Riolu's expression was grave. Although the Piplup before it didn't appear particularly threatening, the massive creature beneath the human radiated an incredibly oppressive presence!
So much so that it didn't dare underestimate this blue penguin, who was even smaller than itself.
In any case, attack first!
"Riolu!"
Riolu's figure blurred as it rushed toward Piplup at high speed!
Quick Attack!
"Piplup!"
Piplup was struck by the sudden assault, its round body bouncing repeatedly across the ground.
Steven adjusted his headlamp's light range, which also reduced the brightness somewhat.
At the very least, it was sufficient for Piplup to see clearly.
"You don't want to lose either, do you, Piplup?" Steven said softly.
"Piplup! (╬▔皿▔)╯"
You're telling me!
Piplup stood back up, its fighting spirit surging dramatically!
Riolu was startled—the little opponent before it seemed to have grown stronger?
Riolu didn't dare relax, and it thrust its fist straight forward!
Vacuum Wave!
A transparent shockwave mixed with energy rushed toward Piplup.
Piplup unexpectedly took the hit and was knocked back two steps by the Vacuum Wave.
Good heavens! You keep using priority moves on me, don't you!
Piplup became furious and quickly fired a Water Gun to suppress Riolu, who was preparing to charge forward again.
Riolu quickly halted, lowering its body to the left.
It narrowly dodged the Water Gun.
"Whirlpool!"
Piplup slammed the ground with force.
Riolu immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly jumped up with bent legs.
A swirling mass of water suddenly materialized on the ground beneath its feet. If it had reacted any slower, it would have been caught.
Riolu kicked off the cave wall above and accelerated toward Piplup.
Pokémon with keen perception like Riolu were truly difficult opponents.
Steven gradually entered a focused state, and as Riolu jumped, he called out:
"Bubble Beam!"
Piplup quickly expelled continuous streams of bubbles.
Block my vision?
That won't work!
Riolu simply closed its eyes—its aura allowed it to sense Piplup's location!
It endured Piplup's Bubble Beam with its body, extending its right leg, determined to land a decisive kick on its opponent!
"Take a step back and use Peck!"
Piplup quickly retreated one step, and its small yellow beak glowed with white light!
It pecked forward sharply.
Bang—
Riolu's kick struck the ground, sending up a small shower of flying gravel.
"Riolu?!"
Riolu hadn't expected its kick to miss completely!
It then raised both arms, being pushed back by Piplup's Peck attack.
Riolu used its arms to brace against the ground, stabilizing its posture after an inverted roll.
Steven smiled slightly at the sight.
How could he not know that Riolu possessed aura sensing? Tactics like blocking vision would never succeed.
However, Piplup was currently boosted by its Torrent ability.
The power of Bubble Beam was naturally considerable.
If Riolu chose to endure it, its body would be affected to some degree, and its landing position would be thrown off.
Furthermore, Piplup had already retreated a moment earlier.
At most, it would be struck by some flying gravel.
Riolu didn't advance recklessly now. It quickly lowered its head to glance at its thigh.
There were marks on its right thigh from the Bubble Beam impact.
Fortunately, it hadn't used High Jump Kick, or it would have really injured itself badly.
"Not coming? Then I'm advancing."
Steven chuckled and issued his command.
"Hydro Pump!"
This distance was sufficient for Piplup to charge up Hydro Pump.
Piplup took a deep breath, energy practically overflowing from its small body.
Riolu felt an intense sense of danger.
It absolutely could not afford to be hit by this next attack!
Riolu's gaze sharpened, becoming incredibly fierce, as if preparing to use Detect!
Puff—
A rapid, spiraling jet of water erupted from Piplup's small beak!
Riolu leaped suddenly, jumping onto the nearby stone wall and quickly running along its surface.
So much so that Riolu's body became parallel to the ground!
Piplup controlled the Hydro Pump, sweeping it across, but the Hydro Pump's force was too powerful.
Piplup had to both maintain its balance and adjust its aim simultaneously.
This caused the Hydro Pump's tracking to be quite slow.
This, in turn, provided Riolu with an opportunity.
Riolu quickly closed the distance between itself and Piplup.
"Hold back, Piplup!" Steven shouted quickly.
The Hydro Pump came to an abrupt halt, and Piplup didn't even have time to catch its breath.
"Mist!"
Mist's primary effect was preventing stat reductions on their side.
But there was another application...
Piplup exhaled a layer of Mist, concealing itself within the haze.
Riolu simply closed its eyes, using its aura to sense Piplup's position!
"Riolu!"
Found you!
Steven's lips curved into a slight smile. Sometimes, relying too heavily on aura for positioning wasn't always advantageous.
After locking onto Piplup's position, Riolu suddenly opened its eyes.
This time, its attack definitely wouldn't miss!
Bang—
Riolu stomped forcefully on the stone wall, even cracking it!
Riolu's figure shot forward, flying toward where Piplup was hidden in the Mist!
It raised its right knee, intending to deliver a devastating blow to Piplup!
Splash!
The expected impact sound didn't occur.
Instead, a splashing sound echoed through the Mist!
The Mist slowly dispersed, revealing Piplup swimming cheerfully in a Whirlpool.
Riolu, on the other hand, was soaking in the water, struggling against the rushing current.
"Piplup～(￣y▽,￣)╭"
Didn't expect that, did you? I secretly created a small swimming pool.
While Riolu was detecting, Piplup had already been preparing.
Under the cover of the Mist, Piplup had used Whirlpool at its own feet.
As its body moved with the Whirlpool's flow, it became incredibly difficult for Riolu to strike Piplup accurately.
Steven had noticed earlier that Riolu would only close its eyes to sense with aura before opening them again to attack.
This indicated that the little Fighting-type's aura sensing wasn't fully automatic.
It needed to consciously activate it, then deactivate it, and fully commit to executing its move.
Therefore, such a small maneuver could be successfully accomplished within the Mist.
Riolu's High Jump Kick had missed its target, but hitting water meant the recoil damage wasn't as severe.
"Hydro Pump!"
Riolu, unable to quickly escape the Whirlpool, became Piplup's perfect target!
"Piplup... Piplup!"
Piplup leaped out of the Whirlpool and unleashed a powerful water jet while airborne.
The powerful stream washed over Riolu, incidentally helping it escape the Whirlpool's range.
Bang—
Riolu's small body slammed into the stone wall, pain evident on its face.
Piplup clapped its small flippers after executing a perfect landing.
"Piplup!"
Mission accomplished!
Riolu, sitting on the ground with its back against the stone wall, suddenly opened its eyes!
It slowly stood up, supporting its body with determination.
"It seems this isn't over yet," Steven chuckled softly.
"Piplup?! (゜ー゜)"
It can still stand up after that?
Excuse me, are you some kind of invincible cockroach?!
"This can also trigger Steadfast?" Steven observed Riolu's condition with some curiosity.
Steadfast's activation condition involved overcoming fear to boost speed.
But Hydro Pump shouldn't have a fear-inducing effect, should it?
This Riolu was truly remarkable in its determination!
It had feared the power of Hydro Pump, but its heart refused to yield to that fear!
Thus its speed increased.
It could be said to have skillfully mastered its ability's activation conditions.
However, compared to Piplup's autonomous ability activation, it was still somewhat lacking.
If Riolu was a skilled player who had mastered ability activation conditions...
Then Piplup was an outright rule-breaker!
The kind that couldn't be stopped!
Do you understand what "natural talent through perseverance" means?