Riolu's Bizarre Adventure

Qingyu had always considered himself a very rational person.

In his previous life, he had saved wherever he could. He had been a bona fide hoarder in real life, too.

Of course, if a new Pokémon game came out...

He could complain all he wanted, but he would still buy it.

After all, it was one of the few hobbies he had left. He simply couldn't resist!

So naturally, he had his reasons for spending almost his entire fortune in points on this miraculous little pill.

His current team was certainly enough to beat rookie Trainers who weren't particularly strong.

But as the gym's popularity grew, it was only a matter of time before Ace Trainers came to challenge him, not to mention the gym assessment further down the road.

Making his Pokémon stronger was his most important task right now.

And so-

Going all in was a form of wisdom!

A moment later, a plain, unremarkable little pill appeared in his palm.

So far, everything was normal.

The system was already unscientific enough anyway. At this point, even if Kyubey suddenly popped out and asked him to sign a contract to become a magical girl, he wouldn't...

Wait, no. That one really wouldn't work.

Qingyu shook his head, opened the door, and left his bedroom.

The two little ones had been getting along quite well while he was away.

Eevee had claimed the most comfortable sofa in the house and was lying in its corner, engrossed in a Pokémon movie, completely unaware that Qingyu had left his room.

Qingyu didn't disturb him. With an indulgent smile, he turned toward the other side.

Riolu was throwing a continuous barrage of Bullet Punches at a punching bag. Every punch cut through the air with a distinct whoosh.

"Still working out, Riolu?"

Ever since Qingyu had caught Riolu that afternoon, the little one seemed not to have left the training area. Riolu even squeezed in a few sets of squats while eating...

First a scaredy-cat Eevee, and now the second little one in the family was a training maniac?

Marveling at this, Qingyu walked over.

"Ri..."

Sensing through aura that Qingyu was approaching, Riolu immediately stopped punching and turned to face him with a serious expression.

Now that they had acknowledged each other, Riolu would never let the Trainer down.

An ordinary Pokémon like me didn't have Eevee's innate talent. If I wanted to keep up with everyone, I could only work twice as hard...

So, starting today, I should double my daily workout targets again.

Fighting spirit soon blazed in Riolu's eyes.

Just eight thousand punches. I could finish that tonight.

Seeing Riolu about to resume training, Qingyu smiled and interrupted:

"Just hitting a punching bag isn't a very efficient way to train, is it?"

"I've prepared a brand-new training plan for you. Want to give it a try?"

"Ri?"

Riolu looked up, only to discover that Qingyu had somehow unfolded a map and was watching with a smile.

"Have you heard of Galar's Isle of Armor Dojo? It's the paradise every Fighting type Fighter dreams of."

"If you're willing, I can send you there to challenge elite Fighting type Fighters who've come from all over the world to study."

This was the special training plan Qingyu had tailored for Riolu.

His experience as a Trainer might have been lacking, so his philosophy was simple-

Tailor the teaching to the student.

Eevee avoided battles because of his personality, so Qingyu would use other methods to slowly guide him and build his confidence.

Although they hadn't spent much time together, he could already tell that Riolu was a training maniac obsessed with getting stronger. Naturally, Riolu's travel plan couldn't be the same as Eevee's.

Fortunately, while looking up information on other regions, he had noticed an advertisement for the Isle of Armor Dojo on the cape of Leon, Galar's newly crowned Champion.

This was a good opportunity.

"Ri?"

The paradise every Fighting type Fighter in the world dreamed of?

A spark of eagerness flashed in Riolu's eyes, followed by an immediate, emphatic nod.

"Close your eyes and count silently to ten. Then you'll be at the Isle of Armor Dojo."

Riolu obediently closed both eyes, and Qingyu immediately opened the Travel Raising Module in the system interface.

The training area appeared before him in the same cozy, simple line-art style as last time.

However, the scene inside the gym was livelier than before.

Eevee leaned back on the sofa, laughing from time to time;

Riolu kept both eyes tightly shut, waiting for the Trainer's instructions.

After reaching out to tap Riolu on the screen, Qingyu quickly set the destination for this trip:

The Galar Region, the Isle of Armor.

A faint white light began to cover Riolu's body, rapidly gathering in intensity.

"Once you get to the Isle of Armor Dojo, don't forget the most important thing!"

The moment he finished speaking, Riolu vanished.

[Pokémon Riolu has set off on a trip!]

Qingyu smiled at the notification that popped up before him.

Would this trip trigger some special encounter, just like the last one?

"Ri?!(_)?"

When Riolu opened both eyes again, the magnificent sight ahead was immediately startling.

I'd been taken to another region in an instant?

Experiencing something so miraculous for the first time left Riolu utterly stunned.

But only for a moment. Calm soon returned.

How the Trainer had done it didn't matter. All Riolu knew was that plenty of Fighting type Fighters really had gathered here.

The Trainer had said that the Isle of Armor was where a master lived in seclusion, and only the strongest Trainers had a chance to meet that master.

As a result, everyone who came here readily showed off their strength.

It truly was the ideal place for practical combat training.

Riolu nodded slowly, then looked down at that small right hand.

A strange little pill was clutched tightly in its palm.

"If you want to build muscles beyond the ordinary, how can you do it without a little scientific help?"

That was what the Trainer had said.

Although he had seemed to be holding back laughter as he said it.

But he was my Trainer now. Surely he wouldn't hurt me...

Without hesitation, Riolu swallowed the "Efficiency-Boosting Pill" in one gulp.

Then, Riolu's eyes instantly went wide.

Such immense power!

Riolu felt as though there was an endless supply of energy inside that body. Even the mind became unusually active, as if fatigue simply didn't exist.

If this could last forever...

I could take on a hundred!

Feeling the changes within, Riolu no longer hesitated and strode toward the nearby Trainers' campsite.

[Riolu has arrived at the Isle of Armor!]

[Riolu used the held item "Efficiency-Boosting Pill." Experience gain efficiency has greatly increased!]

[Riolu challenged a Karate Master and won easily!]

[Riolu challenged a Hiker. A one-hit knockout!]

"Hiss-"

Back at his computer, Qingyu couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath as he watched the text notifications flash before him from time to time.

Hey, why had the whole style of this trip suddenly changed? It had turned into a hack-and-slash game!

Still, quips aside, Qingyu was very pleased with Riolu's efficiency.

All those points hadn't been wasted. This trip seemed to be making Riolu much stronger. Maybe I should go all in with the remaining points too and buy some extra time...

Thinking this, Qingyu opened his video-editing software.

He hadn't posted a video in two days. While Riolu was training today, he could take the opportunity to edit the Maushold and Talonflame footage.

Time always flew when he was focused on work.

An unknown amount of time passed. At last, Qingyu finished every task he had set himself and leaned back in his chair to stretch.

An especially conspicuous text notification appeared before him.

[Riolu's outstanding performance has attracted the attention of a certain powerful Pokémon!]

Thanks to Little Banshee and asd93 for the tips.