The battles of the Pokémon series can be incredibly fickle affairs. Matches are subject to all manner of RNG, from untimely misses to flinches, damage rolls, and the dreaded freeze hax. Not to mention the Pokémon anime, in which all the rules of physics are torn into tiny, insignificant shreds on the ground. No, Pikachu, don’t aim for the horn. That’s not even remotely a thing.
It’s no surprise, then, that’s it’s often tough to compare the skills of trainers, as the goalpost move a lot. A rival could make a brilliant move one minute and a woefully bad one the next.Pokémon X & Y’s Serena may be one of the most competent rivals in the series, but how would she fare in a match against Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire’s Brendan? Let’s compare them in a range of categories and see if we can determine a winner!
10 Dedication: Serena
Throughout the course of the game, there’s no questioning Serena’s commitment to becoming a Pokémon master. Right from the moment she hands the not-useless-at-all Adventure Rules item to the player and their friends, she defines herself as an all-out sponge for battling knowledge.
By contrast, Ruby & Sapphire’s Brendan (or May, if the player selected the male avatar) has different aims. While he himself is committed to the cause of becoming a Pokémon Professor like his father, battles are definitely put on the backburner as a result. When it comes to experience in this area, Serena has a huge upper hand.
9 Strongest Pokémon: Brendan
As players will know, Brendan’s Pokémon definitely weren’t up to par in the original Generation III games. In fact, his starter didn’t reach its final evolution stage! The games were unique in that respect, not featuring a rival who was with you throughout the main story (and a little beyond) as usual.
Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire were major gamechangers in this respect, though. By the time of the postgame, Brendan had finally gotten himself a Mega Ring allowing him to call on a Mega Blaziken/Swampert/Sceptile depending on the player’s choice of starter. While Serena eventually wields a Mega Absol of her own, Brendan’s versatility here gives him the edge. He has some of the strongest Mega Pokémon ever on his side… eventually.
8 Strongest Team Overall: Brendan
Now, this was a difficult one to call. In the final battle against each trainer at the peak of their powers, Serena’s team is of a much higher level than Brendan’s (mid to late 60s as opposed to his late 40s-50). She also has a full team of six, while he has only five Pokémon.
In a non-strictly-gameplay sense, though, Brendan seems to have done more with his Pokémon in a shorter space of time, and with less battling experience. This speaks volumes about his potential if he weren’t so committed to a different Poké-career, putting him in a prime position to maybe cause an underdog upset in a match.
7 Knowledge & Strategy: Serena
Pokémon may be a game of luck at times, but there’s no denying that there’s much more to competitive battling than newcomers may have expected. In this deceptively deep game, the best strategist has a tremendous upper hand.
Between these two battlers, Serena wins out in this respect. She’s one of the hardest-working battlers in the series, among the most driven and ambitious. When it comes to obscure type matchup knowledge and such, she’d probably come out on top here.
6 Movesets: Brendan
Here’s an interesting thing. Serena may have learned the ins and out of Pokémon battles and the strategies involved, but which of the two trainers applied these concepts best in their own teams? For our Pokémon Dollars, it may actually be Brendan.
Taking a look at their critters’ movesets throughout their battles with the player, Serena ends up with a team that incorporates sneaky status in Sing, setup in Swords Dance, utility in Fake Out, and so on. However, Brendan’s final team boasts movesets that are surprisingly varied and close to their competitive counterparts (for an A.I. trainer). It’s close, but we’ll give this one to Brendan.
5 Achievements: Serena
Here, too, is an area in which Serena’s calling as a Pokémon battler pays off. When it comes to the feats that the two rivals have performed in their respective games (in battle specifically), she had more of the spotlight and more time to shine.
Whether in the games or in the anime, she tried to be in the thick of the action whenever possible. Defeating Team Flare and Lysandre, she literally played a crucial part in saving the world, all through her battling prowess. That doesn’t bode so well for Brendan when it comes to facing her.
4 Reputation: Serena
Speaking of which, in all the mainline games, the player’s achievements with their Pokémon make them real stars over the course of their adventure. Even the most arrogant rival or Evil Team™ is forced to acknowledge their ability… eventually. Their rivals just don’t get the limelight a lot of the time, but Serena is a bit of an exception.
In X & Y, the player doesn’t so much have a rival as a group of them. They travel along with Serena, Tierno, Shauna and Trevor. Each had their own goals, but Serena was generally agreed to be the second-best battler of the group, a formidable opponent worthy of the player character. Her ability in battle speaks for itself, which could also be bad news for Brendan.
3 As An Ally: Serena
While an ability to work around your opponent’s Pokémon is crucial to battling success, there’s another factor that needs to be considered too: how your team works with an ally’s.
In their respective games, both Brendan and Serena team up with the player on occasion. Comparing the Pokémon they choose to do so, Serena seems to come out on top again. In the Battle Maison, Brendan is restricted to just his Claydol and Exploud. While the Claydol’s dual screens and Light Clay combo can be very nice, the Pokémon’s a little too slow to make the best use of them, and Exploud’s no speedster either. Serena proves herself in several team-ups with the player (arguably), another string to her bow.
2 Approach To Defeat: Tie
However skilled a battler may be, nobody wins every time. Over the course of the series, rivals have had different approaches to defeat, from stoic commitment to improving to howling, crying and other Gary-like things. When it comes to making the best of losses and striving to be better, we’d say both Serena and Brendan tie here.
Each of them compliment the player on defeat, acknowledge their ability and vow to use it to better themselves. This mindset is vital in Pokémon, indicating that both trainers have learned from errors in the past and will approach this new hypothetical match with all of this in mind.
1 Overall Winner: Serena
All in all, it’s clear that both of these rivals are accomplished trainers in their own right. As we’ve mentioned, Brendan put together a solid team for his lack of experience, and was knowledgeable enough to show potential as a brilliant Pokémon professor.
In terms of raw battling prowess alone, though, Serena’s experience shines through. They’d have a fantastic battle, but outside of surprising upsets, we think Serena would take the win here.
NEXT: Pokémon: Every Pokémon Professor, Ranked By How Smart They Are
