Disclaimer- I do not own Pokemon, or the characters from the show, I only own my O.C. Now, let's get right to it!
A few days of traveling, including a stop at a haunted house, our heroes had finally made it to the bustling and glistening Laverre City. Stopping in front of a bridge that crossed over a canal to enter the city, Serena, who had been leading the group upon arrival into the city, announced, "We made it! Laverre City"!
Ash was pretty excited about entering the city, saying out loud, "Alright! Let's get to the gym right away," with Pikachu chirping in agreement.
Lyra commented, "I definitely agree with you, Ash! The sooner we get to the gym, the sooner we can win our gym battles and earn the Laverre City gym badge"!
Clemont commented, "You both definitely seem ready to move"!
Lyra then commented, "Of course we are! Once we win our gym badges, we'll be one step closer to the Kalos League! Plus, not to mention, I got my Showcase debut tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited about that too! Right, Silverstream"?
Her shiny Fennekin happily chattered in agreement while wagging her tail
Serena opened her guidebook to look up the directions to the gym, saying, "then, let's head over there right now! The Gym is that way," while pointing to the direction of the gym.
Ash and Lyra cheered in excitement, with Lyra saying, "Hey, Ash! First one to the gym challenge the gym leader first"!
Ash smile and tipped his hat, saying, "Ok, you're on," as he and Lyra were about to race off to the gym before Serena stopped them, saying, "Wait, you two"!
Ash and Lyra screeched to a halt, with Ash asking, "What's up, Serena"?
Serena answered, "you both don't even know who you're gonna be battling yet."
Lyra, curious, asked, "You know the gym leader"?
Serena nodded, looking something up in her guidebook, saying, "Yep! This is here right here, see? Tada," and showed the guidebook to her friends, as they got to see the picture of the gym leader. She was a woman with long black hair that reaches her knees, her eyes are wide and in the color of purplish-gray. In her hair, she wore purple hairclips slightly resembling the ears of an Audino and string-like tendrils, as well as a purple choker, and her outfit resembles a stylized kimono spliced with a gothic-lolita style. The sleeves bear the resemblance to butterfly wings with pink, mist-like patterns followed by a yellowish-cream color and tipped with black. She wore a pale yellow corset intertwined with purple strings and lined with butterfly patterns with strings, a short, puffy skirt with the color of pale purple, pink, and black with frilly ends, and her outfit is completed with black socks with renaissance flairs on the top, and black high heels with bright pink soles and ribbons.
Serena then explained, "This is Valerie, the gym leader of the Laverre City gym."
Everyone marveled about the outfit, with Bonnie saying, "Her dress looks so pretty"!
Lyra mentioned, "Yeah, and I love the style of the kimono! I'd love to wear something like that for the Showcase tomorrow! I already have my Pokemon's outfits ready, but I still haven't found anything for myself to wear."
Serena placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, saying, "Well then, why don't we stop by her store later after your gym battle"?
Hearing this, Clemont asked, "Valerie has her own store"?
Serena happily answered, "Yeah! See, Valerie's also a famous fashion designer, and she has her own store inside the gym"!
Lyra, seeing this, smiled, saying, "In that case, count me in! But first, I got a gym leader to beat"!
Ash then replied, "I think you mean I have a gym leader to beat," with Pikachu chirping happily in determination.
Ash and Lyra looked at one another before shouting in unison, "Race you there," and ran off, racing each other to get to the gym first, with their Pokemon following closely behind, while Serena shouted, "Ash, Lyra, wait up," and ran after them.
Bonnie giggled while saying, "Come on, big brother," and ran after them, while Clemont added as he slowly tried to run after them too, "Hold on, you guys"!
Meanwhile, Lyra and Ash kept racing each other, trying to get to the gym first, before they soon found themselves approaching the building itself, which looked like a huge fashion store but was right next to a giant, beautiful tree.
Lyra and Silverstream crossed the small bridge and entered the store first, with Lyra shouting, "Aha! We win! I get to challenge Valerie first," with Silverstream happily chattering next to her trainer while scurrying back up onto its spot on top of her trainer's head, with her tail wagging happily.
Ash came in second, with Pikachu climbing up onto his shoulder, while Ash said as he sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his head, "Well, you beat me, Lyra. Guess you can challenge Valerie first."
Lyra cheered, saying, "Sweet! First, the gym battle, then the showcase! Am I freshly-baked bread because I'm on a roll," and started to do a little mini-victory dance with Silverstream happily chirped alongside her.
Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont soon entered the gym too, with Bonnie saying, "Man, do you both run fast," with her Dedenne chirping tiredly in agreement.
Ash and Lyra both sheepishly smiled, with ash saying, "sorry about that. We're just really excited to be taking on our next gym challenge."
Serena looked around the gym in awe, saying, "Wow, I finally get to meet Valerie! There's so many questions I want to ask her about the world of fashion"!
Lyra then noticed something, saying, "Speaking of fashion, check it out," and pointed out to how a lot of the girls that were in the gym's main lobby were running around, trying to gather things and/or were carrying boxes that seemed to be full of something of great importance.
One of the girls was holding a box, asking, "Do you think i should bring this outfit over now," while another one said while helping her friend carry a large box, saying, "We've got to hurry or we'll be late"!
One of the main girls, who wore a black kimono-like dress, ordered, "Yes, go ahead and take that package! And all the accessories too"!
The group was confused about what was happening, with Ash asking, "What's going on," while Lyra mentioned, "I'm not sure. I don't even know where to go to place the order of having a gym battle."
Clemont mentioned, "They all seem to be really busy with something."
Serena, however, marveled about all the outfits the girls were wearing, commenting, "Ooh, they're all wearing Valerie's designs, and they all look so cute"!
Suddenly, there was a loud voice that the group overheard, making them turn their heads and see who was talking.
It turned out to be a boy around Ash's age, who was dark-tanned, with dark-green hair and blue eyes, and wore a white shirt with an orange tie, a dark green vest with yellow buttons, and a pocket on the left side of the chest, brown short pants with large pockets, black under jeans, and green shoes, and a brown backpack and was seen carrying a notebook in his right hand.
He was talking to a girl who had auburn wavy hair and was wearing a blue kimono-like dress at a front desk, saying, "Please! I have to have a gym battle, no matter what"!
The girl then answered, "I'm sorry. See, the Laverre gym is closed because we're having an event here tonight. There's really nothing I can do."
The boy seemed to panic, saying to himself, "Oh man, oh man, oh man."
Ash and Lyra overheard this and gasped and shock, as Ash ran up to the desk, asking the lady, "Wait, are you serious? There's really no way to have a battle now"?
Lyra added, "Not even before the showcase tomorrow"?
The woman sadly answered, "I'm terribly sorry," as Lyra then asked, "Isn't there ay way? We cam eall this way to challenge the gym! I was hoping to do the challenge before tomorrow's Pokemon showcase."
The woman then asked, "Wait, are you a performer by chance"?
Lyra nodded, saying, "Sort of. I'm new; tomorrow's gonna be my debut," with Silverstream chattering in agreement. Lyra added, "And my friend Ash here traveled from far away to be able to take on this gym challenge."
The new boy overheard Lyra's statement, asking, "Are you both here for a gym battle too"?
Ash replied, "Yeah, but i guess our timing's bad," while Lyra mentioned, "Yeah, but no worries; I can wait. it'll give me time to prep my final edits for my routine for tomorrow's showcase."
The boy then looked up and saw Lyra's Fennekin, commenting in surprise, "Wow, your Fennekin's a different shiny color"!
Silverstream saw the boy and whimpered shyly, climbing into Lyra's arms, while Lyra said, "Oh, this is my partner: Silverstream; she's a bit shy around newcomers, so apologies if she acts wary around you."
The boy chuckled, saying, "That's ok, but it's so cool to see a Pokemon with a different color scheme up close"! Suddenly, the trio heard someone exclaim, "Hey, that girl's a keeper," and turned their heads to see who it was.
It turned out to be Bonnie who exclaimed that statement, as she kneeled down in front of a nearby girl, asking, "Please help take care of my brother," as the girl was too surprised to respond.
However, before Bonnie could elaborate, Clemont used his robotic Aipom arm to pick up Bonnie and bring her over to him and shouted while blushing, "Bonnie, I told you to stop this a million times"!
Bonnie crossed her arms and pouted, saying, "But she looked really, really cute"!
Lyra, in confusion, asked, "What the heck was that about," while Ash chuckled, finding the antic between the two siblings funny.
Then, the new boy spoke up, recognizing Clemont, saying, "Hey! It's the Lumious Gym leader"!
Clemont perked his head up, looking up at the boy, saying, "Who? Me"?
Soon, everyone was sitting down by some benches near the window, while the boy introduced himself, saying, "It's nice to meet everybody; my name is Sawyer."
Clemont then mentioned, "He came to challenge me at the Lumious gym a while back."
Sawyer then added, "Sadly, I lost, but i learned a whole lot from the battle."
Ash then commented, "It's nice to meet you, Sawyer. I'm Ash, and this is my partner, Pikachu," as Pikachu happily chirped hello.
Lyra then mentioned, "I'm Lyra from Santalune city, and you've already met my partner: Silverstream," as the Fennekin shyly smiled, waving hello.
Serena then went up next, saying, "I'm Serena, pleased to meet you,"
Finally, Bonnie went, saying, "My name's Bonnie, and this is Dedenne," as her Dedenne popped its head out of her bag and chirped hi.
Ash then asked Sawyer, "So, Sawyer, if you're challenging the gyms, how many badges do you have"?
Sawyer answered, "so far, only one, but i really want to get some more battling under my belt."
Lyra chuckled, tipping her hat while saying, "I feel ya there. I only got one gym badge too, but I'm always set to train and gain a lot of new experiences to learn from."
Clemont then mentioned, "His Treecko is quite remarkable and moves really well."
Hearing this, Ash commented, "So, Treecko's your partner then, huh," as Sawyer nodded, saying while pulling out a Pokeball and looking at it, "Treecko was my very first Pokemon. but, we've still got a lot more training to do. I really want to get stronger, and then come back to the Lumious gym and challenge it again."
Clemont happily answered, "you'd be welcome anytime," while Lyra mentioned, "But watch out; Clemont is pretty strong."
Sawyer then asked, "Say Clemont, if you're here, how come you're not back at the gym"?
Clemont answered, "I decided to leave the gym in my Clembot's able hands and continue my journey with Ash. That way, I'd be able to gain a lot more valuable experiences I can share with mew challengers."
Bonnie then commented, "Ash is really strong; he beat Clemont is an amazing battle! And he's got five whole gym badges"!
Hearing this, Sawyer became easily impressed by Ash, commenting, "Really?! Amazing! I'm gonna do my very best to get stronger so I can catch up"!
Ash felt a little bit embarrassed by the sudden new admiration, saying while scratching the back of his head, "I still got a ways to go. Guess my next gym battle's gonna have to wait until tomorrow."
Lyra mentioned, "Guess so. But on the plus side, I now have extra time to polish my routine for tomorrow. Right, Silverstream"?
Her shiny Fennekin happily chirped in agreement, climbing back up onto her trainer's head.
Serena then got an idea, saying, "Well, if you still got extra time, why don't we visit Valerie's store first? We can see if we can find you something really pretty to wear for your showcase debut tomorrow, Lyra"!
Lyra blushed a bit in embarrassment, saying, "I don't know about pretty, but as long as it looks nice, I don't see why not."
Ash smiled and commented, "Sure, we can go see the store," which made Serena cheer excitedly.
A few minutes later, the group went inside Valerie's store to look around and see what they could find, and by they, I mean the girls, as the boys were sitting by some chairs near a corner window and watching the girls looking at the marvelous dresses.
At the moment, Serena, Bonnie, Serena's Braixen, Lyra, and Silverstream were looking at a dress that had an Umbreon pattern design, with Serena commenting, "Wow, that looks really pretty"!
Her Braixen happily chattered in agreement while bonnie mentioned, "It sure does! Of course,e you'd look great wearing it"!
Lyra commented in confusion, "I don't know, it feels a little...much for me," while Silverstream copied her trainer's confused look.
Over by the boys, they were continuing to watch the girls having fun, with Clemont saying, "Those three definitely have a lot of energy."
Ash commented, "Yeah, and I'm really glad they're having fun," while Sawyer mentioned, "Yeah, me too."
Ash then noticed that outside the store, there was a battlefield currently not in use, and it gave him an idea. He smiled, saying, "Hey, Sawyer since we can't have our gym battles, how about we practice some"?
Sawyer thought that it sounded like a good idea, saying, "Yeah! If it's ok with you, can we have a double battle? I've never had one before."
Ash was more than happy to accept the challenge, saying, "Sure thing"!
While the girls were continuing to look, away from prying eyes, two of the main girls who worked at the store were watching them, with the one in the pink kimono dress saying, "What do you think of those three? Don't they look totally perfect"?
The one in the black-and-white kimono dress answered, "I think they might work out."
Out on the battlefield, Ash and Sawyer prepped to have their double battle, as Clemont volunteered to be the referee, "Alright! The double battle between Ash and Sawyer will now begin"!
Ash pulled out two Pokeballs, saying, "Alright, I choose you two," and let out his choices, which turned out to be Frogadier and Hawlucha.
Frogadier and Hawlucha were ready to battle, as Ash told them, "Now, I'm counting on you two to win this," with both Pokemon chattering in determination/confidence.
Ash then looked up at Sawyer, asking, "Sawyer, what about you? I'll bet you'll be using Treecko, right"?
Sawyer pulled out two Pokeballs, answering, "Right. And the one one is my secret weapon," as he let out his two choices, who were ready for battle.
One of the Pokemon that appeared was Treecko, who looked like a light green, bipedal gecko with yellow gleaming eyes, a red belly/under-chin, and a green tail that resembled a fluffy leaf.
The other Pokemon that came out chattered, "Bagon," as it too readied for battle. It looked like a small light blue dragon with a bony grey crest on its head, tusks sticking up from the far sides of its mouth, yellow circles on the sides of its head, and a yellow triangle pattern on its bottom. Its arms were short and resembled fins, and it had a determined look in its eyes.
Ash took note of each Pokemon Sawyer picked to use, commenting when he first spotted Treecko, "Yep, there's Treecko," and pulled out his Pokedex to see what it had to say about both Pokemon.
Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokemon. Treecko has small hooks on the bottom of its feet that enable it to scale vertical walls. This Pokémon attacks by slamming foes with its thick tail.
Bagon, the Rock Head Pokemon. Dreaming of one day flying, it practices by leaping off cliffs every day.
With both sides ready, Clemont raised his hand up, saying, "Alright! Battle begin," as Ash and Sawyer were ready to battle.
Sawyer called the first command, saying, "Bagon, use headbutt"!
Bagon took charge and began to run at both Frogadier and Hawlucha head-first, set to hit any of them with its strong head.
Ash took control to counter, saying, "Hawlucha, meet it head on with karate chop"!
Hawlucha ran towards Bagon and raised its wing/arm up, which started to glow, before intercepting the headbutt strongly, creating a stalemate. however, because it had hit the strong bony part of Bagon's head, when both Pokemon stepped back, Hawlucha waved its wing back and forth, feeling the painful effect of hitting Bagon's head.
Ash reassured it, asking, "Hawlucha, are you ok"?
Hawlucha nodded and refocused, set to fight back.
Sawyer commented with a chuckle, "You may have noticed that my Bagon has a really hard head."
Ash then replied, "Yeah? Then, check this out! Lots of karate chops"!
Both of Hawlucha's arms/wings glowed, as it charged forward and started to deliver a barrage of karate chops on Bagon, who despite tried to use its head to block, was feeling the power behind the hits, stunning Sawyer. Then, one massive karate chop delivered damage to Bagon, who got sent back but skidded back to its feet, not ready to go down yet.
As Bagon recovered, Sawyer commented, "Wow, Ash, that was pretty impressive"!
Ash replied, "We keep on trying and we never give up' that's our battling style," while his Hawlucha did a battle pose while chattering in agreement.
Sawyer then declared, "I see. Well, we don't give up, either! Treecko, leech seed, let's go"!
The grass type jumped up and fired some seeds from its mouth into the ground, which fired off some vines at Hawlucnha, who by Ash's command, glided up to dodge the attack.
However, it got set up into a position for Bagon, by Sawyer's command, to try and land a hit on Hawlucha using fire fang, the fire-type move drawing nearer towards Hawlucha.
To protect it, Ash told Frogadier, "Frogadier, use water pulse"!
The water type nodded and jumped up, launching a water pulse to intercept the fire fang, and protected Hawlucha just in time.
Ash smiled, seeing how well it went, praising Frogadier by saying, "Way to go, Frogadier"!
Frogadier smiled while Hawlucha, who glided back down to the ground, thanked it for the backup.
Sawyer made a note of Ash's counter in his journal, saying while writing, "You work perfectly together! That's what I call real teamwork"!
As he finished writing in his journal, Sawyer mentioned, "You taught me a lot; thanks. Ash"!
Ash smiled in response while growing more determined about the battle.
Meanwhile, back in the store, Lyra had strayed away from Serena, looking around while saying, "Dang, it's like none of these dresses seem to spark my interest. What am I gonna do"?
Silverstream tried to reassure her trainer with a cheek nuzzle, letting her know that everything would be ok.
Then, something caught Lyra's attention as she saw a dress in particular that seemed to stand out. In a display case, there was a kimono dress that was blue-and-dark grey, resembling a Lucario design. It looked like a traditional kimono, but the bottom of the dress was in a lace-like flower petal-themed cut, and there were little dark grey appendages that hung at the bottom of the dress, like a Lucario's appendages. The sleeves of the dress perfectly resembled Lucario's arms, and the wrists even had one singular spike near the top of the wrist, like the spike on top of a Lucario's front paws.
Lyra was in awe of the design of the dress, saying, "Wow, this dress is perfect! And it'd go perfect with the black headband I want to wear! What do you think, Silverstream"?
Silverstream happily chattered in agreement, wagging its tail in joy.
Lyra looked around, calling out, "Um, excuse me. Does anyone know who I can ask to buy this dress "?
Serena, Bonnie, and Braixen soon caught up with Lyra, with Serena saying, "Hey, Lyra, did you find anything"?
Lyra nodded, saying, "I sure did! I want to wear this for the showcase," while showing Serena the dress she saw.
Serena, Bonnie, and Braixen thought that it looked really cute, with Bonnie saying, "Wow, that looks really pretty," with Dedenne chirping in agreement.
Serena added, "Bonnie's right; I think you'd look really great in this dress for the showcase, Lyra," while her Braixen chattered in agreement.
Lyra replied, "Thanks, you two! Though, how am I gonna buy it"?
Serena questioned that, saying, "I'm not sure. Ash, do you-," but when she turned her head to ask if Ash had any idea, she saw that the boys were gone, with Bonnie then questioning, "Hey, where'd they go"?
then, they heard the loud sounds coming from outside, and went to the window to see. they saw that Ash was in the middle of a battle with Sawyer.
Lyra snickered, saying, "Of course, he'd be in a battle," while Bonnie mentioned, "What else? That's what Ash does," while her Dedenne chirped in agreement.
Suddenly, the two female employees from earlier approached the girls, with the one in the pnk kimono dress saying, "Excuse me, could we talk to you three for a minute"?
All three girls, and both Braixen and Silverstream turned their heads and saw the employees looking at them, as Serena answered, "Uh, yeah, sure. what's up"?
The employee in the black-and-white kimono dress replied, "There's a little something we'd like to speak to the two of you about," while the one in the pink kimono dress added, "We hope you don't mind."
Serena was the most curious, wondering what the employees could want with them.
Back outside the store, the double battle was still going strong, as Sawyer declared, "Treecko, use bullet seed"!
Treecko leaped up and launched a barrage of seeds from its mouth.
Frogadier jumped back to dodge, while Ash shouted, "Dodge it," as he watched Frogadier easily dodge the move.
Clemont made a mental note on how it was smart for Sawyer to have Treecko use that move since grass type moves are super effective on water type,s of course,e that is if they make contact.
Sawyer then had Treecko use bullet seed again, with the grass type launching the move once more.
Ash then declared, "Get in there, Frgoadier," as the water type happily charged in before suddenly disappearing before the move could make contact, making Sawyer shout, "It's gone"!
Suddenly, Sawyer looked up and spotted the Bubble Frog Pokemon up in the air, set to strike, much to his and Treecko's shock. To counter, he shouted, "Treecko, use bullet seed," while Treecko launched the grass type move up at Frogadier!
Ash shouted, "Alright, use cut," as Frogadier summoned a white blade and moved it with lightning speed, protecting itself from the move and cutting right through it, and through Treecko with speed and precision. Such that, that when Frogadier was back on the ground and placed the cut blade away, an explosion occurred, with Treecko caught in it since it was struck with the move, and that was the knockout blow that made Treecko faint, with swirls in its eyes.
With Treecko out of the match, clemont declared, "Treecko is unable to battle"!
Sawyer pulled out Treecko's Pokeball and returned it while saying, "Thanks, Treecko. now, take a nice rest."
After placing Treecko's Pokeball away, Sawyer listened while Clemont explained, "That's how Ash battles! Matchups don't matter because he always comes up with something surprising"!
Ash added, "We do a lot of special training and thinking on our feet; so then, we can win, no matter what comes up," as Pikachu chattered in agreement while jumping onto Ash's shoulder.
Sawyer was making a note of this in his journal while saying, "I see; so, that's how you're able to battle the way you do. I'll make a note of this experience. There must be an endless number of ways to battle"!
Ash nodded in agreement, saying, "Yep. So, Sawyer, what do you wan to do now"?
Sawyer happily answered, "I want to keep on battling! Bagon, let's go," as his Bagon was set to continue fighting.
Ash smiled in determination, saying, "Glad to hear that."
However, before the match could continue, Ash suddenly heard what sounded like music playing in the distance, making him turn around while asking, "Hey, what's that"?
That prompted the boys to run over to the edge of the balcony, with Clemont asking, "What's going on"?
Below them, there was what looked like a runway, with lights flashing, music playing through the speakers, and a huge crowd, mainly made up of a lot of girls, gathering by the runway to see the show below.
Far away from them, in a little hut near the gym, Valerie, the gym leader, was sitting inside the hut, looking very concerned, as her Pokemon, which consisted of a Mr. Mime, a Mawile, a Spritzee, and a Sylveon, gathered around her, looking very concerned for the gym leaders well-being.
The gym leader sighed sadly, saying, "What should I do? I get an important show, and then this happens."
Her Sylveon and Spritzee both chattered some encouraging words, trying to help Valerie feel better.
Valerie replied to them, thanking them for their kind words, before communicating them by speaking both Sylveon and Spritzee's language.
Sylveon and Spritzee both smiled, feeling happy that they could help make their trainer smile, as Valerie then stated, "I know i have to do my best for all of you, and for all my fans out there."
All of her Pokemon happily chattered, cheering together.
While this was going on, the two employees were leading Serena, her Braixen, Lyra, and Bonnie to the entrance of the hut, as the one in the black-and-white kimono dress kneeled by the entranceway and asked, "Ms. Valerie, please excuse us, but, may we enter"?
Valerie replied, "Sure thing," as the employees led the trio inside, where they all were surprised to see none other than Ms. Valerie herself, Serena being the most shock seeing the fashions designer in person, while stuttering, "V-V-Valerie," while Bonnie added, "It's her"!
Lyra was also stunned, saying, "Wow, so that's really her," while Silverstream chattered in agreement.
both employees were kneeling in front of Ms. Valerie, with the one in the pink kimono dress saying to Valerie, "Ms. Valerie, I was thinking of asking these three."
Valerie turned her head to look at Serena, Lyra, and Bonnie, smiling while saying, "Yes, they'll do."
Serena, in awe, commented, "Ms. Valerie, it's such an honor to meet you! I'm a huge fan of all your fashion designs"!
Valerie smiled, thinking the comment was very sweet, replying, "Why, thank you, that's very kind of you."
Serena felt like she was about to die in fashion heaven, blushing while saying, excitedly, "This feels like a dream come true"!
Suddenly, what snapped her back into reality when she overheard Bonnie comment, "That girl's a keeper"!
Bonnie ended up kneeling in front of Valerie like she had done earlier while saying, "Please help take care of my brother"!
Valerie was very confused, asking, "I-I'm a keeper," as Serena quickly stepped in front of Bonnie, trying to play off what had happened while saying, "Uh, i-i-t's nothing, it's nothing," before she said to Bonnie while blushing in embarrassment, "Bonnie, stop it"!
Lyra and Silverstream both snickered from the sight of what was going on, especially when Bonnie mentioned, "But, you can see how pretty Valerie is."
Spritzee and Sylveon then approached Bonnie, wanting to meet her, as Bonnie happily commented, "Ah, a Spritzee! and a Sylveon"!
Her Dedenne peeked out of Bonnie's bag, chirping a happy hello, which Sylveon happily chattered back in response.
Valerie, seeing Dedenne, knelt down towards Sylveon's level while saying happily, "Yes, Dedenne's a fairy type, just like you," before she started to speak in Dedenne-talk, which surprised the electric mouse, but made Dedenne smile and reply right back.
Serena, Bonnie, and Lyra were stunned to see this, with Lyra saying, "Woah, she just talked like Dedenne"!
Valerie chuckled before saying, "See, the reason I called for you three to come here is because I have a favor to ask you. That is, if you wouldn't mind."
Serena was definitely surprised to hear that Valerie wanted to ask a favor of her, Bonnie, and Lyra, while Lyra was curious also, asking, "Favor? What kind of favor"?
A while later on, at around sunset, Ash, Clemont, and Sawyer decided to join the crowd down below so they could see what was going on, as Ash asked, "What's going on," while Clemont mentioned, "I have no idea."
Suddenly, the lights on the runway started to turn on, illuminating the stage, as the crowd, excluding Ash, Clemont, and Sawyer because the three were more confused on what was happening, started to cheer loudly in excitement. On the runway, the curtains parted, two screens lit up, and music started to play on the speakers.
In a puff of smoke by the stage entrance/exit, the two main employees from earlier (the girl in the black kimono dress and the one in the blue kimono dress) came out onto the stage to greet the crowd.
The one in the black kimono dress spoke first, saying, "Ladies nd gentlemen, the time has finally come," while the one in the blue kimono dress added, "We'll be presenting fashion extraordinaire Valerie's newest collection"!
Ash, in confusion, asked one of the people in the crowd, "Uh, what did she just say they were presenting"?
A girl in the crowd answered him, saying, "It's a fashion show, displaying Valerie's newest design collection."
Things seemed to click, with Ash saying, "Fashion show, huh," as the same girl who responded to him added, "And it's just about to start"!
The first model walked out onto the stage, wearing a dress that had an Azumarill pattern, while her partner, who was an Azumarill, was happily walking next to her.
The crowd seemed to go wild for the cute outfit while a nervous Ash, who knew nothing about fashion, sweatdropped while saying, "This stuff sure is popular," with Pikachu chirping in agreement.
A few more models appeared on the stage after that one, including a model wearing a female Meowstic patterned dress and were posing with a female Meowstic, a model wearing a Gothorita patterned dress and posing with a Gothorita by her side, and a model wearing a Chimecho patterned dress and was posing with a Chimecho floating next to her happily.
Clemont then commented to Sawyer and Ash, "Maybe we should tell Serena and Bonnie about this," while Sawyer looked behind them, saying, "They're not here"?
The female employee with the black kimono dress then announced, "And next up, the beautiful designs resembling Florges and Chingling."
On cue, the next models to walk out onto the stage ended up being a nervous Serena, who was wearing the Florges patterned dress and a black headband with a yellow flower on it, with her Braixen walking beside her, and Bonnie, who was wearing a Clingling patterned dress and was happily waving at the crowd while saying hello to them.
Ash, Sawyer, and Clemont were definitely really surprised to see Bonnie and Serena modeling the dresses, as Ash shouted, "Woah, Serena," while a huge red blush creepd up onto his face, thinking that Serena looked really, really pretty in the dress.
Clemont was shocked, to say the least, commenting, "B-B-Bonnie," out of shock.
Serena and bonnie soon spotted their friends in the crowd, with Serena saying while blushing in embarrassment, "Look, it's Ash," while Bonnie spun around, saying, "Hi! What do you think"?
Clemont then asked Bonnie, "bonnie, what in the world are you doing," as his little sister answered, "I'm modeling, of course."
Clemont, still in shock, asked, "Yes, I see, but why are you modeling"?
Sawyer, thinking this was normal, commented to Ash in awe, "I had no idea Serena and Bonnie were models. You're traveling with a gym leader and models? I'm completely jealous"!
Ash, feeling a little awkward, commented, "Um, it's not really like that," before asking Serena, "Hey, Serena, what's this all about"?
Serena nervously answered while sheepishly smiling, "Well, see, the actual models couldn't make it today, and then they saw us, and asked us if could take their place."
Sawyer then asked, "Hey, where's Lyra? Wasn't she with you, guys"?
Before Serena could answer, the screens then showed a picture of Valerie on it, and the music changed, which indicated it was time for Valerie to make her appearance on stage.
Serena whispered, "I'll explain everything in a bit. Bonnie and I need to go change first, but we'll be right back."
Serena, her Braixen, and bonnie left the stage and went to change out of the dresses while backstage, Valerie was getting set to make her entrance. Approaching the stage, she walked out as gracefully as ever, before extending her arms, like a butterfly entends its wings, as the crowd all cheered really loudly for her.
This gave Ash, Sawyer, and Clemont the chance to see who Valerie really was finally, especially for Ash, who got to see now who he was gonna face in his next gym battle.
Ash, taking careful note, commented to himself, "So, that's Valerie, the gym leader," with Pikachu eyeing the gym leader as well.
Valerie then spoke up, saying, "Hi there, thank you all so much for coming to my fashion show! As you all know, the designs are inspired by Pokemon motifs, because I believe that true inspiration can only be found in nature. also, all of my creations are designed to look their absolute best during battle."
Hearing this, Ash commented, "hold on, what did she just say," as he overheard someone say, "It's finally starting," which made him, Sawyer, and Clemont even more confused. What was starting?!
Valerie then announced, "And tonight, I'm thrilled to present not only my latest, newest design but also, present to you tonight's lucky challenger who'll be modeling this dress while in the midst of a Pokemon battle. As such, i present to you: a lovely kimono motif designed nd petterened in resemblance to the Aura Pokemon: Lucario"!
On cue, Lyra walked out onto the stage, wearing the same dress that she had seen earlier on display. not only that, but she was also wearing long dark grey stockings, matching boots that were blue at the soles, and her pigtails were styled to resemble Lucario's appendages, while still getting to wear her trusty cap and fingerless gloves.
Ash, Sawyer, and Clemont were stunned again to see Lyra modeling the dress, with Sawyer saying, "What's Lyra doing up there"?
Lyra smiled and nervously waved at the crowd, with Silverstream, who was sitting on her shoulder, waving at the crowd as well.
Once Lyra made it to the end of the runway, she turned around and faced Valerie, who then said, "And now, the time has come for us to have our battle! Of course, if you are able to defeat me, I will be glad to reward you with a gym badge"!
Ash and Sawyer were stunned to hear this, as the same person who answered Ash's questions earlier stated, "It's her custom; she does this to demonstrate that all of her creations look marveoud during battle."
Lyra took a deep breath in and out, smiling while saying, "Ok, we can do this. We go this! Ok, Silverstream, you're up," as her shiny Fennekin happily howled in determination, leaping onto the runway and was set to battle.
Lyra let her thoughts motivate her, saying in her head We can do this! Let's put our hard work into it and win this badge! A win here can motivate me to do well in the showcase tomorrow! So...let's do this thing!
The employee in the black kimono dress raised her hand up, saying, "And now, the battle between gym leader Valerie, and Lyra, the challenger, will now get underway! This is a one on one battle, and it'll be over when either side's Pokemon are unable to battle"!
In the crowd, Serena and Bonnie caught up with Ash, Sawyer, and Clemont, with Serena saying, "Hey, Ash, what's going on"?
Ash happily answered, "Serena, you made it! Lyra's gonna battle Valerie"!
Serena, hearing this, turned her head to watch while gasping in shock, while Clemont mentioned, "Using the same rules as a gym battle."
Sawyer then stated, "Lyra can do this, I'm sure she can"!
Lyra looked at Silverstream, saying, "Let's battle as one," while her Fennekin turned its head at Lyra and smiled, nodding before facing down Valerie.
Ash saw that Lyra was going with hr partner before he looked up at Valerie, saying to himself, "i wonder which Pokemon Valerie's gonna use."
Valerie lowered one of her arms, revealing a Pokeball in her hands, as she announced, "Spritzee, appear," and tossed her Pokeball up, letting her Spritzee out, as it floated around the stage, set to battle.
Lyra, seeing what Pokemon it was,s pulled out her Pokedex, saying to herself, "Hey, isn't that..." and used it to check out its information.
Spritzee, the Perfume Pokemon. Spritzee gives off a fragrance that fills others with delight, and changes depending on what Spritzee eats.
Lyra placed her Pokedex away while saying, "This isn't gonna be easy, but we can do this. Let's give it 100%, Silverstream," while her Fennekin nodded in agreement/determination.
Lyra then shouted, "Ok, silverstream, use flamethrower"!
Silverstream unleashed a stream of fire at Spritzee, who took the hit head-on.
Lyra smiled, saying, "alright, we nailed it," while her Fennekin chattered happily.
However, when the smoke settled, both trainer and Pokemon were shocked to see that Spritzee looked like it didn't take as much damage.
Clemont commented, "fire type moves don't do as much damage on fairy types, but I doubt that spritzee must've felt a lot of damage from that single flamethrower."
Ash mentioned, "Lyra can win this, I'm sure she can," while Serena added, "Yeah, I'm confident my sister can win this."
Suddenly, Serena covered her mouth, realizing she hadn't told her friend about what she and Lyra had found out yt, prompting Ash, Bonnie, Clemont, and even Sawyer to ask her in shock, "Sister"?!
Meanwhile, the crowd was marveling about how beautiful Valerie looked, making comments such as, "Look as Ms. Valerie," and, "She's stunning."
Valerie, overhearing the comments, replied, "It's not enough, not enough yet. not enough for my beautiful fans," while her Spritzee looked really to make a move
Back at the battle, Lyra thought in her head Ok, that flamethrower didn't do as much damage as we wanted, so, we're gonna have to get in close.
Lyra then shouted, "Ok, go right in with iron tail"!
Silverstream's tail became metallic as she growled while charging at Spritzee, set to swing her tail onto it. However, it was surprising to see Spritzee dodge so effortlessly, making her land on her feet and prepare to strike again.
Lyra, seeing this, spun while saying, "Consecutive iron tails"!
Silverstream kept leaping up high while trying to strike at Spritzee, who kept dodging each iron tail strike.
Ash, keeping a close eye on this, commented, "Spritzee doesn't waste any movement," while Pikachu chirped in agreement,
Silverstream returned back to her trainer's side as she awaited the next command.
Lyra was trying to think of what to do, as she said to herself, "Spritzee can float around some effortlessly, and is very agile. So, we need to strike quickly, but..."
Then, Lyra saw a lantern hanging right above Spritzee, behind her, and smiled, saying, "That's it! Silverstream, flamethrower on the ground! Project yourself towards the lantern"!
Silverstream nodded and launched a flamethrower on the ground, projecting herself up and past Spritzee, heading right towards the lantern she was rapidly approaching.
Once she made it, Silverstream latched onto the lantern and spun around and around and around really fast, much to Valerie and her employees' surprise.
The one in the pink kimono dress asked, "What's she doing," while the one in the blue kimono dress mentioned, "I don't know, but it sure does make Lyra look stunning."
Lyra then shouted, "Now, go"!
When Silverstream had enough leverage, it shot itself forward so fast, Spritzee barely had any time to dodge the incoming attack, as Lyra shouted, "Now, iron tail"!
Silverstream's tail became metallic, as she spun around and slammed it right onto Spritzee, sending the fairy-type Pokemon into the ground.
The crowd was so stunned by the battle going on, as Ash cheered, "Alright, now that's the way to battle," with Pikachu chirping in agreement.
Clemont mentioned, "Utilizing the momentum of that flamethrower, and spinning on that lantern gave Fennekin enough speed and leverage to aim at Spritzee while giving it no time to dodge the attack."
Sawyer added, "Yeah, and on top of that, steel type attacks are super effective on fairy types"!
Lyra cheered, saying, "Yes, our plan worked," while her Fennekin, who returned to the ground on its feet, chatted happily in determination.
Valerie commented, "I'm very impressed, Lyra. you and your Fennekin share a tremendous bond that shines both on the outside and inside. but, don't think that we're out just yet."
Spritzee floated back into the air, brushing off the attack, as Valerie then announced, "Now, I think it's our turn," and extended her arms out while saying, "To make this battle beautiful."
She then declared, "Spritzee, let's go," as her Spritzee happily floated up into the air, hovering around the air in a cute manner.
Lyra commented, "We got to attack it and bring it back down. Silverstream, use ember and make a cloud above Spritzee"!
Silverstream nodded and launched the ember move, targeting it above Spritzee so it couldn't go any higher, much to Spritzee's worry since it didn't want to touch the ember cloud and get burned by it.
Seeing the opportunity, Lyra smiled, saying, "Yes! Now, iron tail, one more time"!
Silverstream leaped up and prepared to finish the battle with another iron tail.
However, what Lyra and Silverstream didn't realize was that Spritzee was letting the fore type get close enough for Valerie to then shout, "Spritzee, dazzling gleam"!
Spritzee started to glow and gleam in such a beautiful way, and because Silverstream was so close to it, she took the full hit of the attack, while the crowd marveled from how beautiful the dazzling gleam looked.
Ash and his friends were definitely stunned to see the move in action, as Lyra had to cover her eyes from how bright it was. Once the light died down, she gasped when she saw Silverstream fall to the ground, whimpering in pain from being heavily damaged, with barely any strength left.
Lyra knelt down to her partner, saying, "Come on, Silverstream! Get up! I know that we can still win this! I believe in you"!
Hearing her trainer's encouraging voice, Silverstream struggled to her feet slowly, determined not to give up.
Lyra kept encouraging her partner, saying, "Yes, that's it! You can do it! I'm right here for you all the way"!
Silverstream soon got to its feet before it turned around and faced Valerie, letting out a loud howl of determination before suddenly...Silverstream started to glow bright blue, much to everyone's shock.
Valerie and Spritzee were definitely surprised to see this outcome while Ash commented, "Wow," while Bonnie asked, "What's going on"?
Serena mentioned, "Is that-," while Clemont added, "It sure is," while Sawyer stated, "Looks like it's evolving"!
Silverstream became a lot bigger, her four legs became a bipedal body with two legs and two arms, and her tail became bigger and developed a stick in it. Soon, what stood on stage in front of Lyra was no longer a silver Fennekin, but a shiny, purple, Braixen, who declared its new name out loud in determination.
Lyra was speechless, smiling while saying, "Wow! Silverstream evolved into a Braixen"!
Silverstream turned her head to look at her trainer and smiled, which made Lyra say, "Alright, the battle's just heating up"!
Silverstream then pulled out her new stick and began to wave it around, making a circular, light green light start to grow from it, as Ash asked, "What move is that," while Sawyer mentioned, "I have no idea"!
Lyra paid attention to how Silverstream was using her new stick before she saw how it seemed to be absorbing light from the setting sun, making her say, "Hey, I know this move"!
Valerie, seeing what was going on, commented, "My, my, what a beautiful turn of events that this battle is showing! But, I think it's time for the grand finale! Spritzee, moonblast"!
Spritzee gathered energy and fired a pink orb at Silverstream.
Lyra waited for the moonblast to get close enough before she shouted, "Let's show off some of your new, beautiful power, Silverstream! Now, use solar beam"!
Ash commented in shock, "What"?
"Did Lyra just say-," added Serena in disbelief.
"I think she did," mentioned Clemont in surprise.
"It learned solar beam," asked Sawyer in shock.
Lyra then shouted determination, "Let's do it"!
Silverstream then pointed her stick at the incoming moonblast, unleashing a powerful beam of light green light that easily broke right through the moonblast and hit Spritzee head-on, resulting in a bunch of beautiful sparkle-like fireworks occurring from the move hitting, impressing the crowd.
When the spectacle settled, Spritzee floated to the ground and laid on the stage, knocked out with swirls in its eyes, indicating it had fainted.
All of Valerie's friends were stunned to see Valerie had been beaten, as Valerie smiled, closing her eyes and conceding defeat, as the employee in the black kimono dress commented, "Spritzee is unable to battle! Braixen is the winner, and so, the match goes to the challenger: Lyra"!
the crowd grew into massive cheers for Lyra, as the Santalune Town native was shocked, before a huge smile grew on her face, as she said, "We won...we did it"!
Lyra ran to Silverstream, who ran to her trainer and hugged her, with Lyra saying while hugging her partner, "Silverstream, you did it! I'm so proud of you! You were amazing in the battle! And look at you; you're beautiful"!
Silverstream looked down at her new form, taking in that she had evolved, as Lyra commented, "Yes, it's true. But you know? Seeing you battle your hardest was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen you do. Well done."
Silverstream smiled in pride, feeling slightly embarrassed from her trainer's compliments.
Then, both trainer and Pokemon saw Valerie approach them, with Valerie saying, "Thank you, Lyra, for such a beautiful battle. You and your Braixenw ere truly the star models on stage today."
Lyra smiled, saying, "I appreciate your kind words, Valerie. but Silverstream deserves all the praise; she battled very well."
Valerie then shook her head, saying with a smile, "No, you both deserve much praise. While you both looked elegant in your newly evolved form, Braixen, and the dress you're wearing, Lyra, you know what makes you both very beautiful? The special bond that you both share as trainer and Pokemon. That friendship you both have, I saw it throughout our battle, and even in the face of adversity, you both had the fire to not give up, and keep going till the very end. And that deserves much respect."
Valerie then pulled something out of her pocket and offered it to Lyra, which was a golden badge that was pink, and looked like a pair of fairy wings, saying, "And so, Lyra, as promised for winning the battle, i'm pleased to award you with the Fairy Badge."
Lyra accepted the badge, saying, "Thank you so much, Ms. Valerie," and looked at it with Silverstream, who smiled excitedly from seeing it.
(Behind a red and purple glittery background)
Lyra held her badge out in front of her.
Lyra: Alright! It wasn't easy, and came out of the blue, but... we won the Fairy Badge!
Silverstream appeared behind her shoulders and was cheering right alongside her.
(Back to present day)
After placing the badge in her badge case, right next to the Lumious gym badge, Lyra bowed at Valerie again, saying, "Thank you very much for this opportunity."
Before Lyra could leave the stage, Valerie then said, "and one last thing: you're more than welcome to keep the dress. I hear that you're making your showcase debut tomorrow, and I'm sure that you'll be a hit if you wear it. I'll be rooting for you."
Lyra blushed in embarrassment/admiration, saying in response, "Thank you so much, Ms. Valerie. I-I promise to do my very best in the showcase. We all will, right, Silverstream"?
Silverstream nodded in agreement, chirping a call of determination while placing a fist on her chest.
Then, the crowd all cheered for the epic battle again and were also cheering for Ms. Valerie, as she soon turned and started to make her way back to the stage entrance/exit.
While this went on, Ash paid a careful eye on Valerie, saying to himself, "So, that's the gym leader I'm gonna have to face," with Pikachu chirping in agreement.
Later that night, after the show concluded and Lyra rejoined with her friends, everyone was at the pokemon center, mingling while eating dinner.
Ash's Pokemon and Lyra's Pokemon, including her father's Pokemon, were all eating their dinner really fast, rapidly placing the food in their mouths.
As the Pokemon were chowing down, Sawyer, who was talking to the group, said, "I learned so much today! I would definitely challenge her for sure"!
Clemont replied, "I'm sure you'll do really great," while bonnie mentioned, "Lots of luck, sawyer."
Meanwhile, Ash and Lyra (who had changed back into her regular appearance and had her new dress stored safely for tomorrow) were chowing down their food really fast, before they both finished, saying, "Done," in unison, as Serena, in surprise, commented, "Already?! Why did you both eat so fast"?
Ash placed his hat back on while saying, "Because, we got to do some special training."
Lyra added while getting up, "Yeah, plus, I need to do some last-minute rehearsals. I got to modify my routine since Silverstream's evolved now."
Ash added, "and I want to be ready for my gym battle against Valerie, which is really soon. 'Kay, Pikachu, Frogadier, Fletchinder, Hawlucha, let's go"!
Lyra declared, "Silverstream, Riolu, Luxio, let's go rehearse"!
The Pokemon heard their trainers' declarations and quickly stuffed the food into their mouths before cheering while chewing and swallowing the food.
Sawyer then asked, "Hey, Ash? May I join you"?
Ash nodded, saying, "Of course! That'd be great! You'd be really helping us out a lot"!
Sawyer became giddy, as he, Ash, and Lyra got up, and ran out with their Pokemon, as Serena commented, with the trio not listening as they were already outside, "Guys, hold on. It wouldn't hurt to relax and enjoy a proper meal."
Clemont chuckled while saying, "Well, you know Ash has trouble relaxing when he knows a strong opponent is waiting for him."
Bonnie added, "Plus, Lyra is super pumped about the Pokemon Showcase"!
Serena couldn't help but smile, finding Ash's excited energy about battle and Lyra's excited energy about the showcases pretty hilarious, and inspiring. In fact, she ended up trying to finish her food pretty fast, much to the Lumious siblings' confusion, as she clarified after finishing and grabbing her fedora, "Well, in that case, i'l go cheer them on," and got up, heading outside.
Bonnie commented, "Hey, wait up," and ate fast too, wanting to join up, with Clemont also eating his food fast before rejoining the group outside to witness Ash and Sawyer battling while Lyra and Serena were going over showcase choreography with her Braixen and Silverstream.
And so, after an encounter with the Laverre City gym leader Valerie, not only has Lyra received her second gym badge, but ash has gotten a taste of what's to come for his gym bout with her. Plus, with the showcase happening tomorrow, what will it bring for Lyra? Excitement is mounting, as the journey continues!