The old man, moved by Ash's sincerity, finally entrusted Riolu to him.
Before parting, he gave Ash a heartfelt piece of advice: if Ash and Riolu could truly harmonize their auras and combine that power with the Time Flower, something truly miraculous could happen.
Ash had successfully captured this Aura-sensitive Riolu.
[Pokémon]: Riolu
[Category]: Emanation Pokémon
[Type]: Fighting
[Abilities]: Inner Focus, Steadfast
[Potential]: Blue Tier
[Level]: 40
[Moves]: Aura Sphere, Detect, Quick Attack, Counter, Feint, Force Palm, Copycat, Screech, Reversal...
Ash was in a great mood after catching Riolu.
Originally, he hadn't planned on capturing this Pokémon. But once he saw how it resonated with the Time Flower at that ancient location, he felt something deeper at play — like destiny itself was guiding them together.
And besides, he genuinely liked the little guy.
Now, all he needed to do was increase their bond. Once their friendship was strong enough, Riolu would evolve into Lucario — as long as it was during the day.
Just like in the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, this Riolu had the rare gift of sensing the aura of all living things across wide distances — a truly extraordinary ability.
"Never thought Riolu would end up going with you in the end," Kellyn said, chuckling as he finished packing his bag. "My mission was to escort it back to the kingdom, and now that it's in your hands, my job here is done. Time for me to head back to HQ."
"Thanks for everything," Ash nodded. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."
"Kellyn, tell Solana we said hi," Dawn added with a smile.
"Take care on the road," Anabel said sincerely.
"Will do. And hey, Ash — what you did today was a big deal. I'll report it to HQ just as it happened. Who knows, maybe someday our honorary member might want to pay a visit to the real base, huh?" He laughed heartily and waved as he walked away.
Ash, Dawn, and Anabel continued their journey toward Pastoria City.
Three days later, they stopped in a nameless forest to have lunch.
"Pika!"
Pikachu chirped cheerfully, offering a treat to Buneary.
"Mi~ mi~!"
Buneary blushed and gratefully accepted it.
Pikachu rubbed the back of its head, then turned toward the treat basket. Only one last piece of sweet cookie was left.
And just as luck would have it — Piplup also reached for it at the exact same moment.
Each clutched one side of the cookie, determined to claim it. But in their tiny tug-of-war, they pulled a little too hard — and the cookie slipped from their grasp, falling to the ground and rolling away.
"Pika!"
"Pip-pip!"
Both of them leaped off the table to chase after it.
"Riolu~"
Riolu was sitting nearby, wearing the small Riolu figurine gifted to it by the old man around its neck. It always kept it close.
"Gaaa-ka~"
Monferno noticed Riolu's thoughtful expression and started chatting, trying to cheer him up.
"Riolu, how's your Aura sensing doing?" Dawn asked suddenly. She had looked around and realized Piplup was nowhere to be seen. "Can you sense their aura? Maybe you can help us find them!"
Riolu nodded, and the black tassels on the sides of its head lifted — a clear sign it was activating its aura-sensing abilities.
"Rio!"
Riolu suddenly darted off in a direction, and Dawn hurried after it.
Ash and Anabel followed close behind.
Meanwhile, Pikachu and Piplup had reached the runaway cookie.
Pikachu picked it up and was about to take a bite — but then saw Piplup looking at him with big, pleading eyes.
So Pikachu broke the cookie in half, and the two shared it peacefully.
"Piichu!"
Suddenly, a wild Pichu popped out from the bushes and squeaked, pointing excitedly at Pikachu.
"Huh? What is it, Pichu?" A young man walked over curiously.
Behind him stood a very sturdy-looking Raichu.
"There you are — finally!" the man grinned. "Thanks, Pichu. With this Pikachu, my 'Thunderbolt Trio' will be complete! Raichu, go get it!"
"Rai!"
Raichu charged toward Pikachu — and it looked like this guy intended to battle first and ask questions never.
"Piplup! There you are!" Dawn shouted as she arrived with Riolu. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Pika?" Pikachu turned his head, sensing the attack just in time. He grabbed Piplup and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding Raichu's Iron Tail.
"Pip-pip!"
The two stared at the Raichu. That Iron Tail had been strong.
"You can't just attack like that out of nowhere!" Dawn snapped at the guy. "What's wrong with you?! That was dangerous!"
Just then, Ash and Anabel arrived too.
"Hey! I saw that Pikachu first! Don't you try and steal it from me!" the guy barked. "Raichu, Iron Tail again!"
"Riolu, Aura Sphere!"
BOOM!
Riolu's Aura Sphere hit Raichu squarely, blasting it backward.
"Wha—?! Raichu?!" the man cried out. "What the hell, man?! And what kind of Riolu can use Aura Sphere already?!"
Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder with ease.
It was only now the guy realized — this Pikachu wasn't wild.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" he shouted. "After all that, it's already taken?! Fine then! How about a trade? I'll give you my Mareep and BOTH my Magnetons for your Pikachu — that's a steal!"
Trade Pikachu?
Talk about delusional…
Ash couldn't even be bothered to look directly at the guy.
He remembered this from the original timeline — this annoying, arrogant punk who challenged him and mocked him endlessly after Pikachu lost to his Raichu. No way was he going to let history repeat itself.
"My Pikachu's not some item for trade. But if it's a battle you want, then fine — let's go."
"Heh! You said it! When you lose, we trade! Raichu, use Thunder!"
"Pikachu, you too — Thunder!"
"Pikaaaaa—CHUUUUU!!!"
Both Pokémon unleashed massive bolts of lightning.
But Pikachu's Thunder tore through Raichu's like it was nothing — completely overpowering it and slamming directly into Raichu's chest!
"Raiiiii!!!"
Raichu let out a pained cry as it was launched into the air and crashed to the ground, twitching, its body smoking.
The trainer stood frozen in disbelief.
Ash, Dawn, and Anabel didn't waste another word on him.
They simply returned to their picnic site, packed up their things, and got ready to move on.
Just beyond the edge of the forest lay one of Sinnoh's three legendary lakes…
Lake Valor.
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T/N:
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