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

Even though Drill Peck was a solid move with a base power of 80, one couldn't forget that Lapras possessed impressive bulk and defenses.

And the fact that it had been able to use Hydro Pump confirmed one thing—this Lapras was high-level.

Liu Qiaoqiao's decision to seize the moment with a swift counterattack was certainly impressive, but Corviknight wasn't some miracle-working powerhouse capable of instantly taking down such a tanky Pokémon.

As a defensive-type Pokémon itself, Corviknight's attack power wasn't quite enough to one-shot a Lapras of this caliber.

Liu Qiaoqiao looked solemnly toward Lapras, who had just resurfaced.

Clearly, the Drill Peck had done real damage—there was a noticeable gash on its forehead.

That was Corviknight's battle scar.

"Still want to keep fighting…?"

Qiaoqiao instinctively slid back into her Trainer mindset.

Corviknight, sensing the shift, immediately changed posture—eyes sharp, stance tense, awaiting her next command.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Lapras… shook its head gently.

Its eyes were still pure and calm. It looked at Liu Qiaoqiao… then at Corviknight, who was flying awkwardly due to its injured wing.

"Mooo~ii~~"

Its long, melodic cry echoed across the shoreline as Lapras slowly raised its head.

One by one, crystal-clear droplets of water began forming around it.

Then, in complete defiance of gravity, the droplets slowly floated upward into the sky!

"Ah—what is this move?! How do I dodge it?!"

Liu Qiaoqiao panicked.

Countless water droplets surrounded the area like an aerial minefield. It looked like an AoE (area of effect) attack, and Corviknight's large frame made dodging nearly impossible.

Her cool-headed trainer demeanor from before vanished in a heartbeat.

What she didn't notice, however, was that Corviknight had already lowered its guard in the air.

The steel avian cocked its head in confusion as it gazed at the floating droplets above.

That's when Su Bai's voice came through the communicator ball, a soft chuckle in his tone.

"Relax, Qiaoqiao.

This move… you don't need to dodge it."

His words fell gently—like the raindrops now descending from the sky.

As the shimmering droplets rained down, they radiated a soft, rejuvenating glow.

When they touched Corviknight's wounded wing, the gentle light enveloped the injury—

And slowly, the damaged wing healed.

The tip that had been drooping just moments ago now rose, strong and firm once more.

Lapras's own injury also faded—its forehead gash healing entirely under the soothing cascade.

"Is this…?"

Liu Qiaoqiao and Zhou Xiaofei glanced at each other in wide-eyed amazement.

They could feel it—this power wasn't just restorative; it was calming, soothing their very souls.

The exhaustion from their journey melted away like mist under morning sunlight.

"This move… is called Life Dew," Su Bai explained.

"It's not an ordinary move. Very few Pokémon can learn it, and you can't even teach it with a TM."

"You could say… it's one of Lapras's signature abilities."

"Life Dew heals both the user and its allies. It's a rare supportive move."

"And since it worked on Corviknight… it means Lapras doesn't want to fight anymore."

"Congratulations, Qiaoqiao.

Lapras has accepted you."

As Su Bai's words fell, Lapras swam to shore and nudged Qiaoqiao with its head—gently, like a gesture between close friends.

"Time to take out your Poké Ball, Qiaoqiao," Zhou Xiaofei whispered, nudging her with his elbow.

Only then did Liu Qiaoqiao snap out of her stunned state and hurriedly rummaged through her backpack for a Poké Ball.

With a click on the button, a red beam of light shot out—

Lapras transformed into white light and was gently drawn into the ball.

And the moment it clicked shut—

The Pokémon Center erupted in cheers.

"She finally caught it!"

"I was getting so anxious!"

"I KNEW Lapras was surrendering the moment I saw those droplets—called it!"

"That felt like watching a fairytale become real!"

"Qiaoqiao's so cute and so cool!"

"That's it. I've decided—I want to be a Trainer like Qiaoqiao too!"

Voices of all kinds filled the center.

In the mix of adult applause were excited squeals from children.

Lapras's raw power had clearly impressed them. But what touched them even more was Liu Qiaoqiao's poise under pressure.

In that moment, the little girl had become a new idol for many kids—second only to Zhou Xiaofei.

Some even liked her more than Xiaofei.

After all, the legendary tale of Gyarados fending off three S-Class Dead Beasts was distant myth to them.

But this battle? They saw it with their own eyes.

The applause thundered across the Pokémon Center.

Su Bai glanced toward the corner of the room.

There, a graceful woman—elegant and soft—was quietly applauding too.

"What a perfect ending…" Su Bai murmured, smiling to himself.

On-screen, Qiaoqiao had already released Lapras again.

Now she was playing at the shoreline, laughing with her new Pokémon.

For a child, the beach was full of magic. It looked like she wouldn't be leaving for the next while—there was too much joy to soak in first.

Elsewhere, the other groups' explorations continued.

Bit by bit, the mysteries of the Pokémon world were unfolding to everyone watching.

Occasionally, unfamiliar Pokémon would appear.

That's when Su Bai would jump in to narrate:

"See those Pokémon chasing Wang Tao and Zhang Qun while throwing stones at them?

Those are Mankey."

He pointed to the screen, where a mob of furious Mankey was in hot pursuit.

"They're social creatures and very easy to anger."

"If separated from their group, they get even more furious from loneliness."

"And once they go berserk, they're hard to stop. So my advice:

If you see Mankey in the wild, do NOT provoke them."

"Each troop usually has a few Primeape too.

Those are on a whole different level."

"Just locking eyes with a Primeape can set it off. It's… honestly unreasonable. Even after beating you up, it'll STILL be angry."

"They say it only calms down when alone… but no one's ever seen that happen."

"So yeah. If you piss off a Mankey troop… good luck."

Su Bai's gaze shifted back to the screen.

Wang Tao and Zhang Qun were running for their lives—

Bruised, battered, and pelted with rocks.

Su Bai twitched slightly at the sight.

There was a time when Wang Tao had drawn a Dream Ability Turtwig, making Su Bai think he was unusually lucky.

But now?

It seemed like Wang Tao had used up all his luck.

Even with the legendary "lucky guy" Zhang Qun at his side, it wasn't enough to offset Wang Tao's disastrous fortune.

Looking at the giant lump on Wang Tao's head from a flying rock, Su Bai narrowed his eyes.

"…Don't tell me this guy's getting himself injured on purpose…

Just to go see Nurse Joy?"

Note: I'll update more chapters later. 😊😊😊😊