In Naruto, the System Asks Me to Entrust Pokémon

Ryo couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. Women... are they all such visual creatures?

Why is everyone focusing on cuteness? Can't they pay attention to strength for once?

But then again, Alolan Vulpix isn't weak either.

Without saying a word, Ryo glanced toward Alolan Vulpix.

The Pokémon, aware of what was going on, turned to look at Kurenai and remained silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

Seeing this, Kurenai's heart began to race with anticipation.

"Awwooo~"

A second later, Alolan Vulpix nodded.

Kurenai visibly relaxed, her excitement written all over her face.

"Congratulations! This Alolan Vulpix is now yours. Please take good care of it," Ryo said with a smile.

Kurenai nodded happily. "Thank you, Boss. I will."

She then turned to Alolan Vulpix with a tender expression. "Your name is Alolan Vulpix, right? Can I hold you?"

"Awwooo~"

Alolan Vulpix nodded and took a step closer, leaping into Kurenai's arms.

Kiba watched enviously before sighing deeply.

Ryo shifted his gaze to Hinata. "What about you? Have you decided yet?"

"Huh? Uh—"

Hinata was caught off guard, then quickly lowered her head and shook it shyly.

Ryo massaged his temple in mild frustration. I really thought that her shy personality in the anime was exaggerated.

But no—turns out it's genuine. Even speaking a sentence makes her blush.

At that moment, Ryo felt something tugging on his pant leg.

Looking down, he saw Squirtle sneaking peeks at Hinata from behind him.

Ryo's eyes lit up.

Oh, this could work. Hinata's shy, and Squirtle's timid—this might be a perfect match.

Koff, koff—

Clearing his throat, Ryo said, "Hinata, what do you think about this one? It's quite an exceptional Pokémon—one of the top-ranked among them."

Hinata raised her head and glanced at the Squirtle Ryo pointed to.

However, as soon as their eyes met, Squirtle quickly hid behind Ryo again, occasionally poking its head out to peek at her.

Seeing this, Hinata couldn't help but smile. She nodded softly. "I… I'll take it."

Ryo crouched down and spoke to Squirtle. "She wants you to be her partner. What do you think?"

Squirtle hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Great! Then let's head over," Ryo said.

"Squirtle!"

However, Squirtle shook its head and lowered its head shyly.

Seeing this, Ryo stood up and turned to Hinata. "Squirtle is a bit timid and shy. It might need your help."

The others turned their attention to Hinata, waiting for her response.

Hinata's face flushed bright red. She nodded slightly and stepped closer to Ryo.

"Um… how should I help?" she asked hesitantly, her head lowered and her fingers nervously clasped together.

Ryo tried to keep a straight face as he pulled out a bag of basic energy cubes from his system and handed one to Hinata. "Here, can you feed this to Squirtle for me?"

Hinata took the energy cube and nodded. "O-Okay."

Turning to Squirtle, she knelt down. "Squirtle… do you want to eat this?"

"Squirtle…"

Squirtle hesitated and looked at Ryo for reassurance.

Noticing this, Ryo gave a small nod of encouragement.

"Squirtle!"

Reassured, Squirtle slowly stepped out from behind Ryo and moved toward Hinata. After sniffing the cube for a moment, it took it and began munching happily.

Seeing this, Hinata's nervousness melted into a gentle smile.

Ryo was also relieved. Looks like Hinata will be able to take good care of this Squirtle.

Meanwhile, Kiba's expression became one of envy once again. His eyes gleamed with an odd determination.

"Boss! You're being biased! Why does Hinata get to feed her Pokémon while I didn't?"

Seriously? Is the boss a secret lolicon or something?

Maybe if I dressed up in girl's clothes, I'd get special treatment too!

Ryo's eye twitched. "If you want some, you can buy it from me."

"I'll take it! Boss, I want to buy some!" Kiba exclaimed, digging into his pockets for money.

Having learned about energy cubes from Naruto earlier, Kiba eagerly handed over the cash and received his own cubes.

Holding the energy cube, he walked over to Houndour. "Hey, Houndour, want to try some?"

Imitating Hinata's earlier actions, he offered the cube to Houndour.

Houndour sniffed the cube before taking it and retreating a few steps to eat in peace.

"Yes! It ate it!" Kiba cheered. Looks like I was right—offering food makes it much easier to earn a Pokémon's trust.

"Arf! Arf!"

Akamaru, who had been watching all this with disdain, couldn't hold back any longer. He let out a disapproving bark and bit Kiba's hair—not hard, just enough to express his frustration.

Seriously? How can you fawn over another dog like this? What about my dignity?! I'm your partner!

Amused by Akamaru's antics, Kiba snapped out of his excitement and spoke to Houndour again. "Houndour, will you be my partner? I promise to make you strong. Stick with me, and I'll make sure you have all the energy cubes you want—even the best ones!"

Ryo was stunned. He's actually making promises now? Where did this kid learn to give such tempting offers?

Oh right, the current Hokage is Sarutobi Hiruzen. Makes sense now.

Houndour pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Yes! It accepted me!" Kiba shouted in excitement, jumping around in joy.

Akamaru rolled his eyes and bit his head again.

The rest of the group smiled, genuinely happy for Kiba.

"Congratulations. You finally got what you wanted. Remember, you need to take good care of Houndour," Ryo reminded him.

Kiba nodded earnestly. "Don't worry, Boss. I will!"

After purchasing some Pokédexes, Poké Balls, and additional energy cubes, the group left the shop with their new Pokémon companions.