Chapter 82: Strange and Curious Delicacies

Alcremie and Polteageist could be considered some of the quirkiest Pokémon in the world. The former comes in a wide variety of forms, while the latter is distinguished by the existence of both authentic and counterfeit versions. For players striving to complete their Pokédex, both species represent significant hurdles—some go to great lengths, repeatedly hunting, just to collect every Alcremie form and a genuine Polteageist.

But putting all that aside, Heath found the cream from Alcremie truly delightful. Today, as part of a grand opening promotion, Alcremie ice cream was being sold for just six League Coins per cone, with three flavors to choose from. The choices were Milky Red Ruby, Milky Lemon, and Milky Snow Salt. Heath chose Snow Salt, savoring its excellent flavor, while Zorua picked Red Ruby, and both Farfetch’d and Charmander opted for Lemon.

The leaflet mentioned that after today, the price would return to normal—twelve League Coins a cone. Even so, Heath thought he’d happily pay full price, as the taste was genuinely worth it. The only thing that left him a little disappointed was that Professor Oak had vanished somewhere during the line. The shop was simply too crowded; amidst the throng, Heath lost track of the professor.

Such was the downside of busy food streets—too many people, too many Pokémon. Fortunately, Heath kept a close watch over his own team. “I was hoping that if I treated Professor Oak, I might receive something special in return,” Heath sighed, feeling a twinge of regret. After all, it was Professor Oak—a skilled trainer, a renowned Pokémon researcher, and an exceptional breeder. To Heath, Oak seemed almost superhuman.

Had he managed to treat Professor Oak, perhaps he would have been rewarded with some rare item. Still, licking his delicious milky snow salt ice cream, Heath’s mood quickly improved—culinary delights truly were the best remedy for a wounded heart.

Heath continued to stroll through the food street with Zorua, Farfetch’d, and Charmander. They didn’t buy much, but everything was delicious. Charmander’s favorite turned out to be yogurt made with Miltank’s milk, which was simply superb. Heath tried it as well—the yogurt was rich, full of milky aroma, and wonderfully smooth. It didn’t stick to the lid, which left Heath a little disappointed; to him, licking the yogurt lid was the true essence of eating yogurt.

Zorua, on the other hand, took a liking to the takoyaki sold by an Octillery vendor. Each ball was flavor-packed, with a piece of tentacle in every bite. Heath couldn’t help but glance twice, suspecting that the takoyaki’s tentacles might actually be the vendor’s own. Was this a case of self-sufficiency? Then again, Octillery’s tentacles could likely regenerate, making this a low-cost business model.

If this had happened at the beginning, Heath might have found it unsettling, but now he was unfazed. As long as no one brought out Alolan Slowpoke tail jerky, Heath felt he could accept just about anything. Even if Slowpoke’s tail could regenerate like a lizard’s, Heath still felt a bit squeamish about it.

As for Farfetch’d, it was a bit unique. Though it enjoyed eating, it seemed even more interested in watching how others prepared food, often displaying a look of sudden realization. Heath glanced at the leek Farfetch’d carried. Strictly speaking, Pokémon who brought their own garnishes to a food street were few and far between, and Heath drew plenty of surprised looks and eager glances—people with phones in hand, eyes gleaming.

It seemed they thought Heath was planning to sell Farfetch’d cuisine on the food street. After all, the League had announced a reward of fifty thousand League Coins for anyone who caught and reported illegal hunters or traffickers of wild Farfetch’d. In Viridian City, where the average monthly wage was only thirty-five hundred League Coins, fifty thousand was a windfall.

After leaving the food street, Heath’s wallet was a bit lighter. Still, seeing his three Pokémon happily munching away, he felt that these occasional outings together were well worth it. Of course, he still winced at the expense—it was hard-earned money, after all, and Heath was a thrifty soul.

“I suppose the League chairman has left by now?” Heath mused, stretching as he gazed at the lively street. He hadn’t gone to driving school yet, but a glance at the time told him there was little point in going now. He couldn’t help but wonder what expression the chairman would wear upon discovering that the Gym Leader he had personally authorized—Giovanni—was actually the boss of Team Rocket.

It was almost as absurd as putting an undercover agent in charge of a crime syndicate, but in a world where the outlandish happened daily, Giovanni’s appointment as Gym Leader wasn’t all that surprising.

“Hey, Heath? What are you doing here?” Just as Heath was thinking of Giovanni, the man himself appeared, standing beside him with a large bag of groceries in his arms.

“I was just taking my Pokémon for a stroll down the food street,” Heath replied cheerfully. Giovanni glanced at Charmander, a strange expression flickering across his face, but he only smiled and said nothing.

“Stocking up for groceries, Mr. Giovanni?” Heath asked, eyeing the tomatoes, squash, and a large cut of marbled beef—clearly the finest from the supermarket.

The intricate snowflake patterns in the beef made Heath’s hands itch with anticipation.

“Yes, I’m planning to make hot pot at home tonight,” Giovanni replied with a grin. After a brief chat, Heath returned to his food truck.

Of course, the Pokémon world had hot pot—it's a popular cooking style here as well. In Viridian City, there were many hot pot restaurants, the most famous being “Ayuu Hot Pot.” Heath had gone there with Sister Maple once, and it had certainly lived up to its reputation. The style was much like the spicy, aromatic hot pots of Sichuan, though with a few differences Heath found quite appealing.

As the sun began to set, Heath stretched again. It was too late to make it to driving school now, so he decided to head back early in his truck and review the material for the first section of his exam in his dorm, preparing for the test ahead.