#pr-b

Man, I love maractus. Thankfully, I can bring some fairly good news for this one. A maractus would make a pretty good pet in the right circumstances; they might not be for everybody due to their habitat and training needs, but they are far from incomparable for a dedicated owner.

Size-wise, maracti are on the slightly larger size at three feet tall and a little over sixty pounds. This means that they may be. A little trickier to transport, but they could certainly fit in most homes. While one might expect them to be difficult to handle due to their cactus-like biology, the Pokédex actually doesn’t give us any indication that one could be injured by touching this pokémon: as long as you avoid the spikes on their head, you should be okay.

Habitat is where things become a little more complicated. Maracti are known to live in arid environments (White, Y, AlphaSapphire), meaning that if you live somewhere particularly humid you will need to make use of a dehumidifier, and would likely want to keep your maractus inside. This is honestly a pretty good rule in general: these pokémons’ seeds are “jam-packed with nutrients,” as the pokédex puts it (Shield), making them common prey for bird pokémon. Maracti use a special dance, making use of their seeds to make noise like a maraca, to scare off these predators (Black, Black2/White2, X, OmegaRuby, Sword). While this self-defense mechanism seems to serve them well in the wild, I would recommend keeping them inside during at least their annual seed-scattering season (Shield) for their safety. All that said, so long as you have a dehumidifier and an indoor space for them, it shouldn’t be too hard to accommodate a maractus.

Despite their unassuming demeanor, maracti can really pack a punch, though none that are immediately disqualifying. Moves like Giga Drain and Solar Beam could certainly cause a lot of harm. While the pokédex doesn’t give any indicator that maracti are particularly aggressive, especially given their preference to scare predators away rather than fighting them, I would still recommend taking some time to train your maractus to avoid undue risk. This risk can never be fully mitigated, but I don’t think it’s a particularly concerning issue with this pokémon.

I’ve got good news for you! A bonsly would indeed make a good pet, so long as they are well trained and you are aware of the risks that adopting one comes with. I know, I know… danger concerns? About bonsly of all pokémon? It startled me too. Let’s get into it.

Standing at just over a foot and a half and weighing only thirty-three pounds, a bonsly is the perfect size to be a house pet. They wouldn’t have any trouble getting around in a home, and they wouldn’t be pretty easy to transport from place to place. While this species does have particular environmental needs, they shouldn’t be too hard for the average owner to accommodate.

In the wild, bonsly make their homes in arid environments, as their bodies need to maintain a low level of moisture in order to survive (Pearl, Platinum, Black/White, Black2/White2, X, Y, OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire, Sun, UltraMoon, Shield, ShiningPearl). Keeping an environment as dry as possible for a bonsly is a must, but I wouldn’t say you would need much more than cover from rain and a de-humidifier, as bonsly do have the ability, to a certain extent, to expel excess moisture in the form of fluids that they expel from their eyes (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver, Black/White, Black2/White2, X, Y, OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire, Moon, UltraSun, Sword, BrilliantDiamond/ShiningPearl, Scarlet, Violet). I know that is some odd phrasing, but it would be inaccurate to call this behavior “crying” since this fluid is actually closest in composition to human sweat, rather than tears (Violet). A bonsly that looks to be crying is actually a healthy bonsly, as this means that they are regulating their moisture level on their own. You definitely want to keep a bonsly away from exceptionally humid environments, but I don’t think their needs are anything beyond the capabilities of most owners.

The only real issue with this species, which brings their score down a bit, is the threat that their surprisingly formidable moves pose. Rock-Type moves like Rock Throw, Rock Tomb, and Rock Slide can be seriously dangerous to people, pokémon, and buildings, making a bonsly surprisingly dangerous. This is why I recommended some serious training, both for your bonsly and for yourself, to make sure you minute the risk of an attack and are able to tell when such a threat presents itself. I’ll give this species the benefit of the doubt, though, seeing as they aren’t known to be particularly violent. Rather, they often rely on the sympathy of those misinterpreting their “crying” behavior to stay safe (UltraSun).

Hey, a “B” rank might not be the most glowing result you could hope for on this blog, but it is pretty high for a Fighting-Type pokémon! In all honesty, a pet clobbopus can be a serious handful. Your home is going to go through a lot of destruction, not to mention yourself if you get on their bad side. However, if you are careful and patient, a clobbopus might just be right for you. Let’s get into it.

To begin with, thankfully, clobbopuses are right in the perfect size range to be a house pet at just two feet tall and eight-and-a-half pounds. While one might be quick to assume that you will need to provide a large aquatic environment for a clobbopus, they are actually well suited for living on land as aquatic creatures that regularly explore the surface in pursuit of food (Sword). It certainly wouldn’t hurt to provide them with a pool to relax and rest in, but they are able to spend considerable time out of the water with you. Keeping a clobbopus happy and healthy shouldn’t be exceptionally difficult either, as those with the Limber ability are immune to paralysis, and all clobbopuses can regenerate their limbs, which they may lose regularly (Sword). All that being said, their aforementioned food-seeking behavior is going to cause some serious problems in the long run due to a combination of intelligence and power.

You see, as I said, clobbupuses are food-driven pokémon. They are also, according to the pokédex, almost as intelligent as a three-year old (Shield). This means that hiding food from a clobbopus is going to be a chore, and won’t be a task that is accomplished as easily as putting it in a child-proof cabinet. While clobbopuses don’t have the gripping ability needed to open doors due to the bulbous nature of their tentacles (L: Z-A), they are quite good at investigating and breaking into things with their powerful punches (Sword). Using moves like Rock Smash, Brick Break, and Superpower, a clobbopus can easily bash their way into wherever they want to find food. Their fighting prowess is, of course, also a danger to humans, though thankfully not to a particularly lethal extent.

As far as most of the aspects that I cover on this blog go, a riolu would make a great pet for someone with an active lifestyle. I really active lifestyle. However, there is a reason for the B ranking: these little guys can really mess you up. Caring for a riolu would require some significant investment in training and redirecting energy, but overall they are a good pick if you are looking for a Fighting-Type pokémon.

At two feet tall and around forty-five pounds, riolu aren’t too big to live comfortably in a home. While they don’t have particular environmental needs to address in preparing your home for one, you will need to have some way to get their energy out, because they have a LOT of energy. Despite their small size, according to the pokédex, they can “crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night” (Pearl), and “taking [them] for walks can be a challenging experience” (Sword). There may be ways to provide a riolu with a chance to exercise in an indoor environment, like on a treadmill, but you will need to keep in mind that riolu live a very energetic lifestyle in general, which might not be right for every owner.

On a resoundingly positive note, riolu have the peculiar ability of not only telegraphing their own feelings using a mysterious aura, but detecting and understanding the emotions of others as well (Diamond, Platinum, Sun, Ultra Sun). Riolu are quiet but social creatures, making no sound but communicating with other of their species using these non-audible auras (HeartGold/SoulSilver, Ultra Moon). This is a recipe for a riolu being an open, empathetic companion, and I’d wager that they would make excellent emotional support pets if properly trained, especially for those who need encouragement to keep active.

Now, however, we have to get to a big drawback. When you look at a riolu’s naturally learnable moves, you see that these little guys could seriously mess you up. Moves like Rock Smash and Metal Claw might not be overtly lethal, but could cause some damage to an unprepared human, to say the least. So, just as I said before, a riolu could be a great companion for emotional support, as long as they are trained to vent their natural fighting behaviors in a safe way, like on a training dummy.

Araquanids are actually a very peculiar case, with big pros and big cons that comes out to a solid answer: an Araquanid would make a pretty good pet for some owners. Which is, by all means, great news as an araquanid fan. Let’s get into it.

We must unfortunately start off with a not-so-good thing: araquanids are huge. At nearly six feet long and weighing over 180 pounds, there are many petowners who simply could not accommodate a pokémon of this size. They wouldn’t be too easy to get around. Beyond just space, araquanids’ size presents a few behavioral problems to keep in mind.

Wild araquanids are active hunters, using the bubble of water around their head, as well as similar projectile ones, to ensnare and drown small prey (Sun, Ultra Sun, Sword). Considering their size and thus the size of their prey, you would need to ensure that your araquanid is not a threat to any other pets or wild animals in your neighborhood, ensuring that they only consume the food you offer them.

I would not recommend adopting an araquanid if you have other pets besides dewpiders or other larger Water-Type pokémon. This goes beyond just the risk that your araquanid would eat them: these pokémon are actually highly caring and affectionate. They are well known to store things that they value or want to care for, like their young, in their bubble (Moon, Ultra Moon). This even includes their human companions, which could potentially result in an accidental drowning. These pokémon are exceptionally friendly, but might not understand that non-aquatic friends need air to breathe.

Besides the risk of drowning, these pokémon actually aren’t exceptionally dangerous. They mostly rely on drowning their prey, with most of their other moves dedicated to biting. Considering their friendly behavior towards humans, it seems to me that accidental drowning is the only serious threat you would need to manage. As an added plus, araquanids can heal themselves using moves like Aqua Ring or through their hidden ability, Water Absorb.

Let’s continue Legends Z-A Week by taking a look at one of my favorite Bug-Type pokémon, vivillon! Unfortunately, these pokémon are a bit of a mixed bag, so I can’t really give a blanket statement either way. Some owners will have no problem caring for a vivillon, but certain aspects of their biology may prove to be too risky for others.

To begin with, vivillons are surprisingly large at nearly four feet tall. That means that they are not only physically large, they also need plenty of space to fly around and might not be comfortable contained to a home. Thankfully, vivillons are pretty lightweight for their large size at just under forty pounds. Thankfully, these adaptive pokémon don’t have very particular environmental needs besides space. This species has evolved to live comfortably in a variety of climates, which has led to the development of twenty distinct wing patterns that can be found around the world (X, Y). If you are looking to adopt a particular color of vivillon, you may find yourself having a hard time depending on where you live.

Unfortunately, like many other winged Bug-Type pokémon I have covered on this blog, vivillons shed colorful, toxic scales from their wings when they fly (Y, Violet). This does not appear to be necessarily purposeful, though it is likely the mechanism through which these pokémon can use moves like Poison Powder and Stun Spore. While the pokédex does not provides us with specifics about just how toxic these scales are, this will prove to be too risky for many owners to take on. Anyone with small children or family with high sensitivity to aerial toxics will need to steer clear of this pokémon.

While it is technically the case that caring for a cramorant would not be beyond the means of most owners, it would be one heck of a headache. These pokémon need a lot of attention, but I can’t argue that they don’t have a special charm to them with their goofy look and simple minds.

Cramorants are far from too large to be a house pet at two-and-a-half feet, but they might be a little too big for some owners. While wild cramorants make their homes by the sea, there is no indication that they need to live by the water to be happy. If you do have a pool or a pond for them to swim in it would be a huge plus, but it isn’t necessary. What is necessary, however, is some serious, serious cramorant-proofing.

You see, cramorants are simple creatures. According to the pokédex, cramorants “instinctively swallow everything whole” whether it is actually food or not (Scarlet). This includes, most notably, pokémon as large as pikachus, which they can’t even physically swallow and can easily choke on (Sword - Gorging Form, Scarlet - Gorging Form). The frustrating thing is that cramorants can’t even learn from their mistakes, because they dedicate so little energy to their brains (Violet). You would need to be constantly aware of what your cramorant can get its beak on to ensure that it does not choke. If you have other small animals or pokémon as pets, steer clear from a cramorant unless you want to be fishing them out of their throat.

Cramorants are also known to be pretty aggressive, although few of their moves pose a serious threat: a cramorant’s main weapon is the food that they try to consume, like arrokudas (their prey of choice) which they can launch like a missile (Violet - Gulping Form). Again, so long as you take serious care in curating what your cramorant can swallow, you should be okay, it’s just going to be a rather annoying experience.

To close out Legends Z-A week, we have one last starter pokémon to cover: totodile! Now, unfortunately, like tepig yesterday, totodiles are a little bit of a mixed bag as far as pet suitability goes. In general, as common first partner pokémon in multiple regions, totodiles would be perfect on the surface, but they have some problematic behaviors that may cause some issues for some owners. I know I’m being vague, so let’s just get into it.

As always, let’s start with size. Compared to other Water-Type starter pokémon, totodiles are larger than average at two feet tall, but that size isn’t exactly prohibitive for living in a home. At nearly twenty-one pounds, they shouldn’t be exceptionally difficult to get around either, which is a big plus. Despite being a Water-Type pokémon, the pokédex does not give us any indication that totodiles need to live in the water, making them a stand-out option on that front among pokémon of this type. So far, so good.

But then there’s the biting. See, totodiles have extremely well developed jaws for their size, which are powerful enough to cause serious injuries to humans and other pokémon (Gold, Ruby/Sapphire). Not only that, but totodiles are known to “take a bite out of anything that moves” (Silver), necessitating caution from their humans who, according again to the pokédex, should not turn their back to them (Gold, Crystal). This is, obviously, a huge problem. Using moves like Bite, Ice Fang, and Crunch, a totodile could cause serious bodily harm to you or any other creatures around them, even when they are just trying to be playful (Ruby/Sapphire). Caring for a totodile, therefore, will require extensive training and a keen awareness of their movements. If you have young children or other pets, you will need to keep a close eye on a totodile around them. These little critters don’t mean any harm, don’t get me wrong! They just don’t instinctually understand that their bites can hurt people so badly.

Thankfully, there is a silver lining here: as common first partner pokémon in regions across the world, we know that totodiles are receptive to training: no one would let their children train them if they weren’t! So, while you will certainly need to put a lot of work in (and still might want to keep your totodile away from other pokémon), it is possible to train a totodile to at least reduce their biting behaviors. That being said, accidents will still happen, so make sure you don’t adopt a totodile if you can’t handle the odd chomp or nibble.