Chapter 15: Opening the Treasure Chest & Kurenai’s Team Arrives

Inside the Pokémon House.

In his room, Ryo stared at the three bronze treasure chests in front of him.

"System, combine the treasure chests now."

Earlier, when he obtained the treasure chests, there were still Anbu ninja lurking nearby, so he didn't open them immediately.

After all, psychic power could easily sense things, not to mention Dragonite was also on guard.

Once Ryo confirmed the Anbu had left for some time, he eagerly returned to his room and took out all the treasure chests.

Based on his previous experience, he knew that the higher the level of the treasure chest, the greater the chance of getting something good.

So, instead of opening the bronze chests one by one, he chose to combine them.

As Ryo's command echoed, the three treasure chests began to move and stack on top of each other, gradually merging into a single silver-colored treasure chest.

At the same time, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Combination successful. You've obtained an exclusive silver treasure chest."

Hearing this, Ryo's excitement surged.

"I wonder what I'll get this time."

Rubbing his hands together, he thought silently to himself.

"System, open it."

"You've obtained the Energy Cube Maker!"

"You've obtained 10 Mysterious Fruits!"

"You've obtained the special item: Lucky Egg!"

"You've obtained the special item: Experience Share!"

[Energy Cube Maker]: A machine that produces Energy Cubes. With the right recipe and berries, it can produce a continuous supply of Energy Cubes. Note: Top-grade Energy Cubes cannot be produced.

[Lucky Egg]: When used, the Pokémon holding this item gains a slight amount of experience and increases all subsequent experience gained by 50%.

[Experience Share]: A special item that allows Pokémon in the party who did not participate in battle to gain 50% experience. Pokémon that participate in battle gain 100% experience. Note: Experience from training does not count.

"Holy crap, am I fated to be tied to experience lately?"

Ryo's eyes lit up as a surprised expression crossed his face, but a smile tugged at his lips.

Despite his words, he was genuinely thrilled with the items he received.

After all, faster experience meant quicker strength growth for his Pokémon.

Even though he already had a Dragonite at a level comparable to a Kage-level expert, who wouldn't want more powerful Pokémon?

"With the Experience Share, the more Pokémon I have, the faster they'll level up."

Thanks to this special item, it would be nearly impossible for his Pokémon to level up slowly once their numbers increased.

Although the note mentioned that experience from training wouldn't count, Ryo already had a workaround in mind.

"If I have enough Pokémon, they can just battle each other. It doesn't say they can't train through sparring."

"The drop rate for these Mysterious Fruits is really high. I got five from a bronze chest before, and now I have fifteen in total."

If one of his Pokémon eggs hatched, he could instantly raise the newly hatched Pokémon to Level 15 using the fruits.

"Judging by the drop rate, I probably won't run out of these items in the future. But it's a shame that there's a difference compared to the game. If the level cap wasn't set at 60, I could have pushed Dragonite's level to 90 right away."

However, there was nothing he could do about it. After all, the system had its limits.

"The Energy Cube Maker is pretty great too. This thing costs hundreds of thousands of points in the shop."

Since it could reduce his point consumption, how could he not be satisfied?

"It's just a pity that I still lack berries and formulas. Otherwise, I wouldn't even need to buy it. I could make everything myself."

Shaking his head, Ryo muttered to himself, "Forget it. Who knows how long it'll be before I can start making Energy Cubes."

Even a basic formula cost over a hundred thousand points. Not to mention, he'd have to plant berry trees, which could take forever at his current rate of earning points.

Without dwelling on it further, Ryo walked out of his room and headed toward the back of the cabin.

Since the treasure boxes were all opened, it was time to practice his psychic power.

No matter how strong his Pokémon became, he needed his own means of attack.

When Ryo arrived at the backyard, he saw Dragonite diligently training. The sight filled him with satisfaction.

"It's a shame Dragonite's level is already so high. Otherwise, I would've given it the Lucky Egg."

The Lucky Egg provided a continuous experience boost, not just a temporary effect. Using it on a Level 90 Dragonite would be a bit wasteful.

"Better check what kind of Pokémon will hatch from that egg. If it's suitable, the newly hatched Pokémon would benefit most from the Lucky Egg."

Roar!

As Ryo was lost in thought, Dragonite noticed his presence and happily flew over with a smile.

Ryo patted its belly. "Dragonite, I'm here to train too. Let's grow stronger together!"

Dragonite nodded seriously. Roar!

Then it flew back and resumed its training.

Ryo didn't think much more and began his psychic training.

As for why Squirtle and the others weren't around, it was because they had gone off to play in the mountains.

Since they weren't officially entrusted, they couldn't train or grow stronger. Besides, for some reason—perhaps due to the system—these Pokémon never seemed interested in training before they were entrusted. All they wanted to do was play.

Yesterday, they stuck around nearby because they were unfamiliar with the area. But after getting used to it and with their numbers increasing, they went wild and ran off to explore.

Ryo didn't interfere. Although they weren't very strong, they could still handle themselves. The small mountain was relatively safe, and since they couldn't train anyway, he let them be.

Time passed quickly as Ryo continued his practice, unaware of how long he had been at it.

Roar!

Dragonite's sudden roar caught Ryo's attention.

"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow. "Another visitor?"

Curious, he paused his training and walked back to the cabin with Dragonite.

Shortly after entering, Ryo saw four familiar figures.

A strikingly beautiful woman with crimson eyes.

A quiet boy wearing an eye patch.

A cheerful boy with a dog on his head.

A shy girl with white eyes, nervously glancing around.

"Yuhi Kurenai… and Hinata, Kiba, and Shino?" Ryo mused, recognizing them immediately.

"Hello, boss."

Yuhi Kurenai smiled politely, greeting Ryo and Dragonite.

Ryo returned the smile. "Hello. Welcome."

"Boss, I heard from Naruto that you give out Pokémon here. Is that true?"

Kiba couldn't hold back his excitement and asked eagerly, his eyes shining.