Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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At this moment, Liam's heart was filled with two emotions.

One was an exhilarating thrill, like eating a huge slice of ice-cold watermelon on a scorching summer day.

The other was overwhelming shame, as if he had been stripped naked and thrown onto a busy street.

Liam really couldn't understand it—watching Team Rocket chant their motto over and over always seemed pretty cool, but now that he was the one shouting a slogan, why was he drowning in this intense feeling of embarrassment?

If the floor of the Pokémon Tower had a crack, he'd have gladly crawled into it.

"Uh… I don't really get what you're saying, but you'd better surrender quietly. Our leader is a reasonable guy—yeah, right. As long as you stop resisting, I can guarantee your safety," the lead man said, snapping his mouth shut from the shock and giving Liam a twisted smile.

"Heh, well, I really appreciate it. But I'm not that easy to deal with. Let's chat next time. Goodbye." Liam chuckled, then jumped backward into the thick fog, vanishing in an instant.

"After him! No matter what!" the man barked coldly.

"Yes, sir!"

Several poachers immediately rushed after Liam in hot pursuit.

Just then, a man in a black suit approached the leader.

"Nando, what's going on? What's with all this noise?"

Nando flinched, quickly turning to lower his head in respect to the suited man.

"My deepest apologies for disturbing you, Boss Aoba. It's nothing major, just a little pest sneaking around. I'll deal with it immediately. Please don't worry."

The suited man shot Nando a cold glance but didn't press the issue. He simply turned and walked away.

Only after the black-suited man disappeared into the distance did Nando let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead before grabbing his Marowak and continuing the chase.

Liam relied on the map he had and ran full speed ahead, following the directions as he dashed through the floors of the tower.

Behind him, a mob of men wielding all sorts of makeshift weapons—batons, machetes, chair legs, meteor hammers, nunchaku, and even a guandao—charged after him with murderous expressions, using their deep familiarity with the terrain to close the gap.

"Damn it! Stop running! Fight me one-on-one, you coward!" the men behind him roared.

Liam shouted back without slowing down, "Drop your weapons, and I'll consider it!"

Before he could finish speaking, a meteor hammer, a chair leg, and a guandao came flying at him. He barely dodged, flailing wildly.

"You little liar! We threw our weapons, and you're still running?!"

Liam nearly choked on his own breath in frustration. He flipped them off without looking back and sprinted even faster.

"Marowak! Bonemerang!"

A voice rang out from the distance, followed by the distinct sound of something cutting through the air.

Liam reacted the moment he heard the shout.

"Come out, Sneasel! Metal Claw—knock it away!"

In his excitement, Liam nearly called out Sneasel's name but corrected himself just in time.

"Sneasel!"

Sneasel sprang from the PokeBall, leaping into the air to meet the incoming bone weapon. His sleek claws gleamed with metallic light as he slashed at the Bonemerang, sending it flying off course before it crashed heavily to the ground.

"Sneasel! Don't engage! Use Icy Wind on the ground—let's go!" Liam had no intention of sticking around and immediately ordered a retreat.

"Sneasel!"

Sneasel nodded sharply, then took a deep breath and exhaled a gust of freezing air at the floor beneath them. Ice spread rapidly, forming a slick, hard surface. The chasing poachers stepped onto the ice and immediately lost their balance, tumbling to the ground in a chaotic mess.

Sneasel snickered at their misfortune before dashing after Liam.

"Useless fools! Houndoom! Melt the ice with Flamethrower!"

Nando finally caught up, his face dark with anger as he unleashed his Houndoom.

"Houuund!!"

With a flash of light, a fierce-looking Houndoom emerged, opening its jaws wide and releasing a torrent of flames that engulfed both the ice and the downed poachers. The men who had been groaning moments ago instantly scrambled to their feet, terrified of being burned.

"Keep going! Don't let him get away!" Nando barked, his expression furious as he led the chase.

Liam dashed out of Pokémon Tower and bolted toward the Pokémon Center. But before he could reach it, a blast of Flamethrower shot toward him from behind. Sneasel, still on Liam's shoulder, reacted first—without needing a command, he exhaled another Icy Wind to counter the attack. The flames and ice clashed violently, canceling each other out in a burst of steam.

Liam glanced over his shoulder at his pursuers and realized that making it to the Pokémon Center was no longer an option—at least not right now. If he tried, he'd risk exposing himself. Making a split-second decision, he changed course, running past the Pokémon Center and heading toward the outskirts.

"After him! You think you can escape? My Houndoom's nose isn't just for show!" Nando sneered, gesturing for Houndoom to track Liam's scent.

Liam kept running at full speed. This was when his improved endurance really made a difference—if it had been the old him, he would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago. But now, he wasn't even panting and had the energy to glance at his map mid-sprint.

"Huh? Rock Tunnel is up ahead? Perfect! I can hide inside and wait for them to leave before making my next move."

Liam quickly adjusted his route and dashed into Rock Tunnel.

"Huff… ha… Captain Nando! Ha… that guy ran into the tunnel!" one of the poachers panted.

"No shit! I have eyes, you know! Ha… I don't care where he goes, even if he runs to the ends of the earth—we're catching him! Into the tunnel!" Nando, also panting, wiped the sweat off his face before leading his men inside.

Once inside, Liam immediately opened the 3D map of Rock Tunnel, skillfully avoiding dead ends. After about half an hour of navigating through the winding passages, he finally found a secluded rock alcove and took cover.

He pulled out a bottle of Moomoo Milk, chugging it down in one go to replenish his energy and quench his thirst.

After finishing his drink, Liam opened his exchange list, scrolling for a bit before selecting an item. In an instant, 100 exchange points vanished, and a coiled rope appeared in his hands.

Grinning slyly, Liam grabbed the Escape Rope and was just about to use it when—

BOOM!

A loud explosion echoed through the tunnel, mixed with the screams of men.

Liam's expression shifted. He had no idea what had just happened, but he quickly stashed the rope back into his storage space and motioned for Sneasel to follow him as they cautiously sneaked forward to investigate.

From the sounds of it, the wild Pokémon of Rock Tunnel had clashed with the poachers. He wasn't sure how things were playing out.

Suddenly, Sneasel's eyes turned sharp, his claws extended as he let out a low, threatening growl toward the darkness ahead.

"Hmm? Someone's coming?" Liam immediately recognized Sneasel's reaction and narrowed his eyes, waiting quietly for whoever it was to reveal themselves.

"HAHA!! So this is where you were hiding! I finally found you! Let's see how you run this time!"

A voice filled with arrogant laughter rang out, and Nando emerged from the tunnel with his Houndoom and Marowak. But—

They all looked like they had been through hell…