"We're not far from Amity Square," Cynthia said, checking her map just to be sure. "Actually… Dawn, is this near anywhere important from the past?"

"It could be, but not that I know about," Dawn replied. "Sorry."

"Worth a check," Cynthia decided. "You see, this was originally meant to be built in Hearthome City, but there were huge problems with finding enough space for a big park, then when ancient ruins were found here the organizers just decided that since the ruins had to be protected anyway they'd just move the park here."

She folded up the map. "Actually, it's another one of those times that Dialga and Palkia get mentioned, but Giratina doesn't. I didn't really think that much of it before now, but that really is a trend."

"It's part of why Giratina was so upset," Dawn said. "Though… personally, I think it's because some stories got started and then people went along with the stories, and then he got upset. Like you said about how stories become reasons why people do things."

"That could be it," Cynthia admitted.

"Then maybe… I guess we should tell him about it if we meet him?" Ash guessed. "That we appreciate him, I mean."

Dawn held up her hand. "That's not the right word to use for him," she said. "It is when I use it, but… I know it's confusing, it took me a couple of times to understand, but Volo said that you should never refer to Giratina by the same gender you use. Because Giratina's associated with the Reverse World, and with mirrors."

"That's interesting," Latias said. "I guess, um, he thinks that way because a mirror never quite shows the same thing as someone else sees looking at you."

"Probably," Ash agreed, thinking about it. "Because… yeah, it's like with t-shirts, right?"

Pikachu, Latias and Koraidon all gave him confused looks, and after a moment Ash remembered that none of them had actually worn a T-shirt.

"Oh, uh," he frowned, as they crossed the boundary of Amity Park itself. "If you wear a T-shirt that says something on it, like, Pokémon, and you look in a mirror, it looks the wrong way around. But anyone else looking at you will see it the right way round."

"I guess that is the kind of thing that humans would recognize more than Pokémon," Pikachu said. "And if Giratina's to do with mirrors, then they'd experience that enough to be used to it."

Ash nodded. "So mirrors reverse things… left to right? No, that's not right…"

As Ash puzzled about which way mirrors flipped things around, though, Latias nudged him.

"Someone's coming, I recognize him," she warned.

Ash looked up, and recognized Paul.

"Oh, hi Paul!" he said. "How are your Pokémon doing?"

Paul frowned, though it didn't seem like it was because he was annoyed.

"I don't know, this is to find out," he replied, and pointed. "I want a battle."

Cynthia looked interested, then raised her hand to her chin.

"Did you mean me, specifically?" she checked. "I'd be delighted, I just want to make sure that I'm not misinterpreting because this isn't a common occurrence."

"Yes, I want to see how far I have to go," Paul replied. "I don't want a gym battle. I don't want you holding back to give me the right kind of challenge. I want to see how close I am to challenging Pyramid King Brandon, or a reigning region Champion."

Ash frowned, and raised a hoof.

"I… get what you mean," he said. "Battling against Sidney was really hard, and it made me have a good think about what I was going to do from there."

Paul nodded shortly.

"That's why I want to get an idea of how strong my team is," he said. "Can we do it?"

"Why not," Cynthia decided. "If that's what you want."

"I think this is going to be the first time we see Cynthia doing a full formal battle, right?" Latias asked. "Not one where she's training up new Pokémon herself, I mean."

She looked down at Eevee and Jangmo-o, sitting side by side at the edge of the impromptu arena. "Because you're both here."

"Yep!" Eevee agreed. "Well… actually, which of us do you think is closer to where we're aiming, Jangmo-o?"

"Probably you," Jangmo-o replied, shaking himself and making his scales rattle slightly. "You have an evolution and then learning to make the most of your Ice moves, but I have two."

"Eh," Eevee said, tilting her ears. "It could be you, too, because you can work on things now that I can't. I guess we'll just agree to disagree."

A little way along, Dawn drummed her fingers along Turtwig's carapace, and Turtwig leaned slightly into the scratch.

"This is going to be a bit weird," she said. "Right?"

Samurott nodded, considering. "No Arcanine, though," she replied. "Mind you, any replacement would be harder."

Ash stepped forwards a bit. "So – should I act as the referee?"

"That would be helpful," Cynthia agreed.

"Okay, get your first Pokémon ready," Ash invited. "Then… three, two, one, begin!"

Cynthia sent out her Garchomp, an immediate demonstration that she was doing just as Paul asked and giving Paul the strongest challenge she could.

Paul, by contrast, sent out a Chimchar.

"Um," the Fire-type began.

"Fire Spin," Paul commanded, and Chimchar acted quickly enough – exhaling a spiral of flames, which surged towards Garchomp.

"Dragon Tail!" Cynthia replied, and Garchomp pirouetted. Her tail glowed and swiped across, cutting the Fire Spin in half, and Paul reacted by pointing down. "Dig!"

Cynthia thought for a second, then nodded. "Dig as well," she said, and her Garchomp plunged into the ground shortly after Chimchar had done the same.

"Hmm," Samurott said, contemplatively.

"I recognize that sound," Dawn replied. "You're trying to work out if you could take Garchomp, aren't you?"

"Pokémon battle judges have to deal with weird things, sometimes," Ash said, not quite sure how to handle the situation. "I guess… it's like with Typhlosion and you have to come up at some point?"

He frowned. "If it matters, Chimchar has to come up first because he went down first."

Then there was a crash, and Chimchar came bursting out of the ground. The big crater he made when he came up showed that this wasn't entirely his idea, and he did a complete flip before landing with a thud on the arena floor.

Garchomp came out a moment later, landing more gracefully, and Cynthia held up her hand to signal Garchomp to wait.

"Is Chimchar still able to battle?" she asked.

Ash looked more closely. "I don't… think so," he said. "Chimchar?"

"He's knocked out," Paul said, recalling him. "Well, that didn't work."

"Did you expect it to?" Garchomp asked. "I know the point where I go from confidence to arrogance is exactly the point where I finally get my tail kicked, because some things are inevitable, but I have to ask."

"Yeah, I have to agree," Ash said. "Paul, uh… did you think Chimchar would win that, or that he had something he could do that would help?"

"Of course I did," Paul replied. "Chimchar's very strong, when he can access it… the thing is, it's hard to get him to access it. Nothing I've tried so far has worked, he just doesn't want to."

"And you tried pitting him against… Garchomp?" Eevee asked, ears going down. "I'm going to be an Ice-type soon and I wouldn't contemplate doing that!"

Paul was already getting out his second Pokéball. "Weavile, your turn."

"Get ready for an Ice attack, Garchomp," Cynthia said.

Paul pointed. "That way. Blizzard."

Weavile sprang into action, running to the side and using his claws to scrape along the ground and control his movement, then launched a Blizzard attack at Garchomp.

Cynthia didn't give any instructions, and the Blizzard just hammered straight into Garchomp as the Dragon-type raised her arm to protect her face.

She didn't do anything to protect the rest of her, neither dodging nor using a move to block, and when the Blizzard ended Weavile took a worried step back.

"That… what?" he asked.

"Focus, Weavile," Paul said.

"Dragon Rush," Cynthia countered, and Garchomp began charging forwards.

Paul clenched his fist. "Dodge – dodge left! And Ice Beam!"

Weavile darted out of the way of Garchomp's attack, firing an Ice Beam, and Garchomp did an agile half-roll that forced Weavile's first attempt to miss. Then she did a quick turn and hit Weavile while the Ice-type was still preparing his second Ice Beam, knocking them almost half the distance between Paul and Cynthia.

"Hmm," Samurott muttered to herself. "Maybe if there's a version of Night Slash that's actually Ice type, that would be a start, but not nearly enough…"

Garchomp knocked out Weavile not long afterwards, then went on to defeat both Paul's Murkrow and his Torterra before their trainer held up his hand.

"That's enough," he said. "I'm going to stop there. I've got a much better idea of how far I have to go now."

"I'm impressed," Pikachu admitted, nodding to Garchomp. "That was some serious making-a-mockery-of-Type-Advantage, take it from someone who knows."

"Thanks," Garchomp replied. "It's a speciality."

"Did I ever tell you I want to grow up to be that awesome?" Jangmo-o asked.

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Cynthia said, walking over. "I know you mentioned that you wanted an idea of how far you wanted to go, but I wanted to ask about some of the other specifics of what you were trying to achieve."

Paul looked like he wasn't sure what to decide, then nodded.

"You mentioned that Chimchar is very strong, when he can access it," Cynthia went on, as she checked on Garchomp's scales where she'd been hit by Blizzard and Giga Drain. "Have you ever talked to him about it?"

"Of course I have," Paul answered. "I told him that he'd be able to win much more easily if he'd use Blaze. But he hasn't been."

"That's not what I meant," Cynthia corrected. "What I mean is, have you asked him if he wants to do that?"

She nodded towards Ash. "I'm sure Ash could tell you about this, but it's something I need to know as well. And it's something Dawn's learned as well… it does you no good at all to know that a Pokémon has the potential to be strong, if achieving that potential isn't something they're comfortable with. Or want to do."

Then she patted Garchomp on the underside of the muzzle. "I can't see any problems, dear friend. Well done, and thank you."

Garchomp made a pleased noise.

"Then what should I do?" Paul asked. "It sounds like you think you have the answer."

In reply, Cynthia sent out her Lucario.

"Talk to Chimchar," she advised. "With Lucario's help, or with Ash's help. And make sure you listen to what he says… and remember, if you want a true answer, then you have to make sure that the Pokémon knows you won't mind if the answer you get isn't the one you'd like."

"I can help with that, yeah," Ash agreed. "Though… Chimchar and Paul's other Pokémon probably need a Pokémon Centre visit, right?"

AN:

This isn't Amity Square in Japan, but it is in the dub, so the reason why it's not in Hearthome is worth addressing.