Bruxish #779: the Alolan fish that grinds its teeth

Pop colors, two rows of sharp teeth and an unbearable grinding noise. Bruxish (Denticrisse in French) is Alola's psychic fish: it buries itself in the sand and turns the grinding of its teeth into psychic energy.

Contents

• Who is Bruxish?
• Water/Psychic type, Abilities and stats
• Dazzling and Psychic Fangs, its two signatures
• Evolution: Bruxish has none
• A radar on its head and teeth that grind
• Bruxish Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Bruxish?

Listed as #779 in the National Pokédex, Bruxish is the "Gnash Teeth Pokémon" of the seventh generation, the generation of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. It measures 0.9 meters and weighs 19 kilos, and it lives in the waters ofAlola.

Poképédia describes it as a fish with very colorful scales and fins: a light blue mouth, big pink lips and two rows of sharp teeth. The upper half of its body is pink with light blue polka dots, the lower half yellow, and its pink eyes are framed by long blue eyelashes.

On top of its head sits a bulbous purple protuberance that can open like a flower to reveal a blue orb: that's where its psychic waves come out. Its tail fin bears a sky-blue marking that is heart-shaped.

Its French name, Denticrisse, blends "denti-" (tooth) and "crisser" (to grate), with a nod to dentifrice. As a Shiny, its pink parts turn red, its purple parts green and its blue parts white: a contrast that really pops on a collectible figure.

Water/Psychic type, Abilities and stats

Bruxish's types are Water and Psychic, in that order. This pairing is still rare: across the entire Pokédex, only Slowpoke, Slowbro, Slowking, Starmie, Veluza and Bruxish itself have it, just six species.

The combination costs it five weaknesses : Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost and Dark moves deal double damage to it. On the other hand, six types deal only half damage — Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic and Steel — and it has no immunities.

It has three Abilities. Dazzling stuns the opponent, which can no longer target it with a priority move; Strong Jaw multiplies the power of its biting moves by 1.5; its hidden Ability, Wonder Skin, makes it more resistant to status moves.

Its base stats sketch out a fast physical attacker: 68 HP, 105 Attack, 70 Defense, 70 Special Attack, 70 Special Defense and 92 Speed, for a total of 475.

Dazzling and Psychic Fangs, its two signatures

Dazzling is Bruxish's signature Ability: no other Pokémon has it. Two other Abilities produce the same effect, Queenly Majesty and Armor Tail, but they belong to Tsareena and Farigiraf.

In practice, it shuts down priority moves: a Quick Attack used against it simply fails. Since Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the official description specifies that the protection also covers its allies.

Its signature move, for its part, is called Psychic Fangs : Poképédia notes that it held that status until the eighth generation, before being handed out far more widely. Bruxish learns it at level 41 ; it's a physical Psychic-type move with 85 power.

Watch out for the most widespread misconception: Psychic Fangs doesn't ignore any stat. Its actual effect is to shatter the opponent's screens (Light Screen, Reflect and Aurora Veil) before damage is calculated. And since it's a biting move, Strong Jaw amplifies it.

🎁 Looking to spoil an Alola fan? Our Pokémon gift ideas don't grind their teeth, at least.

Evolution: Bruxish has none

The question is quickly settled: Bruxish doesn't evolve, and it isn't evolved from any Pokémon. Its evolution chain contains only itself: no pre-evolution, no later stage, no stone and no trade.

It likewise has no Mega Evolution, regional form or Gigantamax form. Yet the seventh generation does have five Mega Evolutions, belonging to Crabominable, Golisopod, Drampa, Magearna and Zeraora: Bruxish isn't one of them.

What it lacks in lineage, it makes up for in simplicity : its 105 Attack is there from the moment you catch it, with no level milestones to reach.

A radar on its head and teeth that grind

The Ultra Sun Pokédex describes its hunting method: buried in the sand, it projects its psychic power through the appendage on its head and scans its surroundings while it waits for prey. Pokémon Moon adds that it numbs its prey.

Its teeth do the rest. The same Pokédex claims it can crush Shellder with ease, and Ultra Moon says its skin is so thick that even the spikes of Mareanie can't pierce it: it crunches them up noisily.

So where does the grinding come from? Pokémon Scarlet explains it: it grinds its teeth hard to stimulate its brain, then fires the psychic energy it creates this way out of the appendage on its head. Pokémon Sun speaks of a noise "as irritating as teeth grinding."

Poképédia reports a delightful detail: in Alola, lifeguards tolerate it in busy waters, because its presence keeps far more dangerous Water-type Pokémon from coming near. Pokémon Violet, for its part, notes that the water sparkles brilliantly around its waves.

In the games, you can fish it up with the Fishing Rod on Routes 13, 14 and 15 on Ula'ula Island and at Secluded Shore. In the anime, it shows up as early asepisode SL001 ; its big lips make it a plush full of personality.

Bruxish Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Bruxish evolve?
  No. Bruxish doesn't evolve and isn't evolved from any Pokémon. Its evolution chain contains only itself: there's no pre-evolution and no later stage, and no stone, held item or trade triggers anything.
• What are Bruxish's Abilities?
  Two regular Abilities: Dazzling, which prevents opponents from targeting it with priority moves, and Strong Jaw, which boosts the power of its biting moves by half. Its hidden Ability is Wonder Skin, which makes it more resistant to status moves. Dazzling is its signature Ability: it's the only Pokémon that has it.
• What exactly does Psychic Fangs, Bruxish's signature move, do?
  Psychic Fangs is a physical Psychic-type move with 85 power and 100 accuracy, learned at level 41. It deals damage and, if the target is protected by Light Screen, Reflect or Aurora Veil, it shatters those screens before damage is calculated. Contrary to a widespread belief, it doesn't ignore any stat or any stat change. It was Bruxish's signature move until the eighth generation.
• What are Bruxish's weaknesses?
  As a Water/Psychic type, it takes double damage from Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost and Dark moves, for five weaknesses in total. On the other hand, it takes only half damage from Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic and Steel moves, for six resistances. It has no immunities, and no type deals quadruple damage to it.
• Does Bruxish have a Mega Evolution or a Gigantamax form?
  No. No Mega Evolution, no regional form and no Gigantamax form: Bruxish has only one look. The five Mega Evolutions of the seventh generation belong to Crabominable, Golisopod, Drampa, Magearna and Zeraora.
• Where can you find Bruxish in Pokémon Sun and Moon?
  On Ula'ula Island, with the Fishing Rod: Routes 13, 14 and 15, and Secluded Shore. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Secluded Shore drops off the list because it was redeveloped into Ula'ula Beach, but the three routes still work. It then returns in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, in the Paldean seas.

In short

A colorful fish, a psychic radar and the jaws of a shell crusher: Bruxish is all about its grinding teeth. With no evolution and no Mega, Dazzling belongs to it alone.