Chapter Forty-Four: Xiaogang’s Reckless Gamble

Almost every cup of soy milk Heath made was freshly prepared. On one hand, this allowed customers to watch the process; on the other, freshly made soy milk always had a richer, more mellow taste. Of course, a bit of white sugar was added for flavor. As Heath busied himself with the soy milk, he listened to Sakaki and Brock chatting. For the most part, it was Sakaki talking and Brock listening attentively. Brock also took the opportunity to ask for advice on being a Gym Leader, and Sakaki responded readily, which struck Heath as rather odd.

“Mr. Sakaki, the Rocket Gang is truly despicable! Even this once peaceful Viridian City was attacked by them!” Brock’s indignant outburst nearly made Heath spill the soy milk.

That was like cursing the gods in their own temple. Heath silently gave Brock a thumbs up in his mind—Brock really was a brave soul.

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Sakaki asked with great interest, his tone betraying no displeasure.

“You see, Team Rocket is nothing but a bunch of villains. Every day they’re out there causing trouble—stealing Pokémon, wreaking havoc everywhere. The boss of Team Rocket must be a real scoundrel—probably with sores on his head and pus on his feet!” Brock continued, digging his own grave even deeper.

Heath poured the soy milk into a cup, added some sugar, and turned to place it on the table along with a bun.

He thought Brock was surely on Sakaki’s blacklist by now, probably just waiting for the day he’d be dealt with.

But to Heath’s surprise, Sakaki showed no sign of anger. Instead, he laughed heartily, clapped Brock on the shoulder, and joined in denouncing the Rocket Boss as a true villain.

This discovery astonished Heath. He hadn’t expected Sakaki to be so good-natured, but thinking it over, the Sakaki he knew was indeed a charismatic man—not the type to bear grudges.

“Mr. Sakaki, your buns and soy milk are ready.” Heath handed over the breakfast, watching as Brock, oblivious to his close brush with disaster, smiled cheerfully. Heath couldn’t help but think that sometimes being a bit oblivious was a blessing.

“Thank you, Heath. By the way, could you prepare some extra buns and soy milk for me to take back to my Gym’s trainers?” Sakaki took a bite of the bun, his face lighting up with enjoyment as he made his request.

Heath nodded—no trouble at all. Though with Sakaki’s order, all the buns Heath had prepared for his trial run were now sold out. Luckily, there was still plenty of soy milk left—soybeans, after all, kept well.

Even if the soybeans sprouted, that was fine—they could always be turned into bean sprouts.

“Mr. Sakaki really is a great person,” Brock sighed as he ate his egg fried rice.

Heath cast him a peculiar glance. He was more and more curious about Brock’s reaction once he learned Sakaki’s true identity. Then again, Brock’s attitude wasn’t so strange.

After all, if Heath hadn’t traversed worlds, watched the anime, and played the games, he, too, would never have guessed that this gentle, kind man, Sakaki, was actually the boss of Team Rocket.

It all came down to that curse of omniscience.

“So, do you want to learn from Mr. Sakaki and become a Gym Leader like him?” Heath mused about Brock’s strength, which always seemed a bit lacking. Rock-types had too many weaknesses and were easily countered.

No wonder, after Brock succeeded as Pewter Gym Leader, his Rock-type Gym was classified by the League as a beginner’s gym.

Gyms in the Pokémon world were fascinating. While the challenge order wasn’t fixed, the League did sort gyms by difficulty and recommended trainers challenge those best suited to their level.

Heath remembered reading the Quartz Daily, which noted that this year, Cerulean Gym was listed as the most beginner-friendly—likely because Misty had become its Leader.

“Well… Actually, Heath, I haven’t officially become a Gym Leader yet, but I already find the idea rather dull. If my dad didn’t care so much and hadn’t given me a Pokémon, I wouldn’t want the job at all,” Brock admitted, looking conflicted and dejected.

Heath wasn’t surprised—after all, Brock would later leave to travel with Ash for years.

And at the thought of Ash, Heath’s expression grew even odder. Ash truly was a legend—a ten-year-old with twenty years of trainer experience, it was almost absurd.

When he first arrived in this world, Heath even suspected that a year here might last as long as twenty on Earth. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

“In the end, everyone has things they like and dislike. For example, I really enjoy cooking,” Heath said as he took down the soy milk machine to clean it.

“Some people might look down on being a chef, but I love this work. Doing what you love is happiness.” Heath had no intention of persuading Brock—he knew that only the person involved could make such decisions, not an outsider like himself.

Seeing Brock’s troubled face, Heath decided to change the subject. After all, Brock would eventually leave Pewter Gym behind once Ash came to challenge him.

“By the way, Brock, what Pokémon did your dad give you? Does it obey you?” Heath asked out of curiosity.

“Heh, you’ll never guess,” Brock replied with confidence, a mysterious and sly grin on his face.

Heath shot him a look. Was Brock challenging his years of experience as a Pokémon veteran? Heath was sure he knew far more than Brock did.

“What else could it be—a fossil Pokémon?” Heath thought back to the first generation of Rock-types; there weren’t that many.

“No, no, of course not a fossil Pokémon! My dad had to call in a big favor to get this for me!” Brock shook his head, then produced his Poké Ball. The next moment, a small Pokémon stood at Brock’s side.

Heath stared in disbelief at the creature with its intimidating gaze and short stature—wasn’t that a Larvitar?

He couldn’t comprehend why Brock would have a Larvitar—after all, it wasn’t native to Kanto.

“Haha, you don’t recognize it, do you? Let me introduce you—this is an incredibly strong Pokémon: Larvitar!” Brock proclaimed proudly.