"Is something troubling you? If that's the case, couldn't someone temporarily replace you as the Gym Leader and manage the Gym for a while?"
Hearing Jasmine's explanation, Sabrina, who was also a Gym Leader herself, spoke up with a suggestion.
"That won't work," Jasmine replied, shaking her head slightly. "My friends are all in other regions. Even if they were willing to help, they couldn't get here in a short time."
She had already considered asking for help. Unfortunately, the distances between regions were enormous.
Helicopters weren't something ordinary people could simply use. Although Jasmine's family was wealthy, they didn't have the influence required to freely access aircraft.
In this world, more than half of the land across the regions was covered by forests, mountains, and lakes. Cars were often useless in such terrain.
Even traveling by bicycle would still take several days.
With no better options available, Jasmine had no choice but to temporarily close the Gym.
"If something is bothering you, tell us about it," Ash said.
"If it's within my ability, I might be able to help solve it. That way I won't have to make another trip just to challenge the Gym."
Since he had already encountered the Gym Leader, Ash naturally didn't want to miss the opportunity for a Gym battle.
Besides, Jasmine gave him a very good impression.
It wasn't just because she was beautiful—though that certainly didn't hurt. More importantly, Ash could tell that Jasmine truly cared about her Pokémon. The Magnemite resting comfortably on her shoulder made that very clear.
"Yeah, Miss Jasmine," Shirō added from the side. "Just tell us what's wrong. My master is extremely strong."
Up to this point, Shirō had yet to see anything Ash couldn't handle.
"Ah… I just realized I don't even know your names yet," Jasmine said suddenly, slightly embarrassed. "May I ask who you all are?"
"My name is Emiya Shirō," Shirō replied proudly.
"This is my teacher, Sabrina. And this is my master—he's the Champion-level trainer of Kanto, Ash Ketchum. I'm currently traveling with my master to gain experience."
Shirō introduced them enthusiastically.
Sabrina, however, still wasn't used to hearing Shirō call her "teacher," especially in such a formal way.
"I see… so you're the Champion trainer who helped resolve the crisis between two regions not long ago," Jasmine said with surprise.
"I've heard about you before, but I didn't expect to meet you here."
Then she seemed to recall something.
"I also heard that you developed special Pokémon medicine. Is that true?"
Ash's reputation had spread widely. Aside from his strength, he was also known as a talented Pokémon pharmacist.
"It's true," Ash nodded. "But my medicines aren't sold in the Jhoto region."
"It's not that I look down on Jhoto. I simply have some… disagreements with certain people in the Jhoto Alliance and the Silver Rowan family. Until that matter is resolved, I can only apologize to the trainers of Jhoto."
Ever since his conflict with Silver Rowan, Ash had informed the Kanto Alliance that his medicines would no longer be distributed in Jhoto.
Because of that decision, many Jhoto trainers were now extremely dissatisfied with the Jhoto Alliance leadership.
After all, Ash's medicine was famous for its effectiveness.
"I understand," Jasmine said softly.
"After all, those medicines are something you created yourself."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"Do you happen to have any with you? I'd like to buy some. Please… it's very important to me."
"Which type do you need?" Ash asked, slightly curious. "Is there a Pokémon you're trying to treat?"
According to common sense, if a Pokémon was injured or ill, it could simply be taken to the Pokémon Center.
If even the Pokémon Center couldn't treat it, then the situation was likely quite unusual.
Ash couldn't help but become interested.
"I want to buy Black Capsules and White Capsules," Jasmine explained.
"They're for treating my father's Ampharos."
Her expression became worried.
"Recently, for some unknown reason, my father's Ampharos has been getting weaker and weaker…"
"Even when we took it to the Pokémon Center, the results showed that nothing was wrong," Jasmine explained with a worried expression. "But Ampharos' condition clearly isn't normal. Because of this, my father and I have been extremely troubled recently."
"I do have the medicine," Ash replied thoughtfully. "But can I see the Ampharos first? I'm very curious about the cause if even Nurse Joy couldn't find anything wrong."
"No problem. Please come with me."
Just before leaving, Jasmine turned to the young girl.
"Mika, remove the wax from Onix immediately. And you are absolutely not allowed to impersonate me during Gym battles again. If something like this happens one more time, I will never forgive you. Do you understand?"
"Yes…"
Mika lowered her head in shame and didn't dare say another word. It was clear that Jasmine carried considerable authority in the Gym.
Jasmine then led Ash and the others toward the northern coastline of the city.
Soon, they arrived at a pier near the sea.
Jasmine pointed toward an old lighthouse standing by the shore.
"This is the Glitter Lighthouse, built by my ancestors. The newer lighthouse next to it was constructed later. Unlike the old Glitter Lighthouse, that one has an independent power supply. This one doesn't."
"My father told me that during my grandfather's time, Asagi City didn't have an independent power plant yet. In order to guide ships safely to the harbor, they came up with a special method."
She looked toward the top of the lighthouse.
"They used the light from an Ampharos' tail to illuminate the lighthouse and guide ships toward the dock."
"Since then, the Glitter Lighthouse has become a symbol of hope and prayer for sailors. Many people admire it."
Jasmine's expression gradually turned worried.
"But not long ago, my father's Ampharos suddenly began losing its energy. The light on its tail has also started to grow dim."
Ash followed Jasmine's gaze toward the lighthouse.
The old structure resembled the Bill Lighthouse in Kanto, but compared to that one, this lighthouse looked far sturdier and more imposing, standing tall against the sea breeze.
(End of Chapter)
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