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

While gently patting Jigglypuff on the head, Liu Yunshuang suddenly remembered something and turned to ask:

"By the way, Shopkeeper Su, that student named Wang Tao, did his Pokémon evolve recently?"

"Yunlan called me yesterday, chattering on for ages about how her Chimchar evolved into Monferno."

"So when will my Jigglypuff evolve? I've taken her on missions with me, she's got plenty of battle experience, right?"

Er....

Su Bai suddenly found himself in an awkward spot.

That question… was actually a bit hard to answer.

He rubbed his nose and said,

"Well… as of now, Jigglypuff can't evolve just yet."

"Her evolution condition is quite unique. She needs a special item—a Moon Stone."

"Currently, the shop only sells potions and berries. Those special evolution items aren't in stock yet…"

"What?!"

The mischievous older sister narrowed her eyes.

"Seriously, Boss? And here I was thinking you were supposed to be a professional!"

"So what now? My Jigglypuff's just going to stay like this forever?"

Su Bai scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Of course not. It's just that we don't have a Moon Stone in stock yet."

"Once business picks up, I'll look into sourcing one."

He obviously couldn't explain that the system wouldn't let him sell evolution stones until he leveled up the shop…

Special-evolution Pokémon were always tricky. Without the item, there was simply no way to evolve them.

It made him look like he was selling fake goods or something.

Liu Yunshuang stared at him for a moment, then waved her hand with a grin.

"Fine, fine. I believe you."

"After all, if you can get your hands on something as miraculous as Pokémon, I won't push too hard for answers."

"Besides, even if I asked, you wouldn't tell me, would you?"

"So what you're saying is... the better your business does, the faster you'll be able to restock, right?"

Su Bai nodded quickly, relieved.

There was really no point digging further.

Even if she pressed him for answers, he wouldn't be able to say anything meaningful.

What was he supposed to say—"I've got a shopkeeping system"?

As for anyone coveting the pet shop's secrets, Su Bai wasn't worried in the slightest.

Inside the store, he was invincible.

Even if an S-rank Awakener showed up, he wouldn't flinch.

As he nodded, Liu Yunshuang's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"In that case, just wait here!"

Without another word, she spun around and strode quickly out the door.

Su Bai and Ji Wei exchanged glances. Ji Wei handed over his Poké Ball and said:

"Uh… Boss, can you help heal mine?"

"That woman's always like this. You'll get used to it."

"Dun-dun! Dun-dun-dun!"

"All done."

Su Bai returned the Poké Ball to Ji Wei and said:

"Even though Sandile lost, in terms of raw combat potential, it's a very worthy Pokémon to train."

"How you train it from here is up to you."

"But an A-rank like you doesn't need me to spell things out, right?"

Ji Wei laughed heartily.

"Of course! The best training is through battle!"

"As long as I'm tanking for it, Sandile will get plenty of experience without facing life-threatening danger."

Su Bai nodded.

This was exactly the advantage high-ranked professionals had when raising Pokémon.

Ordinary people could only grind slowly on weak monsters.

But professionals like Ji Wei could let their Pokémon punch way above their level.

And A-rank combat power was no joke.

As the two chatted, Liu Yunshuang came storming back into the shop, holding a bag.

"Su Bai, I almost forgot, are you attending the ranking tournament tomorrow?"

Su Bai blinked, then nodded.

As the owner of a pet shop that sold Pokémon, and with his partners making their official debut in the tournament, of course he had to go.

Liu Yunshuang smiled slyly.

"Perfect. Then take a look at what I brought."

She plopped the bag onto his desk.

Su Bai opened it and pulled out a few neatly folded outfits.

"I had these made for those three kids to wear during the match. A little free marketing."

"Trust me, this'll boost your business big time!"

"And once your profits roll in, my Jigglypuff can evolve too!"

"Is it that amazing?"

Su Bai raised a brow as he unfolded one of the garments.

The material was undoubtedly high quality.

No surprise there, an A-rank wouldn't cheap out on uniforms.

But that wasn't the issue.

The real issue was the printed text.

"Su's Pet Shop – Home of Magical Pokémon!"

"The Elite's Final Choice—The Awakener's Best Partner!"

"More loyal than contract beasts, stronger than contract beasts, more reliable than contract beasts!"

"Su's Pet Shop – Guiding You to the Pinnacle of Power!"

Below that were details like store policies and the address.

Su Bai blinked.

"Isn't… isn't this a little too blatant?"

"And will they even wear these?"

"Wang Tao probably won't mind, but Liu Yunlan and Murong Nan are both girls... won't they be embarrassed?"

He'd certainly considered doing some advertising before.

But nothing could beat the exposure of the Haicheng First High School Ranking Tournament.

Thanks to his bond with Wang Tao, getting him to help wasn't a problem.

But convincing the two princesses, Liu Yunlan and Murong Nan, to advertise for him?

He wasn't that optimistic.

Liu Yunshuang chuckled and packed the clothes back into the bag.

"Don't worry about that."

"I practically raised those girls. I've got this."

"It's settled then! Tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., I'll come pick you up."

"Let's go watch the tournament together!"