Everyone Else Awakened, But I Just Opened a Pokémon Pet Shop

Meloetta and Diancie's strength was more than enough to suppress even S-rank death beasts.

Although they still didn't know how many S-rank death beasts lurked in the area...

Su Bai raised his hand, placing his second knuckle against his lips, and let out a sharp, ringing whistle.

The clear whistle made both Meloetta and Diancie—who had been guarding the Trainers—pause and turn.

Su Bai spun his finger once in the air. Instantly, the two Pokémon, linked to him in spirit, understood.

They gave a quick nod in unison—then each soared off in opposite directions.

"Eh? What's he having them do?"

Zhang Wenhao blurted out in confusion.

Given their battle protocol over the past few days, Meloetta and Diancie were expected to stay and act as safeguards.

Su Bai just chuckled. "Gentlemen, the real fun is about to begin."

"Help cover the less experienced Trainers. As for Meloetta and Diancie... you'll see soon enough."

Shi Ce rubbed his shiny bald head, slipped on his gloves, and marched straight into the fray.

The elite A-rank Awakener team didn't quite know what Su Bai was planning. But after these past few days, they'd learned that this young man was calm, composed, and always seemed to have a plan.

When in doubt, just follow his lead.

The battle raged on.

The addition of the A-rank team didn't drastically shift the tide.

In truth, after days of intense combat, the Trainers had grown remarkably adept at this kind of warfare.

As long as they coordinated properly, their Pokémon could handle A- and B-rank deathbeasts with ease.

At first, when Pokémon like Caterpie were still in their early stages, the Trainers had to keep a close watch.

But now? Even those weakest Bug-types had fully evolved!

With all sorts of quirky abilities and specialized tactics, they could restrain even seemingly unstoppable death beasts.

Just as the Trainers were enjoying the rush of smooth victories—

BOOM!

A massive impact echoed from the far end of the battlefield.

It was as if something heavy had been smashed against the earth.

Before anyone could react—

BOOM!

Another, equally powerful sound came from the opposite direction.

Then came a relentless chain of thunderous crashes, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

The commotion was so fierce, even some of the Trainers glanced toward the noise.

Sching!

Pei Jingguo unsheathed his longsword, intercepting a sneaky deathbeast aiming at Wang Tao.

Xiao Zhang's Machoke followed up with a brutal punch to the beast's spine, rendering it limp and howling.

"Stay focused!" Pei Jingguo growled, brow furrowed.

Wang Tao was the weakest among the veteran Trainers.

During Pokémon battles it didn't matter much, but in direct combat with death beasts, extra caution was needed.

Thankfully, with his full-defense build and his knack for hiding within Grotle's protection range, he'd survived unscathed so far.

In truth, Wang Tao represented the bulk of average Awakeners: reliant on their Pokémon for offense and defense.

And since death beasts generally prioritized attacking Pokémon, most Trainers stayed relatively safe.

"Ah—r-right!"

Wang Tao broke into a cold sweat as the paralyzed deathbeast twitched at his feet.

This was war, after all.

Still, he couldn't help but glance toward Su Bai in the distance.

As someone who'd grown up following Su Bai around, Wang Tao knew all too well: this kind of disturbance? Definitely Su Bai's doing.

The earth tremors were growing stronger, and the booms more frequent.

Colorful flashes lit the horizon.

Clearly, two separate battle zones were erupting with intense conflict.

"Did Meloetta and Diancie go after S-rank death beasts?"

Liu Yunlan squinted into the smoky distance, but could only make out the chaotic deathbeast hordes.

"So cool... I'm jealous!"

A fiery spark lit in her eyes.

"Monferno! You saw that, right? Meloetta's out there showing off—don't let her outshine you!"

"Let's burn with the passion of battle!"

The chuunibyou girl roared with enthusiasm, leading Monferno and Growlithe into another assault against an A-rank death beast.

The rumbling eventually faded.

But something had changed—

The death beasts facing the Trainers had grown noticeably more agitated.

No doubt about it.

Meloetta and Diancie had each taken down an S-rank death beast.

Along with the one from earlier, that made three!

"Three S-ranks... wait, did they just wipe out all the S-rank death beasts at once?"

Su Bai looked at the quieting battlefield with a hint of unease.

He hadn't given explicit orders. What if Meloetta and Diancie misunderstood his intent... and killed all the S-rank beasts?

That would be a disaster.

Without that pressure, it might not be enough to trigger the final evolution of the starters.

Sure, regular intense battles might help, but this was a critical moment.

Their evolution wasn't just symbolic—it was a milestone for the entire Pokémon Center.

Having Trainers' Pokémon defeat an S-rank beast wasn't only about evolution.

If the starter trio managed to take one down... it would be a moment worthy of human history.

Just as Su Bai began to worry—

The quiet battlefield stirred once more.

S-rank death beast territory was vast. These areas—once human lands—had long been overrun.

But since S-rank beasts tended to dominate such regions, the actual density of death beasts was relatively low.

The ones the Trainers had been fighting had come from all corners, drawn by the commotion.

And while reinforcements usually arrived steadily...

Suddenly, a thunderous stampede echoed across the land.

"Whoa—wait! What's going on?!"

"So many death beasts!"

"Why are they running?!"

"That's not normal panic—that's fear!"

"Hey, look! Behind them!"

Far across the plain, a massive dust cloud billowed as countless deathbeasts charged forward—not in attack, but in flight.

Amidst the smoke, a colossal creature lumbered forward, clearly being driven from behind.

It had to be an S-rank death beast.

And above it—soaring, swooping, kicking it repeatedly in the horns—

Was a tiny silhouette.

Judging by the shape... it was Meloetta.

She looked like she was... herding cattle?

Note:

That's it for today, everyone. I'm a little tired, so I'm going to sleep now.