>>50660191MY BOY POLIWRATH!
>Aqua JetBeing able to dash around seems like pretty incredible utility honestly, even if you're not just smacking another guy. I know Poliwrath doesn't usually learn Aqua Jet, but counterpoint: I really want him to get it.
>Bulk UpIn situations where you can enter a fight prepared, a stat boosting move is pretty much essential. Aside from other mundane battle use, the ability to increase your physical strength by a whopping 50% can be incredibly important. Especially so since Poliwrath finally has innate recovery in:
>Drain PunchIt took generations for my boy to be given his birthright as a fighting animal that absorbs important stuff like air through its skin, but finally, here it is. The backbone of pretty much any long term strategy, free sustain in an aggressive strategy, and the ability to recover from serious injury so long as Poliwrath is still capable of throwing hands.
The final slot is hotly contested. Rain Dance would round out his pre-battle prep and have Poliwrath emulate significantly faster Pokemon thanks to Swift Swim. Waterfall would provide the obvious benefits, and my heart goes out to Dynamic Punch as my personal favorite fighting move. But I think the slot has to go to:
>ProtectIt is really hard to argue against the ability to perfect guard all but the strongest attacks. Not just that, but Protect may very well make a Pokemon highly resistant to all forms of external damage for a few seconds, which has incredible potential.
So Poliwrath is pretty much ideal for search and rescue: he be in most high risk/high danger areas relatively safely, he can lift debris well outside his weight class, he's got some ability to fight fire and move quickly, and he can fend off some potentially aggressive types pretty comfortably.
