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Officer Jenny reclined in her squeaky office chair at the front desk. It had been an exhausting week. Team Rocket had held up another Pokemon Center on Friday. They hadn’t been much of a problem after they’d been shot screaming into the sky by some kid with a baseball cap, but the homicidal vacuum robot they’d left behind… well, it had taken hours to get old Mrs. Johnston out of the tube, and at this point she was just hoping that the horrible old woman didn’t sue the city for the suction marks and ‘emotional damage’ she claimed to have been exposed to. Then there was the rare candy trafficking. It was getting worse. Kids were getting a hold of that stuff and it was just… well, you saw some sights you’d like to forget in this business. Then there was the Spearow thing. Some genius had gotten the idea to release a flock of them to control the runaway Caterpie infestation, but now the Spearow were breeding like crazy and they had a Spearow infestation on top of everything else. Bird doings were everywhere and Spearow were in the midst of being reclassified as invasive.
And now on top of everything else, some kid was shouting at her.
“I want to fine this person!” the blonde kid shouted, pointing at a girl holding a Piplup who looked like she wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. “She owes me money!”
“C-c’mon, Barry,” the girl said, holding up a hand like she was sure this all had to be a joke as her Piplup hopped onto Jenny’s desk. “You’re not serious, right?”
“Of course I’m serious, Dawn!” he that was known as Barry shot back. He leaned over Jenny’s desk. “I’m thinking at least a thousand dollars, and that’s being generous!”
Jenny gave Piplup a slightly wary look out of the corner of her eye as it investigated her stapler. “…A thousand dollars… for what?”
Barry crossed his arms. “She refused to tell me whether she was going to the Spring Carnival over in Lilyville City! She’s deliberately withholding information!”
“All I said was I didn’t know if I was going or not,” Dawn said, holding up her hands in a placatory way. “You know I’ve got a lot to do. I was thinking about lining up another photo shoot soon, or maybe even heading out to Unova to visit Ash.”
“Ash?” Barry repeated, sounding affronted. “Why would you want to do that? The Spring Carnival happens only once every…” he paused for a moment, “…Spring,” he finished lamely. “How are you gonna miss out on it for such trivial reasons?!”
“They’re not trivial!” Dawn said, and it was her turn to sound insulted. She might’ve said more on that score, but she looked over at Jenny’s desk and got distracted. “Piplup! No!” She rushed over and lifted him forcibly away from the police officer’s coffee mug. “I’m really sorry about that,” she said earnestly.
“No trouble,” Jenny said in a faraway voice as she looked at her beak-tainted coffee. “After all, it was the only thing keeping me going.”
Barry smacked a hand down on the desk. “Enough stalling! Are you gonna help me fine this girl or not? There must be some kinda ordinance against such covert behavior.”
“There isn’t,” Jenny said dully.
“Well, could’ya check?” Barry asked.
Jenny stared at him. Then she said: “No.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Dawn said, still trying to get to grips with the situation. “You always say you’re going to fine people, but you’ve never tried anything like this. What’s changed?”
“Well, uh…” Barry said, crossing his arms and looking off to the side, suddenly short of words. “It’s just… I guess it’s just important this time, is all.”
Jenny looked from Barry to Dawn and back to Barry. She rubbed her forehead. Today was going to be a headache-inducing day.
She looked Barry straight in the eye and said: “Listen. You can’t fine a girl for not going on a date with you.”