Heath had wondered what his first Pokémon would be. A Growlithe? Or one of the starter Pokémon? Any of those would have been great, but Farfetch'd had never figured into his expectations.
Pushing his little cart, Heath headed home in high spirits, humming happily as he walked. With his Golden Finger, the future looked bright.
"Well, well~ If it isn't little Heath! Finished work for today?" A waft of perfume reached him, followed by a soft body hugging him from behind. Heath stiffened.
"Jana, aren't you working today?" Heath didn't even need to look to know who the woman behind him was.
"Hehe, of course not. It's my day off~" With a teasing laugh, a very pretty woman came around in front of Heath and smilingly pinched his cheek.
Heath sucked in a sharp breath. Every Officer Jenny was strong, and he felt as though he were facing a boxing champion in the eighty-five-kilogram weight class.
"Little Heath's back? I want dinner!" Another Officer Jenny in casual clothes came out, looking at Heath happily.
"I want egg fried rice!" More and more Officer Jennys gathered around Heath.
Heath scratched his head. The unluckiest part of his arrival in this world had been becoming an orphan whose parents had left him buried in debt. His greatest stroke of luck had been meeting this group of Officer Jennys.
"All right, stop teasing our little Heath. Welcome home, Heath." At the sound of that mature, composed voice, every Officer Jenny immediately stood straight, their posture impeccable.
"Sister Feng!" Heath happily watched the woman walk through the group toward him. She was also an Officer Jenny, though she looked a little more mature.
In his previous life, Heath hadn't really been able to tell the Officer Jennys or Nurse Joys apart. To him, every Officer Jenny looked almost identical, and so did every Nurse Joy. Now, though, he could easily tell these Officer Jennys apart.
After all, Heath had lived with them for four whole years, growing from a thirteen-year-old brat into a seventeen-year-old brat.
But with all the Officer Jennys around him staring at him eagerly, longing written across their faces, Heath couldn't bring himself to let them go hungry. That was probably something no chef could refuse.
So Heath soon headed to the kitchen in the Officer Jennys' quarters and busied himself preparing that evening's dinner.
Viridian City had a sizable population, and with so many people living close together, there were plenty of Officer Jennys here too. Heath was the only boy among this group of women. If this had been a harem anime, it would have been a wonderful setup.
Unfortunately, this was the Pokémon world. Besides the imposing Growlithe and Arcanine at their sides, these Officer Jennys had off-the-charts fighting abilities themselves. Heath had watched them spar more than once, and it had left him swallowing nervously.
Fortunately, Heath had still managed to win these tough women over, body and soul, through other means.
"Heath's cooking really is the best~" In the small dining room, Officer Jennys who looked almost identical ate the food Heath had made, bliss written all over their faces.
"So, have you paid off your parents' debts now?" Officer Jenny Feng, the Officer Jenny who had taken Heath in, looked at him with a smile, though her question was serious.
"Yes, they're all paid off. Then I bought a Poké Ball." Heath scratched his head sheepishly. Officer Jenny Feng was like an older sister to him. They weren't related by blood, but she was closer to him than a real sister.
"Oh? Are you planning to become a Trainer? Or will you take my advice and join our Police Department?" Officer Jenny Feng's eyes lit up as she questioned Heath delightedly.
Heath shoveled some fried rice from his plate into his mouth and chewed. Today's fried rice had turned out pretty well. The leek Farfetch'd had given him had noticeably improved its aroma.
Heath hesitated, then told her that he had caught a Farfetch'd. Officer Jenny Feng looked at him in surprise before solemnly explaining what made Farfetch'd special.
Although Farfetch'd had become protected Pokémon, their delicious meat and the seasoning they carried with them still made them targets for many Pokémon Hunters. If Heath took Farfetch'd traveling, he might well run into people with ill intentions.
Heath nodded. Naturally, he had considered that. Without his Golden Finger, he might have chosen another path, but having it changed everything.
There was just one thing puzzling Heath: why hadn't a text box appeared this time? He had received something after serving Farfetch'd before.
After dinner, Heath returned to the dorm with Sister Feng. He enthusiastically cleaned the place, even going next door to clean that dorm too, but still no text box appeared.
Heath felt a little lost. Farfetch'd had definitely been changed; there was no question about that. But what triggered the text boxes? He still didn't understand.
Following Sister Feng's instructions, Heath let Farfetch'd out that evening and groomed its feathers to strengthen the bond between Pokémon and Trainer. Farfetch'd behaved normally when it saw Officer Jenny Feng, as though it knew women dressed like her wouldn't hurt it.
Officer Jenny Feng watched Farfetch'd in amazement from the side. Seeing a protected animal in the flesh was quite rare. She also reported the matter to the League, whose staff came over late that night to register Heath's information.
Every captured Farfetch'd, being such a rare protected Pokémon, had to be registered, and the League would keep a constant eye on its condition.
After a busy evening, Heath woke naturally at five the next morning.
He quietly got dressed, gathered his things, and left the dorm, pushing his little cart toward the city center.
Running a breakfast stall had gotten Heath into the habit of waking at five every day, since he could only buy cheap ingredients by getting up that early. Fortunately, he still had quite a few ingredients left today, barely enough to last another day.
"Good morning, little Heath. You're out early as always." The voice was mature and composed, and Heath knew who it belonged to the moment he heard it.
"Director Giovanni, you're up early too. Would you like something to eat?" Heath turned to Giovanni, who was wearing a black suit, and asked with a smile.
Yes, Giovanni of the Earth of Viridian City-the League's Gym Leader and the boss of the sinister organization Team Rocket-was also one of Heath's customers.
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