Chapter 18: Such a Unique Preference

Ryo was momentarily stunned as he looked at the Caterpie, then at Shino.

After a brief pause, he nodded. "Sure."

Shino's eyes lit up. "Then, Boss, I'll choose this one."

"Shino, are you sure? Maybe you should think it over," Kurenai suggested from the side. After all, there was no telling what kind of Pokémon might show up later.

Shino shook his head firmly. "No need, Kurenai-sensei. This one is perfect for me."

For him, bug-type Pokémon were the best choice—nothing could be more suitable.

Seeing Shino's determination, Kurenai stopped trying to persuade him. "Alright, if you're sure."

Ryo spoke up again. "Since you've made your choice, let's see if Caterpie agrees."

All eyes turned to Caterpie.

The Caterpie, having understood the conversation, nodded its little head.

Ryo squatted down, gently picked up Caterpie, and patted its head before walking over to Shino.

Handing Caterpie to him, Ryo said with a smile, "Take good care of Caterpie. If it gets bullied, I'll hold you responsible."

Shino carefully took Caterpie in his hands and nodded seriously. "Got it. I'll take good care of it."

Looking down at Caterpie in his arms, a rare smile appeared on Shino's usually stoic face.

Initially, he didn't expect much from this trip. As someone who loved bugs, he wasn't interested in most things—even Pokémon. But to his surprise, there was actually a bug-type Pokémon available. It felt like it was tailor-made for him.

Watching the scene, Ryo nodded and said, "Alright, wait here for a bit. I'll be right back."

With that, he turned and walked toward the nearby forest.

Dragonite stood there, confused. It had heard the conversation clearly and knew Ryo was going to find more Pokémon.

But the direction he was heading puzzled it. After all, it had just been to the forest earlier, and there weren't any Pokémon there.

Curious, Dragonite followed Ryo step by step into the woods.

Meanwhile, Kurenai and the others gathered around Shino, staring at Caterpie with curiosity and striking up conversations.

They would have surrounded Squirtle and the other Pokémon too if the Pokémon hadn't been watching them warily from a distance.

…

Ryo walked some distance into the woods, holding Espeon in his arms.

Dragonite let out a confused growl. "Rawr?"

Understanding its confusion, Ryo smiled. "I know there weren't any Pokémon here earlier, but that's about to change."

Dragonite tilted its head, its face scrunching in bewilderment.

Ryo didn't bother explaining further. He knew it would become clear soon enough.

He opened his system panel and activated the lottery system, focusing on the gacha machine.

"System, draw five times," he commanded.

The gacha machine began spinning, and moments later, the system announced:

『Congratulations! You've obtained Alolan Vulpix, Machop, Houndour, Slakoth, and Tentacool.』

"Whoa! Did I just hit the jackpot?" Ryo exclaimed in delight as five Pokémon appeared before him.

These were all high-potential Pokémon. Fully evolved, each had a base stat total of over 500.

"Awoo~"

"Chop!"

…

Hearing their voices, Ryo smiled at them. "Welcome, everyone!"

Dragonite rubbed its eyes in disbelief, then stared at Ryo, its curiosity growing.

Ryo patted Dragonite's arm with a chuckle. "These are Pokémon I summoned. You came here the same way, remember?"

Dragonite nodded, deep in thought, as if trying to recall how it had arrived in this world.

Shaking his head with a smile, Ryo turned back to the new Pokémon. "Alright, let's head back."

He called the new Pokémon and walked back toward the clearing behind the cabin.

When Ryo returned, Kurenai and the others immediately focused on him.

Kiba stepped forward with eager eyes. "Boss, what kind of Pokémon did you get this time?"

Ryo sighed, then gestured toward the new Pokémon behind him. "Here they are. If you're still not satisfied, you'll have to wait for a while."

His points were running low. After these five draws, he only had about 3,000 to 4,000 points left—barely enough to buy Pokéblocks for the current Pokémon.

If this group still couldn't find a match, they'd have to wait until Kakashi's Pokémon leveled up and new ones became available.

How long would that take? Even Ryo wasn't sure.

Kurenai and the others stared at the new Pokémon with serious expressions, intrigued by Ryo's choices.

Seeing the Pokémon emerging one by one, Kiba's eyes lit up.

"Boss, what kind of Pokémon is this? I want this one! Just this one!"

His gaze fixed on Houndour as it walked out from behind Dragonite, his face filled with excitement.

Ryo glanced at Kiba and then at Shino, amused. These two are quite something—one obsessed with bugs, the other with dogs.

After a brief moment, Ryo turned toward Houndour. "Houndour, he wants to be your partner. What do you think?"

Houndour glanced at Kiba and then shook its head.

Kiba, who had been brimming with excitement, froze in place. His bright expression faded instantly, leaving him standing there like he had just been struck by lightning. He didn't even blink.

Koff, koff—

Feeling a bit sorry for him, Kurenai asked gently, "Boss, is there really no way to make it work?"

Ryo nodded. "If a Pokémon doesn't agree, I can't let him take it away."

"Is there any way to get the Pokémon to accept him?" Kurenai persisted.

Ryo shook his head. "Maybe he should choose a different one?"

Kurenai sighed and turned toward Kiba.

However, Kiba shook his head firmly. "No need. I'll definitely make it acknowledge me."

He wasn't about to give up on his choice.

Kurenai decided not to say anything more and turned her attention back to the other Pokémon.

When her eyes landed on Alolan Vulpix, they sparkled with excitement. "So cute! Boss, I'd like to choose this one!"