"A particularly powerful ninja beast? Yes, there is, but whether you can obtain it is difficult to say."
"Except for a very few Pokémon, the ones we sell here at Pokémon House are all in their infancy, and their general strength is not particularly strong."
Fuji naturally understood Sasuke's mindset and spoke calmly.
At this point, Sasuke, as an avenger, was driven by the desire to take revenge on Itachi Uchiha. Now that he wanted to buy a Pokémon, it was likely because he saw Naruto's Vulpix and thought of using Pokémon to strengthen himself.
However, in Fuji's shop, the Pokémon available for sale were mainly in their infant stage. Few, like Hoopa, had fully matured right out of the draw.
"I still have to train them? I probably don't have that much time," Sasuke frowned, knowing that the sooner he could find Itachi, the better.
"You don't need to worry about that. Pokémon grow quickly, and in a few months, they may grow to a level stronger than you are now."
Fuji chuckled as he spoke.
"Stronger than me? I don't believe that," Sasuke said, coldly. "I need proof. Is there a Pokémon here that can fight me?"
Sasuke wasn't being subtle. He needed to see for himself if what Fuji said held any truth. Of course, his eyes also wandered around the small shop, noting the lack of anything extraordinary, aside from Fuji, who was as handsome as Naruto mentioned. There was also a strange booklet on the counter and some oddly colored cubes that caught his attention.
Fuji raised an eyebrow. "You really want to battle?"
At this point, Sasuke had just graduated from the Ninja Academy and hadn't yet become Kakashi's disciple. In terms of skill, Sasuke was still among the weaker genin.
And Fuji only had Hoopa at the moment.
"Sure. Unless you're scared?" Sasuke said coldly. "If what you said is true, I'll buy a Pokémon."
Feeling that his tone was too harsh, Sasuke added, "Don't worry. If it's really stronger than me, I'll keep my word."
Fuji chuckled. "Alright. Hoopa, go ahead and have some fun with Sasuke. But don't hurt him."
Hoopa, who had been playing idly by itself, floated over with excitement. "Yay, Hoopa will play!"
Sasuke glanced at Hoopa, unimpressed by the small figure. "You're my opponent? You don't look like much."
Hoopa snickered. "You'll cry later."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. There was no way he was going to lose to something so small.
The backyard of the Pokémon House had once been a storage area for ninja tools but was now transformed into an open-air battle arena by the system.
"Sasuke, Hoopa, are you both ready?" Fuji asked from the center, positioning Sasuke and Hoopa on opposite sides.
"No problem, this will be over quickly," Sasuke said coolly, confident in his victory.
"I'm ready! Hee-hee, he'll cry," Hoopa teased, still snickering.
"Alright, the battle is simple—1v1. Either one loses the ability to fight or surrenders, and the other wins. Let the battle begin!"
As Fuji announced the start, he stepped back, leaving Sasuke and Hoopa to face each other. He had no intention of directing Hoopa. If Hoopa needed guidance against someone like Sasuke, it would be embarrassing!
As soon as the battle started, Sasuke leaped back, throwing several kunai in Hoopa's direction, a technique from the Uchiha clan.
Hoopa laughed and disappeared in an instant.
"What…was that?" Sasuke muttered, his eyes wide as he looked around cautiously. Was that the Body Flicker Technique?
To his surprise, a dark ripple in space appeared behind him. Hoopa was using a surprise attack!
Sasuke quickly dodged, creating distance again, forming hand seals as he moved.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke unleashed a large fireball toward Hoopa, his voice filled with determination.
Hoopa giggled, removing a ring from its head. "Let's play!"
As the fireball surged toward Hoopa, it was swallowed by the ring, only for another ring to appear behind Sasuke.
The fireball erupted from the second ring, heading straight for Sasuke.
"Ah!" Sasuke screamed in surprise as the flames singed him.
Fuji rushed over, grabbing a fire extinguisher and dousing the flames that had caught on Sasuke.
In his mind, Fuji laughed. He never imagined that the Fireball Jutsu, which never seemed to hurt anyone in the stories, would backfire in such a spectacular fashion.
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