Seeing this, Ryo turned to Shizune and said, "Shizune, I'm heading out for a bit."
Shizune nodded, and Ryo took Diancie with him as he walked over to Hoopa.
He gave Hoopa a gentle tug and said, "Hoopa, here's some money. Once it's gone, that's it. I'm taking Diancie out for now."
Still fully immersed in the excitement of gambling, Hoopa didn't even turn his head. "Got it, Ryo, go ahead. Hoopa can play by itself."
Ryo sighed helplessly and didn't say more.
He gave Tsunade a quick heads-up, asking her to keep an eye on Hoopa, then turned and walked out of the casino.
Outside, away from all the curious stares, Diancie quickly returned to her usual calm state.
But just then, Ryo suddenly turned his gaze toward a certain direction, having caught a fleeting shadow. He frowned and followed it.
He'd been vaguely sensing someone tailing him for a while, but hadn't paid it much attention. Now that the figure was brazenly appearing, it was another matter entirely.
Following it quickly, he arrived at a wooded area outside Tanzaku Town.
Stopping among the trees, he scanned ahead, using his spiritual perception and called out, "Orochimaru, it's been a while. What's your purpose in bringing me here?"
"Boss, it really has been a long time."
As Ryo spoke, Orochimaru stepped out from the trees.
The figure that had led him here also turned around—it was none other than Kabuto, who had appeared several times before.
Ryo gave him just a glance, not paying him any mind, and instead focused on Orochimaru. "So, Orochimaru, what do you want by drawing me here?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "Nothing serious. I just haven't seen you in a while and wanted to talk."
Ryo looked at him speechlessly. "Then just say what you want."
"Hahaha~" Orochimaru chuckled. "Seems nothing gets past you, boss."
He shook his head. "Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I was just wondering… what's your relationship with Tsunade?"
Hearing that, Ryo understood immediately. "Don't worry. I won't interfere in your business."
Orochimaru smiled again. "Then I must thank you, boss. If I ever get the chance, I'll be sure to repay you properly."
He turned to leave, having gotten the answer he came for.
But before he could go, Ryo's voice stopped him.
"No need for repayment. But I do have a small request."
Orochimaru turned back, puzzled. "What is it?"
"Don't be alarmed. I just want to meet some of your subordinates."
"Hm?"
Orochimaru frowned, his expression wary. "What do you mean?"
His eyes grew more guarded as he studied Ryo.
Ryo raised a hand casually. "Relax. I just want to see your men. Maybe have them bond with a Pokémon while I'm at it. That's all. Nothing to worry about."
Orochimaru looked even more perplexed.
You want to make my subordinates stronger? he thought. That sounds… weird.
But he didn't press the issue and eventually nodded. "Alright, I agree. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Ryo nodded and watched him leave, murmuring to himself, "I thought it would take a few more days before the plot kicked off, but turns out it's starting already."
According to the original story, Orochimaru wasn't supposed to appear until Naruto and Jiraiya arrived.
And Jiraiya and Naruto were usually delayed because of Itachi and Kisame.
But now, that subplot didn't exist—Itachi and Kisame were still working at the Pokémon shop.
So their earlier arrival had probably accelerated the timeline for Jiraiya and Naruto.
Yet despite their absence, Orochimaru had already shown up.
"Looks like the plot really is shifting a bit… I wonder if Jiraiya and Naruto will show up earlier too."
With that, he shook his head and headed back toward Tanzaku Street.
…
After wandering a bit, Ryo returned to the casino entrance. Just as he stepped inside, Tsunade and Hoopa were finishing their gambling session.
"So? How did it go?" he asked the worn-out duo as they walked out.
Hoopa looked up pitifully. "Ryo, we lost everything… Hoopa's never trusting her again…"
"Ahem—"
Tsunade coughed twice. "That wasn't my fault. You should blame the casino! They must've been cheating! Otherwise, with my skills, how could we possibly lose?"
Watching her talk big, Ryo's mouth twitched again.
He really wanted to say—with your kind of luck, it's impressive you didn't lose more. If the casino really was cheating, you might've actually won once or twice. Losing every single bet? That's on you.
Then a thought struck him, and he asked, "You lost everything? Didn't win even once?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What are you implying?"
It was clearly rubbing salt into the wound—he even sounded serious asking that question.
Ryo quickly realized and gave an awkward cough. "Uh… I was just surprised. That's all. Really."
"Hmph—"
Tsunade snorted and didn't argue further, striding back toward the inn.
Shizune finally let out a relieved sigh. That tension just now had been kind of scary.
Ryo, meanwhile, found himself puzzled. He distinctly remembered Tsunade winning at least once at the start of the original plot.
Her luck had always been strange, just like how Ryo's own legs now seemed bound to some kind of rule system.
Regardless of how the plot shifted, her strange luck shouldn't have changed.
If she didn't win anything, did that mean Orochimaru wasn't going to act today?
But that felt off too. In the original story, Orochimaru attacked right away—there was no waiting.
Still, Orochimaru didn't know what Ryo was thinking. If he did, he'd probably want to curse him out.
You think I want to wait? My hands are a mess—I don't want to wait a second longer!
But you showed up! Because of you, I have to plan carefully and prepare everything! Otherwise, I'd have acted already!
Of course, Orochimaru had no clue what Ryo was actually thinking.
Ryo shook off his thoughts after a moment. "Whatever. So what if things have changed?"
It didn't concern him anyway.
He was just a bystander. No reason to get involved.
No big deal.
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