It hadn't been but the average day in Olivine. Her morning shift at Asagi was relatively busy; what with new vessels docked beyond the main stretch, the sailors swarming the port's "world famous" cafe were as starved for human interaction as they were for food. Her shift would then transition into an afternoon of challengers at the city's Gym, several lined up and all equally desperate to earn a Mineral Badge from her. Though none were successful, the pure exhilaration of the battling displayed endeared her thoughts throughout the day's wind down—take-out and a comfort film.
Nothing else of note nor out of the ordinary preoccupied her mind, as Amphy took to the summit of Glitter Lighthouse and Jasmine eventually took to bed. The light rain tapping against the porthole-of-a-window above her bed was the last thing she could recall, soon succumbing to slumber. And, a peaceful slumber it'd started—before the void of her subconsciousness was consumed by a whiplash of brilliant colors.
A voice follows, startling the girl as she's suspended above a harsh, yet dazzling, light in the distance. She jolts, a sensation that feels oddly... tangible, for a dream.
"H-Hi there...!" Shaky her voice is, its echo hopefully reaching whoever it is that's calling out to her; it seems to.
“This is the portal to the world of Pokemon!
Before I can let you through, though, I’d like you to answer a few questions for me.”
"Portal to...? Hmm." For all she knew, she'd left the world of Pokemon behind upon entering dreamland—or, wherever it is she's now found herself. "Sure... I mean, I-I guess I don't mind!"
Not indulging a disembodied voice, despite being within a dream, doesn't seem the wisest of things to do. She decides to entertain them, at least until sunlight would awaken her back to reality.
“Are you ready? Then let’s begin! What is your favorite type of music?”
Not a difficult question, thankfully. "I... well, I typically listen to older music: city pop, folk, surf rock, that kind of stuff? I've been listening to a lot more jazz lately, and funk. Disco, too, especially when cleaning up around the Lighthouse! I wouldn't say I'm hard to please, not when it comes to music. So long as it sounds good...!"
“If you could visit anywhere in your world, where would you go?”
The voice rings out a bit louder, almost as if it is growing closer. "Hmm... so, my cousin—he and his wife, they live close by to where I say—just had a couple of Wooloo brought to their ranch the other day! Kinda made me entertain the idea of visiting Galar sometime... such a magical place, it has always seemed to me. Probably because of the books I used to read as a little kid," she has to chuckle at herself a little, "fairy-tales, mostly."
“How do you handle high expectations?”
Oh, the difficulty is turning up a notch! Her response comes after a slight delay, the words piecing themselves together as she speaks.
"I do my best to rise, and strive as hard as I can to meet them, but... plenty of times, I-I feel like I come up short." Her somber tone isn't befitting the cascade of colors swirling around her, her throat clearing as she completes the thought aloud. "I'm– learning to feel less defeated when I do get down, though. These days especially, I've been trying to keep a more realistic outlook on what's expected of me, and what I expect of myself..."
“What is a memory that you treasure?”
"...training with Dad, back on Poni Island," one of the few cherishable memories she's held onto with a death grip, though Jasmine doesn't elaborate further—melancholia is something she prefers leaving herself to endure during the waking hours.
“Has what ‘home’ means to you changed over the years?”
Seems leaving behind the sting of these wounds isn't an option, after all. "'Home'... that word has changed a lot for me, especially over the last several years, but– I guess what I should say is, I'm sort of still figuring out what exactly 'home' means to me? Whether it's a physical thing, a feeling, or something else entirely..."
“A friend of yours is very sick, and the only medicine is far away. Do you seek out the medicine, or stay by their side?”
"I– well, if it is out of the question for me to leave their side, I'll figure out something. Absolutely." Speaking from experience, she recalls that one Gym challenger weeks ago, who'd assisted her in picking up Amphy's medication from Tanba Pharmacy off in Cianwood. Amphy has quickly recovered, yet Jasmine clings fondly to that specific memory.
“Someone close to you has to go somewhere far away, and you don’t know if they’ll return. What is the last thing you say to them?”
It hits far too close to home, her voice humming softly as she fights back her emotions. "That... that I hope to see them again, soon."
“What does being a gym leader mean to you?”
Thankfully, the topic shifts back to obligation—something that's done wonders to distract her mind since her father's departure. "It's an honor, really... seeing the glow of determination in my challengers, how they are so full of hope. Witnessing the bonds they have with their partners, preparing them for the challenges they'll face ahead in life, it's– like I said before, a complete honor. I hold my position with a lot of pride."
“What is something you don’t think you could ever leave behind?”
A pause. She's let go of so many things, through processing her traumas, that her answer is hard to come by.
She breaks her silence, after a few more moments. "My pain." The answer isn't as easy to admit, though her voice has a firmness to it'. "It's, oddly enough, shaped me to take on the obstacles that oppose me—both internally, and externally. it's– a little hard to explain, because I'm sure most people would want to forget all the bad stuff they've experienced? To move on, and to allow room for happier memories to take their places...
I'd– like that, for myself, eventually. But I guess, strangely enough, I appreciate not having grown numb..."
“What are Pokemon to you?”
Less though goes into this answer, beaming from the somber cloud she'd encased herself within. "Everything. They're family, they're friends, they pass no judgement, know no hate... they're incredible to behold, to work alongside, so I– honestly?
I wouldn't be who I am today, not without their support. My own companions, as well as those I've been lucky enough to meet along my travels, and even during my day-to-day. Those I battle against, those my friends call family, everyone... they mean the world to me."