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

With every heavy step Grotle took, the ground trembled slightly beneath him.

In the midst of the overwhelming tide of Death Beasts, the massive Pokémon stood tall—like a lone reef bracing itself against the coming tsunami.

"That brat Wang Tao… he might actually have the makings of a real Trainer,"

Su Bai nodded silently to himself as he watched the battle unfold.

Selling Turtwig to Wang Tao? Turned out it wasn't a waste at all.

The support move Growth, which was typically used for passive stat boosts, had been pushed to the extreme in Wang Tao's hands.

Though his Awakened talent was average at best, his instincts as a Pokémon Trainer were surprisingly sharp.

"That's the limit. Let's go!"

Wang Tao gave a cheeky grin as the horde of beasts surged closer. He leapt onto Grotle's back, waving to his teammates.

All the A-Class Death Beasts had already been held back by the top professionals.

The side facing Haicheng First High School? Full of sub-A-Class beasts.

Violent as they looked, they couldn't even scratch Grotle's current defense!

"All the better!"

Pei Jingguo laughed heartily and was the first to follow.

He understood just how monstrous Grotle's defenses were. Even the most attack-oriented sub-A-Class beasts couldn't break through it.

In its current state—powered up by multiple Growth buffs—Grotle was an unstoppable battlefield fortress!

Immediately, the students fell in line behind Grotle's enormous shell, using it as a mobile shield.

Amidst the maddening chaos of the horde, having such a walking fortress increased their chances of survival immensely.

The roars of the Death Beasts echoed as the tide finally reached them.

A particularly feral B-Class beast, drenched in the stench of blood, charged straight at Grotle.

To the mindless Death Beasts, anything that moved was a target.

BANG!

Grotle's massive tail swung like a battering ram, slamming into the beast and launching it through the air.

Even the normally dopey Grotle shared the innate disgust that all Pokémon had toward Death Beasts.

Without hesitation, it snapped its jaws around the neck of a snarling C-Class wolf-type Death Beast.

CRUNCH!

Dark-type move—Bite!

The beast was instantly torn in half!

"Nice one, Grotle!"

Wang Tao beamed with pride, patting Grotle's head.

"Holy crap, Grotle's actually this savage?!"

Even Liu Yunlan couldn't help blurting out in shock.

So it turns out Pokémon only act cute around their Trainers, huh?

"Of course it is!"

Pei Jingguo laughed as he cleaved a C-Class Death Beast with a single sword slash, energy trailing behind his blade.

Grotle's performance wasn't the least bit surprising to him.

If anyone underestimated this big guy because of his docile look, they'd pay dearly for it.

His own partner, Pawniard, didn't hold back either.

Though short and slender, with Grotle's protection, Pawniard managed to flank a C-Class beast from the side.

SWISH—SWISH—SWISH—SWISH!

The air was filled with the sound of slashing.

Its razor-sharp forelimbs unleashed a flurry of strikes so fast that the number couldn't even be counted!

Though Pawniard had only just emerged from the Pokédex and wasn't fully trained, its offensive power was deadly.

Thanks to Grotle shielding it, it could go all in.

In seconds, the Death Beast's lower abdomen was shredded to a pulp!

The wounded creature roared in pain and tried to retaliate—

But all it met was a brilliant blast of light that engulfed its entire head!

When the beam faded, the Death Beast was already lifeless.

"Finally, I get to show off my Gible's power!"

Zhang Qun, who had been added to Haicheng First High's squad at the last minute, was thrilled.

"Feel the wrath of Dragon Breath!"

Pseudo-legendaries might be tough to raise, but even in the early stages, they had access to powerful moves.

Leveling them up was slower—but their initial strength was on full display.

Dragon Breath was one of those early strong skills—lethal enough to seriously injure sub-A-Class Death Beasts.

"Wow! Pseudo-legendary moves look so cool!"

Liu Yunlan stared at Gible, eyes full of envy.

Sure, Gible was hard to raise—it had fought in a ton of battles and still hadn't evolved.

But its moveset? Super flashy.

"Heh, we're not losing either! Monferno, let's go!"

"Grotle's got Growth? Well, we've got Power-Up Punch!"

"Buff your attack power before the tougher ones arrive!"

"Growlithe, stay close and support!"

Liu Yunlan pointed toward the fray.

Growlithe let out an excited bark and lunged forward, clamping onto a Death Beast's leg.

The beast had just raised its claws to attack—only to meet Monferno's smug grin up close.

A fist the size of a soup pot, glowing faintly with energy, rained down like a storm on the beast's face!

The C-Class Death Beast—technically stronger than Liu Yunlan herself—was instantly dazed by the flurry.

Even more shockingly, Monferno's punches were hardening mid-fight!

If Liu Yunlan's battle style leaned a bit on trickery, Murong Nan's approach was pure team synergy.

Her Prinplup had leapt onto Grotle's back and, following her commands, began to spit bubbles everywhere.

"Bubble Beam! Alter the terrain around Grotle!"

The foam exploded across the battlefield, disorienting and burning the Death Beasts.

More importantly, it made the ground slick with water.

One beast, staggering from a previous blast, attempted to leap—

Only to slip and crash face-first… right in front of Pei Jingguo.

"Well, that's convenient."

Pei Jingguo didn't hesitate—sword down, beast dead.

Beside him, Pawniard was already doing its thing again, spinning like a blender into the beast's flank.

It never even got a chance to fight back.

Of course, the beast tide included more than just ground units.

Flying Death Beasts—though rare—weren't any luckier.

In a world where everyone had awakened powers, they were easy targets.

Compared to the crowded ground below, flying enemies were glaringly obvious.

One unlucky Four-Winged Murder Crow screeched down from the sky—

Only to be met with a searing burst of fire.

"Flame Slash!"

Ding Yue, a C-Class Awakened, had attacked just in time.

While her power wasn't quite enough to instantly kill another C-Class beast, she definitely had the upper hand.

The crow raised its wings to block, tanking the fire—

But just as it recovered, a tiny shadow shot forward like an arrow.

Straight into its eye.

"Fletchling, well done!"

"That was Quick Attack, right? So fast!"

"The shopkeeper wasn't lying—Fletchling's amazing!"

"Looks like price doesn't always reflect a Pokémon's value!"

Ding Yue's heart swelled with pride.

She'd just watched everyone else's Pokémon shine—and now hers had finally had its moment.

Fletchling had only just come out of the Pokédex.

And yet, it had already learned to read her intent and deliver the finishing blow!

That's the thing—Death Beasts were tough, and often survived initial attacks.

Even injured, they'd fight to their last breath—never to be underestimated.

A Pokémon like Fletchling, serving as a precise finisher, was as important as the heavy hitters.

And now, the tide was turning.

Monferno and Prinplup were already strong enough to match some B-Class Death Beasts.

At this rate, when they fully evolved, they might even crush A-Class beasts.

The wildest part?

They hadn't been out of the Pokédex for that long!

Their power-up rate was absurd!

But the real MVP was still Grotle.

After stacking six Growth buffs, Grotle stood immovable in the tide.

Every beast that charged him head-on—slammed, blocked, or sliced.

Even the occasional Razor Leaf flying off his back wasn't a one-shot move, but every hit left wounds.

And Wang Tao? Still just E-Class.

Without Grotle, he wouldn't have lasted five seconds on this battlefield.

But now, he was the brightest star on the field.

The battle blazed on.

More students began to join, many with Pokémon recently bought from Su's Pet Store.

While few could match Wang Tao's mastery, these were still trained professionals.

Their combat experience, especially against Death Beasts, was on another level compared to normal civilians.

Grotle was like a battleship sailing through a bloody sea, anchoring their defense.

With Prinplup's Bubble Beam making the ground slippery, fighting from behind Grotle was ten times safer.

Soon, more and more students gathered around Grotle, turning it into the heart of the battlefield.

Mixed in were cries from students just learning how to command their Pokémon.

And up on the wall, Su Bai's task progress bar finally began to rise steadily and surely.