12
The silence that followed my "Father-in-law" comment was so thick you could have sliced it with one of Kage's Solar Shurikens.
May stood frozen in the middle of the battlefield. Inside her head, the metaphorical Pikachu running on the treadmill tripped, flew off the wheel, and performed a slow-motion Volt Tackle into a brick wall.
One second. Five seconds. Ten.
[Chat Log]
PervySage: HE SAID IT. THE MADMAN ACTUALLY SAID IT.
IceCreamQueen_C: Oh... my.
SilentRed: [GIF: Windows XP Shutdown Sound]
NurseJoy_044: His heart rate is 140 bpm! He's either brave or suicidal!
By the twenty-second mark, May's face had reached a shade of crimson that rivaled a Shiny Groudon. "F-f-f-father-in-law?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking so loud the gym's windows rattled.
Norman's eyes narrowed. The "Dad" energy vanished, replaced by the "Gym Leader" aura. The Slaking, which had been lounging lazily, suddenly opened one eye. The air pressure in the room tripled.
"Father-in-law, is it?" Norman rumbled, his voice like tectonic plates shifting. "Bold words for a boy who looks like he'd get winded opening a bag of Oran Berries. Slaking, stand up. Let's see if his tactical mind can keep up with his mouth."
The massive ape rose. It didn't look lazy anymore. It looked like a mountain made of muscle.
The Spar: The Chaos of the "In-Law" Battle
"May! Focus!" I yelled, snapping her out of her blushing trance. "He's coming! We're using the Titan-Sync tactic! Jerry, Tammy—get on her shoulders! Kage, Raven—vanguard positions!"
"Right!" May roared, her embarrassment transforming into pure, concentrated combat fury. She didn't send out a Pokémon; she was the Pokémon.
"Slaking! Hammer Arm!" Norman commanded.
The Slaking blurred. For a Pokémon that size, it moved like lightning. Its massive fist descended like a falling skyscraper.
"May, Slide! Jerry, use the Scarf to lash the pillar!"
May hit the deck, sliding between Slaking's legs with the grace of a pro-wrestler. Jerry shot his Silk Scarf out, wrapping it around a structural pillar and using the tension to slingshot May back around behind the beast.
"Now! Sun-Breathing: Second Form: Dragon Ring!"
Kage leaped from the balcony, spinning in a horizontal circle with his ironwood stick. A ring of solar fire erupted, obscuring Slaking's vision.
"Tammy, the Opal! Blind him!"
Tammy leaped onto May's head, tilting her collar. The flash of the Opal hit the gym's skylight, refracting into a thousand blinding needles of light.
"NOW, MAY! HAWLUCHA PRESS!"
May launched herself off a pillar, flying fifteen feet into the air. But Norman wasn't a Gym Leader for nothing.
"Giga Impact," he said calmly.
The Slaking didn't even turn around. It just flexed. A dome of pure, raw kinetic energy exploded from its body. The shockwave hit May mid-air.
"Kage, Raven! Intercept!"
Raven appeared out of the shadows, her red eyes glowing as she projected a Reflect barrier, while Kage used his Focus Sash to anchor May's waist, pulling her back from the brunt of the explosion.
The gym floor shattered. Dust filled the air.
[Chat Log]
GymBro_Chuck: LOOK AT THAT DEFENSIVE SYNERGY!
DragonTamer_Lance: He's using his Pokémon to augment a human's movements. This isn't a battle; it's choreography!
IceCreamQueen_C: Jake is exhausted. Look at his breathing.
I was slumped against the trainer's console, gasping for air. My "Stamina: 0" was screaming. "Three... minutes..." I wheezed, looking at my watch. "We just... hit... the mark."
The Aftermath
The dust cleared. Norman was standing exactly where he started, but the Slaking was actually panting slightly—it had been forced to use a high-tier move to stop a bunch of "rookies."
Norman looked at the ruins of his gym, then at his daughter, who was breathing hard, her mask slightly torn, and then at me.
"You have no strength, Jake Callison," Norman said, walking across the cracked floor. I braced for a punch. Instead, he put a heavy hand on my shoulder. "But you have the heart of a conductor. You turned a chaotic mess into a symphony. And you clearly have... intentions... regarding my daughter."
May squeaked, covering her face with her hands.
"Go to the woods," Norman commanded. "The man you're looking for is named Aaron. He's a relic of a forgotten age. If you can convince him you're worthy, he'll give you the Key to that stone. But if you call me 'Father-in-law' again before you win a Badge... I'll make you run laps until you see Ho-Oh."
[Chat Log]
PervySage: HE APPROVED! KIND OF!
SilentRed: [GIF: Success Kid]
"Lens," I whispered to the drone. "Tell Chat... we're going to get a Mega Stone. And someone... please... get me a wheelchair. My legs are gone."