Riolu

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Professor Oak sent Riolu to Chi Hong shortly after it hatched. Riolu rejected Chi Hong’s offered food and agreed to a one-on-one fight instead. Chi Hong defeated it using the Ice Empress’s defensive skills; Riolu accepted his strength and became his partner after hearing that it would have frequent opportunities to battle 27 28.

Chi Hong then used the battle royale selection match to help Riolu gain experience. Charizard and Greninja weakened opponents for it, before Chi Hong fought beside Riolu against Dai Huabin and the Hell White Tiger fusion. Riolu ended the match exhausted but eager to fight again 28 29 30 31.

During the Yun Luo Academy match, Chi Hong used Riolu’s Swords Dance, Endure, and Life Orb-enhanced Drain Punch to overcome the opposing captain and sustain its fighting strength. Riolu continued defeating the remaining competitors in single hits, reached 82 friendship, and evolved into Lucario. Its public evolution prompted the Sun Moon Imperial Team to consider the danger of Chi Hong continually strengthening his Soul Beasts and to decide to report him to their superiors 37 38.

Lucario later challenged Chi Hong again, still intent on avenging its first defeat. It secretly prepared four layers of Swords Dance and a Focus Punch before attacking, defeating its trainer. Afterward, it wagged its tail and licked Chi Hong’s face, and its friendship reached 94 54.

During the Star Dou Forest journey, Chi Hong cited Lucario’s growth to 15,000 years in half a year as evidence that his companions could develop exceptionally quickly under his care 65. Lucario subsequently gained access to Mega Evolution and trained with Darkrai. Chi Hong selected the pair to test whether the human-transformed Three-Eyed Golden Lion could qualify to join his team 85 87 88.

Appearance

Riolu is a small, upright, blue-and-black Pokémon. After evolving, Lucario is taller, with longer limbs and a more imposing build 27 38.

• Riolu — black mask-like facial markings and red eyes 27.
• Lucario — tall, erect ears; a longer muzzle; and short spikes on its chest and the backs of its hands 38.
• Mega Lucario — a taller, straighter frame; darker blue fur; and expanded black markings extending from its face across its chest, arms, and legs. The four tufts behind its head lengthen and develop red tips, its hands and feet become deep red, and its body fur grows longer and fuller. Its outward-spreading Aura creates a palpable sense of pressure 88.

Personality

Riolu is proud and intensely eager to fight. Its Inner Focus keeps it from being intimidated, but it still recognizes when Charizard and Greninja are too strong to challenge recklessly. Battle opportunities quickly turn its initial hostility toward Chi Hong into trust 27 28.

It enjoys both difficult contests and decisive victories. Even after exhausting itself in the battle royale, it looks ready for another round; later, its one-hit wins against Yun Luo delight it as much as they delight Chi Hong 31 38.

Lucario retains its competitive streak toward Chi Hong and is willing to prepare concealed boosts to win their rematch. Its affectionate behavior afterward shows that this rivalry coexists with a close bond with its trainer 54.

It is also sensitive about its image. When the Little Snow Empress calls it silly while admiring Charizard and Greninja, Lucario concludes that its pose must be the problem and resolves to develop a cooler one 56.

The prospect of fighting the Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately excites Lucario even while it is recovering its strength. Mega Evolution restores its confidence enough that it looks forward to a proposed one-against-two training battle with Charizard and Greninja. Nevertheless, it reassesses opponents realistically: after experiencing the human-transformed Golden Lion’s spear strikes, it recognizes that it cannot defeat her alone 85 87 89.

Abilities & Skills

Aura

Riolu can use Aura to perceive others and understand Chi Hong. Its power awakens more fully when it evolves into Lucario 27 38.

• Tracks Greninja’s movements through Smokescreen 28.
• Forms an Aura link with Chi Hong, allowing precise coordination in battle 41.
• As Lucario, uses Aura Sphere for a powerful ranged attack 41.
• Uses Aura Sphere even before evolving during the Yun Luo sweep 38.
• Its Aura is rooted in positive willpower, while its Fighting-type power is developed through training and battle. The resulting energy is highly condensed and difficult to devour, with an advantage against Dark-type power. Zi Ji struggles to absorb its Aura Sphere through Devouring Vortex and escalates to her Devouring Domain 81.
• Mega Evolution produces much larger, fiercer Aura Spheres, powerful enough to force Darkrai to scramble to evade them in training 87.
• Its ranged power has limits: the human-transformed Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s Golden Dragon Soaring the Heavens swallows and annihilates Mega Lucario’s Aura Sphere with ultimate fire and light 90.

Close Combat and Defense

• Inner Focus prevents flinching and makes Riolu immune to Intimidate 27.
• Quick Guard blocks Dai Huabin’s charge; Metal Claw wounds him in the counterattack 29.
• Endure lets Riolu survive an otherwise fatal lightning attack, while Counter turns that force back on its opponents 30.
• Swords Dance raises its attack power. Paired with Drain Punch, it lets Riolu defeat Yun Luo fighters in single blows and heal its injuries 37 38.
• As Lucario, it uses Extreme Speed, Power-Up Punch and Close Combat in tournament battles 41 48.
• Work Up increases Riolu’s strength, Screech disrupts the Hell White Tiger, and Rock Smash delivers the finishing strike against its weakened fusion 29.
• Force Palm releases an invisible shockwave, which Riolu uses to knock Jiang Nannan unconscious after Greninja restrains her 30.
• Power-Up Punch breaks Blood Wolf’s claws in a direct clash. Lucario then deflects Tang Xiaolei’s incoming arrow with an arm 41.
• Focus Punch, initially withheld from its training because of its long preparation time, is mastered by the time of its rematch with Chi Hong. Four layers of Swords Dance and a charged Focus Punch allow Lucario to defeat him 37 54.
• Meteor Mash coats Mega Lucario’s fists in Steel-type power. After Swords Dance, it withstands a charging strike from the human-transformed Three-Eyed Golden Lion’s Golden Dragon Spear, although Lucario strains under the force. A second punch knocks her back 89.
• When its Aura Sphere cannot stop Golden Dragon Soaring the Heavens, Mega Lucario gathers Steel-type energy into its arms and crosses them before its chest to block 90.

Additional Learned Moves

• Initial moves — Quick Attack and Feint, alongside Endure, Metal Claw, and Counter 27.
• Battle royale acquisitions — Helping Hand, Mimic, Final Gambit, and Reversal, learned alongside Swords Dance after the selection battle 31.
• Evolution acquisitions — Detect, Hone Claws, Calm Mind, Metal Sound, Bone Rush, Heal Pulse, Meteor Mash, and Dragon Pulse, alongside Aura Sphere, Power-Up Punch, Extreme Speed, and Close Combat 38.

Mega Evolution

Mega Evolution dramatically increases Lucario’s physical and special attack and gives it strong resistance to Electrolux’s Hypnosis. Its Ability changes to Adaptability, which the story describes as granting a 100% boost to its Fighting-type moves. Chi Hong considers their resulting power comparable to a golden dragon’s ultimate strength 87.

Its transformation is activated through the blue gem on its left-wrist arm ring and Chi Hong’s Radiant Stone. Their light converges around Lucario in a blue-and-gold pillar before revealing its Mega form. The transformation is temporary; Lucario reverts after training 87 88.

Equipment / Items

• Life Orb — borrowed from Greninja for the Yun Luo match to strengthen Riolu’s attacks 37.
• Drain Punch and Aura Sphere TMs — given by Chi Hong after Professor Oak sent them 37.
• Full Restore — used by Chi Hong to heal Riolu after the battle royale 31.
• Lucarionite / Mega Evolution arm ring — its Mega Evolution equipment includes a blue gem mounted on an arm ring around its left wrist. The gem responds to Chi Hong’s Radiant Stone to trigger the transformation 85 88.

Relationships

• Chi Hong — trainer and battle partner. Riolu accepts him after losing their first fight; their growing friendship leads to its evolution 28 38. Lucario later wins a rematch through concealed preparation, then affectionately licks his face as its friendship reaches 94. Chi Hong continues developing its strength through Mega Evolution and specialized training against powerful and armed opponents 54 87.
• Charizard — stronger teammate and rival. Riolu aims to catch up with it, and the two briefly align when Greninja’s progress worries them 28 31 33. Both are surprised when Greninja undergoes its own transformation during the battle with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion 67.
• Greninja — teammate who helps Riolu gain experience, combines attacks with it, and lends it the Life Orb 28 30 37.
• Professor Oak — hatched Riolu and sent it to Chi Hong after finding its temperament troublesome. Riolu disliked Oak’s restrictions on fighting other Pokémon; Oak later expresses delight at Chi Hong’s progress in training it and sends useful TMs 27 28 37.
• Little Snow Empress / Xiao Xue’er — her judgment that Lucario looks silly wounds its pride and motivates it to seek a cooler pose 56.
• Darkrai — training partner and teammate in the qualification test against the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Their tactics combine Darkrai’s battlefield interference with Lucario’s attack boosts and close-range pressure 85 87 88 89.
• Three-Eyed Golden Lion / Little Auspicious Beast — prospective teammate and test opponent. Lucario eagerly anticipates fighting her, but her human transformation, Golden Dragon Bloodline, and spear force it to acknowledge the need for Darkrai’s support 85 88 89.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Battle royale selection — rises from roughly a hundred years of power to 6,500 and helps Chi Hong win the match 28 29 30 31.
• Yun Luo Academy match — sweeps the opposing team and evolves into Lucario 37 38.
• Tournament final — helps defeat Sun Moon Imperial Academy, including Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen’s fusion 45 47 48.
• Rematch with Chi Hong — avenges its initial defeat by combining four secretly prepared Swords Dances with Focus Punch, raising its friendship to 94 54.
• Star Dou Forest journey — trains alongside Chi Hong’s other Pokémon while the group travels toward the forest’s core 64. Its stated age reaches 15,000 years, and it witnesses Greninja’s transformation against the Three-Eyed Golden Lion 65 67.
• Conflict with Zi Ji — its highly condensed Aura Sphere proves difficult for Zi Ji to devour, prompting her to activate Devouring Domain 81.
• Little Auspicious Beast’s qualification test — fights beside Darkrai in Mega Lucario form against the human-transformed Three-Eyed Golden Lion. It withstands a Golden Dragon Spear strike with Meteor Mash, but its Aura Sphere is overcome by Golden Dragon Soaring the Heavens, forcing it into a Steel-type guard 85 88 89 90.

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