It's possible that this problem has already been solved in the last month, but if not... Technically, the gold and silver games were for GB (so if you had the earliest game boy would would still be able to play them), but they are playable on game boy advance and gba sp. The simplest solution to the problem would be, "Did you save?" Also, if you turn off the power when it says "Saving...DON'T TURN OFF THE POWER!!!", wait until that screen is gone to turn it off. Also, powerful magnets can erase game information. All dumb questions aside, it is very possible that your cartridge battery is dead or dying. Ever since the Legend of Zelda for NES, there has been tiny batteries in cartridges that save game information. The earliest batteries could only save for about 6 hours, but gb batteries, (especially those made in 98-99) should last years. It's possible that yours are giving out. I would test starting a game file, saving, turning off the game, and turning it on immedietly to see how long it lasts. An extreme solution would be to buy a third-party AC adaptor for your gba, or using a gba sp ac-adaptor to leave your game on all the time. You could buy a used PKMN crystal, ruby, or saphire (or gold and silver for that matter); all of these games should have working save batteries. Gold and Silver run about $8, Crystal, $14, Ruby and Saphire, $20. Good luck.

Uh-oh, that actually sounds like the data in the game may be corrupted. The program may not function correctly with the data corruption. Your game may be giving out, or it can also be the data involved in the GBA. Another case can also be the recall. In 2001, around 50,000 Pokemon Silver and 75,0000 Pokemon Gold video game copies were recalled due to data corruption.

hm i dont know if this sis right but maybe u can go to a game stop or someother shop or do it yourself and change the barrety in the game its justa thought..

maybe you should invest in a gameBOY advance. i no that wud solv ur problm