Attention: Since English is not my mothertongue you might find some spelling mistakes or syntax errors. I apologize in advance. My mothertongue is Swiss-German so I normally imagine a sentence in German and try to translate it as well as possible into English, sometimes there is a lack of vocabulary or I don't find a match or the appropriate idiom but I want to improve my English and become a better writer. Another thing I want to make clear is that I use „..." to introduce direct speech! „ are not commas but the German quotation marks, just to avoid confusion.
My best friend's girl
Team Rocket was sitting around a crackling bonfire. Even though Alola was a summerly and muggy region during daytime, it got cool and chilly in the evenings. James had provided his team mates with cord firewood and hot beverages. He passed a cup of fruit tea to Jessie. She was quietly sitting on a woollen blanket, picking at her poor meal that consisted of half an apple and three orange slices. James noticed that something was bothering her. Normally, she would engage in conversations and get worked up about their innumerable losses and failures. She would complain about the twerp's incomprehensible luck and the fact that Team Rocket would never be able to catch Pikachu, but she remaind silent, her gaze resting on the blazing flames. James sat down next to her. The blanket was rather small, they had stolen it from a baby buggy, so he was forced to get closer to his best friend.
Meowth put his feet up and yawned widely. „I'm going to bed, folks. Make sure to wake me in time tomorrow morning. We need to fiddle around our new Mecha, I think we need to add some more superfluous gadgets like suction cups and orientation aid or we could install an extremly long tongue that grabs Pokémon. Remember the Giant Gengar? Those were the days", he strechted himself luxuriously and slipped into his bedroll a few meters away from the hearth. It wasn't long before Jessie and James could hear him snoring, nestled in his provisional sleeping possibility.
James turned to Jessie. She was staring into a void, taking a sip of her tea from time to time. James sized her up. The usually headstrong and cocky woman was huddled, her head resting on her knees.
„What's wrong with you, Jessie? You've been exceptionally taciturn tonight", he asked.
Jessie let out a long sigh. She shrug her shoulders. „I'm fine", a very short and curt reply.
„Come' on, you can't fool me. I've known you for so many years and I can say for sure that something's on your mind. Aren't you happy that we eventually defeated the kids? It was a well-deserved and long-awaited victory. Did you see that Meowth was beside himself with joy?", he attempted at a smile, but Jessie didn't deign to look at him.
„You know, James. There's always been me, you and that talkative ball of fur and now there's her", she whispered. James was slightly confused. Who was she referring to?
„Who do you mean with her?", he followed up on her comment.
„Mareanie. She digs you, she's completely besotted with you", Jessie replied.
James put his head in his hands, he couldn't belive what was happening.
„Oh, Jessie, could it be that you're jealous of a Pokémon?", he broached the subject again.
Jessie nudged him forcefully with her elbow.
„No, I'm definitely not, but the way she goggles at you, those big yellow-green eyes, the urge to clinge to you at every opportunity... I mean, we had that in the past. Cacnea was also more than affectionate, but she goes even further, she called you hot if we can rely on Meowth's translation", Jessie didn't know why she reacted like that.
Maybe, she wasn't ready to share her best friend. James had always been there for her. They used to be an almost invicible trio during their days as ambitious agents. He never left her side, not even in the most risky and desperate situations. He was the one who danced with her at different events, he was the one who scraped money together to buy her new clothes for her competitions. She didn't want that someone disturbed this small idyll Jessie had created over the past couple of years.
„Don't attach any great importance to that. She's just a Pokémon, no need to turn green with envy", James tried to calm Jessie down. He had to admit that he enjoyed seeing her acting out of sorts. Jessie used to be independent and self-assertive, but Mareanie clearly struck a nerve. At least, he could say for sure that he wasn't all the same to Jessie. She wasn't indifferent, on the contrary, she seemd to care for him.
„I simply don't like changes, we're a trio, not a quartet", she murmured.
James grabbed her hands, softly caressing her fingers.
„Jessie, whom do I always cheer at contests and tournaments?", he asked.
Jessie smiled self-consciously.
„Me", she said.
„Who does always get the last bite out of the biscuit tin?", James wanted to know, he prodded her with his finger.
„I do, because you hide it away from that greedy cat-Pokémon", she replied.
„Whom is Dr. James nursing back to health when we caught a cold?", he demanded.
Jessie nodded her head. She started to feel a little bit foolish. James itemized every single reason to not be jealous of a Pokémon. He was indeed a good friend, a cheerful traveling companion and a supportive team mate. She remembered suffering from the flu and James winning a ribbon for her collection. She remembered the countless times he stood up for her in order to protect her and his high-spirited cheers when he was jumping up and down the stand of the Pokémon-Showcase arena.
„Do you know why Mareanie likes me?", he asked her. Jessie hiked her shoulders.
„Because I look like her once she sucked my head in. I turn all purple and turgid", he gesticulated widly with his arms and legs. „Do you fancy my swollen face?", both burst out laughing. This was one more reason to like James, he was always able to buck her up, no matter how depressed she was.
James was pleased with this nice sight, he managed it to raise a smile from his best friend.
„So, don't worry, you're still my favourite girl", he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Luckily, it was too dark for James to see that Jessie blushed to the roots of her hair.
„Good night Jessie, sweet dreams", he stood up and joined Meowth. James snuggled down in his bedroll and fell asleep very soon.
Jessie raised her hand to the part of her face James had only just kissed. She was somewhat staggered. Never had she believed it possible that James would make such a pass at her, but he seemed to like her and this gave her the feeling of security and familiarity.
Would this short romantic moment develop further? You decide.