Chapter 6

A few hours after leaving Santalune City, Ash looked over his shoulder. "So, Serena, where are you headed from here?"

"Um...I haven't quite figured that out yet," she replied.

"Why don't you come along with us?" Alexis suggested.

Bonnie jumped up and down. "Yeah, that'd be fun!" She ran over and grabbed Serena's arm. "Come with us. We'll have a great time!"

"Sounds like an excellent idea to me," Clemont agreed.

Ash nodded. "Thanks to you, I came up with my Santalune Gym strategy. And if you could help me from here on out, uh, it would be great."

Serena looked down, blushing. "Sure. How could I say no to all that?"

As the kids celebrated, Alexis pulled out her map. "Alright, if we're planning to travel to the Cyllage Gym next, we'll have to head back through Lumiose City on the way."

"I guess you're right," Ash said.

"Great!" Serena exclaimed. "There's a boutique in Lumiose City with the cutest clothes, and there's an awesome bakery that has the best pastries you've ever tasted! What are we waiting for? Let's hurry up!" She took off running.

"Yipee!" Bonnie yelled, running after her.

Alexis sighed. "And we're back to the running."

"Clemont, step on it!" Ash called.

Clemont panted as he tried to keep up. "I'm doing my best!"

It took them two days to get back to Lumiose City. Along the way, they got to participate in an amateur Rhyhorn race and met a famous Pokemon groomer. Team Rocket appeared a few times and tried to steal their Pokemon, but Alexis and the kids were able to fight them off each time.

As they walked through the busy city streets, Serena looked around in wonder. "The last time I was here, I didn't have much time to look around. But this city must be the center of the fashion universe! All the people are so well-dressed. And Prism Tower is just incredible!"

"Yeah, it sure is," Clemont said quietly.

"I guess it's okay," Bonnie agreed.

Alexis glanced at them. "You guys okay?"

Ash looked at the tower. "The Lumiose Gym is inside that tower."

"Oh, so you've already challenged that Gym, huh, Ash?" Serena asked.

"Well, I showed up there and tried to. But I didn't have four badges, so I couldn't get in."

"Well," Clemont said nervously, "since that's the way it is, why don't we get out of Lumiose City?"

"Yeah, let's go," Bonnie said.

Serena looked dismayed. "But I've been looking forward to exploring Lumiose City."

Bonnie ran behind her and started pushing her along. "We can do that stuff next time!"

"What's going on with you two?" Alexis asked suspiciously. "I want to at least stop by home before we leave."

"If it isn't my Clemont and Bonnie!"

The group turned to see a middle-aged man on a moped. An Ampharos rode behind him. Alexis recognized him as a friend of Augustine's. "Hey, Meyer. How's it going?"

Bonnie ran up to him and threw her arms around his waist. "Daddy!"

"Dad!" Clemont said.

Ash, Serena, and Alexis stared at them. "Wait, 'Dad'?"

"Why didn't you tell me Meyer is your dad?" Alexis asked.

Clemont looked sheepish. "Uh, let me introduce you." He turned to Ash and Serena. "This is our dad, Meyer. He runs an electronics shop here in the city, along with Ampharos here."

Bonnie ran over to stand by Ash and Serena. "And these guys here, they're our brand new, super nice, good friends, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena!" She paused, frowning. "But, Alexis, how do you know Daddy?"

"Your dad comes over to the lab sometimes to repair our equipment," Alexis explained.

Meyer pulled his children in for a big hug. "I'm so happy you've made some friends!"

"Oh, and look!" Bonnie wriggled out of her father's embrace and held up Dedenne. "Daddy, this is Dedenne. He's my new friend."

"That's wonderful, Bonnie!" Meyer gave Dedenne a friendly scratch, then turned to Clemont. "Now you listen to me, son," he said seriously. "I've told you this before. It's true you need to be tough on challengers, but that alone isn't going to help them become better Trainers. You need to be a Gym Leader the Lumiose City can be proud of."

Clemont and Bonnie waved their hands, trying to silence him. Ash, Serena, and Alexis looked at each other. "Lumiose Gym? Gym Leader?"

Meyer waved and headed back to his moped. "See you soon. And come by the house once in a while."

As he rode away, Clemont and Bonnie nervously turned to their friends. Serena crossed her arms. "Alright, what's this all about?"

"We might as well just tell them the truth," Bonnie said with a sigh.

Clemont's shoulders sagged and he nodded. "The truth is...that I really am the Lumiose City Gym Leader."

"I'd heard that the Gym Leader was some boy genius," Alexis said, "but I didn't know it was our boy genius."

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Ash asked.

Clemont sat down on a nearby bench. "The thing is, I really was planning on telling you eventually. I'm sorry."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "So it was you who zapped me when I tried to challenge the Gym?"

"No. It's a long story," Clemont said. "I was so busy as a Gym Leader, I never had the time to invent things like I wanted to. So I decided to construct a Gym Leader robot who could help me fulfill my Gym Leader responsibilities and give me more free time.

"Unfortunately, something got messed up with the programming. I had programmed it to prefer challengers with four badges, but it wouldn't even let me, the Gym Leader, challenge it. I tried to reprogram it with a special emergency voice code, but the password didn't work. It locked us out of the Gym after that."

Alexis nodded in understanding. "So now you can't get back into your own Gym?"

Clemont shook his head. "I keep on trying, but Clemont won't let anybody without four Gym badges through the entrance. And he's always out there on the battlefield."

Ash put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Why don't we go back there together and see what we can do?"

"Pika, pika," Pikachu said hopefully.

"Yeah, good idea," Serena agreed.

Clemont and Bonnie looked at each other. "Sure. It's worth a try."

The group made their way to Prism Tower. In the courtyard, they found a group of young men. "...this is crazy," they were saying.

Clemont ran up to them. "Is there something wrong?"

"You bet there is. It's this Gym," one of them said.

"Did they say you need four badges to challenge?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't any problem because I already have them. My opponent was this crazed, powerful robot. After I lost, it zapped me, the floor opened up, and I was thrown out of there." The boy walked away. "I've had enough of this place."

Clemont watched him go. "Being tough alone won't help Trainers get better," he said, repeating his father's words.

"Now I understand what Daddy was talking about," Bonnie said dejectedly.

"What will you do?" Serena asked.

Ash put his hands on his hips. "We know what to do," he said confidently. "We'll just stop that crazy robot!"

"But how?" Clemont asked.

"We can't do a thing without the right voice code," Bonnie reminded him.

Alexis scratched her chin. "About that. Was there anything else that happened when you set the voice code? Maybe it was accidentally recorded as something else."

Clemont shook his head. "Even if I remember the password, I still have to defeat it in battle. And Clembot will have all of my Pokemon partners to battle me with. I can't win with my inexperienced Bunnelby."

"But you won't know unless you give it a try," Ash insisted. "You can at least give it your best shot."

"Ash is right," Alexis said. "You're the Lumiose Gym Leader. You can do this."

Serena put a hand on his shoulder. "Clemont, why did you become the Gym Leader in the first place?"

"Not sure how to explain," Clemont said, rubbing his neck.

"I'll tell them," Bonnie volunteered. "In Lumiose City, they call my brother the boy genius of Electric-types!"

Clemont nodded. "I wanted to be an Electric-type Trainer like the world had never seen, so I became the Lumiose Gym Leader. By running an Electric-type Gym, challenges would plan their strategies accordingly. I figured if I could still win in spite of the stiff competition, perhaps it would make me grow a lot stronger as an Electric-type Trainer!"

"All the more reason to get your Gym back," Serena said.

"She's right," Ash said. "Taking back this Gym is going to make you grow stronger. And we'll help."

Clemont thought for a long moment, then nodded. "You're right. Let's go see Clembot!"

Alexis held up a hand. "If we go in the front, he won't let us past the door without four badges. We need to find another way in."

Clemont nodded and led them around to a taped-off opening in the side of the building. Parts of the tower were still being repaired after Garchomp's rampage. As they crawled through an air duct, Clemont said, "If we can make it to the battlefield, we might be recognized as challengers."

The followed Clemont through a maze of vents, until he kicked one open. The group climbed out into a dark hallway. "We don't have much farther to go," Clemont said. "Let's hurry up!"

A Magnemite floated around the corner. "That's my Pokemon!" Clemont cried. "Magnemite, it's me!"

The Magnemite looked happy for a moment, then started to attack. Alexis brought out Litleo, knowing that Metal-types were weak against fire. But Magnemite was much stronger than Litleo. Its attack blasted Litleo into the air.

"Run!" Alexis yelled. She caught Litleo and followed the kids as they raced down the hallway. Magnemite followed, continuing its attack.

"Come on, Magnemite, stop!" Clemont begged.

"What is it attacking us?" Ash asked. "It's your Pokemon, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but because Clembot is now the Gym Leader, I would guess it ordered Magnemite to get rid of any intruders!"

Ash tried to fight back with Froakie. The Water Pokemon was at a disadvantage, but he used his sticky Frubbles to cover the electrodes on Magnemite's sides. Unable to continue attacking or floating, Magnemite crashed to the floor.

"Alright! Great, Froakie!" Ash said.

In front of them, a Magneton joined the battle. It used Supersonic, making everyone clap their hands over their ears. Serena threw a Poke Ball. "Fennekin, help us with Ember!"

"You too, Litleo!" Alexis ordered.

The two Pokemon released a burst of flame, but Magneton dodged and retaliated. Its bolt of lightning nearly his Serena, but Pikachu intercepted the attack. Froakie hit Magneton with his Frubbles, knocking it out.

Serena sighed in relief. "Whew. Thank you, Pikachu and Froakie."

Clemont motioned down another hallway. "Come on, this way." A few minutes later, they emerged in a large room. "We made it."

Suddenly, a single spotlight clicked on at the other end of the room, making them all gasp. The light illuminated a tall robot that bore a distinct resemblance to Clemont. A large dent marred the left side of its head. "Welcome to the Lumiose Gym," it said.

The lights came on in the rest of the room. Clemont motioned everyone else to the sidelines. "Now, Clembot, activate master recognition battle mode!"

"First, voice code will be needed for recognition activation," Clembot said.

Clemont closed his eyes, thinking hard. Bonnie wrung her hands. "Oh, come on, Clemont. There must be some way you can remember."

Clemont looked up and gasped. "I've got it! The voice code is 'You can start today. I'm Clemont, the Gym Leader.'"

"Code recognized," Clembot said, eyes flashing. "Master recognition battle mode activated."

"Alright!"

As everyone celebrated, Clemont got ready to battle. He brought out his Bunnelby, while Clembot used Heliolisk. Alexis stepped to the sidelines to act as referee.

"What's that Pokemon?" Ash asked. He pulled out his Pokedex.

"Heliolisk," it said. "The Generator Pokemon, and the evolved form of Helioptile. Heliolisk produces enough electricity to power a large building, and recharges by spreading its frills."

In the arena, Clemont pushed up his glasses. "My reputation as a Gym Leader is resting on this battle. Heliolisk, give me all you've got!"

"Battle begin!" Alexis shouted.

Clembot moved first. "Heliolisk. Thunderbolt."

"Bunnelby, use your ears to defend!" Clemont called.

Bunnelby used its powerful ears to kick up the ground, effectively blocking the thunderbolt. He followed up with Double Slap. Heliolisk countered with Dragon Tail. Bunnelby batted the attack aside and ducked underneath Heliolisk, attacking from behind.

"Now, Bunnelby, Dig!"

Bunnelby used his powerful ears to tunnel into the ground. Clembot had been ready for that, though. It ordered Heliolisk to use Bulldoze. Heliolisk slammed its tail into the ground, making the earth shake. Bunnelby was forced out into the open.

Clemont looked shocked. "Hold on, I never taught Heliolisk that move!"

"Use Dragon Tail," Clembot ordered.

While Bunnelby was vulnerable in the air, Heliolisk leapt up and hit him with its tail, throwing him back to the ground. Bunnelby skidded to a stop in front of Clemont.

"You okay, Bunnelby?" Clemont asked. Bunnelby nodded determinedly. "Okay, now it's our turn! Bunnelby, use Double Team!"

Bunnelby leapt into the air. Within seconds, there appeared to be dozens of Bunnelby around Helolisk. The Electric Pokemon wasn't sure which one was real and just stood there. "Bunnelby, Mud Shot!"

Bunnelby got ready to attack, but before he could, Clembot ordered Heliolisk to use Parabolic Charge. Heliolisk opened its frills and sparks started gathering, forming a ball above it that quickly grew. The huge ball of electricity not only dispelled the fake images, but also hurt Bunnelby and healed Heliolisk. A clever counter for Double Team.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

As the electricity arced toward Bunnelby, Bonnie yelled from the bleachers, "Come on, Clemont, you have to win!"

"Bunnelby! Dig, let's go!"

Bunnelby drilled into the ground, and once again, Clembot ordered Heliolisk to use Bulldoze. This time, though, Clemont was ready. He ordered his Pokemon to use Double Team while still underground. When Bulldoze forced him into the open, dozens of Bunnelby appeared. They all immediately used Dig again.

Heliolisk used Parabolic Charge again, but to no avail. The real Bunnelby stayed underground and surfaced right beneath Heliolisk. Clemont finished up the battle with Mud Shot, knocking Heliolisk out.

Alexis held up her hand. "Heliolisk is unable to battle. The winner is Clemont, the challenger!"

"Oh, Heliolisk, are you okay?" Clemont said, rushing over to check on his Pokemon. Heliolisk trilled, tired but alright. "Thank goodness!" He looked up as Clembot approached.

"I recognize you now, sir," Clembot said. "Welcome back to the Lumiose Gym."

"I'm glad to be back, Clembot." Clemont stood up as the others joined them. "Because of my faulty programming, I realize I made a lot of trouble for you, too. It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

Ash put a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations, Clemont. So what now?"

Clemont looked at Clembot. "I think I'll begin work on reprogramming you right now."

"Awesome! Can I watch?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, then you can stay the night at our house!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Alexis grinned. "In that case, I'm going to head home for the night. How about we meet at the Pokemon lab in the morning?"

The kids agreed, and Alexis left the Gym. A short time later, she stepped into the Sycamore Pokemon Lab. "Hello? Anybody here?"

Cosette stepped into the entry hall. "Alexis! You're back!"

"Just for the night. The kids are coming here in the morning so we can keep going."

"Professor Sycamore will be happy to hear that. He's in his office."

Alexis waved her thanks and went to find her boyfriend. She knocked lightly on the door to his office and walked in. Augustine was sitting at his desk, engrossed in what looked like a batch of test results.

"Sophie, for the last time, I promise I'm not going to try to cook again," he said absently.

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?"

At her voice, Augustine's head jerked up. His face broke into a smile, and he hurried over to her. "Alexis! I've missed you so much!"

"I've only been gone a week," Alexis said with a laugh.

"It's been a very long week," Augustine said, pulling her in for a kiss.

Alexis laid her head on his chest. "I missed you, too."

"How long can you stay?"

"Only for the night. We're heading out for Cyllage City in the morning."

His arms tightened around her. "Then we'll have to make our time last."