Bang—
Riolu and a restrained Scizor were engaged in an intense battle.
Steven's expression was serious, his eyes fixed intently on the two combatants.
"Quick Attack and retreat!"
No sooner had Riolu's front paw withdrawn than a small crater formed in its original position from Scizor's strike.
"Bullet Punch!"
Riolu seized the brief opening after Scizor's attack and surged forward, launching an incredibly fast punch!
But Scizor dodged it easily.
"You're not playing fair either, Scizor!"
How could Steven not notice that Scizor had momentarily increased its power output, which allowed it to evade Riolu's Bullet Punch?
However, since the goal was to build rapport between himself and Riolu, Steven only teased Scizor lightly.
Riolu said nothing in response, instead watching Scizor even more cautiously than before.
It tried to predict Scizor's movements.
"Vacuum Wave!"
Steven, however, didn't want to rely on predictions—wouldn't it be better to directly disrupt the opponent's rhythm with a preemptive strike?
If Scizor intended to attack, it would naturally take a direct hit from this Vacuum Wave.
Bang—
As Scizor advanced in an instant, it noticed the invisible energy wave carried within the punch's force and raised its pincers to block.
Consequently, a momentary pause occurred in its movement.
"Quick Attack!"
Riolu swiftly followed up, successfully striking Scizor!
Scizor quickly pivoted after being hit, its body's rotation sweeping its pincers horizontally.
Riolu couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying by the pincer strike.
It tumbled several times across the ground.
If it had been airborne, Steven might have given Riolu's form an 8.7 out of 10.
"That's enough for now," Steven called out, bringing the match to a halt.
It seemed rather difficult to find an evenly matched opponent for Riolu.
And it also needed to be one specialized in close-quarters combat.
Scizor's competitive drive was immense—even when holding back, it would suddenly unleash its full power.
Steven also needed to help build Riolu's confidence.
"Scizor, I'm going to borrow Riolu for a bit, okay?" Steven said with a gentle chuckle.
When taking on a student, it was still proper etiquette to inform the mentor symbolically.
Scizor looked up briefly, then nodded in acknowledgment.
"Let's go, Riolu. I'll take you to find some worthy opponents," Steven said, looking down at Riolu with a smile.
"Riolu?" Riolu followed behind Steven, looking confused.
"Metagross, come here."
"Metagross?"
Metagross, who had just finished training and was about to rest while reading, closed its book once more and floated over to Steven.
"Let's go search for any high-level wild Pokémon nearby."
There were very few Pokémon in this area—either they had been scared away by Garchomp previously, or there was already a powerful territorial Pokémon claiming this region.
Metagross nodded, tossing its book to Piplup, who was lying on the ground sunbathing.
Thwack—
The book landed accurately on Piplup's belly.
"Piplup?! w(ﾟДﾟ)w"
Enemy attack! Enemy attack!
Piplup shot upright abruptly, and the book on its belly fell to the ground.
Hmm?
This seems a bit familiar.
Let me look again...
It appears to be Big Brother Metagross's book!
Piplup looked up blankly and saw Metagross staring directly at it.
Metagross maintained its neutral expression.
"Piplup! (ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ"
Leave it to me, Big Brother!
Piplup's mind worked quickly, and it reacted instantly.
It hurriedly picked up the book, brought its small feet together, and saluted Metagross smartly.
Its plump body stood as straight as a soldier at attention.
Steven watched this little rascal and couldn't help but laugh.
After informing Cynthia of his plans, he mounted Metagross and began searching through the mountains.
According to Cynthia, the number of Pokémon in this area was extremely sparse.
They hadn't been driven away when Garchomp first came here to train.
That meant there was a powerful territorial Pokémon residing here.
But due to Garchomp's overwhelming presence, it didn't dare attempt to expel Cynthia.
No one would be foolish enough to challenge an opponent who could easily defeat them.
It didn't take Steven long to locate a large pond.
Just as Steven paused, wanting to investigate further, a red-bodied, fierce-looking Pokémon immediately emerged from the pond, glaring viciously at Steven.
"A Crawdaunt?" Steven hadn't expected the territorial leader here to be a Crawdaunt.
That made sense, though—Crawdaunt had a habit of throwing other Pokémon out of its territory.
If it was particularly aggressive, expelling all surrounding Pokémon from the area wasn't beyond possibility.
"Cha! (▼dish▼#)"
"Cha? (⊙x⊙;)"
Crawdaunt's expression froze instantly. Its thick legs retreated two steps, and it quickly pulled back into the water.
Leaving only a few bubbles floating to the surface...
"..."
Steven glanced back at Metagross.
Metagross maintained its usual neutral expression.
Steven recalled Metagross to its Poké Ball.
"Cha! (▼dish▼#)"
Crawdaunt resurfaced immediately, glaring fiercely at Steven and Riolu once more.
"Vacuum Wave." Steven couldn't help but laugh at this Crawdaunt, whose demeanor changed so dramatically.
He simply had Riolu attack directly.
"Riolu!"
Riolu threw a punch, and the powerful energy generated by the strike shot forward, hitting Crawdaunt's forehead.
The impact sent it tumbling backward into the water.
The next moment, water splashed everywhere.
Crawdaunt leaped from the water onto the shore, waving its massive pincers threateningly while making loud clicking sounds.
It charged straight toward Riolu.
"Force Palm!"
Riolu met Crawdaunt head-on, throwing a punch of its own.
Bang—
The massive pincer collided with Riolu's fist!
Both combatants' arms trembled slightly as they struggled against each other.
"Release the force, then use Force Palm again!"
Riolu stepped backward, pulling its arm inward.
This sudden movement caused Crawdaunt to instantly lose its balance and pitch forward.
Riolu's fist, however, shot out once more!
Thud!
The punch landed squarely on Crawdaunt's face with a dull impact.
Crawdaunt staggered backward repeatedly in pain.
"Cha!!!"
I refuse to believe it!
I can't beat that iron crab, but I can't beat this little blue dog either?!
Suddenly, a stream of water enveloped Crawdaunt's entire body.
Then Crawdaunt charged forward at extreme speed.
Riolu, unable to react in time, was knocked backward several meters by Crawdaunt's Aqua Jet.
"Quick Attack."
Riolu steadied itself with its back legs, then launched forward.
It kicked Crawdaunt to the ground.
"Cha?! ಠಿ_ಠ"
Something's not right here.
Very not right.
Why don't you pause when you take damage?
"Force Palm!" Steven didn't concern himself with the details.
Riolu quickly advanced, placing both palms firmly on Crawdaunt's chest.
Bang—
The powerful force sent Crawdaunt flying backward once again.
The fighting-type energy was devastating!
"Brick Break!"
The key was to press the advantage.
Riolu continued its assault, raising its glowing white palm high.
Crawdaunt could only endure the immense pain in its chest while waving its massive pincers defensively.
Crabhammer!
Bang!
Riolu's Brick Break descended, but it was blocked by Crawdaunt's enormous pincer!
"Bullet Punch!"
Riolu's other paw launched an incredibly fast strike, hitting Crawdaunt directly in the face.
This time, Crawdaunt learned its lesson—while taking the Bullet Punch to the face, its other pincer also swung out fiercely.
It struck Riolu's abdomen, knocking the Fighting-type back.
This bought Crawdaunt a brief moment to catch its breath.
Riolu, injured in the abdomen, staggered a few steps and dropped to one knee.
Crawdaunt's Crabhammer had scored a critical hit!
"Hang in there! Use Quick Attack, then Force Palm!" Steven called out in a steady voice.
Crawdaunt's condition wasn't looking good either.
It all came down to who could land the final decisive blow first.