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

"Eh? Pei Jingguo's team is progressing fast… they've already encountered a Pokémon like that?"

Suddenly, in the corner of the screen, a small head peeked out from the grass.

"Swish!"

A pale white bone came flying from the creature's tiny frame—

Thud!

—striking Machamp square in the back.

But Machamp didn't budge an inch.

The bone spun back through the air and returned to the little creature's hand.

"Huh?"

Pei Jingguo and Xiao Zhang were slightly stunned. They turned to look.

A small Pokémon, wearing a skull-like helmet and shaped like a baby dinosaur, was baring its teeth and waving its arms at them.

"What kind of Pokémon is this? I've never seen it before… looks like we've reached a more advanced area."

Most of the Pokémon they'd encountered so far had been Bug- or Grass-types.

To run into something completely new—unseen until now—meant their exploration had pushed deeper into the wilds.

Pei Jingguo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Beside him, his short-tempered Pawniard flexed its arms, clearly eager to go mess with the little guy.

In the world of Pokémon, when a Trainer appears with a team, it's common for wild Pokémon to attack the Trainer's Pokémon rather than the Trainer themselves.

That's why the bone had been thrown at Machamp, and not Xiao Zhang.

Watching this unfold, Su Bai's eyes lit up. He quickly picked up a communicator from the table.

From the small orb on Xiao Zhang's chest, Su Bai's voice rang out:

"Don't scare it off yet. Since it's a new Pokémon, let me give you all a quick lesson."

Back at the Pokémon Center, Su Bai faced the large crowd—many of whom were now wearing warm, indulgent smiles—especially the delighted children.

As the man responsible for bringing Pokémon into this world, Su Bai felt obligated to share some knowledge.

Especially about this particular Pokémon… one that carried a very special story.

"This thing can transmit voice too?" Pei Jingguo was startled by the sudden voice from the orb, but instinctively signaled Pawniard to stop its advance.

While Pawniard held back, the wild Pokémon did not.

It kept throwing bones relentlessly at Pawniard, who swatted them back like it was playing a game of catch—frustrating the little one to the point of hopping up and down.

"This Pokémon is called Cubone," Su Bai began, voice calm and warm.

"Also known as 'The Lonely Pokémon.'"

He couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the broadcast feed—his eyes falling on Cubone.

Even though the team had ventured deeper into the wilderness, it was clear their real-world survival experience wasn't just for show.

They were handling the encounter easily.

"Don't be fooled by its tiny, fierce-looking exterior. In truth, many Trainers wouldn't fare so well against it."

Su Bai snapped his fingers, and Rotom zoomed in with a close-up of Cubone's helmeted head.

"Putting strength aside for a moment… this Pokémon has a very unique story."

"The bone on its head? It's not something it was born with."

"Every Cubone wears the skull of its deceased mother—and never lets anyone see its real face."

"If you look closely, the stains on the bone are actually tear tracks."

"Despite its tough exterior, Cubone is incredibly emotional."

"When it's lonely, it cries loudly. And when it does, the skull shakes and makes a rattling ka-la-ka-la sound—

That's actually where it gets its name."

"Under the full moon, it often dreams of its mother's face… and wakes up crying."

"So even though this little guy might look aggressive, deep down, it's one of the most emotional Pokémon out there."

Su Bai's gentle explanation silenced the previously lively crowd.

Many of the children, upon learning the origin of Cubone's name, instinctively turned to hug their mothers.

"…Pokémon have such deep stories too," someone murmured.

Zhu Jianyuan sighed deeply. "They really are nothing like those Death Beasts…"

Humans are emotional creatures—especially in an era plagued by death and monsters.

Loss was common, but common didn't mean it was easy to accept.

Some single-parent families in the crowd had already begun quietly shedding tears.

One small Pokémon—at this moment—had touched the hearts of all of Haicheng.

"They're truly different…" Liu Yunshuang whispered. "I've seen Death Beasts kill their own young without hesitation…"

"They're just pure cruelty and violence. Compared to them… Pokémon are like angels."

"Even if they are angels," Su Bai corrected, "they're still dangerous angels."

"Pokémon can and will attack humans. But the world was never meant to belong to humans alone."

"I think… this change is a good thing."

"If Pokémon are here to reshape the world, then it's time for humans to learn how to live alongside them."

Truth be told, Cubone's power wasn't to be underestimated.

Anyone who thought they were harmless just because they were cute might end up with a broken skull from that bone club.

Back on the screen, Pei Jingguo nodded thoughtfully after hearing Su Bai's broadcast.

Originally, he'd intended to knock out the Cubone for some quick EXP.

It's worth mentioning: wild Pokémon can die.

But unlike in games, they don't fight to the bitter end.

Like all living creatures, they instinctively flee when they're badly injured.

Which means: capturing Pokémon isn't easy.

Trainers avoid life-threatening injuries whenever possible.

But if you want to capture a Pokémon, you must first tame it.

And Pokémon aren't stupid.

If they realize they're outmatched, they usually run!

So unless a Trainer deeply understands a Pokémon, or shares some unique bond with it, it's nearly impossible to catch one.

Unless, of course, it's a special case—like when Wang Tao caught that Electrode.

The Electrode had self-destructed out of despair, nearly blowing itself to pieces.

Capturing a Pokémon is just like the games: you have to control your power precisely.

Go too far, and you might kill them. And not only will that weigh heavily on the Trainer's conscience…

Su Bai himself would not tolerate that kind of behavior.

None of the Trainers dared test that boundary.

After all, in their eyes, everything in this world had been brought by Su Bai—the Pokémon Tamer.

Bottom line: even though the Trainers were getting stronger, capturing Pokémon was still far from simple.

Pei Jingguo had no intention of capturing Cubone.

Instead, he decided to scare it off—perhaps by using a move like Scary Face, which would likely send it running.

But just as he was preparing to act—

Wham!

Machamp suddenly reached out with one massive hand, stopping Pawniard in its tracks.

With the other hand, it effortlessly caught the flying bone mid-air.

Pei Jingguo turned, puzzled.

And then he saw—

Xiao Zhang, standing in front of him, face covered in tears.

"Waaahh! This Cubone is so lonely! I'm going to catch it!"