Marion Joy
Location: Marion Town/City
Episode: Hoenn Special 13/Chronicles 11: Celebi and Joy!
Occupation: Pokemon Nurse
Pokemon: Ponyta (past)
Age: 85 in dub / 60 in sub?
Cap Color: Jasper (#B6523D)
Hair: Rosy Brown (#AA9190)
Eyes: Chinese Violet (#79577B)
Personality: Standard, Brave
Age: 9-10
Hair: Old Rose (#C76E72)
Eyes: Chinese Violet (#79577B)
Known Family:
Past Marion Town Joy (mother)
unnamed father
unnamed child
Present Marion Joy (granddaughter)
Canon
Marion City's Joy consists of an elderly Joy and her granddaughter, both protecting their old Pokemon Center from being destroyed by construction workers. Just as some powerful Pokemon attempt to move both ladies out of the way, Ritchie and his Pikachu named Sparky step in to stave off their advances along with his Charmeleon named Zippo and Taillow named Rose. Inviting him inside, the Joys explain that Grandma Joy is retiring tomorrow on her birthday and the anniversary of the center opening, leaving her granddaughter to take over. They wanted to celebrate before the center was demolished a week later, but the mayor had been inpatient. Another skycraper would be built in its place, and the new center would be shoved into the basement, much to the Joys' dismay.
(In the dub, the anniversary of the center opening is 75 years. Bulbapedia states the sub says 50 years while Dogasu's Backpack states it's more vague and we're just told it was "a long time ago." Why did the dub writers change it so Grandma Joy didn't retire until the ripe age of 85? Is that the American Dream? My only guess is that since the Japanese team made the past look westernized like "Little House on the Prairie" or "The Waltons", the dub writers probably wanted to make it more "educational and accurate", making the past take place in the 1920-1930's at the time of airing.)
While Grandma Joy recalls the grand opening as a happy time, it was also tragic since her friend Nick died from a landslide on the same day:
Grandma Joy: "He was such a sweet boy. If only he had come to my birthday party that day, he might still be with us..."
At night while Ritchie ponders the fate of the center, Celebi appears to send Ritchie and Sparky to a dense forest. He hears a cry from a girl and runs towards her voice. She's about to fall off the edge of a cliff, just barely hanging on for dear life! Ritchie manages to grab the girls's hand and pull her up to safety with the help of Sparky and the girl's Ponyta. It's a young Joy!
Joy had seen flowers on the edge to give to Celebi at its shrine. Soon Ritchie meets Joy's friend who is fixing the doors on the shrine:
Nick: "When it comes to carpentry, I'm still not NAILIN' IT!"
Joy: "Good grief, that was a bad joke, Nick!"
It's at this point Ritchie realizes he's in the past, and not from Joy and Nick's clothes. Or the time-travelling Celebi appearing. Figures.
As they walk along, Joy rides on her Ponyta and she asks with excitement if Ritchie is a travelling trainer. In the dub she wants to travel, while in the sub she wants to be a nurse and will start training in a year. They reach a bright Pokemon Center being built along with at least a couple simple wooden houses nearby.
Joy's family wanted the center built as soon as they moved to the area, and Nick's dad is part of the company hired to build it. We can infer the start of the building process is how Joy and Nick met in the first place, a year ago, since Nick travels with his dad for work.
While staying at Nick's house for the night, even Ritchie and Sparky can tell Nick has a crush on Joy! But his shyness (and insecurity over the class difference between a carpenter and a potential nurse) holds him back from expressing his feelings:
Nick: "But I could never tell her; she wouldn't be interested in a carpenter like me."
(On that note, nursing used to be a low-class job in England before 1850s, but Isabel Hampton Robb's goal was to make nursing a middle-class job instead during the 1890's.)
Ritchie attempts a movivation speech to Nick, but is interrupted by a man that informs them Joy is missing and her parents can't find her! Nick realizes Joy is at the shrine to check on it in the middle of the storm. The boys find Joy collapsed beside a tree knocked down by lightning. Thankfully a tree hollow is nearby to wait out the rain. Joy isn't out of the woods yet
Joy wakes up as Nick uses his rain cloak to try to put out the fire, as it's her favorite thing in the world. Another lighting strikes at Nick as Joy and Ritchie run to save him... When it seems futile, a green dome of light protects them, revealed to be Celebi!
Grateful for Celebi saving their lives, Joy makes a promise to grow up to run the Pokemon Center so she can help Pokemon.
The next day at the grand opening, Ritchie asks Joy why she's not resting instead and she explains she's too excited and that she's looking for Nick. Ritchie, did you forget about something?! He rushes on Joy's Ponyta to catch up to Nick and his dad's wagon on time to again persuade Nick to confess:
Nick: "I just can't imagine that someone as beautiful and amazing as her would have any interest in someone like me! I mean, I wanted to tell her how I feel, but what if I had and she had just laughed at my face or something?"
At the party, Joy stands by her mother and thanks everyone for celebrating with her! On the table is a pink frosted strawberry cake with 10 candles, pizza, and a vase with the yellow flowers she picked. (I'm guessing they're either St. John's worts, day lilies, or yellow primroses. Or just made-up-anime-flowers.) Joy happily asks, "Who wants a piece of cake?"
Nick: "I do!"
Joy's mother encourages her to step forward. She accepts Nick's wooden Celebi he carved himself and his declaration of love with, "I really like you, too...!"
Celebi sends Ritchie and Sparky back to the present. Construction workers are busy hammering the center and Ritchie yells out to stop them... The mayor shows up to explain they're just restoring it. Grandma Joy and Granddaughter Joy explain he's Nick: the Mayor of Marion Town!
As Nick almost seems to recognize Ritchie (oopsie!) Celebi appears and covers everything in a green glow with sparkly dust all around, showing Grandma Joy, Mayor Nick, Ritchie and Sparky the Pokemon Center looking as good as new like it did during the grand opening. Grandma Joy and Mayor Nick smile at each other.
Get out of the money shot Ritchie!
Thanks to Ritchie, the polluted Marion City turned into a quiet valley Marion Town where humans and nature coexist. He had learned that "destiny is so strong, even time can't stop it from fulfilling itself." Was it destiny for Marion Town to prosper with nature, or was it destiny for Joy and Nick to grow old together to make more memories?
More canon than PokeShipping or AmourShipping will ever be.
Whether Grandma Joy and Mayor Nick are still together romantically or simply old friends or childhood-lovers-turned-just-friends-turned-lovers-again-after-divorce-or-widowed, we don't know... but it's strongly implied that they at least stayed good friends with fond memories they can still share together. It's totally up to your interpretation!
Before and After Ritchie's meddling.
Past Marion Town's Joy moved with her husband and daughter to a barely touched nature spot to build a new center. She's worried when her daughter goes missing, and later encourages her to step forward towards Nick as if already knowing he had a crush. Like her daughter, she has purple eyes! It is assumed she and her husband are deceased in the present.
Present Marion's Joy is Grandma Joy's granddaughter who is heir to the center. She protects the old center from construction workers alongside her grandmother. Despite Marion City's polluted surroundings she gained a respect for tradition and her grandmother's memories. She is helpful by hosting Ritchie while letting her grandmother sit down. If Mayor Nick is her grandfather instead, she doesn't introduce him as such to Ritchie.
Headcanon
- Does this mean Grandma Joy's granddaughter isn't technically the same one because her mother would have Nick as a father instead, or did Grandma Joy end up bearing the same child from the same guy even with Nick alive? Time travelling shenanigans!
- Joy was inspired by Nick to travel
- She got the ZING when Nick said, "I DO!"
- Grandma Joy partially blames herself for Nick's death. If only she tried harder to get Nick to stay just for the party.
- She's a badass!
- Still likes tradition, but a badass nonetheless.
- Her husband Nick still likes horrible puns as an old man.
- Granddaughter Joy: "Holy Grandma, when are you going to let me have full time hours?"
Grandma Joy: "'Til I'm dead as a doorknob!"
- Her daughter either wanted to travel, became a carpenter, chose to work at a different center, or passed away, leaving her granddaughter to be the next heir to the center
- Marion Town was named after her mother, Marion Joy
- Fav: Celebi, Ponyta
- Dislikes: Bad puns, landslides
