Ash is ready to battle Hearthome Gym Leader Fantina for the second time, with both his pride and the Relic Badge at stake. Barry, Ash's new rival, is watching in the hope that Ash will lose! The match begins with Fantina's Gengar facing Ash's Buizel. Gengar's Ability, Levitate, makes it hard to hit, and its Shadow Punch attack never misses. But when Gengar uses Hypnosis, Buizel spins and uses Water Gun, which counters Hypnosis and damages Gengar at the same time. This new counter shield maneuver helps Buizel beat Gengar, and the next round sees Chimchar use a fiery variation on this move to battle Fantina's Mismagius. Ash is definitely on a roll!

However, Fantina realizes she can use Magical Leaf to break through the counter shield trick. Ash is just as quick to adapt, and Chimchar knocks Mismagius out with its Flame Wheel move. Since this is a 3-on-3 Gym Battle, Fantina is now down to just her Drifblim—this should be an easy win for Pikachu, Ash's next Pokémon. But Drifblim creates a Psychic combination to counter Ash's counter shield strategy, then uses Hypnosis to put Pikachu down for the count. Buizel is up next, and Drifblim hits again with Hypnosis to knock Buizel out in no time!

Ash is on the defensive now, but he and Chimchar have one last trick left. By using Dig to get behind Drifblim, Chimchar gains the advantage of surprise. It launches itself at Drifblim from behind, and the surprise attack means it's lights out for Drifblim. Ash has won the Relic Badge—and over in Majolica Town, Jessie and her Yanmega have won a Contest Ribbon, too! That night, Barry announces his plan to take a boat from Canalave City to Iron Island, where he intends to train. Barry dares Ash to take on the Canalave Gym, and Ash confidently accepts. Now both Trainers are headed to Canalave, but it remains to be seen whether they can travel together!