Heath had another nightmare, but this time it was quite illogical, with all sorts of scary things jumping out at him. When he woke up, he discovered the main reason for his nightmare.
"I was wondering why my chest felt tight and my limbs were cold. It turns out it was you," Heath said with a helpless smile, looking at Zorua sleeping on his chest. He pulled his limbs back under the covers.
The warm blanket made Heath want to sleep a little longer. Early spring mornings were still quite chilly, and there was no greater pleasure than staying in a warm bed.
However, after glancing at his phone and seeing the time, Heath reluctantly got out of bed and turned on the light.
"Is Charmander out training again?" Heath looked around his bedroom. Zorua was still trying to burrow into the blanket, but Heath's relentless iron hand pulled her out.
Farfetch'd, on the other hand, instantly opened his eyes when the light was turned on, looking very spirited. Heath couldn't help but smile; it seemed Farfetch'd had developed a habit of waking up at a fixed time every day.
"You lazybones, Charmander is already out training," Heath said, poking Zorua's head in disappointment.
"I'm on my period today, I want to sleep," Zorua said dejectedly, yawning, making Heath feel like yawning too.
However, Zorua's words stunned Heath for a moment. This was the first time he had heard that Pokémon could have periods. Wasn't that nonsense?
But on second thought, Heath wasn't a biology expert, nor did he study Pokémon. Whether foxes had periods was something he couldn't confirm.
Heath remembered reading some "useless scientific trivia" before, which mentioned that animals like foxes, horses, and seals had a hymen. With that in mind, it didn't seem impossible for foxes to have periods.
"Really?" Heath instinctively wanted to lift Zorua's tail to check.
He had previously owned a Golden Retriever, which had periods, so he thought a quick check would tell him.
But before Heath's hand could reach Zorua's tail, she leaped off the bed in terror, covering her behind with her paws while Farfetch'd looked on in a daze.
After hesitating for a moment, Farfetch'd silently left the bedroom and considerately closed the door behind him.
Heath then dragged Zorua out by the scruff of her neck. This little rascal was definitely lying to him. Heath decided to brush up on his knowledge of Pokémon's strange habits to avoid being tricked again.
Farfetch'd sympathetically looked at Heath. Trainers sure learned quickly.
In the living room, Heath saw Charmander, who was diligently working out and covered in sweat. Judging by its appearance, Charmander had been training for quite a while. Heath quickly prepared a protein shake for Charmander and then took him to the bathroom to wash up.
After finishing their morning routine, Heath and his Pokémon left the dormitory. Just as they reached the main road, they saw Officer Jana in her workout clothes coming their way.
"Sister Jana!" Heath called out happily.
When it came to knowledge among the Officer Jennys, Heath believed none could compare to Officer Jana. She was famously scholarly, and even Sister Maple once said that a research institute would suit Officer Jana better than here.
But Officer Jana still chose to come here and became a proud Officer Jenny.
"What's up, Heath?" Officer Jana wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel. It was clear she had just finished her workout.
"Sister Jana, do female fox Pokémon have periods?" Heath hesitated but asked anyway. Officer Jana's hand paused mid-wipe, and she looked at Heath with an unreadable expression, as if he were a pervert.
"I was just curious. My knowledge of Pokémon is too limited," Heath quickly explained, not wanting to be labeled a furry enthusiast.
"Females do, but it's usually only during their mating season," Officer Jana nodded and confidently answered.
Thanking Officer Jana, Heath left with his Pokémon. Officer Jana watched him go, scratching her head. She thought she might recommend Heath buy a Pokémon encyclopedia. Though pricey, it was packed with useful information.
"You pervert, you actually asked her," Zorua said indignantly, glaring at Heath.
Since Heath had tried to check if Zorua was on her period, she had jumped off his head and was now walking in front of him, expressing her protest.
Heath thought the longer this protest lasted, the better. Carrying a heavy weight on his head all the time was quite tiring.
"You said you were on your period," Heath yawned and climbed into his food truck. Today, the rest area wasn't filled with strange items, making Heath feel much more at ease.
Seeing Zorua pouting, Heath got an idea.
"You know, girls have periods, but guys have it tough too, especially humans," Heath said, looking forlorn. Zorua glanced at him curiously, wondering why he said that.
"You probably don't know this, but human males have a cycle where their balls fall off and regrow every three months. It's very painful!" Heath said seriously, and Zorua looked horrified and incredulous.
"Leek?" Farfetch'd called out.
"You're lying! Farfetch'd says he never experienced that!" Zorua triumphantly jumped up, pleased to have caught Heath in a lie.
"I said human males, not Pokémon. How could Farfetch'd experience it?" Heath sighed, looking at Zorua with a mix of pity and amusement.
Zorua was now completely puzzled. Her novels had never mentioned this. Could human males really have a "ball-shedding" period?
"My novels..." Zorua tried to find more evidence.
"Novels are based on life but exaggerated. It's like writing a novel about going to the bathroom. Would you read that?" Heath interrupted. Hearing this, Zorua instinctively shook her head.
Then Zorua fell into deep thought, and Heath laughed heartily.
Indeed, sleeping with your hands and feet out of the blanket makes it easier to have nightmares and catch a cold.
(End of this chapter)