Chapter Fifty-Six

Heath turned his head in confusion, only to see a little girl with beast-like ears gazing up at him with wide, expectant eyes, clutching the hem of his shirt. Nearby, the Leek Duck hugged its leek and snickered, its shoulders shaking with laughter—a sight that left Heath exasperated.

“The restroom is over there, Zorua,” Heath said helplessly to the little girl before him. He didn’t even need to look to know who she was; after all, who else but Zorua could pull off a stunt like this?

“I want you to wash me,” Zorua insisted, stubbornly clinging to Heath’s shirt and refusing to let go. Left with no choice, Heath could only agree.

To avoid any further trouble, Heath had Zorua return to her normal form before carrying her into the bathroom to begin her bath.

“Trainer, are you sure you don’t want me to turn into that little girl again for you?” Zorua sprawled contentedly along the edge of the basin, her whole body melting into the warmth of the bathwater.

“It’s best if you don’t, thank you,” Heath replied with a deadpan expression, rubbing shampoo into Zorua’s fur as he spoke.

He had to admit, bathing Zorua was rather amusing. She was fluffy as a cat, soft to the touch, and the blue fur atop her head was especially beautiful.

“I can do this, too~” Zorua transformed instantly back into the little girl from before—though this time, the result was...

Heath rolled his eyes. Good grief, what on earth had she been learning?

Though the little girl’s appearance was decent enough, the moment his hand passed right through her face, any sense of beauty vanished, replaced by a disconcerting eeriness.

After much persuasion, Zorua finally gave up on trying to maintain her human guise and obediently settled into the basin.

Heath took the opportunity to drag Leek Duck in as well. Though the duck was clearly reluctant, it had no choice but to submit under Heath’s threatening gaze and accept the ordeal of a bath.

“Zorua, does your clan have any traditions or ancestral stories?” Heath asked curiously as he lathered the Leek Duck with shampoo.

“We do! At least, that’s what Zoroark told me. She said our ancestors came from another continent, where there was a towering mountain. Legend says the World God created that land, and our clan was born there,” Zorua replied, soaking happily in the bath.

Heath paused, a thought occurring to him. Could she be describing the Sinnoh region? He remembered, before he crossed over, seeing the latest game mention the predecessor to Sinnoh—the Hisui region. The Zorua there were different in form and even in type.

“And then?” Heath prompted, wishing he’d played further before his transmigration; perhaps then he’d know more.

“After that, we’ve survived until now, although there are fewer and fewer of us,” Zorua said, scooping another ladle of hot water into her bath with a contented sigh.

Heath looked at Zorua, who relished her hot bath, then at the Leek Duck, who recoiled from the heat, shaking his head at how different Pokémon’s preferences could be.

After bathing his Pokémon, Heath crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep.

But that night, Heath slept fitfully. Perhaps the shock from little Adams was too much—his dreams were plagued by visions of the boy, preening and posing, demanding to be whipped. No matter how hard Heath tried, he couldn’t wake up. Then, Sadako, wearing little Adams’ face, crawled out of the television, begging to be whipped; Kayako, also with Adams’ face, stood at his bedside, asking the same.

“This nightmare is truly something else,” Heath groaned as he dragged himself from bed the next morning, realizing for the first time how miserable dreams could be.

Then he noticed a message box appear before him.

[You hosted Darkrai. You have obtained the Nightmare Crystal.]

Heath’s expression grew odd as he fished a small, black crystal from his pocket.

[Nightmare Crystal: Place it under your pillow to experience nightmares from which you cannot awaken.]

“Well, that explains it,” Heath muttered, staring at the crystal in his hand. “So Darkrai passed by last night after all?”

He had never expected to encounter a legendary Pokémon. Even if Darkrai wasn’t unique, it was still an encounter with a god-tier being.

“What a shame. If only I’d gotten a Dark Void TM instead,” Heath clicked his tongue. The nightmare had been unpleasant, but the crystal itself was intriguing.

Nightmares from which one could not awaken—this meant the victim would be trapped until they naturally woke up.

Heath tucked the powerful crystal away. Perhaps it would be useful one day—or perhaps, like his brain-enlarging agent, it would simply gather dust forever.

He stretched, then woke Zorua and the Leek Duck, who were still fast asleep, and took them to wash up in preparation for the day’s work.

“Leek!” After washing up, the Leek Duck blocked Heath’s path, flapping its wings as if to say something.

“Leek says he wants something different for breakfast. He had a nightmare yesterday and doesn’t have the energy,” Zorua translated with a yawn.

Heath’s mouth twitched. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one dragged into Darkrai’s nightmare. That annoyed him a little, but it was the first nightmare he’d had in four years, and catching Darkrai was no easy feat.

Heath shook his head, pondering. He was feeling quite hungry himself—perhaps because of the nightmare.

“A hearty breakfast... Noodles, then?” Heath mused, glancing at his food cart. “What kind should I make?”

After a moment’s thought, Heath decided.

“That’s it,” he said with a grin, rubbing the Leek Duck’s head before leading his Pokémon to the market.

This time, Heath planned to make a kind of beef noodle soup—not the famous Lanzhou style, though that was tasty, but a rich, savory beef noodle dish more to his own liking.

Of course, that meant he would need to buy some mint and other spices. If he hadn’t made a little money recently, he might have hesitated at the expense.