the very best, pt. i

14 Jan, 2025

Welcome, friends and enemies, to The Very Best, this extremely well-considered new series in which I objectively and scientifically rank every Trainer in Pokemon X both in terms of skill, and also how cool they are.

Ground Rules

We will need to establish some ground rules before we begin. First: this is not based on how good these trainers are at beating us, the player character, or at the competitive Pokemon meta, or other hypothetical teams; I am looking at how good I think they would be at beating other trainers at a similar stage in their journey.¹ Second, and on a similar note: I think it's clear that the reason we encounter only teams of 1-3 Pokemon is not because we are expected to believe that these are the only Pokemon a trainer has; rather, it makes for better pacing and provides more opportunities to heal. So we are assuming that the Pokemon we encounter are meant to be a representative sample of an overall team. This runs into some problems, especially early on where even a few levels of difference is enormous; but it overall makes this a lot fairer to the NPCs.

For trainers who appear multiple times, I will comment on them in their earlier appearances, but they will not receive a final ranking until their final encounter. I do not intend to rate trainers in the Battle Chateau, Battle Maison, or the various Restaurants, but if a trainer we encounter elsewhere appears in one of them, I do intend to take those teams into account. (This is especially important for, e.g., Viola, who is obviously throwing to make her gym battle easier on beginners.) And Team Flare will get their own section, because they don't have names and that makes them hard to track.

All trainers will receive a skill rating and a coolness rating, rated on a scale of 1-5.²

The First Steps

Our journey begins in Vaniville Town, where we have just moved to a new region and already we're being asked to go out and learn about Pokemon at the behest of Professor Sycamore. At this stage in the journey, having a starter Pokemon is a pretty significant advantage; for the most part, everyone else is limited to the standard early game fare--your basic birds, rodents, and bugs; it's hard for someone to really express their skill through team selection here. There are a few Pokemon that stand out above the rest, but for the most part you aren't seeing much expression.

This segment lasts right up until we hit the gates of Santalune Gym--all of these promising young trainers, from the Youngsters and Lasses who are just getting started on their journeys, to the Preschoolers who have been neglected by their parents, and the Schoolkids and Rising Stars who are beginning the road to taking things seriously. All of which leads up to the first real challenge in any trainer's career: a gym battle.

Aquacorde Town: Shauna

Our first ever encounter is with one of the game's four rivals, Shauna. As a recurring rival, we will, of course, be seeing her later, so no final rating for her here; it is notable that, with our ground rules, this is technically probably the hardest fight in the game. While it is true that she always chooses the Pokemon weak to your type, this is not a strategic choice she made. If she had a type advantage, this fight would be nearly impossible to win without quite a bit of luck, and starter Pokemon are stronger than most of the early route faire. Being selected by a Pokemon Professor clearly gives you a competitive edge when just starting out on your journey.

Shauna plays the part of our cheerful, energetic, maybe not very clever rival; she likes cute Pokemon and doesn't seem that interested in becoming the very best. She's here to have a good time; can't fault her for that.

Route 2: Youngster Austin

Austin's level 5 Zigzagoon is technically one of the higher level opponents we can encounter in this area, but it is probably one of the weaker Pokemon available at this point in the game, with a poor moveset, no useful ability, and pretty underwhelming stats. That he has clearly taken the time to raise his Pokemon shows that he is committed, and his dialog suggests that he, as you might expect, is only just beginning his own journey; I think he's got potential, but he's not there yet. Skill Rating: 3/5.

I like this kid's moxie. He's enthusiastic, he isn't discouraged by a little loss, and he's got the basics down: heal up, get back into it. I'm probably not going to be going out of my way to hang out with Austin, but I respect him, and I think one day he'll be a fine trainer. Coolness Rating: 3/5

Santalune Forest: Youngster Joey

Joey's team almost has a strategy: use Scatterbug to slow down his opponents with String Shot and finish the job with Fletchling--but neither of them have been trained at all, and one suspects that he may have just thrown out the first two Pokemon he has. But he does understand that having a variety of types is important; that's a good first step, and everyone has to start somewhere. Skill Rating: 2/5

Joey has the overconfidence of a young kid who has just been given a level 3 Scatterbug by his big brother and has decided he's going to go out and beat the first person he encounters. And he does not seem interested in changing anything that he's doing as a result of his loss. We have to learn from our mistakes, Joey. Take this defeat as a chance to learn to do better. Coolness Rating: 1/5.

Santalune Forest: Lass Anna

A single level 5 Pikachu is probably enough to win most of the fights in Santalune Forest and surrounding areas; while I suspect Anna has not chosen Pikachu for its great power in the early metagame, I can't deny its efficacy. Skill Rating: 4/5

Anna is proud of her Pikachu--which, hey, I get it, I was always pretty hyped to find one in Viridian Forest when I was growing up--and she is pretty confident that it will be enough to carry the day. The false modesty--"It's OK, you don't have to compliment me!"--is a little grating, though. Coolness Rating: 2/5

Santalune Forest: Lass Lise

Lise has a level 2 Weedle and a level 4 Bunnelby. Now, I know what you're thinking: that's just a slight upgrade to Youngster Joey's team, right? And that is almost the case, but there is one major difference: Weedle has Poison Sting. Its 20% poison chance gives it a pretty solid chance to get that poison off, along with whatever chip damage it deals in the meanwhile; and then Bunnelby only has to do some cleanup. I think she has just stumbled on this strategy, hence the low-level Weedle, but I think Lise is going places. I think she's a few wild battles from being the absolute top trainer in Santalune Forest. Skill Rating: 5/5

Lise is excited about battling and meeting new people, she takes defeat in stride, and she immediately recognizes something she could have done better--use potions--as well as committing to improvement. Lise is a role model for young trainers to aspire to. Coolness Rating: 5/5

Route 3: Preschooler Oliver

Oliver's level 2 Caterpie and Level 4 Azurill are nothing to write home about; I don't think Oliver is likely to be winning any fights any time soon. Skill Rating: 1/5

I'm a little worried that Oliver's mother has apparently sent him out here to keep getting beat up by passersby and giving up his lunch money. Oliver is clearly very fastidious about doing whatever his mother told him to do, and I feel that she is taking advantage of this. This isn't your fault, Oscar, but you really should consider standing up for yourself a little more. Coolness Rating: 2/5

Route 3: Preschooler Ella

Ella's level 5 Pichu has the potential to put up a bit of a fight, but it's pretty clear that if it does so it has nothing to do with Ella's skill as a trainer--she does literally tell us she just lets Pichu do what it wants. That line alone is enough to earn her a Skill Rating of 1/5.

It's a little sad that a preschooler has already developed gifted kid syndrome of "this thing is hard, so I just don't bother". You have your whole life ahead of you, Ella! It gets so much worse than this! But her instinct to consult the local gym leader for advice is a good one, and I think there's hope for Ella yet. Coolness Rating: 2/5

Route 3: Schoolgirl Bridget

A level 6 Bidoof at this point is more or less the Platonic form of adequacy. It's fine, and at this level it's beginning to be outclassed by some of the other Pokemon in the area; it's a fine choice, just rather uninspired. Skill Rating: 3/5

I'm a little confused about Bridget, if we're being honest. She goes from easygoing but dedicated student--"My Pokemon and I are studying, wanna join us?" to committing to fighting real battles, because studying isn't enough, when we win, to saying she needs to go learn everything from scratch from the Trainers' School. I suppose when your theories don't survive contact with reality it can be pretty jarring; hang in there, Bridget. Coolness Rating: 2/5

Route 3: Schoolboy Brighton

Brighton's team is thematically very appropriate--he's got all three of the elemental monkeys, but they're too low of a level to actually have any elemental moves yet. So it's effectively just the same Pokemon three times. This is the sort of team you'd expect a student who thinks he's smarter than he is to put together. Call me in seven levels when this team really comes online. Skill Rating: 2/5

Brighton is an empiricist--he thinks the best way to learn about a move is to observe it in action. I think he is mistaken on that front, but more importantly, when he says "a move's power can change depending on the target it hits," he is framing some information (different moves do different damage to different targets) in what, to my giant brain, is extremely misleading. Maybe you should study some theory with Bridget before giving out advice next time, Brighton. Coolness Rating: 2/5

Santalune City: Roller Skater Rinka

For being the highest level Pokemon we have encountered at this point, a level 7 Zigzagoon is, like Bridget's Bidoof, pretty uninspired. Skill Rating: 3/5

Rinka loves roller skates so much her name is Rinka; I respect her commitment to the bit. I also respect that she is willing to dispense roller skates to those who don't have them, and also assures us that we can wear them with any shoes so we don't have to sacrifice fashion for speed. I don't share Rinka's passion but she seems like a good person. Coolness Rating: 3/5

Route 22: Rising Star Louise

I like Louise's team here: a Psyduck and Litleo (lv. 6 and 7 respectively) are pretty strong for this point in the game, and they have some pretty good elemental coverage while clearly having been trained up a bit. Psyduck doesn't yet have any Water-type moves, though, and when I fought her she did use the anti-combo of Water Sport just before I KO'd Psyduck, so Litleo's Ember was weakened. But look, I can't blame the trainers for the way trainer AI and NPC movesets work. Skill Rating: 4/5

Louise is apparently an apprentice of Viola, and seems to hold her in high esteem, but she has also come to the realization that perhaps only raising Bug Pokemon is not the way to be a successful trainer. I admire this about Louise. Coolness Rating: 4/5

Route 22: Lass Elin

In sharp contrast to Louise before her, Elin just likes water-types. At this point that's not a huge weakness, but it will become one if she ever wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. Skill Rating: 3/5

I admire Elin's willingness to take responsibility for her defeat, and there is a certain charm to "Let's show them what we're made of!" as a challenge line. She seems solid all around; I'm certainly prepared to believe she takes very good care of her Pokemon. Coolness Rating: 4/5

Rising Star Loic

Okay, so this is where my rule against judging someone by the fact that they just have one Pokemon comes into play. Riolu is pretty weak, and as the only Pokemon in your party you're probably gonna lose . . . but it's a weak Pokemon with Counter, at a relatively high level, at a point when most Pokemon don't have access to special moves; it's a gimmicky strategy, but if this is a 1v1, it's got a pretty solid chance of sneaking a win or two. And this feels like the sort of thing a Rising Star would attempt. Skill Rating: 4/5

Loic is aiming for the very top, and you can tell he's taking it seriously. Training right by the gates to Victory Road, though, as he notes, still so far away; he is graceful in defeat, commits himself to improving himself, and uses the pressure to improve himself. I think Loic has what it takes. Coolness Rating: 4/5

Route 22: Schoolboy Rabbie

Rabbie's team, a level 7 Pidgey and level 5 Metapod, is pretty bad, mainly because he doesn't lead with the Metapod. He has Tackle on the Metapod, so there is a potential to stall with Harden and spam Tackle and weaken his opponent before Pidgey cleans up, but . . . it's not his opener. Skill Rating: 2/5

The trainers on this route seem pretty chill about defeat, which I appreciate; Rabbie values the contributions his Pokemon made, even if they didn't lead to victory, and, you know what? Good for him. Coolness Rating: 3/5

Route 22: Schoolgirl Mackenzie

My heart tells me Mackenzie should be penalized under my system for admitting that Bunnelby is her only Pokemon, but a level 8 Bunnelby at this point is . . . fine. It's fine. We're approaching the point in the game when just "a Pokemon that's decently high level" is no longer enough, but right now I'm sure Mackenzie can win her fair share of battles against her peers. Skill Rating: 3/5

Mackenzie isn't giving me much to work with here. She likes Bunnelby, and doesn't have any other Pokemon? Great. I'll put that in my ledger. It makes me suspect she isn't taking her studies seriously. Coolness Rating: 2/5

Route 22: Lass Elsa

Despite professing to not care as much about battling as showing off her Pokemon, Flabebe is a pretty solid choice here. It has much higher special defense and special attack than most Pokemon available at this level, and is held back only by the fact that there aren't many special attackers here yet. I think Elsa isn't giving herself enough credit here, but I do admire that she knows what she's about. Skill Rating: 4/5

I would be harsher on Elsa for falling apart after a defeat, but she did say she was mostly just here to show off. Her heart's not in it, very possibly because she feels bad about it. While there is much to be said on the merits of adjusting one's mindset and being prepared to accept defeat, even (or especially) for someone who is only competing casually, I don't think that's why Elsa is here. Coolness Rating: 3/5

#pokemon #the very best