Hey bill, I’m currently training to be a psychic type trainer and I’m looking for two more Pokemon for my team, I currently have a meowstic, a wobbuffet, a gardevoir and a metagross. Could you suggest some psychic Pokemon that are easy to care for but also have a good record in battles? Thanks.

Well, I can’t recommend members of the abra line enough. Although abra is a bit difficult to train at first (what with the fact that most wild-caught ones can only use Teleport until it either evolves or undergoes special training via TMs, HMs, or tutoring), it grows quickly, it’s loyal, and it’s highly intelligent, qualities which can make it a ready and capable partner early on. Moreover, it’s quite powerful in its own right (especially when its final evolution is allowed to mega evolve), but by itself, an abra can encourage a trainer’s growth by forcing them to think creatively on the battlefield. Let’s just say that Teleport is far more useful than one would imagine at first glance.

Alternatively, members of the gothita line fill a similar niche on the battlefield (although—and perhaps this is my own bias in saying so—not quite to as powerful a degree), as do starmie and, believe it or not, mr. mime. For those with the same temperament as members of the abra line, you may wish to consider gallade (which would also make an excellent partner to your gardevoir), meditite, jynx, or woobat.

On that note, as many psychic-types can be a bit fragile, you may find some luck in adding a member of the solosis line to your team (yes, even though you have the steel-type metagross to support you). Members of the solosis line are notoriously bulky, and as such, they’re capable of taking hits just as much as they are dealing them. Slowbro is also capable of filling a similar niche, but the problem is that members of the slowpoke line (except slowking, which is difficult to obtain) are a challenge to raise—not because they’re disobedient or unruly but instead because they’re highly capricious and, well, slow to respond to commands. That and slowbro works best when paired with a mega stone of its own. However, with persistence and a mega stone, slowbro has the potential to fill its niche better than reuniclus can, so one should think carefully about trade-offs if they’re considering a defensive psychic.

If you’d prefer speed, look no further than an Alolan raichu. Few psychic-types can outspeed an Alolan raichu surfing on its own tail, but it’s vital to remember that a pikachu must evolve within the regional boundaries of Alola to attain its half-psychic form. Even pichu and pikachu raised in Alola all their lives will evolve into their standard forms if removed from Alola and exposed to a thunder stone anywhere else in the world. This, of course, makes obtaining an Alolan raichu rather tricky, as adopting one already evolved can be quite expensive for this very reason.

Finally, should you simply want something easy to train, the fennekin line evolves into the psychic-type, and starters are among the easiest pokémon to train, as they were bred specifically for that. Unfortunately, the downside is that delphox isn’t quite the strong pokémon you may be looking for.

If all else fails, eevee can evolve into the psychic-type espeon.

Bill, you can’t keep suggesting eeveelutions whenever someone asks you for help on building their teams. —LH

Watch me. —Bill

Why can’t psychic types, or at least some of them, eat things that have/had emotions? What would happen?

krokorokin:

bills-pokedex:

Psychic abilities tend to be stronger when the psychic in question is in physical contact with a target. Thus, imagine putting your mouth on something, only to hear the last dying scream of a once-living entity.

That’s why psychics generally prefer vegetarian lifestyles. Or at least the ralts line does. Many other psychics tend to have less potent empathic abilities (or aren’t quite as concerned), so eating meat or the like is less of an issue with them.

Sounds like some psychic types need to stop being little bitches.

…on the other hand, those same psychic-types have no qualms about generating miniature black holes in the general vicinity of anyone who calls them “little bitches.”

Why can’t psychic types, or at least some of them, eat things that have/had emotions? What would happen?

Psychic abilities tend to be stronger when the psychic in question is in physical contact with a target. Thus, imagine putting your mouth on something, only to hear the last dying scream of a once-living entity.

That’s why psychics generally prefer vegetarian lifestyles. Or at least the ralts line does. Many other psychics tend to have less potent empathic abilities (or aren’t quite as concerned), so eating meat or the like is less of an issue with them.

Oranguru and Passimian

Oranguru
The Sage Pokémon
Type: Normal/Psychic
Official Registration #: 765
Entry: These orangutan-like pokémon are of particular interest to pokémon ethologists and paleontologists. This is largely because of its notably human-like behavior. While it often spends its time separated from pokémon and engaging in self-education through meditation, it will sometimes venture down from its home to feed and care for wild pokémon as part of what is apparently a human-like moral obligation. More importantly, oranguru also possess the ability to create and use tools as well as command other pokémon in battles against human trainers. Captive oranguru have even shown the capability of using poké balls, which all in all means that a pokémon uprising is a very real possibility for our future, but the author, for one, would welcome our oranguru overlords.

Passimian
The Teamwork Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Official Registration #: 766
Entry: These lemur-like pokémon are of particular interest to pokémon ethologists and paleontologists. For one, scientists have noted that passimian form primitive colonies that very much resemble those of humankind’s own primate cousins and thus, in much the same way, may help pokémonologists understand the origins of the more humanlike pokémon, such as sawk and throh. Second, passimian have been known to make their own tools (namely, the polished coconuts they’re often seen carrying) with an almost humanlike intelligence and level of care, thus intriguing pokémon ethologists on the subject of pokémon sapience. Third, very little else is known about the passimian, as they have a tendency to congregate in groups of ten to thirty specimens, each armed with a polished coconut, to swarm and attack pokémon paleo-ethologists … such as the author.

The Solosis Line

Solosis
The Cell Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 577
Entry: Scientists have taken a special interest in this cell-like pokémon’s body fluids. The reason why is because the specific composition of this fluid insulates solosis’s fragile body from extreme conditions and provides constant nourishment in the form of converted wastes and energy. Attempts to replicate this substance for human use has led to varying results. Apparently, when synthesized without the vital component that is the solosis itself, solosis fluid can be anything from, and the author quotes from the publication on the subject, “suffocating and toxic” to “quite pleasant in taste, reminiscent of Tang but otherwise highly hallucinogenic.”

Duosion
The Mitosis Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 578
Entry: The evolved form of solosis, by battle experience. As cell-like pokémon, members of the solosis line undergo a process very similar to mitosis (except in the sense that these pokémon divide into distinct species), hence the designation of duosion. Unfortunately for duosion, the process the solosis undertake is a long and arduous one, and the middle stage of the family represents an awkward, half-divided stage. That is to say, duosion consists of two bodies embedded in the same body sac. One is the body proper, containing many of the organs the duosion needs to survive; the other is merely a second brain, which feeds off nutrients leeched from its parent mass. As these are two distinct beings in one body sac, disagreements may occur, resulting in duosion often attempting to take two actions at once. When working in tandem on the battlefield, this can often be advantageous, as duosion can combine the psychic abilities of both its brains to power its attacks. However, when the brains are not working in tandem, a duosion may attempt to use incompatible moves such as Psychic and Gyro Ball at the same time. On the positive side, a pokémon attempting to use two vastly different attacks is, at the very least, mildly entertaining.

Reuniclus
The Multiplying Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 579
Entry: The evolved form of duosion, by battle experience. The species designation for reuniclus is misleading. Reuniclus itself is not multiplying. In fact, unlike duosion, all of the parts within a reuniclus’s body sac become unified in mind, resulting in a pokémon system that is functionally a single thinking organism. Rather, the species designation is more in reference to reuniclus’s signature habit of calling other reuniclus to itself and interacting with them. Not only does the act of joining hands with these other reuniclus heighten their respective psychic abilities exponentially, but it’s also the chief way reuniclus mate and breed, thereby making its designation literal in more than one way.

Bruxish

Bruxish
The Gnash Teeth Pokémon
Type: Water/Psychic
Official Registration #: 779
Entry: A large, filefish-like pokémon native to tropical reefs. This unique pokémon possesses not only formidable jaws but also potent psychic abilities. It is also, due to its habit of hiding half-buried in the ocean floor and its inherent viciousness, not an easy pokémon to find or overwhelm. It’s barely visible until one gets close, and by then, these victims are unfortunately within range of bruxish’s telekinesis. What follows afterwards is swift: the bruxish smashes its prey into the rocks via telekinesis, further stuns them by grinding its teeth, and proceeds to crush and eviscerate them via their strong jaws. However, if one can get past its swift hunting tactics—say, by distracting them with magikarp used as bait—then they’ll be delighted to know that bruxish are rather easy to catch, filet, and fry and, in fact, are Alolan delicacies for this exact reason.

Baltoy and Claydol

Baltoy
The Clay Doll Pokémon
Type: Ground/Psychic
Official Registration #: 343
Entry: In the decades following its discovery deep within the ancient desert ruins of Hoenn, multiple experiments have been conducted by the topmost researchers in the field of pokémology to study the limitations of baltoy’s balance. Baltoy have been subjected to everything from rain to earthquakes to being forced to balance on quicksand, yet no matter what terrain or conditions it’s put through, baltoy never falters or wavers as it spins about on a single foot. It does, however, get rather angry when one attempts to throw it off-balance—specifically, the sort of angry that leads to Self-Destruct.

Claydol
The Clay Doll Pokémon
Type: Ground/Psychic
Official Registration #: 344
Entry: The evolved form of baltoy, by battle experience. According to anthropologists, paintings on the temple walls of a variety of ancient civilizations indicate that baltoy had been created for either religious or magical purposes. Some cultures used them to “absorb” illnesses, while others used them as effigies of fertility goddesses. Whatever the reason for baltoy’s creation may have been, one thing is consistent among all accounts: the more a baltoy was used, the stronger it became until it evolved at last into a larger, more potent form. From what anthropologists can gather, resulting claydol were often revered within ancient societies, as the increase in both size and power were seen by primitive humans as the gods’ attempts at literally embodying the idols that had been crafted for them. …Of course, the fact that all claydol are telekinetic and capable of shooting destructive beams from both hands likely helped this perception too.

Celebi

Celebi
The Time Travel Pokémon
Type: Psychic/Grass
Official Registration #: 251
Entry: Although those from mountainous East Johto, seafaring West Johto, and rural Central Johto are in disagreement as to which is more important between Lugia and Ho-oh, each Johtonian sect is in agreement that the other most important kami to our collective belief system is Celebi. According to general Johtonian belief, Celebi is the guardian of time, forests, and young pokémon, and its domain is specifically Ilex Forest. For this reason, not only is Ilex Forest sacred ground (and thus untouched, despite a major metro area bordering it to the north), but the region is also dotted with shrines dedicated to Celebi, the largest of which is located deep in Ilex itself. Additionally, there are a number of festivals throughout the year dedicated to Celebi, including one on New Year’s Day. This festival is called Shogatsu, which was the old word for the holiday in general but is, nowadays within Johto, used in reference to Celebi’s festival specifically. On Shogatsu, it’s customary to give thanks and ask for purification from Celebi in the form of offerings (of mochi, rice, or cards) left at any of its shrines throughout the region.

Although it’s technically a religious festival, Kinjin, or residents of Goldenrod City, are a very hospitable sort and would be more than happy to accept foreigners into our celebrations. However, we also understand that many of you may not know all of our Shogatsu customs, which is why kimono girls are often seen performing demonstrations of Johtonian culture in the various Shogatsu street fairs held throughout Goldenrod City. Simply approach one and ask in Old Johtonian (that is, our language before Common became prevalent) to be shown how to give thanks, and the kimono girl will gladly teach you. For Unovans who might not know how to speak or write Old Johtonian, the author suggests something special for particularly respectful treatment. Simply present a prayer card with “助けてください私はアメリカ人です” written on it, and the kimono girl will be sure that your prayers will be sent to Celebi.

Tapu KoKo entry please!

Why stop at just Tapu Koko?

Tapu Koko
The Land Spirit Pokémon
Type: Electric/Fairy
Official Registration #: 785
Entry: The guardian spirit of Alola’s Melemele Island. Supposedly the bravest of the four Alolan guardians, Tapu Koko is known for observing islanders and bestowing blessings upon worthy trainers. These trainers are then encouraged to undertake the island challenge, a type of journey specific to Alola, geared towards the training and selection of each element’s next kahuna. While Tapu Koko tends to be the most active tapu in selecting such individuals, it is also known for being the most capricious when it comes to deciding which among them actually becomes a kahuna. For this reason, trainers on Alola may start out on a journey to become strong enough to represent their island and elemental specialties, but they could very well find their lives veering off into an entirely different direction thanks to one of Tapu Koko’s sudden change of heart. Not that the author is complaining about such a process, of course. We did get Molayne out of such an arrangement. As well as a wealth of fantasy YA novels that seem to keep the editor happy.

Once again, Bill, I don’t judge you for your literary tastes. —LH

Tapu Lele
The Land Spirit Pokémon
Type: Psychic/Fairy
Official Registration #: 786
Entry: The guardian spirit of Alola’s Akala Island. It is said that this legendary pokémon scatters glittering scales as it moves and that these scales have the ability to restore one’s health upon physical contact. The latter is highly useful because as with all adorable, pink pokémon described on this blog, Tapu Lele is also infamous for being fantastically cruel and sadistic, and it’s both telepathic and capable of warping the fabric of space to create a strange and highly dangerous pocket dimension around its immediate area. In other words, you will very likely need these scales as Tapu Lele uses its psychic abilities to thoroughly destroy you.

Tapu Bulu
The Land Spirit Pokémon
Type: Grass/Fairy
Official Registration #: 787
Entry: The guardian spirit of Alola’s Ula’ula Island. Supposedly, this pokémon is extraordinarily lazy. Rather than attack an opponent head-on, it simply wills the vegetation around it to grow and ensnare the challenger before it delivers a devastating, close-range blow itself. Honestly, though, the author is intrigued by the fact that some people of Alola consider this to be evidence of Tapu Bulu’s laziness. If anything, it’s a brilliant strategy, and given how much effort the author has put into trying to will plants to do his bidding, he can safely say Tapu Bulu’s battle strategy is really much harder than it looks.

Not a good harvest, Bill? —LH

Oh, the garden was perfectly fine this year. It’s a certain half-plant, half-toad starter with a penchant for eating my crops after I explicitly tell him not to that’s the problem. —Bill

Tapu Fini
The Land Spirit Pokémon
Type: Water/Fairy
Official Registration #: 788
Entry: The guardian spirit of Alola’s Poni Island. This mysterious island guardian is supposedly the most laid-back of the four tapu. Unlike the others, who either actively seek out humans to observe (Tapu Koko) or toy with (Tapu Lele) or who actively avoid human contact altogether (Tapu Bulu), Tapu Fini prefers allowing humanity to do whatever it likes and will often only reveal itself to the truly worthy as a result. This may seem like Tapu Fini is putting in extra effort to avoid being detected, but in actuality, given the fact that her shrine is located in the highly unrelenting environment that is Poni Island, the fact that it surrounds itself with a dense fog full of danger, and the fact that the aforementioned shrine is called Ruins of Hope for a reason, it may be safe to say that Tapu Fini allows the environment to do much of the work when it comes to protecting her—much more than Tapu Bulu does, anyway.

Necrozma

Necrozma
The Prism Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Official Registration #: 800
Entry: Much confusion and debate surround this strange and highly destructive pokémon. For example, although it was first discovered emerging from deep underground beneath Alola’s Melemele Island, some say that Necrozma actually came from the Ultra Beasts’ world and is, thus, an Ultra Beast itself. Others argue that its emergence from Alola’s caverns is proof of a terrestrial origin and that its appearance and abilities are merely reflections of the Ultra Beasts—a defense, in other words, created by the tapu to counter the extradimensional threat. Then, of course, there are the more important questions, such as how a perfectly black crystal can reflect light, why any of this matters when it’s an intensely violent super-pokémon, and whether or not its design inspired certain rock bands of the 1970s to make absolutely fantastic album covers. While all of these are certainly good questions, the author would like to reassure his readers that he and his counterparts of Sinnoh and Kalos are very close to a breakthrough on that last one.