"You still can't show up looking like that. You'd be the most eye-catching star in all of Viridian City." Heath looked at Zorua. Frankly, Zorua wasn't a Pokémon native to Kanto, and a Pokémon from another region would easily attract other Trainers' attention.
"Hmm, then I'll look like this." Zorua gave it some serious thought, then abruptly shimmered, and a Caterpie appeared where she had been. She then hopped onto Heath's shoulder and settled comfortably there.
Heath glanced at the Zorua on his shoulder. He remembered that she weighed a fair bit, yet he barely felt anything. He figured it might have something to do with the physiques of people in the Pokémon world. After all, didn't Ash, that superhuman kid from Pallet Town, often pick up Pokémon weighing dozens of kilograms and play with them?
Still, Heath was quite pleased with Zorua's transformation. At least she didn't look so conspicuous now. At most, she made Heath look like a Bug Catcher.
And Bug Catchers were probably the most common Pokémon Trainers in all of Kanto. Bug-type Pokémon evolved quickly and could become battle-ready with little effort. Of course, the most important factor was the cost: wherever there was a forest, there were Bug-type Pokémon, and they weren't particularly difficult to catch.
Heath had once considered catching a Bug-type Pokémon himself to fulfill his dream of becoming a Trainer, but with his debts back then, he hadn't had much time to think about it.
"Hey! Heath! You're up early again today!" After Heath bought the ingredients he needed at the market and pushed his cart to his usual spot, he saw two figures running over from the distance. The taller one greeted him enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Mr. Fujiyama. Up for your workout again today?" Heath smiled at Mr. Fujiyama. Although it was still dark out, Mr. Fujiyama had already begun his daily exercise routine.
Mr. Fujiyama was the chairman of a small association in Viridian City. Unlike large organizations such as the Cute Pokémon Association, his association had very few members. After all, not everyone could handle his membership requirements.
"Of course! Life is all about movement and exercise. If you weren't so busy running your business, Heath, I'd drag you into joining us." Mr. Fujiyama stood in front of Heath with a hearty smile. The warm yellow glow of the streetlamp shone on his ridiculously muscular body. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought a Machoke was standing before them.
There was, however, an actual Machamp standing beside Mr. Fujiyama, one with absurdly developed pectoral muscles. Looking at all that bulging muscle, Heath figured she could easily deliver a punch with hundreds of kilograms of force. And this Machamp was female.
When Heath first learned that Mr. Fujiyama's Machamp was female, he had been stunned. He couldn't see any difference that indicated her sex, but Mr. Fujiyama was absolutely certain, so Heath could only accept it.
"Please don't, Mr. Fujiyama. You know I'm not interested in working out. Will you be having the usual today?" Heath hurriedly waved his hands at Mr. Fujiyama. He couldn't endure the man's torture.
The association Mr. Fujiyama had founded was the Muscle Association, and its sole guiding principle was [Life lies in movement; muscles make people strong and magnificent]. His membership requirements were to get up at five every morning and exercise until seven, then work out again at noon and in the evening, for a total of six hours a day.
It was precisely because of Mr. Fujiyama's almost punishing exercise requirements that his Muscle Association still had only four members.
"Yep, the usual! Sorry for the trouble!" Mr. Fujiyama spoke with tremendous vigor, then picked up a stone block from nearby and began doing weighted squats.
"Oh my god, are you sure this guy is human? Are you sure he isn't a transformed Machamp? What kind of strength is that?!" Zorua stared at Mr. Fujiyama in shock. That stone block looked like it weighed dozens of kilograms, maybe even a hundred!
Heath nodded. He had been amazed the first time he saw it too, but after trying to lift it himself later, he had found it didn't seem quite so astonishing.
"Is it that scary? I think that stone's pretty light." Heath gave the Zorua on his shoulder a puzzled look. He had tried lifting that stone himself, and it really was light.
Zorua gave her Trainer a strange look. She suddenly remembered Heath knocking her on the head the night before. He really had hit quite hard.
Heath didn't notice his Pokémon's look. He was focused on preparing breakfast. Mr. Fujiyama's breakfast was very unusual-or, more accurately, very large. Every time, he ordered three Jianbing Guozi with five eggs each, followed by a large piece of seared chicken breast and a vegetable salad.
Heath figured that, for him, this would probably be an entire day's worth of food. But for Mr. Fujiyama, it was only one meal. Heath felt he might have discovered the main reason Mr. Fujiyama could be so muscular.
Meanwhile, Farfetch'd was helping Heath cut the chicken breasts. Following Heath's instructions, Farfetch'd had to use his leek to slice them into strips, making them easier for Heath to prepare.
After spending this time together, Heath had become fairly familiar with Farfetch'd's knife skills. They were excellent; he could even make Wensi Tofu. There was one problem, though: anything Farfetch'd cut with his leek tended to pick up an onion flavor, so Heath had to be careful about the ingredients and cooking methods he used.
"Mr. Fujiyama, your breakfast is ready." Heath wiped the sweat from his forehead. Serving Mr. Fujiyama first thing in the morning really was a pleasure and a pain.
"All right! Thanks, Heath. Your breakfasts really are the source of life." Mr. Fujiyama dropped the stone block onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, then took the bag Heath handed him.
He then handed Heath one hundred League Coins. That was what Mr. Fujiyama spent on a single breakfast. Unless Heath raised his prices, a meal here always cost him a hundred.
Heath accepted the money with a broad smile. Although he had already paid off his debts, the sight of lovely cash still lifted his spirits.
"What a beautiful day." Heath stretched, already looking forward to today's customers.
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