Sachi found herself trapped between two impossible choices.On one side stood Lorelei, Nozomi, and the main Kanto League force; on the other, Giovanni's looming wrath.She was torn.
But Sachi was, after all, a senior executive of Team Rocket—one of the Tri-Beast Commanders.She didn't let hesitation paralyze her for long.
"Chakra, we're retreating!" Sachi ordered decisively.
After weighing the pros and cons, she made up her mind. She wasn't sure if the two of them—she and Chakra—could really win against the combined might of Nozomi and Lorelei.
If they won, all would be well.But Sachi was cautious by nature, someone who always prepared for the worst.
If they stayed and lost, they'd be surrounded once the League's reinforcements arrived. With Lorelei and Nozomi pinning them down, escaping would become nearly impossible.
Her reasoning was sound. Her caution couldn't be faulted.But reality rarely goes according to plan.
"Hey, Sachi, what do you mean retreat?!"
Chakra was the first to protest.
Moments ago, his Explosion had given him the upper hand. Now, even with Lorelei entering the battle, he couldn't fathom why Sachi would want to back down.
"You're too timid!" Chakra sneered. "This Poké Ball production line is something the Boss values highly. How do you plan to explain to him that we ran without a fight?"
His thoughts were simple—fight first, talk later.
Whether strong or weak, you never know until you battle. And even if he lost, he was confident he wouldn't be captured.
To him, Sachi's impulse to flee at the mere sight of Lorelei was shameful—a humiliation to the honor of the Rocket Tri-Beast Commanders.Retreat now, and wouldn't that mean admitting they were afraid of Lorelei?
Sachi hadn't expected Chakra, of all people, to drag her down at such a crucial moment.Her brow furrowed, her face darkened with fury. For an instant, she wanted to throw him overboard herself.
Before she could even rebuke him, Chakra had already charged forward!
"Steelix, Rock Tomb! Skarmory, Steel Wing! Take down that Metagross!"
He went straight for Nozomi's Metagross, aiming to crush it first and relieve some pressure.
At the same time, Chakra released a Forretress, positioning himself atop its metallic shell to hover in midair, ready to counter any sudden attack from Lorelei.
Rocks hurtled through the air, followed by the razor-edged gleam of Skarmory's silver wings—sharp as blades, they dove in unison toward Metagross.
Nozomi, however, didn't panic.From the moment Lorelei had entered the fray, he had already been expecting a counterstrike from Team Rocket.
"Metagross, Protect!"
At his command, Metagross crossed its four arms before its body.A thin, shimmering green barrier formed around it just as the first boulder crashed down.
Boom!
The massive stones shattered to dust against the barrier, leaving Metagross completely unscathed.
Skarmory, seeing that a frontal assault had failed, veered sharply in the air, circling around to strike from behind.
"Good, Skarmory! You can guard the front, but let's see you protect your back! Haha!"
Chakra smirked, already picturing Metagross being cleaved by Skarmory's wings.
"Oh?" Nozomi chuckled lightly, raising an eyebrow. "You really think I'd leave such an obvious opening?"
If all he wanted was to defend, Nozomi could have easily ordered Metagross to set up Light Screen before using Protect, blocking both the front and rear attacks.With his telekinetic abilities, issuing that command would have taken him less than a millisecond.
But he hadn't.He had deliberately exposed Metagross's back—baiting Skarmory into attacking.
Everyone knew Metagross had four brains.But unless you'd studied them in depth, you wouldn't know that Metagross possessed a unique ability beyond its official traits—
The ability to divide its attention into four parts.
With its quad-core mind, Metagross could perfectly control each limb independently, executing four different actions at once.It was a discovery Nozomi had made only recently.
Now, as Skarmory dove from behind—
"Grab Skarmory, Metagross!"
A red light flashed in Metagross's eyes.Its rear claws—previously folded beside its body—snapped open in a blur.Taking the hit from Skarmory's Steel Wing head-on, Metagross seized its opponent mid-strike!
"Skarmory, break free!" Chakra shouted, realizing too late that something was wrong.
But Metagross's claws were like iron vises—strong enough to dig into sheer rock and anchor its massive body against cliff faces.
That raw power made Skarmory's struggles utterly futile.The steel bird flailed helplessly in Metagross's grip, no different from a chick caught in a giant's hand.
"Persian—" Sachi tried to assist Chakra, but Lorelei was already locking her down.
Before she could issue a command, Lorelei's Cloyster fired two Spike Cannons directly at her, forcing Sachi to pull her Pokémon back to defend herself.
At the same time, Chakra's Steelix was being crushed by Nozomi's own Steelix.The difference in size alone was overwhelming—and after having already endured Lorelei's earlier attack, Chakra's Steelix was at its limit.Now it was pinned to the deck, grinding helplessly against the floor.
No one could stop Metagross from brutalizing Skarmory.
"Metagross, Hammer Arm!"
The two arms Metagross had used to block Rock Tomb came crashing down with monstrous force.
CLANG!
Metal struck metal, sparks flying.The impact left Skarmory completely dazed.
But Metagross didn't stop.It hurled the stunned Skarmory to the ground, then unleashed a flurry of Bullet Punches from all four arms.
Its fists blurred into afterimages, raining down like a relentless storm.For a moment, the air itself seemed to echo with a barrage of "ORA! ORA! ORA!"-like sounds.
The ship's hull shook with every blow.Skarmory's screams were harsh and metallic, echoing like a gong of defeat.
Metagross didn't let up for a full minute—hammering away until Skarmory, once at full strength, was completely unconscious.
Chakra's face turned ashen.
Nozomi, in contrast, wore a mocking smile.
"Well? Got any other Pokémon you'd like to send out?"
His Metagross flexed its four gleaming claws, the tips flashing coldly under the light—each movement exuding sheer dominance.
Despite the burns and dents from Explosion and Steel Wing, the damage only made it look more ferocious.