Tag: Zorua

My Zorua, Kitsune, lately hasn’t been able to control his illusions. He’ll randomly become a spinark, or turn into someone he sees on the street and look completely confused upon doing it. Is this some type of disease or deficiency in zorua?

More like a possible sign of stress, actually. While zorua illusions normally require a certain level of concentration, some zorua may do it on instinct as a self-defense mechanism. You may wish to examine zorua’s daily habits (his sleep schedule, whether or not he’s eating well, and so on) to see if anything’s bothering him, and if nothing jumps out at you as strange, then pay close attention to his behavior shortly before he changes. If he seems agitated, it’s a self-defense mechanism, and you may wish to train him to better control his panic. If he seems fine, then yes, you may wish to take him to a pokémon center for a check-up, just to see if anything internal is causing him stress.

Best of luck!

Hey, Bill! Long time no see. I’ve got a question about my Zorua; my Zoroark recently had a cub and she was born blind. We’ve baby-proofed my apartment and more, so she’s not in any danger, but we’ve got another problem. Her dad’s a Ninetales, so she was born knowing Extrasensory; and she /loves/ using that to toss things that end up in her way. It’s handy, but you can imagine that can get a lil’ destructive. Got any ideas on how I could train her to use it with more control? Thanks!

Hello! It has been quite a while—excellent to see you!

Regarding your zorua, there’s a good chance you don’t have to, actually. If you still have her father, you also have a pokémon with experience with this sort of move who your zorua may trust. In other words, encourage your zorua’s father to teach her better self-control. Alternatively, if the father doesn’t wish to train his daughter, the mother might, as zoroark possess their own special abilities that they need both concentration and discipline to use effectively.

If neither parent is available to train your zorua, one thing you may wish to do is present her with one of the objects she’s tossed. Have her feel it, particularly if there’s any damage to it, to help her better understand that there are real consequences to her actions. This may sound harsh, but it’s the first step in teaching her the proper times she should use her abilities. After that, it’s a matter of rewarding her for holding back or for using her abilities in an appropriate manner and withholding rewards if she uses them inappropriately. Positive reinforcement is fairly universal, regardless of a pokémon’s abilities.

Best of luck!

Hi Bill, I want to ask you something about Zoruas/Zoroarks. Can a Zorua/Zoroark keep his/her illusion even when theire sleeping?

Unfortunately, unlike ditto, the illusions of zorua and zoroark actually require some level of concentration to maintain. (This is why striking them once will dispel the illusion they’ve created.) As such, no, they can’t maintain the images they’ve created while sleeping.

On the other hand, if a zorua or zoroark has a particularly vivid dream, you might see them sleep-weaving. Just as a fascinating note there.

Hi, I have a zorua who is interested in being a wild riolu,s friend. But she is too shy to approach him so I was wondering how to help her build confidence. Also how she should approach in a calm way.

It may be easiest to be the bridge between the two, anonymous. What I mean is try befriending the riolu yourself first. Coax him into trusting you (preferably without simply giving it treats, given that one should never feed wild pokémon) and build a relationship with him. The more your zorua will see you interacting with this riolu, the more she’ll be comfortable befriending him herself, partly because you would be showing her that it’s okay to befriend this riolu and partly because you would be showing her methods to approach him calmly.

If that doesn’t work (that is, if your zorua is still too shy for interaction), you may need to work on building her confidence. If you have any other pokémon or know any other trainers, have her practice interacting with others. Feed her treats for positive interactions and be as supportive and encouraging during these play dates as possible. It might even help to have her spar with others in order to help her feel comfortable with herself.

Then, when you encounter the riolu again, stand by her side and keep her calm as she approaches. Have her approach slowly but with purpose, and have her begin with calmer actions (such as sniffing riolu as a hello). Perhaps allow her to offer a toy or a treat (yes, even though humans shouldn’t feed wild pokémon). Ultimately, let the riolu lead the interaction, but be present to help your zorua stay calm and in control.

Incidentally, some blogs may suggest that zorua disguise herself as a riolu, but this is actually not the best idea. It’s far better to approach a new friend as you are so you can feel comfortable being yourself around them later. Having your zorua disguise herself as something she’s not could lead to confusion, disappointment, or even hostility down the line if she drops the illusion in front of her new friend.

Best of luck, anonymous!

Is it possible for a Zorua line member andor Ditto to become permanently stuck in a transformation (or at least choose to stay in one)?

Choose to stay as one? Yes, absolutely. Some shapeshifters have preferred forms, and they’ll attempt to assume these forms whenever possible.

Get permanently stuck as one, however, is a different story, and the answer there is “no.” Such transformations are always conscious for the most part. There’s always something that will trigger a de-transformation, no matter how careful a ditto or zorua/zoroark is.

Hello. I was wondering? Has there been any Reliable way to identify a Zorua in Human Form if they don’t speak? I’m asking for a friend who’s starting his journey soon.

Luckily for the zorua, no. That is to say, the easiest method is to look closely at someone for any signs of zorua-like features. Maybe it’s red-tipped black hair (that naturally grows that way) or bright red fingers and toes. Maybe their ears or teeth are pointed, or maybe they forgot to disguise their tails. Or maybe they act a little fox-like (running on all fours, eating or drinking by plunging their faces in a dish, or so forth).

However, just because a method is easy doesn’t make it reliable. Experienced or well-trained zorua, especially those on the brink of evolution, are often much better at disguising themselves than younger zorua, and thus, they’re nearly impossible to detect unless you have a pokémon capable of seeing through illusions (such as those with Foresight) or a device specially made for such a purpose.

(Don’t worry, anonymous. Your secret should be safe.)

When I have guests over or am sleeping or just not paying enough attention to her, my zorua turns into legendary Pokémon and it scares the heck out of me. How do I get her to knock that off?

Usually, this sort of behavior occurs in trickster pokémon (the zorua line, ditto, ghosts capable of illusion) that find their owners’ reactions to be, well, hilarious.

My advice would be to train yourself to avoid reacting if at all possible, and your zorua will be just frustrated enough that she’ll stop doing it. For example, when she disguises herself as a legendary, plant your feet firmly in the ground, take a deep breath, look her in the eye, and compliment her illusion. This may be difficult at first—especially if your initial reaction is to jump or scream in surprise—but the more you go through these motions (once you realize what she’s doing, anyway), the less time will elapse between her surprise attack and the first step in the above-mentioned sequence. Eventually, it should come naturally to you, and your zorua will gradually lose interest in teasing you in this manner … or at least the two of you will impress your house guests.

Of course, it should be noted that this won’t necessarily mean that your zorua will attempt to change her tactics on you, but the more you train yourself to avoid reacting to her disguises, the less likely she’ll use them on you in general.

You may remember my ask about my eevee that tried to woo a flaaffy. Well, he managed to evolve into a umbreon on his own and luckily for him, the zorua he was trying to impress accepted him. Now they both seem very happy together and it’s probably just me being super paranoid, but is there any way I can make sure he doesn’t regret the decision? I’m worried because the zorua was wild when they met (I caught her later on) and I wouldn’t want her to want to leave again.

Because happiness-based evolutions tend to be tied to positive experiences (for obvious reasons), it’s actually rare for a pokémon who evolves via that method to regret their decision later on. Even members of a branched line such as umbreon and espeon rarely show any curiosity towards their counterparts, simply because of the overwhelming positivity attached to their evolution.

Still, if you truly wish to avoid any possible feelings of remorse, the best that you can do is support both your umbreon and your new zorua. Train them both (especially your umbreon), help them unlock their potential as dark-types, and most importantly, provide them with a happy enough home that they feel safe, comfortable, and loved.

Congratulations, anonymous, and best of luck!

My friends Zoroark recently gave birth and asked me if I want one of the Zorua. What are the proper methods to taking care of a Zorua? What kind of bed/environment/other Pokémon can it have/be with?

Despite what you might think concerning zorua’s natural masking abilities, taking care of a zorua is actually rather easy and comparable to taking care of any other dog- or fox-like pokémon. They need the same levels of time and affection and very similar training exercises to their non-morphing cousins. Likewise, they can be kept in very similar environments, with very similar beds. You may need to find a larger bed for zoroark, but luckily, it can even use the same sorts of beds as arcanine or ninetales (if it sleeps curled up, anyway—it may also sleep like humanoid pokémon, which would require a humanoid bed).

When it comes to the other basics, as with other canine pokémon, zorua are largely carnivorous, and when not fed kibble, they should be fed meat but can eat some vegetables and grains (in small amounts). It would also be a good idea to invest in chew toys or rawhide for distractions, and be sure to set aside some time each day for play and walks, especially during the first couple of years. Additionally, as with all canine pokémon, zorua can be paper-trained but should be let out to relieve themselves. Zoroark can be toilet-trained, but zorua prefer taking care of themselves in the outdoors. A fenced yard will do just as well, but definitely keep an eye on your zorua as it does so, especially if it grows into a mischievous pokémon when it comes to its ability to disguise itself. Finally, while zorua and zoroark are capable of self-grooming, you can supplement their routine with regular baths. Either way, zorua claws should be regularly trimmed, and their teeth should be brushed. This may be a difficult task as most zorua are finicky about these, but offering a treat for sitting still through these procedures may make things easier.

The only thing to keep in mind is that your zorua will eventually learn to disguise itself and create illusions. However, this is less of a problem than most people think. If you raise a zorua from a young age and treat it with kindness and love, then it won’t attempt to use its abilities to escape, contrary to popular belief. However, it will very likely attempt to create illusions for its own entertainment, so always keep your head about you when your zorua is growing into these abilities. The aforementioned distractions will be more important than ever at this point. Whenever you encounter something that is clearly an illusion (be it entire rooms that shouldn’t be there, pokémon you definitely do not have, or even an extra toaster in your kitchen), offer a toy. This will distract your zorua enough to break the illusion. In the meantime, try your best not to react negatively to your zorua’s illusions. Certainly, show your support and enthusiasm to its developing abilities, but don’t show fear or anger whenever zorua tricks you. (And, yes, this will happen.) Eventually, your zorua will outgrow its attempts to trick you, at which point you can train your zorua to use its abilities during more appropriate times, such as in battle or to protect you or your home.

As for which pokémon zorua work best with, it really depends on whether or not you intend on using your zorua for battle and what its personality is like. You may find it easiest to have a pokémon with Foresight at hand to dispel zorua’s illusions, but that would be protection for you, rather than accompaniment for your zorua. Some zorua do well when paired with other canine pokémon, especially houndour or growlithe, as they may form a pack together. Otherwise, in battle, trainers tend to pair zorua and zoroark with crobat, as their speed, combined with their typing, make them ideal counters to most of zoroark’s weaknesses.

In short, most people tend to think zorua are a challenge to raise, but for the most part, they’re fairly easy. Just remember that ultimately, zorua are canine pokémon … and also that they have a fantastic mischievous streak that can be countered with squeaky toys.