Pokemusings, week five

Keeping your Pokemon happy is every Pokemon trainer's responsibility. The better you treat your Pokemon, the better they'll perform for you in battle. More importantly, happiness is the only way to get some of the best Pokemon in the game.Lucario, Blissey, and Crobat are just a few of the ultimate evolutions that are triggered by maximum happiness.

There's a common misconception among many Pokemon players about happiness evolution. We've heard tons of people complain about what a chore this is. Lots of players give up on their dreams of owning a Togetic or a Clefairy because they think happiness evolution is extremely laborious. This couldn't be further from the truth! Getting your Pokemon cheerful enough to induce evolution should take a day at the most. If you're prepared with the right items then there's no reason it can't be done in under an hour! Let's take a look at some ways to speed up this jubilant process.

Most people know the basics when it comes to happiness evolution. The most obvious methods are straightforward: walking around with your Pokemon and leveling it up. There are a few items that can help too. The game flat-out tells you that the Soothe Bell accessory makes Pokemon happier. There are also certain restorative items (like Lemonade, Moo Milk and Fresh Water) that have a cheerful effect on Pokemon. Finally, there's a masseuse and a spa in Diamond/Pearl that let you pamper your Pokemon to bliss.

All these techniques are well and good, but they're also needlessly time consuming. If you're playing the game for hours a day and don't want to spend some time strictly focusing on evolving Pokemon, then knock yourself out with the above processes. However, if you want to speed things up then you should take some time to plant some special berries while you make your way through the game. Berries are the key to happiness evolution! Which ones are right for your PokePal? Click on to find out!