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

In the backyard of Su's Pet Shop…

Ji Wei was cracking his knuckles with excitement.

"So, ready yet?"

"A Songstress dares to go one-on-one with a Berserker? Don't blame me later, Liu Yunshuang!"

Liu Yunshuang chuckled.

"That's why I asked you to go easy, didn't I? Still, my Jigglypuff's a brave one. Right, Jiggly?"

"Jiggly~ Puff~!"

Jigglypuff puffed out its little chest and let out a feisty cry toward Sandile, surprisingly fierce for such a round and squishy Pokémon.

"Just remember, Pokémon battles are nothing like Awakener duels..."

Su Bai muttered under his breath, glancing at Liu Yunshuang's side-eye.

That look clearly said, Don't mess this up for me.

"Ahem… Then—let the match begin!"

Su Bai coughed twice and gave the start signal.

Sandile perked up, lowered its stance, and launched forward like a bullet!

"That's it! Go, Sandile! Charge!"

Ji Wei shouted gleefully from the sidelines.

"Jigglypuff may be cute and good at Hypnosis, but it takes way too long to prep it!"

"Back during that B-rank anomaly cleanup, I noticed, without someone up front tanking hits, she can't pull it off!"

Though Ji Wei gave off a brawny, brute-force vibe, it was clear he wasn't as simple as he seemed.

After all, becoming an A-rank Awakener, even as a Berserker required more than just strength.

He'd planned this battle from the start.

Jigglypuff wasn't as fast as Sandile, so he was determined not to give it any setup time!

As soon as Jigglypuff opened her mouth to sing, Sandile had already dashed in close, forcing the lullaby back down her throat with wide, startled eyes.

Su Bai nodded approvingly from the sidelines.

This was real combat awareness.

Even though it was Ji Wei's first Pokémon battle, his instincts as an elite fighter guided his choices.

Hypnosis may be Jigglypuff's killer move, but unlike the games or anime, the opponent won't just stand still and let her sing.

In reality, Hypnosis requires time, and Sandile wasn't giving her any.

"But knowing Liu Yunshuang... She wouldn't challenge a teammate without a backup plan."

Su Bai glanced at her calmly sipping tea.

She was an A-rank Awakener too, after all.

Sure enough, Liu Yunshuang gently called out:

"Jigglypuff, Defense Curl—now!"

Jigglypuff's wide eyes blinked, and she curled into a ball, her fluffy pink body shimmering faintly with a metallic sheen.

A simple move like Defense Curl, commonly used by low-level Pokémon, was enough to significantly boost her defense.

Sandile swung its tail—smack!

Jigglypuff bounced into the air like a rubber ball and rolled backward, but seemed completely unharmed.

As Sandile moved in to follow up—

"Jigglypuff, use Charm!"

Her eyes sparkled.

"Jiggly~ Puff~!"

A magical WINK fired off like a psychic arrow straight at Sandile.

The tough little croc froze in his tracks, his menacing face suddenly twitching with an awkward blush.

Instead of lunging to attack, Sandile reached out with his stubby forelegs and—

"Thump!"

—lightly bonked Jigglypuff on the head with the gentlest of punches.

"Pffff—!"

Su Bai spat out his tea.

Of course he recognized that move, it was Charm, which sharply lowers the opponent's Attack.

But… this effective?!

Sandile, a Pokémon destined to evolve into the fierce and fearsome Krookodile, looked like he'd been struck by Cupid's arrow!

The tone of the battle had completely changed.

Ji Wei's face turned red, then green.

"S-Sandile! What are you doing?! Attack her!"

He looked like he was about to charge in himself.

But Liu Yunshuang, ever the composed elder sister, smiled faintly.

"Jigglypuff—now, use Sing."

Jigglypuff blinked adorably and began to hum.

"Jiggly~ puuuuff...~"

Even Su Bai, who wasn't the target, felt his eyelids get a little heavier.

Sandile, already dazed and docile from Charm, swayed on his stubby legs like he was drunk.

The effect was immediate, his eyes grew glassy and heavy.

Just moments later, they shut completely as he collapsed onto the ground… snoring.

"Sandile! Wake up!"

Ji Wei shouted in frustration.

This was his first Pokémon battle as an A-rank Awakener!

His Sandile had cost him 900,000 Credits, far more than Jigglypuff's 600,000.

And Jigglypuff's role, just like her master's, was that of a Songstress, a class considered weak in one-on-one combat.

Berserker classes typically had high damage and fast reactions, they could usually interrupt a Songstress before her chant even finished.

That's why Songstresses had a reputation for being bad at duels.

But now?

His Sandile had walked straight into her trap.

As Ji Wei shouted hopelessly, Jigglypuff raised her chubby pink fist—

"Wham!"

Right on Sandile's head.

Ji Wei flinched.

Sandile stirred, but didn't wake.

The Sing status was still holding strong.

Jigglypuff's fists suddenly spun like twin hammers as she unleashed a Pound barrage on Sandile's poor head.

"Wham!"

"Wham!"

"Wham!"

"Wham!"

The courtyard echoed with the sound of snoring and relentless thumping.

"Man, that sleep song has serious lingering effects..."

Su Bai grimaced.

Clearly, Pokémon skills here had some game-like rules.

Normally, anyone would wake up if hit hard enough, but not Sandile.

This was just like in the games: even if you're getting clobbered, sleep won't wear off unless the RNG says so.

And evidently, Ji Wei's luck wasn't great.

Sandile, now covered in bumps, was finally withdrawn into his Poké Ball—still fast asleep.

And just like that, Ji Wei's first-ever Pokémon battle as an A-rank Awakener…

…ended in a total loss.

"And the winner is—Liu Yunshuang and her Jigglypuff!"

Su Bai declared.

Jigglypuff skipped proudly over to Liu Yunshuang, chirping excitedly.

"Jiggly~ Puff~ Puff~!"

Liu Yunshuang bent down and patted her head repeatedly, smiling with pure glee.

After all, what could be more satisfying than a harmless prank on a teammate?

For someone as cleverly devious as Liu Yunshuang, this was a perfect little win.