Chapter Fifty-Two: Simple and Quick Ways to Fill Your Belly

"Thank you. My name is Heath, and I'm a chef. Would you like something to eat?" Although he suspected that Yungila was showing off, Heath responded with a cheerful smile to its kindness.

"A chef, you say? Could you teach me how to cook a dish?" Yungila's interest was piqued at once, and its eyes, brimming with wisdom, seemed to shine even brighter.

Heath nodded; he had nothing pressing to do, and teaching such a clever Pokémon to cook sounded rather entertaining. He glanced at his old phone—almost time to head home for a rest. He still needed to prepare dinner for Officer Junsha and her colleagues tonight.

"Let's go, then. My food truck is just outside." With laughter and conversation, Heath led Yungila out of the classroom.

In the world of Pokémon, befriending Pokémon was nothing unusual—in fact, it was common practice. So none of the driving school staff found anything odd about Heath and Yungila chatting happily together.

"Your food truck... looks amazing," Yungila exclaimed, gazing in astonishment at Heath's vehicle. It had never seen such a distinctive truck before.

"Of course! This is the grand prize from the Siluf Company—I was just lucky enough to win it." Heath chuckled, opened the door, and ushered Yungila inside.

As they entered, Zorua leapt from Heath’s shoulder and settled onto its own little stool. It glanced up at Yungila, stretched languidly, and curled up comfortably.

"Don't you keep that Pokémon in its Poké Ball?" Yungila naturally noticed Zorua, though to its eyes, it was just a green caterpillar—albeit one with quite a personality.

"She doesn’t like being inside the Poké Ball, so I don’t force her," Heath replied, nodding. He’d caught Zorua a few days ago, but she refused to enter the ball.

Heath had no intention of forcing Zorua; he disliked making Pokémon do things they didn’t enjoy. That’s why he had never bought a Poké Ball.

"You really are a peculiar person. Could you teach me to make something simple and quick?" Yungila looked thoughtfully at Zorua, then smiled and asked.

Heath stroked his chin. Yungila’s request was unusual, but not difficult for him. The requirements immediately brought to mind a variety of dishes.

Fried rice, for example, was simple to prepare; burgers and sandwiches would also fit the bill. But remembering Mr. Yanning, Heath decided to ask for clarification.

"Are you planning to eat it yourself?" Heath needed to confirm—if it was for Yungila, he’d need to know its taste preferences.

"Yes. Eating takes too much time, but if I skip meals, my thinking gets muddled. So I'd like to learn something simple." Yungila replied with calm composure.

Heath nodded, relieved he’d asked. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to tailor the dish.

After inquiring about Yungila’s preferred flavors, Heath was surprised by the answer: Yungila liked salty and spicy food—quite a strong taste.

"Salty and spicy..." Heath thought for a moment. If the dish must be quick, simple, and fit those flavors...

Heath opened the rice cooker and took out some cold rice, placing it in a bowl. He poured in some soy sauce, added a spoonful of his homemade chili oil, and a small piece of pork fat. Once melted, he drizzled it evenly over the rice.

"Here, give it a try," Heath placed the soy sauce rice in front of Yungila.

Yungila stared at the bowl in surprise. It had mentally timed the process—since Heath opened the rice cooker, less than two minutes had passed. A dish prepared in under two minutes?

"Be sure to mix it well, or it won’t taste as good," Heath advised as Yungila prepared to eat.

Soy sauce rice was indeed one of the easiest and quickest dishes to make. While it wasn’t suitable for daily consumption, it was perfect for staving off hunger now and then.

All it required was cold rice, soy sauce, chili oil, and a spoonful of melted pork fat.

The pork fat added aroma—essential, but not too much, lest it become greasy. The amount depended on personal preference.

Soy sauce and chili oil were the soul of the dish, perfectly matching Yungila’s desired flavor.

Heath watched as Yungila ate and nodded approvingly. He knew his idea was the right one. For Yungila, this kind of food was both easy to make and filling.

"The flavor is excellent—I really like it," Yungila said happily. Such a simple, time-saving meal was exactly what it needed.

"Fine for an occasional meal, but if you plan to eat this often, you should pay attention to nutrition," Heath reminded. Farfetch’d wasn’t interested in the soy sauce rice, which disappointed Heath.

He’d hoped that if Farfetch’d liked it, he could quickly complete his task.

After sending off Yungila, who returned to its quantum reading and study, Heath drove his food truck back to Viridian City. He handed the salted chicken, prepared in advance, to Mr. Yanning, who had come to pick it up. His task progress now showed 1/100.

"Finally, my first customer... But why doesn’t Yungila count? Is it just a favor, not real hospitality?" Heath counted today’s earnings and locked them in the truck’s cabinet.

With the day’s business done, Heath let the food truck drive itself back to the dormitory area. Just as he got out, he felt someone hugging him.

"Little Heath~ You’re so naughty, you wore me out so much I can barely stand~" Heath rolled his eyes. How was this person still alive? Apparently, five laps around the driving school weren’t enough.

"Aya, if you don’t let go, I can’t cook dinner," Heath said helplessly. Officer Junsha Aya, the old hand, was waiting at the dormitory—if he’d known, he would have come back when it was busier.

"Come, let me quiz you," Junsha Aya released him with a mischievous smile, then pulled out a picture from behind her back and placed it in front of Heath.

"If you can’t answer, big sister will have to punish you~" Aya flashed a triumphant grin.