The more curious edge-case for me comes from later gens with the Salandit line's "Corrosion" ability, which allows them to inflict Poison on Steel and Poison type targets when using specifically status moves (i.e. Toxic works but Sludge Bomb Proc will not). The name of the ability (and Salazzle's secondary Fire typing) explains the Steel-vulnerability as a more literal idea of melting or corroding the material as a chemical reaction than the internal toxicity we imagine for most poisons, but that still raises the curious question of how Poison Heal Pokemon take that toxin in but still restore their health rather than lost it as a result
Hm, maybe Corrosion doesn't affect the poison itself but rather is sort of like a "coating" to bypass the natural Steel & Poison immunity to the Poison status ailment. To do so Corrosion's "coating" would need to have two effects as each Type would require a different method:
- For Steel, it's immune cause the majority of their body is made of metal which just normally can't absorb toxins, so Corrosion would have to make metallic structure unstable for the poison to affect the more organic parts.
- For Poison, it's immune cause Pokemon goes on the logic that a poisonous creature would be immune to its poison, and since seemingly all poison is very similar in the Pokemon world that means its immune to all poisons. So Corrosion would have to jeopardize the Poison-type's immune system so that it can't recognize the poison and filter it through.
No matter how its doing both of these, Corrosion obviously would be SUPER specialized for this specific purpose, so much so that the Corrosion's "addition" does not affect any Pokemon which can be poisoned disregarding Abilities. The Snorlax family, Zangoose, the Gligar family, and the Shroomish family ARE getting poisoned, it's just that they're bodies have ways of mitigating the poison (Snorlax & Zangoose likely gathers all poisons in their body in the bladder/rectum and then dispel it when they "go to the bathroom". Gligar and Shroomish seem to be able to recycle poisons that enter their using it as a way to get extra energy).
If Sacred Sword Oshawott requiring Smeargle breeding can happen, then there's always a chance.
Well Ralts certainly won't be getting it from Breeding. Not only is the Ralts family not in the Field Egg Group, but Oshawott uses its Scalchop as a blade so it has something to work with. But Ralts doesn't, if Gallade was to get Sacred Sword it would have to be added into its movepool.
BTW if they give it to Gallade then they should also give it to Sirfetch'd (or maybe Farfetch'd as an Egg Move since it is in the Field Egg Group).
Unrelated movepool oddity of the Sobble family: the only Ice attack Sobble and Drizzile learn is Ice Shard.
Inteleon learns about as many Ice attacks as you'd expect a Water-type to learn, but for some reason its prevos only learn a single weird one through breeding.
Could have to do with some wackiness they had to do due to the change they did with the Gen 8 Relearner (and possibly introducing the TRs). Because now Pokemon can learn any move they learn via Level-up and for free (and how easy it is to get TRs), basic and even mid/1st stage Pokemon had their movepools stripped down so the player doesn't become overpowered early on. Egg Moves were the only exception as that was something more involved and likely only something players would do post game. So we get instances like the Sobble family where Sobble and Drizzile only get an Ice-type move via Breeding, cause its the only way for that family to get Ice Shard as its not a TR, but when you reach Inteleon they toss the restriction as its at its final stage.
I guess the thing with the Sobble line specifically is it doesnt seem to emphasize its tongue at all.
Which makes it weirder Politoed doesn't get it
Kind of strange with all the Water-type frog Pokemon we have they haven't made a Water-type licking move (Launch Lick, a Water-type Knock Off).
"Why Knock Off"? Cause upon thinking of a move I realized maybe why there isn't any: any licking move would likely be Physical and many of these frog Pokemon are Special leaning. Hence GF probably shrugged their shoulder and just let it be they don't learn any licking moves unless the flavor text REALLY calls for it. Since I'm just doing this for as a fun thought experiment, I think if one was to be made it would be more utility based than a move relied on to get through the battle.
Mawile learns Sweet Scent by level-up, and has since Gen 3.
Is it... supposed to be like Victreebel or Carnivine? I thought Mawile lured its prey in with cuteness, not scent.
Hey, if Mawile is using its cuteness to deceive, that tells me it'll use any luring method it feels it could get away with. So if some Pokemon get attracted to it via Sweet Scent, and it has a method of releasing said Sweet Scent, why not? Course, that now leads to the question "what sweet scent is it creating"? The only thing I can think of is that there are some metals which have a "sweet" taste, so could be whatever metal that Mawile is made of just so happens is able to release a sweet smell. Or, if you prefer a simpler explanation, maybe it douses its horns in fruit juice and/or flowers and stores it in them like a perfume bottle.
Salazzle attracts Salandit with pheromones, which are close enough I guess.
No, that's it, Moon Dex entry: "Filled with pheromones, its poisonous gas can be diluted to use in the production of luscious perfumes".
There's also a guy I think in the Hano Grand Hotel trying to figure out how to purify Salazzle's pheromones to make into said perfume (since the dex implies it can be done, sounds like it must be a secret method achieved by one company and others are scrambling to figure out how).
I have been the whole day wondering why are Decidueye and Golurk among the few Ghost-types unable to learn Will-o-Whisp.
Like, i can understand why Dhelmise doesnt as it lives underwater (that didnt stop jellicent) and is technically just a plant (didnt stop Trevenant), meanwhile Aegilash could be for game balance, but why the other two cant?
Could just have to do with flavor.
Decidueye is a sniper, its trying to pin down its opponent and deliver precision strikes. Setting the opponent on fire may reveal its location, force the target to flee cause its now on fire, and since its in hiding the decreased Attack doesn't really factor in.
Golurk is VERY odd considering it does produce fire in order to fly.
Then again, that's actual fire and not ghostly fire (and, though it can't learn any special Fire moves, it does learn Fire Punch and notably Heat Crash). Golurk is essentially a robot programmed to do tasks, usually heavy labor or being guards. Burning something with ghostly energy likely doesn't come up when it's lifting/carrying stuff while its guarding program probably just tells it to smash the intruder with its giant fists until its either destroyed or goes away. Sure, fire usually deters things, but not all things; but what does is a giant robot lumbering toward you whose lifting its fists into the air that is the same size as you.
While Jelliscent is a sea creature like Dhelmise, it does come to the surface for the sole purpose of sinking ships and feeding on life energy. Ships do not respond well to being on fire, and Pokemon has done the thing which they relate life energy to being like some spectral flame so Will-O-Wisp is just making that life energy flame more accessible.
Trevenant is either trying to chase you out of its forest OR wants to punish you for harming its forest. (Ghostly) Fire is very useful for both.
Aegislash is implied to sort of being a mastermind. Its either making others do its bidding or its going all-in itself. The former it's not using any moves, the latter its likely thinking like a sword so just wants to stick you with the pointy end to make the red stuff come out. Little room in-between the two thought processes for "throwing out some fire could help me out".
3 out of 6 of Audino's first Level Up moves are Play Nice, Baby-Doll Eyes, and Growl. In ORAS and Gen 7, they were all learned by Level 5. Even though Audino can learn every move that just lowers Attack 1 Stage, Audino can't learn Charm.
I'm not complain about this because Buzzwole is an Ultra Beast, which is supposed to be weird, but it's a mosquito Pokemon and it can't learn Bug Buzz. If anything, I complaining that it can learn Snore, Round, and Hidden Power even though almost everyone can learn them because it means Buzzowle learns any Special Attacks. Then again, is it weirder that it can only learn those Special Attacks than if it couldn't learn any?
Charm's Japanese name is Spoiled Pout which I feel isn't something Audino would do as its meant to be a caring nurse.
Since Snore, Round, and Hidden Power are those TMs which is given to every Pokemon that can learn TMs there's really not much else to think on the subject. Its there due to a gimmick of the move's distribution and not because of anything pertaining to Buzzwole.
Blipbug, yeah I have nothing.
Well Blipbug is based on three things: Ladybug larva, a stereotypical "nerd", and the idiom "bookworm" which connects them together. So, we gotta relate that to Sticky Web, or specifically its Japanese name "Sticky Net". Well, Blipbug can produce silk being a larva so that's not an issue. As for forming it into a net, well being a nerd its inventive so those bred with the genetic blueprints can rig together its silk into a net shape.
I suppose they thought signature abilities were enough?
Especially with Abilities being the new major mechanic, having the Mascot Legendaries having Signature Abilities instead of Moves really put a spotlight on Abilities being a game changer.
Huh, TIL Superpower was the Regi's signature in RS. Nidoqueen gets it in Gen III (but obviously isn't around till FRLG, and in fact only learns the move in those games) as does Deoxys-A (likewise). I totally thought more Pokemon than that got Superpower in Gen III.
It's easy to forget as it's not really a move you want on them. It's not STAB, the Regi aren't offense-focused Pokemon (which made the Attack drop really unfavorable), and of the three only Regirock could really use it as Regice was Special focused and Registeel was designed as a mixed attacker thus had even lower Attack than Regirock. I don't know what GF was thinking giving them it as a Signature Move, though they quickly learned their mistake and spread Superpower starting Platinum.