In Naruto, the System Asks Me to Entrust Pokémon

After feeding the Pokémon, Ryo didn't dwell on his worries any longer. He called for Dragonite and had Gardevoir teleport them, along with Naruto and the others, away from the Pokémon Home.

After all, he had already promised to treat them to barbecue.

On the way to the central area of Konoha, Ryo gave Shirona an exasperated look.

"Hey, don't you think you're a little too attached to Diancie?"

They were just going out for a barbecue; they'd be back soon. Yet she insisted on dragging Diancie along.

Shirona rolled her eyes.

"You're bringing Gardevoir, so why can't I bring Diancie?"

Ryo's mouth twitched.

"I'm bringing Gardevoir just in case something happens!"

If he could teleport on his own, he wouldn't have brought her at all.

But Shirona ignored him, happily playing with Diancie as they walked.

Seeing this, Ryo couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

Damn it, why does it look like Diancie belongs to her?

That's my Pokémon!

"Ryo! Hurry up, or we won't get a seat!"

Naruto, who was a bit ahead, turned back and yelled impatiently at the two lagging behind.

Hearing his voice, Ryo stopped arguing with Shirona and quickly caught up.

—

Konoha's Bustling Streets

Even though the sun had already set, the village remained lively.

People were still coming and going, and the streets showed no signs of quieting down.

"Ryo, here we are! This is the Akimichi family's barbecue restaurant—it's super popular!"

Naruto eagerly introduced the place, practically drooling as he spoke.

Seeing his expression, Ryo got curious and nodded.

"Alright, let's go in. Order whatever you want, it's on me today."

Naruto's eyes sparkled as he gave an excited nod before dashing inside.

Ryo shook his head helplessly and followed.

Inside, the restaurant was packed.

Almost every seat was taken.

Seeing how busy it was, Ryo finally understood why Naruto had rushed them earlier.

However, one thing struck him as odd—most of the customers were ninjas.

The place was brimming with chakra signatures.

There were very few regular civilians dining here.

After being guided to their seats, Ryo looked at Naruto, who was practically bouncing in anticipation.

"Alright, go ahead and order."

Naruto didn't hold back.

He grabbed the menu and immediately started listing items to the waiter.

"Ten servings of this! Oh, and ten of that too! And this one—ten as well! Actually, just give us ten of everything on this page!"

Ryo was speechless.

Damn, this kid really doesn't hold back at all.

"Ahem—"

Sakura, noticing Ryo's expression, coughed and tugged at Naruto's sleeve.

"Naruto, that's too much! We can't eat all that."

Naruto shook his head.

"I can! No problem!"

Then, without hesitation, he continued ordering.

Sakura's mouth twitched.

She reached out, ready to stop him again, but Ryo waved a hand.

"Let him order."

Considering how much money he had made today, even if Naruto ordered the whole menu, it wouldn't make a dent in his wallet.

Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes at Naruto but didn't press the issue further.

—

Just then, Gardevoir's voice rang in Ryo's mind.

"Ryo, someone over there is watching us."

Hearing this, Ryo followed her gaze.

Sure enough, a middle-aged, chubby man was staring at them with a slight, bitter smile.

Ryo frowned.

"That's Chōza Akimichi, right? Chōji's dad. But why does he look at us like that?"

Still, since he didn't sense any hostility, Ryo simply shrugged.

"No need to worry if he's not a threat."

Gardevoir nodded and stopped paying attention.

—

Soon, plates of sizzling barbecue arrived at their table.

And to Ryo's surprise—

Damn, this is good.

The seasoning, the texture, the aroma—it was top-tier, even compared to what he had eaten in his past life.

They all dug in, eating in silence.

Before long, they had devoured every last piece.

"Burp~ Thanks for the meal, Ryo!"

Naruto leaned back, patting his stomach contentedly.

Ryo waved him off.

"It's nothing. You guys helped me out a lot today. Just remember, you still have to help out at the shop tomorrow."

Naruto gave him a big thumbs-up.

"Of course! Leave it to me!"

Sasuke and Sakura also nodded in agreement.

"Good. That's settled, then."

With that, Ryo stood up and walked over to pay the bill.

—

At the Register

"Clan Leader Akimichi, isn't it a bit unusual for someone of your status to be working the register?"

Ryo raised an eyebrow as he addressed the chubby man behind the counter.

"Hahaha~"

Chōza chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.

"What can I say? Life's tough."

But then, his expression turned into something… strange.

He gazed at Ryo with an oddly bitter look.

Ryo frowned.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

Chōza sighed and shook his head.

"No, never mind."

Still confused, Ryo shrugged and handed over the bill.

"Alright then, let's settle the bill."

Chōza glanced at the total and sighed again.

"Alright, Ryo. The total comes to 5600 ryō, but I'll round it down for you—5000 ryō."

Ryo's brain momentarily short-circuited.

What the hell?

5000 ryō… for one meal?!

Ryo nodded, took out the money, and handed it over.

However, just as he was about to pay, Chōza coughed lightly and leaned in.

"Uh… Ryo, can we talk about something?"

Ryo frowned.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could get a discount when buying energy cubes from you. Even just a 10% discount would help. And in exchange, whenever you come here to eat, everything's on the house."

Hearing this, Ryo was stunned.

His gaze toward Chōza turned slightly strange.

Chōza noticed his reaction and sighed bitterly.

"The thing is… energy cubes are way too expensive. A single meal for one Pokémon costs nearly 5000 ryō! Even though they only eat once every few days, if more of my clan members start capturing Pokémon, we won't be able to afford the upkeep."

"So, right now, I don't dare let my clan members go to your place and catch Pokémon."

"Wait—hold on a second."

Ryo was completely dumbfounded.

What the hell is this guy talking about?

Since when did Pokémon eat so much?! Why was I not informed of this?!

"Who told you that a single meal costs 5000 ryō?"

Chōza hesitated.

"My son… Chōji's Pokémon eats that much."

"...Chōji? What kind of Pokémon did he catch?"

Chōza thought for a moment before answering.

"I think it's called a… Munchlax?"

Pfft—

Ryo almost spat out his saliva.

Now he understood.

"Clan Leader Akimichi, not all Pokémon eat that much. Munchlax is an exception. Most Pokémon only need one bag of energy cubes per week."

"...Really?"

Chōza looked doubtful.

Ryo felt completely exasperated.

"Yes, really."

Upon hearing this, the bitterness on Chōza's face disappeared.

He grinned and clapped Ryo on the shoulder.

"Got it! I'll let my clan members go to your place tomorrow to start catching Pokémon. Hahaha! Thanks!"

Ryo nodded, not bothering to say anything more.

After paying the bill and saying goodbye to Naruto and the others, he had Gardevoir teleport him, Shirona, and Diancie back to the Pokémon Home.

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