"This is..."
Upon spotting the subtle shift of the Poké Ball, Owen's eyelids twitched rapidly.
"Wait a second, Magnemite!"
He hurriedly called out to the Pokémon and asked tentatively, "Just now... did you release magnetism toward the Poké Ball?"
"Kuo-yi?"
Magnemite tilted its body, not quite understanding why Owen was asking.
Owen fell into deep thought.
Something's not right. If Magnemite isn't discharging electricity and its side components aren't rotating at high speeds, its internal magnetism should theoretically remain in a stable, balanced state...
Could it be that its Magnet Pull ability makes its magnetic field too strong?
Unlikely. Even with powerful magnetism, it shouldn't be grounded. Magnet Pull Magnemites are already used in various industrial fields, and I've never heard of one being unable to fly because of it.
Owen continued to interrogate his own logic. Under the bewildered gazes of his parents and Magnemite, he looked toward an empty plastic water bottle sitting on the table.
He weighed the empty bottle in his hand, laid it flat on the table, and said to Magnemite, "Magnemite, try to concentrate your mind just like you did when you were looking at the phone and the Poké Ball. Stare at this water bottle."
"Kuo-yi?"
Though confused by Owen's request, Magnemite complied.
One second, two seconds...
Under Magnemite's intense gaze, the empty water bottle suddenly jerked and rotated!
Owen's eyes widened.
It wasn't magnetism! There was no metal in a plastic water bottle.
"Try these." Owen tore off a piece of tissue paper and laid out a pile of wooden toothpicks.
"Kuo-yi—"
Magnemite's expression turned solemn as it began to realize its own power. Following Owen's command, it concentrated its mind once more. This time, without exception, both items moved.
"What's going on?" Owen's parents, having limited professional knowledge of Pokémon, turned to him in unison.
"It's a form of telekinesis. Or rather, psychic power."
"Is that rare?" his father asked.
"Extremely. Because Magnemite aren't supposed to be able to learn moves like that." Owen explained. "These objects moved linearly, which means it's not the Psychic-type move 'Gravity.' Since Magnemite can't naturally master 'Confusion,' there's only one possibility left."
Owen looked seriously at the Magnemite. "Hidden Power. Magnemite has awakened a Psychic-type Hidden Power."
For Magnemite to manipulate water bottles, paper, and toothpicks from a distance... it was the only explanation.
His parents had clearly never heard of Hidden Power. After Owen's detailed explanation, they nodded with a vague understanding.
Hidden Power is a move that varies in type based on a Pokémon's individual biological differences.
It can be understood as a special talent hidden deep within a Pokémon's body—a talent so versatile it can allow a Pokémon to bypass its natural typing and use energy it isn't specialized in.
For example, a Fire-type Charizard could potentially manifest Water-type energy through Hidden Power.
On Earth, Hidden Power is considered a "latent talent" move. The specific method of awakening it remains unknown; in the few recorded cases, Pokémon awakened it naturally with no discernible pattern.
In the games, aside from Unown, it could only be learned via TM, but in reality, it carried a much more mysterious, innate weight.
"Could it be that this Hidden Power is interfering with Magnemite's ability to release electromagnetic waves...?"
The unmastered psychic waves and electromagnetic waves were likely repelling each other, causing Magnemite to fail at mastering both. The result? It couldn't fly.
Owen felt a shiver run down his spine. This meant Magnemite wasn't physically defective—it was actually extraordinarily talented.
Though... Owen didn't yet know what kind of potential a Psychic-gifted Magnemite truly held. But one thing was undeniable: this Magnemite was no failure. The phone explosion was likely caused by this volatile energy.
You know, the last guy who was mocked for not being able to fly ended up becoming a Legendary Pokémon! (Note: Groudon)
The Training Ground
The next day, Owen called in sick and didn't go to school.
Now that he had a lead, he decided against asking Mr. Lee for help. He wanted to personally explore the reason behind Magnemite's flightlessness. And... he needed to buy Eevee a new phone.
At the Fairview Public Battlegrounds, Owen arrived early with Eevee and Magnemite. After his mediation efforts last night, Eevee finally believed the explosion wasn't intentional and was no longer as hostile toward the little magnet.
However, Eevee was still miffed at Owen. Her cheeks were puffed out in annoyance all the way there; in her eyes, Owen was being way too nice to the newcomer. It gave her the distinct, uncomfortable feeling that Magnemite was going to compete with her for Owen's affection.
"Eevee, you accidentally mastered Frustration yesterday. Can you still find that feeling today?" Owen squatted down and asked.
"Vee—!" Eevee nodded hard, recalling the sight of her exploding phone. Instantly, a surge of rage rose from her heart. She didn't even have to try; the fury filled her entire body, making her feel warm and brimming with energy.
Following Owen's point toward a reinforced rubber wall, Eevee charged—
BANG!
The rubber wall dipped inward significantly.
Seeing the deformation, Owen noted: The power has already surpassed 'Tackle,' but the speed isn't high, so it's still inferior to 'Quick Attack.'
Is it only at this level?
It seemed she wasn't angry enough. If he smashed the newly bought phone, maybe she could reach the power of "Take Down"?
Owen quickly abandoned that suicidal thought. Too expensive. Relying on Anger Energy via Frustration was the "Dark Side" of training! Return was the righteous path! He had to steer Eevee back onto the right track and empower her through love!
"Eevee, Frustration, and Return should operate on the same principle, right?"
Eevee thought it over and confirmed. According to what Lopunny taught, both were applications of emotional energy. The only difference was that one used negative emotions while the other used positive ones.
"That means if you mimic the technique you used for Frustration but apply it to your friendship with me, mastering Return shouldn't be far off!" Owen deduced.
"Vee!" Eevee agreed. If she could master Return, she could play on her phone for an extra thirty minutes a day... Victory was in sight. Eevee was full of fighting spirit.
As Eevee began her practice on the side, Owen took out Magnemite's Poké Ball and released it.
If Magnemite could control its mental power through intense practice and successfully master Hidden Power, would it finally be able to take to the skies?
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