The next day, in the middle of the afternoon, the trio found themselves walking into a medium-sized city in northern Kalos. The three of them looked around, their eyes drawn to the river running through the middle of the city, as well as the gigantic tree that stood in the center of it.
"Here we are, guys! Laverre City!" Ash proclaimed. "Man, this place hasn't changed a bit."
"I like it already," Iris responded, smiling as her eyes took in the greenery.
"I'll like any place with a bed," Brock added. "Camping is fun, but I can only sleep in a sleeping bag for so long."
"Really, Brock?" She glanced sideways at him. "You'd rather sleep in some stuffy bedroom than under the stars?"
"I dunno, I think I'm with Brock on this one," Ash chimed in. "I don't think I could camp out every single night."
"Bah, you guys are boring." Iris clasped her hands behind her head, stretching her arms.
Ash pulled out his town map, eyes snapping to the new route that had been created between Laverre City and Coumarine City. "Well, we'll get plenty of camping in when we're on Route 23. It's a few days to Coumarine from here." He put the map back into his pocket. "We can stay here a day or two before we head out. We're not in a big rush." He grinned. "For now, I've got a gym to challenge."
Brock straightened up, scanning what he could see of the city. "Where is it?"
Ash pointed to the enormous tree that stood out among the city buildings. "It's right there. They built the gym into that giant tree."
"Wow, really?" Iris stood on her toes to get a better look. "That's so cool!"
"Well, no time like the present," Brock added. "Let's head over there and get your first badge!" Ash nodded, a determined grin on his face, as the three made their way to the Laverre Gym.
Ten minutes later, the trio stepped into the main room of the gym, looking around in wonder at the design. The outer ring of the main room was covered in grass and trees, while a small moat surrounded the battlefield itself, which was connected to the rest of the room with four bridges. While Iris and Brock moved to a raised partition on the side, in order to watch the battle, Ash and Pikachu walked over one of the bridges onto the battlefield, where they saw the Gym Leader waiting for them on the other end. While she was wearing an eye-catching and intricately-designed pink and yellow outfit, Ash was drawn to her unusually large eyes, as he had been when they had first met, years ago.
"Welcome to my gym," she spoke in a soft, floaty voice. "What is your name, aspiring Champion?"
He grinned a bit in response, amused that she hadn't remembered who he was; from what he knew of her, it wasn't unusual for her to not remember what she had for breakfast that morning. "I'm Ash Ketchum, from Kanto. And being the League Champion isn't just my aspiration, it's my future!"
"I am happy to see such confidence from you." She smiled, stepping forward a bit. "My name is Valerie… Gym Leader, fashion designer, and aspiring Pokémon." She grinned. "Perhaps that is strange to say, but it's true."
Ash kept grinning, suppressing a laugh, thinking that just like Laverre City, Valerie hadn't changed at all. Iris cocked her head, looking at the Gym Leader like she was a few cards short of a full deck; Brock was determinedly looking away from the beautiful woman, his face red.
"Well, I wish you the best of luck," she continued. "I am told you are hoping to acquire your first Badge here. Is that correct?"
"It is," he answered.
"Very well, then. We shall have a two-on-two Pokémon battle. If you can manage to defeat me, then the Fairy Badge shall be yours." She stepped into position on her side of the battlefield. "Are you ready to battle?"
"You bet!" Ash stepped into position as well, feeling adrenaline starting to pump through his body, as it did before every Gym battle. He felt his fists clench in excitement, a smirk spreading across his face.
"Then, let us begin!" Valerie reached for a Poké Ball at her side, grasping it and throwing it into the ring, energetically. "Go, Spritzee!" The ball opened as it hit the ground, and the Pokémon that emerged was a small pink bird, less than a foot tall, with a large white beak. Upon seeing it, Iris pulled out her Pokédex curiously, aiming it at the creature.
"Spritzee, the Perfume Pokémon," the machine recited. "Spritzee gives off a fragrance that delights anyone who smells it, which changes depending on what Spritzee eats."
"Alright, let's do this!" Ash reached to his belt, pulling out a Poké Ball and tossing it into the ring. "Skorupi, you're up first!" The scorpion Pokémon emerged from the ball a second later, snapping its pincers, ready to go.
Valerie smiled a peculiar smile, which masked her thoughts well; it was hard to tell if she was impressed or bored by Ash's choice of a Poison-type. "Spritzee, let's neutralize their attack! Attract it with Sweet Scent!" The bird trilled in response, flapping its wings harder as it started to release a scent into the air, one that quickly started to spread. Ash watched it approach, unfazed, having prepared for this.
"Skorupi, avoid the scent by digging underground!" His Pokémon responded quickly, facing down and burrowing its way into the earth of the arena, just as the scent swept past. It hit the noses of everyone in the room, and nobody, not even Valerie or the referee standing at the side of the arena, was able to resist inhaling it deeply.
"Ahh…" Valerie exhaled slowly, smiling wide and closing her eyes, seeming to forget herself for a moment, before her mind returned to the battle at hand. "How long do you plan to keep your Skorupi underground, challenger? Sweet Scent lasts much longer than you might think."
Ash smirked, not saying anything, not wanting to give away what came next. As the two trainers watched, a Fell Stinger rocketed out of the ground, missing Spritzee by centimeters. Valerie yelped in surprise, as if she was the one who had been attacked.
"How devious! Don't get hit, Spritzee! Move around quickly!" The bird started zooming around the arena, dodging the stingers that were emerging from the ground once every few seconds, as the Gym Leader thought of her next move. As Spritzee flew about, its small wings were stirring up the air underneath, causing the Sweet Scent to slowly dissipate.
"Wow, look at that!" Iris exclaimed, leaning forward, her hands on the railing in front of her as the scent spread itself out and weakened. "Do you think he planned that out? Or did he just get lucky?"
"I couldn't tell you," Brock responded, his eyes following the action as well. "He wasn't quite that clever when I traveled with him… but it has been a long time." He grinned, excited to see what else was in store. Iris kept her eyes on the battle as well, wanting to see more before making her judgment.
Down in the arena, Valerie was acutely aware of what was happening. She was going to need a new tactic, right away, and her mind quickly came up with one.
"Spritzee! Attack the ground with Moonblast!"
Her Pokémon chirped and turned to face the ground, starting to gather a pink ball of energy in front of itself. As it dodged another Fell Stinger, it cried out and fired the energy out in front of it, toward the ground; it shook the earth as it hit, upturning much of it, making it harder to travel through. As its sharp eyes scanned the ground, it was able to see Skorupi's tail, as it struggled to dig through dirt that was now collapsing onto it.
"That's the way! Now find it and knock it out with Gyro Ball!"
Spritzee trilled again, starting to pitch forward and spin itself around repeatedly, until it was indistinguishable from a pink spinning ball. It lunged forward toward the soft earth, its opponent caught in its sights.
"Here it comes, Skorupi!" Ash called out. "Don't be caught off guard!"
Everyone watched as Spritzee grazed the battlefield, kicking up loose dirt all over, ramming directly into where it had last seen its opponent. As it zoomed past and back into the air, Valerie expected to see a dazed Skorupi half-buried in the soil; much to her surprise, however, the Pokémon was nowhere to be seen. She glanced up toward her Spritzee, which was spinning more slowly as it came out of the Gyro Ball. She gasped as she got a good look, seeing that Skorupi had clamped its pincers onto Spritzee's feathers, its poisonous tail jabbed directly into the bird's back.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. "Spritzee, no!" She watched as her bird fell woozily to the battlefield, trying and failing to stay afloat. Skorupi hopped off as it crashed, slightly dizzy from all the spinning, and it was clear to everyone that Spritzee was not getting back up, completely incapacitated by the poison.
"Spritzee is unable to battle!" the referee announced, holding up a flag in Ash's direction. "The challenger wins the first bout!"
"Yes!" Ash pumped his fist, energized. "Great job, Skorupi!"
"How about that," Brock commented from above, smiling. "All that with barely a word being said. Ash was fine as a trainer before, but it seems like he's really coming into his own now."
"Well, don't jinx it," Iris responded. "There's still one Pokémon left to take out before he wins. If Skorupi can beat this one, too, then I'll be impressed."
Valerie looked downcast as she pulled out her Poké Ball, aiming it at the defeated Pokémon. "Spritzee, return. I'm sorry I let you down." She pocketed it and grabbed another from her side. "An impressive display of cunning, Ash Ketchum from Kanto. But you haven't won this battle yet."
She tossed her next Poké Ball onto the field. "Sylveon, I choose you!" Out of the ball came a four-legged, pink-and-white Pokémon adorned with ribbons, smiling sweetly. Brock was the one to take out his Pokédex this time, recognizing the creature but curious as to what the machine would say.
"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its Trainer's arm as they walk together."
Ash nodded resolutely, glad to see that Valerie's team had not changed. Sylveon would be a challenge, but hopefully Skorupi's type advantage would be enough to win the day. "Skorupi, same plan! You're more dangerous underground!"
"Oh, no you don't!" Valerie responded. "Sylveon, Disarming Voice!"
As Skorupi started to burrow underground, Valerie's Pokémon cried out loud, aiming its voice right in its opponent's direction. The cry blasted out as loud as a foghorn, slamming painfully into Skorupi's ears, and the Pokémon stopped digging as it was half-buried in the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
"Let's unearth this opponent!" Valerie continued. "Fairy Wind!" Sylveon held its ribbons out in front of itself, building up a whirlwind directly in front of it; it released the wind moments later, laser-focused on the opposing Pokémon, who was lifted out of the ground and tossed several feet back.
Skorupi slowly got to its feet, a bit rattled from its brief flight. The Pokémon looked forward again, just in time to see its opponent rocketing toward it. Skorupi had no time to get out of the way of Sylveon's Giga Impact, and it was knocked powerfully away, rolling across the ground several times before coming to rest, dazed, its tail sticking straight out stiffly.
"No! Come on, Skorupi, you can get up!" Ash called out, pleading, but to no avail. His Pokémon continued to lay still, groaning quietly.
"Skorupi is unable to battle!" the referee interjected. "Sylveon wins the bout! Each trainer is down to their last Pokémon!"
Iris sighed, leaning forward and resting her chin on her arms atop the railing. "Well, that didn't last long."
Ash sighed as well, retrieving his Poké Ball and bringing his Pokémon back, disappointed but not too surprised. "You did great, Skorupi. Get some rest." He glanced downward toward Pikachu, who was standing at his side. "It's your turn, Pikachu. You've got this!" The Pokémon nodded, running into the ring on all fours, glaring at Sylveon and smirking.
"Let's start strong! Electro Ball!" Pikachu focused himself, electricity starting to crackle around his tail; a moment later, the electricity had formed into a ball, which Pikachu flung at his opponent.
Ash grinned as he watched the ball of electricity fly toward Sylveon. "Now, cut off its escape! Quick Attack!" His Pokémon responded by dashing forward, curving around to the side, taking away one of Sylveon's options to get away from the Electro Ball.
Valerie smiled, looking relaxed and not at all worried. "Sylveon, stop that ball with Light Screen!"
Her Pokémon focused in response, and a pink shield of light appeared in front of it, intercepting the Electro Ball; the attack immediately disappeared in a small flash of light, dealing zero damage to its target. Ash's eyebrows raised, not having seen Light Screen from this Pokémon before, as Sylveon dashed forward with a Quick Attack of its own. It easily got away from Pikachu, who screeched to a stop as he realized what had just happened.
"Well, that was simple," Valerie taunted, in a rare moment of bravado. "I hope electric attacks aren't all you have up your sleeve."
"No way!" Ash responded. "Pikachu's got plenty of other skills." He focused on his Pokémon once again. "Chase it down and get it with Iron Tail!"
Pikachu nodded, his tail turning hard as iron, and he began to chase Sylveon around the battlefield. Valerie's Pokémon had plenty of speed, making itself hard to catch, but it was still slower than Pikachu, who was gradually closing in. Once he was close enough, he leaped into the air and turned about, ready to swing.
"Sylveon! Disarming Voice!"
Sylveon looked toward its attacker and cried out just as it had before, the incredible volume causing Pikachu to stop twisting and cover his pained ears with his paws. Valerie's Pokémon took the opportunity to lunge forward and chomp down on the Iron Tail using Bite. Pikachu cried out in pain and surprise, before Sylveon swung its head sharply downward, slamming its opponent into the ground.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out, as his Pokémon was tossed away by Sylveon, skidding across the ground before getting back to his feet, shaking his head. He was dazed and a bit scuffed up, but still capable of battling. From above, Iris and Brock watched the battle unfold, concern in their eyes; Axew watched as well, from his usual perch on Iris's head.
"This isn't good," Brock spoke up. "Sylveon is strong, and it has just enough tricks to neutralize all of Pikachu's natural advantages."
Iris nodded gently, not wanting to jostle Axew too much. "Ash is going to need to pull out something else that's clever if he wants to win this. Unless he gets lucky somehow."
"Well, luck comes through for him more often than not. I guess we'll see."
Ash bit his lip, running quickly through his options, but Sylveon appeared to have all of its bases covered. He would have to find and exploit some sort of weakness if he wanted to win this, but how was he going to find them?
"Use Agility, Pikachu! Try to get behind it!"
His Pokémon nodded, dashing forward and starting to glow, becoming far faster than he had been previously. He started racing around Sylveon, who was turning about quickly, trying to keep up.
"You can't catch it, Sylveon!" Valerie called out, her voice still calm. "Stop it in its tracks! Dazzling Gleam!"
As Pikachu continued to race around, waiting for a good opportunity for a physical attack, he suddenly found an incredibly bright light appearing directly in his face, nearly blinding him. He cried out and slowed to a stop, waiting for his vision to return to normal, when he found himself blown away by another blast of Fairy Wind, sending him across the battlefield.
"Great work!" the Gym Leader called out. "You're a star, Sylveon! Now finish this battle! Giga Impact"
Pikachu got to its feet, dizzy as he looked toward Sylveon, who was once again racing forward to impact its opponent. This time, however, was a bit different; the Pokémon was running more slowly, its breathing a bit more labored. Ash's Pokémon had just enough time to leap upward and avoid the attack.
"What? What's going on?" Ash was relieved but confused, watching as Sylveon worked to catch its breath, turning to face Pikachu again. As he saw the color starting to drain from Sylveon's face, he remembered the moment where Skorupi was knocked out, and how its tail was sticking straight out, facing its opponent. His eyes widened as he pieced together what had happened; with its last attack, Skorupi had managed to stick Sylveon with a small amount of poison, which was now starting to take effect.
He grinned wide, seeing the path to victory laying itself out in front of him. "This is our chance, Pikachu! Use Agility one more time!"
His Pokémon nodded, starting to race around again, working once again to get into Sylveon's blind spot. Valerie's Pokémon turned around quickly, trying to use its Disarming Voice once more, but it didn't have the strength to cry out as loud as it needed to. It wasn't long before Pikachu was in position to attack.
"This is it!" Ash called out, adrenaline pumping once again. "Finish it, Pikachu! Volt Tackle!"
Sylveon turned more slowly than it would have liked, hearing that its opponent was no longer racing in circles. Before it could even get itself properly turned around, Pikachu slammed his whole body into the opposing Pokémon, sending a strong jolt of electricity through Sylveon's body as he did. Sylveon flew backward, landing hard on the ground before skidding to a stop. It struggled to get back onto all fours, its body weak, before it collapsed back to the arena, no longer making an attempt to stand.
"Sylveon is unable to continue!" the referee declared. "Pikachu is the winner, which means that the challenger has won the match!"
"Yes! We did it!" Ash thrust his fist into the air as he jumped, relieved and amped at the same time. Up above, Iris sighed in relief as Brock cheered.
Valerie walked forward onto the battlefield, kneeling next to Sylveon and lifting it up to cradle it in her arms, looking crestfallen. "I'm sorry, Sylveon. We won't be able to celebrate victory today." She took a minute before bringing Sylveon back to its Poké Ball, standing up and exhaling as Ash walked forward into the center of the arena; Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder, worn out.
"The sting of defeat… it never feels any better, no matter how many times you experience it, does it? Perhaps I'm in the wrong profession." She glanced back at Ash, looking a bit surprised to see him at first, as if she had just remembered he was there. "You, however… you have many victories laying ahead of you, I'm sure."
She reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a metallic badge designed to look like a rounded pair of insect wings. "As proof of your victory, I confer onto you the Fairy Badge. I hope that you may complete your collection while you are here."
Ash grinned wide as he held out his hand, accepting the badge from her. "Thanks for the great battle, Valerie. Your Pokémon were really impressive."
"Thank you for the kind words." She smiled at him. "Do take care, future Champion." He nodded, turning around and walking toward the exit. He reached into one of his vest pockets and pulled out the badge case he had picked up in Lumiose City, placing the Fairy Badge into it as Iris and Brock quickly traveled down the stairs to him.
"Congratulations, Ash!" Brock exclaimed cheerfully. "First try, first badge. You're off to a good start."
"It's a good thing you got lucky with that poison," Iris chipped in. "That would have been a tough battle otherwise."
"What do you mean, lucky?" Ash glanced back, smirking. "How do you know I didn't have that planned out?"
Iris laughed as they stepped outside. "Give me a break, Ash. You had panic written all over your face."
The three continued to talk, bickering and laughing, as they made their way toward the Laverre City Pokémon Center.
"What? No beds at all?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not," Nurse Joy offered, looking down into the faces of the three disappointed trainers in front of her; Pikachu was sitting on the counter, next to Skorupi's Poké Ball, glancing up at her as she spoke. "It's unusual for us, but it does happen from time to time. If you wanted, I could get some bedding for you, and you could sleep in our lobby tonight?"
Ash and Iris thought this over for a moment, but Brock quickly shook his head, not interested in sleeping on a couch or the floor. "You don't need to trouble yourself for our sake. We'll find someplace where we can stay the night."
Joy nodded, giving another apologetic smile. "Of course. Sorry again." She looked down, scooping Pikachu up into her arms, while her right hand grasped the Poké Ball. "We can definitely take care of your Pokémon, though. It will just take a bit."
Ash nodded, turning back toward his friends, as Brock spoke up again. "You stay here and wait for your Pokémon. We'll come back and get you when we've found a hotel with spare beds."
"I still don't see the problem with just camping out," Iris muttered as they turned away, walking toward the entrance. Ash grinned and watched them go, quietly impressed that Brock had managed to overcome his weakness for Nurse Joys. Olivia must have had more of an impact than he thought.
He turned back toward the counter, as the nurse walked into the back with his Pokémon. Glancing down, he noticed a container of sweets at one end of the counter, with a small sign indicating that they were free for trainers to enjoy. He grinned and nicked a macaron from the container, walking away as he took a bite of it.
As he walked and munched, his attention was drawn to a television playing overhead; glancing toward it, he saw that it was playing an advertisement for an upcoming Pokémon Showcase in Coumarine City. He stopped and watched it for a moment, thinking back to his first trip through Kalos with his friends, where the Coumarine City Showcase had been a major turning point in their adventure. His reminiscing came to an abrupt stop roughly ten seconds in; he froze, eyes wide with shock at what he saw on screen, and the half-eaten macaron fell out of his fingers and onto the ground.
Twenty minutes later, Iris and Brock were walking down the sidewalk, back to the Pokémon Center. As they approached, they saw Ash practically burst out of the front doors, racing along the road with Pikachu held tightly in his arms.
"Hey, Ash!" Iris waved at him as he approached. "We're right here, you don't need to run. We found a place that's pretty close and-"
"There's no time!" Ash called out, running past the both of them. "We have to go! We have to leave, right now!"
"What?" Brock called out, confused, as they both turned around and watched him. "Why the sudden rush?"
"She's here! She's here in Kalos!" Ash answered, turning around and running backwards, one hand holding his hat onto his head so it wouldn't fly off. "We have to get to Coumarine City as fast as we can!"
"Wait, what?!" Iris exclaimed, starting to run after him. "The girl you know is here?"
"What's going on?" Brock started running as well, a mix of disappointed, surprised and curious. "You're not going to run all the way to Coumarine City, are you?"
"If I have to!" Ash turned around and started running full steam ahead. Now that he knew she was here, nothing was going to stop him from seeing her again.
"Ash, hold on! Wait up!" Iris called out, chasing after him as they all quickly made their way toward Route 23.