The entire room fell into a stunned silence.
Even Chiyo and Ebizō, despite their vast experience, found their gazes locked onto the three Pokémon before them.
After a brief pause, Chiyo turned to Baki and asked, "So these are Pokémon… and if trained properly, they can reach Kage-level? Or even beyond?"
Baki nodded firmly. "Yes, Lady Chiyo. These are Pokémon."
Ebizō, who had been silently observing, also nodded. "Indeed. They certainly seem to possess the strength of Chūnin… But Baki, are you sure they've only been trained for a month?"
Without hesitation, Baki nodded again. "Yes. Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara have only been training their Pokémon for a single month."
A murmur spread through the gathered shinobi.
At first, they had been skeptical of Baki's claims.
But now? Seeing these creatures firsthand—it was difficult to deny.
One of the shinobi finally spoke up. "Baki… is it really true that these Pokémon can grow stronger faster than we can?"
Another added, "And that they have more potential than us? And that they listen to commands?"
Baki answered each question, his explanations only fueling their growing curiosity.
Then, at his request, Temari and the others commanded their Pokémon to showcase their abilities.
The moment the battle demonstration began—
The crowd erupted in disbelief.
They had expected something impressive, but not this.
Pokémon moved with speed, delivered attacks of raw power, and showcased precision that rivaled even trained shinobi techniques.
Some shinobi felt a wave of relief—if they had walked away earlier, they would have missed this opportunity entirely.
As the demonstration ended, Baki turned toward Ryo.
"Boss, it's time."
Ryo sighed internally.
With this many people gathered… how exactly was he supposed to distribute Pokémon to all of them?
There were easily over a hundred shinobi here.
He couldn't just randomly summon a batch of Pokémon inside the village.
If they couldn't all be captured, that would create a huge problem.
He'd have to figure out a solution—
"Ryo! Ryo! When are we going to the casino? Hoopa wants to go!"
A childish voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning to the side, Ryo saw Hoopa floating beside him, its large eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Ryo was speechless.
Of all times… this thing was thinking about gambling?
But just as he was about to scold it, a realization struck him.
His eyes gleamed as he looked at Hoopa.
Baki noticed his change in expression. "Boss? Is there a problem?"
Ryo ignored him for a moment and turned to Hoopa.
"Hoopa, can you do me a favor?"
Hoopa tilted its head. "A favor? What kind of favor?"
Ryo's expression turned serious. "Can you use your interdimensional portals to connect us to the Pokémon Sanctuary?"
If Hoopa could establish a direct link to the Pokémon Sanctuary, there would be no need to summon Pokémon here.
Instead, they could travel there directly and have the shinobi capture their Pokémon in the right environment.
Hoopa thought for a moment before nodding. "Of course! Hoopa can connect to the Pokémon Sanctuary!"
Ryo's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then do it!"
But—
Hoopa shook its head. "Nope! Hoopa hasn't had enough fun yet! Hoopa doesn't want to go back!"
Ryo's eye twitched.
Was this thing serious right now?
Trying to calm himself, he took a deep breath.
"Hoopa, listen. After this, I promise I'll take you to the casino. Deal?"
Hoopa's eyes widened. "Really? For real?!"
Ryo nodded firmly. "Yes. I keep my word."
"Alright! Hoopa will help!"
Satisfied, Hoopa raised a small hand and tossed its golden rings into the air.
The ring expanded, glowing with golden energy—
And within seconds, it opened a portal in the air.
The gathered shinobi stared in awe.
"What… is that?"
Even Baki looked confused. "Boss, what's happening?"
Ryo simply gestured toward the portal.
"Come on. On the other side, you'll be able to capture your Pokémon."
Without further explanation, Ryo walked forward and stepped through.
The shinobi were shocked.
Temari quickly followed, as did Kankurō and Gaara.
Baki hesitated for a moment before turning to the crowd.
"Everyone, follow me!"
And with that, he too stepped through.
Seeing their leaders move forward, the rest of the shinobi no longer hesitated—
One by one, they stepped into the glowing ring.
Watching from the side, Ebizō turned to Chiyo.
"Elder Sister… what is this?"
Chiyo shook her head.
"I don't know. But we'll find out soon enough."
With that, the two elders stepped forward and disappeared into the golden portal.
Meanwhile, at the Pokémon Sanctuary in Konoha—
In the backyard, Cynthia lounged on a recliner, lazily eating ice cream while watching Dragonite and the others train.
"Life is so much quieter without Ryo around…" she muttered to herself.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she enjoyed the peace—
Until a golden light suddenly flashed in the air.
A portal materialized out of thin air.
The Pokémon that had been training perked up immediately, their faces lighting up with excitement.
Cynthia, on the other hand, furrowed her brows.
"Hoopa? Don't tell me… Ryo's already back?"
And just as she finished speaking—
Ryo stepped through.
Taking in a deep breath, he stretched his arms.
"Ahhh… this place really is the best."
Looking around, he quickly spotted Cynthia's expression—one of pure disappointment.
He immediately narrowed his eyes.
"Cynthia… what's with that face? You look disappointed to see me."
Cynthia rolled her eyes.
"Nooo, of course not. I'm thrilled you're back."
Ryo's eyelid twitched.
"…You're such a bad liar."
Before he could say more, a voice from behind him interrupted—
"Boss, uh… you're blocking the way."
Realizing he was still standing in front of the portal, Ryo quickly stepped aside.
Cynthia and the Pokémon turned their gazes toward the glowing ring—
And then, one by one, Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara stepped through.
Cynthia's brows furrowed slightly.
"…Temari?"
Temari, upon seeing her, was stunned.
"…Cynthia?"
Even Kankurō and Gaara froze in disbelief, before turning their wide eyes toward Ryo.
"Boss… are we in Konoha?"
"…Did we just travel from Sunagakure to Konoha in an instant?"
A stunned silence fell over the group.
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