Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it. I'm actually already to chapter 5, I have just been posting them on another site and totally forgot about this site, even though I've posted two other stories here before. So now I'm just trying to put one here once a day to catch this website up.

I have been doing previews for the next chapter at the end of my chapters, for this story and my previous two stories. Yet I am not even sure why, I have been removing them when I add them on this website. So I've decided to include the previews again, starting with the chapter.

Lastly, there was actually about a two month gap between chapter 2 and this one, in my writing not in the story. So I had to use this chapter to get accustomed to the characters again which if this chapter feels off that is why. Anyway I will hush up now and let you enjoy.

Chapter 3: The Mysterious Ladies

Zan continued to stare down Clive Bartrin at the Bartrin Mansion. Clive's son Wes lay there unconscious with a large mark on his face. Zan was breathing very heavily, barely unable to stand. Though his eyes were fierce and as confident as ever. Boris was dancing behind him and Espeon was smug, both of them showing their confidence in their trainer. Zan stumbled forward but was able to catch himself after the fourth step. He raised a shaky finger up and pointed it straight at the old man on the balcony.

"Come on old man, come down here and fight!" Zan roared as he stumbled forward again. Clive just laughed as he turned his side to Zan as an insult.

"You're amusing but it wouldn't be a fight. One push and it'd be game over. That is hardly worth the effort of coming down there. Now get off my property" ordered Clive, taking a step towards the glass door.

"Fight me in his place!" Lady Moore shouted out. She had moved from her place on the porch to a spot next to Zan so that she could see Clive more clearly and vice versa. Her blue eyes looked as determined as Zan's yet she had a hint of anger in her look. Again the older man just laughed, a deep hearty laugh. Yet his mighty laugh was insulting.

"Or I have an idea. I could fight neither of you. Because both would be a waste. Defeating my failure of a son proves nothing. And no woman will ever be able to fight on par with a man. Now again, I'll be choosing the option of fighting neither of you" he snidely informed before entering back into his mansion. He snapped his fingers and the butlers closed the door behind him. Lady Moore was overflowing with anger now and she gritted her teeth as well as clenched her fists. The gritting of her teeth wasn't just a meaningless act though, the motion sent ice out of the skeleton pieces near her mouth. The spurt of ice was small but it collided against the door that Clive had left through, freezing over it. She then spun around, wrapped her fingers around Zan and yanked his body as she stormed off. He stumbled to keep up with her fast pace as well as just keeping his exhausted legs from falling off.

"Wait what?" the boy questioned, completely confused of the woman's actions. This didn't stop Lady Moore though and Zan's pokemon began to follow the duo.

"You're injured after a victory so I'm taking you to a hospital" she said, yanking Zan's arm around more, irritation still in her voice. Boris couldn't help but giggle at the further misery of his owner. The male just sighed, knowing there wasn't anything he could do. He just tried to make sure that he didn't fall on his face.

The human couple along with Boris sat in a white room. Well Lady Moore and Boris sat on chairs, Zan was laying down on his back. Nala had wanted to return to her ball to take a rest of her own. Their white room was in the Canalave Pokecenter first floor. The front area of the first floor was still for healing pokemon like in the past. But now the back of Pokecenter's have been drastically expanded to make room for a human hospital. The second floor was still a hotel. Zan wasn't hooked up to any machines, just bandaged with ice packs. All he needed was a rest though he would be swore for a while. Those were common repercussions of a Skeleton Clash. Lady Moore didn't seem very happy to be there but she wasn't leaving and Zan wasn't trying to get her to stay. Her fists were still clenched though, her anger wasn't easy to disperse. They hadn't said anything since Zan was put in this room.

"That was a pretty amazing battle admittedly. That finishing blow was really lucky" Lady Moore broke the silent. She had a cigarette perched in her mouth but she couldn't lit it for obvious reasons.

"That wasn't luck. That was Zan's iron fist of determination!" Boris exclaimed, now boasting about his trainer. "This loser might be a lot of things but his strong determination is admirable. He was determined to win and saw the free hit would be his only chance, so he was determined to end it with that one punch. And he did." The pig had his arms crossed, nodding after every sentence.

"Oh, I see. Well, this determination of yours, it has intrigued me. Not only is it interesting to watch, and even though I hate watching, but this strong determination should find you strong opponents. Which I can then fight eventually. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find an opponent. Once people hear my name they go scampering off. But if I keep meeting strong people through you, eventually I'll get people to battle me. I guess it's kind of silly now that I say it out loud. But nevertheless it is happening!" the blue haired woman rambled. Her cheeks were slightly red. Zan giggled slightly but stopped because it hurt.

"Alright, we can travel together" Zan replied wincing. His stomach was bruised badly enough that it even hurt to speak.

"Well good, let us leave tonight then, no reason to waste around in this crap-shoot of a city." Lady Moore kicked at the floor. Zan grimaced again but this time not from a pain.

"Er, I have to do something tonight. We can leave first thing tomorrow though" he nervously explained. This woman had previously shown that she was scary when she didn't get what she wanted, Zan didn't want to have to witness that aimed at him.

"Hmph alright, hot date tonight?" She wasn't exactly happy but the woman didn't seem to be boiling with anger either.

"It's a private issue. Even though we are travel buddies now we still just met today, so we should still be allowed some privacy."

"Fine but I'm going to pull that card on you later."

"Fair enough." The room was filled with silence again. Boris had his head down and he was twiddling his stubby fingers together. "And if you ever want to, I'll be happy to fight you anytime." The injured boy gave a sweet smile which got the woman to smile back.

"Thanks I guess, but even with your win against the Bartrin boy I can still beat you" she said hastily.

"You better not lose Zan! I would be so ashamed to see my fire moves lose to someone who uses ice moves" Boris chimed in.

"Don't worry, I won't, my iron determination won't let me! Anyway speculation won't do us any good. Since we are going to travel together, I think I should let you know my real name so you can choose what to call me from there. I am actually called Zanthropolis Amyr."

"Yeah I think I'll stick to Zan. Short and sweet, and fast, that's the way I do things."

"Alright that works fine, everyone else calls me Zan, even my parents." Silence dawned over the group again and Boris glanced at both participants awkwardly. He was contracting his hands now. Even Zan was now awkwardly twiddling his fingers. The lovely Lady Moore was just leaning back in her seat looking at the ceiling. "So, you're not going to tell me you're real name?"

"You already know my name. I am Lady Moore"

"Lady what Moore though?"

"Lady isn't a title it's my first name asshole." There was a pause on Zan's end now, he and Boris both had dropped jaws.

"…Your first name is Lady?"

"Yeah and if you make fun of it I'll Ice Shard your ass, Zanthropolis."

"No no, it's a lovely name for a uh, lady." Boris had to giggle at Zan's remark. His giggle got him the icy stare of death. Boris slowly learned towards Zan's direction.

"Hey Zan, are you sure it's safe to travel with this woman? She scares me."

"It'll be fine. Besides, maybe she will teach you some respect."

"I hate you."

"Love you too buddy."

Over in the neighboring city of Jubilife, in a fancy room sat a young teenage female. Her orange-brown hair dangled against her chin as she looked over some papers in front of her. Someone resembling a butler came into the room, though he was dressed very casual. Only his white gloves and his stance were that of a butler.

"How is the report Miss Sky?" he asked. He had a thick accent, it was very fancy.

"Our fellow master in the neighbor city of Canalave has barely done any battles lately" the young woman replied, sighing.

"Are you sure he hasn't just not been getting challenges" the butler questioned back, still staying on the far side of the room. Sky carelessly flung the reports forward and twisted in her seat to face the butler. Her knees were now crammed in her face and her back was on the arm of a chair, but she seemed perfectly comfortable.

"Not a chance, you know me, I have spies watching every master. My spy said that Clive Bartrin declined two requests today alone, even after one of the fighters defeated his son. It's time for me to go pay Clive a visit" she complained, eyes on the ceiling now.

"And do what exactly?"

"Beat the crap out of him, whether he agrees to fight me or not. We used to be on even par but now that he hasn't been fighting for a while he is missing out on experience that I have been getting. I have no doubt in my mind I can easily dispose of him now. And maybe that will kick start him to start taking battles again. Since the league won't start requiring a certain amount of battles for masters. I will not let this old man tarnish the name of the Masters. Prepare a travel bag for me, we leave tonight."

The time for Zan's very first pokemon battle has come. But just how will someone with no experience against other opponents fare? Will he make a name for himself in the underground scene or get completely embarrassed? And the crew will soon make their way out of the city just as this Miss Sky is making her way into the city. Things are heating up as the Jubilife approaches coming to a close. All on the next [b][u] Iron Fist: Burning Passions and New Desires[/b][/u]