Heath stared blankly at Sabrina. For some reason, he seemed to see an emotion called jealousy in her eyes at that moment, and the discovery left him feeling rather strange.
"What did you say, Miss Sabrina?" Heath wondered if he had been hearing things because he hadn't slept well the night before. After all, didn't people say that an irregular sleep schedule was bad for your health, and that staying up late increased the risk of sudden death?
"You. Teach me how to make Mr. Giovanni happy." Sabrina calmly repeated herself. This time, Heath heard her perfectly clearly. He hadn't misheard, and he definitely wasn't hearing things.
But that only made Heath's expression even stranger. He couldn't understand why Sabrina had come to him to learn how to make Mr. Giovanni happy. Was it because the food he'd made for Mr. Giovanni yesterday had cheered him up?
Heath suddenly remembered the rumors that Sabrina had special feelings for Giovanni. Coupled with her coming here specifically to learn how to make Giovanni happy, Heath realized he might have stumbled upon quite a little secret.
"Well... Miss Sabrina, have you ever heard a certain saying?" Heath put on an incredibly bright, enthusiastic smile. If Ms. Lori had seen it, she would definitely have warily put her Gengar away.
That was the expression Heath wore every time he cheerfully laid a trap for Gengar. Yet every time, Gengar willingly buried itself in that trap, even piling on a little extra dirt.
Sabrina tilted her head slightly as she looked at Heath, seemingly not understanding what he meant at all.
"The saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Heath spoke with an air of mystery. Sabrina froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up. She happily nodded at Heath, handed him all the money she was holding, then took her food and turned to leave.
Heath watched in bewilderment. What was going on? He hadn't even said the rest yet, so why had Sabrina run off looking so happy?
It was as absurd as a confused young man climbing a mountain to seek a master's guidance, only for the master to accidentally overfill his teacup and the young man to shout, "I've attained enlightenment!" before running back down the mountain.
Heath scratched his head. Although he had no idea what Sabrina had figured out, at least she had finally stopped staring at him. He felt a little more at ease, too. Being watched by someone with psychic powers really was a troubling experience.
"That person just now had psychic powers. She was really strong." Zorua clung to Heath's shoulder with its paws and spoke with a wary expression.
"Good thing you knew. I was worried you wouldn't realize and would give yourself away by talking." Heath let out a relieved breath. Sabrina had appeared so suddenly that he hadn't had time to warn Zorua not to use Telepathy. Fortunately, Zorua was clever enough that it hadn't become an issue.
[You served Sabrina and received Persuasion Gum (two pieces).] [Persuasion Gum: After chewing it, your words will have a high chance of convincing the listener.]
Heath's expression turned odd. What was this supposed to mean? Had his golden finger noticed his desire to make money off Sabrina and deliberately given him some Persuasion Gum as encouragement?
Still, Heath put the two pieces of gum away. Their effect was simply too powerful. Although they didn't guarantee trust, if that high chance triggered, this would be a miraculous item capable of changing an entire world.
"By that count, I've saved up nearly ten thousand League Coins now." Heath looked at the League Coins in his hand and broke into a bright smile.
Sabrina truly lived up to her position as Saffron City's Gym Leader. She had handed over more than eight thousand League Coins. Combined with the money Heath had earned from Mr. Giovanni and his other customers, he finally got a taste of what it felt like to be rolling in money.
"Far~" Farfetch'd happily hopped around beside Heath, waving its leek back and forth as though it were performing some mysterious ritual.
"What's gotten into Farfetch'd?" Heath looked questioningly at Zorua. He couldn't understand Farfetch'd's cries, but he could try asking Zorua.
"Farfetch'd says it finally has enough money to buy a duck. Wait, you actually pay money to buy Farfetch'd?" Zorua's gaze turned strange, as though it were looking at a scumbag. Heath rolled his eyes.
Heath then explained to Zorua what Beijing Roast Duck was. He would have been better off saying nothing, because once he explained it, Zorua started drooling too.
"Hmph, foolish human. Your roast duck surely can't be all that tasty. But if you use your finest techniques to make me a serving of the World's Best Roast Duck, I suppose I could reluctantly agree to try it." Looking at Zorua, which had turned its head away with an unwilling expression, Heath took a deep breath.
This little rascal was really something else.
"Meow~" Just as Heath was about to discuss with Zorua whether being a tsundere was really a good idea, he heard Meowth's cry behind him.
Heath turned to look. The stray Meowth that lived in Viridian City was watching him warily-or, more precisely, watching the Caterpie on his shoulder. Meowth seemed to be judging whether Caterpie was a bad guy.
"Meowth, this is my Pokémon. Have you all come for a meal today, too?" Heath reached out and rubbed Meowth's head. Meowth contentedly narrowed its eyes, then cast another wary look at Caterpie.
Heath didn't know whether to laugh or cry. These little ones really were vigilant. He figured that vigilance was probably what allowed Meowth and the others to survive in Viridian City.
Heath rummaged through the food left over from yesterday. It was the Beijing Roast Duck Farfetch'd had made. Even with Heath and Sister Feng eating their fill, they hadn't been able to finish two whole ducks, so Heath had brought the leftovers along to give these little ones a good meal.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to be so caring. Doesn't anyone call you a bleeding heart for doing this, though?" Zorua lay on Heath's shoulder, teasing him as it watched the stray Pokémon eating in front of them.
"So what if they do? You sure know a lot, though." Heath glanced at Zorua. Some expressions in this world had developed much as they had in his previous life, and they appeared frequently in novels.
"That's just the kind of person I am." Heath smiled as he watched Meowth, Ekans, and Rattata crouching before him, gobbling down duck meat. He didn't think there was anything wrong with being that way.
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