Cottonee

Within its evolutionary line, Cottonee is the basic form that evolves into Whimsicott when exposed to a Sun Stone. Its round body resembles a cotton ball, while the green leaves and the way it lets itself be carried by the air bring plants, dandelion seeds, and clouds to mind. It also incorporates traits of a sheep, another animal associated with obtaining fibres for making textiles.

Pokédex entries describe it as a lightweight creature that scatters in the wind and groups together with others of its kind until it looks like a cluster of clouds. When attacked, it throws out tufts or balls of cotton to distract the enemy and escape; the lost cotton quickly grows back. Rain is its biggest problem: when it gets wet, the fibres absorb water, increase its weight, and make movement difficult.

That cotton has a practical use outside battle. It is used to stuff light, breathable, high-quality mattresses and pillows.

Cottonee does not stand out for its damage output. Its HP is 40, Attack 27, and Special Attack 37; Defense reaches 60, Special Defense 50, and Speed 66, for a total of 280. The spread favours physical bulk and speed, but leaves it with little HP and modest attacking stats. Its competitive niche is Little Cup, where its combination of support, speed, and access to status moves lets it cause more trouble than its numbers suggest.

The ability that defines its games is Prankster, which lets it use status moves first. With it, Leech Seed and Substitute can go up before the opponent acts, while Encore locks the opponent into the move it just used. Taunt stops defensive opponents from setting up boosts or laying hazards. It also has access to Charm, Cotton Spore, and Sunny Day to reduce the opponent's offensive capabilities or make things easier for a teammate.

Grass/Fairy gives it resistances to Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Fighting, and Dark, as well as an immunity to Dragon. In return, it takes super effective damage from Fire, Ice, Flying, and Steel, while Poison-type attacks hit it for especially heavy damage. Its Special Defense does not make up for its low HP, and its Special Attack limits the damage of Energy Ball and Dazzling Gleam. Dark-type Pokémon also hinder Prankster by being immune to its priority status moves.

Cottonee belongs to the Grass and Fairy Egg Groups, so it can breed with species from either group. The gender ratio is 50% female. Its Eggs need 20 cycles to hatch, equivalent to approximately 5355 steps.

Its notable Egg Moves include Beat Up and Switcheroo, which are useful for expanding Dark-type coverage, and Memento, which lets it deliberately faint to leave better conditions for a teammate. Tickle lowers Attack and Defense, while Worry Seed punishes opponents that have received stat boosts.

Its evolution is straightforward: Cottonee evolves when exposed to a Sun Stone, with no minimum level or other additional condition. Its catch rate is 190, a high figure that makes it relatively easy to catch even without resorting to special methods. Once it reaches the breeding stage, the Grass and Fairy Egg Groups offer many compatible partners, but the species always keeps the stated gender ratio.