The sun started to rise on another beautiful morning, the Hoothoot and Noctowl retreated into their nests to sleep, the Pidgey and Spearow started to chirp, and the Combee roused themselves. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day.
Until morning peace was shattered by the high-pitched harmonious triple cry of the local Dodrio announcing the sunrise, James jerked out of sleep in surprise, flailed in his bed, got tangled in his sheets, and promptly fell out of bed in a heap.
He groaned, slapped a hand onto the bed, and hauled himself back on top of it with another groan.
"That blasted bird! If I ever see it, I'll drag it to the cooks for dinner!" He exclaimed in a sudden fit of annoyance. It was the fourth time this week it had decided to announce the sunrise close enough to the estate to wake him up.
As soon as the anger came it evaporated into nothing and he just sagged into the bed with a sigh. He just lay there, his sheets a mess around him, and tried to go back to sleep. However, as the minutes ticked by, it became clear that he wasn't getting back to sleep. With another sigh, he sat up, untangled the sheets from him, and walked into his walk-in closet. He walked past several racks of clothes, not in the mood for any of them until he settled on a dark blue blazer with a button-up white undershirt, dark blue linen pants, and black cravat.
Now dressed, he made his way out of his room and into the hallways. He didn't know how his parents slept through the Dodrio's morning calls, but they did. At this time, only himself and the servants were up. He made his way to the kitchens, intent on getting some breakfast. He passed by a few of them, most occupied with morning cleaning and dusting, but made time to stop what they were doing to greet him as he passed. At least most of them didn't bow to him anymore. It had gotten so unbearable that he had asked them to stop when his parents weren't around. Some of them, however, usually the older ones like Sebastian, still bowed to him. Whenever one greeted him, he greeted them by name. He knew the names of all the servants by this point; It didn't feel right not to do the same.
He got to the kitchens, but rather than sit in the dining room, he walked into the kitchens itself. The three chefs were busy preparing a breakfast of hashbrowns, fried tomatoes, baked beans, sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, muffins, and all sorts of variations of each. They were in charge of feeding the entire mansion staff, and breakfast was always the largest meal of the day as quite a few staff members were only present during the mornings.
"Ahh, young master James, up early again I see. The Dodrio?" asked head chef Leonard, as he worked on preparing the pancakes.
James merely nodded and grabbed a nearby stool. He dragged it over to a small corner table and plopped down with a yawn.
"Ah well, let's see if we can't cheer you up with some pipping hot breakfast, eh?" Leonard said with a chuckle.
Leonard had one of the other chefs take over for him, while he grabbed a plate from a cupboard and served it with an even helping of everything. To James' surprise and delight, he saw that the large pancake he had been served was shaped like a Growlithe.
"Wow! This is incredible Leonard! Thank you!" James said happily.
Leonard just laughed and returned to preparing, while James dug into the breakfast with gusto. He was a quarter through his breakfast when one of the other chefs put a large glass of Sitrus berry juice in front of him.
"Thank you, Marian!" James said, immediately taking a big drink of the delicious juice. Marian meanwhile, just smiled and returned to her duties.
Sooner than he wished, his breakfast was gone and he couldn't eat another bite. He stretched, sighed contentedly, grabbed the dirty plate and glass, and placed them in the large sink.
"Thank you for the food!" James said as he left the kitchen.
"Oh, James, hold on a minute!" called Leonard before James left.
James paused in the doorway and looked back curiously. Leonard walked over to a corner of the room, grabbed an opaque plastic container, and handed it to James.
"That's for Growlie, give our regards," Leonard said smiling.
"I will, thank you everyone!" James said to all the chefs and then left the kitchen.
Leonard merely chuckled and went back to his work.
As James made his way to the front door of the mansion, he noted that he still had a couple of hours before his parents were up and about. Intending to make the most of that time, he began to walk a little faster. The mansion was a mansion however, and it took him a couple of minutes to make his way through the building to the front doors.
When he got there his happiness was dampened slightly at the sight of Sebastian, the chief of staff, and oldest butler at the mansion. He was the most unfun person, second only to his parents and he tried to avoid him whenever he could. This morning it seemed, was not going to be one of the times.
"Ah, Young Master James, good morning," Sebastian said bowing low.
"Good morning Sebastian..." James said with a small sigh.
"I assume you're taking breakfast to Growlie?" Sebastian asked, eyeing the Tupperware in James' hand.
"Yes, I just the kitchens," James said, slowly inching his way towards the doors.
"Really Young Master James, you should leave that task to one of the servants and you should eat breakfast with your parents at the proper mealtime," Sebastian said reprovingly.
"I like taking care of Growlie!" James protested.
Sebastian merely huffed. "Well regardless, when you're done you should dress yourself properly. You need to look your best for your lessons." Sebastian said, eyeing his choice of dress critically.
Another reason why he avoided Sebastian, the man viewed his typical manner of dress as too "modern". His parents didn't mind, but Sebastian was under the impression one should look their absolute best at all times; a suit or equivalent level of dress was the only acceptable manner in his mind. James thought he'd criticize his father too if he didn't employ him.
"I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I need to get this breakfast to Growlie before it gets cold," James said quickly, then quickly slipped through the front doors before Sebastian could say more.
Once outside with the doors closed behind him, he let out a long drawn-out sigh. Then he shook his head and made his way to Growlie's doghouse. He waved to the elderly groundskeeper as he passed, who was trimming the hedges, humming as he did so. The doghouse entrance was fairly close to the mansions, so he barely had to walk 100 feet to reach it. When he arrived, he opened the double doors and entered the dog house, a small mansion itself. The interior at first glance didn't appear to be that different than a regular mansion, everything was human-proportioned and was even decorated as if it might house humans.
Upon closer inspection the clues it housed Pokemon and not people became apparent. There were no stairs, just immense ramps that led to the second floor, perfect for uninterrupted running. Several spots in the mansion had drink dispensers positioned at knee height, multiple large ledges lined the walls, numerous fire extinguishers behind transparent glass doors, every door had a smaller door built into its lower half, and the entire mansion ran at a slightly cooler temperature than one might expect. That only scratched the surface of its many features, and even James didn't know them all.
James hesitated in the foyer, waiting to see if Growlie would come running around a corner to greet him. After a couple of minutes of silence, he assumed Growlie was either outside or still sleeping. He made his way up the nearest large ramp, to the second floor where Growlie's bedroom. The fire-resistant carpet tiles always looked new, with no spot of wear or damage, save for a few corners. Several had to be replaced when Growlithe was young when he would accidentally burn, chew, or claw a tile. Growlithe rarely caused problems anymore, a tile would only have to be replaced in exceptional circumstances. He went down the hallway on his left and opened the nearest door to his right.
The room size stretched from the start of the corridor to the end and required two doors, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the corridor. A massive room that would be perfect for an event hall in different circumstances. Directly in front of James as he opened the door was the jacuzzi pool, allowing Growlie to get some swimming exercise without the risk of his fur getting in the pool of the regular mansion (Once was enough for his mother). A smaller, walled-off part of it was also outfitted with jets and bubbles, doubling as a hydromassage in case Growlie felt sore after a long day of exercise. A small tub of toys was also located nearby, in case Growlie got bored. On the far side of it was a long tube that acted as a wind tunnel with variable settings to help Growlie dry off after taking a dip.
The center of the room was outfitted as a living room. A 60-inch plasma TV was affixed to the wall, with a custom-made controller for Growlie to use. A large half-oval sofa was situated in front of it, with several plushs scattered about that Growlie idly gnawed and lounged on. The left side of the room was where Growlie slept, a huge circular bed took up a decent amount of the space, adorned with various blankets, pillows, and two of Growlie's favorite toys. One was a small stuffed Furret, now discolored with age and sporting significant wear, which was Growlie's first toy. The other was an Alolan Ninetales, significantly larger than the Furret and in much better shape. Growlie loved to tangle itself up in its long tails, and would generally nap on top of it during the day while sleeping with the Furret at night. Above the bed, with several ramps on the walls leading up to them, were several large hammocks hanging from the ceiling. The undersides were decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars stitched onto them. Growlie would on occasion sleep in them, and if he ended up falling out accidentally, the bed below him ensured he didn't hurt himself.
Located at the center of this bed, was Growlie, the Furret plushie tucked next to its head and snoring lightly. James smiled and sat down on the bed, placing the large Tupperware next to him. Growlie woke up instantly, it jerked, gave a confused bark, and looked around blearily. The moment he spotted James, he gave a happy "Growl!" and jumped from his place, tackling James into the bed.
Laughing, James hugged Growlie and ruffled his mane while Growlie happily licked his face.
"All right, all right! Down, Growlie!" He said still laughing a few moments later.
Growlie obediently got off James and sat down on his haunches gazing at James, ready to obey any further commands.
"Good morning Growlie, I see the Dodorio didn't wake you up," James said, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his face.
"Growl!" Growlie barked.
"If only I could sleep as soundly as you or my parents," James said with a sigh. "I brought you your breakfast," James said, tucking his handkerchief back into his pocket.
Growlie gave a happy yip and got off the bed onto the floor. Tail wagging in anticipation of food.
James picked up the Tupperware, opened it, and placed it in front of Growlie. Growlie's usual diet consisted mostly of berries and some meat. Tailored to what wild Growlithe might eat in the wild, such as spicy or sweet crushed berries, and meat such as Tauros, Stantler, or Seaking. They always ensured that Growlie ate well.
James scratched Growlie behind his ear as he ate, smiling fondly at his one and only friend.
"I wish my life was as simple as yours..." James said wistfully. "To only have to worry about when someone is going to play with you next..."
As if sensing that his mood was about to decline, Growlie looked up, barked, and licked his cheek before going back to his meal. James smiled, ruffled Growlie's mane, and then stood up. He went over to a dresser in the corner and looked at the collars laid out on pegs.
He hummed in thought for a few moments, tapping one foot, then reached in and pulled out a navy blue collar with a tag listing all of Growlie's information. He turned around to see Growlie licking his lips, the food gone. James walked over, knelt, and attached the collar around Growlie's neck.
"All right, let's go for a walk," James said, making his way to the door.
Growlie barked happily and bounded out the door into the hallway and running to the main doors. James walked after him, and when he got to the ramp he saw Growlie waiting patiently at the door. As soon as he saw James however, he vanished outside through the growlithe door. James walked down the ramp and through the door where the gardener was petting Growlie.
"Taking Growlie out on his morning walk?" The gardener asked, looking up as James opened the door.
"Yes, it's a beautiful morning and after the couple of days of rain we got, Growlie's been getting a bit stir-crazy," James said.
"Aye, my sunflora were starting to get a bit sad with the lack of sun. I imagine there will be plenty of grass Pokemon out and about today, so take care not to get hit by a stun spore." The gardener warned.
"Thank you, we will," James said, making his way down the driveway.
Growlie licked the gardener's face and then bounded after James, preferring to walk through the grass. He rolled about in the grass and chased after a couple of pidgey poking around for worms. James wasn't worried about Growlie running off, Growlie was very well-trained and stuck close to James regardless.
This was the best time of day for James, just him, Growlie, and the open world. No Jessiebell, parents, or Sebastian; he wished this moment could last forever.