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

The terrifying energy orb swept low across the ground where Malene had stood moments ago.

It made no sound—just silently melted through matter, leaving behind a massive, smoking crater.

Su Bai's brow twitched slightly as he observed the aftermath, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes.

He stroked his chin and smirked, voice filled with amusement:

"So, this so-called 'Sacred Clan'... specializes in self-mutilation? I knew you had an impressive regeneration ability, but wasn't that a little over the top?"

Where Malene had originally stood, only her powerful legs remained pinned to the earth—she herself had vanished.

Nearby, Malene lay sprawled on the ground, face twitching in agony.

At the last possible second—

She had severed her own legs to escape!

Yet even so, the Moonblast had swallowed her lower half—and more.

A portion of her upper body had also been grazed by the lunar explosion.

The overwhelming power of the Moonblast devoured her flesh in an instant—leaving her at barely a third of her original size.

Her entire right side, along with everything from the waist down, was simply… gone.

From the jagged edges of her body, dark, toxic death aura hissed out in waves.

"Ghhh… rrraaaaahhh!"

She let out a guttural scream as thick streams of death aura surged across her ruined form, regenerating her body once again.

But this time, when she stood—

Her eyes were filled with fear.

Genuine fear.

"Impossible… Humans shouldn't possess this level of power!"

"No—no, it's the Pokémon… what… what are these creatures?!"

Her face had turned a ghastly shade of pale.

If she hadn't reacted with cold decisiveness—hadn't been ruthless enough to mutilate herself—she wouldn't have even had the chance to regenerate.

As a Sub-Beast—a human who had willingly absorbed death aura to evolve into a new form—Malene had a variety of abilities, much like Awakeners.

But unlike those who retained human bodies, Sub-Beasts had inhuman mutations and traits.

Malene's ability focused on extreme physical reinforcement and near-limitless regeneration.

Even if reduced to just a head, she could fully restore herself.

But this power came at a cost: her regeneration consumed vast amounts of stored death aura.

The injuries she'd just suffered had forced her to expend a huge portion of her reserves.

When she rose again, she was no longer the towering figure of before.

From over three meters, she'd shrunk to just above two meters.

Once a towering she-giant—now she looked much closer to a normal human.

"Tsk, tsk… truly a cockroach that refuses to die."

Su Bai curled his lip into a mocking smile, pointing at her casually:

"Though I must say, this new look suits our human aesthetics better."

"Maybe I should charge you a cosmetic surgery fee?"

His voice was teasing, but internally, Su Bai remained vigilant.

He knew—

Malene wouldn't go down that easily.

Even standard S-rank death beasts were absurdly tanky.

Malene, from the beginning, had already exceeded S-class standards.

And although Diancie's Moonblast had struck her directly—

It had only worked thanks to coordinated efforts from Su Bai and Meloetta.

Without that, her speed alone would've let her dodge it outright—or at least mitigate the damage.

This woman was fast—absurdly so.

In fact, Moonblast is a single-target move in the Pokémon world.

Unlike Diancie's Diamond Storm, which is an area-of-effect attack, Moonblast requires precision.

The fact that even after so many conditions aligned, she still survived—

Was a testament to how strong she truly was.

As Su Bai taunted her, Malene's eyes burned with rage, but also… panic.

Sub-Beasts, as a race, revered power.

Malene wasn't among the absolute strongest of her kind—but she was considered elite.

She had hoped this mission would earn her the Church's favor… maybe even a divine blessing.

But now—

She remembered a proverb she'd learned during her time among humans in the Eastern Divine Federation:

"Where there's life, there's hope."

"Su Bai… I'll remember you!"

"Next time we meet… I'll show you what the Sacred Clan is really capable of!"

With a final glare, she bent her knees, preparing to escape.

From her legs, dozens of jagged death aura blades extended outward—meant to cut away any roots that might try to bind her again.

She was fleeing.

And if Malene prided herself on anything—

It was her speed.

Even against formal Apostles, she never had to lower her head when it came to sheer quickness.

But now?

Even if Su Bai had help, a loss was still a loss.

And those two small Pokémon had left her with mental scars.

"Why bother with a next time?" Su Bai said coldly, snapping his fingers.

Malene, overconfident in her speed, hadn't even tried to hide her escape.

But from Su Bai's point of view—it was laughable.

Yes, she was fast.

Maybe even as fast as Meloetta in her Pirouette Forme.

But who says slower Pokémon have no options?

"Diancie—use Trick Room!"

Diancie clapped cheerfully, her voice light and playful:

"Here it comes, here it comes! Diancie's gonna do a little magic~!"

As her cute voice rang out, a strange power rippled out from her like a shockwave—

Expanding in all directions.

Faintly, that force shaped itself into a giant cube, enveloping the corner of Boulder City where the Contractor's Guild stood.

Reality itself warped and twisted.

Within this confined space—

The very rules of movement had changed.

Malene was already mid-preparation for a leap.

She was confident: once she bolted, no one in the human world could catch her.

But then—

"Wha… what's happening?!"

She froze—one leg extended, muscles taut.

But it was like invisible tentacles wrapped around her.

Her strength wasn't weakened—but her speed—

Had slowed to a crawl.

It was like watching herself in slow motion.

Even her facial muscles seemed to move sluggishly.

For the first time, the power she had depended on her entire life—failed her.

Yet her thoughts were untouched.

She was fully aware.

That sense of dissonance—mind racing, body stuck—left her in sheer panic.

And the one she stared at—Su Bai—

Casually pointed to himself.

"Meloetta… this guest has come a long way."

"Let's treat her with a song. Show her how warm our hospitality can be…"

Malene's heart dropped.

She turned her gaze—

That red-haired Pokémon…

Had somehow turned green.

Her long fiery locks were now a cascading emerald—

Eyes closed. Lips gently parted.

She was ready to sing.