"Mr. William, Charmander's injuries aren't fully healed yet, so we need to keep the workout intensity low," Heath said as he handed a large bag of food to Mr. William.
To show his gratitude, Heath made extra chicken breasts, knowing Mr. William enjoyed them. Mr. William was a man of strict discipline.
"Of course, I know that. Don't worry; I've already instructed it accordingly. By the way, remember to buy some protein powder. It helps with muscle training," Mr. William reminded Heath before leaving with his Machamp.
Heath watched Mr. William leave, then glanced at Charmander, who continued its chest muscle exercises. He patted Charmander's head, feeling the warm, smooth texture that was slightly hotter than a human's temperature.
"Charmander, here's some water mixed with protein powder. Remember to drink it after your workout," Heath said, placing the drink nearby and preparing to wait for other customers.
"Good morning, Heath. Do you have any good breakfast today?" Ms. Lori asked as she approached, looking tired with dark circles under her eyes.
"For breakfast, I recommend this," Heath pointed to the braised beef noodles sign outside his food truck. He hadn't planned on making any other breakfast items for now.
"Noodles, huh?" Ms. Lori muttered, staring at the sign in a daze. Meanwhile, a Gengar emerged from behind her, grinning as it approached Heath.
Heath smiled at the Gengar, rolled up his sleeves, and resumed their usual game of rock-paper-scissors.
As usual, Gengar lost. Heath watched the frustrated Pokémon and calmly noted the loss in his notebook, making Gengar seethe with annoyance.
"Ah, Gengar, you lost again," Heath chuckled. Gengar's reactions were amusing, though Heath thought its luck was remarkably bad to lose so often.
Gengar sulked back to Ms. Lori, who rolled her eyes at Heath. He had made her Gengar cry again. Ms. Lori sighed, wondering why Gengar could be so fierce against poachers but so emotional over a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Ms. Lori recalled their recent mission at a Pokémon poaching ring base, where Gengar enjoyed cornering criminals and playing rock-paper-scissors with them, binding those who lost and slapping those who won while muttering to itself.
"Ahem, Ms. Lori, do you know what you'd like to eat?" Heath asked, smiling awkwardly. He wondered if he should let Gengar win next time by consistently choosing scissors.
"I'd like something different. Do you have any other breakfast options?" Ms. Lori yawned, deciding to discuss Gengar's treatment with Heath another time. For now, she was too tired and just wanted some food.
Seeing her fatigue, Heath recalled the Dream Microphone he had acquired. Would using it make Ms. Lori fall asleep on the spot? Wait, Ms. Lori was married. This scenario seemed familiar from somewhere.
Heath shook his head, realizing he was courting trouble by thinking such thoughts in front of Ms. Lori.
"As for breakfast..." Heath hesitated. His breakfast options were limited to breakfast crepes and the braised beef noodles. He hadn't prepared ingredients for anything else.
"Never mind, I'll have a breakfast crepe," Ms. Lori said, noticing Heath's difficulty.
Heath nodded and swiftly prepared a breakfast crepe for Ms. Lori, handing it over and collecting payment.
"By the way, I found this while wandering around today. It's for you," Ms. Lori handed Heath a small bag. Curiously, he took it and found some white, mushroom-like items inside.
He didn't ask where Ms. Lori had been. He knew her "wandering" usually involved missions, so he never inquired further.
"What are these? They look like wild mushrooms," Heath pondered, examining the white items.
He then used his ingredient identifier to check what Ms. Lori had given him.
"Termitomyces mushrooms, edible and delicious when cooked."
Heath slapped his forehead, realizing they were a type of wild mushroom he had eaten often. They were familiar in cooked form but unfamiliar in their raw state.
Holding the mushrooms, Heath thought of a dish he had eaten before, "oil-marinated Termitomyces," which could be stored like pickles after cooking.
Oil-marinated Termitomyces were tasty and perfect with rice. Heath hadn't expected to find such mushrooms in the Pokémon world.
"It seems these will be quite useful. I wonder when I can upgrade," Heath mused, increasingly satisfied with his ingredient identifier.
"Hello, do you have anything to eat?" A gentle voice asked. Heath looked up to see a girl he hadn't seen before.
"Pancakes, fried rice, and braised beef noodles. What would you like?" Heath glanced at the girl's red hair. Various hair colors weren't unusual in the Pokémon world, but red was rare in Viridian City.
"Could you make something meatless that tastes like meat and is delicious? I'll pay if it's good," the girl smiled, her eyes also red.
Heath was taken aback. Was she here to challenge him? A meatless dish that tastes like meat and is delicious? That was a tall order.
For muscle training tips and methods, I recommend checking out How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? It's quite informative.
(End of Chapter)