Lightning pierced into its core, currents stimulating every cell. Magnemite's screws and magnets reached their maximum rotational speed, spinning so fast they became a blur of afterimages.
Magnemite had lost all sensation of them... It was spinning so violently it feared a part of its body might suddenly detach and go flying, leaving it "drawn and quartered" by its own momentum.
At the same time, the special Metal Coat liquid was continuously fusing into its frame under the saturation of the lightning. Magnemite's body, already lustrous from high-quality Poké-blocks, began to emit a brilliant, metallic sheen—shining as blindingly as a lightning bolt itself.
Ten minutes later.
Mr. Lee shook his head. "It seems the lightning intensity here is too weak. I didn't expect it to adapt this quickly..." He called out to Owen, "Time to consider moving on. Call it down."
"Marowak!!"
At Mr. Lee's command, his Marowak slammed its bone club into the ground. The vibration caught Eevee's eye, and both Pokémon looked up toward Magnemite.
"Oh, right. Eevee, toss a Shadow Ball to get Magnemite's attention and tell it to come down," Owen said. It was time to find a tougher spot.
The first day of the challenge concluded in the late afternoon.
During the session, Magnemite had been in a state of "pleasure through pain," but once the adrenaline wore off, a wave of stinging agony and exhaustion hit its system. Its body remained scorching hot, showing signs of a potential fever.
However, this was all within Mr. Lee's expectations as a breeder. Under his care, Magnemite gradually began to stabilize, though it still let out occasional pained beeps. Eevee watched with a mix of pity and "I told you so"—it had always known lightning was nothing but trouble.
"Magnemite, you did great today!"
"The Thunderbolt you released earlier was several times stronger than before. How do you feel?" Owen tried to distract it with conversation to ease its discomfort.
In the Electric Wilderness, the Thunderbolt Magnemite had fired toward the sky was a sight to behold—clashing head-on with the descending natural lightning.
Though it hadn't managed to overpower the sky's wrath, Owen felt that level of power could easily one-shot the Pokémon of trainers like Leo or Lynnea.
"Mag-neee..." Magnemite gave a weary, silly smile. It only knew that at that moment, it was overflowing with power. Now, however... it couldn't replicate it.
"That's normal. It was holding an excessive amount of electricity," Mr. Lee said, checking Magnemite with his handheld device.
"If we hadn't reinforced its magnetism with the lodestone and used the Metal Coat beforehand, it would be seriously ill right now."
Owen nodded. He remembered "Pikachu" going through something similar in the anime.
During the battle at the Mauville Gym, Pikachu had absorbed too much power from a Raikou robot, allowing it to effortlessly sweep the Gym Leader's three Electric-type Pokémon with just three moves.
Pikachu had ended up in the hospital afterward, which put the sudden power boost into perspective.
"Once the evolution training is complete, the base power of its Thunderbolt will naturally increase. Whether it can reach the level it showed today depends on its own hard work," Mr. Lee noted, checking the itinerary.
"Vee-vee~" Eevee trotted over, looking helpless as it rang the bell around its neck.
A pleasant chime echoed out, silver ripples of sound washing over Magnemite. Hearing the Heal Bell, Magnemite felt the pressure on its body ease and looked at Eevee with gratitude.
"Vee~" Eevee acted like a worried big sister, "educating" its teammate.
If you can't even handle this much lightning, how are you going to take hits for me in the future??
The Heal Bell worked wonders, but Eevee's lecture made Magnemite feel a bit dejected. I'm an Electric-type, but being struck by actual lightning still hurts... a little understanding would be nice.
One Day Later.Outside a Thunderstorm Zone in the Electric Wilderness.
To claim this specific area's lightning for itself, Magnemite had to battle a swarm of wild Magnemite. It had won, earning the right to dominate this strike zone.
During the battle, Magnemite had sustained several injuries, but it still had to face the lightning. As thunder rumbled, its once-shiny body was now covered in scuffs and marks.
It stared up at the sea of golden lightning within the dark clouds with a look of frustration. Currently, it could only wait for bits of lightning to fall and struggle to resist them...
When would it be like the legendary Pokémon in Owen's stories, flying freely within the heart of the storm?
Owen had described Zapdos—a bird that streaks through cumulonimbus clouds amidst lightning, thunder, rain, gales, hail, and tornadoes. Magnemite wanted that level of power, but it knew it was still far off.
Exhausted in both mind and body, it began to descend.
Suddenly, Magnemite's body picked up a strange, miraculous electronic wave. It instinctively looked toward the north, its expression turning fervent.
Its mental energy had just been jolted; it felt a vibration that was incredibly attractive... If it wasn't mistaken, there was something in that direction that would be immensely beneficial.
"Mag-neee! Mag-neee!!" Magnemite flew to Owen's side. Realizing Owen might not understand its electronic pulses perfectly, it nudged Eevee to translate.
"Vee?!" Eevee blinked, looking in the direction Magnemite was pointing.
Owen turned his head, realizing something was drawing Magnemite in. He turned to Mr. Lee for an explanation.
"Hmm..." Mr. Lee adjusted his glasses, looking at Magnemite. "This little guy has surprisingly sharp senses."
"What is it, Mr. Lee?" Owen asked.
"Up ahead should be the Magnetic Mountain area. As the name suggests, it's a mountain range saturated with a powerful magnetic field."
"Generally, that place is even more attractive to Electric Pokémon than the thunderstorm zones. However, there are almost no wild Pokémon there.
All the suitable training and resting spots have been claimed by Professional Trainers who leave their Pokémon there to roam and train on their own," Mr. Lee explained.
"Free-range training..." Owen realized. For many high-level trainers, this wasn't uncommon. Some left Pokémon at daycare centers; others left them in environments suited to their growth—the ocean, glaciers, volcanoes, or magnetic mountains.
Sometimes, this was more beneficial for growth than staying by the trainer's side.
"Master Ash" was the king of this... the Oak Lab, Charicific Valley, or leaving Pokémon with legendary trainers...
"So Magnemite..."
"Yes," Mr. Lee confirmed. "Magnemite has felt the fluctuations of the Magnetic Mountain... and it's feeling the temptation."
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