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

If there were ever a perfect phrase to describe Wang Tao and Zhang Qun's expedition, it would be: "Misfortunes never come alone."

After accidentally wandering into a group of Mankey, the two had been chased across several city blocks before finally collapsing on a boulder, panting and munching dry rations.

"Huff… Huff… Damn, those monkeys are insane."

With his mouth full of compressed biscuits and a water bottle in hand, Wang Tao shot a disgruntled glare at Zhang Qun.

To avoid being tracked by the angry Pokémon troop, they had even recalled all their Pokémon back into their balls.

Wang Tao had already learned the hard way after their previous encounter with Beedrill: not all wild Pokémon can be captured with a simple toss of a Poké Ball—especially those that live in swarms.

Unless they were lucky enough to find a loner, trying to capture one from a group would only provoke a full-blown ambush!

Zhang Qun, wearing an apologetic smile, was desperately handing over high-end recovery drinks from his backpack.

After all, the stampede had started because he randomly threw a Poké Ball at a Mankey.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn't some "one-ball catch" prodigy.

The startled Mankey had screeched, summoning a horde—including a particularly intimidating Primeape who looked very much like a furious parent.

Its arms were like tree trunks, veins bulging across its forehead. Just one glance could send shivers down anyone's spine.

The two of them had fled like madmen, running for what felt like forever. Only after crossing a stream—washing off their scent—had they finally managed to shake their pursuers.

"Here, big bro, try this one! Strong stuff—should perk you up quick!"

Zhang Qun tried to play peacemaker, offering the best drink he had.

Wang Tao grumbled, rubbing the giant lump on his head. He took the bottle reluctantly—but just as he was about to drink—

The boulder beneath them began to rumble. Violently.

"WTF?! Is this an earthquake?!"

Wang Tao flinched, dropping the expensive drink—crafted by a top-tier Awakener—right onto the ground.

Before he could react, a massive head suddenly burst up next to them in a panic.

The creature didn't even glance their way.

Its enormous body, made entirely of stone segments, began twisting like a massive serpent.

BANG!

Poor Wang Tao, built more like a tank than a gymnast, was immediately flung off like a ragdoll and landed flat on his back.

Meanwhile, the more agile Zhang Qun—bolstered by his own Awakened strength—landed gracefully on his feet.

From beneath the massive Pokémon came a deafening rumble.

The giant creature was burrowing into the earth at an insane speed—like something was chasing it.

In mere seconds, it had completely vanished underground. Only the fading sound of grinding stone remained as a trail of chaos in its wake.

"Ow—crap! That thing was huge! What the heck was that?!"

"And why was it running so fast? Are we really that scary?!"

Wang Tao was on the verge of tears. Ever since this adventure started, not a single thing had gone right for him.

"Did I do something in a past life to deserve this?!"

In a moment of frustration, he pulled out a Poké Ball—inside was his pride and joy: Torterra, a special ability variant.

Just as he was about to release it for a fight—

Su Bai's voice came through the broadcast orb.

"That Pokémon just now…

It's an Onix. A Rock Snake-type Pokémon. It can dig at speeds over 80 kilometers per hour.

Don't even think about chasing it—you won't catch up."

"But what's strange is…

Why was that Onix so scared?"

Encountering an Onix wasn't rare in this region—it wasn't exactly a rare Pokémon.

But the way this particular Onix had behaved… something felt off.

It was terrified.

As Su Bai's puzzled voice echoed, Zhang Qun suddenly gasped and pointed behind Wang Tao, his voice trembling.

"B-b-big bro… Behind you…"

Wang Tao blinked, clueless.

"Behind me? What's the panic? I told you—stay c-c-calm… oh no."

His words faltered into a shiver.

From behind, the once-calm forest exploded into a symphony of panicked cries.

Pidgeotto, Raticate, Fearow, Sandshrew, Nidoran, Gloom…

All kinds of wild Pokémon were charging forward like a tsunami.

And to Wang Tao's horror—the Mankey troop from earlier was among them!

The furious Primeape from before was leading the charge, arms flailing wildly as it swung between tree branches at breakneck speed.

"AAAAAAAAH!! Big bro!!

I didn't do anything that bad!! Not this bad!!"

Even if Zhang Qun had thrown a Poké Ball at one of them, this reaction was way over the top!

The stampede's momentum made it look like an invasion—like a full-blown Dead Beast siege.

"What did I do in my past life?! Was I the mortal enemy of every Pokémon or something?!"

Wang Tao's eyes welled with tears as he looked up at the sky.

Even with Torterra at his side, he wasn't confident they'd survive this.

So he didn't even bother sending it out.

"If I'm gonna get stomped to death, better just me than dragging my partner down with me…"

Zhang Qun trembled beside him.

"All I did was throw a Poké Ball… Is that Mankey some kind of beloved forest mascot or something?!

Why's everyone going berserk?!"

"My pseudo-legends…

They haven't even evolved yet!"

His Gible and Goomy—both destined to become top-tier dragons—were still in their early forms.

If he died now, it'd be the ultimate regret.

One hundred meters. Ninety. Thirty—

The stampede was almost upon them.

The kicked-up dust had already darkened the sky.

Wang Tao and Zhang Qun huddled behind a large rock, shaking uncontrollably, clutching each other like lost children.

RUMBLE!!

The ground trembled with the thunderous footfalls of dozens—maybe hundreds—of Pokémon.

Wang Tao braced himself for the pain—

But it never came.

He cracked open one eye.

The Primeape—the very same one who had nearly beaten him to a pulp earlier—swung past without even glancing his way.

Its expression was one of pure panic.

It didn't slow down, didn't acknowledge him—just swung away, full speed.

It was fleeing something.

And so were the rest.

Even natural enemies among the stampeding Pokémon weren't fighting.

They had one, singular goal: to run.

To escape from something terrifying behind them.