Chapter 175: Pokémon Can Be Retrieved?

In the backyard of the Pokémon Home in Konoha—

On the battlefield, Garchomp and Gardevoir were locked in a fierce battle.

Nearby, Cynthia watched with a serious expression, her eyes focused.

But just then, Hoopa's golden ring appeared in the center of the battlefield.

Seeing the ring, both battling Pokémon stopped at once. Cynthia and Dragonite, who were watching from the side, also turned their attention toward the center.

"So formal, huh? I haven't even been gone that long. No need to miss me this much, right?"

Ryo stepped out of the ring and looked around at the Pokémon and Cynthia watching him.

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "You've gotten even more shameless since I last saw you. Gardevoir and Garchomp were in the middle of a match—you just had to show up at the climax."

"A match? You sure this place can handle a fight between them?"

Ryo raised an eyebrow and looked at her skeptically.

Even though this was a Pokémon battle arena, it wasn't like it could withstand the force of two shadow-level Pokémon clashing head-on.

Cynthia rolled her eyes again. "What are you thinking? They were just practicing—getting a feel for battle, not going all-out. Anyway, forget that. Why are you back today?"

"I've pretty much wrapped up what I needed to do, so I came back."

He stretched his arms and cracked his neck as he answered.

Cynthia nodded, then suddenly caught sight of the Pokémon behind him. Her eyes widened. "Is that… Moltres?"

Ryo gave her a sidelong glance. "Still not used to it? You're jumping at every rare Pokémon you see?"

Her excitement deflated instantly after hearing that.

Still, he wasn't wrong. She was a bit surprised, but not as much as before.

She walked over to him and stretched out her hand.

Ryo blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cynthia blinked back. "Gift? You went out and didn't bring us anything?"

"Hahaha—"

Ryo laughed awkwardly. "How could I not? Hold on, I've got something for you."

As he spoke, he pulled out two coins with numbers engraved on them.

"What's this?" Cynthia frowned.

Ryo raised one and began explaining, "Don't underestimate these. These are commemorative coins from Sunagakure and the famous Tanzaku Street—pretty rare. They're for you."

Of course, there was no such thing. They were just gambling tokens that Hoopa brought back from two casinos.

"Ryo, do I look like an idiot to you?"

Cynthia twitched at the corners of her mouth, glaring at him in mild rage.

Ryo shook his head. "Of course not. If you were, you wouldn't be an archaeologist and a Champion Trainer."

Cynthia gritted her teeth. "And yet you try to fool me with casino chips? You think I've never been to places like that?"

"You recognized them?"

Ryo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Alright, fine. I didn't bring anything."

Cynthia was so mad she didn't even want to speak. It was one thing to come back empty-handed—but to trick her with that?

『Host, please note: the number of entrusted Pokémon who have lost their trainers has exceeded ten. Please receive the unclaimed Pokémon.』

"Hm?"

Hearing the sudden voice in his head, Ryo's expression turned serious.

Seeing his reaction, Cynthia stopped dwelling on the previous matter and asked curiously, "Ryo, what is it?"

Ryo briefly explained to her, then began communicating with the system in his mind.

"System, receive? How do I do that?"

『The host only needs to confirm acceptance. Would you like an explanation?』

"One sec."

Ryo asked in his mind, "System, you mean the Pokémon I entrusted—when their trainers die, I can take them back? As in, summon them again?"

『Yes, Host. That is correct.』

"What the—!"

Ryo was stunned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Ten of them, ten are gone before you say anything? I thought when a trainer died, the Pokémon just went wild again."

『Because the host never asked this system before, the system defaulted to notifying only after ten.』

Ryo paused—yeah, he had never asked that question.

But then he grew curious. "System, what if a Pokémon dies? What happens then?"

『The host can use points to revive it.』

"Revive?"

Ryo was shocked again. "So even dead Pokémon can be brought back?"

『Yes, Host. However, after revival, the Pokémon's memory and strength will revert to the state when it was first summoned.』

Hearing that, Ryo didn't feel quite as surprised anymore.

If death reset the level and memories, then it was basically starting from scratch.

He nodded thoughtfully.

But then, Ryo asked another question. "System, what if someone harms a Pokémon intentionally?"

『If a Pokémon is harmed with malicious intent, the system cannot stop it—but it will notify the host.』

Ryo nodded. That was enough. As long as he knew who did it, he could deal with them directly.

『Host, would you like to receive the Pokémon now?』

"Yes."

As soon as he gave his confirmation, Ryo's eyes became serious as he looked ahead.

And at that moment, one by one, the Pokémon who had lost their trainers began appearing before him.

"This Beedrill used to belong to Danzo, didn't it? And you're only telling me this now? I searched like crazy back then, worried sick—and turns out you'd already taken it in?"

Staring at the Pokémon in front of him, Ryo's expression turned visibly frustrated. After that battle, he'd been anxious for a long time over that missing Pokémon.

『Host, do not worry. Once a Pokémon loses its trainer, the system automatically reclaims it into system space. However, the space can only hold up to ten Pokémon at a time.』

Hearing that, Ryo finally understood—it wasn't that the system was being kind enough to notify him, it simply couldn't hold any more.

"I see... but I remember Hiruzen Sarutobi's Slaking should've been recalled too, right? Why don't I see it here?"

He scanned the Pokémon again and asked.

『Host, Slaking was reassigned a new trainer when the previous one died. Therefore, the system did not retrieve it.』

Ryo nodded, not asking further, and quietly turned his gaze back toward the Pokémon.

Seeing the grief written on their faces, he felt a twinge in his heart and started to step forward, hoping to offer comfort.

But before he could get close, Cynthia grabbed his arm.

Ryo turned his head, only to see Cynthia shaking hers. "They have to get through this on their own. Losing a trainer is always traumatic—and during this period, they're especially volatile."

Hearing that, Ryo stopped in his tracks, sighed softly, and resumed his mental link with the system.

"System, they're not going to try something crazy like self-harm, right?"

Judging by their current state, he really did worry one of them might go smashing into a wall or something.

『There's no need to worry, Host. While there have been rare cases of Pokémon so deeply bonded with their trainers that they resort to such actions, the probability is extremely low—almost nonexistent.』

That brought him some relief, but it also shocked him a little.

He was glad they wouldn't do anything irrational—but also amazed that such intense loyalty truly existed.

Still, that wasn't what Ryo was most curious about right now. He asked again, "System, what's going to happen to these Pokémon now? Will I keep them with me, or will you reclaim them?"

『Host may entrust them again to new trainers. However, the difficulty of doing so increases greatly after they've lost a trainer once. On the flip side, successfully entrusting them again will earn the host system rewards.』

Ryo's eyes lit up for a second—but quickly dimmed again.

A Pokémon that had already suffered the pain of loss wasn't going to trust someone new so easily.

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