Chapter 32: Young Man, What Kind of Car Are You Driving?

The next morning, Heath opened his eyes in his sleeping bag. He had to admit, the room was a bit larger, and it felt much better to sleep in.

However, Heath figured this might have had something to do with the thunderstorm outside; even while still in his dreams, he could hear the occasional rumble of thunder. Though the weather was still quite poor, Heath was in a good mood because he could see that the snow outside had completely melted. This meant he could finally drive his vehicle toward the Indigo League headquarters.

The Indigo League headquarters was located on the Indigo Plateau. Because the road there was a long mountain path, it was full of curves. Heath had glanced at the map and noted there were over thirty turns.

"But I really don't understand why this place is called Mount Akina!" Heath grabbed his head in frustration. If the map hadn't indicated that this name was thought up by Champion Lance, he would have suspected the presence of other transmigrators.

Despite his confusion, Heath decided to focus on his chores for the day. He sat up from his sleeping bag and plucked Zorua, who was sprawled out on top of him, off his chest.

"Trainer, have some humanity! You wore me out all night long. My legs are still weak, and I'm sore down there, yet you're forcing me to get up so early..." Zorua glared at Heath with a look of deep resentment.

The corner of Heath’s mouth twitched. He looked at Zorua with helplessness; this creature with a mind full of lewd thoughts was at it again. Last night, it was clearly this little guy who had been looking for trouble, and it had nothing to do with Heath, yet now he was being made out to be the villain.

"If you don't get up, I'm going to feed your breakfast to the Snow Snorlax," Heath threatened, his tone impatient. This creature was such a slug; every morning, it acted as if they were going through a tragic, soul-wrenching separation from the blankets.

After calling for the sleepy Farfetch'd, Heath pushed open the door and saw Charmander out for a run, while the Snow Snorlax was fast asleep. Because of its massive size, Snorlax couldn't sleep in Heath’s bedroom, so Heath had specially prepared a sleeping spot for it in the living room.

Since Heath hadn't considered the possibility of catching a fourth Pokémon when he first set out, he had no way to help Snorlax brush its teeth today. He would have to wait until they reached the Indigo League headquarters to find a way to purchase a toothbrush and other daily necessities.

After a quick wash, Heath prepared breakfast for his Pokémon and then drove his vehicle toward the Indigo League. As he drove, however, he felt that the surrounding road was becoming a bit strange. New signs had been posted along the way, and the content of those signs left Heath feeling a bit odd.

" 'Please do not street race'—that's understandable, I suppose. Street racing is a very dangerous activity in the Pokémon world after all," Heath remarked, his expression growing increasingly bizarre as he read the signs.

" 'Please do not engage in road rage.' " That seemed like a fairly normal sign.

" 'Please maintain a safe distance from Pokémon.' " That didn't seem like much of a problem either.

" 'When faced with provocations from Pokémon, please remain calm and do not engage in racing against them?' " Heath stared blankly at this sign. He didn't quite understand why such strange signs were posted here.

" 'Pokémon on Mount Akina are protected by League regulations; attempting to capture them will result in severe penalties from the League.' " Heath scratched his head. Why did he have a nagging feeling that something was wrong?

Just then, the rain outside began to let up, and before long, it stopped completely. As the rain ceased, Heath steered his vehicle into the first turn.

*Neighhh!* A crisp whinny suddenly rang out. Heath looked back in confusion and saw a Rapidash galloping alongside his food truck.

Heath looked at the Rapidash. Its eyes seemed to be fixed on him, which left him bewildered. He didn't understand what the Rapidash wanted, but he soon found out. The Rapidash sped past his truck, darted ahead, stopped to sneeze, and then waited for Heath to pass it before chasing after him again, staying right by the side of his truck while giving him a strange look.

"?" Heath looked at the Rapidash. For some reason, he felt he could see a hint of "scorn" in its eyes. It was a bizarre sensation; even though it was just a Pokémon, Heath couldn't shake the feeling that it was looking down on him.

"Good grief, could it be that the 'no street racing' sign was referring to this Rapidash?" Heath looked at the creature beside him, his mouth twitching. Seeing this Rapidash, he finally understood why there were warnings against racing Pokémon or engaging in road rage.

Heath drove calmly. In his past life, he had encountered all sorts of eccentric drivers, so his patience had been well-tempered. He once ran into a bizarre female driver who had cut him off. Because there were non-motorized vehicles next to them, Heath hadn't yielded, resulting in a collision. The traffic police found her fully at fault, yet she accused Heath of doing it on purpose and even cried, complaining about how "a normal person would have yielded" or "it was his fault for rear-ending me, why is it my responsibility?" Thinking back on it made Heath's head ache.

Because of that, despite feeling a bit awkward about the Rapidash’s provocations, he remained calm and navigated the first turn. But soon, the Rapidash moved to the left side of his truck and began swishing its tail. Heath didn't pay it much mind, as Rapidash were naturally gifted runners.

However, a moment later, Heath smelled a foul stench—it was like the odor of a decaying animal, wafting in and out. Heath looked at the horse's rear end ahead of him and silently rolled up the window. The smell vanished. Heath stared at the Rapidash with a blank expression; this guy really had no shame. It didn't look like its first time doing this, either. With such precise control over the distance, Heath suspected this Rapidash was a repeat offender.

Heath touched his nose. He felt as if he were driving up a mountain, only to be mocked by a group of racers on the side.

"Hey kid, what kind of car are you driving?"