"Farfetch'd says he's confident he can make the dish you mentioned," Zorua said, swallowing the meat skewer in her mouth and licking her lips.
Heath looked at the feathers burning on Farfetch'd's foot and felt like laughing. Thanks to some mysterious protection, Farfetch'd wasn't hurt and hadn't noticed that he was on fire.
"Farfetch'd says his cooking skills will definitely become famous, just like yours," Zorua said, her nose twitching as she caught the scent of something burning.
"Yeah, I believe it. Farfetch'd, you're definitely on fire," Heath finally couldn't hold back his laughter. Farfetch'd's foot feathers had burned down, revealing the charred skin beneath.
Charmander seemed to realize he'd made a mistake and frantically waved his hands, trying to put out the fire, but it wasn't very effective.
Seeing Heath laughing so hard, Farfetch'd looked down in confusion and discovered why he had felt so excited. Panicked, he ran to the pond to extinguish the flames, making Heath wipe tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Hmph, you're terrible, Trainer. You noticed but didn't say anything," Zorua looked at Heath with disdain.
"Don't act like you didn't notice either," Heath rubbed his face. Watching his Pokémon literally catch fire should make him feel proud.
"Hmph, but I wouldn't laugh at Farfetch'd," Zorua picked up another skewer and jumped back, while Farfetch'd returned after putting out the fire.
The fire hadn't caused much damage, likely due to Farfetch'd's thick feathers. After extinguishing it, a layer of blackened feathers covered Farfetch'd's leg, resembling black stockings from a distance.
Farfetch'd approached with a resentful look and his 'black stockings,' making Heath laugh even harder.
Finally, Zorua couldn't hold back either, bursting into laughter and rolling around on the chair, almost falling off.
"Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd angrily waved his leek, annoyed that everyone was still laughing.
The noisy night passed, and Heath returned to his bedroom. He soothed Farfetch'd, who was still wearing his 'black stockings,' and let Charmander find a place to sleep before climbing into bed, yawning.
Because of his new routine, Heath now felt sleepy at night and could fall asleep easily, a stark contrast to his previous insomnia.
"Char," Heath felt his sleeve being tugged as he was about to fall asleep. Turning around, he saw Charmander's big eyes.
"What's up, Charmander?" Heath yawned again, rubbing his eyes.
"Char, Char," Charmander whispered. Heath looked over at Zorua, who was already asleep.
That was normal; Zorua had been playing chase with Farfetch'd on the dormitory playground, so she was exhausted.
Combining this with Charmander's habit of lifting things, Heath guessed what Charmander wanted.
"You want to lift the dumbbells?" Heath asked.
Charmander nodded, gesturing repeatedly. Heath pondered.
He remembered talking to Zorua about Mr. William. It seemed Charmander had overheard and became interested in muscle training.
That made sense to Heath. Charmander's final evolution, Charizard, could be trained in physical or special attacks. In games, it depended on stats and nature, but here it wasn't the same.
"Nurse Snow said you need to wait until your skin heals before training. Once you're healed, I'll teach you about muscle training," Heath patted Charmander's head and drifted into sleep.
In the darkness, Charmander's eyes shone brightly.
The next morning, Heath jumped out of bed, grabbing the still-sleeping Zorua. He looked around.
Farfetch'd was still asleep, drooling over his leek, possibly dreaming of making roast duck.
In the sunlight, Farfetch'd's 'black stockings' stood out, though now they looked more like burnt feathers.
Heath didn't see Charmander, which puzzled him. He found Charmander in the living room, lifting a mop.
"Looks like he's not just a foodie," Heath smiled at the hardworking Charmander.
Spending time with Pokémon made Heath realize they weren't just data but living beings with unique personalities. Some were lazy, some had unique hobbies, some were diligent but gluttonous, and some were just a bit scatterbrained.
Each Pokémon was a living being in Heath's eyes.
"Charmander, that's not the right way to train. Come wash up, and I'll teach you proper muscle training techniques later," Heath called out to Charmander and led him out.
Now he had another Pokémon to add to his daily grooming routine, which meant buying more toothbrushes, toothpaste, and towels.
"Trainer, you know about muscle training?" Zorua asked, surprised.
"Of course. I even got a gym membership once, though I only went a few times," Heath shrugged. It was a dark part of his past, getting a gym membership on a whim and then wasting it.
"Tsk," Zorua flicked her tail, uninterested in muscles.
Charmander, on the other hand, was excited, eagerly running to the food truck. Heath chuckled at his impatience.
Charmander stood at the truck's door, happily waving at Heath. The morning sun bathed Charmander, highlighting the bandages still wrapped around him.
(End of Chapter 76)