Poochyena were relatively rare Pokémon in Kanto, but they were extremely common in the Hoenn Region, where their numbers were almost as excessive as those of Rattata in Kanto. They were also one of the Pokémon many novice trainers in the Hoenn Region chose when setting out on their journeys. After all, not everyone had that much money to spend on Starter Pokémon.
Although properly raised Starter Pokémon were very strong in battle and made excellent first partners, their high prices still put many people off.
What Heath had not expected, however, was to see a Poochyena in Lavender Town, and it seemed to be a stray at that. Although it looked quite well-fed, its somewhat dirty body still allowed Heath to tell what it really was.
The Poochyena wagged its tail as it ate some food the customers had given it, then sat obediently beside them and let them pet its head. Heath could not help smiling at the sight. This Poochyena really knew what it was doing. It even knew how to make itself popular, setting it apart from ordinary stray Pokémon.
Well-behaved Pokémon often managed to live longer in cities. Heath had even heard that some cities had their own designated city Pokémon, which were actually just strays. But those Pokémon were so good at winning people over that they became very popular, and some eventually became symbols of their cities, loved by everyone there.
To Heath, this Poochyena was just that sort of savvy Pokémon.
Seeing how obedient and well-behaved the Poochyena was, Heath stopped paying attention to it and went back to serving his customers. As long as it caused no trouble, he naturally would not stop it from hanging around for free food and drinks. Heath had always been very tolerant of stray Pokémon.