After the town apologized and embraced Monique Rayne as one of them, it was a very good sleep as everyone had no worries on their mind. By early morning, they were greeted by the four recognizable women that were involved with them during yesterday's fashion show. Once they finally reached the center of the gym, they gasped as it looked like a zen garden of sorts, trees surrounding the walls which were mostly paper with some wood that made rectangles. Just a little closer was an outline of sand which had lines raked through them, reachable by bridges leading to the battle field on a raised stone foundation, where Valerie...should be standing but was nowhere in sight. Serena noticed that Trevor was ready to take notes when she asked,
"Hey, you're technically not Sycamore's underling anymore. Why are you still recording data?"
"Just because he quit doesn't mean I should? During those off-screen moments the readers didn't get to read, you guys really helped me with my depression, and now I'm willing to do the best I can for myself, not just for him!" Serena was surprised by his answer, only to smile fondly that his interests were truly his, not just because it was an excuse for something. She patted his shoulder.
"We were glad to help." The room then darkened as the walls pulled away while neon pink light filled the room, bedazzling the teens as the light was replaced by dark blue and raining sakura petals. From the distant floor, Valerie in her fairy dress rose up, and walked onto the arena.
"The time has finally come! Valerie the Laverre gym leader now makes her appearance!"
"I welcome you all to my gym. Ash, I must thank you."
"For what?"
"For accepting Monique. Without even knowing her story, you showed her the first sign of genuine friendship she hasn't experienced in ages. You are truly a kind spirit, and have my deepest admiration." Ash smiled.
"Thank you."
"Tell me, how many gym badges do you have?"
"Five. So you're my sixth."
"I see." Valerie was then handed four Pokeballs from one of her models. "In that case, I'm interested to see what you have in mind for me."
"The Laverre gym match between Valerie the gym leader and Ash the challenger will now get underway! Each trainer will have the use of five Pokemon, and the battle will be over when either trainer's Pokemon are unable to continue! Furthermore, only the challenger is permitted to substitute Pokemon!"
"Aromatisse, appear!" A being that mostly looked like a bird surrounded by cotton candy was brought out as her first Pokemon.
"Lucario, I choose you!" Once his choice was on the field, Valerie spoke just like her Pokemon, which confused Ash. The Fragrance Pokemon then glowed as she filled the room with pink energy, which smelled nice and looked really tranquil.
"Wow, I feel so much calmer all of the sudden." Shauna remarked.
"Yeah, like I could just listen to a waterfall and nap." Trevor agreed.
"What is this?" Ash pondered, having gotten used to the fairy type by now but has never experienced this move.
"It's Misty Terrain Ash!" Serena answered. It protects against status ailments and makes dragon types even weaker!"
"Well, good thing status ailments wasn't what I was going for anyway. Flash Cannon!" With just a single blast of silver energy, Aromatisse was down for the count thanks to his enhanced power and overwhelming speed.
"Aromatisse is unable to battle! The winner is Lucario!"
"Return. At least you tried to help us. Thank you, so take a nice rest. Slurpuff, appear and use Light Screen!" Another pink Pokemon, this time looking like a dessert cream puff with a big cherry on top and a tongue hanging out. She managed to form a yellow barrier around her side of the battle field.
"Hmm, in that case, we'll just have to kick things up a notch!" Pressing a key stone Ash yelled,
"Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!"
"Slurpuff puffpuff!" Now it became a brief battle of light as even the brightness of Mega Evolution was being overwhelmed by the blinding gleam that came from the Meringue Pokemon. But this was only for a moment.
"Again, Flash Cannon!" A much more powerful beam of silver energy pierced through the fairy based attack and exploded against the short Pokemon, rolling onto her back in defeat.
"Slurpuff is unable to battle! The winner is Lucario!"
"Well, I'd definitely say that I have the upper edge Valerie, you'd better step up your game." Ash boasted as she withdrew her fallen friend.
"Oh, I plan too. Mawile, appear!" Sending out the fairy/steel type, Ash noticed that a Mega Stone was elegantly strapped on the top of her head.
"Now Mawile, time to shine with Mega Evolution!" Valerie touched the first key stone on her wrist, causing her Pokemon to Mega Evolve. What once was one set of jaws coming from her head split into two, along with her body taking up more presence as she transformed into what he recognized as Monique's costume's inspiration.
"Awesome. So that's what I looked like!" The girl herself admired the creature in which everyone saw her as yesterday.
"It's certainly both pretty and interesting looking." Serena noted. The transformed Mawile yelled as a white aura surrounded her.
"Ma Mawile!" Valerie went first. Her two jaws glowed white, and she charged head first. Recognizing it was Iron Head, he countered,
"Use Close Combat!" Lunging forward, he instantly close the gap between them first and made the first punch against her head, but was surprised when she completely overpowered his fist and kept going as he felt something collide very painfully in his abdomen. So hard was he tacked by the Deceiver Pokemon, he flew back with a prolonged yelp past the shocked Ash and crashed into the scenery. He turned back to see his Lucario transforming back.
"Lucario us unable to battle! The winner is Mawile!"
"He's been one-shot like he's been doing to her!" Shauna gasped, standing up. Serena nodded.
"Huge Power. Ash didn't realize since he's not familiar but it grew very powerful. He should've spammed Aura Sphere."
"Poor Ash." Monique commented.
"I'm sure he'll pull through." Trevor said, not really effected by what just happened.
"Thank you Mawile! We showed him, didn't we!" Valerie encouraged her Pokemon. She nodded in response. Once Ash returned his Pokemon, he chuckled.
"Well, looks like I underestimated you. But this is just beginning. Garchomp, I choose you!" Everyone was shocked to see that Ash brought out his dragon/ground type, the Mega Stone around his throat with a choker.
"What is he doing?! Fairies are immune to dragon moves and his will be dealt big damage if he's hit!" Shauna gasped.
"Oh, I bet I know where this is heading." The short redhead was now getting really excited. Touching a key stone, he yelled,
"Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" And evolve he did glowed with power as Garchomp's arms morphed into scythes and his chest broadened. Garchomp roared as it became a new and deadly fighting machine. Valerie's eyes narrowed as she said,
"Mawile." This time it just seemed like she was going onto a regular attack, but Ash wouldn't let her.
"Jump and use Fire Fang!" Leaping over the steel/fairy type with ease, he spent no time as he mouth filled with fire and he snapped at Mawile's back. She screamed as it was too much to bare from the heat and pain, evident as she transformed back to normal and passed out from the pain. Garchomp dropped her body and shouted his name in triumph.
"Mawile is unable to battle! The winner is Garchomp!"
"Yep, I knew he'd win that one." Serena giggled. "While it didn't look like Close Combat didn't do much, Mawile was part steel type so the damage was neutral, and with such a hard hitter like Lucario when he Mega Evolves, even it must've been hiding a headache under that face."
"Incredible!" Monique marvel Ash's tenacity.
"Sylveon, appear!" The fairy type eeveelution was summoned, and Ash couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. "Now Sylveon, time to shine with Mega Evolution!" Touching another key stone, Sylveon glowed as her transformation began. Her ribbons extended out and became fluffy at the ends. Her ears, the base of her tail and legs sprouted butterfly shaped protrusions, along with her tail becoming bushier with fur. By the end of the transformation with the rainbow helix, Sylveon looked even more fairy like then ever, and much more beautiful. "Sylv, Sylveon!" Extending her ribbons, Garchomp found himself entangled with white tendrils, growling as he tried to break free.
"No way!" Ash gasped.
"So Sylveon can do that?!" Serena was very surprised by this.
"Be careful Ash. While fairy types are graceful, they can also bare their fangs. Sylveon!" Valerie commanded, and the Intertwining Pokemon shouted which resulted in pink and sparkly sound waves which overtook the Mach Pokemon, causing the dragon sheer discomfort as he roared.
"Quick, use Fire Fang on the ribbons!" Ash ordered. His mouth filling with flame again, he bit down on the extended appendages, causing Sylveon to cringe in pain as she let go of his right arm. "Now drag her down with Dig!" Raising one of his extremely sharp arms, Garchomp slashed into the ground as he went under the field. Even with a type disadvantage, his sheer strength forced Sylveon off her feet and screamed as she was dragged down into the hole.
"Sylveon!" Valerie cried out in worry. A few seconds passed before the ground burst which resulted in the two Pokemon in mid-air with Garchomp using the flat side of his scythe arms to bat the fairy type down, crashing into the field as she transformed back to normal.
"Sylveon is unable to battle! The winner is Garchomp!" And not only that, Misty Terrain and Light Screen wore off.
"Your fairy types aren't the only ones with fangs to bare, and the thing is, there was a reason that I chose Garchomp aside from his awesome power. With Light Screen, you weakened all of my Pokemon that I have on me. Except for Garchomp that is."
"So he used his best physical attacker to wait out the Light Screen!" Trevor realized.
"So clever." Monique praised.
"Yep, he's our smart boy." Serena nodded with an impressed smile.
"Sylveon, return please. You battled wonderfully." The gym leader said as she petted her Pokemon's pokeball. Take a nice rest. Be warned Ash. While I commend your long term strategy and boldness of using and winning with a dragon type, with my ace, it won't be like the last! Florges, appear!" A plant like feminine Pokemon was the last to show, having a white upper body and green lower body, her head surrounded by a bouquet of red flowers. Her lower half was like a mermaid with two large leaves sprouting above the tail fin. She wore a pretty belt with a Mega Stone where a naval would be if the Pokemon were human. "Now Florges, time to shine with Mega Evolution!" Her ace began to evolve like the others before her, starting with the flowers from her head expanding and some extending outwards in lines reaching down to her shoulders. The leaves on her tail also split so that their was four with the ends growing bigger leaves. With the transformation done, Florges looked like the most elegant fairy type Pokemon you could find. "Florges." The electronic walls turned blue as a full moon appeared even if it wasn't real, but it was like it was from the way the Garden Pokemon was forming a pink glowing orb and threw it at Garchomp with surprising speed, along with he was too injured to dodge quickly enough, and was subject to a powerful explosion. While his friends gasped, Ash remained stoic as he knew his dragon/ground type was down and out.
"Garchomp is unable to battle! The winner is Florges!"
"Garchomp, return. You did amazing this time. I'm proud. Take a good rest. Now for what I've been waiting for. Charizard, I choose you!" His Kanto fire starter roared as he was brought out, and Ash touched a key stone.
"Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" Charizard glowed and began to morph, but not like before. His wings grew longer, his arms and tail became spiked and a third horn appeared on the back of his head. By the time he was done, the Flame Pokemon flapped his wings and blew fire from his mouth, looking so cool with his other shiny transformation. The inside of the room brightened as an artificial sun glowed above Ash's side of the field.
"He used the Y stone this time!" Shauna cheered.
"Come on Ash, I know you can win this!" Serena and Monique encouraged their friend.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!" The Flame Pokemon's wings glowed white as he launched a barrage of energy blades.
"Florges Flor!" The fairy type created another Moonblast which she spammed one after another, each exploding upon contact with the flying type attack. "Florges Florges!" The Garden Pokemon's eyes glowed blue, and so an outline appeared around the fire/flying type, and it took just slightly too long to realize what was going to happen before being slammed down into the ground thanks to Psychic.
"Fire Blast!" Even when down from flying, the fire starter was still able to attack with a powerful 火 kanji, which Florges was too preoccupied to defend or dodge and thus was engulfed by the fire type attack. Charizard was then able to get back up into the air. "Again!"
"Florges!" Valerie pleaded. As Charizard made another kanji, an orb of pink light was launched from the smoke, and collided with the Fire Blast in the middle, trying to stop it. Fortunately, Charizard's offense was too strong as it was only slowed down, yet still fast enough to explode against the Garden Pokemon once again. With a scream, Florges fell to the ground while reverting back to normal. She fainted.
"Florges is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner, meaning the match goes to Ash!"
"Haha, that was great Charizard!" Ash complimented his kanto starter whom snorted as he transformed back to normal.
"I still can't believe he won using a dragon type, and waiting before using his Charizard." Trevor was awestruck by Ash's means of battle. "He's so cool."
"He really is." Shauna and Serena said at the same time before looking at each other. They giggled at the jinx. Monique was stunned by his battle prowess. Not just strong, but calculating as well.
"It's been quite a long time since I've been beaten." The fairy specialist commented as she stooped down and talked to her Florges. "Flor Florges gesges. I'm proud of you just like I'm proud of all the others. Return, and take a good rest." Looking up at her victorious challenger, she smiled. "That was truly well done. You're the first trainer that's beaten me in a while."
"You were certainly good. Hey, can you really talk to your Pokemon?"
"Not all, but I certainly can communicate with mine. Actually, I have always wished to be a Pokemon myself. But enough about me, you know how a trainer's heart becomes one with their Pokemon when backed into a corner doing battle. And you know how to be compassionate with others so that everyone has a reason to smile. For your victory, I bestow you the Fairy Badge." Although, it took her a few seconds to hand it over as she was staring at the object before realizing what she was doing. Ah...do forgive me. I was so captivated by it, I forgot for a moment it was yours." Ash was handed a badge that resembled a fairy with how pink and sparkly it looked with its round center and wings.
"Thank you."
"Wow, it's so cute and sparkly!" Shauna gushed over his newest badge as they walked through the city, having dropped Ash's Pokemon at the Pokemon Center that needed to be healed. "I can't wait till I have one!"
"It certainly is very pretty." Monique agreed, gazing down at the badge in Ash's hand.
"Hmmm, now I'm actually conflicted about evolving my Eevee into Espeon or Sylveon. That ribbon thing was really cool." Serena bemoaned, her hands behind her head.
"Well, while we think about it, how about we visit the pokeball factory?" Trevor suggested. "Maybe even get some specialty pokeballs?"
"That sounds possibly fun." The tomboy shrugged.
"Then let's go!" Shauna yelled as she sprinted ahead.
"She doesn't know where it is." Monique pointed out. Serena sighed as she sprinted after the girl. Shortly after retrieving Shauna, the group found the factory.
"Wow, it sure is huge!" Shauna marveled at the place, which is quite big.
"I've always wanted to come here. See how they are made." Trevor nodded. "They truly are a fascinating aspect of technology." However, as they approached, they saw a member of the evil team they encountered at the power plant! Once he noticed them, he freaked out.
"Geez! Gotta tell the boss!" After he ran in, they wondered if the factory had been taken over.
"Them? Again?! Trevor was trembling from the implication they'd have to fight those people a third time.
"Hey, don't worry Trevs. We've beaten them before, we can do it again." Serena tried to instill courage into her friend.
"Yeah, something is up, and now we have to fix it!" Shauna agreed. "Monique, I think you should stand back. We've dealt with them before and they're seriously dangerous!"
"Dan-dangerous?!" The hex maniac started to panic. "What are you going to do?!"
"Simple." Serena said as she cracked her knuckles. "We mess with whatever plans they've got in store. Stay out here where it's safe. We'll handle the inside." And so our heroes bravely, and reluctantly for Trevor's case, stormed the factory where it was surprisingly empty. However, a voice did ring out.
"Well ain't this a contrived coincidence? You foil our plans at the fossil caves, and then you meddle with our take over of the power plant, and now you stumble upon our invasion of this here factory. What are the odds? Are you..." A man in a pink lavender suit stepped out, his eyes covered by shades which glowed pink where the lenses are just like Asnix before. Even his blonde hair had a pink stripe curling around his forehead. "...psychic or something?"
"Who are you this time? You remind us of that Asnix woman with the woman and cold voice." Serena commented.
"Ah yes, my ally. Well, you may refer to me as Exdiox. I was in the middle of negotiating with the president of joining our cause when you rudely interrupted. You were lucky with my partner last time, but you stand no chance against my ace. Go, Alakazam!" Once a yellow humanoid floating Pokemon with a mustache and spoons appeared, Exdiox touched a key stone which reacted with the Mega Stone attached to a belt on the psychic type's torso. "Mega Evolve!" Alakazam glowed, and thus began to transform. A beard grew down its face, its arms drooped down like sleeves, and its lower body thinned out. But most interestingly was that five spoons surrounded the Mega Evolved Pokemon. By the time the transformation ended, it looked more sage like with its aged look.
"Alakazam." It spoke.
"Greninja, I choose you!"
"Blastoise, I choose you!"
"Talonflame, style time!"
"Raiden, let's help out!" But before they could do anything, Alakazam's eyes glowed blue, and thus three of the four Pokemon, Greninja excluded, were lifted with surprise on their faces, and hurled around, crashing into stuff. Talonflame and Raiden infact were already knocked out from the sheer psychic power.
"How did you do that?!" Shauna gasped. "You didn't make a command!"
"I don't have to. Mega Alakazam have the ability to see every everything that will happen within its knowledge, and its knowledge is infallible."
"Oh yeah, well how about it defending against two attacks?! Hydro Pump!"
"Yeah! Greninja, use Dark Pulse!" But even before they made their attack, the psychic type started to glow brilliantly as it used Dazzling Gleam, so that even when the attacks were made, they were stopped and pushed back effortlessly. "No, get away quick!" Ash pleaded. Greninja was able to leap behind a heavy metal box to avoid the attack. Blastoise wasn't as lucky as he was blasted into a steel beam. He fell onto his front, defeated like nothing.
"Blastoise!" Serena called out in concern. Alakazam did not stop as it formed a blue orb which was Focus Blast, and fired it at it the box Greninja was hiding in. However, all that was there was a hole. "Grr, don't think you've won yet! Talonflame, Brave Bird!"
"Yeah!" Shauna wasn't giving up so easily. "Gardevoir, use Shadow Ball!"
"Roserade, Petal Dance!" Trevor brought out his Bouquet Pokemon. However, the Psi Pokemon simply gathered a bunch of crates which provided as a shield against the attacks. Monique watched outside as she witnessed her friends were getting slaughtered, with Alakazam using Psychic to slam Serena's Talonflame against Roserade and obliterated Gardevoir's Shadow Ball with its own and beat her as well. The poor hex maniac gulped and dropped down and tried to think of a way that she could help. But her two ghost types would be creamed by its Psychic and Shadow Balls. Unless...Monique gasped as she brought out one of the last things her late mom gave her. Gripping it, the hex maniac tried to sneak it.
After several minutes of fighting, Serena and Trevor had ran out out of Pokemon and Ash plus Shauna only had their Greninja and Chesnaught left by this point. Even when they tried Mega Evolving their Pokemon were beaten faster than they could complete the process.
"Why do you persist? Alakazam has single handily beaten over ten of your Pokemon. You can't beat a Pokemon that can see every possible future it knows of." But even as Exdiox said this, Ash refused to give up.
"No, it's over when its over!" But as he said that, he had no idea how to beat Alakazam like this. At least, one that would work but he's willing to try anything. "Shauna, bring out Chessie."
"But Chessie stands no chance!"
"Just do it!" He yelled at her. Taken aback, she did as was told and Ash said,
"Greninja, use Ice Beam on Chessie!"
"What?!" His battle partner gasped and his water starter looked at him shocked herself.
"What are you saying Ash?!" Serena questioned her childhood friend.
"Oh? You're turning on your friends now?" Exdiox chuckled. "Even with my brilliant mind I certainly wouldn't have seen this coming."
"Just trust me! I have something of a plan!" Reluctantly, the two nodded as Greninja hit the grass Kalos starter, freezing her into unconsciousness. However, a tornado of water began to spin around the Ninja Pokemon, and thus in her shiny glory, she was now in her Ash-Greninja form, ready for battle. Alakazam, for the whole fight, actually moved back, and some sweat glistened since now it actually felt worry.
"So even your Battle Bond form worries my Alakazam? No matter, my Gallade will handle handle this instead. Return." However, nothing happened. "I said return!" Still nothing. "Why won't this thing work?!"
"Because of me." A female voice answered. Everyone turned to see Monique step from the shadows. "And a certain...Pokemon that's my absolute favorite." Three eyes appeared from the shadows behind her followed by a big smile with white teeth, before a shiny pink Gengar came into existence with her, chuckling at his trap. "Shadow Tag prevents Pokemon from being switched."
"Fine then, you'll just have to pay for your insolence. Shadow Ball!"
"Water Shuriken!" Within a flash, Greninja appeared before and threw a shuriken made of water which split into three, the middle catching the Shadow Ball while the other two others sliced into the psychic type, creating small watery explosions that Alakazam grunted against. The two Pokemon then easily blended into the shadows, Gengar dragging his master with him for Monique's protection. The two villains looked around, trying to pinpoint them. Looking to his right, he formed a Shadow Ball and fired.
"Protect!" A green forcefield within the shadows shielded against the attack, and it was during that instance that Greninja burst from the ground faster then the psychic type could react, snagging the Psi Pokemon with her tongue and wrapping around its frail body.
"No! Focus Blast!" But even with a verbal command, the Psi Pokemon was too much in a painful bind to concentrate.
"Hex!" Revealing himself, Gengar created an evil looking eye of ghostly energy and launched it. Greninja held the panicking Alakazam tightly so it couldn't escape, and thus they were caught in an explosion that shook the whole factory, everyone bracing against the shock wave and smoke. Gazing to where the Pokemon were, it eventually cleared up to see both Alakazam, now back to normal, was defeated while Greninja was somewhat hurt but none the less still good as she unraveled her red tongue and let the Psi Pokemon fell.
"Impossible. Mega Alakazam has never been defeated before!" Exdiox gulped as he returned his Pokemon.
"That's the thing though. My friends can defy causality itself!" Monique boasted, walking to her friends.
"Yeah! With Monique and I, none of the rest of your Pokemon stand a chance!" Ash decreed with a smile. The scientist growled as he summoned his Espeon.
"This isn't over. Dazzling Gleam!" Espeon shouted as she produced a blinding light that caused everyone to look away. By the time the light vanished, so did the man and his Pokemon."
"Whoo, that was hard." Serena groaned as she slimped against a vertical beam. Shauna collapsed onto her knees.
"That was...absolutely insane."
"Is he gone?" A person called out. They looked to see an old man approach them. "Is that man gone?"
"Yeah, we defeated him." Ash replied.
"Oh, thank you so much! You saved everyone here and my business! It's truly astounding you could force him away despite being young trainers! Very well then, I'll show you how much your efforts are appreciated." Taking out a check, he's written down a certain number and handed it to Ash.
"Holy moly!" The trainer gasped. He showed it to his friends.
"Oh man! That's a lot of money!" Serena gasped.
"Not only that, I'd like to give you this." Going to Trevor, he gave the young teen a purple ball. "The Master Ball. There's only a little more than fifty in the whole world. I just have a feeling you'll put this to great use. That blasted man, what was he planning to accomplish with by taking every pokeball here? Well, thank you again." Later that night, the group were recuperating at the Pokemon Center, tired from such a day.
"Mega Alakazam. Such an OP Pokemon." Trevor wondered out loud.
"It's a good thing Monique was there. Otherwise we might've never won." Serena sighed, lying down on a couch.
"Yeah! She and her Gengar were awesome! I didn't know you could Mega Evolve your Gengar!"
"Well, the stones were a parting gift from my mother." Monique caressed a ring that held the stone. "She came across them by chance, and only after turning it into a ring did she learn it was a Mega Stone. Once I turned six, she bestowed it to me, believing that it was fate that we came into possession of it. She wasn't a psychic or hex maniac but from what I remember, she always had this mystical side to her that made her unlike any other person I knew back then or since. That is until you guys. I can just sense it. Like in a story you're the main characters." Everyone stayed silent as they let the idea sink in.
"Well, at least now you have us!" Shauna cheered. "You're part of our group now Monique! Welcome aboard!" She then went and hugged the gothic girl causing her to blush, but then she smiled as she hugged back.
"Thank you."
"Three cheers for Monique!" The spunky girl encouraged.
A/N: Awesome. That was so cool, guys.