"Hmm?"
Upon hearing Ryo's words, everyone looked at him in confusion.
"Ryo, what do you mean? Why are learned skills harder to master than innate ones?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask.
Ryo glanced around at their curious expressions and explained, "Skills gained through leveling up are naturally the most suited to a Pokémon's own growth. They're easier to master. But those learned through machines, while still compatible, aren't as perfectly matched. That slight mismatch makes them much harder to become proficient in."
Ryo wasn't surprised by this—after all, if Pokémon could instantly master any move they learned, that'd be totally broken.
Even with how powerful Pokémon already were, it'd be absurd for them to flawlessly master every skill just by learning it.
"But Boss, if that's the case, why bother learning new skills at all? Doesn't sound worth it." Jiraiya frowned, genuinely puzzled.
After all, if learned skills were harder and took more time, wouldn't it be smarter to just focus on mastering what the Pokémon naturally learned?
The others nodded, sharing the same confusion. It really didn't seem efficient.
Ryo shook his head. "It's not that simple. While innate skills are indeed easier to master, not all Pokémon have a complete move set from leveling alone. Some don't naturally learn buffs or powerful trump-card moves. That's where the skill machines come in."
"Besides, though learned skills take more time, most Pokémon still have the time to train a couple of them."
Otherwise, there'd be no point in having skill machines at all. Sure, there are drawbacks, but there are also definite benefits.
Everyone nodded, finally starting to understand.
"Boss, can you show us how skill learning actually works?" Jiraiya asked, clearly intrigued now.
Ryo didn't refuse. He gave a slight nod. "Sure. Come with me."
He then looked toward Kakuzu. "Wait here for a bit."
Kakuzu nodded, and Ryo said no more, leading Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others into the Pokémon House.
"If you've got things to do, we don't mind waiting," Jiraiya offered, glancing back at Kakuzu.
Ryo shook his head. "It's nothing important. Let's check out the skill learning process first."
Jiraiya nodded and said no more as he followed Ryo deeper inside.
…
"Boss Ryo, you're here!"
"Good morning, Boss Ryo."
"Hokage-sama, you came too?"
Along the way, they were greeted by many. As they passed, Ryo and Tsunade smiled and nodded in return.
"So that's the skill learning device? Pokémon can learn skills directly from that?" Jiraiya asked, eyeing the large machines with curious eyes.
"That's right," Ryo confirmed. "Come on, let's get a closer look."
With that, he took the lead and approached the machines. Tsunade and the others followed behind.
"Boss, can you give me some advice on what skill to learn?" asked a young man already at the machine, his eyes lighting up as Ryo neared.
"If you've already made your decision, then trust it. I won't be offering advice," Ryo replied flatly.
He'd always refused to make recommendations. Last time, he only gave an opinion because a flamboyantly dressed guy stirred up public outrage.
If someone picked the right move, great. But if it didn't work out? They'd blame him for the bad suggestion.
It was a thankless task, and Ryo had no interest in being the scapegoat.
"Alright then, I'll go ahead," the man said with a disappointed nod, before stepping up to the learning device with his Pokémon.
Ryo said nothing further, simply watching quietly. Tsunade and Jiraiya also fixed their eyes on the scene, intrigued by how the process worked.
Even Tsunade, who stayed in the village most of the time, had never witnessed a Pokémon learning a move firsthand.
She had been so busy lately, she hadn't even had time to take Hoopa out for gambling.
Thankfully, the person using the machine had no idea they were being watched so intently. Otherwise, they might've been too nervous to do anything at all.
Soon enough, the Pokémon finished the process, and the man stepped away from the machine.
"Boss, I'm heading off now," he said, stopping in front of Ryo with excitement written all over his face.
Ryo gave a simple nod. The man, satisfied, turned and left.
"That's it?" Jiraiya asked, dumbfounded. The whole thing had taken less than a minute. Was it really that simple to learn a move?
Ryo turned back and shook his head. "It's not as easy as it looks. The machine only teaches the theory—how the move works. To actually use it, they'll still have to train extensively."
"Ah, I see," Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought it really was that easy.
"Alright, you've seen how it works. Want me to take you to check out another area?" Ryo offered, glancing at the group.
"Uh, Boss…" Jiraiya hesitated, then asked, "Can we try learning a skill too?"
They'd come all this way—would be a waste not to try it once.
Naruto's eyes lit up as well, looking at Ryo eagerly. He clearly wanted to try it too.
But Ryo shook his head. "No. If you want to learn a skill, you have to queue like everyone else."
He wasn't about to give anyone the privilege to skip. That would be unfair to everyone patiently waiting in line.
Jiraiya looked over at the line, then nodded. "Fair enough. We'll come back and wait our turn. In the meantime, could you show us the other areas?"
Ryo nodded and led the way.
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