Rachel's Marshtomp

Rachel's Marshtomp is a /-Type Pokemon and Rachel's Starter Pokemon.
==Biography==
===Grand Conquest===
Mudkip first appeared in Birched! in a flashback cameo. Professor Birch mentioned him when Rachel chose him as her first Pokemon.
Mudkip had his first appearance in A Spotlight Debut! for the Rustboro City Contest but failed to advance to the battle rounds.
Following the Rustboro Contest, Rachel and Mudkip joined Justin on his adventure, and he quickly developed a friendship with Justin's Torchic. During Rachel and Justin's first adventure of helping save Mr. Birney's Wingull, Mudkip used his sonar to help isolate the enemy and her Whismur. He later used this abilities in Twenty Hours of Sleep! to track a Slakoth for Connor.
In Mudkip's Appeal, Justin used his Pokemon to help Mudkip enhance and improve the appeal he used for the Rustboro Contest. The results were demonstrated in A Contest Spectacular! during the Slateport City Contest. Rachel and Mudkip executed their enhanced appeal and advanced to the battle rounds. They advanced to the final where they were quickly defeated by Chazz and his Machoke. Despite the loss, Rachel and Mudkip were thrilled that they were improving.
In Wandering the Malls of Mauville!, Justin told Rachel that it was time for Mudkip to learn a new move. Rachel and Mudkip visited a move tutor in Mauville City, and the tutor taught Mudkip Water Pledge.
Rachel intended to use Mudkip for the Fallarbor Town Contest but was passed over in favor of Minun one he learned Encore, ironically when cheering for Mudkip as he was rehearsing Water Pledge.
In Lost in Song, Rachel called on Mudkip to battle a Jigglypuff, whom Rachel then captured.
In Caged in Hostile Territory!, Mudkip followed after his friend Combusken when Combusken was looking for trouble. Combusken's aggressive behavior aggravated the already tense relationship between Zangoose and Seviper. Mudkip and Combusken were caught in the turf war, and while Combusken happily joined in the nonstop battle, Mudkip was far more frightened. Rachel and Justin came to save their Pokemon, and Rachel was outraged at Justin's lack of control over Combusken that put her Mudkip in danger.
Despite this conflict, Rachel entrusted Mudkip to Justin when he they needed Mudkip's help to find the Meteorite during a confrontation against Team Magma. Mudkip found the mysterious rock, which led Team Magma to leave Rachel and her allies alone.
In Lavaridge Battle Tent, Rachel entered the Battle Dome Battle Tent, and Mudkip helped Rachel win her second round battle by defeating a Graveler.
In the semifinals, Rachel battled Leader Flannery and sent Mudkip and Jigglypuff to battle together. Mudkip landed a Water Gun, and Torkoal summoned a Sunny Day. Magcargo then unleashed a Solar Beam. Mudkip tried to defend with Water Pledge, but Sunny Day weakened the move, and Mudkip was instantly defeated.
In Popping the Balloon!, Mudkip was again passed over in favor of Jigglypuff for the Verdanturf Town Contest. Mudkip sat with Justin in the stands and proved very jealous as Jigglypuff pulled out a perfect victory for Rachel.
After the Verdanturf Contest, Mudkip began to assert himself more for Rachel's attention. He learned Rock Smash to prove his strength while helping break down boulders blocking Rusturf Tunnel.
In Kalos Imported!, Rachel and Mudkip's relationship improved as they rescued Starter Pokemon from poachers once Rachel recognized how she stopped relying on him. Rachel promised to have Mudkip perform in her next Contest.
In the next episode, Mudkip wished to be stronger and evolve to perform well in the next Contest. At night, he spotted some Lotad evolving into Lombre. Mudkip chased after the Lotad colony and trained with them, ultimately evolving into Marshtomp. The next morning, Marshtomp returned literally as a new Pokemon, surprising Rachel, but she still loved him.
Rachel was very engrossed in Marshtomp's new form that instead of training him, she polished and groomed him, confident that he would win her, her third Ribbon no matter what. However, it meant Marshtomp was not able to refine his skills, test his evolved power, or discover any new moves. In addition, Rachel still relied on Justin's ideas to hand her an appeal idea for Marshtomp.
In A Rival and a Fan!, Rachel's lack of commitment caused her to butt heads with Justin when he did not give her and idea for Marshomp's appeal for the Rubello Contest, and when it was time to perform, Marshtomp was the one to suffer.
On the Appeal Stage, Rachel decided to go with their previous Rock Throw-Water Gun combination, but unknown to Rachel, Marshtomp had "forgotten" Water Gun and learned Mud Shot instead. Marshtomp lack training and practice with the new move, causing their appeal to be a moderate success but overall failure, so Rachel failed to advance to the battle rounds.
Rachel did not hold Marshtomp responsible for their defeat but blamed Justin. When Andre gave her a stern scolding, Rachel took accountability for the loss and promised herself and Marshtomp she would commit to their performances.
In Struggle for the EonII!, Marshtomp partnered well with Combusken to defeat Admins Matt and Courtney to drive them and Teams Aqua and Magma off Southern Island.
In The Rangers' Weekend Off!, Marshtomp was Rachel's second Pokemon in her opening round of Battle Pike Battle Tent. Rachel battled Andrew, and Marshtomp faced Aipom. To halt Aipom's speed, Marshtomp covered the field in mud and defeated her with Rock Smash. Marshtomp then battled Breloom, whose Spore put him to sleep. Breloom then landed a Giga Drain that drastically impacted Marshtomp, which spurned his Torrent ability for the first time. Marshtomp awakened and and counterattacked but was defeated by a Mach Punch, eliminating Rachel from the tournament, but she was very proud of Marshtomp's performance.
In Lunatone Stargazing! and A Gentleman's Affair!, Rachel followed through on her promise to focus on Marshtomp's training. They sparred against Combusken to sharpen and enhance Marshtomp's attacks and timing but struggled to find an original appeal that worked for Marshtomp. Justin would not give Rachel any ideas but referred Rachel to her own creative battle strategy of having Marshtomp cover the field in mud, which gave Rachel and Marshtomp the idea they needed.
Marshtomp was Rachel's choice for the Lilycove Contest in The Drought on Lilycove!. Marshtomp executed a simple appeal of lifting a large rock into the air and destroying it into glitter and dust with Rock Smash, which placed Rachel in the battle rounds. Marshtomp advanced Rachel to the finals where they faced Courtney and her Ninetales. 
During the final, Marshtomp's committed training paid off excellently as he commanded an early lead. When an overpowered Water Pledge quickly put Marshtomp behind in points, he recovered by covering the field in mud to restrict Ninetales' movements, leading to his victory and Rachel's third ribbon.
In Volatile Ceasefire!, Rachel called on Marsthomp with Minun and Skitty to help battle Team Aqua and Magma when they attacked Mt. Pyre. Justin and Rachel's Pokemon were ultimately defeated by Leaders Archie and Maxie.
During the final battle against Team Aqua, between Drizzle and Drought! and Primordial Sea and Desolate Land!, Marshtomp played a big role in defeating Archie's Mega Sharpedo.
In The Artist of Sootopolis City!, Rachel, Justin, Marshtomp, and Spheal were invited to perform alongside Juan during one of his weekend water shows. Marshtomp used Water Pledge to elevate Juan's smaller Water Pokemon and Rock Smash to destroy Sealeo's Ice Ball in a dazzle. Afterward, Juan wished to mentor Rachel and Justin in preparation for the upcoming Sootopolis Contest.
The week-long training took place in Rigorous Swimming Lessons! after Justin's gym battle victory over Juan. Passionate and strict, Juan pushed Rachel and Justin to perfecting their Pokemon's skills. The contest took place in When Student and Mentor Collide!. Marshtomp put on his most lively appeal to date to earn Rachel a spot in the battle rounds. They advanced to the finals were they faced Sealeo.
At the start of the final, Marshtomp seemingly dominated the battle without losing a point, but Justin and Sealeo were setting the stage for their combination of Ice Ball and Aurora Beam and turning Marshtomp's own mud field against him. Sealeo almost sealed Marshtomp's defeat with an enhanced Body Slam, but Marshtomp responded to Rachel's call and countered with Rock Smash. Marshtomp further learned Mirror Coat at the last minute, which won Rachel the final stage by one point to win the Contest and her fifth ribbon, qualifying her for the Grand Festival.
During the Hoenn Grand Festival, Marshtomp debuted in the quarterfinals, partnering with Minun against Andre and his team of Mantine and Glameow in A Festival Change in Tactic and Appeal!. The battle was very tightly contested as both sides proved equal until the very end, but Minun and Marshtomp secured a close victory for Rachel to advance her to the semifinals. 
In the semifinals, Marshtomp then teamed with Shuppet to face Evyr and her team of Claydol and Solrock. Shuppet and Marshtomp outclassed Evyr's Pokemon in battle combinations but Shuppet's inexperience caused them to fall short in appeal. When the clock expired, Marshtomp and Shuppet had fewer points, losing them the battle. 
In A New Journey from a New Perspective!, Rachel returned to Kalos and she brought all of her Pokemon with her. Marshtomp and Blaziken notably shared a fist-bump goodbye before departing.
==Personality and Characteristics==
Marshtomp is a very happy and energetic Pokemon. He loves to play in water and splash others to get them play with him.
As Rachel began to catch new Pokemon, Mudkip began to feel neglected and jealous of his teammates, who also proved to be better, more reliable performers. Mudkip was particularly jealous of Jigglypuff, whom Rachel began to call on for almost everything. Mudkip developed a more aggressive, assertive streak to get Rachel's attention. Rachel finally understood how she neglected Mudkip in Kalos Imported! and committed to spending time with him. 
Marshtomp notably enjoys all flavors.
==Moves Used==
===Moved Improvised===
 	 	 	
Mud Field 	The Rangers' Weekend Off! 	Mud Shot 	None
Mud Field 	Description: Marshtomp covers the field in mud with Mud Shot, which restricts the opponents' movements and allows Marshtomp to slip and slide across the mud. 	Description: Marshtomp covers the field in mud with Mud Shot, which restricts the opponents' movements and allows Marshtomp to slip and slide across the mud. 	Description: Marshtomp covers the field in mud with Mud Shot, which restricts the opponents' movements and allows Marshtomp to slip and slide across the mud.
Mud Pledge	Now or nEvyr! 	Mud Shot and Water Pledge 	None
Mud Pledge	Description: Marshtomp covers the field in mud with Mud Shot. He then performs Water Pledge, which causes pillars of mud to burst from the field and close in on the opponent.	Description: Marshtomp covers the field in mud with Mud Shot. He then performs Water Pledge, which causes pillars of mud to burst from the field and close in on the opponent.	Description: Marshtomp covers the field in mud with Mud Shot. He then performs Water Pledge, which causes pillars of mud to burst from the field and close in on the opponent.
==Navigation==
Category:Starter Pokémon
Category:Water Pokémon
Category:Ground Pokémon