4th Gen Stat Trainers

[Roni]

in DPPt there were 5 trainers that would accompany you whenever you first entered the specific dungeon they were in. didn't realize this until later in life, but they all specialized in a certain stat as well:

Cheryl in Eterna Forest, who mained a Chansey and specialized in HP,
Mira in Wayward Cave, who mained a Kadabra and specialized in Special Attack,
Riley in Iron Island, who mained a Lucario and specialized in Attack,
Buck in Stark Mountain, who mained a Claydol and specialized in Defense/Special Defense, and
Marley in the extra Victory Road area, who mained an Arcanine and specialized in Speed.​

out of all of them, Cheryl was pretty much the only one that wasn't optional as you had to traverse little nooks and crannies to find the others (perhaps Buck is an exception since that was an important part of the post game story arc).

which one was your favorite to battle with? and a bonus question: did you even bother with partnering with them for double battles or did you just individually talk to the dungeon trainers so you could own them yourself?

 

[Duck]

In Platinum at least, you had to go to Iron Island to get Strength. You didn't need to enter the dungeon itself, but you at least had to meet Riley.

Which means these two were pretty much the only ones I dealt with for most of my playthroughs. Can't say I've ever done those areas as single battles though, too lazy to stop and battle each trainer by myself - or that I felt too much difference between Riley and Cheryl. If I had to pick a favorite, it'd be Cheryl I guess. Can soak hits for longer.

 

[Roni]

In Platinum at least, you had to go to Iron Island to get Strength. You didn't need to enter the dungeon itself, but you at least had to meet Riley.

Which means these two were pretty much the only ones I dealt with for most of my playthroughs. Can't say I've ever done those areas as single battles though, too lazy to stop and battle each trainer by myself - or that I felt too much difference between Riley and Cheryl. If I had to pick a favorite, it'd be Cheryl I guess. Can soak hits for longer.

shoot i completely forgot about the Strength HM!

also yeah Chansey's pretty bulky especially if put up against Lv 15 bugs lol. i'm leaning more towards Riley tho since the Riolu egg at the end's pretty tight. i forget if anyone else gifts you something as cool.

 

[Sheep]

Loved all of them because of the full heals after each battle. Dunno if I really had a pref but probably Chansey since it was early enough in the game where I'd be able to get good exp and keep re-battling trains after those heals for quick level ups!