#//ooc vanilla is reeeeeaaaallly touchy about that last one

[humming-pokemon-helpers]

“Does my Pokémon…?”

“Is my partner Pokémon…?”

A guide to FAQ’s I get from trainers about their Pokémon partners, since I’m lucky enough to understand Pokémon speech!

“Does my Pokémon actually enjoy battling?”

I’ve gotten this one a lot, probably in part due to Plasma’s messaging having a pretty big impact on Unovan culture! And yes, unless your Pokémon is showing clear signs of anxiety or burnout, and as long as you see that they’re willingly using the moves you’re asking them to, they do enjoy battling! Like most anybody with cool magic powers would, they love showing off their skills and working to improve them with you! It’s natural for Pokémon to battle (even if not all of them do), and it’s great exercise as well.

“Does my Pokémon feel the same emotions I do?”

With the disclaimer that they may not feel or express emotions the same way as us at times (much like humans vary in emotional experience and expression), yes! Pokémon are happy when they eat a good meal and spend time with their loved ones, sad when they lose an important battle, angry when they can’t see eye-to-eye with their trainers, scared when they’re in over their heads, and so much more! One of a trainer’s most important jobs is recognizing these emotions and tending to them, like a parent would with a child.

“Is my Pokémon as smart as a human?”

This one is a controversial question at best, but I’ll do my best to give an answer based on my experiences. The first point, frankly, is that it varies. All Pokémon have the smarts to use moves and abilities, understand and communicate with each other and with humans, and to take care of their needs in life, but beyond that it can vary widely! Typically Pokémon tend to increase in intelligence as they evolve, for one rule. I’ll also note that type does NOT impact general intelligence: there are bug types that are smarter than psychic types, for one example! (I mention this because there's a well-noted phenomenon of assuming psychic-types are more intelligent due to their abilities; while highly intelligent psychic-types like Alakazam exist, there's also Pokemon like Hatterene that put very little critical thought in before deciding to thrash something that annoys them.)

But also, the question of intelligence doesn’t generally make a huge difference in human-Pokémon relationships. Pokemon might communicate less eloquently if they're a Magikarp versus an Empoleon, but they're still capable of love, competition, and everything else that makes Pokemon Pokemon!

"Does my Pokemon love me?"

The vast majority of the time I get this question, the answer is already pretty clear from how their Pokemon behaves. If you treat your partners with love and care, odds are that love will be returned with time! The tells vary from Pokemon to Pokemon, but if you look up your partner species' body language, you'll learn very quickly that most of the time, the bonds humans and Pokemon build are amazingly deep and strong even without words!

(With words, my partner Pokemon are frequently telling jokes, telling stories about their days, and expressing their love in so many ways I feel as though they're the best friends I could ever have. I hope some day the technology opens up to allow for open communication for everyone; it's a wonderful feeling.)

"No, no, I meant like... romantically."

The amount of times I have heard this from trainers of humanoid Pokemon like Gardevoir, Machamp, Lopunny, Incineroar, Zoroark, and Arceus knows why, but for some reason also one trainer with a Vaporeon??? is more than a little disturbing.

Firstly: just because your Pokemon has a humanoid shape does not mean it has human intelligence, something I neglected to mention above. They do feel love, and appreciation, and joy. They are loyal to a fault and would probably die to protect you. They show affection frequently in ways that might come across as romantic to some people: hugs, hand-holding, generally being up in your face.

But for the love of everything holy, that does not mean that your Pokemon is capable of a romantic relationship with you. Or that it would be willing. Most Pokemon are vaguely confused at the concept at best, because the relationships we build are fundamentally different from human-human and Pokemon-Pokemon ones. Relationships where there is already an inherent power dynamic of trainer and Pokemon. Relationships where there is a clear gap in communication.

In not a single one of the cases I have seen was there anything resembling "romantic feelings" from the Pokemon these trainers were talking about, and there was a very swift move to discussion of how to interpret displays of affection, the trainer's own intentions, and what led them to their own conclusions. Most of the time, luckily, it's just the trainer's own worry that their Pokemon is interpreting their bond wrong.

But in the cases where trainers have developed feelings for their own Pokemon... I'm sorry, but that's one boundary I keep in therapy. I just can't handle those kinds of clients, just because of the disastrous results it usually leads to. (And to be perfectly honest, I have my own personal biases here as well due to my... past experiences.)

...I think I got a bit off track here. But I'm happy to answer any other questions people have about their Pokemon in general! Just not the last one.