History FanonPokedex / Riolu

Due to extensive and systematic overhunting for many decades, Riolu and Lucario's habitat are known for the most part via historical record. Riolu and Lucario were noted to have dwelt in forested meadows, as well as habitats more typically associated with related fighting types such as caverns and mountainous regions. As of present, Riolu and Lucario possess an extremely limited and scattered range, with the only known populations stable enough to support continued hunting consisting of an entrenched population in Unova's Challenger's Cave, a artificially maintained population at a site on the outskirts of Unova's Floccesy Town, and a population introduced to Johto's Safari Zone. Occasional sightings of wild Riolu and Lucario beyond this range have been noted, with a significant number of sightings recorded in Sinnoh, which historically boasted a number of Riolu and Lucario populations.

Due to extensive and systematic overhunting for many decades, Riolu and Lucario's habitat are known for the most part via historical record. Riolu and Lucario were noted to have dwelt in forested meadows, as well as habitats more typically associated with related fighting types such as caverns and mountainous regions. As of present, Riolu and Lucario possess an extremely limited and scattered range, with the only known populations stable enough to support continued hunting consisting of an entrenched population in Unova's Challenger's Cave, and a population introduced to Johto's Safari Zone. Occasional sightings of wild Riolu and Lucario beyond this range have been noted, with a significant number of sightings recorded in Sinnoh, which historically boasted a number of Riolu and Lucario populations.

[-Written by {{@/TracerBullet}}-]

Riolu are known to have generally playful temperaments, while their older counterparts are known to typically possess a more serious but loyal temperament. These qualities have long made Riolu and Lucario a fixture of human tradition, with numerous folk tales extolling the exploits or loyalty of a trainer's Riolu or Lucario. This long-standing position in folklore has led to Riolu and Lucario, as well as phenomena associated with the two becoming deeply entrenched in media. Among the most prominent manifestations of this influence on media are a number of franchises revolving around human users of aura, including a massive science-fiction franchise as well as myriad cartoon series, a popular comic-book superhero with a fighting style modeled after that exhibited by members of this line, and the presence of creatures in this line in a truly staggering range of media. These creatures also appear to have influenced fashion trends to an extent, as hair clips with patterns modeled after those present on the ears of creatures from this line were immensely popular for a time. Sadly, Riolu and Lucario also carry the dubious distinction of being the poster children for the adverse effects of media publicity upon Pokémon, as wild populations of these creatures have been decimated by overhunting and poaching, which ironically, has lead to further media exposure of these creatures due to the plight of their wild populations.

Beyond combat-related hazards, poor or abusive training of a Riolu or Lucario is very much a liability, which when coupled with these creatures' relative popularity among trainers and level of involvement required to train one in a healthy manner, has led to a large number of Pokémon from this line being undertrained in captivity. Both creatures in this line, though especially Lucario, have been noted to harbor grudges to affronts to their dignity, which depending upon the severity of the offense and individual temperament, may result in anything from one's Riolu or Lucario becoming more uncooperative and hostile to launching an outright attack. As such, it is generally not recommended to trade captive Lucario or attempt to capture wild Lucario, as such individuals are difficult for even veteran trainers to control. In addition, members of this line that are not properly socialized with human beings other than their trainer have been known to become overly-protective of their trainers, especially as Lucario, which has led to more than one aspiring trainer getting his or her license revoked. In addition, individuals without a proper grasp of their own strength or physiology are another potential source of danger, which has resulted in numerous incidents of trainers being hospitalized by overly rough play by members of this line, as well as well-intentioned attempts by poorly-trained Lucario to emulate human practices of hugging as a sign of affection.

Riolu and Lucario have what appear to be socially-instilled systems of honor, which are disseminated from parents to their offspring. These codes of honor cover a wide variety of behavior, ranging from conduct in combat, courtship, respecting the territory of other groups of Riolu and Lucario, and interactions with unrelated Pokémon. These honor systems vary by region and among familial units, though individuals that deviate excessively from the accepted systems of honor have been recorded as being shunned by their peers, a practice which appears to carry over on a larger scale for familial units whose code of honor diverges too radically from those of nearby groups of Riolu and Lucario.

As with most other Pokémon, pestering or threatening creatures from this line, especially without the protection of Pokémon of one's own, is, in an admittedly worst-case scenario, an exercise for trainers with a death wish. Both Riolu and Lucario employ a range of physically-based melee attacks incorporating punches and kicks, and are capable of exerting force well beyond what their meager frames would suggest. Physically-oriented attacks by Riolu are capable of causing deep bruising, and will easily break minor bones, and potentially cause hairline fractures in major bones. Physically-oriented attacks by Lucario are by far more serious, which are easily capable of breaking major bones and causing severe internal bleeding, and in severe cases can inflict injuries that require immediate hospitalization, if not outright mortal wounds. It is important to note that depending upon an individual Riolu or Lucario's mastery of aura techniques, aura-based assaults can be every bit as dangerous as their physical counterparts, if not more so. Although an implement or appendage generated via aura may ''appear'' to be nothing but translucent blue light, it will behave very much as if it were a physical object. Of special note are Aura Spheres, which unlike many other techniques used by members of this line incorporating aura, appears to have effects that are more in line with psychic assaults (which incidentally, are occasionally utilized by captive Lucario that have been taught the technique dubbed "Psychic"). Researchers are still presently at a loss to describe how Aura Sphere affects its victims, though this can perhaps be best approximated by suggestions in folklore that Aura Spheres represent a direct assault on an entity's "life energy."

As with most other Pokémon, pestering or threatening creatures from this line, especially without the protection of Pokémon of one's own, is an exercise for trainers with a death wish. Both Riolu and Lucario employ a range of physically-based melee attacks incorporating punches and kicks, and are capable of exerting force well beyond what their meager frames would suggest. Physically-oriented attacks by Riolu are capable of causing deep bruising, and will easily break minor bones, and potentially cause hairline fractures in major bones. Physically-oriented attacks by Lucario are by far more serious, which are easily capable of breaking major bones and causing severe internal bleeding, and in severe cases can inflict injuries that require immediate hospitalization, if not outright mortal wounds. It is important to note that depending upon an individual Riolu or Lucario's mastery of aura techniques, aura-based assaults can be every bit as dangerous as their physical counterparts, if not more so. Although an implement or appendage generated via aura may ''appear'' to be nothing but translucent blue light, it will behave very much as if it were a physical object. Of special note are Aura Spheres, which unlike many other techniques used by members of this line incorporating aura, appears to have effects that are more in line with psychic assaults (which incidentally, are occasionally utilized by captive Lucario that have been taught the technique dubbed "Psychic"). Researchers are still presently at a loss to describe how Aura Sphere affects its victims, though this can perhaps be best approximated by suggestions in folklore that Aura Spheres represent a direct assault on an entity's "life energy."

Beyond combat-related hazards, poor or abusive training of a Riolu or Lucario is very much a liability, which when coupled with these creatures' relative popularity among trainers and level of involvement required to train one in a healthy manner, has led to a large number of Pokémon from this line being undertrained in captivity. Both creatures in this line, though especially Lucario, have been noted to harbor grudges to affronts to their dignity, which depending upon the severity of the offense and individual temperament, may result in anything from one's Riolu or Lucario becoming more uncooperative and hostile to launching an outright attack. As such, it is generally not recommended to trade captive Lucario or attempt to capture wild Lucario, as such individuals are difficult for even veteran trainers to control. In addition, members of this line that are not properly socialized with human beings other than their trainer have been known to become overly-protective of their trainers, especially as Lucario, which has led to more than one aspiring trainer getting his or her license revoked. In addition, individuals without a proper grasp of their own strength or physiology are another potential source of danger, which has resulted in numerous incidents of trainers being hospitalized by overly rough play by members of this line, as well as well-intentioned attempts by poorly-trained Lucario emulate human practices of hugging as a sign of affection.

Due to extensive and systematic overhunting for many decades, Riolu and Lucario's habitat are known for the most part via historical record. Riolu and Lucario were noted to have dwelt in forested meadows, as well as habitats more typically associated with related fighting types such as caverns and mountainous regions. As of present, Riolu and Lucario possess an extremely limited and scattered range, with the only known populations stable enough to support continued hunting consisting of an entrenched population in Unova's Training Cavern, and a population introduced to Johto's Safari Zone. Occasional sightings of wild Riolu and Lucario beyond this range have been noted, with a significant number of sightings recorded in Sinnoh, which historically boasted a number of Riolu and Lucario populations.

Reproduction among members of the Riolu line is biologically restricted to Lucario, as Riolu are not sexually mature. Courtship among Lucario appears to occur between members of two different social units, not wholly unlike behaviors observed by members of the Cubone line, and Lucario appear to be extremely reluctant to seek mates from their own social units. Courtship is typically initiated by males (though in regions with populations with matriarchal social structures, inversions of this practice have been recorded), who attempt to woo potential mates by gifts of food and assorted trinkets, followed by displays of strength and proficiency with aura via ritualized battles with the female. Upon the female's selection of a suitor, both the male and female seek the blessing of the respective heads of their social units for their union, upon which, the female (or male in matriarchal structures) will join her (or his) mate's social unit. Curiously, the practice of "arranged" courtship appears to be markedly less common among Lucario than among other Pokémon with similar courtship patterns, with examples of this behavior virtually unheard of outside of the population in Unova's Training Cavern.

Due to the immense rarity of Lucario, it is not uncommon for Lucario to both court and accept offers of courtship from Pokémon outside of their immediate line, though courtship with Pokémon outside of the Humanshape egg group appears to be rare outside of captivity.

Wild Riolu and Lucario appear to organize themselves into structures that appear to share characteristics with both pack structures among other Pokémon, as well as clan structures amongst human societies, which typically average between 10-15 individuals (with the largest such structure on record containing over 60 individuals). Wild Riolu and Lucario organize themselves into extended familial units, with units typically led by an "Alpha" male Lucario (though it should be noted that historically, populations in Sinnoh were matriarchal in structure). These units appear to possess a remarkably intimate structure, with both father and mother raising their offspring for 18-24 months with the support of the fellow Lucario of a given social unit. During this period, a Riolu will be taught Aura techniques by its father, though it appears that this role is typically assumed by mothers in more matriarchal groups. After this initial period, said offspring are gradually weaned off their parents' support and into becoming independent members of their familial unit afterward up until their evolution. Despite the presence of a formal head, these familial units seem to lack the degree of rigidity and degree of hierarchical organization of more typical pack structures among Pokémon, with authority organized first by generation, then by respective strength among members within a common generation. These units often align themselves with other units into blocs via exchanging members via ties through courtship, not unlike the practice of marital alliances in some human societies.

Riolu are known to have generally playful temperaments, while their older counterparts are known to typically possess a more serious but loyal temperament. These qualities have long made Riolu and Lucario a fixture of human tradition, with numerous folk tales extolling the exploits or loyalty of a trainer's Riolu or Lucario. This long-standing position in folklore has led to Riolu and Lucario, as well as phenomena associated with the two becoming deeply entrenched in media. Among the most prominent manifestations of this influence on media are a number of franchises revolving around human users of aura, including a massive science-fiction franchise as well as myriad cartoon series, a popular comic-book superhero with a fighting style modeled after that exhibited by members of this line, and the presence of creatures in this line in a truly staggering range of media. These creatures also appear to have influenced fashion trends to an extent, as hair clips with patterns modeled after those present on the ears of creatures from this line were immensely popular for a time. Sadly, Riolu and Lucario also carry the dubious distinction of being the poster children for the adverse effects of media publicity upon Pokémon, as wild populations of these creatures have been decimated by overhunting and poaching, which ironically, has lead to further media exposure of these creatures due to the plight of their wild populations.

Riolu are known to have generally playful temperaments, while their older counterparts are known to typically possess a more serious but loyal temperament. These qualities have long made Riolu and Lucario a fixture of human tradition, with numerous folk tales extolling the exploits or loyalty of a trainer's Riolu or Lucario. This long-standing position in folklore has led to Riolu and Lucario, as well as phenomena associated with the two becoming deeply entrenched in media. Among the most prominent manifestations of this influence on media are a number of franchises revolving around human users of aura, including a massive science-fiction franchise as well as myriad cartoon series, a popular comic-book superhero with a fighting style modeled after that exhibited by members of this line, and the presence of creatures in this line in a truly staggering range of media. Sadly, Riolu and Lucario also carry the dubious distinction of being the poster children for the adverse effects of media publicity upon Pokémon, as wild populations of these creatures have been decimated by overhunting and poaching, which ironically, has lead to further media exposure of these creatures due to the plight of their wild populations.

Perhaps the most notable characteristic of Riolu and Lucario is their command over the phenomena that is commonly termed "aura," with Lucario appearing to exhibit a more extensive capability to manipulate aura that its younger counterpart. One of the most prominent avenues that Riolu and its brethren exercise aura in is in combat. Members of the Riolu line appear to be capable of utilizing aura to detect opponents that would normally be out of their line of sight. In addition, members of this line appear to be able to manipulate aura in order to create implements or appendages that behave as physical objects would, which is most vividly exhibited in these creatures' use of techniques such as Metal Claw and Bone Rush. In addition, Lucario, and in some rarer cases, Riolu, have been known to utilize aura in order to cast bursts of energy known as "Aura Spheres." It is believed that the command over aura that these creatures possess also enables them to exhibit some level of control over paranormal phenomena associated with other types of Pokémon, which is supported by the range of techniques that captive Riolu and Lucario have been successfully taught, which includes a number of techniques associated with Dark-type, Psychic-type, and Ghost-type Pokémon.