"Great, I've captured it!"Ten Ten held the Poké Ball up high, her eyes sparkling with excitement. After using her sixth Poké Ball, she had finally succeeded in capturing the Tentacool.
Behind her, the expressions of Might Guy, Rock Lee, and Neji froze. The corners of their mouths twitched slightly.
Was this really considered capturing it? Judging by how the Tentacool had broken out five times already, this last capture felt more like it had just given up.
Even a person would be caught after being pelted so many times—let alone a Pokémon.
Might Guy coughed lightly, clearly trying to move on from the awkward moment. "Well… let's keep looking."
Lee and Neji both nodded, eager to resume their search. "Yes, yes!"
The trio turned and began walking away.
"Wait for me! Why are you so anxious? I haven't cultivated any feelings with the Tentacool yet!" Ten Ten's voice rang out behind them.
Their shoulders stiffened.
Cultivated feelings?If that Pokemon had any feelings, they were probably hatred by now.
Honestly, the Tentacool should be thankful it wasn't fighting back.
Inside a quiet wooden house built against the slope of a forested mountain, Renji Takahashi sat in the lotus position, immersed in quiet meditation. His senses suddenly tingled.
His eyes opened slowly.
"Renji, we're here!" Naruto's voice echoed energetically from outside, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing into the house.
Moments later, Kakashi's team stepped inside, greeted by the rustic scent of herbs and wood.
"Rare visitors," Renji said calmly, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "You wouldn't have come if it wasn't for something important."
Kakashi gave a wry smile. "Boss, we came to buy some energy cubes."
Naruto chimed in eagerly, "Yeah! We accepted a C-rank mission. We'll be heading out of the village soon!"
Hearing that, Renji's eyes flickered. Could this be the mission involving Zabuza and Haku? The timeline was advancing faster than he expected.
Putting aside the thought, Renji nodded. "Alright. How much do you plan to buy?"
Kakashi stepped forward. "Renji, our Pokémon have all broken through level 10. Can we use intermediate energy cubes now?"
Over the past few days, Kakashi had quietly experimented with the low-grade energy cubes. Despite his initial doubts, the results were clear. Even the cheapest cubes improved his Pokémon's training efficiency by roughly 5%. That small number, when accumulated over time, would yield great results.
Renji nodded. "Yes. Once a Pokémon passes level 10, it can absorb intermediate energy cubes."
"Then I'll buy two bags," Kakashi said, reaching into his pouch.
Renji extended his hand. "Intermediate cubes are 5,000 ryo per bag. Two bags make 10,000 ryo."
Kakashi hesitated only briefly before handing over the money.
Renji smiled and passed him two bags of pale blue cubes.
Turning to the others, he asked, "What about you three? Low or intermediate?"
Sasuke didn't say a word. He silently stepped forward and placed 10,000 ryo on the table.
Renji's eyes gleamed. He appreciated Sasuke's decisiveness. With a smooth motion, he handed over two bags of cubes.
Sakura followed suit, mirroring Kakashi and Sasuke, and Renji happily accepted another 10,000 ryo.
Finally, Naruto stepped forward with visible pain on his face.
"Renji… give me one bag," he muttered, digging into his wallet. He reluctantly pulled out 5,000 ryo and held it out. "If I had this much money, I could eat a hundred bowls of Ichiraku Ramen…"
Renji, unmoved by the pained expression, took the money and handed over the cube without a word.
When no one left after the purchase, Renji raised an eyebrow. "Still here? Something else?"
Kakashi didn't react to the change in tone. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Kurenai mentioned Pokémon evolution before."
Renji nodded. "Go ahead."
Kakashi's gaze grew serious. "At what level do Pokémon evolve?"
Everyone turned toward Renji with interest.
"It depends," Renji said. "Some Pokémon evolve at level ten or so. Others might not evolve until level thirty or even higher. Each Pokémon is different."
Kakashi continued, "Then what about my Pikachu?"
Renji shook his head. "Pikachu can't evolve through leveling. It needs a specific item—Thunder Stone. Once you have that, it can evolve anytime."
Kakashi frowned. "Do you have a Thunder Stone?"
"I do," Renji said flatly. "But it's not cheap. Even for you."
Thunder Stones were high-tier items in the Pokémon Entrustment System's internal store. Each cost a massive number of points—if sold on the market, the value would easily reach into the millions.
Kakashi was silent for a moment. "How much?"
Renji raised a single finger. "Two million ryo."
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, face full of disbelief. "Two million?! Renji, does Bulbasaur need something like that to evolve too?!"
For a moment, he actually thought about ditching Bulbasaur. The money could feed him ramen for a whole year!
Sakura's jaw dropped, and even Sasuke's expression changed.
But then came the biggest surprise.
Kakashi nodded. "Alright. I want it."
Everyone fell silent.
Naruto looked at him like he had gone insane.
Was this the difference between an elite jōnin and a commoner? Did Kakashi carry millions like it was pocket change?
Kakashi didn't see it that way. Two million was a lot—even for him. But if Raichu's strength could accelerate mission completions, it would pay off. One A-rank mission alone was worth 300,000 to 400,000 ryo.
It was a calculated investment. One that would pay for itself.
Renji's expression didn't change, but deep down, even he was a little stunned.
"Alright," he said with a faint smile. "Deal."
Renji Takahashi watched Kakashi's serious expression but didn't rush into a trade. Instead, he looked at him calmly and spoke with unexpected sincerity. "Kakashi, you should ask your Pokémon first. Evolution isn't something to take lightly. Some Pokémon might not want to evolve."
Kakashi blinked. "There are Pokémon who don't want to evolve? Isn't evolution supposed to make them stronger?"
Renji nodded. "Yes. But Pokémon have feelings and preferences too. Some fear they'll become less appealing to their trainers after evolving. Others simply don't want more power—they want to stay who they are."
The room went quiet. Kakashi and the others were visibly taken aback. It wasn't that the idea was illogical—it just wasn't something they'd ever considered. Pokémon weren't weapons or tools. They had hearts, just like humans.
After a brief silence, Kakashi coughed and nodded. "I understand, Renji. I'll talk to Pikachu about it."
"Pika pika…" Pikachu nodded beside him, seemingly grateful.
Naruto, who'd been waiting eagerly for his turn, raised his hand. "Renji, what about my Bulbasaur? Does it need a special item to evolve?"
Renji looked at him and shook his head. "Nope. Your Bulbasaur doesn't need anything special. Once it reaches level 16, it will evolve naturally."
Naruto sighed in relief, but then a flash of excitement appeared in his eyes. "Wait! My Bulbasaur is already level 15! Bulba! Bulba!"
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur nodded happily, hopping in place.
Renji blinked. That was fast. Barely ten days had passed since Naruto had adopted Bulbasaur, and it was already near evolution? That kind of progress would've taken months in the Pokémon world.
While Renji was still processing this, Sasuke stepped forward. "What about my Charmander?"
"Char char…" Charmander stood proudly by his side.
"It also evolves at level 16," Renji replied.
Sasuke gave a nod and stepped back, deep in thought. His eyes were calm, but Renji caught the glint of anticipation behind them.
Sakura, curious, stepped forward too. "And my Chansey…?"
Renji cut her off gently. "Chansey doesn't evolve through level-ups. Like Pikachu, it needs a special item."
Sakura's expression fell. She hadn't even asked about the price, but she already knew it would be beyond her means. Her family was ordinary—her parents civilians. Taking out millions of ryo was next to impossible.
The mood turned slightly heavy. Even Kakashi and Sasuke were silent. Naruto walked over, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll help you."
"Yeah," Kakashi added, though his voice was uncertain. "Try hard."
Renji, seeing the quiet struggle on Sakura's face, spoke up again. "It's not impossible to get these items without money."
Everyone turned to him at once.
"In the future, when more people in Konoha have Pokémon, I'll organize a tournament. A real Pokémon battle competition. Winners can earn rare items—including evolution stones."
"A tournament?" Kakashi tilted his head, surprised.
"Yeah," Renji said with a small smile. "That was my dream once. To train Pokémon and compete in tournaments like those I used to watch. I never had the chance before—but now, with the Pokémon Entrustment System, I can make it real."
He paused, eyes glinting. "But of course, the system is still locked. Until I build the Pokémon shelter and meet the Shelter Requirement, it's all just a dream. For now."
"Renji, when will this competition happen?" Naruto asked with shining eyes. "Where? What's the format?"
"I don't know yet," Renji admitted with a chuckle. "But when the time comes, I'll let everyone know."
Everyone nodded, their moods lighter again. Kakashi turned to leave. "Alright, we're heading back for now—"
"Kakashi!"