Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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Liam set off from Celadon City toward Fuchsia City. The distance between the two cities was considerable, to say the least. 

Fortunately, most of the journey was along flat bike paths, allowing for smooth riding on wide roads. Along the way, various Pokémon could be seen darting through the grass and trees. 

Tossing out a quick scan here and there not only enriched Liam's Pokédex but also earned him some extra Exchange Points.

After riding along this bike path for over a week, Liam still hadn't reached the end. The constant camping had started to wear on his mood.

Opening his navigation map, Liam's heart sank when he saw that he was still on Route 16. To make matters worse, there were three routes between Celadon and Fuchsia. 

Even after finishing Route 16, he still had Routes 17 and 18 to tackle... The journey was far from over, and Liam knew he had to keep pushing forward.

However, the weather had other plans. The clear skies suddenly gave way to a torrential downpour, showing no mercy. 

Liam checked his navigation map again and realized he was in the middle of nowhere, with no houses or shelters in sight. Left with no choice, he got off his Bike, stashed it away, and hurried into the nearby woods. 

There, he set up the tent he had prepared earlier, made sure it was waterproof, and ducked inside.

Once inside, Liam quickly changed out of his soaked clothes and into dry ones. Feeling bored, he sat in the tent, gazing out through the transparent window at the rain outside.

The rain grew heavier, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Liam waited idly, his stomach eventually growling with hunger. 

He pulled out some food from his backpack, planning to enjoy his lunch while watching the rain.

Just as Liam was about to dig in, he heard footsteps outside the tent, followed by the sound of someone falling and splashing into a puddle.

Liam quickly looked up and saw a young man lying face-down in a puddle on the path. Startled, Liam grabbed a large umbrella, opened the tent door, and rushed out.

He ran over to the young man, crouched down, and checked his pulse. Relieved to find that the boy was still breathing and had a steady heartbeat, Liam carefully helped him up and struggled to carry him back to the tent.

After laying the young man down inside, Liam closed the tent door to keep the rain out and turned to examine the unconscious, muscular teenager.

Yes, muscular teenager. This young man was slightly taller than Liam, with short hair and a well-built physique that clearly came from rigorous training. 

He wore a small, unbuttoned jacket, revealing his enviable eight-pack abs.

Liam couldn't help but wonder what was going on with people lately. They all seemed to have an incredible tolerance for cold. 

The girl he met earlier, Lorelei, was one thing—she was a girl, after all, and girls seemed to have maxed out their cold resistance, daring to wear skirts in the dead of winter. 

But this muscular young man? 

Was he also trying to keep up with some trend?

"Cough... cough..."

Just as Liam was lost in thought, the unconscious young man suddenly started coughing and slowly woke up.

"Uh... where am I?" the muscular teenager groaned, looking around in confusion.

"You're in my tent. You passed out on the side of the road, and I brought you here. Did something happen? Why did you faint?" Liam waved his hand in front of the young man's face to get his attention and explained.

"Uh... thank you. Sorry for the trouble," the young man said, cracking a grateful smile as he noticed Liam.

"No need to thank me. Helping each other out is what you do when you're on the road. Anyone else would've done the same. But why did you faint? Are you sick? Do you need me to get you some medicine?" Liam, ever the good Samaritan, offered his assistance.

"Uh..."

"Come on, don't keep saying 'uh.' I'm not a bad guy. I'm not plotting anything," Liam said, annoyed. He hated when people were indecisive and suspicious, especially someone with such a robust build.

"Uh... I mean, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten in three days..." the young man said with a bitter smile.

Liam: "..."

Well, this was awkward. Liam awkwardly handed over the food he had prepared earlier. 

The young man's eyes lit up at the sight of food, and he immediately sat up, tearing open the packaging and devouring it ravenously.

"...Slow down. There's more if you need it. Here, have some water. Don't choke," Liam said, watching the young man wolf down the food. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it over.

The young man took the water, stuffed the rest of the food into his mouth, and downed the entire bottle in one go. Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.

After finishing the food and water, the young man seemed to come back to life. He looked up at Liam with gratitude, then quickly got up and knelt down, bowing deeply.

Liam was startled by the gesture and immediately reached out to stop him. But the young man's next words left Liam utterly stunned.

The young man pressed his forehead to the floor of the tent and shouted, "Thank you for saving my life! I, Bruno, will never forget your kindness!"

Liam: "...Huh?"

Liam stared blankly at Bruno, who had already started eating again, watching the future Elite Four member devour his food.

After some conversation, Liam confirmed that this muscular young man was indeed Bruno, the future Fighting-type Elite Four member.

Bruno was from Kanto, hailing from a small, unnamed village. He had been traveling and challenging gyms for the Kanto League for some time now. 

Since he had started his journey much earlier, he already had eight badges. He was currently in the area to train himself and his Pokémon.

What surprised Liam was that Bruno had actually brought supplies with him. After all, Bruno wasn't the type to act without preparation, especially when it came to survival in the wild.

However, three days ago, while Bruno was training with his Pokémon, a wild Machop had stolen his backpack. Naturally, Bruno couldn't let that slide. 

He grabbed his gear, rallied his Pokémon, and set off to catch the thieving Machop. Unfortunately, the Machop was cunning and led Bruno and his exhausted Pokémon on a wild chase through the forest, eventually losing them. 

That's how Bruno ended up collapsing from hunger.

Liam looked at Bruno with a mix of pity and exasperation, patting the young man's muscular shoulder sympathetically. "You've really had a rough few days, huh?"

Bruno scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, then went back to devouring the food.

Not long after, as Liam and Bruno chatted, the rain outside finally stopped. The clouds parted, revealing a clear blue sky, and warm sunlight once again bathed the earth.

"Machop! Machop!"

Suddenly, a sharp cry came from outside the tent. Liam was puzzled, but Bruno immediately sprang to his feet, flung open the tent door, and rushed out.