Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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Liam emerged from the Pewter City Police Department at dusk. After finishing his statement and collecting his bounty, hunger gnawed at him. The moment he stepped out, he made a beeline for the Pokémon Center.

Handing Gible and the other two PokéBalls to Nurse Joy, he wasted no time piling a tray with food at the self-service cafeteria. The ravenous Liam eagerly dug in.

Once his plate was clean, he sprawled out on a bench, digesting his meal. From his pocket, he pulled out a broken fang and casually used the system's scan function. A broad grin spread across his face.

[Ding!]

[Item discovered: Dragon Fang. A very sharp and durable fang. When held by a Pokémon, it boosts the power of Dragon-type moves. Extremely valuable.]

Even after viewing it several times, Liam felt the same giddy urge to laugh every time. 

The Dragon Fang was part of the bounty he'd received for capturing the fugitive. Likely overlooked by the bounty poster, its immense value slipped through their fingers. 

In the system, a Dragon Fang was worth a staggering 2000 exchange points, a far cry from ordinary items like a Zoom Lens. 

Liam had refrained from exchanging for it due to the hefty cost, planning to save up until Gible evolved. But now, he'd lucked into one effortlessly. His luck didn't seem to have abandoned him completely after all. 

As Liam struggled to stifle his laughter, Nurse Joy approached with a tray. 

She placed it on the table in front of him, and Gible—resting on the tray—looked up at Liam with a puzzled expression, as though questioning the source of his joy.

"Your Pokémon have fully recovered," Nurse Joy said warmly. "If you need anything else, feel free to let me know." She turned to leave.

"Ah, Nurse Joy, wait!" Liam quickly composed himself, his smile turning polite. "I'd like to stay overnight at the Center. Could you prepare a room for me?" He handed over his Trainer ID.

Nurse Joy accepted it with a smile and a slight bow before leaving. 

Meanwhile, Liam released Arbok and Nidorino from their PokéBalls, generously exchanging points for three bottles of Moomoo Milk to reward his Pokémon for their hard work.

Having completed the earlier system task, Liam had received 500 exchange points and a Moon Stone fragment as rewards. With a decent buffer of points, he could finally afford to be a bit more indulgent.

The Moon Stone fragment had automatically fused with a previous fragment he owned, forming a larger, incomplete Moon Stone.

While not yet whole, Liam wasn't worried—the mission description hinted at future opportunities to obtain the remaining pieces.

Before long, Nurse Joy returned, handing back his Trainer ID and room key. Liam thanked her profusely before taking his well-fed Pokémon to their room. 

After a long day, it was finally time to rest.

The next morning, Liam was rudely awakened by a sharp knock at the door. Groaning, he reflexively kicked Gible off his leg, shuffled to the door, and cracked it open with bleary eyes.

"Who's there? Can't a guy sleep in?" he grumbled.

Standing before him were two familiar faces—Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.

"Huh? Officer Jenny? Nurse Joy? Why are you here together? What's going on?" Liam asked, baffled.

The sight of Officer Jenny brought a shiver down his spine as he recalled yesterday's life-or-death chase. The memory snapped him fully awake.

"My apologies, Mr. Liam," Nurse Joy said apologetically, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "Officer Jenny insisted on finding you first thing this morning. She said it was urgent, and I couldn't stop her."

See? See how kind and gentle Nurse Joy is? Liam thought. Now look at Officer Jenny!

Liam sighed deeply. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I know her; you don't need to worry."

Reassured, Nurse Joy let out a sigh of relief, placing a hand on her chest before smiling and excusing herself.

Officer Jenny, meanwhile, wasted no time inviting herself in. Spotting Gible sleeping soundly on the bed, she gleefully strode over and pinched its nose, eliciting a flurry of flailing protests.

"Hey, hey! What do you want? You're not here to reclaim yesterday's reward, are you? Let me tell you now: no way!" Liam exclaimed, crossing his arms.

Jenny's sly grin widened. "Oh, so there really was something valuable in that reward! I knew it—you were suppressing your excitement yesterday. What did you snag?"

Liam averted his gaze, adopting a defiant look that all but said, I'm not telling, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Seeing his expression, Officer Jenny stomped her foot in frustration. "Hmph! You such a stingy guy! Relax—I'm not here to take your reward. In fact, I'm here to give you something."

From her pocket, she pulled out a PokéBall and held it out to him.

"What's this about?" Liam asked, perplexed.

"Open it and see for yourself," Jenny replied with a smirk, tossing the PokéBall to him.

Catching it awkwardly, Liam activated it. In a flash of white light, a small, familiar Pokémon appeared in the room.

"Sneasel!"

"Sneasel? How are you here?" Liam exclaimed, staring at the Pokémon in shock.

"Yes, it's that Sneasel from yesterday," Jenny explained. 

"Its trainer has been arrested, and abandoned Pokémon like this one are typically re-homed. However, this little one has been uncooperative and restless since yesterday. We finally realized it wanted to find you. It seems you left quite the impression."

Jenny crouched and reached out to pat Sneasel, but it dodged her hand, leaping onto Liam's shoulder instead with a haughty expression, leaving Jenny crouching awkwardly.

"You little brat!" she huffed. "I went out of my way to bring you here, and this is the thanks I get? Ugh, you're both infuriating!" She spun on her heel and stormed out before Liam could even react.

Liam sighed, shaking his head. "Still as impulsive as ever. So, little one, do you want to stay with me?"

"Sneasel," the Pokémon replied, locking eyes with him and nodding earnestly.

"Great! My name's Liam, and I'll be your new trainer. Let's work together from now on!"

"Sneasel!" Sneasel cried out in agreement.

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