Daisy and Alakazam exchanged a quick nod, and then each placed a hand forward. The children huddled together, eyes wide, and the freed Pokémon instinctively drew closer to them (Pikachu climbed onto the nearest child's shoulder; Sandshrew and Dratini wrapped near the legs of a couple of kids; Pidgey nestled in the arms of the older girl who gingerly held it despite her own trembling). In the midst of this, a radiant blue glow began to surround the entire group.
Hiroshi felt the hair on his arms stand on end as psychic energy filled the lab. Teleportation of multiple people and Pokémon at once was a challenging feat, but Daisy and Alakazam were masters of their craft. FWOOOSH! In a single, blinding flash of blue-white light, the cluster of children and Pokémon vanished from the spot. A couple of loose sheets of paper spiraled in the air where they had been, caught in the sudden displacement of air.
Hiroshi blinked away the spots in his vision. The lab was now emptier – only himself, his Pokémon team, and the unconscious scientists remained. The children and their Pokémon friends were hopefully now safe, teleported to the pre-arranged point far outside the base. Daisy and Alakazam had gone with them to ensure a smooth arrival and to guard them until Hiroshi could regroup. That left Hiroshi alone with the rest of his Pokémon to face whatever came through that door.
Almost on cue, the metal lab door groaned as an explosive charge on the other side blew. The improvised bar lock blew apart and the door was kicked open with a crash. Smoke billowed into the lab, mixing with the red haze of alarm lights.
Through the smoke strode a towering figure clad in a mechanized exosuit. The armor was jet-black with crimson highlights, thick plating covering the man's torso and limbs, and a helmet with a visor obscuring his face. The suit hummed with power – servomotors whined as he moved, and an array of blinking status lights ran down one arm. Flanking this commander were half a dozen armed troopers in tactical gear, their rifles raised. The lead man in the exosuit scanned the lab and quickly took in the situation: empty tables, unconscious staff, broken cages, and a young man in a security uniform surrounded by Pokémon. Even through the visor, Hiroshi could feel the commander's glare.
"So," the armored man growled, voice amplified and distorted by a speaker. "The elusive fox reveals himself. I must admit, you had us fooled, boy." He spat the last word with contempt. "Impersonating my staff, making it all the way in here... Quite impressive. But this is as far as you go."
Hiroshi subtly shifted his stance, one foot sliding back, ready to spring. The man in the suit was clearly in charge here – possibly the base commander. Hiroshi noted the Ringmaster emblem painted on the armor's shoulder: a stylized ringmaster's top hat and whip. So this was one of the ringleaders.
Two shapes slunk into the room at the commander's sides, emitting low growls. Pokémon under his control. On the left was a hulking Machoke – even larger and more muscular than the Machop Hiroshi freed, with fresh anger burning in its eyes. On the right, a black-furred Mightyena stalked forward, lips curled to reveal sharp canines dripping with saliva. Both Pokémon wore thick metallic collars with blinking red LED lights – likely control devices or shock collars to enforce obedience. The Machoke bore scars across its chest and arms, and the Mightyena's left ear was torn; these two had seen many battles, probably as unwilling enforcers for the Ringmaster's thugs.
The commander raised a hand, and his troopers fanned out, forming a half-circle with guns trained on Hiroshi and his Pokémon. Hiroshi quickly counted them in a glance – six men, plus the commander with what looked like a heavy prototype pistol mounted on his gauntlet. Not great odds, except… he allowed a faint smile. They had no idea who, or what, they were dealing with.
"You should have stayed in the shadows, fox," the commander taunted. "Now you'll die in the light, and all your noble intentions will die with you." He gestured sharply. "Take him. And mind the equipment – I want the lab intact."
All at once, chaos ignited.
"Lairon, front and center!" Hiroshi shouted. In an instant, Lairon leapt forward from Hiroshi's side, the stocky, armor-plated Pokémon planting itself like a shield. Just as the troopers opened fire, Lairon dug in with a fierce roar. Bullets meant to shred through tank armor pinged and ricocheted off its iron hide. Sparks flew as the hail of gunfire met the living shield. The force of impact pushed Lairon back a few inches, but the stalwart creature held firm, shielding Hiroshi and the smaller Pokémon behind it.
"Charmeleon, Smokescreen!" Hiroshi commanded next. The red Charmeleon snarled and expelled a plume of thick, black smoke from its maw. The lab quickly filled with the acrid cloud, obscuring the line of sight of the troopers. Coughs and curses came from their formation. Through the chaos, Hiroshi could hear the commander barking, "Thermals on! Find that kid!" It sounded like the exosuit had thermal vision – but the heat signatures of multiple Pokémon in a tight space might confuse it, and the hot smoke itself would interfere.
"Split and engage!" Hiroshi called his team. They had rehearsed maneuvers like this before. Each Pokémon knew their role even without direct guidance now:
Raichu darted to the right flank, using the cover of smoke. Its cheeks sparked, and with a crackling KA-CHOW, it unleashed a Thunderbolt that danced through the metal floor panels. The electricity arced up into two of the troopers who were unlucky enough to be standing on sections of floor grating that conducted the shock. They went down twitching, rifles clattering.
On the left side, Wartortle sprang forward with surprising agility, his cannons (or rather, water jets) blazing. He took a deep breath and then exhaled a powerful Water Gun, not at the troopers, but at the ground in front of them. The high-pressure blast created a slick puddle. A pair of advancing guards slipped, losing their footing and colliding into each other. In that moment, Ivysaur followed up: from somewhere in the smoky haze, seeds shot out – Leech Seeds that struck those two fallen troopers and sprouted thorny vines, entangling them. They yelled, struggling as the more they fought, the more the vampiric vines tightened, sapping their strength.
The Machoke let out a guttural roar, perhaps recognizing the meddlesome Ivysaur as kin to the one that had restrained it earlier. It charged blindly into the smoke toward Ivysaur's position, fists swinging. Ivysaur stood its ground, vines at the ready. When Machoke loomed out of the haze, Ivysaur lashed out with a Vine Whip, striking Machoke across the face. The muscular Pokémon barely flinched and counterattacked with a Karate Chop that smashed down. Ivysaur moved just enough that the blow glanced off its sturdy bulb rather than hitting its head. Even so, Ivysaur grunted in pain, momentarily stunned.