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

Su Bai's rousing speech triggered a tidal wave of cheers from the trainers.

At the very front of the crowd, Wang Tao, Liu Yunlan, and the others couldn't hold back their excitement, waving their arms as they shouted, "New world! New world!"

Su Bai chuckled and nodded to Zhu Jianyuan.

Catching the signal, Zhu Jianyuan gestured to the city staff beside him, who began distributing stacks of paper among the trainers.

As everyone received their copy and eagerly examined its contents, Su Bai explained:

"This sheet is your Explorer's Guide."

"It contains the locations of all the Pokémon Adventure Stations, as well as safe travel routes."

"And we owe special thanks to the Ding Group for making this possible—setting up all these adventure stations in such a short amount of time is no small feat."

Among the crowd, Ding Yue proudly puffed out her chest, especially when she noticed Uncle Lin standing beside Zhu Jianyuan, watching with a pleased smile. After all, the Ding Group was her family's business!

"While out in the field, you'll be able to visit the adventure stations to restock on potions, purchase TM discs, or even trade Pokémon."

"I trust this map will be a great help on your journeys."

The crowd lit up with delight at this news.

The Pokémon Adventure Stations were like oasis rest stops scattered throughout the wild.

Most of the trainers understood that once they set out, it would be difficult to return to Haicheng for a while. After all, their bags could only carry so many supplies.

Even seasoned Awakeners, who often undertook long missions to hunt death beasts or retrieve rare materials, looked overjoyed—outfield resupply was usually their biggest pain point.

Now, that problem had been solved.

This was a major win.

Then Su Bai's tone shifted as his face turned more serious.

"Next, I have a few rules that must be followed."

"First—yes, the Poké Balls sold at Pokémon Centers and Adventure Stations can capture wild Pokémon."

"However, the success rate is quite low if you try to catch one outright, and it might provoke the Pokémon—possibly even trigger group aggression."

"So please, do not throw Poké Balls blindly. Make sure you're prepared before making a move. Recklessness can get you hurt… or worse."

"Second—generally speaking, the closer you are to Haicheng, the weaker the wild Pokémon will be. The farther out you go, the stronger they get."

"So choose your route based on your strength. Don't go charging into danger."

As he said this, Su Bai's eyes swept toward the forest in the distance.

They were currently standing between Haicheng and the Cliff Valley. Beyond the empty field lay dense woodland, where Pokémon had now fully emerged.

Even from here, Su Bai could spot several Kakuna clinging silently to tree trunks, and a few Oddish gathering curiously by the roadside, watching the trainers with wide, blinking eyes.

"And finally… the third rule."

Su Bai grinned mischievously.

"To promote more Pokémon battles and help you train your team faster—"

"Every time you engage in a wild battle, it must include a wager."

"Both sides will put in at least 100 Training Points, and the winner takes it all."

"And to make it worth your while, exploring the Pokémon world will now yield far more Training Points than just raising Pokémon the old-fashioned way."

"So go on—battle, Trainers!"

"Pokémon battles are the heart and soul of a true Trainer's journey!"

At once, the previously calm crowd erupted into a loud murmur of discussion.

Though Pokémon had been around in Haicheng for a while, and most of these Trainers had at least some battle experience, opportunities had been scarce.

The city's battle facilities were constantly packed, and free matches in the city often caused property damage—drawing the ire of the City Lord's guards.

As a result, many Trainers had been forced to suppress their fighting spirit.

But now? With Su Bai's announcement, their battle fervor was reignited!

Sure, they were technically newbies—but who would admit to being a bad Trainer?

Now with Training Points on the line and a clear path to rapid growth, they were itching for duels.

You could feel the energy shift—everyone was looking around, practically daring each other to step up.

Zhu Jianyuan frowned slightly, concerned.

"Is this really a good idea? What if they all get obsessed with battling and forget to explore?"

Su Bai smiled, waving off the concern.

"Don't worry. In fact, this is the best way to get them to grow."

"Many of these Trainers still don't fully understand their Pokémon's abilities."

"But the more battles they fight, the faster they'll learn. And that makes them stronger."

"Do you really think wild Pokémon are easy to deal with? Besides Wang Tao's group, most of these guys are complete rookies."

"Battling is the safest, fastest way to boost their power."

"And besides, it helps us identify standout talent."

That last line struck a chord with Zhu Jianyuan.

He exhaled slowly and nodded in agreement.

Su Bai was right. While a large force of average Trainers was important, it was the top-tier elites who truly determined the outcome of major battles—just like how S-rank fighters often decided the fate of entire cities during death beast invasions.

Even Haicheng First High School invested its resources into nurturing top contenders for the ranking tournaments.

The strong grow stronger. And that's how it should be.

"Alright," Zhu Jianyuan said with a sigh. "We'll do it your way."

Su Bai chuckled softly and said no more.

This was, after all, a hidden rule that had been approved by his system.

As he'd suspected, the layout of this post-Pokémon world was eerily similar to Pokémon Red/Green, the first-gen game he'd played as a kid.

Weaker Bug- and Grass-type Pokémon clustered near the city; stronger and rarer ones lived farther away.

There were even items hidden in caves and tall grass—rare Pokémon lurking in hard-to-reach places.

It was like the entire world of Red/Green had come to life.

And in that world… how could we not have Trainers challenging each other to battles with every eye contact?

Of course, Su Bai wouldn't admit that this was partly him indulging in nostalgic mischief.

Ahem!

Su Bai cleared his throat and clapped his hands, halting the conversations that had started to flare up again.

As the Trainers looked at him in confusion, he raised a hand and made a subtle gesture.

A radiant pillar of light suddenly descended from the sky.

The crowd went silent.

Their confusion turned to awe.

Inside the glowing light, one figure after another began to step forward—each one graceful, composed, and clad in that iconic white and pink nurse uniform.

Nurse Joy… had arrived.