>>57162289>Japanese: スキルリンク Skill LinkSo, first off, its name is literally "Skill Link", which because we are Engrish Second Language speakers, means nothing to us.
It was indeed invented specifically for Cloyster's line; they are the only ones that have it in Gen IV when it is introduced.
It is obviously intended primarily to buff Icicle Spear (and Spike Cannon), which incidentally every mon that could learn it only could do so through breeding Shellder.
With all that said, there's still questions:
>Why does Cloyster get this kind of ability in the first place?>Why *only* Cloyster of all mons?>Why is it named "Skill Link"? What is that even supposed to mean? What does skill have to do with linking all hits?I think it reveals a conception GameFreak has about Cloyster's capabilities and characterization that isn't obvious from its design nor then-available information.
From the beginning, Cloyster is distinguished as a mon which is exceptional at strategies controlling the gamestate.
>stab freeze chances>clamp partial-trapping>game-ending explosionthen,
>hazard-producing spikes>hazard-controlling rapid spinSo perhaps it was considered to be a "skill-intensive" mon, possessed of an inherent craftiness to it, such that they found the visual of it "skillfully" landing every hit of a multi-hit move apt. A skillfulness other mons which could benefit from this ability didn't possess (at the time, in their eyes).
It's always important to prioritize the debut of a mechanic when estimating its origins, as GF tends to fanfictionalize the next gen after for the sake of cheap buffs, in a way that disregards their original reasonings.
