The Assassin stood in the center of the junction. Behind him, his elite six stood ready: Mawile, Hatterene, Grimmsnarl, Mimikyu, Primarina, and Gardevoir. These weren't like the others. They didn't move until the Assassin signaled.
"You're tired, Elite," the Assassin said. "My team hasn't even broken a sweat."
Mawile stepped forward, its presence was heavy.
"Kill the Nidoking first," the Assassin commanded.
Grimmsnarl lunged. Its hair-muscles lashed out like whips, binding Nidoking's arms. Before the Nidoking could flex, Hatterene unleashed a Psychic blast. The impact sent Nidoking skidding back through the toxic water, his Life Orb flickering.
"Drapion, Toxic Spikes! Crobat, Haze!" Daichi shouted.
Crobat exhaled a thick fog to kill the accuracy, but Gardevoir clapped its hands. A Psychic wave blew the fog away instantly. Primarina began its song, the Sparkling Aria sending ripples through the water that disrupted Dragalge's focus.
Mimikyu blurred through the shadows. It bypassed the frontline and struck Salazzle with a Play Rough. The lizard hissed in pain, her scales smoking from the steel energy. She tried to counter with Flamethrower, but the Mimikyu's disguise took the hit, leaving the ghost unharmed.
"They're covering each other too well," Daichi muttered. He wiped blood from a cut on his cheek. His team was flagging. The previous 18 KOs had drained their stamina.
Mawile finally moved. It didn't use energy beam, It used it's speed. It sprinted under Drapion's guard and delivered a massive Iron Head to the scorpion's underbelly. Drapion collapsed onto its side, legs twitching.
"Drapion, get up!"
"It's over," the Assassin said. He raised his hand, the Key Stone in his glove beginning to glow. "You fought well for a dead man. Now, see the true face of the Guild."
The light from the stone hit the Mawile. The Pokémon's shadow grew, the jaws on its head splitting into two massive, snarling maws.
Mega Mawile screamed. The pressure in the tunnel doubled.
Daichi looked at his battered team. Nidoking was kneeling. Salazzle was limping. Gengar was hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opening.
"Nidoking," Daichi whispered. "The ceiling. Earth Power. Now."
Nidoking looked up. He understood. He slammed both glowing fists into the support pillars above them.
The pillars shattered.
The ceiling groaned. Tons of concrete and rebar dropped. Gardevoir threw its hands up. A blue psychic field caught the debris mid-air. The floor cracked under the Gardevoir's feet as it took the weight.
"Fool," the Assassin spat. "I've survived cave-ins before, I saw your intent a mile away."
Nidoking roared. His fists glowed with Earth Power. He swung for the last support pillar.
"Gardevoir! The Nidoking! Shut him down!"
Gardevoir tilted its head. A psychic pulse slammed into Nidoking. His arms yanked upward. His strike hit empty air.
Mega Mawile lunged. One jaw clamped on Nidoking's thigh. The other hit his shoulder. Bone ground against steel. Nidoking screamed. His Life Orb pulsed red.
"Drapion! Cross Poison!" Daichi barked.
Drapion moved but Grimmsnarl cut him off. It used its hair-muscles to bind Drapion's claws, pinning the scorpion to the muck. Across the water, Primarina sang. The Sparkling Aria became a physical wall of sound. It pinned Dragalge against the pipes.
"They're locking us down," Daichi said grimly.
Salazzle limped and Crobat circled, looking for a gap.
The Assassin stepped forward. "My team was raised in the dark. We don't struggle."
Mega Mawile slammed Nidoking face-first into the sewage. Hatterene floated over. Its eyes glowed. A psychic wave flattened Nidoking. The water around him turned to steam.
Nidoking's breath was ragged. He was being targeted.
"You're an Elite," the Assassin mocked. "Show me the power. Where is it ! Or are you just a title ?"
Daichi watched the Gardevoir. It was the core. It held the ceiling and suppressed Nidoking. It was at its limit.
"Nidoking," Daichi said. "The Life Orb. Use it."
Nidoking's eyes snapped open. It's ability sheer force negated the drain. This was Daichi's trump card for Nidoking.
"Thrash," Daichi commanded.
Nidoking exploded. He ignored the teeth in his shoulder. He grabbed Mega Mawile's jaws and ripped them open. He stood up, blood leaking from his wounds, and slammed his head into the Mawile's skull.
Mawile staggered. Gardevoir flinched. The ceiling dropped a foot.
"Keep it up!" the Assassin yelled.
Mimikyu lunged from the shadows. Gengar intercepted. They tumbled into the dark water, claws and teeth tearing.
"Salazzle, Venoshock on the Gardevoir!"
Salazzle fired. The poison struck the Gardevoir's shield. The psychic field flickered. The ceiling groaned again.
"It's breaking," Daichi said.
Gardevoir was shaking, its knees buckled under the weight of the debris.
"End this!" the Assassin screamed. "Everyone! Kill the Nidoking!"
Mega Mawile recovered. It lunged, jaws wide. Grimmsnarl released Drapion and dove in, fists glowing with Spirit Break. Primarina shifted its song to a piercing Moonblast.
Three attacks converged on Nidoking.
"Dragalge, Hydro Pump the floor! Drapion, Pin Missile the ceiling!" Daichi ordered.
The floor turned into a slick of mud and oil. Mega Mawile lost its footing, its jaws snapping on empty air. The Pin Missiles struck the overhead debris, loosening more rubble. Gardevoir shrieked, forced to divert its power to catch the new fragments.
The psychic suppression on Nidoking snapped.
"Now," Daichi said. "Megahorn."
Nidoking lunged. The horn on his head grew long and glowed with a violent, white light. He speared Grimmsnarl through the chest, tossing the giant into the Hatterene.
He changed directions.
Mega Mawile swung its twin jaws. Nidoking caught the steel teeth with his bare hands. The Life Orb turned bright red. He drove his knee into the Mawile's gut, then slammed his horn upward.
The impact sent the Mega Evolution flying back into the Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir, hold the line !"
Too late. The collision broke the Gardevoir's focus. The psychic field shattered like glass.
"Sludge Wave," Daichi commanded.
Nidoking slammed his palms into the water. A wall of toxic filth erupted. It swept over the Primarina, the Gardevoir, and the Hatterene. The poison was so concentrated it hissed against their skin.
The Assassin's team hit the wall in a heap. The Mega Evolution broke. Mawile reverted, unconscious.
The ceiling groaned one last time. A massive slab fell, pinning the Assassin against the power junction.
Silence followed. Only the sound of dripping water remained.
Nidoking stood in the center of the wreckage. He was covered in blood and sludge. He looked at Daichi and exhaled a cloud of purple steam.
Daichi stepped over the debris. He stopped in front of the trapped Assassin. The white mask was gone. The man underneath was middle aged, scarred, yet he was calm as though he was resigned to his fate.