Chapter Forty-Seven: Riolu

Cheng Cheng followed the unusual energy fluctuation, running all the way until he caught sight of Ash and his companions.

At that moment, Ash naturally noticed Cheng Cheng’s arrival.

“Ash, it’s been a while.”

Ash was a little surprised to see Cheng Cheng here. “Cheng Cheng, what brings you to this place?”

“I had some business to attend to in the Sinnoh region. I happened to pass by, heard some commotion, and then saw you all.”

“It’s been a long time, Cheng Cheng,” Brock greeted Cheng Cheng warmly.

“Long time no see, Brock.”

“Long time no see, Pikachu.”

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu chirped as Cheng Cheng gently patted its head.

“By the way, who are these two?” Cheng Cheng looked at the pair standing nearby. He recognized them, but pretended not to.

“Oh, this is our new teammate, Dawn. And this is a friend we just met, Trace.”

“Hello, I’m Dawn. My goal is to become a top Pokémon Coordinator.”

“Hello, I’m Trace, a Pokémon caretaker.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Cheng Cheng. My goal is to become a top Pokémon breeder. Right now, I’m already a novice breeder.”

At that moment, Cheng Cheng’s gaze shifted to a blue-and-black Pokémon.

“That’s Riolu!”

“Yes, we met Riolu on the road; it seemed to be chased by someone, and Mr. Trace rescued it.”

Riolu was gazing at the river, holding a wooden Riolu doll in its hands.

“It looks like it’ll still take some time to earn its trust,” Trace remarked.

“What exactly is that thing?” Ash asked.

“That’s something I was given by the person who used to care for Riolu.”

“The one who cared for it?”

Ash had barely finished the sentence when he froze on the spot, his body unmoving.

“Ash, what’s wrong?” Brock nudged him, and Ash snapped back to his senses, slowly walking to Riolu’s side.

“Riolu, we’ll definitely get you home. Your memories have been passed to me through aura.”

“Ash, what are you talking about?” Dawn was puzzled.

“It’s the power of aura. Ash and Riolu’s auras have connected,” Trace explained, moving to pat Ash on the shoulder.

“Looks like your aura matches Riolu’s perfectly.”

“Ash, have you ever practiced the power of aura?” Cheng Cheng suddenly asked.

“Practiced the power of aura?” Ash didn’t quite understand.

Cheng Cheng realized he’d asked the wrong question. Knowing Ash’s personality, it wasn’t likely he’d trained in anything. Without any training, Ash could resonate with Riolu—what an enviable protagonist’s aura. And later, he’d use the power of aura to trigger Greninja’s bond evolution; that power would become truly formidable.

“Ash, the power of aura is a mysterious force. If you practice it well, it can be extremely useful. And if you want to become a Pokémon Master, aura will be a great asset.”

“You seem to know a lot about aura,” Trace observed Cheng Cheng closely.

“Not really,” Cheng Cheng shook his head. “I’m not familiar with aura, but I do know psychic powers.”

“Psychic powers!” The group was taken aback.

Cheng Cheng felt there was no need to conceal his abilities from them, so he gave a brief explanation of psychic powers. Besides, Ash and Brock already knew about telekinetic abilities.

“Psychic power, what is that?” Dawn was quite confused.

“Psychic power is another special ability. With it, you can silently battle with Pokémon, make objects float, and even—well, even turn people into dolls.”

Ash and Brock suddenly recalled Sabrina, who lived at the Saffron Gym.

“Oh, I remember! The Psychic Gym trainers in the Kanto region can use psychic powers.”

“Psychic power and aura are both common forms of energy. Many people can use psychic abilities. Apart from psychic power and aura, there are other energies, like the power of Evergreen.”

“I never expected you to have psychic powers as well, Cheng Cheng. That’s amazing.”

“My use of psychic power is still quite basic—nothing impressive. Right now, my psychic abilities can only cover a hundred meters or so, and allow simple communication with Pokémon.”

“That’s still very impressive,” Brock encouraged.

At that moment, Trace’s communicator rang; it seemed to be a call from another Pokémon caretaker, Miss Hinata. They were probably working together to help Riolu.

Just then, a roar echoed from the distance.

“It’s Hunter J’s airship! We have to move quickly and protect Riolu.”

“No problem, Mr. Trace,” Ash agreed readily.

“From now on, you must follow my directions. Hunter J is a formidable opponent.”

Hunter J—she was indeed a powerful hunter, appearing more often than any others in the anime. It looked like a tough battle was imminent.

“Let’s go. We’ll get Riolu home safely.”

The group boarded a wooden boat, letting two Water-type Pokémon drag them forward.

While on the boat, Trace recounted Riolu’s story and its encounters with Pokémon hunters.

Cheng Cheng listened to some of it, but it wasn’t the most important matter. Defeating the hunters was what mattered, and he couldn’t linger here for too long—he needed to find Deoxys quickly.

As their conversation continued, the boat split apart. Trace and Riolu floated on one half, while Ash, Brock, and Dawn fell into the water.

Cheng Cheng used his psychic power to hover above the surface, quickly summoning Lunatone and Chimecho. Lunatone used its psychic abilities to lift Cheng Cheng into the air.

“Why did these Sharpedos suddenly appear here?”

Several Sharpedo emerged, apparently the ones responsible for breaking the boat.

“This is bad—they’re here!”

A few vehicles stopped at the shore—a group of Pokémon hunters, no doubt.

“Floatzel, let’s get out of here!”

Trace caught a Floatzel, and the group prepared to escape quickly. But a beam of Hyper Beam shot toward them.

“Everyone, dodge quickly—it’s Hunter J!”

Trace recognized the woman standing atop her Salamence.

“Riolu is mine. Hand it over, and I’ll spare you.”

“Not a chance! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

“Piplup, use Bubble Beam!”

“Salamence, Hyper Beam!”

Clearly, Hyper Beam overpowered Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam, with residual energy grazing past the group. Such strength was overwhelming.

Pokémon: Salamence
Type: Dragon, Flying
Level: 56
Rank: Pale Cyan
Rarity: Epic
Ability: Intimidate
...
Moves: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Rage, Bite, Leer, Headbutt, Focus Energy, Ember, Protect, Dragon Breath, Zen Headbutt, Scary Face, Fly, Crunch.
Learned Moves: Flamethrower, Hyper Beam.

Cheng Cheng glanced at Salamence’s stats—a powerful force. Not quite on par with Slowking and Celebi, but certainly more than the group could handle.

“Salamence, another Hyper Beam!”

“Floatzel, use Water Gun!”

Floatzel fired Water Gun first, hitting Salamence and making Hyper Beam veer off, but Riolu’s doll fell into the water.

Riolu rushed after the doll, but the current was strong and it couldn’t reach it.

“Chimecho, use Psychic!”

Chimecho used Psychic to bring both Riolu and the doll back.

“Ash, Riolu is in your care for now. We’ll hold them off.”

“Alright, be careful.”

Ash took Riolu and hurried downstream, while the hunter tried to pursue them.

“Hold on.”

Lunatone blocked her path, as Cheng Cheng switched roles between Lunatone and Chimecho, sending Lunatone to attack.

“Wait, your opponent is me.”

“Get out of my way.”

“Salamence, use Flamethrower.”

“Lunatone, use Protect.”

Lunatone used the move Cheng Cheng had recently taught it, successfully blocking Flamethrower.

“Salamence, use Dragon Breath.”

“Lunatone, dodge!”

Lunatone dodged, but Salamence flew past.

“Hold them off!”

Hunters and several Sharpedo surrounded Cheng Cheng and the others, forcing them to watch as Hunter J pursued Ash and his group.

Cheng Cheng believed Ash would be fine—after all, Pikachu and the protagonist’s luck were on his side! Now Cheng Cheng had to deal with the hunters nearby, who didn’t look easy to handle.

“Sharpedo, use Water Gun.”

“Lunatone, Psychic.”

Lunatone’s power kept all the water at bay.

“Lunatone, use Rock Slide.”

Huge rocks crashed down, causing trouble for the enemy.

“Go, Toxic Frog! Let’s help out!”

“Go, Piplup—use Bubble Beam!”

With Cheng Cheng, Brock, and the others’ efforts, they managed to hold off the hunters for now, though they couldn’t assist Ash.

More Pokémon were released by the opposing side.

“Damn it, so many against so few!”

Now, Cheng Cheng and the others faced real danger.

Meanwhile, Ash led Riolu downstream. Upon finding a flat area, they managed to climb ashore.

“Riolu, it’s alright now.”

“We need to leave quickly.”

“Leave? Where do you think you’re going?”

A voice sounded behind them—Hunter J had caught up.

“Salamence, use Hyper Beam!”

“Quick, dodge!”

Ash and Riolu dove to the ground, avoiding Hyper Beam.

“Let’s run!”

Ash picked up Riolu and escaped into the forest.

“Run? You think you can get away?”

“Salamence, use Flamethrower!”

Salamence’s flames spread through the forest, setting the whole area ablaze.