Chapter Ninety-Two: An Unexpected Turn of Events

"Huh? You're a cook? Then where is the head chef here? What can a little kid like you possibly make?" Jessie eyed Heath suspiciously, and the look in her eyes made Heath's fists clench.

"Of course I'm the head chef. Chief Daishu has no complaints about my cooking, so I handle the evening shift." Heath narrowed his eyes at Jessie. His temper was usually steady, but being doubted on his professional skill was still infuriating.

It was like a programmer going in for a job interview, only for the company to tell him to reboot a computer and act as the IT guy.

Seeing Jessie still looking unconvinced, Heath said no more. He simply went into the kitchen. Actions spoke louder than words, and he intended to make something so delicious that she'd practically swallow her tongue.

"Sister Jessie, may I ask what flavors of food you like?" Remembering what had happened with Mr. Yaning last time, Heath decided to ask in advance so he could complete his Chef's Eye task.

By now, his Chef's Eye progress had reached forty-six, leaving only fifty-four to go before one hundred.

"Me?" Jessie's expression grew a little complicated. It was the kind of look Heath could not quite make sense of, one that belonged in films, to a protagonist lost in memory.

"I like sour things. The sourer, the better." Jessie gave her answer quickly. Heath paused, then nodded. Her preference was a little unusual, but it was certainly manageable.

Heath looked through the ingredients in the kitchen. The cafeteria ingredients were generally purchased by Chief Daishu, and Heath had no objections to whatever was bought, so long as it could be cooked. This time, after seeing what was available, he quickly decided what to make.

"Then I'll make West Lake vinegar fish." He struck his palm lightly, and the decision was made.

"Give up, kid. I'm very picky." Hearing Jessie's cheerful voice from outside, Heath took a deep breath. So, there really was no one who dared question his cooking.

He shook his head and began preparing the dish: West Lake vinegar fish.

Soon after, however, Heath noticed that Zorua was watching Jessie in the cafeteria with a strange expression, which piqued his curiosity.

"What is it, Zorua?" Heath asked softly.

"Nothing. It just feels weird." Zorua shook its head. Heath did not dwell on it and continued preparing the distinctive dish.

Just from the name alone, one could tell where West Lake vinegar fish came from. In recent years, however, its reputation had not been very good, with many people saying it was undeserving of its fame.

But Heath thought that was only because they had not tasted it made by someone who knew how. Traditionally, the dish used grass carp, and to prepare it properly, the fish needed to be starved for two or three days so its belly would be emptied of grass and mud. That way, the finished fish would not carry any muddy, earthy taste.

Among grass carp, those from West Lake were considered the finest. A land nurtures not only its people, but its ingredients too; as geography changes, so do the ingredients, often in marvelous ways.

The classic example was the old saying that oranges grown south of the river became oranges, while those grown north of it became trifoliate citrus—an all-too-familiar tale to the people of the region.

Unfortunately, there was no West Lake in the world of Pokemon. Luckily, among the ingredients the chief had bought were several fish that looked excellent, and Heath intended to use one of them to make his version of West Lake vinegar fish.

"Charmander, help me bring this pot of water to a boil." Heath worked at lightning speed, processing the fish in his hands while speaking to Charmander.

Charmander nodded, then spat a burst of flame to light the fire and start heating the water.

Farfetch'd watched curiously from Heath's side. It noticed that Heath's knife work was not as good as its own, which left it a little puzzled. Why, then, did Heath not let it cut this fish?

"Knife skills are important, but so is the method of the cut." Heath saw Farfetch'd's confusion and explained as he went, his blade falling in one slanted stroke that left Farfetch'd staring in amazement.

While he prepared the West Lake vinegar fish, Heath also taught Farfetch'd a few little tricks about where to cut and how to draw the blade. None of this slowed him down in the slightest.

By the time Heath brought out the finished dish and poured over the thickened sauce, the West Lake vinegar fish was complete, fragrant even before the first bite.

"Hm, there’s still an hour before Sister Feng and the others get back." Heath glanced at his phone, then carried the fish out, setting it with a bowl of rice before Jessie.

"What is this?" Jessie asked in surprise. She had never seen a dish like it before.

"West Lake vinegar fish. It has a sour profile, and since you said you like sour flavors, I made it a little more pronounced." Heath explained calmly.

Jessie picked up her chopsticks with curiosity, then lifted a piece of fish, tore it apart, and stuffed it into her mouth together with the thick sauce on top. She chewed for a while, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. Though I don't have money to pay you... Never mind. I'll tell you this: tonight, when you leave from here, walk in the direction of eleven o'clock for a bit, and you'll see a very fine view."

She smiled brightly as she spoke. Heath was a little taken aback, but he still nodded.

Usually, serving Miss Jessie didn't require payment. Only when he was selling food from a stall did he charge money, and the cafeteria itself had a meal subsidy.

Heath had no habit of watching others eat, so he returned to the kitchen and began preparing ingredients for the afternoon meal after the young ladies came back. Some ingredients needed to be handled in advance, just like the fish from earlier.

If that fish had been kept in clean water beforehand to rid it of impurities, it probably would have tasted even better.

"You hosted Jessie the Ghost and gained one self-created move device."

Heath froze. He stood up abruptly, only to find that Jessie's figure was nowhere to be seen in the cafeteria. There was only a plate containing fish bones, and an empty bowl.

"Ghost?" Heath stared in surprise toward the spot where Jessie had been sitting. Thinking it over carefully, he realized that although he had seen Jessie three times, each time she had seemed to appear only before him; the moment anyone else approached, she would leave at once.

His expression turned complicated. Why had Jessie become a ghost? And why was she still lingering in this world?