I woke up late at night, shudders still wracking me. "Shh, she's waking up," Dawn whispered. A heavy blanket was covering me, though I still felt freezing cold. :Jasper, are you there,: I asked, only receiving silence. "S-s-s-so c-c-c-c-cold..." I muttered.

Lucas gripped my hand. "Do you know what happened?" "N-n...n-n-n-n-no..." "You're at below hypothermic temperatures. It's almost like you were under an icy river," Dawn said.

"Don't die Jasmine! I'll find you in the next life, and I'll-" Barry began, before Dawn shut him up. "Th-th-th-th-thank you...I....I-I-I..." "Shh..." Lucas said, putting his finger to my lips. "Get some rest, Jas. You'll need it." I nodded and closed my eyes, falling back to sleep immediately.

///

As I looked at the doors to the gym, I felt myself quivering with fear. "Hey, you'll do great, Jasmine," Lucas smiled. "Y-yeah, but...if Rusty gets knocked out...I have no other Pokemon..." "Hmm...hey, Jasmine, maybe you could use Piplup! Since this is a Rock-Type Gym, Water-Type moves would be really good!"

"Yeah, okay! That sounds good!" Dawn nodded and handed me a Poké Ball. "Now, go knock 'em dead, Jas," Barry shouted. I laughed and nodded, walking inside.

As my friends sat in the stands, I stepped onto the stage of the battlefield. On the other side, a young man with reddish-brown hair and eyes, a red miner's hat, and glasses was waiting. "Ah, finally, a challenger! What's your name, young lady?" "H-hi...I'm Jasmine..."

"Nice to meet you, Jasmine! I assume you'd like to battle, correct?" I nodded, clutching Rusty's Great Ball. "Well, I accept your challenge, Jasmine!" A referee stepped onto the field.

"This will be a 1-on-1 match! The challenger will be allowed to make substitutions, but the gym leader won't! The first one to knock out two Pokémon will be declared the winner! Now, trainers, send out your Pokémon!" "Alright Geodude, let's go," Roark declared, throwing out a Poke Ball.

A floating rock with two muscular arms and a face appeared. "Okay, Rusty, time to shine," I announced, sending out my Shinx. Rusty landed with a smile stuck to his face. *Jasmine, am I really gonna fight?* :Yes, Rusty, you are. Now, Rusty, use Ice Fang!:

Rusty bared his teeth, which began glowing white and became surrounded by a cool mist. He ran towards the Geodude, attack at the ready. "Geodude, counter with Hidden Power!" The Geodude released a wave of energy at Rusty, who was barely phased. He proceeded the bite down on the Geodude, before jumping back to me.

*Man, that Geodude sure is stupid if he thinks Water will work against me!* :Rusty, be nice, your rude comments might force a comeuppance upon you.: *Yeah, yeah,* Rusty huffed. Suddenly, the Geodude grabbed Rusty. "Geodude, Seismic Toss!" The Rock-Type threw Rusty into the ground, my Shinx shouting in pain. :Rusty, use Thunderbolt,: I said without thinking. Rusty nodded shakily and began charging his energy.

"Geodude, Rollout!" Roark's Pokemon curled into a ball and rolled over Rusty, knocking him out. I ran onto the field to pick up Rusty, my body feeling wracked with pain. "Rusty," I cried, holding the Shinx close to my body. Rusty smiled sleepily and purred softly, gently nuzzling me.

I smiled back, before placing him in my backpack. I grabbed the Poke Ball Dawn gave me and nodded to myself. "Alright, Piplup, time to shine!" The small penguin-like Pokemon smiled and jumped cheerfully as she was sent out. I could feel Dawn's pride as she saw her Pokémon.

"Geodude, Seismic Toss!" The Geodude began rushing towards the Water-Type. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" The Pokémon launched a stream of bubbles at the Rock-Type, knocking it back and cancelling out the attack. "Alright, Geodude, Rollout!"

The Pokémon curled up and began rolling towards Piplup. I quickly checked her moves with my Pokédex. "Piplup, Ice Beam!" Dawn's Pokémon leaned its head back, before firing a thin stream of ice at the Pokémon. She happened to miss and hit the ground, but the ice spread and froze the ground.

Roark's Pokémon slipped around on the ice, missing Piplup and crashing into the wall. "Now, Water Gun!" Piplup shot a strong stream of water at the Geodude, knocking it out. "Geodude is unable to battle! The winner is, Piplup!"

Roark returned his Geodude, smiling. "Now, Onix, I choose you," he said, throwing out another Pokeball. A large rock snake came out of the ball, staring down Piplup. Piplup glared back, ready to fight. "Onix, Rock Throw!"

:Piplup, dodge it!: The Onix picked up a rock with its tail and tossed it at Piplup, who just barely rolled out of the way. "Piplup, Ice Beam!" Piplup once again froze the ground around the Onix. The Onix just smashed it without effort.

Jasmine took a deep breath. :Piplup...Hydro Pump.: Piplup reeled its head back. "Onix, Rock Throw again! The Onix threw another rock, but it was demolished before it reached its mark.

Piplup fired the Hydro Pump, throwing herself back and smashing through the rock, striking the Onix. Both Pokémon fell, resulting in a double-KO. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle. This match is a draw," the referee declared. "Excuse me, sir, but this match is not a tie," Roark said.

"Wait, what," I asked. "Jasmine, I saw you. You were able to command your Pokémon without even telling them anything! That shows how deep your bond with them goes. And I saw how you were when Rusty fainted; You looked like you were knocked on your face."

"B-because of my bond, correct?" "Yes, indeed, I think. Jasmine, your bond with your Pokémon is stronger than most others could ever dream of. You should use that gift to better you and your Pokémon," Roark said as he walked towards me. "Hold out your hand, please."

I presented my hand to him, hoping he'd ignore the callouses. He put a small object with a pin in it. "This is my gym's badge. You've earned it. But he warned, other gyms may not be so friendly, and may require that you come back if you tie."

I nodded, smiling and taking the badge. "Thank you, sir." "Great job, Jasmine," Barry called from the stands. "That was awesome," Lucas cheered. I waved back to them and smiled wider, before remembering to return Piplup.

And at the moment, nothing could break how I felt. The sheer joy I was experiencing was like nothing I had ever known before. It was like I had accumulated the happiness of everyone in the room. And whatever I was feeling, I knew I wanted to feel it again. I knew I wanted to be a trainer.

///

I took a long whiff of air, smelling the sweet aroma of flowers. In front of me, Rusty was chasing little petals, trying to grab them in his mouth. :Why are you here again,: Jasper asked. "To visit Dan. I wanna tell him how I've been."

:Yes, but you're on your own, Team Galactic only wants that.: "I guess, but I'm sure we'll be fine." I sighed slightly, thinking about my friends. They wanted to take the route directly to Eterna City, while I didn't have a Bike, so I couldn't follow. Dawn offered to bring me back one, but I didn't want to wait in Oreburgh City.

Mildly bored, I took my guitar off my back and played a few chords. Rusty then ran up to me. *Jasmine, there's a big arch up ahead!* I looked up and saw the arch that set the limits of Floaroma Town, and smiled. "We're here, Rusty."

*Yay, let's go!* I smiled and put my guitar back over my shoulder, running up to Dan's house and knocking on the door lightly. Dan opened it with a smile. "Heya, Jasmine! How's my favorite redhead doing," he asked, ruffling my hair.

I smiled as I straightened it with my hands, running my fingers through my crimson tresses. "I'm doing great! The other day I won my first gym badge from Roark!" "That's awesome! And how'd Rusty do?"

Rusty pouted and turned away. "Rusty...he got knocked out by Roark's Geodude," I said as lifted him up and began scratching his tummy. He instantly calmed down, as was usual. "Ouch, tough break. Well, since you're here, why don't you come in," Dan asked with a smile.

"Sure! Maybe I can take a shower and give Rusty a bath," she smiled. Dan laughed and nodded. "You certainly have your priorities in place. Come on in, I can get you some new clothes to wear."

"Okay...hey Dan, why do you have so many clothes that aren't for you?" "Well, I used to take care of my sister. But she's off training now. She hasn't visited in a while though. I kinda miss her."

My instincts told me to give Dan a hug, and after putting Rusty in my backpack, I did. "She'll visit you again sometime. I know she will." Dan smiled and hugged me back, before sniffing. "Yeah, you really need a shower, Jasmine."

///

"So Rusty's the only Pokémon you've caught so far," Dan asked. I nodded sheepishly in response. "Yeah, Dawn let me borrow her Piplup for Roark's Gym." "I see, it's just kinda strange. Stella had 3 Pokémon before even entering Eterna Forest."

"Well, I'm not exactly normal myself," I giggled. "Well, whatever you catch, I'm sure you and them will get along superbly." I nodded again. "Thanks, Dan. I think I should go now, if I wanna get to Eterna Forest by nightfall."

Dan nodded, handing me back my backpack. "I put some more things inside for ya, just in case. I nodded and waved, as Rusty and I left Dan's home, going up Route 212 next. *I wonder what'll happen inside the forest," Rusty said. "Me too, Rusty," I smiled, jogging to catch up.

Unbeknownst to me, Dan got up and went to the closet of the guest room. "I guess I can give Stella's clothes credit for one thing: they keep secrets well." He sighed as he moved the row of hangers forwards, taking off a wire hanger that held a special article of clothing. "I'd say Jasmine would kill me if she saw this, but I doubt she would." He sighed once more as he took the suit, white and black with an orange 'G' to his room, hiding it in his closet.

---O---O---O---
Word Count: 1766 Words

Oh boy, how bout that battle scene, huh?
So, where will the story go next? Who's truly on Jasmine's side? Why am I asking you?
Until next time, SSGSSJ2 out, and Happy Reading!