Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Stray Pokémon
"Yeah, that's right. You need to cut the pork into small pieces, but not too small," Heath patiently instructed Farfetch'd on making braised pork. He noticed that Farfetch'd seemed to have a natural talent for cutting.
Farfetch'd was excellent at cutting the pork into uniformly sized pieces with great knife skills, following the grain of the meat, which would enhance the texture.
However, when it came to the cooking and frying stages, Farfetch'd turned the kitchen into a scene from a disaster movie, keeping Heath frantically busy.
Despite Heath's best efforts, even teaching hands-on, Farfetch'd still managed to burn a pot of pork, causing Heath some distress.
"Luckily, there wasn't much pork, or I'd be bankrupt," Heath sighed, looking at the slightly charred pork.
Fortunately, Heath had prepared for this by cutting the pork into small pieces, minimizing the loss.
After a few more tries, Farfetch'd finally managed to make a passable version of braised pork with tofu puffs, though it didn't yet meet Heath's standards. Heath thought it might be due to the taste not being quite right.
But now, it was almost lunchtime, and Heath needed to prepare the ingredients quickly.
Heath had Farfetch'd watch as he made another batch of braised pork with tofu puffs. Then he pushed his food cart to the busiest street in Viridian City, ready for customers.
"Meow!" A strange sound caught Heath's attention. Without turning his head, he tossed some of the slightly burnt pork that Farfetch'd had made.
He heard the sound of chewing, followed by another meow. Turning around, he saw three Meowth looking at him expectantly.
"You guys can't keep freeloading off me," Heath said with a sigh, looking at the Meowth. These little guys had come again.
"Rattata, Rattata!" Two Rattata emerged from the bushes, cautiously looking around.
Finally, an Ekans slithered out, flicking its tongue and happily looking at Heath with joyful eyes.
Seeing these strays, Heath felt a bit helpless but took out the unsuccessful braised pork Farfetch'd had made. He placed it in a small bowl and set it in front of them.
Looking at the stray Pokémon, Heath squatted down and gently patted Meowth's head. Meowth's ears twitched but it continued eating without reacting.
Just as there were stray animals in the real world, there were stray Pokémon in this world too. These Pokémon had been abandoned by their trainers for various reasons and couldn't return to the wild, leaving them to roam the city.
When Heath first encountered them, he thought someone was just walking their Pokémon. Later, he realized they were strays.
"Ekans, staying in the city isn't a long-term solution," Heath said, patting Ekans's head. This Ekans only had one eye. It had been this way when Heath found it.
Heath suspected Ekans's abandonment was related to its missing eye.
Ekans swallowed a piece of pork, contentedly flicking its tongue to lick its lips, then looked up at Heath.
Heath understood its meaning and patted Ekans's head again.
After eating, Meowth, Rattata, and Ekans disappeared back into the bushes. Heath knew they would continue wandering the city, returning to their secret base, which served as their home.
"Heath, one order of braised pork rice!" As lunchtime approached, customers started arriving one after another, keeping Heath busy serving them.
After the lunch rush, Heath packed up his food cart, knowing from his four years of experience in Viridian City that there would be no more customers at this time.
Around this time every year, new trainers set out on their journeys with their starter Pokémon. Heath saw many kids talking excitedly to their Pokémon on the street.
Most of them had common Pokémon like Pidgey and Rattata, with a few Pikachu and Eevee, and even fewer had the Kanto starters.
"Hey, Heath, are you closing up now?" Giovanni's voice called out. Heath looked up to see Giovanni in a black suit, smiling, with a Persian by his side.
"Mr. Giovanni! Would you like some braised pork rice? It's quite good," Heath replied cheerfully. Despite being the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni was always very polite in public.
To Heath, Giovanni felt like a school principal—stern yet gentlemanly, especially towards the elderly and young girls.
The local TV station had once reported on Giovanni doing volunteer work at a nursing home. Upon investigation, it turned out Giovanni did this every year, though this time the media had noticed. No one would have guessed this smiling man was the Team Rocket Leader.
"Well, since you recommend it, I'll try a serving. I'm curious about your new dish," Giovanni said with a smile.
Heath expertly served a bowl of braised pork with tofu puffs and rice, placing it in front of Giovanni.
"Smells great...and it tastes excellent," Giovanni said, pleased after taking a bite.
Heath watched Giovanni with a smile. His interactions with Giovanni over the past four years had made him think Giovanni might not be as evil as portrayed in the anime. He seemed more like a kind person.
But seeing Giovanni's Persian reminded Heath that Giovanni was still the cunning, strategic leader of Team Rocket.
"What are your plans for the future, Heath? Today's the day for trainers to start their journeys with their first Pokémon," Giovanni asked, eating and looking at Heath.
(Chapter End)
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