Dear Bill, My birthday was a few days ago, and my family, in their ever present lack of communication, got me a Rowlet, a Piplup, and a Torchic, along with a SNivy, Turtwig, and Treeko. Do i need to worry about the Avian starters picking fights with each other? and what of my Grass Reptilians? Also, any Care tips you can suggest for them? and are there any concerns i should watch for in their Later Stages? I’d rather avoid issues BEFORE i need to take a ‘Mon to the Pokemon Center ER.

This is … quite an ask, I must admit. So to begin, I’m afraid I can’t offer care tips for six vastly different pokémon in a small amount of space, so I’ll simply offer this as a general tip: read up on each pokémon species to get hints about their basic needs. For example, treecko is a tropical insectivore, so it will need a moist environment and a largely insect-based diet. While you could possibly double up on habitats or diets for like pokémon, it’s also worth it to be aware that two pokémon, as alike as they may be, might actually have different needs. (Turtwig is an herbivore, and snivy needs larger prey, like feeder mice.)

If you’re out on the road and these are meant to be your starters for a journey, it might be easier to care for all of them (that’s what kibble and general care facilities at pokémon centers are for), but if you live at home, a team this diverse might be difficult unless you have a lot of space and money. If it is difficult, consider leaving a few at a shelter or rehoming them. This goes especially if you plan on evolving them, as their needs—not only for space but also basics—will increase exponentially. It’s not impossible to house six fully evolved starters if you’re not a trainer, but it’s difficult. And, well. Expensive.

As for your avian pokémon fighting one another, most bird-like species are actually highly social, so it’s more likely that they’ll form a flock (and perhaps try to rope in some of the reptiles while they’re at it), especially once they understand they’re part of the same team. The others, meanwhile … generally, you shouldn’t have a problem because in most cases, starters are bred to be amicable with other pokémon, but keep an eye on that treecko and snivy.

Best of luck!

Hi Bill! I wanted to ask for some advice about taking care of a Porygon. I’ve been thinking of getting one for some time now but first I want to make sure I can look after it properly. Thank you!

Actually, porygon are some of the easiest pokémon to care for because they don’t need much at all. At the very basic, they need a reliable and well-maintained computer or two, not to serve as housing but instead as a gateway to and from a digital world. They essentially live in the cloud, so as long as you have something that connects to a digital network (even your pokédex will do—just not a rotomdex, as porygon’s passage to and from the digital side of things may be awkward for both parties), your porygon will be perfectly happy. In other words, get a computer, an internet connection, and some decent antivirus software and avoid shady websites, and you should be fine.

Everything else is optional, more or less. Porygon don’t need to eat or sleep, but they can do either. (They have no consistent food preferences, so feel free to experiment until you find something your porygon likes.) They prefer games that involve their trainers (such as chess), and while they don’t need exercise in the same way other pokémon with natural, physical bodies do, it’s a good idea to engage in target practice once a day to hone their beam skills.

Maintenance is likewise very easy. Simply have your porygon enter a computer and run a porygon maintenance app. I personally recommend the one created by Meowthware Bytes, as it’s thorough and highly reliable. Just be sure to download it from the company’s actual website, as there are fake versions out there. This bit of software will not only run a basic health checkup and remove corruptions, but it will also run your porygon’s internal backup system for a complete maintenance session. This should be done at least once a week.

Also, whatever you do, don’t modify your porygon’s code, no matter how well-versed in computers you think you are. In the porygon stage, you could actually kill it this way. (The porygon2 stage may risk evolution, which is only a negative thing if you’re not prepared for porygon-z’s capricious nature … and tendency to corrupt tech it comes in contact with.)

Hey bill. My folks decided i needed to learn responsibility while living on my own, and got me an Absol cub from a Breeder. What can you tell me about absol care in general and if there’re any Shows i can enter her in in the American regions? are there any pokemon i should Avoid letting my absol interact with for her own safety?

Allow me to start with the easiest question here: There are quite a few that you could try, including ones for canine pokémon (which absol is considered to be), for dark-types, for pokémon in general … you would really have to be more specific about where in the United States you’d like to go and what sorts of shows you’re considering.

If you mean shows as in contests (that is, you’re considering becoming a coordinator), each region actually has its own circuit, but many of these are much smaller than the ones you would find here in Japan. The two biggest circuits, that of Unova in the northeast corner of the United States and Cielo in the southwest, tend to be difficult to get into and maintain a place in for three reasons. First, it’s extremely competitive, as Americans tend to be rather vicious when placed in competition with each other. Second, there is a preliminary audition for both regions before you enter the circuit proper. This is because of the third reason: contests in the United States are filmed and treated much like any other sort of reality television. For this reason, American organizers tend to be particular about who gets to be on stage in the first place.

Of the two, though, the Unovan contest circuit tends to be easier to get into because there’s a little less competition. While the Cielo contests have no real rivals (aside from the film industry itself), the Unova contests are often overshadowed by pokémon musicals.

On that note, the second easiest question to answer: your absol will likely get along with practically any pokémon. When putting together a team, it’s more important to pay attention to the pokémon as an individual, rather than its species. Occasionally, you may have to handle a pokémon with type biases or known rivalries (obviously, never stick a zangoose with a seviper or a red basculin with a blue), but these are rare occasions. Otherwise, you’d be surprised what can get along with what.

Finally, the third easiest: care.

To start things off, it’s a myth that all dark-types are nocturnal. Absol especially are active in the day or whenever their trainer is. This is because their danger sense compels them to be awake and alert whenever their “charges” are. (Sometimes, that charge is an entire village. Other times, it’s just their trainer.) With that in mind, absol can sleep pretty much anywhere, and they often prefer a hard floor to a bed. You’re welcome to provide one, as well as anything to make your absol more comfortable, but all it will really need is a safe place to sleep indoors.

Grooming is likely the most challenging aspect of owning an absol (other than, obviously, dealing with its precognitive abilities), as it not only has thick fur but also a horn that needs to be well-maintained. Brush your absol daily, and be sure to wash it at least once a month with shampoo designed for dog-like pokémon. (It’s okay to wash your absol between your regular session if it gets into something particularly unpleasant.) Be sure to dry your absol off thoroughly, especially around its mane; it can grow mold if you’re not careful.

When it comes to horn care, your absol will often prefer to maintain its sharpness by grinding it on a rock, so be sure to provide one outside. Brick or a scratching post (normally designed for cat-like pokémon) work just as well. You may also wish to polish your absol’s horn if you’re considering entering it into shows, but be warned that not all absol will allow you to do this. If yours does, use horn polish (generic works just as well) and a soft cloth. Use firm but gentle movements. Don’t pull too roughly, or your absol will protest by bashing you with its horn.

Finally in terms of grooming, be sure to file your absol’s claws every couple of weeks, and clean its teeth daily. This will not only maintain its physical health but also its mental health. Also, some shows may judge your absol based on these traits especially, as claws and fangs are hallmarks of the dark type.

As for extremely basic care, absol are largely carnivorous, just like most canine pokémon. If you aren’t feeding yours specially designed kibble or wet food for its species, make sure that at least half of its diet consists of meat—the leaner, the better. Poultry is ideal, particularly dark meat if you can find enough of it, and eggs are great as your absol grows older. The rest of its diet can consist of a mixture of berries and starchy or colorful vegetables. Avoid fats and fatty foods whenever possible, as well as foods that are typically poisonous to dog-like pokémon (including chocolate, grapes, and so forth). Grains should also be avoided, less because it would kill your absol and more because not a lot of absol can tolerate grains.

In terms of enrichment, an absol doesn’t require much beyond attention, but many enjoy the same types of toys any other dog-like pokémon loves, including balls, ropes, and chew toys. Absol are especially fond of squeak toys, although researchers have yet to figure out why.

As for exercise, all absol should be let out at least once a day (because, well, many are house-trained, so this is how they’ll relieve themselves), so plan for a walk at the minimum. They should also be trained for at least an hour a day, as per usual for any pokémon. Targets are especially valuable when training your absol, as many of its abilities involve its horn, which is, strangely enough, not a thing most absol innately know how to aim with. On that note, always stand upwind from your absol when training it.

Speaking of abilities, the donphan in the room: its “disaster sense.” For the most part, if you treat your absol well, you won’t have to worry about its precognitive ability. Most trainers live their entire lives without their absol’s danger sense triggering because, well, most of us raise our pokémon in fairly safe environments. That said, this is an ability that absol innately know how to use, so very little training is required from it. However, if your absol stops in its tracks for several moments and then bursts into an unusual amount of activity and agitation for seemingly no reason, drop what you’re doing and follow it. That is what its disaster sense looks like, which means that whatever it foresaw, you very likely do not want to be in the vicinity any time thereafter.

It may be worth it to note that if you did want to train your absol to control these visions or to increase its reach into the future, you could pair it with a psychic (either of the human or pokémon variety) for further teaching. Oftentimes, though, it isn’t worth it unless you work with disasters (say, as an EMT, a firefighter, or an insurance salesman).

Best of luck, anonymous!

Unfortunately, my girlfriend recently passed on unexpectedly. She left me her Sylveon to care for, but I’m not sure what to do at all as I am a dark type specialist. I already have an Umbreon, so I know some general things, but how do the two differ?

First and foremost, my sincerest condolences for your loss. This must be a difficult time for you, so I hope the following advice helps you grow the bond between you and your late girlfriend’s sylveon.

That said, care for a sylveon doesn’t differ from that for an umbreon, actually. A lot of the basics for umbreon care hold true for all eeveelutions with the exception of perhaps leafeon. You’ll just need to tweak a few things.

For starters, be aware that your sylveon is likely not nocturnal. However, unlike many eeveelutions (with the exception of umbreon, of course), you can gradually train it to be by simply shifting its sleep schedule up one hour every few days. (I wouldn’t recommend doing this immediately, as your sylveon will need a stable schedule to help it mourn and move on.)

Additionally, sylveon and umbreon both follow essentially the same diet (they are both carnivorous), but it’s a good idea to give sylveon live prey now and then. This is for their psychological health, so if you’re squeamish … don’t watch afterwards.

Then you have grooming, and here is where sylveon and umbreon differ the most. While sylveon engage in self-grooming (frequently), it’s also important to bathe them. As you know, it’s ill-advised to bathe an umbreon unless absolutely necessary because this strips their coats of their natural oils and leeches their toxins into the water. Sylveon, on the other hand, require baths to remove dirt from their ribbons and maintain their mental health as fairy-types. Use sweet-smelling soap, warm water, and a soft cloth to gently remove dirt from your sylveon’s coat, then let it soak and splash for about ten minutes. Dry it with a soft towel, then follow with a gentle but thorough brushing. Also, your sylveon may have a preferred shampoo; use it whenever possible.

Finally, both sylveon and umbreon are affectionate, but sylveon is more physical about it. Don’t be surprised if yours wraps your hand with its ribbons or begs for petting. It’s only when a sylveon is violent or overly possessive or demanding that it’s a cause for concern.

One last piece of advice: be sure to follow any instructions your late girlfriend left, including and especially any notes concerning preferences. This will help your sylveon to adjust.

Best of luck, anonymous.

Hey Bill, I’ve heard people describe Dragonite as Dragonair are rapid onset Diabetes. this makes me wonder, is it possible for pokemon to have Diabetes, specifically Gardevoir? I’m worried about how mine avoids sugar like made. Is there anything i can do if nurse joy does diagnose her as Diabetic?

It is possible for pokémon to have diabetes, but for the record, dragonite’s physique is pure muscle, thank you very much.

On a serious note, pokémon diabetes, as with human diabetes, has a longer list of causes than “too much sugar.” (Granted, many sugary foods trigger other health problems in pokémon besides diabetes, including kidney failure, depending on the food you’re feeding them, but this is a side point.) In truth, the main culprits to pokémon diabetes are simply a bad diet and a lack of exercise. This is why it’s extremely important to train daily, even if that training is for something other than battling, and why you should follow the recommended diet plan for your pokémon’s species.

If your gardevoir is diagnosed as diabetic anyway (as it’s also possible for certain humanshape pokémon to become diabetic anyway, despite exercise and nutrition), then it’s important to follow your Nurse Joy’s directions for care. Increase exercise as well and consider a diet that’s high in fiber. And of course, never forget her medication. Even if she needs insulin shots, keep her calm and administer her medication daily. Being consistent about your pokémon’s health needs prevents permanent physical damage and prolongs your pokémon’s life, but taking your pokémon to the center at the first signs of physical distress (excessive thirst, abrupt weight loss, lethargy, dehydration, vomiting, and unusually sweet-smelling breath, to name a few) and making those lifestyle changes earlier means it’ll be easier to incorporate those changes into your current day-to-day life. It’s much harder if you ignore the warning signs out of fear of a diagnosis or if you deviate from your treatment plan.

In short, handling a pokémon’s diabetes is, for the most part, a matter of increasing their exercise, having them eat right, and remembering to administer medication daily. Besides, of course, following any other order from Nurse Joy.

Best of luck!

So I just found what I believe is an ultra beast. It’s small and purple and not like any Pokémon i know. It’s hurt but I’m afraid to take it to a Pokémon centre in case someone sees me with it. I know we know little about UBs, but do you have any basic Pokémon care tips? The injuries are minor cuts and bruises but I’m worried they’d get infected. Also,do you know ANYBODY trustworthy enough I can hand it to who would know how to look after it, or better, Send it back to its home?

Not to be curt, but if it’s injured, take it to a pokémon center.

First and foremost, a pokémon nurse’s priority is on healing an injured pokémon. They won’t judge you or report you to any sort of government body or what-have-you for owning a pokémon they don’t recognize. If anything, their inability to recognize such a pokémon may present a bit of a challenge for them, but ultimately, if they don’t know what your pokémon is, they’ll treat it as best as they can anyway, based on their knowledge of your pokémon’s injury, type, and general physiological profile (i.e., mammalian, avian, or so forth). Furthermore, pokémon centers are hospitals. It’s highly unethical for anyone from any sort of authority to break in and take your pokémon away for this reason, and you’re generally protected by poachers by virtue of the fact that you’re in a highly public area with highly trained and extremely powerful nurse pokémon (as well as teams of trainers who use pokémon centers as meeting places and who don’t take well to thieves).

Second, I can’t offer care tips for legendary or mythical pokémon or the Ultra Beasts. It’s not that I don’t want to (although I’ve been very open about the fact that my policy concerning owning legendaries is “put that back where you found it or so help us all”); it’s more because these pokémon aren’t that well understood. In the cases of legendaries and mythicals, they’re so rare that there simply aren’t enough cases of human interaction with such pokémon in recorded history to know what their needs are. In other words, very, very few people have interacted with these pokémon, much less caught them, and those that caught them are generally extremely competent trainers (not that those who ask for pokémon care tips on this blog aren’t competent, of course).

As for the Ultra Beasts, we also don’t know enough about them to understand what their specific needs are, but in their case, they’re simply too new and destructive to our world. Thus, all instances of Ultra Beasts have already been secured by the work of the International Police and the Aether Foundation, the latter of whom has only just started releasing their research on actual, captive specimens (as opposed to theoretical research based on brief sightings).

Third and related to the above, it’d be odd to jump to the conclusion that you’re dealing with an Ultra Beast, just because it’s not an easily recognizable pokémon. It’s possible (and, quite honestly, more likely) that you’re looking at a poison-type pokémon from a different region on Earth, perhaps one that isn’t yet logged in the National Dex program. “Small and purple” describes many poison-types, after all. (This, incidentally, is why I also can’t offer tips for general care. “Small, purple poison-type” covers quite a lot of ground, even if we didn’t consider any known legendaries or UBs, and how one would care for a venonat differs vastly from how one would care for a koffing.)

In short, if you’re worried about this pokémon’s minor injuries and general condition, don’t be afraid to take it to the pokémon center. The nurse there may even be able to help you positively identify what you’re dealing with, which in turn will make figuring out how to take care of it immensely easier.

Best of luck, anonymous!

{Note from the mun: Like the last ask, this one is also among the newer batch. It’s just that Bill’s been getting a lot of questions about how to care for a legendary or Ultra Beast lately, and it might be worth it to note that various asks and entries have already established that both classes of pokémon are so rare that it’s very, very unlikely that an ordinary person would encounter them. Bill likewise only knows about them via second-hand accounts, theories, and folklore for the most part. Just to clarify! Carry on!}

Hi! I was wondering if the Skitty line, Ralts line, Rowlet or Bunary lines react badly to soap at all? Like, any kind of soap. Or perhaps I should ask about general hygiene instead, uhhh… help? pls? :(

The ralts line can be safely bathed with soap, as that can easily be washed off their skin. Just be sure to get all the soap residue off and follow up with coconut or baby oil (or simply a moisturizer for humanoid pokémon) to avoid drying out your ralts’s skin.

All bird pokémon, meanwhile, should only be given a water bath at most. That is, it’s important to give many of them a bath consisting only of water at a temperature they can stand. (Rowlet is among the pokémon that need such a bath, but there are a select few, such as the torchic line, that will need a sand bath instead. That would be just an outdoor shallow pit filled with sand or dust.) Water baths not only help a bird wash off excess oil and dirt, but the temperature and the act of splashing or soaking helps them maintain peak mental health—that is, it’s just as relaxing for them as a bath would be for us. It’s just that soap can dry out the skin too much by stripping away all of the natural oils of a bird’s skin, not to mention it can be difficult to completely remove from a bird’s feathers.

Finally, never bathe a buneary unless they can’t bathe themselves (and even then, only bathe a buneary if they’re very clearly in need of a bath) or if they’re covered in something that would be toxic to them. Members of the buneary line bathe themselves (like cats and feline pokémon), and if dampened and not properly dried, a buneary’s soft fur and tufts can grow mold. That and a bath can be traumatic for them.

Actually, the same (never bathe them unless they can’t bathe themselves or get into something toxic) can be said for skitty and all other feline pokémon, but the concern there is less about their health as it is yours. Feline pokémon are generally very adamant about their hatred of baths.

Best of luck concerning your team, anonymous!

Edit: This post now includes information regarding the skitty line (and Bill will, in his words, be “adequately retrained in basic reading comprehension skills”). Thank you for your patience! —LH

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!

Hello, Bill! I was wondering if you have any tips for keeping large Pokémon like Noivern in a big city.

At the risk of driving people away from the idea of owning a larger pokémon to begin with, it’s not going to be easy, no. For one thing, housing tends to be difficult. Many apartment buildings don’t allow pokémon outside of their poké balls at all, or there may be very strict rules on what you can and can’t own. If you don’t live in an apartment, in some regions, the size of available housing may be restrictive as well. City housing in Johto, for example, is typically cramped and barely large enough to fit a group of humans and smaller pokémon, so larger pokémon may be confined to a small garden in the back of the house, if at all.

With that in mind, as sad as it may be to force your pokémon into their balls for most hours of the day, their poké balls will likely be vital. Luckily, a pokémon doesn’t need to be released and fed regularly, as modern poké balls can keep them in stasis for long periods of time, which means you may only need to take them out once a day. However, that once a day is a must, and it would be a good idea to plan on at least two hours daily for exercising and generally caring for your team. Parks are often set up for exactly this purpose, and they’re great places to meet other trainers who might also be facing the same struggles in caring for their pokémon (which in turn means you may have access to resources such as pokémon sitters, who can take your pokémon out while you’re at work or school).

If your pokémon is more noivern-sized than, say, onix-sized, you might still be able to keep your pokémon at home, depending on the size of your space, the diligence in your training, and your creativity with interior design. It’s not exactly an ideal solution (noivern especially require ample amounts of space to spread their wings … if you’ll forgive the pun), but you may be able to make do with a large enough loft-style apartment, if you avoid decorating your home with, say, tall floor lamps or wall decorations. Alternatively, balconies are wonderful places to let flying-type pokémon roost or come and go as they please, but be warned: some species of flying-types may be disruptive to the local ecosystem. Only give your flying-types the balcony if they’re well-trained enough to come back at the end of the day (or night) and to avoid unnecessary hunting and flying. Noivern and other dragon-types may be intelligent enough to be taught this. Fearow, mandibuzz, and certain other larger birds might not, and either way (although these aren’t flying-types), never give a balcony to a larger feline pokémon. Feline pokémon should be kept indoors as much as possible (or within their poké balls, in the cases of larger cats, such as pyroar and incineroar), as felines will hunt and decimate wild pokémon populations if left to their own devices outdoors.

One final tip: water. As tempting as this may be, do thorough research before allowing your water-type to swim in a lake or river running through your city. Some waterways are more polluted than others, so they may be ill-suited to pokémon that aren’t partially poison, ghost, or magikarp. Ponds in parks tend to be cleaner, and as tempting as this may be, use these bodies of water and not your bathtub. A bathtub is not a suitable replacement for adequate water sources when it comes to water-types.

In short, it’s difficult, but quite honestly, the biggest challenge is where to keep them. Space is your biggest finite resource in a city, and unfortunately, space tends to be vital for a pokémon’s physical and mental health. Once you figure out that part of the puzzle, the rest should be pretty standard from there on out.

Best of luck!

Dearest Bill, I have come into contact with a somewhat injured Pokemon, but I as of right now do not know what this Pokemon is. It was too hurt to move to the pokemon center, but I have managed to bring it to stable levels, and it is resting, as of now. Forgive me for being a little out of the loop, as I moved from Sinnoh, but, pray tell…. Do you know the proper methods for taking care of a pokemon known as “Thundurus?”

As a matter of fact, I do!

The first thing you should do when taking care of Thundurus is nurse him back to peak physical health. I would advise having a Nurse Joy perform a house call in order to get the best advice for this situation.

Then, when Thundurus has recovered enough to fly and hold his own in battle, release him back into the wild—honestly why are so many of you intent on seeing the catastrophic destruction of our world?!