Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Her True Form
Heath was taken aback. The little girl before him looked very familiar. Wasn't she the one he saw last time in Evergreen Forest?
"You're here again. There's a nice smell coming from you. What is it?" The girl asked in a childish voice, her big eyes curiously examining Heath.
"Do you mean this?" Heath motioned for Farfetch'd to stand beside him and then took out the prepared lunchbox from his coat, opening it for the girl to see.
The rich aroma of sweet and sour ribs immediately filled the air. The golden-brown ribs glistened in the sunlight, making the girl involuntarily swallow.
Heath saw this and was delighted. It seemed the clue he got was useful. This girl—no, this Pokémon—indeed liked sweet and sour flavors, and sweet and sour ribs were perfect.
"Do you want some?" Heath asked the girl with a smile, regretting that he used the identification opportunity on Farfetch'd.
The girl instinctively nodded, her face flushing with excitement, but then she quickly shook her head, crossed her arms, and turned away with a disdainful expression.
Heath found it both amusing and puzzling. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of Pokémon this was to display such lifelike behavior.
"You're not really human, are you? I saw you in Viridian City before, and you should be training with your Charmander," Heath said, deciding to reveal her identity.
"Eh? Who says! I am human, I just... didn't bring Charmander and came for a walk!" The girl seemed flustered, waving her arms in protest.
Heath couldn't help but laugh. He held his stomach, his hearty laughter echoing through the forest, while the girl angrily glared at him.
"Sorry, sorry. But now I'm sure you're not human because that girl's Pokémon was a Squirtle," Heath said, wiping the tears from his eyes and smiling even more broadly at the stunned girl.
Heath had intentionally swapped Squirtle for Charmander to catch her off guard, and it worked.
"You! You! You're sneaky! Deceitful! Shameless!" The girl was so angry she nearly jumped, looking both embarrassed and furious.
"Sorry, sorry. Ahem, back to the point. You were the one causing trouble in Evergreen Forest, right? The League has noticed and is investigating you. If you're caught, you'll be in big trouble," Heath said cheerfully.
Although he didn't know how the League would handle this Pokémon, he intended to scare her into revealing her true form.
"I... I can change forms and escape! You humans can't catch me!" The girl panicked but quickly found a solution. Her form twisted, and a Caterpie appeared in her place.
Heath was amazed by the transformation. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed that the Caterpie had just been a little girl.
"Who says you can't be recognized? There's a very powerful person living here, and your transformation won't fool her," Heath said, thinking of Ms. Lori, a strong woman with a formidable Gengar.
Heath suspected that even the Gengar trained by Agatha of the Elite Four might not be as powerful as Ms. Lori's.
"I... I..." The Caterpie was flustered. Heath smiled, seeing that she had previously encountered someone who could see through her disguise.
"What kind of Pokémon are you? Mew?" Heath asked, looking at the girl expectantly. He thought Mew was the most likely, given its playful nature and strong illusion abilities.
"Huh? What's Mew? I'm not that! I'm a Zorua!" The Caterpie said angrily, twisting its body. Then, a brand-new Pokémon appeared before Heath.
Heath stared in surprise at the Zorua. He knew Zorua well, a master of illusions, though not a legendary Pokémon, still an impressive Dark-type.
With its powerful transformation abilities, the mysterious illusions created by Zorua now made sense.
Considering Zorua wasn't a Pokémon native to the Kanto region, Heath wondered how it ended up here.
"Were you brought here by Team Plasma?" Heath thought of the Plasma Team member he previously encountered, who mentioned bringing certain things to Kanto to collaborate with Team Rocket. Could Zorua be one of those things?
"You know them? You're a bad person too!" Zorua bristled with anger, baring its teeth at Heath.
Before Heath could explain, Zorua charged at him and swiped with a claw, but the attack landed on Farfetch'd instead.
Dark-type energy surged on Farfetch'd, who looked at Zorua in confusion, not understanding why she suddenly attacked it.
Heath breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the ability Wonder Guard had activated, making Zorua's Dark-type move ineffective against Farfetch'd.
"I'm not a bad person. I just met a member of Team Plasma before, and you're not from our region," Heath explained quickly. Though not Mew, Zorua was still great.
Moreover, this was a shiny Zorua.
Heath looked at the wary Zorua. Normal Zorua had dark red fur, but this one had blue fur, making it exceptionally beautiful and truly an Evil Fox Pokémon.
"This is sweet and sour ribs, a sweet and tangy dish. Would you like to try it? Don't worry, I'll leave it here and go," Heath said, placing the sweet and sour ribs in front of him and glancing at Zorua.
"But I must tell you, the League has really noticed you. They're searching for you, and if you're found, I don't know what will happen," Heath shrugged, then left with Farfetch'd.
Zorua: Hmph! Foolish human!
(End of Chapter)
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