Every now and then, a spiky, blue creature will appear on Alola's shores, turn the water so toxic it corrodes ships, and prove virtually impossible to dislodge. Toxapex are frustrating opponents, known more for their endurance than the wounds they inflict, who win battles not through overwhelming force, but by outlasting their opponents until their rivals finally succumb to the slow-moving effects of their poison. And when Toxapex appear in the right place, those "rivals" can be the entire population of a city, or even an entire island.
In ancient Alola, back when the Kahunas waged war on one another, a strategically placed Toxapex or two in the harbor was a rare weapon – but far and away the most effective means of waging a blockade. Tales abound of desperate Kahunas sending whole armies to dislodge Toxapex in order to again feed their people; they typically succeed after a heroic, lengthy battle, only to find their armies broken and their domains already overrun.
Toxapex events are less common today, now that Alola is at peace and pokemon battles have replaced wars, and they are more likely to appear on popular beaches than vital shipping lanes. But there are few individual trainers in Alola capable of taking one down, and pokemon trainers as a rule are too bound by their sense of fair play to fight Toxapex 6-on-1. Battles rarely end with Toxapex fainting, but their opponents rarely want them to; even those who confront Toxapex in order to protect swimmers and end pollution, or simply for the challenge, are soon impressed enough to seek to add the Toxapex to their team.
And when a Toxapex is captured, it will continue to spread poison and prove a mightily resilient foe – but this time, they do so at Alola's most prestigious tournaments!
