Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Special Ingredients of Viridian City?
"Me? Well..." Heath scratched his head, somewhat stunned by Giovanni's question. In the world of Pokémon, traveling is a dream come true for every child, especially embarking on a journey with their Pokémon.
It was like the college entrance exam in Harvard, a rite of passage that almost every child would experience. Heath once envied that lifestyle, wanting to travel with his Pokémon.
But now, Heath had other pursuits in mind.
"I think I'd earn more money, save up, and open a restaurant to serve all kinds of guests," Heath said with a smile. Traveling was appealing, but the idea of opening a restaurant also seemed quite nice to him.
"Hahaha, that's such a Heath thing to say," Giovanni laughed heartily, while his Persian flicked its tail.
"But if you want to become a great chef, then traveling might be the best way. The world is vast, and every city has unique ingredients. Not experiencing them would be a loss, don't you think?" Giovanni wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and smiled at Heath.
Heath nodded. He had considered this. Viridian City was an inland city. Although Pallet Town, connected to the sea, was nearby, the seafood available there was limited.
Heath had heard that Pewter City had some special ingredients, including a type of grain called Pewter Rice that helped Pokémon recover from status conditions, though it wasn't very popular due to its taste.
"Mr. Giovanni, have you eaten any unusual dishes?" Heath asked curiously, wondering what someone of Giovanni's status had tried.
"Me? I've had many different things, but the most memorable would be the seafood sashimi from Vermilion City," Giovanni replied after some thought.
Heath's expression became peculiar. The world of Pokémon did include eating Pokémon in some cases. Not to mention Farfetch'd, which Heath had caught, but he knew of others too.
For example, Moomoo Milk from Miltank and honey from Combee. However, the biggest headache for the Kanto League, and the only Pokémon for which they issued control permits, was Magikarp.
Magikarp, a fascinating Pokémon, was extremely weak in its early stages. As a Water-type Pokémon, it couldn't even beat a Charmander and knew very few moves. Its evolution into Gyarados was also rare.
In the Indigo League, Magikarp was at the bottom of the ecological chain. However, despite its lack of strength, it was a major problem for the Indigo League.
Magikarp could lay many eggs at once, leading to an overpopulation that crowded the waters. Moreover, Magikarp had too many bones and very little meat, making it unpopular as food.
All these factors combined to make Magikarp a frequent nuisance, leading the Indigo League to issue control permits. Overpopulated Magikarp were captured and turned into feed or disposed of.
"Don't overthink it; Vermilion City mostly sells regular fish," Giovanni said, instantly reading Heath's mind and laughing.
After Giovanni finished eating and paid, Heath finally had some free time. He checked his ingredients and saw that they were running low.
"I've increased my earnings quite a bit," Heath thought, counting the day's takings with satisfaction. If he kept up this pace, he could save enough to rent a place and open a restaurant within a year or two.
But Giovanni's words had sparked something in Heath. Despite the development of logistics in the Pokémon world, it wasn't yet mature enough to order all the ingredients needed without leaving home.
[Chef's Path: Collect unique ingredients from each town and develop the best cooking methods for them. For every town you complete, you will receive a random reward.]
As Heath pondered his future, a text box suddenly appeared before him.
"Unique ingredients from every town?" Heath mused. This task came at just the right time, helping him solidify his previously uncertain thoughts.
"So, what's the special ingredient of Viridian City?" Heath wondered, frowning. Despite living in Viridian City for so long, he couldn't recall any unique ingredients.
He was also curious about Pallet Town's special ingredient. Surely it wouldn't be something like 'Super Pallet Fried Meat,' right? After all, thinking of Viridian City, Heath thought of 'Super Pallet Newbies.'
"What are you thinking about, Heath? Staring at my legs without blinking—are you trying to do something naughty?" A familiar voice interrupted Heath's thoughts, making him twitch. He immediately recognized who it was.
"Sister Jana... You're too much," Heath said, looking helplessly at Officer Jenny in front of him.
Jana, a top member of the Jenny family, was a flirtatious woman who enjoyed saying outrageous things.
Every time Heath met her, he worried about being teased. Today was no exception. If he'd known, he wouldn't have spaced out.
"Sister Jana, do you know what Viridian City's special ingredient is?" Heath quickly asked, trying to preempt whatever mischievous comment Aya might make.
"Special ingredient?" Jana smirked and pinched Heath's cheek, stretching it out.
"I'm not talking about my cakes!" Heath slapped her hand away, finally freeing his mouth from her playful grip.
"Hmph, there's nothing particularly special here. But I did hear someone mention once that there's a special fruit in Viridian Forest called the Viridian Fruit. It's said to grant powerful psychic abilities when eaten, though that might just be a rumor," Jana said, resting her chin on her hand as she sat on her motorcycle.
"The Viridian Fruit?" Heath was surprised. He'd never heard of such a thing.
(End of Chapter)
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