Gallade Report

Gallade (the Blade Pokémon) is an exceptionally rare Psychic/Fighting-type Pokémon found among grassy fields and many other environments within the Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, Galar, Hisui, Paldea and Kitakami regions as well as the Johto, Unova and Alola regions on rare occasions. Exceptionally fast and dangerous to fight in close quarters, Gallade are expert swordsmen that will gladly defend the lives of their trainer with diligence and honor beyond what most other Pokémon are capable of. They might not face any form of development in regards to their special abilities, but if you need a powerful Psychic-type that can deal out brutal damage in close quarters, these bladed fighters can more than do the job with a bit of style and flair thrown right in for free!

For the Ralts family, evolution into either Gardevoir or Gallade is a major point in their life, as it is akin to a child's full development into adulthood in that they obtain a tremendous boost in overall strength and finally become a force to be reckoned with on any battlefield. While most Kirlia naturally evolve into Gardevoir regardless of their sex, if male Kirlia are exposed to the radiant energy of a Dawn Stone, their male characteristics overcome their frail frame and they evolve into fully-physical Gallade, losing all access to their Fairy-type powers and becoming partial Fighting-types in the process. As a result of this transformation, the special abilities of Gallade are stunted in exchange for exceptionally heightened physical powers; all other stat changes are the same as if they had evolved into Gardevoir. Because they are physical combatants, Gallade naturally gain access to moves that are far better-suited for a role in close-quarters, in particular gaining access to the Slash (learned immediately after evolving), Aqua Cutter, Sacred Sword, Night Slash, Leer, Quick Guard, Leaf Blade, Fury Cutter, Aerial Ace, Wide Guard, Swords Dance, Psycho Cut, Helping Hand, Feint, False Swipe, Protect and Close Combat moves. In addition, Gallade lose the ability to naturally sense emotions even though they still possess their pre-evolved form's extrasensory organs; this is instead replaced with the ability to foretell the opposition's actions, which tends to serve a far more useful purpose in close quarters than emotions ever would. Overall, Gallade are tremendous physical fighters and are able to strike down weaker opponents easily with the same grace and elegance that makes Kirlia a beautiful sight to most trainers.

Gallade are noted for being able to learn more moves with an enhanced chance of scoring a critical hit than any other Pokémon; this is likely a result of their arms, which have developed odd sword-like growths at the base of their elbows. These strange growths are in fact large outgrowths of hardened bone that are used by Gallade as swords in battle (the blades themselves proving to be sharper than the finest man-made swords) as a response to their otherwise frail and physically-inept anatomy. Despite their awkward appearance, Gallade are masters at using these outgrowths efficiently in much the same fashion as one would use a real sword and are able to duel with even humans efficiently without ever losing in most cases. Gallade are further just as protective of their trainer as Gardevoir (though they are nowhere near as clingy) and will gladly defend their trainer's honor in every fight regardless of how powerful the opposition may be, even if they typically only use their swords in defense. This can be to the extreme detriment of the opposition, as their ability to predict the motions of their opponent allows Gallade to strike fiercely and rapidly without any regards to their personal safety while still managing to dodge the opposition's blows. Despite this vicious nature, Gallade are very courteous of others and prefer to battle with respect and honor at all times, even to the point where they will refuse to use underhanded tactics to win a battle even if their trainer orders them to do so, and are so attuned to the wishes for help of others that they will gladly defend any and all that require their assistance in battle. This can make Gallade a bit difficult for some trainers to handle, but for most, this is merely yet another trait that makes them the perfect bodyguard to have around. The only real disadvantage that Gallade bring to the battlefield is an inability to perform as well as their contemporaries in battle against the traditional foes of Psychic-types and a lack of resistance against other Psychic-types, but when it comes to decimating otherwise insurmountable Dark-types, these strange beasts can more than pull their weight in battle.

It is lastly noted that Gallade is one of only 46 species of Pokémon known to be capable of undergoing Mega Evolution. Holding a Galladite in their hands, Mega Evolution does not do much to change the appearances or abilities of these fighting beasts, but it does nonetheless improve on their already impressive combat skills and makes them difficult to take out without sheer brute force on one’s side. As Mega Gallade, these creatures possess helmet and cape-like protrusions on their body that give them a very knightly appearance; these extensions are apparently sensory adaptations that enable these creatures to read the air currents around them for any slight disturbances, allowing them to react to their opponents’ attacks much more quickly than normal. The bony extensions on their arms, aside from having the sharpness of the bladed edge of their cutting armatures increased, produce energetic after-images as they move through the air and can actually be shaped and molded by the psychic powers of Mega Gallade to take on any form that they desire, enabling them to adapt to opponents of all types who may or may not otherwise have unique hides or armors with specific points of weakness along the body. These beasts fight in a rapid, dual-wielding style that takes advantage of their upgraded weaponry and gives off such a powerful vibe that it can intimidate opponents and weaken their resolve even before the first blow connects. They can further alter their armature blades to harden and spread out in a shield pattern almost instantly, enabling Mega Gallade to parry blows that come their way fluidly before counterattacking and reducing their targets to weakened shreds of their former self. In terms of stats, the heightened reflex times, defensive and offensive abilities of Mega Gallade’s new body considerably increase their base Defense and Speed stats and critically increase their base Attack stat; in turn, they gain the highest base Attack stat out of all non-legendary Psychic-type Pokémon and retain possession of the highest base Special Defense stat out of all non-legendary Fighting-type Pokémon (tied with Scrafty). In addition, an increase in their internal psychic powers allows these beasts to focus more intently in battle and never flinch from a harsh attack, granting them the Inner Focus Ability and making them all-around difficult opponents to fight fairly against without serious physical defenses on one’s side.

Despite their lack of useful special abilities, Gallade are impressive swordsmen that can easily rip apart lesser opponents with efficiency and exceptional vitality in every battle. With the highest base Special Defense stat out of all non-legendary Fighting-type Pokémon (tied with Scrafty) and a penchant for literally beating others to the punch and slicing them up like a piece of meat, it goes without saying that Gallade are great partners for Fighting and Psychic-type specialists alike looking to add something different to their arsenal of weapons in battle. If you're looking for a great partner or merely someone to practice a bit of Kendo with, consider getting one of these creatures for your personal collection; just don't expect to win against them unless you're willing to throw away your honor for a bit of old-fashioned dirty fighting!

Professor Wormwood