Grimsley

Grimsley as seen in Black and White
Grimsley
Species	Human
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Blue
Debut	Pokémon: Black and White Versions

Grimsley is a member of the Elite Four of Unova who appears as an opponent in Pokémon: Black and White Versions and their sequels, as well as appearing in the seventh generation games. He specializes in Dark-type Pokémon.

Background

Grimsley was a member of the Elite Four who secluded himself in a chamber that had a spiraling conveyor belt lamp leading up to the area where he awaited challengers. He himself was adorned in spooky, vampire-esque attire. He apparently hailed from a family that had fallen into disgrace, and he turned to gambling to make ends meet. Grimsley did not pay much mind to losing to other challengers, as he believed that the true warrior spent his time pondering the next battle. He considered life to be a serious battle in which one had to use the tools they were given, and he believed that it was better for one to master what they had than to complain about what their opponents had. Grimsley also pondered the ambiguous distinction between good and bad ways to win. He considered Pokémon battles to be proof that one is really living.

In Pokémon: Black and White Versions, he was challenged and defeated by N and later Hilbert/Hilda, which led him to briefly remark about the trainers coming one after another. When he was beaten by Hilbert/Hilda, he told them that their Pokémon were shining brilliantly in the glow of victory and then apathetically resigned himself to being the guy who lost. He could later be challenged to rematches. Two years later, he was still part of the Elite Four in Black and White 2, and this time he was challenged and defeated by Nate/Rosa. While his room had a similar refined aesthetic, it was now changed into a platform suspended in midair by chains.

Grimsley also appeared in Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. He was no longer a member of Unova's Elite Four and instead traveled to the Alola Islands, where he took a liking to Mantine Surfing and became one of the highest-scoring competitors in the sport. The player could meet him at Route 15, where he would add Sharpedo to Sun/Moon's Ride Pager after they won a coin toss and gave them some advice about riding Sharpedo. At one point in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, he mentioned that he had lost everything at one point and initially wandered Alola's shores in despair before he found solace in a new role, riding the waves with Mantine and Sharpedo and teaching others what it means to ride. Grimsley also took part in battles at the Battle Tree.

Pokémon Roster

In Black and White, he uses the following Pokémon for gym battles:

• Scrafty
• Krookodile
• Liepard
• Bisharp
• Sharpedo (rematches only)
• Drapion (rematches only)

In Black 2 and White 2, his roster is similar, except that Sharpedo and Drapion are replaced with Honchcrow and Houndoom. In Challenge Mode, he also uses an Absol in the first battle only, and for rematches the Liepard is replaced by Tyranitar.

In Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, the potential pool of Pokémon that he can use for fights at the Battle Tree include Houndoom, Tyranitar, Sharpedo, Absol, Honchcrow, Drapion, Liepard, Scrafty and Bisharp.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, he appeared during the Black/White arc. He initially appeared at Route 4 in disguise and played games with the workers and Black, though he eventually revealed his true self when catching an undercover Team Plasma member. He offered to battle Black only if he bet something precious, which caused Black to faint at the idea of losing his badges. Grimsley later joined the other Elite Four members in observing the Pokémon League championship and helped in the ensuing fight with Team Plasma, taking on a mysterious hooded man by himself until the enemy escaped.

Trivia

• His name is a play on "grim", which reflects his affinity for Dark-types.
• According to his character designer, his design was based on Count Dracula, and his red-and-blue colors also are a reference to the colors on roulette wheels.
• He is the only member of the fifth generation's Elite Four (including the champion) who never appears outside of his room in Black and White as well as their sequels.
• In the seventh generation games, he refers to himself as Uncle Grimsley when talking to Sun/Moon, and he participates in Mantine Surfing under the name Big G.