Joyful - A Pokemon Fan Fiction

Chapter 1 (Angel has gotten no farther in arguments between her and Nurse Joy)

(The POV changes from first to third in the middle of the story. It will continue to be third throughout the rest of the book, but I apologize for any confusion there may be.)

"Stop eating the berries!" William snapped as I took another Oran berry from one of his bushes.

"I'm saaaad," I whined.

"Too baaad," Will whined back. "I have a job to do and you're eating our living."

"You said I could take whatever I wanted," I reminded him.

"Well now you've gone over your limit. If you want berries, you have to start earning them!"

Here's the situation: It is exactly one month before my tenth birthday and the day before I had a whole argument with my mom on why I could or could not become a Pokemon trainer. Now here I am, Windchester Farm Vaniville Town, 7AM, lying on the back of my friend, Will Windchester's, grandfather's Gogoat as 'we' pick berries together. Really I'm just being lazy and eating the berries while Will does all the work portion of this chore.

"I'm sorry Will," I said, "but I have one month to convince Mom I can be a Pokemon trainer and so far it's looking like I'll be stuck in Vaniville Town forever!"

"Things will be alright," Will replied as he starts to strip the next Oran Berry bush of it's berries.

"Easy for you to say," I said. "In one month you'll be on your journey." Will and I have the same birthday. I remember hoping, for a little while, that two of us could go on a journey together. That hope was smashed in one lovely evening when Mom sat me down to tell me it was my destiny to be a Nurse Joy and NOT a trainer.

"You never know," Will said, ever optimistic. "We have a month."

"Yep," I groaned.

There's a pause as Will puts more berries into the baskets tied on Gogoat's sides. "Come on, Angel," Will says, "if you're gonna stay here, you can gripe all you want, but you need to work."

I sigh. "Fine."

≡≡≡≡≡

"What if I just leave without telling them?" I suggested as Will and I started walking over to my house after picking an incredible amount of berries. The idea of taking off in the middle of the night had been on my mind a lot - Will's too. I never thought I'd actually do it, but as the deadline is getting closer, I've started thinking about it more seriously.

"You said your relatives would spread the word and find you," Will reminds me, using my own words against me.

"I know, but what if I don't go to a Pokemon Center?" I say. "Maybe I'll be extra careful and not hurt my Pokemon in battle too badly."

"You're being silly," Will flicked my head. I pushed his hand away. "Don't run away, Angel. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Hmm ..." I grumble. Then I light up as I think of a plan. "I'll just go with you! You can get my Pokemon cured for me and my relatives will never have to see me!"

"Won't they know I'm an accomplice?" Will asked.

"We're not commiting a crime, Will," I say as we reach my house.

"Hey! There she is!" Cavis waves from the creek. His partner, Kirlia is with him and she looks hurt.

"Hey!" I say as Will and I run over to meet them. "What happened?"

"Oh just a little accident while we were climbing trees," Cavis says as we watch him wrap Kirlia's leg in a bandage. "Nothing serious. There!" Cavis puts a soft kiss on Kirlia's wound then smiles up at his partner. "Feeling good, feeling strong?"