I do not own Pokemon ever so unfortunately.

Chapter 1

After obtaining his eighth and final gym badge, Ash and his friends were ready to leave for the Pokemon league. With not much time until the league, they were ready to board the next boat, but they missed it.

"We missed it!" Ash asked incredulously. The attendant nodded her head and apologized for inconveniencing the group.

"What'll we do now?" Dawn asked. She took the lead and walked for the door. Ash and Brock followed. It was another beautiful and sunny day in Sunyshore, but not when the Sinnoh league was in little more than a week and they were stuck.

"We'll catch the next boat in two days," Brock said. Dawn and Ash both sighed. The two, but more so Ash than Dawn, were very impatient. Though Dawn was not competing, she was still excited to cheer Ash on.

"What are you kids still doing here?"

The three of them jumped, surprised. They turned around to see who was standing behind them.

"I thought you would've been on your way to the Sinnoh league by now," Volkner said. He raised one eyebrow, as though expecting an explanation.

"You scared us!" Dawn said laughing. Volkner smiled and laughed a little.

"We missed the boat!" Ash said. He was still upset, but slowly getting over not being at the league a week early.

"And now we have nowhere to stay," Brock pointed out. The Pokemon center would be full of trainers waiting to catch the next boat, and they didn't have enough money for a hotel room.

Volkner thought for a second, then smiled. "Why don't you stay with me?" He asked, "My house is right behind the gym, basically a part of it."

The three accepted, and they soon were on their way back to Sunyshore gym.

"I wonder what Volkner's house looks li-" Ash was abruptly interrupted.

"Barry, watch where you're going!" Ash shouted.

"You watch where you're going!" Barry countered. The two started fighting.

"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked, interrupting the quarrel.

"I'm looking for a place to stay. The pokemon center is full!"

"You can stay with me," Volkner said. Barry agreed, delighted, and the four were off again.

Volkner's house was nicely decorated a calming green with a cream colored sofa and a stained wooden coffee table. One wall, the wall which the sofa was facing, was made of glass.

"I have a guest room upstairs with two beds, and a guest room in the basement with one, so I hope someone doesn't mind sleeping on the sofa."

"I'll do it," Ash said. He looked disappointed, he felt disappointed, but it was kind of Volkner to give them a place to sleep, and Ash knew it was wrong to complain.

Barry took the room in the basement, and Dawn and Brock took the one upstairs. They were all about to head to their rooms (except ash, who was already in his room) when something odd occurred.

A young girl, older than ash but not an adult yet, came walking down the stairs. Her long hair was brown and her eyes a striking blue. She wore a black shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it, a black skirt with yellow on the end, and black leggings that ended above her knees. Her outfit was complete with a black jacket with yellow decorations, the back of which fell to about her knees, but the front was open to see her outfit underneath. She wore a black ribbon in her hair, tied in a nice bow with very long tails that ended in yellow. To top it all off, a Pikachu was perched on her shoulder.

She paused when she saw Dawn, Ash, and Brock.

"Uh… Dad?" She said, looking at Volkner.

"Guests," he answered in return.

Then turning to them he said, "Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Barry, meet my daughter, Joy."

The girl smiled slightly and waved mouthing the word 'hi'.