Chapter 28

A Fashionable Battle

Well, it took much longer than I had hoped, especially with our side quest to Hoenn, but at long last, we had arrived in Laverre City, home of our next Gym Challenge. The "City of Otherworldly Dreams," so I have heard it has been called, was much different in appearance then all the other human settlements we had visited before. It had a more oriental charm. I think I heard Ash say it reminded him of Ecruteak City in the Johto region.

Ash and I were ready, willing and able to find the next Gym Leader. This would be our chance to find another Pure Heart and a new Gym Badge. Serena checked her guidebook. "If I'm reading this correctly, the Gym is this way!" She pointed to her right.

"You're that excited to see a Gym battle?" James asked.

She was, albeit for a different reason. "Of course! I'll finally be able to meet Valerie!"

"Who?" asked James.

She started to explain and showed us who she was talking about in her guidebook. "Valerie is one of my all-time idols! She's a world-famous fashion designer with a tremendous eye for beauty! This outfit she's wearing is one of her creations! She sells outfits just like this in her Gym!"

"Now that's a fancy shmancy outfit," Jessie commented.

"She's very pretty!" Bonnie and Magearna said at the same time.

"Her Gym? She's the Gym Leader?" Ash asked and Serena nodded. "Well, what do you know… I wonder what kind of Gym Leader she is?" We would find out soon enough…

Serena led the way to the local Gym. I had to think she was more excited than the rest of us. After a few swerves and turns, we finally made it to a rather peculiar building. It has the same charm as the rest of the city, but unlike the others, it was under the shelter of a large tree. I also noticed a platform jotting out from our right. I had to wonder what that was for.

"This is so exciting!" Serena squealed. "There's so much I want to ask her about fashion! Do you guys mind if I visit her store after your Gym battles?"

"Not at all!" I told her. "I'd like to browse a little myself." And so did Jessie, apparently.

As we entered through the front door, we were surprised. There were girls of all kinds running frantically around, carrying boxes from hither to yon. They were all dressed in outfits of Valerie's design.

"What's going on here?" I heard Jessie mutter.

We got our answer soon enough. "Please! I have to have a Gym battle! No matter what!" cried a voice over the chaos. We looked over and saw someone begging to a girl behind the counter. He was dressed mostly in green and beige, with dark moss hair. He looked impatient.

The girl at the counter was very apologetic. "You see, the Gym is closed for the fashion show today. There's really nothing I can do."

Ash approached the counter, a little disappointed. "Well, I guess we came at a bad time as well…"

"You came for a Gym battle?" The boy asked. Ash nodded and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sawyer."

Just then, Bonnie went girl-crazy again. "Hey! You're a keeper!" she declared to one of the models. "Please take care of my brother!"

Clemont fished her with his robot arm. "Do I have to chaperone you for the rest of my life?!"

"No. Just until you find a dependable wife."

"I can do that without your help!"

Sawyer then cut in. "Hey! You're the Lumiose Gym Leader!"

Clemont looked at the other challenger and smiled. "Oh! It's you!"

'Wait… you know each other?' Asked Diancie.

"Sort of," Sawyer answered. "I faced him in a Gym Battle not too long ago. I lost, bit I learned quite a bit. He also told me a lot about you guys. Let me see…" He then pointed to each of us, trying to guess our names. "Bonnie, his sister… Serena Paschall, the Performer… Ash Ketchum, the Trainer from Kanto… everyone knows who you are, Brianna and Cocoa… and you two are Misty and Brock, the Gym Leaders from Kanto!"

"Close," said Jessie. "Misty and Brock went back to Kanto. I'm Jessie, and this is James."

"And I'm Magearna!" said the little mechanical one. "I may not look it, but I'm actually a Pokémon."

"Really?!" Sawyer looked amazed. "That's so cool!" And he gently rubbed her head.

"So you're challenging the Gyms, huh?" asked Ash. "How many Badges do you have?"

"Only the Cliff Badge from Cyllage City. I really wanna get some more battling under my belt."

"You've got a lot of potential," Clemont assured him. "His Treecko is quite a unique Pokémon and moves really well."

"Yeah… but we still have a lot of work to do. I really want to get stronger and then go back and challenge you again!"

"You're welcome anytime, my AI Clembot will accept your challenge If ever I'm away?"

"Like now?" asked Sawyer. "What're you doing out here, anyway?"

"I've decided to continue my journey with my friends. That way, I can get the chance to gain valuable experience watching them battle."

"Uh-huh!" Bonnie chimed in. "Ash is really incredible! He already has five Gym Badges, including Clemont's!"

"Really?! That's incredible!" Sawyer's eyes glimmered. "I'm gonna do my very best so I can catch up!"

"Great! I wish you the best of luck, not that you'll need it!" Ash then looked at his girlfriend. "As long as we're here, why don't we check out that fashion store you were talking about?"

Serena smiled. "All right!"

Thankfully, it was rather easy to find - it was right there in the Gym. It was full of different outfits hung on these wooden stands. Apparently, Valerie's fashion specialty was furisodes, a style of kimono distinguishable by its long sleeves. These ones in particular seem to have a more modern charm

All of us girls were browsing the store, while the boys waited on a bench that stood nearby. Meowth decided to join us as well, out of sheer curiosity. Serena eyed one of them - a red, green, and pale yellow furisode. There was a tag on it that read, Red Flower Florges. "Wow! Doesn't this outfit look great?" asked Serena.

"Yeah… but what's a Florges anyway?" Meowth asked.

"Allow me!" Dexter floated over, and an image appeared on his screen.

Florges
The Garden Pokémon
A Fairy-type
Flabébé's final evolved form
Long ago, the governors of castles invited Florges to help with their gardens, which they built by working together.

"Oh, I get it!" Jessie nodded. "Her fashion is based on Pokémon! Clever."

"Can you imagine if you wore one of these in your next Showcase?" Magearna told her adoptive mother.

"You'd definitely win!" Bonnie chimed in.

Shortly afterwards, we noticed the boys were starting to get up. My Pokémon and I came over to ask what was going on. "Well, since we can't have a Gym Battle today," Ash answered, "Sawyer and I are gonna practice out on the field out there. We shouldn't be too long."

I smiled. "That's okay. Thanks for letting us know." They left for the battlefield outside, and I left to tell the others… "Hey, girls. The boys are gonna-!" …but as I turned my head around, I realized that they had left as well. "Girls? Where'd you go?"

*Serena's POV*

Brianna had just left to figure out where the boys were going. I knew she'd be back shortly to tell us what was going on, but not quickly enough. Two girls approached us from behind and caught our attention. They were dressed in some of Valerie's furisodes.

"Would you mind coming with us for a minute?" one of them asked. "There's something important we'd like to talk to you about?"

The rest of us looked at Jessie, who seemed just as confused as we were. We cautiously agreed, and they directed us to an area out back. Then we heard some voices… was there someone there?

One of the girls we came here with kneeled by the doorway. "Miss Valerie… please excuse me, but may we enter?"

Valerie?! I was elated when I realized we were escorted by her Gym assistants. We heard a voice permitting us entry, and we presented ourselves. I was elated by what I saw.

It was Valerie herself. She looked so majestic in the furisode she made just for herself. She was surrounded by some of her Pokémon - Mawile, Sylveon, and Mr. Mime, just to name a few. She looked at us, scanning us from head to toe. "Excellent choice, Blossom. They should be perfect."

I wanted to approach her, but I felt like my feet were nailed to the floor. "V-Valerie!" I stammered. "It is such an honor to meet you! I'm such a big fan of your work!"

She approached us. "Why, thank you. And if you don't mind my saying, you and your Pokémon all look very beautiful." She then kneeled down at Meowth. "Meow Meowth. Meow Meowth, Meowth," she said.

Meowth stared for a moment, then smiled. "Very impressive! That was actually decently intelligible."

Valerie gasped. "Oh, my! Your Meowth just spoke!"

"He always talks," Bonnie replied.

"Actually, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick," Jessie added, jokingly.

Meowth smirked at the human beside him. "The moment there's nothing to be said, Jessie, I promise you, I will not say it."

Valerie giggled. Then, she got to the reason why we were summoned. "You see, we have a bit of a situation. As I'm sure you've noticed, my annual fashion show is in a few minutes, but we're short a couple of models today. I sent these two to scout some lovely ladies for my show, and they chose you… that is, if you wouldn't mind?"

"WOULD I?!" I blurted out excitedly. Realizing how I startled everyone, I quickly calmed down. "Uh, I mean… Yeah, sure, we can do that." They held back, but I could tell I had amused everyone to the point of near laughter.

"Wonderful!" And as compensation, I'll let you keep the outfits you choose! Now, if you'll kindly follow me…" She then began down a corridor, and the rest of us followed.

*Brianna's POV*

I was not sure what happened to Serena and the girls. I did not see any signs of a struggle where I last saw them, so I assumed they went to explore more of the display, or maybe to some other part of the Gym. So rather than look for them, I decided to join up with the boys.

As I made my way to the battlefield, Ash was in the midst of a battle with his new friend Sawyer, with Clemont acting as referee. I sat down on a bench next to James. It was a double battle with Ash using Frogadier and Hawlucha.

Meanwhile, Sawyer was using a Treecko and a Bagon. "Treecko, use Bullet Seed!" The green one fired a barrage of seeds from its mouth at Frogadier, who flipped out of the way.

"Smart choice," Clemont commented. "Grass-type moves have an advantage on Water-types… if they make contact, that is."

Sawyer made another command for Bullet Seed, but this time, Frogadier made a high jump to evade. "I got you now! One more time, Treecko!"

"Frogadier, use Night Slash!" Ash called out. A dark blade of energy appeared, which sliced through Treecko's oncoming attacks. Then Frogadier struck Treecko with his attack, finishing him off.

"Treecko is unable to battle!" Clemont declared as Treecko was returned to his PokéBall.

"It's not your fault, Sawyer!" James called out. "Ash's method is always surprising opponents and thinking on his feet, so type matchups almost don't matter to him!"

"I see!" Sawyer produced a notebook from his backpack and wrote into it. "When you put it that way, there must be endless ways to battle. So I can still win, even though I'm still outnumbered!"

Ash smirked. "That's the spirit!" Suddenly, we heard music echoing from below. "What the…?"

"I guess the fashion show's about to start," I commented. "Why don't we check it out? I'm sure the others are already down there." All the boys agreed to a rendezvous with the girls and quickly made our way to the runway.

Once we got down there, it seemed the crowd had grown larger. Girls young and old were cheering and screaming, making it impossible to hear anything else.

"It'll take forever to scope them out in this crowd," James muttered.

Then the lights on the stage began to illuminate, making the crowd shout even louder. From an opening in the Gym, we saw two of Valerie's assistants emerge (different from the ones mentioned by Serena). "Ladies in gentlemen," one of them began, "the time has finally come! Welcome to our annual fashion show!"

"We will be presenting designer extraordinaire Valerie's newest collection," the other added, "available immediately after our presentation's conclusion! Please enjoy!"

Multiple girls began down the runway - some of them individually, others in groups. There were Pokémon presented alongside the models - Azumarill, Gothorita, and Meowstic to name a few. I also noticed the outfit seemed to match the Pokémon they stood beside. With every presentation, the crowd grew louder. I was growing concerned that Serena of all people may have been missing out on this…

…but not for long. A group of five emerged onto the runway. Our eyes widened as we recognized our friends up on stage. "What the hoo-hah?!"

Magearna, who was all dressed in a design like a Floette, saw us and smiled. "Hi, Daddy!" She twirled around to show us her outfit. "What do you think? Aren't I cute?"

"Very!" replied her adopted father.

"Bonnie! What in the world are you doing up there?!" asked Clemont.

"I'm modeling, of course," she replied. Specifically, she was modeling an outfit based on a Chingling.

"I can see that, but why are you modeling?!"

James shrugged in amusement as she eyed her partner, who had donned a furisode designed after Persian. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you, Jessie?"

"Oh, shut up," she replied with a smirk.

"Okay… I'm gonna need some context here," I asked Serena, who was wearing the exact same outfit we saw earlier.

"The actual models called in sick this morning, and then they found us," she explained, "so Valerie asked us if we wouldn't mind taking their places."

We heard the crowd shouting her name. Curious, we looked back to the entryway to see someone emerging.

"Speak of the devil," Jessie smiled.

"So that's Valerie the Gym Leader, huh?" Sawyer asked. "She seems rather eccentric… in a good way."

While she was very beautiful and elegant, there was something about her that caught my attention. I could feel it within me… Valerie had one of the Pure Hearts. The only question was which one?

Valerie addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for coming to today's fashion show!" she began. "As I'm sure you've noticed, all of my latest designs incorporate Pokémon motifs. My philosophy has always been that true beauty can only be found in nature. In addition to their elegance, all of my creations are carefully designed to look their absolute best in battle!"

"This is my favorite part," I heard someone say behind me.

The Gym assistants marched onto the runway. They began to scan the crowd, while the crowd itself was trying to catch their attention. Then one of them saw us. She smiled and returned to the Gym Leader and whispered into her ear.

Valerie pointed in our direction. "Princess Brianna," she called out, "would you kindly come up here?"

I was then guided to a staircase nearby. The others cleared off the runway until it was just Valerie, Cocoa and I.

"I would like to have a battle with you," she began, surprising me and my friends. "If you and your partner defeat me, I'll gladly reward you with a Gym Badge. If you happen to defeat me without taking any damage, you'll also receive your choice from today's lineup."

I was a little surprised, but pleased at the same time. This was my chance to attain a new Pure Heart.

One of the Gym assistants would act as the referee. "This will be a one-on-one Gym Battle. It will be over when either Trainer's Pokémon is unable to continue. Furthermore, Mega Evolution is required."

As Cocoa bounced in front of me, Valerie reached into her sleeve and pulled out a PokéBall. It popped open to reveal a pink and cream Pokémon with blue eyes. It also wore a purple bow tie around its neck. It looked similar to Valerie's hairpiece, but this had a Mega Stone embedded therein.

"Who's that Pokémon?" I asked Dexter, who then started to explain.

Audino
The Hearing Pokémon
A Normal-type
It touches others with the feelers on its ears, using the sound of their heartbeats to tell how they are feeling.

Another image appeared. It looked like Audino, but the main difference was its pink fur was mostly white. "And this is Mega Audino - A Normal and Fairy-type. Mega Audino can release pulses that reduce hostility, and the secondary feelers on its chest can put those who come in contact with them into a deep sleep."

I thought for a moment. "This won't be easy, but we can do this. Let's give it our all, Cocoa." She nodded in determination.

"Let the battle begin!" the assistant declared.

Brianna VS Valerie
Cocoa VS Audino
BATTLE BEGIN!

Valerie then tapped the Keystone embedded in her choker. "Sparkling stone, unleash our inner beauty! Audino, Mega Evolve!" And the opposing Pokémon transformed into the image we saw.

Cocoa and I looked at one another and nodded. Now it was our turn.

"Key Stone/Mega Stone, grant us the power we need! Beyond evolution… Mega Evolve!"

"The sincere love in a Trainer's heart, Mega Brianna!"

"The innocent love in a Pokémon's heart, Mega Cocoa!"

"Our hearts are one! Mega Evolution!"

Valerie was delighted by our transformation. "Okay, this is definitely going into next season's lineup."

"Okay, Cocoa, use Thunderbolt!" I shouted. My partner then unleashed a stream of electricity on Audino, who took the hit head on.

Valerie smiled, saying, "Very good, but not good enough. Audino, use Fire Blast!" She created an orb of fire in front of then head. She then launched the orb, which turned into a five-point-shape as it flew toward Cocoa. Thankfully, my partner was just barely able to jump out of the way. As for me, I was able to summon a King's Shield to protect myself.

Cocoa landed behind Audino, and I had an idea. "Cocoa, reach behind you and use Strength!" Che did as told and flipped Audino over her shoulder, slamming her into the stage.

"Audino! Are you okay?" Valerie asked, and her partner responded in the affirmative. "Good. Then use Wish!" Espeon cried out, and a white light shot up around its body.

I could hear my friends in the background. "This could be trouble," said Clemont. "Wish is a healing move that replenishes a Pokémon's HP in the next turn."

"But if they can take her down before then, it almost doesn't matter," James added.

"You can win this, Brianna!" Ash called out. "I'm sure you can!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd was marveling about how beautiful Valerie looked, making comments such as, "Look at Miss Valerie," and, "She's stunning." Valerie, overhearing the comments, smiled.

Back at the battle, I had to think fast. If Hidden Power was maybe a Steel-type move for Cocoa, this battle would be all but over, but I knew it had no effect as a Dragon-type move. So my next best move was… "Quick! Use Thunderbolt!" She fired a string of electric power at the opposing Audino. As I had hoped, it landed a direct hit. I felt relieved… until I saw she was still standing. "But how?"

Dexter hovered over. "When Audino Mega Evolves, its Defense increases significantly."

Valerie smiled. "It's not enough… not enough yet… not enough for my beautiful Mega Audino! Use Dazzling Gleam!" The opponent's body becomes surrounded in a rainbow-colored shine. The shine then gets brighter and blows out in every direction.

Anyone else would have failed here, but I had trained with the unpredictable Ash Ketchum. "Cocoa, use Bounce!" She leaped into the air and out of the way. While Valerie's Audino was recovering from her Wish, Cocoa was hanging in the air for a moment. Before anything else could happen. She had crashed down on top of her opponent, finishing the attack with a flip onto her feet.

Valerie was amazed. "Such grace…"

"And checkmate," I stated, pretending to be my mother. "Thunderbolt One more time!" She launched another attack on the opposing Audino, who was unable to dodge.

All of Valerie's fans were stunned to see Valerie had been defeated. Valerie on the other hand looked content, closing her eyes and conceding defeat. As Audino reverted to her original form, the referee made the official declaration. "Audino is unable to battle! Cocoa is the winner, and so, the match goes to the challenger: Brianna!"

The crowd grew into massive cheers for Cocoa and I as we embraced our victory and each other. I do not think we had ever won a match without taking any damage before. This was such an accomplishment.

Then, I watched as the runes appeared beneath my feet. As a white Pure Heart emerged from Valerie's Audino, I came to realize something… "Wait a second…" Audino was a Fairy and Normal-type when it Mega Evolved. I already received the Opal Heart from Xerneas, so… "There's a Normal-type Pure Heart?!"

After I received the Pure Heart, we saw Valerie approach them. "Thank you, Brianna, for such a beautiful battle. You and your Lopunny were truly the star models on stage today."

I smiled as I replied. "Thank you, Valerie. But Cocoa deserves most of the praise."

Valerie then shook her head. "On the contrary, you both deserve much praise. While you both looked exquisite in your Mega Evolved forms, you know what makes you both truly beautiful? The special bond that you both share as Trainer and Pokémon . I saw that friendship throughout our battle. Even in the face of adversity, you both had the fire to not give up, and keep going till the very end…" 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, as promised for winning the battle, I'm pleased to award you with the Fairy Badge."

"Thank you so much." I accepted the badge and placed it in my case, right next to Clemont's.

Before we could leave the stage, Valerie reminded me, "and one last thing: since you defeated me without any damage, you've also won your choice from today's fashion show. Come with me, and let's make a decision, shall we?" I followed her into the entryway from whence she came. Shortly after my choice, I was invited to show my choice to the crowd, provided my friends came back down the runway with me.

That night, after the show concluded and we were all rejoined with our friends, everyone was at the Pokémon Center, talking about the day while eating dinner. Ash and his Pokémon were all eating their dinner really fast, practically swallowing without chewing.

"I learned so much today!" said Sawyer as he reviewed his notebook. "I'm definitely gonna win that Badge for sure!"

"That's the spirit!" Clemont replied. "I wish you the best of luck!"

Shortly after he said that, Ash finished his meal. "Man, that was a great meal!" He stood up and put on his cap. "Okay… time for some special training!"

"Daddy?" asked Magearna.

"I want to be ready for my gym battle against Valerie tomorrow. 'Kay, Pikachu, Frogadier, Fletchinder, Hawlucha, let's go!"

"Hey, Ash? May I join you?" Sawyer asked.

Ash nodded. "Of course! That'd be great! You'd be really helping us out a lot"!

Sawyer became giddy as he stuffed his meal down and followed him. "Hey, what's the rush? It wouldn't hurt to relax and enjoy a proper meal…" But they were already out the door before she could finish her sentence.

Meowth laughed. "You know Ash. He has trouble relaxing when he knows a strong opponent is waiting for him."

Serena could not help but smile, finding Ash's excited energy about battle pretty hilarious, and inspiring. In fact, she ended up trying to finish her food pretty fast, much to our confusion. "Well, in that case, I'll go cheer them on," and she got up and ran outside. One by one, the rest of us began to do the same, until at last, we were all out helping with their Special Training.

When I first came to Laverre City, I did not realize there was a Normal-type Pure Heart. Perhaps it was a good thing that Valerie chose me for that special Gym Battle with Mega Audino. Now that Ash has witnessed her power, will he be able to defeat her and earn his sixth Kalos Gym Badge? The answer to come as the journey continues…