With Rosa as the capture model, Nate was itching to try too.
The more Hikaru looked at the handsome boy before him, the more he resembled the Nate from that promo—chasing down the Shadow Triad alone, and with no small level of physical prowess.
If it were the promo-world trio, they'd flat-out be the "battle-mad trio."
Rosa is the Ten-Li-Slope war goddess, Nate the marathon master, and Hugh is in a permanent Rage state.
But while instructing the three, Hikaru keenly sensed someone nearby.
If it were parents searching from town, they wouldn't be hiding in the trees and peeking—Hikaru slid his gaze to one side.
No hostility, just observing. Do starter towns really have this kind of oddball role?
Either way, with me here, they won't dare try anything dumb.
"I'm curious what medicine you've got in that gourd," Hikaru focused—and felt another aura racing closer.
Without noticing, he'd become this sensitive to the presence of wild Pokémon.
"The local Fighting-type… it's here!"
From here, a few ridges over is Floccesy Town and its Floccesy Ranch, where the very rare Riolu dwell; and Floccesy is a place you can reach very early.
Opening with Riolu… there's never been a better start.
As a Pokémon, in both strength and looks, Riolu is top tier.
Yet meeting a Riolu in real life is hard.
These blue pups can read hearts; if yours is foul, they simply won't appear.
Now, for some reason, a Riolu stepped forth!
"These mountains of untouched nature are Riolu's native habitat; they say a Riolu can vault three peaks and cross two ravines in a single night."
"They train in harsh wilds—tough, diligent fellows who view the world through aura."
"Wao—" Hikaru's own Riolu popped from its Ultra Ball, shook its head, and corrected Hikaru's phrasing.
C'mon, you're a 'legendary person' and a Pokédex holder—don't say 'they say'!
Not 'they say'—it's true!
"Right, right—correction noted," Hikaru smiled at the blue pup.
"Ah! Another Riolu!"
The trio spotted the Riolu sprinting out of the distant trees—then saw one appear by Hikaru too—and their surprise exploded.
Even as kids, they knew Riolu have a special power, and won't follow evil people.
If a Trainer can win Riolu's trust, there's no better compliment; "capture" only counts when it's truly recognized you.
"Mm… -sensei's Riolu gives me a really strong feeling. Just looking at it makes me tremble."
Nate half-reacted on instinct; staring at the pup beside Hikaru, he could feel a calm, immense power.
In contrast, the Riolu from the woods was restless—very much a brash kid.
Hikaru noticed, and mused: as a protagonist, Nate might have aura too.
After all, Nate's official team features a Lucario—maybe a hidden Aura User.
"Me too," Hugh swallowed.
He fought constantly—wilds and Trainers alike—but this Riolu was different!
"Same species, but observing them feels completely different! What rank is -sensei's Riolu?"
"Ruff!"
The mountain Riolu's eyes flashed!
So strong so strong so strong!
It felt the mighty aura of this "senpai," and sprinted here.
And that far-traveled human radiated an unreachable intensity—no mistake, a master in training!
"…"
Hikaru's Riolu looked over the younger pup, appraising.
Following aura all the way down from the mountains showed high talent; winded but not spent meant its stamina passed muster.
So—you've come to ask for instruction?
"Perfect. Use my Riolu to complete the capture, but this kind of Pokémon is hard to raise; you'll need it to truly accept you."
Hikaru handed Nate the Pokédex. "Scan for moves on usage; my Riolu's learned a lot of martial arts."
"Yes!" Nate drew a deep breath and focused, flipping the dex to the move list.
"Ruff!" The young pup couldn't wait to challenge a strong foe, and struck first!
"Fajin!"
A compressed burst of force shoved the air aside!
"Mind's Eye!"
Riolu's eyes lit; at the instant the younger pup's paw came down, it slipped aside, clamped both arms like iron tongs, and heaved!
Bang! The ground cracked. The mountain pup yelped, sprang up, and its fighting spirit burned even hotter.
So strong—amazing!
Cold sweat beaded on Nate.
The dex's Riolu move list was so outrageous he blurted, "-Sensei, your Riolu seems… not normal?"
"Does a normal Riolu get Dragon Pulse, Heal Pulse, Dark Pulse… and Aura Sphere? Riolu… shouldn't be able to learn Aura Sphere, right?"
"There are loads of moves here I don't even recognize—but this can't be normal, right?"
"Don't underestimate my Riolu," Hikaru lifted a finger—sheesh, looked down on like that!
"Different places, different paths, different trials—Pokémon of the same species end up with different moves and strengths."
"My Riolu is from the Rock of Training, tempered on Victory Road, and has traveled with me through the Ancient Castle, White Forest, Abyssal Ruins, Heart's Hollow—far from ordinary!"
"And Riolu's evolution depends on friendship, not raw power—so even with the same shell, the insides differ!"
Aura is ripple-craft refined; a gifted Riolu can learn it early.
And once it grasps aura, all other pulses open up!
"Then why hasn't -sensei's Riolu evolved?"
Nate asked without thinking, then realized he probably shouldn't—but Hikaru just cleared his throat.
"Because my Riolu wants to have a bout with me; until that wish is fulfilled, it won't evolve."
Nate, Rosa, Hugh: "???"
Rosa: "Fight your Trainer? That personality is… how to put it!"
Hugh: "I've heard of people wrestling Pokémon, but if -sensei's Riolu is this strong, there's no way you'd win!"
Their talk left the young mountain pup gaping.
Whew—almost got spooked!
It shook its head to scatter fear and howled long!
That was Self-Motivation, raising Attack and Sp. Atk—then it flashed in with Quick Attack!
Smack!
"Use Quick Riposte!" Nate began—then blinked, because the riposte had already landed.
Hikaru chuckled. "It read your aura and acted on your intent early. Aura shares the heart."
"Quick Riposte is a martial guard against openers—stop them cold and make them flinch."
"Hu-ha!"
The young pup dropped to a knee, its rush broken, panting—and the senpai before it loomed like a mountain!
The highest mountain…!
Among unevolved kin, this was the strongest it had ever seen!
But it spared a surprised glance at the boy called Nate.
Even if it didn't 'understand' the art called Quick Riposte, it knew it was a powerful technique; the senpai was obeying that young man's order. The senpai struck faster, but the boy gave the right command.
Yes—he has that strange aura. I can feel a little of it.
And being made to flinch doesn't mean I can do nothing!
A buff flared over the young pup.
Hikaru: "Seems this young Riolu is interested in you; you gave the right order, so it's looking at you with new eyes."
"But it won't fold that easy—Ability: Steadfast. When it flinches, its Speed rises one stage."
"No problem—we have Extreme Speed!"
Nate: "Extreme Speed?"
Hikaru: "Yup, a rare move—few species learn it. Lucario can master it after long training post-evolution."
"Crash into the foe in a blur—faster than ordinary priority can hope to match!"
With Nate's order, the battlefield changed.
No matter the younger pup's feints, Hikaru's Riolu appeared even faster at its flank; after several exchanges, the youngster panted, eyes wide with shock.
Too strong! Are you sure you're supposed to have this move?!
Thinking fast, it abruptly began to Dig, hoping to ambush from below.
Nate spotted a powerful move in the dex.
"Use Earthquake!"
"Hoo—" Riolu sighed.
Young one, tunneling has big drawbacks!
It raised a fist and slammed the earth.
Rumble!
The forest shuddered; with a cry, the young pup was blasted out of the ground!
Chunks of rock clattered down—its hideout became a crater.
"S-so strong! That's not normal Earthquake power—why did it explode?"
"I've never seen a move this strong!"
Hugh and Rosa were stunned; Nate, rattled by the destruction, stammered, "I… don't know either. Using Earthquake on a tunneler is right, since it's underground."
"It's my first time seeing it like this."
Hikaru explained:
"Right—if the target is in Dig, Earthquake's power doubles—that's move synergy."
"Combine moves and you get huge power and special effects."
"That young Riolu has lost the ability to battle—do you want to catch it?"
Nate looked at the ruined ground and the fainted pup, then scratched his head.
"It doesn't feel like I caught it by my own strength."
"It's because -sensei's Riolu is too strong."
Hikaru laughed. "Didn't expect that from you. Mm—so you feel shy since the power wasn't yours. But a capture lesson starts that way; you didn't even have a Pokémon at first."
"Even so, you won. That young Riolu won't complain—its challenge was to my Riolu from the start."
"If you still feel bad—ask its will."
Under the trio's round eyes, Riolu released Heal Pulse; the downed pup slowly came to, gazed at the senpai's gentle power, and its heart filled with yearning.
It exhaled, pressed its little paws together, and admitted defeat.
Then it turned to Nate—
—and gave a small nod.
If you can give correct commands, then all I lack is training and power!
You—train me!
Hikaru: "Looks like it chose you and acknowledged what you just did."
"Eh—me? Really?"
Nate was still stunned when the brash pup snatched his Poké Ball with a Quick Attack, tapped itself inside, and ding—done.
Eh, looks like what's missing is…
"What's missing is a bit of confidence," Nate blinked—then frowned. "It… said that? Is that aura too?"
"So good! An auto-capture!" Rosa was thrilled. "Riolu is really strong!"
Hugh: "Congrats, Nate… mm—now that you've got power, we'll need you when it counts."
"Ruff!"
Hikaru's Riolu barked and pointed.
From the fight, it had read the youngster's aura—and knew where it came from.
There—stood the Melody Tree!
Northwest, where there's a lookout and crescent rocks—near there, a black Haxorus!
Hikaru knew that place at once.
"Hugh, you're last. You've caught Bouffalant, but it's strong—it won't listen to a kid."
"Power's not the worry; let me teach you something else."
When the Trainer's rank—or the Trainer's presence—is lacking, strong Pokémon won't obey; Charizard was the classic case.
Sleeping through the Indigo Conference—legendary awkwardness.
In reality, raising friendship solves the issue.
Even Charizard opened up after Ash's tireless care.
"Riiing—"
Hikaru took out a small item and handed it to the boy.
Not pricey—common worldwide.
"A Soothe Bell; a Pokémon holding it builds friendship faster."
"Your Bouffalant's nature is Hasty, Ability Sap Sipper; it likes sweet flavors and hates sour."
"The thinning patch on its head shows it left—betrayed—its herd. Bouffalant usually live in groups of twenty; the puffier the afro, the higher the status."
"Maybe help it care for that hair; that'll quickly boost friendship."
"Use special Berries, battle strong Trainers, keep growing, share good food, pet favorite spots, walk with companions… all quick friendship tips."
"A-amazing!" Hugh gasped. "This is psychic—no, this is breeder knowledge! -Sensei, are you a Breeder too?"
Hikaru: "A breeder? Barely. In short, different Pokémon need different paths to bond; find the key and you'll become partners fast."
"To unlock true strength, first know your Pokémon."
"Not just book knowledge—observe their personalities, tastes, daily state. That matters!"
"That's all for today's lesson. Nate—your Riolu just gave me a useful lead; what I seek is right ahead."
"Rosa, Nate, Hugh!"
"Go train yourselves and your Pokémon—keep growing!"
"Go chart maps no handbook has ever printed."
"Go challenge foes that make even Legendary Pokémon tremble."
"One day you'll climb that peak known to all, step into the Champion's hall, and leave your own legend in this world."
A new era's wind swept the mountains.
Sunlight settled on the shoulders of the boy and girl.
Young heroes, spirits blazing.
"Well then… the spectator hiding behind the trees—aren't you coming out to say something? For the kids' safety, best not try any tricks."
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause rose, and from behind the woods a tall, burly elder finally emerged.
He wore a white suit, a scarf embroidered with a Honedge motif, and a white wide-brim hat; a rakish grin tugged his lips.
"So versed in ecology, breeding, and battle—one who knows everything, right here!"
"My trip to Aspertia has yielded quite the surprise."
"You're teacher material! Why not teach at Aspertia's Trainer School?"
"There's only one answer—you're waiting for a better offer! And that offer is in my hands!"
"By the way, the direction you're headed is 'No Unauthorized Entry'!"
The dark-skinned elder tipped his white hat.
"Pleasure to meet you. I am Cyrano, Headmaster of Unova's Blueberry Academy!"
"Though the academy is still… in planning."
"Even so, I'm scouting exceptional students—and teachers!"
(End of Chapter)
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