Sabrina

[You served Mr. Fujiyama. You received a set of muscle-training equipment.]

Heath froze for a moment at the notification that suddenly popped up. What did it mean by a set of muscle-training equipment? And how was that supposed to appear on him?

While Heath was still puzzling over it, he suddenly felt his food cart shift. A bad feeling crept into his heart. He opened the cart and looked inside. Sure enough, a small toolbox had appeared in front of him.

"Can this thing really help build muscle?" Heath was deeply confused. The toolbox looked pretty small, but now wasn't the time to open it. He put it back, planning to examine it once he got home.

"Human, is this what you do every day?" Zorua, who was lying on Heath's shoulder, poked her head out to look at his food cart and asked curiously.

"Mm, sometimes I make other kinds of food, too. But once I've saved up money for a few more days, I'm planning to travel to other cities," Heath said softly. He didn't want to make himself look too strange.

Zorua shook her little head, then settled comfortably back onto Heath's shoulder. Heath felt four little paws fidgeting against him.

It seemed that although Zorua's illusions could change her appearance, they couldn't change her actual form. Anyone who touched her would be able to tell.

Heath glanced around. There was still a little while before the people of Viridian City got up for work, so he decided to feed his Pokémon first. Besides, he still hadn't used the Technical Machine he'd received for serving Zorua last time.

With that in mind, Heath began making Jianbing Guozi. He knew exactly how to prepare Farfetch'd's, but he'd have to think of something different for Zorua.

Zorua liked sweet-and-sour flavors, so after some thought, Heath decided to make her a sweet-and-sour Jianbing Guozi. It was simple enough: all he needed was ketchup.

"Farfetch'd, here's your Jianbing Guozi. Same as usual, with an extra egg." Heath handed the steaming Jianbing Guozi to Farfetch'd, then passed the other one, with ketchup added, to Zorua.

Zorua looked curiously at the Jianbing Guozi in Heath's hand, then glanced at Farfetch'd. Farfetch'd was already holding his own Jianbing Guozi and taking small bites with a blissful expression.

"What is this?" Zorua asked curiously. She felt that the trainer in front of her was full of secrets. She had never eaten any of the things he made before.

"Jianbing Guozi. It's breakfast. I'll make you lunch at noon." Heath yawned. He was making a Jianbing Guozi for himself, though his was smaller.

Perhaps it was because Heath was a chef, but he never really felt like eating after he finished cooking. Back when he was learning to cook, his teacher had told him it was because he'd spent too long breathing in cooking fumes.

Looking at the tangy-smelling Jianbing Guozi in her paws, Zorua couldn't resist taking a small bite. Then she narrowed her eyes in bliss, happiness written all over her face. That sweet-and-sour flavor was exactly to her taste.

Heath took the magnifying glass out of his pocket. After cooling down overnight, it should be ready to use, right? But recalling a few theories he had, he decided to use this chance on Zorua.

With that in mind, Heath raised the magnifying glass and aimed it at Zorua.

[Zorua: edible, non-toxic. The meat is sour and astringent with a musky odor and requires special preparation. Blanch twice in boiling water, then add various seasonings to mask the flavor.]

Heath was delighted. Just as he'd thought, this thing could see through Zorua's illusion. Then what about humans? What would happen if he used it on a person?

Heath was very curious, but he'd already used up the Ingredient Identifier's one daily use. He could only wait until tomorrow to try again.

Just as Heath was about to say something, he noticed someone approaching out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look. It was Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City whom Giovanni had introduced to him yesterday.

"Uh, Miss Sabrina, is there something I can help you with?" Heath gave Sabrina a puzzled look. She was supposed to be here to hand over duties with Giovanni, so why had she come to his stall?

Sabrina stood before Heath with her long, straight black hair, looking at him indifferently. He couldn't tell what emotions were hidden in those black eyes.

"..." Sabrina raised a hand and pointed at something posted on Heath's food cart. He leaned out curiously to take a look. It read: Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu and rice.

"You'd like this? You might have to wait a little. It's still cooking." Heath let out a sigh of relief. So she'd just come for a meal. That was fine, then.

Sabrina nodded and stood to one side. What made Heath feel terribly awkward, though, was that she kept staring at him. He couldn't help looking down at his trousers. He hadn't forgotten to zip up.

Although Heath found it very strange, Sabrina continued watching him like that. With nothing else he could do, he could only wait patiently for his Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu to heat through.

In the meantime, Heath also warned Zorua not to use Telepathy. Sabrina was an esper, after all, and a very powerful one at that. If Zorua actually spoke, who knew whether Sabrina would notice anything unusual about her?

As the sky gradually brightened, more customers arrived at Heath's stall. He busily handed out Jianbing Guozi one after another, accepting their money with a smile.

Only after Heath finished handling the morning rush did he realize that Sabrina was still standing nearby, watching him. He hurriedly lifted the pot lid and checked. It was ready.

"Miss Sabrina, here's your Red-Braised Pork with Fried Tofu and rice." Heath handed her the finished meal, eager to find out what he'd receive for serving her.

"..." Sabrina calmly reached out and took it. Heath had originally thought she would use her psychic powers.

But in the next instant, Heath's eyes widened in surprise. Sabrina had taken out a thick stack of League Coins, all in hundred-denomination bills. It looked like several thousand League Coins, and she handed the entire stack to him.

"...Teach me how to make Boss Giov-Mr. Giovanni happy." Sabrina looked at Heath and spoke calmly, her expression unchanged.

"Huh?"

Thanks to A Pair of Hands Can't Hold It for the tip of 500 Qidian Coins.

Thanks to Fanfic Fan LLLLL for the tip of 500 Qidian Coins.