Ash went to the Pokémon Centre, after that, because he'd finally decided who he was going to bring – then, finally, went to challenge the Hearthome Gym.

It felt like it had taken months to finally get to this point.

"Ah, hello," Fantina said, opening the door. "It is nice to see you! However, unfortunately, I am unable to battle any more today."

Ash blinked.

"...what?" he asked.

"I am joking, of course!" Fantina added, very hastily, after seeing Cynthia's expression. "But perhaps this wasn't the best time for it… ahem… well, that is, do you have your Pokémon chosen?"

"That really wasn't the best time for that joke," Latias agreed, wincing.

"I've got my Pokémon chosen," Ash said. "But, first… I actually wanted you to meet a couple of my Pokémon who aren't going to be battling, because they seem like the kind of Pokémon you'd like to meet."

Fantina looked curious. "You mean your Pikachu? Unless your plan is to use your Pikachu, that is?"

"No, it's more like… I've got an expanded limit on how many Pokémon I can have at once, so I actually meant to introduce you to Zorua and Typhlosion," Ash explained. "Zorua was back home at Pallet Town when we last met, and so was Typhlosion, and I guess… I wanted to see what you thought of them? That wouldn't normally happen but they're really rare."

"I know that-" Fantina began, paused, and looked much more interested. "You don't mean that you have Hisuian Typhlosion and Zorua? Those are indeed very rare… I would have said not around at all any more."

Zorua waved from his spot on Miraidon's head. "Hello."

"Oh, that is adorable!" Fantina declared, crouching down and patting Zorua's head-fluff. The first pat went straight through, meaning she patted Miraidon's head-plate instead, but Miraidon seemed quite pleased by that and afterwards Zorua switched to being solid.

"How did you find this beauty?" she asked. "This is extra adorable!"

"He hatched from a really old egg," Ash said, then realized that that wasn't really a sufficient explanation, and in lieu of anything else sent out Typhlosion.

As Fantina turned to express how much she liked Typhlosion as well, Lucario made a gesture with his paw to get Cynthia's attention.

"So," he began. "Does this mean that she's earned some points back?"

"A few," Cynthia replied. "It might even have made up for the joke."

Once Fantina was over meeting such interesting Ghost-types and speculating on how to use their unique traits in a Contest, everyone went into the gym proper and the spectators took their positions at the side.

Except Pikachu and Latias, who were technically spectators but were unlikely to leave Ash's side under most circumstances.

"So, you say you have your Pokémon selected?" Fantina checked. "I assume this means you have them picked for however many Pokémon I choose to battle with?"

"That's right!" Ash agreed. "But for some of them, it's more of a – a way of checking how well they're developing! Because… I've been thinking about this, about whether a gym is a test of me or of my Pokémon or both, and I think… it's a better test for me if it's testing how well I'm able to handle difficult situations, right?"

"Interesting," Fantina said. "I think I agree with you there – however, I will tell you right now that I will be using three Pokémon in this battle! So make sure you have three Pokémon ready, thank you very much."

"It feels so weird that I'm the Pokémon and my trainer is the only one understanding everything someone says," Pikachu muttered.

"Three, right," Ash said, at about the same time, then floated up a Pokéball next to him. "Okay, I'm ready!"

"Very good!" Fantina answered. She sent out her Mismagius, and Ash sent out Sandshrew at the same time.

The Gym Leader immediately gasped. "Oh, you have such a selection of unusual Pokémon!" she said, clapping.

"Good luck," Zorua called, from the sidelines.

Sandshrew nodded, then the gym referee gave the order to begin and Fantina pointed.

"Mystical Fire!" she instructed.

"Sandshrew, Rapid Spin!" Ash countered, and the Ice-type did a twirl. The fire aimed at her lashed out, and a moment later Ash gave his second instruction. "Powder Snow!"

Freezing snow-and-ice puffed out around the spinning Pokémon, whipped into surrounding her by the momentum of her Rapid Spin, and the Mystical Fire crashed into it. It couldn't get the kind of penetration it needed to simply blast right through, the spinning motion meaning that no part of Sandshrew was continuously exposed, while all of the Powder Snow move was able to wear away at the Mystical Fire and reduce it in strength… and even when the snow melted, that meant that Sandshrew was damp and that further reduced her vulnerability to the fiery attack.

"Oh, very nice!" Fantina decided. "Perhaps a different tack – Mismagius, Psybeam!"

"Dig your claws in, and Rollout!" Ash replied, and as the fire dissipated Sandshrew dug her claws into the gym floor. That resulted in a crash of Steel-on-ground, flinging her off to the side in a twisting motion, and meant that some of her pirouette's momentum could be turned into both a dodge and a way to start her Rollout with plenty of speed.

"Great!" Ash said. "Now, get ready for our next move!"

"Ash is doing well at overcoming a disadvantage," Dawn said, watching as Sandshrew moved rapidly across the floor, evading attacks from Mismagius at Ash's command and sending out sprays of Powder Snow every few seconds. Then Mismagius hit her with a Psybeam, arresting much of her momentum, and Ash had the Ice-type switch right back to Rapid Spin and shield herself with a whirling tornado of ice against the incoming Mystical Fire. "But there's something else going on here as well…"

"Care to elaborate?" Cynthia asked. "I'm not disagreeing, I'm wondering what you've seen."

"I'm not sure I'd be able to say," Dawn admitted. "It's more of a thought than anything. But it feels like what Ash is doing isn't…"

She paused, watching as Ash took an absent step to the side and told Sandshrew to switch to Rollout again. There was a cloud of sparks as Sandshrew's claws clashed against the floor, getting her out of the way of a Shadow Ball attack, then Ash struck a hoof on the ground for emphasis.

"Go for an Iron Head!" he said, and Sandshrew jumped into the air. "And Powder Snow!"

This time Sandshrew's Powder Snow attack was out ahead of her, instead of forming a shield, and it washed over Mismagius.

"Shadow Ball!" Fantina retorted. "Pick it up!"

As instructed, Mismagius used Shadow Ball again, whipping the remnants of the Powder Snow attack into the ball and flinging it back at Sandshrew, and Fantina nodded sharply.

"Magnifique!" she said.

"Zor-u," Zorua mumbled, lying on Miraidon's head.

"Dooo-n, Mirai-don?" Miraidon asked.

For her part, Sandshrew dove out of the way of the Shadow Ball attack, then Ash told her to spin up again before Mismagius could get a Mystical Fire attack to connect.

"...oh, I think I see what's going on," Dawn said. "Or, part of it, at least…"

"How are you holding up, Sandshrew?" Ash called.

"I'm quite tired," Sandshrew admitted, panting. "But I can keep going a bit longer."

"That's good," Ash told her. "So long as you – Rollout!"

The urgency in Ash's voice was even more of a warning than the command itself, and Sandshrew ran and coiled up at the same moment.

Typhlosion had helped her with that, teaching her how to get extra momentum with her starts, and she avoided the Psybeam aimed at her.

"Bounce off the wall!" Ash added. "Now – aim for the snow you left and ramp!"

Sandshrew hit the pile of Powder Snow from one of her earlier shields, and pinged into the air. She flew up towards Mismagius, and Fantina gestured down.

"Dodge away!" she said.

"Sandshrew, uncoil!" Ash instructed, tapping the ground. "Now, Powder Snow!"

The Ice-type exhaled a blast of snow as she uncoiled, spraying it down in the vague direction of Mismagius. The attack hit, but it was wasteful and inelegant, and Fantina glanced up for a moment – then her expression sharpened.

"Oh, interesting!" she said. "Now I see what you're doing!"

Sandshrew landed again, balling up, and Fantina pointed. "Mismagius – forget elegance, use Mystical Fire across a wide area!"

"Well, she's figured it out," Pikachu said.

"I know, yeah," Ash agreed. "Sandshrew, go for Ice Ball! Do laps and then attack!"

Sandshrew balled up again, speeding up, and one of Mismagius's Mystical Fire attacks flashed down to hit her.

The Ghost-type and her trainer had finally realized what was going on. Ash had been trying to keep her thinking in Contest style… which had meant that Fantina had been sticking to more precise attacks.

Now, though, she was using wider attacks that wouldn't score as well in a Contest but would do better at hitting the slippery Ice-type.

"Taps for Powder Snow!" Ash said, tapping the ground with his hoof as Sandshrew was about to intersect a wave of Mystical Fire, and the Ice-type puffed out a burst of snow that reduced the impact of the attack.

Then another.

She sped up, then bounced into the air, and used Powder Snow with all her might just as she intersected with Mismagius.

A cloud of drifting white filled the room, then as it faded both trainers got to see what had happened.

Sandshrew was out cold… that was, she was unconscious, and Ash recalled her. And Mismagius was still there, though she was definitely frosty around the edges and dripping with the water that her Mystical Fire had made out of Sandshrew's Powder Snow.

"An interesting trick!" Fantina declared. "But it won't work again – though I must say, your little Sandshrew there has heart! And she did a good performance of a Contest Pokémon… now, I will be leaving Mismagius out, so send out your second Pokémon!"

"Good work, Sandshrew," Ash said, then sent out his second Pokémon. "Okay, Buneary, here we go!"

"We're not doing the thing, right?" Buneary asked, doing a flip as he materialized before touching down with a three-point landing.

"No, she worked it out," Ash confirmed.

The referee called for them to start again, and Ash pointed. "Bounce into High Jump Kick!"

"...eh?" Fantina asked, confused, as Buneary sprang into the air.

Ash waited just a moment, until Buneary was about to pass through Mismagius, then called out sharply. "Thunderbolt!"

The attack came from so close that Mismagius couldn't dodge, and the oddness of the order had prevented both Pokémon and trainer from reacting correctly. Mismagius was knocked out in a single blow, which mostly showed how close Sandshrew had come to victory, and Buneary landed with a roll to shed the excess momentum of his jump.

"I can see it's dangerous to underestimate you," Fantina said, nodding. "Magnificent! Now, I believe I will send out Gengar!"

The first thing Gengar did, under Fantina's instructions, was to use Toxic Spikes. The spikes scattered across half the floor, and Ash frowned for a moment before shaking his head.

"Buneary, you can keep away from those, right?" he checked.

"Yes!" Buneary agreed, bouncing on his paws for a moment. "At least, mostly."

"Got it," Ash said, then frowned. "...huh. Shouldn't Gengar have attacked by now?"

He frowned. "Ghost types can be tricky, uh… Buneary, Thunderbolt!"

"Sucker Punch!" Fantina immediately instructed, and Gengar darted forwards to hit Buneary with a haymaker of a blow.

The impact knocked the little Normal-type bouncing backwards, and Ash drummed a hoof against the ground. "Buneary – Ice Beam that Toxic Spike!"

Buneary managed to get himself facing the right way, freezing the Toxic Spike he was about to run into, and Gengar swooped just overhead with a laugh before fading away into invisibility.

"Phew," Ash muttered, as the Normal-type slid to a halt. "Well done, Buneary… otherwise that could have been a lot worse. Now, where's Gengar gone…"

He looked back and forth, feeling an itch in his eyes, and shook his head.

"Something wrong?" Latias asked, then realized. "Oh, I see – you don't want to accidentally use Foresight, that would be cheating."

"Yeah, and Gengar is using illusions," Ash agreed. "So I don't know where they are, I can't tell Buneary where to attack…"

He frowned, thinking. "I think Sucker Punch is the only damaging attack Gengar has that isn't Ghost-type, but that just means it's a stalemate."

"So what should I do?" Buneary asked, hopping carefully back through the spike-field. "I'd be okay fighting if I knew where to hit Gengar, but I don't have a clue!"

"Then it's time to make a clue," Ash replied. "Gengar's allowed to be invisible, but they can't just hide in the floor all the time… so they must be out there, just hiding behind an illusion."

"And normally you'd see through it with Foresight, but that's – well, cheating," Pikachu agreed.

He frowned. "What about-"

"I could do that," Ash agreed, knowing what Pikachu meant without Pikachu having to finish the sentence. "But it might tire me out too much… I know! Buneary, freeze another Toxic Spike!"

Buneary did just that, and Fantina watched with interest.

"It appears you have a plan!" she said. "I wonder what it will be, of course…"

"Yeah, I've got a plan!" Ash agreed. "Okay, Buneary – add more ice to the Spike you just froze! Keep it up!"

Buneary fired out a second jet of ice, then a third, and then a fourth. So many ice Beams in quick succession left his paws tingling and glowing, and he rubbed them together for warmth for a moment.

"Right!" Ash said. "And now – Bounce into the air, and throw that above you!"

Buneary looked dubious for a moment, then nodded, trusting his trainer.

He crouched and sprang into the air. The ice ball went higher than he did, and he landed first – between two Toxic Spikes – while the ice ball was still coming down.

"And High Jump Kick the ice!" Ash finished.

Buneary launched himself into the air again, and kicked the ice with a crash. Splintered, fractured ice went everywhere all over again, and so did tiny fragments of Toxic Spikes.

Buneary immediately coughed, having the bad luck to get poisoned, and Latias grabbed Pikachu before using Safeguard to shield them both. Ash got Volo's pendant out, making him Poison-type and giving him immunity to the ersatz Poison Gas that had just spread into the air, and looked back and forth for only a moment before pointing.

"There!" he said. "Okay, Buneary – Blaze Kick!"

"Sucker Punch!" Fantina replied, and the two attacks collided with a crash. Bunny-kick hitting ghostly-punch as the now-revealed Gengar came in to attack with his Sucker Punch, but now Buneary knew where his opponent was and he had a lot of frustration to work out.

"Again!" Ash said. "Blaze Kick! Keep it up!"

Buneary volleyed in Blaze Kick attack after attack on Gengar, springing into the air again as soon as he landed. He no longer had to worry about being poisoned, so he didn't bother controlling his landing this time except in making sure he was getting back to attacking as quickly as possible, and strike after strike connected until Ash suddenly raised his voice.

"Okay, stop!" he said.

Gengar had just caught fire after being hit by one Blaze Kick too many, and Buneary landed panting before supporting himself with a paw.

"...seriously?" Gengar demanded. "This is a really unsatisfying end to the battle."

"Says you," Buneary replied. "I'm poisoned, you're burned, let's see who falls over first!"

Gengar fell over first, though it was very close, and Ash recalled his gallant Normal-type a moment later.

"You have a very interesting style," Fantina decided. "Possibly several – and I am not sure exactly why you have turned that colour."

"Giratina gave me something," Ash replied, taking Volo's pendant off. "That's the specific answer, anyway… now, let's go on to the third battle!"

"This one takes it all, as they say," Fantina said. "Your Pokémon is ready?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah!"

"Begin!" the referee said, and Fantina sent out her Drifblim.

Ash, for his part, threw his Pokéball high into the air – and put his amulet on instead.

And concentrated.

Absol emerged in mid-air, Mega-Evolved on the way down, and landed with his wings spread proudly before deliberately stepping on a Toxic Spike.

"Ow!" Drifblim protested. "Okay, that's just not fair."

"What?" Mega Absol replied. "It's very resonant. A thorn in a paw and so on – I'd tell you the details but I'm fairly sure my trainer would fall over before we were done."

"Razor Wind jump!" Ash called. "Then Night Slash!"

"Ominous Wind!" Fantina retorted.

Mega Absol broke into a sprint, calling up Razor Wind around himself, and lunged at Drifblim. The moment he was off the ground and on the right track, Ash cancelled the Mega-Evolution to rest, and Fantina blinked. "Wait – Will-o-Wisp!"

Absol got in a Night Slash first, then re-Mega-Evolved on the way down and called up Razor Wind again.

"Short version, Be Afraid," he said, letting the Will-o-Wisp splash off his wings, then lunged again.

Absol's repeated Mega-Evolutions and reversions were tricky to sustain, for Ash – not as hard as keeping Absol Mega-Evolved the whole time would have been, but quickly draining – and so both he and Absol worked together to make sure that the battle went as quickly as possible. The Razor-Wind trick was one that Drifblim couldn't easily avoid, since it blew Absol but didn't blow the Ghost-type and Drifblim was inherently slow, while Ominous Wind simply wasn't powerful enough to do what Drifblim needed to do.

"Night Slash!" Ash called, cancelling Mega Absol's Mega-Evolution the moment that a Will-o-Wisp had finished splashing off the Dark-type's flank.

"And – take this!" Absol agreed, striking out at Drifblim, and the Ghost-type pulsed.

Then exploded.

Absol did a complete cartwheel, then landed with a whump face-and-forelimbs first and tail sticking up, and slowly fell over.

A paw came up.

"I am still all right!" he said. "This is not a disaster!"

He made a pained noise. "Though I think I landed on a Toxic Spike."

"Your Pokémon appears to be in trouble, but mine has fainted," Fantina declared. "Which means you have won the Relic Badge."

"Is there any reason why you called it the Relic Badge?" Cynthia asked, as Ash returned Absol. "Anything to do with history?"

"Relics are just… old things?" Fantina replied. "The idea of having a Ghost gym referencing relics gives it a certain… I don't know what."

"You don't know what?" Ash repeated, mildly confused.

"No, not I don't know what, I don't know what," Fantina replied. "It's different. It's a term."

"...right," Ash said, then took the Relic Badge she was offering.

His ring went a deep purple, and his gems became a kind of reddish-pink, and Pikachu jumped back down from Latias to get at the Pokédex.

"The other side of this world was given by the Original One to its raging third," Ash said. "I guess that must be Giratina, then… one of the other ones called her a third, right?"

"The third being raged, raining down bolts of anger," Cynthia recited. "Yes, with what we know from Dawn that's definitely him."

She looked down. "Ash, you seem to be sinking into the floor."

"Oh, uh," Ash said, not sure what to do for a moment. "That's… weird?"

He tried pushing himself up, but his hooves passed through the ground and it didn't help out. Then Typhlosion came over, and hauled Ash upwards.

"There you go," he said, raising Ash to about two feet above the ground, then let him go.

"Thanks," Ash replied, taking his Relic Badge off again, and promptly fell two feet to land on the floor with a thud. "Okay, I guess now I really need to learn to fly or I might get stuck in the floor…"

AN:

Being a ghost is an odd thing.

Also, Sandshrew's first battle and some tactical thinking.