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

Every city had its own array of defenses against Death Beasts.

Among them were specialized anti-air weapons—magic energy ballistas akin to railguns—designed to shoot down flying-type Death Beasts.

These enormous weapons could inflict serious damage on anything below A-rank, though reloading them was a hassle and required at least a B-rank mage to infuse them with mana.

While Gyarados, having undergone Bonded Evolution, was undoubtedly powerful, Su Bai had to acknowledge that Zhou Xiaofei—its Trainer—wasn't by its side right now.

Without Zhou, Gyarados was only roughly A-rank in combat strength. It couldn't afford to completely ignore those energy ballistas.

Flying straight over the city so casually would most likely provoke the guards into attacking.

Su Bai wasn't afraid. But still, this wasn't a game.

Besides, he didn't come to fight Boulder City.

There was only one target this time—the Contractor's Guild.

The guards here were just like those in Haicheng—ordinary soldiers doing their duty. Su Bai had no intention of making things hard for them.

"Don't be nervous. This is a Pokémon… Wait, have you heard of Pokémon before?"

Su Bai leapt down from Gyarados and gently patted the beast's head to calm it.

They were now close enough to see the Contractor's Guild with their own eyes. The suffocating deathly aura rising from the area made Gyarados visibly agitated.

Its unease was starting to frighten the guards.

Ten-man squads immediately snapped into formation, shields raised.

If Su Bai's identity as a human weren't so obvious, they might have already attacked!

"That really is a Pokémon… So the Groudon incident was true?"

One of the guards, outfitted in brand-new armor, stared in awe.

The sheer size of Gyarados was terrifying.

Most S-rank Death Beasts were only three to four meters tall. Gyarados was practically two S-rank beasts stacked together.

Add its aggressive posture, and anyone could tell it wasn't here to make friends.

"I… I told you it was real, didn't I?!"

The same guard who'd spoken about Pokémon earlier trembled as he cautiously stepped forward.

"Uh… sorry, may I ask your purpose here in Boulder City?"

"If it's not urgent or officially approved, I'm afraid we can't allow entry."

After all, Pokémon were still virtually unheard of outside Haicheng.

In an era infested with Death Beasts, contact between cities was limited. The only reason this guard knew about Pokémon was due to the Zhang Group's vast commercial reach.

But to Boulder City, Pokémon were little more than urban legends.

And letting in a giant, intimidating unknown creature like Gyarados? That was out of the question.

"Just as I expected…"

Su Bai sighed softly at the sight of the nervous soldiers.

He had known Gyarados's appearance would draw this kind of reaction.

Unless he recalled it into a Pokéball—

But that was impossible.

Gyarados belonged to Zhou Xiaofei. Even as the head of the Pokémon Center, Su Bai had no right to command or retrieve someone else's Pokémon.

And yet, he needed Gyarados to stay visible—because it was the key to identifying the mastermind behind the attack on the Pokémon Center.

"You're all doing your duty, and I don't wish to make things difficult."

"But I've come to Boulder City for something important."

He raised a hand and pointed toward the thick death aura rising from the city's western side.

"I have a debt to settle with the Contractor's Guild."

"This matter… is extremely important to me."

"Please—may I pass?"

Gyarados growled restlessly, its body twitching with agitation as it locked onto the source of that deathly aura.

Su Bai's patience was wearing thin—but he still didn't want to cause unnecessary conflict.

These guards were no different from the brave warriors of Haicheng.

"This is…"

The guard who spoke earlier grimaced, visibly torn.

If it had been a personal grudge between ordinary Awakeners, that would've been one thing. Street duels or arena battles were none of their concern.

And truth be told, the Contractor's Guild didn't have the best reputation in Boulder City.

But even so, Pokémon were completely unknown here.

Just Gyarados's monstrous appearance was already more than enough to raise red flags.

A tense silence settled over the city gate.

Gyarados's massive form had already drawn a crowd. More and more people were pointing, whispering, staring.

Some were frightened. Others were simply curious.

The crowd was getting restless.

And if this kept dragging on, the situation would spiral out of control. Especially if the matter was reported to the City Lord's Manor.

If that happened—well, considering his target was the entire Contractor's Guild, Su Bai knew the authorities would never grant him a proper duel request.

"I understand your position… but I can't comply."

Su Bai shook his head with a helpless smile. Then, with a light hop, he landed once again on Gyarados's head.

"In any case, I've done my best to be civil."

"I truly hope what I'm about to do… won't cause too much chaos."

"Don't worry. I'm only here for the Contractor's Guild."

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The sound of steel unsheathing rang out.

Two mages rushed to the rear with their staves ready.

The front-line guards raised their shields in a defensive wall.

Even the young guard who'd spoken with Su Bai earlier now drew his sword.

"Don't do anything reckless! This is Boulder City! You're still human—do you understand what your actions imply?!"

Su Bai gave a weary smile and gently patted Gyarados's head.

"I'm sorry… but I must do this."

"If there's any damage done, I'll make sure Boulder City is properly compensated."

"Let's go, Gyarados. Fly straight toward that death aura."

Gyarados rumbled in response and slowly began rising into the air.

Immediately, the soldiers gritted their teeth and prepared for battle.

Melee warriors advanced with shields raised.

Archers drew their bows.

One of the two mages broke into a sprint—racing toward the city's energy ballista.

The young swordsman dashed for the alarm bell at the gate.

If he reached it and rang it, the entire city would enter emergency lockdown.

"I can't let you do that…"

With a tired snap of his fingers, Su Bai activated his next move.

From the ground, thick vines erupted like serpents, infused with overwhelming Grass-type energy.

Before the soldiers could react, the vines shot forward and bound them tightly.

Even the mages were completely entangled—unable to reach the ballista.

"Make it quick, Gyarados."

Su Bai muttered as he stroked the giant serpent's head.

Gyarados let out a muffled growl, careful not to roar too loudly.

Its body shot forward like a blue, living missile, slicing through Boulder City's skyline.

Locked onto the source of that toxic death aura—

It charged straight toward the Contractor's Guild!