Water Gun is for finishing weakened opps
I guess all of us did that as kids, didn't we?
Nope. Everything that learned Cut probably got Swift at the very least and Return is a universal TM.
Which is why Whirlpool is probably the worst HM EVER.
Giving Gatr or some other Water-type an extra Water HM definitely isn't a big deal, but two? That's crippling.
Then you look at the move itself. Field effect? Cut, but on Water. Gen 2 battle effect: 15BP, 70% Accuracy, trap, and 1/16 chip per turn.
This is positively
abysmal in-game. Literally a deal breaker. The worst part is how late it is, so it overlaps
heavily with Waterfall.
And of course, you only need it once. Matter of fact, here's what the Whirlpool HM unlocks.
View attachment 727194
So basically, Horsea, the Solarbeam TM, and a trainer. The Dragon Fang is bugged in GSC outside of Stadium 2, so it's literally useless.
Lugia as well, but that's only relevant if you got Silver. Post-game is whatever.
This is ALL the useless Whirlpool HM gets you. And btw, the Whirl Islands also require Flash and Strength, because of course it does. Don't forget to bring Dig or an Escape Rope if you want Lugia too, or else you'll need Waterfall as well!
Somehow, they managed to use Waterfall as an obstacle even less in GSC, but it is what it is, I suppose. At least the move itself is decent enough.