Hoenn League Elite Four: Phoebe

Name: Phoebe
Moniker: None
Region: Hoenn
Role: Member of the Hoenn League's Elite Four
Type Specialty: Ghost


BACKGROUND

The Elite Four is always honored as a group of trainers that have risen above the rest and proven themselves to be a true nightmare to battle with true expertise in their area of specialty, a trait that is more than evident in Phoebe, a Ghost-type specialist in the Hoenn League's Elite Four. As with the majority of the Hoenn League's Elite Four, little is actually known about Phoebe's personal life aside from the fact that she did her training at the peak of Mt. Pyre, a place renowned for its connection to both the spirit world and the legend of the Weather Trio (Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza). This makes sense considering her grandfather lives at Mt. Pyre and is in fact the guardian of the Red and Blue Orbs and part of the tale from Hoenn legend associated with them; this used to be the residence and duty of Phoebe’s grandmother as well, though she sadly passed away shortly after the events of the Magma and Aqua Incident 11 years ago. Phoebe herself is a very kind girl that is unique among other Ghost-type specialists in that she has developed a sort of non-physical bond with her Pokémon that relies on spiritual energy and not psychic energy. Such interactions are extremely rare, as the human body is generally unable to deal with spiritual energy without shutting down or leading to possession, making her talent one worth looking out for in all cases. Phoebe might look like a pretty girl with little combat ability, but after seeing what she is capable of, more than a few trainers will likely have to cut their Pokémon League challenge a bit short.


BATTLE STRATEGIES

True to the nature of the Ghost-type in all of its glory, Phoebe is devoted primarily to a combination of offensive and tactical moves, utilizing the raw power of her Pokémon to sweep through the opposition while relying on nasty status conditions and other traps at the same time to counter the ploys of her opponents. Most of her Pokémon are best utilized for tactical measures above all else, but Phoebe has nonetheless learned to balance that with pure power in order to take care of offensive sweepers that may otherwise be able to quickly eliminate her Pokémon at the risk of getting hurt by their otherwise poor defensive stats. Most of Phoebe’s Pokémon possess a wide variety of attacks and can deal super-effective damage to almost every single type out there, so preparing for her with strong defenses won’t be enough to survive for very long. Trainers will have to be at the top of their game if they wish to win over this flower child, especially if they cannot predict which will hurt them first, her offensive might or crippling status conditions.


PRIMARY POKEMON

Sableye: This strange beast is ordinarily not the best when it comes to dealing or taking damage in battle, but it can prove to be more than a minor nuisance after it Mega Evolves into Mega Sableye and its defensive stats increase dramatically. In battle, this fiend will rely on its Shadow Ball, Psychic, Night Shade and Power Gem attacks from afar to deal the most damage while relying on its Fake Out, Feint Attack, Shadow Claw and Foul Play attacks in close-quarters. If needed, this fiend can even employ Attract and Double Team techniques to make itself very difficult to hit. It is unlikely that even in its Mega Evolved state this fiends will be capable of dealing a lot of damage, but it is more than capable of taking severe damage in this state and can definitely prove to be an extreme annoyance to deal with without relying on extremely powerful assaults to break through its barriers forcefully.

Dusknoir: This creature is perhaps the strongest Pokémon on Phoebe’s team in terms of pure power and is designed primarily for that specific purpose. In battle, this spiritual entity will rely on its Ice Beam, Hex, Shadow Ball, Earthquake and Rock Slide attacks to deal damage from afar, never needing to actually get that close to deliver an attack; moreover, if it gets the chance to approach its targets, it will show little mercy in close quarters when it starts throwing wicked Fire Punch, Ice Punch and Thunder Punch attacks. If this beast is taken on after encountering the rest of Phoebe's Pokémon, it is likely that trainers will be unable to deal a lot of damage if they are suffering from the effects of a Burn or some other condition or are being heckled by its Confuse Ray technique and held Sitrus berry, so defeating this specimen may be a serious test of a trainer's skill when fighting Phoebe.

Banette #1: This Banette is a bit more offensive than the other Banette occasionally used by Phoebe and is armed with powerful Psychic, Facade, Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt attacks to strike from afar. These moves go great with this particular specimen, as it is also built for defensive measures and can prove to be a serious threat with its Grudge, Skill Swap and Toxic techniques, helping to compound the damage their attacks are otherwise capable of inflicting. This versatile creature should be taken out as quickly as possible to prevent it from becoming a serious problem, but this thankfully should not be too difficult as its defenses are only average and easily broken through.

Mismagius: This strange beast might not have the sheer offensive power of some of the other Pokémon on Phoebe’s team, but it can more than make do with the moves it does have access to. As one might expect, this specter will generally stick to placing itself far away from the target at all times, attacking with powerful Shadow Ball, Power Gem and Thunderbolt attacks from afar. If it finds itself in need of a serious energy recharge, this fiend will generally rely on its Pain Split technique to steal some of the opposition’s own energy to refill its own as much as needed. This creature can definitely be a bit of a pain, but its weak physical defenses should nonetheless make it an easy target to eliminate with brute force.

Drifblim: While certainly not being the most conventional of Ghost-type Pokémon to battle with, Phoebe’s Drifblim is nonetheless a decent fighter that can be of use both offensively and tactically. In battle, this creature will generally use its Icy Wind attack to lower the Speed of its opponent before weakening them further with Psychic attacks, eventually moving close enough to strike in close quarters with its Acrobatics and Phantom Force attacks. The fact that this creature has poor defenses might make it an easy target to some, but caution is still recommended as its high HP can enable it to survive more than a few harsh blows before ultimately falling.

Chandelure: Considered to be among the most dangerous of all Ghost-type Pokémon, Phoebe’s Chandelure does not fall short of this title and will make its presence known in battle quite easily. This usually will involve the monster hanging back as far from its target as possible, relying on its Hex, Flamethrower, Energy Ball and Dark Pulse attacks to deal critical damage to the target without putting itself in harm’s way. This creature is definitely more than capable of dealing catastrophic damage to any opponent that gets in its way and should be duly be prepared for with strong defenses, or at the very least something fast and strong enough to take it out quickly before it can make itself a nuisance.


RESERVE POKEMON

Banette #2: This Banette is slightly more defensive than its counterpart and is less effective at combing offense with tactics, if only because the moves that it uses are a bit weaker. While this specimen will rely on its Faint Attack and Shadow Ball attacks to deal damage, in most cases, it will prefer to hang back a bit and instead rely on its Will-O-Wisp technique to inflict a nasty Burn on the opposition while in turn relying on its Spite and Grudge technique to drain the PP of the opposition as a way of assisting future teammates. Considering that the rest of Phoebe's team is divided between tactical and offensive measures, these two moves can prove to be the nail in the coffin and effectively the last successful victory that a team ever gets in battle against Phoebe providing this creature can survive long enough to make use of them.

Dusclops: This is the weakest Pokémon on Phoebe's team but is nonetheless a powerful fighter that deserves to be feared extensively in battle. In terms of offense, this beast only has a Shadow Punch attack to rely on in most cases, but this is heavily supplemented by its Protect and Confuse Ray techniques, which are capable of immense tactical damage when used together. If the opposition seems to be overcoming the suffering brought on by this combination, though, Dusclops will not be afraid to use a Curse technique to halve its energy in exchange for a painful development on the opposing side or may even launch a Future Sight attack in the hopes of defeating a weakened opponent in the near future. Taking out this beast may not be as difficult as some would think, but it should still be done as quickly as possible to prevent any issues arising from its Curse and Confuse Ray techniques.


OVERALL DIFFICULTY: 4/5

Although Phoebe may seem to be too kind of a girl to be a real menace to anyone regardless of her type specialty, she has still managed to make her Pokémon into powerful fighters that can use a deadly mix of tactical and offensive strength to slowly whittle away at the opposition and leave them unable to properly battle in any case. The fact that Phoebe has managed to form a spiritual bond with her Pokémon makes her even more of a threat, as it allows her to communicate with them without even saying a single word, making it very difficult for any trainer to form a solid strategy against her in battle. Phoebe might still be quite young and have a thing or two to learn about the world at large, but with the knowledge she has right now, she is still a major obstacle and certainly not an opponent that should be taken lightly in any situation.


REWARDS FOR DEFEAT

Defeating Phoebe will allow trainers to continue on with their Pokémon League challenge.

Professor Wormwood