Pokémon Through the Generations: Azumarill

OVERVIEW


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Eons ago, a humble squire by the name of Azumarill had dreams of... something big. All of its muscle-bound brethren were off fighting in wars while it could barely fight off a stain on the floor. Armed with a mop and depression and constantly bullied by its kin, the little aqua rabbit questioned its fate often.​

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But the dungeon's keeper had a hidden potential that no one knew of. For every new generation blessed the squire with new and revolutionary abilities; this gentle soul would slowly morph from a helpless punching bag into one of the mightiest Water-types in existence. Once a despot's servant, now an almighty Dragon slayer, Azumarill proved that with enough hard work, and love from the Gods above, you too can punch Dragons!​

GENERATION 2 (OR GSC)


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Squire Azumarill's adventure started out small. The little rabbit could surely take a hit or two; however, this was not news among its Water-type compatriots. Count Feraligatr, for example, was known to stomach as many as four Body Slams before succumbing. It did take solace in the fact that its Water typing yielded only two weaknesses, however, to Grass and Electric. This wasn't unique among Water-types either, but small victories were always to be celebrated.​

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But sadly, this was about all Azumarill had going for it. Despite all of its training after work, Azumarill could scarcely lift up its cleaning utensils. Even if it did make it to the battlefield in time, the lowly squire lacked the strategic knowledge to impress on the front lines, and what was worse, the battlefield was swarmed by powerful Electric-types such as Raikou and Zapdos. Azumarill simply did not stand a chance out there in ye olde metagame. Its only real hope was to try and intimidate its foes with the melody it had learned to drum on its stomach in times of loneliness. Understandably, it did not work.​

GENERATION 3 (OR ADV)


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The First War of the Towers was over; however, a young Aqua Rabbit had been jailed for treason, following an unlikely alliance with the enemy.

After bonding with a certain Duchess Wigglytuff over their shared love of berries, poor Azumarill had been locked away indefinitely, only to await the swing of an axe should it again see daylight.​

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However, there was nothing like solitude for motivation. Now armed with nothing but free time and montages of Eye of Ye Olde Tiger, Azumarill spent every waking moment pumping iron. It was slow and arduous work, but for every press-up, every punch, and every bead of sweat, Azumarill knew that it could only become stronger.​

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Eventually, after many cutscenes and motivational commercials featuring Hulk Hogan, Azumarill had achieved amazing things! Now sporting Huge Power, this once forgotten servant was a thing to behold. Iron bars were no threat to Azumarill's muscle-bound Focus Punch any more, nor were the prison guards. One by one, the guard Sharpedo were launched into the sky, fooled by Sub-Punch Man's remarkably convincing decoys.​

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Sunlight kissed upon Azumarill's face at long last. Smashing the dungeon door off at the hinges, the Aqua Rabbit found itself at the top of the Water Castle, only to find that it was once again behind everyone else. Even worse, they had recruited new leaders to fight in the latest advance, such as Baron Swampert and Lady Milotic, both of which easily outgunned poor Azumarill, even with its newly acquired muscle.​

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Azumarill looked to its muscular arms, and realised that simply punching was not enough. Could it punch with water, perhaps?

No, it could not. It had tried many times, and the attempts were usually messy. Azumarill knew it had to get stronger. The only question was, how?​

GENERATION 4 (OR DPPt)


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Meditating atop a mountain had worked wonders for Azumarill. Thanks to a stunning new revelation, it could combine its Water abilities with its physical punching abilities, and now it finally learned to punch things with water!​

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Well... sort of. Instead of punching, it just charged a lightning fast jet of water at its foes. Nonetheless, it did not go unnoticed, as Azumarill was among the first to arrive on the battlefield now. With a solid asset in tow, Azumarill made a real threatening presence for the first time in its life.​

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Azumarill was no longer the poor Squire it had started off as. Wrapping a Choice Band around its head, Azumarill had attained the title of Monk and would use its strategy of 'death by frontal assault' to tear holes into the opposition. Even Grass-types like Venusaur and Shaymin were wary of Azumarill now thanks to its deadly, freeze-inducing Ice Punch. Baron Swampert might have been able to copy Azumarill's movements and use the fabled Ice Punch as well; however, the muscle-bound mud fish found itself humiliatingly outpowered by the tiny Azumarill. With a whole new arsenal of techniques it could employ, including 'Superpower', which essentially just involved throwing itself at the target and flailing limbs, Azumarill was becoming increasingly useful to Lord Suicune, which along with its key strategist Empoleon, kept a close eye on the Monk.​

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Azumarill's servant duties were pawned off onto Luvdisc the Knave.​

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Things weren't all sunshine and rainbows for Monk Azumarill, however. For one, it could only acquire Aqua Jet via breeding, which defiled the Monk code all but entirely. Secondly, with every new technique Azumarill learned, there popped up a new enemy to thwart its plans. Among these stood the feared Tangrowth, which could take any physical assault that Azumarill dared throw, and then more, and also those pesky Pokémon that absorbed Water-type moves. Enemies like Toxicroak and rogue Vaporeon would stop Azumarill's Aqua Jet in its tracks, grounding it and forcing it to actually think before it attacked. And Azumarill aren't much good at thinking.

GENERATION 5 (OR BW2)


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Viscountess Politoed, a forgotten noblewoman hailing from Azumarill's home country of Johto, had gotten into trouble for praying to the Gods to make itself more useful on the battlefield. No one had expected it to work. Viscountess Politoed itself didn't expect it to work. However, as luck would have it, its desperate plea was heard. Just when other Pokémon were starting to laugh at Politoed's efforts, the skies opened up, and the rain began to fall.​

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And it did not stop.​

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As long as Viscountess Politoed was visible, the rain would continue to fall, and thus it was shunted right to the front lines by means of a swift kick up the ass. It was Monk Azumarill who picked the poor dishevelled noblewoman up out of the mud and helped it form strategies. Together, the two were near unstoppable, with Politoed's rain boosting the power of Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Waterfall.​

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Lord Suicune, on the other hand, balked at their unrivalled teamwork. While it simply sat at its throne and boosted itself with Calm Mind, it began to realise that it was not nearly as relevant at the front lines any more. Between Marquess Gyarados and Jellicent the Stalwart, very few threats penetrated so far that it or Empoleon would be required. Had it really become irrelevant in its own war?​

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Things were certainly looking up for Azumarill. It and Politoed worked hand in hand to eliminate all threats that didn't resist their Water-type attacks, and the once almighty Suicune towered above them no longer. It still had its own castle and legion of rabid militants; however, its presence was not nearly as strong any more.​

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But then the Fire nation attacked.​

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Led by Duchess Ninetales, the Fire nation brought withering sunlight strong enough not only to dry up Viscount Politoed's rain, but also to render their Water-type attacks feeble and even force plants to grow at absurd rates, then use their Chlorophyll-boosted Speed to outrun and destroy!​

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Venusaur in particular was now a massive threat to Azumarill. Not only did it resist every common attack Azumarill had, but it could also assault the entire base with its obnoxiously powerful Solar Beam, and nary a thing would survive. Ferrothorn the Despised was also a problematic foe. While it couldn't withstand Azumarill's Superpower, Azumarill in turn couldn't handle anything Ferrothorn could dish out, ranging from deathly Power Whips to life-sapping Leech Seeds.​

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Azumarill was a potent threat on the battlefield, though its work was cut out for it. Could its tale ever have a happy ending?​

GENERATION 6 (OR ORAS)


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It seems as though the Gods were once again listening to the prayers of Monk Azumarill. Almost overnight it seemed, Azumarill found itself blessed with the qualities of the Fairy-type.​

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Admittedly, this did cause a snigger or two among its compatriots, but those sniggers were soon quelled when they saw just how lucrative Azumarill's new typing had become. Wielding its famous fists, Azumarill could now Play Rough with its draconic foes, as well as Dark- and Fighting-type ones, and vanquish them once and for all! Even the sturdiest of Garchomp were forced to bow in defeat to Azumarill. Even Lord Suicune admitted how impressed it was and passed its mantle onto Azumarill, which graciously accepted. It did not back down from the front line, however.​

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The Gods were more than kind to Azumarill. On top of its deadly Play Rough, Azumarill could also bitch-slap its targets with a painful Knock Off, which not only revealed their strategy by knocking it to the ground, but also dealt heavy damage to anything that didn't resist it.​

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But wait, there's even more!

Thanks to new laws in Pokémon equality, female Pokémon were finally able to pass on their techniques and knowledge. With Empoleon the strategist teaching Azumarill how to use its deadly Aqua Jet, Azumarill cleverly borrowed some knowledge from its old partner in crime, Politoed. Banging the same drum it once used to in a poor attempt to scare its foes, it now actually could do so by combining the Belly Drum with an obscenely powerful Aqua Jet and mowing down the opposition!​

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Squeezing itself into a new invention known as the Assault Vest (which can't be drummed, it's worth noting), Azumarill armed itself for the titans of the battlefield. For it was among the only known answers to the deathly Mega Charizard formes. Mega Charizard Y's scorching Fire Blast and Mega Charizard X's pulverising Flare Blitz were two attacks that simply couldn't be handled by anyone else at the Water Castle, so Azumarill suited up and sorted the two of them out.​

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Conflict was always on the horizon, however. Venusaur the Hated was also gifted with the new innovation known as a 'Mega Evolution' and consequently became fatter than ever. This rendered Azumarill's Ice Punch far less effective, and its poisonous hide resisted Azumarill's Fairy-type moves, meaning it was an even better answer to poor Azumarill than ever before. Azumarill also struggled against other prominent Poison-types such as Amoonguss the Narcotic, and Tentacruel the Perverted, both of which could tank most of its hits without a worry and then threaten with their assaults.​

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In addition, Ferrothorn the Damned was still around. Scarier than ever before thanks to its Steel carapace remaining unharmed by Fairy-type attacks, it meant that Azumarill had to constantly tiptoe around it. Other Steel-types such as Mega Scizor weren't exactly helpful either, being able to tank a hit and simply heal themselves with Roost, then smack Azumarill around with a ferociously strong Bullet Punch, which acted even faster than Azumarill's Aqua Jet and hit even harder.​

A Look To The Future
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The upcoming generation sees the inclusion of two new Water / Fairy types, meaning Azumarill will no longer have a unique typing. Primarina and Tapu Fini are both specially based, however, so Azumarill will still hold prominence with its Play Rough, but its Aqua Jet has been severely compromised by Tapu Lele, the dastardly cousin of Tapu Fini. Setting up a mystical field known as Psychic Terrain, which prevents Aqua Jet and other priority moves from being used against anything touching the ground. Azumarill certainly has its work cut out for it this Generation.​

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Lastly, Azumarill gained literally nothing in the generational shift aside from Z-moves, which every Pokémon got, so it appears that the Gods have finally decided that Azumarill is as good as it will get.​

Closing Statements
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Gen 6 was probably Azumarill's peak; however, it's definitely one that rose from nothing to become one of the game's fairy tale Pokémon. Turning from a laughing stock into the most notorious hitman in competitive Pokémon is by no means an easy feat, and this chubby little rabbit achieved that.​

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It's safe to say that the reputation of Azumarill the Sage precedes it.
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Spoiler: Special Thanks

Spoovo The Pirate - Writer
pokemonnerd - QC
Annoying Orange - Artist (banner)
E.T. - QC, Grammar
Joyverse - QC
Sobi - QC, Grammar

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