Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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Evening had arrived, and Liam returned to the Pokémon Center, feeling a bit weary. After handing over all the PokéBalls in his possession to Nurse Joy, he prepared to head back to his room to rest. However, Nurse Joy called out to him gently.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Liam," Nurse Joy said with a warm smile.

Liam paused, slightly surprised, and turned around with a hint of curiosity.

"A call came in today," Nurse Joy explained, pointing toward the phone booth not far away. "The caller left a message asking me to inform you if I saw you. A Prof. Oak would like to speak with you."

Liam's fatigue disappeared instantly. He quickly thanked her and hurried over to the phone, dialing Professor Oak's research lab. After a few rings with no answer, he hung up and tried Oak's home number instead. 

This time, the call connected, and the familiar face of Professor Oak appeared on the screen.

"Hey there, Liam! How have you been? Missing us yet?" Professor Oak greeted him with a beaming smile. Aunt Fumiko's gentle face soon appeared beside him, radiating joy as she looked at Liam.

"Of course, I miss you both, Professor Oak and Aunt Fumiko. How did you know I was in Pewter City? Is there something important you needed to tell me?" Liam asked, glancing around briefly, only to realize the person he hoped to see wasn't there. 

His voice carried a hint of disappointment.

Liam had been away from home for several days now and found himself longing for the warmth of the Oak household—though what he missed most was the silhouette of someone special in his heart.

"Hahaha! Don't bother looking. Delia went home early today," Professor Oak said with a hearty laugh. "As for how we knew you were in Pewter City, well, I did some calculations. Based on your travel pace, this was as far as you could've gotten, so I left a message at the Pokémon Center. Clever, right?"

Liam's face filled with exasperation at the professor's self-satisfaction.

Aunt Fumiko, unable to listen to the professor's boasting any longer, gently nudged him aside and took over the conversation.

"Liam, how have you been? Are you eating enough? Does the food out there suit your taste? If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let us know," Aunt Fumiko said with concern.

Liam's nose tingled, overwhelmed with a bittersweet sense of homesickness, but he smiled and nodded to assure her he was doing well.

Aunt Fumiko noticed the change in his expression and felt her heart ache. Her eyes reddened, and she struggled to hold back tears.

"The truth is..." Aunt Fumiko began, her voice faltering. "We didn't have anything urgent to discuss. Today... we received a call from Max. He said he's doing fine and is currently in the Johto region. He asked us not to worry about him. So... we just wanted to check on you and make sure you're okay too. Seeing you safe puts our minds at ease."

At that moment, Liam's heart couldn't help but swell with warmth and gratitude. It felt good, knowing there were people who truly cared for him who he could consider his family in this world, where he was all alone and didn't know anybody. 

After the call, night had fallen. Liam intended to retrieve his fully recovered Pokémon the following morning, but he decided to collect them that night instead. 

With Nurse Joy watching him with concern, he returned to his room.

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The next morning dawned bright and clear. 

Liam rose early, equipped himself, and after breakfast, bid Nurse Joy farewell before heading confidently toward the Pewter Gym, his eyes shining with determination and a desire for battle.

Before long, he came upon a peculiar structure built from large stones. Approaching the door, he pushed it open to reveal a spacious rocky battlefield. The gym was empty, so Liam called out.

"Is anyone here? I'm here to challenge the gym!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of light illuminated a statue nearby.

Liam flinched and noticed that the statue looked oddly familiar. Upon closer inspection, it resembled Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader, quite a bit. 

Unable to resist, Liam reached out to touch it. He wanted to feel the texture and see what it was like. 

"Touching other people's belongings isn't a good habit, kid!" a voice suddenly rang out, and the statue moved its head to speak.

Startled, Liam jumped back and stared warily at the talking statue. A moment later, he realized it wasn't a real statue.

"Are you the Gym Leader here? I'm Liam from Pallet Town, here to challenge the gym," he said, regaining his composure. Based on the antics, Liam guessed this must be Flint, Brock's father—or as he liked to call him, 'Mr. Went.To.Get.Milk.'

"Haha! You saw through me! That's right, I'm the Pewter Gym Leader! Flint the Master of Rock-type Pokémon, also known as the Gray Steadfast Stone! Are you scared, kid?" Flint exclaimed, laughing as he stepped out of his disguise, clearly expecting a dramatic reaction.

Liam, however, ignored the theatrics and calmly walked to the challenger's side of the battlefield. Without changing his expression, he asked, "Can we start? I'm in a hurry."

"..."

Flint cleared his throat, feeling slightly deflated. "Impatient, aren't you? Kids these days are all in such a rush. Not like me—I've got the patience of a rock. But fine, if you're in such a hurry, I'll crush you quickly and show you the strength of a Gym Leader!"

Flint jogged over to his side of the battlefield and held up two fingers.

"Pewter Gym battle rules: Two Pokémon each. The challenger can switch freely; the Gym Leader cannot. The match ends when both of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Got it?"

Liam nodded but then noticed there was no referee around. "Where's the referee?" he asked curiously.

Flint's expression turned awkward as he stammered for an answer. Just then, a pregnant woman appeared, walking slowly with the help of a small boy who bore a striking resemblance to Flint. 

She approached the referee stand.

"My apologies. I'll be the referee for this match," she said kindly.

Seeing her condition, Liam felt a pang of guilt.

Flint, however, shouted, "Honey! What are you doing here? It's dangerous! Brock, take your mother back inside!"

Liam glanced at the little boy and realized it really was Brock. At this age, he couldn't have been older than three or four, yet he was already taking care of others.

"Shut up!" the woman snapped, silencing Flint immediately. "You're so noisy all the time! If you say another word, I'll deal with you myself!" 

After scolding her husband, she turned to Liam with a warm smile. "Please don't mind him. I'll be a fair referee, and I won't show favoritism just because he's my husband."

Liam nodded quickly, feeling grateful. He couldn't help but think of how lucky he was that Delia was so gentle and calm. Otherwise, he might end up like Flint someday.

With that thought in mind, Liam glanced at Flint with newfound sympathy.