Chapter 2: Loyalty

Jessie stared at James for a minute before shouting angrily at him;

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING JAMES!??! GET BACK HERE THIS SECOND!!”

James immediately stopped fighting Brock and trotted over to Jessie on all fours and sat by her side, panting quietly staring up at her.

Jessie raised her eyebrow at him and tried to move away, only for James to follow her and sit calmly by her side.

“Hey you! You there!”

Jessie and Misty turned to see an Officer Jenny running towards them from the shrubbery with a Growlithe running along beside her.
She ran up to them and looked at the three males acting like pokèmon.

“Hmmm, it seems these have been affected too.” She thinks out load.

“What’s going on Officer?” asks Misty

James saw the Growlithe sitting by Jenny and barked happily. The Growlithe frowned at James and tried to back away as James came nearer. The Growlithe barked warningly but James kept coming nearer smiling and pawing at the sand in a playful manner. The Growlithe didn’t like this strange creature and opened its mouth, sending a powerful wave of flames over James, singeing him to a crisp. James fell sideways on the ground and lay there twitching. The Growlithe walked back up to its Mistress and sat there obediently.
Officer Jenny faced the young red head and explained;

“For the last week or so, every male human on the Island has been acting like the first pokèmon they ever owned.” She paused and looked down at Brock, who by now had sat down on the sand and closed his eyes, but still his arms stayed in the air.

“How come?” asked Jessie, not particularly wanted to talk with the Law, but still interested at what was happening to James.

“We don’t know. We can’t figure it out. But it doesn’t last, after a while they turn back to normal, but then a while later, they once again begin to act like pokèmon. We just don’t understand it?

“We?” asked Misty.

“Yes. You see we couldn’t have any male members of the force here, so nearly half of my sisters and cousins are here trying to solve the mystery instead.”

Jessie looked down at James who had gotten up off the floor and was now lying by Jessie’s feet whining.

“I know!” Misty suddenly exclaimed, “This has happened before! I’ll bet that there is a Hypno behind this right?”

“Wrong. There are no sleep waves being emitted. That’s was the first thing we checked, so it can’t be a Hypno.”

Misty went quiet, “Oh, well, I’d be glad to help you Officer Jenny.”

“Thank you, we need all the female help we can get.”

Misty turned to Jessie, “Are you gonna come along to?”

Jessie stared at her as if she had just spoken foreign language, “You have got to be kidding?! I’m not helping the Law!” she said firmly, crossing her arms and staring the other way.

Misty shrugged her shoulders, “Suit yourself, but you’d better tell James that.”

As Misty and Officer Jenny turned and walked away, with Ash and Brock following, Jessie looked just in time to see James lunge towards her, making her fall on her back on the sand. James barked happily and started licking her face.
Jessie screamed and pushed James off her, stumbling up and running after the two girls.

“HEY! WAIT FOR MEEEEEEE!” Jessie screamed, as James ran on all fours after her.

Thinking it was safe for now, Meowth got up off the sand and ran after them, “It really is gonna be one of dees days.” He mumbled to himself as he ran after his bossy red head and deranged man.

@~>~>~~

Jessie flopped down in a chair inside the pokèmon centre and sighed. James ran up to her and sat down in front of her putting one of his hands on her knee and resting his chin of the other in a typical dog fashion and looked up at her lovingly. Jessie again raised an eyebrow at him and was about to hit him with her mallet when she realised how cute he looked, his big green eyes staring up at her. She smiled slightly and laughed to herself.

She couldn’t believe she was going to do this.

She reached forward and patted him on the head. He sighed gently and started panting again. He took his hand off her knee and curled up in a ball by her feet and closed his eyes.

Officer Jenny watched as Jessie smiled down at him, “You know that Growlithe’s are only ever loyal to their Masters or Mistress.”

Jessie looked up at her, “So they should.”

Jenny smiled before adding, “In other words, the one they love.”

She smiled again before taking Misty, Ash and Brock into a separate room and closing the door gently.

Jessie pondered what the Officer had said.

James?

Love?

Surely not.

She looked back down at James on the floor. He looked so peaceful, breathing slowly as he slept. Maybe she was right. Maybe he does.

‘Nah,’ Jessie dismissed, ‘Just cos I have a crush on him doesn’t mean he does on me…’ she looked back down at him, ‘…right?’

James sighed in his sleep.

“Oh God it does.” She said out load.

Suddenly, the door opened and Meowth walked through, slamming the door behind him. James woke with a start and saw Meowth by the door. He immediately leapt up off the floor and started growling at the cat type in front of him.

“Errrr…” Meowth began, but was cut short as James leapt towards him growling ferociously, chasing after him.

“MAKE ‘IM STOP, MAKE ‘IM STOP!!” Meowth screamed in a panic.

“What can I do?” Jessie asked, watching James chase Meowth around the room on all fours, “After all, dogs are supposed to chase cats.”

“YOU CAN STOP ‘IM!!! HE LISTENS TO YA!!”

Of course! Jessie stood up on her chair in a dominant fashion and shouted,

“James!! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!!”

James immediately stopped and ran over to Jessie and sat down obediently in front of her panting. Jessie smiled evilly. This was getting to be too fun. She could just imagine the things she could make him do.
But before she had time to tell him to do something, the door re-opened.

To be continued…