A/N: Yo! This is my first story that I'm attempting to write on this account. It's been a while since I last wrote something, let alone a Pokemon fanfiction; so I apologize for any mistakes or awkward sentences. I had what I thought was a unique idea for a story and am currently writing plot points for each chapter but wanted to try publishing this first chapter on here to hopefully get some feedback and to see if anyone was interested.

Healing Journey

Chapter One

Keep Moving

The medical world did not allow for oddities unless those oddities were a patient's symptoms. The Joy family were the de-facto leaders of the medical realm and their lineage seemed to be bred for it. Every female 'Joy', as they were called, would start attending Nursing School at age 15; much later than most children began their other journeys in life. The children would learn under the tutelage of multiple teachers in the school for about 3 years, at which time they would graduate and be given a 'Healer's Certification'. They would then be free to find a city that needed a Pokemon Center and essentially 'open shop'.

In the beginning, the Joy family had considered allowing both females AND males to attend the Nursing School. The Head Nurse at the time; Nadine, insisted the females were more well-intuned to the natural healing energies of the world and were more likely to bond with the partner Pokemon that were normally given to each prospective nurse. No females had ever had issue bonding with Pokemon nor had they had issues with any medical talents. Some believed the reason for this was the strong genes in the female line that while causing most female Joys to look alike, also caused them all to receive the same reaction from Pokemon. Warmth. Love. Acceptance.

All men bearing the name of Joy were pushed out into the world to engage in other careers after Nadine announced this. Some became builders, some became scientists. They were not told to limit themselves, but they were told to leave the healing to the ladies. While the men of the line also usually had some talent in the field of healing, it was not comparable to their feminine counterparts; and the family could not have the name of Joy lowered by medical talents that were less than perfection.

Collin Joy was an oddity. A boy of 15, standing at 5'5" and possessing the same auburn hair that had made the rest of his family so famous, Collin was still the black sheep of the Joy family. Since he was a child, Collin had dreamed of being a Nurse. He had watched his mother, his aunts, his grandmother and the rest of his rather extended family for years. He had witnessed the miraculous healing talents they possessed. He had stared in awe as their partner Pokemon used their seemingly magical abilities to bring Pokemon back from death's door.

He wanted that.

Collin wanted to help save the world. A noble cause for any young person and usually they would realize later in life that they needed to think a bit smaller. Collin wanted to be able to save any and all Pokemon. He wanted to be able to look at an injury and immediately know what steps to take to cure the creature in front of him. The only problem with this was the fact that Collin wasn't allowed. He had been reading his mother's medical texts since he was able to understand them and knew that if he could just prove to his mom that he could be just as good as her; she would change her mind.

Well, that's what he thought.

"NO! I told you years ago that you should get another interest!", Marissa Joy shouted exasperatedly at her son.

Collin rolled his eyes and with a huff exclaimed "AND I told you years ago that this is what I want to do! What makes that so hard for you to understand?"

Marissa seemed to take a deep breath as if steadying herself before saying "I understand perfectly, Collin. I understand wanting to heal. I really do. But you know you can't."

"Yes, I-"

"No, you can't", she responded sternly, "I don't know why you think you're better than the rest of the men in this family, but you're not. You are not allowed to join the school. You are not allowed to be a Nurse. You are not allowed to heal. That is my job. That is a woman's job."

"Sexist", Collin stated with a flat stare towards his mother who in return gave him a flat stare of her own.

"Maybe so, but that's what this family's policy is. If you don't like it, then I don't know what to tell you."

Collin wanted to rip his hair out and lash out at his mother but knew it would do no good. She had been a traditionalist since he could remember and had always taught him the traditions of the family. The traditions that made no sense. The traditions that wanted to get in the way of what he dreamed of doing. The traditions that the entire family upheld. The traditions that were passed down through each Head Nurse- wait. Head Nurse!

"Okay, fine. If you won't let me start attending the school, I'll just go see if the Head Nurse will allow me to!", Collin triumphantly exclaimed as though he had pulled a quick one on his mother.

"Mmhmm, let me know what she says", Marissa sighed, "Because I doubt it will be any different than what I've already told you."

The Head Nurse's Building was located at the Pokemon League in Kanto. Collin had taken the bus from his home near Mt. Moon's Pokemon Center to Viridian City and then had made the slow march from Viridian to the League. The building itself was easy to find, being a large white construct with the traditional Pokemon Center roof and Pokeball sign near the door. After entering through the front door, Collin was immediately greeted by a man in a black suit who looked a bit intimidating.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?", the man managed to demand in an aggressive yet monotone voice.

"Err... hey, I'm Collin Joy. I'm here to see the Head Nurse", he attempted to explain to the robotic looking guard.

"I have heard of no appointment for a Collin today. Leave, or be kicked out by League Representatives", the unknown man started pushing Collin back towards the door without a sign of being apologetic.

"Wait, no! You don't understand", he tried to say as the man continued to kick him out of the building.

"What are you doing now, Vaughn?", an elderly and feminine voice came from behind the now named 'Vaughn'.

"Just getting rid of this kid who didn't make an appointment, Miss Dianne", the man explained without losing the voice of the dead he had.

"Really? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were kicking my grandson out when all he seems to want to do is visit his favorite grandmother", the old woman patiently stated without being able to see Vaughn's eyes widen just the slightest bit before he quickly moved away from Collin.

"Hi, Grandma", Collin smiled at the small lady who was shorter than him by just a hair at this point in her life.

"Hello, dearie. What can I do for you?", she gave him a kind smile that filled the room without filling her face.

Dianne Joy was a fierce woman with the kindest soul anyone could find. She had taken over as Head Nurse of the Nursing School at age 28 and had been in charge ever since. No one had any qualms with her after the first couple of years when she managed to save the life of over 100 Pokemon in 1 week after a disastrous explosion at a nearby Power Plant. Her Pokemon and her had worked themselves to the bone, but they had done so much healing that none could say they weren't worthy of the title that had been bestowed.

"What makes you think I didn't just come here to visit my favorite grandmother", he grinned at her in an attempt to warm her up for what he was going to ask.

"Well, maybe it's the fact that I haven't seen you in 2 years and that was only to borrow what seemed like my entire library?", the grandma responded sarcastically with a raised eyebrow at her young grandson.

"Ehhh heh... yeah, thanks for that by the way", Collin scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile as he remembered begging his grandma for every book she had on Pokemon anatomy and how to treat poisons.

Dianne just gave her grandson an expectant look while waiting for him to say what he had come to her home and work for in the first place.

"Well... I did want something... something I want really bad", Collin began to explain while looking down at his feet.

"If you want something this bad, boy; then you shouldn't be shy about it. Have some confidence for Arceus' sake!"

Collin knew his grandma was right. He couldn't act unsure about this. If being a healer was his dream, then he needed to prove it wasn't just a passing thought. He needed to show everyone that he WOULD become a Pokemon Nurse. He would be the first male Nurse Joy. If his family didn't like that, then they could go rot for all he cared. He knew his grandma wouldn't deny him his dream!

"Grandma, I want to attend the Nursing School! I'm 15 now and I should be allowed to become a Nurse like all the girl Joys! I'm just as talented as any of them and I deserve a spot!"

There. He said it. He wouldn't be denied any longer.

His grandma smiled possibly one of the largest smiles he had seen from her in his life.

"You're right, Collin."

Shocked, Collin responded with a shaky, "I-I am?"

"Of course you are", she went on to say, "I've watched you grow from a young talented child to a still growing man who has nothing but kindness in his heart towards the Pokemon he comes across. I know you have the healing gifts throughout your entire body!"

Collin couldn't help the tears that sprung to his eyes.

"Thank- Thank you, grandma! You have no idea what that means to me!", he started babbling, "So when do I get to start at the school? I know it takes 3 years to complete so I was hoping to start in the next couple weeks so I would be able to go out on my own when I hit 18."

"That should work fine, as long as you get the necessary paperwork signed by your mother of course", she continued to smile as though she didn't know she was destroying a dream.

"Umm... what? Mom will never sign anything if it lets me go to the school... you know how much she loves the tradition of the family", Collin reminded his grandma as he began to put his head back down and decided dreams were hopeless and maybe he should just tie a rock to his feet and jump in-

"Ahhh, she's still got that stick up her butt, eh? You know I've tried to convince the family that times change for years now, but I can't simply change the traditions of our ancestors without getting the majority of the family to approve", Dianne attempted to explain with a shake of her head.

"So there's nothing we can do then?", Collin asked while continuing to mope.

"Now I didn't say that", was the only response he was given as his grandma gave him a wink and shuffled into another room only to return a few seconds later with a closed hand and her other hand holding a book.

"What are you talking about?", Collin questioned her while she sidled back up to him.

"I'm talking about this!", she grandly displayed the book she was holding titled 'A Pokemon Trainer's Journey through Kanto'.

Collin stared at the book and then his grandma for what seemed like a full minute.

"You're gonna have to explain this one a bit more, old lady."

Dianne rolled her eyes while shoving the book into Collin's face.

"Don't you see? You need to go on a Pokemon Journey!", she excitedly exclaimed while continuing to shove the book further into his face.

"But I don't want to be a trainer. I want to heal Pokemon, not train them", he said with a sigh as he realized his grandma might be falling off the deep end and wondering when the next Joy would take over for her.

"Pish posh. Training Pokemon can help prevent injuries before you ever need to heal them."

"Grandma... healers don't do that", Collin attempted to get through to her once again.

"I did."

Grandma Dianne had been a trainer since she was 10. She had been given a Bulbasaur as a starter Pokemon and had then caught multiple Pokemon throughout her career until she turned 15. She trained those Pokemon throughout that time to learn moves that could benefit the healing process and provide anything she needed for becoming a Pokemon Nurse. When she enlisted in the Nursing School at age 15, she had a full team with her and was given her final Pokemon Partner when she graduated. Blissey was a terrifying force now.

"I'm not you though..."

"Well of course not, I'm amazing!", Dianne guffawed as she marveled in her own prodigious talent with training and healing, "But that doesn't mean you can't be amazing too! You have to be if you're my grandson!"

"I don't know...", he said; a bit unsure.

"Do you want to be a nurse, Collin?"

"More than anything", he responded with a spark slowly returning to his eyes as he looked at his grandma and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Then you need to do this. I can't allow you to enter the Nursing School without your mother's permission, but she won't question you if you decide you want to start a Pokemon Journey", the Head Nurse began to explain her plan.

"Okay, that could work; but I'll still need my Healer's Certification at some point."

"You leave that to me. To get your certification, you just need experience and the knowledge to pass the final test after 3 years of training."

"Exactly! How am I supposed to do that without going to school? It makes no sense", he nearly swore at his grandma before remembering that although she looked old she was still spry enough to smack him upside his head.

"Your journey will include your training."

"It's a bit hard to get medical training in while on the road, don't ya think?", he snidely commented while nearly rolling his eyes once again.

"You do realize there's a Pokemon Center in almost every town, right? All your grandma has to do is contact the respective Nurse Joy at each center and inform them that my grandson will be visiting for some training and to help out for let's say... a month at each center?", she smiled as if she had just thought up her master plan off the top of her head.

Collin couldn't believe his grandma was thinking of allowing him to do this. Or rather, it seemed as though she was already convinced and it was him that had to think about allowing this to happen. He could finally begin working on his dream and no one would be the wiser. His mom would be in the dark until it was too late to stop him. Three years of traveling around the Pokemon World and he would have enough knowledge and experience to become what he had always dreamed. A Pokemon Nurse. A Nurse Joy.

"Grandma...", he began to choke up.

"You're welcome", she smiled at him while patting his head, "Now I can't forget one last thing."

She opened her hand to show what she had been holding in her palm ever since she had gone out of the room minutes before.

"Grandma, you don't have to do anything else for me", Collin teared up finally as he raised his head up to look at what was in his grandmother's hand.

"Well, this is one thing I think you need to have", she explained, "I originally wasn't going to give her to you until you graduated Nursing School. But since we're doing things a bit differently, I don't think there's any harm in letting you travel with her to train her yourself."

"Her?", Collin looked confusedly at the red and white ball lying in his grandmother's outstretched hand, "What's in it?"

"Well, every Joy needs a partner", Dianne stated in an obvious manner before she was surprised as Collin immediately wrapped her up in a hug tighter than she could ever remember receiving from him.