Watching that Fearow about to be dissected, Mark finally couldn't take it anymore. With silent approval from Sato and Joseph, Mark chose to reveal himself.
"Arbok, use Poison Sting on those white-coats! Togetic, you too, Air Slash… don't hold back!"
At the command, Arbok opened its mouth and spewed a barrage of purple poison stingers, whistling toward the white-coated workers.
Completely stunned, the white-coats never expected anyone to break into this isolated laboratory, let alone attack.
"Ah… my hand! MY HAND!"
One of the white-coats let out a shrill scream, ripping off the upper half of his uniform.
His entire arm was riddled with puncture wounds from the poison stingers. The purple toxin had spread throughout the limb, creating a gruesome sight.
"INTRUDERS!"
The white-coats shouted and called for help as they fled in every direction. But how could they possibly outrun Arbok and Togetic? They could only suffer repeated attacks as they ran.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Over a minute had passed before the alarm finally blared, but by then, at least half of the white-coats had already been injured by Arbok and Togetic.
At that moment, the central area of the lab had been mostly cleared. One operating table after another came into view, each one holding various kinds of Pokémon: from tiny Caterpie and Rattata, to massive Rhydon and Nidoking. Everything was there.
Some Pokémon were still intact, but most had already been dissected in some way.
Rhydon's horn and massive tail, Raticate's incisors, Vulpix's six tails, Venomoth's compound eyes…
"Ugh!"
Mark couldn't take it. With just a glance, he bent over and threw up, face pale but eyes filled with rage.
"…Sato, I can't take this either," Joseph said quietly, then stepped out of Gengar's spatial barrier on his own.
"Gogoat, Rock Slide! Gallade, Psychic!"
Instead of rescuers, another intruder had appeared. The terrified white-coats now fell into full despair.
"Honestly, we didn't want it to come to this…"
Sato looked at the furious Mark and Joseph, knowing there was no reasoning with them now. He decided to let them vent as much as they needed.
"Ralts, hold back for now. Scan the entire base and find our escape route. Then… we'll destroy this entire place together."
"…Okay, I trust you, Toto." Ralts hesitated for a moment, then finally agreed and vanished with a flash.
"Gengar, let's guard the entrance. The base's combat units should be arriving soon, and those guys will be a lot tougher."
"Gar~"
"Where did Zillion go? From the look on his face, he was probably planning to sabotage the place too." Sato thought silently as he walked toward the entrance.
Meanwhile, with Mark and Joseph attacking together, the white-coats now become helpless lambs awaiting slaughter…
Mark still held onto a sliver of restraint when commanding Arbok and Togetic, stopping once the "enemy" was down.
…But Joseph was far more ruthless, striking without hesitation. His cold demeanor surprised even Mark, who found it hard to recognize him.
When Sato reached the entrance, he saw a mass of white-coats huddled together in desperation; and the door's lock had already been destroyed. It wouldn't open!
"Zillion did this?" Sato was taken aback, but then he realized something was off. Breaking the door lock without knowing that the three of them would take action was as good as tipping off the enemy.
Besides, if Zillion wanted to return to the Reverse World, he couldn't do it from just anywhere. After completing whatever he came here to do, it was very likely he'd return.
"A mole? Or maybe infighting? Whatever… doesn't matter anymore." Sato shook his head and looked toward the guards rushing in outside the door.
Bang!
A Golem crashed straight through the door, sending the metal flying and giving the white-coats a glimmer of hope.
"Sharpedo, Surf!"
A blue shark Pokémon suddenly appeared in front of Golem, unleashing a monstrous tidal wave. Golem's eyes widened in horror as it was instantly swept away.
Poor Golem… barely a second after entering the scene, it was already wiped out by Sharpedo.
Bang Bang Bang…
Poké Balls opened in succession, followed by flashes of red light. Over a dozen Peak Elite fully-evolved Pokémon appeared before Sato.
Pop pop pop!
From the ceiling fell layer upon layer of Sticky Webs, each colored differently and with distinct effects.
Yellow, white, purple, green… there was always one just right for the Pokémon below.
Ariados hung upside down from the ceiling, chittering loudly with visible excitement.
"Pi!"
A Pidgeot escaped the sticky threads and flew straight toward Ariados, a white gust swirling around its body, it was using Aerial Ace to get rid of that annoying bug.
"Ariririri~"
Ariados let out a wicked laugh, spun itself around 180 degrees, and flashed the terrifying pattern on its back.
Pidgeot froze in fright, and its Aerial Ace stalled mid-attack. At that moment, Ariados fired a revolting Sludge Bomb straight into its eyes.
Critical hit.
Pidgeot shrieked and crashed to the ground, twitching twice before going completely still.
Seeing it had one-shot a Flying-type that normally countered it, Ariados hissed with excitement. Its presence surged dramatically.
It had a brokenthrough, just a few steps from Pseudo-Elite Four level.
"Nice job!" Sato gave Ariados a thumbs-up. Encouraged by the praise, Ariados grew even more fired up. It turned back to the battlefield, determined to take down even more enemies.
Meanwhile, in the chaos below, Sato had not only sent out Sharpedo, but also Zoroark and Umbreon.
Zoroark focused on offense, while defense was left to Umbreon. The synergy between them was incredible, even when facing other Peak Elite Pokémon, they held their ground effortlessly.
With its Speed Boost ability, Sharpedo moved like a ghost, so fast even Flying-types couldn't track its movements.
In terms of battle frequency, Sharpedo had now surpassed all the others in the team. Naturally, that also meant it had gained the most combat experience.
Watching the constant stream of incoming guards, Sato didn't hesitate. He grabbed the Key Stone hanging around his neck.
'Dark Energy: Energy Amplification.'
This time, Sato chose Zoroark and Umbreon. The Dark Energy channeled through the Key Stone and poured into their bodies.
Zoroark: Mid Pseudo-Elite Four | Umbreon: Low Pseudo-Elite Four
"You're not the only one who can show off! Gallade, Close Combat!"
"Boss, count me in too, Arbok, Sludge Bomb!"