Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Brock's Risky Comments
Every cup of soy milk Heath made was fresh. It allowed customers to see the process and ensured a richer taste. Of course, a bit of sugar was added for flavor.
As Heath prepared the soy milk, he listened to Giovanni and Brock chat. Mostly, Giovanni was talking, and Brock was listening attentively. Brock took the opportunity to ask Giovanni for advice on being a Gym Leader, which Giovanni gladly provided, making Heath feel a bit uneasy.
"Mr. Giovanni, Team Rocket is really despicable! They've attacked our peaceful Viridian City!" Brock's indignant remark nearly made Heath spill the soy milk.
This was like cursing the deity in the temple. Heath silently gave Brock a thumbs up, thinking Brock was quite brave.
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Giovanni asked with interest, his voice betraying no anger.
"Look, Team Rocket is full of villains. They commit crimes, steal Pokémon, and cause destruction. The leader of Team Rocket must be a nasty person!" Brock continued his tirade, making his situation even riskier.
Heath poured the soy milk into a cup, added some sugar, and placed it on the table along with the buns. He thought Brock was probably now on Giovanni's blacklist, just waiting to be dealt with.
But to Heath's surprise, Giovanni didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed heartily, patting Brock on the shoulder and agreeing that Team Rocket's leader must be a bad person.
This revelation astonished Heath. He hadn't expected Giovanni to have such a good temperament. On reflection, Giovanni indeed seemed like a charismatic person who wasn't vindictive.
"Mr. Giovanni, your buns and soy milk are ready," Heath said, handing them over. Looking at the still oblivious Brock, Heath suddenly felt that being a bit naive wasn't so bad.
"Thanks, Heath. By the way, could you prepare some extra buns and soy milk for me to take back to the Gym for the trainers?" Giovanni asked after taking a bite of the bun, showing a satisfied expression.
Heath nodded. That wasn't a problem. Giovanni's purchase meant Heath's trial batch of buns for the day was sold out, though he still had plenty of soy milk since soybeans were quite durable.
"Mr. Giovanni is such a great person," Brock said, eating his fried rice with a spoon and sighing in admiration.
Heath gave Brock a strange look. He was more and more curious about Brock's reaction when he eventually learned Giovanni's true identity. However, Brock's current behavior wasn't surprising. If Heath hadn't been a transmigrator familiar with the anime and games, he wouldn't have guessed that the kind and gentle Giovanni was secretly the leader of Team Rocket.
It was the curse of having an omniscient perspective.
"Why don't you learn from Mr. Giovanni and become a Gym Leader like him?" Heath suggested. Brock's strength had always been a bit lacking. Rock-types had many weaknesses and were easily countered. No wonder Brock's Gym was later designated as a beginner-level Gym by the League.
The Pokémon world's Gyms were interesting. Although the order of challenges wasn't fixed, the League classified Gyms by difficulty, recommending trainers to challenge suitable ones first. Heath had seen in the "Indigo Daily" that the Cerulean City Gym was considered the most beginner-friendly this year. It seemed Misty had taken over as Gym Leader.
"Actually, Heath, even though I haven't officially become a Gym Leader, I already find it boring. If it weren't for my dad's high expectations and the fact that he gave me a Pokémon, I wouldn't want to do it," Brock said, looking troubled and frustrated.
Heath wasn't surprised. After all, Brock eventually left the Pewter City Gym to travel with Ash for many years.
Speaking of Ash, Heath's expression grew more peculiar. Ash was indeed a unique individual—a ten-year-old with thirty years of training experience.
When Heath first arrived in the Pokémon world, he wondered if a year here was as long as thirty years on Earth. Fortunately, he later found out it wasn't the case.
"Everyone has things they like and don't like. For example, I enjoy cooking," Heath said, taking down the soy milk machine to clean it.
"Although some people might look down on being a chef, I love my job. Doing what you love is a great happiness," Heath added. He didn't plan to persuade Brock. He knew the decision was always up to the person involved, not an outsider like him.
Seeing Brock's conflicted expression, Heath decided to change the topic. Brock would eventually leave the Pewter City Gym to join Ash anyway.
"By the way, Brock, what Pokémon did your dad give you? Does it listen to you?" Heath asked curiously.
"Hehe, you wouldn't know even if I told you," Brock said confidently, with a mysterious and sly smile.
Heath glanced at him. Was Brock challenging the knowledge of a seasoned Pokémon player like him? Heath felt he knew far more than Brock.
"Could it be a Fossil Pokémon?" Heath guessed, thinking of the first-generation Rock Pokémon.
"No, no, no. It's not a Fossil Pokémon. My dad went to great lengths to get it for me!" Brock shook his head, then took out a Poké Ball. The next second, a small Pokémon stood beside Brock.
Heath stared blankly at the Pokémon with a commanding presence and small stature. Wasn't this a Larvitar? Heath couldn't understand why Brock had a Larvitar, a Pokémon not native to the Kanto region.
"Haha, you don't recognize it, do you? Let me introduce you. This is a very powerful Pokémon, Larvitar!" Brock said proudly.
*(End of the chapter)*
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone