Chapter 43: Brock and Giovanni

"Heath, have you got a new truck?" Heath was resting inside his food truck when he heard Brock's voice. Looking up, he saw Brock with his usual squinty eyes.

"Yeah, I won a lottery. But why are you here again?" Heath asked curiously. He remembered that Brock lived in Pewter City, so it was odd to see him frequently visiting Viridian City.

"I've been in Viridian City recently. By the way, did you notice the explosion last night?" Brock asked, leaning on the food truck counter with a cheerful expression.

Heath's mouth twitched at the question. Not only had he noticed, but he had been at the scene.

The explosion at the chemical plant had been reported today. According to the investigation, it was caused by equipment failure and improper operation by the staff, which relieved Heath. He had feared it might have been an act of sabotage.

"Of course I saw it. What do you want to eat?" Heath wiped his hands and stood up. He hadn't prepared much food today, but he still had some fried rice.

"Give me some fried rice then. Do you have any leeks?" Brock nodded, though his attention seemed to be drifting towards a passing Nurse Joy.

Heath sighed. Brock was indeed a ladies' man, showing his preferences at a young age. However, there was nothing wrong with that. Brock might not be the most reliable person, but he always treated women well.

"Yes, I have some. Wait a moment." Heath nodded and turned to prepare Brock's fried rice.

Fried rice wasn't particularly difficult to make. Some chefs would coat the rice with egg yolk, making the rice golden without visible chunks of egg. Some restaurants even renamed it "Golden Fried Rice" to sell it at a higher price.

However, Brock preferred the kind where the eggs and rice were separate, and Heath knew his taste well.

"By the way, isn't your dad supposed to be here to study? How's that going?" Heath asked while cooking.

"Don't mention it. I never realized how troublesome it is to be a Gym Leader. There's so much to handle every day, and I still have to train my Pokémon." Brock sighed, looking frustrated.

With his squinty eyes, Brock's expressions were hard to read, which made him exaggerate his mouth movements to convey his emotions. It must be tough to have such eyes.

Heath sympathized with Brock. He wondered if Brock had joined Ash on his journey partly to escape the Gym Leader duties. If so, Brock might have more in common with Steven Stone, who also gave up his Champion title to pursue his interest in stones.

"Oh, my! It's Lance, the Dragon Master!" Just as Heath was about to say something, he heard cheers outside. Curious, he peeked out.

A speedy Aerodactyl flew by, and despite its speed, the man in the cape was unmistakably Lance, one of the Elite Four of the Indigo Plateau.

"Lance! Wow, his Aerodactyl looks amazing. It must be incredibly powerful," Brock exclaimed with admiration.

To Heath, Brock's amazement looked exaggerated with his squinty eyes, but it was understandable.

"Bold of you to think that. It could easily take down thousands of you," Heath teased, handing the fried rice to Brock.

Lance, one of the Indigo Plateau Elite Four, was known for his strength and was considered a potential Champion. His Pokémon were particularly renowned. Though Lance claimed to specialize in Dragon-types, people noticed that most of his Pokémon were Flying-types, leading to jokes about it.

Brock tried to look angry but ended up looking comical. Even Farfetch'd, busy with its own training, wasn't intimidated.

"Is Lance here in Viridian City for a reason?" Heath asked Brock curiously.

"Of course, he's here to investigate whether the chemical plant explosion was related to Team Rocket," said a familiar voice. Heath turned around in surprise to see Giovanni.

Giovanni looked as sharp as ever, wearing casual clothes, though his hair was still a bit singed from being close to the fire.

"Giovanni, sir! Hello! I'm... I'm..." Brock stammered in excitement, looking at Giovanni with admiration.

"Oh? Your face... You must be Flint's son, right?" Giovanni said with interest, recognizing Brock's squinty eyes.

Brock was too excited to speak, his hands fidgeting awkwardly. Heath couldn't help but find it amusing.

What would Brock think if he found out that the Giovanni he admired was the leader of Team Rocket? It would be quite a shock.

Heath glanced at Giovanni, who seemed unconcerned. Lance had come to Viridian City to investigate, but so far, there were no results.

"Yes, sir!" Brock stood at attention, like a student being called on by a teacher.

"Giovanni, sir, would you like something to eat?" Heath asked, and Farfetch'd looked over curiously, wondering if there was anything it could help with.

Only Zorua remained undisturbed, napping on the table.

"Me? I'll have some mushroom steamed buns and soy milk for a light breakfast," Giovanni said with a smile, waving to passersby who greeted him respectfully.

Heath nodded, packed three buns in a bag for Giovanni, and started making the soy milk.

*(End of the chapter)*