"Heath, I have a task for you. Are you interested?" It was Sister Maple. Heath looked surprised at Maple. Maple rarely visited his stall during the day. Why was she here today?
"What task, Sister Maple? Please tell me," Heath responded promptly, curious about what Maple wanted him to do.
"Last time, you cooked a meal for those prisoners at Viridian City Prison, and the warden was very pleased with your work." Maple leaned against her waist, scanning the surroundings out of habit.
Heath nodded. He remembered the task for the death row inmates last time, which he was quite satisfied with, both in terms of the challenge and the payment.
"So this time, the director from Viridian City Mental Hospital has approached us. With the upcoming annual Mental Health Care Day in Indigo League, he wants you to prepare lunch for 132 people and deliver it to the hospital," Maple said with a smile, handing over a thick envelope to Heath.
Heath took it. Cooking for over a hundred people was no small feat, but cooking for mental patients posed a unique challenge.
"Each meal will cost fifty League Coins per person," Maple added.
Heath nodded again. Cooking for mental patients would indeed require special attention, ensuring the meals were nutritious and suitable for their dietary needs.
"Make sure it's done well. You have a day to prepare. Tomorrow morning at eleven-thirty, the hospital staff will collect the lunch," Maple reminded Heath before taking her leave.
[Make 142 mental patients satisfied with your cooking, and rewards will be based on the number satisfied.]
After Maple left, a task notification popped up. Heath paused, wondering why it said 142 instead of 132 meals.
Heath considered the possibility that the extra ten might refer to patients with multiple personalities, a condition where patients exhibit different personas.
"Well, regardless of their condition, their taste buds should still be normal, right? I'll prepare the meals as I did for the prisoners, ensuring variety and taste," Heath decided, planning his approach for the mental patients' meals.
After serving lunch to his midday customers, Heath went to the driving school to continue studying for his first subject, adopting Kadabra's effective learning method.
Kadabra's learning method proved effective, boosting Heath's learning speed significantly. He anticipated being ready for the first subject exam in a day or two.
Later, Heath visited the Pokémon Center to check on Charmander's recovery progress.
"Charmander, you're doing well," Heath observed Charmander on the sickbed, pleased with its recovery. Nurse Snow explained that the remaining dead skin needed to stay until Charmander's new skin fully formed.
"Char~" Charmander chirped happily, eating the lean pork porridge Heath fed it.
"Trainer, I feel sick too, my head hurts..." Heath noticed Zorua lying weakly nearby and picked it up gently. He hoped Zorua would recover soon.
After ensuring Charmander was comfortable, Heath left the Pokémon Center. Tomorrow, he planned to take Charmander back with him once it was fully recovered.
Heath headed to the market to purchase ingredients for the mental hospital's meals. Farfetch'd, now interested in cooking, followed Heath closely, learning how to select ingredients.
Back at the dormitory, Heath instructed Farfetch'd on cooking techniques, emphasizing the importance of consistency and attention to detail.
"Farfetch'd, you can practice without fear. Today's lesson is demonstration, so just focus," Heath encouraged, leading Farfetch'd into the kitchen.
(End of Chapter 69)