Chapter Sixty: What Heath Pursued

“Is this little Charmander yours, Heath?” Joyce looked at the frail Charmander before her, questioning seriously.

Heath scratched his head. He had to admit that Joyce was always extremely serious when treating and saving others, her aura reminiscent of Sister Maple when she wore a stern face.

But looking at the now-unconscious Charmander, Heath found himself at a loss for words. If he said it wasn’t his, this poor creature would probably be taken back to the Adams family, only to escape again.

This was already the second time the Charmander had run away. Was it really right to force it to stay with a trainer it clearly disliked?

“These wounds... this must be the Charmander Mr. Adams lost, isn't it?” Joyce applied the healing salve to Charmander and cast a suspicious glance at Heath.

“This isn’t the Charmander from the Adams family,” Heath shook his head. This little one really didn’t want to stay with that oddball trainer with the XP system.

Joyce gave Heath a long, searching look, then calmly took out a form and handed it to him. It contained a consent notice for treatment.

“I was almost thinking you’d learned how to raise the dead, Heath. The Adams family submitted an application to the League today, claiming their Charmander died from its injuries and requesting a new starter Pokémon,” Joyce said with a cheerful smile.

Heath was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t expected the Adams family not to issue another reward notice this time. But on second thought, it made sense. After all, a Charmander fleeing in such a battered state would be presumed dead. It was only through sheer luck—and the help of Ekans and Meowth—that it had survived this far.

“Since this is a wild Charmander, Heath, do you want to take it in yourself? Otherwise, I’ll have to follow League procedures for rescued Pokémon,” Joyce said, smiling at him.

Heath was a bit surprised. The League’s rescue program was charitable, but once healed, the Pokémon would be processed accordingly. The friendlier ones might be adopted by other trainers, while those with difficult tempers would be released back into the wild. Of course, adopting trainers usually had to cover the treatment expenses.

Heath nodded eagerly. To be able to take in this Charmander was certainly a good thing.

Whatever happened, Heath felt a weight lift from his shoulders. The Charmander was finally receiving proper medical care—though thinking about the potentially astronomical costs ahead made him frown in worry.

With injuries this severe, free treatment was out of the question; paid services would be necessary.

“Um, Heath...” While Heath was lost in thought, Joyce returned, a little embarrassed.

Heath stood up, puzzled—had something happened?

“Well... about nearly running you over yesterday, I’m really sorry. So this time, I’ll waive the medical fees for you,” Joyce said shyly, her cheeks rosy and rather endearing.

“That’s wonderful! Thank you, Miss Joyce!” Heath jumped up in delight. With those hefty fees off his mind, he wouldn’t have minded being chased down another block by a Blissey behind the wheel.

After leaving Charmander at the Pokémon Center for treatment, Heath hurried back to his food stall. It wasn’t meal time yet, so there were few customers around, and Heath finally breathed easy.

“Maybe I should buy a Poké Ball?” Heath mused, rubbing his chin as he thought about Charmander.

With the right to legally catch the Charmander, Heath felt much more at ease. This little one seemed well-bred—if it hadn’t been injured during capture, the Adams family would never have given it up.

Besides, Charmander was a fire-type Pokémon—having it around would make starting a fire for cooking in the wild so much easier.

“I get the feeling you’re thinking something wicked. That smile of yours is strange,” Zorua yawned from her perch on Heath’s forehead.

“Is it that odd?” Heath touched his own face. He didn’t think his smile was strange at all.

“Very odd. It’s just like... that book I read once, ‘My Gardevoir Has a Big Root.’ After discovering his Gardevoir was actually male, the protagonist started thinking about him every day...” Zorua started to explain, clearly intrigued.

With a blank expression, Heath rapped Zorua lightly on the head. Just what kind of books had this little rascal been reading?

Then his face turned a shade darker. Zorua had only been able to read human books after being captured by Team Plasma. So, did that mean... Ashura was into guys? The memory made Heath shiver. No wonder Ashura had looked at him so strangely in the forest that day; thank goodness Sister Maple arrived quickly, or who knows what might have happened.

“Try to stay away from those weird books from now on,” Heath lectured Zorua sternly. Zorua looked at him with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

Just as Heath was about to continue correcting Zorua’s odd tastes, he saw Mr. Adams’ luxury car pull up.

A Dream Phantom sports car—currently the top tier in the Kanto region, on par with a Lamborghini from his previous life, though the brand here was called Dream Phantom.

He wondered if Mew had ever claimed royalties from the manufacturers.

What really caught Heath’s eye, though, was young Adams, standing next to a Steenee.

As soon as the light turned green, the sports car sped away, leaving Heath staring after it with a peculiar expression.

Steenee... if he remembered correctly, its final evolution was Tsareena, a grass-type Pokémon often nicknamed the Queen by some.

Heath gazed sympathetically in the direction the car had gone. Maybe young Adams would someday find a Pokémon who shared his peculiar interests, and the two would live out a most unusual life together.

“Perhaps that’s just life,” Heath sighed. Some people pursued the path to becoming a Pokémon Master, while he sought out every delicacy and magical encounter the Pokémon world had to offer.

As for young Adams, perhaps he was in pursuit of a Pokémon who enjoyed tormenting him—wealthy people did have the strangest hobbies.

“Heath, get me something to eat.” Just as Heath was lost in thought, Mr. Yaning arrived, humming an unfamiliar tune and looking quite cheerful.

Heath glanced at him curiously, wondering what good fortune had come his way.