People often ask Joey what's his dream, his goal, his aspirations; what he strives for. They wanted to know his motivation, his reason. The answer he gave was incredibly simple.
"My Pokémon. From the moment I wake up to the moment my head hits the pillow, I'm living my dream; I have Pokémon that aren't just my friends, but my family. They are all I have to cherish, and every day I'm with them, I am content with my life. Without them, I am nothing, I wouldn't even be here. They are my motivation."
The walk to the town Twilight Sparkle called Ponyville was rather uneventful, nobody and no pony hardly said a word. It wasn't until Joey laid his eyes on the rustic village did any life sparked between the group. Twilight went on and told Joey that Ponyville is a small village next to the capital of Equestria, Canterlot City. She went on about how there are good and honest working pony folk living in that town, and that it's where she met her best friends in the whole wide world, especially when she told him she never had any before up until a few years ago.
To go a bit further in-depth, Twilight explained to Joey that she used to be the pupil of Princess Celestia, the co-ruler of Equestria, and devoted her entire childhood to studying magic after an "accident" caught the princess's attention. She continues to tell the human how she met her friends and did a quick explanation of the event that was taking place when she arrived in Ponyville.
Joey was amazed to hear Twilight's story and how she and her friends saved Equestria. He was happy that Twilight had close friends, to have those you can consider family. Joey never liked seeing a young boy or girl alone, so he would bring out Lena and start performing for them in various towns and cities. Joey even dabbled a bit in Pokémon Contest, often for a bangin' good time. And little did he participate in gym battles.
Though a Pokémon's powers are typically used to protect and assist in their daily lives or to fight in Pokémon battles with your Trainer, there was always something special about seeing those same moves used in a completely different way: not just to be knocked out and claim victory as the stronger opponent, but to delight and dazzle, to bring about a spectacle to get the crowd cheering and demanding for more amazement.
Joey began to reminisce the time he pitched the idea to his Lopunny, and how swiftly did he receive a smack on the head for suggesting such a discomfiting idea. The young man had to crawl and beseech Nian to compete in contests, even going so far as to kiss the ground she walked on. Through the constant pleading and headaches, Nian finally gave in to Joey's passionate eccentricities.
Joey's cute when he's excited.
Nian's disinterest in Pokémon Contests wasn't because she would be performing in front of hundreds of people, but because the rabbit didn't want to wear a dress. For the Pokémon Contest, it was customary, and smart, to dress up your Pokémon so they could look cool or pretty during the event; It was practically required. Don't get it twisted, most Lopunny would love to dress up and perform since they care a lot about their appearance, and Nian does care about her looks, but to wear something girly... she disliked the idea.
It took, believe it or not, a staggering amount of begging from Joey to have Nian consider thinking about wearing a dress. To secure Nian's cooperation, Joey said that he'd join, for up to three months, Nian's forenoon ritual, starting at four o'clock which consisted of a grueling ten-run lap around whatever town or city the duo was visiting, intense yoga, and sparring matches until nine o'clock.
Nian did want Joey to join her morning routine as he was getting a bit chubby at the time, so it indeed garnered some thought. However, even with the tempting offer, Nian was about to shoot him down again, but then she made the mistake of looking into Joey's eyes during his proposal. To most, there was nothing too interesting about his eyes other than they were white and hazy, but to Nian, seeing that childlike wonder in his eyes, it was too cute, and she had no choice but to accept.
Eventually, he entered every contest in Hoenn and won each of them, gaining the Ribbon Cup, which solidifies Joey as the Top Coordinator. Nian, though she hated wearing a dress and such, slowly, with each victory, came to tolerate participating in such events since one of the stages included a Contest Battle, and you better bet your Flaffy that Nian aced those rounds. In Sinnoh, the duo made a monumental impact in the contest scene, winning every contest, again becoming a Top Coordinator of that region, and claiming the Ribbon Cup.
The last, and most difficult would be participating in the Kalos Pokémon Showcase and becoming Kalos Queen. Joey... achieved this by disguising himself as a beautiful woman and taking Nian to the contests and winning almost every single one, obtaining Princess Keys to qualify for the Master Class tournament and winning the competition. Truly shameless. After that began the dreaded three-month morning routine. It was the second-worst thing in Joey's entire life.
As Joey happily reminisced those times, the good and the bad, he was pulled out of his thoughts by Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle.
"Huh?!" Joey shouted, looking at the faces of the bewildered ponies and the... worried expression of Nian. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"While Twilight was showing you to her castle, she was asking you some questions, but you never answered," Applejack said with a furrowed brow. "It took all three of us to snap you out of your trance. Is everything alright, sugarcube?"
Joey chuckled weirdly and rubbed the back of his head in faint embarrassment. "Sorry, I tend to daydream. I didn't mean to cause worry to anyone, especially you, Nian."
Nian sighed and gently held onto Joey's arm with her own. Over the years, Nian had gotten very affectionate and touchy-feely while on the road with her best friend. When she isn't giving Joey a hard time, she's tender and loving. Joey used his hand to stroke Nian's big ears. The delicate motion earned Joey a cute nuzzle against his side. If you ever touch a Lopunny's ears, you have to be extremely careful. If you are too rough, it'll irritate the Pokémon, and you might receive a devastating kick in response.
"Aww," Fluttershy cooed at the heartwarming scene. "You two have a special relationship, I can tell. I wish I could understand her."
Joey was confused. "Come again? Understand her?"
Twilight entered the conversation, seizing the opportunity to school Joey in Fluttershy's unique talent. "Fluttershy can speak with animals on account of her cutie mark. As far as I know, she's the only one who can."
"Really?" Joey said in astonishment. "That's pretty awesome, and what's this about a cutie mark? I don't think I have that where I'm from."
That gleam in Twilight's eye returned brighter than before. "Well, it's mainly related to ponies. At a certain age, typically around our childhood, ponies begin to get their cutie marks, which are symbols on our flanks that tell us what we're good at."
"That's interesting. Is that the only thing you'll be good at?"
Twilight shook her head. "Your main talent will be your cutie mark, but ponies in Equestria can be good at other things. If you look at Applejack's flank, you'll see she has three apples on each side. She runs an apple farm called Sweet Apple Acres near Ponyville with her family. When it comes to apples, she's your mare to turn to! However, she's also good at fixing, building, and repairing things. You can have an assortment of varied skills."
"D'aww, y'all didn't have ta give me that much praise, I'm just expanding my field a bit since I do help run the farm, which reminds me..." she uttered before turning to Joey with a smile. "Joey, whenever you get a chance, swing by Sweet Apple Acres. It's over yonder north of Ponyville, can't miss it, alright?"
Joey nodded. "I'll mosey on over one day, Applejack, I promise."
"Good deal," she responds with a tip of her hat. "I gotta skedaddle back to the farm before I get an earful from Granny. See ya!"
And just like that, Joey saw that orange mare trot off into the bustling town. He likes Applejack, she reminds him of an honest and hardworking person that toiled away in his village.
He always had a smile on his face, and whatever job he had his eyes set on doing, he'd get it done with no complaints; His rewards for his exceptional hard work around the village often came with full smiles and firsthand dibs at the new crops.
Joey never had him as a friend, and he only really knew the guy from the mouths of satisfied village folk. He remembers that hardworking guy was the first to go when the winter storm jacked up everything. It was always the folk striving to be the best a human could be that ended up perishing. After he died, morale in the village sunk and everything around the village began to deteriorate. They've lost the best of the best, and without that man's positive outlook and handy know-how, life in the village was almost emotionally barren.
One of the regrets Joey holds to this day is never getting to know that hardworking man. The guy always helped folks without a single complaint or expecting anything in return; He simply desired to make life in the village just a tad more comfortable. Looking back, Joey did himself a disservice not knowing that kind-hearted man. He didn't even know his name.
Fluttershy had to leave shortly after Joey set his eyes on Twilight's crystal castle. In a very light exchange of goodbyes, the timid pegasus fluttered to her home, which was a cottage stationed next to the edge of the Everfree Forest.
Fluttershy reminded Joey of a small girl that once lived in his village.
She was shy and scared of a lot of things, but when it came to Pokémon, Joey witnessed those fears and anxieties melting away. That little girl, whose name was Seria, was one of his only human friends in the village. They never talked much, but always appreciated each other's company, bonding over their love of Pokémon. They never had much else in common.
When the winter storm rolled in and the Pokémon either died or were forced away, an irreparable rift grew in Joey and Seria's precarious friendship. Losing her Pokémon friends shattered the poor girl's heart, and Seria fell into a massive depression afterward; She was never the same again. She shut down completely, locking herself away from the outside world. Joey tried his hardest to cheer the distraught girl, but anything he did never got Seria out of her... recession. It was at that moment Joey knew he lost a friend and that there was nothing he could do to repair it, so, regretfully, he gave up and left Seria alone.
Could Joey truly say that Seria was his friend? Any friends he had were Pokémon, and even with Seria joining him, could he honestly consider her a friend? All they had were their love of Pokémon, but they hardly talked or did any activities with one another, opting to be with other Pokémon. If anything, Seria was more of an acquaintance than a friend. They were just folks who barely knew each other.
When everyone had to leave the village to find food and water, Seria and her parents stayed behind. Her mother and her father were sick, and there was no way to move Seria during her depression. After people began to die, it wasn't long until Seria and her parents fell as well. It was extremely cold that day, and something in Joey's heart told him that Seria died.
Maybe he should have tried a little bit harder before the end came. Perhaps then he wouldn't feel sad thinking about her.
Cut once again from his daydreaming by Nian shaking him, he looked forward to seeing Twilight holding the door for him with a worried expression across her face.
"Joey, are you sure you're okay?" Twilight asked slowly. "You've been out of it for five minutes. I think you should take a rest. Sound good?"
Joey was disheartened to have caused Twilight and Nian to worry about him. He couldn't help it, Joey often finds himself looking back at the past, whether it was good or not.
He sheepishly rubbed his head and gave a long sigh before answering, "I think that would do me some good. I'm sorry, Twilight, it's just one of those days, you know? Lead the way."
Twilight gave a short smile before turning away. "We'll be resting in my study, there's a couch for you to rest on. Here we go!"
Twilight led Joey and Nian inside the crystal castle. Now most castles were lavishly decorated with all types of shiny thingamajigs and whosmawhatsits, but this castle kind of lacked any of the typical flare Joey was used to seeing on occasion. Everything was just a crystalline blue here, crystalline blue there, pretty much everywhere the human's eyes wandered.
To be frank, it was underwhelming. Long, empty corridors sadly go untread, there was a chilling draft that swept the ground floor, giant stairs leading further up into the loftier sections of the castle, and it was nearly silent.
"Twilight, this is your castle?" Joey asked incredulously. "Seems pretty empty, like you just got it."
A blush appeared on the purple mare's cheeks. "W-well, I've only been a princess for a few months, so I haven't... uh, gotten around to decorate," she stammered sheepishly, guiding Joey and his Lopunny to a large blue door. She taps it and says, "There is one place that I saw fit to decorate and that's the study!"
Twilight swung open the door and revealed a large study room filled to the brim with books. There was a large couch next to a window, a brown wooden desk adorned with several pots of ink, a cabinet nearly overflowing with unused scrolls, tons and tons of quills sticking out in a drawer at the end of the study room, and with an unlit lamp resting atop the desk's surface awaiting use.
Twilight guided the duo further in and beseeched Joey to rest on her comfy couch. The young man didn't need to be told twice. He sits on the cushy couch with his rabbit gal-pal admiring the homely feel the study exuded. Joey felt he could let his guard down and relax, not worrying about anything going wrong. For Nian, she was always alert to an extent, whether she was resting or not.
Whilst taking in the simplicity of the study, Joey's eyes locked onto Twilight who was cantering to the near cluttered desk. She used that horn to somehow levitate a fresh scroll from the pile, a nice pot of ink, and another quill before making her way in front of the human and his Lopunny.
"I want to ask you a few questions if you are ready to answer them," she said hopefully. Joey saw that Twilight tried to contain her excitement if the wagging of her tail was any indication.
Joey leaned back, groaning in relief, answering, "Sure, go right on ahead, Princess Twilight."
Twilight's smile grew as those pretty sparkles sparked in her eyes. "Of course, I am more than able to answer anything you have to ask. So, what are you and where did you come from?"
The questioning had begun and as Twilight shot out her inquiries, Joey shot back with answers. Though many were notable answers to her questions, when Twilight got to the topic of where Joey lived and what Pokémon is, the young man shifted from a laid-back attitude to a slightly serious one.
Joey divulged he's from a remote village located in between two misty mountains. The village of Willow had very little communication with the outside world, and it wasn't until Joey was healthy enough to leave the mountains when he was a boy, accompanied by his little Buneary.
Joey was never the type of person to get hung up by revisiting old memories, nor did he feel uncomfortable when another person got curious. He's not some human with deep dark dilemmas or a terrifying secret he has to hide to fit in or get by; Joey laid himself out for everyone to see. He wasn't a pretender, he was real. He'd gladly tell you about his past, both the good and the bad... if he was in the mood, which was rare if he wasn't.
Despite being a sheltered young man, Joey was surprisingly outgoing, amusing, and a general hoot to be around, if a bit oblivious to the feelings of those around him, which often got him on the receiving end of a kick or punch, mainly from Nian.
When Twilight asked why Joey left the mountains, his caramel face almost went pale. He told the mare that one day a mysterious winter storm invaded the mountains, casting all that was colorful over a blanket of knee-deep snow. Seldom would you see another color other than white, and if you had, it wasn't long until the snow buried it. Joey told Twilight how that storm ruined his life, taking away his family and the entire village.
Recognizing the grief-stricken face of Twilight, Joey believed it would be prudent to shift to answering what Pokémon was. Pokémon are intelligent creatures with mystical powers that live in Joey's world. They come in all shapes and sizes, and over time, humans and Pokémon have learned to live with and amongst one another in harmony. Some gain experience of power when battling, maturing their bodies to the point of evolution, transforming into stronger versions of themselves.
Joey explained that some evolutions only occur when a strong bond between a human and a Pokémon is established. An example of this phenomenon is Nian, who once was a Buneary and evolved into a Lopunny because of the friendship or bond she and Joey share. To have a Pokémon undergo this transformation means that no matter what, they are loyal and loving.
By the time Twilight finished her questions, a few hours had gone by and at least four scrolls were filled with this brand-new information. Outside, the sky was beginning to darken. Nian took the time to catch some sleep.
Twilight was about to shout, but she stopped and frowned slightly. "Ugh, I wish Spike was here to send these to Princess Celestia."
Joey raised his brow in confusion, rubbing his chin. "Oh... You mentioned her briefly. She was your mentor, right? And who's Spike?"
"That's right. And Spike is my assistant, but right now he's on a trip to Baltimare with a friend of mine and he won't be back for quite some time."
Joey nodded as he struggled to understand. "And why'd you need him?"
Twilight levitated the batch of scrolls over to Joey, saying, "I want Princess Celestia to read all the information you've given me. Spike can send these directly to her. She'll know who and what you are, and what an inkling of what Pokémon is... and... and, uh... How did you end up here?"
Joey laughed lightly, trying not to wake his gal-pal. "Nian and I were celebrating in this place called Alamos Town until two very strong Pokémon appeared out of nowhere and started fighting. Their scrap was destroying the town, so while the Pokémon and civilians were evacuating, I had Nian repel any attacks from two of those Pokémon. Unfortunately, she and I were blasted by those Pokémon. I don't know what happened after that, but everything was dark. Then I opened my eyes after a... rude awakening and found myself here."
"Did you have a home?" To Twilight's displeasure, Joey shook his head. "B-but why not? I know about the home in the mountains, but I thought you would've had another one."
"I'm a traveler, Twilight, a nomad; I have no home," Joey answered. "Ever since I left the mountains with Nian, I never stayed in one place. There was so much I had never seen before that staying in some village or city wouldn't make much sense. However, I have no choice this time. I'm trapped here with my Pokémon, in a place of mystery. For now, it would be smart of me to stick around."
"Why don't you use the house right outside Ponyville?"
Joey gave Twilight a confused look. "What house?"
"You were probably daydreaming at the time, but there's a house outside of Ponyville. I was going to use it for storage and celebratory occasions, but I never could find the dedicated time to renovate it. Since you have nowhere to go, you can use it for free."
Joey was whelmed at Twilight's generosity. "Twilight... that's very kind of you, but I don't need a house."
Twilight shook her head and gave Joey a serious look; her sparkling gaze no longer shined; it was replaced by a cold glare. "As a princess of Equestria, I hereby declare the house outside Ponyville officially yours and yours alone. If you do not comply with this declaration, you will be condemned to cruel & unusual punishment in the form as follows: tickle torture by use of feathers, overwhelming cuddles by the indigenous inhabitants of Ponyville, which includes Bulk Biceps, and a musical number telling you that your home is where you should begin your potentially new life.
"Resistance against these punishments is ill-advised for your health and safety, for if you proceed being stubborn, they will increase in intensity until you submit to these demands. What say you, Joeshur Riverside? Comply with this ridiculously FREE opportunity, or subject yourself to horrors beyond the scope of your human imagination? Keep in mind that ponies can be VERY creative."
Joey gasped and held his hand over his mouth in mock surprise. "You wouldn't dare subject an innocent human to your malicious whims; You would become a tyrant, a despot, a bully."
Twilight held a smug look as she teleports to the chair behind her desk and leans against it. "Choose your fate, Joeshur Riverside. Freedom or a prison of love and happiness. I suggest you come up with an answer post-haste, or I get the pink fluffy cuffs. They're AWFULLY soft."
Joey laughed again, wiping a tear from his cheek. "Alright, alright, I concede," he said, bowing to the victorious purple pony princess. "I'll take the house."
A smile reappeared on Twilight Sparkle's face. "Splendid. Now let me send these to Princess Celestia." The scrolls Twilight wrote in were engulfed in a purple sparkle before vanishing with a poof. "If I had Spike, those scrolls would have appeared in front of Her Majesty. Oh well, they'll probably be around her room somewhere..."
Twilight Sparkle teleports to the door and opens it. "Grab Nian and I'll show you to your new home."
Joey nodded, picking up his rabbit and placing her on his back. Gently, he tucked his arms back and held onto her legs with his hands while her head rested against his shoulders. After the happy fun time at Alamos Town, fending off literal legendries, being presumably killed but instead transported to a new world, and fighting two manticores, it was understandable that Nian would be tuckered out.
Shortly after Joey left the castle, he was assaulted by a pretty pink pony bouncing and spouting words at the speed of light. Eventually, in the sea of words, Joey made out the mare's name: Pinkie Pie.
Oddly enough, Joey welcomed Pinkie's erratic and hyperactive nature, he does have a Chansey that kind of acts the same. The main reason Pinkie ran circles around Joey was to welcome him to Ponyville before suggesting he should have a party to commemorate this joyous occasion. Regretfully, Joey had to decline, but he wanted one in the near future. Though saddened by his answer, Pinkie perked right back up and declared it'll be the best party Joey will ever have, and then she sped off into the crowd of ponies.
With no further interruptions, Twilight and Joey continued onward.
Outside of town, Joey gawked at a large black and brown two-story house complete with a white picket fence, a lush garden, four large trees, and a terrace.
Huh. Nils could make a nest in those trees, Joey thought internally.
Twilight turned to face Joey and spread her forelegs apart in a merry fashion before yelling, "Ta-da! This will be your new home. Take some time to get adjusted Joey, I'll speak with you soon."
"Twilight," Joey said, "won't you show me around?"
"Sorry, Joey, but I can't show you everything," she replied with a small smile. "I have to get back to the castle, Princess Celestia might've sent a scroll by now, and I don't want to keep her waiting. And I think it's fun to explore this house with your friend. Sound good?"
Joey sighed, but he kept his chin up. "Sounds good. I'll see you soon." Joey passed Twilight and opened the door. He turned around and said, "Thanks for giving me a home. We're friends, aren't we?"
Twilight held a hoof up to her mouth as a giggle escaped her lips. "Of course. You helped me and my friends. Also, the keys are on the table in the living room. Welcome to Equestria, Joey."
"Happy to be here," he responded with a faint blush.
As Twilight teleported back to her castle, Joey entered his new home and closed the door. The young man found himself in a dark room. He felt his hand along the wall in search of a switch. A smooth surface graced his fingertips, he found the switch, and then he flipped it, revealing a spacious living room decorated with a couch, a coffee table and the keys Twilight mentioned, and an entertainment center. He even had curtains.
Slowly and carefully, Joey sets Nian on the couch. He stared at his sleeping friend as a smile began to grow on his face. Despite not wanting a house, Joey was excited. He had a place to call his own, a place for his family, his Pokémon family. Years and years of being on the road, going from town to town, city to city, to islands and kingdoms. It was a nice change of pace, especially for his Pokémon. They've only known the road. This will serve as a good opportunity for them as well.
Quietly, Joey sprints off to the kitchen adjacent to the living room. It was a moderately sized kitchen if not a little small for his liking, but hey, never look a Mudsdale in the mouth.
"Huh, the... uh, fridge! The fridge is running," Joey blurted out. He had to remind himself what was what.
He looked inside and saw the fridge jam-packed with food ranging from fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and... cake? In the freezer, Joey saw waffles, pizza, and the like, but no meat.
"Mental note: Tell Twilight I need meat in my diet." Joey went back into the living room and picked up Nian. "Time to put you in bed." He looked around and saw stairs leading up further into the house.
Joey found himself at the top of the stairs, eying down a hallway of doors. One door served as a closet, another a bathroom, and one was the guestroom. At the end of the hall was another door, presumably the master bedroom. Opening the door, Joey spotted a large black bed with white blankets. He approaches it and lays Nian upon the cushy surface and tucked her in.
"Sleep tight, Nian," Joey whispered, exiting the bedroom and making his way back downstairs. "Hmm... I think it's time to show my other Pokémon our new digs."
Like the usual Pokémon Trainer, Joey had six Poké Balls strapped around his belt. Joey goes outside, taking the whole batch of Poké Balls and throwing them into the air one by one, summoning forth the rest of his family. First was Nils soaring through the air before perching himself on a nearby tree. The second was Lena dancing out of her Poké Ball. She embraces Joey with the biggest hug of his life.
After begging Lena to release him, Joey threw out another Poké Ball, bringing about his Metagross.
The turquoise robotic Pokémon has four iron limbs with sharp claws that allow the Metagross to stand upright, even though its psychic powers can make it able to float in the air. A Metagross kind of looks like an arachnid. It has a large metallic cross on its circle-like body, although Joey's Metagross has a cracked golden cross, and it possessed deep red eyes occupying the two hollow holes on its face. With four brains, Metagross has been deemed the smartest Pokémon.
"Mechan, it's good to see you," Joey happily said. "How ya been?"
Mechan didn't immediately answer, instead, it surveyed its surroundings with a critical eye, then it tucks its four limbs against itself before using its psychic powers to levitate and flew to the top of the house to perch itself. Wherever Joey decided to sleep for the night, Mechan was always the one to scan for a vantage point. It would then use those psychic powers to erect an invisible field.
The purpose of this field was to act as a powerful security camera, allowing Mechan to sense anything and everything that invades that space. Ever since Mechan joined Joey, it has made its mission to protect and serve him with everything at its disposal.
Joey just shook his head and chuckled. "Worrywart," he muttered.
The fifth Pokémon and probably the youngest Joey brought out was a Lucario, and immediately after being released from the Poké Ball, the Lucario hugged Joey and nuzzled his waist.
"Glad to see you too Yuna, how's my girl?" Joey cooed, petting the loving Lucario.
Yuna was almost like your average bipedal, canine-like Lucario. She has dominant blue and black fur, and cream-colored fur around her torso. She possesses small spikes on her chest and forepaws, medium-sized ears, black appendages on the back of her head, a blue tail, sharp canines on the top and bottom of her mouth, and she always stands on her toes. She also has a pretty lily tucked firmly behind her left ear.
The Pokémon Lucario has red eyes, but for Yuna, they are purely white. This abnormality has caused Yuna to go blind. To compensate for this problem, Yuna uses the power of Aura, an ability tied to the Pokémon Lucario specifically, allowing them to see in ways most humans and other Pokémon cannot. In addition, this advantage assists in finding food.
Now with Yuna clung tightly to Joey's side, he throws the next Poké Ball to summon forth Jenny, his Jynx. Usually, the Pokémon Jynx is kind of round and short, wearing their signature red gown, but Jenny is... different.
Tall and slender, Jenny resembles a human female and is bipedal. She wears a long black dress and has white hair instead of blond. Her face and hands are gray, eyes round, her lips red like they were coated in lipstick, snowy arms, two golden circlets on her chest, and she had no feet under her gown. The way she moved around is by skimming across the ground.
Generally, the height of the Pokémon Jynx is under five feet, but Jenny is a staggering six feet, four inches tall, towering over their cousins and most humans. Jenny is a variant from an island far to the north in the Pokémon world. Another distinction between this variant of Jynx is that they always have a small icicle wrapped around their lips, similar to some farmers who prefer to have toothpicks or straw sticking out their mouths, typically to chew on.
As a lot of humans know, the Pokémon Jynx is a species that is hard to understand because the cries they use are complicated. To make life easier, they dance to communicate, however, their dancing has the potential to hypnotize others, forcing them to dance along. Joey's Jynx doesn't dance at all, and no one knows why. Because of the stoic demeanor of this variant of Jynx, it is nearly impossible to figure out what they want.
Luckily for Joey, Jenny has at times broken this mold to plead to him about her wants and desires. Those needs were often simple and modest, going on nightly strolls or cuddling.
Jenny walked up to Joey with a face of indifference, easily looming over the young man with those soul-piercing eyes. She lifts her left hand in front of his face, expecting the usual greeting. Quickly, Joey tenderly holds it and kisses the hand before bowing respectfully.
Satisfied with Joey's manners, Jenny sought to reward the gentleman. She leans forward and kisses him on the forehead, giving him the smallest of smiles before inspecting the house.
Usually, Pokémon Trainers have six Pokémon, and rarely would that known rule be broken, but... rules are meant to be broken. Joey has one more Pokémon, a Pokémon that throughout its history is feared and hated for simply existing. No matter how hard it tries to help, it is normally viewed as the villain, as the one who is responsible for whatever's happening. An Absol's main purpose is forewarning the coming of disaster by using its horn to notice even the smallest changes in the weather.
Joey's Absol in particular has had a rough life of being treated poorly by humans and Pokémon alike. It was an outcast, a reject. Until Joey came along, Narros had a festering hatred toward everything that breathed life.
Narros was as Absol as an Absol could get. The quadruped has pristine white fur over its blackish-blue body, a large ruff (big batch of hair) around his neck down to his chest and a black oval-shaped object on his forehead. Narros bears a face similar to a feline or cat, deep red eyes, a tail shaped like a scythe, and a long horn made to look like a crescent moon. His broad feet bore claws and the heels and elbows of its four limbs have small spikes that extend from them.
Despite Narros' harsh life, he, like all Absol, detests fighting. This makes it difficult to have Nian and Narros in the same room, as any interaction could potentially spark a fight. Nian's aggressive nature collides with Narros' way of life, unfortunately creating a never-ending tension between the two. Usually, it is Nils who can calm down the two Pokémon before they made a choice both of them will regret.
With Narros out of the Poké Ball, all of Joey's Pokémon silently stared at the Absol. It was enough tension that Yuna released Joey from her grasp. It wasn't often a human, or a Pokémon would see an Absol. In the case of Narros, he had this eerie air around him that caused Joey's Pokémon to be wary of his presence, but there was another reason.
While Joey tried to get Narros to accept him as a friend, the Disaster Pokémon had attempted to murder him at least ten times in the past. So, no matter what, all the other Pokémon always kept Narros in the corner of their eyes when he and Joey were together.
Even being his Pokémon, no one could tell what Narros was thinking, or feeling in Yuna's case. That made him especially dangerous around Joey. It was because of this reason that Nian is so antagonistic and belligerent toward Narros specifically. Narros couldn't truly be trusted, even though Joey trusted his Absol completely.
"Narros, I'm happy to see you," Joey said, hoping that Narros returned the greeting, but the Pokémon glared at Joey and turned away, looking out to the field beyond the house. "Okay... I should've expected this."
Joey scratched his head, then he got an idea. Snickering to himself, the young man marched up to Narros and hugged him. Nils, Lena, Mechan, Jenny, and Yuna all dropped their mouths in astonishment.
Joey is actually trying to die.
Narros' eyes widened as he tensed up from Joey's delicate touch. He felt Joey's fingers comb through his fur and heard the low humming of his voice. "Come on tough guy, show me a bit of love," Joey said as he rubbed his cheek against Narros' face. "Aren't you glad to see me? Your fur is more lustrous and softer than usual. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were grooming yourself to get my attention! Well, you got it; give Joey a big kiss!"
Narros glared at Joey's face. All the other Pokémon held their breaths in anticipation; Joey was dangerously close. In a blink of an eye, Narros could rip and tear Joey apart before any of the other Pokémon had a chance to stop it.
Then, as if Arceus heard their plea, the Pokémon witnessed Narros lick the tip of Joey's nose before an enormous blush turned the Absol's face completely red. Joey gave a hearty laugh as the tension in his other Pokémon slowly drifted away.
"Alright," Joey shouted, standing up to get everyone's attention, "welcome to your new home. I don't know how long we'll be here, so get comfy, guys and gals!"
The majority of Joey's team returned his shout with equal enthusiasm.
"Glad to hear it. Now, it's getting late so get yourselves ready for bed. If any of you want to sleep outside, stay within the fence; Mechan will know if any of you sneak off when you aren't supposed to. Narros, I'm looking at you," Joey said with a playful wink, making the Absol roll his eyes.
"So, who's staying outside tonight?" Joey heard Nils screech, Mechan was obvious, and Narros was almost a given. "Good. Lena, Yuna, and Jenny will sleep inside. There is a guest bedroom upstairs, you girls can share that. At the end of the hall is the master bedroom, but don't go in there, Nian is sleeping. Is that cool?"
Lena, Yuna, and Jenny agreed, and they slowly filed into the house and upstairs.
"Alright," Joey whispered, trying to figure out what else to do. Whilst pondering, a scroll appears out of thin air and hits Joey on the head. "What... a scroll? Perhaps it's from Twilight."
Joey picks up the scroll and began reading its contents. It was indeed from his little purple friend. Twilight informs Joey that Princess Celestia desires his presence first thing tomorrow morning. Reading more, it seems that Princess Celestia is currently in some kind of conundrum, and she believes Joey might be able to help. Joey does like helping folks. To get to Canterlot Castle directly, Joey will be flying in a golden chariot.
Joey could just use Nils to fly up there, but it might be prudent to go via chariot to not induce panic using the giant predatory bird. At the end of the scroll, Twilight Sparkle says that she will accompany Joey to the castle as his guide.
"Hmm, that's cool," he uttered to himself. "Well, it seems I'm due to meet with one of the rulers of the entire nation. Neat. Should I bring Nian along? Nah, she needs to be around the other Pokémon. I can count on Nils and Mechan to keep the peace." Joey rolled up the scroll and began to head inside the house for the night.