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

"Hey hey hey!! Don't come any closer! STAY AWAY!"

"I'm terrified of needles! Waaaah!!"

Just moments ago, Liu Yunlan and Ding Yue had been laughing at Wang Tao's misfortune. Now? Their expressions had completely frozen.

Because Wang Tao wasn't the only one charging toward them—the swarm of Beedrill and that giant Electrode were right behind him!

Those enormous stingers? One jab could be fatal!

And as for Electrode—no girl would be okay getting electrocuted into charcoal! Just look at Wang Tao's scorched, pig-faced disaster. No one wanted to end up like that!

And yet, behind him trailed a very large—and clearly very angry—Electrode.

Would one zap turn them into black-faced toads like Wang Tao?

But the real shocker?

After downing a Speed Serum, this fat man was moving blazing fast—far faster than anyone expected!

Say what you will, but he was giving it his all.

Before anyone could react, Wang Tao's swollen, unrecognizable face was already right in front of them, grinning in a way that made it hard to tell if he was smiling or in pain.

"Eh heheh... j-just wanted to see... if you all... still wanted to laugh..."

His slurred speech was hard to decipher, but the message was clear.

Liu Yunlan's face turned ghostly pale, and her Infernape instantly stepped forward to shield her.

The other Pokémon didn't hesitate either, quickly moving to protect their trainers.

Watching the chaos was one thing.

Getting caught in it? That was another story entirely.

Just one look at Wang Tao's face told them these Bug-types were not messing around.

"Infernape, use—"

Liu Yunlan had barely begun to command when Su Bai's voice cut her off sharply.

"Don't! Are you trying to cause a massacre?!"

He didn't doubt their combat capabilities.

With three fully evolved starters, plus Pokémon like Eevee, Talonflame, Machamp, Gyarados, and Corviknight...

There was no way a swarm of Beedrill could threaten them.

But they weren't trying to capture the Beedrill.

There was no need to hurt them unnecessarily.

Su Bai gave a subtle nod, and Diancie floated forward, waving her tiny arms gently.

"Beedrill friends, calm down~ We're not here to invade your territory. No need to be so upset, okay?"

Charizard snorted loudly, sending sparks flaring from its nostrils.

"Melooo~!"

Meloetta also smiled sweetly, echoing the message in her own melodic tone.

Pokémon could communicate with one another.

Even if humans couldn't understand their speech, each species had distinct personalities.

Beedrill were notoriously aggressive. They'd chase intruders without mercy—and they held grudges.

Anyone who angered a Beedrill swarm often ended up being hunted for miles. Wild Beedrill were no joke.

But aggressive didn't mean stupid.

Even though Arceus's lore hinted at wild Pokémon harboring resentment toward those caught by humans, they still understood power.

And this group?

They weren't just powerful—they had mythical Pokémon in their ranks.

Outnumbered and clearly outmatched, the Beedrill stopped mid-charge, hovering tensely in the air, watching warily.

Just like that, a potential war dissolved before it even began.

Sure, they could've taken down the Beedrill.

But Su Bai knew—Pokémon were not Death Beasts.

He had no desire to disrupt their ecosystem.

Even when seeking new team members, Su Bai had always preached one principle in Haicheng:

Only throw a Poké Ball if you truly want to form a bond.

So far, humanity—scarred by years of Death Beast terror—had upheld that ideal.

Even though human nature could change and villains would inevitably rise…

Until the Death Beasts were wiped out, this guiding principle would likely endure.

Seeing the Beedrill calm down, Su Bai turned and waved the others forward.

"Alright, let's move. Exploration continues."

"Wang Tao... finally understand why Bug-types aren't to be trifled with?"

"Wait… Wang Tao? Why are you still standing there?"

Su Bai glanced back, confused to see Wang Tao still frozen in place.

Everyone else had started moving again after the threat had passed.

Why was he just standing there like a statue?

"Th-this ball… it's glowing…"

Wang Tao's curious muttering reached Su Bai's ears just in time for him to glance over.

And the moment he did, his face turned pale.

"Crap—this thing's gonna self-destruct!"

"SELF-DESTRUCT?!"

"What's self-destructing?!"

"Wasn't it already over?!"

The rest of the trainers spun around—just in time to witness a truly terrifying scene.

The Electrode's body was pulsing with electricity, hundreds—thousands—of times more intense than before!

Sparks danced furiously in the air.

And its round body was visibly swelling, its expression twisted with wild defiance.

A massive surge of energy was building up inside this bomb of a Pokémon.

"Run—no, it's too late!"

"Diancie! Use Protect!"

Su Bai's shout was instant.

Diancie raised her hand, and a shimmering, transparent shield materialized in front of the group.

And just then—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the field.

The ground beneath the Electrode split open, blasted into a crater by the sheer force of its self-destruct.

Winds howled.

The Beedrill in the sky wobbled like drunken bees, tossed about in the shockwave.

Moments later, the pressure wave hit.

The Beedrill lost all coordination and dropped like stones—falling to the ground like dumplings in a pot.

Only Su Bai's group, safely behind Diancie's barrier, remained unharmed.

Even so, the force of that self-destruct stunned everyone.

"H-holy crap… that thing's got one hell of a temper...!"

"Did it really just blow itself up?! No hesitation?!"

"That's… a bit extreme… don't you think?"

They stared at the smoldering crater, where Electrode lay barely conscious, its energy spent.

Even after the Beedrill had stopped attacking, it still chose to detonate.

That wasn't just hot-blooded—that was straight-up psychotic!

Su Bai's mouth twitched.

He'd completely forgotten this part.

Electrode had always been infamous for one thing:

Unprovoked self-destruction.

In the games, catching one was pure pain.

Fight it for too long—it'd explode.

Sometimes, it didn't even wait for a hit.

Even if you tiptoed around it, just trying to fill your Pokédex, it would still blow itself up without warning.

In the anime? Pretty much the same story.

Every Electrode was a walking time bomb.

Boom!

While everyone was still dumbstruck by the explosion…

A lone Poké Ball flew through the air.

It tapped the fallen Electrode—still smoking and twitching on the ground.

Click.

With a soft pop, the Poké Ball opened and pulled the weakened Pokémon inside.

It gave one light twitch… then dropped quietly to the earth.