The violent concussive shockwave slammed heavily into the leek-leaf shield, and a staggering physical force rippled up Sirfetch'd's wings. Unable to fully absorb the kinetic feedback, the white duck was forced backward, its webbed feet carving two long, deep grooves into the concrete turf before it finally ground to a halt.
Because it had sustained the high-velocity friction of the continuous Solar Blade execution, the upper half of its massive leek stalk had been completely parched and soft-cooked by the extreme thermal output, releasing a rich, savory aroma of roasted scallions into the arena air.
Without a second thought, Sirfetch'd unceremoniously bit off the cooked portion of its own weapon, snapping it down and chewing vigorously to rapidly replenish its drained stamina reserves.
Immediately after, a vibrant green light pulsed across its body. Harnessing its internal energy, the duck artificially accelerated the cellular growth of the plant, generating a fresh length of stalk to replace what it had just consumed. The newly manifested leek blade emerged even more rigid, erect, and pristine than before.
Right at that exact split-second, the shiny crimson Charjabug—which had been discarded onto the concrete when Vikavolt collapsed—suddenly scrambled forward, silently anchoring its coordinates directly behind Sirfetch'd's blind spot.
It unhinged its reinforced mandibles, swinging the heavy shears forward in a lethal, blinding horizontal arc aimed squarely at the duck's neck. If the strike connected, Sirfetch'd would be cleanly decapitated on the spot.
In that heart-stopping fragment of a second, Sirfetch'd executed a blind, reverse thrust, snapping the base of its leek stalk backward to meet the threat.
The precise tip of the leek cleanly parried the incoming mandibles. Without breaking its momentum, Sirfetch'd spun on its heel, its weapon transforming into a dazzling, rapid-fire blur of green light points. The dense barrage of thrusts hammered relentlessly against the crimson shell, forcing the insect backward across the concrete as visible, hairline fractures spiderwebbed across its reinforced carapace.
"To think your Charjabug would choose that exact life-or-death crisis to forcibly break its genetic locks and evolve into a secondary Vikavolt," Feng Che noted, his eyes narrowing as the crimson shell unraveled to reveal a second, fully matured aerodynamic beetle. "And the metamorphosis cycle completed almost instantly."
Under traditional ecological parameters, a Bug-type's evolutionary sequence required a substantial multi-hour window to safely execute, demanding explicit phases for pupation, shell-splitting, and fluid wing-hardening.
"Every asset within my core hive has been pre-injected with a specialized, high-velocity metamorphic gene strain," Insecta explained, tossing a fresh Poké Ball to safely secure the newly evolved shiny Vikavolt, as its presence could no longer be contained within the original vanguard's capsule. "This sequence guarantees that my Bug-types can finalize a complete evolutionary transition within two to three minutes."
"In modern operations, the extensive downtime required for a standard evolution has been classified as a critical logistical failure by League tactical analysts. If a command unit is ambushed mid-mission while an asset suddenly triggers an evolutionary cycle, the operational squad cannot afford to sit idle and wait for the matrix to stabilize."
"To bypass this liability, our research branch extracted an atavistic fast-evolution gene from ancient Beedrill strains, successfully refining it into a high-grade catalyst fluid." Insecta poked out her tongue sheepishly, adding, "Technically, utilizing a symbiotic duo that evolves mid-match borders on a regulatory gray area, Leader Feng Che. I trust you won't lodge a formal grievance with the board?"
"Haha, this does not violate the core spirit of the World League's tournament code," Feng Che replied casually, dismissing the concern with a wave of his hand. "Your Charjabug triggered a spontaneous, combat-induced metamorphosis; it wasn't a pre-meditated tactical exploitation. I have no objections."
His magnanimous gesture instantly earned a profound wave of respect and goodwill from the Bug Princess.
With the secondary shiny Vikavolt safely recalled and the primary one already neutralized, Insecta's frontline options were spent. Resting near the crater was nothing but the discarded, hollowed-out husk of the original Charjabug pupa.
"Return, Vikavolt."
She locked her belt, before unclipping a heavy, dark-tinted containment cylinder. "Now... witness the absolute pinnacle of my hive. Come forth, Buzzwole!"
Insecta deployed her anchor—the terrifying, hyper-muscled Ultra Beast revered across the interdimensional tracks as the Sovereign Muscle of the Bug world.
Buzzwole materialized as a colossal, bipedal humanoid insect predator, its towering frame covered in a crimson, hyper-vascular exoskeleton. Its massive, segmented muscle groups appeared to be filled with a pressurized, glowing red fluid, inside of which tiny, white gas bubbles continuously rose and condensed.
Thick, white, vein-like structural lines ran across the surface of its muscled plating—tissues verified by League laboratories to possess a material density far exceeding reinforced titanium steel. Jagged, obsidian-black spikes jutted from its shoulders, elbows, and knees, framing a flat, heavily armored cranial segment.
Protruding from between its compound eyes was an elongated, needle-sharp proboscis that cut through the air like a diamond lance. Two sets of translucent, high-frequency wings vibrated against its back, supported by two pairs of powerful, orange-plated lower limbs. The absolute kinetic limits of a Buzzwole delivering a full-torque strike remained mathematically unmeasurable.
"Exercise extreme caution, Leader Feng Che," Insecta cautioned, her tone turning dead serious. "My Buzzwole operates on a thoroughly savage competitive plane."
"Insecta has actually authorized the deployment of her Buzzwole," Julie noted from the observation gallery, her eyes widening. "Once that monstrosity enters its high-frenzy state, its kinetic thresholds scale until it can comfortably overpower a standard Champion-tier asset. However, its psychological conditioning dictating that it will refuse to cease its offensive cascade until it either obliterates the target or sustains catastrophic structural damage makes it a massive liability. I didn't expect her to unleash her crown jewel for a promotion showcase."
"That is the depth of her respect for Feng Che's pedigree," Chief Sky replied thoughtfully, his fingers slowly combing through his white goatee. "She is choosing to meet his talent with the absolute peak of her available power."
"Furthermore, looking over the proctor roster, the remaining gatekeepers are equally ruthless. Though their partners are technically registered within the peak Elite bracket, every single one of them commands a signature asset that has historically recorded definitive kills against true Champions."
Down on the turf, Feng Che ran a finger down his belt, calculating the type match-ups. "If that's the apex... come forth, Togekiss!"
A brilliant white light deployed the elegant, bird-like Fairy-type into the stadium airspace.
Buzzwole was a dual Bug and Fighting hybrid; Togekiss's primary Flying-type properties afforded it a devastating four-fold defensive advantage against its typing, supplemented by a two-fold offensive multiplier from its secondary Fairy attribute.
More importantly, Feng Che's Togekiss commanded a specialized tactical move that, when executed under his precise mental parameters, could manifest miracles that rivaled the divine interventions of legendary deities.
"Buzzwole, Bulk Up, then lock it down with Bullet Punch!" Insecta ordered, selecting a highly disciplined, conservative opening sequence.
The crimson giant dropped into a classic bodybuilder stance, flexing its massive, fluid-filled muscle groups with absolute arrogance. Vibrant rings of deep crimson energy rippled across its exoskeleton, its tissue blocks swelling and hardening until they appeared on the verge of rupturing their armor plates.
Bracing its four lower limbs, it shattered the underlying concrete, leaving a deeply cratered footprint as it launched its massive frame into the air like an artillery shell. Its fists blurred into a spectacular, multi-layered cascade of silver light, generating a continuous wall of punches that resembled a thousand-armed deity.
"Togekiss, Metronome." Feng Che issued the command with absolute serenity.
As a baseline standard, every Flying-type asset within Feng Che's specialized stable was drilled to instinctually manifest a localized Tailwind the exact millisecond they cleared their capsules; thus, he required no explicit phrasing to secure the speed advantage.
Buzzwole's fists tore through the atmosphere, creating a series of loud, concussive sonic booms as the silver light-wall descended. Yet, Togekiss transformed into a fluid, white streak of light, its tailwind-boosted evasion allowing it to effortlessly weave through the gaps in the Bullet Punch grid. It moved with perfect predictive grace, tracking the muscle contractions of the giant to stay one step ahead.
Concurrently, its short, tri-colored wings began moving in a rhythmic, hypnotic pattern, activating the metronome matrix.
The moment the skill sequence finalized, the stadium floor violently ruptured.
Several colossal, jagged tectonic pillars composed of pure, molten volcanic magma erupted from the bedrock, screaming upward like divine swords to impale the floating insect from below.
It was Groudon's signature sovereign art—Precipice Blades.
Caught completely off guard by the sheer environmental scale of the attack, Buzzwole was forced to frantically flare its translucent wings, executing an emergency mid-air displacement to narrowly avoid being cleanly impaled by the molten lances.
"How... how is this possible?!" Julie's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she stared at the holographic readouts. "His Togekiss used a simple Metronome... and successfully drew Precipice Blades on the very first iteration?! What kind of absurd, god-tier luck is this?"
"An extraordinary alignment of probability," Chief Sky muttered, his瞳孔 (pupils) contracting sharply as he leaned closer to the glass. "However, according to the official registration databases, this specific Togekiss does not possess the Super Luck trait. Its primary genetic designation is listed as Serene Grace."
"Could this truly be a manifestation of pure, unadulterated luck?"
"Serene Grace is an exceptional trait for a status-lock specialist; its capacity to amplify the secondary secondary effects of moves like Air Slash makes it an absolute nightmare for a physical brawler like Buzzwole," Chief Sky analyzed, his gaze locked entirely on the unfolding crucible below. "Let's see if the boy can sustain the momentum."