A Joyful Adventure

Out of the loop

The Joy family had always been extremely strict and traditional. They didn't accept change easily, which was why it took them a while to get used to Kotone.

One main tradition that was centuries old in the Joy family was that all the women sported pink-hued hair and worked at the infamous Pokémon Center. Kotone shattered this tradition drastically with her caramel-brown hair and eyes, and ambition to become the Pokémon League Champion. She closely resembled the first of the long line of Joy women, Lyra, who was well known as League Champion Lyra Soul throughout the Johto region until she settled down and married a man named Lance Joy.

Lyra and Lance had two children, a boy and a girl. The couple were suprised and somewhat delighted to find that the girl had pink hair. Lance had auburn hair while Lyra had caramel-brown, so their genes mixed and gave their baby girl pink hair. The boy had brown hair just a few shades darker than Lyra's.

After opening the first pokémon center, it became strict tradition for the Joy women to produce at least 1  female offspring from a man with red, pink or auburn hair to keep the tradition and family business running.

When she turned 8, Kotone learned all about Lyra and Lance and the opening of the first pokémon center. An old black and white photo in a cracked wooden frame sat bolt upright on Kotone's dresser, a grim reminder of her fate to be yet another Nurse Joy. In the photo a young, smiling couple stood in front of a small, old brick building. On the roof of the building, there was a now well-known symbol; the Pokémon Center logo.

When Kotone learned that Lyra also had brown hair and eyes, she mustered the courage to stand up and tell her family that she did not want to be another 'Nurse Joy'. Kotone then refused to have her last name as Joy, but instead as Soul. Knowing that she had a further connection to Lyra than just blood, Kotone was now more fired up than ever to become the Johto League Champion.

One night, Kotone undid the traditional 'loop' hairstyle that the Joy women always wore. She had worn this quirky hairstyle since she had grown enough hair to tie it up- as was the Joy tradition- and so when she took out the elastics, her hair permanently moulded into two perky, twintails. Kotone soon adapted this as her signature look.

On a cold, dimly-lit day in July, the Joy family tried to betroth Kotone to a boy with long red hair named Silver, with high hopes that they would produce pink-haired female offspring. Kotone bitterly refused and shut herself in her room.

The twintailed brunette grabbed her nurse headpiece, and after a bit of poking, prodding and tweaking she had turned it into a large puffy hat. It looked like a white, slightly melted marshmallow. To add a finishing touch, Kotone tied a pink bow around it. She then put on a deep-pink longsleeved shirt and her favourite pair of overalls, along with white knee-high socks and pink ballet flats.

Before she rushed out the door, Kotone grabbed her yellowy-beige shoulder bag from her door handle and shoved a few items in it. She then departed New Bark Town in search of adventure.

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a/n: Yeah, that was a bit slow and a bit boring but it was kinda just to introduce everything and kick it off. I promise my next chapter will be more action-packed and all that jazz!

-Koto-chan ♥