Chapter 3: Successful Bonding

Following Ryo, the group arrived at an open space behind the wooden house.

He stopped and turned to Naruto and Bulbasaur. "You can start here."

"Bulba~"

Bulbasaur nodded, stepping onto the open field, its gaze locking onto Naruto.

"I won't lose to you," Naruto said with a grin, stepping forward to meet Bulbasaur's gaze.

As both of them got ready, Ryo and the other two Pokémon watched with full attention.

"Bulba~!"

Suddenly, Bulbasaur moved its four legs rapidly, charging straight at Naruto at high speed—Tackle!

Ryo immediately recognized the move.

Naruto, on the other hand, was caught off guard, unable to react in time.

Bang!

The next second, Bulbasaur rammed into Naruto's stomach, sending him flying backward.

"Ah! That hurts! That hurts!"

Naruto crashed to the ground, clutching his stomach with a pained expression.

"Bulba?"

Bulbasaur paused, its eyes filled with confusion, turning to look at Ryo as if asking, Is this guy for real?

"Uh—"

Ryo was also momentarily speechless. He could understand Bulbasaur's expression but didn't know how to respond.

To be honest, the difference in strength between Naruto and Bulbasaur wasn't that big; in fact, Naruto was probably even stronger.

Yet, Naruto didn't even attempt to dodge. If Kakashi saw this, he'd probably want to commit seppuku out of shame.

While Ryo was lost in thought, Naruto stood up from the ground, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Alright, now it's my turn! I'll definitely make you my partner!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Poof!

A cloud of smoke appeared, and dozens of Naruto clones filled the field.

The starter trio widened their eyes in surprise at the scene.

"Bulba~"

After the initial shock, Bulbasaur nodded in satisfaction, its eyes showing no fear but renewed fighting spirit.

Two vines extended from the bud on its back, and it charged toward Naruto once again.

"Everyone, let's go!"

Naruto shouted and rushed forward with his clones.

In an instant, the two sides clashed. Bulbasaur's vines whipped through the air, striking the clones one after another, causing them to burst into clouds of white smoke with poof sounds.

However, this didn't last long. Naruto quickly seized an opportunity, and several of his clones surrounded Bulbasaur and launched an attack.

Bulbasaur's eyes flickered for a moment before it let out a loud roar. "Bulbaaa~!"

The surrounding clones froze momentarily, giving Bulbasaur enough time to strike them down with its vines.

"Growl?"

Ryo's eyes lit up with recognition. As a die-hard Pokémon fan, he immediately recognized the move.

What surprised him, though, was how effective Growl—a seemingly low-level move—turned out to be.

Naruto, oblivious to Ryo's thoughts, watched as Bulbasaur took out all his clones. His eyes sparkled even more with excitement.

Although his clones were defeated, Naruto wasn't angry at all. Instead, he was even happier.

This means Bulbasaur is really strong! It might even become stronger than the Hokage someday!

"Let's do it again! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto unleashed another burst of chakra, and even more clones appeared on the field.

"Bul… Bulba?"

Bulbasaur was visibly stunned. It wanted to say something like Are you serious? This is cheating! How am I supposed to fight this?

Ryo's mouth twitched. Even he didn't know what to say. Bulbasaur did look a little pitiful. It had just wiped out the clones, and not even a minute later, a fresh wave appeared.

"I won't lose!"

Naruto's eyes were full of determination. Unaware of the strange looks around him, he charged at Bulbasaur again with his clones.

"Bulba! Bulba!"

Seeing the wave of clones closing in, Bulbasaur immediately turned and sprinted toward Ryo, mumbling something while running.

"Don't run! Come back! I'll defeat you and make you my partner!"

Naruto and dozens of clones chased after Bulbasaur, following closely behind.

Soon, Bulbasaur reached Ryo, shoving Squirtle aside and hiding behind him.

"Come on, let's continue our battle," Naruto said, looking at Bulbasaur.

Ryo couldn't help but chuckle. "Dismiss your clones. Bulbasaur just said it agreed to go with you and be your partner."

As soon as Ryo finished speaking, Bulbasaur nodded. "Bulba! Bulba!"

Naruto froze for a moment, then dispersed his clones and scratched his head.

"Squirtle~ Squirtle~"

At that moment, Squirtle tugged at Ryo's pant leg, looking at him with a pitiful expression and pointing at Bulbasaur.

Ryo patted Squirtle's head, picked it up from the ground, and pulled Bulbasaur out from behind him. He looked at Naruto. "Alright, don't overthink it. Since Bulbasaur agreed to go with you, it's now your partner."

"Really? Ryo-nii?" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement.

Ryo nodded. "Yes, but there's one thing you need to know—if you ever mistreat Bulbasaur, I'll take it back, and you won't get off easy."

After all, these Pokémon were entrusted to others. If something happened to them, Ryo would feel uneasy.

Naruto nodded seriously. "Don't worry, Ryo-nii. I'll take good care of Bulbasaur."

Ryo nodded in satisfaction. "Good."

He then turned to Bulbasaur, crouched down, and gently patted its head. "Don't be naughty. Be careful out there—the world can be dangerous. If someone bullies you, come back and find me. I'll help you get revenge."

"Bulba! Bulba!"

Bulbasaur waved its vines energetically.

Ryo rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I know you're strong. Just remember my words."

Bulbasaur nodded. "Bulba!"

Ryo stood up and looked at Naruto. "Alright, you can take it with you."

Naruto scooped Bulbasaur up in his arms, his face beaming with joy. "Ryo-nii, I'll bring Bulbasaur back to visit you often!"

With that, he dashed off excitedly. Just one glance at him, and Ryo could tell Naruto was eager to show off.

Ryo didn't stop him. After all, this might even bring him a few more customers.

Shaking his head, he let out a sigh and stopped thinking about it.

『Task: Entrust Your First Pokémon—Completed! Reward: Beginner's Gift Pack ×1』

『Entrust Pokémon to a Storyline Character—Reward: 1,000 Points and Bronze Exclusive Chest ×1』

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