Ch. 748Mountain Guardians

Heath learned the history behind Mountain Guardians when Cynthia gave him rare mountain delicacies from the League-controlled brand. He thanked her and planned to cook for her after his food truck was upgraded, then turned his attention to their movie date.

  • Heath recognized Cynthia’s gift as rare Mountain Guardians produce and explained that the brand was difficult to buy from.
  • Heath told Zoroark and Cynthia that Mountain Guardians began with a League expedition of 137 people sent to Mt. Coronet, who vanished after an avalanche.
  • Heath explained that the martyrs’ descendants had continued protecting Mt. Coronet for generations, building a Pokémon Center and treatment station despite hundreds of deaths and disappearances.
  • Cynthia confirmed the story was real and said a film remake had won the Pokémon Mew Golden Award.
  • Heath thanked Cynthia for the Spirit Pearl Wood Ear, Wild Mushrooms, and White Jade Vegetable, and promised to cook for her once his food truck was upgraded.
  • Heath decided that watching a movie and having a meal with Cynthia mattered more for now.

Ch. 749An awkward first promotion

Heath learned that Zoroark had agreed to promote a merchant’s mints and began coaching her on making the advertisement sound more natural. He left to wash up while Zoroark prepared for the promotion.

  • Heath woke up and asked why Zoroark was unusually energetic and already out of bed.
  • Zoroark explained that she had stayed up reading and eaten invigorating mints that kept her awake.
  • Farfetch'd revealed that a merchant had hired Zoroark to promote his products at the shopping area.
  • Heath noticed Zoroark’s advertising lines sounded stiff and offered to teach her how to improve them.
  • Heath started giving Zoroark advice, then went outside to wash up.

Ch. 750Time is cruel

Heath accompanied Zoroark to a promotional appearance, then learned that Ms. Lori had died on a League mission. He drove with his Pokémon to attend her farewell ceremony, grieving the loss of a familiar customer.

  • Heath accompanied Zoroark to her promotional appearance and sold some boxed meals while she earned her pay.
  • Heath used his Ingredient Identifier on Ralts and learned that Ralts’s soul and her mother Gardevoir’s soul had mingled in one body.
  • Heath received a message saying Ms. Lori had died after encountering a powerful enemy during a mission.
  • Heath bought flowers, gathered Zoroark and his other Pokémon, and drove to Ms. Lori’s farewell ceremony.

Ch. 751Parting in life and death

Heath attended Ms. Lori’s funeral and watched her family grieve as she was honored for dying in the line of duty. After the cremation, Gengar gave Heath a hundred-League-Coin note, and Heath asked whether it wanted something to eat.

  • Heath arrived at Ms. Lori’s funeral and saw her grieving family, colleagues, friends, and Gengar gathered around her coffin.
  • Heath remembered his earlier experiences with funerals and reflected on Ms. Lori’s death as he paid his respects and comforted her family.
  • Heath watched Ms. Lori’s cremation, and an elderly official presented her flag-draped urn to her parents.
  • Heath left the funeral and was stopped by Gengar, which silently handed him a hundred-League-Coin note.
  • Heath asked Gengar if it wanted something to eat, remembering what Ms. Lori had liked.

Ch. 752Ms. Lori's favorite jianbing guozi

Heath prepared Ms. Lori’s favorite jianbing guozi for Gengar, who broke down crying over her death. Ms. Lori appeared from the Distortion World, and Heath discovered he could see and speak with her while Gengar could not.

  • Heath made Ms. Lori’s favorite jianbing guozi and gave it to Gengar, who sobbed as its familiar aroma overwhelmed him.
  • Ms. Lori appeared behind Gengar, and Heath was startled to see her alive in the Distortion World.
  • Ms. Lori revealed that Gengar could not see her because her current state was unusual.
  • Ms. Lori told Heath to comfort Gengar by rubbing his head and repeating a warning about Mightyena, which stopped his crying.
  • Heath told Gengar that Ms. Lori was watching him, and Gengar formed a Shadow Ball before dispersing it.

Ch. 753The Fear of Death Is a Curse

Heath helped Gengar communicate with Ms. Lori, who had died but was allowed to linger in the living world for seven days. After sharing a Jianbing Guozi and grieving her death, Ms. Lori left with Gengar, and Heath called Sister Feng before departing for Saffron City.

  • Heath relayed Ms. Lori's words to Gengar until they were able to communicate for themselves.
  • Ms. Lori told Heath she had not expected another world and learned she could remain in the living world for seven days.
  • Heath handed Ms. Lori a Jianbing Guozi, which she was able to hold and eat as she wept over her death.
  • Ms. Lori decided not to send messages to her family, and she left with Gengar after stroking its ears.
  • Heath called Sister Feng to tell her he was leaving for Saffron City.

Ch. 754Heading to Saffron City

Heath traveled toward Saffron City in his upgraded food truck, passing the time with Zoroark and Farfetch'd before reaching the city. After someone piggybacked on his toll payment, he reported the incident and continued into Saffron City.

  • Heath set the food truck on Autopilot and reflected on its new ability to operate in extreme environments.
  • Heath and Zoroark played a competitive shooter, then switched to Pokémon Brawl and brought Farfetch'd into the game.
  • Heath arrived at the outskirts of Saffron City after an uneventful journey.
  • A car followed Heath through the toll lane using his payment, so Heath reported it to a toll staff member.
  • The staff member recorded the other vehicle's license plate and let Heath pass into Saffron City.

Ch. 755City of Design

Heath arrived in Saffron City and realized he had forgotten Mew, who soon returned and went off to play. Intrigued by Saffron City's architecture, Heath visited its vegetable market and discovered it was designed by the eccentric Master Ledger.

  • Heath wondered what he had forgotten, then realized Mew was missing from his food truck.
  • Mew flew into the truck, greeted Zoroark, and went to play games.
  • Heath explored Saffron City's unusual buildings and learned visitors could use maps to find master architects' works.
  • Heath went to the vegetable market and found a nameplate identifying Master Ledger as its designer.
  • Heath recalled that Master Ledger had also supposedly designed a public restroom atop Mt. Coronet, then entered the market to see the work for himself.

Ch. 756The tricks of the trade

Heath explored Master Ledger’s unusual vegetable market and learned from Cynthia that its Chinese cabbage barter stall concealed a garlic-based gambling scheme. The chapter left Heath stunned by the market’s strange trading trick.

  • Heath examined the clean, Poké Ball-shaped vegetable market and noticed its unusual design led him to the second floor without his realizing it.
  • Heath reached the top floor and found a barter area where vendors traded only food ingredients.
  • A middle-aged woman ignored Heath when he asked about the Chinese cabbage at her stall.
  • Cynthia arrived and explained that customers could trade garlic for a cabbage, with a garlic bulb inside earning them a thousand League Coins.
  • Heath was dumbfounded by the scheme.

Ch. 757Mao Cai

Heath took Cynthia to explore Saffron City and gave her a gift from Sinnoh, then prepared mao cai for her and his Pokémon. Cynthia said she wanted to eat his cooking every day, and Heath promised to cook for her.

  • Heath planned to ask market vendors about Saffron City's special ingredients and complete the city's achievement while traveling through Kanto.
  • Cynthia asked Heath how long he planned to stay in Kanto, and Heath said he had no fixed schedule and would focus on Kanto before visiting Sinnoh.
  • Cynthia gave Heath a bracelet ornamented with an Auspicious Beast from Sinnoh's legends, and Heath happily accepted it.
  • Heath prepared mao cai for Cynthia and his Pokémon, while Farfetch'd and Zoroark watched curiously.
  • Charizard and Cynthia enjoyed Heath's cooking, and Cynthia said she wanted to eat it every day.
  • Heath promised Cynthia that he would cook for her every day from then on.

Ch. 758Late at night

Mew woke Heath at three thirty in the morning to show him a Rowlet sheltering by the warm exhaust pipe of his food truck. Mew brought the frightened Pokémon inside, and Heath realized Rowlet could speak.

  • Mew woke Heath and led him to the living room window.
  • Heath saw a Rowlet sheltering beside the food truck’s exhaust pipe and guessed it was trying to escape the cold.
  • Mew used a purple ring of light to pull Rowlet inside despite its frightened struggles.
  • Rowlet huddled in a corner and asked why it had been captured, saying it was only a little bird.

Ch. 759The Grass-type Rowlet

Heath discovered that his Grass-type ability let him understand Rowlet, who said its former Trainer abandoned it for being unable to evolve. After Rowlet’s hunger interrupted their conversation, Heath went to find food and learned it wanted bugs, leaving him unsure how to get them without dealing with caterpillars.

  • Heath realized he could understand Rowlet because Rowlet was a Grass-type Pokémon, and Rowlet wondered why they could understand each other.
  • Rowlet told Heath that its former Trainer had abandoned it in a cardboard box after complaining that it could not evolve.
  • Heath questioned why Rowlet could not evolve and considered possible causes, but Rowlet’s growling stomach interrupted him.
  • Heath went to the kitchen to prepare food while Mew stayed behind to tease Rowlet.
  • Heath learned that Rowlet wanted springy, silky, juicy bugs and considered ordering some through the Psyduck Merchant Group, though he did not want to see caterpillars.

Ch. 760How Do You Cook Bugs?

Heath made bug-shaped food for Rowlet, which eagerly ate it. He decided not to catch Rowlet because it still missed its Trainer, while Mew privately wondered whether it was already effectively one of Heath’s Pokémon.

  • Heath decided to make an imitation bug dish because he could not find real bugs that late at night.
  • Heath shaped minced meat inside sausage casings and added broth and yellow braising sauce to mimic a bug’s texture and appearance.
  • Rowlet tried the dish and happily ate the bug-shaped food.
  • Mew asked whether Heath wanted to catch Rowlet, but Heath said Rowlet probably still missed its Trainer.
  • Mew realized its close relationship with Heath made it feel much like one of his Pokémon, and Heath kept a Poké Ball ready in case Mew ever asked to join him.

Ch. 761Nine-Turn Large Intestine

Heath decided not to hand Rowlet over to Officer Jenny and left Mew to deal with him. The next morning, Farfetch'd served Heath beef noodles, and a new mission tasked Heath with teaching Farfetch'd to make strongly scented Nine-Turn Fatty Intestine.

  • Heath gave up on contacting Officer Jenny and told Mew to handle Rowlet, then went to sleep.
  • Heath woke at eight and found Farfetch'd had prepared Lanzhou Beef Noodles for breakfast.
  • Heath praised Farfetch'd's noodles, finished his bowl, and promised to make fatty intestine noodles for him to try.
  • Farfetch'd asked whether the large intestine's smell should be removed, and Heath received a mission to teach him to make Nine-Turn Fatty Intestine with a strong smell.

Ch. 762The meat wholesale market

Heath went to Saffron City's meat wholesale market to find pork intestines for a Nine-Turn Large Intestine challenge mission. He found a pork seller with large intestines he was about to feed to the dogs.

  • Heath considered the challenge of preparing Nine-Turn Large Intestine and concluded that balancing the intestines' flavor was the key.
  • Heath drove to the outskirts of Saffron City to find a meat wholesale market, while Zoroark asked about Cynthia.
  • Heath explained that Cynthia had things to take care of and suspected she had gone to the League's office building.
  • Heath arrived at the market, but Zoroark could not bear the smell and stayed in the truck.
  • Heath found a pork seller and spotted large intestines the man was about to feed to the dogs.

Ch. 763Everyone had different tastes

Heath got pig intestines for free from a butcher, cooked nine-turn intestines, and taught Farfetch'd how to prepare them. After lunch, Heath supervised Farfetch'd's practice before heading to apply for a vending permit, where he saw a report about the raid on Team Rocket.

  • Heath accepted a large bag of pig intestines from a butcher who usually threw them away, then bought pork as well.
  • Heath taught Farfetch'd to clean and prepare the intestines and made nine-turn intestines for lunch.
  • Farfetch'd refused to eat the dish, while Heath and Zoroark enjoyed it.
  • Heath supervised Farfetch'd as it practiced processing another batch of intestines.
  • Heath went to the Officer Jenny Building to apply for a vending permit and saw a report praising Lt. Surge's role in destroying a Team Rocket base in Vermilion City.

Ch. 764Kanto University of Technology

Heath received a vending permit for a spot near Kanto University of Technology, where past food inspections had forced many restaurants to close. He planned to attract students with a distinctive beef dish and rely on his cooking to keep them coming back.

  • Heath doubted that Lt. Surge had truly destroyed a major Team Rocket base and decided Ash would have to deal with Team Rocket.
  • Heath met Officer Jenny Kim and obtained a vending permit for a location near Kanto University of Technology.
  • Heath recalled the university's food safety experiment and the crackdown that had driven many nearby restaurants out of business.
  • Heath considered how to stand out among the surviving restaurants while maintaining his standards as a chef.
  • Heath decided that an exaggeratedly springy beef-ball dish inspired by a movie could draw students to his stall.

Ch. 765Without breaking into the mainstream, it was still just a niche following

Heath opened his food truck at a busy food street near Kanto University of Technology and recommended his handmade Chaoshan Beef Balls to a group of students. The students ordered five bowls and received them, leaving their first impression of the dish uncertain but promising.

  • Heath prepared handmade Chaoshan Beef Balls, knowing their distinctive springiness came from laborious pounding.
  • Heath drove his food truck to its vending spot near Kanto University of Technology and opened for business among many competing food vendors.
  • Five young men, likely students from the nearby university, entered the truck and were greeted by Zoroark.
  • Zoroark recommended Heath's beef balls at twelve League Coins per bowl, and the young men ordered five bowls.
  • Heath served the students five fragrant bowls of beef balls, and they remarked that the dish seemed pretty good.

Ch. 766Where the Buzz Came From

Zhātǎn and the other Kanto University of Technology students tried Heath’s beef balls and were impressed by their flavor, while the futuristic food truck drew more attention from students. As praise spread through a popular campus post, more curious students were encouraged to visit.

  • Zhātǎn tasted Heath’s firm, springy beef balls, enjoyed them, and ordered more for himself and the other students.
  • Zhātǎn told a fellow student that the food truck had been made by their seniors at Silph Co.’s Research Department and planned to gather data about its technology.
  • Heath watched students arrive to see the food truck and realized their interest came from its connection to Kanto University of Technology and Silph Co.
  • Zoroark welcomed the students, who paid twelve coins each for beef balls and praised Heath’s cooking.
  • The students’ comments boosted attention for the campus post about the high-tech food truck, prompting more students to become curious.

Ch. 767Wasn't fish head with chopped chilies perfectly normal?

Heath struggled to keep up with the crowds at his food truck and prepared an unusual order of swamp eel heads with chopped chilies. After sending the dish out, he heard an unfamiliar voice call his name.

  • Heath called Farfetch'd over to help serve the packed food truck at Kanto University of Technology.
  • Zoroark asked Heath whether he could make fish head with chopped chilies, then explained that the customer wanted it made from swamp eel heads.
  • Heath checked the customer's preferences and decided to prepare the unusual dish, charging a little extra for its ingredients.
  • Heath cooked the swamp eel heads with chopped chilies and had Zoroark serve them with rice.
  • An unfamiliar voice called out to Heath as he looked over his remaining swamp eels.
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