2 pokemon threads in 1 day!

Anyways the question I was wondering about is if you guys use HM slaves when playing through pokemon games. If you don't know what an HM slave pokemon is it's basically a pokemon which you have purely for the use of hms. I tend to use them since I want my team to be the best they can be and HMs are usually weak and is a waste of a move slot.

The exception for me though is Surf since it's a solid water type move and is probably one of the most used hms and Fly which I try to teach to a pokemon purely for convenience same can be said for waterfall if i'm using a physical based water type pokemon.

So what do you usually do? Do you teach your team hm moves? Or do you catch specific pokemon for it? Or maybe some kind of combination of the 2?

And I shall answer this thread too!

Anyway, I used to have HM slaves in Gen III and IV. Well, in these two gens, WE HAD 8 HMs + Flash as a TM in Gen IV, so there's no way I could have all the HMs at the same time without losing precious move slots. (Well, it's not like you need all the HMs at the same time... but whatever, I don't like to waste time!)

In Gen V, there's like... 5 HMs + Rock Smash and Flash as TMs, so it's not all that bad.

But nowadays, I stopped using HM slaves. It doesn't matter the Gen I'm replaying, but I stopped. HM slaves always make you miss on experience, and having a Pok?mon that is "useless in battle" in an area like Victory Road is bad. I just teach HMs to my original party and I deal with it. At least I don't miss on the experience.

Side note 1: I can't consider Surf and Waterfall HM moves. They are too good, and you're probably going to teach one of these two to your special/physical water Pok?mon.

Side note 2: This isn't really important, but X and Y was so easy that I had a Garchomp as an HM slave. Damn ^^

Yup, usually when I get my first HM for a game I don't seem to have the right pokemon so I end up having to find a random pokemon and keeping it for the whole game so I can use that one HM.

I usually end up having an HM slave. Really just for moves that are useless in battle, like cut, Rock Smash, Flash, Dive, or Waterfall. The moves like Surf, Fly and Strength are usually one of the moves of my regulars anyway. Most of the time, I try keeping it to two Pokémon for whatever situation, and only use them for the situations that I'll use them.

patar4097 : b-but waterfall is 10x better than strength. Also, bidoof is the best hm slave. When it evolves bibarel can get 4 of the HMs and rock smash

mourinhosgum : Waterfall isn't bad, but Surf is a better choice. Bidoof is a great HM slave, though. Although, a Mew works well too, if you can glitch a bunch of them.

For most games I use a HM slave it was more specific that the new game that is the first time I didn't use a full out HM slave. Since there was hardly any that could learn all the moves I needed at once that I cared to use somewhat. But other than that the other games I just used the pokemon that were pretty much everyone elses HM slave.

Yes but only for flash rock smash and waterfall because I always have a strong bird and water pokemon in my party and I always give my strongest pokemon strength and because I really don't feel like flying all the way back to the center to keep change pokemon and then have to walk all the way back to use a HM when I can just use them with the pokemon I use .

I usually do in Pokemon hacks; some of these creators sure encourages the use of these useless HMs. I do have some for flash and defog since it's so bad for battle. D:

Not usually. The only game where I've even had something close was in Silver, and that was because Feraligatr couldn't know Whirlpool or Waterfall. Typically, I just prefer to stick with a full team of six instead of a team of five and a tag along.

I try and limit it to a select few pokemon that I divide my HMs by. I don't see the point in having a bunch of different pokemon with one HM that you probably won't use but one or two times. I mostly give them to like a bidoof or a pokemon that can learn a few HMs. The only HMs that I value are surf and fly, the rest are either okay moves, but there are better ones out there, or they aren't worth learning for my main team. For gen 6, I don't remember having any trouble hunting for an HM slave, in fact I barely remember getting the HMs XD

In general, I don't use HM slaves. Some HMs are useful like surf and fly but when it comes to useless HMs, I will probably use any random low level Pokemon to use it. I am pretty sure that you will not use an HM like flash or defog when it comes to battling.

No I do not usually use HM slaves because it wastes my chance to level up one of my pokemon every little bit along my journey.
 
 In the pokemon games HM slaves are not really needed because all you have to do in the regular games is attack, attack,and attack to win.
 
 Also in Pokemon X and Y not many HMs were needed in the game like if I remember correctly you did not even need cut to beat the main game.

When  I play Pokemon I normally keep one spot open for a HM slave. I hate teaching a good Pokemon cut or something. I will try to find a Pokemon that  can learn most of the HMs needed and keep it on my team for that reason.

Zlinqx : I sometimes make a Pokémon a HM slave like Golduck. I teach him rock smash, strength, surf, and waterfall once before in a Pokémon game. I know it's not a wise choice to do, but I just use the Pokémon when I come to a place that needs it. I don't keep him in my party of Pokémon.

I hate the thought of 'just an HM slave'. 
They are also pokemon like your main ones. To be honest I find it disrespectfull to just call them that, and definitely by nickname.

I ONLY catch a pokemon to teach it an HM when none of my main 6 can learn it. Though I give them a good nickname, and release them afterwards. (And this is only for required HM's.)

I use a mix of both I normally give a few of my Pokémon surf fly waterfall those things that are tm's  but are also powerful and good for use and then for moves like cut  and rock smash I have Pokémon that have those learnt that I store in the pc and withdraw them for use when needed

FunnyFurret : I sometimes go to the move deleter and get rid of the hm move then release them when i'm done with the game for role play purposes though maybe that's just me.

I wouldnt call them.....HM slaves. There more like my little helpers. I use some pokemon to teach HM's to them. Usually the weakest one of all.

I really try not to turn any Pokémon into an HM slave, I try to give HMs to Pokémon who I know won't learn great moves or Pokémon who don't have many attacking moves at low levels if it won't be impractical. I try to make all my Pokémon have the most efficient moves they can so I am careful for example, Toward the beginning of 1st Gen Pokémon games I will teach cut to a Pokémon like Oddish or Belsprout. You can always catch another one later on. For HMs that don't do much during a battle like flash I like to use something like Venonat, not hard to find and I don't use them a lot except when I'm going through a dark cave.