Pokémon Trainer (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)

''This article is about Pokémon Trainer's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For other uses, see Pokémon Trainer.''

Pokémon Trainer (, Pokemon Torēnā), is a selectable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. His design is taken from the FireRed and LeafGreen versions of Pokémon. Rather than fighting directly as the Trainer, the player instead controls his three Pokémon, which consist of Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. The three Pokémon all share the same damage meter, but they have their own individual Stamina stat, which balance out the use of each Pokémon. Knocking out one of the Pokémon will make Pokémon Trainer lose a life. It is possible to choose which Pokémon the player begins the match with. By clicking on the Pokémon of the player's choice on the portrait (not the icon), the player will start with that Pokémon. Selecting Pokémon Trainer himself makes the starting monster randomly chosen.

Whichever Pokémon is currently battling will have its picture shown in the bottom of the screen, next to the damage percentage and the series logo. The picture then presumably changes when a new Pokémon is sent out. Pokémon Trainer and the Pokémon that was out during the match's end will appear together on the Results screen. Pokémon Trainer will hang his head while the Pokémon claps if he loses. If he wins the Pokémon is named as the winner, while Pokémon Trainer and his Pokémon do their victory pose together. When the current Pokémon is KO'd, the next in the Pokémon Change cycle will appear on the "halo" platform (Squirtle KO'd leads to Ivysaur, etc.).

If one of his Pokémon gets a certain item (Super Mushroom, Metal Box, etc.), the Pokémon Trainer would be unaffected by it. Contrary to some claims, this character is not Ash Ketchum from the Pokémon anime series. Masahiro Sakurai has stated that only characters originating from video games are eligible for inclusion in Brawl ' s roster. However, he is similar in appearance to Red, the main character of Pokémon (Red, Blue, Yellow, LeafGreen, FireRed). For the various voice clips that are used, a new English voice actor from the anime (Sarah Natochenny, who voices Ash) is not in this game, despite popular belief. Michele Knotz, who voices Nurse Joy, May, and characters other than Ash, was given the role.

Various accommodations are made for Pokémon Trainer in several stages. In moving stages like Halberd and Delphino Plaza, Pokémon Trainer only appears on the stationary sections. On the Bridge of Eldin, Pokémon Trainer always stays to the left, so that he never gets hit by the bomb that destroys the middle of the bridge. In Norfair, Pokémon Trainer stands on a special platform in the background that flies away when the huge lava wave is coming. Pokémon Trainer will appear on a similar background platform for any custom stage or Melee stage.

The Pokémon Trainer currently ranks 30 due to poor matchups and having to switch Pokémon at little damage.

Role in The Subspace Emissary
After fleeing from Wario, Lucas bumps into the Pokémon Trainer, who tells him to stand back, and proceeds to take on a group of Primids with his Squirtle. After saving Lucas, he goes on his way, but Lucas follows him. As the story progresses, they developed a rather large friendship. Pokémon Trainer is searching for two Pokémon, Charizard and Ivysaur, that are identified when he shows Lucas their cards. So, he and Lucas set out to find them. Until then, Squirtle is the only choice the player can use and using Down Special will not result in anything except the Pokémon Trainer in the background "flipping" a Poké Ball in his hand twice. Outside of an old temple, they survive a brief encounter with Wario. After venturing deep into the ruins, finding Ivysaur, and battling and capturing Charizard, players will then fight a giant monster named Galleom. When the boss is defeated, it will grab both Lucas and Pokémon Trainer after the fight, and jump up into the air, revealing an armed Subspace Bomb in its head. Lucas then uses PK Thunder to detach the arm, and they free-fall towards the ground. Before hitting the ground and narrowly escaping the Subspace explosion, Meta Knight grabs them both before collision, in-flight and takes them to Marth and Ike.

Attributes
For character specific Attributes, see Squirtle (SSBB), Ivysaur (SSBB) and Charizard (SSBB)

Pokémon Trainer's unique ability to be three characters at once allows for many different positive effects. For instance, the three seperate characters can be used together in conjucntion for a powerful effect, especially since altogether the Pokémon Trainer has eleven special moves. Since all the Pokémon have varying weights and sizes, certain Pokémon can be swtiched to during oppurtune moments. For example, if the Pokémon has high damage, Charizard can be switched to since it has a higher survival rate. Squirtle and Ivysaur both are excellent at racking up damage. The high damage opponent can then be KO'd by one of Charizard's high knockback moves. The invincibility granted by Pokémon Change can be used to avoid attacks on the ground, such as Final Smashes, or cure status ailments. However, Pokémon Change happens automatically after a Pokémon is KO'd. If the player wants to switch back to the Pokémon they were just using they must endure four seconds worth (or more) of Pokémon Change to get back to that last Pokémon in use. Pokémon Change has another flaw, such as the fact that it makes the Pokémon being switched to somewhat vulnerable at the end. Also, it cannot be used in midair or while invincible. Certain Pokémon are bad for certain situations, either forcing the player to use a bad Pokémon for a situation or go through multiple Pokémon Changes.

Trivia

 * On the Halberd if the cannon is fired in his direction, he won't be affected.
 * He will move above the pit in the Yoshi's Island Stage when his Pokémon is on the opposite side of the pit (ex. Pokémon Trainer is on the right and his Pokémon is on the left)
 * If the player selects Pokémon Trainer and chooses either Brinstar or Norfair as the stage, a new platform is added to the background for him to stand on.
 * Squirtle has a much longer swim time for its damage before it "panics"; whereas Charizard "panics" immediately when in the water.
 * If Pokémon Trainer is defeated, he will remain on the stage, looking very disappointed (colloquially known as a facepalm). This is similar to some of the defeated poses in the 3D Stadium games after GameCube's Pokémon Colosseum.
 * On the Tourney mode and Adventure Mode character-selection screens, the player can toggle between character-related options using the "-" button on the Wii Remote, the left Control Stick on the Classic Controller, or "C" on the GameCube Controller and Nunchuk. This feature allows the player to choose the starting Pokémon for Pokémon Trainer.
 * When Pokémon Change is used, Pokémon Trainer's Poké Balls are smaller than the item Poké Balls.
 * What Pokemon Trainer says as he releases the next Pokemon is dependant on how much damage the opponent has taken. From 0%-99%, he will say "Go, _____!". From 100%-149%, he will say "Hang on, _____!". From 150% and above, he will say "Just a little more, _____!"
 * Pokémon Trainer wears a VS. Seeker, an item in Pokémon used for detecting if people want to battle.