Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Chapter 449 449: 449. Magnezone

Endure is a Normal-type status move. When a Pokémon is hit with a blow that would otherwise knock it out, Endure allows it to hold on with just 1 HP remaining. Like Protect, however, it will fail if used in back-to-back turns — otherwise, a Pokémon could stall indefinitely and never go down.

A soft glow of Normal-type energy wrapped around Fraxure, its aura flaring steadily. There was fire in its eyes as it locked onto Aggron's incoming charge and chose to take the hit head-on.

Boom!

The force of Double-Edge landing rattled the training room. Julia and Amira both flinched from the sidelines, their expressions tightening with concern.

What Endure guaranteed was survival — not comfort. The impact still hit with full force, and the pain showed plainly on Fraxure's face. It let out a sharp, furious cry, body shaking. But it stayed on its feet, clinging to that last sliver of HP.

"Kyle's going to lose," Julia said quietly.

Amira nodded beside her. Both were top students in the Trainer program, and they had already read where this was going. "He battled well, but there's no way Aggron can take a full-power Reversal right now. Endure into Reversal is one of the oldest combos in the book — and Aggron has no way to stop it."

"Fraxure, Reversal — now!" Jacob's voice rang clear across the arena.

Exactly as Julia and Amira had called it.

Endure paired with Reversal is one of the most fundamental and time-tested combinations in Pokémon battling. The two moves are almost always seen together.

Endure brings the user down to 1 HP. Reversal is a Fighting-type physical move with variable power — the lower the user's HP, the harder it hits. At 1 HP, Reversal's power reaches its maximum, enough to be genuinely frightening.

And Aggron had a four-times weakness to Fighting-type. The math left no room for doubt.

Kyle's heart sank the moment he heard Jacob's command.

He knew the combo. Every serious Trainer did. But knowing what was coming and having a way to stop it were two very different things. In a standard battle, he could switch in a Ghost-type to wall the move — Reversal couldn't touch them. But in a one-on-one, there was no switching out. No backup plan.

Aggron also had no access to priority moves, and its Fighting-type weakness only made things worse. Kyle's mind raced, but no solution came.

Jacob watched the shift in Kyle's expression and allowed himself a small smile. He was glad Fraxure could learn both Endure and Reversal — and even more glad that Aggron's typing made this matchup so favorable. Without that four-times weakness, this battle could have gone very differently.

"Come on then, Kyle — this is the bond between me and Fraxure. Let's finish it!" Jacob's confident tone was enough to make Kyle's jaw tighten.

Boom!

The Fighting-type energy that exploded from Fraxure sent a visible shockwave across the arena floor. Even a tank like Aggron — steel-armored, battle-hardened — could not withstand a max-power Reversal at four-times weakness.

"Raaaah!"

Aggron let out a pained cry as it was launched backward, its massive frame hitting the ground like a cannonball with nowhere left to go. It didn't get back up.

"Damn it!" Kyle didn't bother holding back his frustration. Fraxure had been on its last legs and still managed to pull out the win. "Just you wait — I'm going straight to buy a Sandstorm TM. Let's see how that combo works when there's a Sandstorm running."

He wasn't wrong to be annoyed. Sandstorm was a genuine counter. In Sandstorm weather, every turn deals chip damage to any Pokémon that isn't Steel-, Rock-, or Ground-type. With Fraxure sitting at 1 HP, a single tick of Sandstorm damage would be enough to finish it before Reversal could even be used.

Jacob's smile widened, though he had to admit the idea had merit. "Good thinking. But let's settle that score next time, Kyle. Today, you lost."

His easy grin made Kyle feel even worse.

"Julia!" Kyle turned toward her, expression somewhere between sulking and desperate. "You have to get him back for me. Give him a proper battle."

Amira, sitting right next to Julia, immediately jumped in: "Are you serious? Julia isn't going to go hard on Jacob." She gave Kyle a knowing look. "Think about it — in two whole months, has she challenged him even once? And she's been quietly turning away everyone else who tries to get ranked above her, too."

"It's been going around the school forum. They're calling her the top-ranked personal bodyguard in the country."

Julia's face went red. She reached over and clamped her hand over Amira's mouth before she could say anything else.

"Mmph — okay, okay, enough!" Amira managed through Julia's hand, laughing as she pushed Julia toward the battle arena. "Go on, get it over with. We're all friends here, keep it quick. I'm hungry."

Still flushed, Julia stepped onto the arena and took Kyle's place.

She stood still for a moment, took a slow breath, and steadied herself.

"Ready?" Jacob asked.

"Mm."

"Then let's go."

"Okay."

They nodded at each other, and both sent out their Pokémon at the same time.

"Shelgon, go!"

"Go, Magnezone!"

Magnezone.

Jacob blinked. Another Steel-type?

Were all the Pokémon he was facing today Steel-types?

Magnezone was widely regarded as one of the strongest Steel-type Pokémon available. Its Defense was excellent, its Special Defense was solid, and its HP — while not exceptional — was backed up by a typing combination that gave it real staying power. The Electric/Steel dual typing was well-rounded and hard to exploit.

On paper, Magnezone only had three weaknesses: Fire-type, Fighting-type — both at two-times — and Ground-type at four-times. But Magnezone could learn Magnet Rise, which let it levitate and become immune to Ground-type moves for several turns. That effectively removed its worst weakness in battle, leaving only Fire and Fighting as real threats.

Offensively, its Special Attack was among the highest of any Steel-type, giving it genuine firepower to match its bulk. Its Speed was low, but it had the Analytic Ability to compensate — Analytic boosted the power of Magnezone's moves when it acted last in a turn, turning its sluggishness into an advantage.

Beyond that, Magnezone had another possible Ability: Magnet Pull. In battle, Magnet Pull prevented non-Ghost-type Steel-type Pokémon from fleeing or switching out — a niche but powerful tool in the right matchup. Outside of battle, it also increased the chances of running into Steel-type Pokémon in the wild.

Jacob caught himself thinking it was the kind of Pokémon he would have loved to start with.

"Magnezone, Magnet Rise!"

Julia's opening move was careful and methodical — exactly what Jacob expected from her. Getting Magnet Rise up immediately cut off Magnezone's Ground-type vulnerability before it could be threatened. A clean, conservative start.