Brock was asking for trouble

Heath made almost every cup of soy milk fresh. For one thing, it let customers watch the process; for another, freshly made soy milk tended to taste richer. Of course, he also had to add a little white sugar for flavor.

As Heath prepared the soy milk, he listened to Giovanni and Brock chat. Giovanni did most of the talking, while Brock listened attentively. Brock also took the opportunity to ask for advice on being a Gym Leader, and Giovanni readily shared his experience. Heath found the whole thing a little strange.

"Mr. Giovanni, Team Rocket really is despicable, don't you think? Even Viridian City, which had always been so peaceful, was attacked by Team Rocket this time!" Hearing Brock's indignant words, Heath nearly spilled the soy milk on the floor.

This was like standing in a temple and cursing a god right to his face. Heath silently gave Brock a thumbs-up in his mind. The guy really was a brave soul.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Giovanni asked, watching Brock with interest. There was no hint of displeasure in his voice.

"Look, Team Rocket is a bunch of crooks who commit every crime imaginable. All they do is cause trouble, steal other people's Pokémon, and go around destroying things. Their boss must be a rotten scumbag through and through!" Brock was still going! He was still going! And now he was asking for even more trouble!

Heath poured the soy milk into a cup, added a little white sugar, then turned around and set it on the table along with the steamed buns.

He figured Giovanni had probably already put Brock on his blacklist and was just waiting for the right day to finish him off.

But to Heath's surprise, Giovanni showed no sign of anger. Instead, he laughed happily, patting Brock on the shoulder as he joined in condemning Team Rocket's boss as a thoroughly bad person.

That surprised Heath a little. He hadn't expected Mr. Giovanni to take it so well. Still, thinking it over, the Giovanni he knew really was a very charismatic person, and he wasn't the sort to hold a grudge over every little slight.

"Mr. Giovanni, your buns and soy milk are ready." Heath handed them over to Giovanni. Looking at Brock, who was still grinning and completely unaware that he had just danced on his own grave, Heath suddenly felt that being a little clueless had its perks.

"Thanks, Heath. By the way, could you get me some more buns and soy milk? I'd like to take them back to share with the trainers at my Gym." Giovanni took a bite of a bun, a look of enjoyment spreading across his face, then asked his question.

Heath nodded. That was no problem, though Giovanni's purchase would clean out all the buns Heath had made for today's trial run. He still had supplies for soy milk, at least, since soybeans kept pretty well.

Even if the soybeans sprouted while soaking, that was fine. He could use them as bean sprouts.

"Mr. Giovanni really is such a good person," Brock remarked as he ate his Egg Fried Rice with a spoon.

Heath gave Brock a strange look. He was growing more and more curious about the expression Brock would make when he eventually learned Giovanni's true identity. Still, on reflection, Brock's reaction wasn't surprising.

After all, if Heath hadn't come from another world and watched the anime and played the games, he would never have imagined that this kind, gentle man, Giovanni, was secretly the boss of Team Rocket.

Simply put, it was all down to knowing the whole story.

"Then why not learn from Mr. Giovanni and become a Gym Leader like him someday?" Heath thought about Brock's strength. Brock had always seemed a little weak. Rock-types had too many weaknesses and were easily countered.

No wonder the League would classify Brock's Rock-type Gym as beginner-friendly after he took over as Gym Leader.

Gyms in the Pokémon world were interesting. Though there was no fixed order in which to challenge them, the League ranked them by difficulty and recommended that trainers start with Gyms suited to their level.

When Heath had read the Quartz Daily earlier, he had noticed that Cerulean City's Gym was ranked as the most suitable for beginners that year. Thinking about it now, this was probably around the time Misty became its Gym Leader.

"Well, actually, Heath, even though I haven't become a Gym Leader yet, I already think it sounds boring. If Dad didn't have such high hopes for me, and hadn't given me a Pokémon, I wouldn't want to do it." Brock looked conflicted. He sighed, speaking with a dejected expression.

Heath wasn't surprised. After all, this guy would eventually run off with Ash and spend years traveling with him.

And thinking of Ash made Heath's expression even stranger. Ash really was something else: a ten-year-old trainer with twenty years of experience. It was ridiculous.

When he first arrived in this world, Heath had briefly wondered whether one year in the Pokémon world lasted as long as twenty years on Earth. Fortunately, he later discovered that wasn't the case.

"How should I put it? Everyone has things they like doing and things they don't. Take me, for example. I really like cooking." Heath took down the soy milk maker. He needed to clean it.

"Other people might not think much of being a cook, but I really like this job. Being able to do what you love is happiness in itself." Heath had no intention of trying to persuade Brock. He knew perfectly well that the decision always belonged to the person involved, not an onlooker like him.

Seeing Brock's conflicted expression, Heath decided to change the subject. In any case, Brock would eventually give up his position as Pewter City's Gym Leader after Ash came to challenge him.

"By the way, Brock, what Pokémon did your dad give you? Does it listen to your commands?" Heath asked curiously.

"Hehe, I bet you won't recognize it." Brock sounded supremely confident, wearing a mysterious, sleazy grin.

Heath glanced at him. Was this guy challenging his pride as someone who had played Pokémon games for over a decade? Heath figured he knew far more than Brock did.

"What else could it be? A fossil Pokémon?" Heath thought over the first-generation Rock-type Pokémon. There were only a handful, weren't there?

"No, no, no. How could it be a fossil Pokémon? My dad had to call in a huge favor to get this one for me!" Brock shook his head, then took out his Poké Ball. A moment later, a small figure stood beside him.

Heath stared blankly at the Pokémon. That intimidating gaze, that short little body-wasn't this a Larvitar?

Heath couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Why did Brock have a Larvitar? It wasn't a Pokémon native to Kanto.

"Hahaha, you don't recognize this Pokémon, do you? Let me introduce you. This is a really powerful Pokémon-Larvitar!" Brock declared smugly.