What is the earliest I can get to Snowbelle City?

Question

Snowbelle city is the location of the 8th gym in Pokémon X/Y. I'm still very early in the story, only at Geosenge Town. Most of Lumiose City is still blocked off for me due to a "blackout", which cuts me off from accessing Routes 13, 14, 16,. I attempted to take Route 4, head through Santalune City, and take Route 22. However, I cannot get to Route 21 because I'm stopped by an NPC at Victory Road when I try to exit in that direction telling me that I'm essentially too low level for the area.

What story requirements do I have to meet to get access to Snowbelle City as soon as possible? I don't care about taking on the gym leader yet, I just want to be able to access the city itself so I can go to the Pokémon Center there (there's an NPC I need to talk to there for an event).

Answer 1

Snowbelle City cannot be accessed until after you've defeated the villainous team's leader and foiled their primary plan — and you can't do that until after you've obtained the first seven badges. Additionally, the NPC in Victory Road won't move until you enter from the other side (i.e., after you've already been to Snowbelle). This is not unusual; in every main-series Pokémon game other than the originals & their remakes, the player cannot reach the city containing the eighth gym until after they've beaten the first seven.