Chapter 85: Dreadful Weather

"This awful weather... and the visibility in this thick fog... plus the condensation on the windows..." Heath frowned as he gazed at the road ahead. Evergreen City was shrouded in dense mist, and with the beads of water on the car, Heath had a bad feeling about the day.

Evergreen City's geography was rather unusual, and perhaps its latitude and longitude played a part too, resulting in a peculiar weather phenomenon. In his previous life in Huaxia, this weather was known as the “Returning South Days.”

The Returning South Days, a weather pattern unique to the south, was as vexing as the plum rains. The persistent fog and occasional drizzle were one thing, but what drove people mad was the way everything seemed to gather droplets of water. For Heath, however, the most troubling aspect was the challenge of storing ingredients. This miserable weather kept everything damp for long stretches, which led to all sorts of problems—mold and rot became routine.

“What a terrible day,” Zorua complained, shaking herself. Droplets clung to her fur.

“It’s Returning South Days—normal for here. This kind of miserable weather might last for quite a while,” Heath sighed. He’d always thought that Evergreen City, despite being the safest city in the League, lagged behind others in economic development, and the Returning South Days probably had something to do with it.

After all, who would want to live in a city where laundry took a week to dry? Or where you had to walk carefully indoors just to avoid slipping?

Heath had grown used to this life, though. When he used to run his small street stall with its open flame, the weather didn’t bother him much. But now, with the switch to a food truck, Heath felt a bit at a loss.

Luckily, his cutting-edge mobile kitchen came with a humidity control system. After adjusting it, the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a watery cavern finally dissipated, and Heath could breathe easy.

But as for the fog outside, there was nothing he could do. The mist was so thick that even if a flock of Flying-type Pokémon unleashed a Hurricane together, it probably wouldn’t clear the shroud enveloping Evergreen City.

“My fur feels like I just crawled out of a lake—I’m drenched, it’s so annoying!” Zorua grumbled, still shaking herself. Even with the humidity leveled out, some patches of dampness clung stubbornly to her coat.

Unfazed, Heath picked up a towel and began to rub Zorua down with brisk, practiced strokes.

“Leek...” Farfetch’d came over, looking glum. His feathers were soaked as well. Heath took out another dry towel and began drying him off. Even Charmander’s scales glistened with droplets, though in his case, they were beads of sweat from a recent workout.

“I have a feeling business won’t be great today,” Heath muttered, glancing at the self-driving food truck, then at the thick fog outside. He’d been in business here long enough to know the habits of Evergreen City’s residents. On Returning South Days, or during hailstorms, people rarely wanted to go out.

Last year, during this season, Heath’s sales had plummeted so badly it nearly broke him. Ingredients spoiled quickly; even a simple pancake would grow moldy in a day or two.

Yet, the world of Pokémon had its own quirks. For Water-type Pokémon, the Returning South Days were the happiest of times—the air was moist, every breath felt like swimming. Fire-types, however, grew exhausted, often assigned the task of drying things out.

“Heath, you’re out shopping for ingredients today as well?” The market lady greeted Heath with surprise. Her vegetables were covered in droplets—anyone who didn’t know better might have thought unscrupulous vendors had been watering them down.

“I want to try making something special for this weather,” Heath replied with a smile. Opening shop had become a daily habit for him; skipping a day felt wrong. Even in the Returning South Days, he wanted to welcome his guests.

“Take your time, then. I’ll give you a discount today—this wretched weather is driving me mad. My big villa needs so many dehumidifiers again,” the market lady sighed.

Heath nodded gratefully. She was one of the more remarkable people he knew—wealthy, not in the city’s top ten, perhaps, but far beyond the average person. She owned a villa, drove a luxury car, yet relished selling vegetables—a rich woman savoring the simple pleasures of life.

Heath picked out a few favorite ingredients, but then his eyes fell on something else—an unusual find.

“What’s this... I’ll take it,” Heath said, squeezing the produce in his hand, delighted by his luck.

“Trainer, are you really cooking today?” Zorua asked, sprawled in the food truck’s lounge, flipping through a novel, bored.

“Of course,” Heath replied. He set the auto-pilot to his usual spot and began preparing today’s special offering.

This time, Heath wasn’t planning a dish, but a tea. In this damp season, a steaming cup of Job’s tears tea was just the thing to warm the stomach and drive out moisture. He’d never found the main ingredient—coix seeds—until now, so he’d never made it before. Now, he could finally give it a try.

As he worked the coix seeds, Heath glanced at Charmander, who was resting after a round of training and looked ready for another.

“Heath? You’re really open today? What great training material you must be... Anything to eat?” Out of the fog came two burly men—wait, one of them was a Machamp.

It was Mr. Fujiyama. He wore an unusually thick suit today, almost like a down jacket, but Heath knew it was his special weighted gear for the Returning South Days and rainy weather. Stuffed with absorbent cotton and other materials, running in it on a day like this meant gaining weight with every step as the suit soaked up water. Only Mr. Fujiyama could wear something like that.

“Same as usual, but today there’s Job’s tears tea. If you want some, you’ll have to wait a bit,” Heath said, shaking his head at the still-unprepared ingredients.

“That’s perfect, give me a cup. I could use the extra weight,” Mr. Fujiyama replied cheerfully, waving his hand dismissively.