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

The scene was undoubtedly tense—but Su Bai's expression remained calm and composed.

Thanks to the physique of a Super Rookie, he could perceive subtle details that others would easily miss.

Just as Liu Qiaoqiao lost her footing, Snorlax's hand moved.

In the midst of gasps from the crowd, Snorlax snapped its mouth shut and, with lightning-fast reflexes, brought its arm up to its face.

Qiaoqiao had instinctively shut her eyes in fear. But the next second, she realized…

She wasn't falling into darkness—but onto something incredibly soft and springy.

"Huh?"

Cautiously opening her eyes, she found herself nestled comfortably in the plush pad of Snorlax's giant paw.

"Waaah!!"

Delighted, Qiaoqiao hugged the cushiony pad tightly.

Anyone who's owned a cat knows just how squishy their paw pads can be.

If a cat's paw pad ranks seven or eight out of ten in terms of squishiness, Snorlax's giant paw pad was a perfect ten.

It was like bouncing on a heated trampoline—gentle, warm, and wonderfully springy.

So much so that Qiaoqiao buried her face in it, utterly unwilling to get up.

"Ugh… I'm so jealous…"

Watching the screen, Liu Yunshuang couldn't help but yank a lock of her Wigglytuff's curly hair.

Sure, Wigglytuff's fur was amazing, but that enormous paw pad… that had to be something else entirely.

Still, Snorlax didn't seem intent on letting Qiaoqiao frolic on its paw forever. With a flick of its hand, it gently placed her back onto its soft belly.

Then, once again—it opened its mouth wide.

Sovereign-class Snorlax, online begging mode activated.

"Heehee!"

Qiaoqiao had completely forgotten her fear.

She wasn't about to go climbing again, though. She cupped her hands around her mouth and gave a sharp whistle.

The ever-intelligent Corviknight understood immediately. It picked up another energy cube and delivered it to her.

Qiaoqiao caught it with ease and tossed it straight into Snorlax's waiting maw.

One throwing, one catching—they quickly developed a rhythm.

The sight made the kids watching in the Pokémon Center go wide-eyed with envy.

After all, feeding animals is a childhood dream—and Qiaoqiao was feeding a massive, cuddly, Sovereign-class Snorlax!

For any child her age, this was the kind of unforgettable memory that would make them the envy of every playgroup.

However, the supply of energy cubes was limited, and Snorlax was extremely fast at eating.

Within moments, every cube they'd brought was gone.

"All gone!" Qiaoqiao raised her hands apologetically.

"But Big Brother Xiaofei's still cooking! It'll be ready soon, I think?"

She pointed toward Zhou Xiaofei, still diligently stirring his portable pot.

Snorlax scratched its head with one giant claw, then gently picked up Qiaoqiao and set her back down on the ground.

Though still lazy, it made an effort to roll over and reposition itself.

From lying on its side, Snorlax turned to a prone position, its face now oriented toward Zhou Xiaofei.

It moved with such care—so gently, as if afraid to frighten Zhou Xiaofei or Qiaoqiao.

Unlike its unconscious, sleepy tossing and turning earlier, these movements were deliberate.

It was a clear sign of friendliness.

Zhou Xiaofei chuckled.

"No rush, it's almost ready!"

Inside the pot, the tree berries—thanks to the system's cube gel—were gradually taking shape into new energy cubes.

Normally, these would be cut into standardized portions for easy storage and proper rationing.

After all, Pokémon have vastly different appetites.

A Metapod might take all day to finish half a cube, while a Torterra could scarf down an entire one in minutes.

Of course, this was based on the system-grade energy cubes Zhou Xiaofei had learned to make.

Fortunately, Snorlax was finally starting to feel a little full—about thirty percent of the way there.

If not for the cubes they'd already fed it, Snorlax would have likely gone on a rampage long ago.

The delicious aroma from the cooking pot was so intense even humans were tempted to take a whiff.

And for a glutton like Snorlax? It was sheer torture.

Now lying on the ground, Snorlax stared longingly at the bubbling pot, eyes half-lidded and drool cascading from its mouth.

"Haha! You glutton!"

Qiaoqiao laughed, dodging the drool that nearly reached her shoes.

Sovereign-class Snorlax or not, that drool was like a running faucet.

She even dared to pat Snorlax's chubby cheek.

The plush fur was just too satisfying.

"Alright, alright! All done!"

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zhou Xiaofei picked up a tool and prepared to slice the freshly formed cubes.

But just as he moved—a shadow fell over him.

He looked up—only to see Snorlax's massive paw hovering above him.

"ROARRR!!"

Gyarados roared in fury, misinterpreting Snorlax's movement as an attack.

Its maw opened wide, prepared to bite down on Snorlax's claw.

After all, Gyarados was no pushover—its massive frame rivaled Snorlax's.

Even against a Sovereign-class opponent, no one touched its Trainer!

But before it could act, Zhou Xiaofei quickly stepped in and patted his loyal partner.

"Easy, Gyarados. It's okay. Snorlax isn't trying to hurt me!"

Snorlax seemed unbothered by Gyarados's aggressive display.

Its massive claw, with surprising delicacy, reached into the boiling-hot pot and picked up a cube with a single tap.

Then it tossed it into its mouth.

"Snooooor… laaax!"

With a pleased rumble, Snorlax let out a delightful, grateful cry.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll make you more!"

Zhou Xiaofei laughed.

"You really don't care if it's burning hot, huh?"

He tossed another batch of berries into the pot, grateful that Snorlax wasn't picky—because with its appetite, no amount of selectiveness could be tolerated.

Snorlax smacked its lips contentedly, eyes glued to the pot, while Qiaoqiao gleefully climbed over its fuzzy body like a playground.

While Zhou Xiaofei's handmade cubes weren't quite up to system standards, to Snorlax…

It didn't matter.

The system's cubes were gourmet delicacies, yes—but Zhou Xiaofei's cooking? Pretty great too.

And so it continued—one cooking, one eating.

Time passed slowly, and the scene on-screen began to resemble a Pokémon mukbang stream.

Snorlax had become the star eater.

Inside the Pokémon Center, even the Pokémon in the audience were entranced—drooling uncontrollably.

Many Trainers were forced to buy cubes at the Ditto-manned counter just to stop their own partners from losing it.

"Heh… Snorlax might be a great food influencer,"

Su Bai laughed, watching the chaos unfold.

Snorlax really could make anything look delicious. Not only did it have a stomach of steel—it had an iron tongue too!

Fresh from the pot, still steaming—and it ate them without blinking.

One cooking, one devouring—until finally, all the berries they had gathered were turned into cubes and swallowed whole.

At long last, Snorlax shifted from lying to sitting up.

Seeing the pot nearly empty, it picked it up and drank the rest of the broth in one go.

"Snooooor~~~ laaax!"

"Phew… you're only eighty percent full? You're unbelievable."

Zhou Xiaofei flexed his sore wrists and gave a helpless chuckle.

He had been stirring nonstop to accelerate the cube formation, and now his hands felt like they didn't even belong to him.

Still, eighty percent was enough—for now.

In this state, Snorlax would likely forage for a little more food on its own and then enter another round of hibernation.

As for catching this Sovereign-class Snorlax with a Pokéball?

Zhou Xiaofei wouldn't even dare.

Aside from the potential consequences of throwing a ball at such a powerful Pokémon…

He simply couldn't afford to feed it.

"Alright, time to go! We've already wasted too much time here."

Zhou Xiaofei patted Qiaoqiao and began cleaning up their supplies.

As far as he was concerned, as long as Snorlax didn't start causing destruction, it was fine.

They'd already lost precious time—after all, Zhou Xiaofei did care about ranking well in this exploration.

"Aww… we're leaving?"

Qiaoqiao pouted but still gave Snorlax one last hug around its soft belly before turning to follow.

But just then—

Snorlax scratched its head again and looked at the two small figures preparing to leave.

"Snooooor… laaax…"

With the aid of his aura ability, Zhou Xiaofei instantly understood its meaning.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh? You… want to give us something?"

"Wait—no. It's not something?"

He had only ever wanted to help Snorlax fill its belly.

He never expected any kind of reward.

But now—Snorlax wanted to repay the kindness?