Chapter 20: Riolu vs. Snivy- Training Battle

It is six O'clock in the morning as Snivy starts opening her eyes from her sleep, looking at an empty spot where Riolu was sleeping before.

When she gets back up onto her feet and looks towards the location where the mountain road is located, she sees Riolu looking out at the ocean from behind.

Riolu thinks with a serious expression in his eyes as he crosses his arms, 'This is not good… Zorua's power… his aura… it's completely different now. He's no longer the same Zorua that tried to kill me before. His aura has already become darker…'

While Riolu continues to look out at the ocean, Arceus is looking in the same direction as well, saying with a serious expression on his face, "It seems as though Zorua has already evolved… into a Zoroark."

Riolu looks back at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "Is that so?"

Snivy says as she gets up and walks towards Riolu, "It seems Zoroark and Darkrai are having a serious battle with each other. Perhaps Darkrai has already figured out you're still alive and is training Zoroark to become stronger."

Riolu looks directly at Snivy with a serious expression on his face and he replies, "They've been at it all night. Darkrai knows my main target is Zoroark, and he wants to be sure he doesn't lose him in battle…"

Riolu looks up at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he asks, "Do you also notice something different about Zoroark's aura?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "His aura is far darker and stronger than it was before. He's allowing the Hell Spirit Blade's aura to take control of his soul…"

Riolu faces Snivy, activates his double white aura bows from his gloves, and he continues, "I can't just stand around and let Zoroark be possessed by the Hell Spirit Blade! I need to become stronger, no matter what it takes!"

Snivy grins with a serious expression in her eyes and she replies to Riolu, "Alright! Let's become stronger together!"

Riolu looks up at Arceus with a serious expression on his face and he says, "Will it be okay if you could help train Kirlia and Kirlio while Snivy and I have our practice battle?"

Arceus nods his head and he replies, "I'll be sure to do that, Riolu. You two get started with your training."

Both Riolu and Snivy nods their heads at Arceus, run to the edge of the summit, and they start sliding down the mountain, heading towards the ground.

As they slide down the mountain, Arceus thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'It's won't be long now until the time comes. Darkrai… so you're wanting to start another war with me, huh? I won't be holding back this time, Darkrai. We shall soon see who will survive this war!'

After thirty minutes passes by, Riolu and Snivy enters the Mirage Island forest. The treetops and the ground are still covered by snow and the snow continues to fall from the clouds above.

After they reach the center of the entire forest, Riolu's eyes widen with shock when he realizes where he is. This is the exact area where Snivy first found him.

Riolu's shocked expression turns into a serious one as he deactivates his white aura bows. He faces Snivy and he says with a serious expression, "Snivy… we have to give it our all! This training won't be like the previous ones we had before. We need to go all out."

Snivy nods her head and she replies with a serious expression on her face, "I understand, Riolu…"

While Snivy heads to the opposite side of the forest from Riolu, he thinks as he closes his eyes, 'I can feel it… it's not just Zoroark who has been taken over by the darkness… Mienfoo…'

While he keeps his eyes closed, he starts picturing the time he had with Audino, Maractus, Mienfoo, and Zorua.

After he opens his eyes, he thinks as he crosses his arms in an X-formation, 'The fact that Audino and Maractus are being controlled by the darkness, it should also mean that Mienfoo will be subjected to the dark aura, especially when being so close to Zoroark.'

After he activates his Aura Blades, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Zoroark… I will bring you back to your senses… but once I do, neither of us will be alive!'

After Snivy gets to her side of the forest, she yells out to Riolu with a confident grin on her face, "Let's get started!"

Riolu nods his head and he runs straight towards Snivy after getting his arms out of the X-formation.

Snivy has a serious expression on her eyes as she thinks, 'So you want me to go all out, huh? I'll show you how much strength I can dish out!'

After Riolu gets right in front of Snivy and swings his right arm down towards her, Snivy quickly jumps back and fires hundreds of Bullet Seeds from her mouth, aiming for his face.

After Riolu covers his face with both Aura Blades, Snivy grins confidently and disappears into thin air. After she reappears right behind Riolu from thin air, she thinks as she prepares to launch her Vine Whip, 'There…'

But when Snivy launches her Vine Whip and tangles Riolu around his waist and lands on the ground on her feet, Riolu looks back with a confident grin on his face and he says, "Big mistake, Snivy."

Snivy's eyes widen with surprise when she looks back and sees the real Riolu standing behind her.

When she looked back at the Riolu she caught, she has a shocked expression on her face when she realizes that the Riolu she has, has turned into white aura.

After the white aura forms back into Riolu's body, he says with an impressed expression on his face, "I'll give you credit, Snivy. You've caught me by surprise with that type of speed."

Riolu deactivates his Aura Blades as he continues, "However, how good are you at," He finishes after he activates one aura bow from his right hand, "dodging my aura arrows?"

Snivy thinks as she quickly runs away from Riolu, jumping up into the snow filled treetops, jumping from one branch to another, "He wasn't kidding when he said to go all out…"

When Snivy looked back, her eyes widen with shock when she realizes that Riolu now has two aura bows in each hand.

As Snivy increases her jumping speed, Riolu increases his speed, firing his arrows towards and around Snivy. Riolu dodges falling tree branches and snow as he continues firing and running towards Snivy, who is still jumping from one branch to another five trees ahead of Riolu.

Snivy looks back at Riolu with a serious expression on her face and she thinks, 'With all of those arrows flying around me, I can't possibly…!'

She has a surprised expression on her face when she thinks, 'Wait a minute! There is one way to get out of Riolu's attack!'

After Snivy jumps down from the treetops and lands on the ground, she runs into the dense forest area, where each arrow Riolu fires ends up hitting a tree trunk and disappears into thin air.

Riolu thinks after he stops firing his arrows and deactivates his two aura bows, 'Not a bad strategy, Snivy. But how do you plan to counterattack?'

When Riolu activated his Aura Eyes and looked around at his surroundings on the ground level, he has a serious expression in his eyes when he realizes that Snivy is nowhere to be seen. 'What the devil? Where did she…!'

Before he could finish his thought, he hears Snivy yell out, "Here I come!"

When he looked straight up, his eyes widen with shock when he sees five Snivy coming her way, all of them are in the staggered formation with one close to the ground and the other closer to the sky.

Riolu thinks as he charges up for two Aura Blades, 'She knows Double Team now? It seems like she has went through more training than I originally thought.'

After the first Snivy lands on the ground behind him, he looks back and notices that the one behind him is just a clone. After he elbows the clone behind him, it disappears into thin air.

After the second and third Snivy landed by Riolu's sides, he tries to swing both of his Aura Blades at the clones, until the fourth Snivy appears from behind and holds his arms down with Vine Whip.

While the other two clones on his sides used their Vine Whip and tied Riolu down, the fifth and real Snivy lands right in front of him and she says with a confident grin on her face, "How was that?"

Riolu replies after he closes his eyes and grins, "To tell the truth… not bad at all."

Riolu opens his eyes and he continues, "You've picked a good strategy to use with your Double Team clones. I'm actually surprised that you've managed to catch me off guard again."

Riolu closes his eyes and he says with a smile on his face, "However… even though you've caught your foe, don't get to cocky and let your guard down."

Before Snivy could even realize it, a Riolu appeared right behind her from out of thin air, crossing his arms with a serious grin on his face.

When Snivy looked back, her eyes widen with shock when she sees Riolu standing there.

When she looks back at the Riolu she caught, he says with a serious grin on his face too, "You should already know that I'm the real deal. But the one behind you, can you guess who they are?"

When Snivy looked back again, her eyes widen with shock when she sees three more Riolu appear from out of thin air.

She looks back at the real Riolu and her eyes widen with surprise when she realizes that the real Riolu manages to break free and starts swinging all of the clones around like helicopter propellers.

While the real Riolu smacks all of the Snivy clones against upcoming trees, Snivy looks back at the Riolu clones with a serious expression in her eyes and she thinks, 'I'm not going to lose this fight!'

As one of the Riolu clones tries to grab a hold of her, she jumps back away from the clones with her back still facing the real Riolu.

After she lands on the snow, she thinks as the leaf on the tip of her tail glows green and the edges get sharper, 'I'm not completely hopeless yet!'

As she jumps straight towards the Riolu clones with her Leaf Blade ready to go, Riolu stops spinning like a top after the tree Snivy clones disappear into thin air.

Riolu thinks as he tries to regain his balance from the dizziness, 'Oh damn… I'm too dizzy to move…'

After Snivy slashes all of the Riolu clones with one side slash of her Leaf Blade and lands back on the ground on her feet, she looks back at the dizzy Riolu and she thinks with a serious expression on her face, 'This is my chance!'

After she faces Riolu and runs straight towards him while deactivating her Leaf Blade, Riolu thinks with a troubled expression on his face, 'Crap… I'm still not over the dizziness yet…'

After Snivy gets ten feet in front of Riolu, she thinks as she jumps straight at him through the air, 'This is my only chance while his guard his down!'

After Riolu regains his balance and recovers from his dizziness, his eyes widen with shock when he sees Snivy jumping straight at him.

Snivy tackles into Riolu and causes him to fall flat on his back in the snow with Snivy right on top of him.

Snivy looks down at Riolu's face with a smile on her face and she asks, "How was that for taking advantage of one's weak point?"

Riolu was about to answer, until he sees something up in the sky.

His eyes widen with shock when he sees Dark Riolu falling from the sky, with his three blades scythe in hand, aiming for Riolu's neck.

While Dark Riolu is still in midair, Riolu quickly gets his arms around Snivy and starts rolling over in the snow, managing to get them far enough from Dark Riolu's assault.

Dark Riolu's scythe stabs into the ground, with Dark Riolu's right hand still on the hilt while getting back up onto his feet.

After Riolu and Snivy stop rolling in the snow, Snivy looks down at Riolu with a look of concern on her face and she asks, "A-are you all right, Riolu?"

Riolu replies as he lets go of Snivy, "Yeah… I'm fine."

After Snivy gets off of Riolu, Dark Riolu says with a serious grin on his face as Riolu slowly gets back up onto his feet, "So we meet again… Riolu."

Riolu looks right at Dark Riolu with a serious expression on his face and he replies while activating both white aura bows from his gloves, "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back with Darkrai and Zoroark?"

Dark Riolu has an impressed expression in his eyes as he thinks, "So you have noticed, huh?"

Dark Riolu shakes his head as he continues, "Actually, I came here on my own free will. I came here…"

Dark Riolu pulls his scythe out of the ground as he continues, "To get rid of the threat to Lord Darkrai's goals!"

Riolu has a serious expression on his face as he tells Snivy, "Snivy, I need you to get out of here now and tell Lord Arceus what is happening. I'll keep Dark Riolu from going after you."

Snivy nods her head and starts making a run for it towards the mountain. Dark Riolu yells after throwing his scythe straight towards Snivy, "Oh no you don't!"

But Riolu jumps in front of the running Snivy and blocks the scythe with his Aura Blades.

Riolu has an angry expression in his eyes as he says to Dark Riolu, "I will not allow you to harm Snivy!"

After Riolu fires the scythe back, he yells out with a serious expression on his face, "I won't let you take her like you've done with my previous friends!"

After Dark Riolu grabs a hold of the hilt of his scythe, Riolu runs straight towards Dark Riolu with both Aura Blades still activated, slowly turning into white aura.