Chapter 52: Simple and Quick Meals

"Thank you, my name is Heath, and I'm a chef. Would you like something to eat?" Although Heath found Kadabra's humility a bit pretentious, he still responded with a cheerful smile.

"Hmm? A chef? Could you teach me how to make a dish?" Kadabra's interest was instantly piqued, and its intelligent eyes seemed to sparkle even more.

Heath nodded. He had nothing else to do, and teaching such a smart Pokémon how to cook could be interesting.

Heath checked his old phone and realized it was almost time to go home and rest. He still needed to prepare dinner for Officer Jenny and her colleagues tonight.

"Let's go then, my food truck is just outside," Heath said, leading Kadabra out of the classroom with laughter and conversation.

In the world of Pokémon, it was quite common for people to befriend Pokémon, so no one in the driving school found Heath and Kadabra's interaction strange.

"Your food truck... looks amazing," Kadabra remarked in surprise. It had never seen such a unique vehicle before.

"Indeed, it's a grand prize from Silph Co. I was just lucky to win it," Heath chuckled, opening the door and inviting Kadabra inside.

As soon as they entered the food truck, Zorua jumped off Heath's shoulder and sprawled on its little stool. It glanced at Kadabra, stretched lazily, and curled up again.

"Don't you keep your Pokémon in Poké Balls?" Kadabra asked, noticing Zorua's behavior. To Kadabra, Zorua looked like a green Caterpie with a lot of personality.

"She doesn't like being in a Poké Ball, so I don't force her," Heath explained. Zorua had been with him for a few days but never wanted to stay in a Poké Ball.

Heath didn't like forcing Pokémon to do things they didn't want to do, so he hadn't even bought a Poké Ball.

"You're quite an unusual person. Could you teach me to make a simple and quick meal?" Kadabra pondered for a moment before smiling and asking.

Heath stroked his chin, finding Kadabra's request unique but not difficult. Many foods came to mind immediately.

Fried rice would be an easy option, as would burgers and sandwiches. However, recalling Mr. Armin's situation, Heath decided to ask a clarifying question.

"Are you planning to eat it yourself?" Heath needed to confirm this first, as the taste preferences mattered if it was for Kadabra.

"Yes, eating takes too much time, but not eating affects my thinking. So I want to learn a quick and simple meal," Kadabra explained calmly.

Heath nodded. Good thing he asked; otherwise, he wouldn't have tailored the meal properly, wasting time.

After inquiring about Kadabra's taste preferences, Heath was surprised to learn it liked salty and spicy flavors. It had quite a strong palate.

"Salty and spicy, huh..." Heath mused. For a quick and simple meal with those flavors...

Heath opened the rice cooker, took out some cold rice, put it in a bowl, and added some soy sauce. Then he added a spoonful of homemade chili oil and a small piece of lard, which he melted and drizzled evenly over the rice.

"Alright, give it a try," Heath said, placing the bowl of soy sauce rice in front of Kadabra.

Kadabra was astonished. It had calculated the time in its head; from when Heath opened the rice cooker to the end, it took less than two minutes. Less than two minutes to make a dish?

"Remember to mix it well, or it won't taste as good," Heath reminded Kadabra, who was about to dig in.

Soy sauce rice was incredibly easy and quick to make. Though not suitable for daily consumption, it was perfect for a quick fix when hungry.

All it needed was cold rice, soy sauce, chili oil, and a small spoonful of melted lard.

The lard added fragrance, so it was best to include it, but not too much, as it could become greasy. The amount had to be adjusted to personal taste.

Soy sauce and chili oil were the soul of soy sauce rice, fitting Kadabra's taste preferences perfectly.

Heath watched as Kadabra nodded while eating. He knew his choice was correct. This food was easy to make and filling for Kadabra.

"The flavor is great. I love it," Kadabra said happily. This simple, time-saving meal was perfect.

"It's fine occasionally, but if you plan to eat it often, you need to balance your diet to avoid nutritional deficiencies," Heath advised. Farfetch'd had no interest in the soy sauce rice, disappointing Heath.

He had hoped that if Farfetch'd liked it, he could quickly complete his task.

After saying goodbye to the still quantum reading Kadabra, Heath drove his food truck back to Viridian City. He handed over the pre-prepared salted chicken to Mr. Armin, marking 1/100 in his task progress.

"Finally, the first customer. But why doesn't Kadabra count? Because it wasn't considered a formal customer, just a favor?" Heath counted the day's earnings and locked them in the truck's cabinet.

After finishing his business for the day, Heath set the food truck to autopilot back to the dormitory area. As soon as he got off, he was hugged by someone.

"Heath~ You're so naughty, making me too tired to stand~" Heath rolled his eyes. This person was still alive after running five laps at the driving school.

"Sister Jana, if you don't let go, I can't cook," Heath said helplessly. Jana, this seasoned tease, was still waiting in the dormitory area. He should have returned when more people were around.

"Come on, answer a question for me," Jana let go and pulled out a picture from behind her, placing it in front of Heath.

"If you can't answer, big sister will have to punish you~" Jana smiled mischievously.

(End of Chapter)