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I have so many favorites who I've used throughout the year, from my first partner Charizard up to most-recent bro Talonflame. I could never choose just one, but Altaria is definitely towards the top of the list and I'm feeling very good about it right now.
I like winged beasties of all shapes and sizes, and way back in the RS days fluffy little Swablu caught my attention. I raised the thing up, knowing only that it evolved into that cool-looking cloud bird which I eventually encountered in the Fortree Gym. It was a long and difficult grind: Swablu is a frail creature and not the best fighter, especially when other Pokemon around it are evolving in the 20s or early 30s. The battle where my Swablu evolved was the first time I saw its Return attack hit for full power, which left a big impression on me with the darkened screen and multiple strikes. When it turned into Altaria, I was stunned that it was trying to learn Dragonbreath. I'd been totally unaware of its typing change! I loved that this majestic, sky-themed bird learned so many cool moves like Sky Attack, Dragon Dance, and many elemental TM attacks.
Other Pokemon with more battle capabilities came and went from my teams, but I've always had a soft spot for the big softie. I raised a semi-competitive Altaria in Gen IV as I began to explore that side of the game, and a spirited fighter named Puff was a star player in my White2 Expert Mode Nuzlocke until it fell to Ghetsis and his Hydreigon.
Now we're coming up on a redux of that old Hoenn adventure, and Altaria is primed to get a fantastic Mega Evolution with a great typing, ability, and stat increase. I can't wait to use a Pixilate STAB version of the Return that solidified this Pokemon's place on my team.
