Hitmonchan

Of the three ways Tyrogue can evolve when it reaches level 20, this is the one that opens up when its Defense is higher than its Attack. After that, there is nothing else: the line ends here, just as it ends with Hitmonlee, and the three branches exclude one another within a single specimen.

What comes out is a boxer. Four foot seven, 50.2 kg, red gloves and boxing boots; the official category, the Punching Pokémon, leaves little room for interpretation. Pokédex entries insist on two things. The first is the speed of its punches: its fists cut through the air and pierce concrete, and one description warns that even the slightest brush could cause a burn. The second is fatigue. After three minutes of fighting it needs to stop, and that number is not random — a professional boxing round lasts exactly three minutes.

Everything else said about it points in the same direction: a spirit that does not bend in the face of adversity and the drive of a fighter preparing for a world championship. Its recorded habitat is urban, which is unusual among first-generation species, and it fits a gym better than a forest.

455 points distributed in an odd way. Its 105 Attack and 110 Special Defense look like usable second-line figures, but they come with 50 HP, and with that base the durability promised by 110 delivers considerably less than it appears to. Its Defense, 79, is weak for Tyrogue’s supposedly defensive branch. And its 76 Speed leaves it slower than almost anything that wants to hit it first.

Iron Fist is the Ability that gives it a purpose: it boosts the power of every move with “punch” in its name, and in this movepool that is almost everything. The three elemental punches — Fire Punch, Ice Punch and Thunder Punch, each with 75 power — all arrive at level 24 and give it answers against types that a pure Fighting type would barely touch. Drain Punch, already available when it evolves, restores health and partly offsets those 50 HP. Mach Punch and Bullet Punch give it priority when its Speed falls short. Keen Eye and Inner Focus, its other two Abilities, change nothing.

What holds it back is the rest of the sheet. Close Combat, its strongest hit at 120 power and the move it learns at level 36, is not a punching move and does not benefit from the Ability; it also lowers its defenses when used. Its 35 Special Attack rules out Aura Sphere and Focus Blast despite having access to them. With Flying, Psychic and Fairy above it and no Speed to get ahead, it rarely lands two hits in a row.

Where it does work is in a normal playthrough, as mobile coverage: at level 24 it provides three attacking types that no teammate usually brings, and it can take enough punishment to use them.

Human-Like Egg Group and a gender ratio that leaves no room for debate: 0% female. Every specimen is male, so the only way to breed it is to pair it with a Ditto, and the egg always hatches into Tyrogue.

The 25 incubation cycles amount to around 6630 steps, putting it among the longer stretches for Kanto species. Of its Egg Moves, two are worth the trip. Rapid Spin, unusual on a Fighting type and useful for clearing the field. And High Jump Kick, with 130 power, which is a kicking move on a Pokémon that only throws punches, is not boosted by Iron Fist, and damages the user if it misses. Counter completes the list of interesting options; Mach Punch, Feint, Vacuum Wave and Bullet Punch also appear, although it learns them by leveling up as well.

The evolution condition needs close attention: Tyrogue becomes Hitmonchan when it levels up to level 20 if its Defense is higher than its Attack at that moment. If they are tied, it becomes Hitmontop, and if Attack is ahead, the other branch. Vitamins and training can tip the balance early without you noticing.

Its habitat is urban, and its catch rate, 45, puts it in the difficult range. It grows at a medium rate and yields 2 Special Defense EVs, which fits its high stat and is not especially useful for what you would want to do with it.