Chapter Forty-Eight: The Talent of the Little Fire Dragon

After Saya, who enjoyed the bitter flavor, had left, Heath began to tidy up his food truck. With most of the ingredients depleted, he could essentially call it a day. This was perhaps the only real benefit of running his own business: he was the sole master of his own schedule.

Heath was quite content with this life. There was no idiotic boss hovering over him, pointing fingers and demanding to know why he wasn’t contributing to the company, or watching with judgment as he slipped away the moment the clock struck five while everyone else volunteered for overtime.

Ever since arriving in this world, Heath’s temperament had become significantly more peaceful. He faced life with a smile, and even though the first four years had been spent paying off debts, he truly enjoyed this sense of freedom. He felt it was simply his natural disposition.

"Trainer, are we heading back now?" Zorua popped out of the lounge, looking at Heath with anticipation, her little eyes blinking expectantly. Heath only needed one look to know exactly what the little creature wanted; Zorua was never one for subtlety, and her emotions were always written plainly on her face.

"Yes, we still need to prepare dinner for the Officers at the Officer Jenny apartment complex," Heath replied with a chuckle, deliberately feigning ignorance of Zorua’s impatient inner thoughts.

"But it’s a new week! Do you have any plans for the new week, Trainer?" Zorua hinted frantically.

"Hmm? To eat well, drink well, and live well?" Heath scratched his head, sounding uncertain, which immediately earned him a death stare from Zorua. She glared at him with such indignation that one might have thought she was planning to lunge at his throat.

Watching the sulking Zorua, Heath smiled and steered the food truck toward the Jenny apartment complex. He was well aware of what Zorua was implying. She was clearly suggesting that since it was a new week, her "salary" should be paid, and she wanted to buy something. Had it been any other time, Heath would have agreed without hesitation, but for now, he had to finish cooking for the Jennys before taking her to the bookstore.

Navigating the familiar route, Heath reached the Jenny dormitory. After clipping the pass provided by the elder Officer Jenny onto his chest, he walked through without obstruction, heading straight for the cafeteria. It was quiet inside.

Heath glanced at his phone. There was still some time before the Officers finished their shifts, but he had to start preparing immediately. Given the size of the cafeteria and the sheer number of Officers, cooking enough food to satisfy everyone was a time-consuming task.

Heath had also been studying his "Chef’s Eye" ability. He discovered that it only displayed the preferences of customers who had a genuine intent to trade with him; it didn't show anything for others. Passersby didn't have text boxes hovering over their heads; only those intending to purchase food from him triggered the display, allowing the transaction to complete.

He had to admit, he quite liked this feature. He wouldn't want to see a list of preferences above every random stranger he passed on the street; that would be quite a nuisance.

"Given the amount of ingredients... Farfetch'd, come on out! Snorlax, you help me too!" Heath released two Poké Balls. After a moment of thought, he also brought out Charmander. Zorua, however, was still sulking and clearly didn't want to emerge.

Zorua couldn't really help with the cooking anyway, so Heath didn't mind. He knew the little one would be happy again once they finished dinner and visited the bookstore.

The Snorlax looked at Heath curiously, not entirely sure what was expected of it.

"Snorlax, remember that meat jelly we had last time?" Heath smiled. Snorlax was a massive help, especially when preparing certain dishes; it could even assist with desserts.

"!" Snorlax waved its arms excitedly. It clearly remembered that meat jelly; it had been drawn to Heath’s truck by that rich, savory aroma in the first place.

"I'll have to trouble you again today. We don't have any Snow Mushrooms, but this mushroom meat jelly should still taste quite good." Heath smiled. Snow Mushrooms were notoriously difficult to find. He had tried looking for them after his first encounter, only to realize why they were named that.

They truly melted away like snowflakes the moment they were removed from their icy, snowy habitat. It left Heath stunned, and it was no wonder that even the Indigo League couldn't source such a delicacy.

He had researched it later and found that people in the Pokémon world were well aware of how delicious Snow Mushrooms were. However, due to their extremely harsh growth requirements, they were only found in places with perpetual snow. Such locations were famous for their specialized "Pokémon Farm-stays"—a destination dubbed as a "must-visit once in a lifetime."

"Pokémon Farm-stay..." Heath had pondered the name for a long time before realizing it was likely a play on traditional rural farm-stays, adapted for the Pokémon world.

As for Farfetch'd, its task was simple: it was responsible for helping Heath slice various ingredients. For Charmander, Heath had a special assignment.

"Charmander, how is your control over your flames?" Heath asked with a smile. Charmander had been training its muscles diligently, but alongside that, it had been working on its fire manipulation.

To Heath’s surprise, the little Pokémon possessed an extraordinary talent for fire. Initially, seeing how much Charmander loved physical training, Heath had considered focusing on its physical attack stats, but its aptitude for fire was truly the most impressive discovery.

Charmander nodded seriously. That was its personality—earnest, mature, steady, and reliable.

"Then, could you help me with the skewers? I need you to envelop every part of these meat skewers evenly with your flames. Don't burn them; just get them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Can you do that?" Heath looked at the little Pokémon with expectation. After a moment’s hesitation, Charmander nodded.