Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Recluse

Heath was feeling a bit bored, sitting in his dining car with his chin propped on his hand, gazing out at the fine snowflakes drifting past the window. He yawned and suddenly realized that he still had some issues to work out in his traveling life. The most crucial of these, naturally, was his ability to predict the weather and passenger flow—perhaps the very challenges one faces when first stepping out on a journey.

“If I’d known there wouldn’t be many customers, I would’ve just headed straight to the Quartz League, see the headquarters of the Kanto region. That would’ve been quite interesting,” Heath mused, glancing at Scallion Duck beside him. Scallion Duck was currently flipping a pan at his side—a task Heath had assigned to him. After all, even though Scallion Duck had mastered the art of preparing food without sticking, as a chef, stamina was always a valuable asset.

Heath found the activation of Scallion Duck’s Pokémon chef tasks somewhat enigmatic. Perhaps it was because Scallion Duck had different tastes for various foods. Sometimes certain dishes sparked his interest and triggered special tasks, while others, though still learned, did not. This unpredictability left Heath a little perplexed.

“Here it is! This guy actually sneaked all the way over here,” said a familiar voice. Heath was startled, then looked up to see the red-haired, red-eyed young woman he had met before—Phoenix—dragging along a girl with silvery-white hair and blue eyes.

Heath was surprised. He hadn’t expected to encounter Phoenix again, and he wondered who the girl by her side was.

“Welcome! What would you like to eat?” Heath said, genuinely pleased to see Phoenix. As for the girl beside her, she must be a legendary Pokémon too, though he hadn’t quite figured out which one yet. But a legendary Pokémon nonetheless.

“Hmph, the dish you made last time wasn’t meat but had a meaty flavor, and it tasted pretty good. This time, I want something special too,” Phoenix said, touching her nose with a face that clearly said, “I have opinions about you,” which made Heath laugh helplessly. Phoenix was indeed a Pokémon who held grudges.

“I want something that tastes like fish, but without any fish meat!” Phoenix declared. Heath raised an eyebrow, thought over the ingredients he had on hand, and frowned.

“That dish isn’t impossible to make, but one key ingredient is still marinating and won’t be ready for a while. Could you please choose something else?” Heath said with a headache. As soon as Phoenix described the flavor, Heath had already thought of the dish.

There was a famous Sichuan dish well-known throughout the country—Yu Xiang Rou Si, or Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork. Heath felt this dish perfectly matched Phoenix’s request: no fish meat used, yet it delivered the aroma and flavor of fish. It was a flawless fit.

But the catch was that authentic Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork required a specialty pickled chili from the Sichuan region—pickled chili peppers.

And Heath had only just begun fermenting them. After all, his funds had been tight lately, so he was starting from scratch with all the pickled vegetables.

“Does it take time? What exactly?” Phoenix asked curiously, and the silver-haired girl beside her also looked on with interest.

Heath pulled out his homemade pickled chilies from beneath his dining cart and placed them on the counter.

“This is it. Once these are properly fermented, I can make you some Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork,” Heath said with a hint of helplessness. He really wanted to speed up the pickling, but fermentation was a slow process that couldn’t be rushed.

“How long does it take?” Phoenix asked again. Heath rubbed his chin, pondering.

“Usually seven days is enough, but for my standards, I prefer three weeks—twenty-one days—to reach the ideal flavor,” Heath replied after a moment’s thought.

“I thought it would take longer,” Phoenix waved her hand indifferently. Suddenly, Heath felt the air around him distort slightly. Turning around with a sense of wonder, he watched as the freshly pickled chilies transformed, looking as if they had been fermenting for a long time.

He blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things. Did Phoenix just manipulate time itself for the chilies to ferment? Heath hadn’t realized she possessed such a power, but for a legendary Pokémon, such small feats didn’t seem unreasonable.

“We’re researchers at an experimental facility. This is our latest study—it effectively reduces fermentation time,” the silver-haired girl explained with a smile, noticing Heath’s confusion. Phoenix nodded beside her, making Heath chuckle at the oddity of it all.

“Alright, thank you,” Heath said, smiling politely. Though he knew Phoenix had used her abilities to manipulate time, he didn’t intend to call her out on it.

“Please make the same dish for me as well,” the silver-haired girl added. Heath nodded and began preparing the Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork.

Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork is a category of Sichuan cuisine that is relatively simple to make. However, outside of Sichuan and Chongqing, people often substitute pickled chilies with other chili seasonings or chili oil. While the taste remains decent, it lacks the authenticity of the original.

How to tell if Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork is a genuine Sichuan dish? One look at the pickled chilies will tell. Without them, the dish can hardly claim authenticity. Nonetheless, regional variations exist, and ultimately, personal preference is what matters most.

Heath was the kind who could handle a bit of spice but not too intensely. Authentic Sichuan cuisine sometimes proved a little overwhelming for him.

Still, since he was preparing the meal for Phoenix and another legendary Pokémon, he decided to follow the traditional Sichuan recipe.

“Roy, what have you been doing lately? Staying cooped up at home every day,” Phoenix chatted as Heath cooked. But when the other girl’s name came up, Heath paused mid-chop.

“Roy? What kind of name is that?”

The tall silver-haired girl covered her face in exasperation. Heath’s lips twitched; he recalled a legendary Pokémon living in both the Kanto and Johto regions named Lugia.

With her silver hair and deep blue eyes, Heath was certain this girl was indeed Lugia.