"Kill them."
Aaron held Corviknight's massive body in his arms and gave the order in a voice cold enough to freeze the room.
In the next instant, terrifying pressure erupted from all seven Pokémon at once.
"Grenin..."
Greninja vanished into the swarm like a streak of black lightning, Water Shuriken forming in both hands. Its body flickered from one target to the next, blades flashing through the air as Pokémon fell before they could even react.
"SNORLAX!"
Snorlax's body expanded into a giant several meters tall, smashing straight through the ceiling as black Haki wrapped around both fists. Those massive fists came down like falling meteor hammers, blasting entire groups away; anything that failed to dodge was crushed flat.
"GRAAAH!"
Gyarados was even more brutal. With a furious roar, it tore through the ceiling and surged into the space above the first floor. Its jaws opened wide, and a scorching Heat Breath poured downward, roasting countless Pokémon in an instant and filling the air with the stench of charred flesh.
"Scep-tile!"
Green blades formed along the backs of Sceptile's hands. It cut through the enemy ranks like a swordsman moving through tall grass, swift and precise, leaving bodies behind with every pass.
"ROOOAR!"
Charizard launched into the air with an enraged roar and joined Gyarados from the opposite side. Together, the two opened their jaws and unleashed blazing golden flames. The Flamethrower's power swept across the battlefield, reducing every Pokémon caught in the fire to ash.
"Infernaaaape!"
The flames on Infernape's head flared violently. Its fist ignited, and the moment it charged forward, it became a blazing storm of punches.
One punch.
One Pokémon down.
Not a single opponent could withstand Infernape's fiery fists.
"BZZZZZZ!"
As for Mega Beedrill, the Black Shinigami moved like a nightmare. It used Flash Step to appear behind one Pokémon after another, Twinneedle striking with surgical precision.
One strike.
One kill.
Pokémon dropped across the battlefield without ever understanding how they had died.
...
The battle had turned into a slaughter.
Seven Pokémon were tearing through a force of more than two hundred, and everywhere the guards looked, another one of Corestone's Pokémon was being ripped apart.
The shock on their faces quickly gave way to fear.
"T-this guy's Pokémon are monsters!"
"We can't hold them! Should we run?"
"Anyone who runs gets shot first!"
"The boss gave us this power! We can't betray him. Keep fighting!"
"Fight with what!? Look at them!"
Panic began spreading through the ranks.
Nobody was thinking about victory anymore.
Those things wearing Pokémon shapes felt less like living creatures and more like executioners. Every time Greninja disappeared, someone died.
Every time Charizard or Gyarados attacked, entire sections of the battlefield vanished in fire. Mega Beedrill flashed through the chaos like a black shadow, and Snorlax crushed anything that got too close.
How were they supposed to fight that?
At that moment, the security captain yanked the light gun from his waist and forced the wavering guards back into line.
"Light guns out!"
"Shoot them down!"
The guards hurriedly raised their weapons and aimed at Aaron's Pokémon.
PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW!
Dense light-fire erupted through the laboratory as energy rounds tore toward the battlefield.
Charizard and Gyarados, flying near the ceiling, had little room to dodge and took the shots head-on.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The energy rounds exploded against their scales in showers of sparks, but when the smoke cleared, neither dragon had so much as a scratch.
On the other side, Snorlax's massive body became an easy target. The shots slammed into its belly and arms, only to bounce off like they had hit thick rubber, ricocheting wildly across the lab.
As for Greninja, Sceptile, Mega Beedrill, and Infernape, the guards could barely track their movements, let alone aim properly. Even a targeting system would have struggled to lock on.
The first guard broke.
"Run!"
He turned and sprinted for the exit.
That was all it took.
The rest followed.
"These things aren't Pokémon!"
"Get out of here!"
"What the hell are these monsters!?"
"Help!"
"Call the police!"
"Call the police, my ass! We're the villains!"
"Oh, right... damn, I forgot!"
The guards scattered in panic, all desperate to escape.
The security captain's face turned livid. He raised his gun and shot one fleeing guard dead.
"Everyone, stop right there!"
"Anyone who runs—"
The warning died in his throat.
A streak of black flashed past him.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then a thin line appeared across his neck.
Blood erupted.
His head hit the floor and rolled away while the rest of his body remained standing for a heartbeat longer before collapsing.
Greninja didn't even look back.
It had already vanished into the chaos, moving on to the next target.
The hunt was underway.
Greninja moved faster than they could follow, cutting down Pokémon and humans alike before they even realized it was there.
Most of them died without ever seeing what had killed them.