Through shenanigans involving a trapinch and a really, really old floor, i recently fell into what looked to be partially excavated ruins in hoenn, where I found a volcarona with a manmade clip on its wing. I’m worried that it was a team magma capture, in addition to the trauma of being transported so far from its home region if so. In addition, it’s grown on me, and i want to keep it. What challenges should i expect from training an older Volcarona, and how worried should I be about team magma?

Because it’s grown close to you, take a good look at the clip. If it has Magma’s emblem on it, then you may need to be very worried. If, however, it has Devon or Silph’s (or any other brand), it may actually be a research tag. Sometimes, we researchers seek out and tag pokémon known to migrate (such as volcarona) in order to observe and better understand their migratory patterns and seasonal habits. If that’s the case, then you may wish to leave this volcarona alone. (You may also bring it to your local professor to be absolutely sure it’s a tracking tag for research purposes. If it’s not, then that researcher will also know what to do from there.)

Actually, come to think of it, you may wish to bring this volcarona to your nearest professor first before thinking too much about training it. You never know if you may be interfering with vital data … or having an actual criminal organization after you.

Hey Bill. I’m a trainer, and very recently, my partner, a Larvesta, evolved. Their very capable of holding their own now, and still get along with their team mates, but the oddest thing is that their wings, instead of being Red (Like before) or Yellow (As I’ve heard shiny Volcrona are supposed to be), are Chansey pink with violet spots. They’re doing well, and I’ve spoken with several Pokemon Center workers who claim they could not be healthier. I was wondering, is there a reason for the pink?

There are a couple of possible reasons, actually. For one thing, it could simply be genetic; if your volcarona’s parents were pink or otherwise not as vibrantly red as standard, then that increases the likelihood that they would have offspring that would be pink or off-color in their adult stages. Supposedly, a shiny parent also increases the likelihood that something like this will happen, but frankly, this hasn’t really been confirmed.

Second, it could be diet. Sometimes, eating pale or pink fruits in one’s larval stage changes one’s color later on. This phenomenon is especially true for pokémon that feed primarily on pinkan berries (which are notorious for changing a pokémon’s color after just a few servings), but sufficient amounts of pecha or persim will do it too.

Finally, it could also be environmental. If you trained your larvesta mostly during the evenings or early mornings, particularly during sunrise or sunset, there’s a chance that it will adjust its colors to match those of the sky at that time. Otherwise, most larvesta will try to match the warmth and vibrance the midday sun (even if it’s by memory, if they’re mostly trained at night).

In other words, the pokémon center was absolutely right. Your volcarona is perfectly healthy … just fascinatingly rare.

Congratulations on both this and their evolution!

Larvesta and Volcarona

Larvesta
The Torch Pokémon
Type: Bug/Fire
Official Registration #: 636
Entry: This rare larval pokémon possesses a great affinity for the fire type. It is most comfortable in deserts and at the base of volcanoes, it spews fire from its flame-colored horns, and it wraps itself in a cocoon of pure fire upon evolution. In fact, larvesta has such a strong affinity for fire that it was once said among the native Unovan population that its entire kind was born from the sun and flung to Earth and that the solar surface is still covered in similar larva-like fire creatures … which, in this author’s opinion, says a number of disconcerting things about the Unovan concept of the sun.

Volcarona
The Sun Pokémon
Type: Bug/Fire
Official Registration #: 637
Entry: The evolved form of larvesta, by battle experience. Volcarona emits flames from its brightly colored, bioluminescent wings, and even the slightest flap of these sends a dazzling rain of embers towards the ground. Although not a legendary-level pokémon, volcarona is said to be the embodiment of the sun. The reason why is because, supposedly, centuries ago, when Unova was covered with volcanic ash, a swarm of volcarona appeared and served as a replacement for the sun itself. This is a great story, of course, especially given the fact that, as mentioned in a previous entry, Unova isn’t a volcanic region.