Deleted User

The Japanese name is Ambush....

I think it's mostly the whole party thing. I mean if it made contact you'd have to like poison the whole party with poison point or something. Since you're supposed to be mobbing them it'd be impossible to tell which Pokemon was the one getting hit when poison point activated and stuff

All these theories about the system being too complex if beat up was a contact move is a good explanantion as well. Maybe they could make it somehow deal contact damage but without suffering the effects of contact-triggered abilities/items.

Also, now that I think of it, there is something even sillier than beat up: the magnemite family not having the levitate ability. And no, don't tell me about magnet rise, please, don't.