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

The next day, the Pokémon Center was as lively as ever.

To help Liu Qiaoqiao better adapt to life as a Pokémon Trainer, Su Bai gave Zhou Xiaofei the day off and asked him to accompany her in getting familiar with Pokémon.

At this point, nearly everyone in Haicheng who could afford a Pokémon had already purchased one.

Only a few had managed to gather enough training points to buy Evolution Stones or high-end battle items.

The rest relied on Ditto to get what they needed.

So Su Bai wasn't particularly busy.

But, clearly, staying idle was a luxury he could hardly afford these days.

Sitting behind the counter, Su Bai looked at the scene in front of him with a helpless expression.

The area near the TM (Technical Machine) display had become completely packed.

TMs cost only 500 training points each—far cheaper than other battle tools, which usually cost several thousand.

This made them an affordable gamble, especially for those who believed in "lucky single draws."

As a result, many hadn't pulled the skills they wanted and had turned the Pokémon Center into a chaotic, bustling bazaar.

Dozens of people waved TM discs in the air, shouting over one another:

"U-turn! Looking to trade for a Fighting-type move! Willing to add cash!"

"Stomp! Base power 60, with a slow debuff. Want to trade for Lunge!"

"Dragon Tail! Anyone want it? Forces the opponent to switch out…"

"Mud-Slap! Makes mud projectiles, lowers accuracy… only 30 base power. Anyone? I'll even sell it if I have to…"

Shouts like these echoed throughout the center, creating a frenzy of trade.

Su Bai had originally wanted to tell them to take their dealings elsewhere.

But thinking about the upcoming Pokémon exploration event, he understood their desperation to improve.

After all, TMs were only truly useful in the hands of the right Trainers and Pokémon.

And really, was there a more natural place for exchanges than the Pokémon Center?

With that in mind, Su Bai reluctantly decided to tolerate it.

"Looks like I'll need to set up a dedicated trading area here at the Center..."

He murmured to himself, "There's enough space, anyway. The lobby's huge and mostly empty."

It almost felt intentional—as if the system had anticipated this.

Despite the massive size of the Pokémon Center, the main hall had been left mostly clear, perfect for building a proper exchange zone.

Then again, luck seemed to be in short supply.

Sure, all moves had their use—but there was an obvious gap between top-tier and subpar TMs.

Moves like Baby-Doll Eyes and Mud-Slap had noticeably higher draw rates.

Amid the chaos, an unspoken exchange standard unique to the Pokémon Center was rapidly taking shape.

That poor guy stuck with Mud-Slap? He'd probably be forced to sell it off at a loss…

Meanwhile, the lucky Trainer who drew U-turn made a fortune—traded it for Low Sweep, a solid Fighting-type skill, and even pocketed 100,000 Federation credits on top!

"Looks like a unique economy is forming. Can't argue with the invisible hand of the market…"

Su Bai sighed after observing for a while.

This was just another way Pokémon were changing the world.

Scenes like this used to only happen in the Death Beast material markets.

Now, while those markets still existed, their importance had clearly declined.

Before, offense-oriented gear sold better and fetched higher prices.

But that was no longer the case.

Now, defensive and survival-based equipment was in high demand, fetching increasingly high prices.

Trainers and Awakened Ones had realized that protecting themselves was more important than charging recklessly into battle.

Pokémon had plenty of offensive power on their own—and they were advancing fast.

The Trainer's job was to stay alive, not play hero.

As Su Bai mulled over these shifting dynamics, a soft knock tapped the countertop.

Looking up, he saw Murong Nan and Liu Yunlan walking in together—followed by Zhang Qun and Wang Tao, dragging a large Torterra along with them.

"Oh hey… wait, shouldn't you guys be training right now?"

Su Bai raised an eyebrow. Earlier that morning, they had rushed into the training rooms the moment the center opened.

Training grounds were limited, and Su Bai didn't offer special treatment.

If they had left already, someone else had definitely snatched their spot.

"Well… we were training," Liu Yunlan replied seriously. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized—I need to take it a step further."

"I, Liu Yunlan, the strongest future Trainer, will claim the number one spot in exploration progress!"

"My Growlithe has heard the call of destiny!"

Su Bai was baffled and turned toward Murong Nan.

Murong translated with a sigh, "We were discussing how to boost our training progress… and then Yunlan suddenly decided to use her points to evolve Growlithe."

"Once the others heard that, Zhang Qun and Wang Tao tagged along too."

"So… yeah, that's what happened."

Su Bai nodded in understanding.

Growlithe's evolution wasn't tied to level—it only needed a Fire Stone to become Arcanine.

Liu Yunlan had enough training points to afford one.

But she had always been saving up for expensive high-end items—some costing over 10,000 points.

Now, it seemed her determination to top the exploration rankings had overridden her desire to hoard points.

"Alright then," Su Bai chuckled, reaching behind the counter to retrieve a gleaming Fire Stone.

"Battle gear can be found in the wild too. But this? A Fire Stone for just 3,000 points? Definitely a wise choice."

Liu Yunlan winced, pressing her hand to the Trainer Registry panel and watching as her hard-earned 9,200 training points dropped by a third.

"I was so close to affording a Focus Sash… ughhh, but Growlithe deserves it!"

She moaned in agony—but her eyes sparkled with excitement as she picked up the Fire Stone from the counter.

She turned to Growlithe, gently stroking its head.

"My sweet Growlithe… I spent big for you. You better look amazing after this, alright?"

Growlithe wagged its tail and barked twice with enthusiasm.

Without hesitation, Liu Yunlan pressed the Fire Stone against Growlithe's forehead.

A radiant red light erupted, enveloping Growlithe.

This rare Pokémon, valued in the millions…

was about to evolve!