Pokémon fans have generated plenty of discussion in an Oct. 15 Reddit thread where they’ve pointed out certain Pokémon in need of more fitting abilities based on their Pokédex entries. The responses have raised further questions about Game Freak’s internal process and whether it deliberately ignores its own lore.
The thread author’s opening suggestion of Luxray puts forward a convincing case. “If you look at Luxray’s Pokédex entries,” Mx_Toniy_4869 began, “every single one of them describes Luxray as having the ability to see through walls.” This is no exaggeration either. From the Electric Pokémon’s debut entries in Diamond and Pearl to the latest in Scarlet and Violet, we find this same characteristic referenced consistently.
Luxray, in particular, is a creature with an undesirable ability as one of its options. Rivalry sees a Pokémon’s attack power raised by 25% if it is fighting a target with the same gender. At the same time, it’ll be weaker when facing Pokémon of the opposite gender. This means any Luxray with this ability won’t have a great matchup half the time, making it pretty inconsistent and unreliable.
Mx_Toniy proposed Frisk as a much more appropriate choice for Luxray since it pays homage to all those X-ray references in its Pokédex entries across the years. This ability allows the user to see the held item of an opposing Pokémon upon entering battle. I find myself in full support of this recommendation along with the other great ideas suggested by fellow fans.
Lyceus_ mentioned the classic Magnemite evolutionary line conundrum which quickly became the most upvoted answer. These magnet-inspired Pokémon, for some bizarre reason, don’t enjoy the advantages of Levitate. One of the most well-regarded in competitive play, Levitate totally negates Ground-type moves which is particularly useful when your own typing is Electric/Steel.
“My headcanon is that as they float using electromagnetism, Ground-type moves disrupt the ground beneath them,” Gamengine argued. “But yes, it absolutely looks like they should have Levitate.” Considering how Magnet Rise now exists, this theory seems to have some solid ground to stand on ironically enough. The move essentially gives the user the same effect as Levitate. Only introduced in Generation IV, Magnet Rise’s existence appears to be something of a patch job more than a lore explanation.
Our final nod of approval goes the way of thegayestweeb, citing Grimer and Muk as candidates to be given Liquid Ooze. This ability, introduced in Generation III, causes incoming HP-draining moves to damage their user rather than heal them. “You’d think draining fluids from a creature made of toxic sludge that ‘kills plants and trees immediately on contact’ into your body would harm you,” they surmised.
Perhaps it’s time for the developers to take a closer look at their older roster again. With more choices than ever, it seems like some Pokémon could really benefit from more lore-accurate abilities.
