The clock ticking in his bedroom was loud. Loud enough to make sleeping nearly impossible, even if Anyonovix wanted to or could sleep. His shinx had flopped her head against his arm and was snoring away gently. Anyonovix tore his arm away from his eyes and rested them down by his side for a moment. As his head ached, he sighed and rubbed his forehead, hoping the pain would stop. However, his shinx nuzzled his arm, catching his attention again. He ran his fingers through the small pokémon’s soft blue fur and scratched just behind her ear. He smiled a dazed grin at the soft wagging of her star-shaped tail.The dawn peered through the blinds in his bedroom. While most of the servants would sleep in the servant’s quarters, being Lord Elite Ghetz’s personal servant did have its perks. Sleeping in the small room above the man’s study. Anyonovix stood up, walked along the wooden floorboards, and peered out the door. He looked down at the study and saw that it was empty. Even the hypno, which would usually be standing at the bottom of the stairs with its beady eyes staring at him and almost looking down on him, was not there. Odd. Anyonovix grabbed hold of the railing and took the first step down the creaking wooden stairs. His shinx padded along beside him.
The lack of sleep left Anyonovix feeling light-headed and worse with every step. Eventually, he got to the bottom of the staircase and glanced around the fancy study before making it to the door. Still wearing his clothes from the day before, he took a deep breath and opened it, ready to come into contact with the other servants. However, his sheer lack of sleep meant that anything anyone had said to him went in one ear and out the other. Let’s not make a habit of this… he thought as he pushed open the servant's bathroom door on the second floor and walked in. His hands gripped the pristine white sink, and he looked at the small squirtle-shaped plug and pulled it out. With his other hand, he turned the tap on and listened to the water run into the drain.
“I really don’t feel good,” he muttered to the shinx. Anyonovix scooped some of the running water up in his hands and splashed his face. The water trickled down his cheeks and chin, dripping down into the sink bowl, where he watched it escape down the drain pipe. With one last glance at the mirror on the wall of the bathroom, he straightened his white shirt and pushed his scruffy blond hair back. I am fine. I am fine. I am f-
“What’s wrong, Anyonovix?” a voice said. “You should rest.”
Anyonovix glanced up and looked in the mirror, but only Lord Elite Ghetz’s reflection stared back at him. A reminder of the psychic bond between them that lingered in the air, even when he wasn’t present. “I’m just tired. I couldn’t sleep. I am sorry, I will do better.” He looked away at the sink and the running water. When he looked back up into the reflection, it was his own once more. “Am I sick?” he asked himself. With a deep breath, he stepped back from the sink, feeling more awake now and sat down in the corner of the bathroom beside one of the stalls. He tucked his knees against his chin, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
A few hours passed, and Anyonovix’s head rested on the bathroom tiled wall. His shinx sat beside him, nudging her head on his leg, trying to get him to stand up again. However, his eyes remained shut as he dreamed about the garden and the day before.
The door swung open, and a woman in her middle age came in; her apron was covered in sugar and stains of oran berry juice. She looked around the bathroom, bushing up her curly ginger hair, and walked over towards Anyonovix. She knelt in front of him, and with her thumb, she pushed his hair from his eyes, and with a soft sigh, she ran her thumb over his cheek.
“Hmm?” He opened his eyes, and he looked up at her.
“Ani, you don’t look well at all. Didn’t you sleep? You missed breakfast, though… It’s okay. Lord Ghetz isn’t here today. He’s in Quigk. Why don’t you come to the kitchen with me? We can make whatever you want.”
“Without me?” Anyonovix asked. Why would he leave me behind? I go everywhere with him. He looked at her with a tired scowl on his face before his face softened, and he just stared forward. “I guess he realised I wasn’t able to sleep. I’m sorry, Cook, I didn’t mean to miss breakfast…”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Ani. Lord Ghetz is worried about you. Told me to take good care of you. You are his favourite, and he doesn’t want to get mad at you, so he wants you to rest for a few days.”
With a reluctant nod, Anyonovix took her hand and followed her out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.
The smells of the goods being cooked in the kitchen flooded his nose, and his eyes started to water with joy. “Thank you… it’s nice in here.” Anyonovix’s arms flopped down by his side, and Cook eased him into one of the small stalls by the corner. His eyes locked on to the appleturn that was wobbling around, carrying the berries from station to station ready for lunch. His stomach growled, and he glanced up at the clock on the wall. Almost 1 PM… I guess I just… slept.
Cook brushed the tears from his eyes and sat down beside him. “Now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you? Did you meet someone special, and are you worried that Lord Ghetz will say no? Because if that’s the case… I’ll yell at the bastard.”
“No… well, sort of, but not like that. Um… I met a psychic… and he seems nice and stuff – but he’s… unregistered…” Anyonovix whispered in a hushed voice. “You are so much braver than me. I wish I dared to say what I wanted to him…” He stared into her big green eyes, and she smiled back at him.
Cook’s smile subsided, and she said, “I’m the best cook in Colran; if I’m gonna give him stick, I’m gonna give him stick, and besides, he doesn’t want to cook for himself.” She grabbed hold of a small glass of water and took his hands, wrapping them around it. “Good on your new friend for being a free spirit. I’m guessing he’s about your age?” Cook asked, unafraid of who would overhear her.
“I think so… but I don’t think we are friends. Yesterday he gave me this berry he found, and I didn’t like it… and I snapped at him and ran off… I… I guess he won’t want to see me again because of that, but whenever he’s around, I feel scared, but I don’t know… he makes me feel different. It’s like I can think without sharing my thoughts with Lord Ghetz…” Anyonovix whispered, playing with his hands.
Cook rubbed her chin for a moment before raising her finger. “I’m sure he will forgive you. Why don’t we make him something that you can both share?”
“I’d like that.” Anyonovix got up off the small stall and followed Cook to a small station at the back. “You’ve been like a mum to me, Cook. I mean, my parents are back in Elktan… or I mean the southern part of the country – I think.” He smiled as Cook placed a small bag of flour in front of him, a pot of salt, a slab of mareep butter, and eggant fat. “Are we making a pie?”
Cook nodded and turned to her chimchar. “Can you start a fire in the oven, please?” the small brown pokémon with brown fur and human-like hands grinned at her, flicking its chimp-like tail, which burned a bright orange, jumped for joy and, with a giggle, ran towards the large oven at the back of the kitchen. “Ani, let’s mix the flour and salt first.”
Anyonovix watched as the chimchar scurried across the black and blue tiles of the kitchen floor and toward the large black, metal oven. “Um… right,” he said. “I need to wash my hands first.” He turned the tap on of the nearby sink and let his hands soak in the chansey-treated downpour of water for a few minutes before picking up the bag of flour. The white bag had a blue zangoose on it. Seviper flour agency, but a blue zangoose logo, huh? He tipped the flour and salt into a bowl and gently started to mix them with his hands. He always had enjoyed cooking, but it was something that Lord Elite Ghetz despised him doing – he’d much rather him do laundry or some other chore. Anyonovix sighed as the thought of one of the alternatives rose to mind – education. Despite his somewhat cold demeanour, Lord Elite Ghetz had always forced him to study hard but only learn the Elkrat language.
“Ani, you can stop now. Ani?” Cook said, looking at him with a gentle expression.
“Sorry, Cook… I was just thinking…” Anyonovix reached out to her for a hug, and she hugged him back. “Thanks for being my best friend.”
Cook nodded at him and nudged him back toward the table. “Now add the mareep butter and the eggant fat.” Cook leaned over him and began to split the fat into smaller portions so Anyonovix could manage. “You are doing great, Ani.”
Anynovix smiled as he added the ingredients and mixed them. His shinx rubbed her head against his ankle as he did. “Don’t worry, I’ll save some for you too, Blellatix.” He laughed, the first time he’d laughed properly in a while; as he did, he saw Cook bring some more water over, and he continued to mix it as she poured the liquid into the bowl.
“That’s enough, Ani. We need to let it cool. Why don’t you get changed and then go out into my special berry house and pick the berries you want?” Cook picked up the bowl and smiled at him.
“Really? Um… sure. Come on, Blellatix, let’s get some nice oran berries. I’m sure he will like those.” Anyonovix paused and turned to Cook. “Is it normal for a 17-year-old like me to like cooking and want to have friends?”
Cook opened the sizeable white freezer and tucked the bowl inside, but without skipping a beat, said, “Ani, you can do whatever you want. Everyone is different – but a lot of 17-year-olds have friends; why? Did Lord Ghetz say you weren’t allowed any?”
“Huh? No, Cook. It’s just… other than you, I don’t really have any friends here. I mean, I guess Lord Ghetz is my friend… okay, maybe not, but… I don’t know what to say to him.” Anyonovix fiddled with his fingers as he looked away.
“You’ll know when the time is right. Now, go get yourself cleaned up and pick some berries, okay?” Cook smiled at him one more time before turning back to the pile of meat that had been left on the side.
After cleaning himself up, Anyonovix headed out into the secret garden around the back of the citadel. He was convinced that even Lord Elite Ghetz didn’t know about this place, but then again, he knew everything. Picking up the woven basket, he walked through the garden and was surrounded by the smells of all the different kinds of berries. The spinarak hid beneath the bushes, but they weren’t aggressive at all. Instead, they were snacking on whatever berries had fallen to the ground.
The scent was particularly strong from a bush at the end of the garden, where the berries were slightly larger than what he expected. Anyo novix squeezed one of the berries gently, testing the smooth, blue-skinned oran berry’s ripeness.
“These ones…” he said, kneeling before an oran berry bush and picking fifty or so and tucking them into the small woven basket. “Er… Blella? Ariados…” he whispered to his shinx as the ariados approached him. Its red body shimmered, and it shook its purple and yellow striped legs.
The small shinx jumped out from behind Anyonovix and let out an intimidating roar, which sent the larger pokémon scurrying back under the grove of bushes. She bounced up and down on her soft blue paws, let out a trill of happiness, and grinned, showing her tiny fangs.
“Good girl.” Anyonovix bent down and petted her in between the ears. “You are a good shinx. Here.” He picked up one of the berries from the basket and offered it to her. His smile widened as she scoffed the berry down. “Come on, let’s get back inside.”
Anyonovix walked back into the kitchen, clutching his basket of berries. “Hey, Cook, I found some big oran berries.” He placed the basket on the counter and approached her steadily.
“Good, now let’s get the pastry out of the freezer and line the tin.” She opened the big white freezer, pulled out the pastry mix, and placed it on the counter beside the basket of berries. “Ani, can you wash the berries, please? Krisik is by the cupboard.”
“Yes, Cook!” Anyonovix shouted and jumped up. He picked up the basket and walked across the kitchen, glancing back at Cook, who was placing the pastry into the tin. After a few more steps, he reached the storage cupboard at the back, where a gastrodon was napping. “Oh, um, hey Krisik, would you mind washing these berries, please?” he asked.
The blue-topped gastrodon let out a loud snort and shook his brown underbody before yawning. His white oval eyes peered at the berries, and he opened his mouth. A small stream of water poured over the berries, drenching them.
“Thanks. Now, let’s finish that pie!” Anyonivix said. He rushed back over to Cook, careful not to trip on the tiles despite his haste. “Okay, and they now go into the tin.” With the last berry rolling out of the water-filled bowl and into the tin, he sighed. “I hope you like this and want to share it with me, Thomas.”
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