I know this chapter was really long but I just didn't want to split it up in the middle of the fight. Some chapters in stories do go longer than others so this is one of my outliers.
Gaigax: Jubilife Arc
Chapter 9: Momentum
Zan strolled through the flat streets of Jubilife with his pokemon at his side. Just like when he explored the city with Augment yesterday he got weird looks from passing citizens. It was the tan uniformed man that gave Zan even weirder look though. They were not out yesterday at all.
"Oi Zan, they are going to arrest you, you criminal jerk" whispered Boris. The words initiated a smack on the back of his orange head.
"I thought so too because of affiliation but they don't seem to have any interest in me. It's you three who have their attention" mentioned the brunette. Nala looked uneasy due to this fact.
"Let's just hurry up and get the Master's house" ordered Nala. It was the attention that was making her uneasy. That was also partially the reason Zan didn't know any of her moves yet. The attention towards her required by him to learn made the girl uncomfortable.
"Yeah working on it. You can return to your ball if the attention gets too overwhelming" replied Zan who had a map of the city in his face. There was no Jubilife gym for Sky to take over as her headquarters here. And the big buildings such as the GTS and tv station were owned by Gaigax. So Sky had to settle for a house. Luckily for Sky she got a house on the south side of Jubilife where all of the Gaigax buildings were on the north half. Nala sensed a sudden presence and turned around but there was no one behind them. Suddenly a figure rose from the ground heaving heavily.
"Finally I found you" gasped Lady Moore. Zan looked shocked, he hastily grabbed Moore's shoulder and proceeded to drag her into an alleyway right near the group. "Relax idiot, there aren't any Gaigax workers that go down south." She collapsed down to the ground and struggled to catch her breath. The fight with Haven wore her out enough and then to having to constantly use a pokemon move for a good amount of time, that took everything she had.
"There are actually, I've seen a few. They are everywhere looking for you" informed Zan who seemed worried.
"Shit, even here. The guardians at the exits are tough, they are Gaigax's hunters. I hate to say this but go fetch the Bartrin scum. The three of us can rush the guardian at the east exit and get on out of here" she ordered. Immediately Lady Moore attempted to rise back to her feet. She couldn't even get her knees straightened before falling back down on her behind. Zan's pokemon just watched this event quietly, they are held back jokes about her current state for fear of their lives.
"And then what? Be chased for the rest of our adventure? This group is serious about getting you, whatever you did or they think you did, they are pissed. I'm sorry but I am not going to be on the run just to risk my neck for you." Lady Moore actually looked sad for a moment, the feeling of abandonment hit. "But I will not leave you. I am going to clear your name, I promise you. I just, have other things to do in this city first. Wes and I are going to help you but you are at our mercy now, you move at our pace. If you don't like it, then you can go do battle with that guard again. It doesn't look like that went so well the first time. I know you hate it, but rest up. Don't do anything, put some faith in my hands. We are acquaintances after all." Moore was still not happy with that answer. The injured woman just let out a sigh. If she could wait through Clive Bartrin's tour than she could probably wait until her comrades were free to help her. She had a drive to try to force them but those boys were as stubborn as she was.
"Fine whatever, I'll rest up here. How long will you guys be, a couple hours?" wondered Moore. Zan laughed it off as he removed his orange coat.
"It'll be something like that. Here rest up." Zan tossed the jacket at her so she at least had something to lay on. "Let's roll out guys." As they left the alleyway Zan was cracking his neck and Boris was cracking his knuckles; they had a battle to win.
About twenty miniutes later Zan stuffed the map in the back of his backpack when he located the target house. He treated the map roughly knowing he wouldn't need its services again. On the other side of Zan was a young lady walking towards the same house. A Golbat led her along by a red leash towards the grey house. The house was a simple building, only one story tall. A white wooden sign stood outside of the building with the words Skeleton Clash Master Sky Salone painted in red. The words Sky Salone were below the rest of the message. Sky paid no mind to Zan as she reached the house a few paces before him. "Are you here to challenge the master as well?" questioned the excited brunette. This city had dulled his flame but the Skeleton Clash Master's house reignited his passion. His frustrations with this place were currently forgotten because a future of combat flooded his mind. Sky glanced towards the voice as Golbat opened the door with its mouth. The door handle had special slots on it fit for teeth, pressing down on those slots unlocked the door. The orange hair girl gave a cute smile while tilting her head.
"Challenger, I am the Master Sky" she replied with a slight laugh. Sky always got a kick out of no one expecting her to be the master. It was refreshing to laugh since things had been stressful for her lately, even if it was just a small laugh. "I have business to get to but I will still join you for a battle. We will just have to get right to it, follow me." As the group entered the door Sky's butler stood in the front hallway looking disappointed.
"Miss Sky please just knock next time and I will get the door. No need to use that disgusting teeth lock" advised the dark haired man. Sky snapped her fingers which called the purple bat to get closer. The orange haired girl then stroked the pokemon's back gently.
"Aw nothing about Golbez is disgusting. She is super pretty. Right girl?" Golbat smiled and nodded along happily. Zan, Augment and Boris stood watching the event with wide eyes. It was so weird to them seeing Golbat act and treated like a pet instead of like another person. The butler made quite note of their surprise.
"So you know boys, Golbez is actually mute. The ability to talk makes a big difference about how pokemon are portrayed" the butler answered. He wanted to mention how Golbez's muteness helped her and Sky bond but he knew better. The lady did not want challenger's knowing about her disability. The odds were high that a challenger would hold back upon finding out that Sky was blind. While this information was no secret some challengers were completely clueless about the woman they wanted to fight. The butler did not address Nala because the Espeon was too busy being enthralled with the wallpaper of the house. The house was previously owned by an elderly couple who had an interesting taste. They liked antiques. So the wallpaper as well as all of the dressers and desks in the house had a colorful and aged look to them. The butler enjoyed the look of the house so much he made sure to keep everything clean and polished.
"Oi can you get the basement ready for this challenger? And then we have some Gaigax rats to contain" ordered Sky. Her aura was much friendlier than during her meeting with Clive. Her butler bowed before taking off down the hallway. Upon entering the house following the single hallway was the only way to go. The hallway was just wide enough for a person though, not for Golbat wings. Sky tapped gently on the pokeball that was placed around her waist. The Golbat was recalled to its ball with a blinding flash of red light. The orange headed girl planted out her right arm and leaned in towards the nearest wall. Upon making contact that hand slide down the wall before latching on to railing. Black hand rails were placed all around the walls of the house. Zan and his pokemon watched this rather worried. Nala had quickly grasped the situation, the three boys were rather clueless which just left them confused. "Alright follow me Zan." The confusion on Zan and Boris's face turned into shock. While the other pokemon started to follow the girl, Zan and his pig stopped.
"Uh, I never introduced myself. How do you know my name?" he wondered. Instantly Zan thought maybe she was some sort of psychic or mind reader.
"She is a mind reader man, here to kill us!" whispered Boris, who took a step back towards the door.
"I am a Skeleton Clash Master who prides on intelligence. I have spies in all of the neighboring cities, letting me know what challengers will be coming to my door next. You fought with Wes Bartrin did you not? I will let you know you're going to need power than that if you want to beat me. I pride myself on my power as much as I do intelligence" Sky answered with a sweet smile. Her smile contained a slight grin of pride. The answer reassured Zan and he began to move forward with the group. Boris still couldn't comprehend the need for spies but he reluctantly followed his friend. Sky followed the railings which lead the group into a larger room. This room had two gold couches as well as a television. There were also speakers hung up all around the room and connected to a stereo. To the left of this room a kitchen could be seen. The tiles were teal with a blue flowery pattern. None of the colors in the rooms matched but they kept that grandma feel. There seemed to be more rooms over to the right side, past the living room. But Sky did not lead her guests there. Instead they entered an elevator shaft immediately right after leaving the hallway. It wasn't the widest elevator so Zan glanced down and Boris and Nala briefly. The two of them nodded and Zan recalled them into their balls. Augment settled on the boy's shoulder as the two entered. Zan and Sky's shoulders were touching were caused the brunette to blush ever so slightly. She just had really soft skin and he was never very close with woman. His sister and mother were always the two prominent girls in his life.
"This is your first battle against a Skeleton Clash Master isn't it?" Sky questioned.
"Yes it is."
"I'm not going to go easy on you." Her answer caused Zan to smile ear to ear.
"I expect you too, Master."
"Zan will win, he is the strongest human I know" chirped in Augment. The bird's words caused the girl to smile cutely.
"That's flattering but I'm not as strong as my sister."
"She isn't human" Augment replied. The group reached the bottom of the floor as Augment finished his words. As the metal door's slide open a battlefield of rubber was revealed. The basement was a large, flat room that had the walls and floor made up entirely of rubber. The squish of the rubber beneath Zan's feet through him off. The ceiling was a dull grey colored as it was made up of reinforced steel. Golbez, Boris and Nala all came back on the field. The purple bat put the leash on its own foot before proceeding. There was a large section of switches in the right corner that Sky's Butler was fiddling with. Bright lights scattered among the ceiling made the room visible. The sound of an air conditioner could be heard as well, which is why the room was rather cool. Golbez guided Sky to the middle of the room before flying off towards the butler. Augment flew off Zan and stayed with Nala and Boris who were chilling on the elevator side wall. Zan walked after Sky, continuing to flex his neck.
"Are you alright?" questioned the brunette. He had yet to catch on to her blindness but something was clearly wrong.
"I am fine. I am the Skeleton Clash Master for a reason. Are you ready?" she replied. The smile had cleared off her face and only furiocity remained. Zan wasn't giving off the same ferocious aura though; his face was filled with uncertainty.
"Are you sure that's wise Miss?" Nala commented. She knew that sure you could just throw out really wide attacks but you can't dodge if you're blind. Maybe the girl had a great sense of auras and presence but that just wouldn't be enough in a fast paced fight.
"Ah the pokemon knows the truth. And clearly Zan isn't committed to fight me at his fullest. So I will clear your doubts. Yes I am blind but I was blind when I got this job. I was born blind due to a chemical imbalance. My eyes do not work. But imagine my eyes like stopped heart. An electric charge puts the beat back in a stopped heart, and a charge kick starts my eyes to give me sight. I assure you that I fight well even with my condition." A charge golden of electricity surged through the girl's entire body. "Let's go, brunette boy." Zan accepted her answer easily but still fighting a blind girl didn't sit well with him. Even if she could see right now, the detail of being blind stuck in his mind.
"Zan you have to focus! You have to get momentum or you will lose. Remember how your fight went with Wes after he took momentum from you. This girl can fight so focus up and let's get victory!" motivated Boris. "Idiot trainer" he mumbled at the end, in typical Boris fashion. Those were the words needed to eliminate Zan's hesitation. His fists tightened, back straightened up and knees bent. Zan's stance was ready, his mind was ready. He let Sky know with a simple nodding gesture.
"Alright then, let's begin!" she shouted energetically. Sky made the first move by raising her slim arm straight in the air. The hand began to cackle with electricity. "Thunder!" she chanted as a pillar of lighting slammed right down where Zan was standing. The brunette boy wasn't there anymore. Instead he had sped ahead and was now right in Sky's face. She didn't see his speed coming at all and was met with a fire punch right to the face. The attack sent her flying backwards. Usually the girl would pull out her Golbat wings to herself down but the punch was so strong it stunned her. Zan followed up by clapping his hands with a firm push of wind guiding his movements.
"Gust!" Wind was summoned from Zan's hands and it continued to carry Sky back until she met the wall. The impact with the wall again left her a bit rattled. She also did not expect this much fight out of this guy. "Flamethrower!" Zan exclaimed next. The flood of flames shot out from his skeleton and surrounded Sky's body. Since he was in a good position Zan kept the Flamethrower pouring. None of Zan's pokemon looked surprise at this turn of events. But the butler as well as Golbez could just not believe it. They had never seen Sky get dominated so much at the start of a battle before. A flying Sky emerged up from the flames with her golbat wings having been summoned. Zan tilted his neck up slightly and Sky was pounded with the flames yet again. Again was she pressed against the wall. This time the impact wasn't as hard so Sky still had full control over her body. Her wings flapped as much as they could and worked to disperse the flames. While Zan had a solid ranged game, his true power was in his close combat. Thus Sky's flames were able to push his flames back enough to give her room to move. Now that Sky had some room she took the opportunity to close her eyes. Several other winged clones appeared.
"I will close in on you now with my Double Team" she promised. Zan's flames returned and he began to spray the clones one by one. The firepower began to dull down though due to the constant use of it. There were three remaining targets that close in on Zan. They all flew in a line and he responded by straightening out an arm. He swung this arm across his body which shot out a white blade that clipped all three opponents.
"Air Slash doesn't care" taunted Zan. The attack didn't send Sky back but it halted her assault. Zan then charged in on his own while covered in flames. The brunette leapt up in Flame Charge mode and planted both feet in Sky's stomach. Now that attack sent her back yet again. The girl was getting really frustrated being tossed around like a sand bag. The second his feet touched the ground, Zan bolted off again. Flame charge was building up his speed which with his already high speed let him reach her in no time. His movements were way faster than during his last fight. Sky had managed to stop short of hitting the wall this time. She was panting heavily while standing on two shaky feet. Yet again Zan appeared right in front of her and pounded her face with a swinging fire punch.
"I finally got you" she spit out while being plastered against the wall yet again. She had managed to pressed two fingers in his gut and let out a charge beam while he smacked her. Zan certainly felt the attack, it stung badly. Despite it only being a single attack, Boris suddenly looked really worried. "You should not be this strong though, my spies certainly didn't report this strength. What is your secret? Were you just holding back?" Sky questioned between exhausted breaths. She was leaning back against the wall to hold herself up.
"Let's make a wager. If you win I will tell you the secret to my strength. If I win, you tell me why everyone is afraid of Gaigax!" A large smile formed on the lady's face and her fire returned. No one ever wanted to talk about Gaigax, everyone always wanted to stay away. The fact that this man wanted knowledge was very intriguing to the orange haired girl.
"Alright, it's a deal. Now, Charge Beam!" Sky announced. She remained leaning against the wall and fired off an onslaught of beams from her two fingers. Zan didn't go for a Flamethrower and just tried to evade on his own. He ducked, darted and even bent backwards . Zan couldn't keep up though and got scraped by almost every beam. "You've slowed down, out of stamina already?" Zan actually wasn't panting much but he was clearly slower, even with the boost from Flame Charge. And for every yellow beam that hit, the next one was stronger. But Zan's dodging brought him closer and closer to his target. The charge beams stopped once Zan had entered Sky's personal bubble. He went for a trusty Fire Punch while she went to summon to sparking orbs in each hand. Sky could keep up with Zan now as she jabbed one orb up against his fire punch arm, throwing off the accuracy. The punched just dinged against the wall harmlessly. The second orb was sent into Zan's stomach which sent the man stumbling back in pain. He wasn't stunned as her physical power was not her strong suit. Sky followed her combo by raising another slim arm up in the air. Zan leaned back and the ends of his skeleton flashed orange like they were hot. This action released yet another Flamethrower which connected straight on, but not before Sky finished her own attack. The thunder crashed down on Zan in the form of a yellow pillar. This one he did not move out of the way of. Since defense was not his strong suit the boy was on a knee once the attack cleared.
"Dam, I thought one more attack would finish her off" he muttered to himself. This combo was adding more to Sky's exhaustion but she kept it up. The woman went for her favorite move next and connected her wrists together. A large ball of powerful electricity swirled around in her pale hands. Zan wasn't planning on taking this one now that he got a true taste for her power. He pushed of the ground with his right fist and resumed a standing position. Right as this happened the canon was fired. The brunette pulled his energy together and released a clap of wind. The gust barely slowed down the ferocious attack. He had enough space and energy to try one more technique though. Zan lit both fists on fire this time as he attempted to catch the attack. He timed it well enough that his hands clasped the zap canon from both sides. His palms were infront of the ball enough so it didn't slip through his hands. Electricity swelled through his body as the attack pushed him back. He tried to dig in his legs to slow him down but his legs were not strong and this rubber ground would not let him. Sky was mightily impressed though, even if it was stupid she had never seen someone combat Zap Canon like that. The canon attack just kept pushing him back but the stubborn boy did not let it past his hands. They were numb now due the electricity but he still wouldn't give in. The attack had pushed him back almost completely to the other wall and it was steadily losing speed. The flames in his hands didn't give out either, since they were helping protect his body from the electricity. Sky had the chance to hit him with more attacks but she was too enthralled with watching him. That and she did need a moment to catch her breath. To the small crowd's amazement Zan's action was actually successful. Inches before touching the back wall he came to a halt. The zap canon was still full of electricity too even though it was still. He was really wishing he learned mirror coat from Nala but the boy still had a plan.
"This gift from my sister, I never thought I'd use this move" he said to himself. Sky stepped away from the wall and spread her feet apart, preparing to dodge. Without any sort of animation, the ball of electricity disappeared. Sky's eyes darted around frantically to try to spot it. The attack manifested right at her neck and exploded like it should. She had grown an electric resistance due to training with electric pokemon but the powerful attack still hurt like hell. Zan didn't waste a second charging in now with Flame Charge. He couldn't move his arms so he could not run as fast or properly bend them to let the flames flow. So heat built up in his arm joints but since they were numb from the Zap Canon he didn't feel a thing. Zan pushed his legs as fast as he could because the paralysis was setting in. Normally it would set in by now but he was trying to keep it out with every effort. His eyes were falling shut and there was still a lot of distance to go. Not to mention Sky could've fired a barrage of any of her plenty ranged attacks by now. In her mind the match was hers already. This match has just given her the feeling to finish it personally, with close combat. It just seemed the only way fitting, even with her close combat skills. Electricity sparked and covered her whole body. She then charged forward herself, taking herself in a coat of yellow energy. Zan was able to keep his body up even after his entire left eye had shut and he was leaning towards the right, losing that right foot. The two colorful attacks met on Zan's side of the field. Their heads rammed against each other. Zan was naturally stronger but since the paralysis was robbing his body from him the boy relied on his weight advantage. He leaned in towards Sky, hoping to push her over and just fall on top as his finishing move. But the exhausted girl still had control over her body and an electric knee was planted in Zan's stomach. The paralysis had spread and he couldn't fight back against her pushing him over. The boy laid on his back out of commission. Even if he wasn't paralyzed he was still out of energy. The paralysis was already starting to wear out and it never reached the face anyway.
"My ability is called Momentum" Zan answered. Until then no one was sure if he would get up again. Sky was hunched over with her hands on her knees but still standing. Zan's three pokemon were hit with a look of sadness and disappointment now. While Golbez and the butler looked simply reassured. "I went away to train these past few months but I wasn't just training my body. I was learning ways to tweak and improve my skeleton" he continued with an exhausted breath. "Momentum is an active kill that greatly increases my speed and attack. But such powerful technology has yet to be perfected so it is really fragile. One attack to me will stop Momentum from working, thus the name Momentum."
"Ah, everything makes sense now. That was a fantastic battle, I want to thank you, by giving you your part of the deal as well" Sky complemented, while planting her body on the ground in a seated formation. "Now let's talk, about Gaigax."