Chapter Five: Sitting in the Sakaki House, a Pot Falls from the Sky

Heath had once watched an anime called "Food Wars," where the heroine possessed what was known as the Divine Tongue—a palate so discerning it could identify every ingredient and method used in a dish, making her famously picky and legendary. Of course, that was pure fiction. In reality, an experienced chef might be able to deduce the approximate recipe and some of the seasoning in a dish after tasting it, which meant Heath, given proper preparation, could attempt to reverse-engineer lost recipes and their ingredients.

For Heath, this bottle of snow from his memories—capable of satiating hunger—was truly a treasure.

After Musashi left, Heath settled comfortably in his food cart, reviewing his notes while serving the occasional customer.

"Heath, forty-three orders of breakfast pancakes, please." It was Sister Ling, but today her expression was unusually stern and heavy, prompting Heath to stand up instinctively.

"Alright, just a moment." Heath immediately began preparing the pancakes with all his focus. Ling buying breakfast likely meant the police officers were so busy this morning they had no time to eat, only able to grab a bite when a rare moment of leisure presented itself.

That made Heath uneasy—what on earth had happened?

"Sister Ling, can I ask what's going on?" Heath inquired cautiously. If it had been Officer Maple standing before him, he wouldn't have dared to ask; she was far too serious.

"This morning we received a report... A highly regarded Miss Joy, famed as a genius Pokémon nurse, has gone missing." Officer Ling hesitated, but seeing Heath's worried face, she lowered her voice and whispered.

Heath's eyes widened in shock. Someone dared to provoke the Joy family?

Though the Joys specialized in Pokémon healthcare, their influence extended far beyond that; together with the Officer family, they formed the bedrock of every league. No league could function without members of these two families.

Moreover, the Joy family's policy of free healthcare for minor ailments had benefited countless trainers. In truth, nearly every trainer owed them a debt of gratitude, which was why the Joys were rarely targeted. Attacking them meant facing their retaliation, enduring the league's wrath, and possibly becoming an enemy of every trainer—such was the status the Joys had earned through their deeds over the years.

What’s more, this time the missing person was a genius Pokémon nurse from the Joy family—hard to imagine who would dare commit such an act in Viridian City.

"Is it Joy Snow?" Heath placed the finished pancakes in a bag and continued making the next one.

"No, it's another." Officer Ling shook her head, saying nothing further.

Heath nodded, understanding Ling’s concerns. If evidence emerged that the missing Miss Joy had been kidnapped, Viridian City would instantly become the shame of the entire Indigo League, losing its reputation as the safest city. Then, peace would vanish.

Even with Heath’s swift hands, forty-three orders took considerable time. Once they were ready, Officer Ling placed her payment and hurried off with the food.

"Troubled times... I bet Mr. Sakaki has quite the headache too." Heath scratched his head. It was obvious: after a Joy family member went missing, who would the league suspect first? The most powerful and prominent organization lately was none other than Team Rocket.

As Heath thought this, he saw Sakaki rushing past with several gym trainers. His mood was clearly foul; the usual easy smile had vanished, replaced with fury and displeasure, as if a lion had discovered intruders in its territory.

It seemed Team Rocket had nothing to do with this incident; otherwise, Sakaki wouldn’t look so agitated.

"Trainer, what happened? Why are there so many people on the streets?" Zorua hopped onto Heath’s head, making him sway with the force.

"Nothing much, just something rather infuriating." Heath glanced at the calm pedestrians—clearly, the news was still under wraps and the public remained unaware.

"Trainer~ I finished reading~" Zorua called out in a coquettish voice. Heath didn’t even need her to explain; he knew exactly what the little fox wanted.

"Forget it, your quota for this week is already used up. If you want more, wait until next week." Heath replied irritably. Zorua spent every moment outside of eating and resting with her nose in a book. Even though three volumes together were fairly thick, they still weren’t enough for Zorua’s reading speed.

"Uncle~ buy some for me please~" Zorua jumped off Heath’s head, transforming into a white-haired, beast-eared little girl, grabbing his clothes and swaying with a childish voice.

"Useless, I don’t fall for that." Heath kept a straight face.

"Oh my~ little brother, will you buy it for your big sister~?" Zorua shot Heath an angry glare, then transformed into a bombshell beauty, purposely making her clothes barely cover her curves.

Heath rolled his eyes. There was no saving Zorua. Maybe when he got his hands on a memory cleanser, he could scrub out all the questionable material from Zorua’s mind. Until then, there was no hope.

"Trainer! Are you hopeless? How can you be so indifferent even to this?" Zorua reverted to her original form, sulking.

"No, but why would I be attracted to a woman with a devilish figure but the face of a Machamp?" Heath looked at Zorua, bewildered. Clearly, she’d watched too much—her latest transformation had the perfect body but the unmistakable face of a Machamp.

Absolutely no reaction, of course!