A Sirfetch'd's leek is too large to safely spin, as many newly evolved Farfetch'd learn the hard way. Sirfetch'd is nicknamed the "Knight that cuts through shining armor" because of its leek-sword, a weapon which is as suited for bludgeoning as slashing and is sharp enough to cut plate mail. However, it will slowly lose its edge over the pokemon's career, until the trainer eats the leek in a feast which marks the Sirfetch'd retirement. In ancient times, the shield was eaten as well, and the feast was viewed as a sacrifice to Zacian and Zamazenta; some sources suggest that the Sirfetch'd itself (reflecting Farfetch'd's origins as a food pokemon) was the central course of the banquet.
But before it wore out, the skill with which Sirfetch'd used its leek and shield was more than sufficient to defeat human knights in tournaments, who faced similar issues with Escavalier riding Scolipede in jousting. So pokemon were shunted off to their own category, where Sirfetch'd fought legendary bouts with Escavalier and Skarmory. The question of where pokemon battles (as sporting events, not as means of warfare) originated is often debated, and they likely developed independently in many places and times, but the knightly pokemon tournaments featuring Sirfetch'd have as good a claim as any to be the genesis of modern single battles.
Contemporary trainers, especially at lower levels with lower payouts in prize money, have largely sworn off Sirfetch'd, less out of a lack of skill than because of their short careers. Attempts have been made to replace champion Sirfetch'd leeks, but to no avail; they reject or simply fail to operate the new weapons. Science has all but given up on this quest, reasoning that one might as well try to replace a Crustle's shell.
