This article is about the Ability Stench. For the field move Stink, seeField Move (Ranger).

Stench (Japanese:あくしゅうStench) is anAbility introduced inGeneration III. Prior toGeneration IV, it was thesignature Ability ofGrimer andMuk.

Effect

In battle

Generations III and IV

Stench has no effect in battle.

Generation V onward

Stench has a 10% chance of making the targetflinch when hit by a damaging move used by the Pokémon with this Ability. Stench does not stack withKing's Rock orRazor Fang, nor does it stack with moves that already have a chance to flinch. Each strike of amultistrike move has an independent chance of causing the target to flinch.

Outside of battle

If a Pokémon with Stench is in the first place in theparty (even iffainted), the chance of encountering a wild Pokémon is decreased by 50%. It shares this effect withQuick Feet,White Smoke, andInfiltrator (sinceGeneration VIII).

Generation III

In theBattle Pyramid, the encounter rate is decreased by 25%.

Generation VIII

InPokémon Sword and Shield only, this Ability instead decreases the chance ofhidden encounters by 87.5%.

Generation IX

InPokémon Scarlet and Violet, this Ability has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Stench

#	Pokémon		Types		First Ability	Second Ability	Hidden Ability
0044		Gloom	Grass	Poison	Chlorophyll	None	Stench
0088		Grimer	Poison		Poison	Stench	Sticky Hold	Poison Touch
0089		Muk	Poison		Poison	Stench	Sticky Hold	Poison Touch
0109		Koffing	Poison		Poison	Levitate	Neutralizing GasGen VIII+	StenchGen VIII+
0110		Weezing	Poison		Poison	Levitate	Neutralizing GasGen VIII+	StenchGen VIII+
0434		Stunky	Poison	Dark	Stench	Aftermath	Keen Eye
0435		Skuntank	Poison	Dark	Stench	Aftermath	Keen Eye
0568		Trubbish	Poison		Poison	Stench	Sticky Hold	Aftermath
0569		Garbodor	Poison		Poison	Stench	Weak Armor	Aftermath
Please note that Abilities marked with a superscript are only available in the stated generation or later. For Generation III and IV games, ignore Hidden Abilities.

In other games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

If a Pokémon with Stench is attacked by an adjacent Pokémon, the attacker may becometerrified for a short time.

Description

In animation

Pokémon animated series

Stunky Trubbish Effect Garbodor
The Pokémon releases a horrible smell.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Used In		Notes
	Stunky stands on its two front legs and a purple ball appears at the end of its behind. Stunky then flips around and fires the purple ball at the opponent, causing a purple, foul-smelling fog to appear and spread its stench for twenty-four hours.
Officer Jenny's Stunky	A Secret Sphere of Influence!		Debut
	Trubbish belches out a small olive-colored cloud from its mouth. When the cloud disappears, it spreads throughout the whole area and causes it to smell.
A wild Trubbish	Here Comes the Trubbish Squad!		None
	Garbodor belches out a small olive-colored cloud from its mouth. The cloud then expands over throughout the whole area and causes it to smell.
A wild Garbodor	Scraggy and the Demanding Gothita!		None

• InSliding Into Seventh!,Jeremiah'sSkuntank was revealed to have Stench as its Ability, but the Ability activated off-screen. It appears to cause a lavender foul-smelling explosion.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Stunky The smell
The Pokémon releases a horrible smell from its body.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	Stunky turns around and releases a small seed from its behind towards the opponent. When the seed hits the ground, it releases a horrible smell all around the battlefield. The smell lasts for twenty-four hours.
A wild Stunky	A Big Stink Over Stunky		Debut

• Geoff'sTrubbish was revealed to have Stench as its Ability.

Trivia

• Stench is the firstAbility inindex number order.

In other languages

This article is part ofProject Moves and Abilities, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.

• Abilities
• Abilities introduced in Generation III
• Abilities that inflict volatile status conditions
• Abilities that affect appearance of wild Pokémon
• Abilities with field effects