Pokemon Breeding, Raising and Care

Howdy, buds! I guess we should start off with a small AMA. I'm Blume (she/they), a Professor-In-Training (PIT) based out of Nacrene City, Unova. One of the warehouses here I luxuriously call my home base of operations, and I juggle doing work at the museum and researching Pokemon breeding and care. I loosely use the term 'rancher'. While I'm working on my masters in Pokebiology, my mentor suggested that I make a blog where I talk about the ins-and-outs of Pokemon breeding. Given that every Pokemon is unique in their own special ways, and amateur daycare-owners tend to not know where eggs come from (it's not that hard, guys), I agreed, and now we're here. I've caught a lot of Pokemon on my own journey, but the two main ones you might hear about here in my personal care are Smelly the Serperior (my first Pokemon and closest friend) and Willow the Chandelure (my egg-hatching-helper). I'll open up asks if you guys have personal questions or want to know about specific Pokemon, but that's for another time.

Welcome to the blog! Hopefully these guides help enlighten you on how to become better breeders and raise happier Pokemon.

-PB

Today, for this blog, I’m gonna be talking about an odd case of fire type in Torkoal. First discovered in the Hoenn Region, Torkoal is quite the interesting Pokémon in that it is a fire type that actually prefers to be near high humidity areas. It’s not always the case for where you would find one of these big guys, as they do also thrive in coal rich areas, but natural hot springs seem to be a preferred habitat for them. It sort of makes me wonder if they would enjoy having a nice hot bath in captivity (not a full submerging bath, mind), but regardless.

One of the more notable traits for Torkoal is its unique access to the Drought ability, shared with Ninetales and the legendary Groudon. This has a bit of an interesting set of implications about just how hot some Torkoal can burn. If their smoke is able to replicate the intense heat of a desert or sun, then that’s quite the notable feat. It also makes them quite adept in the competitive scene as a keystone member for teams that like the intense heat.

Personally, I just kind of like Torkoal without these in mind. I think the laid back demeanor it usually carries is quite delightful, and while I’m absolutely not a fan of the heat I do enjoy a little guy who can just take it easy. Torkoal fits those descriptions perfectly, and if I liked fire types more I’d definitely be using it as a member of my team.

Bit of a short one today, sorry folks. Regardless, Happy Husbandry!

-PB

Sorry for missing yesterday everyone. I burnt myself out finishing a small art commission for a friend… and saying bye to Scooter.

He’s all good! His shell is really hard, which is good since it needs to be. No longer cracked and scared of anything, he’s ready for his own journey with his own trainer. Which does mean he has to leave tomorrow.

I won’t miss him bumping into my desk and furniture, but I will miss him. He was an amazing little guy, and I loved spending time with him. I’ve asked his trainer to keep me updated on their travels, so I’ll let you all know how he’s doing through Sinnoh. Until then, we’ve just gotta say goodbye.

Happy husbandry, everyone!

-PB

In a change of pace from breeding, I dusted off my gym uniform and headed to Frontier to take place in some battles. While it is fulfilling to raise Pokemon for others, sometimes the allure becomes too great and I want to hop back into battling. Since Grass is my favorite type, I wanted to take this time to talk about a new mega evolution that has quickly taken my heart - Mega Victreebel.

Today is a Mega Victreebel appreciation post, if it wasn't obvious. Please excuse me using terms like "stats" and "effort values" for this post, I know they're a little hardcore for more casual battling fans.

Victreebel was a Pokemon species that always creeped me out for a long time, but it was recently discovered to have a Mega Evolution found in Lumiose, and since experiencing it I have made a complete 180 on my opinions. Mega Victreebel is a really fun Pokemon for battling, and it looks so doofy I kind of love it. A lot of this love comes from its ability, Innards Out, which turns Mega Victreebel from a trivial threat to a genuinely difficult piece to play around.

Innards Out, for those unaware, was an ability previously only held by Pyukumuku, and it wasn't great as many wrote off it's HP stat as plain bad. Victreebel (and by extension, Mega Vic) does not have this issue, meaning that if it gets OHKO'd by something like a Mega Charizard, it's taking down the 'zard with it.

This is HUGE. Especially in a format like Double Battles where Expanding Force and Heat Wave are super common moves. It acts as this incredible check to some really significant threats. This is also coupled with Mega Victreebel still being a really decent offensive Pokemon. It's not a passive threat you can ignore safely - it's a genuine factor that can win battles.

Mega Victreebel gets basically any move it would want to learn, too.

Solid damaging moves in Energy Ball, Sludge Wave, Sucker Punch and Knock Off.

Good support options like Strength Sap, Encore, Clear Smog and Sleep Powder.

Boosting moves like Growth and Swords Dance.

Simply put, if Victreebel is on the field, it has to be answered in some way, and it's practically guaranteed to do something. Best case, it sets up or shuts down the opponents while providing solid damage to support its team. Worst case, something's getting chipped by it and will likely get finished by it's partner.

I don't know. I just like Mega Victreebel. It's a breath of fresh air and breathing room in the ever-strengthening sea of competitive battling. I love it.

That's the post for the day. See you all later, and happy husbandry! -PB

It's known among many breeders and farmers that if you're gonna raise Pokemon, the best Pokemon to probably get are:

Ditto

An Egg Buddy

... and these are for good reasons. Ditto, by and afar, is the best Pokemon for breeding as it can breed with any* Pokemon with nary an issue. It's an essential part of the process, though some people are able to get by with just breeding same-species pairs. Egg Buddies on the other hand have a good chunk of choice in them, and I just want to talk about my personal favorites and my past experiences with them.

In short, Egg Buddies (not an official term at all, by the way, I just like calling them that), are Pokemon that have one of a specific set of abilities that make eggs incubate and hatch far easier. These abilities are Flame Body, Steam Engine and Magma Armor. These are abilities belonging to exclusively Fire Types with only one exception in Rolycoly.

These Pokemon are often essential members for what you do, so it's important to choose one that fits with what you're looking for. There's a good chunk of them to talk about, and it would easily take all day, so I'm gonna talk about what I think are good choices and for why.

Chandelure and Volcarona are both really solid options in my eyes, and are very gentle and caring when it comes to properly taking care of the eggs that you raise. Willow is currently my option, but I had a Volcarona named Vermivorous in Galar, and he just aspired to more than being a breeder. He's now in the care of someone who could help him reach his full battling potential. Good choices, though, both of them.

Rolycoly and Carkol are both really solid picks! I've come to find out that both are actually quite happy to take the egg and carry them around on their back and underneath the coals. The only issue with them is their upkeep, since they need to have a diet that consists of coal and charcoal, but if you can get around that they're lovely companions. Coalossal is also good, but they are usually real big and that can also be a problem.

Talonflame is a popular choice in Kalos, mainly for its availability. That said, with proper training, these birds are fiercely loyal and make for outstanding Egg Buddies. I recommend getting a wagon and making a nest for Talonflame to sit on with the eggs for optimal incubation while you travel. Even the males don't mind it.

Ranchers have started getting into the habit of using Ponyta and Rapidash, both as Egg Buddies and for their value as a working Pokemon. I like the idea and appreciate having a jack-of-all-trades Pokemon, but... I just don't like horses all that much. They're a little scary.

The rest of the options are good as well, but these are the standouts in my opinion. Honestly, the only ones I'd say stay away from are Slugma and Magcargo. Touching them is quite difficult, and while you can train them to be able to cool down for contact and eggs, it's a long process and it's still dangerous. If you like them, go for it, but just know it's risky.

Also, if research is correct, you could choose Moltres or Heatran. I don't think these are great options, given their extreme rarity and reputation, but if you want to try it then I guess you could?

That's it for today. Happy Husbandry! -PB

Please forgive anything, I usually do these posts on my laptop but due to shenanigans I have to do it on my pokePad.

I have good news! The matcha last week did have a taker! I followed the instructions that my old teacher told me and let them sit for a minute last Tuesday to check on them. Usually if they don’t cool, they’re incubating a fresh spirit, and with two matcha jars down we had the starts of a fresh baby Poltchageist! Huzzah!

He’s spent the last week maturing into a proper spirit, hence the radio silence about him from the daycare day last week. Only yesterday did he start to levitate and move around. Either way, he’s not staying here and I have someone coming to adopt him later today. I will try and draw him for you guys though, he looks so cute! His paint came in and he looks like he has a permanent wink!

Thanks for sticking around, everyone. It’s nice to see that some people really do like these posts.

Happy Husbandry!

-PB

In an effort to branch out of the norm, Elesa had a fashion exhibition at the Nacrene museum and asked me if I wouldn't mind watching her Toxel for a little while. I didn't, so I set up a little playdate for the tots running around my lab. Elesa's Toxel, Cheese the Litten (I have named him after his crimes) and Scoot have all had a pretty great time getting into supervised mayhem.

I promise they haven't been left unattended and watching the latest episodes of The Shuppets on my pokePad. They were really tired, and it was about naptime so I let Toxel watch her shows. She's actually really polite, and even drew me a picture saying we're best friends! I might actually cry a little inside. Toxel seems to love this sort of habitat, as well.

The matcha babies are shaking around, but they've yet to hatch. I'm keeping an eye on them, trust me.

Happy husbandry, everyone! -PB

Peep the Weezing kettle I got from Kanto on a trip once, btw.

With the surge in popularity of the battles taking place in Frontier, there has been a sudden surge in popularity for a specific round of Pokemon. Sinistcha is a part of this round, and many people are looking to add one to their recruited teams. As such, brewing up your own funny little ghost is difficult, but I'm here to help guide the process.

Of course, you could always breed a Sinistcha/Poltchageist with a Ditto, but we do things a little differently around here.

Quick disclaimer - I am not from Kitikami. When I was on my own journey in Kitikami, I learned how to make the traditional matcha that Poltchageist seems to adore, but I've only ever been able to attract the Unremarkable/Counterfeit ones. That's fine, though, as there's virtually no difference between the two, it's more just for pedigree purposes.

Once my friend gave me confirmation that her Sinistcha was ready, I bought myself a bit of matcha from the Driftveil Farmer's Market (for way too much, might I add). After assessing that it was genuine to Kitikami, I began the process of brewing up a series of it. Making matcha itself isn't too difficult, but making it so that Poltchageist will like it requires a level of precision that I am normally not privy to.

Sifting the matcha several times, I deposited healthy handfuls into each of the three jars I had. While I wanted to crack them myself, I did the research and learned that's not the correct way to do things. The jar will act as a shell for the spirit inside, and when it takes form in the jar it will crack it open like an egg.

Once everything was just right (and my friend flew into Nacrene), I poured the boiling water from my kettle and let her Sinistcha inspect. I won't know if I have any giggly ghosties for just a little bit, but even if I don't it's fine. I just enjoy the process sometimes, and it would be nice to have a Sinistcha in case I do decide to head to Frontier and join the fray.

That's it for today, but I'll try and have an update later this week! Happy husbandry! -PB

Hey everyone, I have a weird problem that I’m hoping someone can help me with actually. I know it’s a far-cry from my typical posting rounds of actual Pokemon biology and history, but it’s such a unique situation I don’t know who to turn to.

I have a dear friend, Frannie, who recently called me from her home in Kanto. Allegedly she has a Tyrogue who invades her home and refuses to leave. He doesn’t seem to be malicious to any degree, rather just looking for some sort of shelter where he’s comfortable. This wouldn't be a huge issue, but Fran has three Meowth, and all of them are weak to Fighting so it's a bit of a problem.

Frannie doesn’t seem to be super bothered by it, and when I asked her for something to say regarding it she went “He’s just… there.” I’m guessing it’s more of an annoyance to her than anything else. I think personally it might be the start of a beautiful friendship, but I figured getting some tips wouldn’t hurt. If it was a Grass Type, I'd be way more in my field, but it is very much not.

So… yeah. Anyone have advice on how to get a Tyrogue out of your house?

Happy husbandry, otherwise! -PB

Before I get into the meat of this post, disclaimer! This is a topic I’m not well educated on besides the baseline! If you or a loved one are interested in getting an Emotional Support Pokemon or a Service Pokemon, please research what you need! I’m by no means a gospel on the roles that these Pokemon can fulfill, and everyone has different needs. 

With that out of the way, I wanted to talk about the Pokemon that go above and beyond and serve a more personal role with humans. Service Pokemon and Emotional Support Pokemon. SPs are Pokemon that are specially trained to perform a specialized task for their human companions that goes beyond exclusively emotional support. If they are providing comfort only, they would be an Emotional Support Pokemon, and thus not entirely subject to the distinctions.

Pokemon are incredibly special and varied, and so are the tasks that ESPs can perform. Whether it’s simply retrieving medication or basic necessities for their companions, alerting them to an oncoming medical episode, or even guiding companions that have trouble seeing or hearing, ESPs are very capable of doing these tasks under the right conditions and with proper training.

There are quite a few popular options for Service Pokemon, including but not limited to…

Dog Pokemon, such as Growlithe and Arcanine, Houndour and Houndoom, and the Lillipup line. These Pokemon are all very easily trainable and loyal, making them very common and beloved choices. 

Psychic Pokemon, like the Gothita Line, Flittle and Espathra, and Indeedee. Arguably the best choice one could make for many roles, their ability to interact with humans on an enhanced level makes them ideal to serve in these roles. 

Electric Rodents, like Pikachu, Dedenne and my personal favorite of Togedemaru. Not only very friendly, but great choices for cardiac and seizure alerters.

Eevee and its subsequent evolutions. Very similar to the Dog Pokemon class here, but when trained as an Eevee and later evolved, they become some of the best options available.

Medical Pokemon, like the Chansey line, Indeedee (again), and Audino. All of these serve common roles within Pokemon Centers and hospitals already, and are excellent at providing that in a more personal setting. Special mentions to the Togepi line, which are incredible at providing emotional support and comfort and find jobs in hospitals for morale.

Bird Pokemon, notably ones with Keen Eye like Wingull and the Pidgey Line. Great seeing-eye Pokemon options, so long as you don't mind Wingulls wanting to steal the occasional french fry.

These are only scratching the surface of it, as well. There are many Pokemon that still lend to these roles outside of the norm, and so long as they’re given proper training they too can become these roles. Personally speaking, Smelly is registered as a mobility Service Pokemon and has frequently offered to help when my hypermobility flares up. It’s part of the reason he doesn’t go into his Pokeball unless it’s an extreme circumstance.

I should also note here that it’s important to not disturb SPs while they’re working. While it might be very tempting to go up to a friendly Growlithe and give them a loving scratch behind the ears, they are on the job and they can prevent disasters. Regardless of anything, please ask their human if it is okay to pet them before just doing it, and respect if it’s not okay.

I would have loved to talk about Emotional Support Pokemon in this post, but unfortunately they come with a really bad reputation of people using the ESP label to let their crusty and cranky Fidough cause mayhem at the museum. I have met quite a fair few delightful ESps, like the one Squawkabilly that was looking with his owner at the soup aisle alongside me, but the few bad eggs I’ve met spoiled the bunch. 

That’s the post for today. Happy husbandry everyone!

-PB

Object-like Pokemon have always held a weird place in my heart. They're incredibly odd and have leaned into using similarities to items as a way to acclimate into human society. Vanillite and it's evolutions for a while held the top as my favorite Pokemon for a while, and Klefki is infinitely fun and I love the ideas behind it, but we're not talking about them today. At least, not all of them.

Revavroom is a car, or at least resembles a car. Most likely this is a recent evolution based on the advancement of the automobile, and I could imagine a much older Revavroom to take on the appearance of something more like a wagon or wheelbarrow, but Paldean Pokemon aren't widely explored in their clades, and this guy especially as the usual variety of trainers with Revavrooms use them for transportation-

Scratching that. One of the Pokedex entries for Varoom (the pre-evolution) mentions a rumor where an unknown poison Pokemon inhabited an engine. Which is definitely plausible. Prior to the unearthing done of Hisuian Sinnoh's records (and even now), some people theorized that Voltorb were actually inhabited by Gastly and Haunters. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened with Varoom and Revavroom, especially if the same thing was with a Gastly.

I do think this isn't entirely the case though. It's one possible explanation, but I do think that these Pokemon had to exist independently prior but just found that the shell of an engine fit, similar to Rotom inhabiting things like washing machines and lawn mowers. Maybe this Pokemon is similar, and we'll find that other items could feasibly work as vessels for the spirit inside.

Unfortunately, I don't think this is how it'll go. Revavroom and Varoom are very popular with gearheads and mechanics for their synergistic capabilities with cars and mods. Team Star in Paldea exemplified these with their Starmobiles. I wonder if we'll eventually get to a point where they're the modern mode of transportation around a region like Orre? Maybe they'll be used by people in Nimbasa for the Battle Subway. Maybe one will power the next voyage of the SS Anne! The potentials are limitless.

For now, though, it's just a weird Pokemon to me. It's far from my least favorite personally, but it's one that I still look at and just kind of wonder about. It would be cool to see professional racing done with them, though, like with Charjabug or Rhyhorn. Paldea, get on it! Revavroom Drag Racing for your next Gym Challenge!

The cars have the collective nouns of jams, poking fun at traffic jams. I've heard someone use gangs for them too, but I don't think it fits as well.

That's all for today. Happy husbandry! -PB

This one’s a weird one, bear with me, but today we’re talking about the Everstone! A weird material, with weird effects and relations, related to weird plants and having really interesting implications.

Everstones are a mineral found throughout the world, oftentimes where Pokemon thrive, and they have a few notable details.

If a Pokemon is holding one when breeding, the offspring will oftentimes exhibit similar natures and personalities to the parent. (ex: A Mild Raticate with an Everstone will breed a Mild Rattata.)

If a Pokemon is holding this while breeding, if a regional form is not-native to the region, the offspring will also be that regional form (ex: An Alolan Raticate with an Everstone will breed an Alolan Rattata in any region.)

If a Pokemon carries this item, it will be unable to evolve in any way. (ex: An Rattata will never evolve on its own unless it no longer holds the stone.)

It’s a very interesting part of the world that we know, and it’s another thing that makes learning about Pokemon so interesting to me. That said, the Everstone isn’t a well-researched item due to its specific niche that we’re aware of, but there happens to be a couple of things that we can point at for the similarities, like the Mints and the Eviolite.

Mints were a recent discovery, pioneered by researchers in Galar. These mints are powerful herbs that hold an incredible power to alter the personalities of Pokemon permanently. I have a thought that the Everstones are indirectly tied into these mints, through a radiating presence that warps the grass around them and provides an enriching environment for these mints to grow. Again, they’re not super well researched due to their recent proper discovery, but I’d bet a couple of dollars there’s a relation there. Undeniably, though, there is a connection between the Eviolite mineral and Everstones. Both are types of rock that have unique interactions with Pokemon who aren’t fully evolved. Though I’m no geologist, after staring at the rocks for a while under a magnifying glass (since my microscope ran into a balloon-related turtle disaster, thank you Scooter), I actually have a solid thought that an Everstone is actually a sedimentary rock that contains a solid trace of Eviolite. Not enough to fully harness the same powers of the Eviolite boosting the defenses of a N.F.E ‘mon, but enough to still have an interesting effect on the Pokemon, therefore halting the natural evolution of the holder.

Of course, all of these are simply theories and educated guesses. I’m not qualified to really speak on these things in a factual sense, but sometimes it’s fun to just propose these things. They’re also definitely not perfect theories, just fun little thoughts I had.

I can confirm, regrettably and impulsively, that the mints are different flavors, the Eviolite has a pleasant mouth feel, and Everstones taste like pure gravel. Don’t eat rocks, kids.

Happy husbandry! -PB

Today was originally going to talk about the Everstone, Eviolite and Mint items, but that post ended up being a lot of speculation that wasn’t actually all that interesting. Instead, I figured a return to form would be interesting, so let’s talk about a weird thing in Pokemon breeding - Phione. Unfortunately, we have to talk about it’s related mythical of Manaphy before we can really get into the intricacies.

Manaphy was a mythical Pokemon, and records of its discovery have been vague over the centuries. Some of the earliest reports of it are from Hisuian Sinnoh, but the overall rarity has made it difficult to document. That said, we are privy to some information about it.

It breeds natively on cold seafloors and will undergo long journeys to return to its birthplace.

It is related as a species to Phione, more on that in just a bit.

It is able to easily bond with most Pokemon innately.

Manaphy is 80% water.

We’ll really just be focusing on the first two qualities here, as we’re concerned with why Manaphy is so rare but Phione’s are much more common. I think that this is, once again, something pertaining to Elm Theory as discussed in one of the earliest posts here. The most relevant part is the environmental one.

I think that the reason Manaphy always breeds Phione is similar to the requirements that most legendary and mythical Pokemon have - the environmental factor is such a major necessity. Manaphy are instinctive in their migratory patterns, returning to its original birthplace as that meets the exact requirements to reproduce more Manaphy. It’s very possible that Manaphy could have been a normal Pokemon if the circumstances were different and the ocean water wasn’t getting warmer around the world.

Moving to Phione, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it’s (for lack of a better way to phrase) a half-baked Manaphy, but I think that’s because while Manaphy can breed in the oceans and still produce offspring, the temperature of the water isn’t cold enough and we get similar result to something like Totodile genders being determined by incubation temperature. It’s too warm for a Manaphy, ergo, Phione.

As for Phione actually, I have no strong feelings about it. It’s more common than Manaphy, but still rare enough that any trainer in a League or on the Island Challenge would likely not use it, and on top of that it would likely be outclassed by many other Water-Types for the most serious (and, in my opinion, predictable) trainers. Manaphy on paper fares a lot better, but it also suffers from its similar position of rarity.

Either way you slice it though, at the highest levels of competition, these Pokemon are often also banned, delegating them to lives of being more like trophies for rare collectors. I don’t agree with this sentiment for many Pokemon like this, but it is nice to see it shine every now and then. It’s almost poetic in a way. 

The collective nouns for Manaphy have never been coined/used, and neither is there one for Phione. I would like to suggest for the two to be musical terms. A melody of Manaphy and a harmony of Phione. 

That’s it for today. Tune in next week where I push off the everstone post again. Happy Husbandry!

-PB

I don’t know how to really categorize these guys, besides their obvious familiar connections, but let’s chat about this trio of lizards because I do have a passing love for these living bikes.

Koraidon, the Winged King, Dragon/Fighting type. An interesting Pokemon, one that I have many thoughts on, but it’s more or less regarding the existence of past Paradox Pokemon and the potential coexistence along with Fossil Pokemon. I have a few thoughts about it, mainly since we’ve gotten better with determining fossil records, so I have a theory that scientists discovered the fossil records of Pokemon like Scream Tail and Roaring Moon and just were convinced they were Jigglypuff and Salamence in their modern iteration. Alternatively, these are still the same Pokemon, but they just are so overwhelmingly different in a modern climate that they require different classifications. It’s a thought, though I never want to see a paradox Wigglytuff given how ravenous Scream Tails are.

Miraidon, the Iron Serpent, Dragon/Electric type. Future Paradoxes are very interesting to me, and I do like that the natural evolution of Cyclizar does actually use its throat as a wheel set, but we ultimately just don’t know much more about it compared to the past, as we can only speculate the reasons that a Pokemon evolved in such a way. I think that, given the other future Paradoxes and some hypothesized things seen in Ultra Space, eventually Pokemon will need to be stronger to directly contend with things that will be happening during an apocalyptic setting, leading to the Iron Pokemon. I also think that they run on a secondary fuel source instead of just food, but there aren’t any publicly released documents on the futures being dissected (good, but also a little odd).

Lastly, Cyclizar. Dragon/Normal type, and an absolute goober of a Pokemon. I don’t have thoughts about them beyond that they have absolutely no thoughts in their heads. I really enjoy seeing them run around when I’m on a trip to the Paldea Region or (my most recent outing to) Lumiose City. I don’t know, I think they just have a very fun niche. They’re also clearly a successful species, given the existence of Korai and Mirai, but… I don’t know, they’re just great! I like the lizard without a brain and if I were a dragon tamer I’d love to use them. Alas, that’s just not really the archetype of trainer I’d like to be.

Multiple Koraidon and Miraidon haven’t been found, so a collective noun for them hasn’t been coined, but the nouns used for Cyclizar groups are racks, lanes and my personal favorite gangs. Roughneck trainers, get on that! They’re so perfect for you all!

Alright guys, that’s it today. Sorry I missed a post last week, it’s been a bit of a time at the museum. Someone brought up Team Plasma again and I spent a weekend doing overtime at the museum because of it. Needless to say, no Plasma members showed, and no experience was gained for the cheese thief.

Happy husbandry! -PB

... so let's talk about Lapras.

Lapras used to be an incredibly rare Pokemon, so much so that a good chunk of people expected them to become fossils without human intervention. According to records we have from tribal society, Lapras was a great piece of prey to hunt down in preparation for the winter months as it was, essentially, five hundred pounds of meat in a hard shelter. As society kept moving forward, Lapras became harder and harder to find from this hunting and eventual poaching, and the few pods of them that remained were restricted to arctic beach habitats.

But they persisted for years and years, and eventually when the modern era happened trainers began to breed and raise Lapras. A few notable trainers saw that Lapras, according to the Pokedex, was becoming extinct, and responded by breeding and releasing Lapras into the wild en masse. This sort of established a boom over two decades, and Lapras was taken off the endangered species list once populations started to stabilize. Celebration! A glorious Pokemon, brought from the brink of being wiped out!

On a different note, Lapras is the Transport Pokemon, and I think this is actually a really fun thing. I think that species of Pokemon would hitch rides on the back of Lapras to spread around to other regions, sort of like Wooper riding on Clodsire to cross muddy lakes. Lapras can travel for miles upon miles, so it's not the most outlandish thought that some Pokemon would find a way to climb on and ride to another place.

I like Lapras. It's not one of my favorite Pokemon ever, but every Lapras I've met has been very nice, and the few I've trained have been very fun. Shoutouts to my old friend for giving me my Lapras, Angel, back during my journey in Galar. She's my go-to friend for long distance travel from island to island in Alola.

To tie back into a previous post, Lapras does not have a fun collective noun. They are instead pods, much like Wailmers and Cetoddles.

Happy husbandry! -PB