Chapter Fifty-three: The Furious Jun Shafeng

Heath glanced sideways at Jun Sara Aya, wanting desperately to ask if this punishment was legitimate, but he knew that if he voiced the question, Jun Sara Aya would surely run him over with her verbal steamroller. So Heath abandoned the idea.

"Sister Maple!" His eyes lit up, and he waved enthusiastically toward the back.

Jun Sara Aya immediately let go of him, her expression turning stern as if she were about to say something. But before she could react, Heath darted into the cafeteria in a flash.

"Trainer, what punishment did that human woman mention? You seemed quite frightened," Zorua, perched atop Heath's head, asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it certainly wasn't anything proper," Heath replied, twisting his neck. It was about time to start preparing meals for the Jun Sara ladies.

Zorua lay thoughtfully on Heath's head, her tiny eyes sparkling with excitement—who knew what she was imagining.

When Heath finished cooking steaming hot dishes, the Jun Sara ladies returned to the dorm area and began to dine in the cafeteria. Heath quickly noticed that today's atmosphere was unusually subdued.

Normally, the Jun Sara ladies ate merrily, laughing and chatting as they enjoyed their meals. But today, something seemed to have happened; everyone was silent, and even the few exchanges were whispered among small groups.

Heath was perplexed. There hadn't been any serious incidents in Evergreen City today. Thanks to Sakaki's presence, Evergreen always boasted the lowest crime rate in the Kanto region.

While other cities struggled in turmoil, Evergreen City remained tranquil and peaceful. Because of this, the Jun Sara ladies' work here was generally relaxed.

Heath's curiosity was resolved when Jun Sara Maple walked in. He immediately understood the reason for today's somber mood. Jun Sara Maple's face was grim, her entire demeanor radiating an air of "keep away."

"Sister Maple, what's wrong?" Heath asked while ladling dinner onto her plate, concern evident in his voice.

She had been fine earlier in the afternoon—how had her expression become so heavy in just a few hours?

"Hmph, it's nothing," Jun Sara Maple replied, her expression sour, but instead of losing her temper, she quietly took her food and left.

Heath stroked his chin. This was not good. The last time he saw Jun Sara Maple this angry was when Arcanine had diarrhea.

But even then, her anger was only half as intense as it was now. What could have happened to provoke her so much?

Heath knew asking her directly would yield nothing. When Jun Sara Maple didn't want to talk, nobody could pry a word from her lips. She was tight-lipped.

But Heath had other methods.

"Sister Bell, do you know why Sister Maple is upset today?" Heath carried his meal over to sit beside Jun Sara Bell—a privilege of his.

As the only male in the Jun Sara dormitory area, Heath was regarded by all the Jun Sara ladies as their little brother, and he found nothing disagreeable about such a life.

"I don't know either, but I do know that this afternoon, Maple went to Mr. Adams's house," Jun Sara Bell replied calmly as she ate her curry beef. She loved curry and ordered it every time.

Heath pondered. He certainly knew Mr. Adams—though he had never entertained him, Mr. Adams was the owner of the largest supermarket in Evergreen City. His son had lost a Charmander, causing chaos in the city.

Heath couldn't understand why Jun Sara Maple was so upset. By rights, even if Charmander ran away, it had nothing to do with the Jun Sara ladies.

With these doubts in mind, Heath finished his dinner quietly and followed Sister Maple back to the dormitory. As soon as they arrived, Jun Sara Maple stormed into the gym, and soon the sound of her pummeling the punching bag echoed out.

"Arcanine, what's wrong with Sister Maple?" Heath patted Arcanine's fur, worry in his voice.

"Arrooo~" Arcanine shook his head, looking troubled.

"This big dog says he can't tell you," Zorua dutifully translated.

Heath felt a headache coming on. It seemed he wouldn't get an answer. Jun Sara Bell had been clear—only Jun Sara Maple had gone to Mr. Adams's house this afternoon, so it probably had something to do with the supermarket owner.

Heath shook his head. If Jun Sara Maple wouldn't talk, there was nothing he could do. He decided to head to the kitchen and prep the ingredients he would need for tomorrow.

Heath took out the flour, set his phone nearby, and switched it to radio mode, kneading dough while listening to the broadcast.

"Welcome to FM965. I am your old friend, host Xiao Zhe. Today, let's see what's happening in Evergreen City..." Heath kneaded calmly; his phone had no entertainment features.

For Heath, the greatest amusement was listening to the radio and the ghost stories of the Pokémon world.

Yes, after Heath got his phone, he tuned in to the radio at night and discovered that this world had ghost stories too—though they were rather odd.

It seemed anything connected to Pokémon became strange, reminding Heath of the material he'd learned in his exam earlier today.

The last ghost story Heath heard was about a Bulbasaur seeing ghosts at home. In the end, it turned out to be a Gastly playing tricks, instantly dissolving the sense of horror.

But the League was strict in its supervision of Ghost-type Pokémon. Some species were forbidden from appearing in human settlements, since certain Ghost-types could really be deadly.

"The case that has drawn much attention—the disappearance of Mr. Adams's son's Charmander—has been perfectly resolved. A concerned citizen found the Charmander and returned it to Mr. Adams's son after a battle. The citizen received a reward of twenty thousand League coins..."

Heath froze. The Charmander had been caught and returned? If that was settled, why was Jun Sara Maple still so furious?

"Zorua, what do you think?" Heath asked instinctively.

"Hmm? Think about what?" Zorua looked around curiously, seeing nothing.

Heath rubbed his nose. The old habit again—he forgot that nobody in this world could follow his jokes.