Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any products related to it.
Putting the Joy in Nurse Joy
Chapter 1: At Least We Get Bacon
Being the Pokémon Center Nurse was a tough job. It was extremely boring to be her aide. In towns or small cities, there was always only one nurse needed. Slateport City was one of the exceptions. Actually, it was becoming more necessary to have multiple employees at a Pokémon Center. The change was too great for the Nurse Joy family, who seemed to consist of nearly identical siblings and relatives.
In desperate need for more workers, the Pokémon League created a specified training program for these needed workers. They would do nearly all tasks the Nurse Joys would do, excluding managerial duties.
Unfortunately, few matched the drive that the Joy family possessed. Who would willingly work fifteen hours a day for seven days and love it?
Ayame Joy, adopted member of the Joy Family, wasn't one of them. She hated it.
"You'll never amount to anything!"The man yelled at the young woman.
"I will! You will regret what you're doing. I will become a respected person in the Pokémon League. Just you wait. You will regret this."
"You little slut, hell awaits you! Be gone and never come back! You are not my child anymore!"
The angry girl screamed. "That's a blessing. I can't stand you! I fucking hate you!"
Thunder bellowed as the young woman stormed out. She slammed the wooden door, causing the surrounding walls to shake. A little girl was heard crying nearby.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Ayame quickly pressed the off switch on her alarm clock. Her eyes were still pretty much closed but she saw that it was already thirty minutes before seven.
"Waking up from nightmares to go to the work is the best." She said sarcastically to no one.
Her apartment was small compared to most in the area. Its living room was directly next to the sorry excuse of a kitchen and her small dining table. The only other rooms were the bathroom and her bedroom; the latter had to be passed before getting to the bathroom.
It felt very cozy to her though. She didn't have a lot of things and didn't want to change that. She lived alone and loved that. The best part was that her neighbors were elderly. There was never a problem with loud noises!
Ayame sat up and stretched. Her whole appearance screamed messy. Her light brown hair was tousled and oily, sticking to the back of her neck. She was wearing a long T-shirt with a picture of the Pokémon Master Red and his Pikachu. It reached her knees so she slept with boxer briefs.
She almost tripped when she tried getting out of bed. Cursing under her breath, she headed to her bathroom. The small white room was tiled and too bright. The brightness stung her eyes. She'd shower with it off but she was still scared of the dark. Because of her clumsiness, she'd probably break a hip while showering anyway.
She started to undress while the water warmed up. Her T-shirt was discarded and tossed down onto the small violet rug. Her blue underwear came off next. Ayame briefly glanced at the mirror, her pale blue eyes viewing her naked form. She lacked a tan and barely had any color. She was glad for the slight color; she already looked pale when she wore her uniform.
She squeezed her breasts. They had gotten bigger. She was glad her areolas were still small. It had worried her when she had developed breasts.
"I might have tits but I have practically no curves." She grumbled.
When she stepped into the shower, Ayame shivered. The water was still cold. Halfway through, it finally warmed up. The water felt good against her skin. The hot water gave her a slight flush but it was fine with her.
By the time she got out and dressed, it was still fifteen minutes before seven. She didn't have to be early today so she decided on getting breakfast. The best part of Slateport was the many shops and the restaurants. Being a great spot for tourism, the city had many places to eat at. Thankfully, it wasn't tourist season and it was too early for the majority of the Slateport's citizens to be out.
The humid air hit her skin the moment she stepped out of her apartment. It would get rather hot by noon. She was glad to be working through the heat in an air conditioned building.
"Good morning!" One of her neighbors greeted her.
Ayame cheerfully greeted her back. Her neighbors always looked out for her. She'd get homemade pies from them and she'd help them out with small errands when possible.
The light brunette whistled the melody to the Kanto Pokémon League. It was her favorite tune to whistle. It made her mornings feel like they wouldn't suck.
She chose to go the bakery and bought some sweet bread. She got enough for her boss and coworker. It would be a nice treat before work.
When she got to the Pokémon Center, she was greeted with a hug from her boss.
"Ayame, it's so good to see you!"
Ayame patted her in the back with one arm while holding the bag of sweet bread in the other. "I saw you less than ten hours ago. It's nice to see you too, Hopeful."
Hopeful Joy gasped. "Ayame, we're sisters now! You can call me Hope."
"Can't I call you Joy instead?"
Hopeful finally let go. She smiled at her sister-in-law. "Silly, you're Joy as well."
"Is Richard here?" Ayame asked, changing the subject.
Hopeful nodded. "He's in the storage room, checking on the Pokémon waiting to be picked up."
Richard Remington was the other coworker at the Slateport Pokémon Center. He did the same work as Ayame. He usually checked on the back rooms while Ayame stayed in the front. They'd often switch sides repeatedly each day.
Ayame raised the bag she was holding. "Well I brought sweet bread for us. I figured it'd be a break from the cafeteria food."
Hopeful clasped her hands together and hummed. "You're so thoughtful. I already made some coffee."
Ayame smiled. "I'll get some in a bit. Should I get started with turning on the machines?"
Hopeful nodded. "I'm going to check if there are any starters to give out to Trainers."
Ayame watched her sister walk towards her office. She hardly thought of her as her sister-in-law. They had been raised together for almost ten years.
Turning on the Center's machines was easy. The majority were in the storage room. The other machines were either in the lobby, the kitchen, or in the back where the Pokémon were treated outside their Pokéballs. Most of them turned on quickly, especially the computer. She checked the day's planner. There were a few planned deliveries and notice about a Pokémon Contest.
"I guess we'll have many customers in today." She muttered.
It was a bit odd to call them customers though. No one really paid for their services. It was technically taken from the Trainers as a yearly bill. It was automatically taken out of each Trainer's bank account, regardless if the Trainer actually used their services. She knew Trainers got money through contests, battles, and simply for being recognized as a great Trainer. It wasn't clear how much money that accumulated but she knew every Nurse- in her case, Nurse Aide- was paid very well. She had full benefits, a monthly salary, and great holiday time. It was one of the few reasons she loved her job. She spent quite a bit on Poké Cola and junk food.
"Let me guess: we're having a busy day."
Ayame turned around to see Richard come back from the Pokéball room. He was wearing white scrubs like her. "There's a Pokémon Contest today."
Richard groaned. "I wanted to read the new magazine from Gym Leaders Monthly when things slowed down."
Ayame gasped. "It's already out? Is this the one about Flannery?"
Richard grinned. "I got it last night from one of my friends at the Lilycove City Headquarters. He sends them in the mail days before they're released!"
Ayame cheered. "That's awesome! You're so lucky."
Richard handed her the magazine. "You can look at it first if you take my shifts in the front today."
Taking on his shifts would mean more work since of the contest. However, the contest was in the afternoon. She'd probably have a few hours between noon and then. Trainers staying at the Center would leave before noon and not return for a few hours.
"You've got a deal." She offered her hand. He gladly shook it.
"Want some coffee?" He asked.
Ayame shrugged.
Richard rolled his eyes. "I'll bring you some Poké Cola."
Ayame grinned. "Thank you!"
She turned her attention to the door leading to the Trainer's area. There were rooms for Trainers needing a place to stay for the night. She remembered that only a few had stayed. She'd wait until nine to serve breakfast. Blissey and Mr. Mime would assist her anyway.
Richard came back with her drink. "Your sister bought like a crate of these."
Ayame winced. She didn't like it when Hopeful did that. She was doing it out the kindness of her heart but Ayame felt guilty over it. She normally filled up their personal fridge with drinks. It must have slipped her mind yesterday.
"Did you bring the sweet bread?" He had gotten a slice and was stuffing his face.
"I had time in the morning. I figured we'd like something sweet."
Richard chuckled. "You still don't like the cafeteria food."
Ayame shook her head. "They should serve burgers and pizza. I don't like healthy food. I think my sister at the hospital recommended it to Hopeful. I swear they have the same thing there." Ayame shivered.
Richard rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I brought you some pizza."
Ayame opened her can of Poké Cola and took a few sips from it. "You ate some last night?"
"Yeah I was still hungry after work. They opened this little shop a few buildings left of the Poké Mart. They make pretty good pizza. It's called Hilary's Pizza Village."
Ayame almost spit out her Poké Cola. "What's with the name?"
Richard just shrugged. "They have good pizza though."
A bell was heard.
Ayame sighed. "I guess breakfast starts early today."
Richard pointed to the kitchen. "I'll help out Blissey and Mr. Mime."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, it's no problem."
Ayame rolled his eyes. "You want bacon and eggs Sunny side up."
Richard grinned. "Mr. Mime makes badass eggs."
Ayame sighed. "Well I guess I'll watch the front desk until someone comes in."
Almost immediately, a swimmer arrived with her Pokémon.
Ayame put on her business smile and charm. "Hello, and welcome to the Slateport Pokémon center. My name is Ayame Joy. I'm the Nurse Aide in charge. How may I help you?"
The redhead still had her goggles on. "You're not Nurse Joy?"
Ayame shook her head. "I am her assistant. Would you like your Pokémon healed back to perfect health?"
The woman nodded. Ayame grabbed a tray from under the counter and placed the woman's Pokémon on them. Each tray was designed to hold six Pokéballs. The woman only had two.
One of their Chansey appeared from the back and offered to take the Pokémon. "Thank you, Chansey." Ayame told the pink Pokémon.
The Pokémon took them to the machine they had in the treatment room. It was the room with multiple beds for injured Pokémon. It also had a few of the machines she had turned on earlier.
The woman kept waiting in the front. She annoyed Ayame with her presence. "Would you like to take a seat? If you like, you can leave your contact info and we will gladly call you when they are ready."
The woman shrugged. "I can wait."
Ayame held in a sigh that wanted to escape. "Would you like to watch some TV? We have many channels available. There are sofas and chairs here." Ayame pointed around the lobby.
The redhead smiled. "I'd like that. Could you turn on the weather?"
Ayame smiled brightly. "I will, ma'am."
Behind the counter were two shelves. The top held trays, and office supplies. The bottom held the remotes to the four available TVs and drawers for miscellaneous items. Ayame grabbed one of the remotes and turned on the TV to the channel she wanted.
The swimmer lady grinned. "Thank you. I really hope there's fair weather. I want to hit the waves."
Ayame tried hard not to roll her eyes. She didn't know why she was always annoyed with people who came to the Pokémon Center.
Fortunately, Richard came back with a plate that held some bacon. "I scored you some bacon. It's not too crispy, just the way you like it." He whispered to her.
Ayame felt her stomach growl. "Thank you." She whispered back.
He groaned when the bell sound returned. Richard rolled his eyes. "Did you think we'd have to cook as Nurse Aides?"
Ayame groaned quietly. "I didn't." She took a sip from her soda and bit off a piece of her bacon. "At least we get bacon."
First chapter! It's slow but whatever. There's a lot of fun to come!