Episode 448: The Riolu With Aura Sphere Part 1
We open up in the middle of the night as an explosion occurred at a wall, causing the alarms start to go off. Searchlights go all around as two sunglasses-wearing men, a Kantonian Golem, and a Riolu made their way out. A scientist and a band of security guards came out and caught them in the act.
"There it is! RX1!" One of the security guards exclaimed.
"The RX1 is a priceless research tool! Give Riolu back at once!" The scientist demanded.
"Hyper Beam!" One of the men ordered. Golem fired Hyper Beam, making the scientist and the security staff scatter, allowing their escape. Riolu looked up to one of the men and saw a crest with a Lucario-like face on the front and smiled. They ran towards a truck as it arrived, and called the Golem back in a Pokéball.
One of the men opened the back and Riolu jumped right in the back of the truck. As soon as Riolu was inside, they shut the doors and drove off.
As the truck drives off, Riolu finds a place to sit down shuts its eyes to sleep, but its ability over aura kicks in.
"Excellent. The Aura Sphere Riolu finally belongs to me," a man's voice said. It turns out there is a third man with a pair of sunglasses. "And they'll be no doubt about who gives the orders." He chuckled evilly. The men tore the crests off.
"What a stupid Pokémon. That naive Riolu trusted us completely," the first man said.
Promising to help Riolu doesn't mean we send it home. Poor thing," the second man said as he laughed.
After hearing all that, Riolu felt betrayed, so it fired an Aura Sphere from its hands and blasted the doors of the truck opened. The truck came to a screeching halt as Riolu made its escape into the forest. Riolu is injured by the arm. The men came out and saw their prize had escaped.
"Riolu's escaped! It must have overheard us talking," the second man said.
"I can't believe it broke through this re-enforced metal. Amazing," the first man said. Their boss stepped out to approach them.
"Enough talk! Riolu must be allowed to get away!" The boss said.
"Sir!" The two men said, taking off to find Riou. The boss turned to the damaged truck, not caring how badly damaged it was.
"So, this is its power. It's more than I dreamed. I must have Riolu for my own," the man said, grinning evilly.
Meanwhile, Solana stood before a young man with brown hair with two plucks pointing upwards on the top. He also has green eyes. He wore the official Pokémon Ranger uniform.
"Good of you to come, Kellyn. I was sent to give you your next assignment," Solana said.
"Anything to help out Pokémon who are in need. What's my assignment?" Kellyn asked. Solana displayed the image of a Riolu.
"Your assignment is to return this Riolu to the Lucario Kingdom. It was taken against its will by a band of scientists for reasons of research, but..." Solana switched to the image of the man in sunglasses. "This person has gotten wind of Riolu due to its ability to use Aura Sphere, and he would do anything to get it, so he hired Pokémon Hunter J to retrieve it for him." The image switches to Pokémon Hunter J.
"I heard of her. And I heard she mysteriously broke out of prison," Kellyn said.
"Yes. She is ruthless in every possible way, so do not take her lightly. Do you accept the assignment?" Solana asked.
"I do," Kellyn answered. He accepted his assignment and departed to Sinnoh for his mission.
Back in Sinnoh, the scientist and his security staff were visited by the police and rounded up.
"All of you are under arrest for the kidnapping of a Pokémon," Officer Jenny said. A policeman approached Officer Jenny.
"Ma'am, we didn't find the kidnapped Riolu anywhere. The people we apprehended claimed another crew posing the people of the Lucario Kingdom have beaten us here," the policeman said.
"And I have a good idea who. Luckily, we're getting help from a Pokémon Ranger to get Riolu back to the Lucario Kingdom," Officer Jenny said.
"You don't understand! RX1 is a research tool!" The scientist argued.
"Tell that to the judge," Officer Jenny said.
With the entire staff arrested, they took their leave and took off with the incriminating evidence to help prosecute them to the full extend of the law.
Over in the same forest, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, and Angel were walking in a forest filled with all sorts of Pokémon. And that's when they spotted Takuya, Koji, JP, Zoe, Tommy, Koichi, Mime Jr, and Munchlax in their parth.
"Sora, Kairi!" Takuya greeted.
"Nice seeing some familiar faces," JP said.
"Right back at you, guys," Sora said.
"What brings you here?" Kairi asked.
"We came here to have a look at some of the wild Pokémon in the forest," Tommy said.
"And there seem to be more than you can shake a stick at," JP said.
"Mime, Mime," Mime Jr said.
"Munchlax," Munchlax said.
"Are you heading for Pastoria City?" Koichi asked.
"Yeah, but we're making a stop over at Lake Valor before we do. Master Rei wanted us to meet with her," Kairi said.
"But if you wanna stick around with us, you can," Sora offered.
"That'll be great," Koji said.
"It's bee a while since we hung out together," Koichi said. Sora smiled as he suddenly sensed something.
"What's wrong, Sora?" Zoe asked.
"I just felt something. Whatever it is, it's very close to us," Sora said.
"What could it be? Heartless, Unversed, Nobodies?" JP asked.
"Or it could be Silver Moon, Lucius, or more of Count Ernesh's apprentices," Kairi said.
"I don't think it's either," Sora said. Before any of them could ask what it was, they saw Riolu walking out of the nearby bushes. It stopped and looked at them. "It's coming from that Riolu."
"Man, don't scare us like that. I almost peed in my jumpsuit for nothing," JP said.
"Oh, look how cute it is," Zoe cooed. Kairi was about to agree, but she noticed Riolu holding its arm.
"He's hurt!" Kairi gasped. Riolu fell on his knees.
"Let me help you," Sora said, walking over to Riolu. Before he could look at Riolu's injured arm, the Emanation Pokémon just swats at him. "Hey, take it easy. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only just trying to help you." Riolu wasn't buying it and sends out a blast of Aura Sphere and struck Sora with it. Kairi, the Pokémon, and the six DigiDestined all gasped when they saw Sora getting hurt.
"Sora!" Kairi gasped, running up to her boyfriend.
"Are you alright?" Takuya asked.
"I'm fine. I was hit by something worse than that," Sora said.
"What was that?" Koichi asked.
"I think it was an Aura Sphere that hit me," Sora said.
"Aura Sphere?" JP asked.
"No way that can be it. Riolu can't use Aura Sphere until after they evolved into a Lucario," Koji said.
"Well, that one just did," Sora said.
"That has got to be a very special Riolu. I can sense it off of him," Kairi said.
"Special or not, it doesn't change the fact Riolu needs some help," Sora said. He approached the Emanation Pokémon again after standing up. "You don't have to be scared of me, Riolu. I'm only trying to help you."
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu added.
Still not convinced, Riolu fired another Aura Sphere from his hand and sends it right at Sora. Before Sora could respond, Kellyn came and swats it away with his arm. He turned to the group.
"Hey, everybody still in one piece?" Kellyn asked.
"Yeah," Sora answered. Riolu then started to leave. "Riolu's leaving."
"Leave this to me," Kellyn said, taking off.
"Hey, wait!" Sora said.
"What was that about?" Tommy asked.
"I don't know, but I don't think we should leave this alone," Sora said.
"I think you're right. Something is up," Kairi said.
The group followed where Kellyn and Riolu have gone. A few moments later, Sora gets pulled in the bushes by Kellyn.
"I told you to leave this to me, didn't I?" Kellyn asked.
"We're only here out of concern," Sora argued. Kellyn shushes him as he points to Riolu on top of a tree.
"Is that your Riolu?" Zoe asked.
"No, it's not," Kellyn said.
"Is Riolu a wild Pokémon then?" JP asked.
"It's not a wild Pokémon neither. All Riolu wants to do is get back home," Kellyn explained.
"He wants to go home," Sora said. They heard the sound of engines running and saw some vehicles belonging to that of Hunter J. "Oh, no. Not now." Riolu was scared as the men all came out of the vehicles.
"Who are those guys?" Tommy asked.
"Those are Pokémon Hunter J's thugs," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said, disgusted.
"Pokémon Hunter J?" Takuya asked.
J's second-in-command took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Crobat! Wing Attack!" J's second-in-command ordered. His Crobat came out and smacked Riolu with its wing. Riolu fell out of the tree. "Retrieve the target!"
"Sir!" One of the thugs said.
"I don't think so," Sora said, stepping out.
"Wait!" Kellyn said.
"I'm with you, too!" Takuya said, stepping in as well. Sora, Takuya, and Pikachu got between the bush and the thugs. Takuya took out a Pokéball and he opened it to reveal an Inernape.
"There'll be no Pokémon hunting today!" Sora said.
"Who the hell are you?" J's second-in-command asked.
"Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered.
"Fire Blast!" Takuya ordered.
Pikachu and Infernape fired their attacks at Crobat, but the Bat Pokémon just dodged their attacks. Riolu fired Aura Sphere from the bushes and struck Crobat on the mark and then fired Aura Sphere in different places, including where Sora and Takuya were standing.
"So, that's Aura Sphere. Impressive power. We'll be taking that Riolu, now," J's second-in-command said. The rest of the thugs took out their Pokéballs and let out their own Crobat. Kellyn said, stepping in.
"That is not allowed!" Kellyn stated, revealing himself as a Pokémon Ranger. He places a different styled Capture Styler on. He spotted an Ariados hanging over at a nearby tree. "Vatonage Styler on!" Kellyn does his movements.
"What is he doing?" JP asked.
"He's a Pokémon Ranger!" Kairi said.
"Capture complete! Ariados! Use String Shot!" Kellyn ordered. Ariados fired a String Shot, tying up the Crobat in its thick silk.
"What the?!" J's second-in-command exclaimed. He jumped over their heads as he spotted a Nincada in the area and he does the same thing as he did with Ariados.
"Vatonage Styler on!" Kellyn shouted. He does his thing with Nincada. "Capture complete! Use Dig!" Nincada complies with Kellyn and dug underground and akes a pitfall where the thugs were standing. He smiled. "Good work, you two. Time to release you." He presses a button on the Vatonage Styler, letting Ariados and Nincada go. Riolu was scared of Kellyn as he approached. "It's okay, Riolu. You can trust me. And I have the proof right here." Kellyn took out a small pouch and a small wooden figurine of a Riolu fell out. Riolu then realized he's telling the truth. "See? This is the proof you need to see I'm telling the truth." He places it back in the pouch and placed it around Riolu's neck before he picked the Emanation Pokémon up in his arms. "Come on. Let's go."
"Right," Sora said. They followed the Pokémon Ranger as they escaped from J's thugs. "So you came out here to save that Riolu, didn't you?"
"Yeah. We weren't properly introduced. I'm Kellyn," Kellyn introduced.
"I'm Sora, and this is Pikachu," Sora introduced.
"My name's Kairi, and this is Angel," Kairi introduced.
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.
"Eevee, vee," Angel said.
"I'm Takuya."
"My name's Koji."
"I'm JP."
"My name's Zoe."
"My name's Tommy."
"And I'm Koichi."
"Mime, Mime," Mime Jr said.
"Munchlax," Munchlax said.
"Nice to meet you," Kellyn said.
"Sora, Kairi, think you can fill us in? Who exactly is this Pokémon Hunter J?" Koji asked.
"Pokémon Hunter J is a relentless Pokémon Hunter. We were unfortunate enough to make her acquaintance. Especially when she was hired by Count Ernesh to steal Riku's Eevee," Kairi said.
"One of the last people you ever wanna meet. The last time we saw her was over in Mount Coronet when we were protecting a small group of Shieldon," Sora explained.
"There should be a place we can stop that's safe enough to heal Riolu," Kellyn said.
"That's good! We can stop," Koichi said.
They made their stop by a river. Kellyn places Riolu down and took out some super potion.
"This is going to sting a little, but it'll help get you better quickly," Kellyn assured. Kellyn sprayed Riolu's arm, making it wince from the stinging. Once Riolu's arm felt better, the Emanation Pokémon ran toward the river's shore and took the figurine out and stared right at it.
"Is Riolu doing okay?" Tommy asked.
"Psychologically, now. Riolu has been through a great deal of hardships just very recently, so it's having a hard time trusting human beings," Kellyn explained.
"That's why Riolu blasted Sora like that, isn't it? He must have thought Sora was after him, too," Takuya said.
"If there were a lot of people after me, I'd be jumpy, too," Koji said. Takuya just scoffed as he looked at him.
"Jumpy? You?" Takuya asked.
"But Koji is right. It's going to take some time before Riolu can fully trust people again," Kellyn said.
"What about that little wooden doll you gave Riolu before? Why is it important to him?" Zoe asked.
"That doll was actually carved by the man who raised Riolu. He gave it to Riolu as a gift," Kellyn said. Sora looked at Riolu and he Riolu's memories flashed before Sora's eyes. He approached Riolu.
"That's worth more to you more than anything in the world, isn't it?" Sora asked. Riolu turned around to face him. "The guy who raised you is very nice, right?"
"Sora, how did you know that?" Tommy asked.
"Riolu told me," Sora said.
"Wait, Riolu told you?" JP asked.
"That makes sense. Riolu and Lucario can communicate through the power of aura. That's how they're able to show their thoughts, emotions, and memories," Kairi said.
"What's aura?" Tommy asked.
"Aura is a form of spiritual energy which tells the essence of every living thing. And that would include people and Pokémon," Kairi said.
"That's correct, Kairi. And it seems your aura is in sync with Riolu's," Kellyn said.
"I think you're right," Sora agreed. He turned to Riolu. "Don't worry about that Pokémon Hunter. I'm going to do everything I can to get you back home where you belong. I won't let her or anyone else hurt and exploit you." Just then, Kellyn receives a transmission, and he answered it.
"Kellyn here," Kellyn answered. Solana appeared on the screen of the Vatonage Styler.
"Solana here," Solana said. Sora looked over to the Vatonage Styler.
"Hey, Solana. It's been a while," Sora said.
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.
"Eevee, vee," Angel said.
"It's great to hear your voice again," Kairi said.
"Sora and Kairi. It's great to see you again. What brings you here in Sinnoh?" Solana asked.
"Well, I'm collecting Gym Badges from the Gyms I visit, and Kairi is competing in Pokémon Contests. I have four Gym Badges and she has four Contest Ribbons," Sora said.
"What about you, Solana? Are you here because of Riolu, too?" Kairi asked.
"Actually, I am. I'm working with Officer Jenny to apprehend the leader of a group of criminals who was responsible for the raid on the lab Riolu was held until recently. And we have a man on the inside who filled us in that he hired Pokémon Hunter J We're heading to his house right now," Solana said.
"That's great to hear. I was going to ask you for the update. Riolu is in our protective custody and we're heading for the rendezvous coordinates as we speak," Kellyn said.
"Understood. And I recommend you allow Sora and Kairi to tag along. I believe you'll have a much better chance for success since they're skilled Pokémon Trainers," Solana said.
"Understood. I'm breaking contact now," Kellyn said, cutting the transmission. They hear something out in the distance.
"What was that?" Koichi asked.
"It's Hunter J's ship," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"We can take her," Takuya said.
"Hold on, Takuya. I agree we gotta protect Riolu, but we gotta be smart about it. J isn't going to take it easy on us, and she'll do whatever she can to get Riolu," Sora said.
"I agree. I have an idea, so you're gonna have to do what I tell you," Kellyn said.
"Right," the group said.
Aboard J's ship, her second-in-command has made contact with her to make his report.
"Forgive me, sir. The target has managed to escape. It was because of the interference of a Pokémon Ranger. A Top Ranger to be in fact," J's second-in-command reported.
"Was it Kellyn?" J asked.
"Yes, and he had some help," J's second-in-command reported as he showed the image, showing Sora, much to her fury.
"Him again? Are you saying he's your excuse for your failure?" J hissed.
"Negative! We still intend to retrieve the target!" J's second-in-command said before cutting the transmission.
"Outrageous. He has a lot of nerve to show himself to me again after he defeated each one of my Pokémon, including my Salamence. Not only that, but that silver-haired punk had the gall to slice off my arm. I'll exact my revenge on the both of them. And when I do see either one of them, I'll kill them, and any of the others," J vowed.
On the river, they get on a boat, being pullsed by Prinplup and Squirtle.
"So, other than Riolu can use Aura Sphere, why is he so important?" Takuya asked.
"You see, Riolu is to be the next Inheritor of the Aura," Kellyn explained.
"Inheritor of the Aura?" Kairi asked.
"Yes. In each royal generation, they use Riolu's aura to protect the kingdom. They passed this down from one generation to the next, so it's this Riolu's turn to take the torch of the Inheritor of the Aura. The man who raised Riolu is a Pokémon Breeder, and he was preparing to Riolu for his role," Kellyn said.
"So that explains how Riolu can use Aura Sphere," Sora said.
"If that's so, then how did Riolu end up out here and on that Pokémon Hunter's radar?" JP asked.
"Riolu was kidnapped by a group of people who had evil intentions for Riolu, but unfortunately, that brought the attention of another group of evil people for the same purposes, but Riolu has managed to escape from them as well," Kellyn said.
"And now, all this. Hunted by Pokémon Hunter," Koichi said.
"That's why Riolu attacked Sora with Aura Sphere like that," Tommy said.
"It's awful to live that kind of life," Zoe said.
"I know. What Riolu was forced to go through is unforgivable. Those greedy people just want to exploit Riolu for his power," Sora said.
"So, returning Riolu to the Lucario Kingdom is my top priority. The rendezvous point is just up ahead," Kellyn said. Just then, a Sharpedo erupts from below the boat, alerting everyone and sending them flying. Sora grabbed Prinplup as Kairi grabbed Squirtle.
"Sharpedo!" Tommy gasped.
"Where did they come from?!" Takuya asked. The trucks came in with Hunter J's thugs coming out.
"They belong to Hunter J!" Sora said.
"They found us!" Koji said. Kellyn saw a Floatzel jump out of the water and gets an idea.
"Capture on!" Kellyn shouted as he uses his capture sequence and uses it on Floatzel. "Capture complete!" He grabs hold of Floatzel. "Hurry! We gotta get out here!"
"Right!" The group agreed as they float along the river, but they were suddenly cut off with a Hyper Beam blast, cutting their escape. They saw J riding on Salamence's back.
"Hunter J!" Sora growled.
"I'll be taking that Riolu," J said.
"I don't think so," Kairi said.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered.
"Angel! Swift!" Kairi ordered.
Both Pokémon fired their chosen attacks.
"Hyper Beam!" J ordered. Salamence fired Hyper Beam, blocking them completely, resulting in an explosion. She aimed her mechanical arm at Riolu.
"Floatzel! Water Gun!" Kellyn ordered. Floatzel fired a Water Gun, hitting the Dragon Pokémon by the wing. She fired, hitting only the string. Riolu's wodden doll fell out, so the Emanation Pokémon went after it.
"Hurry! Get it!" J ordered.
"Sir!" The thugs said. The Sharpedo swam right for Riolu, but Mime Jr has set up an invisible wall to keep out the Sharpdeo during the distraction, but Mime Jr didn't have enough energy to set up more or do anything else. Sora, Pikachu, and Prinplup swam after Riolu, hoping to catch up with him, so J and Salamence went after them as well. They swam right back to the shore. Kellyn releases Floatzel as Kairi calls back her Squirtle.
"She's gone," Kellyn said.
"Yeah, but our troubles aren't over yet," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"At least things can't get any worse," JP said as several Heartless appeared. The Heartless consisted of Shadows, Soldiers, Air Soldiers, Large Bodies, Powerwilds, Bouncywilds, Armored Knights, Watchers, Creeper Plants, Loudmouths, Tornado Steps, and Darkballs.
"Heartless!" Takuya, Koji, JP, Zoe, Tommy, and Koichi gasped.
"Me and my big mouth," JP said.
"These are the Heartless? The ones Solana told me about?" Kellyn asked.
"Yeah, they're monsters made from the darkness of a person's heart. And I have a very good idea on whose heart is is," Kairi said. Kairi tapped into her Drive Forms and took on the Love Form. Kairi held the Triforce Princess and the Zero Plasma Pulse.
"Look at that," Zoe said with awe.
"She transformed," Tommy said.
The Heartless lunged right at Kairi, but she dodged their assault and Angel fired Swift at some of the Heartless as Kairi casts a flower spell, hitting the Heartless before she slashed at them as they came at her. Kairi struck down the Heartless as Angel lands an Iron Tail and then a Headbutt. She kept on fighting them until they were all destroyed. And just in time since her Love Form ran out of energy. She dismissed the two Keyblades.
"That was-" JP was cut off.
"There isn't time to be impressed, JP. We gotta find Sora and Riolu before Hunter J and her goons do," Kairi said.
"She's right. Let's go," Kellyn said.
With that said, they took off to find Sora. Speaking of which Riolu swam after the wooden doll, but fell over the waterfall, making Riolu struggle to keep his head above water. So Sora and Pikachu managed to find Riolu and rescue the Emanation Pokémon.
"Pika!" Pikachu said.
"Riolu's in trouble! Swim as fast as you can, Prinplup!" Sora said.
"Plup," Prinplup said, speeding up.
As Riolu sank into the water, Riolu's memories surfaced.
(Flashback)
Riolu is seen practicing, learning to use Aura Sphere as he is carving the wooden doll. He applied with the finishing touches.
"It's finished, Riolu," the old man said as Riolu stopped training. He went right up to him. "Here." He smiled, but his smiled turned to a frown as he and Riolu saw the scientist, his security guards, and a Drowzee stepped out. Riolu ran up to him. "May I help you, gentlemen?"
"Give us Riolu, or should I say Project RX1," the scientist said.
"You fools! You have no right to take away our next Inheritor of Aura! That makes Riolu vital to the future of our kingdom!" The old man argued.
"Of course we realize that, and that is why we're here," the scientist said.
"Drowzee! Psychic!" One of the security guards ordered. Drowzee's eyes gave off a light blue glow.
"Quick! Run away!" The old man said. Riolu was helpless as it was unfolding.
(Flashback ends)
Riolu opened his eyes and saw Sora looking back at him.
"Good, you're okay. We were getting worried," Sora said. Riolu looked around for the wooden doll, but Sora held it in his hand. "Looking for this? It got washed up along with us. I figured I give it to you once you were up." Sora placed it in Riolu's hand. "There, take good care of it." Pikachu's ears perked up.
"Pika!" Pikachu gasped.
"She's nearby, isn't she?" Sora asked.
"Pi," Pikachu nodded.
"Let's get moving before she sees us," Sora said.
Not too far, J stood with her second-in-command and her other henchmen.
"We've gotten reports that they didn't wash up downstream, so they must have washed up somewhere in this facility," J's second-in-command reported.
"Are you certain?" J asked.
"There's no doubt about it," J's second-in-command said. They hear ruslting and they saw Sora, Pikachu, Prinplup, and Riolu running. "It's them! We'll capture them at once!"
"No," J said, stopping them. They looked at her. "I have a much better idea." She grinned evilly.
Sora, Pikachu, Prinplup, and Riolu kept on running through the forest, but then, a fire erupts from out of nowhere.
"What the?! A fire!" Sora exclaimed.
"Pika!" Pikachu said.
"Keep running!" Sora said.
"Chu!" Pikachu said.
"Plup!" Prinplup said.
Up above, it turns out to be J's Salamence who was responsible for the forest fire suddenly starting. The wild Pokémon were running for their lives as the fire grows more widespread. Sora, Pikachu, Prinplup, and Riolu kept on running as they bump into J and her Salamence hovering above them.
"J!" Sora exclaimed.
"I warned you to stay out of the way," J said.
"As if I'm going to do that! And don't you tell me about how you forgot about how I beaten you in battle," Sora said.
"You only did that because you had luck on your side," J said.
"You're completely wrong about that. The only way you're going to get to Riolu is through me," Sora said.
"I intend to do so. Flamethrower now, Salamence," J ordered. Salamence fired a Flamethrower.
"Scatter!" Sora shouted as he and the Pokémon scattered.
Once again, the evil Pokémon Hunter J has created a major crisis of proportions for Sora, Kairi, and their friends as she intends to take Riolu for her one of her fewest clients remaining. Will they be able to defend Riolu and get him back home to his home in the Lucario Kingdom and embrace his destiny? That answer will be answered in the very next chapter, so stay tuned.