What it does
Soak is a Water-type status move that replaces the target's type with pure Water until it switches out. Dual-type targets, single-type targets — both get the same treatment. The original typing is completely overwritten, so any resistances or immunities tied to those types disappear instantly. The change resets the moment the target leaves the field.
The competitive value is straightforward: you rebuild the target's weakness profile from scratch. Soak makes anything weak to Electric and Grass, regardless of what it was before. A Ground-type that normally absorbs Electric attacks? Now it takes 2x from Thunderbolt. A Grass-type immune to Powder moves? Once Soaked, none of that matters for damage typing purposes.
Because Soak does no damage itself, it only pays off when your partner can exploit the new weakness immediately or on the following turn. This is strictly a support action — skip it if the resulting weakness does not improve your matchup in a meaningful way.
Who runs it
Bellibolt (25%) is the natural home for this move. It is an Electric-type, so once Soak lands, Bellibolt or any Electric partner can immediately collect on the newly introduced 2x weakness. No third party required — the same Pokémon sets the condition and follows through.
Araquanid rounds out the user list. Its Water Bubble ability doubles the power of Water-type moves, so using Soak as a support action still leaves room for strong Water-type follow-up from Araquanid itself while its partner cashes in on the weakness.
How to use it
The decision tree is simple: find a target whose post-Soak weakness you can exploit with moves already on your team. If the answer is 'Electric', your Electric attacker should be in the same lead pair. If no answer comes up, leave Soak off the set.
The most consistent doubles execution is Bellibolt leading alongside a high-power Electric attacker. Turn 1: Soak the biggest threat, partner goes for the weakness. The damage lands that same turn, not next turn — which matters when the target might switch out to reset the typing.
Watch for one edge case: Pokémon with Water Absorb or Storm Drain keep those abilities after being Soaked. Their type changes to Water, but their ability does not. You might be handing them a heal rather than a weakness.
Tips & strategy
Soak removes Electric resistances that would otherwise be annoying to play through: Grass types, Dragon types, and Electric types themselves all halve Electric damage normally. After Soak, all of them take 2x. If your spread offense is Electric-based, Soak can turn a protected target into an easy pickup.
Treat it as a precision tool, not a universal option. The turn you use Soak is a turn Bellibolt or Araquanid is not attacking. That trade is only good when the target is worth it and your partner is ready to follow through.