Chapter Seventeen: The Tangerine Fruit

However, the combination of "psychic powers" and "Evergreen" sounded vaguely familiar to Heath. Could it be that eating the fruit of Evergreen grants the power of Eternity? The thought made Heath a little excited—after all, the power of Eternity was legendary. In the world of Pokémon, Aura, Psychic power, and the power of Eternity were all exceptionally rare abilities possessed by only a select few.

Yet, after carefully questioning Officer Jun Sa Ling, Heath realized that obtaining the so-called fruit of Evergreen was virtually impossible, for that fruit existed only in storybooks.

“This is entirely fruitless. It seems fulfilling the task in Evergreen City is next to impossible,” Heath yawned, sitting on his small stool, basking in the sunlight.

The warm sun poured over Heath, making him feel lethargic, and Farfetch’d stood nearby, leaning on its leek, dozing off.

Heath had originally intended to return Farfetch’d to its Poké Ball, but the duck was adamant about sunbathing. Helpless, Heath could only let Farfetch’d stay by his side to enjoy the sunshine.

Just as Heath was beginning to drift off, he heard Meowth’s cry.

“Mmm... so comfortable... Meowth, what’s wrong?” Heath stretched lazily, yawned contentedly, and looked curiously at Meowth, whose head poked out from the bushes.

Pokémon without trainers couldn’t appear in human society; it was a rule set by the League to protect Pokémon. If discovered, they would be taken away, cared for and trained for a while, then released back into the wild or assigned to another trainer.

But Meowth, Raticate, and Ekans clearly had no intention of abiding by such rules, so they lived with extreme caution every day.

“Meow~” Meowth happily pushed a blue berry into Heath’s hand. Heath took it, puzzled, inspecting it—it seemed to be an Oran Berry.

Oran Berry, a fruit only Pokémon could eat, some berries possessed miraculous effects, and Oran Berries were said to heal Pokémon injuries, though their healing power was limited.

“Is this... for me?” Heath was surprised; such a berry was a rare treasure for stray Pokémon.

Wild berry trees were usually claimed by other Pokémon, and trying to snatch their berries was difficult. Farms that grew berries would never allow wild Pokémon to pilfer their crops.

So Heath truly hadn’t expected Meowth and the others to bring him a berry.

“Meow~ Meowth~” Meowth nodded happily, but sensing approaching pedestrians, quickly withdrew its head.

Watching the rustling in the bushes, Heath couldn’t help but smile. He put away the Oran Berry, feeling a warmth in his heart. He’d never expected any reward for helping Meowth and its companions, so their gift moved him and made him want to laugh.

“Oh, these little ones...” Heath stroked the Oran Berry in his hand. It wasn’t particularly useful for him, so he decided to put it away for now.

Heath stared at the box containing the Oran Berry, lost in thought. He wondered if these berries—Pokémon food—could be used to make dishes. But what did an Oran Berry taste like? What kind of food could it be used for?

Heath thought it was a question worth exploring.

“Should I go watch some trainer battles?” Heath yawned, knowing that from now until five in the afternoon, few customers would come to buy food, so this was his daily time to relax.

His ways to unwind were watching TV or Pokémon battles, and he especially enjoyed watching the latter.

With this in mind, Heath pushed his small cart toward Evergreen City’s Battle Hall. In cities, there was almost always a place set up for trainers to battle.

As for towns, that depended on their size and the number of trainers living there.

The Battle Hall in Evergreen City was located beside the Gym, likely so trainers could warm up and then head straight to the Gym for an official match while still in their prime.

“Farfetch’d, let’s go.” Heath patted Farfetch’d on the head. The duck blinked in confusion, then finally woke up from its nap.

Heath expertly prepared a bowl of fried rice and handed it to the security guard at the Battle Hall. The guard accepted it with a cheerful smile, helping Heath push his cart aside.

The security guard was responsible for the cart’s safety, and in exchange for his help, Heath paid with a bowl of fried rice—a fair, mutually beneficial arrangement.

When Heath entered the Battle Hall, he saw several pairs of trainers battling in the arena. Most used Pokémon like Oddish and Ekans.

The most eye-catching was a beautiful blonde girl in a lovely dress, smiling brightly as she faced her opponent.

However, the Pokémon she sent out was an Electabuzz, while her opponent used a Squirtle. Normally, the outcome would be obvious, but under the girl’s direction, Electabuzz looked on the verge of defeat.

“That girl...” Heath watched the girl directing her Squirtle with curiosity. She was the same little girl he’d seen that morning.

Though she wasn’t wearing a white dress, her appearance was identical to the girl he’d seen in Evergreen Forest the day before.

Heath stood skillfully at the edge of the battlefield, watching the match. Electabuzz was clearly holding back, despite being an Electric-type Pokémon, it was being thoroughly beaten by Squirtle, occasionally letting out pitiful cries, clearly about to lose.

Heath couldn’t help but laugh. That Electabuzz was a real performer, and the little girl hadn’t noticed the truth, happily directing her Squirtle to press the advantage.

Amidst the laughter of the onlookers, Electabuzz took a hit from Bubble and collapsed with a wail.

“Oh, Alice, you’re amazing! You have real talent as a trainer,” someone praised as the match ended, and Heath learned the girl’s name—Alice.

Heath scratched his head. If only he could play the piano, maybe he could perform "Für Elise" for her, shocking the little girl—after all, isn’t that how it always goes in novels?