A Fashionable Battle

Alec's POV

"We made it! Laverre City!" Serena shouted as the group entered the town.

"Alright! Let's get to the gym!" Ash celebrated.

"You're ready to go, aren't you?" Clemont asked.

"You bet I am. When I beat the Laverre Gym Leader, I'll be even stronger and have my sixth gym badge," Ash answered.

"Then let's hurry. The gym is that way," Serena said, sounding as excited as Ash.

"I guess you're excited to see Valerie, huh?" Alec asked her.

"Of course! Valerie is one of the greatest fashion designers in Kalos! Maybe the world!" Serena squealed.

"So you're telling me the Laverre City Gym Leader is also a fashion designer?" Ash asked.

"Yeah! Look!" Serena said, showing a picture of Valerie on her guidebook.

"So that's Valerie," Ash noted.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Bonnie shouted.

They headed towards the gym and Serena could hardly contain her excitement while Ash looked at the place with determination. "Oh, man. There's so much I want to ask Valerie about the world of fashion," Serena said before squealing. "Do you mind if I check out her store after your battle?" she asked Ash.

"Course not," Ash answered.

"Yes!" Serena shouted.

"Ready Pikachu," Ash asked his partner.

[Always. Let's win that badge,] Pikachu said determinedly.

When they entered the gym, they were surprised to see the staff and a few of Valerie's assistants running around holding boxes or directing other workers. "What's going on?" Ash asked.

"I don't know. This didn't happen when I challenged this gym," Alec answered.

"They're all wearing Valerie's designs," Serena said in awe.

Ash and Alec were then drawn to a boy at the front desk talking to the lady there. He appeared to be a few years older than Bonnie with green hair, a black short-sleeved shirt, brown shorts and bag with green shoes. "Please. I have to have a gym battle. No matter what," he pleaded with the receptionist.

"I'm very sorry. You see, the Laverre Gym is closed because we're having an event today. There's nothing I can do," she explained, trying to calm the boy down.

"Wait, are you serious? There's really no way to have a battle now?" Ash asked her, running up to the desk.

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry," she answered.

"Oh come on, please. I came all this way," Ash complained.

"Let it go. There's nothing we can do about it," Alec told his friend.

"You two here for a battle too?" the boy asked Ash and Alec.

"I am, but Alec's not. Guess my timings bad today though," Ash answered.

"Hey! That girl's a keeper!" Bonnie suddenly shouted. Ethan then used Psychic to pull her away before she could embarrass Clemont.

"What did we take about you doing that Bonnie?" Alec asked her.

"I forgot," Bonnie admitted and Alec sweatdropped.

[Why am I not surprised,] Ethan muttered.

"You really need to stop doing that Bonnie," Clemont said as he grabbed her with his Aipom arm and pulled her away.

"Well Clemont you're really, really nice," Bonnie protested.

"I can find a girlfriend on my own, thank you very much," Clemont told her.

"When?" Bonnie asked cheekily.

"Those two sometimes," Alec mumbled.

"Hey, you're the Lumiose Gym Leader," the boy said, looking at Clemont.

"Sawyer? It's been a while," Clemont greeted him. "Sawyer came to challenge the Lumiose Gym not long before you did," he told Ash.

"Yeah, but I lost. I learned a whole lot though," Sawyer admitted. The group introduced themselves and when Alec did so, Sawyer's eyes let up. "It's you! The Kalos Champion!" he exclaimed. Alec flinched back.

"Oh no. Why does this keep happening to me," Alec complained in his head.

"I saw your battle with Diantha on TV. I never thought I'd get a chance to meet you in person. I've heard so many things about you," Sawyer told him, similarly looking at Alec the way Tierno did.

"Good stuff I hope," Alec admitted.

"Yeah," Sawyer said, then looked embarrassed suddenly. "Oh man. I can't believe I didn't recognize you before. I'm so sorry," he apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Alec told him, secretly hoping that would keep happening. He really didn't like all the fame.

"So Sawyer, if you're challenging gyms, how many badges do you have?" Ash asked him.

"One so far. I really want to get more battling under my belt," he answered.

"You've done well since then. His Treecko is quite a unique Pokémon and moves really well," Clemont said.

"Treecko was my very first Pokémon, but we still have a lot of work to do," Sawyer admitted. "I really want to get stronger, then challenge the Lumiose City Gym again."

"You'd be welcomed anytime," Clemont told him.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here?" Sawyer asked Clemont.

"I left the gym in Clembot's capable hands while I traveled," Clemont answered. "Ash's battling is extremely good, so I hoped to learn more while traveling with him."

"Uh-huh. Ash is really incredible. He beat Clemont too and has five gym badges," Bonnie boasted.

"That's amazing! I'm going to do my very best so I can catch up," Sawyer said in awe of Ash.

"Uh, I still have a ways to go," Ash admitted. He then turned to Alec. "Is this how you feel sometimes?" he whispered

"Yep," Alec answered.

"Though it seems your gym battles will have to wait till tomorrow," Clemont stated.

"I know. We could go to Valerie's store since we're here," Serena said.

"Sound's good," Ash told her.

Serena led them to the store and she let out Braixen as those two and Bonnie admired all the outfits. The boys sat on some benches that were probably there to the scenario they were in. "Those two sure are having fun," Clemont commented.

"They might be, but I'm bored," Alec said.

"Come on Alec. Let Serena have some fun," Ash told him.

"I don't have a problem with my sister enjoying herself, but I'm still bored," Alec responded.

Ash then looked out of a nearby window and Alec followed his gaze to see a battlefield. "Hey Sawyer, since we can't have our gym battle today, how about we practice?" Ash suggested.

"That sounds great. If it's okay with you, can we have a double battle?" Sawyer asked.

"Sure," Ash answered.

The four went out to the battlefield and the two gym challengers got ready. "The double battle between Ash and Sawyer will now begin!" Clemont declared.

"Alright. I choose you two!" Ash shouted, letting out Frogadier and Hawlucha. "Now I'm counting on you to win this," he told them.

[Let's go,] Frogadier said.

[I'm ready to go,] Hawlucha stated.

"Sawyer, you're using Treecko, aren't you?" Ash asked him.

"Of course. And my other Pokémon is my secret weapon," Sawyer said, letting out his Treecko and a Bagon.

"A Bagon. Not bad," Alec noted.

[With the right kind of training they both could become really powerful,] Ethan said. [I'd like to battle them when that happens.]

"Alright then! Battle begin!" Clemont declared.

"Bagon, Headbutt!" Sawyer ordered.

"Hawlucha, meet it head-on with Karate Chop!" Ash shouted. Hawlucha's attack managed to stop Bagon, but Hawulcha's arm turned red in pain. "Hawlucha you okay?" Ash asked. Hawlucha shook off the pain and got ready.

"You may have noticed my Bagon has a really hard head," Sawyer joked.

"Then check this out. Lots of Karate Chops!" Ash commanded. Hawlucha hit Bagon multiple times and one final one sent Bagon back.

"Whoa Ash, that was pretty impressive," Sawyer complimented.

"We keep on trying and never give up. That's our battling style," Ash said.

"I see. But we don't give up either. Treecko use Leech Seed!" Sawyer called out. Treecko fired, but Hawlucha managed to jump out of the way. "Use Fire Fang!" Bagon jumped into the air, aiming for Hawlucha.

"Frogadier, Water Pulse!" Ash called out. Forgadier's attack hit Bagon's mouth causing his attack to dissipate. "That was great Frogadier."

[Thanks,] Hawlucha said to Frogadier.

[No problem,] Frogadier replied.

"You work perfectly together. That's what I call real teamwork," Sawyer said, jotting a few things in a notebook. "You're teaching me a lot. Thanks Ash."

"Well don't stop now. This battle's getting good!" Alec shouted.

"Right. Treecko, Bullet Seed!" Sawyer shouted. Frogadier dodged Treecko's attack by backflipping. "Now use Bullet Seed one more time!"

"Get in there Frogadier!" Ash told him. Frogadier ran forward then disappeared before Bullet Seed could hit him.

"It's gone?!" Sawyer said in surprise, then looked up to see Frogadier above Treecko. Frogadier dived down towards Treecko. "Treecko, Bullet Seed!" Sawyer called out.

"Use Cut!" Ash ordered. Frogadier formed the white blade and bounced Bullet Seed off it before hitting Treecko. Frogadier put the blade away like sheathing a sword and Treecko was hit by an explosion, knocking him out.

"Treecko is unable to battle!" Clemont declared.

"Thank's Treecko. Now take a nice rest," Sawyer told him as he returned his partner to his ball.

"That's Ash for you. Type matchups don't mean a thing to him," Alec told Sawyer.

"Yeah. I do a lot of special training thinking on my feet so I can be ready for anything," Ash added.

"So that's how you battle the way you do," Sawyer said, taking notes. "There have to be hundreds of ways to battle."

"Find the one that works for you and stick with it. Battling style is an important part of a battle," Alec advised.

"So Sawyer, you wanna keep going?" Ash asked him.

"Of course. Ready Bagon?" Sawyer asked him.

[Let's go!] Bagon shouted.

"That's the spirit," Ash told Sawyer. They all then heard what sounded like music nearby. They went up to the edge of the balcony they were on and saw a lot of people around a long plank. "What's going on?" Ash asked.

Serena's POV

Still looking at all the outfits on display, Serena got an idea. "I've got it! Wouldn't it be fun if I wore one of those dresses when I appear in the Pokémon Showcase?" Serena asked.

[I'm sure you'd look amazing,] Braixen said.

"I think that's an amazing idea," Bonnie agreed.

"Ash, Alec, what do you think?" Serena asked, looking at the bench where she last saw them. The boys weren't there though. "Where'd they go?" Serena asked.

"Look, Serena. Over there," Bonnie said, pointing to a window. Serena looked and saw Ash call out a command to Frogadier.

"Yep. Of course, Ash is having a battle," Serena said smiling.

"What else? That's what Ash does," Bonnie pointed out.

"Of course. So why don't we go over and watch?" Serena suggested.

Bonnie nodded but before they could move they were stopped. "Excuse us. Can we talk for a minute?" a woman asked.

"Sure," Serena answered, turning to see two women in Valerie's designs.

"There's a little something we'd like to speak to you two about," the second woman said. The two lead the girls to another part of the building. As they approached a room, the second girl bowed before the door. "Ms. Valerie. Sorry for the interruption, but may we enter?" she asked.

"Yes," came a voice and the four girls stepped into the room. As Serena entered, she noticed Valerie with a Sylveon, Mr. Mine, Spritzee, and a Mawile. "Va- Valerie!" Serena said in awe.

"Ms. Valerie, I was thinking about asking these two," the first girl said as the two bowed before Valerie. She didn't pay them much attention though as she focused on Serena, not saying anything.

"Is something wrong?" Serena asked, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, no. Sorry, you look like someone who made a big impression on my life," Valerie answered.

"Who's that?" Bonnie asked, sounding clueless. Serena on the other hand guessed she was talking about Alec.

"A boy named Alec Kirkland," Valerie answered.

"Oh. I am his twin sister so that might be it," Serena told her. Valerie's eyes then lit up a bit.

"You're Alec's sister? Tell me, do you have the ability to understand what Pokémon are saying without any effort?" she asked.

"Yeah," Serena answered.

"Oh wow. Two people who can do that. I'm so jealous," Valerie admitted.

"Ms. Valerie, the fashion show," the first woman reminded her.

"Oh, right. These two will work, thank you," she told them.

"Valerie, I'm so honored to meet you. I'm a huge fan of your work," Serena told her.

"Really? Thank you," Valerie told her.

Serena felt like she was lighter than air at that. "She's a keeper!" Bonnie suddenly shouted, breaking Serena out of her self induced trance. "Will you take care of my brother?" she asked.

"I'm a keeper?" Valerie asked, clearly confused.

"It's nothing! It's nothing! Bonnie, stop it!" Serena said quickly.

"But you can see how pretty Valerie is," Bonnie protested.

"Thank you, dear," Valerie said to her. Spritzee and Sylveon then came up to Bonnie, looking at her bag.

[Hello?] Dedenne asked, making his presence known.

"Oh, a Dedenne," Valerie said. [Hello Dedenne. How are you?] she asked.

[Hey there. I'm doing great,] Dedenne answered.

"Wait! You can speak Pokémon?!" Serena asked in surprise.

"Just because I can't magically understand them doesn't mean I didn't find other ways to do so," Valerie stated. "Now, the reason I wanted you both to come here is because I have a favor to ask of you. That is, if you wouldn't mind."

Alec's POV

The boys headed down into the crowd and looked around for some kind of hint as to what was happening. "What's going on here?" Ash asked.

"I wish I knew," Alec admitted. Lamps on the plank suddenly lit up and the screens closer to the gym turned on.

"Something tells me we're about to find out," Clemont said.

Two girls then walked out on to the plank. "Ladies and gentlemen, the time has finally come," the first said.

"We'll be presenting Designer Extraordinaire Valerie's newest collection," the second added.

"Uh, what did she say they're presenting?" Ash asked a woman near them.

"A fashion show displaying Ms. Valerie's newest design collection. And it's just about to begin," she answered.

"Surprised Serena's missing out on something like this," Alec commented.

[It's not like her,] Ethan added.

"First, an elegant creation with an Azumarill pattern," the announcer said as a lady wearing the dress stepped out with an Azumarill.

"This stuff sure is popular," Ash noticed.

"You have no idea. A lot of Laverre City's history and culture is based around fashion. I know my father tried to set up a fashion store here as well. Don't know how it's doing though," Alec told him.

"I'm surprised by that," Clemont said.

"You really shouldn't. I never really bothered keeping track of all my father's business stuff since I ran away," Alec admitted.

As the fashion show went on, more designs were shown, all of them based around Pokémon. Meowstic, Gothorita, and Chimecho being the more popular ones. "Maybe someone should tell Serena about this?" Clemont suggested.

"If she's not here by now, then I don't know where she could be. She'd never miss out on something this big," Alec told him.

"And next up, designs featuring Florges and Chingling," the announcer said. The boys were surprised when the models that stepped out were Serena and Bonnie. While Bonnie waved like there was no tomorrow, Serena looked a bit nervous, especially since she saw the boys.

"Serena?!" Ash shouted in shock.

"Bonnie?!" Clemont asked in worry. As the two went by, Alec noticed that all of Ash's attention was focused on Serena.

"Looks pretty cute in that, doesn't she?" he asked Ash.

"Well… I… uh…" Ash stumbled, his face turning red.

[Oooo, he does like her,] Ethan said, smirking.

[Careful, if Serena hears that she'll probably faint,] Pikachu added, causing the two Pokémon to laugh.

When Serena and Bonnie were off the stage, Valerie then made her appearance. "Wow. She looks incredible," Sawyer commented.

[She does,] Ethan said, his voice changing into a loving one.

"Snap out of it, lovebird," Alec said, tapping Ethan's head. The Umbreon glared at him but Alec didn't flinch.

"So that's Valerie," Ash said, looking at her determinedly.

"Hi there! Thank you all so very much for coming to my fashion show today. Every one of my latest designs incorporates Pokémon motifs. That's because my philosophy has been that true beauty can only be found in nature. Also, all of my creations are carefully designed to look there absolute best when worn during a battle," Valerie announced.

"What did she say?" Ash asked.

"It's finally starting," someone said behind them.

One of the other women on stage whispered something to Valerie and she looked towards the guys. "You, with the orange tie," Valerie said to Sawyer.

"Me?" he asked surprised.

"Yes. Will you please come up here?" she asked.

Sawyer did so. "So… what's this about?" he asked, looking a bit nervous.

"I heard that you came to the gym today looking for a battle. So, I'll give you one right here," Valerie answered. "Now, if you do defeat me I'll gladly give you the badge," she added.

That got Sawyer's attention. "Really?" he asked in shock. He wasn't the only one as Ash gasped too.

"Ooh, tuff luck," Alec said to him. "Though I do see why she would do this."

Sawyer now looked determined. "And now, the battle between Valerie, the Gym Leader, and Sawyer, the challenger, will now get underway," one of the women said, acting as the referee.

"I'm ready," Sawyer declared.

"This will be a one on one battle and will be over when one side's Pokémon is unable to continue," the referee added.

"Hey Ash, Alec," Serena said as she and Bonnie came up in their normal clothes.

"Serena! Sawyer's having a battle with Valerie like it's a gym battle," Ash told her.

Serena looked surprised. "I have to ask, how'd you two get in the fashion show?" Alec asked his sister.

"Well, Valerie had a few models who were sick. She offered me and Bonnie to take their place and I couldn't refuse," she answered. "Also, Valerie wanted me to tell you that she wanted to talk to you about something important. Something about both of us getting answers to our ability," she added.

"Hmm. It's worth looking into," Alec muttered.

"Bagon, let's go!" Sawyer shouted.

"Wonder what power Valerie is going to use?" Ash questioned.

"Spritzee, come out!" Valerie shouted.

"That's bad. Valerie has a complete advantage. Dragon-type moves won't even touch Spritzee," Alec noted.

Based on Sawyer's first move, he forgot that key fact. "Bagon, Dragon Breath!" Bagon fired, but Spritzee was, expectedly, unscathed. "What?! I'm sure it made contact!" Sawyer shouted in shock. He then remembered. "Oh shoot. I forgot Fairy-types aren't affected by Dragon-type moves," he muttered in embarrassment. "Now try this, Headbutt!"

Bagon jumped up and dived towards Spritzee but she dodged easily. Bagon kept trying to land a hit but Spritzee kept dodging. "Spritzee doesn't waste any movement," Ash noted.

"Now, I think it's our turn. To make this battle beautiful. Spritzee, let's go!" Valerie shouted.

Spritzee flew up into the air. "Don't let it get away! Headbutt!" Sawyer shouted.

"Alright! Dazzling Gleam!" Valerie commanded. Spritzee fired her attack which made a massive ball of light. The audience loved the sight and when the light cleared, Bagon fell to the runway.

"Bagon is unable to battle. The match goes to Gym Leader Valerie!" the referee declared. The audience cheered for her while Ash continued to look at Valerie determinedly while the others felt sorry for Sawyer's humiliating defeat.

"Thank you for the battle," Valerie said to Sawyer, smiling at him.

"Thank you, very much," Sawyer responded.

As Valerie walked back towards the other side of the stage, Alec could have sworn he saw Valerie wink at him and Ethan. [So beautiful,] Ethan muttered.

"Is something wrong with Ethan?" Serena asked Alec.

"Yes," Alec answered, bonking Ethan on the head. "Get your head out of the clouds," he told his partner.

Valerie made one final grand pose before she left the stage. "So that's the gym leader I'll have to face," Ash said.

After night fell, the group got rooms at a hotel and some dinner. "I learned so much today. I'll challenge her again for sure," Sawyer said.

"That's the spirit," Clemont said.

"Man that was good," Ash said as he finished devouring his food. "Alright. Time for some special training. I wanna be ready for my gym battle and that's tomorrow. So let's go!" he declared. His Pokémon quickly devoured what was left of their dinner and shouted their agreement.

"Hey Ash, may I join in too?" Sawyer asked.

"You bet. You in Alec?" Ash asked.

"Sure thing," Alec said, finishing his meal as well.

As they left, Alec heard Serena say, "Can't even have a proper meal." The others joined them shortly after and once they were done with training, Alec wondered what Valerie had found out about his ability.