"It's a pity though. All this time, and not a single one of these Pokémon has ever been chosen by a trainer."
Ryo sighed, gazing across the peaceful sanctuary nestled behind his estate. Over the past six months, he had frequently recommended this place to visitors, encouraging them to bond with and befriend the Pokémon that lived here. Yet, time and again, none had succeeded in winning their hearts.
Not once had Ryo received a reward from the system for someone successfully taming one of these Pokémon.
"Ah—" He let out a long sigh, shaking his head. "Forget it. No use worrying about it."
After all, there was no way to force the outcome. If the Pokémon weren't willing, then there was nothing he could do.
"Besides, it's not like maintaining this sanctuary is a burden. Even if the number of residents multiplied tenfold, I could still handle it."
It wasn't an exaggeration either. Over the years, Pokémon had become far more widespread across the shinobi world, and with that popularity came rising levels and growing strength. But more importantly, it meant more system points—and that meant resources.
It was precisely because of this that Ryo had the confidence to say he could manage ten times the current number.
"Anyway, enough about that. Let's go check on the shop."
With a casual wave, Ryo turned his back on the cheerful sanctuary and headed down toward the shop at the foot of the hill.
The changes in the past few years were enormous.
For one, the store was no longer attached to his living quarters. It had become its own separate facility—and a large one at that. Within it were several distinct sections catering to every aspect of Pokémon training.
There was the merchandise section, filled with all sorts of supplies—Poké Balls, potions, and a variety of energy cubes in different weights and grades.
Then there was the energy production area, where harvested berries—both grown by the staff and collected from outside contributors—were processed into energy cubes non-stop.
It was through this initiative that Ryo had fulfilled the promise he once made to the Third Hokage: that the popularization of Pokémon would also bring new streams of income to shinobi.
And that income came in the form of berries.
Ryo provided the seeds, which were distributed to shinobi across the village. Once the berries matured, they'd be bought back and processed.
Thanks to their short growth cycle—roughly one week—a consistent harvest could be maintained. Even the lowest-ranked genin were given ten berry trees each. And for jōnin? A week's berry yield could earn them as much as a B-rank mission.
Besides the merchandise and production areas, the facility also housed a healing zone and a training area.
The healing zone was equipped with advanced machines to treat injured or tired Pokémon.
The training area, on the other hand, was dedicated to skill acquisition. It held several learning consoles, along with a wide range of TMs—technical machines Ryo had personally exchanged from the system.
As he entered the store, the familiar sound of conversation greeted him.
"Boss Ryo! Good afternoon! Had lunch yet?"
"Hey Boss, haven't seen you around much lately—you're a busy man these days, huh?"
"Good afternoon! Say, what move should my Pokémon learn next?"
The moment customers saw him, greetings poured in from all sides. Ryo responded with friendly smiles and nods, occasionally scratching his head awkwardly as he passed through the front shop floor.
Eventually, he made his way toward the front desk, where Akio's partner, Eliza, was stationed. She sat calmly at the reception counter, her smile soft and welcoming as she exchanged cheerful waves with each passing customer.
"Eliza, how's it going today? Busy?"
"Not too bad," she replied, nodding slightly. "About the same as yesterday."
Ryo gave a thoughtful nod, then looked around. "Where's everyone else? I didn't see the rest of the staff."
"Most of them are in the training area. With your tournament getting closer, it's gotten really crowded over there."
Hearing that, Ryo's interest was piqued. "Alright, I'll go take a look."
He turned and walked off toward the training area.
Along the way, several passersby offered respectful greetings. Ryo returned each one with a warm smile, but something odd soon caught his attention—many of those who greeted him weren't from Konoha.
Their attire, bearing the symbols and subtle cultural cues of the other Great Villages, stood out clearly.
"Huh... The tournament's still a week away. What are they doing here so early?"
Ryo murmured as he kept walking, curiosity growing in his mind.
Before long, a commotion from ahead reached his ears.
"Hey, come on, man. Stop stalling! We all need to use the machine too!"
"Yeah! Don't waste everyone's time!"
"If it weren't for Boss Ryo's rules about no fighting in the shop, I'd have flattened you already!"
The tension was thick. Even with his rule in place—that anyone who started a fight in the Pokémon Sanctuary would be permanently banned—it didn't mean hotheaded types wouldn't boil over.
If it came to actual blows, not even reinforced walls could survive a scuffle between high-level Pokémon.
Ryo hurried his pace and quickly arrived at the source of the issue.
In front of one of the move-learning consoles stood a flamboyantly dressed young man, hand on chin, clearly deep in thought. Behind him, a long queue of frustrated trainers glared daggers into his back, their patience hanging by a thread.
Ryo's eyes swept the scene until he spotted several of his employees approaching the console.
"Eliza, what's going on here?"
Hearing his voice, the staff turned around in surprise.
"Boss Ryo! You're here!"
He waved his hand lightly. "Just give me the rundown."
Eliza stepped forward to explain the situation. The man at the front of the line couldn't decide which move to teach his Pokémon. He'd been hesitating for ages, and the queue behind him was growing more and more restless.
Ryo nodded slowly as he listened. "I get it. They're probably just nervous—there's not much time left before the tournament. They're in a rush."
Even if a Pokémon learned a move instantly from a TM, that didn't mean it could master it immediately. Training was still necessary.
"So, what should we do now?" Eliza asked, glancing at the young man who still hadn't made a decision.
She looked genuinely at a loss. As a staff member, this wasn't something she could handle herself.
Ryo stepped forward toward the console, determination in his stride. It was time to take control.
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