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

This time, Principal Lu finally heard Zhu Jianyuan's words. He silently took off his glasses and wiped them clean with force…

Then carefully placed them back on.

His expression mirrored Zhu's—utter confusion.

His students, battlefield rookies who hadn't even graduated yet...

Were actually performing this well?

"That Grotle was already impressive when it blocked Pei Jingguo's sword…"

"But to think it'd be this strong in such a brutal battlefield?"

Lu Liangpeng had spent a lifetime teaching students, training countless exceptional talents.

But a scene like this? Even he had never seen anything like it.

This man—an S-Class powerhouse who had witnessed countless battles—was now completely stunned.

Out on the battlefield, the students of Haicheng First High—with Grotle leading the charge—were slowly but resolutely advancing into the beast tide.

While other professional teams were struggling to defend their ground...

These kids, whom he still saw as wet-behind-the-ears novices, were charging upstream against the current?!

"Aside from Grotle, those other Pokémon… They look like plush toys for kids, and yet they're actually this powerful?"

Zhu Jianyuan couldn't believe his eyes as he watched a Gible unleash Dragon Breath and blow off the head of a C-Class Death Beast.

He recognized the Trainer, Zhang Qun!

Son of the man who, despite being a civilian, rose to become one of Haicheng's top tycoons thanks to his sharp instincts.

Their family's business was practically an economic pillar of the city.

If memory served, Zhang Qun himself was only D-Class, and even that was heavily boosted with resources.

So how could he be doing this well in a battle like this?

"Is that Gible… really that strong?"

In the eyes of Zhu Jianyuan and Principal Lu, these students were practically cheating.

Charging into the beast tide, against all odds, showed not just power, but unbreakable spirit.

But just before this incredible scene…

"Zhang Qun! You stole my kill again!"

Liu Yunlan's Monferno had both fists glowing a deep red, its Attack stat had ramped up tremendously.

Even though Power-Up Punch had only a small chance to increase attack power…

Monferno had already hammered dozens of Death Beasts, stacking its power to the max.

Liu Yunlan was feeling on top of the world!

But then Gible's Dragon Breath blew the head off a Death Beast that Monferno had just beaten within an inch of its life.

"That's what Su Bai calls kill-stealing, isn't it?!"

Unforgivable.

Zhang Qun held Gible like he was carrying a walking rocket launcher, spitting out blast after blast of powerful Dragon Breath.

Hearing the accusation, he hurriedly apologized:

"Misunderstanding! It's just a misunderstanding! Gible's way too excited right now, I can't control him!"

"How about I pay you back with some PP meds?"

He quickly pulled a bunch of PP Recovery Potions out of his bag, items he had stocked up on from Su's Pet Store, and started passing them around.

Just like in the games, Pokémon in real life couldn't use moves indefinitely.

In games, PP (Power Points) limited how many times each move could be used.

In the real world, it was more like mana or "blue energy", the stronger the move, the more energy it consumed.

It made sense.

In the games, the most powerful moves often had only 5 PP.

Even with PP Up, they might only reach 8.

So in massive battles like this one, mana potions became critically important.

Being able to refuel in the middle of combat? That was a huge strategic advantage for Pokémon Trainers.

Professionals like Pei Jingguo, when they used powerful moves, were completely drained afterward.

Unlike Pokémon, they couldn't just pop a potion and keep going.

"Hmph. You better!"

Liu Yunlan grumbled as she took the PP Potion from Zhang Qun and fed it to Monferno.

Then she started looking around for new targets.

That's when she noticed—

Because their side was too efficient, the number of Death Beasts nearby had visibly decreased.

Beast tides attacked indiscriminately, regardless of who stood before them.

But this side had cleared them out so quickly that their battlefield had started to look… empty.

Put simply:

Their kill speed was faster than the spawn rate.

"Dang it… Grotle's Growth still has time before it wears off…"

Wang Tao sighed, directing Grotle to bite down and finish off a beast.

"It's such a perfect grinding opportunity. It'd be such a waste to just let it go!"

Liu Yunlan strongly agreed:

"Monferno's attack just reached its peak! These few monsters aren't nearly enough to keep us going!"

Ding Yue nodded frantically too. Just a moment ago, her Fletchling had learned its first elemental move—Ember!

Even though the flame was still weak, she could feel her Fletchling growing at an insane rate.

An opportunity like this?

She wouldn't miss it for the world.

Especially with rich-boy Zhang Qun around…

This guy was like a walking treasure dispenser.

Any item you needed, just reach out, and he'd hand it to you.

Combine that with Grotle's rock-solid protection, and Ding Yue could clearly see—

This was the best chance she'd ever have to raise her Fletchling.

"Looks like those guys behind us took a big chunk."

Pei Jingguo glanced behind them, a bit speechless.

Their impressive performance had drawn in more and more people.

Not just other Trainers, but even some clueless bystanders who were simply looking for shelter under the metaphorical "big tree."

As a result, their share of the beast tide's pressure had been significantly reduced.

In normal circumstances, this would be great.

After all, who wants to risk their life if they don't have to?

These Death Beasts weren't here to play.

But right now? That just wouldn't do.

Because while beast sieges were dangerous, there were always A-Class squads moving around to intercept the more elite Death Beasts.

Anything below A-Class couldn't even pierce Grotle's defense.

Where else would they find such an ideal grinding spot?

"Why don't we… move in deeper?"

Wang Tao rubbed his chin and said:

"There are clearly fewer Death Beasts here. Why not head deeper in and help relieve pressure on the other fronts?"

He hadn't forgotten the true purpose of this fight.

Haicheng First High wasn't the only front under attack, other defense lines were barely hanging on.

The Haicheng City Guard was taking the brunt of the assault and had already suffered heavy casualties.

Wang Tao never forgot: they were here as professional Trainers.

Their job was to protect Haicheng!

This guy might be a bit cheeky, but under Su Bai's influence, his values were rock-solid.

Not to mention…

Those Death Beasts? They weren't monsters—

They were walking EXP points!

And just like that, with the dual motivation of farming EXP and protecting the city…

Everyone immediately agreed with Wang Tao's idea.

Grotle's heavy footsteps shifted into a bulldozer-like charge straight into the depths of the beast tide!