LogFAQs > #986637485

ellis123 posted...

The long gerbil thing had two useless moves and an ability that increased encounter rate. Whether or not you got beat by it that's a pretty embarrassing gym leader ace.

You gotta consider the context, though. At the time you fight her, you don't have any great counters available. And since the gym leaders before her are pretty easy, there's nothing driving you to grind, so it kinda comes out of nowhere.

Also, Retaliate is great considering it's STAB and said gerbil thing is her second Pokemon, meaning you already beat one, powering it up more. Since you don't know it's coming, the chance is very high that it takes out your best Pokemon immediately.