Chapter Twelve: The Runaway Scallion Duck

Although seeing the legendary Pokémon Mew brought Heath a bit of surprise, life quickly settled back into its usual rhythm.

Heath set the auto-pilot and rode the dining car to his regular market spot. After getting off, he casually selected the ingredients for the day and then turned his attention to a vegetable stall.

“Sis, is this a type of greens?” Heath asked curiously, eyeing the vegetables displayed.

Upon receiving confirmation, Heath bought a large bundle and carried it back to his dining car. Some ingredients in the Pokémon world were similar in size to those from his previous life, but others were notably different. The greens he held now looked considerably larger, but Heath paid it no mind.

“Trainer, why did you buy so many vegetables?” Zorua cast a curious glance as soon as they boarded. Yet she was reluctant to put down the book in front of her claws. Heath remembered it was a long-running serialized novel. Zorua had bought a volume to try out and was already on her second read.

“To make pickles,” Heath explained calmly, placing the greens in the ingredient cabinet. “Pickling takes time, so it has to be prepared in advance.”

Heath planned to make pickled vegetables, which required a period of fermentation. The flavor after pickling was outstanding. A simple example was the famous instant noodle brand that could last for years; their aged pickled mustard greens were precisely the kind of pickles Heath intended to prepare.

Once the pickles were ready, Heath could unlock a whole range of new recipes. Some dishes depended heavily on the unique flavor of pickled vegetables; without them, the taste would be lacking.

Fortunately, the dining car had an auto-driving feature. After setting it, Heath busily began preparing the pickles. Zorua watched with interest for a while but soon returned to her book.

Meanwhile, Farfetch’d stood attentively by Heath’s side, observing the cooking process. Charmander showed no interest in pickling; he was busy training. Heath noticed that after one night, Charmander’s muscles had become noticeably more defined. He wondered if his protein powder was just too effective.

“Farfetch’d, why do you always call out ‘Leek Leek’?” Heath chatted while preparing the pickles.

“Gah?” Farfetch’d tilted his head and called.

“Leek Leek says it calls that way too, but since it often hears you humans call it ‘Farfetch’d,’ it’s been influenced by you humans,” Zorua translated nonchalantly. Heath twitched the corner of his mouth. Well, that was an unexpected explanation.

If that was true, then Pikachu’s ‘Pika Pika’ calls must be because Ash always called it ‘Pikachu,’ influencing its cries. And Bulbasaur constantly saying ‘Seed Seed’—the same reason? Heath shook his head. He wasn’t a Pokémon Professor, but maybe next time he saw Professor Oak, he could discuss this curious phenomenon.

“Heath, any breakfast today?” Mr. Sakaki’s voice interrupted. Heath hurriedly put down the greens, clapped his hands, and stood up. He saw Mr. Sakaki standing before him, smiling warmly.

“Mr. Sakaki! Same as always today—jianbing guozi and beef noodles. What would you like?” Heath rubbed his hands together. The weather was damp and chilly, but luckily, he had activated the temperature control feature. Otherwise, running the stall outside would have been quite torturous.

“Hmm... I’ll have a jianbing guozi, with extra leeks,” Mr. Sakaki pondered a moment before smiling and giving his order.

Heath nodded. Jianbing guozi was one of the breakfasts he prepared most often, and he still had some of Farfetch’d’s leeks on hand.

However, cultivating Farfetch’d’s leeks was somewhat troublesome. Since Heath first planted them, he had been watering the soil regularly for a long time but had yet to see any sprouts.

This troubled Heath; lack of Farfetch’d’s leeks was a real headache. No wonder their numbers were so small, which also affected the population of Farfetch’d itself.

“Mr. Sakaki, do you know any botanist professors? I want to try cultivating Farfetch’d’s leeks,” Heath asked while flipping the jianbing.

“Farfetch’d’s leeks?” Mr. Sakaki looked surprised but quickly fell into thought. To be honest, he had a commanding presence when deep in contemplation—likely a demeanor honed by his years as a Rocket leader.

“It seems not many have studied this... but maybe I just haven’t asked. Let me check when I get back. I have good connections with many Pokémon professors and scientists.” He said with a cheerful smile. Heath nodded gratefully.

Heath and Mr. Sakaki exchanged contact information, though Mr. Sakaki gave him a rather personal phone number, which Heath hadn’t used yet. Perhaps once he set off on his journey, he’d occasionally get in touch.

After finishing the jianbing, Heath handed it to Mr. Sakaki, who smiled and pulled out a small bag, handing it over. Heath was a bit surprised.

“I heard from Miss Jun Shaling that you’re about to embark on your journey, so consider this a farewell gift,” Mr. Sakaki explained.

“...Thank you, Mr. Sakaki.” Heath nodded and took the bag, placing it on the cabinet.

“It’s nothing too precious, but it suits you well. Heath, I hope to see you again in Evergreen City. I’m really looking forward to your jianbing guozi.” Mr. Sakaki waved with a smile and then left.

Heath was silent for a moment before sighing deeply. Then he opened the bag to take a look. Inside were various healing and antidote medicines—quite comprehensive, five of each. They would be enough to handle most emergencies on the road.

In the center, there was a gift box, somewhat large. Curious, Heath opened it to find a gleaming kitchen knife. He was surprised—it was a Farfetch’d-brand knife!

Known for being lightweight, sharp, and sturdy, it was also expensive. The last time Heath checked, one cost over a thousand League Coins.

“Mr. Sakaki really has an interest in culinary arts,” Heath smiled. Outsiders wouldn’t recognize the Farfetch’d brand knife, but it was clear Mr. Sakaki was quite knowledgeable about cooking tools.