CAP 22 CAP 22 - Part 4 - Primary Ability Discussion

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It looks like we've reached CAP 22's Primary Ability Discussion! Here, we'll decide our Pokemon's first Ability. The last step in the process was the Threats Discussion, so make sure to read up on what should threaten and be threatened by this Pokemon before arguing in favor of or in opposition to an Ability. The Abilities Leader is snake_rattler, so he will be responsible for creating the a slate of Abilities once the discussion has concluded. Please wait for him to make his opening post before replying here.

We sort of recently updated our rules about abilities; you can read about them here. In summary:
  • Custom abilities are banned
  • Abilities only available in Sun/Moon are banned
  • There are ability banlists for the different stages of ability discussion
  • Flavor abilities do not have any place in this thread. Do not bring up flavor reasoning.
The following abilities are banned from this discussion:

Air Lock
Bad Dreams
Color Change
Defeatist
Forecast
Illusion
Imposter
Moody
Multitype
Sand Veil
Shadow Tag
Slow Start
Snow Cloak
Teravolt
Truant
Turboblaze
Victory Star
Wonder Guard
Zen Mode

Big Pecks
Friend Guard
Healer
Honey Gather
Illuminate
Pickup
Run Away
Telepathy

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CAP22 so far:

Leadership Team:

cbrevan - Topic Leader
Elite Lord Sigma - Typing Leader
snake_rattler - Abilities Leader
Snobalt - Stats Leader
Deck Knight - Movepool Leader

Typing: Fairy / Fighting

Concept:
Name: Last Act of Defiance

General Description: A Pokemon that is defined by its use of the move Parting Shot.

Justification: Parting Shot is another move that's pretty amazing on paper, but its true usage has yet to be fully explored because it's only available to Pangoro. Pangoro is not the most viable Pokemon OU and is nearly unusable in CAP due to its 4x weakness to Fairy. Moreover, when I've used it in RU (prior it to being banned) and UU, I found myself clicking an attacking move more often than not. With the optimal Parting Shot user in the CAP metagame, we may be able to tap into this move's potential and figure out how it is best utilized. Maybe Last Act of Defiance will be a fast Pokemon that aims to keep up offensive momentum. Maybe it'll use the move like it would use Memento to help a teammate use a boosting move. Maybe it'll be a slow, bulky pivot intended to discourage switching. Maybe it'll do something completely different.

This falls under both actualization and archetype in terms of being a concept. In terms of actualization, it will teach us how to use Parting Shot "properly." Clearly, no other Pokemon, not even Pangoro, comes close to it. Well, users of U-turn, Volt Switch, and Memento come somewhat close, but even then, we'll be able to see what makes Parting Shot different from (and possibly better than) them. In terms of archetype, Last Act of Defiance will give not just the CAP metagame, but also the whole game of Pokemon, a utility Pokemon that we've never seen before, as Parting Shot was not (and still isn't) one of Pangoro's most important assets. Because Parting Shot has so many potential uses, a utility Pokemon such as this can be the ultimate team player for offensive and defensive archetypes alike.

Questions To Be Answered:
- Whether it's pivoting, offensive momentum, Memento-esque support, or something else, what is the "ideal" way to use Parting Shot? Why?
- Considering Pangoro rarely finds the time to use the move, how much should a Pokemon be willing to sacrifice another offensive option for Parting Shot?
- What makes Parting Shot different or similar from Volt Switch, U-turn, and Memento?
- Pangoro is definitely not the ideal Parting Shot user, so what does the ideal user look like?
- What strategies, whether they be certain Pokemon, playstyles, or other factors, will rise to prominence to combat a Parting Shot user?
Click to expand...
 
Before we begin, I hope everyone has read the Threats Discussion and, more importantly, cbrevan's final post. Here is a link for those who haven't seen it already: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/cap-22-part-3-threats-discussion.3576526/page-3#post-6895593.

To kick off the Primary Ability Discussion, I'd like to start off with the following questions:

1. What abilities complement CAP22's ability to use Parting Shot and pivot well?

2. What abilities will allow us to reduce harm caused by walls for both CAP22 and its teammates?

3. Should CAP22's ability have a focus on its offenses or on its utility?

A Pokemon's ability is key to its viability, so make sure you have solid reasoning for any ability you propose!
 
Instead of directly answering the questions posed, I will discuss two abilities that I believe could benefit the concept and implement my answers to these questions in their description. One ability is focused on utility for CAP22, while the other is a more offensive utility ability (if used correctly):

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Natural Cure seems to fit the bill completely for this kind of concept. First and foremost, we acknowledged that status moves (particularly Thunder Wave) hinder CAP22 from performing its job the way it wants to consistently. Furthermore, switching in on a status move as a pivot can be frustrating, since CAP22 has no natural immunity to any status move. Therefore, an ability that not only removes a key (unwanted) weakness for a pivot AND has its ability activated upon switching out from Parting Shot seems like it's the most fitting ability to fulfill the concept from a utility standpoint. Natural Cure gives CAP 22 an additional tool against stall teams and walls, specifically having the ability to shrug off Toxic and other status moves with little repercussion. I don't really have much else to say about Natural Cure, since I personally believe it fits like a glove with this concept, but this is a strong contender right out of the gate for a primary ability.

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PLEASE READ MY EXPLANATION BEFORE YOU MAKE A JUDGMENT ABOUT THIS ABILITY

Given the typing of this Pokemon, the desire to create some offensive pressure in conjunction with Parting Shot, and the fact that a Pokemon has multiple ways of lowering stats (without polljumping too much), Serene Grace is an excellent selection for an offensive ability that doesn't directly power up CAP22's moves, but rather gives it more opportunities to lower a Pokemon's stats so that a partner can switch in and gain offensive momentum. Stop thinking about Jirachi flinch hax when determining the viability of this ability. Moves that cause some sort of stat reduction (for example, Moonblast) would absolutely flourish with additional RNG chances to activate, and on a pivot, it could alleviate some pressure on selecting an attacking move for CAP22. A fast Parting Shout user could theoretically quickly stack stat drops this way, which could prove to be a unique approach of providing offensive utility support. Furthermore, this ability could soften up walls or soften physical attackers greatly for maximum boosting potential for teammates. While this ability does somewhat force us to consider moves at an earlier stage than normal, I think the overall benefit of Serene Grace could be discussed generally, and in terms of finding an offensive-based ability that has both utility for a pivot and fits a Parting Shot user well, I think you can't find much better.

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As for the third question, I think you don't need to compromise. Abilities like Natural Cure might seem utility-based on their surface, but the ability to erase paralysis and other detrimental status also affects offensive presence. Likewise, Serene Grace may only apply to attacking moves, but stat decrease stacking provides additional utility support for Pokemon. I think there are abilities out there that give us "the best of both worlds", so compromise through picking "either-or" is not necessary.
 
Well, long time watcher and voter but rarely post, no time like the present.

Honestly as a pivot, the first ability that came to mind was Unaware. This Cap has potential to be setup fodder, especially then the set up move causes multiple boosts a single downgrade can't keep up with. It does neuter Belly Drum users like Azumarill and Cawmadore, but both have priority in return.

I think another easy ability to suggest is Prankster Easy the biggest boost to Parting Shot, but counter to our checks list it has the power to lower damage from Priority before it lands.

Regenerator is another easy choice, as is Natural Cure simply because CAP is going to be switching anyway and its easy to take advantage of.

One not so obvious ability I'd like to try is Iron Barbs Most of our counters don't use as many contact movies, while many things we hope to threaten do. It also plays into CAPs switching game, inflicting small amounts of damage upon entry.
 
Ahh I am soo sleepy but I m-m-must post. Also dang not the first post on this tread you guys are fast ones :P

1. What abilities complement CAP22's ability to use Parting Shot and pivot well?

Things like Natural Cure, Regenerator, Multiscale and Sturdy make for great pivot strength and presence. Serene Grace works well as a hit and run kind of thing it is a very unexpored abiliy and when people think of it they just just think of Jirachi and its flinch hax but there is so much more to this ability example you could use it to increase the chance of a burn when using scald I do know this cap may not be using scald but this is just an example.

2. What abilities will allow us to reduce harm caused by walls for both CAP22 and its teammates?

The ability Natural Cure helps to reduce the harm done by status moves such as Toxic/Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave there are also things like Water Veil which protects you from burn. Limber protects save you from paralysis. Vital Spirit and Insomnia protect from sleep. Magma Armor protects you from getting frozen and Immunity stops poison but if we want to go more offencive and stop a wall on its tracks by KOing them then things like Mold Breaker and Sheer Force. Now as to helping teammates there is not much I can think of.

3. Should CAP22's ability have a focus on its offenses or on its utility?

The thing is a pokemon can have a more utility based ability and still have an offencive presence the same goes for any offencive ability but if I had to pick one or the other I would choose something offencive the thing is I don't really want one to exclude the other ;-;

Small notes: I do very much agree with DarkSlay here those two abilities would do wonders :]
 
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I absolutely love Natural Cure right now. It really helps against stall since Toxic becomes a non-issue, helps against random paralysis users, and prevents things like Lopunny from crippling this Pokemon permanently. It also gives Parting Shot a TON more reason to be used, since it also becomes a free Refresh.

I can't say much more now, but thats my thoughts.
 
Natural Cure and Regenerator are two natural choices to consider. Both assist CAP 22 with issues it faces as a pivot: status and being worn down. Both are very valuable for our CAP that would grant it a significant boost to its viability as a pivot. However, I seem to prefer Regenerator more because passive damage can easily add up between hazards and Life Orb recoil. Our CAP is not going to like residual damage, and given that it is going to be reliant on offense to pressure many of the mons it checks, it is only natural that we consider Regenerator more to level down the problematic potential of passive damage. Natural Cure is also of very high value, but I feel a bit more wary about hazards and LO recoil more than status, though both choices would be of great benefit.
 
I'm totally on board with doing something about status with our primary ability, and I think Natural Cure is a fantastic, pro-concept option for doing so. Full support.

There is one other anti-status ability I'd like to propose, though, and that is Poison Heal. One of the more frustrating aspects of this typing is that CAP has to switch into Dark-types and, almost certainly as a result, Knock Off, which means we can't really count on CAP doing its job consistently while simultaneously holding an item. With Poison Heal, CAP only needs its item for one turn to reap its benefits for an entire match, and unless we give it Sticky Hold, it's really the only ability that works in that sense.

On top of that, Poison Heal retains all of its other advantages. Its status immunity (once activated) extends to turns spent switching in and staying in, as opposed to Natural Cure, where status is at least in play until CAP switches out. It also provides double Leftovers recovery, aiding in longevity.

The trick is obviously in activating the Toxic Orb before getting statused or Knock Offed, but that's just the nature of the beast. Something to consider, though!
 
Regenerator is first for me followed by Natural Cure. Both abilities activate through switching which CAP 22 will be doing a lot with Parting Shot. It can heal up damage taken from Life Orb, Stealth Rocks, and other chip damage with Regenerator and can heal off burns with Natural Cure. I do think Regenerator will be better because passive damage (Rocks, LO) can very easily add up and limit CAP 22's effectiveness.
 
1. What abilities complement CAP22's ability to use Parting Shot and pivot well?
I would like to see Justified as it already switches in on Dark types very well and can offer some offensive pressure in the early game.
2. What abilities will allow us to reduce harm caused by walls for both CAP22 and its teammates?
Reduce harm is obviously natural cure or magic guard (being able to take on status of all natures without taking damage) or even magic bounce to make the opponent think twice before using toxic and will-o.
3. Should CAP22's ability have a focus on its offenses or on its utility?
Obviously because of it's gimmick it has to go the utility route but can have a minor offensive presence in early game with pivoting.
 
I was thinking Natural Cure from the start and I'm happy to see it getting support this early. It really comes in handy more so against paralysis and even burns than against Toxic poison, though, as the stuff that commonly runs Toxic in CAP, such as Garchomp and Chansey, are already hit hard by CAP 22's STAB moves. Paralysis from the likes of Togekiss, Jirachi, Thundurus, and Klefki will, as Korski said last time around, ruin CAP 22. Although we'll no longer bait in Thundurus (and thus be able to hit it with PS), the fact that Natural Cure will help against multiple other fatmons definitely offsets that.

Regenerator is very obviously a pro-concept choice as well. Being a pivot, CAP 22 is going to do a lot of switching in and out. With Regenerator, we'd be able to heal off a bunch of the chip damage that multiple Pokemon will inflict on us, and it'd fear entry hazards a bit less as well. Magic Guard also works in this regard. I'd hate to make Crucibelle 2.0, but it attacks the sources of passive damage at their sources and thus works similarly to Regenerator. Also notably, it makes CAP 22 perfectly comfortable with switching into Toxic Spikes, which are more prevalent in CAP than in regular OU.

Here's another radical proposal: Adaptability. There are a surprising number of passive Pokemon that we want to threaten but can't on typing alone, such as Clefable, (Mega) Slowbro, non-Choice Scarf Jirachi, and Klefki, that have the typing advantage against CAP 22 and thus would be just as inclined to hit it with a STAB move as they would use a status move. (Well, Klefki less so.) While it's true that Natural Cure is undeniably a boon for how CAP 22 responds to stallmons, it doesn't necessarily help in one-on-one matchups against them. As stallmons are generally fairly resistant to Parting Shot, an alternative way to deal with them could simply be to overwhelm them. Regardless of whether we go physical or special, Adaptability turns a fair amount of 3HKOs into 2HKOs for multiple passive Pokemon that we struggle against. Additionally, even though it's reasonable to fear that our switch-ins will no longer wish to switch into CAP 22, I found out that the boost from Adaptability often doesn't scare our checks/counters too much. (I can provide calcs to back these up if need be.)

jynx KB just briefly mentioned Unaware, but it's also something that has intrigued me for a bit. I've held the opinion that CAP 22 should beat the Belly Drummers, as we don't have great type matchups against them and they obviously don't give a shit about Parting Shot. Given their prevalence, we cannot afford to let them set up and 6-0 the remainder of the team. Moreover, we lose to Clefable and (Mega) Slowbro as of now, which are two of the biggest stall staples in the CAP metagame. What do they have in common? Calm Mind. CAP 22 is setup bait for them as it stands and it outright loses if they're already set up. On the flipside, Parting Shot is pretty effective against bulky boosters by nullifying one of their boosts for our new switch-in. Even so, if we wish to improve CAP 22's one-on-one matchup with them and thus threaten them outside of Parting Shot, Unaware may be something to look at.

EDIT: After chatting with snake_rattler, we (well, he) discovered one problem with Natural Cure, which is that we need to hard switch (or use a slow Parting Shot that has a chance to fail entirely) to cure it. That led me to consider Limber or Volt Absorb as an alternative to the Natural Cure route, as paralysis seems to be the main status condition that CAP 22 needs an answer for. With either Limber or Volt Absorb, CAP 22 doesn't lose its momentum at all when facing one of the many Thunder Wave users in the metagame. Each one has its merits; Limber works against stuff like Malaconda and Serperior, while Volt Absorb has an additional effect that could help CAP 22 survive for longer if it catches a predicted Thunder Wave at the proper time.
 
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I really like DarkSlay's suggestion for Natural Cure, as it has direct interaction with the switching mechanics of Parting Shot.

Another ability that could have direct interaction with the mechanics of Parting Shot is Contrary. In the specific circumstances where CAP 22 faces a pokemon with Magic Bounce or Rebound, Parting Shot gets bounced back and would give CAP 22 a -1/-1 and the Magic Bouncer gets the switch. With Contrary, our Parting Shot against a Magic Bouncer would give us a stat boost. I know it's a very specific scenario, but it could be an interesting one.

Since we threaten common bouncers like Colossoil and Mega Sableye with our STAB, perhaps it's wishful thinking that we'll ever get the chance to use Parting Shot on them at all. But then again, on a predicted Parting Shot from a not-Contrary CAP 22, it's possible that switching in a bouncer would be a viable play. It would debuff CAP 22, and give the opponent the opportunity to auto-switch immediately to a counter or sweeper of choice. So, by giving CAP 22 Contrary, we take that counterplay against Parting Shot off the table. And, of course, Contrary opens up all sorts of possibilities later for movepool. But that's for MUCH later, if my theorymon on the ability is even a legit strategy at all.
 
I think Natural Cure suits CAP extremely well. Of course it complements Parting Shot beautifully, since it will activate every time CAP uses Parting Shot. But it also allows CAP to not care about being statused. If CAP ends up being a physical or mixed attacker, it can use Parting Shot to rid itself of a Burn. If CAP turns out to be a special attacker, Burns as well as (Toxic) Poison don't necessarily cripple it. In any case, both status effects they put it on a timer and limit the number of times it can effectively come in on an opposing threat, and with Natural Cure, CAP can use Parting Shot to make it a more reliable pivot throughout a battle. This prevents CAP from being scared of status-inflicting moves from bulky mons it would otherwise counter, including Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Mega Sableye. Natural Cure also lets CAP run Rest in its moveset without necessarily remaining asleep for the next two turns.

Natural Cure becomes interesting when we start to look at Paralysis. I discussed this a bit with snake_rattler, and we determined that CAP will hardly ever be in a situation where it will get paralyzed. The only reasonable situations when CAP would be paralyzed are on switch-in, or by faster opponents or Prankster users on the same turn that CAP uses Parting Shot. However, there is really no reason for CAP to be in these situations. Most Thunder Wave users beat CAP outside of paralysis - for example, stuff like Clefable, Slowbro, and Thundurus beat CAP just based on typing.

For this reason, I think Limber does not make sense as an ability. The situations in which CAP may get paralyzed overlap with the situations in which CAP may get killed.
 
I like the general idea of both Regenerator and Natural Cure as these abilities really pair well with Parting Shot pivots. Regen provides longevity while NC makes status such as paralysis a non issue, which would make CAP22 far less threatening by reducing its speed. Similarly, Volt Absorb or Lightningrod could also make paralysis less harmful to CAP by nullifying Thunder Wave, with the added bonus of causing mind games with slow Volt Switchers, preventing them from gaining momentum after taking a Parting Shot. Poison Heal is less ideal on a pivot for status immunity, as HP is only regained at the end of a turn, and CAP's whole concept revolves around pivoting out.

A few other ideas:

Levitate - This ability grants CAP the ability to more realibily switch in, notablely against Collosoil, and perhaps more impressively, this would give CAP a rare and handy resistance to the common Ground/Rock coverage combo, a feat only held by Breloom, Chestnaught, Torterra and Bronzong. Another benefit to Levitate that is beneficial for a fast pivot is that it makes it invulnerable to Spikes, Toxic Spikes and the rare Sticky Web, making it far less prone to being worn down. These same traits help make Landorus and Rotom such great pivots.

Frisk - Frisk really works well on a pivot, scouting the opponent and removing guessing games about the opponent's offensive monsters by revealing their item, and helping CAP switch to the appropriate counter. If their mon happens to be scarfed, this also allows CAPmon the ability make the appropriate switch out to avoid being KOed by mons which might otherwise be unexpectedly fast.
 
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Even though I got ninja'd on Levitate (damn time zones...) I would like to throw my support behind Levitate.

Levitate allows CAP22 to evade all entry hazards except for Stealth Rock, which it naturally resists. This is immensely helpful to accomplish its job as a pivot, vithout being worn down, statused, or slowed down by pesky hazards. It also doesn't mess up too much with our list of checks and counters (we already have the upper hand against Colossoil and Garchomp, Fidgit can hit us with Poison moves nevertheless) and doesn't rid CAP22 of a weakness, instead giving it an immunity to a type it is merely neutral to. That's why I feel Levitate would be a good ability toward the concept, without being overpowered.

Limber might be nice to avoid paralysis, which screws CAP22 over very much.

Contrary might be fun, but we must be wary not to make a sweeper with STAB Contrary Superpower instead of a pivot.

I gave a thought about Magic Guard as well. It would be great, with the hazards immunity and being unaffected by Toxic, but it sounds a bit too "generally good ability" to me.

Regenerator and Natural Cure also come to mind naturally. I can support Natural Cure to help CAP22 continually shed status, however Regenerator again sounds "generically too good", especially on a Pokémon built to be a pivot.
 
1. What abilities complement CAP22's ability to use Parting Shot and pivot well?

Well, the most obvious have been named quite a few times now, but I'll do as well.
Regenerator is a good fit, because any pivot appreciates it if its attempt to gain momentum also results in having 33% more HP.
Natural Cure is also a good ability that activates on a switch, but I think it is even more valuable than Regenerator. One of our concerns in the Threaths Discussion were Walls and Support Pokemon (that don't care about PS) coming in and status us. With Natural Cure, they can status us all they want, since we get rid of it the next time we tag out.
Prankster is also a very good ability for all non-damaging utility moves this CAP might get. But it is only really worth it, if CAP22 generally takes more of a utility route than an offensive one.
Limber is a great choice to avoid Paralysis in general, which let's us keep the Fast Parting Shot this Pokemon should be built for.
Contrary is a generally very good ability, so we would also have to watch out in the Movepool Stage to not turn CAP22 into a setup mon. Apart from that, this ability would cover the situational matchup against a Magic Bounce user, granting us a +1/+1 Boost while phasing the magic bouncer out.

2. What abilities will allow us to reduce harm caused by walls for both CAP22 and its teammates?

Not gonna repeat my reasoning, but I'll mention Natural Cure once again, for its ability to make CAP22 act as a statut absorber for the team.
One ability I want to bring up here was wirst mentioned by DarkSlay: Serene Grace. Following his reasoning, this ability would cover an interesting aspect of Pokemon. The one big problem this ability brings is that this ability greatly limits us in movepool stage. I don't want to poll jump, but this is a crucual problem here. By making Serene Grace one of our abilities, we would have to exclude Moves that abuse it to hax the opponent (which wouldn even be STAB anyway) as well as include some moves that can produce the stat drops DarkSlay mentions.
Frisk might be good, because it helps us scout the opponents team, gaining us information that helps the hole team.
I like the idea of Poison Heal. With Dark types being a common switchin target for CAP22, we could make use of that and also act as an knock off absorber as well as an status absorber. Poison Heal would help us with that, since we only need to get off the poison on us once, then we can loose our item to take knock offs better.

3. Should CAP22's ability have a focus on its offenses or on its utility?

I think CAP22 should keep a balance between both roles. While we need a good offensive precense to force switches and then gain momentum through PS, a few other utility moves really help us against walls, or other utility mons.
 
I'm going to bring up an offense-oriented ability that hasn't been discussed and actually does quite excellent things for CAP 22. I'm speaking of Rattled.

Some might consider it odd that a Pokemon with a switching move might want a speed boost. Consider the following: A large number of U-turn users utilize Choice items to maintain momentum and switch out to another fast Pokemon. With Rattled, CAP 22 can ensure that even against a Choice Scarved opponent, it will Parting Shot first, and unless that Pokemon itself has U-turn or Volt Switch, its choiced attack will be extremely weak and will allow another Pokemon to set up behind CAP 22.

Not only that, but Rattled punishes every single use of Knock-Off by essentially replacing CAP's Item with a +1 Speed boost. The first time it takes additional (but still near-meaningless with a 4x resist) damage but is sitting at a high enough speed to Parting Shot basically any threat. CAP itself is unlikely to attract many U-turns because they also do pitiful damage, but in the case of Rattled also raise CAP22's speed again. Ghost attacks aren't very common outside of Kitsunoh's Shadow Strike or a few Pokemon with Shadow Ball, but nonetheless CAP certainly wouldn't hurt if it could get the upper hand on ghosts now and again. Rattled also incidentally makes Gyro Ball stronger against CAP 22 which is generally in line with wanting slower Steel types to Parting Shot against.

Long story short, Rattled punishes U-turn and Knock Off, pushes CAP's speed tier above comparable Choice Scarf Pokemon that might otherwise try to take advantage of it, and actually enhances its ability to lure the kind of Steel types we want to face.
 
I honestly think that Regenerator is too good for this concept... I know this CAP is supposed to be switching in and parting shoting out a lot, but Regenerator is just overkill. Cap will be fast and if isnt clicking parting shot its because it believes it can threathen something with its STABs. and that means this CAP wont be receiving hits at all. And that means it will be somewhat healthy. putting regenerator in the equation means that CAP will almost always be near full HP. since it resist rocks, spikes are not that common and in a ideal sitation, it will switch into a resisted hit. Dont like it

-Natural Cure on the other hand, it seems like a perfect fit. it will be still worn down by status but not so much since it will be parting shoting out just a moment later. and since status doenst affect us that much, it improves our matchup agaisnt stall a lot. its my favorite of all the abilities proposed so far.

-Levitate is something i also like a lot since it gives us a free switch against ground mons, who doesnt specially like having their stats drop. also resistance vs every kind of hazzard is very cool.

-Intimidate could be something really cool, since it would stack with the stat drop from parting shot and help a lot. altough maybe since it overlaps people would just not do parting shot at all and just switch in and out normally... i dont know.

-Serene grace is very good too, since fairy moves all have a chance to drop the stats of the enemy, and that coupled with parting shot, makes for a wonderfull combination in my opinion, even though we could go very far away from the concept if we allow something like paraflinch hax with this ability.
 
I love some of these ideas, like Serene Grace and Natural Cure, but I'd like to address a big concern.

Fairy/Fighting is a really, really good type. This isn't Bug/Ice. This is two types which are strong both defensively and offensively. This isn't just "acceptably good", this is "Tomohawk good". It isn't invincible (yet), but it doesn't need specific ability help to address survivability. The fact that stuff like Regenerator or Poison Heal are being suggested is nuts. Those are incredibly powerful abilities that push the viability of a Pokemon through the roof. Tornadus is barely viable in UU outside of dedicated Rain teams, Tornadus-T is a major threat in OU. Amoonguss and Slowbro are OU, despite their many other flaws. Regenerator is totally nuts, and giving it to a (fast?) Stealth Rock resistant Pokemon that can switch out constantly is a recipe for disaster. Mega Crucibelle is a good example of a Pokemon that is ridiculously hard to deal with (it would absolutely be suspected if subjected to the OU process, and probably banned), and a big reason why is the way it can completely ignore residual and hazard damage. Regenerator and to a lesser extent Poison Heal are gamebreaking abilities that should be applied only when there is a bad (i.e. Stealth Rock weak at least) type that needs to be fixed by an ability for concept reasons--they are way too good to be given out like candy, even to strong type combinations.

I really like the suggestion of Serene Grace because it works really well with both the typing and concept, so much so that there will probably never be a better chance to use Serene Grace. Play Rough and Moonblast each lower an offensive stat, which could lead to either a switch out, which favors Parting Shot, or staying in and attacking weakly, which favors Parting Shot even more. Even better, Fighting lacks the "haxy" flinch attacks of Steel or Flying types, and we have full control over whether CAP22 will receive them. Serene Grace has a bad reputation, but it really does work wonders with this concept and typing.

Natural Cure is also cool because we can switch out whenever we want, and it has a lot more synergy than Poison Heal, at a much more acceptable power level (I would not want to face Sub/Toxic/Fairy move/Fighting move CAP22, would you? That would also not use Parting Shot).

I'm shocked that this hasn't come up because it seems to me super intuitive, but considering that we expect to switch in a lot on Knock Off, Sticky Hold would allow CAP22 to keep its Leftovers, etc. which is pretty useful over the course of a battle.

Levitate seems reasonable because it turns CAP22 into a hard counter rather than a check for Colossoil and allows it to deal better with Sticky Web, but Rapid Spin is stupidly easy to use in CAP anyway and Poison types are common, so I'm not as worried about Spikes, Toxic Spikes, etc.
 
I'd like to take a look at Motor Drive as an alternative to Rattled and paralysis control. It seems that Motor Drive consolidates a lot of what CAP wants to do. It gives us a way to stop Thunder Wave users such as Clefable and Ferrothorn, and also increases CAPs ability to play against VoltTurn teams since it would resist U-Turn and be immune to Volt Switch. It also helps the concept of FPS as it gives us a speed boost making it more difficult to revenge CAP without priority and letting it use Parting Shot more easily.
 
Regenerator and Natural Cure are obviously two of my favorites, for very easy reasons. Mold Breaker might be a fascinating ability for this CAP. It would prevent Rebound and Magic Bounce from stopping status moves, in addition to allowing to to power through things with Unaware if it gets setup moves.
Along the same lines of Contrary, as mentioned by DougJustDoug, Defiant or Competative might work equally well. This would have a similar effect, except probably not as good for general purposes. It would be only for if we think Contrary is too good. Unburden could be useful since we are constantly switching into knock-offs, so with proper timing could be used to the CAP's advantage.

Some similar but more situational abilities are Scrappy and Reckless, because they depend on if we want to be able to hit ghosts and what moves we provide for this CAP's movepool.
 
Unaware and Natural Cure are great abilities for the CAP to have. Unaware makes it so that it can take out some sweepers, whilst Natural Cure helps against the paralysis and potential burns. Unaware keeps the parting shots in check if the Pokemon stays in and the CAP reenters.

I strongly disagree with Regenerator. It is way bit too much on the CAP, as it would then be a lot nastier to deal with, as it turns parting shot to a pseudo recover with Noble Roar. Poison Heal is bad as well, as a rare poison from a sludge wave/bomb would be bad, cause the cap could recover off the HP. Prankster, with how fast the CAP will likely be, would throw off priority users as counters, as you can easily swap and they are having a lowered stats o the switch, making them not that much of a threat.

Some that would need careful attention to are Serene Grace and Contrary. Serene grace would have to be monitored very closely in the Movepool stage, as moves like moonblast are nice, and there are some interesting moves that can cause some chaos with the chances. Same with contrary, as we have seen what happened to serp when it got the ability, and just stormed the meta. With CC, it can wall, and superpower makes it tanky. As we would likely be using one of them to beat the blobs, it would be a bad idea to have Contrary.
 
Natural Cure will greatly benefit the CAP due to Parting Shot's switching mechanics, allowing it to escape from burns, paralysis, and even bad poison. (Who even uses Toxic anymore?) Paralysis will cripple this Pokémon is it lacks natural bulk, while burns will hurt the CAP greatly if it goes physical or mixed.

Regenerator allows the CAP to heal too much HP upon switching, giving the CAP potential that almost matches Tomohawk, if not giving it even more bulk. At least we know that Tomohawk lacks speed if it runs Intimidate. This CAP was implied to have naturally decent speed, and Regenerator will allow it to overstay its welcome in a match.
 
Missed the start of this thread I see. I knew Regenerator would be thrown about a bit due to it being a really strong ability for the concept, although I have reservations about it, I did not consider Natural Cure. If PS'mon is fast enough, however, it should mostly have only a few ways it could get hit with a status, mostly prankster Pokemon. So I do doubt its ultimate effectiveness as a primary ability on that regard, same with Limber.

One I haven't seen mentioned yet is Dry Skin, which would do two things for this process: Give it another type of switch-in opportunity and further define its aversion to Fire-Types. I do like the idea of giving it an immunity ability, since giving it more safe switch-ins can help a lot with its pivoting power. On top of that, most of the types that type immunity abilities relate to, such as water, electric, and ground, are not common coverage types used by Fire or Poison Pokemon. (Ground to a lesser extent) Besides Dry Skin, I do believe that Volt Absorb or Lightningrod would work out really well since it blocks Prankster Thunder Wave, which would be an issue, while giving us another move to use to switch in on Cyclohm.

I am surprised at a lack of people mentioning Intimidate as a choice, since I figured that would be one of the main three (alongside Regenerator and Prankster, the latter of which is a definite No, imo) to be brought up. It gives PS'mon an easier time switching in on physical attackers, but it would give it a lot more similarities to Lando-T, so I can understand why it isn't being mentioned much.

Outside of those, I do feel that the arguments for Serene Grace are pretty valid and would find it interesting, while Unaware would be a great tool in forcing out some set-up Pokemon that would otherwise give teams issues. Both seem like good choices. Magic Guard's ability to negate damage from hazards and statuses shouldn't be ignored, but I don't know if it would be strong enough for this CAP.

And in closing: Regarding Question 3: I believe that the ability should focus more on helping PS'mon from a utility standpoint verses helping it hit harder. An ability that keeps it healthy, lets it come in on more things, or can help scare some Pokemon off the field should be the kind of ability we want.
 
1. What abilities complement CAP22's ability to use Parting Shot and pivot well?
As suggested earlier, the biggest abilities that complement switching are Regenerator and Natural Cure, however Natural Cure is the only one I can get behind as Regenerator, as also earlier suggested is too good especially with this typing. This ties into the next question also, with NC pivoting reduces harm caused by walls by making status pretty much moot. Also, I know that they're not very good, but I just wanted to get this out there, but an idea I was toying with a bit was abilities that reveal information about the enemy, like Forewarn or Anticipation which could promote more meaningful pivoting since they provide info on what your opponent COULD do, and you pivot into something which could work against it, which is good with a fast Parting Shot.

2. What abilities will allow us to reduce harm caused by walls for both CAP22 and its teammates?
(Pseudo-)Status Immunity abilities like Limber, Immunity, Natural Cure, Synchronize. Status is a wall's greatest weapon, and these can neuter them pretty well, especially abilities that grant immunity to damaging status. Synchronize could take this in another way, by inflicting the damaging status on the wall, taking care of them a bit better. In addition, Fire and Poison type checks/counters are not undermined by Synchronize due to their immunity to the damaging Burn and Poison.

3. Should CAP22's ability have a focus on its offenses or on its utility?
For the sake of the concept, I believe utility would be best. Fairy/Fighting is VERY good offensively, and I feel as though accentuating its capabilities as a sweeper too much could detract from Parting Shot's worth in a moveslot. I understand that to stay true to the concept however, offensive capability is needed, but I believe it should come from stats and movepool. I definitely believe abilities make the 'Mon. Deficiencies in other areas are more problems that can usually be resolved through smart play and investment in any Pokemon that is relatively viable.
 
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