Water-types
Water-types are an elemental type that can produce and manipulate water. They make up the majority Pokemon life in aquatic environments and generally dwell near or in bodies of water. Because of this, many water-types have evolved colors and patterns that help them blend in with their surroundings, be it reedy riverbanks or colorful coral reefs. In general, there are two types of water-types: obligate water dwellers, who possess gills and cannot leave the water for long periods of time, and facultative water dwellers, who can leave the water for long periods of time and often possess lungs rather than gills.
Obligate water dwellers make up the core marine and aquatic life on the planet. Their defining features are their gills, since gills cannot function when not submerged in oxygenated water. As such, obligate water dwellers physically cannot survive if kept away from water. While this can prove a problem for travelling trainers, such Pokemon can be kept by those living near bodies of water. Battling with them requires specially-configured battlegrounds, which are found at every League-supported event as well as at all Pokemon gyms.
Facultative water dwellers are able to survive outside water either by virtue of being born with lungs or by developing lungs at a later stage in their lives. Amphibians like Seismitoad, Poliwrath, and Politoed evolve out of their obligate water-dwelling basic forms in Tympole and Poliwag. The water-type starters, which are chosen because they give new trainers more leeway during travel, also fall into this category, as do mammalian water-types like Wailord and Walrein. It should be noted, however, that though many facultative water dwellers have lungs, they may not be completely adapted to terrestrial life. Pokemon like Dewgong and Lapras—and arguably even Empoleon—see severe reductions in speed on land due to their having flippers rather than feet, which are only fully utilized in the water. So, while they can maintain life on land, their true potential remains untapped when not able to submerge themselves in water.
All water-types require water, though in varying amounts. Obligate water dwellers—in being submerged in water—require little attention from their trainers on this part, but facultative water dwellers will need to be given water at regular intervals. While some merely require water as sustenance, though in larger amounts than most terrestrial Pokemon, others will require extra water to keep their skin moist and maintain their internal environment. Vaporeon, for example, will need extra water after its evolution in order to maintain moisture in its fins skin. Excessive dryness may cause pain and, in more severe cases, nerve damage and tissue death.
Water-types vary in training difficulty, with obligate water dwellers being more challenging than faculative ones due to the added requirement of training in water. Overall, water-types are more challenging as a starting type than types that do not require attentive care and special training, but are a good choice for trainers looking to start developing their skills.
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Attack — Weak Against:
Water — Water-types, in being able to manipulate water, can absorb or deflect water-type attacks. Moves like Scald, however, are able to do damage anyway since not all water-types can absorb water at high temperatures.
Grass — Like water-types, many grass-types are able to absorb water-type attacks for their own benefit. Again, moves like Scald can do damage to Pokemon ill-equipped to handle the repercussions of attempting to absorb the move. Also, there is often a limit to the amount of water a grass-type can absorb. This limit varies from species to species, but, generally speaking, grass-types generally begin to show symptoms of overwatering after attempting to absorb too much water at once.
Dragon — Dragon-types can deflect most elemental attacks with ease thanks to their thick outer armor, and water-type attacks are no different.
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Attack — Strong Against:
Fire — The natural ability of water to simultaneously lower the temperature of and cut off oxygen from a burning fire is what makes water effective at putting out fires—and, therefore, dealing with fire-type Pokemon, since fire-types burn through oxygen more quickly than most types of Pokemon and are especially sensitive to any drops in core body temperature.
Ground — Ground-type Pokemon, due to their reliance of the earth below them, are often susceptible to water-type attacks since the addition of water renders their forte too viscous for use.
Rock — Because rock-type Pokemon often incorporate minerals into their body, they are easy targets for water-type moves since they are usually weighed down by and sink in water.
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Defense — Resists:
Fire — Fire-type moves waged against water-type Pokemon are easily negated by watery deflections from the water-type. Prolonged use of water for such deflection, however, can lead to dehydration on a water-type's part, so caution should be taken.
Water — Water-types are usually able to absorb water, so the adverse effects of water-type attacks against a water-type are negligible.
Ice — The water a water-type uses is usually body temperature, if stored for use by the water-type, or room temperature, if the water is from an outside source. Ice-type attacks, therefore, are meltable by water-type ones, and other than possible dehydration, they pose a small threat to water-types, especially since most water-types are well-adapted to withstanding cooler temperatures.
Steel — Though steel-types themselves are resistant against water-type attacks, the metal they produce for their moves are not, often reacting adversely when exposed to water. This, along with the fact that many steel-type moves are physical in nature and can be repelled with water-type moves that push them off-course, makes steel-type moves a poor choice against water-types.
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Defense — Weak to:
Electric — Since water-types generally maintain higher levels of water, and water conducts electricity, electric-type attacks aimed against water-types deal damage both quickly and effectively, spreading damage throughout a water-type's entire system.
Grass — Most grass-types are able to absorb some amount of water, though too much water may cause a grass-type to start taking damage. Some grass-types, though, can absorb and use water very efficiently, making them immune to or even allowing them to benefit from water-type moves.