24/10/2025
PUBLIC STATEMENT – THE POKÉMON TRAINER
I’ve kept quiet long enough. I wasn’t going to say anything, I hoped people would show some basic decency, but seeing the rumours, the lies, and the disrespect that’s being thrown around about me, my family, and my business, I’m done staying silent.
So let’s deal in facts.
When I left Australia, it wasn’t some pre-planned move or sneaky disappearance. It was a family emergency, one that came with hospital letters, phone calls, and tears. We were told to get back to the UK immediately. We even had to apply for emergency passports for my kids just to be able to leave. So people’s claims that this was planned for months are utter nonsense and only make them look foolish for making such bold and outlandish comments. People close to me knew what was going on, and your speculations couldn’t be further from the truth.
That’s not a story. That’s reality.
People love to sit behind a screen and spin tales, but unless you’ve ever been told that a loved one might not make it, and had to pack your family up on the spot, you have no right to judge me or the choices I made.
I didn’t “run away with people’s money.”
I didn’t “abandon the business.”
I reacted to life hitting harder than most people could ever handle. And yes, you’re right, my customers weren’t my focus. My priority was my family, and as much as several people were affected by the decisions I made, I will never question why I made those choices.
THE BUSINESS
Let’s get one thing clear: The Pokémon Trainer wasn’t failing.
We had loyal customers, consistent orders, and one of the strongest communities in the TCG scene. I’d spent seven years building that store from the ground up, and it was thriving.
What changed was trust.
While I was in the UK handling family emergencies, I began receiving private messages from long-term customers, people who’d supported the store for years, telling me things didn’t feel right.
Cards were going missing.
Sales were happening that weren’t authorised.
Discounts were being handed out that didn’t make sense.
Customers were being blatantly ripped off.
It turned out that a staff member, someone I’d trusted, was taking advantage of me being overseas. They thought I wouldn’t find out. But I did. However, I kept quiet as I was on the other side of the world. A customer even warned me directly: “Something’s off, mate. Keep an eye on what’s happening.”
That message changed everything.
I looked into it, and what I found was enough to make my stomach turn, the kind of thing that makes your heart drop when you realise someone you trusted has been using your business for their own personal gain. And to have so much documented proof was sickening.
I made the call immediately to bring my flight to Australia forward by a full week just to deal with it. I wasn’t supposed to fly for another week, but I couldn’t leave that shop in the wrong hands for one more day.
When I landed, I was met with another call. I needed to be back in the UK as soon as possible. I had zero choice but to close the shop immediately. It wasn’t planned at all.
So I had five days to make impossible decisions. I wasn’t even part of packing up my own store. I had to have people move stock into storage. I threw most of my personal life into a skip. I barely slept.
Those who know me, and who helped me that week, know what that must have felt like: watching seven years of hard work end not because of failure, but because loyalty was betrayed and family needed me more.
THE CLEAN-UP
Since then, I’ve continued uncovering more of the damage caused, missing cards, stolen stock, customer collections that were hidden from me, and messages privately discussing deals I was never shown. Even now, additional collections and cards are still being found that I was completely unaware of, and have been returned to their rightful owners.
If there is anyone with outstanding cards or items connected to The Pokémon Trainer that have not yet been returned or accounted for, please reach out directly, either via email or private message, so I can make sure it’s handled. I have people on the ground in Australia. Clearly I’m still uncovering this beautiful specimens work so bare with me.
I didn’t go public about this because I don’t believe in drama. I handled it privately, professionally, and directly with those affected. I had enough on my plate mentally as it was.
Yes, several refunds were missed during that chaos. I’ve acknowledged it from day one and have been working through it. I’m not the kind of person to run away over $600–$700. I’m not that hard done by where I need to steal to put food on the table. I’ve worked tirelessly over the years to build the lifestyle I have. I’d never dream of sacrificing it over anything.
What I won’t tolerate is people spreading lies that I “ran off with money” or “closed because I couldn’t handle the business.” That’s absolute rubbish. Stock is still in Australia. The shop still has the display cabinets in it, so before piping up, check your facts.
The retail store closed because of trust issues, too much unaccounted-for stock, dishonest behaviour, and urgent family circumstances, not because of I need a quick few hundred bucks.
THE REFUNDS & THE RUMOURS
Let’s clear something up once and for all, because the amount of wild speculation floating around is ridiculous.
When I left Australia, all orders were up to date. I landed on the Monday, and the website was officially closed by the following weekend. That means, at most, a week’s worth of orders slipped through the cracks during a period where I was quite literally packing up my life.
So for anyone out there saying I “ran off with thousands”, have a word with yourself. The total amount of pending refunds was under $700, and those have either been actioned or are being finalised directly with PayPal. That’s not “disappearing with people’s money”, that’s a human being dealing with a crisis and a dishonest staff situation at the same time.
The funniest part? Most of the people shouting the loudest aren’t even customers. I’ve seen the screenshots, people send them to me, don’t worry. Ninety percent of the names involved haven’t placed an order in years (if ever). They’re just jumping on drama that doesn’t belong to them.
It’s amazing how loud some folks get when they think they’ve found a bandwagon. The same people who’ve never built a thing in their lives, never held a community together, never given anything back, but suddenly become experts on your character because of a rumour they read on Facebook.
Honestly, if half these people spent the same amount of energy building something positive instead of gossiping, their mothers might actually be proud of them.
So let’s stick with the facts, the store wasn’t failing, orders weren’t abandoned, and nobody “ran off with thousands.” That’s just noise. And like all noise, it fades once the truth speaks louder.
And while we’re talking about money, let’s get real. Michael from Mayhem Collectibles still owes TPT $7,500 from a case of OP01 & OP02 I dropped back in January. I’ve only received $3,500 since then. He’s had countless messages and calls about it. No excuses, no apologies, just slimy, evasive behaviour. So if anyone wants to point fingers at me, maybe look a little closer to home. Who’s the real crook here, huh? You guys are getting the wool pulled over your eyes and you don’t even know it.
THE REALITY
I lived in Australia for ten years. I ran The Pokémon Trainer for seven, and during that time, I poured everything I had into that store and community.
We supported players, held events, built friendships, and even raised money for Cystic Fibrosis Australia through Adelaide Card Expo. I gave my all, time, energy, money, and heart.
And it’s gut-wrenching to see a few keyboard warriors, people who never lifted a finger to help, trying to tear that down from behind a screen.
The Pokémon scene in Australia is incredible, but like any community, it’s got its share of toxic voices. Funny how it’s always the same few who start shouting the second my back’s turned, but never when I’m standing right there. The pattern’s predictable, noise when I’m gone, silence when I’m present. Says everything, really.
The internet is full of people who’ve never built anything, never sacrificed anything, and never risked anything. They’ve got endless opinions but no facts. They scream the loudest, but they’ve got the least to say.
To those people, the ones running their mouths, making posts, whispering in groups, and thinking they’re clever, here’s the truth: you don’t know me, and you don’t know what I’ve been through.
You didn’t see the nights I sat awake trying to work out how to protect both my family and my business.
You didn’t see me spend my final week in Australia filling skips with everything I owned because I didn’t have time to sort it.
You didn’t sit on a 26-hour flight wondering how your life just flipped upside down.
So don’t you dare pretend you know the story.
You want to gossip? Go ahead. But remember, I’ll be back. And when you spread lies, you’re showing everyone what kind of person you are, not me. Every statement I’ve made can be backed up 100%, because it’s fact.
THE FUTURE
I’m proud of what I built. I’m proud of the community that stood by me.
To every customer, supporter, and friend who’s reached out over these last couple of months and seen past the bu****it you’re the reason I keep going.
And for the few who’ve made it their mission to stir up drama, watch how fast the truth catches up to you. History has a funny way of doing that.
I’m an Australian citizen. That country will always be home. I’ll be back, and when I am, it’ll be bigger, cleaner, and stronger than ever.
Until then, I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done: building, working hard, and proving that integrity always outlasts noise.
The Pokémon Trainer was never just a shop, it was a community. And no amount of gossip will ever erase that.
— Lewis Cambridge
The Pokémon Trainer
