Ekko-Vi discrepancy - Vi grew up in Piltover, not Zaun, so why does Ekko even care about his city?

"As a child growing up in the lawless outskirts of Piltover, Vi learned to rob and cheat to get by. Stealing and stripping hextech hardware gave her the skills of a master mechanic, while life on the streets taught her self-reliance. When she was six, a ragtag group of criminals took a shine to the young delinquent and brought her into their fold. By the time Vi was eleven, she had become a seasoned accomplice, and she relished the thrill of every heist." - from 's lore.

"One day, you'll come back to Zaun." "You'll always be Zaun to me." - 's VO to

I think I might be a bit confused, but Vi isn't from Zaun. It's pretty clear she's from Piltover. So Ekko and her were in the same gang? But then, if this gang was willing to recruit from Piltover... implying Zaun are similar to Noxians in that they're more open to out-of-city folk coming to their town, then what's the big deal with Ekko's city pride?

Like, Ekko grows up in a city that seems to value mercantilism and liberated scientific pursuits - meaning people from other city-states/nations can come and go as they please. This kind of makes Zaun seem awfully less nationalistic than others - hence it seems strange to me Ekko would have such a strong pride in this town. He grew up in a gang with "Pilties". He's in a city-state that welcomes foreigners, presumably, and certainly hasn't treated his family (parents who work long hours) or himself (losing friends, constantly getting jumped).

So... why does Ekko even like his city?

Because they're willing to go where the Pilties won't? Even though it's pretty clear they have no qualms recruiting Pilties when it suits their needs and general Zaun attitudes seem to be ok with Viktor kind of going to Piltover and rustling up some of their tech?

I get Ekko has an immature view of the city - but I'm kind of confused as to what he actually "likes" about his city.