gal. 1, how do i identify its sex? and 2 any tips on befriending them? If it IS a Dratini and not just a swimming ekans.

On shellder/cloyster pearls: Actually, yes! If any kind of sediment gets into a mollusk pokémon’s shell, it might create a pearl, even if the pokémon in question isn’t a clamperl. It’s just that shellder and cloyster pearls can sometimes be rarer because they’re more aggressive than clamperl, so the only way to get them is either by raising shellder to release their pearls if asked or by harvesting them from already-dead pokémon.

Also, it’s true that shellder and cloyster are normally found in salt water in most regions, but for some reason, Sinnohan shellder and cloyster can sometimes be found in fresh. So if you live in Sinnoh, those are pretty rare pokémon, but it’s not completely odd that the divers you know are finding them in freshwater ponds. If it’s anywhere else, though, that is a bit weird, yes.

On dratini: Well, like most serpentine pokémon, it’s difficult to tell at a glance, especially if you don’t have more than one specimen on hand to compare. But male serpents will normally have thicker tails that taper more dramatically than females. Or in other words, female serpents generally have thinner tails, and you don’t really notice the slope of the taper until the tail just sort of … ends.

When it comes to befriending them, start off by looking as nonthreatening as possible. Sit down if you can, and talk to the dratini in a calm, soothing manner to get its interest. Let it come to you and offer to play with it—again, in as calm and soothing a manner as you can. Dratini are highly intelligent, so they might get what you’re trying to ask them without you having to do much else. Use food and treats as a last resort; you don’t want to accidentally train this dratini to rely on people as a source of food. On the other hand, if you have a pokémon, maybe let your smallest and/or friendliest one out to show this dratini a potential playmate.

And if it’s a swimming ekans … back away from the body of water carefully but quickly.

My slowpoke will be ready to evolve soon into a slowbro but I’m kinda worried. Will it hurt my slowpoke having a shelldon biting it’s tail? Or am I being overly protective? I don’t want my slowpoke to be miserable!

Not at all! When it bites down and changes form, shellder begin to create a toxin that targets and dulls the nerves of its host slowbro’s tail. (It’s called a toxin, but it doesn’t have any real detrimental effects to the slowpoke line other than numbing the area of contact. In sufficient enough doses, it can even unlock psychic and intellectual potential.)

As for the inevitable bite wound, think of it less like teeth sinking into your slowpoke’s tail and more like a body piercing. Once the shellder has attached, so long as you remember to clean around its teeth every so often, it should be perfectly fine. It doesn’t bleed, and eventually, the wound heals around the shellder’s teeth.

In short, no need to worry, reader. Your slowpoke will be fine.

Shellder and Cloyster

Shellder
The Bivalve Pokémon
Type: Water
Official Registration #: 90
Entry: A scallop-like pokémon native to the waters of Kanto and Johto. Although it is most known for resting on the sandy bottom of the shallower parts of the sea, shellder is actually a highly mobile pokémon. It swims by clamping its shell open and closed and steering with its tongue, thus bobbing up and down and “dancing” through the ocean currents. There really is no joke here; the author just wishes to leave you with the mental image of a shellder swimming. It is, indeed, quite a fantastic sight to behold.

Cloyster
The Bivalve Pokémon
Type: Water/Ice
Official Registration #: 91
Entry: The evolved form of shellder, by exposure to water stone. Protected by a rock-hard shell, this clam-like pokémon is capable of withstanding even the toughest blasts. Nothing can penetrate it unless it opens up for the purpose of attacking by thrusting itself forward and jamming its opponent with the short spike adorning its pearl-like head. Given the shape of this pokémon, it is important to note that this is also not a euphemism, regardless of what anyone says, Bebe.