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

"If that hit connects directly, that Monferno might be in danger…"

Just as Ji Wei instinctively furrowed his brow in concern—Monferno, midair, twisted its body just before the tip of the blade made contact.

With an astonishing display of agility, it narrowly avoided the point of the sword!

"Ah!"

A cry rang out from Ding Yue.

Her longsword suddenly became unbearably hot from the intense heat radiating off Monferno's body!

With a clang, the weapon slipped from her grip and clattered to the ground!

Before she could react, Monferno slammed squarely into her—knocking her off her feet in a chaotic tumble!

But at the very moment of impact, Monferno's flames were completely withdrawn.

Instead of a scorching blow, it was pure momentum that sent her flying!

"What incredible control!"

Ji Wei was visibly impressed.

"Even most B-rank professionals couldn't pull off that kind of precision!"

This was still just a school ranking match.

Though minor injuries were common, intentional harm was unacceptable.

The fact that Monferno had managed to pull back its flames right before striking—while still delivering a solid hit, spoke volumes not only about its combat control...

…but more importantly, about its remarkable intelligence.

If this were an ordinary contract beast, the flames would've seared Ding Yue on contact.

She would've ended up seriously burned.

Everyone present understood that well.

Since when could contract beasts show this level of judgment?

Not to mention that this Monferno's control over flame intensity and heat was on an entirely different level than any contract creature.

If it had been a contract beast, the best-case scenario would've been that it only scorched its own trainer by mistake.

The arena erupted into thunderous applause!

Every pair of eyes locked onto the flame-tailed monkey now standing proudly at Liu Yunlan's side, awestruck and stunned.

"This creature… there's no way it's a normal contract beast!"

Up on the stage, the aging principal jumped to his feet in excitement.

"Contract beasts don't behave like this!"

"This entire battle… I witnessed an entirely new kind of combat!"

"This… this is true synergy! A spiritual connection!"

"Could this mean humanity's future will truly be… different?"

His emotion wasn't unfounded.

As an educator who had spent decades nurturing talent to fight the Death Beasts…

This moment, this revelation was deeply moving.

Both Liu Yunlan and Wang Tao had proven through battle that Pokémon were not just rare pets.

They were powerful, intelligent partners.

Fellow warriors.

And the implications were enormous.

Even those who hadn't thought that far ahead could sense it now:

Despite being called Su's Pet Shop, what they were selling… wasn't mere pets.

They were selling trustworthy combat companions.

The venue buzzed with noise.

Monferno's strength and its final, flame-withdrawing maneuver had shocked everyone.

In the center of the ring…

Ding Yue, still sprawled on the ground, felt as though her bones had come apart.

And yet, the searing pain she'd expected… never came.

Barely able to lift her head, she glanced toward the victorious Liu Yunlan, who was now celebrating beside Monferno.

In that moment, she understood everything.

"How much… for that Pokémon?"

she asked weakly.

Liu Yunlan proudly lifted her chin.

"This one? It's a Grand Opening commemorative edition starter Pokémon!"

"The bond between me and Monferno can't be measured in Federation credits…"

"But… since you asked, I'll generously tell you."

"Just a million!"

Thud!

Ding Yue's head dropped straight back onto the stage floor.

Unconscious.

But right before passing out, her mind whirled through some rapid calculations:

Her enchanted high-grade armor…

Her custom longsword…

All the other gear she'd invested in…

The total value? Over one million.

"Should've bought a damn Pokémon…"

That was Ding Yue's final thought before fainting.

"Ding Yue has lost consciousness! The winner of this match is—Liu Yunlan!"

"Congratulations! You now advance to Rank 7!"

"You are still eligible to challenge for higher rankings!"

As the head instructor's voice rang out, medics rushed onto the stage to carry Ding Yue off.

Yunlan leapt down from the platform, eyes gleaming with battle hunger..

She began eyeing the remaining six top-ranked fighters like a predator surveying prey.

She was brimming with confidence now.

"Yunlan, your match is done. Now it's my turn."

Just as she pointed toward a certain warrior in the top three with clear intent to challenge—

A cool voice interrupted her from behind.

Murong Nan.

The cold beauty had been waiting patiently, her target already in mind.

"Let's go. Our match is next."

She stepped in front of a girl, looking her squarely in the eye.

"This time, I won't lose."

Her opponent was Li Xiaoyu, the 5th-ranked C-rank fire mage.

Last time, Murong Nan had narrowly lost to her.

Though their levels were similar, Murong specialized in water magic, while Li Xiaoyu was fire-based.

The result had been a close but unfortunate defeat for Murong.

Standing next to Su Bai, Liu Yunshuang casually introduced the two to him.

"Xiaoyu's slightly stronger by rank, but her element's weak to Murong's."

"Still… that didn't help her win last time."

The school's ranking system was always based on actual combat performance.

There were no excuses.

No element match-ups considered.

"If you're weaker, you lose."

In the wild, no fire mage could ask a Death Beast to please switch to water.

So, Murong Nan saw no shame in targeting someone with a fire-based element.

Su Bai nodded quietly.

"Life in this world really is survival of the fittest…"

This was the jungle law, plain and simple.

Anyone on the losing end of elemental matchups had to figure it out themselves.

That's why awakened fighters often formed teams, to cover each other's weaknesses.

But in ranked matches?

That didn't help you one bit.

Li Xiaoyu didn't argue.

She simply nodded and walked calmly onto the stage.

Neither of the two girls were the chatty type.

But their elements?

Fire and Water.

Opposites in every way.

The crowd roared again with excitement.

"Clash of the ice queen and fire princess?"

"This is gonna be good!"