Hello bill, concerned citizen here. I was walking yesterday and saw this man with an absol, but the odd thing was that this absol’s horn had a Scalloped edge. the man said it grew that way, but i noticed faint grooves in the horn. i think he bound the absol’s horn while it was growing to make the dips in the horn. Is this enough for me to call officer Jenny on him? I know that an absol’s horn is a major sensory device and worry for it, and am also concerned as to what happens if the horn breaks.

It’s worth it to know that there are genetic conditions that may affect the way an absol’s horn grows, so there’s a possibility that this trainer is right in that regard. Alternatively, the absol could be a rescue whose previous owner was abusive, and its current owner simply doesn’t want to talk about it. If you suspect abuse, it’s important to look for other signs, including malnourishment, fresh injuries, or strange (anxious, aggressive, etc.) behavior. Making an incorrect call on such a matter could put an owner and a pokémon through quite a lot, some of which can be highly traumatic for a rescue.

Still, it’s good to hear that you’re concerned for a pokémon’s well being! Please continue to care as deeply for pokémon as you do.

I recently got out of a very abusive relationship and have physical and emotional scars to show what I’ve been through. My absol went through similar issues due to my ex now has a very strong fear and anger of men and stands between me and any man that tries to get near me, will growl as a warning but I believe he won’t hesitate to attack if someone were to be near me. What can we both do to heal our emotional wounds?

Recovery will always take time, anonymous, including and especially for emotional wounds. It’s important, for both you and your absol, to take it slow and take it easy. It might also be an excellent idea to talk to someone—Nurse Joys can provide such a service for both you and your partner if need be, if not suggest someone else who can.

In the meantime, outside of professional help, form bonds with others. Seek out a support group (both in literal terms and in the sense of a solid base of friends or family) who can help rebuild both your and your absol’s trust in humans in general. Once that trust is rebuilt, you may be able to move on and work on getting comfortable with men again, but again, don’t rush too much. It’s not unusual for some hurt to linger well past traumatic events, and pushing yourself when you’re not ready may open up old wounds.

If, however, you mean what should you do if your absol tries to attack a man on the street, again, training is of the utmost importance. As difficult as this may be, teach your absol the difference between a threat and a non-threat. Have him learn how to trust his instincts again too. His abilities are his best means of figuring out what is and isn’t a danger to you, but he’s become so fixated on what has already happened (perhaps through his guilt of being unable to prevent it) that he seems to be relying on the past as his means of judgment, not his ability to read the future. Speaking with a professional, comforting him, and retraining him, in combination, should be able to help him heal enough to learn how to use his species’ inherent powers again.

Best of luck, anonymous!

How do I approach to an eevee that I recently saved from an abusive trainer?

Cautiously, anonymous.

The most important thing to remember about eevee abuse is that it normally stems from the unfortunate but not entirely uncommon thought among extreme eevee otaku that eevee are collectible objects, rather than living, breathing beings that have basic needs for survival. Sometimes, “affection” given to an abused eevee may come in the form of dressing it up, violating its personal space, and, yes, even violence, especially if the eevee in question had been bred or obtained specifically for the contest circuit. Of course, while knowing exactly how your eevee was abused helps, this doesn’t change the fact that even if yours had received an entirely different form of abuse (such as, for example, physical abuse, which can be common among house eevee), the process is by and large the same.

Start off by making sure your home is comfortable. Provide all the basic necessities—the higher the quality, the better. Make sure your eevee has a comfortable place to sleep, with a nice bed and the thermostat adjusted for its personal optimal temperature. (If your eevee is shivering or looks overheated, change the temperature accordingly as soon as possible.) Also be sure to stock your eevee’s area with plenty of fresh food and water, as well as a clean place for relieving itself, and also provide it with plenty of toys and distractions.

Once you’ve provided its basic needs, here is where the difficult part comes into play. You need to give your eevee plenty of space—literally, I mean. Don’t handle your eevee too much or too roughly for the first few days and gauge from its body language whether or not it’s comfortable with you. Try to assume non-threatening poses whenever you’re around it, and only touch it when it’s relaxed and ready to receive affection. Allow your eevee to come to you whenever possible, but always speak softly and reassuringly to it in order to establish that it can feel comfortable around you.

What may also help is asking the shelter, center, or breeder your eevee had come from about their routines. Feeding, cleaning, exercising, and putting your eevee to bed at the same time they had every day will help ease the transition from the shelter to your home, which in turn will reduce the stress your eevee goes through and allow it to open up to you more readily. The more you can mimic the first humans who were kind to it, the easier it will be for your eevee to begin to trust you.

Above all else, though, have patience. Take care of your eevee as best as you can and do everything you can to maintain a low-stress environment and day for it. Don’t begin battling or pokémon training right away. (You may train your eevee, but stick to the basics, such as paper training and training it to trust you and adjust to its environment.) Work up to that slowly until it feels comfortable enough with you and its new home to engage in aggressive physical activity. And always keep in mind that it’s very difficult for fresh psychological wounds to heal. It may take your eevee a month or few to begin trusting you, and that’s perfectly normal. Just keep showering it with kindness and being open to it, and eventually, it will be able to grow and love once more.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Can a past trauma get in the way of a Pokemon evolving via happiness? My Cleffa is from a shelter and I was told he was abused by his old trainer. He’s my baby now and I’ve spoiled him ever since, but recently he’s shown an interest in battling and I’ve started to ease him into it. It might be too early to tell, but I know he loves me a lot already and I’m not seeing any signs yet.

Sometimes, anonymous, but in your case, it’s unlikely. You see, trauma requires a lot of mental healing. Some pokémon never really get over a personal history filled with abuse and neglect, but others do in a very big way. It depends on a number of factors, mainly the degree of abuse, the personality of the pokémon, and the amount of love and patience a trainer shows them. If recovering pokémon can heal enough to open themselves up to their new trainers, they can experience the amount of happiness required for evolution.

In your case, it seems like your cleffa has already made incredible steps to recovery if he loves you deeply already. Continue doing what you’ve been doing to maintain his trust, and do your best to support him on the battlefield. I have no doubt that evolution should be easy for him if you continue to care for him the way you are now.

Best of luck, anonymous!

There’s a guy around town I often seen who always has a pretty beaten up looking Granbull with him. It has an obvious severe limp, rather torn up ears, and normally has fresh bruises whenever I see it. I’ve never seen him enter a pokemon centre to have it treated, and I don’t like to jump to conclusions, but I think it may be in trouble. Is there anything I can do to find out what’s happening or is it simply best to contact an officer?

Notify your local authorities immediately—not just your local Officer Jenny but also your local pokémon welfare agency. (The number is different in every region.) They’ll be required to investigate and determine whether pokémon abuse is happening or if the trainer is just particularly unlucky. Likewise, be sure to document what you’ve seen as well, as you may be asked to testify in court if it’s a case of gross pokémon abuse. If you can, try to take pictures of the granbull without its trainer noticing.

Whatever you do, however, do not engage directly with this man. You never know what he may do as a result, either to you or his granbull, and you also don’t want to risk alerting him to a potential investigation (and, therefore, any potential help for the granbull). That and there is always the potential that this isn’t a case of abuse on the trainer’s part but rather either fantastically bad luck or a case of past abuse (meaning the granbull could be a rescue). Allow authorities to figure out what’s going on, but do place a call as soon as possible.