Pokemon: I'll Exchange Everything

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"Prof. Oak! Prof. Oak! Where are you?"

After the explosion, Liam placed the Pokémon egg back on the ground and rushed into the building with Nidorino. It wasn't that Liam was fearless in the face of danger, but Professor Oak was still inside, leaving Liam no room for hesitation.

"Prof. Oak! If you can hear me, answer! ... Damn it! This way is blocked by a wall. Nidorino, break it down!"

Liam reached Professor Oak's lab and discovered the explosion had originated there. The entire roof was gone, leaving the area in ruins. The door to the lab was blocked by debris, so Liam quickly instructed Nidorino to clear the obstacles.

"Nido!"

Understanding the urgency, Nidorino responded promptly. It dashed to the lab door and began digging furiously, its forepaws glowing white as it slashed through and cleared away the rubble.

Liam joined in, grabbing the edge of the door and pulling it open bit by bit.

Once the door was wide enough for one person to pass through, Liam squeezed inside and quickly surveyed the area. At the center of the lab lay a fainted Koffing, clearly the culprit behind the explosion.

Though Liam had pinpointed the cause, there was no sign of Professor Oak. Surrounded by the shattered remains of the lab, Liam slumped to the ground, tears streaming down his face as he thought of the kind man he knew.

"Prof. Oak, I told you not to mess around like this! Why didn't you listen? And now look—gone without a trace! How am I supposed to explain this to Aunt Fumiko? Haiyaaa..."

Liam was close to breaking down entirely.

What happened to the "immortal" Professor Oak?

The forever fifty-year-old?

The future they were supposed to share?

This was too random—was it because he jinxed it?

The thought sent shivers down Liam's spine.

"Cough, cough... What happened here? And why are you on the floor?"

A familiar voice came from outside the door. Liam spun around to see the very face he thought he'd lost. Professor Oak stood there in his white lab coat, holding a grocery bag, looking thoroughly confused.

When Prof. Oak's eyes landed on the unconscious Koffing on the floor, his expression shifted to one of awkward realization.

"Prof. Oak! You're alive!"

Relief flooded through Liam as he jumped to his feet and dashed toward the professor. Oak, seeing Liam's enthusiasm, quickly set down his grocery bag and opened his arms for an embrace.

Instead, he was met with a furious shoulder tackle from Liam.

"What other dangerous things are you hiding? Hand them all over! Playing with explosives?! And now look, you actually blew something up!"

Liam pinned Professor Oak to the ground, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him furiously.

"I don't have anything else, I swear! This time was an accident! I had no idea it would explode!"

Oak's loud protests were genuine—he hadn't anticipated the Koffing exploding. He'd merely gone out for instant noodles, only to return and find the lab roof missing. What was he supposed to do?

He was just as shocked!

Seeing Oak's sincerity, Liam finally let go.

"What now? The explosion was so loud it's bound to draw attention. Don't blame me if Aunt Fumiko asks—I'll have to tell her the truth."

The noise from the blast had likely reached everyone in the nearby town. Trying to keep it a secret was impossible.

Prof. Oak nodded, acknowledging the gravity of the situation. He sighed before saying, "We'll have to temporarily shut down the lab. I'll call someone to repair the place. Until then, we'll move the Pokémon into their PokéBalls and keep them at home. The PokéBalls' hibernation system will ensure they stay comfortable for a few days."

Liam agreed, seeing no better option. They quickly got to work. Liam fetched the PokéBalls from the storage room, explained the situation to the Pokémon, and carefully returned them to their balls, placing them in a bag.

Meanwhile, Professor Oak salvaged the remaining research materials for safekeeping.

By the time they were done, the sun was setting. Prof. Oak contacted repair workers, who promised to start the next day. With everything packed up, the two headed toward Oak's house.

"Hey, Liam, can I ask you something?" Prof. Oak began with a sly grin.

"No need to ask. The answer is no—I'm not covering for you anymore."

Before Prof. Oak could even finish, Liam shut him down.

"..."

Prof. Oak sighed. The innocent boy he once knew was gone, replaced by a sharp and assertive young man.

The two continued in silence until they passed the house they'd seen that morning. The moving truck was gone, and the place was quiet. Liam glanced around but didn't spot the braided girl from earlier. Feeling a twinge of disappointment, he pressed on.

Just as they walked past, the door opened, and the girl dashed out with a gift box in her hands.

"Liam! Haha, I knew you'd pass this way! I've been waiting for you. Here, this is a little welcome gift from us to our new neighbors. It's just a small gesture—please accept it. Oh, and who's this?"

The girl, Delia, beamed as she handed the gift to Liam, then turned curiously toward Professor Oak.

Not knowing much about local customs, Liam accepted the gift without hesitation, ignoring Oak's amused smirk. "Thank you, Miss Ketchum. This is Professor Oak. I'm currently staying at his house. He's an exceptional researcher—his lab is up on the hill."

Prof. Oak nodded politely, feeling flattered by Liam's praise.

Delia shot Liam a playful glare before saying, "Didn't I tell you calling me 'Miss Ketchum' is too formal? Just call me Delia—we're neighbors now. Nice to meet you, Professor Oak. My family just moved here. Please take care of us."

"Of course! Welcome to Pallet Town. Feel free to visit anytime or ask for help if needed," Oak replied warmly.

"Thank you, Professor. I'll let my father know. Oh, by the way, did you two just come down from the hill? What was that loud noise earlier? It was so scary! Did something happen?"

Oak and Liam exchanged an awkward glance before speaking in unison.

"Just a minor accident—nothing to worry about!"