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

"The Power of Bonds?! What's that? Sounds pretty badass!"

Wang Tao and the others looked completely confused.

As soon as Su Bai opened his mouth, all eyes immediately turned toward him. New terms like this usually meant the revelation of yet another mysterious aspect of the Pokémon world.

Su Bai took a deep breath, calming himself before gently ruffling Zhou Xiaofei's slightly raised head.

Truthfully, he might have been even more excited than everyone else in that moment.

The Power of Bonds—to think it would manifest in this world in such a way!

"In the world of Pokémon," Su Bai began seriously, "there are not only Pokémon—but also humans."

"And among humans, there are a rare few born with extraordinary abilities."

"These powers are incredibly rare… but also incredibly strong."

He continued, "There's the Viridian Force, the Aura Force, and Psychic Power, which mirrors the abilities of Psychic-type Pokémon. And then—there's this one… a power that allows the heart to communicate directly with Pokémon."

"What Zhou Xiaofei is showing right now… is extremely close to what I know as the Power of Bonds. In fact, it might even surpass it."

"Because while the Power of Bonds allows deep emotional communication, it doesn't let you actually see through a Pokémon's eyes."

"I believe… this unique effect may have been made possible due to the powerful bond between Xiaofei and Gyarados."

He glanced at the Gyarados nearby, who seemed to be listening intently. Su Bai stroked his chin thoughtfully.

This was the very same Gyarados that evolved via bond evolution to save Zhou Xiaofei's life.

The connection between them… it was far beyond words.

Still, traditionally, the Power of Bonds wasn't limited to one's own bonded Pokémon. If Xiaofei truly had this power, he should be able to connect with other Pokémon too.

They needed to test it.

Su Bai turned toward Diancie, who had been watching everything with her usual gentle smile.

"Xiaofei," he said, "why don't you try connecting with Diancie?"

His tone was gentle, not forceful—after all, Xiaofei had only just awakened as a Contractor. How or why it had evolved into the Power of Bonds was still unknown.

But this test was necessary.

Diancie was the perfect candidate—she could speak human language fluently and express herself clearly.

Zhou Xiaofei instantly understood and nodded curiously.

He bowed respectfully to Diancie. "Diancie-jiejie, may I begin?"

Diancie looked to Su Bai and then floated forward, smiling as she waved her small hand.

"Go ahead~ Let me see if you can reach my heart with yours!"

Eagerly, Xiaofei began to focus.

Diancie placed her hands behind her back, humming lightly as she floated in the air.

Everyone turned their attention to the scene in front of them.

Zhou Xiaofei's eyebrows slowly furrowed, clearly struggling—trying to connect to Diancie wasn't as easy as it had been with Gyarados.

His little brows knitted tighter, making everyone feel nervous.

Eventually, his strength gave out, and his body wobbled.

A steady hand caught him from behind—Su Bai helped him stand back up, then turned to look at Diancie expectantly.

She smiled knowingly, tilting her head.

"Hmm… Diancie could definitely sense a hint of spiritual energy from Xiaofei," she said.

"But… it's still too weak to initiate full communication with me."

"It's like… my spiritual world is a door. That door is currently closed. Xiaofei's spiritual energy was like a visitor knocking politely."

"Unless I permit it, he can't just barge into my mental world as a guest."

"Still, even if he can't enter, I could hear the knocking loud and clear."

"And from what I could feel through that door—Xiaofei's heart is incredibly pure."

She smiled sweetly and patted his head.

"Xiaofei's soul is as clear and flawless as the diamonds Diancie creates!"

Su Bai nodded in understanding. "That's already amazing."

He couldn't help recalling the Ceremonial Dagger—a tool created by Rock for Contractors.

That dagger allowed Contractors to forcibly invade a Death Beast's spiritual world and seize control.

In fact, Li Jian had used that very dagger to try to control Rotom.

However, after that incident, the system had shut down the exploit.

Su Bai had since stopped considering it.

Now, he realized how powerful a Contractor's mental strength truly was. If the system hadn't sealed that loophole… Contractors might've truly had the potential to forcibly control Pokémon.

And even in the Pokémon world, there were plenty of examples of powerful Pokémon being manipulated.

Through strange and dangerous methods—even Legendaries could be captured.

But now, with the system in place, a Contractor could no longer force their way into a Pokémon's spirit.

The decision belonged to the Pokémon themselves.

They could sense the purity of a person's soul—and choose whether or not to open the door.

Xiaofei's soul… was the kind that Pokémon loved most.

If someone like Li Jian had tried the same thing, his corrupt mind might've provoked the Pokémon instead.

"I think I understand now…"

Su Bai turned to the others, who were all watching him intently.

"Xiaofei's gift as a Contractor is incredibly strong—but that doesn't mean all Contractors can wield the Power of Bonds."

"What makes him special… is his pure and kind heart."

"Pokémon are mysterious creatures. They naturally gravitate toward people with pure hearts."

"That's probably one of the reasons Gyarados formed such a deep bond with Xiaofei."

"It's just like when a cute little kid smiles at you on the street—you can't help but smile back."

"Pokémon are the same. Xiaofei's mental energy makes them feel safe, calm… and willing to communicate."

"Of course, a Pokémon's own emotions matter too."

"If they're upset, they might just ignore the 'visitor at the door' no matter how polite they are…"

"It really is starting to sound like the Power of Bonds…"

Su Bai recalled how in the anime, even Sheena, who wielded the Power of Bonds, needed Ash's help to calm Giratina's rage.

Even she couldn't connect to an emotionally unstable Legendary on her own.

"Being a Contractor is only a prerequisite. A pure heart is the real key to the Pokémon's inner world."

He looked at Xiaofei with admiration.

"And there aren't many people like Xiaofei out there…"

"After all, this is the kid who made a Magikarp undergo Bond Evolution!"

"Getting a Magikarp to evolve is already tough enough—but to Bond Evolve one?"

"That means Xiaofei gave it his full heart and soul."

"He even refused to swap out Magikarp, afraid it would feel lonely sitting in the Pokédex…"

"That's why he can now see through Gyarados' eyes."

"Their spiritual worlds are completely fused."

"That's not something anyone else can copy—it's unique to Xiaofei."

Su Bai patted Xiaofei's shoulder, clearly moved.

"You two really are the perfect partners."

"…I guess that makes sense," Wang Tao muttered, scratching his head.

"If it were me, I would've cried pulling a Magikarp from a Pokéball…"

The others looked at each other and couldn't help but agree.

They valued their Pokémon, of course—but not on that level.

"Alright, Xiaofei's fine now," Su Bai clapped, drawing everyone's attention.

"We've been on the road for a while—time to rest up."

He bent down behind the counter and pulled out a stack of booklets, handing one to each person.

"You all probably know the basics of making Pokéblocks already…"

"But take these home anyway. The berry cultivation phase is complete."

"All that's left is mass-producing Pokéblocks."

"The more people who learn, the faster we'll progress."

"So no slacking off!"

He grinned and shoved a booklet into the hands of the sulky Liu Yunlan.

"Let's work together—to welcome the arrival of the Pokémon!"