"Sirfetch'd, Ninetales! Attack Grapploct together!"
"Sirfetch'd, use Brave Bird! Ninetales, Moonblast!"
Fortune favors the bold, and Feng Che had no intention of letting this opening slip. While Grapploct was pinned by Gengar's shadow-claws, he would eliminate it before the Crabominable could intervene.
Faced with Crabominable's soaring Ice Beam, Gengar simply vanished into the ethereal plane. The freezing bolt struck a towering tree behind him, encasing the giant trunk in solid ice before the sheer pressure of the cold shattered the wood into a fine crystalline powder.
In the air, Sirfetch'd merged its leek spear and shield into a single, aerodynamic point. It kicked off the ground with explosive force, shrouding itself in a white, avian aura of pure kinetic energy.
Simultaneously, Alolan Ninetales summoned a brilliant, alabaster moon from its tails, hurling a concentrated beam of lunar energy at the struggling octopus.
"Dammit! Crabominable, intercept that duck with Ice Hammer!" An barked, infuriated that a mere "Gym-level" Pokémon was brazenly targeting his ace.
Unnoticed by An, Gengar's Shadow Claws were slowly draining Grapploct's life force from below. Gengar: It's been a long time since I tasted soul energy this refined...
Crabominable swung its massive frost-coated fist, slamming it into Sirfetch'd mid-flight. The impact was so cold it instantly encased the duck in a block of ice, but the momentum of the Brave Bird was too great. Sirfetch'd, acting as a frozen projectile, slammed into Crabominable's chest with the sound of a falling boulder.
THUD!
Crabominable was sent reeling, one of its primary claws snapping off under the force of the impact and falling limply to the grass.
"No! My Crabominable!" An cried out. Fixing a shattered claw on a Heaven-tier Pokémon would cost a small fortune in rare evolution items and medical resources. "Crabominable, finish that duck! Power-Up Punch!"
The crab swung its remaining fist, smashing the ice-encased Sirfetch'd into the sky. But just as it prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Ninetales' Moonblast struck.
The Fairy energy felt like liquid fire to the crab. Crabominable collapsed, rolling on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the searing lunar light.
Sirfetch'd plummeted from the sky, shattering the ice as it hit the ground. It stood up, its feathers matted with frost, its face a sickly shade of blue as it shivered uncontrollably.
Sirfetch'd: So... cold... Duck-duck is freezing to death...
At that moment, a small silver flask rolled to Sirfetch'd's feet. The rich, pungent aroma of high-grade medicinal sake wafted out, instantly cutting through the chill.
"Sirfetch'd," Feng Che said, his voice dropping an octave. "Unleash your true combat power."
Sirfetch'd didn't hesitate. It popped the cork and downed the entire flask in a series of frantic gulps. Almost instantly, its face flushed a bright, drunken crimson.
"Hah! Giving a Pokémon booze?" An jeered, his face contorted in mockery. "Feng Che, you've finally lost it. You're actually making me laugh."
Then, the laughter stopped.
A dark, boiling aura began to radiate from Sirfetch'd. It slowly unsheathed its leek spear from the leafy scabbard. Its movements were fluid yet unpredictable—the very picture of a "Drunken Master" state.
In a flash of white light, Sirfetch'd vanished, reappearing on Crabominable's flank. Before the crab could even blink, the duck executed a lightning-fast thrust-and-flick maneuver with its leek.
CRACK.
Crabominable's second claw was sliced clean off.
"This is impossible! A Gym-level Pokémon... cutting through a Heaven-tier carapace?!" The logic of the world was crumbling before An's eyes.
"Quack!"
With a wild swing of its leek, Sirfetch'd sent the massive crab flying into the air.
BOOM.
Crabominable slammed into the earth, kicking up a massive shroud of dust. When it cleared, a deep crater remained, with the crab lying motionless at the center.
Feng Che signaled Gengar to release Grapploct. He wanted to see exactly how far this "Drunken" Sirfetch'd could go.
This 'Elite' was too arrogant, Feng Che thought. If he had released three or four Heaven-tier Pokémon at once, I would have been on the defensive. By sending them out one by one, he gave me the perfect chance to dismantle them.
Feng Che checked the system. Sirfetch'd's effective combat power had spiked from Level 60 to Level 70—the very threshold of the Heaven Tier.
"Sirfetch'd, Air Slasher!"
Sirfetch'd raised its leek, creating a vortex of wind blades that hummed with lethal frequency. It hurled the vacuum wave toward Grapploct.
"Grapploct, stay calm! Bullet Punch!"
Grapploct's four free tentacles blurred, punching the air at supersonic speeds. The shockwaves from the punches shattered the wind blades before they could land.
"Sirfetch'd, Leaf Blade!"
The leek spear glowed with a vibrant green light, extending unnaturally. Two meters... three meters... nearly four meters long. A massive blade of verdant energy slammed down on Grapploct.
"Grapploct, catch it!"
Grapploct raised its four striking tentacles, bracing itself.
KABOOM.
The octopus successfully caught the blade, but the sheer friction of the energy caused a smell like scorched protein to fill the air. Behind Grapploct, the ground was crisscrossed with deep furrows—the excess sword-qi had sliced the earth into ribbons.
"This drunken duck is a monster..." An muttered, his face pale. "Return, Grapploct! Crabominable!"
He recalled his broken team in a panic. "I'll let you go this once! But the next time we meet, I'll kill you without hesitation!"
With those parting words, An melted into the shadows.
"Mewtwo, don't let him escape!" Feng Che barked. He had no intention of letting a Heaven-tier assassin crawl back to his masters.
"He was prepared," Mewtwo reported, his brow furrowing. "He activated a high-grade psychic-nullifying device the moment he retreated. I can't lock onto his signature."
"However," Mewtwo continued, "I've found the last of the 'Three Ninjas.' She doesn't have Demonic Qi... but she possesses a power to communicate with the hearts of Pokémon. I sense... she no longer harbors any ill will toward you."
Communicate with hearts? Is it the Power of Spirits (Calyrex's power) or perhaps the Power of Bond? Feng Che pondered. Rare regardless.
"You've been watching long enough," Feng Che called out, his eyes fixing on a specific tree. "Come out, the final Ninja."
A girl with a high ponytail dropped gracefully from the branches. Without a word, she walked directly up to Feng Che.