The din of the battlefield threatened to tear people's eardrums apart. Golden lightning and searing explosions illuminated one another, painting a scene of apocalypse.
Giovanni's cold, clear orders suddenly came through Apollo's combat headset. He was directing a tenacious Graveler to withstand a barrage of electrical arcs, and the command made him freeze for a moment.
Fall back? Switch to defense? Let that arrogant nobody who appeared out of nowhere take on the divine beast?
Tactically, this order seemed so... inconceivable. They had paid such a devastating price just to barely hold their ground against Zapdos's wrath, and now they were supposed to hand the role of main attacker over to a potential enemy?
Yet absolute loyalty to Giovanni had long since been etched into Apollo's bones. His momentary hesitation was immediately replaced by unquestioning execution. He might not understand why his boss had issued such a strange order, but he firmly believed that every decision Giovanni made led toward ultimate victory.
"Everyone, listen up!"
Apollo abruptly rose to his feet, ignoring a deadly electrical arc that grazed past his cheek, and roared into his communicator. His voice cut through the thunder and explosions, reaching every Team Rocket member still struggling to hold on.
"Pull back the defensive line! Use the abandoned generator units as cover and establish defensive positions! Prioritize defense and conserve your strength! Do not initiate attacks!"
To the Team Rocket members already on the verge of collapse, this order was nothing short of heavenly music. As though granted a pardon, they immediately abandoned their hopeless head-on confrontation with Zapdos. With exceptional tactical discipline, they covered one another as they swiftly retreated toward the edge of the battlefield. Using the surrounding abandoned generator units, enormous as mountains, as natural cover, they dragged the wounded and Pokémon unable