>>45611237>>45611473Just add Growlithe or Mareep early game (they pretty much already are early game mons in gen 2 anyways). If you want SE against Skarmory there you go, but Totodile and a few other mons should be able to brute force their way through Skarmory pretty quickly.
Falkner Skarmory allows for a thematically fitting Pokemon for Falkner, mirrors Onix, and narrative-wise could serve as a great true introduction to Gen II's new Pokemon, as well as the mysterious new Steel type. It could be a fight as iconic as the Miltank and a great way to cap of Gen II's early game section.