At the Yushan family villa…
Since the villa was close to the gym, Sabrina's parents naturally heard the commotion immediately.
The two exchanged a glance, a bad feeling rising in their hearts.
They teleported to the rooftop and looked into the distance.
There, they saw hundreds of Team Rocket members surrounding the Saffron Gym in multiple layers, each releasing several Pokémon and forming a tight blockade that prevented anyone from approaching.
"Team Rocket?! Oh no!"
"They're here for Sabrina!"
Sabrina's parents' expressions changed drastically.
Her father immediately teleported back into the house.
"I'll go get my Pokémon!"
He quickly retrieved his Pokémon and attempted to teleport directly into the gym.
"Hiss!"
As expected, he failed.
The gym was enveloped by a powerful psychic interference field. The moment he tried to teleport into it, a violent backlash struck him.
It felt as if someone had smashed his head with a hammer.
His psychic power instantly fell into chaos.
He collapsed to the ground, clutching his forehead as he groaned in pain.
The noise was quickly heard by Sabrina's mother. As a psychic herself, she sensed something was wrong and immediately teleported back home.
Seeing her husband collapsed in pain, she rushed to his side, panic written across her face.
"Honey! What happened?"
"Did an enemy break into the villa?"
As she spoke, she released her psychic perception and swept the entire villa.
But she found nothing.
"No… not that…"
Sabrina's father slowly recovered. His face was pale as he waved his hand weakly.
"I tried teleporting into the gym…"
"And I got hit by backlash."
"That place is shrouded in a psychic interference field."
"Don't teleport there!"
"What?!"
Sabrina's mother's expression changed instantly. She became even more anxious.
"Then Sabrina's situation must be even worse!"
"Honey, we have to save her!"
"Yes!"
Sabrina's father gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. Supported by his wife, he quickly staggered out of the villa.
Outside, the two immediately released all of their Pokémon.
Then, riding their mounts, they rushed toward the gym as fast as possible.
At the same time, Officer Jenny received the report and hurriedly organized a team to move toward the gym.
She also contacted the League headquarters, requesting immediate Elite Four support.
…
The scene returned to Yunqing.
With his speed, he reached the gym's battle arena within a few breaths.
He flipped on the lights, instantly illuminating the entire battlefield.
This arena was the only route leading to the backyard, so there was no need to worry about enemies sneaking past him.
Soon, Yunqing heard hurried footsteps and loud conversations coming from the corridor.
"Hurry! That explosion was too loud. The League will definitely arrive soon. We don't have much time!"
"Damn it! If you knew that, why did you blow up the gym gate and cause such a huge commotion?"
"Can't you be more discreet?"
"We're already in a bad situation. Sabrina is crucial, you know that!"
"Haha! I just got carried away. It's a habit!"
"I'll change next time, alright?"
"Don't worry. As long as we capture Sabrina, our situation will turn around."
"Heh! I don't believe it."
"I'd rather believe in the opportunities that other world might bring."
"Those ninjutsu look pretty useful."
"Perhaps…"
At that moment, Apollo and Athena noticed the brightly lit arena ahead.
They exchanged a wary glance and immediately became alert.
After silently communicating with their eyes, they each released another of their main Pokémon.
At the same time, they sent two subordinates forward as scouts, then followed closely behind as they stepped out of the corridor and entered the arena.
To their surprise, there was no ambush.
Instead, Yunqing stood calmly on the opposite battle platform, waiting for them.
"Oh?"
Athena narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Kid, you were waiting for us?"
"Who are you?"
"And where is Sabrina?"
At the same time, Athena felt an inexplicable familiarity toward Yunqing's strange crimson eyes.
The other Team Rocket members who entered—including Apollo—felt the same.
Those eyes seemed familiar, as if they had seen them somewhere before.
"Heh."
Yunqing hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
These people were actually stupid enough to stare directly into an Uchiha's eyes.
A faint smile rose on his lips.
At the same time, the tomoe within his eyes spun rapidly.
"Sharingan Genjutsu!"
In the next instant, Athena and the others were dragged into Yunqing's illusion.
Their Pokémon immediately became alert, sensing something was wrong, and tried to cry out to wake their trainers.
But Yunqing didn't give them the chance.
"Swoosh!"
Under the influence of the genjutsu, Athena and the others mechanically recalled their Pokémon into their Poké Balls.
Then, as if mindlessly obeying orders, they locked all of the Poké Balls on their belts and tossed them away.
One by one, the Poké Balls fell to the ground with dull thuds.
At that moment—
Another Yunqing emerged from the earth beside them.
He formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Instantly, the ground beneath Athena and the others transformed into thick mud.
A swamp appeared.
Their feet sank.
Then their legs.
Soon, half of their bodies were submerged, unable to move at all.
Only after ensuring they were trapped did Yunqing stop the technique.
Bang!
The Yunqing on the platform vanished in a puff of smoke.
It was only a shadow clone.
That's right—what Athena and the others had seen from the beginning was merely a clone.
Although Yunqing was confident he could defeat them in direct combat, he still chose the safest method.
And honestly…
He had overestimated them.
Their mental strength was pitifully weak—probably only around Level 10.
They clearly hadn't even formed a true natal contract Pokémon yet.
That was why they were so easily dragged into genjutsu.
"So this is why Arceus changed the rules…"
"Letting trainers gain contract Pokémon to strengthen themselves wasn't without reason."
"The weakness of ordinary humans is far too obvious."
Yunqing couldn't help but mutter.
Then, he hesitated.
"Should I just kill them?"
According to his instincts and the brutal logic of the Ninja World, enemies like these should be eliminated immediately to prevent future trouble.
However…
Officer Jenny and even League officials were already alerted.
If he killed them directly, it might cause complications.
It could also harm the League's impression of him and interfere with any future cooperation.
After all, Yunqing planned to use the Pokémon World as a safe haven for the Uchiha clan.
It would be best to follow the rules of this world.
But if he spared them…
They would be arrested and imprisoned once the League arrived.
And based on the League's history, it wouldn't take long before Giovanni's hidden influence arranged for their release.
That was obvious even in the original anime.
Giovanni's rise to power in Kanto wasn't only because of his own strength.
It was also because of the corruption, collusion, and mutual benefit between him and certain nobles within the League.