Chapter 55: Cruel Adams!

Heath watched silently as the scene unfolded before him. If he could capture evidence of the Adams family's crimes, then even if Adams was a wealthy figure in Viridian City, he wouldn't be able to get away with it.

To prevent Zorua from getting too agitated or ruining things, Heath reminded her to stay quiet and avoid being noticed.

Adams' son walked in. Heath couldn't remember his name, as the Adams family was quite mysterious. Usually, only Adams himself was seen in public; his son rarely appeared.

What made Heath frown was the whip in Adams' son's hand—a whip designed for punishment. Just seeing the fine lines on it made Heath imagine the torment Charmander would endure.

"So cruel! How can he treat Charmander like this?" Zorua growled from atop Heath's head. Heath reached up to soothe her.

If he didn't calm her down, Heath feared Zorua might pull out a lot of his hair, leaving him as strong as an Arceus with a single punch.

"Charmander, you sure know how to hide. You've managed to stay hidden for so long!" Adams' son sneered, cracking the whip against the ground with a sharp snap.

Charmander kept its head down, ignoring the boy standing before it.

Heath sighed. To capture evidence, he had to endure watching Charmander being tortured, planning to intervene at the right moment to rescue it.

"Charmander!" Adams' son raised the whip, and Heath closed his eyes, unable to bear it.

"Please, torture me~" Heath opened his eyes in confusion, expecting to hear Charmander's cries.

Adams' son eagerly placed the whip before Charmander, then turned his back to it, lifting his shirt to expose his back.

"?" Heath was utterly baffled, feeling like there was something wrong—not with him, but with the situation.

Charmander stared blankly at its trainer. It had imagined its trainer to be strong, someone it could protect even if they were a bit weak.

But now, seeing Adams' son pleading for pain, Charmander closed its eyes in despair. What kind of trainer was this?

"Charmander~ Please whip me~ You can use your claws too~" Adams' son continued to beg. Heath struggled to contain his emotions.

"Crap..." Heath muttered, though he quickly covered his mouth. Adams' son still heard him.

"Who's there?" Adams' son snapped, looking around warily, but everything was quiet, with no sign of intruders.

After checking around, Adams' son dismissed it, thinking he had imagined it, and returned to Charmander.

Seeing Charmander's despair, Heath shook his head. No wonder Charmander tried to escape—its trainer was a pervert.

"I take back what I said earlier. Please, hit him harder!" Zorua said excitedly, eager to grab the whip and lash Adams' son herself.

Heath gave his Pokémon a peculiar look. He figured he should keep her away from whips in the future.

Realizing things were not as he expected, Heath sighed, putting away his phone. He had lost the desire to continue recording.

Originally, he hoped to capture evidence of Adams' son's crimes. Instead, he almost ended up recording a scandalous affair.

Rescuing abused Pokémon was a given, but correcting someone's perverse interests was not Heath's job.

Heath silently wished Charmander happiness with its trainer and left Adams' house with Zorua.

"Following you is so fun, Trainer! We get to meet such unique people," Zorua said excitedly from Heath's head.

"Whatever, as long as Charmander isn't being tortured. As for Adams' son's hobbies, let his dad deal with that," Heath said, shaking his head. He wondered what Old Adams would do if he knew about his son's peculiar tastes.

Thinking about it, Heath felt Steven Stone was probably easier on his father—his hobby was just collecting stones.

Heath leisurely walked back to the gym, planning to have Zorua cancel the illusion and then rest in his dorm.

Thinking about Maple's anger, Heath felt a headache coming on. He didn't know how to explain to her that Adams' son wasn't torturing Charmander.

But he knew he couldn't tell Maple he had spied on Adams' house, or she might turn him in herself.

"Never mind, she'll find out eventually," Heath thought, leaving the villa area.

When Heath returned to the dorm, everything seemed normal. Maple was still sulking in her room, not coming out.

Heath didn't mind. Knowing the truth about Charmander—a peculiar trainer and a Pokémon that disliked his hobby—Maple's frustration would turn to shock and disbelief once she knew the truth.

"By the way, I need to go to the furniture store tomorrow to buy some tables and chairs," Heath thought, scratching his head. He had a mobile food cart now, but without tables and chairs, it would be inconvenient for customers.

After all, customers shouldn't have to stand while eating; it wasn't good for them or for business.

"I need a bath, Trainer~" Zorua's sweet voice interrupted Heath's thoughts as he considered flipping through some flyers.

(End of Chapter)