Slaking was a fearsome Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, with stats that made it almost as powerful as a Legendary Pokémon. The only problem is that Slaking’s Ability is so detrimental that it scuppers any chance of it being used in battle. Slaking is a Normal-type Pokémon with high offensive stats, yet it’s unable to make the most of its raw power on the battlefield.
Pokémon fans around the world know Slaking best due to Norman, the father of the protagonist in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. The player meets Norman at the start of the game, as he’s one of the Gym Leaders in the Hoenn region, but he won’t accept a challenge until the player acquires four Gym Badges. Norman might be the protagonist’s father, but he shows his child no quarter, as he throws a level 28 Slaking and a level 31 Slaking at the player during their battle. The version of Norman in Pokémon Emerald is slightly more forgiving, as he drops the level 28 Slaking from his team, but he replaces it with a Spinda and a Linoone.
It’s not uncommon to struggle against Norman’s Slaking, thanks to the monster’s incredibly high stats, which may make Pokémon players want to find their own Slaking. Slaking has monstrous Attack and HP scores, allowing it to dish out lots of damage and tank hits, backed up by a decent Speed and Defense, though it’s lacking in its Special stats. Slaking should be one of the best Return users in the game, yet its stats and typing cannot make up for the mandatory Ability that all Slaking share.
Slaking Is Ruined By Its Truant Ability
All Slaking have the Truant Ability, which causes it to spend every second turn doing nothing. In competitive matches, this is death, as the enemy can absorb Slaking’s attacks with a move like Protect and counter while it’s loafing around. Slaking’s lack of moves is a massive Achilles heel that most players can exploit in battle, preventing the ultra-strong Slaking Pokémon from unleashing its powerful attacks against the enemy.
There are ways to negate Truant, especially in Double Battles, but it’s not easy. The Gastro Acid attack is one way of nullifying Truant, as is striking a Pokémon with the Mummy Ability, but these are highly situational, and most players would rather use one of the other beefy Normal-type Pokémon that are more reliable in battle. Slaking almost received excellent news in recent Pokémon games, as Pokémon Sword and Shield introduced Galarian Weezing, which has the Neutralizing Gas Ability, allowing it to suppress Truant while they are both on the field during a Double Battle. At least, that’s what fans assume will happen, but Slaking and Galarian Weezing have yet to appear in the same game, as the removal of the Pokémon National Dex meant that Slaking was last usable in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. The day may come when there’s a reliable way to remove Truant from Slaking and it will be able to take on the Legendary Pokémon in battle without pausing every few seconds.