Larvitar

Heath stared blankly at the Larvitar in front of him. Some people might not recognize the name Larvitar, but if it were Tyranitar, that might ring a bell-a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

The immensely powerful Tyranitar had always been a popular Pokémon, whether for battling or collecting. It was strong and easy to put to good use.

Its base stat total of six hundred had pretty much reached the upper limit for ordinary Pokémon, while Mega Evolved Tyranitar had a base stat total of seven hundred. Those stats were undeniably impressive, which made Heath all the more puzzled. Why did Brock have a Pokémon like this?

"It looks really impressive," Heath said, marveling at the Larvitar before him. He had heard that Larvitar needed to eat an entire mountain before it could evolve. Simply put, Larvitar was a Pokémon with an enormous appetite, and its diet was rather unusual, too.

"Of course it does. It just eats too much. It's about to eat me out of house and home." Brock sighed miserably. Heath asked a few curious questions and learned some of Larvitar's peculiar traits.

First of all, Larvitar really did eat a great deal, feeding on things like dirt and rocks. It needed to accumulate a tremendous amount of energy to evolve into Pupitar, then wait for the day it would transform into Tyranitar.

But Larvitar pooped as much as it ate, so there was no need to worry about it stripping the Pokémon regions bare. Nature had its own solution. The soil Larvitar excreted could pile up into another little hill.

Yes, Pokémon were living creatures, after all. Eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom were all part of the package. Don't ask how Heath knew.

When Heath first arrived in this world, he had never considered whether Pokémon needed to use the bathroom. Then one day, he made some ice pops, and Arcanine happily stuffed himself with them. The next day, Heath nearly had to butterfly-stroke through a sea of poop in the dorm.

He had nearly thrown up from disgust. Then, after finally getting everything cleaned up, he received a beating from Sister Feng that briefly made him wonder whether it was time to report to the underworld.

From that day onward, Heath understood one truth: the bigger the body, the bigger the bathroom break. He also learned the tragic fact that Arcanine couldn't eat frozen treats without getting diarrhea.

"How could it eat you out of house and home? Doesn't Larvitar eat dirt?" Heath took out a steamed bun and waved it in front of Larvitar, who gave him the pitying look one might give an idiot.

Helplessly, Heath stuffed the bun into his own mouth. It seemed this little fellow was quite a picky eater, refusing anything but dirt.

"Don't get me started. My dad already said I won't get another cent out of him. Even after I become a Gym Leader, I won't get paid for ten years. That's the price of him buying me a mountain for Larvitar to grow up on." Brock sighed, though his squinting eyes made the sigh look rather comical.

Heath gave Brock a sympathetic look. No wonder Brock later ran off to travel with Ash. Working without pay probably had something to do with it.

"But Larvitar's final evolution, Tyranitar, is really strong," Heath said to comfort Brock. Otherwise, what would he do if this poor kid gave up on becoming Pewter City's Gym Leader?

After Heath offered him some comfort, Brock left with his Larvitar, because Larvitar was hungry and needed to eat.

Heath curiously studied Larvitar's height of just 0.6 meters. It was hard to imagine that such a small body could weigh seventy-two kilograms. Once it evolved into Tyranitar, its weight would reach a whopping two hundred kilograms.

"Good thing my Pokémon don't eat all that much." Heath looked at his two Pokémon and breathed a sigh of relief.

If Heath had caught a big eater, he figured he would have had to put off saving for his travels for another few months. Fortunately, neither Farfetch'd nor Zorua ate very much.

Zorua ate the least of the two. A single mushroom bun could fill Zorua up, making the Pokémon quite easy to feed.

"Oh~ my friend, I would swear to my foolish brother that your food is simply the finest I have ever tasted." The familiar cadence told Heath who it was without his even having to look up.

"What would you like to eat today, Mr. Cord?" Heath raised his head, glanced at the Alakazam before him, and calmly asked.

"Little Heath, just look at you. Your way of speaking is still so amusing. Why can't you appreciate the beauty of speech~?" Cord smiled so broadly that even his mustache spread. Heath rolled his eyes. He had no desire to speak in that strange, stilted manner.

But just as Heath was about to say something, Cord's expression turned helpless, and a large package appeared in his hands.

Before Heath could get a good look at the package, it flickered in Cord's hands and vanished.

"You understand, my friend. These damned bosses always love saddling you with urgent deliveries." Cord shrugged, then mysteriously conjured a small bottle in his hand and offered it to Heath.

Heath gave Cord a suspicious look. If he hadn't known Cord was an Alakazam, he would have thought Cord was about to give him some of that Head Enlarger.

After serving Cord last time, Heath had received a bottle of Head Enlarger. It seemed utterly useless, so he had put it in the food truck's storage cabinet.

Heath thought he might be able to sell it to Cord. After all, didn't Alakazam believe that a bigger head meant greater intelligence?

Heath had once seen a world record from the Pokémon world featuring an Alakazam-an outrageously powerful Alakazam with an enormous head.

"What is this, Mr. Cord?" Heath examined it. The bottle contained a red liquid, but it wasn't blood.

"Well, well, even little Heath doesn't know about this. This is Stone Milk." Cord chuckled and waved the spoon in his hand.

Heath was even more confused. What on earth was Stone Milk? Only after Cord explained did he understand that it was something a special kind of stone in limestone caves dripped out over many years.

According to Cord, a bottle this small took nearly a hundred years to accumulate. He had only discovered it after happening to visit a limestone cave.

The corner of Heath's mouth twitched. Was Cord planning to use this stuff for cooking?

"This is a gift for you, little Heath. I foresaw that you would soon be setting out on your own journey, wouldn't you?" Cord winked at Heath.

Heath froze for a moment, then broke into a smile, a truly happy smile.

Thanks to reader 202112416521739 for the tip of 100 Qidian coins.