You are a type specialist in a hostile region. How do you best represent your chosen element?

[Dusk Mage Necrozma]

I am speed (and have a head start) (and have no life)

​

A boring singles rain team, or perhaps, Thunder team. Thunder likes the rain, Lanturn's good in rain as well, and Akala I keep wanting to say Akkala, thanks Zelda has a huge number of rain mons including both non-Kyogre Drizzle users. It's arguable that these rain mons are lacking in Electric-type flavor, but the association with rain is flavor in and of itself - thunderstorms always come with rain.


Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
Bold Nature
- Shock Wave
- U-turn
- Scald
- Hurricane
Pelipper is my rain setter of choice, because for some reason it learns Shock Wave. Its access to U-Turn also means I don't need to throw on manual Rain Dance later on, as it can pivot out and reapply rain later except for when every player ever leads an Electric mon and OHKOs it first


Jolteon @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Water]
All the available Electric-types you can't get an Oricorio-Pom-Pom on Akala, and I wouldn't use it anyway because it doesn't learn Thunder are used. Eeveelutions really get no good coverage, huh? HP Water over Ice for thematic reasons. More pivoting is always nice.


Shiinotic @ Leftovers
Ability: Rain Dish
Bold Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Leech Seed
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball
I'm only running three Electric-types, and I don't want Water to tie for the most-used type lest the team lose its identity, so Pelipper and Lanturn will be my only Water-types. This means I can't use, say, Lumineon and Carracosta to round out my team. Luckily, as previously stated, Akala Island has no shortage of rain mons, and my first choice is Rain Dish Shiinotic. Spore is too evil to use in good conscience, Thunder Wave is thematic and all that. Still a very evil set.


Lanturn @ Choice Specs
Ability: Volt Absorb
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Volt Switch
Pivot number three. I'm delighted to learn this thing gets Ice Beam. Thematically this should be the ace considering its Water type, but Vikavolt has almost twice its Special Attack, so...


Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Hydration
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Dragon Pulse
- Muddy Water
- Ice Beam
Goodra doesn't get as much from the rain as, say, a Swift Swim mon, but Hydration's nice, and its evolution method means the flavor's solidly there. Thunder makes it a great choice, and it gets Water coverage as well. Its high BST means it comes in later. Ice coverage is always good.


Vikavolt @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Bug Buzz
- Energy Ball
- Roost
...Vikavolt is the ace, and as such it holds the Electrium Z. Thunder and its 185 BP Gigavolt Havoc hit extremely hard off 145 base Special Attack. Vikavolt doesn't get much so STABs/Energy Ball/Roost are pretty easy choices.

​

 

[Eeveeto]

My trainer is a madman that does something that no Electric trainer ever would: using Gravity in Double Battles! It uses a Lighting Rod without having an actual Lighting Rod Pokemon. The Lightning Rod is the opponent, who with Gravity will be hit by everything. Naturally, everyone going up against an Electric trainer would bring numerous Earthquakes, but we can deal with those.

Item: Air Balloon. Ability: Sturdy. Moves: Gravity, Thunder Wave, Explosion, Rock Slide. So, this rock usually has Magnet Pull ability, evolves in several electric places or when a Thunderstone is used. Its also based on a compass, which is magnetic and has mini-noses which it can control, similar to how battle drones are used... which are also electric. Totally fits. Probopass is our Gravity user, its goal is to use the move and die with Explosion, so that the rest of the team can abuse Gravity for another 3 turns. Thunder Wave and Rock Slide benefit from Gravity.
Item: Focus Sash. Ability: Vital Spirit. Moves: Follow Me, Will-o-Wisp, Heat Wave, Thunder Punch. Magmortar lives in volcanoes, where sometimes electricity...happens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_lightning It conveniently learns some electric moves. On a non-Electric team I would put Thunderbolt, but since I don,t want to repeat moves, Thunder Punch it is. Follow Me is the most important move here, though, it helps Probopass to set the Gravity, which Magmortar then can abuse with Heat Wave + Will-o-Wisp before dying.
Item: Gengarite. Moves: Hypnosis, Hex, Zap Cannon, Sludge Bomb. We are in Alola, so we need a Mega to hang around here. Pinsir and Kanga are not very electric, so its really between Gengar and Gyarados. Since we already will have a Water, better Gengar. Gengar's justification for a Electric trainer is kinda shaky, but it can be argued that Gengar's smile in the darkness can be perceived as light. It also happens to learn a lot of electric moves. As Mega, Gengar is our main force of assault while Gravity lasts. It hits with Hypnosis or Zap Cannon unstatused targets and abuses 130 power Hex vs statused ones.
Item: Shuca Berry. Moves: Muddy Water, Thunder, Blizzard, Dazzling Gleam. First electric Mon. Bulky Mon that launches powerful, but inaccurate moves. In Lanturn's lifetime Gravity probably ends, so the accuracy drops provided by Muddy Water gonna be handy. Dazzling Gleam is the most electric Fairy move. Has Shuca Berry to take Earthquakes, which almost all the team is weak to.
Item: Quick Claw. Moves: Discharge, Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, Mud Shot. Another Electric. If it and Lanturn share the field, Discharge heals the fish. Can also heal our ace. The other move do damage, Quick Claw can do fun stuff.
Item: Electium-Z. Moves: Magnet Rise, Work Up, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. I am Eeveeto, so Jolteon has to be the ace here. By the time it appears, opposing team should be pretty statused (slept or paralyzed) and maybe with some accuracy drops. This buys turns for Work Up and if opponent still tries to use Earthquakes, Magnet Rise avoids that, by the time Jolteon appears, there is no Gravity anymore almost surely. With lighting speed and a Z-Move, Jolteon should clean whatever is left.

 

[Magnus0]

Let me share my take on a rain team before everyone else starts doing it ;) It's a great team archetype for this challenge because there are just so many options. I didn't use either of the drizzle users though, because I didn't think they had enough of a connection to the electric type, so a manual rain setter it is.

This is a doubles team with multiple layers of synergies stacked on top of each other. I think all the wildcard members have a decent enough reason to be on an electric specialist's team apart from being good in rain too:

Lumineon
Item: damp rock
Ability: storm drain
- Rain Dance
- Protect
- Surf
- Signal beam
According to the pokedex, it attracts prey by flashing the patterns on its tail fins. It's not too dissimilar from Lanturn, an actual electric type, using its light to blind and distract prey. It's also said that Lumineon's fins shine like the night sky, while Lanturn is nicknamed the 'deep-sea star', so they really have a similar motif going on. That's why I think they make for a great duo in a doubles team.

Lumineon is the main rain dance setter. It has protect mostly so it can survive discharge from Lanturn. Surf is the main STAB and a way to heal Lanturn. Finally signal beam is the move that best demonstrates that Lumineon can create flashing lights with its fins, thus adding to its electric type flavour.

Lanturn
Item: assault vest
Ability: water absorb
- Discharge
- Surf
- Dazzling Gleam
- Volt Switch

Lanturn is a no brainer on a electric based rain team. According to the dex, in the wild it has a rivalry with Lumineon, which makes it interesting to see the two team up. It has multiple spread moves and volt switch to gain momentum. It's free to use surf on Lumineon and Shiinotic, and it's free to use Discharge on Whiscash, Shiinotic and Jolteon, which makes it a great teammate for almost all of the other Pokemon on the team. Dazzling gleam is a flavour pick to highlight the shining lights motif that both Lumineon and Shiinotic share.

Whiscash
Item: rindo berry
Ability: Hydration
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Spark

Whiscash can learn spark, and so it's likely at least partially based on the electric catfish. I think it also fits well on a rain team with its hydration ability. The moveset is a bit weird, but it makes sense when you consider the rest of the team. Dragon dance is there to boost its stats, but it can also be copied by Oricorio, who also is immune to earthquake. Rest is there to take advantage of hydration. Earthquake is the main STAB of course, and spark is there for the electric type flavour. It also hits flying types that are immune to earthquake. With two other water types on the team, I think it's fair enough to leave out a water type STAB here.

Shiinotic
Item: absorb bulb
Ability: rain dish
- Rain Dance
- Giga Drain
- Moonblast
- Charge Beam

Another Pokemon that uses flickering lights to catch prey, which is really one of the main themes in this team. It can also learn charge beam for some extra electric type representation. The rest of the set is pretty standard. With a resistance to ground, electric and water all at once, it can easily take the spread moves that are very prevalent on this team and heal back HP with giga drain. It also deals well with opposing water and electric types trying to take advantage of your rain strats.

Oricorio
Item: sharp beak
Ability: dancer
- Revelation Dance
- Hurricane
- Baton Pass
- Calm Mind

Another no brainer on an electric based rain team thanks to its access to Hurricane. It has particularly good synergy with Whiscash, because it can copy the dragon dance boosts and then pass them along with baton pass. It's also immune to earthquake. Calm mind is there so Oricorio has something good to pass with baton pass, because most of the team are special attackers.

Jolteon
Item: electrium Z
Ability: volt absorb
- Thunder
- Hyper Voice
- Pin Missile
- Rain Dance

Jolteon is the ace, and therefore it has the electrium Z for an absolutely massive nuke. Even without the Z move, it packs a punch with a perfectly accurate thunder. Hyper voice is another spread move with decent neutral coverage. Pin missile is mostly there to hit grass types. It's not very strong on its own, but with a potential dragon dance boost, it can definitely catch an unsuspecting player off-guard. Although to be fair, the stars have to align for the AI to actually make that happen. Finally, it has rain dance again because the whole team just falls apart without rain.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

SM has several lines referencing Kahuna Olivia's single status. Now, I certainly don't think anyone needs a romantic partner to be complete, but I do wonder: what would a match for Olivia look like?

This trainer's team focuses on the interplay between light and precious gems, as a nod to Olivia's Konikoni shop. A dream partner helps you be your most brilliant self, just as the right lighting reveals the true brilliance of a gemstone. All the Electric Pokemon know a different light-emitting move, while all the non-Electric Pokemon know a unique light-reflecting move.

I imagine this trainer helping with the electricity supply on Akala, specifically the lighting. While many parts of the island feel quite rustic, I imagine that the Battle Royal Dome, Dimensional Research Lab, and Hano Grand Resort all have pretty hefty electrical needs.

Probopass
Ability: Sturdy
- Power Gem
- Magic Coat
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch

The crossover between rocks and electricity is clearest with Probopass, our lead and rocks setter. Olivia even uses one herself, both in her League team and as a messenger in her home. Magic Coat deters opposing hazards, while also acting as our reflective move, with the very appropriate Power Gem as STAB and Volt Switch linking in the specialty type.

Jolteon
Ability: Volt Absorb
- Thunderbolt
- Signal Beam
- Shadow Ball
- Volt Switch

Jolteon fulfils its standard role as a speedy attacker, making use of Signal Beam, "a sinister beam of light", to highlight the less conventional charms of gemstones.

Corsola
Ability: Regenerator
- Power Gem
- Reflect
- Mirror Coat
- Recover

Being organic material, coral is unusual as a gemstone, but its beauty is undeniable. Corsola is another Power Gem user, who also uses the reflective powers of, well, Reflect to both offer support and lure opponents in for big damage with Mirror Coat. If only it got an Electric move!

Sidenote: I'm kind of surprised Corsola doesn't get more of a spotlight on Akala, since 'Ākala is Hawaiian for pink, the kahuna uses Rock-types, and it has such strong island vibes in general.

Lanturn
Ability: Volt Absorb
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Dazzling Gleam
- Heal Bell

Lanturn epitomises the connection between electricity and light, here using Dazzling Gleam for maximum brilliance. Heal Bell functions as a nice payoff for all the Volt Switch pivoting.

Starmie
Ability: Analytic
- Thunderbolt
- Power Gem
- Hydro Pump
- Light Screen

Starmie's gemstone is its defining feature, explicitly used here for Power Gem and Light Screen, alongside STAB and the obligatory Electric attack.

Vikavolt @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
- Thunderbolt
- Bug Buzz
- Flash Cannon
- Rest

Our ace and Z-move user Vikavolt calls back to the Probopass lead, with both requiring a special electromagnetic field to evolve. Flash Cannon is the light-emitting move of choice, alongisde dual STABs and Rest, which can hopefully synergise with Lanturn's Heal Bell.

----------------------------------------

 

[Ironmage]

There's no problem here at all.

Okay, I guess I can see where there's still something of a challenge. One of these mons isn't actually obtainable in Akala. So, where are we without Oricorio... What? That wasn't the one you were thinking of? You can find it in Akala, look at this:

All right, I'll also constrain myself to USUM Akala even though the prompt says SM Akala. (incidentally, it has Ampharos, a poor substitute of a shining beacon).

Lightning is most often a result of violent weather, but the origin doesn't matter all that much. Anything that can darken the midday skies can have its associated sound and fury.


Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
- Ice Beam
- Signal Beam
- Scald
- Volt Switch
Starting off with a Water-type to represent the rain. There are stronger Rain mons in the pool, but they aren't electric type.


Crabominable @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
- Drain Punch
- Crabhammer
Hail's a bit funny if you think about it. Icy weather isn't as outright destructive when it's cold. It's either at the edge of freezing where rain immidiately solidifies and weighs down buildings, or it's the side affect of another storm. Ice can never really escape Water's shadow, it seems.


Palossand @ Lum Berry
Ability: Water Compaction
- Shore Up
- Infestation
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock


Magmortar @ Life Orb
Ability: Flame Body
- Thunderbolt
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
Of course, it doesn't need to be water or ice rubbing against itself to generate electric potential. Dust and ash can manage just fine. I like Palossand here for another reason: quartz shows up quite a bit when it comes to electronics. Whether it's a timer crystal making use of piezoelectricity or a silicon source for microchips, there's a decent chance it started as white sand.


Vikavolt @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
- Volt Switch
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Thunder
Leaving the realm of common and/or real atmospheric phenomena, swarms of insects may also be capable of blotting out the sun. They certainly have the potential for serious noise, though I don't think they get up to much electrically outside of fiction.


Starmie @ Wide Lens
Ability: Natural Cure
- Blizzard
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
- Signal Beam
Starmie always felt a bit Electric-adjacent, between it flashing signals and how commonly it runs BoltBeam. For this theme, it's calling for a massive mothership with plenty of energy weapons.

 

[Pikachu315111]

The Perfect Charging Site
So being this is vanilla Sun & Moon that means Akala Island is missing a special location: Pikachu Valley. But just because USUM takes place in a parallel timeline/dimension to SM doesn't mean it won't ever have it, USUM just had its built earlier. But why? Well I'll tell you why: For some reason USUM's Alola has more locations with a special magnetic field. In SM Alola it was only Vast Poni Canyon on Poni Island, but in USUM Blush Mountain on Ula'ula Island also exhibits a special magnetic field (which meant using a Vikavolt on your team was actually viable). But whose to say Blush Mountain was the only location which secretly had a special magnetic field? Maybe the reason why Pikachu Valley is where it is because a special magnetic field was found there (though with it made into a Pikachu sanctuary all that additional electricity warps the field making certain unique evolutions not possible). Thus in the SM timeline, a team searching for the perfect spot for its Pikachu sanctuary has honed in on Akala Island searching for its hidden special magnetic field. Let's meet that team; BTW, this is a Doubles Team:


Charjabug (Bug/Electric. Battery. Eviolite. Discharge/Thunder Wave/Rest/Volt Switch)
Lanturn (Water/Electric. Volt Absorb. Damp Rock. Thunder/Surf/Rain Dance/Ice Beam)
Oricorio-Pom-Pom (Electric/Flying. Dancer. Petaya Berry. Revelation Dance/Air Slash/Double Team/Baton Pass)
Jolteon (Electric. Volt Absorb. Life Orb. Thunder/Shadow Ball/Wish/Volt Switch)
Wigglytuff (Normal/Fairy. Cute Charm. Sitrus Berry. Thunder/Grass Knot/Wish/Rain Dance)
Vikavolt (Bug/Electric. Levitate. Grassium Z. Thunder/Bug Buzz/Air Slash/Energy Ball)

For Once, Batteries Are Included

Charjabug: First up, Charjabug. Yes, Charjabug. Charjabug has a Signature Ability even its evolution doesn't have: Battery, which increases all its partner's Special Attacks by 30%. And it's off this I built this team's strategy! Of course what this means is that, not only does this have to be a Double Battle team, but I also need to keep Charjabug alive throughout most if not all of it. So, being an un-evolved Pokemon, Eviolite is a must (and though it has low HP its defensive stats are decently high (appropriate for a Bug-type that goes through a pupa state). Meanwhile its Moves are meant to both keep it alive and work with its allies. Discharge doesn't only give it a way to attack but with two partners with Volt Absorb its a way to also heal them. Thunder Wave and Rest are handy utility moves, one which may hinder the opponent from attacking (and slow them down), the other for healing. Finally Volt Switch is for when things are getting just too rough out there and Charjabug needs a break, but this team has plenty of ways of not only getting it back out there but also patching it up.

Charjabug's unique Ability also makes it sensitive to magnetic fields as it uses them to charge itself, thus is a major asset in finding special magnetic fields.

Lanturn: It's an Electric-type team, of course it's going to have a Rain setter on it; and while Pelipper is available and may have Drizzle, it doesn't get an Electric-type Move (in SM, though interestingly it does get Shock Wave in USUM via Move Tutor, but I digress). But Lanturn's job is more than just setting up Rain. Charjabug may receive neutral damage from Ground-types, but it's still weak to Rock- and Fire-types; luckily Rock and Fire share a weakness with Ground: Water! And not only is the entire team's Thunder attacks now 100% accurate, but Lanturn's Surf gets a power boost on top of STAB too! And with Volt Absorb, its one of the teammates that Charjabug heals while also damaging the opponent. And in case of a Grass- or Dragon-type comes in to resist the "fun", Ice Beam.

Being Alola is an archipelago, you kind of need a Water-type if you're going to survey around it. Not just for the ocean, but there's plenty of ponds and other bodies of water, especially on Akala Island.

Oricorio-Pom-Pom: I know, I know, Akala Island's native Oricorio is the Pa'u Style. But being this is a surveying team who searched all the islands for an appropriate location for Electric-type Pokemon, and any Oricorio can change its form, I think it can be allowed. Oricorio's battling purpose on the team is to be a pivot. While it has Revelation Dance and Air Slash to fight back, what it truly wants to do is do a few Double Teams and then Baton Pass those Evasion increases. If Charjabug is currently on break, this would be a good way to send it back in with a boon that'll let it at least do Rest. For any other teammate it's just a nice bonus, especially if it low enough HP to activate its Petaya Berry for an additional Special Attack boost. Actually, looking back, honestly there's no reason Oricorio couldn't be its Pa'u Style; it would just mean that Oricorio wouldn't have an Electric-type Move which is one of my self-imposed rules.

An Akala native Oricorio given Yellow Nectar to help in the search, it has familiarity with the local environment combined with the belief that Yellow Nectar has a special connection to electro-magnetic fields.

Jolteon: One of the hard hitters of the team, Jolteon is here to hit fast & hard but may surprise also having some support options. The other team member with Volt Absorb, ideally you'd want Jolteon out with Charjabug so that it can use Discharge to heal Jolteon who has a Life Orb to further power-up its Thunder and Shadow Ball on top of Battery. But being an Eeveelution that also gives it access to Wish, and being an Electric-type it has access to Volt Switch, meaning it can provide both pivot and heal support especially when it's not in a favorable match-up.

In addition to being an Electric-type so can sense magnetic fields, Jolteon shares a trait with Pikachu: they both evolve with Thunder Stones (they also both attract lightning bolts but I feel that's a common trait between many Electric-types). It's one of the Pokemon on the team who is there to assure the location would be a comfortable place for Pikachu to live and thrive (and also search out for hidden Thunder Stones to make sure there's no accidental evolutions (and probably fund the construction)).

Wigglytuff: By including Charjabug (and looking the otherway with Oricorio-Pom-Pom) I made this challenge a bit less "hostile" to an Electric-type specialist, but still there had to be at least one non-Electric-type so here is this team's: Wigglytuff. Wigglytuff's role as a filler is personified here as it mainly here (during battle) because it can learn Wish and Rain Dance. Maybe a bit of an odd choice for user of those moves, but its huge HP I believe at least gives it a chance to use one of them (and though it has low defenses, it may lose enough HP to activate the Sitrus Berry that could maybe help it survive another attack; let's also not forget Cute Charm could help it last longer with some luck). To qualify for the team is needed an Electric-type Move and with it setting up Rain Dance makes sense for it to be Thunder. But I threw in one last curveball giving is Grass Knot: Ground-types are going to be tough on this team, especially for the Volt Switchers, and with a lot of them being usually heavy Grass Knot can let Wigglytuff hit harder than it could with a STAB (also Grass Knot is a Special Move so gets a boost from Battery).

Honestly, Wigglytuff is more here for the aesthetic theme. It's the second Pokemon who is meant to check if the location would be a comfortable place for Pikachu as it and the Jigglypuff family, in addition to also evolving with an Evo Stone, are both in the Fairy Egg Group. While Pikachu Valley never showed if there was a hidden away nursery filled with Eggs & Pichu, logically I think there would be thus a place where one Fairy Egg Group member would find a nice to raise a family than other members would too.

Vikavolt: And finally the ace of the team, feels appropriate for it to be Vikavolt with the team's strategy revolving around Charjabug's Battery. Infact in-world that's the purpose of Charjabug's Battery, according to the Dex, Vikavolts will carry Charjabug with them in order to power-up their Special Attacks from their railgun-like mandibles. And with any luck, that's exactly what this team hoped to do if Vikavolt needs to come out. Vikavolt is a pure attacker. Thunder and Bug Buzz for STAB. Air Slash is a nice coverage and that lovely chance to Flinch. And finally, a surprise to those Ground- and Rock-types, Vikavolt is carrying the Grass-type Z-Crystal to turn Energy Ball into Bloom Doom to surely nuke at least one of them off the field!

And just like in battle, or maybe a reversal of it, Vikavolt's role in helping search for the special magnetic field is flying around Charjabug. On their own they can sense magnetic fields, Charjabug likely more than Vikavolt as biologically Charjabug still requires a special magnetic field to evolve, but together they enhance each other's senses and are capable of covering more ground & honing in on their target. The sanctuary may be for Pikachu, but at the end of the day the masters of Alola's special magnetic fields is the Grubbin family.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

(doubles team)

team

Charjabug @ Eviolite
Ability: Battery
- Protect
- Electroweb
- Charge
- Iron Defense


Probopass @ Salac Berry
Ability: Sturdy
- Power Gem
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Thunderbolt


Magmortar @ Power Herb
Ability: Flame Body
- Fire Blast
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Solar Beam


Starmie @ Expert Belt
Ability: Analytic
- Hydro Pump
- Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt


Toucannon @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
- Boomburst
- Overheat
- Flash Cannon
- Hyper Voice


Vikavolt @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
- Discharge
- Bug Buzz
- Energy Ball
- Zap Cannon

Also the Akala Oricorio is the Fire one, y'all. i can't read apparently

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

Also the Akala Oricorio is the Fire one, y'all.

No that's the Ula'ula one. The Akala one is the Psychic-type Pa'u style, but I understand people not worrying about the formes. After all, getting another island's nectar to transform your Oricorio is arguably no different from using a Z-Crystal that the player normally gets from a different island (like the Electrium-Z) or using an electromagnetic evolution (like Vikavolt and Probopass) that can only be evolved on Poni Island in SM.

:P

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Yeah, this came up last time we did an Alola island and it's all good - generally item availability isn't a factor (there's no Leaf Stone in the Sevii Islands, for instance, but using Vileplume or Victreebel is still fine)

 

[Pikachu315111]

Also the Akala Oricorio is the Fire one, y'all. i can't read apparently

No that's the Ula'ula one. The Akala one is the Psychic-type Pa'u style

Easy to mix-up, only way to remember them is by color (and MAYBE loose association with Island Guardian) though that means knowing the Hawaiian words for those colors:

ISLAND	COLOR	GUARDIAN TAPU	ORICORIO STYLE
Melemele	Yellow	Koko	Pom-Pom
Akala	Pink	Lele	Pa'u
Ula'ula	Red	Bulu	Baile
Poni	Purple	Fini	Sensu

Type Oddity

Always found it a bit odd that, while Pom-Pom and Pa'u match their island's Tapu primary Type, Baile and Sensu went a different direction. Like there is sort of relation between them (Fini and Sensu is the most obvious as Fini is depicted as the most spiritual of the Tapu which correlates with Sensu being Ghost-type. Meanwhile the connection between Bulu and Baile seems to be that Bulu is depicted as the most agitable of the Tapu while Baile dancing can be described as highly passionate). The Tapu's primarily Type comes from the Hawaiian God they're associated with, so its Oricorio they purposely averted (because if they wanted them to match they could have easily swapped Baile with Pa'u and made Sensu Fairy-type to match Tapu Fini's terrain being Fairy-type).

 

[WarriorGallade]

Question - would using Island Scan Pokemon be allowed for their corresponding island in Alola teams? I felt it's similar to the Wailord-Crown Tundra(?) situation brought up in here earlier, but checking to be sure.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Question - would using Island Scan Pokemon be allowed for their corresponding island in Alola teams? I felt it's similar to the Wailord-Crown Tundra(?) situation brought up in here earlier, but checking to be sure.

Mmmph, my instinct says no because it's an out-of-universe gimmick solely available to the player and not to NPCs in Alola (unlike, say, Wonder Trade, which dialogue confirms that NPCs do also have access to).

...at least I think that's the case? Just did a quick search to verify that as I wasn't 100% certain and ended up on a text dump of the script: there's a Trainer Tips sign which mentions Island Scan, and those signs do exist in-universe as NPCs mention reading them, so... okay I'm wildly overthinking this

Side note: good god, Google AI really will answer any question, it seems

Okay, so. That aside, I don't want to be needlessly and arbitrarily restrictive so... if you can make a really good case for its inclusion, then I'll allow it. Go forth and imagine.

 

[Dusk Mage Necrozma]

Mmmph, my instinct says no because it's an out-of-universe gimmick solely available to the player and not to NPCs in Alola (unlike, say, Wonder Trade, which dialogue confirms that NPCs do also have access to).

this implies that we get to use Wonder Trade and as such use whatever Pokemon we want

 

[WarriorGallade]

This proved to be a slightly tough topic, but I could finalize on something relatively quick.

While SM Akala does have a decent range of Electric types to use, I initially wasn't entirely sure what theme to use them around. The main link to electricity I found was the lighthouse in Konikoni city...but there's no Ampharos there. While there was some material to theme this around lighthouses (see Starmie/Shiinotic), given that we as the player can't explore it unlike Johto's, leads me to believe this specific lighthouse is not a major part of the city. Instead, our hypothetical leader this time takes on the mantle of a marine biologist along the shores of Akala, with their team capable of standing together as a single type*. With a natural defense against the water's dangers in the form of electricity, they are safe to easily research the aquatic critters of the island.

* terms and conditions apply

This team focuses on double battles!

@ Terrain Extender
Ability: Intimidate
- Electric Terrain
- Volt Switch
- Snarl
- Fake Tears
First up, Luxray.
The main star of this show, Luxray, has a niche that nothing else here can fill. (which is why I asked about its inclusion)
Available via Island Scan on Tuesdays as a Luxio (and only in SM!), it is the only Pokemon on Akala capable of learning Electric Terrain. But what could be so special about this move outside of the normal damage amp? Well, it allows the use of nearly all other electric types on this team! While Luxray's main goal is to simply set up an Electric Terrain, further extended by the extender, and then pivot out with Volt Switch, it can also choose to stick around on the field, laying down special debuffs via Snarl or Fake Tears to support its partner.

Given that it may or may not be able to swim, Luxray observes any semi-aquatic Pokemon that prefer to live on the coast more than in water, but keeps its distance from the water to give its x-ray vision more range.


@ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
- Camouflage
- Nature Power
- Scald
- Mirror Coat
Second up, Corsola.
In a generation before Dexit and Terastalization, Corsola had to think of ways to escape its natural predator Mareanie. It finally settled on weaponizing the stray electricity in the air to its advantage. Thanks to a combination of Camouflage and Nature Power, not only can Corsola become a pure Electric type while Electric Terrain is active, but also gain some much needed STAB, as Nature Power turns into the reliable Thunderbolt! Sure, 65 Special Attack won't blow anyone away, but the surprise factor of this moveset likely will. Scald lets it smack any Ground types on the opposing field, while Mirror Coat helps deal a hefty blow to any special attacks chosen to avoid Luxray's Intimidate, with the held Sitrus Berry patching it up right after.

A bit more inclined to taking to water, Corsola specializes in observing the Pokemon that live in the shallows, and delights in zapping any Mareanie that chase after it.

@ Electric Seed
Ability: Analytic
- Camouflage
- Thunderbolt
- Wonder Room
- Recover
Third up, Starmie.
The original Camouflaging character, Starmie marks another entry on this team. in large part due to the move. That being said, its movepool was surprisingly diverse - Camouflage and Thunderbolt form the same pair as Corsola, but Wonder Room allows some interesting counterplay to any opponents investing in Blissey stocks, by making any weaker defenses the target of this electric assault. Lastly, the held Electric Seed and Recover offer surprising longevity, letting this starfish stick around on the field for quite a while.

With the greatest ability to dive compared to the prior Pokemon, Starmie specializes in observing any deep-sea Pokemon, even if there aren't many deep seas nearby.

@ Leftovers
Ability: Battery
- Electroweb
- Dig
- Thunder Wave
- Protect
Fourth up, Charjabug.
Given that nearly every attack on this team is special, it helps to include a great amp for them in the form of Charjabug's ability. Charjabug doesn't hold the Eviolite given its reasonable natural bulk, but rather Leftovers for the passive recovery. Through Charjabug's passive moveset, it aims to stay on the field as long as possible, being hard to hit through the combination of Dig, Thunder Wave and Protect, while offering speed control through Electroweb, all the while providing a free power boost to its ally.

And of course, having a spare battery (heh) is important for any researcher out and about in the field to power any random equipment, and so Charjabug waddles along onto the team.

@ Normalium Z
Ability: Forecast
- Reflect Type
- Thunder
- Blizzard
- Hex
Fifth up, Castform.
One might make the case that Rainy Castform is Electric-coded enough to fit here, and they wouldn't be wrong. But what if we had an only Electric form? Well, that's possible with the power of Reflect Type! Copying the type of any ally so far - who's either a natural shocker or camouflaging as one lets Castform take on this sparking role.
The held Normalium Z also plays into this, giving a +1 Sp. Atk boost when Z-Reflect Type is used to further amp its attacks. Thunder and Blizzard offer some powerful boltbeam synergy to compensate for the low base stat, and Hex ravages weakened foes unlucky enough to be on the receving end of either move's status, or Charjabug's Thunder Wave. Perhaps Castform was just Rotom's Normal-type form all along?

That being said, being able to forecast the weather through its ability also allows the researcher to plan their trips out and about the island.

@ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
- Reflect Type
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Giga Drain
Last up, Haunter.
Did you know that Gen 5 introduced the Tynamo line, Electric types with Levitate so they've effectively no weaknesses? Quite likely, but you might have forgotten that Gen 5 did actually introduce four more Pokemon that fit this bill. Yes, even before Iono's Mismagius! They're Latias, Gastly, Haunter and Gengar; all thanks to the same move - Reflect Type. Of course, Latias is nowhere near Alola. But the other three are!

Unfortunately, in the era of Alola, Gengar lost its levitating license and thus consigns itself to being replaced by Haunter on this team. While Haunter's bulk is not particularly notably, the lack of any super effective way to damage it as an Electric type, as well as the Eviolite and some recovery in Giga Drain can make it to be a tough opponent to defeat, as it spams a strong STAB Thunderbolt or spread Dazzling Gleam along the way.

And of course, having an originally-Ghost Pokemon is vital for any researcher to keep an eye out for the paranormal!

 

[BIG ASHLEY]

this implies that we get to use Wonder Trade and as such use whatever Pokemon we want

based on my experience of wonder trade, your gym leader team would end up as 6 yungoos

 

[Hugin]

Don't really have much of a character this time. Went with the 4 electric types(Oricorio is one of my favorite mons, yes I'm using it), Probopass which evolves through a thunder stone, and Whiscash, which is based on an Electric Catfish(and is also one of my fave mons).

Spoiler

Probopass @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
- Iron Head
- Explosion

Jolteon @ Focus Sash
Ability: Quick Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hyper Voice
- Shadow Ball
- Yawn

Oricorio-Pom-Pom @ Life Orb
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Revelation Dance
- Air Slash
- U-turn
- Tailwind

Whiscash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Spark

Lanturn @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Surf
- Dazzling Gleam
- Ice Beam
- Volt Switch

Vikavolt @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Thunder
- Energy Ball
- Roost

Lead Probopass, Sash Jolteon with 3 attacks and Yawn in case someone set up, Oricorio with Tailwind, DDance Whiscash, 4 attacks Lanturn, and Elec-Z Vikavolt with Roost and Z-TWave for defenses. Probopass, Oricorio, and Lanturn all have switch moves as well(I almost put one on every team member, but the coverage was painful that way) which helps with setup quite a bit.