Truant (Ability)
| Truant | なまけ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lazy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flavor text
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Truant (Japanese: なまけ Lazy) is an Ability introduced in Generation III. Prior to Generation V and in Generation IX, it is the signature Ability of Slakoth and Slaking.
Effect
In battle
| This Ability effect may be in need of research. Reason:
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Every second turn, a Pokémon with Truant cannot use a move due to loafing around. If it attempts to use a move at this point, it will fail without spending PP.
A Pokémon with Truant will still loaf around every second turn in a battle against an unidentified ghost (including the ghost Marowak).
Truant cannot be overwritten by Simple Beam, Worry Seed, or Entrainment, but it can be overwritten by Skill Swap, Role Play, Doodle, or Mummy, or disabled with Gastro Acid or Neutralizing Gas.
Counting turns
| This Ability effect may be in need of research. Reason: Test if counting turns works this way in all generations You can discuss this on the talk page. |
A Pokémon's Truant turn counter starts when it enters the battle.
In Generation III, a Pokémon's Truant counter is updated at the end of the turn, only if the Pokémon still has this Ability.[1][2][3] If a Pokémon changes Abilities during the battle, its Truant counter will remain untouched as long as this Pokémon does not switch out.
For instance, once a Pokémon acquires Truant for the first time in battle, it will be able to use a move normally if it has not used any move in the current turn. Conversely, if it has already used any move, then the turn counter will be updated and it will loaf around the next turn.
If a Pokémon with Truant is sent out following an ally Pokémon fainting to end-of-turn damage, the Truant counter will be updated and then it will loaf around next turn.
In Generation V, Truant is reset by sleep and a Pokémon with Truant will always be able to attack on the turn it wakes up.
If a Pokémon gains Truant after it calls upon Mega Evolution, Ultra Burst, or Dynamax at the beginning of a turn, but before it moves that turn, it will loaf around on its first attempt to move.
Using moves
| This Ability effect may be in need of research. Reason:
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If a Pokémon with Truant uses a move with a charging turn (such as Fly), this move will charge normally the first turn but then the user will loaf around the next turn instead of executing the move (unless the user is holding a Power Herb).
If a Pokémon with Truant uses a move that forces it to recharge next turn (such as Hyper Beam), then it will loaf around and recharge during the same turn. Because of the recharge, this Pokémon will be unable to use items or switch out on this turn.
If a Pokémon with Truant uses a move and is then Instructed to use the move again, the Pokémon will loaf around instead of executing that move. Then, the next turn, it will be able to use a move normally, unaffected by Instruct.
If a Pokémon with Truant is affected by Encore, it will be locked into reusing the last move used and then loaf around every second turn as usual.
Using items
In Generation III only, using an item from the Bag (such as an HP healing item or a Poké Ball) counts as a turn. From Generation IV onwards, it does not count. For instance, if the player uses an item when the Pokémon was going to loaf around, then this will happen the next turn: it will be able to use a move normally in Generation III, or it will loaf around in later generations.
Any held items (such as Leftovers) work normally regardless of the Pokémon loafing around.
Outside of battle
Truant has no effect outside of battle.
Pokémon with Truant
| # | Pokémon | Types | First Ability | Second Ability | Hidden Ability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0287 | Slakoth |
Normal | Truant | None | None | ||
| 0289 | Slaking |
Normal | Truant | None | None | ||
| 0632 | Durant |
Bug | Steel | Swarm | Hustle | Truant | |
Please note that Abilities marked with a superscript are only available in the stated generation or later.
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In other games
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky, and the Mystery Dungeon (WiiWare) games, when a Pokémon with this Ability uses a move or a Wonder Orb, the Pokémon gains the Paused status which prevents the Pokémon from taking any action the next turn.
In Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, Truant instead causes the truant status condition for one turn. Unlike the previous Paused status, the truant status only prevents the Pokémon from using moves and allows the use of items. Truant additionally can inflict the Yawning status condition on all surrounding enemies when the Pokémon with the Ability Truant is asleep. The Truant Wand allows the user to change any Pokémon's Ability to Truant, including bosses.
Description
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In animation
Pokémon animated series
| The Pokémon occasionally becomes too lazy to attack during battle. | |||
| Pokémon | Method | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| User | First Used In | Notes | |
| Slaking occasionally becomes too lazy to attack during battle. | |||
| A Trainer's Slaking | The Journalist from Another Region! | Debut | |
| Sawyer's Slaking | Analysis Versus Passion! | None | |
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
| The Pokémon occasionally becomes too lazy to attack during battle. | |||
| Pokémon | Method | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| User | First Chapter Used In | Notes | |
| Slaking occasionally becomes too lazy to attack during battle. | |||
| Norman's Slaking | Rayquaza Redemption I | Debut | |
- In Rayquaza Redemption I, Norman's Spinda gained Truant by using Skill Swap on his Slaking. His two Slakoth also have the Ability.
- The rental Slaking that Emerald used during his Battle Factory challenge was revealed to have Truant as its Ability.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
| The user does nothing for awhile. | |||
| Pokémon | Method | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| User | First Chapter Used In | Notes | |
| Slakoth falls asleep and stays that way for awhile. Sometimes, it would lie on the ground with its eyes open without doing anything. | |||
| Norman's Slakoth | There's Someone More Important Than Clefairy?! | Debut | |
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 懶惰 Láahndoh |
| Mandarin | 懶惰 / 懒惰 Lǎnduò | |
| French | Absentéisme | |
| German | Schnarchnase | |
| Italian | Pigrone | |
| Korean | 게으름 Geeureum | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Molenga | |
| Spanish | Latin America | Pereza |
| Spain | PerezaIX+ AusenteIII–VIII | |
| Turkish | Aylak | |
| Vietnamese | Lười biếng | |
References
- ↑ https://github.com/pret/pokeruby/blob/63a8cbf0016b351a4e68f7036fa0b77e23d2f2c1/src/battle_util.c#L1956
- ↑ https://github.com/pret/pokefirered/blob/e060ab955b5dc9ac1c4904c2cd141683615cf477/src/battle_util.c#L1869
- ↑ https://github.com/pret/pokeemerald/blob/962442a51e25cb8d5c1c11460d42e0b3325059b4/src/battle_util.c#L2654
| This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games. |