Heath looked at the little girl in front of him and couldn't help swallowing. He used to boast that if a female ghost dared show up, he'd dare put her on maternity leave. But now that he'd actually encountered one...
Heath admitted he was a little scared. Still, he took several deep breaths, then eyed the little girl warily and asked a question.
"Who are you?" Heath looked at the little girl before him. She probably wasn't a ghost. After all, the Pokémon world only had Ghost Pokémon. As for actual ghosts...
He remembered seeing something that looked like a ghost in the Pokémon anime, only for it to turn out to be a transformed Gastly. He had no idea why a Pokémon like Gastly possessed such a peculiar ability.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" The little girl hugged her tattered teddy bear and tilted her head as she asked Heath.
Heath frowned. Something about this little girl felt strange, and the thick fog around them only intensified that feeling. The last time something had appeared in fog this dense was in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Just as Heath was about to say something, the Girl in White vanished like a gust of wind. The thick fog disappeared with her, and Viridian Forest appeared before Heath once more.
Completely baffled, Heath walked over to where the little girl had just stood. He found nothing useful, but he had definitely witnessed that scene with his own eyes.
"Heath!" Just as Heath was about to investigate what exactly that Girl in White had been, he heard a voice brimming with anger.
Heath shuddered, trembling all over, then shakily turned around. Officer Jenny Feng stood there holding a whip, smiling at him.
"S-Sister Feng..." Heath looked awkwardly at Sister Feng. At that moment, he had already decided what his epitaph should say after he died.
"Heath, I remember telling you not to come to Viridian Forest, didn't I?" Officer Jenny Feng smiled as she gripped the whip, the veins on the back of her hand visibly bulging.
Heath hurriedly shot a pleading look at the Arcanine standing beside Officer Jenny Feng. As the saying went, raise a dog for a thousand days, call on it for one crucial moment.
Wasn't this precisely why Heath had made Arcanine so much delicious food?
The Arcanine beside Officer Jenny Feng shook its head mournfully, seemingly sighing. Then, unable to bear watching, Arcanine lay on the ground and covered its eyes with both paws.
Heath's mouth twitched. That traitor! All that food I made really did go to the dogs! At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tie Arcanine up and roast it.
"Heath!" The veins on Officer Jenny Feng's face were practically ready to burst.
"I was wrong!" Heath jolted. If he didn't answer now, Sister Feng would probably explode.
Even after Heath agreed to all sorts of unfair terms, the furious Officer Jenny Feng still gave him a thorough beating. By the time he returned to the dormitory, he was limping.
"Oh my, little Heath, what happened? Did you finally become a man today~?" An Officer Jenny who had finished her shift and changed into casual clothes sidled up to him, speaking with a mischievous grin.
Heath rolled his eyes. Weren't Officer Jennys supposed to be serious and cute? Why did the ones he knew crack dirty jokes?! They turned into seasoned innuendo experts in an instant, making his scalp prickle.
After enduring the Officer Jennys' teasing the whole way, Heath felt he was on the verge of grasping the true meaning of Buddhism and becoming an enlightened monk. Just then, he finally reached his room.
"Sister Feng, are there ghosts in this world?" Heath cautiously asked Officer Jenny Feng, whose expression had softened considerably.
He had been in this world for so long that, apart from a few main plotlines and the Pokémon themselves, he could barely remember the anime's story. Still, he vaguely recalled watching episodes that seemed to feature real ghosts.
Not Ghost Pokémon, but actual ghosts formed from human souls.
"Hmm? Why are you asking that? How could ghosts exist? Our Jenny Family has never encountered any reports of ghosts, whether in Kanto or other regions." Officer Jenny Feng shot Heath an irritated look, then took her clothes into the bathroom to shower.
Heath rubbed his chin. If that little girl wasn't a ghost, did that mean she was some kind of Pokémon?
A Pokémon that could talk would be quite something.
With that curiosity lingering in his mind, Heath tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling into a deep sleep. He had a feeling he might cross paths with that little girl again.
The next morning, Heath climbed out of bed before dawn, then tiptoed out of the dormitory. Officer Jenny Feng was still asleep, and he didn't want to disturb her.
Pushing his little food cart, Heath headed toward Viridian City's market. Although dawn had yet to break and the streetlights were still on, the market was already bustling with people.
"Hey, little Heath, here to buy ingredients again today?" As soon as he entered the market, Heath spotted the fishmonger by the entrance, whom he called Uncle Nord.
Heath greeted Uncle Nord warmly and glanced at the fish tanks in front of him. He recognized most of the fish.
Ordinary animals did exist in the Pokémon world, though they were generally rather scarce, and many were farm-raised. Some Pokémon also formed mutually beneficial relationships with wild animals.
Uncle Nord sold common fish such as grass carp and common carp, as well as seafood like grouper and tuna meat.
Heath quite enjoyed browsing the market. Markets in the Pokémon world weren't like those on Earth. They offered a wider variety, and he sometimes spotted unfamiliar vegetables and fruits. Still, there was a huge price difference between ordinary fruit and Berries.
The price of a single Berry could buy a lot of fruit. It seemed that anything related to Pokémon was expensive.
That was probably another reason being a Trainer was difficult. Fortunately, Farfetch'd wasn't a picky eater, which saved Heath quite a bit of money.
Heath visited the few shops where he regularly bought ingredients, replenished what he was missing at very low prices, and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, however, Heath looked toward the butcher's stall. There was an excellent-looking piece of pork there, and he wanted to use it to make a dish he had particularly loved in his old life. Unfortunately, meat cost much more than vegetables and eggs.
Luckily, Heath had already paid off his debts, so he could grit his teeth and buy the pork now.
"Far?" Only after leaving the market did Heath let Farfetch'd out. The moment Farfetch'd emerged, the pork in front of Heath caught its intense interest.
Heath suddenly had a bad feeling.
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