Chapter 7: Clemont's Secret


Lumoise City beamed in the morning sunlight just as Ash remembered it. He and his friends entered through the southern boulevard and took the wonderous metropolis in.

"Ahh, Lumiose city, it's been too long." Serena clasped her hands together while her eyes glistened.

"Huh? Weren't you here a few days ago?" Ash asked.

"Oui, but I was in a hurry then. There's still so much that I want to do here. Visit the shops, boutiques, restaurants, and maybe some of the sights." Serena rubbed her hands together and glanced toward Ash with pink cheeks.

"Ahh, oui, well, Ash still can't challenge the gym leader here with just one badge. We should get a move on." Clemont shook a little and spoke faster than usual. Ash and Serena saw the anxiety in his eyes and looked at each other alongside Pikachu.

"Clemont, we just got here. There's no need to hurry-" Ash started, but soon Bonnie pushed him and Serena from behind. To their utter surprise, her expression mirrored Clemont's.

"Brother is right. We should get moving. Lumiose is boring."

"Boring!? Aren't you from here?" Serena muttered in disbelief.

"Oui, and it's boring." Clemont tried to help Bonnie push them along, but even their combined efforts could not move Ash.

"Guys, we have to visit Professor Sycamore while we're here."

"Oui, Ash is right. I want to say bonjour to him too." Serena walked with Ash toward the lab and left the siblings trembling. However, Ash found the door locked when they arrived at the lab.

"Professor, professor, it's us!"

"Pika, Pikachu!"

"Professor!" Serena joined in, but there was no reply.

"Hmm, he must not be home." Disappointment soured Ash's tone and expression.

"Ahh, that's too bad." Clemont sighed in clear relief despite his words.

"Hmm, well, we could always hit the boutiques!" Serena beamed, and Bonnie trembled with visible conflict on her face.

"We, we. Wait for Bonnie!" She cried and raced after Serena. Ash, Pikachu, and Clemont looked at each other. Ash traveled with enough girls to know where this was going. Clemont understood by the look of his exhausted expression. They sweatdropped with Pikachu. The morning soon disappeared into a series of boutiques, salons, and shops. Serena led them with Bonnie at her hip. Ash, Clemont, and Pikachu waited outside one clothing shop after Fennekin got groomed.

"Boy, Serena is having the time of her life." Ash said with a sheepish smile. However, he and Pikachu saw Clemont's nervous twitch as they waited. "Clemont, something is clearly bothering you since we got here. What's wrong?"

"I, I, I don't know what you're talking about." His voice cracked as he spoke, and Clemont avoided Ash's eyes. However, he refused to let the inventor evade him. Ash grabbed Clemont's shoulder and pulled him over.

"Clemont, I'm your friend. You can tell me-"

"Ta-da!" Serena emerged in a new outfit. New was not entirely correct, though. Serena wore a different variation of her usual attire, only with a white top, blue skirt, and black hat.

"Aren't we beautiful!" Bonnie emerged beside her, and Fennekin between them.

"Oui!" Clemont screamed in an apparent attempt to change the topic.

"Well, what do you think?" Serena rubbed her hands together and blushed a little when she asked Ash, avoiding his eyes.

"Uhh, it looks great." Ash sweatdropped. He never had a knack for fashion and the fact that Serena wore more or less the same outfit, just in different colors. However, he blinked at how well she took the compliment via her giggles and beaming expression.

"Damn, that gym leader was brutal." A dispirited voice sighed. Ash and Pikachu turned towards it. Interest peaked; he looked toward a teenage trainer with his friends.

"I thought using Graveler would give us an advantage, but we didn't stand a chance."

"He easily defeated a rock-ground type with electric pokemon." Ash's heart raced, and a smile grew across his face. "Are you sure the leader won't make an exception if I explain my league history to him?" Ash turned to Clemont, who all but jumped out of his skin.

"Ahh! I, I don't think-"

"Ahh, Serena Ash hasn't gotten a chance to try on a new outfit yet!" Bonnie cried, and Serena's eyes lit up.

"He hasn't!"

"Hold on! I'm fine with my current clothes. I don't need to!" Ash protested by Serena grabbed his left arm, Bonnie his right, and Clemont pushed his back.

"They're right, Ash! Live a little!" He pleaded and pushed Ash inside, away from the trainers.

"Pika." Pikachu sweatdropped. A few minutes later, Ash emerged in a zipped collared lack combo shirt-jacket with a white undershirt and a white knit cap on his head.

"Ta-da! It looks great on you!" Serena beamed and clasped her hands together. Pikachu looked over at Ash closer and put a paw under his chin as he tried to determine if he liked the new look.

"...Thanks." Ash sweatdropped again but sighed when he saw the other trainers had gone.

"Well, we've been shopping, had lunch, coffee, and tried on new clothes. Professor Sycamore isn't home either. Why don't we head out!"

"Oui!" Bonnie and Clemont tried to push Ash on, but this time he resisted and stopped both in their tracks.

"Guys, you both clearly want to get out of Lumiose City. What's going on?"

"We, uh-"

"Clemont! Bonnie!" A soft and vibrant voice echoed across the street, and both siblings jumped upright. Before Ash or Serena could ask, they saw a woman, perhaps the age of their mothers, driving for them on a moped, a Plusle and Minun on her shoulders. The woman looked like an adult version of Bonnie with bright blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a joyful face. However, she sported a pair of glasses like Clemont.

"There you two are!? Running off without giving me any notice." She gave them a stern look that Ash easily saw through as a façade. However, both turned pale and doubled over.

"We're sorry, mama." They muttered together.

"Mama?" Ash and Serena blinked in astonishment but soon realized the woman had to be related to them, given her appearance. Soon Plusle and Minun leaped down to greet the two and Dedenne.

"This is your mother?" Ash looked at her closer, and the woman beamed back.

"Bonjour, I'm Isabella, and yes, I'm their mother. You must be a new friend of theirs, Kanto, by the looks of you and your accent."

"That's right, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, this is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pika."

"Ahh! A Pikachu, how wonderful! And you, dear?"

"Serena, I'm from Vaniville town."

"Pleasure to meet you both. I'm happy to see my kids have made some new friends."

"Hold on, did you leave without telling your mother?" Serena shot a confused and harsh look at the two, who shivered.

"Uhh, we-"

"Ash, Serena, we must have you over for dinner tonight! Clemont, Bonnie, your father should be back from the gym by six. Be home by then." With a hug, Isabella drove off, leaving Clemont and Bonnie trembling before Ash and Serena, who loomed over them.

"Clemont, Bonnie." Ash shook them both. It took a few minutes, but Clemont and Bonnie sat down before the other two.

"It's true. Our dad is the Lumiose city gym leader." Clemont's voice quivered as he spoke.

"Clemont, why have you and Bonnie hidden this from us? That's awesome. Your dad is a gym leader." Ash asked but saw deep shame tear across Clemont's pale face.

"It's ok, brother." Bonnie patted his back, but Clemont did not rise to meet Ash and Serena's faces.

"My dad is a renowned trainer across Kalos. Some say a match for the Elite 4. He always wanted me to follow in his footsteps."

"And you wanted to be an inventor?" Serena asked. However, Clemont shook his head.

"I do love inventing, but the thing is, I also wanted to be a gym leader too." Clemont's voice rose a little. Ash and Serena saw the embers of fiery passion behind Clemont's glasses. "I loved watching my dad battle trainers over the years, seeing the bond with his pokemon. It was amazing, and I always imagined myself doing the same." As fast as Clemont's enthusiasm came, it vanished, and he collapsed back into his seat.

"What happened?" Ash readied himself for the answer.

"When I got old enough to become a trainer, I tried to catch my own team but failed. I failed again, and again, and again." Clemont looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I asked my dad to catch a pokemon for me, but he told me I had to do it on my own. I tried to make inventions that would help me, but none of them worked."

"Hmm." Bonnie looked like she wanted to say something but kept quiet. Clemont let Bunnelby out of his pokeball, and the pokemon wrapped his ears around his trainer's chest. "I finally caught Bunnelby earlier this year and told my dad I wanted to go on a journey to become stronger. But he was afraid I would fall back on inventing instead of training and told me I had to beat him in a battle before I could leave."

Ash and Serena stared at Clemont, who hugged Bunnelby tighter. A few tears streamed down the inventor's face and dripped onto his pokemon's ears.

"I knew I could never beat him, so I decided to run away and start my journey regardless. But, but-"

"But my brother doubted himself. That's when we saw you arrive in Lumiose, Ash." Bonnie finished for Clemont and sighed. "We saw you in the Sinnoh and Unova league on tv over the last two years. I told Clemont that if he traveled with you, he would become stronger."

"I don't know what to do. I can't beat my dad and-"Clemont choked up until Ash seized his shoulders with fiery determination in his eyes.

"Clemont, you can't just run from your problems! You need to beat your dad. I'll help you!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu sparked his cheeks.

"Ash, I-"

"No excuses. We're settling this today. Come on, let's find a battlefield!" Ash pulled Clemont off by the arm, and Bonnie raced after them, beaming.

"Yay! Ash is going to make Clemont a real trainer!"

"Oh, Ash." Serena blushed and giggled a little before following.

By three, Clemont and Bunnelby collapsed onto the battlefield ground, sweat-soaked and gasping for breath.

"Grou!" Riolu growled at them and threw more punches despite his own fatigue.

"Froak."

"Pika."

"Pikachu and Froakie are right, Riolu. That's enough for all of us." Ash patted Riolu's sweaty head despite his pouting, then wiped his own face clean. "That was great, Clemont. I think you have a real chance." Ash pulled Clemont back to his feet.

"Ash is right, Clemont. You and Bunnelby looked great."

"Big brother is gonna win!"

"Merci. But what happens if I don't win? I won't want to end my journey." Clemont stuttered, but Ash steadied him.

"You'll be fine. Never give up until the end."

Bonnie saw the look on Serena's face and smirked. Clemont likewise wiped a few tears from his face and nodded.

"You're right. I have to try! We're gonna do this, Bunnelby!"

"By!"

After a trip to the pokemon center, Clemont led the group to Prism Tower and stared at the doorway. With a deep breath, he went to the terminal and entered a code. Rather than ask for four badges, the doorway opened, and Clemont entered. Ash, Pikachu, and Serena gazed in awe at Prism Tower's interior. The inner workings were packed with so much technology and innovation it almost looked like science fiction.

"You did all this!?" Ash muttered, but Clemont shook his head.

"My dad did. He's an engineer too."

"Papa is a genius."

Clemont stopped abruptly, and Ash saw the color leave his face for a moment. However, the inventor found his courage and stood tall. Before Ash could ask, he, Serena, and Pikachu looked up and realized they were not alone. All three gaped in disbelief at the man who hung along the wall above them and worked on some circuitry alongside an Ampharos. He used no harness or scaffolding but helped himself up with the sheer strength of his grip.

"Father, I have returned!"

The man stopped but did not turn. The next few moments lingered far longer than Ash would have liked, but Clemont did not move. Instead, he and Ampharos let go and hit the ground with a thud. Despite this, the enormous man appeared unharmed. In fact, he did not even flinch. Ash gaped at his size and stature. While not as tall or broad as Colonel Yvonne, he still proved an imposing presence and could not have struck a greater contrast from Clemont. His thick arms crossed themselves, and piercing brown eyes the same color as his hair and beard fixed themselves upon Clemont in an iron gaze.

"So, my boy has finally decided to come home and bring his sister with him." Clemont's father's voice boomed, and Ash almost jumped, for it reminded him of the terrifying Colonel.

"Papa!" Bonnie sprinted over, and he picked her up as if she were but a coin, then held her in one arm. However, his eyes did not leave Clemont, who stood his ground.

"I have come to challenge you!"

"Oh, have you now? What's the point? You've already decided you're ready and ran off without a word." He did not yell, but his voice carried itself as if he had. Clemont's legs wobbled a little, but he refused to move.

"I needed to make myself stronger! My friend Ash has helped train me!"

The hulking man turned his gaze onto Ash, but sternness morphed into intrigue. He stroked his beard, and Ash noticed a black bracelet with a colorful stone embedded in it. Something about the stone caught Ash's attention, and Pikachu likewise noticed a gray stone embedded into Ampharos's collar.

"Well, I hope you have had more success than me. Clemont always did prefer running from his problems instead of facing them." Meyer turned his harsh eyes back onto Clemont, who started to waiver.

"That's not fair. He's worked hard ever since we met." Ash's voice rose, and he stood his ground before the enormous man in front of him. However, Meyer just scoffed.

"Really? Because on the morning he was supposed to battle me, I instead came to find a robot in his place.

"A robot?" Ash and Serena both looked at Clemont, who lowered his head for a moment. However, he soon stood tall again and approached his father.

"I'm done running! I'm going to face you now and win! Then you'll have to let me go on my journey!" Clemont and Meyer stared each other down, and Ash felt the tension between them.

"Brother, papa." Bonnie muttered. Then Ash saw it. A faint smile grew over Meyer's face.

"Let's see how strong you've become." Meyer led them to a massive battlefield that Ash almost could not believe fit inside the tower. It was always an odd feeling sitting on the sidelines for a battle, but Ash had done it enough. He sat beside Serena and Bonnie but also let Riolu out.

"Watch closely, Riolu. You can learn a lot from observing battles."

"Pika, Pikachu. Pika!" Pikachu and Ash grabbed Riolu, who tried to run out onto the battlefield.

"No, Riolu, you don't get to battle this time!"

"Pika!"

Serena and Bonnie giggled until they saw Clemont and Meyer face off on opposite ends of the battlefield. However, their eyes soon fixed upon something else that walked up and took the referee's position. A lanky robot with a helmet-shaped head.

"The battle between leader Meyer and creator Clemont will now begin." It croaked in a mechanical voice.

"Ahh! Clembot! You haven't blown up!" Clemont's cheeks turned pink, and his eyes lit up as the robot saluted him.

"It has been some time, creator. Unfortunately, the robotic Rhydon you gave me was destroyed by leader Meyer."

"Clembot has proven a good referee." Meyer said as Clemonbot saluted him too.

"Trainers, choose your pokemon!"

"We can do this. We can do this! Go Bunnelby!" Bunnelby flew out and took a fighting stance before Clemont.

"By!"

"Bunnelby? Wait, are you telling me you haven't caught a single other pokemon yet!?" Meyer loomed over Clemont from afar, but he remained steady.

"He's all I need to win!"

"We'll see, go, Heliolisk!"

"Lisk!" A lizard-like pokemon came out and danced in front of Meyer, his frill opening and closing.

"Heliolisk." Ash and Serena took out their Pokedex's and read the data.

"Heliolisk." A bit of sweat fell from Clemont's head, and Ash got the impression he knew just how strong his father's pokemon was.

"Let's see what Ash has taught you, Clemont."

"Bunnelby, mud shot!"

"By!" Bunnelby spun himself around, scooping up dirt in his ears and then hurling it at Heliolisk from different directions. However, Heliolisk made no effort to dodge the incoming attacks and kept dancing.

"Dragon tail."

"Dragon tail?" Serena almost yelped, but Ash gazed in awe. Pikachu made sure Riolu watched as Heliolisk smashed apart the incoming mud shots.

"Thunderbolt."

"Double team!" Clemont cried, and Bunnelby conjured a dozen copies of himself. Half got wiped out by Thunderbolt, but the real Bunnelby hopped at Heliolisk, who continued to dance.

"Come on, big brother!"

"Remember to think outside the box, Clemont!" Ash added.

"Right, Double Team and Mud Shot!" Bunnelby sprung out a dozen more copies, who threw mud at Heliolisk from every direction.

"Parabolic charge!"

"Heli!" Helolisk's frill opened up, and to Clemont's horror, he saw electricity engulf the entire battlefield. Heliolisk's attack destroyed all of Bunnelby's copies and swallowed the real one in electricity.

"By!"

"Ahh, Bunnelby!" Clemont yelped.

"Ehh? How did he do that?" Serena muttered.

"Parabolic Charge affects the entire battlefield, a perfect counter to double team. Meyer is quite the gym leader." Ash wanted to smile but refrained for Clemont's sake.

"Papa is amazing... But don't give up, brother!" Bonnie looked quite conflicted about who to root for.

"Clemont, adjust your tactics!"

"Pika!"

"Right, Bunnelby, use dig!"

"By!" Bunnelby burrowed his way underground, but Meyer just shook his head.

"Bulldoze."

"Ehh!? Heliolisk knows Bulldoze!?" Clemont yelped, and the electric lizard slammed his foot into the ground. Ash and the others could only watch as seismic waves hit Bunnelby, forcing him above ground.

"Ahhh!" Clemont trembled and tried to think of a way out but saw nothing.

"Clemont, you're a creative person. Invent a way forward." Ash spoke rather than yelled, and to his surprise, he saw what looked like approval on Meyer's face. Clemont racked his brain for an answer when it hit him.

"That's it! Bunnelby, use Dig!"

"By!" Bunnelby burrowed his way underground.

"Ehh!?" Serena and Bonnie muttered with crestfallen expressions.

"Brother, why are you doing the same thing!?"

"Ash, what is he up to?"

"Let's see." Ash smiled and watched Clemont closely.

"Bulldoze." Heliolisk raised his foot.

"Doubleteam!" A dozen Bunnelbies shot out of the ground and surrounded Heliolisk.

"Parabolic charge!"

"Hi!" Heliolisk opened his frill and blasted every Bunnelby apart. Bonnie screamed, but Serena realized no Bunnelbys remained.

"Eh? Where's Bunnelby?" She turned to Ash, who smiled with Pikachu and Riolu, then pointed at Heliolisk. It was only then the others, including Meyer, realized what had happened. The real Bunnelby sprung up and hit Heliolisk with Dig.

"By!"

"Hi!" Heliolisk stumbled backward in terrible pain.

"Ahh! Brilliant brother!"

"That's it Clemont-" Ash stopped when he saw a smile emerge on Meyer's face.

"Dragon Tail." Heliolisk moved too fast. Bunnelby and Clemont's eyes widened together before Heliolisk slammed him into the ground.

"Ahh! Bunnelby!"

"By." Bunnelby lay flat on his back, eyes swirled.

"Bunnelby is unable to battle! The winner is leader Meyer!"

Clemont's legs wobbled, and he fell to his knees. Tears swelled the inventor's eyes as he scooped up Bunnelby in his arms.

"Bunnelby, I'm, I'm sorry." Clemont sobbed, and soon Bonnie's eyes swelled too.

"Brother."

Ash and Serena did not know what to think. Their stomach's tightened at the thought of Clemont leaving their party. For a brief moment, the notion of Serena traveling alone with Ash filled her mind with delight, but she shook the thought aside.

"Clemont." Meyer stood over his son. There was no anger or disappointment in his face, just a smile. "You did well."

"I, I lost."

"Oui, but you stood up to me and proved yourself willing to adapt and learn as a trainer. Which is why I want you to continue traveling with Ash."

"Eh!?" He and the others yelped in disbelief.

"But, but you said-"

"Clemont, I told you months ago that I wanted you to battle me before leaving on your adventure. I never said you had to beat me." Clemont's face turned pale and crestfallen.

"...Oh." He stuttered before a fiery Bonnie loomed over him.

"Brother!" She grabbed his suit collar and shook Clemont while Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Riolu chuckled. Later that night, the group joined Isabella and Meyer for dinner at their home.

"My, it sounds like you kids have had quite the adventure already." Isabella giggled.

"It's far from over. I still have seven badges to go. Including yours, Meyer." Ash flashed a smile of fiery determination, which Meyer returned.

"Oui, I look forward to it, Ash."

After dinner, Serena slept in Bonnie's room while Ash rested on a cot in Clemont's bedroom. Pikachu and Riolu both lay on his chest, but he looked over at Clemont.

"Clemont, are you ok?"

"Oui. Ash, thank you for letting me travel with you. For so many years, I thought I lacked what it took to become a real trainer. Being compared to my father."

"Clemont, don't think that way. You will never be your father, but that's not a bad thing. You will be a great trainer in your own right, not just the son of a powerful gym leader." Ash saw him wipe a tear away.

"Merci, you're right. I'll be known as the great inventor trainer! Oh, speaking of which, I just made a new invention-"

"Ahh! Why don't we wait until morning!" Ash sweatdropped with Pikachu and Riolu, who held their hands up.

"Ahh, ok."

Within the hour, they all fell asleep, except Riolu, who stared out the window or rather at something he could not see with his eyes but his aura. The hooded figure rested over the window, his Lucario beside him.

"Grou." Lucario groaned and kept motioning toward the window.

"Not yet, my friend. When the time is right." He put his hand on Lucario's shoulder, and the aura pokemon growled but remained still. "So he hatched for you, Ash. This is only the beginning."