"Here we are! Now to find that gym and win that badge!" Ash announced as he raced on ahead through the streets of Olivine City.

"Slow down Ash, the gym's not going anywhere you know." I said to him as I walked a little more calmly back with Brock and Misty.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner I can get my next badge and then move on to the next gym, then the sooner we get to the Johto League!" Ash called back over his shoulder before shooting off. I gave a sigh and shook my head. That Ash.

"Aren't you excited for your battle Ruby?" Misty asked me and I nodded my head with a smile.

"Of course I am, I really can't wait. It's just that I know if I get too excited I'll become nervous like I did at my first gym battle which might have cost me big time if I hadn't managed to pull myself together." I explained before looking ahead at Ash. "Though I think Ash is just a permanently excited kid."

"I agree. He's always thinking about gym battles and the Johto League. I heard him sleep talking last night and I think he was dreaming that he'd won the entire thing and you'd come second with Gary being knocked out at the first round." I gave a giggle. That would be a dream come true to Ash, him beating Gary by miles. Still, dreams and fantasies don't come true without hard work and Ash just never seems to put in enough effort.

"Hey guys, if we want to keep up with Ash, I suggest we hurry things up a little." Brock said so we all gave an excited smile before running after him. The gym was neatly built and pretty smart looking with steel plates covering the sloping surfaces of the walls. Ash was already hammering his fists on the door, demanding to be let inside.

"Open up! I've come for a gym battle!" He yelled, continuing to try and break the door down himself so I sighed, shook my head then snagged the back of his jacket with one hand to yank him back. "Hey! Let me at 'em!"

"Try using your head, genius." I told him in a deadpan tone. "Maybe you'll be able to smash your way through that way." Ash blinked at me, stunned for a moment before clenching a fist and smirking.

"Right!" The idiot barrelled forwards so I maintained grip on his jacket, keeping him anchored to the ground as he lowered his head and ran on the spot, kicking up a pile of dust as he tried to charge at the door. Well, at least there's never a dull moment with Ash Ketchum around. I remember in school how he'd always ask the dumbest of questions but still somehow made everyone laugh, thinking he was just kidding around despite him being serious.

Suddenly the doors opened and a young girl's voice called out from within the shadow filled gym. "Welcome trainers!" It echoed, bouncing off the smart walls. "You may now enter the gym!" So we stepped inside, Ash finally calmed down and we entered together. "Walk straight ahead to the battlefield." The voice directed so we did as we were told though it was all still pretty dark.

"It feels pretty spooky in here." Misty worried quietly but I just smiled.

"You know what this reminds me of?" I asked then turned to Brock. "I feel as if I'm stepping in Pewter City gym for the first time. Dark and mysterious, just like now." Brock gave a little laugh.

"You're right. I guess it does feel a little like home." He agreed as we reached a door.

"You may enter!" The little girl called out again and the doors slid apart to reveal a dimly lit battlefield which was suddenly flooded with lights, revealing it to be an ordinary ground field with no obstructions. "Which of you dares to challenge me to a Pokémon battle?" The voice asked confidently so both Ash and I stepped forwards, speaking in unison.

"I do!" Slowly the doors at the very end of the battlefield parted with bright light behind a silhouette of a girl, who stood as still as a statue.

"I'm Jasmine, the leader of the Olivine City gym. They call me the battling beauty." Hey, that's what my mom used to be called! She can't be called that! That's copyright! The girl herself was pretty small, with short black hair and a yellow dress with a green bag which she wore across her shoulder and at her waist.

"Well I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash said in his battle ready voice so I turned to face Jasmine as well.

"And I'm Ruby Bates. We're from Pallet Town." I revealed, throwing down a hand to spread at my side whilst holding my egg in the other, eyes narrowed and focused on Jasmine as she look at us finally.

"We're here for a Mineral Badge, and we challenge you to get one!" Ash finished so Jasmine stepped forwards, looking at us with intense brown eyes.

"I'll battle both of you, but you first Ash. This will be a three on three Pokémon match. Ready?" Jasmine said so Ash stepped up to the plate.

"You bet." Jasmine nodded before sending out her first Pokémon.

"Alright, Onix! Go!" No way! This gym uses rock type too? Now that's definitely a trip down memory lane. The Onix appeared and I instantly stared in awe at its shiny hide, gleaming effortlessly and I instantly wanted to know how Jasmine got her Pokémon so shiny like that.

"Okay, Totodile go!" Ash called and sent his happy dancing Pokémon out onto the field. Instantly Totodile began to dance and kick up its feet whilst chanting, making me giggle. I sure hope Totodile never stops dancing like that. It's just so cute.

"Hm…a water Pokémon." Jasmine said before smirking. "I knew it. Onix, Tackle now!" Jasmine ordered and Onix instantly reared back to plough down with extra force but Ash remained calm.

"Totodile, Water Gun!" Hang on, where's the referee? Why weren't the rules called out first and how is a Pokémon going to be ruled unable to battle? This doesn't make any sense at all. Just then Totodile's Water Gun made contact with Onix, making it stop it's attack and rear back again as it got a spout of water full in the face.

"Alright!" Brock cheered as Misty smiled.

"That should take care of it." I bit my lip and closed my eyes before looking up at the Onix, who suddenly opened its eyes then charged down at Totodile, straight through the water! Okay, something's definitely wrong here. I've got to stop this!

The moment Onix's head connected with the ground I ran onto the battlefield, making everyone call out my name in fear as Onix drew back and Totodile was thrown backwards but managed to land on his feet. "Stop the match. Stop the match right now!" I commanded, standing between Onix and Totodile.

"Ruby what are you doing?" Ash demanded hotly so I turned a sharp glare on him.

"Listen genius, if you weren't so eager to battle, you'd realise that this match doesn't have any rules or a referee, and how did that Onix brush off that Water Gun attack? Rock types are weak against water. Well?" I turned around and glared over at Jasmine, holding my egg tightly. "Care to explain Jasmine? Or is that really your name?" I questioned and Jasmine drew back with a panicked expression, sweating slightly at the brow.

"Well…you see…"

"Everyone stop right now." An older voice ordered and we all turned to see a young woman standing at the doorway with a Magnemite at her shoulder. She wore a pretty pale dress and had long brown hair, yet she was giving Jasmine a hard glare. "I'm sorry to have to stop you like this but this is not a legitimate match." She informed so I gave Ash a victorious smirk.

"Told you so." Suddenly Brock went all goofy.

"I'm in love! We must be in heaven!" But Ash wasn't impressed at all.

"What's going on? We're trying to fight an important battle here." He shot to the newcomer who began to walk forwards.

"A gym battle must be fought with the leader of the gym." Oh…so this pretend Jasmine was not actually the gym leader. Why that little sneak! What did she do that for?

"Right! That's exactly what I'm doing!" Ash returned desperately but the woman shook her head.

"No you're not. I'm Jasmine." Ash blinked in surprise, now looking completely dumbfounded. "This young girl is one of my apprentices and should certainly know better." Just then the girl tried to tiptoe away but the real Jasmine wasn't going to let her get off that easy. "Janina."

"Yes?" She squeaked.

"Please come with me for a moment."

"Okay." She answered like a little mouse before hanging her head in shame. "Onix return." Then rather meekly, she followed after Jasmine but she stopped at the door, turned and gave us a little bow. "I apologise for tricking you." Instantly my hard exterior softened and my mouth dropped open a little, watching as she followed after her gym leader.

"I just don't understand why Totodile's Water Gun attack didn't work." Ash said, looking down at the ground in thought.

"That Janina sure was a tough battler, that must mean the gym leader is almost unbeatable. Right Brock?" But he was off in good land, so I picked up the threads.

"Maybe. Or maybe Janina played another trick to help her win." I suggested, turning to Ash. "Maybe she used some sort of repellent to deflect the water's effects against Onix so that it would be stronger against water types. It's been done before you know, I read it in the paper with my dad a few years ago, some kid had won loads of gym battles by using some sort of wax on his rock type Pokémon so they were practically unbeatable. When he was found out, he got all his badges taken away from him and he's now barred from entering any kind of league."

"You think so?" Ash lifted his head, perking up a little so I gave a confident smile and nodded my head.

"I'm sure of it. We all saw how shiny that Onix was." Ash relaxed a little and by that time, Jasmine had returned.

"I'm so sorry for Janina's appalling behaviour and normally I would make it up to you by inviting you for a proper gym battle, but unfortunately I'm not physically or emotionally able to give you a good fight." She said sadly and I blinked at her.

"Why? What's wrong? Are you sick or something?" I asked tenderly but she shook her head with a sigh.

"No, it's my little Sparkle. It's just not feeling well and I just can't seem to think of anything else." She told us and Ash scratched the back of his head.

"Your little Sparkle?" He questioned but then a phone began to ring.

"This is Jasmine. Yes. Yes." She said, listening closely before nodding her head. "I'll be right there." She promised before looking at us. "I'm sorry, I have to go." And then she left. Just like that. But what about our gym battle? Oh well, guess we'll have to go to another town to get one.

"Come on guys. We should probably go." I said, starting to walk away but as Brock remained standing without moving a muscle, tongue hanging out as he grovelled after Jasmine I stormed back and grabbed his ear. "Come on lover boy, even if Jasmine could think I doubt you would be at the forefront of her mind." Misty gave a giggle as I marched past them, dragging Brock with me.

"It's nice to see the effect from a different angle for a change." She said before hurrying after us. We walked through the city, kinda at a loss as to what to do. In the end we went for a walk in the park to see for some peace and relaxation, but no one felt like talking much, we were all too busy wondering who Sparkle was.

"I hope she's okay." Ash said worriedly as we walked along.

"I wonder who Sparkle is." Brock mused before suddenly his eyes lit up. "Hey! Maybe it's her cousin! Do you think she's as pretty as Jasmine?" For that I whacked him on the back of the head.

"For your sake Brock, I hope not." I answered him with a pointed glare.

"When do you think she'll be ready to battle you two?" Misty asked and Ash yelled aloud, stopping short in his tracks.

"That's right! I gotta go find out!" He spun around and began to race back to the gym but I grabbed the back of his jacket and held him in place as he ran.

"Cool it genius. You won't find Jasmine at the gym, remember? She's not there anymore." I said and he stopped running so I let him go.

"Oh…right. So what do we do Ruby?" He asked so I frowned in thought, trying to figure out some sort of plan. Maybe we should just try and find another gym to battle at? Or even better, try to find Jasmine to see if there's anything we can do to help make Sparkle feel better.

"Hey look over there." Misty said and we all turned to see Janina scrubbing the wax off of her Onix a little distance from where we were standing. Ash instantly hurried forwards so we followed after him.

"Hey Janina!" Ash called and she stopped her scrubbing and looked around to find us stopping at the edge of the sand pit she had her Onix resting in.

"I'm sorry I played that trick on you." She said with a polite bow so I gave her a smile.

"That's okay, we all want to help our Pokémon grow strong and I'm betting you were only trying to help Jasmine out." I said to her. "We understand. Right Ash?"

"Sure we do." He agreed. "It's not that big of a deal. We were just wondering if you knew where we could find Jasmine right now." Ash told her so Janina smiled and nodded her head.

"I know where she is, I'm pretty sure she'll be at the Shining Lighthouse down on the wharf." She told us and Ash was off like a rocket.

"Thanks!" He called over his shoulder, rushing away before any of us could stop him. He ran so fast that not even I could catch up with him until he had stopped running once we'd reached the wharf.

"You know Ash, I think you're starting to get into shape with all this walking." I said, breathing deeply as my heart pounded. "The last time I saw you run so fast was when your mom opened the buffet table at Professor Oak's Summer Camp when we were seven." Ash tossed back a smile.

"She'd done my favourite pizza puff pies, I had to get there before they were all gone." He excused so I gave him a look but couldn't stop a smile.

"Yeah, and you were the one who finished them all." Misty and Brock laughed as we walked towards the lighthouse before we all stopped and looked up, seeing not one, but two lighthouses. So…which one's the shining one?

"Wait a minute, I see two lighthouses." Ash said but Brock was already on the case.

"Yeah. The closest one to us is the Shining Lighthouse and it's got quite a history." He explained, flicking through the pages of the guidebook as I looked at the lighthouse nearest to us. It was made of old brick, much unlike the newer one that stood behind it.

"And Jasmine should be up there, right?" Misty was saying as I admired the lighthouses.

"So come on, let's go." Ash said with a wave of his hand then rushed to the door with us close behind.

"This place must have a lot of history. It's old but still well preserved." I reached out and opened the doors, letting us all in and we stepped inside to find a neatly polished floor and a lot of space, with stairs winding up to the top of the lighthouse.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

"Jasmine! It's your one and only Brock!" I gave a little giggle, shifting the egg in my arms before heading towards the stairs.

"Maybe's she's at the top. Come on Ash, I'll race you!"

"You're on!" He laughed then ran after me, trying to catch up as I took the stairs two at a time, Brock and Misty trailing along behind. We climbed and climbed, slowly winding down until we were puffed out of breath. "I think we misjudged how many stairs there were." Ash groaned as I lay down on the steps.

"Yeah…big mistake." I agreed. We caught back our breath and walked the rest of the way, emerging up at the top of the lighthouse to find ourselves faced with a sick looking Pokémon unlike I've ever seen before. It was yellow with black stripes, with a red orb on the top of its head and the end of its tail. Seeing its colouring and pattern, I instantly thought of Casey. What she wouldn't give for a Pokémon like that.

"What Pokémon is that?" Ash asked as I pulled out Dexter.

"Ampharos, the light Pokémon. Ampharos emits a strong light from the tip of its tail which can be seen over long distances and serve as a guide to those who are lost." That's pretty neat, it's a cute looking Pokémon too, one I would just love to hug and cuddle all the time.

"Does that mean this Ampharos is the one who makes the light come from the Shining Lighthouse?" Misty asked as the Ampharos lifted its weak head. Instantly I walked over and lifted a hand gently, giving a soft smile.

"Easy now, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Ruby, and you don't look so well." I said to it gently as I knelt down, put the egg in front of the Pokémon then rested a hand on its forehead. The Ampharos leaned into my touch, closing its eyes and relaxing instantly, giving a weak smile so I stroked it gently. Looks like this one isn't shy to strangers.

Its temperature was sky high and its coat has lost all of its sheen, meaning that something was definitively wrong. "Hey look." Ash said so I lifted my head and saw Jasmine climb up another flight of stairs with an older looking man behind her.

"Oh, hello again." She said with a welcoming smile.

"You know these children?" They guy asked as he and Jasmine came closer.

"These three trainers came to the Olivine City gym today looking for a Pokémon battle. We met earlier." She explained so the man nodded and turned a smile to us.

"I'm Jasmine's grandfather Myrin." He introduced so we all bowed or nodded our heads.

"Nice to meet you." I chorused with the others before continuing to check the Ampharos. With a fever like that, it needed some proper medicine. However, I do have some Moo-Moo milk with me, I've got into the habit of buying it whenever I can because all my Pokémon love it and it's super healthy for them. Maybe that'll help a little.

"What are you doing?" Jasmine questioned worriedly as I dug through my bag.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to give Ampharos some Miltank milk, it might help it feel a little better. Is this Sparkle?" I asked and Jasmine nodded her head.

"Yes, this is my little Sparkle. I've been so worried ever since she got sick, and she's not getting better." Jasmine told me as I poured some milk into a bowl then set it down close to Sparkle's head.

"Here you go Sparkle, this is guaranteed to make you feel a little bit better. It's very nutritious, but also tasty." I said with a smile so Sparkle lifted her head, sniffed the milk then took a sip. Instantly she smiled and guzzled it all down, licking the bowl clean before purring gently and rubbing her head against me. "There, you look a little better already." I said, stroking her head as Jasmine smiled.

"I didn't know Miltank milk was so good for Pokémon. Maybe I should get more for my little Sparkle." She thought aloud before blinking. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm being very rude. Was there something you all came here for?" I looked at Ash who nodded his head then turned to Jasmine.

"Actually, we were wondering when you'd be able to battle us for our next gym badge." He said but Jasmine hung her head.

"I'm sorry, but until Sparkle gets better, I can't make any promises." She said as her grandfather stepped forwards.

"I'll explain it to you kids. Long ago, before there was electricity, we relied on the light of Ampharos's tail to help guide the ships into port and keep them from colliding with the cliffs. Even when a new electric lighthouse was built, it's become a tradition to keep this lighthouse lit as well, as people love and adore its historical value here. But since Sparkle has become so ill, the light on its tail has got very weak, it's got everybody worried." Myrin explained as Jasmine stroked her Ampharos.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help Sparkle?" Ash asked as we got a little closer.

"Actually, I've ordered a very rare and powerful medicine from the pharmacy in Cianwood City." He told us. "I just got a call to tell me that it's ready and we can come pick it up any time."

"I wanted to send Janina to go get it but after I saw her play that trick on you I sent her away, and now there's no one to go." Jasmine said sadly so I stood up quickly with a clenched fist, egg back in my arms and bag on my back.

"Well then here's your answer!" I declared and Ash nodded his head.

"Right! We'll go get you the medicine Jasmine, we'll bring it back here for Sparkle and it'll be better in no time!"

"Really? You'd do that? Oh thank you!"

"Cianwood City is just across the water, right?" Misty asked Myrin who nodded his head.

"The boat will be leaving soon so you'd better hurry." He said to us so I clapped my hands.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go! Oh, but I want to stop at the Pokémon Centre first to do something, is there time to go there and get back to the boat?" I asked and Myrin nodded his head.

"If you're fast, it leaves in half an hour. I'll arrange for your passage over with the captain." He told us so I gave a little squeak then ran back down the stairs, shouting over my shoulder.

"Then come on guys what are we waiting for let's go, go, go!" I ran even faster than Ash had before, running all the way to the Pokémon Centre and leaving the others far behind to call up Professor Oak.

"Hello there Ruby, how are you getting on? It's been a while." Professor Oak said with a smile so I gave a quick wave.

"Hi professor, I was just wondering if you would send over my Dragonair. I really want to start training with it now, is that okay?" I asked and he nodded his head.

"Sure but according to my information, you already have six Pokémon in your party and you can't carry any more. You'll have to send one back." That's right, I forgot. So which one should I send? "I have an idea, how about you send me your Scyther? With Tracey's own Scyther helping us out, it gets tired pretty quickly since it's quite old, however it's still a very powerful Pokémon. If you send Scyther over, I'm sure it can learn a thing or two."

"Right!" I smiled, eyes shining. "That's a great idea professor, hold on." I picked up Scyther's Pokéball and looked down at it. "Now you listen well Scyther and make sure you do everything Professor Oak and Tracey ask, okay? I'll see you again soon." I promised before sending Scyther over. Almost the second Scyther had disappeared, Dragonair's Pokéball came back and I picked it up with a smile. "Welcome back to the crew Dragonair, I've missed you! And I know Vaporeon has as well."

"Your Scyther is now safe with me. Good luck Ruby, I'll be waiting to hear from you and Ash again soon." Professor Oak said so I gave him a confident smile.

"We'll be sure to let you know how we're getting on. See you soon!" With that I signed off then quickly raced back down to the harbour. I found the others and our vessel, a small but fast boat to carry us across the water. "We ready?" I asked and they all nodded their heads.

"Sure. What did you need to get at the Pokémon Centre?" Misty asked so I drew out Dragonair's Pokéball.

"Dragonair, say hello!" I called and my beautiful Pokémon appeared, tall and regal with sparkles dancing off her coat as she lifted her head and gave a soft call in her song like voice. "Dragonair! I've missed you so much!" I laughed, throwing my arms around her as she lowered down her head and began to nuzzle into me affectionately as everyone else laughed.

"It seems like forever. How you doing Dragonair?" Ash asked and Dragonair nodded her head to him.

"Oh it's so beautiful, even more beautiful than I remember it!" Misty sighed dreamily as Togepi chirped in agreement. I noticed Jasmine and Myrin walking towards us so I turned to greet them but Jasmine was gazing at Dragonair.

"Is that your Dragonair?" She asked and I nodded my head proudly.

"Yeah, I raised her from a Dratini." I told her and Jasmine reached out a hand, touching Dragonair's face gently as she lowered her head to press politely into her hand in greeting.

"Wow, I've never seen one before. It's very beautiful, you've obviously raised it well." She told me so I hugged Dragonair proudly. "We've come to see you off. Thank you so much, all of you. With your help, my little Sparkle will be back to its old self soon."

"Wait!" Someone called and we all blinked and turned to see Janina running as fast as she could towards us. "Wait a second!"

"Janina?" Jasmine questioned as little Janina stopped running to stand directly in front of Jasmine, puffing heavily and a little red in the face but she looked pleadingly up at Jasmine.

"Please Jasmine, please let me go too. I want to help get Sparkle's medicine to make it feel better." She begged but Jasmine folded her arms.

"Janina, this isn't a simple trip to the supermarket. It may be dangerous and you'll have to rely on your Pokémon to help you if you get into trouble and the medicine is very precious." Jasmine began but Janina hung her head.

"I know I haven't been the greatest of apprentices, but please Jasmine, I want to prove to you that I can do it. Just let me try, please? I know Onix and I can help bring that medicine back, I know we can!" Jasmine wore a thoughtful look, scrutinising Janina carefully so I stepped forwards and placed a hand on Janina's shoulder.

"You know, this trip might be exactly what Janina needs to understand responsibility." I said to Jasmine who blinked then looked up at me. "If she goes with us then she'll be guaranteed to arrive safely because we'll all look out for her and once we've got the medicine, she can bring it back to you herself."

"What do you mean? Aren't we coming back too?" I gave Ash a smirk.

"You know there's a gym in Cinawood City, right? My mom went to train there when she was younger, she says it's one of her favourite fighting type gyms ever. We can get our next badge there, leaving time for Sparkle to get better and then come back to challenge Jasmine. How does that sound?" Ash suddenly laughed.

"Great! I can't wait to get going!" Then we all turned to Jasmine who gave a long sigh, looking once more at Janina's pleading face before nodding her head.

"Very well, you can go too Janina. I trust you will behave yourself and listen to what these trainers tell you."

"I will! Oh thank you Jasmine! I promise I won't let you down." She vowed so she climbed aboard with a laugh, dancing on deck as Misty chuckled and followed, dragging Brock with her as he tried to profess his undying love for Jasmine.

I turned to Dragonair and then to the water. "So how about it? You fancy some speed swimming?" I suggested and she nodded her head. "Well, I have a little surprise for you. Check out your old friend, now made new! Vaporeon!"

"Vaporeon!" She called out as she appeared but the moment she saw Dragonair, she gasped then leaped forwards, the two of them calling out for joy and they bumped heads, nuzzling against one another before beginning to play as I climbed onto the boat.

"Come on your guys, you fancy some swimming? It's a wide ocean and plenty of time for you to play as we go." I said with a laugh so they both dove into the water and began to streak through at top speed, Dragonair speeding ahead but Vaporeon was pretty fast too.

I smiled and watched them as the sun began to set, feeling the breeze pull through my hair as our boat carried us over the waves, Vaporeon leaping out from time to time, twisting beautifully and the dazzling sunlight caught in each droplet, making her seem even more beautiful and elegant as Dragonair did the same, leaping in and out of the water and I couldn't tear my eyes from them.

Giving a sigh I stayed out until the sun set, turning my thoughts to my next gym battle for the Storm Badge. Wait until mom sees that one!