Chapter Three: How Does the Golden Finger Activate?

Heath had often wondered what his first Pokémon would be—perhaps a Growlithe, or one of the classic starters? Those all seemed fine to him, but never once had he imagined a Farfetch’d. With his little cart in tow, Heath strolled back to his residence, humming a cheerful tune. Now that he possessed his golden finger, the future looked bright indeed.

“Hey~ isn’t this little Heath? Done with business for the day?” A waft of perfume, then a soft embrace from behind made Heath freeze in his tracks.

“Janna, aren’t you working today?” Heath didn’t even need to look; he knew exactly who the woman behind him was.

“Hehe, of course not, I’m off today~” With a teasing laugh, a strikingly beautiful woman circled around to face Heath, pinching his cheek with a playful smile.

Heath drew a sharp breath—every Officer Jenny was stronger than they looked, and right now he felt as though he were facing a heavyweight boxing champion.

“Back already, Heath? I’m starving!” Another Officer Jenny in casual clothes emerged, beaming at him.

“I want egg fried rice!” More and more Officer Jennys began to appear around Heath, all clamoring for dinner.

Scratching his head, Heath reflected that since crossing into this world, the greatest misfortune was being orphaned and saddled with his parents’ debts. Yet his greatest stroke of luck was meeting this group of Officer Jennys.

“All right, stop teasing our little Heath. Welcome home.” A mature, composed voice sounded, and instantly every Jenny snapped to attention, posture perfect.

“Maple!” Heath greeted the woman approaching from the center with delight. She was also an Officer Jenny, though she looked a bit older and more composed.

In his previous life, Heath couldn’t tell a Jenny from a Joy; to him, they all looked much the same. Now, after four years under their roof—growing from a thirteen-year-old brat into a seventeen-year-old one—he could easily tell each apart.

But seeing the hopeful, expectant faces of Officer Jennys all around, Heath couldn’t bear to let anyone go hungry. Perhaps this was a chef’s inescapable fate.

So Heath soon found himself in the kitchen at the heart of the Jenny household, busy preparing dinner for the evening. The city of Evergreen was home to a dense population, and so it had many Officer Jennys. Heath, the only boy among them, might have found himself the protagonist of a romantic comedy under other circumstances.

But this was the world of Pokémon, and each Officer Jenny not only had fierce Growlithes and Arcanines at their side, but also boasted formidable combat skills themselves. Heath had often watched their sparring matches with a dry throat.

Thankfully, he had managed to win these strong-willed women over by other means.

“Food just tastes best when you make it, Heath~” In the small dining room, the nearly identical Officer Jennys savored his cooking, their faces filled with happiness.

“So, have you finally paid off your parents’ debts?” Jenny Maple, who had taken Heath in, smiled at him and asked with serious intent.

“Yes, it’s all settled... and then I bought a Poké Ball.” Heath scratched his head sheepishly. Maple was closer than a sister to him.

“Oh? Are you planning to become a trainer, or will you take my advice and join our security force?” Maple’s eyes lit up as she looked at Heath, delighted.

Heath stuffed a forkful of fried rice into his mouth. Today’s batch was good—the leek from Farfetch’d had given it a richer aroma.

After a moment’s hesitation, he told Maple about catching Farfetch’d. She looked at him with astonishment, then grew solemn as she explained the peculiarities of the species. Farfetch’d, despite its status as a protected Pokémon, was highly prized by hunters for its tender meat and the seasoning it carried at all times. If Heath traveled with one, he might well become a target for those with ill intentions.

Heath nodded; he had already considered this. Without his golden finger, he might have chosen a different path, but now things were different. Yet he was a bit puzzled—why hadn’t the text box appeared? He’d received rewards before for hosting Farfetch’d.

After dinner, Heath followed Maple back to the dormitory, tidied up enthusiastically, even cleaning the adjoining rooms, but still, no text box appeared.

A sense of confusion settled over him. Farfetch’d had definitely changed; there was no doubt about that. But what exactly triggered the appearance of the text box? He still didn’t know.

Following Maple’s advice, that night Heath let Farfetch’d out to groom its feathers and nurture their bond. Farfetch’d behaved perfectly normally around Maple, as though it knew these uniformed women meant no harm.

Maple watched Farfetch’d with fascination—it was rare to see a protected species up close. She reported the matter to the League, who sent someone over late at night to register Heath’s information. Every captured Farfetch’d was logged and monitored by the League.

After a busy evening, Heath woke naturally at five the next morning. He dressed quietly, gathered his things, and slipped out with his cart, heading toward the city center. Life at the breakfast stall had instilled the habit of rising at five; only by waking so early could he secure affordable ingredients. Fortunately, he still had enough supplies to get through the day.

“Good morning, Heath. Up early as always, I see.” The steady, mature voice of a man reached Heath’s ears—he knew at once who it was.

“Good morning, Director Giovanni. You’re up early, too. Can I get you something?” Heath turned to see Giovanni in his black suit, offering a polite smile.

Yes, this was Giovanni of Evergreen City—the Gym Leader, the League’s Gym Master, the head of the shadowy Rocket syndicate, and one of Heath’s regular customers.