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

The interface of the TM resembled a slot machine's randomized gacha display.

At this moment, Wang Tao clutched the TM tightly, like someone inserting their last coin into an arcade machine, desperation written all over his face.

"Come on! Give me something powerful! Something invincible!"

His eyes were wide open as he muttered repeatedly, prompting Su Bai to cover his face in exasperation.

Back in the day, in the arcades, he had once tried to extend his game with his final token... and looked just like this.

But since the TM was a brand-new thing, it wasn't just Wang Tao who was nervous.

Everyone around him was equally tense.

One spin cost 500 training points—an outrageous price!

Even Liu Yunlan had paused her pinch on Wang Tao's chubby waist.

The cursor on the gacha screen gradually slowed and finally stopped.

A random box popped up. A second later, a disc-shaped object was ejected from the TM.

"It's out! It's out!"

Wang Tao grabbed the disc excitedly and peered at the screen.

"Huh… Fly?"

His face contorted in confusion. "What kind of move is that? Can Hippopotas or Torterra even learn this?"

Su Bai shrugged helplessly. "Looks like you used up all your luck drawing that Hidden Ability earlier. Fly is a Flying-type move—none of your Pokémon can use it…"

"There's a move description on the screen. Tap it and check."

With that, Su Bai tapped the opened gacha box.

Instantly, the box vanished and was replaced by a line of glowing text:

[Fly – Flying-type Physical Move. This move allows Flying-type Pokémon to temporarily ascend to extreme heights before diving down to deal massive damage. It can also be used to evade most incoming attacks.]

[Power: 90]

"Uh… well that's…"

Wang Tao stared at the TM disc in his hand, visibly heartbroken.

Five hundred training points… gone.

And he didn't even own a Flying-type Pokémon. Was he really supposed to wait until he happened to get one?

And even that wasn't guaranteed…

"Wang Tao!"

Just as he was sulking, a voice rang out behind him—Ding Yue's excited shout.

She grabbed his shoulders tightly.

"Sell it to me! Please sell it! I'll pay a hundred thou—no, five hundred thousand!"

Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the TM Disc like it was a treasure, practically drooling.

A Flying-type move—perfect for her Talonflame!

You can't pay to choose Pokémon, but paying for a move from the gacha machine? That's fair game!

"F-Five hundred thousand?!"

Wang Tao was stunned by her extravagant offer.

Sure, he wasn't as broke as before, but who would ever turn down that kind of money?

He had already used the dowry his father prepared to buy his Pokémon team!

He looked down at the device, then back up at Ding Yue, torn.

After all, he couldn't even use it…

Su Bai gently reminded her, "Actually, Talonflame will naturally learn Fly at level 74."

It wasn't easy reaching that level, sure. But still—was five hundred thousand for one move worth it?

Given the math, that would mean the exchange rate of training points to federal currency was 1:1000!

Ding Yue didn't care. She shook her head firmly, still staring at the disc.

"That's a problem for the future! If money can solve it, then it's not a problem!"

Right… they almost forgot that Ding Yue was absolutely loaded.

Su Bai shook his head. Just earlier today, the Ding Corporation had begun construction of a new Pokémon Expedition Outpost. For a girl like her, spending 500,000 on Fly probably felt like a bargain.

Wang Tao glanced between the device and Ding Yue, then sighed.

"Alright. I'll sell it to you. We're a team, after all."

He handed the device over to her.

Wang Tao did have that kind of big-picture mindset. After everything they'd been through together, their group had forged a strong sense of camaraderie.

The stronger the team, the more solutions they'd have when facing threats—and that wasn't a bad deal for him either.

Ding Yue eagerly took the TM Disc and quickly transferred the funds.

Then she held the disc above her Talonflame's head. "Okay, so… how do I use it?!"

She was giddy with anticipation.

Pay-to-win players hated games where everyone had to grind!

Su Bai pointed to the top of the TM Disc. "It says so right there. Just hold it over your Pokémon's head. If it's compatible, it'll automatically learn the move. If it's not, the device won't be used up."

After all, there were still only about a hundred Pokémon released so far. There was no comprehensive list of which Pokémon could use which discs.

This method was the only way to test compatibility.

Ding Yue nodded and nervously placed the TM Disc on her Talonflame's head.

The small disc glowed softly and vanished into the Talonflame's body.

"Flare! Flare!"

Talonflame flapped its wings excitedly, letting out a cheerful cry.

Watching through the Pokédex copy, Ding Yue saw that the move Fly had appeared in Talonflame's move list.

"Wow, that was so easy!"

She gasped. "It really learned it just like that?!"

Just slap a disc onto its head and it learns a whole new skill? Magic!

Pei Jingguo, watching nearby, couldn't help but comment bitterly, "Compared to that, the way Awakened Ones learn skills is pure suffering…"

For him to master a sword technique, it would take months of grueling practice—barely scratching the surface.

And Pokémon? Just boop and done in seconds.

Humans versus Pokémon… it's just not fair.

Su Bai chuckled. "Well, that's where you're wrong. Pokémon aren't that different from people."

"The TM Disc only teaches the move. In reality, Pokémon still need to build up their proficiency, though it's not visibly displayed."

"For example, Meloetta knows Acrobatics, and so does Talonflame."

"But even if Meloetta suppressed its stats to match Talonflame's, its use of Acrobatics would still be far superior."

Hearing her name, Meloetta nodded proudly. "Melo~ Melo~!"

Her trainer was absolutely right!

A move's power can differ greatly depending on who's using it!

"In the end," Su Bai continued, "a Pokémon's development can't be entirely quantified by numbers."

"Take Gyarados, for instance—back when it was still a Magikarp, Xiao Fei trained it so hard that it learned Tackle on its own."

"There weren't any TM Disc back then!"

Xiao Fei scratched his head sheepishly but beamed with pride.

"So remember—these devices are just one way to learn moves. With the right training approach, Pokémon can still learn new skills ahead of time."

"A devoted trainer can raise their Pokémon's strength by multiple tiers."

"On the flip side, even pseudo-legendaries or mythical Pokémon won't show their true power if paired with a clueless trainer."

"That's why I keep emphasizing—"

"Pokémon only grow stronger with their trainers."

Su Bai had a point.

The current Pokémon world was still in its early stages. Death beasts roamed the outside world, and humanity lived in hardship. Development couldn't afford to be slow.

Things like TM Disc were absolutely necessary right now.

But once the world stabilized, full-fledged professions like Pokémon Trainers would surely emerge…

Only when all systems were in place would the Pokémon world truly be complete.

Everyone fell silent at his words, lost in thought.

Well—almost everyone.

A baby-faced girl suddenly puffed out her chest. "I get all that! I really do! But I still want to draw!"

"I want my Infernape to learn a cool move! Something like Groudon's Precipice Blades!"

Su Bai looked at her, exasperated. "If you really want to pull, I won't stop you."

"But there's something I haven't mentioned yet…"

"Once the three-day Pokémon descent event ends, you'll be able to find various items during wild exploration."

"Evolution stones, rare berries, valuable items… oh, and TM Disc too."

The moment he finished, a scream echoed from inside the temporarily closed Pokémon Center.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER?!"

Wang Tao wailed in anguish.

Su Bai spread his hands innocently. "You didn't ask… and you rushed in so fast. I figured I'd let you be the example."