"Far?" Holding his leek, Farfetch'd curiously poked the pork in front of him. Watching it dent and spring back, he seemed to have found an entertaining new toy.
Heath swallowed. Earlier, Farfetch'd had triggered a long-term quest, and its first task was to teach Farfetch'd to make Jianbing Guozi. Heath's hands-on instruction had produced some results.
But after the first task was completed, the second had never appeared, making Heath wonder for a while whether his golden finger had broken.
Yet as he watched Farfetch'd, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him. Had Farfetch'd set his sights on the dish Heath was about to make?
If so, would that trigger that bizarre quest? If it did, Heath would have to seriously consider whether he might go bankrupt. After all, pork cost much more than vegetables.
Heath pushed his little food cart to his usual spot, his heart full of apprehension. Once he had set up his stall, he began preparing for the day's business.
Since there weren't many people around yet, Heath decided to first make the dish he had planned for today. With that in mind, he took out the pork, cut it into small chunks with his cleaver, and set it aside in a bowl.
Next, Heath took out his wok. This time, he planned to make Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu, a dish from his previous life.
That was why Heath had bought the pork. Once the wok was hot, he tipped in the chopped meat. There was no need to add oil, since the fat on the pork would serve that purpose.
Heath patiently stir-fried the small chunks of pork. Preparing Red-Braised Pork was simple: he only needed to fry the pork until it turned golden and was lightly cooked.
"Good thing this world has spices too." Heath poured the spices he had bought into a large pot, set the fried tofu aside for later, then tipped in the stir-fried pork.
After adding water, soy sauce, and other seasonings, Heath covered the pot and began cooking his Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu. He also put the rice on to cook.
"Far!" Farfetch'd hopped excitedly around Heath, waving his leek with enthusiasm. Heath was a little bewildered. Wasn't the Red-Braised Pork still a long way from being ready?
What was Farfetch'd so excited about? Surely the aroma hadn't come out yet?
[The second step for a Pokémon Chef: Train Farfetch'd to make a serving of Red-Braised Pork on his own, and you will receive a special reward.]
Seeing the familiar text box pop up, Heath couldn't help covering his face. Just as he had feared, Farfetch'd really had taken an interest in Red-Braised Pork, and the second task really was to make it.
"This is going to be the death of me." Heath looked at the excited Farfetch'd with a headache brewing. Letting Farfetch'd eat Red-Braised Pork was no problem, but teaching him to make it...
Remembering the results of Farfetch'd's efforts yesterday, Heath could practically see his precious money sprouting wings and happily flying out of his wallet.
"Heath, two Jianbing Guozi with eggs. Do you have leeks now?" Just as Heath was wondering how to recoup his losses, Mr. Yan Ning hurried over.
"Of course. Special leeks, ten extra per serving. Would you like them in both, Mr. Yan Ning?" A heartfelt smile instantly spread across Heath's face.
"Yes, two servings, with leeks and eggs." Mr. Yan Ning readily paid, then cupped his hands in front of his face and breathed warm air into them.
Heath deftly spread out the batter, then had Farfetch'd stand beside him and watch how he made it. Although Farfetch'd had learned to make Jianbing Guozi, his version still wasn't quite up to scratch.
"Today's the day people pick up their starter Pokémon, isn't it, Mr. Yan Ning?" Heath chatted with Mr. Yan Ning as he made the Jianbing Guozi.
Mr. Yan Ning worked for the League and handled all sorts of matters. Right now, however, he was dealing with starter Pokémon collection-in other words, distributing the starter trio.
Unlike the way Ash and his friends had set out on their journeys, many wealthy families chose to pay the League so their children could receive Pokémon raised by the League: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.
The starter trio wasn't cheap, though, so those who could afford them generally came from well-off families. Of course, the League also had some ordinary starter Pokémon available for families of more modest means.
Those included Raticate, Nidoran♀, and Pidgey. Growlithe, however, were essentially monopolized by the Jenny Family, making it difficult for other trainers to get one as their starter Pokémon.
"That's right. We've been getting ready since early this morning. Another group of trainers is about to set out on their journeys. It feels like watching your own children grow up," Mr. Yan Ning said with a chuckle.
"Last night, we reserved a few exceptionally well-raised Pokémon from Professor Oak. A few of Viridian City's wealthiest families have already claimed all of them." Mr. Yan Ning rubbed his hands together. The weather was a little cold today.
Heath nodded. Every year, when it was time to collect starter Pokémon, the Pokémon raised by Professor Oak were the most sought-after.
Professor Oak was an incredibly skilled trainer, and even after retiring from that role, he was excellent at raising Pokémon. The professor was part of the reason Ash could go out and catch so many Pokémon, call on them whenever he needed them, and have them all be so strong.
Good quality meant a high price, though. The starter trio raised by Professor Oak was not something an ordinary family could afford.
"Mr. Yan Ning, here's your Jianbing Guozi." Heath handed the finished Jianbing Guozi to Mr. Yan Ning, then took his money and gave him his change.
After watching Mr. Yan Ning leave, Heath tipped the fried tofu into the pot. Now he only had to wait for the Red-Braised Pork to slowly finish cooking.
Heath took a piece of cardboard out of his food cart, wrote [Today's new dish: Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu and rice / 25 League Coins per serving] on it, then hung it on his cart.
Heath wasn't sure whether people in this world would like this unusual dish, but he intended to give it a try. If it proved popular, he would be able to save money much faster.
As the sky brightened, Viridian City grew lively too. For now, though, most people were heading to work. Those taking their children to collect Pokémon were generally only just getting out of bed.
With the growing flow of people, Heath's stall became busy as well. Some asked about his new dish, but Heath regretfully told them it wasn't ready yet.
As time passed, the aroma of Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu slowly spread, making many of the people heading to work swallow hungrily.
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