Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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Location: The front of Viridian Gym.

At this moment, the entrance of Viridian Gym was crowded with people. Liam stood at the forefront, wearing a wry smile as he opened the gym doors and led the group inside.

"Gym Leader under the Tree! I'm back! Please accept my Gym Challenge!"

Inside the gym, the previously damaged battlefield had been restored. Liam stood on the expansive battleground and shouted. The others quickly and neatly moved to the spectator seats, their faces brimming with excitement as they awaited the spectacle to unfold.

"Here I am, here I am!" The Gym Leader Morikage responded, emerging from the inner chamber of the gym. 

He wore a welcoming smile when he looked at Liam, but his expression quickly turned serious when he noticed the crowd in the spectator seats.

"Giovanni? What's the meaning of bringing so many people here?" the Gym Leader asked.

Giovanni, seated in the audience, glanced at the Gym Leader before slowly replying.

"Relax, Gym Leader. We're not here to cause trouble today. We're just here to cheer on our friend."

The Gym Leader turned to look at Liam, who shrugged helplessly. With a soft sigh, the Gym Leader said, "Looks like I was too meddlesome yesterday. If I had known you'd all band together, I wouldn't have said what I said."

Liam frowned slightly at the comment but chose to stay silent. Instead, he gestured with his hand as if to ask if they could begin.

The two took their positions at their respective ends of the battlefield. 

A referee, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, stood at the referee's position with two flags in hand. Raising them evenly, he loudly announced the rules:

"The Viridian Gym Challenge will use three Pokémon per side. A win is declared when all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle. During the battle, the Gym Leader cannot switch Pokémon, but the challenger is allowed to. If there are no objections, the first round will now begin!"

With the referee's announcement, he dropped the flags.

The Gym Leader swiftly pulled out a PokéBall and threw it onto the field.

"Come out, Pinsir!"

"Pinsirrr!"

In a flash of light, a robust Pinsir appeared on the battlefield, swinging its sharp horns menacingly as it glared at Liam.

Seeing Pinsir, Giovanni frowned and spoke up.

"Gym Leader, as far as I know, Pinsir is one of your main Pokémon. Using such a powerful against a rookie Trainer seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?"

The Gym Leader snorted coldly at Giovanni's comment and said, "If he dares to challenge the Gym, he must be prepared to fail. I'm simply teaching the naive rookies a lesson about the harsh realities of the world. It might save them from chasing unrealistic dreams."

"You...!"

Giovanni stood up abruptly, and the others followed, their cold gazes fixed on the Gym Leader.

"What? Do you intend to cause trouble in the gym?" the Gym Leader asked icily.

"Giovanni, everyone, it's fine," Liam interjected, holding up a PokéBall. "It's just a Pinsir. If I can't handle this level of difficulty, I don't deserve to participate in the Indigo League."

He tossed the PokéBall onto the battlefield, and Nidorino leapt out.

"Nidorino, this is our first Gym battle. Show your best so no one dares to underestimate us again!"

"Nido!"

Nidorino responded seriously.

"Hmph, enough talk. You may attack first," the Gym Leader said, his tone slightly irritated. He was determined to teach Liam a lesson.

"Alright then, don't mind if I do! Nidorino, use Leer, followed by Focus Energy!"

"Nido!"

Following Liam's orders, Nidorino glared menacingly at Pinsir, lowering its defenses. Then, a golden aura surrounded its body as it began to use Focus Energy.

"Not bad. Lowering defenses with Leer and trying to boost critical hits with Focus Energy. A solid strategy," the Gym Leader admitted. "But do you think I'll let you succeed so easily? Pinsir, use Quick Attack to disrupt it!"

"Pinsirrr!"

Pinsir shot forward in a flash of white light, ramming into Nidorino's side before it could finish charging up. Nidorino cried out in pain as it tumbled to the side, its focus broken.

"Nido!"

Despite the pain, Nidorino's eyes burned with fighting spirit, eager to face its powerful opponent.

"Speedy, huh? Nidorino, use Peck!" Liam commanded, his sharp eyes fixed on Pinsir.

"Nido!"

Nidorino's horn glowed white as it charged at Pinsir in a sudden burst.

"Dodge it, Pinsir! Then use Seismic Toss!"

The Gym Leader's command came swiftly, and Pinsir tried to sidestep, but it was a fraction of a second too slow. Nidorino's horn struck Pinsir's leg, causing it to stagger in pain. 

However, Pinsir gritted its teeth, grabbed Nidorino mid-attack, and spun it around before tossing it into the ground.

Nidorino managed to recover mid-air, landing on all fours and avoiding major damage. Meanwhile, Pinsir, having taken a super-effective hit to its leg, was clearly struggling.

"Now's your chance, Nidorino! Use repeated Peck attacks—don't give it any time to rest!" Liam shouted.

"Nido!"

With renewed vigor, Nidorino launched itself at Pinsir again, its glowing horn striking fiercely.

"Don't underestimate a Gym Leader! Pinsir, use Revenge!"

Realizing that dodging was futile, Morikage switched tactics.

"Pinsirrr!"

Pinsir braced itself as Nidorino's horn struck once more. Enduring the blow, it retaliated with a massive surge of strength, grabbing Nidorino and slamming it into the ground with devastating force.

A loud crash echoed through the battlefield, and dust filled the air as everyone held their breath, waiting for the result.

As the dust settled, Pinsir remained standing in the center, panting heavily but still battle-ready. Nidorino, however, lay unconscious, embedded in the ground, its eyes spinning.

"First round goes to Pinsir. Challenger, please send out your next Pokémon," the referee declared.

"Come back, Nidorino. You did great." Liam returned Nidorino to its PokéBall, offering a few words of comfort. He then reached into his backpack and grabbed Gible by the dorsal fin.

"Alright, Gible, it's your turn to show them what you've got!"

Without warning, Liam hurled the still-sleeping Gible onto the battlefield. Startled awake mid-air, Gible flailed wildly and crashed into the ground with a loud "Thud," kicking up another cloud of dust.

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at Liam with bewildered expressions.

"...Are you guys here to clown around or what?" the Gym Leader finally asked, his tone exasperated.