Viridian City is a large city with all kinds of facilities: commercial districts, residential areas, and more. Its layout is similar to that of any other city.
However, perhaps due to his profession, Heath is most familiar with the vegetable market and the food street. The food in the Pokémon world is quite interesting, to say the least.
"Trainer, what is this food street you mentioned?" Zorua, who had been sulking and whispering to Farfetch'd, instantly perked up. She curiously perched on Heath's head, asking questions.
"It's over there, a block away from Mr. Giovanni's gym. That area is full of food stalls and is quite interesting," Heath pointed skillfully in a direction. This time, he had parked his car near the Viridian City gym.
So, getting to the food street was easy and didn't take long.
Charmander seemed uninterested in the food street. It was busy moving its head back and forth—a relaxation technique taught by Mr. William to stretch muscles after training.
Farfetch'd followed Heath obediently, flying and curiously observing everything around. Farfetch'd seemed fascinated by all things human, and Heath noticed its expression became more excited when looking at restaurants.
"Do you want to open a restaurant, Farfetch'd?" Heath asked, smiling as he petted its feathers.
"Far~" Farfetch'd nodded happily, and Heath couldn't help but laugh. Who would have thought a Farfetch'd would want to open a restaurant? It was amusing and unexpected.
Heath thought that maybe once Farfetch'd's cooking skills improved, he could help it open a restaurant called "Farfetch'd Restaurant," with Farfetch'd as the head chef. It sounded interesting and could even provide new employment opportunities for Pokémon.
Soon, Heath and his Pokémon arrived at Viridian City's food street. As they entered, Heath saw the bustling crowd and various small shops. The most attention-grabbing was a sweet Bounsweet juice shop.
"What kind of Pokémon is that? It smells so good," Zorua asked curiously from Heath's head, looking at the shop.
"It's a Bounsweet, a somewhat clumsy but very fragrant Pokémon," Heath agreed. While he had known from the Pokédex that Bounsweet was fragrant, experiencing it firsthand was different.
The scent of a single Bounsweet was like a mix of dozens of fruit fragrances, making one's mouth water. No wonder Bounsweet were rarely seen in the wild in Alola; they smelled too good.
Heath entered the Bounsweet juice shop, where the owner, a Tsareena, glanced at him with aesthetically pleasing eyes and then pointed to a sign on the table.
The sign read, "Bounsweet Juice: Twenty League coins per cup." Heath breathed a sigh of relief—there was still some juice left.
Heath reluctantly pulled out sixty League coins and bought three cups of juice. Soon, he received three chilled cups of juice, emitting a pleasant aroma.
"How is this made? It's so delicious," Zorua licked a bit, satisfied, and closed her eyes. The taste was just right—sweet and refreshing, perfect for the warm climate of Viridian City.
"It's made from Bounsweet's juice mixed with water," Heath explained, noting the shop's door had closed. They would only reopen once the Bounsweet produced enough juice again.
Heath didn't mention that Bounsweet juice was essentially diluted sweat. Drinking Pokémon sweat sounded odd, but calling it juice was more palatable.
In Viridian City, Pokémon and humans coexisted harmoniously. Some shops were even run by Pokémon, who couldn't speak human language but communicated through writing, which was fascinating.
Many Pokémon, like Tsareena, led their groups to start businesses. For instance, most employees at the power plant were Electric-type Pokémon.
The League encouraged this, and Heath was used to it by now.
Watching his three Pokémon enjoying their juice, Heath smiled and grabbed a chilled Bulbasaur Sprite from a vending machine—a product of the Charizard Cola Company.
"Come and see! A new shop from the Galar region! Alcremie Ice Cream Shop is now open!" Heath heard a shout while wandering the food street.
Curious, Heath looked in the direction of the voice. An enthusiastic League staff member was waving a flag, behind which stood a large ice cream shop with an Alcremie logo.
Heath's mouth twitched. Thanks to air travel connecting the world, he never expected to see a Galarian Pokémon like Alcremie in Kanto.
"Trainer, what kind of Pokémon is Alcremie?" Zorua, having finished her Bounsweet juice, asked excitedly.
Seeing Charmander and Farfetch'd equally eager, Heath patted his wallet, knowing he was in for some serious spending today.
"Alcremie is a very special Pokémon. It's made entirely of cream and has many forms—up to sixty-three variations based on regional traits," an unfamiliar voice explained. Heath turned to see a familiar face.
"Are you Professor Oak?" Heath asked, surprised. The face was slightly different from the animation, but it was too similar to be anyone else.
"Yes, I am Professor Oak. Do you know me?" Professor Oak asked, smiling.
"I've seen your introductions on TV," Heath scratched his head, feeling excited.
It made sense, considering Viridian City and Pallet Town were connected by bus, a trip of only two to three hours. People from Pallet Town were often seen in Viridian City—doing business, traveling, challenging gyms, or enjoying the food. Professor Oak was likely here for research exchange.
"Alcremie's cream is exquisite. Don't miss it if you get the chance," Professor Oak said cheerfully.
Heath nodded, eager to try Alcremie's cream.
The chapter's end includes a note: "Regarding geographical locations, my setting has varying distances between towns, with buses and planes available, so don't worry if it's different from the anime or games."
(End of this chapter)