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

A few minutes earlier...

Meloetta's Perish Song hung over Marlene's head like a guillotine—its blade suspended, threatening to fall at any moment. The hopelessness it brought was suffocating.

Marlene's strength, already weakened by repeated injuries, had been further sapped by the effects of the Perish Song.

She desperately tried to break free from the damned vines restraining her—but Su Bai had gotten smarter. Every time she tore one root apart, more rose up to bind her again.

She lacked the explosive strength needed to escape in one go.

And so, she was utterly restrained—forced to lie still and listen as the song of extinction rang out around her.

"It should be... almost done now."

As Meloetta's Trainer, Su Bai could sense the progression of the move.

Perish Song was nearly complete.

And once it ended—Marlene would be left in a near-death state.

Then... Su Bai would achieve what no human in history had ever accomplished:

Capturing a Sub-beast alive.

There were too many unanswered questions about these beings.

Even the smallest piece of information he could extract from Marlene would be invaluable.

Just as Su Bai was mentally preparing a list of interrogation techniques—

His entire body suddenly froze.

From the depths of the vine cocoon, a terrifying, indescribable force stirred.

Though it passed in an instant, it made every hair on Su Bai's body stand on end.

It was as if a pair of icy, merciless eyes had swept across him from beyond the void.

Emotionless. Detached. As though the entire world was nothing more than something to be seized or discarded at will.

Su Bai couldn't describe it—but the feeling alone left him drenched in cold sweat.

And then—it happened.

From deep within the tangled mass of vines, an overwhelming force of destruction began to surge.

Madness. Corruption. Evil. Coldness...

No matter what words he used, Su Bai couldn't do justice to the sheer terror this presence invoked.

But one thing he knew for certain—

Something was about to go horribly wrong.

Black death energy began leaking out from within the cocoon, twisting and writhing like serpents.

Then, the vines began to rupture—one after another.

And they shattered far faster than new ones could grow.

A monstrous power was building up inside Marlene, shattering Su Bai's restraints outright!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed out from within the vine cocoon.

Marlene's massive body erupted outward, flung through the air.

To call it "leaping" out wasn't accurate—it was more like she was being wrenched from within by a violent force.

Su Bai's vines were strong—strong enough to restrain even S-Class creatures.

But the death energy made no effort to protect Marlene's body.

Her enormous form, forcibly dragged through the narrow gaps, had twisted into a grotesque shape—

Like a pretzel of mangled flesh.

The black aura coiled around her like a living beast—but it didn't heal her.

Instead, it twisted her further—deeper and deeper.

The death energy wasn't saving her.

It was wringing her dry.

Marlene's eyes were wide with pure terror.

She could do nothing but beg.

"Grand Pontiff…! Please, give me another chance! Just—just one more chance!"

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Lord Pontiff—!!"

"I'm your most faithful se—"

CRACK!

She didn't finish her sentence.

The death energy—like a monstrous hand—squeezed the last breath from her body.

Without its sustaining aura, her body snapped in half, dry and brittle as a twig.

And in that very instant—

Su Bai's pupils shrank.

Diancie, standing beside him, raised her delicate hands—and a shimmering barrier shimmered into place in front of him.

Even Meloetta—still mid-song—abruptly stopped singing.

They could all sense it.

An immense force of annihilation was beginning to burst from Marlene's remains.

"No…"

Su Bai instinctively turned toward Boulder City.

He still didn't fully understand what was happening—but it was clear enough:

This was a suicide detonation.

Whether it was Marlene's will or someone else's plan no longer mattered.

This power, once released...

Would obliterate the entire city.

"F***!"

There was no time to think.

Su Bai threw out both arms—green energy erupting wildly from his body!

Since obtaining Grass-type energy, Su Bai had mostly used it for growth acceleration.

It was the power he understood best.

Under his influence, roots and vines he created could become stronger than even an S-class monster's hide.

Now, with no time to think—not even 0.01 seconds—Su Bai made his choice:

Grow everything.

And this time—it was the first time since gaining Grass-type powers—

He gave it his all.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Beneath his feet, the decorative garden trees of the Contract Masters' Guild were suddenly flooded with terrifying amounts of energy.

They exploded skyward, growing at an impossible pace.

The roots were severed, and the saplings surged upward—

Saplings became young trees.

Young trees became giants.

In just one second, the entire guild grounds had become a dense, towering forest.

At the center—one massive canopy rose so high, it cast a shadow over half the city.

The forest grew thick and tight, completely engulfing Marlene's corpse.

As Su Bai finished, he felt utterly drained.

It was like a battery completely discharged in a flash.

His body, emptied of all power, was consumed by the void of exhaustion.

THUD!

Staggering, Su Bai collapsed to the ground.

He didn't even have the strength to stand anymore.

At the same time—

A dull, booming thump echoed from the heart of the forest.

Like a firecracker set off inside a sealed box.

And in that moment—

Marlene exploded.

The volatile death energy bomb detonated in a single breath.

It wasn't just her.

The entire forest around her disintegrated with the blast.

Even the mighty trees, grown and strengthened by Su Bai's full power—

Were shattered like twigs.

The sound of trees splintering echoed like waves of crackling thunder.

All of Boulder City shook under the force of the explosion!

"Melo~ Melo~!"

Meloetta soared into the air beside Su Bai—

Throwing herself between him and the falling forest debris triggered by the blast.

Splinters and chunks of wood, still charged with deadly force, slammed into the protective barrier.

Cracks began to spider across the transparent screen.

"Holy f***…"

Su Bai, lying prone and gasping for air, couldn't help muttering weakly:

"That thing was a walking nuke."