3DS game "Alpha Sapphire" card won't boot, but other functions do work

Hello,

My copy of the 3DS game Pokémon Alpha Sapphire has stopped working recently, under very strange circumstances.

It started with a “This game card cannot be used“ error on the main menu, which prompted me to clean the contacts thoroughly with alcohol. I bought this game brand new, but it has had heavy use.

I tried the cartridge on both my 3DS systems, so it is not a 3DS problem. Other games do boot on my systems just fine. The cartridge has always either been in my 3DS or in its case.

After cleaning the cartridge thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol, the error changed. The game now boots successfully, up to the loading screen with the Nintendo 3DS logo, after which I get the black “An error has occured“ screen.

Curiously, after cleaning it, Pokémon Bank started to successfully recognise the cartridge, and fully functions with the save file. I was able to move Pokémon to and from the game.

I am at a loss right now as to what is going on with this cartridge, and looking around online hasn’t shown me anyone else with this kind of situation. Is this perhaps some freak accident with the ROM chip?