I opened a restaurant in the Pokémon world.

This also led to Heath not paying much attention to his own birthday, and I didn't notice him much when I saw him before.

“…Happy birthday, well, happy birthday to myself.” Hiss smiled and sat down. The annoyance of being woken up from a deep sleep instantly lessened, and he felt much better now. No wonder these little guys wanted to go out and buy things earlier, no wonder they bought so many things, even Charizard, who doesn’t like spending money, bought a lot of things. At first, Hiss thought that these little guys bought so many things because of Zoroark, but he didn’t expect it was because of his birthday.

"Trainer, Trainer, are you surprised? Unexpected?" Zoroark grinned and approached, followed by Farfetch'd, who handed a cake knife to Hiss. In front of Hiss was a three-tiered cake. Hiss glanced at it; the decorations were nice, but there was a bit too much cream. If he had made the cake himself…

Heath shook his head. It was true that after being a chef for so long, when he saw a cake, his first thought wasn't to cut it and eat it, but to check if there were any flaws or problems with the cake.

"You guys actually knew about this?" Hiss asked, cutting the cake while looking at Zoroark with a puzzled expression. Hiss had never told his Pokémon about his birthday, nor had he ever mentioned it. He had no idea how Zoroark knew. But this was quite a surprise. Hiss himself never expected that Zoroark would know his birthday.

"Of course! When I first met you, I saw your birthday on the calendar in that dorm, and it was circled very carefully!" Zoroark said smugly. Heath's lips twitched. Goodness, it seems she leaked the information from Sister Feng. But that's normal, since in the previous four years when Heath was in Evergreen City, Sister Feng always celebrated her birthday with her, and Sister Ling and the others would also celebrate with her. But this time, Sister Feng and the others weren't there...

However, Heath's phone vibrated several times immediately afterward. Heath took out his phone and glanced at it. There were many birthday wishes text messages on it. Heath realized that they were all from people he knew: Officer Jenny from Evergreen City, Mr. Codd and his group, and even Mr. Sakaki had sent birthday wishes. This made Heath smile. It has to be said that it is a happy thing to have someone remember your birthday.

[Maple Sister: Heath, happy birthday! We heard you're not in the Kanto region anymore, but in the Sinnoh region. Remember to come back and visit us when you have time. Also, we've asked Mr. Kod to deliver the gift we bought to you, please check it. Have a good day, Heath.]

Heath touched the phone in her hand, as if Sister Feng's warm and cheerful smile was right beside her.

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~" Soon, Hiss was all smiles as he began to celebrate his unique birthday with his Pokémon. He was very happy. Although Maple and the others weren't there, Hiss felt that having his Pokémon was enough. Spending every year with his Pokémon was a very happy thing for Hiss.

Chapter 632 Happy Birthday!

"Happy birthday, Heath!" In the early morning, Heath opened the door of his dining car with a blank expression. The weather was really cold in the morning, so cold that Heath felt uncomfortable all over. When he opened the dining car door, the howling wind made Heath shiver involuntarily. He then rubbed his arms, trying to dispel some of the coldness.

"Good morning, Mr. Cord, you're here very early." Heath looked at Mr. Cord with a wry smile. The howling wind and swirling snowflakes instantly cleared Heath's head. Heath yawned and rubbed his hands together. It seemed that business should be pretty good today.

After all, Heath's hot pot business is quite good when the weather is cold. Moreover, Heath's food truck has been promoted by the show. Heath's only worry now is that too many customers will come, causing some customers to have to wait for a long time. Thinking about it this way, it seems that upgrading the restaurant is more worthwhile.

However, Heath didn't dwell on it too much. After all, he had already upgraded the kitchen, and he could simply upgrade the dining room next time he got the upgrade blueprints.

In the early hours of the morning, Heath celebrated his unique birthday with Zoroark and the others, making a ruckus until after 1 a.m. before finally being able to go to sleep. Heath was sleeping soundly, but just as he was about to sleep a little longer, he heard a knock on the door. When he went over, he found it was Mr. Cord.

“Of course! If I hadn’t thought you might still be sleeping last night, I would have actually come over last night.” Mr. Codd said with a smile, then handed a huge pile of gifts to Heath. Heath quickly let Mr. Codd in and put all the gifts on the table. There were so many that Heath was a little dizzy.

“I just returned to Evergreen City yesterday, and Mr. Sakaki and the others came to see me. They said it's your birthday today and they insisted I come again. I also picked up Ms. Officer Jenny's birthday present while I was there. But Ms. Officer Jenny is doing very well. She asked me to tell you that she's having a fulfilling day and you don't need to worry.” Mr. Codd said with a smile. He had also given Heath a gift, a very unique one. He wondered if Heath would like it.

Heath nodded knowingly. It seemed that Feng Jie knew him and knew that he would definitely ask about her, so she specially asked Mr. Codd to tell him about her recent situation. Heath had to admit that she was indeed very worried about Officer Jenny. After all, unlike Evergreen City, the city where Officer Jenny had taken office was actually a very normal city with a low crime rate. Unlike Evergreen City's low crime rate, Heath was still very worried about Officer Jenny's safety.

After all, Officer Jenny has always been a very dangerous profession.

"Thank you, Mr. Cord, for making such a long trip," Heath said gratefully. Mr. Cord chuckled and patted Heath on the shoulder, then curiously glanced behind Heath.

Hiss glanced back and saw Ralts shakily open the door to the lounge, then crawl out and jump into Hiss's arms with practiced ease, rubbing against him. Hiss chuckled and patted Ralts's head; this little guy was really clingy.

"Your... Ralts seems a bit off?" Mr. Cod looked at the Ralts in front of him strangely. He knew this Pokémon. At the Pokémon Friendship Gathering, Mr. Cod had seen Gardevoir bring Ralts to play. It was Gardevoir's baby form and had a timid personality. It would only become better after it evolved. However, the Ralts in front of him gave Mr. Cod a very strange feeling.

"Hmm... Ralts is very cute." Hiss smiled. He didn't want to talk too much about Ralts's background, because that might remind Ralts of some unpleasant memories, which would be troublesome. Hiss didn't want this little guy to remember those sad past events.

Although Mr. Codd was curious as to why Ralts gave him a strange feeling, he didn't say anything. Instead, he wished Heath a happy birthday, chatted with Heath for a few more minutes, and then left.

Looking at the huge pile of gifts in front of him, Heath was both amused and exasperated, wondering what they were all this time. Back in Evergreen City, Officers often gave Heath all sorts of exercise equipment, or homemade cards like "exercise cards" or "rest cards," which allowed Heath to exchange for a rest opportunity, and so on.

Your rewards from yesterday have been settled. You have received one restaurant upgrade blueprint and one item upgrade voucher (birthday gift)

Heath paused for a moment, then blinked. He had been wondering why his cheat system hadn't given him a reward yesterday, and now it was popping up to reward him at this moment. It was quite unexpected. However, this time the reward was really generous. The restaurant upgrade blueprint was already a very good reward, and there was also an item upgrade voucher. This was simply a pleasant surprise.

"I wish I could have more birthdays like this." Heath clicked his tongue, but he also knew that he would have to wait until next year to celebrate his birthday again. Heath felt that he could receive a very generous reward at this time next year.

After receiving the restaurant upgrade blueprints, Heath decisively chose to upgrade the dining area. Just as he made the selection, Heath heard a knock on the door. Heath smiled; he knew who it was without even opening the door. Sure enough, as Heath opened the food cart door, he saw Miss Nami.

"Heath, happy birthday~ Head office sent me to give you a unique birthday present!" Although Heath already knew what Nami was giving him, he still pretended to be very happy and accepted his gift with a smile. This time, the construction was even faster. Heath had only chatted with Nami in his lounge for an hour when the construction was finished. This made Heath's lips twitch. This speed was truly outrageous.

After seeing Miss Nami off, Heath planned to go and buy some tables and chairs. They could also add another set of rotating hot pot. This upgrade doubled the size of the restaurant, allowing it to accommodate more guests.

But then Heath heard a knock on the door.

Chapter 633 Cynthia's Gift

"Heath, happy birthday!" Heath saw Cynthia as soon as she entered the dining car. Cynthia was smiling at Heath, holding a gift box in her hands. Heath was taken aback for a moment, then quickly invited Cynthia in. The weather was still quite cold today, and it wouldn't be good for Cynthia to be out in the cold. Although Cynthia was a champion, champions were still just ordinary people, nothing special, and they could get sick too, so Heath felt that she needed to take some precautions.

If Cynthia were to fall ill here, then Hiss would truly be guilty of a grave sin, and Cynthia would likely be temporarily unable to handle the affairs of the League... In that case, it seems like a good thing?

"Thank you, Cynthia... But how did you know?" Heath was a little confused. If Maple and the others knew his birthday, it would be understandable, since Heath had lived in Evergreen City for so long, it would be very normal for them to know his birthday. But Heath remembered that he didn't seem to have told Cynthia about his birthday.

Wait, no, Heath remembered, he wrote his birthday on his Seal Ball communicator, no wonder Cynthia knew.

Heath's information on her Sealsball profile was all true, but unexpectedly, Cynthia found out her birthday.

"Of course, it's through my friend's profile~ But Heath, are you going to be open for business on your birthday? Isn't that too tiring?" Cynthia looked at Heath curiously. If she had to be open for business on her birthday, wouldn't that be a bit too much work? Cynthia thought that if it were her birthday, she definitely wouldn't do anything important. She would just enjoy her birthday alone, have a party with her friends, and go out and have some fun. That would be great. But Heath was actually still open for business?

This is just too tiring! After all, unless it's a job you really love, doing any kind of job for a long time will make you feel exhausted.

"Ah...actually, although it's my birthday, I feel like it's no different from any other day. After all, time is just a framework that people set for themselves." Heath shrugged. He really didn't feel anything about his birthday. It wasn't a special day. Although it was his birthday, for Heath, it was pretty much the same as any other day.

"Your words sound a bit philosophical?" Cynthia looked at Heath in shock. Heath's lips twitched. What's so philosophical about this? In essence, time doesn't exist, yet it's everywhere. Although people talk about days, hours, and minutes, these are just concepts that people set for time. In essence, time cannot be captured, and people cannot observe it. People grow up and age because of factors such as cell division and growth.

Just like a roast chicken left in a natural environment, it will slowly deteriorate and decompose, eventually leaving only a pile of bones, or even no bones at all. It seems like the roast chicken is rotting and spoiling under the influence of time, but in essence, it is actually the common process of many organisms. However, time does exist. It's just a matter of how to dialectically interpret this conceptual thing called time. I would say that this kind of work is more suitable for philosophers and physicists.

Heath had considered these things before, but later he realized that thinking about them was completely useless and a waste of time and energy. It was more practical to think about what to eat, how to complete the work, and how to make more money each day. These things should be left to people who specialize in thinking about these kinds of problems.

"Cynthia, thank you. I plan to go back to Kanto tomorrow." Hiss chuckled and changed the subject. If they continued discussing time, who knew how long they would go on? It was better to talk about something more practical.

"Tomorrow? That's a real shame. When are you planning to come to the Sinnoh region to see me next?" Cynthia leaned on the table and asked with a pout. Hiss looked at her and almost laughed. Cynthia was so young now, even showing such an expression. In Hiss's memory, Cynthia was always a very serious and earnest champion, but after Hiss actually got to know Cynthia, he realized that she was still an innocent and cute girl.

"It might take a long time, because I plan to travel through the Kanto region first." Heath smiled. The Kanto region trip was still on the agenda. Heath had only traveled less than halfway through so far, and that was assuming that Heath's journey was very direct. If Heath had to stop in every small town, then Heath felt that it would probably take him several years to complete the Kanto region.

This is not an exaggeration. Although the Kanto region is not very large, there are still many towns, including some that have not even been mentioned in the games and anime. Heath does not plan to go to those places. He only plans to complete his journey according to his achievement list. Otherwise, it would be too time-consuming to go to those places.

“…Okay…would you like to see what gift I gave you?” Cynthia said with a displeased look, but then pointed to the box in Hiss’s hand and asked with a smile. Hiss weighed the box in his hand; there wasn’t much in it.

An experienced chef, one who buys his own groceries, often has hands that function like an electronic scale. Although not perfectly accurate, Heath's estimation of weight is quite accurate. Heath believes the box in his hand weighs only about 200 grams.

“I guess… a watch?” Heath stroked his chin and gave an answer. After all, judging from the size and weight of the box, Heath thought it was unlikely to be a watch.

"Why don't you open it and see for yourself?" Cynthia said with a smile, without answering Heath's question. Heath opened the box in her hand and saw a very beautiful one...

Heath was a little confused. What was this thing? Heath stared at the not-so-large ornament in his hand, lost in thought. He really didn't know what it was, although it looked somewhat like a button.

Chapter 634 What to eat on a birthday?

"What is this?" Heath asked curiously. He had never seen anything like it before. It looked like a button, but it was larger and looked very dazzling. This filled Heath with curiosity, and he really wanted to know what it was.

However, the craftsmanship of this item is really good. It looks golden and has a gem-like object in the middle, making it look very precious. If this is really an expensive luxury item, Heath thinks it should be easy to sell it for tens of thousands. If the gem is also real, then the value is even more outrageous. However, Heath thinks that Cynthia would not give him such an outrageous item, so Heath is still very calm.

“This is a collar button,” Cynthia explained with a smile. Heath listened blankly, but after listening for a while, Heath roughly understood that collar buttons were considered a very important thing. If he had to describe it, it would be like two people wearing suits. One person had a collar button, so he looked like an elite, while the other person did not, so he looked like a salesman.

Although this description is a bit strange, based on Cynthia's description, Heath felt that this thing's main purpose seemed to be this, but in that case, Heath roughly knew what this thing was used for.

To put it simply, it's about making yourself appear more sophisticated. Of course, in more common terms, it's about showing off.

Heath's lips twitched involuntarily. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing, which surprised him. He was certain that this thing must have been invented by some idle people, or simply by those who wanted to be superior to others. After all, Heath had seen many such people in his previous life, so it was not a strange thing.

Especially in the Western countries of his previous life, particularly a certain country known as the "Robin Hood," the "aristocrats" there loved to come up with all sorts of shady things and then call it "aristocratic flair." For example, the so-called aristocratic etiquette classes. Heath remembered seeing a news story about a Chinese woman who went abroad to learn so-called aristocratic etiquette, spending a lot of money to learn how to peel bananas with aristocratic gestures...

At the time, Heath wanted to ask whether this banana was legitimate or not, since it sounded very strange, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to have many problems. However, what was most unacceptable was why spend so much money to learn how to peel a banana? Later, Heath concluded that so-called aristocratic etiquette was actually a bunch of tricks. For example, the so-called aristocratic etiquette might be to divide the simple actions of raising the teacup, drinking tea, and putting down the teacup into a whole bunch of detailed requirements, and even some taboos.

In short, making anything cumbersome and complicated, preferably in a way that others can't figure out on their own, is what's called aristocratic etiquette.

This is really boring. In the end, these so-called aristocratic etiquettes are just feudal remnants from the old world. They were created by these people to distinguish themselves from other so-called ordinary people in order to show their noble status and illustrious ancestors. In Heath's opinion, etiquette does exist, but it is based on morality and respect, not on so-called differences in status.

"Thank you, Cynthia... Would you like something to eat? I was just about to make breakfast." Heath smiled and accepted the gift. Although it seemed useless to Heath, it was a gift from Cynthia, and this sentiment was what Heath valued most.

As the saying goes, "A gift of a goose feather from a thousand miles away is a small gift but carries great meaning." Moreover, the gift that Cynthia sent looked quite expensive. Cynthia had heard that in a certain city in the Kanto region, people had the custom of marking the price directly on the gift. However, the League later felt that this custom was not good, so it issued a law prohibiting the writing of prices on the outside of gifts. So, these people wrote the prices inside the gift boxes instead.

Although Heath doesn't wear suits, after Cynthia sent him this, Heath felt that if he suddenly started wearing a suit in the future, he could take out this lapel button, and perhaps people would praise him for being a meticulous person.

"Hmph, then give me some breakfast... By the way, Heath, what do you usually eat on your birthdays where you're from?" Cynthia snorted a couple of times, then curiously leaned closer. Heath subtly took a step back. With Cynthia's closeness, Heath felt a little nervous. The enticing aroma and Cynthia's adorable face, which seemed even more endearing as she got closer, were simply irresistible.

"Where do we eat? Longevity noodles, I guess?" However, Heath still answered Cynthia's question. Strictly speaking, there are no particular rules about what to eat on a birthday in China. In theory, you can eat whatever you want, and you can even go out for a luxurious meal. If you're short on money, you can choose to have a bowl of instant noodles and an egg to make up your birthday meal.

However, Heath still prefers to eat longevity noodles, for the sake of good luck.

Longevity noodles may vary slightly from place to place, but in Heath's version, the method is very simple. The only requirement is the noodles themselves; they must not be broken. This is the foundation of making longevity noodles. A single noodle is cooked from beginning to end and then eaten in one bite by the birthday person without breaking it. This is a very auspicious blessing, wishing the birthday person a life as long as the noodle. However, such a long noodle is very difficult to find, so it is actually necessary to hire a professional chef to make longevity noodles.

Of course, if you already have culinary skills, you can try rolling out a long noodle and making it yourself. Heath can make it himself; for him, making a bowl of longevity noodles is not a difficult thing.

"Can I eat that?" Cynthia's interest was piqued by Hiss, and she looked at Hiss curiously and asked. Cynthia seemed very excited and happy.

"Um...you didn't have a birthday celebration, did you?" Heath was a little confused. Were longevity noodles really that delicious? Apart from the noodles, everything else was pretty much the same.

Chapter 635 Plain Noodles

"You can eat it even if it's not your birthday, right?" Cynthia blinked. Hiss paused for a moment, then nodded. There was no problem with that. After all, although longevity noodles are essentially a special type of noodles eaten on birthdays, strictly speaking, you can eat them even if it's not your birthday. Aside from the unique requirements for the noodles themselves, the taste of longevity noodles is mainly related to how they're made. If it's made into braised beef noodles, then it's longevity noodles with braised beef flavor; if it's made into plain noodles, then it's longevity noodles with plain noodles flavor.

So essentially, the only difference between longevity noodles is the length of the noodles.

"Alright, I'll make you one then." Heath finally agreed. However, making longevity noodles required him to roll the noodles by hand, so Heath had to go to the kitchen to get the flour and other ingredients to make these unique noodles himself. But when he started making them, Heath realized that making a long noodle was not an easy task. Even a chef like Heath failed several times before he finally managed to make the longevity noodles.

After making the noodles, the next step was much simpler and easier. Heath only needed to make this unique longevity noodle dish the same way as beef noodles and then serve it to Cynthia. There were no other special considerations or things to pay attention to. It was a relatively simple breakfast preparation. At the same time, Heath also started preparing breakfast for his Pokémon. This time, considering the noodles, Heath planned to make plain noodles.

"Cynthia, if you're eating longevity noodles, it's best not to break a single noodle," Heath reminded Cynthia. There's a unique custom associated with eating longevity noodles: not a single noodle should be broken, as it's considered unlucky.

"Huh? How do you eat it if you can't break it? Just swallow it?" Sure enough, Cynthia was completely confused. She didn't understand why she couldn't bite the noodles into pieces. If she couldn't break them, how could she eat them? If she swallowed them whole, such long noodles would probably upset her stomach, right?

"It's not that you can't bite it off, it's just that you have to keep the noodles in your mouth the whole time and not let them fall into the bowl," Heath patiently instructed. This saying generally refers to the idea that when eating longevity noodles, you can't let the noodles fall back into the bowl, otherwise it's like your life will end prematurely. Although this is a superstitious belief, people still follow this custom, which is why Heath specifically reminded them that the longevity noodles shouldn't just fall into the bowl.

Of course, since longevity noodles are sometimes eaten by the elderly, it is very troublesome to make sure that the elderly can finish eating them completely. So, in many cases, there are no such rules when it comes to longevity noodles for the elderly, or you can simply make a small bowl of longevity noodles so that the elderly can finish eating them completely.

Cynthia looked like she suddenly understood, and then Hiss watched Cynthia eat her longevity noodles. Then Hiss went back to the kitchen and began preparing this unique meal for her Pokémon.

This time, Heath made Yangchun noodles. Yangchun noodles are a special type of noodle dish that stands out for its uniqueness. Many people think that Yangchun noodles are just plain noodles in clear broth. After all, it looks like just a bowl of plain noodles, with at most some scallions sprinkled on top. It doesn't have as many side dishes as other noodles, such as cabbage or beef. It's just a bowl of noodles. But in reality, it tastes fundamentally different from clear broth noodles, and this difference mainly lies in the soup.

Someone once said that eating noodles is actually about enjoying the soup, but I disagree. After all, different types of noodles have different focuses. Large crispy beef noodles are mainly about the beef and soup, while small noodles are about the toppings. Of course, if you want to be a bit more specific, you can just call it braised noodles. Even so, some people can say that eating braised noodles is actually about enjoying the 'soup' or the braising liquid.

However, Yangchun noodles are a type of specialty noodle dish that fits this description. The noodles themselves are not particularly special and are very ordinary. If you want Yangchun noodles to taste good, you really need to rely on the soup base. A proper Yangchun noodle dish also has very high requirements for the soup base. Although it looks like a bowl of clear soup, it is essentially a broth with scallion oil.

Scallion oil and broth are the soul of Yangchun noodles.

Heath had made plain noodles before. He learned to make them himself when he was in high school. Back then, Heath had no idea what seasonings to put in noodles to make them taste good, so he set his sights on plain noodles, a dish that was said to be very simple. After all, he had a really big appetite back in high school. Often when a group of classmates went out to eat, the food would be gone before it was even put on the table. When eating at a buffet, he would even watch the owner eat so much that he would come over and take a few more glances to prevent Heath and his friends from wasting food.

As a result, when he got to college, his appetite gradually decreased. After graduating from college, he couldn't eat as much as before. It was only then that Heath realized that after graduating from college, a person's physical development would gradually slow down and begin to decline.

So Heath, who was always hungry, started researching how to make simple plain noodles. But when Heath actually started making plain noodles, he realized he had been tricked. Plain noodles were not only not simple, but also quite complicated.

However, the power of foodies is very strong. It was from that time that Heath embarked on the path of no return as a chef. When she went to university, she began to learn how to make desserts and the like. She always dreamed of having an opportunity to show herself, such as the school organizing a cooking competition, where Heath would amaze everyone and then gain priority in choosing a partner for the four years of university.

To his surprise, the school never organized any similar activities. Instead, there were singing and dancing competitions, and basketball could attract a lot of girls' attention. So, Heath later earnestly told the younger students on the forum who wanted to report on their school that if they wanted to have priority in choosing a partner during their four years of college, they could choose to be handsome, talented in singing and dancing, or good at basketball. Otherwise, by their senior year, everyone else would be a senior, and they would only be a senior.

It's a truly sad story.

After Heath finished making the plain noodles, he carried them into his lounge. Because of Mew, Heath didn't let his Pokémon come out to eat breakfast.