to the fading light of dusk, some rockruff may evolve into a quadrupedal form that is, in many ways, the midpoint between midnight and midday lycanroc. Not only is it physically very much like a midpoint between these two forms (quadrupedal like the midday form but also covered with spikes similar to midnight’s), but also, its disposition is a rather unpredictable mix of midday’s calmness and midnight’s aggression. Yet despite this, lycanroc’s dusk form is not known for being a Good Dog or a Bad Dog or even a Not Quite Great But Still Pretty All Right Dog. Instead, it’s known for being a Cheeto Dog … because of its orange pelt. Because that’s just how the internet works.

I am considering evolving my rockruff. What are the difference in upkeep of each lycanroc’s formes and do you have any recommendations for which forme to evolve?

In terms of basic care, all three are essentially identical. The difference between them (other than conditions of evolution) lie in personality and habits. You see, midday lycanroc are largely diurnal (meaning, active during the day), whereas midnights are nocturnal. Thus, if you train a midday lycanroc, be prepared to wake up early to begin training at dawn (or to simply feed it and let it out). On the other hand, training a midnight lycanroc tends to be difficult for any trainer short of habitual night owls.

Furthermore, midday lycanroc are often calmer in nature. This makes them great pets, but they don’t particularly excel at battling and often prefer running away. By contrast, the more aggressive midnight lycanroc possesses more power and defensive capabilities than its diurnal counterpart, but its disposition often means it doesn’t play well with its teammates and may need constructive outlets for excess energy.

Then there’s the dusk lycanroc, which is the most adaptable and balanced forme. That is, they have largely calm dispositions like their midday counterpart, combined with the power and willingness to battle of their midnight cousins. The downside is that dusk lycanroc can sometimes display bouts of aggression, and on top of that, they’re the hardest evolution to attain, with only a handful of rockruff being capable of it in the first place.

In short, choose midday if you want a pet, midnight if you want to battle, and dusk if you want both (or a challenge).

Best of luck, anonymous!

I’ve recently gotten a battle ready midnight form Lycanrock from an event and he is very wary of his new environment. I’ve given him his own space and I’ve set up a feeding and training regiment. He doesn’t seem to trust me, but I was in an accident recently and can’t train him as often. He paces and whines when in the same room as me. How can I help him through the stress without straining myself?

Midnight lycanroc are rather difficult to handle, so I admit I’m not entirely surprised that yours is having difficulties adjusting. This is, of course, compounded by the fact that midnight lycanroc are often eager for battle, so to be placed in a situation where he isn’t fighting as often as he normally does means he’s bottling up energy due to a lack of constructive outlets for it, rather than releasing it on the battlefield the way he would naturally.

That having been said, the best thing you can do for your lycanroc is to provide him with an alternative means of releasing that energy. This may be as simple as setting up a training area with a training dummy (have a friend assist in the construction of such a space) where he may practice his moves on inanimate objects while you observe. Alternatively, you may wish to call on a friend to battle against your lycanroc daily or to take him out for battles while you recover.

Granted, the former may require some physical exertion on your part, and the latter doesn’t entirely build trust. These are simply straightforward answers to lycanroc’s predicament, but there is a third alternative: channeling his energy into another activity. For example, some dog pokémon trainers teach their partners ordinary dog tricks to help them bond and to hone their focus on a particular task. Some trainers simply take long, easy walks through scenic parks or along trails. And some—particularly the owners of dog-like pokémon that are also humanoid in nature (midnight lycanroc being one example, with the likes of lucario and zoroark being others)—teach their pokémon more complicated skills such as painting, playing instruments, yoga, or even cooking. Perhaps allowing your lycanroc to do more about the house would also be an effective outlet.

Ultimately, be creative but also try to see what interests him the most (besides battling). Communicate with him as much as you can and give him options. And above all else, promise him that you’ll battle alongside him eventually, but your own physical limitations prevent you from doing so right now. You’ll be surprised by how easily he’ll understand that point, even if he’s naturally eager to battle.

Best of luck, anonymous, and get well soon!