"save failed" in boktai 3 (GBA) on M3 Real

topic. the game does not save my progress when asked. I go to the save screen, ask to save, then it gives me a "save failed" message.is there some sort of work-around for this?

bump

You may possibly need a new copy of the game.

this is a rom, not a physical copy, I'm looking for a patch to fix said save issues. I'm sorry I wasn't clear earlier.