"This awful weather combined with the thick fog reducing visibility and the condensation on the car windows..." Heath frowned as he looked at the road ahead. Viridian City was enveloped in dense fog, and with the droplets on the car, Heath had a bad feeling.
Viridian City's unique geographical location, coupled with its peculiar latitude and longitude, resulted in a special weather phenomenon known as the "Foggy Season" weather.
Foggy Season, a weather phenomenon unique to the south, is as bothersome as the plum rain season. The fog and occasional drizzle were manageable, but the worst part was that everything tended to get covered in condensation.
For Heath, the most frustrating aspect of Foggy Season was the issue of food storage. This dreadful weather made it difficult to keep ingredients dry, leading to problems like mold and spoilage.
"This weather is terrible today," Zorua complained, shaking herself off. Even her fur was covered in water droplets.
"Foggy Season, it's normal. This awful weather might last for quite a while," Heath sighed. He always thought that Viridian City's slower economic development compared to other cities might be partly due to this weather.
After all, who would want to live in a place where it takes a week to dry clothes and where you have to walk carefully indoors to avoid slipping?
Heath had gotten used to this lifestyle. Usually, the open flames on his small food stall would mitigate the weather's impact. But now, with a food truck, he felt a bit lost.
Fortunately, the food truck was quite advanced, with a humidity control system. After adjusting it, the damp feeling inside the truck disappeared, and Heath finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, there was nothing he could do about the dense fog outside. The fog was so thick that even flying-type Pokémon using moves like Hurricane wouldn't be able to disperse it.
"I feel like I just came out of the water; I'm all wet. It's so annoying," Zorua grumbled, shaking her fur in frustration. Even though Heath had adjusted the humidity, some moisture still clung to her fur.
Heath calmly picked up a towel and began to dry Zorua, using a quick, vigorous rubbing technique.
"Leek," Farfetch'd muttered, looking downcast as he approached Heath. His feathers were wet too, so Heath grabbed another dry towel and started drying him off. Charmander was also covered in droplets, but they were from his workout sweat.
"I have a feeling business won't be great today," Heath said, looking at the food truck on autopilot and then at the thick fog outside. He sighed.
Having done business here for a long time, Heath had learned that people in Viridian City often avoided going out during bad weather like Return of the South and hailstorms.
Last year during Foggy Season, Heath's business plummeted, causing him a lot of distress. Food ingredients became prone to mold and spoilage, with dishes like buns going moldy in a day or two.
However, the Pokémon world had its unique aspects. During Foggy Season, water-type Pokémon in Viridian City were the happiest, feeling as if they were in the water with every breath. Fire-type Pokémon, on the other hand, were exhausted, often tasked with drying everything out.
"Heath, are you here to buy groceries today?" The market vendor auntie looked at Heath in surprise. The vegetables on her counter were covered in water droplets, looking like they had been soaked by unscrupulous sellers.
"I want to try making something suitable for Foggy Season," Heath smiled. He had gotten so used to opening his food stall every day that not doing so felt odd. Even during Foggy Season, Heath wanted to serve his customers.
"Well, feel free to look around. I'll give you a discount today. This awful weather is such a hassle. My mansion requires so many dehumidifiers," the vendor auntie said with a sigh.
Heath nodded happily. This vegetable vendor was quite unique among the people he knew. Despite being very wealthy—not in the top ten of Viridian City's rich list, but still far above ordinary people—she enjoyed selling vegetables.
Living in a mansion, driving luxury cars, yet enjoying selling vegetables, Heath thought this was the joy of rich people experiencing life.
After selecting a few of his favorite ingredients at the stall, Heath found another unique ingredient.
"I'll take this," Heath said, squeezing the item in his hand with some delight. He hadn't expected to find this.
"Trainer, are you cooking today?" Zorua asked, bored, as she lay in the food truck's rest area, flipping through a novel.
"Of course," Heath nodded, setting the truck to autopilot to their usual spot. He then began preparing today's special.
This time, Heath wasn't planning to make a dish but a tea. In the humid season like the Foggy Season, a cup of hot barley tea was perfect for warming the stomach and helping to expel dampness.
Previously, Heath couldn't find the key ingredient, barley leaves, but now he could give it a try.
As he processed the barley leaves, Heath glanced at Charmander, who was resting after completing one round of training, likely gearing up for another round.
"Heath, you're open today too? This is some serious training material. What do you have to eat today?" Out of the thick fog emerged two sturdy figures—no, one was a female Machamp.
It was Mr. William. Today, he was dressed in a thick outfit that looked like a down jacket. Heath knew it was Mr. William's special weight-gain gear for Foggy Season and rainy days.
Heath remembered that it was filled with absorbent cotton and other materials. Wearing it in this weather quickly added weight, creating a heavy burden. Heath thought only Mr. William could wear something like that.
"The usual, but I've got barley tea today. If you want some, it'll be ready in a bit," Heath said, shaking his head at the still-unprepared ingredients.
"Get me a cup then. I could use the extra weight," Mr. William said nonchalantly, waving his hand.
(End of this chapter)