"Heath, do you have that, uh... what was it, Jianbing Guozi? I'll take one." The bustling streets of Viridian City were already bathed in the evening sunlight, but Heath still cheerfully served the customer before him, even though he was about to close for the day.
"Yan Ning, were you working overtime again today?" Heath chatted with Yan Ning with a smile as he deftly spread batter across the griddle.
"Yeah, it's almost time for some rich kids to collect their starter Pokémon again, isn't it? I've been busy sorting all that out lately. I haven't even had time for dinner." Yan Ning rubbed his hands together and breathed into them.
Heath cast an envious glance at the Poké Balls on Yan Ning's belt. They were the most appealing thing about this world, but his eyes dimmed a little when he thought of his pitiful wallet.
"Here's your Jianbing Guozi, Yan Ning. Twelve League dollars!" Heath handed the piping-hot Jianbing Guozi to Yan Ning, then took the banknotes offered in return and carefully tucked them into his pocket.
Only after watching Yan Ning walk away, blowing on his Jianbing Guozi between bites, did Heath pack up his stall. It would be trouble if Officer Jenny caught him later.
Pushing his little food cart, Heath sighed as he watched people and Pokémon of all shapes and sizes pass along the roadside.
Heath had transmigrated from another world. Just like in those clichéd novels, he had woken up one morning to find himself in this strange world. The good news was that he had become younger, his body reverting to that of a thirteen-year-old. The bad news was that he was a penniless orphan.
His parents had died in a car accident and left him nothing except a substantial debt, forcing the young Heath to start working to repay what they owed.
Fortunately, Heath had been a fairly good chef in his previous life, so he had a way to support himself here. His tragic background and reasonably good looks had earned him the help of a kindhearted Officer Jenny.
After winning Officer Jenny Feng over with his Jianbing Guozi, Heath had opened a little stall selling it. Four years had passed since then.
"Counting what I earned today, I should have enough to pay off my parents' debt, with a hundred League dollars left over for the most basic Poké Ball." Heath looked at his empty wallet and sighed.
Heath wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer too. After all, now that he had come to the Pokémon world, who wouldn't want to live that kind of life?
But starter Pokémon easily cost thousands or even tens of thousands, far beyond what Heath could afford. With debt weighing him down as well, he could only bury that wish deep in his heart.
"Farfetch!" At the familiar cry, Heath instinctively raised his pan to shield the flatbreads and other ingredients on his food cart, then looked to the side.
A Farfetch'd holding a leek came into view, staring intently at him.
"Farfetch'd, are you trying to freeload again today?" Heath looked at the Farfetch'd before him, torn between laughter and exasperation.
Apart from making him more mature, Heath's greatest gain over those four years had been getting to know this Pokémon that came with its own seasoning: Farfetch'd.
Farfetch'd was a Pokémon whose plight could only be called tragic, even in the Pokémon world. Its meat was incredibly delicious, and the leek it carried was an excellent ingredient too. Paired with its meat, it made a truly exquisite delicacy, so Farfetch'd had once been eaten nearly to extinction.
Fortunately, the Indigo League had passed laws to protect Farfetch'd. Even so, encountering a wild one was still extremely difficult.
Over his four years running a food stall, Heath had gotten to know one such Farfetch'd. It was clever and perceptive, but terribly greedy. Fortunately, Heath had eventually found a way to communicate with it, and they now got along quite well.
"Far~fetch'd~" Farfetch'd happily waved its leek. This was a very secluded part of Viridian City, where usually only Officer Jenny passed by, so it wasn't worried about being spotted by anyone else.
"You've already freeloaded ten Jianbing Guozi off me. Every time, you promise you'll pay next time. Well, unless you give me your leek this time, don't even think about getting any food." Heath narrowed his eyes at Farfetch'd.
Not all Pokémon were sweet, innocent fools. The Farfetch'd before him was a crafty little thing that had even learned to freeload. Once, it had tried to fool Heath with an ordinary leek.
"Farfetch!" Farfetch'd gazed reluctantly at the leek in its wings. That leek was its treasure.
But faced with Heath's unfriendly stare, Farfetch'd glanced at the food cart in front of him and couldn't help swallowing. After tasting Heath's Jianbing Guozi once, it had discovered that it simply couldn't forget the flavor.
"Farfetch." Looking deeply aggrieved, Farfetch'd placed its leek on Heath's food cart, and Heath put it away with satisfaction.
The leek Farfetch'd carried was an outstanding ingredient. From Heath's perspective as a chef, it was unquestionably the sports car of leeks, superb in both flavor and quality.
With the leek secured, Heath set up his cart beside the road and began making the Jianbing Guozi Farfetch'd wanted.
Before long, Heath handed Farfetch'd a piping-hot Jianbing Guozi. It happily accepted it, blew on it with practiced ease, and then took a bite.
Resting his chin on his hand, Heath smiled as he watched Farfetch'd wag its tail happily back and forth. This Farfetch'd really was unusual; it even wagged its tail like a dog.
"Pokémon really are wonderful." Heath touched his wallet. Being free of debt felt incredibly good, and it seemed he could finally unearth the dream he had buried in his heart.
Then Heath suddenly paused. There were three ways to obtain a starter Pokémon: buy one from the League, receive one as a gift, or acquire one himself.
Buying one was out of the question for Heath. It was too expensive. As for receiving one as a gift...
Heath didn't think anyone would be that generous. So what about acquiring one himself?
"Farfetch'd, do you want to become my Pokémon?" Heath asked cautiously, looking at the Farfetch'd before him.
"?" Farfetch'd turned its head in confusion, a trace of bewilderment in its eyes.
"Would you be willing to become my Pokémon?" Heath asked again.
Farfetch'd hesitated, then shook its head.
"All the Jianbing Guozi you can eat! And I've got plenty of other delicious dishes I haven't brought out yet!" Heath sweetened the offer.
Farfetch'd froze for a moment, then slapped a wing onto Heath's hand and nodded solemnly.
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