"Ninja Art: Twin Needle!"
Chuzhu shouted, his fingers weaving complex hand seals with blinding speed.
High above, Rookidee was spiraling, her mind repeating Feng Che's words like a mantra: Feel the flow of the wind. Feel the flow. But she was hitting a wall. How do you "feel" something so invisible and chaotic?
She flashed back to the moment she first learned Tailwind. She remembered the sensation of the twin gale-force orbs beneath her wings. Back then, she had learned to use the wind to push herself forward.
If the wind can push me, can I let the wind tell me where the enemy is pushing from?
Rookidee stilled her heart. The world slowed down. The frantic buzzing of the Beedrill clones began to ripple through the air currents. Suddenly, she felt it—a sharp displacement of air from her left.
She banked her wing, spiraling upward just as the stingers whistled through the space she had occupied a microsecond before.
"Impossible!" Chuzhu's pupils dilated. To his eyes, the Rookidee had moved as if it had predicted the future. His Beedrill was as fast as a Pidgeotto, yet this bratty bird had dodged a lethal strike at point-blank range.
"You're a talented trainer, kid," Chuzhu said, his voice dropping its lazy tone. "But I won't hold back anymore. Ninja Art: Poison Pin Missile!"
He's really committed to the bit, Feng Che thought, wiping sweat from his brow. The hand seals are for show, but the combination is real. Poison + Pin Missile—auto-tracking and lethal.
"Rookidee! Climb! Don't let it hit you twice!"
Rookidee didn't need to be told. The memory of being saved by Ditto-Arbok from the previous Beedrill was a scar on her pride. She ascended vertically, the purple-black needles trailing behind her like heat-seeking missiles.
Higher and higher she flew, pushing her limits. The air grew thin. The Poison Pins, having exhausted their kinetic energy against the gravity of the high-altitude climb, began to stall. One by one, they plummeted back to earth like black rain, sizzling as they hit the grass below.
"My turn," Feng Che growled. "Rookidee! Vertical dive! Use the friction! Peck!"
Rookidee flipped in mid-air and plummeted. The air resistance was immense, but she tucked her wings tight. The friction against the atmosphere began to generate heat—her feathers ignited into a brilliant crimson flame. She looked like a falling meteor.
"Is your bird suicidal?!" Chuzhu paled. "She'll burn to death before she hits the ground!"
"I believe in her! I believe in our bond!" Feng Che shouted.
Rookidee felt something click. A barrier broke. Her speed doubled in a sudden burst of momentum—she had awakened High-Speed Movement.
BOOM!
The "meteor" slammed into the Beedrill, who was frozen in fear by the sheer pressure of the dive. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing. Smoke and dust billowed upward.
When the dust settled, a crater smoked in the center of the field. The Beedrill lay broken at the bottom, and a singed, tattered Rookidee stood triumphantly on its chest, letting out a piercing cry that echoed like a Ho-Oh's call.
Rookidee learned Quick Attack and Agility! Level reached 8!
Chuzhu stood frozen. "My ace... defeated by a hatchling?"
Before he could react, a blur of motion appeared before his eyes. Rookidee's glowing beak was pressed firmly against his carotid artery.
"Valuables. Hand them over," Feng Che said, stepping forward. He repeated Chuzhu's own words back to him with chilling indifference.
Chuzhu slowly raised his hands. "I... I don't have much. I'm a direct subordinate of Koga; I spent all my time and resources evolving my Weedle into that Beedrill. I haven't even found a chest yet."
Feng Che searched Chuzhu's bracelet. It was pathetic—just a few berries. "Fine. If you're a pauper, give me information. A Gold Chest location or rare herbs, and I'll let you live."
"I don't—"
Rookidee's beak pressed harder, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Think carefully, Mr. Ninja. You have one more chance. Miss it, and you can wait for your next life. There are no hospitals here; a punctured artery is a death sentence. I'm sure Lady Sabrina wouldn't mind if one of Koga's boys went missing on a dangerous island."
Chuzhu's pride crumbled. "There's a cave! Hidden behind thick vines. My Beedrill found it while looking for food. There's a 'Big Guy' guarding it—I'm certain it has a key, and maybe a chest. Also, a Pidgeot nest nearby has Salac Berries."
Feng Che marked the locations on his map. Suddenly, a thunderous buzzing filled the forest—the sound of a hundred Beedrill.
"The swarm!" Feng Che paled and recalled Rookidee, turning to run.
Chuzhu's lips curled into a smirk. He threw a smoke bomb. "Next time, kid!"
The buzzing stopped instantly. Chuzhu was gone.
"Dammit! He used vocal mimicry to trick me!" Feng Che realized, frustrated. But at least he had a new lead.
He looked down. Rookidee had finally collapsed from exhaustion, her feathers scorched from the dive. Both his Pokémon were now out of commission. He was defenseless in the middle of a predator-filled jungle.
A rustling sound came from the bushes. Feng Che's heart hammered against his ribs. He pulled out his high-caliber handgun, aiming it at the shaking leaves.
"Don't move!"
A familiar brown-and-gray head popped out. It was the lead Zigzagoon, followed by its six brothers. They had tracked his scent, eager for more of that "Special Juice."
Feng Che exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was safe... for now.
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