Tag: shiinotic

Bill, I’ve recently caught a Shiinotic. Do you have any tips on caring for him and making him as comfortable as possible?

Allow me to answer this for both morelull and shiinotic, as they’re both extremely similar in terms of needs.

The morelull is fairly easy to care for, but it’s also a bit of a challenge due to its behaviors. You see, both pokémon are strictly nocturnal. While it’s possible to train them during the day, they won’t thrive all that well unless you allow them to rest for at least part of the time that the sun is up. Some trainers find it easiest to train their morelull and shiinotic right at the early hours of the night (and then allow their mushrooms the rest of the time to do as they please), but others find it even easier to simply invert their own sleep patterns. Do whatever will be the most comfortable and convenient to you.

Beyond that, morelull and shiinotic need moist environments, preferably outdoors with a tree nearby. Give it a patch of moist soil underneath a tree in a yard if you can, but if you can’t, simply giving them a large pot with some herbs will do just as nicely. Shiinotic and morelull feed primarily by draining nutrients out of nearby plant matter, so it may be a bit of a challenge to keep enough plants on hand unless you have a yard. Otherwise, a shiinotic or morelull’s diet can be supplemented with kibble (so long as it’s soaked in water first) or overripe berries, but it’s still a good idea to give them a moist, dark place to rest during the day.

Both morelull and shiinotic aren’t that difficult to take care of beyond those two major points, as they’re easy-going pokémon that aren’t particularly demanding when it comes to enrichment or companions. Simply let them do their own thing during the night, and they’ll find ways to amuse themselves. However, in the morning, be sure to clean up your home or their enclosure. Vacuum or mop up—do not sweep—any glowing spores you come across. These aren’t exactly toxic to humans, but they are powerful sleep inducers and may lull new trainers to sleep within seconds. While you can build tolerance to your shiinotic’s spores over time, exposing yourself to his spores may still be an unpleasant experience, even then, and it certainly won’t be for guests. I would advise handling these spores while wearing a mask and gloves as well.

As for hygiene, just give a morelull or shiinotic a light spray with a water bottle every few days to clean off excess spores. Also do this while wearing gloves and a mask.

Other than that, as I’ve said, they’re rather easy to care for. Just be wary of their mischievous sides, as they are part-fairy.

Best of luck!

Morelull and Shiinotic

Morelull
The Illuminating Pokémon
Type: Grass/Fairy
Official Registration #: 755
Entry: This small, mushroom-like pokémon are why it’s highly inadvisable to go mushroom hunting in Alola (that is, its native region) unless you happen to be an expert mushroom hunter. Specifically, in the darkness of the Alolan jungles, the inedible morelull can easily be mistaken for the highly edible and delicious balm mushroom. There are, of course, two ways to tell morelull and balm mushrooms apart. First, if it’s resting beside a mossy rock, chances are it’s a balm mushroom, whereas if it’s resting at the root of a fruit tree, it’s likely a morelull. Likewise, if it does nothing when you nudge it gently with the toe of your boot, it is likely a balm mushroom. On the other hand, if it begins to glow and spew a cloud of sleep-inducing spores at you, there’s a good chance it’s a morelull.

Shiinotic
The Illuminating Pokémon
Type: Grass/Fairy
Official Registration #: 756
Entry: The evolved form of morelull, by battle experience. The other reason why it’s an ill-advised idea to hunt for balm mushrooms in the jungles of Alola is because morelull are often found in the vicinity of at least one shiinotic, which is not only bigger and more powerful but also is highly predatory and prone to feasting on the energy of any prey it considers to be worthy for consumption, including humans. While an effective form of protection against shiinotic would be the standard flying- or fire-type pokémon that can attack from outside shiinotic’s attack radius, it is often more recommended by locals to bring another mushroom-like pokémon, such as parasect or breloom. Shiinotic are often prone to engaging in territory wars with such pokémon, and thus, they provide an adequate amount of distraction while the seasoned, human mushroom hunter slips away. While one would think this recommendation is due to basic logic (fire and hurricane-force winds are far more destructive than close-range attacks from pokémon that are immune to shiinotic’s Sleep Powder), in actuality, it’s more because Alolan natives, for whatever reason, find the drama and in-fighting between fellow mushroom-like pokémon to be hilarious. (To be fair, they’re right in that regard.)