By Apple Martini
A Jasmine Tinted Dawn 
Part II

	"Um," said Jasmine. She was pretty surprised.
	Jasmine had her honey brown hair down in a ponytail at the bottom left 
side of her head tied with a lily flower. Two tendrils hung at both sides, 
tracing her face. She had on her pajamas, baby blue ones with bunny rabbits on 
them and white slippers.
	"So, will you?" asked Gary.
	"I don't know," Jasmine replied. "You guys-"
	"Come on now," said Ash. "I've known Gary all my life. He's not a good 
trainer. He's... He's ..."
	"An excellent trainer," Gary supplied. "I'm better than you, Ash!"
	"Don't pick him!" Ash yelled. "He's not better than me!"
	"Aaaah!" screamed Jasmine. "How about everyone be quiet! You two are too 
loud and you're going to wake up the whole town!"
	Gary and Ash shut their mouths.
	"What's going on out here?" May and Misty cam walking down the hill 
together.
	Everybody was speechless now. A heavy silence hung in the air like clothes 
out to dry.
	"Well?" said Misty.
	Jasmine sighed heavily and turned back towards the PokeCenter.
	Gary got up and left next, leaving Ash alone to face Misty and May

		*		*		*

	Gary followed Jasmine into the PokeCenter. "Theres something I wanted to 
tell you about Ash."
	"What is it?" Jasmine asked warily.
	"It's just that ... he's only interested in you because he thinks you're 
hot. He told me that he wanted to 'score' you." Gary said solemnly.
	"Ash would never say that," Jasmine replied. "I used to know him and he 
never came on to me before."
	"You think he's nice," Gary said seriously. "But he did it before. He used 
to be so nice to - never mind."
	"Tell me," said Jasmine.
	"Well, she thought he was nice too. But after he got what he wanted, he 
completely left her. She quit her pokemon journey because he broke her heart." 
Gary said in a grave tone of voice.
	"Then why are May and Misty such good friends of his?" Jasmine pointed 
out. "He's been friends with them for like, ever, and they're still here. He's 
not like that."
	"It's only a matter of time," said Gary, getting up to leave. He smirked 
to himself, proud of how well his plan worked out. Now there was no way she'd be 
Ash's partner, and now he was almost guaranteed victory in the Battle Dome 
Tournament.

		*		*		*
	Ash managed to avoid explaining things to Misty and May because Broch came 
outside and told them they should hurry back inside. The universal closing time 
for POkemon Center's was at 11 pm, and if they didn't make it back inside in 4 
minutes they'd be locked out.
	Ash woke up the next morning to see Jasmine and gary talking on her bunk 
about pokemon types and weaknesses.
	"Oh," Ash suddenly remembered. "Did you choose who you want to be partners 
with?"
	"I - I don't know," Jasmine replied, fidgeting.
	"The tournament is tomorrow," Ash said.
	"Tell him," Gary nudged Jasmine.
	"I kind of decided to be Gary's partner," Jasmine said sadly. "I mean, 
because Professor Birch suggested it."
	Ash couldn't believe his ears! He was devastated, but he didn't want to 
show it. Once again, Gary beat him. And now he was probably going to beat him in 
the Battle Dome Double Battle Tournament too because Jasmine was on his team, 
and where else was Ash going to find a partner as good as her?
	"Why don't you be my partner?" Misty put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Did 
it ever occur to you I want to be in the competition?"
	Ash had forgotten all about Misty. She wasn't bad at all, with her 
Gyarados and Togetic. "Okay," he agreed.
	"I'm going to go shower," said Jasmine, leaving out and heading to the 
Pokemon Center girl's shower room.
	Soon a pleasant smell of pancakes drifted upstairs.
	"Breakfast is served!" exclaimed Broch. "Yeah!"
	"I love pancakes," said May.
	"Come on out, Togetic. Lets got have some breakfast!" Misty exclaimed.
	Max, Broch, Misty, and May all went downstairs to the cafe for the Pokemon 
Center's served breakfast.
	Gary could tell Ash was disturbed. Time to rub salt in his wounds!
	"SO, it looks like I won again," Gary stretched back. "Even when it comes 
to girls."
	Ash refused to respond to Gary. 
	"You'll hate it when you found out how I convinced her to me my partner," 
Gary teased. He wanted Ash to feel the pain. "I told her all you wanted was to 
win her trust so you could score. I told her you just wanted to use her."
	"What!!" Ash's sadness turned into rage!
	"That's right I lied. AND she believed all of it. AND there's no way 
she'll even ever talk to you again!" Gary began to laugh. "It's actually funny, 
how you end up losing all the time."
	Ash was outsmarted by Gary. ANd there was nothing, nothing he could do 
about it.
	"I am disappointed in you," Jasmine had a look of contempt on her face.
	Ash's face lit up. He was saved!
	"You lied to me just to hurt Ash," Jasmine continued. "I knew Ash wasn't 
that type of person! You're never going to have friends if you lie so much!"
	Ash smiled as Gary looked dumb, grabbed his stuff, and left.
	"I'm glad I did forget my clothes," she said as he left. "There's way on 
Earth I'm being his partner in any competition, no matter how good he is."
	Ash looked up at Jasmine. "Wow." He had started saying wow because she 
told him off good. But he finished because she, well, had her hair out and wet-
curly, not to mention wearing only a white terrycloth robe. "I'm glad you found 
out."
	"Me too," said Jasmine. "I guess now I can't enter the Battle Dome Double 
Battle Competition now, though. I deserve that, though, for being naive."
	Jasmine took her clothes with her and left back down the hall.
	Ash twirled a pokeball in his hand containing Broch's Nidoran. "No you 
don't." he said to himself. "You deserve a good partner."

		*		*		*
	"Ash, I can't compete!" Misty wailed.
	"Why?" asked Ash.
	"Some poison type pokemon poisoned all my pokemon and now they have to 
stay at the pokemon center for 24 hours. I won't be able to use them tomorrow!"
	"No!" said Ash. "Now I - "
	"Misty!" Max called. "You forgot to make up your bed!"
	"Oh, yeah!" Misty turned to go back upstairs. "You'll have to find a new 
partner," she told Ash. "Win for me, OK?"
	"I will," Ash replied.
	Jasmine was on her way out of the pokemon center. "I'm going to look for a 
strong enough trainer that can be my partner," she told Ash. "I've been hearing 
about somebody with an Umbreon and I think he might be strong."
	"Wait," Ash said. "Misty can't compete because all her pokemon are 
poisoned. So, be my partner then."
	"Of course," Jasmine agreed. "Sure beats having to go find someone!"

		*		*		*

	Jasmine and Ash left the Pokemon Center early the next morning. Today was 
the day of the Battle Dome Double Battle Tournament and they wanted to get there 
early to register. Broch had made them some sandwiches.
	On the way, they came across some Belossom performing a dance.
	"Look at the pretty blue powder," said Jasmine, moving closer. "It's like 
a finale special effect."
	"Jasmine, don't breathe the - "
	She yawned and collapsed on the ground. 
	" - sleep powder," said Ash.
	Ash sighed and sat on the ground next to Jasmine. He examined her face, 
trying to find out what was so familiar about her. He tried to remember by 
examining her beautiful honey brown hair, her big  expressive eyes, long 
eyelashes, cute lips, and slender figure. What was it? He knew he met her 
before, but where? 
	BINGO! It was Jasmine Mango! He had met her on the ship heading to the 
Hoann region from the Kanto region. After finishing in the Johto league, he'd 
went back to Kanto to take his pokemon to Professor Oak. That way he would start 
over. Jasmine was there because she wanted to go on her journey in the Hoann 
reagion even thought she was at Kanto at the time. Her little brother was 
starting in Kanto, that's why. He remembered her saying that.
	He also remembered when he first met May, he was travelling with her, Max, 
and Jasmine. She had been different-looking then, but she was the same person. 
She wore two ponytails then and was less developed. But he still remembered 
feeling the same connection to her even then. She was funny and a good trainer 
and he liked being in her company. He remembered when she left them. She went to 
pursue Team Magma and Team Aqua after the time they were caught in a cave. He 
remembered being sad that she didn't just ask them to come with her. She had 
left one night while they were all in a Pokemon Center.
	That was why he had forgotten about her. He had tried to forget ever 
meeting her because he didn't want to think about how he felt when she left. So 
he had called Misty and begged her to join them, and he got involved in his 
badge-collecting and forgot about Jasmine.
	That's who Jasmine was!
	Ash smiled, thinking about all the good times they had together. Before he 
knew it, he was asleep on the soft grass too.
	"Ash, what are you doing!" exclaimed Misty's hurt and surprised voice, 
waking up Ash. He woke up and looked around. Why was she yelling?
	Uh-oh. Somehow he had ended up with his arms around Jasmine, her back 
facing him, as if they had fallen asleep cuddling or something. Now he was in 
trouble.


				TO BE CONTINUED
	*IN PART 3 OF THE TRILOGY "A JASMINE TINTED DAWN", SEE WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN MISTY 
AND ASH. ALSO, BE THERE FOR THE ACTUAL COMPETITION AND A SURPRISING CONNECTION 
BETWEEN JASMINE AND ASH. COMING VERY SOON*