Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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"Return, Weavile."

The battle was over. Liam took out a PokeBall and recalled Weavile. He then saw Sara, who had already thrown herself onto Venusaur, hugging its neck and tearfully recounting the misdeeds of a certain villain... 

For a moment, Liam stood there, unsure of what to say.

"Uh... um... excuse me, may I have my badge..."

Liam, who had been waiting for a while, couldn't hold back any longer and decided to speak up. But before he could finish, Sara glared at him fiercely, shutting him up.

Liam gulped, his face filled with unease. "Why does it feel like I did something wrong just by winning the battle..." he thought to himself.

At that moment, a small hand suddenly appeared beside him. The hand opened, revealing a colorful badge placed on its palm.

"Big brother, this is our gym's Rainbow Badge. It's yours now. Please take it."

Liam turned his head and saw little Erika, who had somehow appeared beside him, smiling innocently as she handed him the Rainbow Badge.

Liam was so moved that he was almost in tears. To prevent himself from tearing up, he covered his nose and mouth (max acting skills), looking as if he was about to burst into tears. 

He reached out and took the Rainbow Badge, saying, "Thank you, little one. You're such a cute and well-behaved child."

As he spoke, Liam put the badge in his pocket and patted Erika's head.

Just as Liam was enjoying the moment, he suddenly felt a chill. He glanced to the side and saw Sara, who had been crying on Venusaur, now glaring at him coldly. Her eyes seemed to be filled with daggers. 

When Liam turned to look at her, Sara quickly buried her face back into Venusaur, letting out a series of sobs.

Liam's mouth twitched. Then it occurred to him that now that he had the badge, maybe he should do something before leaving...

With that thought, Liam, enduring the stench of Gloom, crouched down in front of Erika with a kind smile and said, "Your name is Erika, right? Well, little Erika, big brother has something to tell you. Did you know? Big brother just discovered something very strange. Do you know what it is?"

Erika tilted her head in confusion, her cute little face full of questions as she looked at Liam.

Even Sara, who was not far away, perked up her ears curiously, eavesdropping.

Liam chuckled and then said, "Well, I'll tell you. Actually, big brother noticed that your mom has been secretly blocking her nose with something. I think she must be a bit overwhelmed by Gloom's smell. But don't be mad at her, little Erika. She probably didn't tell you because she was afraid you'd get upset. So, of course, you should forgive her."

Shocked!

"Huh?! Mom! Don't run! Did you really block your nose?!"

At first, Erika didn't quite react to Liam's words and was a bit skeptical, but when she turned around, she saw that Sara had already recalled Venusaur and was sneaking away quietly, which was a dead giveaway. 

Erika's face turned red with anger, and she grabbed Gloom and charged over, clinging to Sara and refusing to let go.

"Ah! Erika, let me explain! It's not what you think! Guh…. get Gloom away from me, it stinks, it stinks! You jerk! You didn't keep your promise! Don't let me see you again!"

After struggling with all her might, Sara finally managed to free herself from Erika and Gloom, then took off running. 

As she ran, she turned back and shouted threats.

Liam shrugged with a smile. He hadn't promised Sara he wouldn't reveal her secret, so he felt no guilt. 

Watching the two of them run off, one chasing the other, Liam decided it was time to leave. 

He waved from where he stood, then turned and walked toward the exit with a sense of accomplishment.

As he stepped out of the botanical garden, Liam took out the Rainbow Badge from his pocket and smiled.

[Ding!]

[Mission: Kanto Peak! Gym Challenge 6/8 completed! Obtained the Rainbow Badge.]

[Rewards distributed: 500 Exchange Points, TM Solar Beam x1.]

[Ding!]

[Hidden Achievement Mission: Blood Awakening]

[Defeated the Rainbow Gym, obtained Rainbow Gym Fragment x1, 500 Exchange Points.]

[Current Fragments: Viridian Gym Fragment, Pewter Gym Fragment, Cerulean Gym Fragment, Vermilion Gym Fragment, Saffron Gym Fragment, Rainbow Gym Fragment.]

Another 1,000 Exchange Points and a TM were added to his inventory. Solar Beam was a powerful Grass-type move, but it seemed only Arcanine in his team could learn it. 

Fortunately, he had also obtained the Sunny Day TM earlier, so he decided to have Arcanine learn both moves when he had the chance.

With that decided, Liam took out his Bike, hopped on, and was about to head to the Pokemon Center in Celadon City to heal Weavile and Arcanine when someone walking toward him caught his attention.

It was a girl, or rather, a young girl, probably even younger than Liam. She had shoulder-length fiery red hair, a delicate face with red-framed glasses, and a Shellder resting on her shoulder.

But what really caught Liam's attention was her outfit. 

It was already late autumn, and the weather was quite cold, yet this girl was dressed in a light outfit—a black tank top and shorts, with a thin shawl-like jacket that revealed a lot of fair skin... 

Unfortunately, her chest was rather flat...

The girl noticed Liam too, and her face lit up with a smile as if she had discovered a new continent. 

She ran over to him with long strides, slightly out of breath, and said, "Hello, is this the location of the Rainbow Gym? I'm a challenger from the Sevii Islands. I came here to challenge the Rainbow Gym. Are you from the gym? When can I challenge it?"

Liam was momentarily stunned by her barrage of questions. 

Thinking to himself that her voice was quite pleasant, he replied, "Sorry, I'm just like you—a challenger. This is indeed the Rainbow Gym. The gym leader might be a bit busy right now, but I believe you won't have to wait long. You should be able to challenge the gym soon."

"Wow! You're a challenger too! What a coincidence! By the way, I just came from the Sevii Islands, and I only have four badges so far. If it's not too much trouble, could you show me your badges?"

The girl's eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke, full of anticipation.

Seeing her like this, Liam couldn't refuse. He unzipped his jacket to show her the five badges pinned to it and took out the Rainbow Badge from his pocket.

"Wow! You already have six badges! That's amazing! Thank you. I can't fall behind either. I'll keep working hard. Goodbye, and I hope to see you again!"

After carefully looking at Liam's badges, the girl handed them back with a serious expression, then bid him farewell and ran to the botanical garden's entrance to ring the doorbell.

Liam put the badges back in his pocket, watched the girl pressing the doorbell, smiled, shook his head, and got back on his bike, ready to leave.

Just then... the girl pressed the doorbell and shouted into the intercom, "Hello! Is anyone there? My name is Lorelei, and I'm here to challenge the gym. Is anyone there?"

Thud...

As soon as the girl finished speaking, a loud thud came from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Liam lying on the ground, sprawled out, his eyes wide with shock as he looked back at her.

What a surprising twist!