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

"A Sovereign-Class… Snorlax?"

Zhou Xiaofei stared curiously at the enormous sleeping beast before him, and—just like a student in class—raised his hand and asked,

"Boss big bro, what exactly is a Sovereign-Class Pokémon?"

Beside him, Liu Qiaoqiao sniffled a little and also looked at the communication orb with wide, curious eyes.

In fact, it wasn't just Zhou Xiaofei and Liu Qiaoqiao. At that moment, everyone inside the Pokémon Center had turned their full attention to Su Bai!

Though the monitor continued showing the other teams' exploration footage—many with equally exciting scenes—this sudden mention of Sovereign-Class Pokémon had immediately stolen the spotlight.

Not to mention… this Snorlax was absurdly big!

Thanks to its sheer bulk, it was even more visually overwhelming than those notorious violent beasts.

"Looks like it's time for a little lecture again…"

Su Bai sighed, picking up the communicator while still gazing at the giant Snorlax.

"As you can see, Sovereign-Class Pokémon are generally much larger than others of their species."

"You've probably heard the phrase 'King of Beasts'. Well, Sovereign-Class Pokémon are basically the kings of their kind."

"They don't differ that much from normal Pokémon—aside from their massive size and superior strength."

"Of course, being a king, they naturally have some unique traits."

"For instance, once engaged in battle, a Sovereign Pokémon can summon allies it has good synergy with… but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

—

Truthfully, both the games and the anime hadn't provided much detail about Sovereign Pokémon.

Compared to things like Mega Evolution, Dynamaxing, or other power-boosting forms that alter base stats or abilities, Sovereign-Class Pokémon seemed… simple—just bigger and stronger.

But there was one critical difference:

Sovereign Pokémon can call for help.

For example:

Sovereign Wishiwashi could summon Alomomola to use Heal Pulse, maintaining its school form.

Sovereign Lurantis would call on Castform to use Sunny Day, which in turn empowered Lurantis's Solar Blade and Leaf Guard, while also letting Castform fire off a sun-boosted Weather Ball.

Sovereign Togedemaru was known to summon Skarmory to aid in battle.

And don't even get started on Sovereign Kommo-o, a pseudo-legendary that had once made Su Bai rage-quit as a player.

Long story short, every Sovereign Pokémon represented an immense threat.

And for a Pokémon to grow to this size—to become king of its species—its innate talent had to be monstrous.

Su Bai gave his final word of caution:

"In any case, you really don't want to mess with something like that."

"Your primary mission is exploration. Since it's not attacking you, I suggest you just leave it alone."

—

Even in the games and anime, a Sovereign-Class Snorlax was unheard of.

Whether Zhou Xiaofei's Gyarados or Liu Qiaoqiao's Corviknight could beat it was one thing—but the bigger concern was what kind of allies a Snorlax like that might summon!

—

"Aww… I see…"

Liu Qiaoqiao looked longingly at the fluffy, massive Snorlax.

From a young age, she'd always loved soft, fuzzy things.

Sure, Corviknight had feathers, but those were cold and sharp as knives.

This enormous, fluffy Pokémon… she absolutely adored it.

Even if she couldn't catch it, she wanted nothing more than to roll around on that chubby belly like a plush bed.

But then she remembered the crater Snorlax had casually created with a flick of its arm, and shivered.

She sighed and reached for Zhou Xiaofei's hand.

"Since Su Bai-gege said so… let's go, Xiaofei-gege…"

"…Xiaofei-gege?"

She tugged on him—but nearly tripped.

Zhou Xiaofei didn't budge.

As someone who had already awakened, Zhou Xiaofei's physical strength far exceeded that of most adults.

There was no way a child like Liu Qiaoqiao could pull him if he didn't want to move.

"Didn't you hear what Su Bai said?"

She tilted her head in confusion. Zhou Xiaofei always listened to Su Bai. Why not now?

—

"Shh…"

Zhou Xiaofei raised a finger to his lips and motioned for her to be silent.

His gaze was locked on the snoring Snorlax.

He didn't move a muscle.

—

"What is he doing…? Wait a second…"

Su Bai squinted at Zhou Xiaofei's odd behavior—then suddenly realized.

Aura Power!

He'd almost forgotten—after awakening as a Contract Trainer, Zhou Xiaofei had gained the ability of Aura Communication.

Was he… sensing something from this Snorlax?

But… wasn't it asleep?

—

Under everyone's puzzled stares, Zhou Xiaofei finally made a move.

He crouched down, unzipped his backpack, and pulled out some bread slices—

—then began devouring them like a starved beast!

Like he hadn't eaten in ten days!

—

"Huh?? Xiaofei-gege, what are you doing? It's not even mealtime yet!"

Liu Qiaoqiao blinked in confusion.

They'd eaten before heading out. How could he be this hungry already?

It didn't make sense!

—

Not just her—everyone in the Pokémon Center was dumbfounded.

Su Bai, the staff, the audience—they all stared slack-jawed as Zhou Xiaofei shoveled bread into his mouth like a man possessed.

"Mmff! Mmff!"

He took a huge gulp from his canteen, narrowly avoiding choking to death.

—

For the record, adventurers didn't carry much.

But the Pokémon Adventure Station didn't just supply Pokégear—it also provided medical kits, rations, and water.

So Zhou Xiaofei wasn't too worried about running out of food.

Seeing Liu Qiaoqiao staring at him like he'd grown a second head, Zhou Xiaofei scratched his cheek in embarrassment and pointed toward Snorlax.

"Um… just now, I tried connecting with it. Then suddenly, I got really, really hungry."

"And then… this happened."

—

Aura Power acts as a bridge between human and Pokémon consciousness.

But to communicate, both sides usually have to be awake and aware.

Even Dialga or Palkia, the gods of space and time, can't be contacted through aura if they're enraged or unconscious.

Zhou Xiaofei's version of Aura Power worked the same way—it depended on the Pokémon's state.

But because of Snorlax's unique Sovereign-class nature, he'd decided to try anyway.

The result?

Snorlax's overwhelming hunger somehow got transmitted directly through their mental link…

And now he was starving too.