So then, let's take a quick foray into seeing how Ailey and Noah handled their respective Hau fights. I appear to have skipped Ray- rather annoyingly- but he wouldn't be too different anyway.
Ailey has chosen to lead with Usagi, saving Moss for later. While your starter can handle Pichu (if it's not Popplio), getting hit with too many Thunder Shocks, or even the other moves Pichu has, can soften it up in a bad way.
Fair concern, Usagi. There is a way for Buneary to be a good counter to Pichu, but I do not have access to it.
Fortunately, the best option remains "hit it hard."
If it doesn't paralyse you with Static or Thunder Shock, there were no consequences, were there?
In fact, it's so encouraging I decide to see if Usagi can handle Rowlet.
It goes less well for her.
Well, shoot. Unfortunately, Fainting always stinks, since it reduces your friendship. Fortunately, it only does so by 1 point, and points come in a lot faster than they go out. Still, though, best not to make it a habit.
Probably more painful is the fact Moss gets to reap this EXP, not Usagi. Still, she can make it up later.
For some reason- probably lore reasons- Moss's level 8 "coverage" move is Lick. This is a physical Ghost move that has a chance to paralyse the opponent, because of what I can only assume is immense disgust. At this stage in the game, it's not really great coverage- there just aren't many opponents that Ghost will hit that Normal/Fire don't.
Well, that was a little less clean than Zapple and Oatchi, but that was more my overconfidence than any difference in preparation. How did Noah do, then?
For starters, it's going a lot less well. We do not yet have a proper second member of Noah's team, and while I have been using this Yungoos as an EXP sponge to fight Pichu, it's only going to be so helpful.
Two things you do not want to see happen to a Yungoos. Not only has it lost two stages in its dominant attacking stat, it's also been halved in Speed and probably isn't landing any damage.
Oh come on, how little do you want me to be able to do?
Leer can help, especially the next person, but all I'm doing is losing strength.
Fortunately, Noah is not forbidden from using these chaff catches while they're in his party.
That's not to say it's necessarily a good idea, though.
You can get lucky, but Caterpie's odds of accomplishing anything aren't great.
What about Ledyba? It's got Special Defence, that should be able to accomplish something...
Oh. Right. Yeah.
Fortunately, it's not a matter of "immediately switch back out". That high Special Defence does mean something, and we can get an attack off before we crumple.
I went for Supersonic. Supersonic is a 55% accurate move, rating it as tied for the third-least reliable move in the game, beaten only by special gimmick moves for whom "low accuracy, strong effect" is their purpose.
For successfully landing it, I inflicted the "Confusion" status. Confused Pokemon have a 1/3 chance of attacking themselves with a typeless 40 power physical move, and lasts for 2-4 turns. As status ailments go, it's hard to justify going out of your way to apply it, but you always say that when you aren't hitting yourself in the face. Although it is considered on par with the other main status ailments, like Paralysis, it is not one of them, and is automatically cured on switch out or battle end.
Hau went for hitting through Confusion, and only got a face full of fist for his trouble. With Pichu's defence stat halved by Yungoos's Leers, and already being fairly pathetic, it was easy prey for itself and managed to knock itself out.
Noah and Ray are using Set rules, to make up for not having a team-building special condition like Bethany and Ailey.
Which means I need to get Ledyba away from that Litten.
Fortunately, a free hit is not enough to save the Popplio/Litten matchup.
Mio's level 8 move is Disarming Voice, a special 40 power Fairy move that hits both opponents in a doubles match, as well as never missing regardless of evasion. Unlike Peck and Lick, Disarming Voice is a convenient and somewhat rare-to-come-by type that has good matchups against some of the opponents we'll come across early, particularly for players of one of the Moon games. Popplio may have come out unlucky dealing with Hau's second team pick, but it got the best starter coverage move.
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