Pokémon Trainer

## Moveset

Pokémon Trainer is a three-in-one character who battles using three Pokémon: Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard. As the fourth and "main" entity of the character group, the Trainer stays in the background and does not directly participate in the battle. Only one Pokémon is active at once, and all three of them have different movesets and abilities.

It is possible to change which Pokémon the Pokémon Trainer starts with at the beginning of a match. On the character select screen, Pokémon Trainer has the starting Pokémon's portrait to the upper-right of the portrait. If the Left Button is pressed, or if the Pokémon's portrait is hovered over and selected, the starting Pokémon is toggled to the next one. The default starting Pokémon is Squirtle, which can be toggled to Ivysaur, then Charizard, then back to Squirtle.

The three Pokémon have separate movesets and attributes. The only moves shared by the Pokémon are their down special move, Pokémon Change, and their Final Smash, Triple Finish.

Pokémon Change involves the Pokémon Trainer recalling the currently active Pokémon and sending out the next one to replace it. The order that the Pokémon are changed in is the same as toggling on the character select screen: Squirtle changes to Ivysaur, Ivysaur to Charizard, and Charizard to Squirtle.

Triple Finish is a combination attack for which the Pokémon Trainer temporarily brings out all three Pokémon to attack simultaneously. The attack covers a large range and does damage to opponents caught in it. Once the move is over, the two inactive Pokémon are recalled.

While not directly controllable, the Pokémon Trainer can be seen standing in the background of the stage, commanding the Pokémon and reacting to the Pokémon's situation. Various animations and voice lines differ for the male and female Pokémon Trainers.

The Pokémon Trainer is able to move around somewhat on most stages, running toward the current Pokémon if it is far enough away, and will also turn to face the position of the Pokémon at most times. On some stages, the Pokémon Trainer stands on a special platform in the background rather than standing on a part of the stage's background. On these stages, the Pokémon Trainer can not move around but will still turn to face the Pokémon.

Pokémon Trainer does not appear in the background during battles with five or more players, in Squad Strike's Tag Team mode, or on Custom Stages, but can still be heard shouting commands. The Poké Ball and its energy effects can be seen traveling towards the foreground, implying that the Pokémon Trainer is in the foreground, outside of the camera's view. This also happens in certain single-player and co-op modes.

The Pokémon Trainer reacts to various situations and inputs:

* When the active Pokémon performs a special move, the Pokémon Trainer gestures with one arm, pointing in a specific direction based on the input or direction the Pokémon is facing:
	+ Neutral special move: Points left or right, based on the direction the Pokémon is facing.
	+ Side special move: Points left or right, based on the direction the move was used in.
	+ Up special move: Points towards the direction the Pokémon is facing, or upwards if the Pokémon is above.
* When using the Pokémon's down special move, Pokémon Change, the Pokémon Trainer throws the next Pokémon's Poké Ball toward the Pokémon's position, then holds up the previous Pokémon's Poké Ball as it is recalled in energy form. The Pokémon Trainer then puts the Poké Ball away in his backpack (male) or her purse (female) and pulls out the next Pokémon's Poké Ball. The Pokémon Trainer also says a voice line, either encouraging the next Pokémon or praising the previous Pokémon.
	+ Pokémon Change cannot be used again until this animation completes or is interrupted by using another special move.
* When using the Final Smash, Triple Finish, the Pokémon Trainer throws the other two Pokémon's Poké Balls out and points toward the direction the move was used in for the duration of the attack while saying a voice line including the name of the move. Once the attack is over, the Pokémon Trainer recalls the other two Pokémon and puts the Poké Ball away in his backpack or her purse.
	+ Pokémon Change cannot be used until this animation completes or is interrupted by using another special move.
* When the active Pokémon lands a hit, the Pokémon Trainer does a small fist pump with a happy expression.
* When the active Pokémon scores a KO:
	+ The male Trainer raises his left fist and fist pumps, while nodding and winking, with a happy expression.
	+ The female Trainer jumps into the air with her right arm raised, doing a full spin mid-jump, and does a double fist pump as she lands.
* When the active Pokémon is hit:
	+ The male Trainer throws his left fist downwards with a distressed expression.
	+ The female Trainer winces with a distressed expression.
* When the active Pokemon has changed into a different active Pokemon type:
	+ The male Trainer might say "Come back!" during a fight.
	+ The female Trainer might say "Return!" during a fight.
* When the active Pokémon is KO'd:
	+ Both Trainers shake their heads while covering their faces with his left hand. They may say "Ah!" or "Dang it!" (the latter for their alternate KO line)
* When the active Pokémon is stunned (including from a shield break) or buried:
	+ The male Trainer puts his left hand on the back of his head (or in the female Trainer's case, on the side of her head) and looks downward with a distressed expression. He will say one of three lines: the Pokémon's name in a distressed tone, "Wake up!", or "Get a hold of yourself...!" (male) and "You got this." (female)

## On-Screen Appearance

Pokémon Trainer sends out the starting Pokémon from its Poké Ball while saying "Go!" and the Pokémon's name; the female Trainer winks and smiles while doing so.

## Taunts

### Male

**Up Taunt:** Triumphantly raises his right hand into the air, saying "All right!"

**Side Taunt:** Fist pumps with his left hand.

**Down Taunt:** Fist pumps with his left hand while posing triumphantly, saying "Yeah!"

### Female

**Up Taunt:** Fist pumps with her left hand while triumphantly raising her right hand into the air, saying "All right!"

**Side Taunt:** Fist pumps with her left hand.

**Down Taunt:** Jumps slightly off the ground while doing a double fist pump, saying "Yay!"

## Idle Poses

### Male

* Rubs his left leg with his left hand.
* Jumps gently on the spot twice.

### Female

* Wipes her brow with her left hand.
* Stretches her right arm, holding her elbow with her left hand.

## Victory Poses

The male Trainer can say "You all did great!" (よくやったな、みんな！, *Good job, everyone!*), while the female Trainer can say "Everyone did great!" (みなさんは素晴らしい！, *All of you did great!*). They will either say a non-specific line, or a Pokemon-specific line. In Team Battles, if there is more than two players on the winning team, the Pokémon will not be present, but this does not affect the Trainer's lines. The male and female Trainers also have variations in their own pose depending on the gender of the Trainer, similarly to the Inklings.

**Left:** The Trainer throws a Poké Ball up. The male Trainer poses before catching the Poké Ball and holding it in front of him, while the female Trainer performs a twirl, catches it, and holds it out in front of her. The only animation the Pokémon Trainers use during team victories.

**Up:** The Pokémon does one of its moves, and the Trainer cheers it on. The male trainer ends his pose by raising his left arm high in the air with a fist pump. The female trainer ends her pose by bending her left elbow with a fist pump.

**Right:** The Trainer pets the Pokémon.