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Mewtwo's matter was left for it to handle on its own.
As for Li Xiang, he could now focus wholeheartedly on improving the strength of Incineroar and the others.
What was certain was that the unique environment of Mist Island was accelerating their growth.
It might not be noticeable in the short term, but after seven months had passed, they would surely achieve a gratifying result.
With gummies, rare candies, massages, and everything else arranged, Li Xiang had no doubt their strength would improve.
When he thought about it carefully, even if they couldn't make it to the summer tournament, it wasn't impossible for them to appear in the autumn tournament.
The prerequisite was that Xu He would be willing to let him participate.
He would probably have to have a battle against the regular senior female students first, right?
While thinking about this, Li Xiang led Riolu and the other Pokémon towards Trophy Mountain.
Previously, Slowking hadn't given him an answer regarding Riolu's obsession.
Over the past month, he had often discussed the topic of obsession with Riolu, but there had been no progress.
It had made both of them a little anxious.
So, they had pinned their hopes on Uxie. Perhaps they would get the same answer as from Slowking, but what if there was a way to break through?
This concerned Riolu's evolution.
Li Xiang felt that no matter how small the possibility, he had to go and ask.
As it happened, Uxie wasn't asleep. It was lying on a vine, humming a tune idly—that is, if one ignored the light in its slit-like eyes.
Li Xiang strongly suspected it was using its psychic powers to peer somewhere else.
Wow… Was this the typical behavior of legendary Pokémon?
"Hmm? Why have you come?"
Uxie seemed to realize belatedly, floating up and turning its head towards Li Xiang. "Is something the matter?"
"I would like to ask you about Riolu."
Li Xiang sat down in front of Uxie, trying his best to make eye level with the creature that was only slightly taller than his forearm.
Riolu, its silver bell swaying, sat down in his lap. This was one of the few advantages of having a small body.
"Riolu?"
Uxie's voice was puzzled. Then it looked at Riolu and let out an "Ah."
As if it understood something.
"You'll have to figure this out yourself. I can't help you."
It responded directly.
"Don't be like that! Aren't you one of the Lake Guardians who spread knowledge and wisdom? Just give me a little hint!"
Li Xiang wasn't willing to give up. Uxie clearly knew something.
"I provide methods, not results. Besides, I can't make people smart. What do you think wisdom is?"
Uxie sat on the vine, swaying back and forth as if on a swing.
"It doesn't cost anything, just give away a little information."
Li Xiang said, his face thick with shamelessness. Riolu chimed in beside him, putting on an earnest expression.
Nearby, Incineroar and the other watching Pokémon also added their voices.
Annoyed by their pestering, Uxie had no choice but to disclose a little information to them.
"You know very well what it is, so why do you always ignore it?"
It asked in return. "When faced with difficulties, you should rise to the challenge, not cling to wishful thinking, young man!"
It was still the familiar riddle-speak.
But this time, Li Xiang understood. His expression became complicated.
"So it really is this. It's already been three years."
Riolu had eaten well and lived well by his side, smiling every day. Apart from some resentment about its height, there was rarely a time when it was unhappy.
Except for when it had first arrived at his house.
Because of its past experiences, Riolu had displayed extremely obvious aversive behavior towards cat Pokémon.
It could even be called hatred.
Later, due to various bittersweet incidents and the encounter with Buzzwole, Riolu had gradually let go of this emotional scar. It could now interact normally with cats and even laugh heartily with them.
Hadn't it recently joined the Iron Cats Gang, which was mostly cats?
Li Xiang had thought this matter was over and done with. But it seemed that its childhood experiences were still trapping it, preventing it from moving forward.
The phrase "three years" made Riolu, who was almost telepathically connected to him, realize something.
On the side, Incineroar also recalled Riolu's past behavior.
This big, boisterous tiger opened its mouth, but didn't know what to say. Looking back now, Riolu's behavior back then had been morbid, resisting all cat-like creatures.
The aversion and aggression had all been natural physical reactions.
That was definitely not normal.
But back then, Incineroar hadn't understood. Instead, it thought its own well-intentioned feelings weren't being reciprocated. It had acted petulantly and antagonistically towards Riolu.
It had completely failed in its responsibility as a partner.
Bringing up old matters again, Incineroar felt extremely guilty.
It had always regarded itself as the leader, bickering with Riolu and teasing it as a shorty. Yet, deep in its heart, it liked Riolu very, very much.
This had nothing to do with romance; it was simply the purest feeling, seeing Riolu as the most important part of its life, just as it did Li Xiang.
Riolu had been troubled by past events, affecting its growth, but Incineroar had never noticed, being too carefree and simple-minded.
What a disgrace.
Incineroar's fists clenched tightly, its nails digging into its palms.
"Thank you."
Li Xiang's voice sounded beside it. "Let's go, time to head back. Don't just stand there, Incineroar."
Back at the temporary camp with the pitched tents.
A low-pressure atmosphere filled the small team.
It mainly came from Riolu and Incineroar, and the other Pokémon had been affected by them.
"Alright, alright, both of you, cheer up."
Li Xiang clapped his hands to get their attention. "We have a lead on the matter. Difficulties are always resolved, aren't they?"
A trainer needed to encourage their Pokémon from time to time to maintain their confidence and combat effectiveness.
He absolutely could not let them wander off into unhelpful thoughts on their own.
"Roar!"
Incineroar set an example, patting its chest.
It had come to terms with it.
It was never too late to mend. Since it hadn't helped Riolu back then, it could help it now. It was the same.
"Riolu!"
Riolu nodded.
To be honest, it didn't understand why something it had nearly forgotten had become its obsession and an obstacle to its evolution.
The last time it had thought about this matter was when it was joining the Iron Cat Gang. It had simply found that kind of pointless conflict distasteful, as well as the Savage Hounds Gang's behavior of picking fights and harming innocents.
It wanted peace and stability, to eradicate all bullying. That was its justice.
—Wait!
Riolu suddenly understood and quickly told Li Xiang, who was comforting Corviknight and the others, about this realization.
Perhaps this could be the key to breaking the deadlock.
Sure enough, after hearing Riolu's words, Li Xiang raised an eyebrow.
"Seeking justice?"
"Riolu!"
Riolu nodded, clenching its little fists, and told Li Xiang that it truly looked down on those who bullied the weak and harmed the innocent.
If you want to fight, fight amongst yourselves. Why involve others?
Actively disrupting others' peaceful lives is an extremely despicable act!
"Is it because of the Justified ability?"
Li Xiang pulled over a wooden chair, looked at Riolu with its shining eyes, and lowered his head in thought.
After a long while, he looked up and said, "Would a beating for Incineroar work? Look, it's a Dark type, and it often throws its weight around, even bullying me, its trainer."
"Roar!"
Hey!
Incineroar glared at Li Xiang angrily. What did seeking justice have to do with it?!
It was a Dark type, not evil!
And why do you get bullied? Don't you have any idea yourself?
"Riolu..."
Riolu also showed an embarrassed expression. If beating up Incineroar would really work, it would have evolved long ago.
After all, it did that every day.
"So you want me to go and crush that so-called Savage Hounds Gang?"
Li Xiang scratched his head in frustration. "The fighting part is simple, but changing their ideology is probably difficult, right?"
According to Riolu, the Savage Hounds Gang was ambitious, determined to absorb all the Pokémon groups in Mist City and make that Zoroark the king of kings.
A single beating probably wouldn't have much effect on an organization with that kind of ideology.
Besides, Pokémon mostly stick to their principles...
Riolu looked completely confused.
It didn't understand very well either, but it felt it didn't have much to do with the Savage Hounds Gang.
After all, the obsession had been troubling it for a long time; the Savage Hounds Gang had merely brought it to the surface.
"Hmm... idealism really is a double-edged sword."
Li Xiang pulled at his hair. At that moment, he really couldn't think of a good solution.
After all, satisfying Riolu's sense of justice was a major challenge in itself.
What if, after dealing with the Savage Hounds Gang, its sense of justice still wasn't satisfied?
Would he have to solve all evil deeds in the world before Riolu could evolve?
That was impossible! Might as well not evolve at all!
That was definitely not it.
Li Xiang beckoned to Incineroar. Incineroar, though confused, still came over and squatted down beside him.
"Rub a cat's head, and many ideas come to mind..."
He chanted a mental mantra, tousling Incineroar's head while he thought.
Seeing this, Riolu felt uneasy. It took Li Xiang's hand and placed it on its own head.
Although it hated having its head touched, if it would solve the problem, it could be touched all it wanted.
Li Xiang smiled at Riolu and continued thinking.
Setting aside the imagery and looking at the essence.
What was Riolu's need for justice?
To resolve evil deeds and allow all Pokémon to live in peace.
The source of this was the psychological shadow left by being surrounded and attacked by a group of cat Pokémon when it was young, fighting back time and again only to be beaten down each time.
Back then, it had been weak.
Even with an unwavering will, it meant nothing in the face of absolute power.
So… what did Riolu need to satisfy its own desire?
[Power].
The power to roar out when witnessing injustice and to sweep away all the resentment in its heart.
With power, Riolu could say no to the things it disapproved of, intervene, and solve them.
To fulfill its own "justice."
'I see. What Riolu yearned for was power—power to resolve all its confusion!'
—Eh?
Li Xiang blinked, feeling like he had fallen into a vicious cycle.
To evolve and gain even greater power, the prerequisite was obtaining sufficient power.
Wasn't that exactly a cycle?
Or perhaps...
Candy?
Li Xiang pulled candy from his pocket. There were many ways to increase strength: candies, levels, and training.
Currently, the only way for Riolu to gain power in a short time was through candy.
But was that really the case?