Smeargle-Tracing Shock Bolt & Similar Moves

[Fenrir]

Player A has a Smeargle as their Active Pokemon, and uses Trace on Player B's Benched Luxray, sucessfully Tracing the move Shock Bolt.

Shock Bolt states "Discard all (Electric) Energy attached to Luxray." Is this considered a cost to use the move, or an effect of the move; i.e., would the Smeargle, if unable to discard any Electric energies, still be able to use the move Shock Bolt, or would it be unable to as it could not discard the stated energies?

Smeargle does state that it ignores Energy Cost to perform the move it Traces; however as the discarding is not part of the energy Cost, and is something attached to the attack, I'm confused on what would happen. I think it may still be able to use the move, but I'm uncertain. If you could clarify this for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[PokePop]

If you go to the "Attacks in General" section of the Compendium LvX, you will find this and other aspects of "copy" attacks discussed:

http://compendium.pokegym.net/compendium-lvx.html#16

• If an attack has an energy discard requirement, a Pokémon copying that attack must also be able to do that discard in order to copy the attack. (Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
• If an attack has an *optional* effect triggered by a discard, a Pokémon copying that attack must be able to do that discard in order to get the additional effect; if they cannot perform the optional discard, it still gets the base effect and damage. (Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)
• If a Pokémon attack copies another attack that says "discard all [X] Energy", then you must be able to discard at least one energy card of that type in order to use that effect or attack requirement. (Mar 15, 2007 PUI Rules Team)

The last one is the one that applies here. At least one L (or Multi) Energy must be discarded to use the attack.