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[thepokepelago]

Do you think intensive pokemon breeding (i.e; breeding and discarding countless pokemon until you get the perfect IV or EV one you want) is safe/healthy? I know a few friends who tend to do that, and I'm worried if it negatively affects the pokemon partners as much as it could to the many thrown away. I'm told its all in the local daycare's safe environment, so it should be fine, but I cant help but feel apprehensive seeing someone throwing away all those baby pokemon like that. Any opinions?

I suppose this is one of those things that does come down to personal opinion and how the breeding ranch itself operates.

I agree with your friends that there is a need to IV and EV breed pokémon. While a lot of people (including myself) consider it a hobby, it’s really more than that. Pokémon battling is such an engrained part of our society that it is a buisness, a passion, and almost a neccessity of getting to the top of the hypothetical food chain. Of course, that takes us into discussions of nature versus nuture, whether a pokémon can dominate competitions not by being specially bred to do so (as we’ve been seeing in recent years), ifpokémon benefit more from trainer dedication and bond, if “IVs” and “EVs” even really exist…but I think that we can all agree that there are some ways to breed pokémon that give them advantages (not a guarenteed win) against other pokémon of the same species. In that vein, I will defend IV and EV breeding. It adds a new dimension to competition, and supports the livelihood of a lot of people, who are doing what they love. 

Now, supporting the idea of it isn’t the same as supporting its actuality. Your use of the term “throwing away” bothers me. If your friends aren’t administering the same type of care to their “regular” (or, as you so put it, “discard”) pokémon that they are to their “well-bred” ones, that’s disgusting. I’m not talking about giving them the same amount of training; I understand not using resources to bulk up pokémon that they don’t plan on using for battle. I mean basic care, like feeding, playing and interacting with. It doesn’t matter if the daycare’s enviornment is “safe” if it’s only “safe” for desirable pokémon. 

Ideally, a breeding center/daycare/ranch/what have you that engages in pokémon IV and EV breeding will take care of all of its pokémon, regardless of their “use” for battling. They’ll recognize that they’re the ones who brought thesepokémon into the world, and it’s therefore their responsibility to take care of them. They also recognize that pokémon have use past battling - as hard workers, assistants, and above all, companions. And they make a genuine effort to bring those pokémon to good, loving homes.* 

“Throwing away” a pokémon ignores all of these recognitions, seeing pokémon more as stepping stones to the perfect tool for a human. And that’s just not right. Tell those friends of your’s off. The fact that they’d even refer to their bred pokémon as “discard” is absolutely heinous, and they need a reality check before their pokémon get hurt.

*Alternatively, there are some pokémon that can live just fine in the wild despite being bred (which isn’t the case for all; this is why research of your bred pokémon is important) after a few months, weeks, or even days if properly raised. If that’s the case, there’s nothing wrong with releasing them into the proper, wild enviornment - if the person releasing them know that it’s okay, that is. Releasing, say, Torkoal onto a beach out of convience for the breeder is still terrible, even if they can survive on their own.

[thepokepelago]

So I just moved to the Alola region and I do a lot of costume work. Unfortunately, some of my supplies have gone missing lately, and it turns out the culprit was a few mimikyu. No idea where they came from, but I've done a lot of work with pokemon of all types ( due to working with them in theater ). I'm willing to let the little guys have some supplies, and even hang around sometimes, but is there anything specific I need to KNOW in case one moves in for good?

Seems like you’ve had quite the journey with your Mimikyu, anon. You must work in a pretty large theater - Mimikyu tend to live in relative solidarity, something I briefly discuss in an older post I made analyzing the pokémon. I’m sure you’ve noticed that Mimikyu’s nests have been fairly spread out throughout the theater?

Your Mimikyu seem to have worked out that briefly working together works out favorably for them. If they continue to help you, they continue to get scraps of fabric, and they can continue to build their “nests”. Mimikyu have been known to hoarde objects before - sounds like your’s have an affinity for cloth. I’m surprised you were even able to find thir hoarde to begin with, since Mimikyu likes to keep its living space to itself (not to mention that they usually make them in hidden areas!). Good eye.

If you watch them after they “protect” the house, I’m sure you’ll notice that they don’t go back to the deeper theater together, each drifting off on their own. This behavior has always been puzzling to pokémon behavioralists, considering how dependent Mimikyu is on human attention. That’s really my main concern about your new “neighbors”. Mimikyu that become dependant on humans can be difficult to handle. They easily get jealous of their human’s other pokémon, perhaps seeing them as competition to the trainer’s attention. Obviously, this is not good for someone who works with a lot of pokémon. They act on this jealously in many ways, usually by pestering or bullying the pokémon while the trainer’s back is turned. This can sometimes result in the injury of the effected pokémon when Mimikyu goes a little too far. Frankly, I’m not sure what would transpire if three Mimikyu were to vie for your attention at once; probably nothing good. This behavior can be trained out of them, fortunately, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, especially considering a Mimikyu’s life of loneliness beforehand. If they don’t seem to be too attatched to you right now, it’s possible that your relationship will stay the way it’s always been - you give cloth and theater space, they give you protection. But tread carefully.

Another option could be to allow experienced trainers, who know how to handle Mimikyu, adopt the little guys. More than one Mimikyu in a place just doesn’t seem like a good idea to me because of what might transpire.

I feel guilty telling you to exercise caution since these pokémon clearly came to you for help, but their personalities can be so volatile if they start to bond with you that I’m worried for the rest of your theater. I’ve never really heard of more than one Mimikyu doing well when trained by one person - Mimikyu breeders seperate even newly-born ones from their siblings to avoid problems. While it’s a good sign that the three are working together, that might be because they haven’t “grown” to you yet - who knows? See how it works out for a little while, but at the first sign of trouble, I’d consider taking some alternative measures than letting them stay in your theater. 

I should probably mention that I have nothing against Mimikyu myself. When trained properly, it’s a wonderful pokémon (and one heck of a security system). But since you’re working in a profession with so many other pokémon, I want to be sure that I’m ensuring their safety as well. And Mimikyu does pose the possibility of being a threat to that. Maybe I’m completly off base, and the Mimikyu will have no interest in you (though I suppose they might in a theater hand or actor, and that can start a whole host of problems). Just take the right steps for your other pokémon, okay?

[thepokepelago]

when my salandit sneezes she ends up spitting fire!!! i have a brionne so the fires are short lived but im not too big a fan of having my house set on fire for any period of time. what do i do?

Sounds like this is a pretty common occurence for you, anon! The first question that you should be addressing is this - what exactly is causing Salandit to sneeze to begin with? We all accidentally breathe in a little dust every once in a while. But if this is happening on a consistent basis, you might have a dust problem in your home, which is nothing that a good cleaning wouldn’t fix. If this isn’t the case, it’s possible that there’s some sort of allergen in your home affecting Salandit’s sinuses.

It might also be important to identify when exactly Salandit is sneezing. The obvious application of that is to make sure she’s outside whenever she might be susceptible to a sneeze, but it might lead you to a cause, as well. Is she sneezing after excercise? Her nasal cavities might be drying up after over-exertion, causing nasal drip, activating a sneeze. If she sneezes directly after coming inside, maybe it’s an allergen from outside, which she can take medicine for. As silly as it sounds, seriously consider starting a “sneeze journal” of sorts to see if you can identify any trends.

In the meantime, consider buying a humidifer for your home. It’ll moisten your Salandit’s nostrils, making sneezing less likely. I hope you can find the root of your problem!

[thepokepelago]

One of my pumpkaboo recently evolved into a Gourgeist. She's usually well behaved, but she's taken to wandering the house at night and singing a strange, moaning song. I'm starting to have trouble sleeping, and when I do sleep, I have strange and quite vivid nightmares. What should I do?

Unfortunately, what you’re describing is an extremely common behavior that is directly related to Gourgeist’s evolution. It has nothing to do with how “well behaved” Pumpkaboo once was, and everything to do with the fact that it is now Gourgeist.

Gourgeist’s song is said to curse those who listen to it. While the term “curse” might be a little strong, it is true that those to listen to it do suffer symptoms such as insomnia, nightmares, anxiety attacks, and general feelings of unease. There are many theories as to why Gourgeist sings. One is that it’s a way of protecting itself from potential predators when it wanders alone by disabling them. Another is that it’s simply a manifestation of its Ghost typing, since Ghost types relish in playing tricks or bringing discomfort to those who surround it (which, in my opinion, is a theory that leaves a lot to be desired).

Either way, figuring out the “why” isn’t as important as making the behavior stop. If you live in an area where this would cause relatively little damage, simply letting your Gourgeist wander outside during nights could give you some instant relief. But this won’t do if you, say, live in an apartment building where you could potentially “curse” other residents (wouldn’t that be a fun floor meeting), or if the weather is too cold to let Gourgeist out safely. Training it to simply “stop” will be fairly ineffective, since it appears to be an intrinsic behavior - plus, without knowing what actually causes the singing, this would be incredibly difficult to even attempt, anyway.

Is it possible for you to perhaps give Gourgeist its own “area” to stay in at night? Where do your Pumpkaboo stay? Or, perhaps instead of letting it wander the entire house, you could seal it off from certain areas of the house at night - namely, around your room - so it can still be mobile, but not bother you.

Of course, this is all ignoring the simplest solution - investing in a solid pair of earbuds. Pokémon speciality stores carry ones that are meant to protect trainers from attacks like Perish Song, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t work here.

Whatever you chose to do, I hope you can return to your sweet dreams soon.

[thepokepelago]

Hi! Im a new pokemon trainer in Unova, and I have three pokemon. My Oshawott, my Pidove, and my Riolu. I have a lot of experience with Pokemon because I helped my mom out at her Pokemon daycare, so my Oshawott and Riolu are no problem! But I don't have much experience with Pidove, and mine is being a handfull. He bosses my other Pokemon around alot and attacks wild Pokemon without me telling him to. What should I do? And if you can, give tips on how to make him nicer to the other two. THanks!

Hello, anon! Sounds like your Pidove is being a real problem. If I’m being honest though, I’m just kind of shocked to hear that your Pidove is engaging in repetitive, consistent behaviors to begin with. Most trainers struggle to get their Pidove to even do anything to begin with - they’re among the most forgetful of pokémon, and will seriously forget to carry out a command their trainers gave them mere seconds ago. If you can learn to curtail its problematic behavior, you might have a very special Pidove on your hands.

My best guess for its behavior is this - while you were trying to train it, Pidove misunderstood your commands. I’m going to assume that, as a new trainer, you were trying to teach it how to battle, and now Pidove thinks that it needs to attack and maintain order with every single pokémon it comes into contact with. And now, it’s stuck in a loop. This isn’t your fault at all; this would never happen with a pokémon like Oshawott and Riolu, so why would you ever assume it would with Pidove? But like I said before, Pidove is an extremely forgetful pokémon. And not to bang on it too much, but it’s also not the smartest one, either. It probably didn’t understand what you were trying to teach it, focusing only on pne part of its lesson - attack other pokémon - and is now acting on that, thinking it’s pleasing you.

I think your best option is to allow Pidove to continue attacking wild pokémon, in the hopes of making it evolve. So long as the wild pokémon pose no serious threat to it, I don’t see the harm in allowing your Pidove to train. Its evolution, Tranquill, gets a massive boost in intelligence and can be trained properly then. If you think Pidove might be hurt by these pokémon, maybe you could let it train against your Riolu and Oshawott. It’s bossing them around anyway; might as well let that energy go somewhere. And maybe an evenly matched battle between them will knock Pidove down a few pegs.

Best of luck with your pokémon journey!

[thepokepelago]

Hello! I'm a little curious, one of my best friends is a Spiritomb, and people tend to get so skittish around him. I'm wondering the reason why? I know they can be intimidating, but he's very sweet. I can't say he wouldn't hurt a fly, but he certainly isn't of the 'rampaging' sort. Did I just luck out with my little buddy, or are more of them docile like mine?

That’s a pretty interesting question, anon. I’m sorry to hear that you and Spiritomb are facing such issues with others to begin with.

I think that there are mainly two reasons why people might be apphrensive around your harmless friend. One might be general shock - after all, it appears to be a disembodied face jutting out from a rock. Since Spiritombs aren’t very common companions, your Spiritomb might be the first one many people see. It also doesn’t help that Spiritomb tends to be the focus of many classic fairytales in the Sinnoh region, where malicious humans meet their end by being eternally bound to the Odd Keystone that gives Spiritomb its body. People might harbor some negative emotions toward your pokémon for this very reason.

The second is that, yes, unfortunately, wild Spiritombs are not the most inhibited of pokémon. As you may or may not know, “natural” Spiritombs are created from the manifestation of 108 spirits, all of which remember their past lives. They are capable of taking over Spiritomb completly for a short period of time, which leads this pokémon to make irrational and sometimes violent decisions as the spirits cycle through autonomy. 

There is evidence suggesting that the spirits that are found and sealed in Spiritombs are generally restless, leading scientists to believe that the Forbidden pokémon’s (scary name) ancestors might have been sealed within the stone by pokémon of a higher power for misdeeds. 

Problem is, this theory fails to define what type of spirits reside within bred Spiritomb - which, judging by your companion’s amicable attitude, I’m assuming your’s is. Other research has suggested that bred Spiritombs contain the same souls as their ancestor’s did, only “reborn”. Without getting too far into technicalities, the spirits found in a bred Spiritomb are almost like the genetic copies of the parent Spiritomb, only without the memories of their past lives and the experiences that stemmed from that. Therefore, while not always the case, a lot of Spiritombs are less likely to attack and lash out at humans (which lends a very interesting, if indirect, claim to back up the concept of “tabla rasa”, but let’s not get into that). Additionally, their contained spirits do not fight over control of Spiritomb, like in a wild one - they instead work together to create a persistent, single personality. 

In short, wild Spiritombs tend to present a danger to humans because of the resetlessness and unprediciability of their spirits, who are all fighting for control of the Odd Keystone. Bred ones (which the majority of them are now) have learned to work together to (usually) create an amicable host.

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding these pokémon, which isn’t surprising, considering its odd research history. But you and your companion are a living example of what Spiritomb can really be! Use that to your advantage, and explain that to people. You’ll be surprised at how many of them get it.

[thepokepelago]

Yo! Do you have any tips and tricks on how to find/choose the right partner Pokémon? Like, how do I know what is right for me?

Well, that’s certainly an important question, anon! And it’s something I’ve been meaning to address on this blog for a while. Finding the perfect pokémon, while by no means easy, can be vastly simplified by determining what exactly you’re looking for. Let me present some sample questions that you should be asking yourself while on your search for the perfect companion.

Why is it that I want a pokémon to begin with? Be honest with yourself here. Do you want a pokémon genuinely for the companionship? To become a trainer? To stick it to your mom who wouldn’t let you run off at twelve years old to hike across your home region unsupervised? Finding out exactly why you want a pokémon in your life can make it easier for you to ultimately choose one (or make you re-evaluate your interests).

What experience have I had with pokémon before? It’s pretty uncommon to encounter a person who has never had sustained contact with pokémon before, but there’s a serious difference between, say, growing up with a Patrat in the house and living on a breeding farm populated soley by Druddigon. Did you personally take care of these pokémon? Were you vaguely aware of their needs? How responsible were you for them? Did you ever have a pet pokémon growing up that your guardians gave you? How comfortable were you around them? What did you like and not like about being around them? Taking these questions and your prior experience with pokémon into account is crucial. It’ll tell you what pokémon will be in your skill range of taking care of, and what features you’ll want in one. 

How much exercise do I do regularly? This is one a lot of people fail to take into account. You can’t just stick your Rapidash into its ball for the day because you don’t feel like letting it race across your backyard - you’ll get a discontented pokémon that way. And speaking of that backyard...

How much space and resources do you actually have? A Snorlax sounds well and good until you’re using your entire paycheck to barely cover the cost of its breakfast and it’s sheer size is blocking the entrance to your bedroom. Always take into consideration what your potential pal will need and how much you can actually give.

Do you have any intentions of becoming a trainer? Certain pokémon are easier to train for battle, especially for beginners. If battle is something you’re interested in, this might be something to consider while choosing a new friend.

Once you’ve done some thinking, you might be wondering - where exactly should I pick up my companion? I would suggest finding breeding establishments that carry your desired friend. That way, you can meet them in person and see if they’re a good fit for you (after during your proper research, of course). Be sure to have everything you’ll need for your new friend - whether that be food, a place to sleep, bowls, playthings, whatever - before picking them up so you’re ready to go when the two of you arrive home.

I hope you find what you’re looking for!

[thepokepelago]

Hello, I am about to open a small Cafe' open to the traveling trainer. I've heard certain pokemon are great helpers in the kitchen (ie. Slurpuff) is there any other suggestions you can offer?

Wow, congrats, anon! That sounds super exciting. In fact, there are multiple pokémon known and distinguished for their help in kitchens worldwide. While  it really depends on what you’re going to need in your cafe, I’ll give you a brief overview of the most commonly used ones. Be sure to look into the proper regulations of each, as well - there are special rules for pokémon who assist in areas where food is being prepared.

Slurpuff - You’re absolutely correct about Slurpuff being a popular companion for chefs. Slurpuff’s delicate sense of smell is incredibly useful in judging the quality, freshness, and taste of all sorts of ingredients and produce. This makes it a popular choice among pastry chefs in particular, but its nose can really be applied to just about any food that needs to be tested. The only exception to this tends to be bitter-tasting foods, like extremely sour candies and coffee. Slurpuff has an intrinsic dislike for those types of foods, and will probably give you a negative response to foodstuff of that nature, regardless of quality. But for all of its other applications, this shouldn’t be a huge problem.

Growlithe - Going along the line of pokémon with extraordinary senses of smell, we have Growlithe. Its sense of smell is weaker than Slurpuff, but it’s blessed with the distinguishing trait of never forgetting a scent once it’s been encountered. How does this help you? While it doesn’t lend itself very well to cooking, it will help in your upkeep of the business itself. Growlithe is very protective of places it considers to be its territory, and will drive away pests (namely, bug pokémon) from making their homes inside your cafe. It’s a handy way to avoid infestations; once Growlithe remembers the scent of the pests, it can smell them approaching from a mile away, making it even easier for them to drive them away the next time around. 

Problem is, Growlithe can take this loyalty a little too far, and might mistake your patrons or their pokémon as forces that need to be driven away (heaven forbid if one your guest’s pokémon is the same kind as the ones Growlithe previously chased away!). It needs to be heavily trained before being introduced as an integral part of your cafe so this doesn’t happen. Fortunately, it learns pretty easily - there’s a reason there’s so many of them on our police forces!

Rotom - Rotom is bit of a wild card in its natural state, but due to the success of the Rotom Dex, more and more breeders have taken it upon themselves to breed and train Rotoms specifically to carry out tasks that their human owners need. Rotom has a very strange ability - not only can it infiltrate and effectively “haunt” objects, specifically machinery, it can make them more powerful than the object would have been under normal operation. For the purposes of your kitchen, this could include training Rotom to live in your oven, which would make it heat up quicker than it normally would, or coffee pots, to brew quicker. Rotoms are extremely difficult to find in the wild (nor would I suggest you try to find one that way, as they’re naturally mischievous and need to be properly trained in order to avoid disaster), and they’re fairly expensive to buy from breeders, especially considering the specialized training they’ll need. But if your cafe becomes very busy and needs you to push out orders quick? Rotom might not be a half bad investment.

Chansey - Chansey is a popular choice for practically any service job, whether it be in Pokémon Centers, hospitals, service companionship - I can’t imagine that this skill wouldn’t translate to restaurants. It’s incredibly bright and always happy to please. I have no doubt in my mind that you could train it to bring plates to customers (which might be good if you’re just starting out and can’t afford to hire waiters and waitress just yet, or if you’re looking for a very small-scale cafe experience). Plus, these pokémon exude joy, which can’t hurt to expose customers to - less angry customers, more pleasantries. Not to mention that they’re very generous with their eggs, which happen to be delicious. I smell a new special on the menu.

Arceus-speed!

[thepokepelago]

Hey there, I recently had to emergency adopt my friend's standard exeggutor, but I live in a really chilly city. I've made it a makeshift sunroom to get some extra sunlight and got a sun lamp for those really dismal days but as sweet as it is, it's just not as jolly as it once was. I'd hate to have to send exeggutor to my parent's in Fuchsia, especially since it's only been two months, but it's so much more hospitable for grass types. What should I do?

As unfortunate as it is, I would suggest that sending Exeggutor to the place where it will be most comfortable is the best route of action. While they need far less of it than their Alolan counterparts, Exeggutor still needs a decent amount of sunlight to live in comfort. While it can live under sun laps and sunrooms, it just isn’t the right lifestyle for it - you want Exeggutor to do more than simply “live”, right?

Sometimes, we have to make tough decisions concerning our pokémon, but we should ultimately take the path that will ensure their happiness. And I think sending Exeggutor away is the proper choice. It was really lovely for you to have temporarily adopted it from your friend, though - we need more people like you, anon.

[thepokepelago]

 Hey guys! Just wanted to make a quick post to tell you that the inbox is closing temporarily. You all have some great questions, but it’s getting to the point where one post yields three asks (not that I’m complaining!), and I simply can’t keep up. I’d really like to answer your asks, so until I get at least 50% through them, the box will be closed.

Also, while I’m on the topic, here’s a brief reminder that this blog does have a FAQ. Please consider reading it before submitting questions!

Thank you, and see you soon!

[thepokepelago]

Any tips for a struggling trainer with a Wailord?

I suppose that depends on just how you’re struggling, anon. Wailord is a difficultpokémon to tap the potential of since it’s so difficult to direct. It’s a master of the open sea, and a favorite companion of sailors who practically live on water, but land-dwellers tend to get sea legs around the Float Whale pokémon.

What most trainers find the most difficult about Wailord is its attention span. Frankly, this is a pokémon that was not born to battle. In the wild, it spends its free time hunting for food, migrating, mating, and finding more food. These habits are just an intrinsic part of its nature, and cannot be trained out. I would suggest, then, two things. One would be to not bother forcing Wailord to focus, and instead letting it go about on its daily buisness. It’ll be less stress on the both of you. Take advantage of the time where it isn’t hunting for food - which will probably take up the majority of its day, and is not something you can provide it with - to train it. The second would be to give Wailord a makeshift pod. They’re naturally social creatures, and get along pretty amicably with other water-based pokémon. You can get more Wailmer, but any water-dwelling pokémon should do just fine (and is probably better for your local ecosystem than adding more massive eaters to it). Pods will raise Wailord’s spirits, and will keep Wailord around you more - since they’ll want to be around their pod. This can force it to focus. Be warned, though, that it will eventually drift back to the sea, no matter what you do.

Of course, that’s just assuming that this is what you’re struggling with. Since you aren’t being very specific, I’m not really sure if this helps you at all - I just decided to fix the most common problem Wailord tends to have. Sorry. 

[thepokepelago]

Hi there I wanted some advise on my eevee. We, together, have been checking out evolution stones at our local shop and feel a thunder stone will be best for her. Anything for us to know before we make the jump to Jolteon?

First of all, anon, I think it’s amazing of you to take Eevee to check out the evolution stones itself. Contrary to popular belief, many Eevees won’t just be “happy” with whatever evolution they forced into by stone. Some Eevees have adverse reactions to certain stones, and can really lose their minds when forced to evolve, causing a lot of damage to their hapless trainers and themselves. You’re taking the right steps by letting Eevee essentially chose its own stone.

The biggest noticeable difference about Jolteon is how “loose” their electric is as compared to other electric types. Jolteon generates the electricity it needs in two ways - by mustering the weak electric charge present in its cells, and accumulating negative ions in the atmosphere. These two methods work in tandum to create wicked blasts of electricity to opponents. Because of the prescence of elecricity in its cells - unlike a lot of other pokémon, which either summon it from the atmosphere or “store” it in specific places in their body, like Pikachu’s cheek pouches - it tends to release electricity a lot easier. This might take some getting used to for you two - you’ll reach down to pet Jolteon, Jolteon will release a light shock, you’ll withdraw your hand in surprise, rinse, repeat. The older Jolteon gets, the easier it is for it to manage its electricity, but it’s going to be an adjustment period. Until then, you might also notice that some of your weaker electronics - like wristwatches - might work a little weirdly around Jolteon. While the majority of modern technology has been designed to withstand electric and psychic pokémon’s powers, cheaper ones might work strangely due to the magnetic field Jolteon creates with its electric. Just something to keep in mind.

Some trainers have reported that, upon evolution, their Jolteon becomes “moodier”. I think that this is more a result of a forced evolution, though. 

Other than some basic prelimary stuff, I think the two of you will be fine - especially since you seem to have such a strong bond. Good luck!

[thepokepelago]

PLEASE help! I recently participated in a wonder trade and in return for my Linoone I got a Zangoose. It looks cool but I am honestly intimidated by it. The pokedex gives me this usless info but how do I TAKE CARE of it? Anything thats really important about this guy? O_o

Anon, hopefully this will be a lesson to you to never participate in Wonder Trades again! Trading pokémon over those types of trades is pretty risky - if you’re not an experienced pokémon specialist, you might find that your new friend is out of your league, and that’s just not fair to you or the pokémon itself, no matter how “cool” it looks. Not to mention the ethical implications of trading and re-trading pokémon against their will. This really should only be a habit amongst breeders who need to give away their “extra” pokémon to other caring breeders, but even then, I think there’s so many other (and better) solutions.

Anyway, the point of this post is not to riff on Wonder Trading, despite how strongly I feel about it. The point is to teach you how to take care of your new friend, Zangoose.

The pokédex, while well intended, is not a great place to go for information on pokémon care. It’s vague, condensed, and sometimes, even contains information that’s flat-out incorrect - simply put, the pokédex relies too much on constant inputs of research and only uses very little of it to create short “entries”. They’re good for new trainers who are looking to get a very brief overview of thepokémon that occupy the world around them, but older trainers should look past it for sources like, say, research papers, or pokémon care forums, or bloggers like me. 

Anyway, Zangoose. Zangoose tend to wear expressions that appear to be of irratation in their neutral, resting state. This is nothing to do on your part - it’s just how they look. You’ll know if Zangoose is upset with you - it’ll sharpen its claws incessantly, or stand on its legs upright with its ears curled back, as if to charge. It can be very dangerous in this state, and will need to be returned to its ball immediately. They don’t tend to show this anger to humans very often, but it’s less inhibited around other pokémon. They’re banned from many competitions for this reason - bad Zangoose trainers are more common than good ones, I’m afraid, and if not properly controlled, Zangoose can do some serious damage to others.

Now, this doesn’t make Zangoose a bad pokémon. There is no such thing as one. But it will make it a little harder to train. You can first take physical measures to ensure other pokémon’s safety while around Zangoose by buying a proper scratching post. A lot of pokémon specility stores sell two types of scratching posts - one that’s meant to sharpen a pokémon’s claws, and one that’s meant to dull them. You’re going to want the one that dulls. Zangoose’s claws will still be naturally sharp and will protect it in a battle, but they’ll do less harm. Zangoose do not naturally release their claws from their paws unless they feel threatened or are in battle (good news for you), but you can train them to attack the post, especially if you intend on training Zangoose for battle - it can be a part of your routine. 

The second thing I can tell you to do is, for the love of Arceus, keep it away from Seviper. I know I attacked the pokédex for being too limited, but its constant reminder of Zangoose’s feud with Seviper is very important. If the two see one another, they will try to rip each other into shreds. Sevipers aren’t terribly common for regular trainers to keep, since they require so much upkeep and monitoring, but you can never be too careful.

As for taking care of Zangoose itself? If it’s going to be living inside of a house, I would suggest letting it live out of ball, unless you have other pokémon out and about. If the latter is the case, slowly introduce Zangoose to your pokémon to ensure that they get along. Be ready to return Zangoose to its ball at any moment while you’re doing this. Eventually, they should come to get along with the otherpokémon - it’s Seviper they have a real problem with, and they usually can’t be bothered to start feuding with others (but it never hurts to be safe!). Give it a moderate amount of excercise every day. It’s a fairly energetic pokémon, and needs time to run around and burn out. It keeps itself fairly clean with a throughout self-licking regime, so there should be no need for baths unless Zangoose gets absolutely filthy. It’s a carnivore, and should be fed a diet of lean meats and carnivore-friendly poké pellets (and, of course, will take occasional treats).

If this sounds like a lot to take in, well, that’s just the risk of wonder trading, I’m afraid. I hope you and Zangoose have many good years together.

[thepokepelago]

Hello, me again! I have just hatched a baby Vullaby and she has a bad habbit of bringing pokemon bones into the house. It scares the heck out of me (and the other pokemon) to turn the corner and theres a pile of bones in the hall. What can I do?

If it’s any comfort to you, the behavior that your Vullaby is engaging is completly normal. No matter how you handle its habit, Vullaby will still actively collect bones. The trick will be in training it to stop bringing said bones into the home.

Now, you mentioned that you hatched Vullaby recently. If you’re a breeder yourself, I’m assuming you used a Mandibuzz as the parent. In the wild, Mandibuzz usually drag the bodies of its victims - dead or alive - back to its nests to feed on. If you have a free-range Mandibuzz and have been letting it feed naturally in the wild, I can tell you with almost one hundred percent certainity that’s where your Vullaby is getting its bones from. Mandibuzz feeds off of its prey and then drops what’s left of it to young Vullaby, who, in bigger packs, fight over whatever meat is left of the bones and then quickly reduce the bones into fragments to add to their iconic “shell”. Since it appears that you only have one, your Vullaby has total access to Mandibuzz’s bone stashes, and it’s extensively going through them to figure out which are the strongest. And since Vullabys grow so fast, it goes through these bones constantly, trying to update its shell as it grows too small for its previous one. This shell promotes healthy posture in Vullaby, as well as encouraging early scavenging habits within it.

Now, if you don’t have a Mandibuzz - perhaps you breeded a Vullaby, or got the egg from a breeder - Vullaby is probably scavenging outside of your home to find the bones. You must live in an area with a lot of other predator pokémon in the wild if that’s the case - be careful of where Vullaby roams!

Either way, a simple way to train the behavior out of Vullaby is to simply provide them with another place to put their bones. You should follow them when they go out to hunt. Let them find the bones, walk back to your house, and drop them inside. While Vullaby is watching, pick up the bones and walk outside, depositing them wherever you’d be comfortable with Vullaby having them. It’ll probably be irrate that you’ve disturbed its pile, but shouldn’t hurt you. Repeat this procedure a few times. Vullaby will eventually get the message that, if it doesn’t want you touching its bones, it shouldn’t bring them inside the house. Simple as that.

Good luck, and make sure your Vullaby is safe!

[thepokepelago]

My child was visiting the Alola region with his Uncle, and he came home with a Minior. What do I need to know to take care of this pokemon? Does it eat? Do i need to take of the shell?

Nice of his uncle to check with you before letting his nephew take home a pokémon (out of its native region, no less) that neither of you seem to know how to take care of. People like that drive me crazy. But it’s too late to complain now.

Fortunately, the care of this pokémon isn’t difficult, but it’s very specific. Minior has odd needs when compared to other typical house-kept pokémon, and while it can easily thrive in this enviornment, it will need you to pay special attention to its eccentricites. 

Types of the Meteor pokémon that have actually originated in space are fairly rare. Most of the ones in Alola that are obtained by trainers, hobbyists, and enthusiasts alike tend to be from generations worth of earth-bred Minior, with an original space ancestor probably dating very far back down its family tree. Therefore, it’s an extremely rare chance that your Minior has actually come from space; ones that do tend to stay away from humans, and the ones that are found are usually the subject of scientific tests. Just a fun little genealogy fact for you. 

Minior is fairly popular in Alolan households because of its strange ability to feed solely off of house dust. It can convert the sustence it finds in it to survive. At least this means no more dusting for you! No further sustence is required, but like most pokémon, they probably won’t say to a bean/poffin/etc. Just be sure to limit their intake of these foods - they don’t need a lot of excess, external substance. 

Cleaning it is also fairly easy. Simply washing it above sink or tub with warm water and soap will do just fine. Nothing short of an extremely hard blow will damage its shell (which, hopefully, should be fairly uncommon if it’s not being used to battle), no less a little water. Some Miniors will get more easily distracted than others and will wander away from their bathing place before you get to dry it off, so always have a few towels on hand. Try to avoid dripping water into the holes surrounding their core; water might get trapped there and annoy it.

I should probably mention that this care is specifically for a Minior who has retained its shell, which is the healthiest state it could be in. If your Minior isn’t in its shell, and instead, its core is exposed, I would take immediate action and allow your Minior to stay in its ball for at least nine hours a day. A Minior, contrary to popular belief, is not supposed to stay exposed in its “core form”, as this makes it more suspectible to disease, overexercusion, and even death. Fortunately, Minior can grow back its core fairly quickly (say, a week or so) if allowed to rest in its ball, so explain to your son why his new friend can’t be out 24/7 (and ask his uncle why on earth he thought it was a good idea to adopt a Minior from a breeder who gave a shell-free Minior to two people who didn’t know that was bad).

Good luck with your new extraterrestrial friend!

[thepokepelago]

I've been thinking of getting an Absol because they can sense disasters, which I think could help me with some fears I have. Is this a good idea, or a bad one?

Well, anon, I suppose that depends on a few factors. First of all, it’s important that you understand the nature of the disasters Absol can predict. These disasters are wholly natural - using its horn, Absol can feel even the slightest changes in the land and sky, helping it to predict natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, etctera. Since they seem to have a natural love of humans - thankfully, something that has not been driven out of their biology after years of their abuse at our hands - they will readily warn you of the present danger. This usually involves a refusal to leave their owner’s sides, pawing incessentally at the ground, and emitting strange calls. One of these will doubtlessly tip you off that something is amiss.

Nearly all reputable branches of weather services across every region on earth has Absols on hand to predict these events - less and less people have died from natural over the years than from the days when these pokémon were driven into the mountains. But if your anxiety prevents you from relaxing because you’re fearful of being caught up in a natural disaster, Absol does seem to be a rather logical choice. They’re not difficult to take care of, either. They need a moderate amount of exercise, but can mostly take care of themselves without much trainer input. They’re loyal, but not to the point where they have to be by your side at every moment (which is why their disaster-predicting behavior is so obvious). Many mistake them as stand-offish, but in reality, Absol just don’t need as much constant attention from their owners as do other pokémon.

If your anxiety doesn’t concern these things, though, I’d look at other more suitable pokémon.

[thepokepelago]

Is it possible to tame a legendary...?

It would be inherently cruel to even attempt to do so. Not to mention that legendaries are what keep our wolrd in balance, whether it’s Dialga keeping a careful eye on time or Suicune purifying our waters. It would be foolish to even attempt to do so, despite the legends of ancient trainers befriending these creatures - instances which were probably heavily dramatized.

Besides, who would be silly enough to even attempt, knowing all of that?