Chapter 35: Ekans’ Warning

"Meow~" Meowth, having finished its meal, lazily lay in front of Heath, exposing its belly and rolling on the ground contentedly. Heath chuckled and reached out to scratch Meowth's tummy.

Because Heath frequently fed these little guys, Meowth, Rattata, and Ekans were all very friendly toward him. Heath could pet them however he liked, even picking up Meowth and twirling it around.

"Hiss," Ekans hissed, slithering up to Heath and looking warily at the Caterpie on his shoulder. With only one eye remaining, Ekans' face looked both cautious and fierce.

"This guy is really vigilant. It keeps threatening me, saying I mustn't harm you," Zorua commented from Heath's shoulder, looking down at Ekans and sticking its tongue out at it.

Heath laughed and lightly tapped Zorua on the head. He then introduced Zorua to Ekans and Meowth, and they seemed to relax a bit. Heath thought that if Zorua had shown any sign of wanting to attack him, Ekans and Meowth would have intervened.

"Spring is coming soon. Life will be a bit easier then," Heath said, feeling the warm sunshine and stretching lazily. He smiled and rubbed Ekans' head.

Though Ekans appeared fierce, its head was actually very pleasant to touch. Heath loved to rub Ekans' head, and at first, Ekans resisted, but eventually, it gave up and let Heath have his way.

Heath happily rubbed Ekans' head like kneading dough. Its head was soft and cool, and Heath thought it would be even more enjoyable to rub Ekans' head during the summer.

Winter was especially harsh for stray Pokémon. During spring, summer, and autumn, Ekans and the others rarely came to Heath for food. Only during the scarcity of winter did they come for a meal, and Heath never minded.

"Hisss," Ekans hissed as Heath's hands turned its head into something resembling a dough ball. Ekans even rolled its eyes, feeling like Heath was mixing its brain up.

"Trainer, it says it recently noticed an intruder in their territory and is warning you to be careful," Zorua translated diligently, swearing to never let Heath rub its head like this.

Heath was taken aback. He couldn't understand Ekans, but now Zorua could translate.

"What kind of intruder?" Heath was puzzled. Could someone in Viridian City have abandoned another Pokémon?

Such occurrences were not uncommon in a large city like Viridian. Heath once encountered someone who ran off without paying for their food, only caught because Officer Jenny happened to be passing by. He thought he might have seen his first dining-and-dashing customer if not for her intervention.

There were also many abandoned Pokémon, often left behind for various reasons. For instance, Ekans was abandoned due to illness and blindness in one eye, with treatment costs being too high. It was left to fend for itself in the wild and only survived by sheer luck.

"It says it doesn't know. It just smells a strange scent, like the smell of sweat evaporating," Zorua translated.

Heath's expression grew stranger. What did evaporating sweat smell like? He couldn't figure it out, but he appreciated Ekans' warning and decided to keep an eye out for any new abandoned Pokémon.

After Meowth and the others left, Heath prepared for mealtime. Viridian City was like any other human city, with peak eating times in the mornings and during mealtime rushes. Heath had learned the pattern well over his time here.

Occasionally, customers who didn't work would come by, so Heath didn't pack up his stall completely.

"Heath, what's this? Is it edible?" Old Mr. Majid asked, walking over slowly with his Charizard trailing behind.

"Yes, Grandpa Majid. This is a new dish I recently introduced. It tastes pretty good," Heath replied with a smile. Majid was pointing at the braised pork with fried tofu.

"Oh, in that case, I'll have two servings. I'd like to try it," Mr. Majid smiled, revealing a gap where one of his teeth was missing, giving him a slightly endearing look.

Heath nodded. The braised pork with fried tofu rice was one of the easiest dishes to prepare. He just needed to scoop a bowl of rice and pour the braised pork with fried tofu on top.

Charizard curiously eyed the Caterpie on Heath's shoulder. Although it could easily incinerate a Caterpie with a single ember, this particular one felt different to Charizard.

"Ah Char! You're not a little Charmander anymore, getting chased by a Caterpie through the forest!" Mr. Majid scolded his Charizard, stopping it from getting too close.

Heath almost burst out laughing at Mr. Majid's words. Charizard's face darkened; this was its most embarrassing memory, but its trainer loved recounting it.

"Trainer, why are you laughing?" Zorua asked, puzzled. It didn't understand what was so funny.

Heath cleared his throat and handed two bowls of braised pork with fried tofu rice to Mr. Majid, watching him and his elderly Charizard accept them.

"Grandpa Majid, you still remember that?" Heath smiled, causing Charizard to glare at him, but to no effect.

"Of course I remember! Back then, I took little Char to Viridian Forest to train, and this little guy…" Mr. Majid laughed heartily, while Charizard angrily puffed out smoke but quickly inhaled it again to avoid spoiling the food.

The food smelled delicious.

(End of this chapter)