Besides being a Gym Leader, Viola is also a professional photographer. This Gym is the first to be challenged by the player. Trainers who defeat her will be given the Bug Badge, along with TM83 (Infestation). She is the younger sister to Alexa, a journalist. According to the television show Gym Freaks, Viola's camera was a birthday gift from Alexa and her barrette was a birthday gift from Valerie.
"That determined expression… That glint in your eye that says you're up to the challenge… It's fantastic! Just fantastic! Is this your first time challenging a Gym? Fantastic! Whether it's the tears of frustration that follow a loss or the blossoming of joy that comes with victory… They're both great subjects for my camera! Fantastic! This'll be just fantastic! Now come at me! My lens is always focused on victory—I won't let anything ruin this shot!"
Being defeated
"You and your Pokémon have shown me a whole new depth of field! Fantastic! Just fantastic!"
After being defeated
"Young Trainer, you… No, it wasn't you alone. You and your <Pokémon> have shown me a whole new depth of field! Fantastic! Just fantastic!"
"With that Bug Badge, Pokémon up to Lv. 30 will listen to your orders in battle… Yup, even if you get them from trades! And here! This TM commemorates your win against a pro photog like me."
"Using a TM like that one there lets you teach your Pokémon some new moves quicker than a shutter set to 1/1000 can snap shut! TMs are some of the best gear around. They're point-and-click easy, and you can use them over and over again! Now, the TM that I just gave you is for a move called Infestation. Use it, and it'll be impossible for your opponent to flee from battle! Now then, can you zoom in a bit to check out the tent behind me? Take the stairs that you find beyond it, and you'll be back up to the entrance faster than a flash!"
(post-game) "The world you see through a lens, and the world you see with a Pokémon by your side... The same world can look entirely different depending on your view."
"Even as a Marchioness, I'm still always looking for the perfect shot. And the quickest way to the perfect shot is by capturing the perfect win!"
Being defeated
"Ohhh! No one enjoys losing, but you all were such great opponents!"
After being defeated
(if giving the player an item) "Here! Another bit of gear for such a perfect shot!"
"I knew that you and your Pokémon could show me a whole new depth of field!"
After defeating the player
"The photo from the moment of my victory will be a really winner, all right!"
Gym Freaks
April: "Hello! It's time for Gym Freaks, your source for the hottest news about hot Gym Leaders in Kalos. So... I'm now in front of the Santalune City Gym! ... Hooray! Viola has arrived! She's fabulous! So fabulous! I'm so crazy about those eyebrows! The barrette that Viola always wears is a birthday gift from Valerie! Awww. I want to have someone who celebrates my birthday. Oh... She went inside the Gym... That's all for the on-site report. Good-bye for now, everyone."
In the anime
Viola in the anime
Viola was first mentioned in The Dream Continues!, albeit not by name, when Alexa revealed to Ash that her sister was a Gym Leader from the Kalos region. When Ash arrived in Kalos in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, he learned that Viola was absent from her Gym at Santalune City. However, Ash decided to head to Santalune Gym anyway after his challenge at Lumiose Gym was declined.
He arrived there just as Viola, who was revealed to a professional photographer known for her excellent shots of Bug-type Pokémon, was returning and she accepted Ash's challenge. Viola's Surskit and Vivillon had a type disadvantage against Ash's Fletchling and Pikachu, however Viola's strategy was to immobilize both Pokémon using Ice Beam and Sticky Web. This worked and Ash lost the battle.
Viola appeared again in Santalune Showdown! Part 2, where Ash challenged her to a rematch. Thanks to the training Ash had had with his friends between the battles, he was able to counter Viola's strategies and defeat her, winning himself the Bug Badge. She later reappeared in a flashback in XY012.
Viola and her Surskit are set to appear in a future episode involving the Battle Chateau, where they will battle against Grant and his Onix.
Pokémon
This listing is of Viola's known Pokémon in the anime:
Surskit is Viola's first known Pokémon. It was first used against Ash's Pikachu in their first Gym battle. Surskit defeated Pikachu by freezing the battlefield with Ice Beam, which prevented him from moving properly and left him unable to escape Surskit's Signal Beam. Next, it fought Fletchling, who quickly defeated Surskit due to its ability to fly. In XY006, Surskit battled Pikachu again in a rematch, where its previous tactics failed due to Pikachu using his tail to balance himself on the ice. It was eventually defeated by Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
Vivillon is Viola's second known Pokémon. It was first used against Ash in their first Gym battle. It was sent out to battle Fletchling after it had defeated Surskit. It won the battle by using Psychic to trap Fletchling in Surskit's Sticky Web, leaving it defenseless to Vivillon's Solar Beam. In XY006, Vivillon faced Fletchling again in a rematch, where it beat Fletchling again by hitting it with Sleep Powder, leaving it defenseless to Solar Beam once more. Then it fought Pikachu, where Vivillon was defeated after its wing was frozen by the ice surrounding the Gym, hindering its ability to fly and leaving it an easy target for Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
