Introduction: In addition to working on Best Wishes Revised, I've decided to work on a few other stories as well, due to the length of story. And I decided to go ahead and start by working on this little Pokemon story that I got the idea for a few months ago. One reason being that it helps up the sequel to Best Wishes Revised. Anyway, one of the oddest things in the Pokemon anime are families of Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, and recently the Don George family in the Black and White anime. Of course I won't be touching the Don George thing in either this story or BWR because that battle club stuff is pretty much filler.
There have been several theories among the fans about this phenomenon. I think it's either alines, cloning, or some odd genetic condition. And one thing I noticed one time when I went to go look for fanfics about Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy is that there were quite a few stories about how much it sucks that they all have the same face and all seem to be forced to work the same job. But I also noticed that most of those stories tended to be about Nurse Joy instead of Officer Jenny. So I'm going to fix that a little bit.
Now, a couple of things to keep in mind before I go on. The first is that the events in this story takes place around the same time those in as Best Wishes Revised. Though you do not have to read that story to understand what's going in this one. The other thing I should mention is that the reason for this stories M rating is due to a fairly bloody scene that's going to appear in a later chapter. And for a few other things. All that said, I'll shut up and let you get on with the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 1: A Day In the Life of Rachel Jenny
Rachel Curtis Jenny awoke to the annoying sound of the alarm clock on her nightstand. After shutting off the infernal device she sat up in bed and sighed. It was once again time to begin another horrid day. After a moment she finally got out of bed and walked to her bathroom. When Rachel turned on the light, the same face greeted her in the mirror, and she sighed again heavily upon seeing it.
A part of Rachel had hoped that perhaps her appearance had miraculously changed overnight, but as she expected she looked just the same as she did before. She still had the same almost shoulder-length blue-green hair and the same reddish-brown eyes, and her face looked the sane as it did before. Rachel hated seeing her face for the face Rachel saw every time she looked in the mirror was not her own. She shared it with her mother, her two sisters, her aunts, more cousins than she could count or remember, and every other woman in her extended family except for that odd branch in Unova. And it was a face that everyone in the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and even Rachel's home region of Sinnoh knew as that of the police officer known as Officer Jenny.
Rachel could still remember back to kindergarten when the teacher asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Rachel was the only one who wasn't asked. When Rachel asked the teacher why she didn't ask her that question, the teacher simply laughed and said that everyone knew that she was going to grow up to be a police officer. That assumption persisted throughout Rachel's life, all because of her face and what family she happened to be born into. It never even occurred to anyone that Rachel might want a life of her own, that she was an individual. And of course her family was far from an exception.
"Rachel!" a young female voice called from outside her bedroom room. Rachel sighed and went out to go answer.
Rachel opened the door and on the other side was a girl who looked exactly how Rachel looked when she was ten years old. This was Rachel's younger sister, Cindy Curtis Jenny.
"What is it twerp?" Rachel asked with a tired yet annoyed expression.
"Mom sent me up to get you for breakfast." Cindy explained. "She said she wants to have a talk with you before you go to school. Are you in trouble again?"
"…Fine, tell her I'll be down in a minute." Rachel sighed before retreating back into her room and closing the door behind her.
Within a few minutes, Rachel had changed into her school uniform, which consisted of a white shirt, black tie, a grey jacket and grey skirt that ended just above her knees. She then grabbed her backpack, which also contained the Pokeball of the only Pokemon she had, and headed downstairs. Before long, Rachel had reached the dining room of the house. Sitting at the head of the table was a woman who looked like an older version of Rachel. She was wearing a skirted police uniform that was mainly blue in color, though the front the shirt was light blue and the end of the short sleeves of the uniform were red. The woman was also wearing white gloves, and near her on the corner of the table was a blue police hat with a black visor. This woman of course was Rachel's mother, Officer Lenore Preston Jenny.
Sitting at the other end of the table reading a newspaper was a slim man with short brown hair wearing a black suit, red tie, and glasses. This man was Rachel's father, Harper Curtis, a somewhat famous district attorney. Rachel sat down on the left side of the table across from Cindy and began to eat her breakfast.
"We need to have a little talk, young lady." Lenore said to Rachel, causing her to pause from her meal. "I spoke with your teachers last night. They told me your grades have been slipping again."
"Oh god, are we going to talk about this now?" Rachel complained.
"Language, Rachel." Harper scolded, not once taking his eyes off his paper.
"I shouldn't have to remind you how important it is to keep your grades up." Lenore continued. "You're sixteen, and in two years it'll be time for you to attend the academy. You have a legacy to uphold."
"And here we go again!" Rachel interrupted. "The all important family legacy! I'm so damn sick of hearing this over and over again!"
"Language!" Harper scolded again, this time actually taking his eyes away from his paper.
"For untold years the women of our family have worked to uphold the law." Lenore continued. "And it is our duty to uphold that tradition."
"Oh god, I think I'm gonna hurl." Rachel said as she began rubbing her temples.
"Your behavior has continued to reflect poorly on our family!" Lenore carried on. "Your father and I have been told that it's not just your grades that have been a problem. We've been told that you've also been skipping classes. This is simply unacceptable."
"I'm outta here." Rachel said as she suddenly got up and began to head out of the room, leaving her breakfast unfinished.
"We're far from finished with this conversation young lady!" Lenore scolded as she stood up from her chair, causing Rachel to stop in her tracks.
"If I don't leave now. I'll be late for school." Rachel pointed out with a smirk, not once turning back to face Lenore. "We wouldn't want my grades to slip, would we?" Lenore looked like she was about to say something in response but did not.
"…Fine, but don't think for a moment that we're through with this matter." Lenore said as she picked up her hat and put it on. "I have to be on duty anyway. We'll pick this up again when you get home."
Rachel sighed before heading out of the dining room. She soon exited the house and shut the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment before continuing on to school. As she walked down the sidewalk, Rachel tried to put her mother's lecture out of her mind. Of course it had not been the first time Lenore had lectured Rachel about her grades and behavior during breakfast. Over the years it had become a sort of dark tradition, almost as time honored as women of her family joining the police force. Still, to Rachel each lecture felt like a drill that burrowed deeper and deeper into her skull with each one.
Rachel was snapped from her thoughts when she turned a corner and saw waiting for her a young woman about her age wearing the same school uniform with an arm full of books. She had reddish pink hair that curled slightly in front and had large looped pigtails. Next to her was a large pick egg-shaped Pokemon with stubby arms, large feet, hair-like extensions on the sides of what could be considered a head, and a pouch on its stomach containing a large white egg. The girl was Rachel's oldest friend, Hope Nightingale Joy, and the creature with her was her Pokemon, Chansey. Hope was a member of the well known Nurse Joy family, and like the Officer Jenny family, all the women in the Joy family looked alike and followed the same career path and became Pokemon Nurses.
"Hey Rachel." Hope greeted in an enthusiastic manner. "I thought I'd walk with you to school if that's okay."
"Whatever." Rachel replied as she continued on. Hope then began walking along side her with Chansey following close behind.
"You okay?" Hope asked, noticing Rachel's foul mood.
"Just the same old static from my mom." Rachel answered. "What's with all the books?"
"Oh, just getting an early start on studying to become a Pokemon Nurse." Hope explained. "Just two more years and I'll be going to nursing school you know." Hope's little reminder caused Rachel to stop walking.
"Hey Hope… you ever feel like you're trapped?" Rachel asked after a moment. "Like your life isn't your own?"
"What do you mean?" Hope asked.
"Oh c'mon, haven't you ever thought about becoming something other than a Pokemon Nurse?" Rachel asked.
"Well… I guess I have done that sometimes." Hope admitted. "But then I really do like helping sick Pokemon."
"But haven't you ever wanted to do something different than the rest of your family?" Rachel asked. "Haven't you ever wanted your own future?"
"I've never really thought there was anything wrong with following in my family's footsteps." Hope answered. "Especially considering the work they've done. What's this about Rachel?"
"Forget it! I should've known you wouldn't understand." Rachel said as she suddenly stormed off.
"Rachel, wait!" Hope called after her.
A few minutes later Rachel was at school putting her things in her locker. The whole time she kept thinking about her conversation with Hope. Rachel did consider Hope a close friend, but it often seemed like she was oblivious to how Rachel felt about her life. And it was ironic, considering that Hope was in the same situation. Rachel couldn't understand how Hope could not have the same feelings as she did. Just as Rachel finished putting things away in her locker and turned to walk down the hall, leaning against the lockers in front of her was a young woman with long brown hair and grey eyes. The tie of her uniform was undone and she had no jacket. Rachel knew this girl as her friend, Trisha Lang, perhaps the only normal person that saw Rachel as more than just another Officer Jenny to be.
"You would not believe the morning I've been having." Trisha told her.
"Oh yeah? Try me." Rachel dared. "Chances are it's a hell of a lot better than mine."
"Wanna cut homeroom and get a smoke then?" Trisha suggested.
"Hell yeah!" Rachel agreed.
Within a few more minutes, Rachel and Trisha were in the ladies room leaning against the counter. The room had been filled with smoke from the cigarettes that Trisha had smuggled in. They had spent almost half an hour smoking and talking about how much they hated their lives. Both of them had recounted to the other what had happened that morning in their lives, and Rachel had just finished telling Trisha about her morning lecture from her mother.
"…Damn, I got the same kinda lecture from my dad this morning, but yours sounds way worse." Trisha commented after Rachel had finished speaking.
"So does that mean I win again?" Rachel joked.
"Yeah, I sometimes forget about the shit you have to put up with." Trisha replied. "You'd think your parents would cut you a little slack. I mean isn't your older sister already carrying on the family tradidtion?"
"What, you mean my air headed older sister Lenore C. Jenny, better known as Lenore Jenny the fifth?" Rachel said with a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, she graduates from the academy next year. But of course that's not enough. My family and the rest of the world all expect me to join the police force like a good little Officer Jenny."
"You know before I met you and your friend, Plain Jane Joy, I never realized just how messed up the whole Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy thing is." Trisha remarked. "I've been to a few other cities and seen a few other members of this family of yours, and besides you they all seem to act alike. It's the same with the Nurse Joys."
"It's true, not many people outside of our family can tell us apart, and it's not just because we look alike." Rachel agreed. "A lot of my family members all have such similar personalities I don't even know why we have first names. We might as well just have numbers. It's like we're all supposed to be the same person. And it's a little worse for me because I come from a pretty famous branch of the family. My great-great grandmother, Lenore Jenny the first, single handedly broke apart a giant Pokemon smuggling ring, so I have to live up to that great reputation and be the best damn mindless drone I can be…. Sometimes I just feel so suffocated I could scream."
"You know what you need?" Trisha began to suggest as she put out her cigarette. "You need to let off a little steam. You still have that Pokmeon you got from Old Man Oak when he visited this city, right?"
"You mean my Charmeleon, Scorch?" Rachel answered. "Of course I still have him. Besides you and Hope, he's the only friend I've got. Though if my mother had her way I'd have a Growlithe, the traditional partner for a Jenny."
"But you've had Pokemon battles with Scorch, right?" Trisha asked.
"Duh, otherwise he wouldn't have evolved from a Charmander." Rachel pointed out. "Why are you asking me all this?"
"Look, tonight at this place I sometimes go to there gonna be this underground Pokemon Cage Tournament." Trisha explained.
"Cage Tournament?" Rachel repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, it's intense. They make the trainers wear shock collars so they get shocked each time their Pokemon gets hit." Trisha replied. "The shocks get a little more intense in the later rounds, course I kinda like the shocks myself. Anyway, they say that this guy called Silver is going to be there. He's supposed to be this badass trainer. I think he's from Kanto of Johto, I don't remember. But I was thinking we could go there tonight and enter. What do you say?"
Before Rachel could answer, the door to the restroom opened and in walked a sour-looking boney old woman with grey hair done up in a bun wearing horn-rimed glasses and a black business dress. The old woman was the head mistress of the school, and she was not at all happy to see Rachel and Trisha smoking.
"What is going on here?" the head mistress exclaimed. "I am appalled, absolutely appalled! You two know perfectly well that smoking is against school rules. I'm very disappointed in both of you, but you especially Ms. Jenny! I would never in a million years expect someone from your family to behave in such a way! To my office now, both of you! And rest assured, your parents will be hearing about this!"
After being discovered by the head mistress, both Rachel and Trisha were given heavy detention for the next month and a half. And of course when Rachel got home she had received an even worse lecture from her parents when she got home. When it finally ended after two hours, Rachel was grounded and promptly sent to her room. As she did her homework, Rachel suddenly heard a bang against the outside of her window. She got up to investigate and found a ladder had been put up against the side of the house. Rachel knew that this could only be the work of one person. She opened the window and sure enough, Trisha had come up the ladder.
"Hey there, so how bad was it?" Trisha asked.
"They grounded me for five months." Rachel revealed.
"No way! I was only grounded for two months this time!" Trisha told her. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I would not want to switch lives with you."
"I'd think you'd be crazy if you did." Rachel joked. "So why have you climbed up here this time?"
"I came to see if you wanted to go to the cage tournament with me." Trisha explained. "You interested?"
"…Oh what the hell? Why not?" Rachel replied after a moment.
"Great! We better get going then." Trisha told her. "You should probably cover that face of yours though. I mean I obviously don't mind it, but the face of law enforcement showing up at this thing would probably make people nervous."
"No problem, give me a minute." Rachel replied.
Within moments Rachel had changed into a grey hooded sweatshirt and worn denim jeans. She also wore a grey stocking over the lower half of her face. After retrieving the Pokeball of her only Pokemon, she followed Trisha down the ladder and the two were off.
Author's Note: The original title of this story was going to be, The Face She Hated. An apt title, but I felt it was a little too Lifetime Original Movie sounding. Then this morning I came up with the title this story has now. I hesitated on using it a little though because I thought it made light of this story, which is going to be fairly dark. But I decided to go with it anyway.
Please review and let me know what you think.
