Another day, another city, another gym battle to sign up for.

Don't get me wrong, Hearthome City is wonderful. Specifically, it's tailor made for people who are in love. On my way to the gym, every street I pass has young couples holding hands as they go in and out of coffee shops, stealing a kiss when they think no one's watching them. There's young mothers with their babies chatting amicably as they go for a walk, and dads with a kid on their shoulders and a Pokémon at their feet, having the time of their life whilst playing in water parks.

There's quite a few people who don't look like they're from Sinnoh as well, and it's not hard to figure out why. This is a perfect place to come for a vacation, or a honeymoon. They've got dance classes, art classes, fashion shows, and Pokémon fan clubs.

That doesn't even include the contest hall, famous Amity Square, and even a giant stadium I see that I assume is used for holding big events like concerts. Hearthome definitely lives up to its slogan as "The City Where Hearts Come Together."

As romantic as everything seemingly is, it's all a bit awkward and annoying when you are by yourself. With Ursula on her quest to get an Electric-type, and Lucas leaving me to study under the tutelage of some supposedly extra smart chick, it's not that hard for me to avoid being sucked into all these distractions. Maybe one day I'll come back here with Cynthia and have a grand old time.

Yeah, right.

I weave my way through the streets until I come to the northeast corner of the city, the location of the gym. At first glance, I think I'm in the wrong place. It looks like a mini-contest hall. If not for the size, and the fact that most of the exterior is painted purple, which I'm pretty sure is Fantina's favorite color, I would have dismissed it.

Still, it doesn't hurt to ask for directions. I walk up to a karate man facing the gym. He's practicing his kicks alongside his Hitmonlee.

"Hey, is this the Pokémon gym, and are you in line for it?"

He finishes his set of kicks before answering. "Indeed!" he shouts boisterously. "Nine times we have challenged Fantina. Nine times we have suffered the shame of defeat. But today!" he increases his voice like he's trying to shout through the walls of the building. "Today, our indomitable fighting spirit will reign supreme! Hoo-Hah!"

"Right," I say. "Do your Pokémon know Foresight, if you're a Fighting-type specialist?"

Hitmonlee and its trainer look at each other, and then back at me. "No. Do you think it would help?"

"Uh, yeah. How else are you supposed to hit ghosts with your Fighting–type moves?"

"We haven't been able to. Our attacks go right through them," karate guy mutters to himself. He straightens, and pounds his fist into his other hand. "Yosh! We shall master this technique, and then return! We will not eat or sleep or drink until it is done! Come, Hitmonlee!"

"Glad to help!" I call as they run off without a second look at me. Weirdos. I guess that means I'm first in line now.

I walk into the gym and go straight to the reception desk, sliding over my trainer card. "Hey! I'm here to register for a gym battle."

The young man manning the desk gives it right back. "I'm sorry, Fantina isn't here right now. You'll have to come back another time."

"Yeah, that's the point of registering. It's not like I need to battle her right now. I can wait for her to be available." I pass my card over to him again.

He hands it back again. "What I mean is Fantina isn't available for a battle. Not now, and not for an extended period of time."

Hmm. "What, is she sick? In the hospital?"

The receptionist waves his hands in the air. "No, no! Nothing like that. She's just uh, on vacation!"

"On vacation," I repeat dubiously. The dude in front of me seems nervous, because I'm not buying what he's selling. Hearthome is where people come for a vacation. Secondly…

"When is she coming back, then?" I press. "If Fantina's on vacation, she should have told you all when she's returning. So you can schedule around it."

"It's a uh, indefinite vacation. I don't know where she is right now, or when she's coming back. I'd suggest waiting a while, and checking back with us. Anyways, I'm going to ask you to leave now."

He ushers me all the way to the door, and closes it behind me. Something isn't right here, and I'm curious to find out what the mystery is. There's an extremely conveniently placed climbable tree next to the gym, which I scramble up. A Noctowl cracks open an eye to assess me, but closes it when it realizes my attentions are focused elsewhere.

Hiding in a tree isn't very fun, but all my discomfort fades after ten or so minutes, when the receptionist I had spoken with earlier comes out, wearing a large backpack. Moments later, a tall woman follows suit, wearing casual clothes and a similar backpack. She has a large sunhat on, but I catch a flash of purple hair as she walks by.

Bingo.

If they were going to spend the day in Amity Square, they'd be going north. These two are going south, towards the route for Solaceon Town. I climb down halfway before I jump down, and start tailing them.

I spend the next two hours following them all the way out of the city, but instead of going towards the bridge to Solaceon Town, they head slightly north, towards a series of quaint cabins that look like a typical campsite.

Had this been further out in the countryside I'd have conceded that they were on vacation and not bothered them. But they're only two hours away from the gym! They could have totally given me a date and time for the battle.

Just to be sure I'm not accosting anyone, I wait a little longer, until they come out of the cabin, having put down all their belongings. The woman takes off her hat to reveal her unique hairstyle in its full glory, and starts speaking to her companion. Her accent lets me know who it is.

"Ah! This is a superb place to spend some time in, non?"

"I knew it!" I jump out of my spying place and point an accusing finger right at the receptionist's chest. The liar stumbles over his own two feet and falls on his behind in surprise, while Fantina looks amused by the whole situation. "Vacation, my ass! You two have barely left the city!"

"Who is this, Nathan? Your girlfriend? Here I was, thinking you had no attraction to the fairer sex. You have always been immune to my womanly charms, after all."

The now named receptionist rolls his eyes, like he heard that joke before. "No, that's not it at all! She's just a trainer who came by earlier to schedule a gym challenge. I, uh, told her you were going to be occupied for a while."

"And seeing as you are not, how's about scheduling me a battle now," I ask cheekily.

Fantina laughs. "Oh, to be young and full of energy again! Very well. Since you have come all this way, I shall honor your request. Does three on three sound good to you?"

First off, I don't know why Fantina's talking as if she's an old lady, considering she looks great, and is probably somewhere in her early thirties at the most. Secondly…

"You mean you want to battle right now?"

"Of course!" she says. "We have all the ingredients for a Pokémon battle, do we not. Two willing trainers, a perfect space, and even a willing referee!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Is this going to count as an official gym battle? It's not in the gym, and it's not being recorded."

Fantina brushes my concerns off. "They will simply have to make do. I am the gym leader, and if I say this battle is official, then it is. We shall use the standard rules, of course. If you were to beat me, the next time you come to Hearthome Gym, I will have a Relic Badge with your name on it. Assuming that you do want to partake."

I consider my options. I haven't spent much time preparing, which might be a good thing, considering I usually drive myself crazy while I do. I have the beginnings of a strategy though, with Absol as my star player.

Absol is a beast, to put it mildly. He knows Knock Off and Dark Pulse for a strong melee and ranged STAB attack. He also can use Pursuit, which is cool, though highly situational. Not that I'll need moves like Psycho Cut, Razor Wind, and Megahorn against Fantina's ghosts, but they are powerful coverage options which speak to Absol's strength. Plus, many of his attacks are ranged, despite being physically oriented, so I don't have to worry about adverse contact effects.

He isn't a one-trick Ponyta, either. Absol even has a few utility options, such as Detect to dodge a surprise super-effective attack like Dazzling Gleam from Mismagius, for example. There's also Snatch, the upgraded version of Taunt, which lets me steal a move rather than preventing it from occurring. Quick Attack is obviously worthless as an attack in this battle, but it can be used as a back up to help dodge moves, since Detect, like Protect, gets worse as you use it consecutively.

There are a few more moves that I'd prefer him to know, but we have an amazing arsenal to work with already. All that means I am really confident in him beating a member of Fantina's team, or even two, depending on what they are, to finish the battle.

The more I think about it, the more my confidence grows. "Alright, Fantina. I challenge you to a battle!

The gym leader claps in delight. "Oho, you know my name already! What is yours, challenger?"

I stick out my hand for her to shake. "Luna. Nice to meet you."

"It is my pleasure. Let us have a magnificent battle! Be warned; I expect to win. That is what a gym leader does, non?

We take our places on the dirt battlefield behind her cabin. Fantina waves Nathan off impatiently when he opens his mouth for the usual speech preceding a gym battle.

"Skip the formality, yes? There are no cameras, after all. Our challenger looks to know the rules of a gym battle as well."

"Uh, ok," he says awkwardly, scratching his head. Nathan sends out a Mr. Mime to put up a protective barrier, because I guess there are no Psychic/Ghost Pokémon out there. Not that Fantina would have used any, considering they're extra weak to Dark and Ghost, which are probably the types Fantina's challengers use the most against her. Nathan raises the arm closest to Fantina. "The gym leader selects their Pokémon first."

Fantina keeps her Pokémon in Ultra Balls. She tosses the first one out. "Gengar, battle positions!"

The iconic Ghost-type leers and waggles its stupidly long tongue at me. It's not floating like Gastly and Haunter do, instead having planted its two feet on the ground.

There are lots of good Ghost-type Pokémon out there, but for me, Gengar has always been the measuring stick for how powerful one is. Fantina clearly is taking this as seriously as a true gym battle.

Which means I need to as well. "Go, Charmeleon!" My Fire-type grins upon seeing his fully-evolved opponent.

"Let the battle begin!" Nathan shouts.

Fantina seizes the first move before I can open my mouth. "Gengar, Mean Look!"

The ghost's bright red eyes shine malevolently, and Charmeleon is soon surrounded by a purple fog. It sticks to his limbs as he moves them. He glances back at me for an explanation.

"It means I can't switch you out, Charmeleon. I try recalling him as a demonstration, and sure enough, the purple fog around him acts as a forcefield, preventing the red beam of the Pokéball from reaching him.

I catch a glimpse of Charmeleon's expression as he turns around. I don't think I've ever seen him so happy.

We literally just started the battle. I don't get why she used Mean Look, because I wasn't planning on switching, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

"Use Flame Burst!"

"Gengar, Psychic!"

This time, Gengar's eyes glow blue and Flame Burst stops in its tracks due to the psychic power and splits into three separate, smaller flames, which circle Gengar like moons orbiting a planet. The color of the flames changes from orange to blue to indicate they are under Gengar's possession.

"That was a powerful attack," Fantina compliments us. "We shall make good use of it."

Annoying, but I'll admit it was impressive how they turned our own attack against us. Funny enough, it's something I've seen before, though not usually from trainers. "Charmeleon, Fire Punch!"

"Gengar, Mystical Fire!"

Charmeleon charges forward with his flaming fists. When Gengar sends the flames back at us, Charmeleon punches straight through each fireball, and gives a battle roar. Gengar and Fantina have matching smiles, and Gengar is now holding a ghostly sword in one of its hands.

"You have an incredible fighting spirit, Charmeleon. I think a little curse will temper it nicely, non?"

At its trainer's words, Gengar plunges the ghostly sword into its own belly, and drags it all the way across, grimacing all the while. In addition to the purple aura surrounding Charmeleon, a red one appears around him too.

And now I know why Fantina led with Mean Look. This is really bad. "Charmeleon, that curse is going to sap your energy, but Gengar had to weaken itself to use it!" I shout. "A powerful blow should be enough! Fire Punch, again!"

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My Pokémon surges forward again, but Fantina is still wearing that wide smile of hers. "You may find that the decisive attack you are looking for will not be landed so easily! Double Team!"

Her Pokémon laughs, and suddenly two dozen Gengars are cackling madly around the battlefield. None of them is in sync with another, adding to the already high creepiness factor.

Charmeleon punches through the two closest to him, but they disappear into nothing. Before he can Fire Punch a third, the red aura around him intensifies sharply. Charmeleon howls in pain as his body freezes up, yet is racked by quakes and shudders. As quickly as it flares up, the curse fades away, though its aura remains around my Pokémon. He gnashes his fangs angrily and ignites them for good measure, though I can already see he is more tired than before.

Not for the first time, I'm berating myself for my lack of knowledge. I don't know how much time Charmeleon has whilst under the effects of Curse, but it isn't much. Every second is precious, and Fantina's defensive tactics are wasting them.

"Ember, Charmeleon! Destroy all those copies to find the real one, as fast as you can!" Ideally, this would have been Flamethrower, but since Charmeleon isn't quite ready to use it yet, this is the next best choice.

It's not the strongest attack, but Charmeleon can sustain it while slowly spinning in a circle. He makes sure that every Gengar copy gets a faceful of fiery hot coals, and one by one, they vanish into the air like the first two, until there are only three remaining.

Charmeleon narrows his eyes, ready to give these three his full focus, but Curse strikes him again, ravaging his body with the same intensity that it did previously. All the while Gengar is laughing at our misfortune, knowing that it doesn't need to spend any energy itself while Charmeleon is rapidly being worn down.

We haven't even gotten one attack to land. At this point, I'm not feeling great about Charmeleon's probability of winning versus Gengar outright. If I can weaken it just a little more, that should put it in range for my second Pokémon to pick off, and bring this battle back to even.

"Use Dragon Rage to take those last three out!" I command.

"Not so fast!" Fantina counters. "Gengar, use Disable!"

Movement from the rightmost copy gives it away as the real Gengar, as the other illusions continue to stand still and laugh, so Charmeleon aims his first Dragon Rage at the correct target.

While Gengar might not be able to manipulate dragon fire, it's still a slippery Pokémon. It narrowly avoids our first Dragon Rage and a flash of blue light later, the second one dies in Charmeleon's throats. My Pokémon can't even get angrier, because Curse strikes him again. He's forced to one knee, but gets up, staring spitefully at Gengar, who continues to goad him.

If I know Charmeleon, and I'd like to think I understand him pretty well by now, he's utterly determined to not be made a fool in this battle. For once I'm in agreement with him. "Give it everything you've got Charmeleon! Don't hold back!"

He roars and rushes forward with fire on his hands and lips. Fantina calls for another Double Team, but Charmeleon is ready. He doesn't waste any time, spinning in a circle while using Ember for the sole purpose of finding the real Gengar.

Once it finally moves to avoid the attack, Charmeleon runs right after it. Gengar's grin doesn't slip from its face, as it watches the red aura surrounding Charmeleon light up for the fourth time.

Fantina and Gengar's expressions shift as they watch what is happening. Charmeleon should have been drained to the limit but he's standing strong on sheer willpower and because of his desire not to go down like this. Even while Curse is active he is still walking forward. And when it finally releases its hold on him he starts running forward again, ready to give Gengar a fiery knuckle sandwich.

"Psychic," Fantina calls, and Gengar captures Charmeleon with its psychic power. Even now, Charmeleon is still fighting against it, bringing an arm forward despite the effort Gengar is putting into controlling him.

"Throw it back!" Gengar simply sends Charmeleon tumbling backwards, and that finally is enough, with Charmeleon struggling just to find the strength to lift himself off the floor. Somehow, my Pokémon still looks like it wants to continue battling. Even if he has to crawl all the way to Gengar on his hands and knees.

"You can call it," I tell Nathan with a shake of my head. "Charmeleon's done."

My Pokémon can't even find his voice to argue, and Gengar releases Mean Look to let me recall Charmeleon to his Pokéball. "Don't feel bad," I tell him, while he's inside the Pokéball. "You gave it your very best, and that's all I can ask for."

Fantina wipes her brow with her arm. "My goodness. I misspoke when I said we would temper Charmeleon's fighting spirit, when in fact it only added fuel to the fire! Were it not for our unique battle style, that battle would have turned against us!"

I wouldn't think Fantina's battle style is unique at first glance, considering her strategies are pretty standard. Inflicting status, even if Curse isn't technically a status condition, and then delaying until your opponent succumbs to it is one many trainers are familiar with.

The way Gengar and Fantina do it though, using their opponents' attacks to their advantage, constantly making them look bad while showcasing their skill and coordination…

Well. It's right out of the contest battle playbook. Even the way she and her Pokémon move seem more apt for a coordinator than a trainer. Not that it isn't incredibly effective, as Fantina had demonstrated against me.

What am I supposed to do about it, though? There's a part of me that wants to send out Absol now, but I decide to stick to the plan. Gengar is weakened, and it can't use Curse again without fainting.

I need to try and stay one step ahead, and constantly be thinking of what Fantina might do to counter my moves.

Easier said than done, obviously. Having decided, I send out my second Pokémon right as Nathan clears his throat to tell me to hurry up. "Go, Glaceon!"

A quick knockout, with Glaceon as healthy as possible for her next two Pokémon. With that in mind, I go on the offensive as soon as the battle begins.

"Use Icy Wind!"

"Sludge Bomb, Gengar!"

Gengar hasn't really showcased what attacks it knows, yet, but it's certainly not weak. Sludge Bomb slowly pushes our Icy Wind back, despite Glaceon's best efforts.

"Cancel and close the distance with Quick Attack! Then go for Bite!"

Glaceon crouches down and bursts forward, dodging the now unimpeded Sludge Bombs, fangs bared.

"Psychic!" Gengar also stops its attack and lifts Glaceon into the air mid stride. She flails helplessly until I call out a command.

"Don't panic! Use Flash Frost from up there!" Her body might not be under her own power, but Gengar can't stop us from attacking! Glaceon doesn't bother freezing the Water Pulse midair, instead sending a chunk of ice hurtling towards Gengar.

"Gengar, Use Shadow Ball!" The Ghost-type unceremoniously drops Glaceon to counter our attack with its own. Neither attack gets the edge, but at least Glaceon lands on her feet.

Two Pokémon in, and we still haven't managed to actually touch this thing, but Glaceon is much more likely to keep her composure despite Gengar's goading, which is a major plus. One breakthrough is all we need.

First though, we need to deal with more of Fantina's tricks. "Toxic!" she calls, and Gengar produces an orb of bubbling poison that it hurls at us.

Every drop blackens the ground and kills any plant life. "Use Water Pulse to wash it away!" A small puddle of toxic water on the ground is the result, but Glaceon remains unpoisoned.

I can see Fantina's eyes light up. I think she wants to steal away my Water Pulse with Psychic and use it for herself. I think I might have something for that.

Not that it reflects in her next command. "Use Confuse Ray!"

Gengar's eyes start to shine, and I start to panic. "Don't look at it!"

Glaceon slams her eyes shut, and Fantina laughs. "'Ow do you expect to dodge our attacks like that? Once more, Shadow Ball!"

"Watch us," I retort. "Listen to my voice and trust me, Glaceon! Dodge to the left!"

Shadow Ball whistles by her, and I pump my fist. "Nice! Water Pulse, go!"

"Thank you very much!" Fantina declares. "Gengar, take control of that!"

Here we go. "You can open your eyes now, Glaceon! Use Quick Attack straight into that Water Pulse!"

"Oh? What's this?" Fantina says in surprise.

Gengar's hold on our attack breaks as the Water Pulse splits into a million droplets. I don't waste a second going for the next move.

"Ice Barrage!"

All the water droplets freeze as Glaceon drops the temperature around her to sub-zero levels, and are launched towards Gengar with lightning speed. No amount of dodging or Double Team shenanigans can get Gengar out of this attack.

It ends up on its hands and knees, groaning in pain and panting with every breath, but neither the referee or Fantina herself is calling the battle. She's got something different to tell me.

"That was a magnificent technique," she claps in delight. The incredible bond you have with your Pokémon shines like a star in the night sky. Such a shame that I won't be able to see more."

How ominous. Her words are compounded by something purple bubbling underneath Gengar, and I'm not risking any funny business. "Finish it quickly with Ice Fang!"

Nothing happens while Glaceon charges Gengar, and bites down with her freezing fangs. It's only after Gengar goes down and Glaceon backs away does that spell Gengar was crafting activate.

The purple pool zooms after Glaceon, and while her instincts let her dodge the first time, it catches up to her soon enough and swallows her whole.

I'm not overly religious or anything, but I swear I could see Glaceon's spirit leaving her body. A second later, she collapses on the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Glaceon?" I ask hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

She remains unresponsive. Nathan states that both Pokémon are unable to battle, and now I feel like a moron.

How did I forget about Destiny Bond? She was using so many tricky moves, and I forgot the most important one. Now I can't even use Glaceon to weaken her next Pokémon for Absol. What should have been an evenly matched two on two is now a landslide of an advantage for Fantina. The gym leader's next Pokémon makes me want to smack my forehead repeatedly even more.

It looks like an oddly shaped rock with a pattern that looks something like a face, but I know better. An opaque swirl of purple and green smoke emerges and forms into a vaguely circular shape, complete with an evil-looking expression.

I really have outdone myself this time. Not only did I mess up not remembering Destiny Bond, but now I don't even get a winning matchup for Absol. Yeah, Dark resists both of Spiritomb's typing, but the matchup is slightly in our favor at best. Assuming this thing doesn't know Focus Blast or Signal Beam or something.

Guess I gotta see what Absol and I can do here, and then take our chances against her last Pokémon. "Come on out, Absol!"

"Your Absol is an excellent choice for battling my Ghost-types," Fantina tells me, upon seeing my Pokémon. "But you may find it may be more difficult against my dear Spiritomb."

"Tell me something I don't know," I mutter, before taking the first move. "Absol, Dark Pulse!"

"You as well, Spiritomb!" The two identical attacks collide in a black cloud of energy, but neither breaks through the other.

Fantina quickly follows up before I have a chance to think. "Shadow Sneak!"

Spiritomb's shadow comes to life and surges towards us at surprising speed. "Dodge it using Quick Attack!" Absol sprints out of the way of the shadow, and interestingly enough, Spiritomb does not move to reposition. The smoke that makes up its head turns to face us, while the Odd Keystone remains in the position it began the battle in.

Perhaps being a bunch of spirits bound to that thing, and not having a physical body means it can't really move. The only issue is… "Dark Pulse, again!"

"You as well!"

We can't take advantage of its lack of mobility while keeping our distance. A moment later, I don't have a choice in the matter.

"Spiritomb, Spite!" Fantina orders. A ghostly apparition emerges from Spiritomb's body and floats menacingly after Absol. But maybe we can turn this around?

"Use Snatch to steal that away!" Absol sends out a dark claw, but it swipes at thin air as the apparition continues unimpeded and dissipates only after contact with his body. I think I got enamored with the idea of this move, after seeing Absol use it against Bellossom, when it's actually really situational. Add that to the long list of mistakes I'm making in this battle.

Not having any ranged options other than Razor Wind is not ideal, but I suppose we weren't getting anywhere with Dark Pulse, anyways. "Use short bursts of Quick Attack to avoid attacks while you close the distance, Absol. Then hit it with Knock Off!"

"Not so fast!" Fantina quickly interjects. "Spiritomb, make it difficult to approach by using your Shadow Ball!"

Absol does a great job avoiding every single Shadow Ball, without having to resort to Detect, which I'm happy to keep in my back pocket for a more dire circumstance. He eventually slams his front paw straight into Spiritomb's smokelike form, splitting the Forbidden Pokémon in half until the attack slams straight down on the Odd Keystone.

It shudders, which I think is a good thing, but Fantina isn't close to being out of this yet. "Now, take your chance while it is close, Spiritomb! Will-O-Wisp!"

Did I mention I'm super glad we haven't revealed Detect yet? Spiritomb creates three balls of blue fire, not unlike the ones Gengar stole from Charmeleon, and launches them at Absol.

The nature of Detect has my heart jumping. Absol avoids the burning fireballs at the last possible second, with the most subtle of movements.

He jumps back and avoids the third by barely tilting his head to the right, letting the Will-O-Wisp zoom past his ear.

"Nice one," I cheer. "Now go for Megahorn!" Absol's horn extends and crackles with energy as he runs forward.

"Your Pokémon moves with an effortlessness that many would be jealous of. I find myself captivated," Fantina praises. "Let us see what we can do about that! It is time, dear Spiritomb! Slow it down with Icy Wind!"

Spiritomb breathes a weak, familiar blast of cold air out. "Push through, Absol!"

He does just that, forcing his way towards the enemy despite the cold and the crystals of ice forming on him. Like before Spiritomb doesn't have much recourse, with its lack of mobility. Absol lashes out, and I hear Spiritomb's pained cry, which sounds like a hundred people trapped in a closet, all screaming.

As if one of them managed to escape, a wisp of smoke separates from Spiritomb's main body, and goes straight through Absol's teeth into his mouth.

Absol coughs and hacks and retches while backing up in alarm. Every few seconds he shudders in pain, and his posture slowly starts to slump. I look across to Fantina, who has an expression that I can't quite place. "Icy Wind was just a distraction, my dear. The real attack is called Infestation, and like Curse, it inflicts damage over time. It is normally a move suited for Bug-types, but Spiritomb and I have adapted it for our own use."

She pauses, a grimace crossing her normally smiling as she watches Absol struggle. "I normally prefer to win with elegance and style, but I have learned that as a gym leader, battles will not always be beautiful works of art."

Maybe this Infestation will go away if we knock out Spiritomb. Clearly, Fantina expects us to submit to our fate, but I've never been much for that. Her next move seems to be aiming for a knockout punch. "Silver Wind, for the coup de grâce!"

"Counter with your Razor Wind, Absol!" I urge him to stay upright. We can still win this!" Absol lifts his head up, and I can't help but internally cheer as he starts spinning two small tornadoes in front of him.

"Oh? What is this?" Fantina asks, her mood seemingly being lifted by our refusal to give up.

Silver Wind turns into a bunch of sparkling dust against the power of a Flying-type move like Razor Wind. "Go for it now!" My Pokémon swings his horn into his tornadoes and sends out scythes of air with each slash.

"I hope you don't mind if we copy your technique!" Fantina, exclaims. "Spiritomb, Rock Tomb!" The Forbidden Pokémon also creates a shield that resists the attack being sent its way, this one of rock.

The stone shield is taller than Spiritomb is itself. Can it even see behind there? "Use Psycho Cut to break the shield, Absol, then go in for the finish with Megahorn!"

"Not so fast," Fantina counters. "Dark Pulse!"

Spiritomb's attack destroys its own rocky shield before Absol's Psycho Cut can get there. The psychic slash is absorbed harmlessly by our opponent. Absol charges forward nevertheless, aiming to end this with Megahorn.

"Now, it is time to take it to the next level! Spiritomb, Psychic!" It can't interrupt Absol, like Gengar picked up my previous two Pokémon, so it instead picks up all the broken rocks from its Rock Tomb and flings those at us instead.

Absol does his best to slash through then, but every time he stumbles in pain from the ongoing Infestation, he gets hit, and his charge is slowed down.

For certain this time! Silver Wind!"

I try to call out for Absol to dodge, with Detect if need be, but he's just about spent. The super-effective attack sends him tumbling backwards, and he doesn't rise when he finally comes to a stop. I see the wisp of smoke that must have been wreaking havoc inside Absol come out through his nostril to rejoin Spiritomb's main body.

"Absol is unable to battle," Nathan confirms after a second. "That means the winner is the gym leader!"

That was… a brutal beatdown. I don't really know how else to describe it. I don't even know if there were any positives that I can take away from my performance. My plan going in turned out completely useless, and on top of that, I made so many mistakes at crucial points in the battle. Gym Battles are supposed to be challenging tests of trainers' strength, I've always known that…

But I never expected to flunk one this badly. I really thought we were capable of beating Fantina. Clearly, we aren't even close to her level.

There's nothing else to do except concede with grace, because I obviously didn't have any of it today.

"Return, Absol. You fought really well today, so take a deserved rest."

Fantina recalls Spiritomb and says something to it that I can't understand, because it's in French. Or Kalosian in this world, I suppose.

"How come you don't speak to your Pokémon in your native language?"

"I had to teach my Pokémon the language of this region when I first came here. It is a bit of an unfair advantage if my opponent had no clue what I was saying, non?"

As if I needed any more confirmation on how thoroughly I've been beaten. She's battling with a handicap!

My frustration must show on my face, because Fantina quickly moves to correct it.

"Never give up or surrender in the face of defeat! You and your Pokémon put on a extravagant showing. I found myself enjoying our battle greatly, throughout. When you become stronger, I would be delighted to battle again."

"I look forward to that next battle. Thanks for taking the time to have a match with me," I say as formally as I possibly can. Hanging out with Ursula has given me a pretty good idea on how to speak in a posh manner. I hand over a couple grand over to Nathan as Fantina's prize money, and I take my leave, my excuse being that I want to take my Pokémon to be healed.

That, and because in addition to rethinking my entire battle strategy, Fantina's words have really added salt into the wound. I don't think it was a mistranslation from her native language, or that she was trying to be mean, because she clearly wasn't. She was simply stating the cold, hard truth.

She didn't say we'll battle again when your Pokémon become stronger, or you, as in all of you.

She said when you.

Me.