Skuntank is actually a fairly decent Pokemon. It’s got relatively high HP, a good Attack stat, decent speed, and great coverage. As a Dark/Poison-type, Skuntank can learn all sorts of moves like Sucker Punch, Toxic, Belch, and Night Slash.
It can also learn Flamethrower, of all things. Which of course begs the question of just how this giant skunk shoots fire.
Well, first we’ll have to dive into the mechanics of Skuntank, which are pretty much the same as a real skunk except those noxious chemicals fire out of the tip of its tail rather than from glands in its anus. However, those noxious gasses are apparently also flammable and will ignite. So, what was once a Poison Gas attack instead becomes Flamethrower.
It’s still not clear what Skuntank uses as an ignition source, however. Maybe they all have lighters?
That said, in Pokemon Platinum as well as HeartGold & SoulSilver, the sprite used to depict Skuntank didn’t at all seem like Flamethrower was coming from its tail. With one leg raised, it very much seemed like everything Skuntank was emitting was coming from its butthole. Assuming that a Skuntank’s butt is where you’d expect it to be on a skunk.
The anime took Skuntank in a different direction and made it seem like Skuntank could belch fire, which made even less sense than farting it or having it come streaming out of its tail.
You can find Skuntank in Sword & Shield by evolving its pre-evolution, Stunky. Check around North Lake Miloch in sunny or overcast conditions to find one, and then train it up to be a Toxic-wielding tank. Throw in some Leftovers or the Rest move for health regeneration, and Skuntank can be a poison gas belching, flamethrowing rock to anchor your team.