#170-171: Chinchou and Lanturn

Here's an interesting one for you. And an annoying one for me, since the level-set order changed a lot between XY and ORAS, so I'll present in the ORAS order, and put the XY level in bold in brackets with the ORAS level in italics afterwards like so (level/level!).

Chinchou is an interesting prospect as it's water/electric-type, which has some interesting coverages over one another (say ground, electric, blah), but then you get the interesting abilities, too: volt absorb makes you fully immune to electric attacks and actually restores HP, and the hidden ability of water absorb is the same but with water-type attacks, and then the other standard ability is illuminate, which doesn't actually do anything in battle but doubles wild encounter rates when at the party lead position. Time to cover the stats, and we see good HP at base 75, with weak physical stats of only 38 each, 56 in each special and 67 speed. Well, they weren't great, were they?

"Blooop!"

Now to the circus. Remember, I'm stating from ORAS and adding XY (see above). We start with bubble (12, a base 40 water special move with a slight chance to drop the target's speed) and supersonic (start, 55 accuracy and confuses the target). Thunderwave (6/6, paralyses the foe, 100 accuracy), and then electro ball (9/28, electric special that hits harder the faster the user is than the foe, where the minimum, so when the foe is twice as fast or more, is base 60, so rather good, actually). Water gun (12/start) is very similar to bubble with the same accuracy, same type, both special, same power, but less PP and no speed change or any secondary effects, so why would you take this? Confuse ray (17/17) is classified as ghost-type and is a much more reliable confusion option than supersonic was (though swagger and flatter also affect the target's stats, too, which means that the recoil can be harder, though they can do more damage if they avoid themselves). Bubble beam (20/31) is a base 65 water special move with the same 10% chance of slowing the target that bubble had. Spark (23/20) is a base 65 electric physical move with a decent chance to paralyse the target, and then you can evolve at level 27, so in ORAS, that's it before you can evolve. Of course, this is a bit weird.

Right, signal beam (28/34) is a base 75 bug special move with a slight confusion chance, then flail (31/9) is a normal physical move which is more powerful the less HP the user has in relation to the maximum. Discharge (34/39) is an electric special move that hits all adjacent Pokemon base 80 in power with the chance to paralyse the foe, and take down (39/23) is a normal physical move, base 90, that involves heavy recoil. Aqua ring (42/42) effectively sets up leftovers, leading to 1/16th HP healing per turn for the survival of the user, and can be baton passed on to other team mates. Hydro pump (45/45) has only 5PP, 80 accuracy, but 110 base power as a water special move, ion deluge (47/47) is an electric move which has one stage of priority, and makes all normal moves used that turn into electric-type, which can be useful if you have volt absorb, I guess, and finally, charge (50/50) boosts the power of the next electric move used by the user as well as conferring a stage stat boost to special defence.

Along with the standard TMs, you can grab ice beam/blizzard and hail, rain dance, thunder/bolt, facade, round, scald (base 80 water special that can burn the target), charge beam (50 power electric special with 90 accuracy and a 70% chance of raising the special attack stat by a stage), volt switch (base 70 electric special move that can allow you to switch out), dazzling gleam (base 80 fairy special that can hit multiple opponents), as well as surf, waterfall and dive.

Time to breed! Agility and amnesia can buff your speed and special defence, respectively, whilst brine is a base 65 water special move that doubles in power when it hits a foe that is below half health. Psybeam is a decent option to add a psychic special coverage move with base 65 power, shockwave is a base 60 electric special much like swift that avoids the accuracy check, soak changes the foe's type to water, which goes well with the electric attack options, water pulse remains a decent move that is base 60 water special with a confuse chance, and whirlpool traps the foe in battle damaging them 1/8th their HP per turn, sticking around for 5 turns after hitting an initial base 35 water special move and 85 accuracy. The tutor may offer bounce (base 85, 85 accuracy flying physical move), icy wind stays as a base 55 ice special move that can slow the target, we've covered shock wave and signal beam and water pulse, and snore is the same as ever, whilst heal bell cures all status issues in the party.

Time to evolve: Lanturn is a bit bulkier. 125HP is pretty cool, actually, but 58 in both physicals is pretty poor, 76 in both specials is underwhelming, and the same speed (67) is pretty mundane. Same type and abilities again!

A little happier than the standard angler fish, and certainly cuter...

Aside from changes in levels for the moves when you've evolved (it would take ages to detail them all, but they aren't huge changes), but you do get the addition of eerie impulse (start/start) which lowers the foe's special attack by two stages, electro ball (but only in ORAS), as well as stockpile, spit up and swallow (all at level 27, so on evolving, in both games. Stockpile is the precursor, which stores up energy and boosts both defensive stats by a stage until they are used. Spit up uses the stored energy to attack, with each stockpile boosting the power by 100, so therefore 100, 200 or 300 base power as a normal special attack. Swallow also uses up the stockpiles to heal the user, with one healing 25% of maximum, 2 healing up to 50%, and 3 fully healing the user. Hyper beam, giga impact and wild charge come in on the TM list, and aqua tail is also added to the tutor set.

Lanturn has the highest base HP of all electric-type Pokemon, but is that good enough? No is probably the answer. It's another example of one good stat and some good moves available, but there's little way to really use it. Maybe not at the top of the pile, but certainly an interesting possibility for a gimmick.

(All artwork presented by Ken Sugimori, taken from the Bulbapedia image archives)