Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy! Please take a look at this Growlithe!"

After administering a potent healing medicine to the Growlithe and noticing its breathing stabilizing, Liam carefully hoisted it onto his back. He ran quickly to the Pokémon Center in the nearby town.

"What happened? What's going on with this Growlithe? How could you let it get this soaked? Don't you know Fire-type Pokémon like Growlithe shouldn't be exposed to heavy rain? Get out of the way! Chansey, take this Growlithe inside for treatment!"

Nurse Joy, after a brief inspection of the Growlithe, confirmed that its condition was stable. Still, she shot a sharp glare at Liam before helping Chansey place the Growlithe onto a stretcher and taking it to the examination room.

Liam, silenced by her scolding, didn't even have the opportunity to defend himself. With nothing to do, he sat down in the waiting area.

After some time, Nurse Joy emerged from the room. She glanced at Liam sitting nearby with a puzzled expression, then turned back to grab a dry towel before approaching him.

"Uh... Nurse Joy? How is Growlithe doing? Is it going to be okay?" Liam quickly stood up and asked upon noticing her presence.

"This is for you." Nurse Joy handed him the towel. 

"That Growlithe isn't yours, is it? It has several old scars. If I'm not mistaken, it belongs to a trainer named Jiro. Why did you bring it in for treatment?"

Accepting the towel, Liam thanked her and wiped the rainwater from his face and hair. Upon hearing her question, his expression darkened with anger.

"I'm a trainer from Pallet Town on a journey to challenge the gyms in various cities. I'm passing through here because I'm heading to Vermilion City. Just before entering this town, I saw the trainer you mentioned, Jiro, abandoning this Growlithe in the pouring rain. He even ordered his Hitmonlee to severely injure it. I couldn't stand by and watch, so I stepped in to save it."

Nurse Joy looked deeply apologetic, realizing her earlier misunderstanding. She quickly bowed and apologized. "I'm truly sorry for jumping to conclusions earlier. Please forgive me."

Liam waved it off nonchalantly. "No need to apologize, Nurse Joy. I wasn't offended. By the way, how is Growlithe doing now? When I treated it earlier, it wouldn't take any medicine, so I had to give it an injection. Is it okay now?"

Nurse Joy's eyes lit up with curiosity. "So, you're the one who performed emergency treatment? What kind of medicine did you use? It's amazing! When I examined the Growlithe earlier, I found that its injuries were almost completely healed, and it's only a bit weak now!"

"Uh... It's a family secret. Sorry, I can't share it," Liam said, stepping back awkwardly as Nurse Joy leaned in, intrigued.

"Aw, what a pity..." Nurse Joy muttered, visibly disappointed.

"Can I go see the Growlithe now?" Liam asked.

"Of course, but it still refuses to eat any of the medicine I gave it. It's on an IV drip right now. Just try to comfort it and encourage it to cooperate with the treatment," Nurse Joy said thoughtfully.

"Understood. Thank you, Nurse Joy." Liam nodded and headed toward the examination room.

Inside, he found Chansey tending to the Growlithe, which lay on a soft bed with an IV attached to its forepaw. Upon seeing Liam, Chansey gave a slight bow and left the room.

Liam approached the Growlithe. Its nose twitched slightly as it caught his scent, and it half-opened its eyes. Recognizing him, it slowly closed them again.

"Growlithe, what are you planning to do now? Your body is still weak. If you don't cooperate with treatment, your condition will only worsen," Liam said gently, stroking the fur on its head.

The Growlithe shifted slightly, avoiding his touch but otherwise remaining unresponsive.

Liam chuckled. "Do you want to return to your trainer? If that's the case, then you need to recover and become stronger. Only then will your trainer take notice of you again, and you'll have a chance to go back."

Hearing this, the Growlithe finally reacted. It opened its eyes, lifted its head slightly to glance at Liam, then lowered it again.

"Honestly, your trainer doesn't deserve you," Liam said coldly. 

"He's not only an incompetent trainer but also arrogant and cruel. He even dared to challenge me to a battle after doing something despicable like this. If I weren't busy taking care of you, I'd have already taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget. But don't worry—I'll deal with him soon and make him understand the harshness of this world."

As Liam turned to leave, the Growlithe suddenly reached out and bit the edge of his coat, stopping him. Its eyes glimmered with hesitation and resolve.

"What is it? Do you not trust my strength, or are you afraid your trainer will lose too badly? Or... do you want to prove to him yourself how strong you are? Wanna get revenge?" Liam asked, his gaze sharp.

The Growlithe let go of his coat, raised its head, and nodded firmly.

"Growlithe!"

Liam paused, surprised. "You're saying you want to fight him yourself?"

"Growlithe! Growlithe!" The Growlithe nodded again, its eyes burning with determination.

"Good. Then you need to recover fully and train hard. When you're ready, I'll take you to show your old trainer what you're truly capable of. I'll help you get your revenge," Liam said, stroking the Growlithe's head. 

This time, it didn't shy away.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Liam reached into his pocket and pretended to take out something, but in reality, he exchanged a Fire Stone from his system. 

He placed it in front of the Growlithe.

"This is a Fire Stone. With it, you can evolve and become faster and stronger. The choice is yours: evolve now and crush your former trainer, or remain in your current form and prove to him that you're not weak."

The Growlithe froze, staring at the Fire Stone. Evolution, a dream that had once seemed so distant, was now within reach. 

But after a moment of contemplation, it turned its head away from the stone, refusing to look at it.

Liam smiled, retrieving the Fire Stone. "I respect your decision. When you're ready to evolve, come find me."

With that, Liam turned and left the room. Outside, he saw Nurse Joy and Chansey. He asked Nurse Joy to prepare a room for him, explaining that he might need to stay in this small, nameless town for a while.