Riolu

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Riolu was originally a human named Tong Hua from a future threatened by the Planet’s Paralysis and Dark Dialga. He, Grovyle, and Pink Celebi resolved to change the past despite knowing that doing so might erase their own existence. During spacetime travel, he became Riolu and lost his memories of the future, but eventually found the same resolve again 194 202.

He joined the Pokémon Exploration Team, whose leader was Ampharos, and handled its cooking and logistics. His home world contained Mystery Dungeons with layouts that changed whenever explorers entered them; exploring these places for rewards, reputation, and strength was an established pursuit 134 144 147.

Riolu later emerged from a spacetime tunnel in Almia, separated from Grovyle and Celebi. He still carried two Time Gears, while Grovyle had the other three. With Dark Dialga apparently absent, his immediate priorities were gathering information and finding his companions 133 134.

Appearance

• Small enough for Ampharos to pick him up and spin him around during their reunion 144.
• Has a fluffy head, small paws, and ears that droop when he is discouraged 144 213 217.
• Wears an Exploration Team backpack; Professor Xinyuan initially found no obvious difference between his appearance and that of an ordinary Riolu 134.

Personality

Riolu combines an explorer’s curiosity with strong caution. He initially mistook the Rangers’ Capture Stylers for weapons, but stopped resisting once Aura confirmed their goodwill. He cooperated with Professor Xinyuan’s examinations while keeping the Time Gears concealed—even clutching his backpack in his sleep 134 136 139.

He takes pride in his cooking and his place among his companions. Seeing them embrace the human Tong Hua’s food and company made him feel displaced, prompting a cooking challenge. Tong Hua’s sincere praise and offer of a draw eased that resentment, allowing Riolu to accept his place at Fairy Tale Ranch 147 155 162.

His determination to protect others survives both amnesia and personal danger. Learning of a possible happy ending through Tong Hua’s memories made him more hopeful, though he later clarified that they still had to make that future happen. Away from crises, he enjoys teasing Grovyle about Pink Celebi and shares Tong Hua’s interest in watching other people’s romances 154 170 194 215 229 231.

Abilities & Skills

Aura

Riolu uses Aura to identify others, perceive emotions, communicate, and examine his surroundings 134 152.

• Emotional perception: Recognizes the Rangers’ and Professor Xinyuan’s harmless intentions without understanding their equipment or customs 134.
• Communication: Conveys emotions, speaks through Aura, and transmits mental images to Grovyle 152 166 170.
• Tracking: Recognizes the Time Gears by their familiar Aura and locates three of them underwater 166.
• Scouting: Detects trapped Pokémon in a burning forest, probes ruins for traps, and identifies safe climbing holds 198 223 237.
• Surveillance: Works with Lucario to maintain an Aura net around an unstable Spacetime Passage 196.
• Counterpart resonance: Shares thoughts, pain, and memories with Tong Hua because they are the same individual from different worlds 152.
• Limit: He states that he has never achieved the Bond Phenomenon associated with powerful Aura 152.

Spacetime Call

Spacetime Call reveals information from the past or future when its user touches an object connected to relevant events. It is associated with the Time Gears, but Riolu reports that other objects have triggered it since his transformation 187 197.

• Touching Professor Xinyuan’s computer triggers a vision of Wind-Circling Forest engulfed in flames 196 197.
• He can witness events but cannot physically intervene within the vision; his paws pass through the endangered Pokémon 197.
• The experience can overwhelm him. Tong Hua knocks him unconscious to stop his screaming during the forest-fire vision 196.
• He eventually wakes himself by striking his own face within his consciousness 197.

Combat

Riolu combines Aura-based ranged attacks with close combat 228.

• Aura Sphere: Locks onto targets with Aura before firing. He uses it against Crobat and to interrupt Infernape’s pursuit of Lucario 157 158.
• Interception limit: Crobat counters an Aura Sphere with Air Slash before it reaches its target 157.
• Bone Club: Spars against Grovyle’s Leaf Blade and switches fluidly between Bone Club and Aura Sphere 171 228.
• Team support: Uses Aura to clear obstacles and identify the best attack path for Mega Ampharos’s Thunder 157.

Exploration and Cooking

• Dungeon experience: Navigates unfamiliar ruins with Grovyle, mentally maps a multilevel labyrinth, and uses Aura to reduce the danger from traps 223.
• Item tactics: Uses consumable orbs to escape danger, disable opponents, and support exploration 135 152 195.
• Cooking: Has extensive experience feeding the Exploration Team. His Berry Tart preparation demonstrates precise cutting and practiced heat control 147 162.
• Communication across languages: Understands Almia’s humans, but initially cannot make himself understood through speech or writing. He resorts to drawings to explain his search for Celebi and Grovyle 134 135.

Training and Evolution Limits

• Maintains morning and nighttime training with Grovyle, sometimes receiving instruction from Lucario 171 241.
• Continues training after saving the world, aiming with Grovyle to become the world’s greatest explorers 213.
• Visits the World Tree hoping to evolve into Lucario, but is told that he and Grovyle will never be able to evolve. The reason is not explained in the provided account 213.
• Welcomes Tong Hua’s recovery potions because rapid recovery would let him spend more time training 228.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Exploration Team backpack — Carries food, seeds, consumable orbs, and a concealed compartment for the Time Gears 134 139.
• Time Gears — Arrives with two, helps recover Grovyle’s missing three, and later offers all five as possible ingredients for restoring Pink Celebi’s spacetime-travel ability 134 166 168.
• Luminous Orbs — Produce a blinding flash when broken; his demonstration temporarily blinds everyone in the command room 134 135.
• Pause Orb — Immobilizes enemies across the battlefield. It briefly works on Lucario outside a Mystery Dungeon despite its usual restriction against boss enemies, but wears off before the team’s follow-up attacks land 152.
• Other consumable orbs — Stocks sleep, binding, invisibility, and confusion effects. He throws several disabling orbs into Dark Dialga’s Spacetime Passage during the confrontation 135 195.
• Mega Garnets — Keeps a limited supply of single-use items that allow Pokémon to Mega Evolve independently; provides one to Ampharos during battle 158.
• Training gear — Packs boxing gloves for punching practice when leaving for summer camp 213.
• Blue Recovery Potions — Receives potions from Tong Hua that quickly remove fatigue and heal training scrapes 228.

Relationships

• Tong Hua — His human counterpart from a parallel world. Their identical Aura enables intimate mental communication and memory sharing. Initial rivalry over cooking and companionship develops into mutual appreciation 152 155 162 228.
• Grovyle — His trusted partner, fellow future-saving adventurer, and regular training companion. Riolu shares hopeful memories with him, though he sometimes feels like a third wheel beside Grovyle and Pink Celebi 164 170 171.
• Pink Celebi — Close comrade in the effort to save the future. He reassures her about finding Grovyle and seeks Tong Hua’s help restoring her ability to cross spacetime 154 168.
• Ampharos — His Exploration Team leader. They reunite joyfully at Ranger Union Headquarters and later retrieve the missing Time Gears together 144 165 166.
• Lucario — Fellow Aura user, adventure-story listener, and occasional combat instructor. They also cooperate in guarding the Spacetime Passage 154 171 196.
• Professor Xinyuan — Researcher and benefactor who studies him, helps search for his companions, and promises to find a way home. Riolu trusts his intentions but initially hides the Time Gears from him 134 139.
• Dusknoir and the Seven Sableye — Former enemies associated with Dark Dialga. Riolu takes a defensive stance when they arrive at the ranch and supports Grovyle’s distrust of their proposed cooperation 191.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Notable Quotes

“More precisely, we’ll make it come true.”
— To Grovyle, after sharing the possibility of a saved future 170

“Tong Hua, I’ve actually never been to school either.”
— Before experiencing school life with his counterpart 217