Oran Berry

Still, the combination of psychic powers and the name Viridian sounded vaguely familiar to Heath. Could eating an Evergreen Fruit grant him the Viridian Force?

The thought made Heath a little excited. This was the Viridian Force! In the world of Pokémon, Aura, psychic powers, and the Viridian Force were all extraordinary abilities that only a handful of people possessed.

But after questioning Officer Jenny Aya in detail, Heath concluded that getting his hands on this Evergreen Fruit was practically impossible. It had only ever existed in storybooks.

"I got absolutely nowhere. Completing the Viridian City quest feels impossible." Heath yawned as he sat on his little stool, basking in the sun.

The warm sunshine left Heath feeling utterly lethargic, while Farfetch'd stood beside him, leaning on its leek and dozing.

Heath had originally intended to put Farfetch'd back in its Poké Ball, but it had stubbornly insisted on sunbathing. Left with no choice, he had let it stay beside him in the sun.

Just as Heath was starting to nod off, he heard Meowth's cry.

"Mmm~ That feels good. What's up, Meowth?" Heath stretched and gave a contented yawn, then looked curiously at Meowth, whose head had poked out of the bushes.

Pokémon without trainers weren't allowed in human society. This was a protective measure imposed by the League: any that were discovered would be taken away, cared for and nurtured for a while, then either released back into the wild or assigned to another trainer.

But Meowth, Raticate, and Ekans clearly had no intention of going through that, so they lived very cautiously every day.

"Meow~" Meowth happily pushed a blue fruit into Heath's hand. Puzzled, Heath picked it up and examined it. It seemed to be an Oran Berry.

Oran Berries were a kind of Berry that only Pokémon could eat. Some Berries had miraculous effects, and Oran Berries apparently healed Pokémon's injuries, though their healing power was limited.

"Is this for me?" Heath was a little surprised. Berries like these were rare treasures for stray Pokémon.

After all, wild fruit trees were generally claimed by other Pokémon, and stealing their Berries was difficult. Companies that grew Berries wouldn't let other Pokémon get their paws on them either.

So Heath had genuinely never expected Meowth and the others to bring him a Berry.

"Meow~ Meow, meow~" Meowth nodded happily, then noticed a passerby and immediately pulled its head back into the bushes.

Watching the bushes rustle, Heath put away the Oran Berry, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Still, he felt a surge of joy. He had never expected anything in return for helping Meowth and the others, so this gift left him both touched and amused.

"Oh, you little guys..." Heath stroked the Oran Berry in his hand. The fruit wasn't much use to him, so he could only put it away for now.

Looking at the Oran Berry in its box, Heath fell into thought. Could Berries, which were food for Pokémon, be used in cooking? But what did an Oran Berry taste like? What sort of dish would suit it?

Heath felt that was a question worth exploring.

"Should I go watch some trainers battle?" Heath yawned. He knew very few customers would come to buy food between now and five in the afternoon, so this was his daily time to unwind.

Heath relaxed by watching television or Pokémon battles, with Pokémon battles being his preferred entertainment.

With that in mind, Heath pushed his little cart toward Viridian City's Battle Hall. Most cities had a place built for trainers to battle.

For towns, however, that depended on their size and the number of trainers living there.

Viridian City's Battle Hall stood beside the Gym. Presumably, this allowed trainers to head straight to the Gym after warming up, while they were still in good battling form.

"Farfetch'd, let's go." Heath patted Farfetch'd on the head. It opened its eyes and looked at him in confusion, taking a moment to fully wake up.

Heath deftly prepared a serving of Egg Fried Rice and handed it to the older security guard at the Battle Hall. The guard accepted it with a broad smile, then helped Heath push his cart to one side.

The guard would keep the cart safe, and in return for watching it, Heath paid him with a bowl of Egg Fried Rice-a fair exchange that benefited them both.

Once Heath entered the Battle Hall, he saw several pairs of trainers battling. Most were using Pokémon such as Oddish and Ekans.

The one who drew the most attention, however, was a beautiful blonde girl in a lovely dress at the center of the hall, smiling as she battled her opponent.

The blonde girl had sent out an Electivire, while its opponent was a Squirtle. The outcome should have been a foregone conclusion, yet under the girl's direction, Electivire looked as though it was about to lose.

"That little girl..." Heath looked curiously at the girl commanding Squirtle. She was none other than the little girl he had seen that morning.

Although she wasn't wearing a white dress, she looked exactly like the little girl he had seen in Viridian Forest the day before.

Heath took his usual place beside the battlefield and watched the match. Electivire was throwing it so blatantly that it might as well have been handing over the entire Pacific Ocean. Despite being an Electric-type Pokémon, it was getting thrashed by Squirtle, letting out an occasional agonized cry to make it obvious that it was on the verge of losing.

Heath felt like laughing. This Electivire was quite the actor. The little girl clearly hadn't realized the truth and was happily directing her Squirtle to press its advantage.

Amid the spectators' laughter, Electivire took a Bubble attack, let out a miserable cry, and collapsed to the ground.

"Oh my, Alice, you're amazing! You've really got a talent for being a trainer." The battle ended, and Heath learned the little girl's name: Alice.

Heath scratched his head. It was a shame he couldn't play the piano. Otherwise, perhaps he could have gone up and performed "To Alice" to astonish the little girl. Wasn't that how it always went in novels, anyway?