So, you've got your hands on a Riolu in Pokémon White 2 and you're ready to evolve it into the powerful Lucario? This guide will walk you through the exact steps required to achieve this evolution, ensuring you don't miss a single detail. Let's get started!
Understanding Riolu's Evolution
Unlike many Pokémon that evolve through level-ups or trading, Riolu's evolution requires a specific condition: high friendship. This means you need to build a strong bond with your Riolu before it's ready to transform. Simply leveling it up won't suffice.
What is Friendship (Happiness)?
In the world of Pokémon, friendship, or happiness, is a hidden stat that reflects your bond with your Pokémon. It increases through various actions, some more effective than others. Let's explore the best methods to maximize your Riolu's happiness.
Maximizing Riolu's Friendship
Here's a breakdown of the most effective ways to boost Riolu's friendship level:
Leveling Up Your Riolu:
While not the most effective method, leveling up consistently contributes to friendship growth. Regular battles are a must for any Pokémon journey, and this provides a steady increase in Riolu's happiness.
Using Certain Items:
Certain items specifically boost friendship. These include:
- Soothe Bell: Equip this item to Riolu. It's the most efficient way to steadily increase friendship during battles and even while walking. You can obtain a Soothe Bell relatively early in the game.
- Vitamin Items (Protein, Calcium, etc.): These items slightly increase a Pokémon's stats, and as a side effect, slightly increase their happiness.
- Friendship-Boosting Berries: Some berries, such as Pomeg, Kelpsy, and Qualot Berries, will boost friendship when fed to your Riolu.
Winning Battles:
Winning battles, especially against tougher opponents, significantly boosts friendship. This reinforces Riolu's trust in your training and capabilities.
Walking With Riolu:
Keep Riolu in your party and walk around with it. The more steps you take with Riolu in your party, the more its friendship will grow. This is a passive but effective method.
Avoiding Certain Actions:
There are actions that can lower friendship. These are things to avoid if possible:
- Using items that cause fainting: While items like X-Items can greatly increase your Pokémon's power during battle, they have a high risk of fainting. It may be best to avoid such items when trying to build friendship with your Riolu.
- Letting Riolu faint in battle: This is a major setback to friendship, so be mindful of its health.
- Using the Pokémon Day-Care: While some players might use the day-care for a faster level-up, Riolu's friendship will not increase at all there.
The Evolution Trigger: Leveling Up at High Friendship
Once you've significantly boosted Riolu's friendship, the final step is simple. Level up your Riolu. At a high enough friendship level, Riolu will evolve into Lucario.
Tips for Success
- Patience is Key: Building friendship takes time. Don't rush the process.
- Consistent Effort: Regular engagement with Riolu is crucial.
- Monitor Your Progress: There's no precise meter for friendship, but you'll generally notice Riolu becoming more affectionate if the friendship is increasing.
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to adding the powerful Lucario to your Pokémon White 2 team. Good luck, Trainer!
