Cameron's Lucario (Japanese: コテツのルカリオKotetsu's Lucario) is the first Pokémon that Cameron is shown to have. It is also his main Pokémon and tends to walk around outside of its Poké Ball.
In animation
History
Lucario and Cameron
Lucario first appeared in Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure! as a Riolu. They revealed that they had come to enter the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup only to find out that it had already ended, much to Cameron's displeasure. Later, Cameron and Riolu revealed to Ash and his friends that they planned on entering the Unova League, but only had seven Gym Badges.
In The Road to Humilau!, Cameron and Riolu joined Ash and his friends to travel to the Humilau Gym so Cameron could get his final Gym Badge. After getting lost and separated from Cilan and Iris, Riolu, Cameron, Ash, Pikachu, and Meloetta fled into a cave to shield themselves from the pouring rain and stayed there for the night. Later, they met Marlon, the Humilau Gym Leader, who took them to the Humilau Gym so that Cameron could have his Gym battle. Although Cameron wanted to use Riolu in the fight, he accidentally left it on the side, forcing him to use his other Pokémon to defeat Marlon. Afterwards, Riolu and Cameron went their separate ways from Ash and his friends.
Later, Riolu reappeared with its Trainer at Vertress City, where they camped out near the building where the Vertress Conference was being held. After Cameron revealed he forgot to enter in the tournament, Ash dragged the two to the building to register. In Mission: Defeat Your Rival!, Riolu was used against Bianca's Emboar in the Vertress Conference. Despite the much larger size of its opponent, Riolu was able to gain an advantage by using Circle Throw to use Emboar's weight against him. Emboar quickly regained the advantage in the fight, but Riolu countered by copying his moves with Copycat. Eventually, Riolu defeated Emboar with Vacuum Wave, making Cameron the victor of the battle.
In Cameron's Secret Weapon!, Riolu was used against Ash's Unfezant in the Vertress Conference. Despite being at a disadvantage, Riolu easily defeated the Proud Pokémon. Next, it faced Ash's Snivy and managed to quickly overpower her. However, Snivy made a comeback and countered all of Riolu's attacks, eventually sending it back with a powerful Leaf Storm. This caused Riolu to evolve into a Lucario, making it much stronger. The battle continued, and Lucario was able to use its new strength to easily overpower Snivy before knocking her out with its newly learned Aura Sphere. Lucario then battled with Ash's Pikachu. The damage Pikachu took from battling Samurott and Swanna quickly put him at a disadvantage, causing Lucario to defeat Pikachu with Aura Sphere and win the battle for Cameron.
In the semifinals, Cameron found himself up against Virgil and his team of Eeveelutions. The final battle came down to between Lucario and Virgil's Flareon; however, Lucario had already been weakened by Virgil's Espeon and was quickly finished off by Flareon's super effective Fire Blast, eliminating Cameron from the competition.
Personality and characteristics
Lucario's personality is a blend of loyalty and occasional exasperation. It often gets annoyed by its Trainer's forgetfulness, yet it remains friendly and sociable with both its Trainer and other Pokémon. This amiable nature likely stems from its Evolution from Riolu, which requires a strong bond of friendship.
In battle, Lucario is an exceptionally strong and capable fighter. Even as a Riolu, it demonstrated impressive power by defeating larger opponents like Bianca's Emboar and Kenton's Gigalith. This prowess continued after its Evolution, allowing it to hold its own against fully evolved Pokémon. It also showed it has great stamina immediately after it evolved, enough to handle the tough challenges of both Ash's Pikachu and Snivy.
Interestingly, Lucario, even after evolving, tends to mimic its Trainer's actions. This trait was evident during its debut and in Lost at the League!, when it copied Cameron's distress after Russet's family accidentally destroyed their tent. The habit persisted after Lucario evolved, as seen when both it and Cameron enjoyed ice cream together after their battle with Ash.
