Alder was about to leave, and he looked in great spirits.

"Sinjoh…" Just before departure, Alder suddenly said, "Long ago, my ancestors came from a place called Sinjoh. After a distant migration, they finally settled on a land called Hisui."

"But now, it seems no one remembers either place. Our ancestors' history has been buried by the river of time. In this world, nothing is unchanging, and nothing is eternal."

Hikaru said, "Our ancestors were people from Sinjoh, a clan that, long ago, served the gods."

"Serve the gods… haha—sounds like a history from ages past. Even that has failed to be passed down, huh? Still, I now devote myself wholly to the land of Unova."

"Do you still have ties to that ancient god?" Alder asked. He did not doubt Hikaru's words—there was no need to doubt them.

A powerful bond connected the two of them; Alder could tell Hikaru was someone from a domain of the extraordinary.

Hikaru thought for a moment. "I suppose so."

After all, he had received a blessing from Arceus!

"I see. Then keep at it!" Alder laughed.

"If you're a follower of a god, why not leave behind a new legend on this land? I'll be waiting for you in the Unova League—always waiting!"

"Will you become Unova's new Champion?"

That made Hikaru chuckle. "I've no intention of becoming the new Champion! I still have a lot of work to do."

Alder burst out laughing. "Then at least try to enter the Hall of Fame! Even if you don't become the reigning Champion, you can broaden your world by growing stronger!"

"Well then, I'm off. May the winds stay fair for you!"

Blazing flames burst out behind Alder. The glare was so bright it forced the onlookers to squint. From the blaze unfurled six glorious red wings—Alder's mightiest partner, Volcarona, seized him and carried him aloft in a blaze of radiance!

"This flight style is just like Yellow's Butterfree… but wow, that's stylish!"

The red moth beat wings like living fire, lifting the Champion into the sky. It radiated fierce light and heat—a sight that would make anyone give a thumbs-up. The scene was simply perfect!

"As expected, Volcarona is really cool! And Alder… is cool too!"

Among Champions he might not be the most popular, but as a guiding elder, Alder was more than qualified. If he were younger, his popularity might well have been sky-high.

Watching Alder vanish to the horizon, Hikaru steadied his mood again. Since even the Champion had invited him so earnestly, it looked like, one way or another, he had to go stroll through the Unova League.

Come to think of it, he'd only planned to "power up" via Gym challenges—so how did it suddenly turn into walking the Champion's Road?

Had he speed-run one or two years of travel content in a single month?

Whoooom!

The exhaust of the D-Bike thundered!

At wind-slicing speed, Hikaru blew past Opelucid City's gate and hit Route 9!

The legendary Shopping Mall Nine stood here. Hikaru hurried inside and bought a few off-season refrigerators, washing machines, and lawn mowers!

That completed Rotom's full set of alternate forms. Most of these household appliances were "seconds," but a couple were genuinely high quality—ordinary folks just couldn't tell.

Thump! He stashed the appliances into the Link-In World. In a nearby valley yawned a deep cave—the "Training Cavern" where Riolu had once stayed.

Many wild Pokémon treated the place as a sacred training ground. The Swords of Justice were said to have trained Keldeo here, so plenty of Pokémon seeking strength gathered, and elite Trainers honed themselves here as well, searching for powerful partners.

Hikaru mused that returning here later to train would be a fine choice, because the wild Pokémon in the Training Cavern were actually stronger than those on Victory Road!

Roughly five levels higher on average.

"Riolu hails from the Training Cavern. In the games… the average level of Riolu in this training cave is…"

Level 50!

Among wild Pokémon, that's absolutely top tier.

Riolu, inside its Poké Ball, was replaying insights from the last battle, developing a strike theory specifically to counter evil dragons. Feeling a familiar aura, it popped out and looked toward the valley.

To it, the Training Cavern was home.

Old memories surfaced; Riolu's eyes grew firmer.

It was stronger now than back when it left the cavern to head for Victory Road!

"Right—before we head for Victory Road, should we learn a special technique here?"

Hikaru asked Riolu. The "special technique" was the "Single-Strike Scroll: Scroll of Penetration" he'd obtained earlier.

Lianwu had also said he'd gift Hikaru another—"Rapid-Strike Scroll: Scroll of Wyvern." Judging by the names, they corresponded to two schools: Single-Strike and Rapid-Strike. These scrolls came from a distant land, secret manuals passed down from afar.

In the TCG, Rapid-Strike and Single-Strike had different scrolls that recorded entirely different martial mysteries.

"The martial climax of the Scroll of Penetration is called 'Bullet Breakthrough.' It ignores the opponent's resistance—a very powerful martial secret! Whether to hone ourselves or to enter the Iron Fist Tournament at year's end, we should probably learn this early."

"Isn't that a classic story beat? A master goes traveling, witnesses and comprehends a new power, then returns to his homeland. In that moment, his state of mind ascends and breaks through; his martial realm leaps to a level years of bitter practice could never reach!"

Hikaru's proposal made Riolu's heart pound!

He had trained to this day not only for revenge but to become the strongest Pokémon. Yes, such a wish is outlandish, and after witnessing those world-class gods, that goal felt even farther away…

But the blue pup had never given up!

Riolu also remembered what the martial arts master named Lianwu had said: True strength is the strength of the heart!

"Rii! Rii-riio! (All right, then we'll come back here to train! You and I—let's drill together!)"

"Ohh, no wonder you're a level-50-plus Riolu—you really have that grandmaster air."

Sure, the blue pup sometimes acted a little dopey—he liked pretty onee-san, and sometimes he just fiddled with his own strength—but most of the time, his bearing was steady.

You can't take him for "young" just because he looks like a pup.

"Level 50?" The blue pup rubbed his chin.

Trainer was saying strange things again; "level" seemed like a human metric for power… well, he didn't really get it!

"Rii!"

Riolu voiced his will, smiling, full of expectation.

Hikaru instantly broke into a sweat. "Wait—did you say… you want to fight me?"

Riolu puffed out his chest.

You've actually got martial ability; even that master praised you! Ordinary Pokémon aren't your match. Considering how few Fighting-types we've got at home… honestly, they're probably not as strong as you are!

Fighters improve through sparring! Ora!

I want to cross hands with you—that's from the heart!

The blue pup shadow-boxed the air!

Be it body or spirit, we can draw closer through martial combat! Besides, you often spar with wild Pokémon—and even with humans! Last time in Black City you flattened dozens of people all by yourself! So boss!

"So that's why your friendship doesn't go up—you want to slug your own Trainer!"

Hikaru couldn't help but laugh. He also wondered if relentless martial practice might awaken a new "not-quite-legal Ability."

Like Unseen Fist?

Strictly speaking, Unseen Fist felt less like an Ability and more like a power born from Sirfetch'd-like, training-hardened martial arts. Whether other Pokémon could learn a similar power through martial practice… that needed testing!

"But compared to punching, aren't you even better at throwing out waves?"

Joking as they rode, the D-Bike left the Training Cavern area and reached Tubeline Bridge!

Roads around them teemed with biker gangs. Hikaru's special D-Bike drew their attention; the lot of them exchanged looks, nodded, and followed Hikaru straight into Tubeline Bridge!

This was a steel bridge spanning Unova; even a passing train wouldn't make it tremble. Trains that crossed Tubeline Bridge would pass south of Icirrus City, then keep on toward Nimbasa City.

"That kid's bike looks insanely cool!"

"Hey—make that brat stop!"

A burly biker boss had set his sights on Hikaru's D-Wheel—his eyes went round. He immediately rallied his underlings to start a riding duel!

He was the boss here—Yingming!

"Hey, kid! Tubeline Bridge is our turf—the Dark Emperor Nabo crew! Pull over!"

Yingming redlined his engine and caught up to Hikaru, pointing at the D-Wheel. "Nice machine! Super stylish! How about a little contest?"

"If you lose, we swap bikes!"

"Dark Emperor Nabo, huh?" Hikaru remembered. They were a biker crew squatting on Tubeline Bridge—scary on the surface, but actually a goofy batch of small fry.

Beat them and they'd rename their team after the protagonist's Pokémon.

For many players, it was a Friday routine to come out and thump the biker gang on Tubeline Bridge, forcing them to adopt increasingly ridiculous Pokémon team names.

Hikaru said, "You're the boss of Dark Emperor Nabo?"

Then he glanced at the other's motorcycle—and a fun idea came to mind.

The biker sneered, "That's right, it's me—Lord Yingming! What, you've heard of my great name?"

Hikaru: "No. I just think you look ridiculous."

Yingming exploded. "Quit joking around! Dare insult me?! I'll show you the power of the man who rules Dark Emperor Nabo!"

"My dear partner—Joltik!"

The big man threw out a tiny yellow jumping spider. Joltik skree-skree'd—what it meant was:

"I'm gonna stomp you all flat!"

Hikaru and Riolu: "…"

"What a sassy Joltik—just as off-kilter as its Trainer. But a riding duel sounds fun!"

"Riding duel?" Yingming blinked.

"Yep!" Hikaru said. "It's a battle style from a faraway region—both sides ride bikes and fight with Pokémon simultaneously. You need Pokémon that can handle high speed!"

"It also tests a rider's skill and reflexes!"

"Oooh—that is fun!" Yingming's eyes lit. "So we keep riding fast and battle at the same time! Sounds thrilling. I'll try this riding duel!"

"Joltik—become one with me! I'll lend you my speed!"

"Skree!" Joltik fluffed up, shouting with swagger.

"Use Signal Beam!"

Joltik gathered a strange glow—yet before it could fire, Riolu blurred with Quick Attack and felled it in one punch!

A one-hit KO!

"Whoa—Joltik!" Yingming gasped, watching his little bug faint across his chest. His bike speed dipped. He looked at Hikaru, already speeding away, unwilling to accept it. Underlings swarmed up around him!

"Boss, we'll back you up!"

"Go, Krookodile!"

"Get 'em, Bouffalant!"

"Take off, Zubat!"

Flying Pokémon and runners charged alongside the bikes. Smaller Pokémon that couldn't keep high speed, like Krookodile, stood on sissy bars at the back and bellowed over the wind!

Dozens of ripples of Aura spread through the air!

"Accel Synchro—even light can be outpaced!"

"When clustered stars become one, new bonds will light the future—become a road of shining radiance!"

Hikaru muttered, "I've always wanted to say that line."

Riolu touched his headguard. "?"

A brand-new "trash talk before battle," was it?

He sighed, then dropped into his opening stance!

Perhaps this high-speed battlefield would help him grasp something new…!

A Speed Up effect shimmered on Riolu's body—the D-Bike's High-Speed World activated!

"Horn Attack!"

A Bouffalant thundered forward with all its might. Following its Trainer's command, it pushed itself to the limit and drew near the D-Wheel—at which point Riolu bent his knees and gathered a crushing force!

His eyes flashed—he read Bouffalant's movement.

He drove a heavy punch straight out!

One blow flattened the Bouffalant!

"Ahhh—Bouffalant!" The bikers behind panicked, braked hard, scooped up their toppled partner, and bawled.

But Riolu's offense didn't end!

Like a martial arts grandmaster, the blue pup danced across the high-speed battlefield, chaining priority techniques and borrowing force mid-air.

Swords Dance. Copycat. Counter.

Thunder Punch. Metal Claw. A swift riposte!

"D-damn! Don't get cocky!" Yingming regrouped, gunning it from the rear, eyes reddened. "Ooooh—riding duel!"

"All on you, Scraggy! Use High Jump Kick!"

Scraggy, a lizard-like Pokémon. Its head was yellow; neck to belly, a dusty cream; a yellow "pants" around its waist it could haul up by hand—actually its skin!

It coiled its knees and sprang from the bike, harnessing the speed to drive a knee toward Riolu!

Leap high and smash with your knee. If you miss, you're hurt yourself. A Fighting-type move of 130 power—a super heavy hitter!

The gale of speed, the roar of power, the scream of engines, and the train whistle across the rails… all wove a scene of steel and flesh in pitched, high-velocity combat!

Riolu felt the power of those airstreams—the noisy Auras of the surrounding Pokémon. Just as the High Jump Kick was about to land, he vaulted skyward!

[Riolu's understanding of airflow has deepened!]

[Learned the move "Focus Energy"!]

The knowledge from accelerated learning found its outlet. Riolu sensed all currents resonating with the breath within him, forming countless ripples!

Wind—carry me!

Crackling light gathered under his feet—Riolu took flight!

Lightning wrapped his body; fierce ki braided with the wind, making the blue pup's fur stand on end!

Magnet Rise!

A finisher he grasped after defeating the wyrm of the spirit world!

Hikaru understood: for most people, Riolu and Magnet Rise felt utterly unrelated—but in Generations IV, V, VI, and VII, Riolu could learn it from move tutors!

So yes—completely legal!

To the bikers, though, this was egregiously illegal!

"He—he's flying?!"

"Riolu can fly?!"

"That's impossible, you idiot!"

"A Fighting-type flew into the sky—how could I be having this dream, mom?!"

Scraggy froze, staring at the blue pup walking the air like a Dou Zong strongman. Its High Jump Kick whiffed and was about to smash into a Tubeline girder—meaning disastrous self-damage: half its HP on a miss!

At that critical instant, Riolu stretched out his hand and grabbed Scraggy tight.

"Rii. (You okay.)"

The blue pup offered aid, backlit by cascades of shattered golden sunlight.

The moment stunned Scraggy.

Riolu carried Scraggy through the air, then set him back before Yingming, and streaked back to Hikaru's bike in a bolt of light.

All the bikers braked and forgot to give chase. Even Yingming stared, dazed, at Hikaru and the flying Riolu riding into the distance.

"S-Scraggy… you good?"

It took him a long beat to come to and check on his partner. Scraggy, after a dazed pause, finally drew back his gaze—now without the frustration of defeat, but bright with awe.

S-so cool—Riolu!

At the crucial moment he didn't hurt me—he saved my life. Even though Scraggy was male, his heart thumped wildly!

In that instant, the far-off Riolu etched an indelible mark on his heart. He swore to become a Pokémon as strong and excellent as that Riolu!

That outstretched hand—felt eternal.

"Man, we lost completely. That guy… really deserves thanks—for saving my Pokémon."

Yingming watched Hikaru vanish along Tubeline and suddenly broke into hearty laughter. He shouted to his underlings:

"That Riolu and that rider were just too awesome! Okay—I've decided. We're renaming our crew Dark Riolu!"

"Borrow the name of that excellent, powerful Pokémon—and our team will grow ever more excellent and strong!"

The underlings hyped up, yelling till the scene went fever-pitch. Only Yingming's eyes shone with yearning.

"Shame we don't know that guy's name… What an outstanding Trainer. Riding duel! Fine—I will popularize this battle style across Unova!"

"That'll be how I repay him. Tubeline Bridge will become a road of shining radiance!"

"Also—everyone repaint your bikes to match that guy's bike color!"

(End of Chapter)

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