Chapter Twenty-Three: The True Identity of "Her"

Heath was momentarily stunned. The little girl before him seemed incredibly familiar—wasn’t she the one he’d seen in the Evergreen Forest last time?

“You’re here again. There’s a wonderful smell coming from your arms—what is it?” The little girl spoke in a sweet, childish voice, her wide eyes curiously examining Heath.

“Hmm... do you mean this?” Heath gestured for Farfetch’d to stand beside him, then pulled out the lunchbox he’d prepared from his arms, opening it to show the little girl.

The rich aroma of sweet and sour spare ribs instantly filled the air, the golden-brown hue of the meat glistening in the sunlight, making the little girl swallow her saliva involuntarily.

Heath noted her reaction with delight; he was rather pleased. It seemed that obtaining that crucial clue had really paid off—this little girl... no, this Pokémon truly had a fondness for sweet and tangy flavors. And sweet and sour spare ribs were a perfect match.

“Would you like some?” Heath asked with a gentle smile, looking at the little girl. He felt a twinge of regret—had he known, he wouldn’t have wasted his appraisal opportunity on Farfetch’d.

The little girl nodded instinctively, her cheeks flushing with excitement. But she quickly shook her head, crossed her arms in a haughty gesture, turned away, and put on an expression of feigned indifference.

Heath couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. He hadn’t expected this Pokémon to be such a little tsundere, which only piqued his curiosity about her true identity. What kind of Pokémon could mimic such lifelike behavior?

“You’re not actually human, are you? I saw you before in Viridian City, and right now, you should still be training with Charmander.” Heath decided to cut to the chase, staring at the little girl.

“Huh? Who said that! I am human... I just... didn’t bring Charmander, and came out for a walk!” The little girl seemed to bristle instantly, waving her hands and feet in agitation.

Heath couldn’t hold back his laughter, clutching his stomach as his bright laughter echoed through the forest. The little girl glared at him, furious.

“Sorry, sorry... but now I’m certain—you’re definitely not human, because that little girl’s Pokémon was a Squirtle.” Heath wiped tears from his eyes, looking at the stunned little girl and laughing even harder.

Previously, to prevent her from catching on, Heath had deliberately swapped Squirtle with Charmander in his story, and she’d fallen for it.

“You! You’re despicable! Cunning! ...Shameless!” The little girl was so flustered she nearly jumped with rage, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.

“Sorry, sorry... Ahem, back to the point, you were the one causing trouble in Viridian Forest, weren’t you? The League has already noticed and is investigating and hunting for you. If you’re found, you’ll be caught,” Heath said cheerfully.

He didn’t actually know how the League would handle this Pokémon, but he intended to frighten her into revealing her true form.

“I... I can just transform into something else and escape! Humans will never find me!” The little girl panicked for a moment but quickly regained her composure. Her body twisted, and suddenly, a green Caterpie appeared where she had just stood.

Heath stared in amazement—it was perfect. If he hadn’t seen her transform himself, he would never have imagined that the Caterpie was actually the little girl.

“Who says you can’t be seen through? Let me tell you, a very powerful trainer lives here. Your transformation wouldn’t fool her,” Heath said, thinking of Ms. Lori, that formidable woman.

Her Gengar was incredibly strong—Heath even suspected that, compared to her, even Agatha's Gengar, one of the Elite Four’s pride, might pale in comparison.

“I... I...” Caterpie was visibly unsettled, and Heath smiled; it seemed this little one had previously encountered someone who could see through her transformations.

“What kind of Pokémon are you? Mew?” Heath looked at her expectantly. To him, Mew was the most likely answer—after all, Mew was lively and possessed powerful illusion abilities.

“Huh? What’s Mew? I’m not that! I’m a Zorua!” Caterpie exclaimed indignantly, wriggling her body, and in a flash, a new Pokémon appeared before Heath.

Heath was astonished as he gazed at the Zorua. Of course he knew Zorua—the master of illusions, not a legendary Pokémon, but still a remarkable Dark-type.

With its powerful transformation abilities, many of the strange illusions he’d witnessed from the little girl suddenly made perfect sense.

After all, Zoroark, Zorua’s evolved form, was the true master of illusions; the phantoms it conjured could even fool cameras.

But as far as Heath remembered, Zorua was not native to the Kanto region. So how did this one end up here...?

“Were you captured and brought here by Team Plasma?” Heath recalled the Team Plasma member he’d once encountered, who had provided him with a lead.

According to that lead, Team Plasma had come to Kanto to collaborate with Team Rocket, bringing certain things with them. Could Zorua be among them?

“You know them? You’re a bad guy too!” Zorua bristled in anger, baring her teeth at Heath.

Before Heath could explain, Zorua lunged at him and swiped with her claws—only to strike Farfetch’d instead.

Dark energy flared around Farfetch’d, who looked at Zorua in confusion, unsure why this little one had suddenly come over for such an “affectionate” greeting.

Heath breathed a sigh of relief—so the Wonder Guard had activated, making Zorua’s Dark-type moves ineffective against Farfetch’d.

“I’m not a bad guy. I only met Team Plasma before, and you’re not from this region,” Heath quickly explained. It wasn’t Mew, but Zorua was still quite special.

And this one was a shiny Zorua.

Heath regarded the wary Zorua. Normally, Zorua’s fur was a deep crimson, but this one’s fur was blue, making her exceptionally beautiful—no wonder she was called the Tricky Fox Pokémon.

“This is sweet and sour spare ribs—sweet and tangy. Would you like to try some? Don’t worry, I’ll leave it here and go,” Heath said, setting down the dish in front of him and glancing at Zorua.

“But I must tell you, the League really has discovered you. They’re searching for you, and if they find you, I don’t know what will happen.” Heath shrugged, then departed with his Farfetch’d.