Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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Outside the dilapidated building, Giovanni returned with Liam and Takeshi, each carrying bags filled with various items they had purchased. 

These were daily necessities they had bought using the reward money from capturing poachers in Viridian City.

"As you can see, this place is our base for now, where we all live together. Over the past two years, those of us older siblings have been taking care of the younger ones. They're just a bunch of poor kids, but they're strong and resilient. I'm proud of them," Giovanni explained as they approached.

Along the way, Giovanni shared many stories about his experiences, most of which were bittersweet. Liam listened intently, his heart filled with sympathy at the hardships they had endured.

A group of children who had no home came together to form one. 

As the head of this makeshift family, Giovanni took on the responsibility of ensuring a better life for them all. In doing so, he had resorted to questionable methods in the past.

 Though the residents of Viridian City understood his intentions, they couldn't fully accept him, which explained their cold reactions when the group returned earlier.

"Giovanni, you guys must have had a tough time over the years," Liam said with a smile as he followed him inside the building.

Giovanni paused for a moment, then turned around with a faint, chilling smile. "It might sound pretentious, but as long as my brothers and sisters can live well, any sacrifice I make as their guardian is worth it."

Liam nodded in agreement. It was a satisfactory answer—one that painted a side of Giovanni he hadn't expected. 

Was this the result of his butterfly effect? He wondered if his actions had rippled too far.

The three entered the main hall, where Giovanni set down his bags and called out, "I'm back! Everyone, come out! I brought someone new for you all to meet!"

As soon as Giovanni's voice echoed through the hall, small faces peeked out from the second-floor windows. Realizing that Giovanni was home, they shouted excitedly and rushed downstairs, quickly surrounding him.

"Boss Giovanni! You bought so much stuff this time—did you strike it rich?" an older child asked, his eyes lighting up as he saw the pile of goods.

Giovanni patted a younger boy on the head and smiled. "With the help of this new friend, we took down and captured some nasty poachers today. The police rewarded us handsomely, and I used the money to buy all these things. Make sure to thank this new big brother."

At this, all the children turned their clear, curious eyes toward Liam, who felt slightly embarrassed under their gaze.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Liam, and I'm a Pokémon Trainer. Happy to meet you!" he introduced himself.

The children whispered among themselves before a young boy, his eyes sparkling with admiration, spoke up. "Wow! So you're a Trainer like Boss Giovanni and Boss Takeshi? That's amazing! You must have really strong Pokémon!"

The boy's enthusiasm faded momentarily, and he said quietly, "I want to be a Trainer too and catch strong Pokémon. But I don't even have a PokeBall yet... Still, if I save up my allowance for a while longer, I'll be able to buy one! Then, I'll catch a strong Pokémon and become an amazing Trainer like Boss Giovanni and you!"

The boy's determined gaze tugged at Liam's heart. Pretending to reach into his pocket, he secretly accessed his virtual system and exchanged points for a basic PokeBall. 

A PokeBall cost just 20 exchange points in the system, but in this world, it was worth around 2000 PokeDollars—a small fortune for these poor children.

Liam pulled out the PokeBall and gently placed it in the boy's hand with a warm smile. "Your dream will come true one day. Consider this a gift from me. What's your name, future Trainer?"

The boy opened his hand and stared at the shiny new PokeBall, hesitating as he glanced nervously at Giovanni.

"If it's a gift, just accept it. Cory, don't forget to thank him," Giovanni said.

The boy's face lit up with joy, and he clutched the PokeBall tightly, bowing deeply. "Thank you, big brother! I won't let you down!"

To avoid favoritism, Liam ended up giving every child present a PokeBall as a gift. Even Takeshi shamelessly asked for one, much to Giovanni's exasperation. 

Though the gesture cost Liam some points, the children's bright smiles made it all worthwhile.

The gifts worked wonders—soon, the children were affectionately calling him "big brother" and chattering away.

Just then, the beautiful purple-haired woman from before descended the stairs, accompanied by the little girl holding a Pidgey. In her arms was another child, likely only three or four years old, with big, sparkling eyes and vibrant purple hair. 

The little girl waved excitedly.

"Uncle Giovanni! You're back!" the child exclaimed, running over with a big smile.

Giovanni's expression turned awkward as he ruffled the girl's hair. "How many times have I told you to call me 'big brother'? I'm still young, you know."

The girl closed her eyes, enjoying the head pat, but stubbornly replied, "Nope! Uncle Giovanni is Uncle Giovanni. I'm not calling you big brother."

This was awkward. Ignoring Liam's amused look, Giovanni forced a smile. "Come on, be good. Call me 'big brother,' and I'll be very happy."

The girl's eyes lit up. "Really? Uncle Giovanni? If that's the case, don't worry! I'll make you happy, Uncle Giovanni!"

Giovanni covered his face with one hand, resigned to his fate. Meanwhile, Liam patted his shoulder reassuringly, giving him a look that said, Good luck with that.