After the introductions, Ryo brought his Pokémon back to his room.
After a short rest, he came back out and ordered a few dishes for lunch.
"Yo, Ryo, you're too polite. Boss! Another bottle of sake!"
Before he even took a few bites, Tsunade strolled over and sat down right across from him, helping herself without the slightest hesitation.
She even casually called for another bottle of sake.
Ryo was stunned. Was she always this bold?
Shizune, sitting nearby, tugged awkwardly at Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade…"
But Tsunade waved it off, pulling Shizune into the seat as well. "Relax, relax. Ryo's our friend now. It's fine to eat together."
Shizune didn't quite know what to say, so she offered Ryo an apologetic glance.
Ryo, however, didn't mind at all. He waved his hand and said, "It's fine. Let's eat together."
"See? Told you it was fine. Shizune, dig in!" Tsunade grinned, thinking to herself, That's one meal saved. More money for gambling now.
Shizune gave Ryo a polite nod. "Thank you, Ryo."
Ryo just waved his hand, not bothering with words.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Tsunade spotted Hoopa munching on an energy cube and lifted her sake bottle. "Hey Hoopa, come have a drink with me!"
Hoopa looked up and tilted its head curiously. "What's that? Hoopa's curious."
Tsunade shook the bottle. "This is good stuff—the best thing in the world."
"Really?" Hoopa's eyes sparkled. "Then Hoopa wants to try!"
Ryo's eyes widened as he stared at Tsunade. Was she seriously trying to turn Hoopa into a little version of herself?
It already had a gambling addiction—now she wanted it to start drinking too? That would completely ruin it!
Before he could even react, Tsunade had already poured a sip for Hoopa.
Hoopa took a gulp, then instantly frowned. "Blegh! Gross! You lied! Hoopa doesn't trust you anymore!"
With that, Hoopa turned its back on her, pouting, and went back to its energy cubes.
"Ahahaha~"
Tsunade burst into laughter, her whole body shaking.
Ryo wasn't even paying attention to the bounce. He quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness… At least Hoopa didn't like alcohol. Otherwise, he'd be in real trouble.
Shizune, watching the childish scene, rolled her eyes—but couldn't help smiling.
In her memory, it had been a long, long time since Tsunade looked this genuinely happy.
Just like that, the meal quickly came to an end.
Afterward, Tsunade patted her belly and said to Shizune, "Alright, we've eaten. Time to head out. Hoopa, we'll wait for you outside! Big sis is taking you to the casino, so don't be late!"
With that, she dragged Shizune out in a flash, her speed reminding everyone exactly why she was one of the Legendary Sannin.
Ryo blinked in surprise. They vanished before he even had time to react?
"Pfft—"
He couldn't help laughing out loud and shook his head. "She's not exactly young anymore, but acts like such a kid…"
Then he glanced at Hoopa. "Wait, could Hoopa actually affect people's mental age?"
"Ryo! Hurry! Hoopa wants to go play!"
Hearing Hoopa's excited voice, Ryo didn't overthink it. He nodded. "Alright."
He called for the innkeeper, paid the bill, and left with his Pokémon.
Sure enough, Tsunade and Shizune were already waiting outside.
Seeing Hoopa, Tsunade urged, "Hurry, hurry!"
Ryo was speechless. What's the rush? It's not like you're going to win. Just throwing money away...
Still, he kept quiet. Joining them, they all made their way to the casino.
…
"Big! Hoopa, trust me—bet big, and you'll win for sure!"
Inside the casino, Tsunade leaned toward Hoopa, full of confidence.
Hoopa looked hesitant. "Really? You said that last time too, but Hoopa's never won. Hoopa doesn't want to trust you again."
"How could that be? That was just bad luck. Come on, Hoopa, follow me—bet big!"
Seeing her fired-up look, Hoopa reluctantly nodded. "Alright… Hoopa will trust you one more time."
Then, it pulled out a bill and placed the bet on 'big.'
After being burned by Tsunade's guidance so many times, Hoopa had learned not to bet everything at once. Otherwise, there'd be nothing left to play with.
After all, they hadn't won even once since entering.
Ryo, watching from behind, couldn't help twitching.
Seriously, is Hoopa too trusting or what? After all those losses, it still believes her?
He silently shook his head, then coolly placed his own bet—on the opposite of Tsunade's.
This woman really is just like in all those fanfics. As long as you bet against her, you're guaranteed to profit.
Honestly, if I followed her around, could I become the richest guy in the whole Hidden Leaf world just through gambling?
Shizune, who'd noticed Ryo's bet, had stars in her eyes.
Why didn't I think of that before? If I'd just done what Ryo's doing, I could've achieved financial freedom by now!
That whole afternoon, Tsunade and Hoopa kept losing, while Ryo raked it in.
Shizune's heart pounded.
"Ryo, can… can we go outside for a bit?"
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Ryo's mind—it was Diancie.
He looked down to see Diancie looking listless. "What's wrong? Don't like it here?"
Diancie nodded. "I don't like it."
Ryo frowned slightly, then noticed that many people were staring curiously at both Hoopa and Diancie. He instantly understood.
Diancie didn't like being stared at—it made her uncomfortable.
As for Hoopa? It was clearly too excited to care.
It probably hadn't even noticed all the curious stares.
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