As expected, the Chandelure wasted no time upon being exposed. A swirling Flame Vortex shot straight at Su Feng's head. The Shuppet reacted slower, sinking into the wall to vanish—but Su Feng knew it wasn't fleeing. Shuppet would stalk its prey endlessly until dawn or defeat.
Haunter moved lightning-fast, blocking the attack with a faint protective shield.
[Holy crap! Here we go!]
[Zero-frame attack?! I thought this realm wasn't dangerous!]
[That flame was aimed at Feng! Thank god Haunter reacted!]
[Putting my backpack down… The outside world's too scary.]
"Combusken, stall Chandelure! Haunter, chase Shuppet—take it out fast!" Su Feng barked.
Combusken's Fighting-type moves were useless against Ghost-type Chandelure, but buying time was doable. Haunter, far stronger than Shuppet, could finish the job swiftly. As for Vulpix? She was just a baby.
Combusken lunged with Flame Charge, drawing Chandelure's focus while Haunter phased into the wall. The fiery tackle knocked Chandelure back, and Su Feng sighed in relief. If Chandelure had the Flash Fire ability, his plan would've crumbled.
As Combusken charged again, Chandelure spewed murky, toxic air.
"Clear Smog! Dodge it, Combusken!"
Combusken leaped over the haze, striking from behind. But Chandelure's flames flickered unnervingly, disorienting Su Feng.
"Dammit, Confuse Ray!" Su Feng cursed. This Chandelure's movepool was dirty.
Combusken, blinded by confusion, still lunged—only to eat a Shadow Ball head-on. The explosion sent it skidding.
"Combusken! Stop attacking while confused—focus on dodging!"
Hearing Su Feng's voice, Combusken staggered up, switching to zigzag sprints. Miraculously, it weaved through Chandelure's Shadow Balls.
"Ssoo?! (Confused and still dodging?! Hax!)" Chandelure screeched.
Su Feng smirked. "Forgot to turn it off, so it's on?"
Another Flame Charge slammed Chandelure back, but the damage was minimal. Enraged, Chandelure's flames erupted violently—Overheat. The cabin's confined space meant everyone was in the blast zone.
[RUN, FENG! IT'S GONNA BLOW!]
[AOE spammer! Not cool!]
[He's toast—literally!]
"Shit!" Su Feng grabbed for the girl's hand—only for his fingers to phase through hers. A wave of exhaustion washed over him.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to!" the girl stammered.
"So touching a ghost drains energy…" Su Feng muttered, dazed. The delay cost them their escape window. As flames roared closer, he raised his arms in vain.
Bwoom!
A familiar silhouette burst from the wall—Dusknoir. Its gaping belly-mouth swallowed the inferno whole.
Burp.
Su Feng lowered his arms, stunned. Dusknoir glared at him and the ghostly girl.
"Hmmph! (Quit runnin' around, ya brat!)"
"Uh… right," Su Feng mumbled, shrinking under its gaze.
"Hmmph! (You too, Lila! Stay put!)"
"O-okay…" the girl—Lila—whispered.
Dusknoir turned to Chandelure, its stare icy. The fire ghost fled instantly, leaving only echoes of panic.