Evolved in Battle

Yan Yang looked at the Garbodor before him, wearing black sunglasses and seeming somewhat awkward and uneasy, even carrying an air completely at odds with its species' temperament. Then he glanced at the cool and upright Lucario beside it, and his curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

No matter how he looked at it, this combination was interesting. It practically radiated the feeling that there was a story behind it.

But the urgent matter was figuring out when his old roommate's starter partner had evolved. After all, Lucario was an old friend of his.

At Yan Yang's question, Bu Xiang's face immediately lit up, and he eagerly began recounting the story.

As it turned out, the evolution had happened during yesterday's practical assessment.

Since most students in the regular class only had one or two Pokémon and could not participate in a standard 3v3 battle, Bu Xiang had taken part in a 1v1 assessment.

His opponent had been a rather troublesome Stunky.

After following Bu Xiang through countless days of rushing around and working odd jobs, Riolu's bond with him had long since become firm through sweat and mutual support.

In fact, ever since Gengar's prank incident, their relationship had already undergone a qualitative leap.

As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Riolu had inherited a similarly hardworking and resilient spirit from her trainer. Coupled with the unexpected compatibility between their auras, she harbored few complaints and instead became even more steadfast.

What was reassuring was that although Bu Xiang came from an ordinary family, he was not dull-witted.

Even though the time they could use for training came only in scattered fragments, he always did his utmost to carve out gaps for targeted practice.

Riolu had seen all that effort and remembered it in her heart.

Along with Bu Xiang's meticulous care, Riolu had