I know what you're thinking, why the hell did I let some bastard tell me that I should sell my Arbok for breeding purposes? Well, I can answer that question very easily. Though, I'm not sure exactly how it happened the way it did.

  It was a beautiful spring day and James and I were walking down a country road, just enjoying each other's company, until I saw a sign on the side of the road, which got me very curious.

  "James," I said. "Look at this! It's an ad for some sort of breeding farm nearby! It says, 'Garrison Ekans & Arbok Ranch! Specializing in Breeding and Selling Arbok Since 1969!' Sounds to me like a place I'd  like to visit!"

  "Are you out of your damn mind, Jessie?" said James, giving me a stern look. "I really don't think we should go there! I mean, they might try to make you sell Arbok to them for breeding purposes!"

  "Oh, pish posh, James," I said. "Why the hell would anyone want to make me part with my Arbok? She's like a child to me!"

  "I hope you know what you're doing, Jess," said James. "I certainly wouldn't want you to end up regretting this!"

  We then decided to pay the ranch a visit. When we arrived, I saw lots of pens with lots of baby Ekans, most of them newly hatched.

  "It looks more like a prison than a ranch," said James, who obviously didn't like the surroundings. "Whoever owns this place must be a sadistic little bastard!"

  Before I could answer him, a young man approached us. He looked like he was about fifteen or sixteen years old, but since I was already taken, I didn't flirt with him once.

  "Hello," he said. "I'm Jared Garrison, and I'm the son of the owner of this here ranch!"

  "You certainly have a lot of Ekans here," I said. "Are they..."

  "Purebred?" said Jared, interrupting me. "Of course! All our Ekans here are born to only the most beautiful Arbok in the world!"

  I kind of snorted at that. My Arbok was a hell of a lot more beautiful than the Arbok that I've seen. Jared then led into the house, which was also a hospital for sick or injured Ekans. I released Arbok from her Pokeball so that he could get a good look at her.

  "Your Arbok is quite a magnificent animal," he said. "Did you ever think of selling her? She sure has the makings of a champion! Her babies will really be champions if you breed her properly!"

  "She's not for sale," said James before I could say anything. "In fact, we're not here to sell her!"

  "What do you mean she's not for sale?" said Jared. "I mean, look at her! She's the most beautiful creature in the world! Better than the ones I've got here!"

  "Forget it," said James. "We're not selling Arbok! If Jessie wants to breed her, she'll breed her on her own terms, not yours!"

  I smiled at him. I couldn't have said it better myself. Plus, I could tell that Arbok didn't like Jared, for she snarled at him as if she were ready to bite his head off.

  "I think I've seen enough," I said, calling Arbok back into her Pokeball. "I'm leaving! James, let's go!"

  Then, I took James's arm and we strolled out of the house. Jared looked pretty pissed, but I didn't care. I was just glad that we were even able to prevent him from convincing me into selling Arbok.

  That night, I gave Arbok an extra bowl of Pokemon food before I tucked her into bed. Her "bed" was actually a large wicker basket with her name plate on it, but it was better than sleeping in a Pokeball.

  "Good night, Arbok," I said, kissing her on the head. "Sweet dreams!"

  After saying good night to her, I joined James in our own bed and he took me in his arms and kissed me on my forehead. I could tell that he was extremely jealous of Jared. Even though I didn't flirt with him, he
still had no reason to trust him and seemed about ready to break every bone in his body. Still, it was nice to know that James was always there for me.

  The next morning, when I awoke, I discovered that Arbok wasn't in her basket. It was almost as if she had disappeared during the night. The food I had given her wasn't even touched, so she mustn't have been very hungry.

  "James," I said. "Something happened to Arbok! She's gone!"
  "Gone?" said James. "Who could've taken her?"
  "I don't know," I said. "But, we have to find her!"

  Wasting no time, we decided to go out and search for Arbok. I used Lickitung as a bloodhound, even though she didn't really have tracking skills. Suddenly, she picked up a scent coming from a nearby ranch--  the Garrison Ekans & Arbok, of course! Why didn't I figure it out that  it was that sneak, Jared, who kidnapped my Arbok?

  "Good girl, Lick," I said. "I couldn't have found the place if it weren't for you!"

  "I knew that Jared Garrison was a snake," said James. "But, what would he want with Arbok?"

  "Remember yesterday when he asked me if I would ever sell her?" I said. "Well, maybe he stole her in order to use her for breeding purposes!"

  "That bastard," said James. "When I get a hold of him, I'll..."
  "Easy, James," I said, calming him down. "Let's talk to him first! Then, we'll beat the crap out of him!"

  I then called Lickitung back into her Pokeball and we entered the ranch again. Jared was nowhere to be seen. Just then, I heard a faint hiss coming from nearby. There was Arbok and she looked very worn out.

  "Arbok," I said. "What happened to you? Are you all right?"
  "She looks malnourished," said James. "We'd better get her to a Pokemon center and fast!"

  "Nobody's going anywhere," said Jared. "That Arbok is mine! And she's not malnourished! In fact, she's about ready to lay eggs! I just bred her last night!"

  "Lay eggs?" I said. "Why, you sneaky little bastard! How dare you steal my Arbok away from me? She's my baby!"

  "Why should I let you take her back?" said Jared. "You refused to sell her to me, remember?"

  "And for a good reason," I screamed at him. "She's not yours, she's mine! Either you give her back to me, or I'll be forced to have my boyfriend here kick your sorry ass to kingdom come!"

  Jared looked right at James when I said that. He could tell that there was going to be trouble, especially for him.

  "All right," he said. "Here, you can have your Arbok back! I hope you take good care of her babies when they hatch! Maybe you can do a better job at raising them than I ever could!"

  He opened the cage and let Arbok out. She slowly slithered over to me and rubbed her head affectionately against my leg. I then stroked her gently. Just before we left, James gave Jared a swift kick where the sun don't shine, which hurt like hell.

  I was happy to have my Arbok back. Even though she was now going to be a mother, I was certain that she would let me help her raise them.

  "James," I said. "I think that Arbok is going to be a good mother!  Don't you think?"

  "Hell, yeah," said James. "In fact, I think she'd be an excellent mother! And her babies will be exteremly healthy!"

  "Oh, James," I said. "You're such a flatterer! And I love you for that! Oh, hell, I love you for you!"

  "So do I, Jess," said James. "You're the best in everything that you do, and you amaze me!"

  Then, he did the cutest thing. He took me in his arms, dipped me, and then planted a firm yet passionate kiss on my lips. We took no notice of Arbok, who was watching us. I didn't really mind it all, especially
  since I knew that Arbok wasn't the type of Pokemon that would actually frown at thing like love. In fact, I think she sort of liked it.