"So cute."
Louise looked at the black-and-blue little pup in front of her, barely half a meter tall, and was completely smitten.
If a random humanoid puppy had suddenly appeared before her, she might have been scared.
But this one was different.
Because Louise knew very well—this child was the little pup that had just hatched from the egg she had held for over a month.
In those 830 or so hours, Louise had cradled that egg for at least 800 of them.
Even when she slept or went to the bathroom, she held onto the egg, afraid someone might steal or touch it—so of course she was incredibly fond of the pup.
"Awoo~"
Riolu, seeing how much Louise liked him, let out a joyful little howl.
Standing off to the side and quietly observing, Dak also noticed something unusual about this Riolu.
First of all—its personality was unlike most Riolu.
Some Pokémon species were born with fixed temperaments. For instance, Slakoth would rarely display a diligent personality.
Riolu was similar.
Although Riolu were energetic, lively canine Pokémon, their personalities were generally stoic and composed. Most expressed their emotions through Aura.
Only when extremely sad or angry would they howl like wolves.
Even Cain's special Lucario had never howled when it was still a Riolu.
Louise's little Riolu was clearly an exception.
He was far more expressive—preferring to use actions and vocalizations to show how he felt.
Rather than releasing Aura and maintaining that "cool" demeanor like the others.
As someone with max-level Aura power, Dak could clearly sense that this Riolu hadn't stopped emitting Aura since the moment it was born.
So it wasn't that it couldn't use Aura!
A Riolu that can't use Aura would be like a Psyduck that can't swim, or a Buizel that's afraid to open its eyes underwater—statistically near impossible.
There was also another key but expected oddity.
On Riolu's left hand was a faint gray magical rune.
It was nearly indistinguishable from the average Familiar summoning rune—but Dak recognized it instantly.
That was "Gandalfr."
The power that was originally supposed to belong to the protagonist, Saito Hiraga, had now transferred to this Riolu.
"Oh wow, such a tiny pup—can it even fight?" Kirche scoffed, seeing how happy Louise was.
"Woof!"
But before Louise could retort, the little Riolu barked and lunged at Kirche's leg, baring his teeth.
"Hold up!"
Charmander, of course, wasn't going to just sit and watch its master get bitten. It immediately stepped in front of Riolu, trying to intimidate him.
Charmander and the half-meter-tall Riolu were about the same height.
But since Charmander was crouching, it still appeared bulkier and more imposing.
"Woof!"
But Charmander had underestimated the Riolu—and all canine Pokémon, for that matter.
When it came to protecting their Trainers, they didn't know the meaning of fear!
In an instant, Riolu lunged at the larger lizard.
"Don't!"
Fortunately, Louise was quick to react, scooping up Riolu into her arms to stop the scuffle. She gently pinched his soft little ears and said,
"It's okay. We're in a good mood today, so let's not lower ourselves to their level."
Louise was glowing with happiness.
Not just because of Riolu's birth—
But also because of how brave he'd been just now, like a little knight defending his princess.
"Hmph, come on, Flamme," Kirche huffed, calling her Charmander and walking away.
The other magicians watched Riolu for a bit, but seeing nothing particularly extraordinary, they gradually dispersed.
"Professor, what species is this Pokémon? And what kind of magic attribute does it have?"
After cuddling Riolu for a while, Louise finally came over with the pup and asked Dak.
"It's a Riolu. A Fighting-type."
"Riolu? That doesn't... sound like a species name," Louise said, confused.
"Yeah, but that's what this species is called in its first stage."
"First stage?" Louise picked up on the key term and quickly asked for clarification.
"It's similar to how magical creatures are classified into Juvenile, Mature, and Complete stages. Many Pokémon species also have multiple stages of evolution."
"When they've accumulated enough experience and nutrients, their form changes and they become stronger."
"This process is called evolution."
Dak raised a finger and explained.
"I see... so they change form as they grow too, huh?"
Hearing this, Louise seemed a little saddened. But she quickly shook it off—after all, humans grow up too.
"Professor, you mentioned 'Fighting' earlier—what exactly is that attribute?" Tabitha, standing nearby, asked a different question.
"Oh right! It doesn't sound like a magic attribute. More like... a fighting style?" Louise chimed in.
"Pokémon have their own complete attribute system—not magical attributes. There are eighteen types in total, and Fighting is one of them."
Dak gave the two girls a brief overview of the Pokémon Attribute System.
"So Lapras is Water or Ice-type? And Ho-Oh is a Fire-type?" Tabitha asked.
"Pokémon can have two attributes at once. Lapras is Water-Ice dual-type. Ho-Oh is Fire and Flying-type. Flying is similar to your 'Wind' magic."
"..."
Tabitha nodded and closed her eyes.
Dak, now familiar with Tabitha's behavior, knew this meant she was committing everything to memory.
"Is Fighting-type strong?" Louise asked.
"Of course. Watch this."
Dak signaled for them to look at his hand.
Tabitha also opened her eyes and focused.
Dak gathered his Aura power in his palm, forming a swirling ball of energy like a Rasengan.
"This move is called Aura Sphere. It's a Fighting-type technique."
He raised his hand to give them a clearer view, then tossed it aside.
Boom!
The casually thrown Aura Sphere exploded on the plaza, leaving a crater six or seven meters wide.
Both Louise and Tabitha gaped in astonishment.
That one move had the power of a high-level spell, and it would take at least a Triangle-tier mage using a high-level spell to achieve a similar effect.
"So strong!"
"Right? Pokémon have incredible potential. As long as you raise them properly, they can become immensely powerful."
Dak reached out and gently patted Louise on the head. "You still haven't given Riolu a name."
"Oh, right! I need to think carefully..."
"Woof!"
"Hmm... let's go with Lucky! Sounds great, right?"
"..." ×3
Dak, Tabitha, and Riolu all fell silent at the same time.
Riolu looked up at Dak and gave him a pleading look.
"Actually, I think 'Riolu' is already a really nice name. What do you think, Tabitha?"
"Mm. I agree with the professor."
Dak spoke up to rescue the poor Pokémon, nudging Tabitha with his elbow.
Tabitha hadn't planned to say anything—
But she looked down at the pitiful little Riolu hugging her leg and ultimately caved.
"Also, Louise," Dak continued, "On Pokémon Island, there's a widespread tradition: most Trainers call their Pokémon by their species name."
"Really? All right then... your name is now Riolu Francis le Blanc du la Vallière!"
Louise rattled off the name like a machine gun.
Riolu furrowed his brows, completely bewildered.
"Louise, your Riolu is still in its juvenile phase. When it grows to about 0.8 meters, it'll be out of that stage. That's when you can begin formal training. Before that, training might stunt its potential."
"Got it! I understand!" Louise nodded seriously and cradled Riolu in her arms again.
"Mmm, you're so much heavier than when you were still in the egg—I can barely hold you anymore."
After holding that egg for over a month, Louise felt uncomfortable without something in her arms. It would take her some time to adjust.
"Professor, can Illukuku learn those Pokémon moves too?" Tabitha asked, looking up.
She was beginning to feel that Pokémon techniques might have more potential than magic itself.
"Of course. I've already said—Familiars are quite similar to Pokémon."
Dak had deduced Illukuku's attributes based on its appearance:
"In Pokémon terms, your Illukuku should be Flying and Dragon-type. Learning moves of those types should be easy for it."
After all, Illukuku's species was Sheffield—a Melodrake.
A flying dragon known for its incredible speed and aerial prowess.
Dak even believed the Sheffield species might qualify as a pseudo-legendary, though further research was needed.
"I want Illukuku to learn. Professor, please teach us."
"Mm, no problem."
Dak was more than happy to deepen Tabitha's understanding of Pokémon.
It would make her all the more eager for the coming of the Pokémon Era.
(End of Chapter)
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