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After all, what exactly is the concept of being strong?
Is Level 50 strong? Of course it is, you have to report to the association every year. But compared to Level 60, Level 70, or even higher levels, it's not worth mentioning.
What level of strength did Riolu have in its heart?
Could it be the kind of strength that just surpasses the group of Pokémon it used to fight?
Beating up that group of cats again?
Li Xiang couldn't help but ask Riolu, just how strong was the "strong" it truly wanted. Was there a concrete concept?
Riolu was at a loss. Asking it so abruptly about its concept of being strong was something it couldn't answer right away.
"It's okay, take your time thinking about it. No rush." Li Xiang gave it time to ponder, not pressing for an answer immediately.
Just then, Mewtwo returned. This guy, despite not having the jewel that served as an admission ticket, seemed able to come and go freely between Mist Island and Mirage Island.
[What happened?]
Mewtwo had some wet marks on its body, as if it had been underwater. It looked at Li Xiang's Pokémon, keenly sensing that something seemed to have occurred.
There was nothing to hide from Mewtwo, so Li Xiang told it what had just happened.
[I see...] Mewtwo, imitating Li Xiang, placed its hand under its chin in thought.
[A thirst for power and a plea for justice.]
"Do you have a solution?" A glimmer of expectation rose in Li Xiang's heart.
[No.] Mewtwo shook its head honestly.
[I can't give power to others like Arceus can.]
Mewtwo had power, plenty of it, but it couldn't share it with Riolu. So, it couldn't help. It hadn't even fully grasped the concept of justice itself.
[However, I can help it grow stronger by having it fight powerful opponents. Even if it loses, that can become motivation to move forward, right?]
Mewtwo looked at Riolu and asked.
"That's true." Li Xiang nodded.
In games, losing gives no experience points, but in reality, every punch you throw will, through subtle influence, make the next punch stronger and faster.
That was the difference.
Fighting against a powerful Mewtwo was, in a sense, an honor.
Of course, Li Xiang didn't think that way. Any Pokémon had the potential to win; there was no need to put others on such a high pedestal.
Who knew if his future Lucario wouldn't be able to beat Mewtwo?
With Candies, Rare Candy, Gummis, Mega Evolution, and most importantly, the bond with Li Xiang as its trainer. Perhaps the chance of triggering "Hang On" was only one percent, but what if it triggered at a critical moment?
...…
Night.
Under the bright moon and sparse stars, Riolu crawled out from Li Xiang's arms and tapped on Aegislash's shield.
Clang!
Aegislash's single eye lit up like an electric lamp, dispelling the darkness inside the tent. Lately, it seemed a bit addicted to being a lamp.
"Mm?" Li Xiang rubbed his eyes, checked the time, and was puzzled. Mewtwo's voice came from outside the tent.
[What's wrong?]
"Nothing, Riolu has something on its mind." Li Xiang responded.
Unlike humans, Mewtwo didn't need to lie down to sleep. It preferred to stand upright on a tree stump, closing its eyes in slumber, feeling the breath of nature.
This made it feel like it was part of this world.
Of course, it had also tried sleeping inside the tent, right next to Li Xiang, and even had its picture taken by him.
Li Xiang laughed and said he might be the only man in the world who had ever slept with Mewtwo. At the time, Mewtwo hadn't known what to say.
"What's wrong?" Li Xiang rubbed his eyes and glanced at his watch. It was past 1 AM.
"Riolu..." Riolu had an expression that showed it had been thinking deeply. Clearly, it had been pondering all night, not sleeping at all. Finally, in the middle of the night, it had reached the conclusion it was looking for.
It said, [To protect, to the extent that I can protect what I hold dear.]
In a daze, whether from just waking up or from a lack of oxygen, Li Xiang felt like he heard Riolu speak aloud. It was like the words Ash heard when he was determined to protect Pikachu even in the face of death.
"Y-Y-You! Telepathy!?" Li Xiang was instantly jolted awake, his mind going blank. Riolu gave him a confused look, "Riolu?" It was vocalizing normally now.
"It spoke just now, didn't it?" Li Xiang looked at the glowing Aegislash, which shook its body to indicate it hadn't heard anything.
An illusion?
Mewtwo lifted the tent flap and asked, [Are you sure nothing's wrong?]
"I thought I just heard Riolu talk." Li Xiang blinked. He had been so sure a moment ago, but now he was hesitant.
It might very well have been his imagination. After all, given his current rapport with Riolu, mental simultaneous interpretation was entirely possible.
Self-imagining the outcome wasn't out of the question either.
[I didn't hear anything.] Mewtwo's response further convinced Li Xiang of that conclusion.
But that wasn't important. What mattered was the meaning behind that sentence.
Li Xiang repeated it, asking Riolu if that was what it had meant. He then received a confirmed answer from the somewhat shy dog. It hoped it could protect everything it held dear.
But this concept was still vague. How vast this power needed to be was still unknown.
In truth, Riolu could already protect many things; it was already very strong. Yet it was still unsatisfied, otherwise it wouldn't have said such words.
"It can't be that I'll be in danger, and you'll be forced to evolve out of it, right?" Li Xiang said with a headache. That kind of cliché evolution method was something he respectfully declined.
"Riolu..." Riolu lowered its head and whimpered softly, knowing it was causing Li Xiang trouble.
"Alright, alright." Li Xiang quickly grabbed Riolu's face, forcing it to look up. "Let's not rush. We've come this far after so long, haven't we?"
"Riolu." Riolu's eyes were moist as it softly responded. But in its heart, it kept thinking about what it truly wanted.
Why had the events of three years ago become such an obsession for it?
.....
The next day. Team morning exercise.
Riolu and the others ran along the planned route. Li Xiang prepared breakfast at the camp.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Incineroar looked at the absent-minded Riolu and asked. It found itself surprisingly useless, not knowing where to even begin to help.
All it could do was ask foolishly.
Riolu smiled at Incineroar but didn't answer, its expression slightly bitter. This made Incineroar a bit angry.
"Just say what you want to say! We're all partners! What can't you tell us!"
Incineroar shouted in dissatisfaction, as if throwing a tantrum. But the moment the words left its mouth, it began to regret it, because that wasn't its intention.
It just... really wanted to help Riolu but didn't know how. After all, it didn't even know what Riolu was thinking.
But Incineroar's shout successfully made Riolu freeze in place.
"Say it!" Seeing this, the big tiger decided to just give up on holding back. Spoken words were like spilled water; it might as well just go all in.
Corviknight and the other Pokémon stopped in their tracks, watching them with concern.
"You want me to say something... I don't know!" Riolu's pent-up frustration was successfully ignited. As if venting the confusion of recent days, it shouted hysterically, "I really don't know! What obsession! What power!"
"I just can't stand others being bullied! How is that an obsession!"
"I just want to protect Li Xiang, protect everything I want to protect! Why does there have to be a measure! Isn't stronger always better!?"
"Why does it have to be related to evolution!"
"Doesn't everyone say it happens naturally!"
"Why is it different for me? Why do I have to be special!"
"I stopped caring about the past a long time ago! Who cares about them! Who are they! Why won't they leave me alone!"
As if ashamed and angered, or as if venting all the pent-up frustration inside, Riolu gritted its teeth, its eyes red, full of aggression, causing Incineroar to fall silent. It couldn't understand, couldn't fathom why evolution had to be linked to this damn obsession.
It had stopped caring about being bullied a long time ago. Was that even important? It wasn't important at all!
Riolu knew it had never gone wrong, always moving forward on the right path. Protecting Li Xiang, protecting everything it wanted to protect—that was what it wanted, the justice it yearned for.
'Everything I do is what I want. I've never had the option to regret. Where is there any obsession! From the very beginning, that was something I never cared about!'
The wind blew through the forest, rustling. The two Pokémon, one tall and one short, faced each other. The former was silent, the latter panting heavily. Not far away was a group of very worried Pokémon who didn't dare to interrupt.
Incineroar: "So..."
"I'm not going to believe what those guys said anymore." Riolu said coldly. "Li Xiang is still being fooled by them, but I've already figured it out. Evolution has been my business from the start. It has nothing to do with them."
"What obsession? All lies!"
It gritted its teeth, squeezing out these words from its throat, and pounded its chest fiercely, growling, "I decide when I evolve! I am the master of my own being!"
No obsession, no yearning. Only the Pokémon themselves have the most say in evolution. When it wants to evolve, it will evolve naturally, without any hindrance, without any confusion.
Incineroar opened its mouth, finding itself speechless in the face of Riolu's words. At that moment, it felt as if Riolu had spoken a profound truth that resonated deeply within it. Its eyes, blazing with righteous anger, were more dazzling and brilliant than the rising sun in the sky.
In an instant, something was released from Riolu's body. The wind stopped, but something was howling. It came from within its heart, from all directions.
It sounded like ten people shouting, a hundred people shouting, a thousand people shouting, ten thousand people shouting!
The forest trembled, emitting sounds like a celebration. Something in the sky was shining, like a pillar of light reaching straight into the heavens.
But none of this shook Incineroar's heart as much as the sight before its eyes.
"What's wrong, my heart is beating so fast—" Li Xiang's voice came from a distance, but immediately got stuck in his throat. The light of evolution illuminated the entire forest.
The forest, no, the nature of the entire Mist Island was celebrating and cheering the birth of something!
It drew countless eyes to this forest glade. Even, from another world!