Chapter 21: Peking Roast Duck

"Leek!" Farfetch'd's wing suddenly pointed to a specific spot, and Heath curiously looked at the meal box. He remembered that box was...

[Pokémon Chef Step 3: Teach Farfetch'd to independently make Peking Roast Duck. Upon completion, you will receive a mysterious reward]

Heath's mouth twitched. It really was that, huh?

Today, considering some prisoners might be particular about eating meat, Heath had specifically bought a few ducks and prepared some Peking Roast Duck. He cut the duck into pieces, placed them in the meal box, and included shredded scallions, cucumber sticks, sweet bean sauce, and some lotus leaf pancakes he had made himself.

But Heath hadn't expected that out of all the food he prepared, Farfetch'd would immediately pick out the Peking Roast Duck.

This realization made Heath feel a bit conflicted. Farfetch'd was a duck Pokémon, so teaching it how to make roast duck seemed a bit cruel.

"Leek! Leek!" Farfetch'd chirped excitedly, and with the task already triggered, Heath sighed. It seemed he really had no choice but to teach it.

"Wait until we deliver these meal boxes, and then I'll go buy some more ducks for you to practice on. How's that?" Heath asked Farfetch'd softly.

"Leek!" Farfetch'd nodded enthusiastically without any hesitation.

Seeing this, Heath didn't know what to say. He looked at Farfetch'd and its leek, and figured Farfetch'd might have been modeled after Peking Roast Duck.

After all, Peking Roast Duck was a famous dish, and its taste was indeed excellent. Wrapping the duck meat with scallions and sweet bean sauce in a pancake was a delightful experience.

Thinking of the succulent duck meat, the unique crispy texture of the duck skin, and the way the fats oozed out with each bite, balanced by the sweet bean sauce and scallions, Heath couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Heath put Farfetch'd back in its Poké Ball and pushed his cart to Viridian City Prison. After calling Maple, someone came out to inspect the meal boxes.

Once it was confirmed that everything was in order, they took all the meal boxes inside. Heath was not allowed entry.

Security levels in Viridian City seemed to have increased recently, perhaps related to the Team Plasma member Heath had previously dealt with.

"I don't know how this task will be judged... I mentioned it to the staff, but..." Heath thought, glancing back at Viridian Prison.

Since he couldn't go inside, Heath had only told the staff about the different meal boxes. Not being able to see the prisoners meant he couldn't get immediate feedback.

Viridian Prison was located outside Viridian City, so by the time Heath returned, it was already past lunchtime. He felt a bit cheated as he could have earned some money during lunchtime.

"Hey, did you hear? There's been a ghost in Evergreen Forest lately. I saw the League send in search officers!" As Heath pondered whether to ask Maple for more money to cover his loss, two men came to buy Jianbing and started chatting.

"Of course I know! Officer Jenny and the others went to handle it, didn't they?" The other man nodded, showing how popular gossip was.

Heath focused on making the Jianbing but also listened to their conversation.

He was familiar with Evergreen Forest. There was supposedly a strange and powerful Pokémon there, but Heath didn't know the details.

What started as an urban legend had now escalated to the point where the League was involved. Heath was curious about what Pokémon it could be.

"They haven't found anything yet. Evergreen Forest is huge. The League's been searching since last night without any luck," the men continued chatting as Heath handed them their crepes.

"Yeah, they're just warning people to be careful," the men said as they walked away, leaving Heath to ponder over the Evergreen Forest situation.

Heath thought the little girl he saw last time was likely a Gastly. After all, in the anime, a Gastly could transform into a human.

But without concrete evidence, communicating with the Pokémon would be challenging.

[You have completed the prison meal delivery task. Forty-three prisoners expressed satisfaction with your food]

[You have received an important clue (designated) and a Food Ingredient Identifier]

Heath raised an eyebrow. Forty-three satisfied customers was a decent number, proving his choices today were correct. He was curious about the full satisfaction reward but lacked the details to achieve it.

He decided to check his rewards first.

[Important Clue (Designated): You can designate an area to receive a random important clue from it]

Heath thought this might not be very useful, but then he remembered Evergreen Forest. This could be timely.

Heath quickly designated Evergreen Forest, and a new clue appeared.

[She likes sweet and sour flavors. Best not to bring a Poké Ball]

Heath pondered over this simple clue. It indicated the Pokémon was female, liked sweet and sour tastes, and disliked Poké Balls.

With this information and the Golden Perfume he had, Heath formed a preliminary plan, though he needed to visit Evergreen Forest first.

He then examined the other reward, which resembled a magnifying glass.

[Food Ingredient Identifier: Can be used once a day to identify the basic information of an ingredient]

The vague description piqued Heath's curiosity. He decided to try it out on Farfetch'd, who was practicing swordsmanship with its leek.

Heath wondered what information the Food Ingredient Identifier would provide about a Pokémon like Farfetch'd.

(End of Chapter)

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