-- (move)
- Cooltrainer (move) redirects here. For the Trainer class, see Cool Trainer. For the glitch type, see CoolTrainer♀ (type).
- For other uses of - see -
-- is a glitch move of the CoolTrainer♀-type, a glitch type that is displayed for blank data. It is known by relatively few glitch Pokémon, and, unusually for a glitch move, can be learned by regular Pokémon. Initially, it has 0/13 PP, and can't gain any more by healing at a Pokémon Center. Rather, one must supply the Pokémon with a PP Up and an Ether/Elixir in order to be able to use the move.
Real Form
The Cooltrainer move, as can be seen from battle, is actually meant to represent a blank space in a Pokémon's movelist, and so isn't meant to be selected for use in battle. Its index number is 0, putting it roughly in-league with 'M (00), which takes this spot in Pokémon data.
This move is accessed when a player forces the game into thinking that the Pokémon has a blank move as its first move. To do this, a player must have a Ditto or another Pokémon with only Transform. This move must be used to become any opponent Pokémon. At this point, the player now has access to the opponent's movelist, via Ditto. By switching around the first and last moves in this movelist using the Select button, the glitch is activated, and all that must be done now is to end the battle, either by defeating the opponent or running away.
On the Pokémon status screen, the first move will be displayed as this move. After a PP Up or a PP-restoring item is used, the move is usable in-battle, which can cause a vastly random array of effects, as well as odd text such as "Ditto used Machop!" as the game draws data from elsewhere in its confusion.
Its usual effect is a damaging move with Fissure's animation, which freezes the game if it does not defeat the target.
If the Pokémon with this move reaches a level at which it can learn a new move, and has four moves already, the game will automatically delete this move and replace it with the new one, as it thinks that the Pokémon only has three moves.
The ability to cause this glitch was removed in later games; however, "--" is still used even in Generation V to denote no move.
Reported glitch phrases
It often occurs that the name of a Pokémon in the player's current box will be used for this move, such as "DITTO used MACHOP!" or "DITTO used ELECTABUZZ!". If the current box is empty, it can produce the name of previously erased save files. It can also be named with random characters including glitch characters.
Learnset
By leveling up
| # | Pokémon | Type | Level | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | |||||||||||
| 000 | 
|
PkMn (C5) | Normal | Normal | -- | ' | ' | ' | ' | ' | ||||||
| 000 |
|
PkMn PkMn T | Normal | Normal | -- | ' | ' | ' | ' | ' | ||||||
| 000 |
|
4 h | Normal | Normal | -- | ' | ' | ' | ' | ' | ||||||
| 000 |
|
▶ A | Normal | Normal | -- | ' | ' | ' | ' | ' | ||||||
| Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method. An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation. | ||||||||||||||||
Through the Transform glitch
All Pokémon capable of learning TMs can learn this move through Mimicking Transform.
Effects
The move is known to activate the TMTRAINER effect.
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This article is part of both Project GlitchDex and Project Moves and Abilities, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on glitch moves. | 
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In Pokémon Stadium
In Pokémon Stadium, this move will be read as the Pokémon having no moves, thus making the Pokémon use Struggle.
