Pyukumuku (SM)

Pyukumuku is an amazing Pokemon that is really cute. Everybody should get him.

Location: Route 7 (Surfing)

## Stats, Evolutions.

It has fairly weird stats... High defenses, low everything else. There are no slower Pokémon out there, and its attack stats feel fairly useless because it learns no attacking moves. If only its attack stats moved to its defenses... Its low HP is a problem, because it hinders its defensive potential, but enemies at this point of the game will struggle to do more than a scratch to it.

It has no evolution. Unlike pathetic one-stage Pokémon like Luvdisc or Smeargle, it's not like it needs an evolution anyway, because it has good enough defenses, and that's all it needs.

## Movepool, Abilities, Typing.

Pyukumuku has no attacking moves, it just has moves that do indirect damage at most. When you catch it at Route 7, the best moves it has are Bide and Counter. Bide is the better one, as it counters any damage taken over several turns (only level 16 Pyuks will have this move). You can combine it with Taunt (a move it already has) for an assured big amount of damage. Later it gets Purify, which is very situational because it only heals Pyukumuku if the foe has a status condition. Curse and Gastro Acid are not very useful moves for Pyukumuku, so wait until you get a useful move in Pain Split at level 33, Pyuk's main ghost damaging move until it gets Toxic. Four levels later, it gets Recover, another four levels later Soak (turns the opponent into a water-type), another four levels later Toxic (although you may have already gotten the TM for it before), and finally, it gets Memento at level 49, a move that lowers the opponent's attack stats and makes Pyuk faint.

I can't really recommend any particularly good TM moves for Pyukumuku. While some are useful, most of them clash with the use of Pyukumuku; to wear opponents down. Double Team spamming + a move that wears the opponent down like Toxic or Swagger is a deadly combo, Rest is a decent recovery method, while Protect can be used along with Double Team and Toxic/Swagger.

The ability that Pyuk will most likely have (unless you have been chaining for its hidden ability) is Innards Out. When Pyuk faints, it deals damage to its opponent equal to the amount of HP it had left before last being hit. Useful for powerful physical attackers, especially if they have the type advantage.

Since it has the water type, it only has two weaknesses and four resistances, appropriate for such a defense focused Pokémon.

Pyukumuku is also a very great staller when it comes to Pokemon Showdown, where you can set your own movepool and abilities without actually performing beforehand action. Because of this, many Pyukumuku encounters in competitive showdown always runs either Innards Out or Unaware, Block/Recover/Toxic/Soak stall. However, this set is instantly countered when taunted. Soak is used incase the opponent is a Poison or Steel type, and Block is to make sure the opponent dies from toxic, without switching out to negate the toxic damage or to heal bell/aromatherapy away the toxic. Toxic and Recover is the usual stall move, where after toxicating the opponent, they use recover to heal theirself from any damage they take from the struggling opponent.

## Important Battles

In trainer battles, you should only send Pyukumuku in when the opponent only has one left. It can recover itself with Recover, but it's not fun at all to defeat multiple foes with a defensive oriented Pokémon.

* Totem Salazzle: Pyukumuku can take on Salazzle by using Taunt and then Bide. However, since the one that is damaged by Bide depends on the last one that hit Pyukumuku, it's pretty risky, and you'll want Bide to hit Salazzle, whose only attacking move (Flame Burst) will not do a lot of damage.
* Totem Lurantis: Counter is broken here. If you use Counter on the turn it uses Solar Blade... Even when Pyukumuku faints, it can do a lot of damage. Make sure that you have a Pokémon that outspeeds Lurantis.
* Olivia: Use it against Lycanroc to use Counter or Bide on Continental Crush.
* Totem Vikavolt: Counter Spark. Show's over.
* Totem Mimikyu: Useless in this fight. The only way it has of hurting Mimikyu is via Pain Split, but it only works well so many times. At least it can do some damage via Innards Out.
* Nanu: Persian's Black Hole Eclipse is a special move, so it can't be Countered, and it can't be Bided from the start of the battle either, since Persian will most likely use Fake Out and then Black Hole Eclipse. Your best bet'd be using it against Sableye or Krokorok.

After getting Toxic, all battles are like this: Use Toxic, then use Recover everytime. Pyukumuku is meant to take on one Pokémon only anyway. If the opponent is immune to Toxic, you can always Bide or use Memento.

## Conclusion

Pyukumuku is... interesting, to say the least. I always liked the idea of a defensive Pokémon that does nothing but defend. It has lots of stuff to toy with, and therefore it can use many strategies. Unlike most defensive Pokémon, Pyukumuku is clearly meant for that. It's not Shuckle, but it has more focus on its assets than Shuckle. If you have the patience for this yucky sea cucumber (You need a lot), and like to use strategies in-game, then go on, I can't blame you. Otherwise stay away unless you're doing a defensive pokémon only run.

Rating: 1000000%