Characters / Common Sense

Note: The characters shown in this fanfiction are similiar to their canon counterpart, but with the writer's own take on them.

Heroes

Ash Ketchum

• Awesomeness by Analysis: Actually thinks through his battles and looks for weak points, like when battling against Misty and Lieutenant Surge. He's also trained his Pokémon to focus on dodging while looking for weaknesses in the opponent's fighting style when he commands them to "analyze".
• Boxing Lessons for Superman: Zigzagged. Ash himself doesn't have any superpowers, but commands Pokémon the same as any other Trainer. Sometime after catching Primeape, Ash asked him to help with learning how to fight so he isn’t completely dependent on his Pokémon for protecting himself.
• Catch a Falling Star: He's usually ready to catch one of his Pokémon if they're falling from the sky, whether by hand or recalling them into their Poké Ball.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Tied to The Only One below. If Ash doesn't help those under attack from Team Rocket, who else can?
• Disappeared Dad: Ash admits to Antony that he never knew his father and that the man never made an attempt to contact him.
• Dumbass No More: Ash is forced to learn and mature at a much more rapid pace than in canon. Having the Terrible Trio following him for Pikachu meant he needed to train and come up with new strategies quickly or lose.
• A Father to His Men: Even when training them as often as he can to fend off attacks, Ash never pushes his Pokémon too hard and is always kind to them.
• Had to Be Sharp: With Team Rocket after Pikachu, it was learn fast or lose. Extends to his Pokémon too.
• Heroic Resolve: After being forced to flee from Team Rocket, Ash only experiences a brief slump before deciding to train with renewed determination.
• Hope Bringer: By Chapter 34, he's become this to people who have seen his exploits, inspiring the common folk to fight back against Team Rocket.
• It's All My Fault: Ash will oftentimes blame himself if he fails to stop one of Team Rocket's plans.
• Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: After all of his experiences with Team Rocket, nobody really has a right to. Winds up leading to his Rage Breaking Point when Misty pushes that button one too many times.
• The Only One: After the incident with Team Rocket taking the Moon Stone, Ash realized that he's the only one that can reliably stop Team Rocket. And he assumes the responsibility because he feels that he's the reason that they continue getting stronger.
• Rage Breaking Point: After Misty declares him a liar, cheater, and coward, Ash finally hits his limit with her.
• Taught by Experience: Unlike canon, he learns from his past battles and comes up with innovative strategies to correct past mistakes.
• Unluckily Lucky: Ash has an impressive knack for stumbling into rare Pokémon and hidden locations. If only Team Rocket wasn't following him too.
• Warrior Therapist: He's a good fighter, but also able to help Butterfree cope better with the loss of his mate, telling him to focus on those he was able to save.

Misty

• Break the Haughty: Ash utterly destroys her in a three on one Pokémon Battle in Porta Vista after hitting his Rage Breaking Point.
• Can't Catch Up: Given that she's in denial about being behind Ash, it's more like "Won't Catch Up".
• Crippling Overspecialization: Brought up by Ash, when Misty mentions learning to battle at the Cerulean Gym. Since she always battled in a controlled environment with plenty of water around, it makes her far less effective on land and against opponents like Team Rocket.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Ash suspects that Misty feels this way after her second loss to him. When Brock tried to comfort her, she punched him in the face and yelled for him to get out.
  • Later inverted, when she decides to try and help Ash while he's still hurting by what happened to Butterfree, Brock warns her not to do it, since Ash might interpret it as this.
• Fiery Redhead: Just like in canon.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: She feels that Ash is an example of this since he's beaten her when she has more experience with Pokémon as a Gym Leader.
• Jerkass Realization: After the Butterfree incident, she begins to realize that her reasons for hating Ash are unjustified.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Believes herself to be a better Trainer than Ash from experience alone, despite glaring evidence to the contrary, and immediately challenges him to a Water Pokémon battle once she finds out that Brock another experienced Gym Leader was going to him for advice.
• Lethal Chef: A downplayed example. She can prepare canned and frozen food just fine, but would often confuse or add too many spices in her youth. She's passable now, but dislikes cooking from all of the terrible foods that she's had to eat.
• Like Brother and Sister: Misty is revealed to have this sort of relationship with Goldeen and Staryu, with Starmie being the voice of reason and general Parental Substitute.
• The Resenter: She never took her loss at Cerulean Gym very well. After that, she started attributing all of his major victories to luck or flukes. And it only grew after Ash's victory at Vermillion Gym.
• The Rival: After her second loss to Ash, she declared the two of them to be rivals and started studying up on his moves and strategies to one day defeat him on land.
• Took a Level in Kindness: After the Butterfree incident, she decides to try and be nicer to Ash.

Brock

• Apparently Powerless Puppetmaster: In the sense that he has no real authority over Ash, but can still get away with certain manipulations.
  • Case in point, on the way to Porta Vista after Misty had been left behind, he managed to subtly lead Ash along a path to Hutber Port that would make them just barely miss the ferry to the mainland. Since the next one wasn't for three hours, that gave Misty time to catch up to the two of them. Granted, Ash could've foiled that plan at any time by simply glancing at his new Pokégear, but it still succeeded.
• Big Brother Instinct: After Ash had been exhausted from being up all night to watch for the ghost of the maiden as well as taking a Thunderbolt to exorcise Gastly from his body, and Misty came for a rematch after spending a majority of the festival training, he refused to let her battle him and challenged her back in Ash's stead.
• Martial Pacifist: Seems to be on the way to this after his Wake-Up Call Boss fight with Team Rocket.
• Properly Paranoid: He finds it odd that a flock of Spearow and a Fearow would attack Ash unprovoked and wonders if the attack was instigated by someone in Team Rocket. He's right; it was an assassination attempt by Proton.
• Shovel Strike: Bought an entrenching tool and started training to use it in order to defend himself in case Team Rocket tried to attack him directly.
• Team Chef / Team Dad: He handles preparing the meals and breaking up the arguments between Ash and Misty.

Recurring Side Characters

Delia Ketchum

• Adaptational Badass: She once studied under Professor Oak, though only in battle theory, and actually holds her own against Team Rocket when Ash is too sick to battle. Her only real problem was with keeping track of all the Pokémon battling at once.
• Mama Bear: Very protective of Ash, to the point of taking up his Pokémon to protect Pikachu while he's sick and chewing out Misty and Brock for being unable to fend Team Rocket off without Ash.
• Neutral Female: Thoroughly defied when Delia asks Professor Oak to resume her battling lessons. She doesn't know how or when she'll be able to help, but she refuses to sit around at Pallet Town doing nothing while her son fights a criminal organization.

Professor Oak

• The Mentor: To Delia, though he admits that he doesn't have much left to teach her without an actual Pokémon to train with.
• Mr. Exposition: Downplayed. The only information he ever gave was reports on Gary's progress and some trivia on Tentacool's beam attack.
• Retired Badass: Used to be a Pokémon Trainer himself and still has some of his Pokémon from his travels.

Gary Oak

• Everyone Has Standards: Despite being Ash's rival and initially upset that the other Pallet Trainer held back during their battle, when he tries to smile and reassure Gary that he looks forward to battling him again at the League since their battle earlier that day was just like "old times", Gary goes from shock at Ash not caring about losing a battle to him to genuine concern since Ash is talking about earlier that year like it happened a lifetime ago.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: When he has his first battle with Ash, he forfeits when his Arcanine gets too badly injured against Ash's Charmeleon to save face, knowing that if he keeps going he'll end up losing.
• The Rival: To Ash, since they were children. Although, since Ash has decided to stop focusing on his progress, that might make him an Unknown Rival instead.

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Team Rocket

The Organization

• Even Evil Has Standards: Discussed by Jessie, who says that there are some lines "even Team Rocket won't cross" when referring to Pokémon abuse.
• Only in It for the Money: With the signing bonus, a large percentage of Team Rocket's recruits are motivated by greed or needing the money to clear debts.
• Recruited from the Gutter: According to James, poverty is one of the biggest contributors to Team Rocket's recruitment drive.
• Take Over the World: Team Rocket's ultimate goal, with one of Giovanni's recruitment methods being a promise of power to those that work for him.
• Training from Hell: Every grunt applying to be a field agent is required to go through grueling physical training.

Jessie

• Armed Legs: Has a pair of steel stilettos she dons to fight enemy Pokémon directly.
• Combat Medic: Technically qualifies since she has basic knowledge of Pokémon medicine and oftentimes steps onto the battlefield herself.
• Dance Battler: Created her own fighting style based off her knowledge of ballet and combined it with ninja taijutsu.
• Dark Action Girl: Tends to lash out violently when insulted by Meowth. Also doesn't hesitate to step into a battle herself with her Combat Stilettos.
• Determinator: The one of the trio that was most persistent about stealing Pikachu. Not even for Team Rocket after a certain point, but as revenge against Ash for their repeated defeats.
• The Fighting Narcissist: Cares about her appearance above all else and acts condescending to everyone except James and Meowth.
• Fluffy Tamer: Has managed to bring to heel a poisonous snake, a violent bird of prey (that used to hate Trainers), and a highly dangerous killer bee.
• Freaky Is Cool: Refers to her Beedrill as "darling" and generally treats each of her Pokémon like a girl would her adorable pets, fussing over their appearance and gleefully praising them for their better moves in battle.
• Hyperspace Mallet: Mainly only used during Unstoppable Rage moments.
• Jack of All Trades: She's been a ballet student, model, hostess, beautician, florist, style consultant, and a ninja.
• Lethal Chef: Implied by James and Meowth's silence when Jessie brings up her cooking something.
  • Apparently, the last time she cooked something, in Meowth's words, she "wiped out eight of [his] nine lives."
• Moral Myopia: Treats her Pokémon lovingly, but has no qualms with the condition of other Pokémon so long as they're presentable to Giovanni upon delivery. Has a soft spot for other Pokémon of the same species as one of hers, though.
• Nobody Touches the Hair: Or face. If she doesn't hit you with her Hyperspace Mallet, she'll still give the beating of the offender's life.
• Rank Up: After their successful job, which was to capture the pink Butterfree, she along with James and Meowth are promoted to officers and given both subordinates and an airship to use as a mobile base.
• Retcon: Jessie had the same jobs as in canon, but if her basic knowledge of Pokémon medicine to treat Ekans as well as her creation of a unique ballet/taijutsu fighting style is any indication, she has at least passable knowledge in every field she's worked in.
• True Companions: Jessie and her Ekans. She even quit a job as a model because the agency wanted her to pose with a different Pokémon.
• Tsundere: Harsh to just about everybody except her teammates and Pokémon.

James

• Beware the Nice Ones: Is the kindest of the trio, but can be equally, if not more vicious when angered or threatened.
  • When finding out about Damian's abused Pokémon, he was disgusted and followed him afterward to mug him, not even going through the effort to battle his Pokémon. Following that, he won over his Pokémon with a promise of help for their weak state and turned Damian in to the police, confident that nobody would believe that he was robbed by Team Rocket.
  • Also, when the trio and their Pokémon are suddenly weakened after they land in a den of Primeape, he fights off the weakness by shocking himself to concentrate on the pain instead and mercilessly dispatches the Pokémon one by one amid a cloud of smoke. He even uses a Zap Cap on a Primeape when it was already glued to the ground and unable to move.
• Break Them by Talking: James does this to the Squirtle Squad, telling them that if they try to rebel against Team Rocket, they'll be separated and sold individually to the highest bidder.
• Exact Words: Uses this as a loophole to his Villains Never Lie rule.
• A Father to His Men: Cares about his Pokémon very deeply, and doesn't hesitate to recall his best battler when he gets poisoned, even though he could've had him continue until he fainted.
• The Heart: A rare evil version. While he's certainly the moral center and good at soothing Jessie's vengeful inclinations to Ash, he doesn't hesitate to use his empathy as a weapon, such as when he told the Squirtle Squad that rebelling against Team Rocket would result in them being separated.
• Hidden Depths: At least basic understanding of economics, being able to see through the Magikarp salesman's pitch by simply knowing the law of supply and demand. Later confesses to have had an "expensive" education.
  • Surprisingly adept at reading and persuading people. When asked how, he responded with a curt "I learned it."
• I'm Not a Hero, I'm...: James makes it abundantly clear to Zubat that, while he saved her, he is indeed a villain before catching her. Mostly to avoid her holding him to a standard of virtue only to be disappointed.
• Mistaken for Gay: When describing his past, he refers to a "cherished one" that he had to leave behind. His audience is confused when James identifies them as male, and then starts drawing the wrong conclusions when James mentions wanting to take him along, but being unable to provide for him. He's only talking about his pet Growlithe, and is very flustered when he realizes their misunderstanding.
• Noble Demon: Holds himself to a higher moral standard than Jessie and Meowth, such as when he hesitated to attack the giant Dragonite and left their picnic to give the captive Squirtle Squad a few sandwiches to eat.
• Not in the Face!: Prizes his face as one of his most valuable assets in being able to persuade people, and tries to avoid taking hits to it.
• Rank Up: After their successful job, which was to capture the pink Butterfree, he along with Jessie and Meowth are promoted to officers and given both subordinates and an airship to use as a mobile base.
• Retcon: James learned how to cook, sew, weave and generally craft from his grandparents during his time at the summer homes.
• Team Chef: By process of elimination since Jessie's a Lethal Chef and Meowth lacks the skills and is all around lazy.
• Villains Never Lie: Makes a point of telling the truth as often as possible. Though how he tells the truth is fair game. But the police are an exception to his rule, and he'll say whatever he needs to in order to avoid suspicion from them.

Meowth

• Afraid of Needles: Revealed in Chapter 30. He even threatens to use his authority against Henry to no avail.
• Alliterative Name: Big Bang Blitz.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in trickery when he comes up with a plan to take down a Rhydon by using Swift to break a hole in a rusty water pipe and douse it.
• Blinded by the Light: Flash allows him to blind the opponents, but at his current skill level he needs a source of light to use it.
• Commonality Connection: Meowth and Persian's mutual loyalty to Giovanni is what started up their Villainous Friendship.
• Deadpan Snarker: Doesn't hesitate to take cracks at Jessie's vanity, despite her usually beating him up in retribution.
• Distressed Dude: Sabrina turns him into a doll, and he has to be rescued by Burton.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: When he needs to go into town, usually he'll put on a collar and disguise himself as Jessie or James's pet by walking on all fours and talking in Pokémon Speak.
• Intellectual Animal: Contributes just as much to whatever Evil Plan Squad 13 happens to be cooking up.
• Rank Up: After their successful job, which was to capture the pink Butterfree, he along with Jessie and James are promoted to officers and given both subordinates and an airship to use as a mobile base.
• Resigned to the Call: Tries to resist joining in with the other Pokémon on training, claiming that he can't learn any more moves, but they insist.
• Retcon: Instead of becoming an Unknown Rival with Persian for Giovanni's affections, Meowth befriended him. By doing so, he's sometimes able to call in small favors from Giovanni himself.
• Spam Attack: His Swift attack is his only long-range projectile attack to date, so he'll often fire multiple stars at an opponent to wear them out. One variant even involves leaving several out in orbit while shooting out more and then converging them all at once.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Fish, which makes sense seeing as he's a cat.
• Unstoppable Rage: After learning the move Rage, Meowth took a long and rather severe beating from a Kangaskhan while dealing blows that increased in power with each hit before finally getting knocked out.
• Verbal Tic: Occasionally slips back into his Pokémon Speak when angry or otherwise excited.
  "Meowth! Quit slackin'!"
• Villainous Friendship: With Giovanni's Persian, allowing him to endear himself (and by extension Jessie and James) to the boss.
• Villainous Valor: Despite being heavily outmatched, Meowth refuses to give up when fighting a Rhydon and Kangaskhan back to back.

Squad 13 Subordinates

Ella

• Cuddle Bug: When Jessie sleeps in her quarters (still shaken up from the close call with Gengar), Ella slips into her bed and snuggles up to her. Even being punched for it the next day doesn't dim her mood.
• Genki Girl: Enthusiastically greets her new superiors and acts affectionate towards her teammates.
• Improbable Piloting Skills: Claims to be able to pilot, drive, sail or otherwise control whatever she needs to get behind the wheel of.

Henry

• The Medic: Only at student level since failing medical school and studying with Team Rocket.
• Shrinking Violet: Stammers frequently and appears to have confidence issues. Though surprisingly stern when it comes to others' health.

Frank

• Charles Atlas Superpower: Ranch life and constantly challenging his own Machoke to strength contests resulted in him being far stronger than average. He always loses to Machoke, but can reportedly match him for at least a while.
• Good Ol' Boy: Grew up on a ranch and appears to be the most down-to-earth agent of the team, as well as being the oldest in his late twenties.

Charlie

• Hates Being Touched: Pushes Ella away by the face when she tries to come in for a hug.
• Master of Disguise: The only apprentice Petrel ever took on.

Burton

• Charles Atlas Superpower: He used his probationary period running various errands for Team Rocket to train his running speed and can move much faster than anybody else on the team.
• More Expendable Than You: He chose to face Sabrina to save Meowth, noting that his skills were less useful than the others.
• Psychic Static: He blocks out Starmie's novice telepathy by singing a song in his head.

Giovanni

• The Bait: Designs a cage with multiple Artificial Limbs controlled by two agents so that they can deliberately pick common Pokémon to lure Ash away from the agents with the Vacuum-Packs. See Batman Gambit below.
• Batman Gambit: Figured Ash would chase down the cage full of Pokémon in front of him instead of thinking to attack the life boats that the Rocket agents used to flee.
• Benevolent Boss: Rather forgiving and generous of successful agents, though James and Meowth both note that both have limits.
• Cuteness Proximity: Downplayed. Giovanni typically only allows himself a smirk and low chuckle when watching Meowth and Persian's interactions.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: So far as Giovanni is concerned, Proton is his son in all but blood. One of his reasons for warning Proton off from tangling with Sabrina is that the assassin would be executed for his crimes.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: During the St. Anne operation, he immediately intervened with a warning announcement for his operatives once the cruise ship was caught in a massive storm, telling them to evacuate with what they had before the St. Anne sunk.
• Pragmatic Villainy: He has a Professional Killer in Proton, but rarely uses him due to the fact that multiple killings (even if appearing accidental) would put the police on high alert and make missions that much harder to do. Case in point, when Proton goes on his own to try and kill Ash, he calls him out on his rash action, and quickly points out that making Ash into a martyr or driving him to get revenge against Team Rocket could make things bad for them in the long run.
  • He accepts James' suggestion of keeping Damien's former Pokémon in the stables rather than cages as it would cement their loyalty to Team Rocket.
• Visionary Villain: Giovanni's planned new world order involves stamping out crime, poverty and discrimination, and, to achieve that end, he'll even resort to illegal methods to bring change faster.

Misc. Agents

Matori

• Girl Friday: A villainous version to Giovanni.
• Ice Queen: According to both Meowth and Petrel.

Proton

• The Ace: In the eyes of other Team Rocket agents.
• Declining Promotion: Still at Grunt level because (according to rumor among the other agents) he doesn't want to get tied down by desk work.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: Proton's usual method of assassination.
• Mercy Kill: When his Fearow is permanently crippled after failing to kill Ash, he offers it some poison for a quick painless death out of respect for it's long service. Fearow quickly accepts it, thinking such a death has more dignity than starvation or being killed by a weaker Pokémon.
• Professional Killer: When Giovanni wants somebody gone, rare as it is, they disappear. Though it seems he's not adverse to go and try to off someone on his own if they prove a liability.

Petrel

• Full-Body Disguise: His usual method of disguising himself.
• Master of Disguise: Able to construct flawless body suits replicating human tissue and alter his voice at will. Demonstrated when posing as the host of the Underground Tournament.
• Multilayer Façade: His favorite suits are hefty ones since it's easy to layer another one underneath.

Brook

• Emotionless Boy: Conceals all of his emotions beneath a mask of apathy, aside from flashes of irritation when plans go awry. Although he does genuinely care about his Pokémon.
• He Knows Too Much: Brook plans to consciously try to avoid this until he can slip away from Team Rocket without any chance of getting caught.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Intends to become this, doing well, but not so well that he gets promoted. After all, he only accepted because his Pokémon would likely get taken if he refused.
• Nothing Personal: Brook cares a lot more about his Pokémon than the people he's out to rob, and internally quotes the trope name as he's searching his first target. He knew that refusing to join Team Rocket would result in his Pokémon being taken.

Dalton Adams

• Master of Unlocking: Always carries a bit of metal wire to help him pick locks.
• Rebellious Spirit: Apparently had issues with his father (implied to be a police officer) once upon a time and joined Team Rocket just because he felt it better to be on their side.

Hart

• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Violently protective of Pearl, but loves her deeply and is always kind to her.
• Face of a Thug: Everybody he's ever known, aside from Pearl, associated his eyes and general appearance with him being a delinquent.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Implied to have been his desire for a while when he was on his own, but it apparently never worked out until he met Pearl.
• Unstoppable Rage: Shrugged off Sleep Powder through sheer anger and had to be subdued with force by a more physical Pokémon.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Played with in that everybody else perceives him as a straight example of this trope. Related to Face of a Thug above.

Pearl

• Action Girlfriend: Surmised by James. Even though Hart is protective of her, he can see that she wouldn't let herself be caught easily.
• Intimate Healing: Downplayed, in that while there's no kissing or unnecessary touching, Pearl rests Hart's head in her lap to treat his head injury.
• The Runaway: Left home to be with Hart when (apparently) her parents forbid her from seeing him.

Cortez

• Forced into Evil: Jessie gave him an option to work for Team Rocket when he said that he needed the money to save his bar. Seeing no other way, he took it.
• Leonine Contract: Cortez was expecting one from Giovanni, but was surprised when the boss said that it would be a straightforward affair to repay the debt with profits from his new bar and missions succeeded, along with providing information.
• Mysterious Informant: Part of the deal with Team Rocket is to be a villainous version for them, listening to rumors in order to give them leads on anything significant or rare.
• The Stoic: Rarely shows his emotions unless a situation has gone really bad.

Gregory

• Genki Guy: Wears sunny clothes and enthusiastically greets Cortez upon meeting him while amiably giving him a rundown of what he does.
• Motor Mouth: He goes through all of this in a single breath:
  "Not a very active fella, as you can see. But the little guy comes through whenever I need 'im. He can sense things around him with his telepathy, even while sleeping, how cool is that? When I need to go somewhere, he pulls the memory of the location from my mind to visualize it and POOF! I've been everywhere around here, it's my job to map out all of the continent in my mind with my travels so that I can take agents anywhere and everywhere by the dozen if we need to get somewhere for a big mission quickly, like the St. Anne. There's about a dozen other guys and gals like me in the org, but I'm the only one this side of Mt. Silver that's been at it for so long. Anyway, the Boss filled me in on your little situation, and I'm gonna take you to HQ for you to get your loan filled out, if you'll just take my hand."

Attila and Hun

• Adaptational Early Appearance: They appear in Kanto instead of Johto.
• Dude Looks Like a Lady: Hun.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Attila is the Red, being more aggressive and battle-ready, to Hun's blue, who is calmer and more rational.

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Miscellaneous

Recurring Side Characters

Damian

• Asshole Victim: Has all of his Pokémon stolen by James.
• Break the Haughty: His abusive behavior causes James to knock him out, rob him of all his Pokémon, and get him arrested for Pokémon abuse. Even when his phone call to Professor Oak gets him out of jail, Damian has his trainer’s license revoked and is subjected to house arrest as the professor’s lab assistant while under strict supervision.
• Cassandra Truth: Due to being a known Pokémon abuser, Officer Jenny refuses to believe that a Team Rocket agent stole his Pokémon.
• Dirty Coward: Hears the sounds of battle in the distance, and his first thought is getting an easy battle out of a Trainer that's tired out.
• It's All About Me: Fully expects Charmander to return to him once he sees that the Fire-type can actually battle.
• Jerkass: Undoubtedly so.
• Kick the Dog: Doesn't even bother to deny abandoning Charmander, even when he could die in a rainstorm. This led to Charmander attacking Damian and smashing his Poké Ball once he dropped it.
• Never My Fault: Rather than learn his lesson about treating his Pokémon right, he grew even worse, abusing them for failing to meet his standards instead of just releasing/abandoning them.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Downplayed. After Damian ends up in jail for Pokémon abuse, he used his phone call to have Professor Oak bail him out. While he ensured he wouldn’t be stuck in jail, Damian remained stuck under house arrest and without a Trainer’s License for 10 years.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: If the memories in Charmander's Past Experience Nightmares are any indication, Damian was actually kind to his Pokémon. Not even a few losses was enough to put him down for long. But then he suffered a Curb-Stomp Battle at the hands of an unknown Trainer, along with a Breaking Speech.

Jeryl

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He acts abrasive at first, aside from slight respect for Ash's open-mindedness. But he also saves Ash from Sabrina's Psychic Strangle with great risk to himself. His attitude is also implied to be caused by being rejected and alone because of his powers before Sabrina took him in.
• Smug Super: He shows slight shades of this when he first meets Ash and co., taking the opportunity to demonstrate his telekinesis, as well as deriding them for challenging Sabrina in spite of their apparent ignorance. Though he notably treats Ash with more courtesy when he shows a kind curiosity about his powers.

Mitchell

• Always a Bigger Fish: He knows that Team Rocket is the biggest criminal group in Kanto, and appropriately doesn't want to do anything that could attract their attention.
• Beneath Notice: After fleeing Gringey City and deciding to lay low until he could be sure that Team Rocket wasn't looking for him, he became one of several groundskeepers maintaining Celadon City's central park.
• Con Man: Is a career criminal and has noted that he's escaped several angered clients before.
• Giving Them the Strip: Apparently, he's used to doing this with his trench coat and shoes (which are purposefully loose), and would've gotten away from Dalton if it wasn't for his Geodude's extremely tight and solid grip.
• Morality Pet: His Dugtrio is the one and only thing he cares about besides himself, and as such he doesn't deal in selling/robbing Pokémon.

Noah

• Chekhov's Gunman: Appears in the Gringey City Underground Tournament, and is robbed of his Pokémon by James. He later reappears in Chapter 36 and helps fight back against the Rocket grunts, and give James some payback for it.

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Pokémon

Ash's Pokémon

• Two Girls to a Team: By chapter 39, out of the eighteen Pokémon on Ash's team, fourteen are male, three — Raticate, Tentacool and Jigglypuff — are female, and the last is the genderless Magnemite.

Pikachu

Gender: M, Ability: Static (according to canon)

• Awesome, but Impractical: His new technique Needle Ray is a more focused version of Lightning Arrow but he refuses to use it due to it having the potential to cause severe injuries.
• Blinded by the Light: He can use Flash to magnify the light from his electricity into a blinding flare. Both this and Lightning Arrow were instrumental in battling Kadabra.
• Cowardly Lion: Used to scare easily, such as when James's Mankey chased him in a rage after Pikachu shocked him. With one of Ash's plans, he conquered his fear and enraged Mankey on purpose to lead him on a chase before tricking him into breaking the cage holding AJ's Sandshrew.
  • He's also scared at first when he sees what Lt. Surge's Raichu did to one of his opponents, but by the time he got to the Gym, he was ready for battle.
  • He flees when Team Rocket attacks at Porta Vista, since there was a very real chance that he could've gotten captured if he didn't get back to Ash.
• Doppelgänger Spin: After perfecting Double Team. He can even strike different poses with the afterimages, including rude faces.
• Elemental Absorption: Has the power to absorb electricity, as shown when he intercepts James's shot of electricity at Pidgeotto when he was evolving.
• Eyelid Pull Taunt: How he manages to trick Mankey into chasing him.
• Flash Step: While pretty fast on his own, Agility lets him move so fast that he blinks out of sight for short intervals.
• Hand Blast: Lightning Arrow concentrates a Thunderbolt's worth of electricity into two fingers and fires it at high speed, dealing electrical damage as well as having some impact and piercing power. He eventually upgrades it into a more powerful variant he calls Needle Ray.
• Lightning Bruiser: Relies on speed, but can also take a bit of punishment as well. Unlike in canon, he was forced to train his body much earlier and became more balanced instead of becoming a Glass Cannon.
• Miming the Cues: Whenever Pikachu needs to communicate a message to Ash, he'll oftentimes charade it, sometimes using various items as an aid.
• Taking the Bullet: When Pidgeotto was evolving into Pidgeot, James tried to shoot him down with the Zap Sapper 2.0, but Pikachu had Squirtle throw him into the air to block it.

Butterfree

Gender: M

• Damage Over Time: Has a variety of Status Infliction Attacks which can wear down or neutralize his opponents.
  • Most prevalent when he was a Caterpie and uses String Shot to defeat Ekans and Koffing by blinding and immobilizing them, respectively, and does the same to Meowth when he steps forward.
  • When Mankey and Spearow step forward, he keeps them at bay with his evolution, spraying String Shot straight up to form the cocoon of his next stage, Metapod. With that form, he uses Harden to make Mankey injure his foot trying to kick him. It bought enough time for Pikachu to recover from Koffing's Sludge attack and defeat Spearow shortly afterward.
• Life Drain: Mega Drain allows him to sap energy from the opponent and add it to his own.
• Traumatic Superpower Awakening: After finding out that he failed to save his mate, he unlocked Psychic Powers.

Pidgeot

Gender: M

• Declaration of Protection: Back when he was a Pidgeotto during the attack at Porta Vista, after realizing that they could lose and Pikachu would be taken if they did and how devastated Ash would be, he refused to let that happen.
  I won't lose! I can't lose! I'll protect Pikachu! I'll protect Ash!
• Lightning Bruiser: Fastest in the air on Ash's team and hits hard with his Clothesline Dash and Quick Attack.
• Razor Wind: He gained the ability to charge and launch blades of wind after Maiden's Peak.
• Taking the Bullet: Pidgeot intercepts a Razor Wind to protect Ash’s group when Fearow targets them.
• Tornado Move: In order to form larger tornadoes (which he's able to make even more giant and self-sustaining after he evolves) Pidgeot flies in a circle instead of blowing it from his wings.
  • This is what helps defeat Misty at Cerulean Gym when he uses one as a Pidgeotto to vacuum Staryu out of the water.
  • After evolving to Pidgeot, he circles around Team Rocket, creating his first giant tornado which carries them away over the ocean.
• Wind from Beneath My Wings: Primary method of attack, using it to generate powerful gales to blow the opponent away or form small cyclones.

Raticate

Gender: F, Ability: Guts (before evolving), Hustle (after evolving)

• Heroic Second Wind: After getting poisoned, her ability is revealed to be Guts, which allows her to defeat Jessie's Beedrill all by herself in their battle outside of Pewter City.
• The Nose Knows: Able to track others by scent.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: Is Ash's smallest Pokémon, but has little problem keeping up with the rest of the team and managed to defeat Brock's Geodude during their Gym match with a single Hyper Fang.
• Power at a Price: While Guts allows her to effortlessly defeat Jessie's Beedrill, she still gets worn down as the poison works its way through her body. After evolving, her body adapts to the poison and keeps the power boost permanently, though at the cost of some accuracy.
• Speed Blitz: Quick Fang allows for Rattata to speed past her opponent while cutting into them with Hyper Fang as she goes.
• Staring Down Cthulhu: Fearlessly stands her ground and battles against the likes of Jessie's Ekans, despite the fact that she's one of her natural predators.
  • Downplayed when fighting Onix, as she shakes slightly before standing her ground and growling back.

Bulbasaur

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Overgrow

• Damage Over Time: While most of his moves deal direct damage, he also has Poison Powder and Sleep Powder the same as Butterfree does.
• Flechette Storm: His Razor Leaf attack, though made for cutting instead of stabbing, and a strong enough resistance or well-timed wind stirred up renders them uselessly fluttering to the ground.
• Super-Breath: Somehow created a move that lets him blow away powder and wind attacks by taking a deep breath and exhaling with enough force to equal a Whirlwind.
• Team Dad: Both on Ash's team and at the village he used to stay at. Particularly, he recognizes Charmander's anxiety at being abandoned, but has seen it before and knows that Charmander needs to come to trust them himself.
• Vine Tentacles: Vine Whip, which he primarily uses for restraining foes and retrieving objects.

Charmeleon

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Blaze

• Attack! Attack! Attack!: Charmander refuses to back down even when outnumbered. He charges Team Rocket's Pokémon and keeps on fighting no matter how many hits he takes.
• Leave Him to Me!: Fights all of Team Rocket's Pokémon at the same time to give Ash time to climb out of a pitfall trap. Even so, when Ash is about to send out his own Pokémon to help, he refuses.
• Percussive Therapy: After learning of what happened to Butterfree's mate, he sectioned himself off in Professor Oak's quarry and broke apart all of the nearby boulders into rubble. And, whether it was just because of the rage or the fact that Ash was so hurt as well, he evolved into Charmeleon.
• Please, Don't Leave Me: He hides a deep fear of being abandoned by Ash, and wishes to evolve so that his place on the team can be secure (at least, by his perspective). Though during his battle with Gary's Arcanine, it seems this isn't the case anymore.
• Unstoppable Rage: His Rage move allows him to keep on fighting longer than normal as well as boosting his power with each hit for him to discharge in one large fire attack.

Kingler

Gender: M

• Close-Range Combatant: Though he has a few long-range moves, Kingler's true strength lies in getting close up and hitting hard, particularly with Crabhammer.
• Making a Splash: Can create a huge surge of water, but lacks control over it at his current level.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Rather puny for a Krabby. But also managed to crack the glass on Team Rocket's submarine when the pilot said it could take a hit from a sledgehammer. Though he lost the "pint-sized" part when he evolved.
• Super-Strength: Strength allows Kingler to lift up to three times his weight.
  • When he infuses it into his arm and uses Crabhammer, it strikes hard enough to blow out a chunk from a tree.

Squirtle

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Torrent

• Combat Parkour: While learning to use Bubble Storm on land, Squirtle increased his maneuverability and gained the ability to agilely flip, even while curled into his shell.
• He Will Come for Me: Is the one his team is waiting for after they get captured. Sure enough, he came back, but he failed to rescue them.
• It's Personal: Harbors a heavy grudge against Team Rocket for the loss of his team.
• The Leader: Of the Squirtle Squad, until Team Rocket took them.
• The Patient Has Left the Building: After getting dropped off at the Pokémon Center following his defeat, he escaped after waking up to follow Ash and co. since they were his only lead on Team Rocket.
• Roaring Rampage of Rescue: After Team Rocket captures his team, and Ash and co. are trapped in a pit, Squirtle tries to burst their balloon himself, engaging Koffing along the way. He fails after Koffing evolves into Weezing.
• The Stoic: Not as cheery as in canon, since losing his team, but he still has his moments where he can just enjoy being on Ash's team.

Tentacool

Gender: F

• Chekhov's Skill: Her Mega Drain is more effective the more she's touching an enemy and she can stretch her tentacles after absorbing water. Guess how she beats three of Misty's team at once?
• Cuddle Bug: Loves to give Ash hugs, typically tackling him with The Glomp upon release.
• Elemental Absorption: Can absorb water to walk on land for a short time or stretch out her tentacles.
• Energy Weapon: Fires a laser beam from her forehead gem.
• Naughty Tentacles: Although nothing extreme, Tentacool hasn't exactly made it a secret that she enjoys groping Ash with her tentacles.
• The Runaway: It's revealed that she, along with a portion of the clan she came from, abandoned their old home once Nastina began building a hotel over the coral reef they lived in.
• Tentacle Rope: One of her basic moves, especially dangerous when she's in the water.

Horsea

Gender: M

• Improbable Aiming Skills: After hearing about Butterfree’s mate being stolen, he ultimately decides to train himself and proves capable of nailing a faraway weather vane.
• Mysterious Watcher: Ordered by Ash to spy on Gastly to determine whether or not he's a threat. He was picked since he was least likely to be spotted in the water and least likely to start a fight.
• Pacifist: Is opposed to the Tentacool and Tentacruel retaliating against the humans of Hutber Port by destroying the city. Unfortunately, when he tries to talk the leader down, his attitude is only dismissed as "spineless."
• You Monster!: After Tentacruel dismisses Horsea in the above example, Horsea gets mad and retorts that he and the Tentacool are spineless for not seeking another way.

Jigglypuff

Gender: F

• Berserk Button: Implying that Jigglypuff can't battle or calling her any synonym of "cute."
  "[I'M NOT A DOLL! I'M A FIGHTER!]"
• Blood Knight: Seems to be absolutely overjoyed when she hears that Ash will not only be getting into fights with Team Rocket regularly, but is going to be competing in the Pokémon League.
• Temporary Bulk Change: Can inflate herself in order to float and dodge attacks by riding the preceding wave of force. Also happens whenever she gets angry.
• Tsundere: Type B, seeing as she acts polite to Ash's other Pokémon and Brock, and even seems to like Ash since he lets her battle. Her violent side comes out when her Berserk Button is hit.

Bellsprout

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Chlorophyll

• Never Be Hurt Again: Used to belong to Damian until James mugged him and took his Poké Ball so that he wouldn't be able to be caught by anybody else. Only Ash's patient and kind approach interested Bellsprout enough to give him a chance, along with the fact that Charmeleon trusted him.
• Old Friend: To Charmeleon. They were both part of the six that Damian had when he lost to the unknown Trainer, although Charmeleon doesn't recognize him.
• The Quiet One: Rarely talks, only speaking aloud to other Pokémon if a yes or no head shake doesn't answer or if the situation calls for it.
• Super Corrosive Acid: Produces and is able to spit acid that can weaken a reinforced wall and completely dissolve his old Poké Ball.

Drowzee

Gender: M

• Dream Weaver: Upon meeting Ash to examine him in his sleep, he sympathized with him taking on so much responsibility after examining his recent memories and manipulated his dreams to give him a better sleep.
• Mundane Utility: Uses his telepathy to help Ash communicate with his Pokémon better.
• Teleport Spam: Ash feels that Drowzee can develop this fighting style, attacking with various moves without taking any hits himself.
• Weak, but Skilled: Though his telekinesis is lacking, his skill with teleportation and wisdom with psychic powers allows him to be a capable fighter.

Primeape

Gender: M, Ability: Vital Spirit

• Badass Teacher: He begins to give Ash fighting training and helps with physical conditioning.
• Blood Knight: His main reason for joining the team is that he wants good fights.
• Good Old Fisticuffs: Fights mainly hand-to-hand with punches and kicks, and dislikes moves that prevent him from getting close enough to battle.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Gets angry really easily, as is normal for his species.

Psyduck

Gender: M

• Afraid of Their Own Strength: He apparently became this after an implied incident left him without a home.
• Pent-Up Power Peril: When meeting Ash, he had been locking up his own psychic powers, resulting in a constant headache so intense that the recent events were somewhat foggy after he let it out. He was hoping to seal his powers for so long that they would fade from disuse.

Doduo

Gender: M

• Extremity Extremist: Aside from their heads, they only have legs and no arms, so they primarily fight with kicks.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Both heads are perfectly willing to run away if they feel that an opponent is out of their league. Case in point when they delivered a strong kick to Primeape's face and only ticked him off.
• Multiple Head Case: The right head (Rick) is more aggressive while the left (Lee) prefers thinking a bit more long-term.
• Not So Above It All: Lee acts more polite than Rick, but also amiably levels a not-so-subtle retort at Primeape when the latter insinuates they're only good for running away.
  "We'll manage. You may have noticed that we ran around the trees in our flight, not through them, unlike you."

Muk

Gender: M, Ability: Stench

• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He and the other Muk in Gringey City's bay were constantly competing with each other for the most Grimer followers to take the most territory.
• Blob Monster: He's made out of toxic sludge.
• Breath Weapon: Fittingly called "Bad Breath".
• Combat Tentacles: Can make this by adopting an "Octopus Form".

Magnemite

Gender: -

• Crush Blush: Tends to "overheat" when Pikachu is involved.

Jessie's Pokémon

• Gender-Equal Ensemble: Jessie's Pokémon team as of chapter 39 is the only one to consist of an equal number of male and female Pokémon.

Arbok

Gender: F

• Choke Holds: One of her more dangerous uses of Wrap.
• Death Glare: With her Glare move, she can cause her opponent to be paralyzed with fear, but it doesn't work on larger opponents or those that aren't scared of her.
• Determinator: Her desire not to let Jessie down causes her to evolve when outmatched by a Kangaskhan.
• Feather Boa Constrictor: Jessie apparently wore her like this occasionally as an Ekans, if the casual way she allows her to slither up her arm is any indication.
  • Jessie used to pose with her like this back when she had a modelling job.
• Hold the Line: Kept Pikachu stalled long enough during Team Rocket's attack at Porta Vista for James to arrive on Gyarados's back.
• I Am What I Am: As an Ekans, she never understood why one of her previous owners was upset when she hunted. She was a snake and snakes hunted.
• Killing Intent: Amped up her Glare with this to prevent Pearl's Jigglypuff from acting while she was vulnerable in the air.
  'I will eat you if you dare to approach me.'
• Number Two: Jessie considers all of her Pokémon to be precious, but she singles Ekans/Arbok out as her companion of many years and invaluable partner.
• Spring Jump: Can pull this off by using her own body as the Spring Coil.
• Super-Strength: Able to use Strength both to carry, and in conjunction with her Wrap attack to break limbs or (theoretically) completely crush an opponent.
• Undying Loyalty: To Jessie. It's even what causes her to evolve.

Fearow

Gender: F, Ability: Keen Eye

• Defiant to the End: Even when she knows she's beat by Kangaskhan, she remarks that she hopes the cut she gave her scars and continuously mocks the Thunderbolts she receives even while struggling to stand.
• The Fighting Narcissist: Seems to have inherited the trait from Jessie.
• Fragile Speedster: Fastest on Jessie's Team, but while she can usually take a decent amount of punishment (through sheer stubbornness), her physical defenses are pretty weak. One strong hit to her wings usually leaves her grounded.
• It's Personal: Holds a grudge against Pidgeot for her One-Hit KO at his hand during the battle at Porta Vista. She developed her new move, Javelin Strike, specifically to strike him down once she mastered Agility.
• Power Copying: Mirror Move allows Fearow to copy the move last used, creating an apparition of her chosen target to launch the attack.

Beedrill

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Swarm

• Doppelgänger Spin: Double Team allows him to create multiple illusory clones and hide among them to avoid getting hit or take an enemy's back for a sneak attack.
• Dual Wield: Whether it's his spear-like Twineedle stingers or if he sharpens them into blades with Swords Dance, Beedrill always has two weapons on hand.
• Hive Mind: Formerly like this, understandably so. Starts to come out of it during the Underground Tournament when Jessie recognizes his individual achievement of defeating all three of his opponent's Pokémon.
• Made of Iron: Has taken a hit from Onix's tail and been driven into the ground by Pidgeotto/Pidgeot's Quick Attack and gotten back up again (though the first time, Jessie recalled him before he could demonstrate whether or not he could keep fighting).
• What Is This Feeling?: Due to his former Hive Mind lifestyle, getting recognized individually for his victory in the above example was a new experience.

Electabuzz

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Static

• Cultured Badass: Grew up at Pokémon tech, and acts polite to Jessie on their first meeting.

James' Pokémon

• Two Girls to a Team: By chapter 39, James has a team of five Pokémon consisting of three males and two females.

Weezing

Gender: M, Ability: Levitate

• Affably Evil: He's similar to James since they've been together a long time and he expresses great concern when he sees Damian's abused Pokémon.
• Herd-Hitting Attack: Wall of Destruction involves him spraying out a cloud of Smog and a large quantity of Sludge (both of which are flammable) before James throws his blue rose to ignite it. Powerful enough to cause a cave-in.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Compared to the likes of Mankey and with Jessie's Fearow being a much better aerial fighter, he started to feel a bit inadequate. This, along with his resolve to win against Squirtle, led to his evolution from Koffing to Weezing.
• Recoil Boost: Can expel air out of any of his pores to aid dodging or Smog out of the back to power his Smog Ram technique.
• Smoke Out: His primary purpose is using Smokescreen to ensure Team Rocket's escape. While it may not seem like much, he knows how important it is for him to guarantee their escape.
• Taking You with Me: Pulls this against Cortez's Fearow with Self-Destruct since he knows that he won't be able to beat them in a straight fight. Downplayed in that the move doesn't kill him.

Mankey

Gender: M, Ability: Vital Spirit

• Food as Bribe: How James managed to catch Mankey as well as get him to do what he wanted (at first).
• Lightning Bruiser: The Pokédex even notes Mankey as being known for its superior footwork and packing a powerful punch.
• The Sleepless: The overactive adrenaline from his ability means that Mankey can shrug off moves like Sleep Powder.
• Tame His Anger: After ruining the mission to catch AJ's Sandshrew, James started training Mankey to control his temper.
• Think Happy Thoughts: James recommends this as a method of controlling Mankey's anger. Whenever he's about to lose his temper, Mankey thinks of James.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Rice balls.^note And not jelly-filled donuts.
• Unstoppable Rage: One of his species' traits, but James has been working with him in meditation to overcome his Berserker tendencies.

Gyarados

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Intimidate

• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Often touches one of his whiskers to James' forehead as a sign of affection.
• Androcles' Lion: Saves James' life due to his kindness towards him as a Magikarp.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: As a Magikarp, he was aware that his species were the butt of everyone's jokes. But James believed in him, not just that he could be strong, but that he could save him when he needed to flee from the St. Anne. This led to his evolution into Gyarados to save James from drowning.
• The Dreaded: The sailors in the lifeboats instantly recognize what he is when he first surfaces upon completing his evolution, and are so scared, they can't even finish saying his name.
• Flight: As a Water/Flying-type, James figured that there had to be some way for the sea serpent to perform the feat. And he succeeded in teaching him to do just that.
• Gentle Giant: Though he will battle fiercely for James, and is aware of his frightening appearance, he otherwise acts rather docile.
• Prehensile Hair: As much as there can be on a Sea Monster, Gyarados can move his whiskers freely and even grab things with them. Really helps make up for his lack of hands.
• Tornado Move: Dragon Rage allows Gyarados to creates a giant cyclone to trap and damage his opponents.

Zubat

Gender: F, Ability: (presumably) Inner Focus

• Super-Senses: Of the hearing variety. She was able to pick up a conversation along with an accelerated heartbeat from the other side of a warehouse. Because of this, even without battling, she was put in charge of making sure there were no intruders while Team Rocket called Giovanni to transfer the giant Tentacruel.
• Unexplained Recovery: Averted. After catching her, James says that she won't be doing any battling without time to recover from her time as Damian's Pokémon if he has anything to say about it.
• Vampiric Draining: As a Zubat, it's a trait of her species and offers the most nutrition, even though she can eat fruits or Pokémon food as well.

Vileplume

Gender: F, Ability: (presumably) Chlorophyll

• I Owe You My Life: She's one of the Pokémon that James freed from Damian, and is extremely grateful to him.

Brock's Pokémon

• Gender-Equal Ensemble: Subverted. Brock's Pokémon team as of chapter 39 consists entirely of male Pokémon.

Graveler

Gender: M

• Adaptational Badass: He evolves here, unlike in canon.
• Genius Bruiser: A downplayed example. When learning a new move that involves propelling rocks with Mega Punch for extra speed, he notices that the rocks break from the force and takes a bit more time to form a denser rock before pulling off the move.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: After figuring out how to make rocks denser, Brock moved Geodude on to shaping them. The first practical application was the Plate Shield, its main use to block water. It also functions as a heavy projectile and likely weapon.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: How Geodude launches his Rock Scattershot.

Onix

Gender: M

• Fight Off the Kryptonite: Since he's the best bet to take down Gyarados aside from Pikachu (provided he can get past the Zap Sapper), Onix started training to resist water.
• The Juggernaut: Does not possess the immunity, but has high defenses and favors this sort of strategy, throwing his size and weight around while relying on his toughness to tank any counterattacks.
• Super-Scream: Screech creates such a loud noise from his roar that the waves are likened to a wind tunnel and Brock has to cover his ears even if it's a controlled blast.

Zubat

Gender: M, Ability: (presumably) Inner Focus

• Confusion Fu: His fighting style revolves around confusing his opponent with his fast and unpredictable flight. It does little good against foes that are either faster or resistant to his attacks, though. He also has two moves (Supersonic and Confuse Ray) that literally confuse the opponents.
• Power Copying: Brock trains him to learn Mimic.
• Super-Senses: Like most of his species. He was able to hear a minimized Staryu's cry and instantly zeroed in on his location to use Confuse Ray.

Misty's Pokémon

• The One Guy: As of chapter 39, the only male Pokémon in Misty's team is Vaporeon, although the biologically asexual Staryu does identify as "Male".

Goldeen

Gender: F

• Making a Splash: Misty started her on water manipulation, working her way up from Waterfall to Surf, and eventually able to make a bubble of water for her to swim around in on land so that she can fight.

Staryu

Gender: (assumed) M

• Hot-Blooded: Enthusiastic about just about anything and always enjoyed playing with Misty through Cerulean City, even if they wound up getting in trouble later.
• Sizeshifter: Minimize allows him to shrink and grow at will in order to dodge attacks and counter, respectively.

Starmie

Gender: (assumed) F

• Freeze Ray: Ice Beam allows Starmie to fire a beam of frost energy that can freeze water and opponents.
• Parental Substitute: Since Misty's parents abandoned the Gym when she was little, and her sisters didn't look after her very often, Starmie wound up being the one to look after and provide guidance for Misty growing up.

Vaporeon

Gender: M

• Elemental Shapeshifter: Per his species, he can dissolve into water, an ability very useful for hiding.
• Logical Weakness: Since his body is part water, he's vulnerable to moves that manipulate water.
• The Trickster: Is fond of playing pranks.

Poliwag

Gender: F

• The Outside World: What ultimately influences Poliwag's decision to go with Misty is the stunning display of power Goldeen performs with her water manipulation and the idea that there can be other such sights in the world beyond her pond.