Now that I can't really tell you since I've never had either of them, buuut Hoothoot's evolution, Noctowl, is pretty good. The first gym leader has one, and it's definitely not a pushover.

[His expression remains somewhat thoughtful.]

Well, it's all done at random. Some of us have been stuck here for years, while some are only here a few weeks or months before being sent back home. No one really knows how it's all done.