Chapter 2: A joyful Joy

Satoshi and gang are sitting down and eating and then one of the many Joys in the Pokécenter hurries in their direction. In this run she nearly fell over a chair from someone who was about to stand up and just to step on a Persians tail. This caused it to release a horrible screech scratching ones inner ear hard.

All holding their ears while waiting for it to stop express their pain.

The Joy seems unimpressed though, maybe she is used to that kind of scream. After a while and after the Persian stopped and the Joy apologized to its holder and then she normally steps forward and directly approaches Hikari.

"Your name is Hikari right?" "Yeah, and what do you want?" saying that Hikari has a kinda deprecative expression in her face.

"I wanted to meet you since the Mikuri cup; you were so great there I became one of your biggest fans. Since then I followed each of your contests but I never could meet you because I'm a nurse. Now I finally meet you in person that is the best moment in my life…" Shaking, smiling and pressing Hikaris hands she remains for a few seconds. "(Man, there are many weird people in this world but even a Joy…)" "(Well, let her be if she is happy…)"

Strange grinning Hikari reacts "Would you please stop this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Hikari sempai…" then silence. "May, may I ask you for something?" Still scared Hikari offish agrees. "Oh thank you, would you please give me your autograph on my nurse cab, you may have lost in the Grand Festival but for me you are the big winner, and it was just a close knock-out short before the end." A bad memory let Hikari suffer for a moment and her face looks like she just ate a citron. But soon she is back and signs the nurse cab of her. "Oh thank you so much and since I wear it everyday I will remember this meeting for ever and ever."

I don't want to act as a deterrent but may I bid you for something else?" "She already does. Man Satoshi your group surly draws the weirdest people." Nozomi wonders rather low. Takeshi reacts to this. "Well seems like that but you get used to such folks soon if you meet them as often as we do. Travels surly broaden the horizon…" "I want to show you the performance of my Chansey and me please, this may sound selfish but it would be the greatest thing for me to get judged by you." Hikari nods and they leave the table towards the back alley training field.

The Joy can't believe this and the happiness is in her face brightly shown. Her look reminds to a baby who just get back the favorite toy. Midday and cloudy, they stand on the field ready for a contest style battle. It is Chansey vs. Cyndaquill.

The Chansey starts with Minimize followed by a Slap attack which lifts Hikaris Cyndaquill in the air, making it unable to act. Joy made good use of the afternoon sunlight and Chansey glittered during the attack. In an official contest the points of Hikari would drop like a heavy stone from a high cliff now. Ending this nice combo with a pretty Pound attack it goes to a save distance and the enemy lands pretty hard on the ground. Impressed Hikari resiles with the commands. Soon she smokescreens her enemy with a smoke figurine. Following this she attacks from the center of it with a Headbutt. Due the smoke the Chansy cannot evade the attack and runs straight towards the attack with Double-Edge. Both get hit but it appears the Chansy took more damage. This allows Hikari to replenish her attack with a Flamethrower. The bow the attack takes looks quite remarkable and therefore has an additional hitting chance. Taking the blow Chansy suffer some damage and is forced to use a shining Softboiled. Refreshed the Chansy takes out a few egg and juggles with them. So the Egg Bomb comes with consecutive attacks and nice explosions. Dust jumps up and fills the air. You can't see if and how bad it hit. Sudden a Flamewheel rushes towards Chansy and hits the mark. Pushed back it is breathing hard. Another Softboiled follows but the damage is server. After a few more attack exchanges both sides are heavy hit. However Joy buzzes more and more during the fight. Her actions become sharper each time…

Hiding behind a bush near the field three whispering shadows prey though only one talks. "Come on now, Mussashi, Kojiro let us grab Pikachu now, all are way to bound on this match, no one will notice us until we are far away but then it is to late for them to do something and our boss will be happy."

"Shh Nyarth, can't you see we are busy watching this match." "This looks very good but still nothing what can match with me." Boing, boing, two clouts fell.

"Hey what is this supposed to mean Nyarth?" "We have work to do you two looser, don't slack of and let us get Pikachu and flee."

"Butt then we will miss the end of this match. And I want to see it." "You can see enough shows after we get rich, just think about it after the boss gets finally this Pikachu and the other Pokémon we can grab on the way are a nice bonus's and then he will be happy and grant us infinite use of the Rocket funds, do you realize how much this is, we will be the richest of the rich and never have to work again… HEY!!!" but they are already caught again in the match and unable to react. "Hrmph, well no use besides this match really IS interesting, sigh…"

Finally the set time limit of 5 minutes ends during the last attack of them and we have a tie. This intense match caught all kind of attention; most of the surrounding Trainer who practiced started to watch already in the early phase of this battle. Even quite a count of bypassing or farther away staying Trainer gathered around the field. Bind in the match both contestants didn't notice this until the end and even after. Only the loud applause let them realize what happened moments ago. Embarrassed the Joy flew but Hikari was like million miles away until the clapping hands silenced. Many viewers thanked her for this show and other congratulated her for it before they re-started their training sessions or whatever business they had before.

Back inside the center they meet the calmed down Joy again who apologies for forgetting something in all that commendation. She hands over a letter in blue to Hikari. "This morning we received a letter for someone called Hikari who supposedly will arrive during the day. He seemed to be in a rush and went towards Kissaki City once he handed it over. This letter had no addressor. Since he was polite and after telling me you are THAT Hikari the letter is meant for, I immediately agreed. However, somehow strange he knew I am a big fan of yours. Anyway, this noon I wanted to hand it over to you but meeting you all of a sudden I just got over exited and so I forgot it." Hikari is curious what letter this might be and looks at it wondering. Spinning it in her hands and searching for hints or clues for the sender or the content but no luck.

Since it is short before the preliminary pronouncement she thanks the Joy and decides to read it in the evening.