Snowpoint City Gym Leader: Candice

Name: Candice
Moniker: The Diamond Dust Girl
Region: Sinnoh
Role: Leader of the Snowpoint City Gym and distributor of the Icicle Badge
Type Specialty: Ice


BACKGROUND

Snowpoint City is a frigid place where only the most talented of trainers dare to tread as a result of the extreme cold that constantly grips this small city in the middle of nowhere. Here, aside from battling the intense cold that shrouds the area like a smothering blanket, trainers can duke it out with one of the most talented Gym Leaders in the entire Sinnoh region. Candice, despite the fact that she lives in the coldest portion of the Sinnoh region, is a warm-hearted girl that adores friendship and romance above all other things in her life and is more than pleasurable to be around. Candice inherited the job of Gym Leader from her father years ago, who is now deceased as a result of pneumonia. Since then, Candice has done everything she can in order to bring both peace and honor to the Gym each and every day and is a local celebrity in the city. While Candice adores battling for the sake of her family's reputation, her basis of battling is that every Pokémon should be befriended before ever using them in battle; in Candice's eyes, this allows a bond to form much quicker and much stronger between a trainer and his or her Pokémon, in turn ensuring that their capacity to battle with one another is at its maximum. The fact that Candice applies this principle to the training of Ice-type Pokémon goes to show the enormous amount of skill she has a trainer, particularly since her best Pokémon are often a significant danger to be around in the wild. Candice is often times seen conversing with Maylene, the Gym Leader of Veilstone City, supposedly because she wants to learn as much about the Fighting-type as she can (which makes sense considering it is one of the major weaknesses of the Ice-type). Candice is a calm girl that has confidence in her abilities and her capacity to battle and will certainly not go down without a serious fight, so any trainer hoping to ever overcome her for the Icicle Badge will have to dig down deep to the bond that connects them with their Pokémon, lest Candice exploit its frail nature and tear it to shreds in battle.


BATTLE STRATEGIES

Candice works with a mixture of offensive, defensive and tactical strategies and is able to take advantage of her Pokémon’s moves and Abilities thoroughly in every battle. Aside from simple combinations like Hail and Snow Cloak, Candice employs a decent array of moves that can inflict nasty status conditions and even potentially reverse the damage dealt by an attack, in turn making life for offensive powerhouses miserable. Candice does tend to shore up most of her offenses with Ice-type attacks, but her Pokémon generally know at least one non-Ice-type attack to use, so it can be difficult to properly account for their combat versatility until it is too late. Trainers that hope to get past Candice will likely have to stick to close-quarters fights in order to avoid any countering of a special attack, but doing so will be easier said than done, as Candice's Pokémon tend to move either extremely fast or are sturdy enough to absorb many blows before fainting. Regardless, any battle against her without a type advantage will be a tough battle, so trainers should be prepared to bring as many type advantages to the fray as possible in order to make winning actually possible.


PRIMARY POKEMON

Glaceon: This small beast might not look like much of a threat, but in truth, it is one of the most powerful Ice-type Pokémon out there and is more than a threat to opponents that lack physical attacks. In battle, this little beast will rely on its Shadow Ball, Freeze-Dry, Ice Shard, Icy Wind, Signal Beam, Blizzard and Water Pulse attacks to strike from far and out of harm's way. If the opposition chooses to attack with a special attack, this creature can quickly turn the tables with its Mirror Coat attack, in turn making long-range assaults difficult to pull off without severe retaliation; if this is not an option, a Yawn technique can be employed to at least give the Pokémon next in line if not Glaceon itself the chance to deal some serious damage unaided, with additional Baby-Doll Eyes and Double Team assisting in the cause. This beast might not have the strongest of defenses in some cases, but the Sitrus or Salac berry it holds, in addition to a potential Never-Melt Ice, Leftovers or Life Orb, can more than help it survive otherwise critical blows and deal them out with great fervor, making it a creature worth looking out for at all costs.

Froslass: This spectral being is not as sturdy as Candice's other Pokémon but is still more than fast enough to be a serious threat in battle. From afar, this fiend will usually start things off by using a Hail technique to change the weather and activate its Snow Cloak Ability (helped along by its Double Team technique) and making it possible to use its Aurora Veil technique effectively, making it very hard to hit and defeat quickly. After this, it will rely on its Ominous Wind, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Psychic and Blizzard attacks to deal damage, while it may occasionally throw in a Confuse Ray technique to debilitate the opposition and Protect to keep it safe. This creature can be taken out fairly quickly with a little bit of power, but hitting it will be the hardest part and should thus be done as carefully as possible, especially since it is holding either a Sitrus or Salac berry or Bright Powder for protection.

Weavile: This beast is more of a physical fighter than anything else and thus prefers to remain in close quarters where it can deliver immense pain with its Fake Out, Metal Claw, Dig, Ice Shard, Aerial Ace, Feint Attack, Slash, Night Slash, Ice Punch, Revenge, Brick Break, X-Scissor and Avalanche attacks. In addition to these attacks, this fiend is also a fan of Hone Claws and especially the Taunt technique and will use it to heckle the opposition and prevent it from properly acting out certain strategies, not to mention a Torment technique to ensure that a single strong attack cannot be used consecutively for a short period of time. In combination with the beast's high base Speed stat and the Chople berry, Focus Sash or Life Orb it holds, this can prove to be a problem for those unable to take much in the way of damage and thus makes this creature a top priority to eliminate.

Abomasnow: This hulking plant might have quite a few weaknesses that can be exploited, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a tough customer. In battle, this creature will usually rely on its Ingrain, Aurora Veil, Swagger and Grass Whistle techniques to keep itself healthy and incapacitate the opposition before striking hard with devastating Avalanche, Ice Punch, Giga Drain, Grass Knot, Energy Ball, Water Pulse, Focus Blast, Earthquake, Earth Power, Blizzard and Wood Hammer attacks. This creature can be very difficult to take down without a little help (especially considering that it is always holding a Sitrus or Occa berry, Choice Scarf or Icy Rock), but as long as one's Pokémon are asleep, there can be very little done to defeat it unless it somehow manages to knock itself out from recoil.

Mamoswine: This brute is not quite as powerful as Candice's other Pokémon but is still an opponent worth fearing for its sheer strength. First, this beast will use its Hail technique to switch the weather in its favor as well as the favor of its teammates as well as Double Team to make it harder to hit before using its Bulldoze, Ice Shard, Icicle Spear, Rock Tomb, Icicle Crash, Superpower and Avalanche attacks to strike up close. If a bit of distance is needed, though, this monster can rely on its Ancient Power, Stone Edge and Earthquake attacks to deal massive damage. This beast isn't fast enough to be a significant threat to most, but unless it can be taken out quickly or at least before its Salac or Liechi berries can be used, or its Expert Belt or Focus Sash removed, getting past this monster will take great strength and planning beforehand.

Jynx: This alluring creature might be quite frail physically, but it can prove to be a nightmare to deal with if not taken down quickly. This creature will rely on its held Focus Sash to try and help it survive at least one blow, before using its Sweet Kiss and Lovely Kiss techniques to Confuse and put opponents to Sleep, following them up with potent Blizzard and Focus Blast attacks. This lady might not be able to take much punishment, but she can more than give it out and is thus a top priority to remove in battle when at all possible.

Cloyster: This potent shellfish might be a bit of a one-trick pony, but it can make good use of that trick when put into practice. Aided by its Skill Link Ability, this beast will use its Shell Smash technique to rapidly increase its offensive power and speed before striking with a Razor Shell attack in close quarters and Icicle Spear and Rock Blast attacks from afar. It may be possible to take it down somewhat quickly with powerful special attacks, but the Focus Sash that the creature holds can make it a real pain and not something worth underestimating in any situation.

Lapras: While not always that big on offense, Lapras are sturdy and majestic creature that can take brutal hits and deal them right back, and Candice’s specimen is no exception. This mammal will generally rely on its powerful Surf, Thunderbolt and Freeze-Dry attacks to deal damage from far away, as its held Sitrus berry helps to keep it healthy over the course of a long battle. This might make it possible to slowly whittle away at it over time, but be warned; it’s armed with a Sheer Cold attack for the sake of lucky strikes, and in turn can completely ruin one’s strategies if it cannot be dealt with before it has a chance to unleash the move upon others.

Articuno: This frigid bird is a sight to behold for anyone, and the fact that Candice has managed to get one favor her team really shows her skills as a trainer. With Choice Specs to help boost its offense power, this creature will rely on its powerful Freeze-Dry, Blizzard, Ancient Power and Hurricane attacks to deal as much damage as it possible can. It may not take advantage of its strong special defenses the most it could, but this bird can still be a serious pain to take on if one does not have access to powerful Rock-type physical attacks to take it down quickly.

Regice: Candice is one of the few Gym Leaders in the Sinnoh region to have more than one legendary at their disposal, and this living titan of ice can be a pain to deal with in many cases. When entering battle, this creature will rely on its Amnesia technique to bolster its Special Defense stat to make it nigh impervious to special assaults, before lashing out from afar with Blizzard and Thunderbolt attacks. Even if does manage to take substantial damage, the automaton can rely on its held Leftovers and a Rest technique to restore its energy, and thus can prove to be an extremely difficult nut to crack without powerful physical offenses on one’s side.

Medicham: This beast breaks the tradition of the Ice-type in Candice's team and has little to offer the rest in terms of strategy, so it is rarely ever used in battle. This beast will usually rely on its Bulk Up technique to increase its physical power before striking with devastating Ice Punch, Brick Break and Rock Slide attacks, aided by a held Expert Belt. If needed, this beast can also utilize a Detect technique to protect itself from damage, but considering that its defenses are only average at best, it is unlikely that this will end up mattering much in the long run.

Heatran: This powerful beast might not fit the theme of the rest of Candice’s team all that well, but it can more than make up for this by countering any Grass-types that may be used to attack her Water-type teammates. With a held Choice Scarf on its side for a bit of extra mobility, this creature will waste little time in battle as its hits the field, assaulting opponents with Magma Storm, Flash Cannon, Earth Power and Dark Pulse attacks from afar. This legendary Pokémon might be a bit easy to take care of with Ground-type assaults, but if it can’t be outsped, it can nonetheless prove to be a daunting opponent to have to face in any capacity.

Venusaur: Though it might not look to be the best fit for Candice’s team, this plant it a strong counter to Rock-type opponents and is thus worth noting and tackling with caution. This Pokémon will make the most of its time in battle by trying to put opponents to Sleep with its Sleep Powder technique before attacking from a distance with potent Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb attacks. The Black Sludge it holds, as well as its Synthesis technique, can work to keep it healthy as its opponents Sleep away their time, and is thus worth taking out with extreme offensive power as soon as possible before it can make it too difficult to keep it in a damaged state.


RESERVE POKEMON

Snover: This plant is generally only used in friendly battles as a result of its weak nature, but it can still be a bit of a bother if not taken out quickly. This creature will usually start a battle off by using a combination of Ingrain, Leer and Mist techniques to put itself in a favorable and regenerative state before lashing out from afar with potent Razor Leaf, Water Pulse and Avalanche attacks. It can certainly prove to be a minor nuisance to trainers that are not prepared for it, especially with its held Icy Rock, but this little sprout is thankfully still a bit too young to be a threat to experienced trainers and should be easy to take out with even mild offenses.

Glalie: While Glalie might not be the most powerful of fighters out there, it is still a mean Ice-type with more than a bit of power behind it in battle. Glalie will usually take the time to use its Hail technique first to change the environment to something more fitting of its physical form before lashing out with Ice Beam and Crunch attacks. If Glalie feels that its life may be in danger, it will not think twice about utilizing the Rock Gem it holds to power up a devastating Rollout attack in battle; though it might be unreliable, this move goes perfect with Glalie and make it a threat that Fire-types should steer clear of at all costs. Candice's Glalie might not be the best of Ice-type Pokémon, but unless it can be taken out quickly, it more than likely that it will end up dealing considerable damage before its time is up.


OVERALL DIFFICULTY: 2/5

Candice has done a great job of not only organizing her Pokémon but attempting to cover their weaknesses in many cases, so to say that she is a challenge would be an understatement. Although not all of her Pokémon have any move than can directly defeat all of the types the Ice-type is weaken against, her team is nonetheless quite strong and is capable of bringing many different types of battle tactics to the fray, in turn making her a significant threat in any battle. Although Candice might not say much about her personal life, the sheer dedication that she has put into training her Pokémon shows quite well and is a wonderful testament to the legacy she is continuing on from her father's footsteps. Trainers without super-effective attacks would be wise if they decided to look elsewhere before challenging this Gym Leader; she might not be mean, but when it comes to battle, there's nothing stopping her from literally freezing the opposition solid just for the sake of duty.


REWARDS FOR DEFEAT

Defeating Candice will allow trainers to have the Icicle Badge, one of eight badges found within the Sinnoh region. In addition, trainers will receive a TM that contains the Avalanche attack, a decently-strong move whose damaging power will double if the opponent has dealt damage to the user before they can execute the attack.

Professor Wormwood