Heath sat on his bed, looking at the Zorua beside him, feeling rather speechless. He knew the little girl was an illusion Zorua had created, but knowing was one thing. She looked so real that he couldn't sleep at all.
As for Heath's request that she return to her original form, Zorua acted as though she hadn't heard him. She even deliberately pretended to be fast asleep, giving Heath a headache.
"Ah, Farfetch'd, sorry for the trouble." Heath sighed, then stroked Farfetch'd's head. Compared with Zorua, Farfetch'd was practically the best Pokémon in the world: well-behaved, considerate, and no trouble at all.
Farfetch'd patted his chest, then picked up his leek, intending to knock Zorua out with it and drag her off the bed. Before he could swing it down, however, Zorua leaped off the bed and stared at Heath with resentment and disbelief.
"How strange. Such a cute little girl was lying on your bed, and you actually thought about knocking me out." Zorua returned to her original form, looked around, then jumped onto Heath's desk and glared at him.
Heath rolled his eyes. He didn't want to spend every day pondering legal questions involving Zhang San, the notorious outlaw, such as offenses carrying a minimum of three years and a maximum of the death penalty, or how many years Zhang San would get for having relations with a fox.
"Get some sleep. We have to get up and open the stall tomorrow." Heath yawned, then climbed into bed and turned off the light.
"Hey! Wait! What do you mean, get up early and open the stall? Aren't you a Trainer? Aren't you supposed to take me to fancy restaurants and then travel with me?" Zorua abruptly sat up and asked in disbelief.
Heath pulled the covers over his head. He suddenly felt a little regretful. How adorable Farfetch'd was, unable to speak human language or use Telepathy. At least Heath couldn't hear his complaints.
"Huh? You mean this person gets up really early every day to sell breakfast?" Just as Heath's head was starting to ache, he heard Zorua's voice. Puzzled, he poked his head out for a look. Farfetch'd was sitting on a chair, chatting with Zorua.
"You actually want to be a chef, too? Your Trainer cooks every day and doesn't look like a Trainer at all?" "Far!" Between Farfetch'd's cries and the telepathic voice in his head, Heath covered his ears in despair.
He regretted it so much right then. If he'd known, he never would have brought Zorua home. This little creature was far too much of a chatterbox.
When Heath got up the next morning, he felt the rare urge to stay in bed. After all, he'd gone to sleep very late the night before. He normally went to sleep at ten thirty, but because Farfetch'd and Zorua had chatted so enthusiastically, his bedtime had kept getting pushed back. In the end, he hadn't managed to fall asleep until after one in the morning.
"You two..." Heath yawned as he looked at Zorua, sleeping soundly inside the wardrobe, and Farfetch'd, asleep against the wardrobe door beside her. He felt his anger gauge shoot through the roof.
"Get up!" Heath shouted at the top of his lungs.
Farfetch'd jolted awake and nearly tumbled to the floor while leaning on his leek. Zorua's fur instantly bristled, and she transformed into a Cofagrigus, glaring fiercely at Heath.
"Get up, wash up, then open the stall." Expressionless, Heath rapped both Zorua and Farfetch'd on the head with his fist, then got dressed and walked out.
"Does he wake us up like this every morning?" Zorua rubbed her head. It really hurt. This guy was far too strong.
"Far..." Farfetch'd rubbed his eyes wearily, then followed Heath.
In the past, Heath had never wondered whether Pokémon in the Pokémon world used the toilet, whether they had urgent bodily needs, or what their daily lives were like. Now, though, he knew.
Heath wasn't sure what other Pokémon were like, but he'd always held Farfetch'd to human standards. Now he had to add Zorua to that list.
Heath took a new toothbrush out of Sister Feng's cupboard, then stole a glance at Officer Jenny Feng's bedroom door. Everything was quiet, without the slightest sound. He let out a sigh of relief. He'd been afraid he'd accidentally woken Sister Feng. She was terrifying when she woke up cranky, but fortunately, her room was well soundproofed.
Then Heath walked out with the toothbrush and toothpaste and handed them to Zorua, who was curiously inspecting her surroundings.
"Brush your teeth, wash your face, and if you need the toilet, hurry up and go." After handing over the toothbrush and toothpaste, Heath took out his own and started brushing his teeth.
Beside him, Farfetch'd was also diligently holding his toothbrush and toothpaste, brushing his teeth with complete seriousness. Only Zorua stared at Heath and Farfetch'd in confusion. She'd never heard that becoming a Trainer's partner meant going through something like this.
Still, seeing how seriously Farfetch'd took it, Zorua curiously picked up the toothbrush and toothpaste and began brushing her teeth for the first time in her life as a Pokémon.
Heath glanced at Zorua. She had already transformed into a little girl and was earnestly brushing her teeth with the toothbrush and toothpaste. She looked quite cute. Heath smiled and left her to it.
Once their morning wash-up was finished, Heath put away the toothbrushes and toothpaste and began organizing his little pushcart. Farfetch'd ran off to use the toilet, while Zorua also slipped into the bathroom under the pretext of taking a look inside.
Yes, Pokémon still needed to use the toilet. After all, they were living creatures, with all the usual bodily functions. Heath wasn't particularly surprised. Back when Officer Jenny Feng had first brought him home, he'd wondered why Growlithe pooped, earning a sigh from Officer Jenny Feng and a look from Growlithe full of sympathy for the mentally challenged.
By the time Farfetch'd and Zorua had taken care of their personal Pokémon hygiene, Heath had finished preparing the cart. With the two of them in tow, he set off for another day of running his stall.
"Farfetch'd can go into a Poké Ball, but what about you?" Heath glanced at Zorua. She had now taken the form of a little girl and was following close behind him.
"Hmph, I'm not going into a Poké Ball." Zorua huffed, then turned her head away and pouted, looking thoroughly indignant.
Heath rubbed his face. Who would have thought little Zorua had a bit of a tsundere streak?
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