Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Escaped Pokémon

"Maple, welcome home." Heath watched Junsha Maple return, her face weary, and greeted her with a cheerful smile.

"Good evening, Heath... Hmm? Why are there so many ducks tonight? What did you do?" Junsha Maple stared blankly at the roast ducks on the table, falling into deep contemplation.

Junsha Maple was no stranger to roast duck; her Arcanine loved it too, and Heath, being Heath, made roast duck so delicious that Maple never forgot it after tasting it once. But this didn't fit Heath's character. She knew her younger brother well, perhaps because he was always repaying debts, Heath was quite frugal, and roast duck was usually reserved for holidays.

But today wasn't a holiday...

"Heath! You'd better come clean!" Junsha Maple slammed the table, making the roast duck jump slightly.

"Huh? Come clean about what?" Heath looked at her in confusion. Was he supposed to admit that Mr. Sakaki was actually the boss of Team Rocket?

Don't be ridiculous. Even if the League believed it, Maple herself would be hard to convince. Without solid evidence, even if Sakaki walked past her in a Team Rocket uniform, she'd probably think he was being framed.

Such was Sakaki's prestige in Viridian City—without concrete proof, people rarely doubted his identity.

"So why did you make so much roast duck today?" Seeing Heath's baffled expression, Maple realized he hadn't done anything wrong, and finally relaxed.

"Because Farfetch'd wanted to learn how to make roast duck, so I taught it." Heath shrugged. His heart ached when he went to buy ducks that afternoon.

Even though both ducks were made by Farfetch'd, it still didn't produce roast duck that met the standards of his golden finger. Heath tasted it—the roasting wasn't quite right.

Heath felt bad, but there was nothing more he could do. The ducks were already cooked. He had considered selling them, but since they weren't perfect, Heath decided to keep them and eat them himself.

"You taught Farfetch'd to make roast duck?" Maple stared at Heath in shock, feeling this was the second most absurd thing she'd heard today.

"Yes, Farfetch'd seems quite interested in cooking, so I thought I'd teach it." Heath smiled at Maple's astonished expression. Clearly, he wasn't alone in being surprised that Farfetch'd wanted to make roast duck.

Maple glanced at the Farfetch'd behind Heath, diligently swinging its leek in training, then looked back at Heath. She scratched her head, muttered a few words, and sat down.

"Maple, did something happen in Viridian City today? I saw a lot of people searching for something on the streets," Heath asked curiously.

Heath had noticed this when he went grocery shopping. At first, he thought maybe the chips at the neighboring supermarket were on sale, but soon realized people were combing the streets for something else.

Thanks to them, Heath hadn't seen Meowth or Ekans today. Those little troublemakers were probably hiding out somewhere in Viridian City, enduring another tough day.

"Yes, they started distributing starter Pokémon yesterday. Then, one family's Charmander escaped. You know, it's the supermarket owner's son's Pokémon." Maple picked up a piece of duck, chewed thoughtfully, and praised Farfetch'd.

Although Maple found the roast duck delicious, it still fell short of Heath's standard. Still, she thought Farfetch'd might really have a future as a chef.

Heath raised an eyebrow—no wonder so many people were searching. A runaway Charmander was quite a prize. If someone caught it, they’d save a fortune.

Even if they didn’t keep it, returning it to the supermarket owner would earn a reward. After all, he was among the top five richest people in Viridian City.

But Heath wasn’t interested; it was someone else’s Pokémon. With so many people searching the streets, he doubted he’d find it, though if luck favored him, who knew?

Heath and Maple dined on roast duck and vegetables, enjoying a greasy, filling meal. Heath felt a bit sick afterward—it was the first time he realized that eating roast duck could be a kind of suffering.

After dinner, Heath took Farfetch'd out for a stroll. Before leaving, he grabbed one of his lunchboxes, which contained sweet and sour ribs.

Yes, Heath planned to visit Viridian Forest, bringing sweet and sour ribs to look for Zorua. It was a great way to bond and train together—a win-win.

Night had fallen on Viridian Forest. Though Officer Jenny still patrolled, there were far fewer people than during the day. Heath slipped inside without trouble.

After walking a while, Heath spotted an elderly man lying on the grass, fast asleep. He almost burst out laughing.

Really, Zorua? Did it have to disguise itself as a human just to sleep?

"Hey, wake up," Heath gently tugged the old man's sleeve.

"Hmm? Young man, do you need something from me?" The elderly man opened his eyes, confused, and looked at Heath.

Heath paused. Was this not Zorua after all?

"May I ask who you are?" Heath asked cautiously, not recalling ever seeing the man in Viridian City. Most likely, he was a visitor from another town.

"I'm just a traveler. I got a bit tired and fell asleep here—my apologies." The old man chuckled, acting completely normal. Heath couldn't detect anything amiss.

"I see... Are you hungry? I have some food with me." Heath took out the sweet and sour ribs. If he could offer the guest a meal, he'd know his identity for sure.

This could also serve to verify someone's name, but Heath preferred using food as a magnifying glass. Still, it was troublesome—if the guest didn’t eat, there was nothing he could do.

"No need, kind lad. Ah, these old bones..." The old man patted his waist, thanked Heath, and slowly walked away.