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"Kirlia doesn't seem to like me… it always ignores my commands."
"Big brother, I'm not from Hoenn. I just came here traveling with my parents. My home is in Sinnoh."
"My mother heard that there are many hot springs here that can help whiten the skin, so she dragged my father and me here. And on the way, we found Kirlia lying by the roadside, badly injured…"
"At that time, Kirlia was severely hurt. I used a PokeBall to catch it and then brought it here for treatment."
"But after it recovered, Kirlia still wouldn't listen to me at all. I think it's because I caught it without battling it first… so it doesn't acknowledge me."
"This time it got injured again because when I was battling someone else, Kirlia ignored my commands and attacked on its own… and in the end, it was knocked down."
"Big brother… did I do something wrong?"
The young boy, Bugsy, spoke all of this in one breath. He clenched the PokeBall tightly in both hands, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes as he asked.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Bugsy. You did the right thing—you saved Kirlia. It's just that you're still young. Maybe when you grow a little older, Kirlia will come to acknowledge you."
Liam shook his head with a smile and comforted him.
"But… I'll be returning to Sinnoh soon. My father and mother don't want me to take Kirlia with me."
"Right! Big brother!"
Bugsy lowered his head in frustration for a moment, but suddenly seemed to think of something. His eyes lit up as he looked at Liam.
"Big brother! Since you're such a strong trainer, how about I give Kirlia to you? I'm sure you'll take good care of it!"
Bugsy pushed the PokeBall containing Kirlia toward Liam, his eyes filled with hope.
"What?! How could I accept that!"
Liam's eyes widened, and he immediately waved his hands in refusal.
"Big brother! My Kirlia really loves to fight. When I first found it, it was probably injured from battling! Please take it! Otherwise, if I release it in the future, it'll just keep fighting everywhere and end up hurt again…"
Bugsy pressed the PokeBall insistently into Liam's hands, his expression sincere.
Liam: "…"
Looking at the boy's earnest gaze, Liam found himself at a loss.
At that moment, as Liam hesitated, Lorelei reached out and gently patted Bugsy's head. Then—
"Take it. This is also Bugsy's wish, and I believe you'll take good care of this Kirlia. If you feel bad about it, then how about this—Bugsy, tell big sister what kind of Pokémon you like. I'll help you catch one~ Let me tell you, I'm also a very strong trainer."
Lorelei stroked the boy's hair and spoke kindly.
"Huh? Big sister is strong too? Actually… I like Bug-type Pokémon! My parents like Bug-type Pokémon too! If it's a Bug-type Pokémon, they'll definitely agree to let me raise it!"
Bugsy replied excitedly.
"Bug-type Pokémon, huh… In that case… Bugsy, Lorelei, wait here for a moment."
After hearing that, Liam thought for a moment, then spoke before getting up and walking toward the communication device inside the center.
A few minutes later, Liam returned. This time, he held a rectangular box in one hand and a PokeBall in the other.
"Bugsy, even though you want to give me this Kirlia, I can't just accept it like that. So—let's make a trade!"
Liam placed the rectangular box in front of Bugsy. As he spoke, he opened the lid.
The lid revealed a small screen, and the box itself had two circular slots—a rather strange-looking device.
"What is this? And what do you mean by 'trade'?"
Bugsy looked completely confused. Even Lorelei tilted her head, question marks practically appearing above her.
"Hehe, this device is actually a Pokémon transfer device. But unlike ordinary ones, this is a trading device. These two slots are where you place each PokeBall. The device swaps the Pokémon inside the two PokeBalls. That way, the traded Pokémon won't feel resistant toward its new trainer."
"Since you like Bug-type Pokémon, and I happen to have one, let's trade."
The device Liam used was called a Portable Mini Exchange Device, which he had obtained from the system shop for 5000 points.
"A trade? That sounds amazing! Big brother, I just need to put the PokeBall here, right?"
Bugsy curiously examined the device, excitement on his face as he carefully placed Kirlia's PokeBall into the right slot.
"Yep, that's all. Now for mine… and—start!"
Liam placed his own PokeBall into the other slot and pressed the exchange button.
"Beep beep beep—"
The device began to hum. The screen lit up, and two silhouettes of Pokémon appeared briefly. The two figures crossed each other on the screen before disappearing.
"Ding!"
A crisp sound followed—indicating the trade was complete.
"Alright, the exchange is done."
Liam smiled at Bugsy.
"Huh?! It's done already?! Ah! I don't even know what Pokémon you traded me!"
Bugsy quickly picked up his PokeBall, suddenly realizing he had no idea what he had received.
"Hehe, why not open it and see?"
Liam picked up his own PokeBall as well, putting away the device with a faint smile.
"Okay!"
Bugsy nodded eagerly and opened the PokeBall.
A flash of white light burst out—and a sturdy, brown Pinsir appeared before them!
"Pinsir! Pinsir!"
This Pinsir was one Liam had obtained during the Bug-Catching Contest in Johto. It had been kept at Professor Oak's place, and Liam had just contacted him to have it sent over.
"Ah! It's a Pinsir! And such a big and strong one at that! Th-this is too valuable! Big brother, I can't accept such a rare Bug-type Pokémon! No, no—we should trade back!"
Bugsy panicked, clearly overwhelmed.
"It's fine, Bugsy. For me, this is the right choice. Now it's your Pokémon. You must take good care of it, understand?"
Liam now had so many Pokémon that he could hardly keep track of them all.
A Pokémon like Pinsir might be a core partner for others—but for Liam…
Perhaps, for Pinsir, this was also a kind of happiness.