Capítulo 38: Chapter 38: Hidden Abilities

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Pokémon abilities are generally classified into two types: standard abilities and hidden abilities. For the most part, the vast majority of Pokémon have standard abilities, while only a few possess hidden abilities.

Of course, hidden abilities aren't always superior to standard ones. The advantage of Pokémon with hidden abilities is that they can easily mislead opponents. Hidden ability Pokémon are so rare, and the number of people who even know about them is limited, that opponents are often caught off guard, leading to a disadvantageous situation.

It's important to remember that in battles, every factor can become a critical weapon, and abilities are a crucial part of Pokémon combat. If a Trainer can't identify the ability of their opponent's Pokémon, their journey as a Trainer will likely be a short one.

As a devoted Pokémon fan, Sato was naturally well-versed in the mechanics of hidden abilities. In fact, he believed that many hidden abilities were quite powerful. For example, consider the hidden abilities of some starter Pokémon: Charmander's Solar Power, Totodile's Sheer Force, Torchic's Speed Boost, and Snivy's Contrary.

(Note: Solar Power boosts special attack by 1.5x in sunny weather but causes the Pokémon to lose 1/8 of its HP each turn.)

(Note: Sheer Force boosts the power of moves with additional effects by 30%, but removes those effects.)

(Note: Speed Boost increases the Pokémon's speed by one stage at the end of each turn.)

(Note: Contrary causes stat changes to have the opposite effect—stat decreases become increases, and vice versa.)

As for Nidoran having the Hustle ability, Sato was also well aware of its effect. This ability increases physical attack power by 1.5x but reduces the accuracy of physical moves by 20%.

Sato considered Hustle to be more advantageous than disadvantageous. The 1.5x boost to physical attack meant that the power of Nidoran's physical moves would skyrocket, greatly enhancing its damage potential.

As for the downside of lowered accuracy, Sato believed it could be easily mitigated by pairing it with a specific move—Hone Claws. Conveniently, Nidoran can learn this move via a technical machine (TM).

(Note: Nidoran could learn Hone Claws in Generations IV, V, and VI, but the move was removed in Generation VII. However, I believe that moves shouldn't be restricted by generations in a novel where the world is real. So, in this reality, Nidoran can learn any move it was able to learn in any generation. Please don't be upset by this.)

(Note: Hone Claws is a Dark-type status move that increases the user's attack and accuracy by one stage each.)

By pairing Hone Claws with Hustle, not only would Nidoran's accuracy issue be solved, but its physical attack power would be boosted even further, making it a win-win situation.

Moreover, Sato knew that Nidoran's final evolution, Nidoking, had Sheer Force as its hidden ability. As mentioned earlier, Sheer Force is incredibly strong. Although it removes the additional effects of moves, it boosts their power by 30%.

Clearly, this ability offers more benefits than drawbacks. After all, additional effects only activate occasionally, and Sheer Force simply removes that chance in exchange for a consistent increase in move power.

Sato knew Nidoking very well. Ever since playing the games, he had a deep fondness for this Pokémon. The reason was simple: not only does Nidoking have decent base stats that are well-distributed, but it can also learn a wide variety of moves.

Among all Pokémon, the Nido family is exceptional in the number of moves they can learn, especially Nidoking and Nidoqueen in their final evolutions. These two can learn a vast array of moves, giving them incredibly broad offensive coverage.

What's more, many of the moves Nidoking can learn come with additional effects. For example, powerful moves like Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunder, Blizzard, and Fire Blast—all of which have additional effects—are within Nidoking's move pool. When paired with its Sheer Force ability, the power of these moves gets boosted to another level.

It's fair to say that a Nidoking with Sheer Force has all the qualifications to be a Trainer's main Pokémon. Its broad offensive coverage, combined with the power boost from Sheer Force, makes Nidoking a highly reliable ace in any Trainer's team.

Additionally, Sheer Force becomes even more overpowered when combined with the Life Orb item, as this combination can remove the Life Orb's drawback under certain conditions.

(Note: Life Orb is an item that increases the power of a Pokémon's moves by 30%, but causes the Pokémon to lose 10% of its HP each time it lands a hit. Pokémon with the Magic Guard ability ignore the recoil damage, and those with Sheer Force can also nullify the recoil when using moves with additional effects.)

In other words, if a Nidoking with Sheer Force uses the Life Orb, any move with additional effects would gain a 60% power boost while ignoring the Life Orb's recoil damage.

For example, Nidoking's Thunderbolt, which normally has a base power of 90, would be boosted to 144 when combined with Sheer Force and the Life Orb. One can only imagine how terrifying it would be when Nidoking uses Thunderbolt in battle. After all, most Pokémon only receive a 1.5x boost when using moves of their own type.

Sato held the hidden-ability Nidoran egg tightly in his hands. To him, this egg felt like the greatest gift from the heavens, and it would be the key to his rise as a powerful Trainer.

Of course, this opportunity was only possible due to several factors working in his favor: the help of his system, the perfect concealment of the egg's exceptional potential, and the seller's greed. Without all these conditions lining up, Sato wouldn't have been able to acquire this hidden treasure. This was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck, and had any one factor been different, the outcome would likely have been much less fortunate.

After leaving the public market, Sato quickened his pace. In just two minutes, he had returned to his dorm room.

"I really struck gold this time! Thank goodness I have the system, and that this Nidoran is still just an egg. Otherwise, a newbie Trainer like me would never have been able to get my hands on such a rare find," Sato thought excitedly as he sat on his bed, gazing at the Nidoran egg in his hands like it was a priceless treasure.

As a Pokémon enthusiast, Sato fully understood the value of a Nidoking with Sheer Force. Without a doubt, the Nidoran egg he now held would one day become one of his ace Pokémon.

After calming his excitement, Sato immediately grabbed a clean, damp towel to carefully wipe down the egg, and then began preparing everything he needed to hatch it.