Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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The battle between Liam and Lorelei had come to an end.

Because the battlefield was practically destroyed, the next match was postponed to the afternoon.

And so, under countless strange and curious gazes, Liam walked side-by-side with Lorelei back toward the waiting room.

"Ahem… Delia, listen, it's like this… Let's talk things out calmly, okay? Could you please put down Little Squirtle and Larvitar…"

Liam entered the waiting room to find Delia waiting there, having watched his entire battle. She stood with a beaming smile, holding Little Squirtle in one hand and Larvitar in the other. 

Liam quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, hurried over, gently took Larvitar from her hand and placed it back on his shoulder. Then he plucked the turtle-shelled Squirtle from her other arm and tossed him aside. 

Grasping both of Delia's hands tightly, he looked up at her with wide, watery eyes and said sincerely:

"Let's talk this through."

Delia, feeling the warmth of Liam's palms, couldn't help but soften a little.

She glanced up at Liam, then turned her head toward Lorelei, who stood awkwardly by the door, unsure of what to do. Delia let out a small sigh, gave Liam a pointed look, then turned to Lorelei and said:

"Shall we sit down and have a nice chat?"

Lorelei had been somewhat nervous—after all, it's not every day you get caught in the act of flirting by someone's girlfriend. Anyone would feel a bit lost. But hearing Delia's calm words, she unknowingly settled down, gave a slight nod, and walked over to the sofa in the waiting room. 

Sitting down, she looked up at Delia, quietly waiting to see what would happen next.

"What are you still holding my hands for? Hmph. I never realized you were so charming. Attracting such an amazing girl—aren't you something! Let go, I need to have a proper talk with Lorelei."

Seeing Lorelei already seated and Liam still gripping her hands, Delia rolled her eyes and said in an annoyed tone.

"Hehe, well Delia, you're just as amazing—that just means you've got great taste! You two go ahead and chat, I'll just sit over here and watch. Pretend I'm not here…"

Grinning, Liam released her hands and sat down obediently on the sofa opposite Lorelei with Delia. He didn't say another word, watching quietly to see what would unfold between the two.

"We're two girls chatting. Why is a big guy like you sitting here gawking? Out, out!"

Delia gave him a sharp look and reached for his waist with a hint of a threat in her voice.

"Ahem… Alright then. You two talk—I'll go buy some drinks…"

Feeling her hand start to squeeze tightly at his waist, Liam coughed nervously, stood up, and bolted out of the room.

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

Seeing Liam flee in a panic, both Delia and Lorelei burst into laughter. Their eyes met, and the tension between them visibly eased.

Liam dashed out of the waiting room. With the next match scheduled for the afternoon, most of the audience had already left the main hall. 

He made a beeline to the nearest Pokémon Center, ordered two drinks, and rushed back, worried that the girls might actually come to blows in his absence… That would be a disaster.

But when Liam returned, he found Delia and Lorelei walking out of the waiting room together—arm-in-arm, looking like best friends. They were chatting and laughing like they'd known each other for years.

Liam stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

"You're back! And quite fast too. We'll gladly accept the drinks," Delia said with a sweet smile. "Lorelei and I are going shopping together, so don't worry about us. You go do your thing… Come on, Lorelei, let's hit the shops!"

She took the drinks from Liam's hands, gave him a nod, and turned to leave with Lorelei.

Lorelei clung to Delia's arm, turned around to look at Liam, stuck out her tongue playfully, and then walked off with Delia—leaving Liam alone in the wind, stunned and baffled.

"…Can someone please tell me… what the hell just happened…?"

"…Squirtle…"

Liam stared blankly into the distance, eyes full of confusion.

And just like that, the drama between Delia and Lorelei came to an end—at least for now. For the next while, Delia completely ignored Liam and happily spent her time with Lorelei.

That afternoon, the second semifinal match officially began. The battlefield had been repaired and now featured a half-grassland, half-forest layout. 

The two competitors were Lance from Johto and Maple from Viridian City.

As a future Dragon-type Elite Four member and Champion, Lance completely crushed Maple, who specialized in Bug-type Pokémon, and earned his spot in the finals.

According to the tournament rules, Liam and Lance would face off in the final match the next afternoon in the main stadium. That morning, Lorelei would face Maple in a match for third place.

When Liam saw Delia enthusiastically cheering for Lorelei and completely ignoring him, he covered his eyes and made a pitiful expression.

The next day arrived quickly.

In the morning, Lorelei faced Maple in a fierce and closely fought battle. The two were evenly matched, trading victories. But in the end, Lorelei's superior tactics won out, and she secured third place in the Indigo League tournament.

That afternoon, amid thunderous cheers from the crowd, Liam and Lance walked out from opposite sides toward the center of the battlefield. The arena was a standard terrain with a circular pool of water in the middle. 

The two trainers looked at each other, smiled, and shook hands before heading to their respective sides. Each held a PokeBall in hand, ready for battle.

"This is what I've been waiting for! I've switched to my strongest lineup. I'll give this everything I've got! Don't disappoint me!"

Lance held his PokeBall, his expression cold and voice icy. Despite his tone, the fire in his eyes betrayed his excitement.

"Heh… I've been looking forward to battling you too. Let's see what your Flying-types are made of!"

Liam smiled, visibly thrilled, gripping his PokeBall tightly in anticipation of the clash.

"…Hah? I'm a Dragon-type trainer, you idiot!"

Lance blinked, momentarily stunned by Liam's words. Then his face turned red with rage as he shouted:

"Heh!! So you're now a Dragon-type trainer, huh? But besides that Dragonair, what other real Dragon-types do you even have? Charizard, Gyarados, Ampharos, Seadra… Come on, aside from the word 'dragon' in their names and their appearance, what connection do they actually have to the Dragon-type?!"

Liam feigned innocence, but inside he was gleeful—he'd finally said aloud the criticism he'd been holding in for years. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest and he was elated.

"Y-you—you—!"

Lance was so furious that his face turned beet red. He pointed at Liam, sputtering incoherently.

"The battle is about to begin! Will both trainers send out their first Pokémon and begin the match!"

The referee, receiving a signal through his earpiece, raised both flags and shouted toward Liam and Lance.

"You'll pay for mocking me! Let's go—Seadra!"

Enraged, Lance hurled his PokeBall. A flash of light shot into the center of the water pool. A large, seahorse-like Seadra emerged and settled into the water.

Liam tossed his own PokeBall lightly, then flung it into the arena with a shout:

"It's all up to you! Go, Nidoking!"