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

"Melo… Meloooo~"

From Meloetta's lips came a haunting melody, so ethereal it felt as if it came from beyond this world.

A song of extinction—yet strangely pure.

In that instant, every resident of Boulder's City heard the tune drifting through the air, sung by that small, mysterious Pokémon.

Within the melody, people heard the rise and fall of creation—the destruction of worlds and the rebirth of life.

Their eyes turned dazed, entranced.

They had never heard a song so profound, so soul-stirring.

There were no lyrics—just a wordless hum—yet they understood it perfectly.

It echoed within their minds, showing the endless cycles of life and death, painting images of rebirth and ruin, spinning entire lifetimes in the blink of a note.

One by one, the people stopped moving.

They stood still in place, mesmerized, eyes fixed on the distant corner of the city—on the Contractor's Guild, where the melody originated.

Though soft, Meloetta's song pierced through everything. Even Wang Tao and the others at the city gates heard it crystal clear.

"Ah… Meloetta's singing is still as beautiful as ever~"

Liu Yunlan tilted her head, listening closely, her voice filled with awe.

"It is beautiful…"

Wang Tao scratched his head in confusion.

"But… why sing now? What, is she trying to tame that monster with music?"

Zhu Jianyuan narrowed his eyes toward the sound, then turned back.

The beast tide had already arrived at the front lines.

With a flourish of his silver spear, he grinned at the other Trainers:

"Alright, enough worrying about Su Bai."

"I did promise to handle the ones up front, didn't I?"

"You all represent Haicheng City now—let's go!"

"Just think of Meloetta's song as our battle hymn!"

With that, he charged headfirst at an S-Class death beast.

Behind him, Torterra surged forward with surprising speed, smashing into another S-Class opponent.

The other Pokémon sprang into action.

Even the "damaged" Gyarados, with barely any command, lunged out like a rabid beast.

Shouts and battle cries merged with Meloetta's lullaby, forming a surreal symphony of war and song.

The clash between humans and death beasts had begun.

But to Malene, the song felt nothing like a lullaby—only sheer terror.

From the moment it began, her mind felt like it was being stabbed by countless invisible blades.

Oddly enough, there was no pain—just an unshakable, growing sense of dread and panic.

She couldn't explain it.

The song felt like a giant hand was reaching into her very soul, ripping her apart, peeling away her being.

Her very existence was growing blurry.

Her soul itself felt like it was being extinguished by the melody.

"NO! Get out! Get out of my head!!"

Malene clutched her skull, overwhelmed by emotions she had never felt before—raw panic, a fear she couldn't comprehend.

Even though she was a sub-beast—originally human—she still had human tastes, human aesthetics.

She had always loved music.

One of her favorite things at the Contractor's Guild had been listening to songs.

She'd even once considered keeping that singer Liu Yunshuang as her private pet, if she finished her mission successfully.

But now, despite Meloetta's voice being infinitely more beautiful, all it brought her was horror.

Why?

Why did this enchanting song sound like a death knell?

She couldn't make sense of it.

"So that's the true power of Song of Annihilation…"

Su Bai stroked his chin, watching Marin's reaction.

In the Trick Room, Malene's greatest advantage—her speed—was completely negated.

Even normally, Meloetta's speed wasn't far behind hers.

But in her Aria Forme, Meloetta's speed stat dropped to a mere 90, enough to give her plenty of time to cast Song of Annihilation undisturbed.

This move, which she only learned at level 85, wasn't that popular in the games—it took three turns to take effect, and was often dismissed as impractical.

But here in the real world, it was a completely different story.

This was no longer just a game mechanic.

The move didn't indiscriminately kill everyone—it targeted only whom the user chose.

The entire city had heard the melody, yet none of the civilians were affected.

That was the power of rule-based attacks.

And now, instead of casting the move in one instant, Meloetta was singing it continuously—as a real song.

Once she finished… the effect would be complete.

"SHUT UP! Shut your mouth! Stop singing!!"

Waves of death aura surged from Malene's body.

Her crimson eyes locked furiously onto Meloetta.

Fighting off the unknown fear, she lunged at the green-haired Pokémon.

She had to shut that mouth—forever!

But under the rules of Trick Room, her movements appeared to crawl in Su Bai's eyes.

Malene's weapon was speed—but now, her greatest strength had become her biggest weakness.

A transparent barrier appeared in front of her.

Too slow to react, Malene slammed into it headfirst!

Though the room slowed her speed, it didn't weaken her strength.

This contradiction—so impossible in physics—was a quirk of Pokémon moves.

And once again, this once-proud "Sacred Race" was taught a painful lesson.

The barrier shattered, and the force of her own charge rebounded on her.

CRACK!

It was like she had punched herself at full force—blasting her own body backward.

Her front was mangled, skin torn.

Her death aura flared wildly, struggling to repair the damage.

Terror deepened in her eyes.

She was losing hope.

From the very start, she had thought Su Bai was just another weakling—someone she could crush in a blink.

But now?

This human—and his terrifying Pokémon—were beyond anything she could handle.

"Good night," Su Bai chuckled, snapping his fingers.

Suddenly, countless roots erupted from the ground, twisting into a cocoon, enveloping Malene in a tangled mass like a living mountain.

"Just listen, alright?" Su Bai whispered, staring at the giant root cocoon.

"It's your lullaby. Let it soothe you… and sleep well."

The reason he chose Song of Annihilation wasn't because he couldn't defeat her in other ways.

It was because of its special effect.

It didn't kill.

It left the target in a near-death state.

And what Su Bai wanted was not to destroy Malene—

He wanted to capture her alive.

After all… she clearly wasn't just any sub-beast.