The remaining three Pokémon that Gary had in the Sinnoh Region were Froslass, Weavile, and Magnezone.
Froslass's Ability was Snow Cloak, which increases evasion during hailstorms. Gary guessed that if the Ability was strengthened, it would likely boost the dodge rate even further—similar in effect to how Gardevoir's Telepathy Ability was improved after enhancement.
Weavile's Ability was Pressure. This forces the opponent to consume twice as much PP when using moves.
Strengthening this could make the opponent expend even more energy, which sounded tempting. Pressure could be a very effective tool to wear an opponent down in a drawn-out battle.
But Gary quickly shook his head. The EX Pressure Ability, even when strengthened, wasn't necessarily the best choice for Weavile. Weavile's speed and offense were superb, but it was also frail.
Even if the opponent ran out of energy, if their strength was close to Weavile's, three well-placed attacks would likely knock it out.
Pressure worked far better on defensive Pokémon—sturdy walls that could stall and force opponents to burn through their moves.
Then there was Magnezone.
Its current Ability was Analytic, which increases the power of its moves by 30% if it moves after the opponent.
This was already a very powerful Ability for a slower, hard-hitting Pokémon like Magnezone.
But Magnezone had a hidden advantage—unlike most Pokémon, it possessed three potential Abilities. The other two were Magnet Pull and Sturdy.
Magnet Pull could trap Steel-type Pokémon in battle, preventing them from switching out unless they were also Ghost-type.
With a strong enough magnetic field, this could disrupt even seasoned opponents. And, naturally, Electric-type moves benefited from Magnezone's magnetic power, allowing them to hit harder.
Sturdy, on the other hand, could prevent a one-hit knockout when Magnezone was at full health, even blocking instant KO moves.
Pokémon with Sturdy also tended to have stronger defenses than average, making them even harder to take down.
Gary folded his arms.
"Should I really go through the trouble of building a Magnezone with all three Abilities…?"
He was conflicted. Such a Magnezone would require significant resources to develop. But thinking ahead to the Sinnoh League Conference, Gary realized it could be a game-changer. A Magnezone with Analytic, Magnet Pull, and Sturdy—all enhanced—would be incredibly versatile.
"Yeah," Gary muttered finally, "let's build one and see what it can do."
Gary found Magnezone in the yard, floating idly near the electric fence as if absorbing stray currents. In order to avoid being seen by his other Pokémon—especially the ones who might get jealous—Gary beckoned Magnezone inside his room.
Magnezone rotated slowly in the air, its central eye blinking curiously.
"Zonnn… zzzz?" it buzzed, tilting slightly.
The floating, metallic Pokémon's single large eye glimmered with a questioning look, while its two smaller eyes on the side magnets twitched slightly, as if waiting for orders.
"Magnezone," Gary said with a small smile, "I'm going to give you an epic enhancement. From now on, I'll be taking you with me on more trips."
"Zonnn!" Magnezone's magnets spun faster, and its body emitted a bright electric hum of excitement.
It was eager—after all, Gary had entered three League Conferences before, but Magnezone had never been chosen for an official battle. It wanted to prove itself on the big stage.
Gary crouched slightly so that he was eye-level with Magnezone's large central lens.
"Don't worry, I know you've been waiting for your chance. I'm heading to the Sinnoh League Conference soon. This time, you'll have your moment."
"Zzzonnn! Zonnn—zzzt!" Magnezone buzzed in affirmation. Gary could almost feel its determination through the vibrations in the air.
Gary took out a Silver Bottle Cap and pressed it against Magnezone's metallic body. A faint silver glow spread over its surface.
[Ding! The Silver Bottle Cap was used successfully. Magnezone's potential +1!]
With Magnezone's potential raised, Gary followed up by using an Ability Expansion Stone. The stone pulsed with a strange energy, and Gary touched it to Magnezone's core.
[Ding! The Ability Expansion Stone was used successfully. Magnezone has unlocked Magnet Pull and Sturdy.]
Gary quickly checked Magnezone's updated status.
[Pokémon: Magnezone]
Type: Electric / Steel
Level: 56
Potential: Champion
Ability 1: Analytic — If the user moves after the target, the power of its moves is increased by 30%.
Ability 2: Magnet Pull — Steel-type Pokémon (that are not also Ghost-type) cannot flee or switch out.
Ability 3: Sturdy — When at full HP, prevents being knocked out in one hit. One-hit KO moves will fail.
Moves:
Tackle, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Gyro Ball, Spark, Screech, Magnet Rise, Flash Cannon, Discharge, Tri Attack, Metal Sound, Light Screen, Electric Terrain, Magnet Bomb, Mirror Coat.
TM Moves:
Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, Rest, Hyper Beam, Gravity, Body Slam.
Friendship: 255/255 (Max)
Gary's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You've already mastered Mirror Coat? That's impressive!"
Mirror Coat was an advanced move that reflected special attack damage back at the opponent—at double the power.
Magnezone tilted slightly, its central eye narrowing in pride.
"Zonnn… zzt!" it hummed smugly, clearly pleased with Gary's reaction.
"Well," Gary said, "let's make you even better."
He took out three Ability Enhancement Stones and used one on each of Magnezone's Abilities.
[Ding! Ability Enhancement successful.]
[Ding! Ability Enhancement successful.]
[Ding! Ability Enhancement successful.]
Gary checked the updated data:
[Pokémon: Magnezone]
Type: Electric / Steel
Level: 56
Potential: Champion
EX Ability 1: EX Analytic — If the user attacks first, move power is increased by 15%. If the user attacks last, move power is increased by 30%.
EX Ability 2: EX Magnet Pull — In addition to trapping Steel-types, Electric-type move power is increased by 20%.
EX Ability 3: EX Sturdy — Prevents a one-hit KO when at full HP, makes one-hit KO moves fail, and reduces damage from super-effective moves by 25%.
Moves:
Tackle, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Gyro Ball, Spark, Screech, Magnet Rise, Flash Cannon, Discharge, Tri Attack, Metal Sound, Light Screen, Electric Terrain, Magnet Bomb, Mirror Coat.
TM Moves:
Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, Rest, Hyper Beam, Gravity, Body Slam.
Friendship: 255/255 (Max)
Gary let out a slow whistle. "Well, well… this is better than I imagined."
EX Analytic wasn't just a flat upgrade—it now boosted move power whether Magnezone moved first or last. The first-move boost was smaller at 15%, but it meant Magnezone no longer needed to be slower to take advantage of the Ability.
EX Magnet Pull's extra +20% Electric-type move power was essentially like giving Magnezone a free Magnet-held item on top of its trapping effect.
And EX Sturdy was incredible. Reducing super-effective damage by a quarter meant Magnezone's already limited weaknesses—Fighting, Ground, and Fire—were now much less dangerous. Ground moves were almost irrelevant since Magnezone could levitate with Magnet Rise, leaving only Fighting and Fire as real threats.