Charles (Accelgor)
| Ball | Pokémon | Types | Region | Traded | Games | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Bug | Unova |  |
White 2 | 2012 |
| Fast Attacks | Type | Category | Power | Accuracy | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid | Poison | Special | 40 | 100% | 30 |
| Infestation | Bug | Special | 20 | 100% | 20 |
| Water Shuriken | Water | Special | 15 | 100% | 20 |
| Main Attacks | Type | Category | Power | Accuracy | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Buzz | Bug | Special | 90 | 100% | 10 |
| Signal Beam | Bug | Special | 75 | 100% | 15 |
| Focus Blast | Fighting | Special | 120 | 70% | 5 |
| Acid Spray | Poison | Special | 40 | 100% | 20 |
| Energy Ball | Grass | Special | 90 | 100% | 10 |
How do we feel about Accelgor these days? A part of what makes Accelgor notable, arguably, is the obvious fact that it’s a part of a trade evolution pair, meaning it can only evolve when they are traded for one another. It’s an idea they’ve dipped their toe in before, like Graveler transferring it’s extra arms to Machoke, but in actuality, it’s a gimmick that’s only ever been used this one time.
The idea here is that Karrablast is specifically based on a snail-eating species of beetle, hence when they are traded, Karrablast steals Shelmet’s helmet and wears it as an armour. Shelmet, now helmet-less and unprotected, gets all brooding and edgy, sulking after losing it’s helmet.
I think the problem here is simply the fact that the execution is kind of... lacking? Accelgor in particular feels disconnected from the whole thing, it doesn’t inherit any of it’s aesthetics from Karrablast to make the exchange feel symmetrical. As a result, they don’t end up feeling like a true duo, like Seviper and Zangoose, and the whole thing ends up feeling like it’s less than it’s parts.
Regardless, even if the concept isn’t immediately apparent, I still really like it. It’s a mummified wandering hero ninja snail, and that still ends up working somehow, so that alone makes it the coolest thing ever!
Alright, so, in trying to find out what I can about Accelgor, it turns out there’s an anime episode titled "The Mighty Accelguard to the Rescue!” wherein they meet a friendly motorcycle rider named Charles and it’s like, okay, I see what you're doing, this is literally just Kamen Rider.
Pokémon has taken inspirations from Tokusatsu before, like Staryu seemingly being inspired from Ultraman, and even today there’s Lokix, which literally just looks like a Kamen Rider turned into a fidget spinner.
Is this making any sense yet? Well, no, not really, but the end result is that it looks cool and that’s what matters. Okay? I'm giving up!
As for my experience using it in the game, Accelgor has incredible base speed, but has extremely low defences, making it a glass cannon. This makes Recover in-game pretty useless, so in combination with Energy Ball and Bug Buzz, I was planning on pairing it with Sludge Bomb, but I couldn’t find it, so on a whim I went with Venoshock and Toxic instead, a move that gets its power doubled when the opponent is poisoned.
I also like to think Accelgor is really good friends with Greninja, seeing as they’re both ninjas and they both seem to really enjoy the rain.