"Heath, do you have any of those... um... breakfast crepes? I'll take one." The bustling Viridian City was already bathed in the twilight sun, but Heath, who was about to end his business for the day, happily served his customer.
"Armin, did you work overtime again today?" Heath skillfully spread the batter on the griddle while chatting cheerfully with Armin.
"Hey, it's that time of year again when young masters from wealthy families are getting their starter Pokémon. I've been busy handling these matters, barely having time to eat dinner," Armin said, rubbing his hands together and breathing into them.
Heath glanced enviously at the Poké Ball on Armin's belt. This was the most fascinating aspect of this world. However, thinking of his own meager wallet, Heath's eyes dimmed a bit.
"Armin, here's your crepe. That'll be twelve League coins," Heath handed the steaming pancake to Armin, who then gave him some bills, which Heath carefully tucked into his pocket.
Watching Armin munch on his crepe as he left, Heath packed up his stall. It wouldn't do to get caught by Officer Jenny later.
Pushing his small cart, Heath watched the people and various Pokémon passing by and sighed.
Heath was a transmigrator. Just like in those clichéd novels, he had fallen asleep and woke up in this strange world. The good news was that Heath became younger after transmigrating, his body returning to the appearance of a thirteen-year-old. The bad news was that Heath was a poor orphan.
His parents had died in a car accident, leaving nothing behind except a substantial debt. The young Heath had no choice but to start working to pay off his parents' debts.
Fortunately, Heath had been a decent chef in his previous life, so he had a way to survive in this new world. With his tragic backstory and relatively good looks, Heath had received help from a kind Officer Jenny.
After satisfying Officer Maple with his breakfast crepes, Heath managed to set up a small stall selling them. It had been four years now.
"Counting today's earnings, I should have enough to pay off my parents' debts, with a hundred League coins left over to buy a basic Poké Ball," Heath looked at his empty wallet and sighed.
Heath also wanted to become a Pokémon trainer. After all, who wouldn't want to live that kind of life after transmigrating to a world of Pokémon?
However, the initial Pokémon costing thousands or even tens of thousands were way beyond Heath's financial capability. Moreover, with the debt weighing him down, Heath could only bury this wish deep within his heart.
"Farfetch'd!" A familiar voice called out, making Heath instinctively raise his pan to shield the food on his cart and look around.
Then a Farfetch'd holding a leek and staring at him intently entered Heath's sight.
"Farfetch'd, are you here for a freebie again?" Heath looked at the Farfetch'd in front of him, half-amused and half-annoyed.
Over four years, apart from growing more mature, Heath's biggest gain was getting to know this condiment-carrying Pokémon, Farfetch'd.
Farfetch'd was a Pokémon that could be described as pitiful even in the Pokémon world. Its meat was extremely delicious, and the leek it carried was also a top-tier ingredient, making Farfetch'd a sought-after delicacy, nearly leading to its extinction.
Fortunately, the Indigo League enacted regulations to protect Farfetch'd, but encountering a wild Farfetch'd was still very rare.
In his four years as a street vendor, Heath had come to know this clever and food-loving Farfetch'd. Initially, it had tried to cheat Heath with an ordinary leek, but after Heath found a way to communicate with it, they developed a relatively friendly relationship.
"Far... fetch'd!" Farfetch'd happily waved its leek. This spot was a very secluded part of Viridian City, usually only patrolled by Officer Jenny, so Farfetch'd wasn't worried about being seen.
"You've freeloaded ten crepes from me already, always saying 'next time for sure.' This time, no leek, no crepes," Heath squinted at the Farfetch'd.
Not all Pokémon are simple-minded; this Farfetch'd was quite the smart one, having even tried to fool Heath once with a regular leek.
"Farfetch'd..." Farfetch'd looked at its leek reluctantly. It was its treasure.
But seeing Heath's stern expression and the cart with delicious pancakes, Farfetch'd swallowed hard. After tasting Heath's crepes once, it couldn't forget the flavor.
"Farfetch'd." Farfetch'd, looking despondent, placed its leek on Heath's cart. Heath accepted it with satisfaction.
The leek that Farfetch'd held was a top-quality ingredient. From a chef's perspective, this leek was a luxury item, excellent in both taste and quality.
With the leek in hand, Heath set up his cart by the roadside and began making the crepes for Farfetch'd.
Soon, a hot crepe was handed to Farfetch'd, who took it happily, blew on it skillfully, and then started eating.
Heath watched Farfetch'd's wagging tail and smiled. This Farfetch'd was quite special, even wagging its tail like a dog.
"Pokémon are wonderful," Heath touched his wallet. Being debt-free felt great, and his buried dream seemed achievable again.
But then Heath suddenly paused. There were three ways to get a starter Pokémon: buying from the League, receiving as a gift, or catching one yourself.
Buying was out of the question—too expensive. And as for receiving a gift...
Heath doubted anyone would be generous enough. So, what about catching one himself?
"Farfetch'd, do you want to become my Pokémon?" Heath asked carefully.
"?" Farfetch'd turned its head, looking puzzled.
"Do you want to become my Pokémon?" Heath asked again.
Farfetch'd hesitated, then shook its head.
"Unlimited crepes! And I have many other delicious dishes too!" Heath upped the ante.
Farfetch'd paused, then slapped its wing on Heath's hand and nodded earnestly.
(End of this chapter)
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