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

"Damn, that's brutal!" Su Bai watched, lips twitching slightly.

He didn't expect them to be this brave, this was a full-scale Death Beast siege!

Su Bai was well-read: Death Beast tides were rare, but each one meant utter devastation to human settlements.

An attack led by five or more SClass Death Beasts had occurred fewer than ten times in recorded history.

Seven of those cities turned into ruins; the other three barely survived, with mounting casualties.

And now? The regular Pokémon store customers? They're clearing waves of Death Beasts like it's a game, and gaining experience?

Under Grotle's leadership, the Haicheng First High student team carved through the beast tide like a hot knife through butter, splitting it apart, easing pressure across other fronts, and relentlessly chasing the densest clusters.

Combat efficiency was absurdly high. Other professional fighters, bloodied and gasping for breath, were astonished.

"Thanks so much! You're the students of Haicheng First High?!"

"Holy, look at that beast! Grotle?! Are these—Pokémon?! Am I timetraveled?!"

"These students are amazing."

Every time the Pokémon moved in, veteran warriors got precious breathing room.

But their kill-rate? More like a butcher's massacre.

Wait, this was a Death Beast siege? Why did it feel more like stampeding mobs being massacred?

Thanks to their serpentine dodging paths, Su Bai's task-progress bar went into overdrive!

In minutes, it climbed from under 10% to a staggering 93%.

"Just a little more—!" Su Bai panted. "This is it—the 'Ultimate Strike'!"

The system defined it as the Ultimate Strike, a legendary one-hit kill, a fightender. He was hyped just thinking about it.

But suddenly…

A series of deafening roars emerged from the rear of the beast tide.

Su Bai's mind froze. He saw several enormous Death Beasts charging toward Ji Wei's and the students' positions.

Holy crap, they were being BOSS-tagged.

Even Ji Wei, an A-Class veteran, wasn't enough to hold them off.

Only two people in sight had the power to: Principal Lu Liangpeng and City Lord Zhu Jianyuan, the two S-Class humans.

Would their task fail now?

Su Bai glared at the nearly full progress bar. It'd hurt so much to fail at the last few percent!

As for whether Meloetta could handle S-Class beasts? Su Bai had absolute confidence.

If an Mythical Pokémon like Meloetta couldn't stand against S-Class Death Beasts, what hope was there?

Just then, two figures burst from the wall, one tall, one short, one muscular, one gaunt, yet both radiating immense power.

"S-Class—they're here."

"Only two?" mused Su Bai as he watched them fly out: City Lord Zhu and Principal Lü.

But, these were five SClass Death Beasts total!

Three charged at Ji Wei, two at the students. Their mission was simple: pop the choke point.

One S-Class Death Beast roared and unleashed a trampling shockwave, the wind-slicing shock waves from its roar cleaved through front-line A-Class Death Beasts, halves tumbling down.

The gap between S-Class and A-Class was an immense chasm.

Ji Wei, pulsating with rage, into berserker mode, axes nicked and chipped from cleaving A-Class bones.

But upon hearing that roar, he snapped to consciousness, his face drained.

"I'm gonna die here."

Even Liu Yunshuang felt desperation.

"How do you defend against S-Class?"

The shockwave swept toward Ji Wei, but then…

With a thunderous boom, a complex barrier erupted before him.

Floating in midair was Principal Lu, gripping a modest magic staff.

He dropped his protective stance:

"Three… only three?" he muttered, then took a breath:

"Well, just try and stop me."

He raised his staff.

City Lord Zhu shouted to the city guard below:

"We've got this, push forward and support the other fronts!"

Then, tearing off his clothes in amusement, he grinned:

"Never thought I'd say it, but you kids really are stronger than I was at your age."

His voice turned cold as he roared Berserk:

His muscles bulged, veins popping. He leaped like a meteor into the fray.

Two unsuspecting A-Class Death Beasts charged him. But his metallic spear struck like a dragon, skewering both simultaneously.

Holding them aloft, he waved at the charging S-Class beasts:

"Want to invade Haicheng? You'll have to get through me first!"

As S-Class and A-Class fought on the front lines…

S-Class beasts twisted around him. Principal Lu conjured flaming Lava Ring, trapping three S-Class Death Beasts.

But they shifted course toward Principal Lu, their intent murderous.

"Haha! Let me show you old folk too can fight!" he roared, casting Chain Rock Spikes, impaling one S-Class beast and flipping it over.

His goal: drag and stall until reinforcements arrived.

The S-Class beasts retaliated, expelling Death Qi, breaching the magma barrier. One struck, bursting Principal Lü from within, though not fatally.

But S-Class beasts gained momentum and surged toward him, the pressure mounting.

Then: Meloetta arrived.

"Melooo~etta!!"

She cried, bursting into the magmatic ring in a blazing flaming sword of light.

Principal Lu gasped, was it really her?

That blazing speck became a trail and entered the battlefield.

Only Meloetta could act that quickly.

She dove into a S- Class beast's before it could retaliate, and unleashed a furious sequence of punches like a stream of fire.

Her flaming red hair whipped, her fists blurred—a Fighting-type offensive on the S-Class beast itself!

120-power Close Combat hit landed at point-blank range.

Su Bai, watching all this through system vision, licked his lips.

He'd learned hot tricks in literature class, but this was nextlevel.

"Even without unleashing the ultimate move, her display of finesse and timing… damn, principal, you teach like a human playbook."

"Meloetta, you're just too cool."

Farther ahead, the students and Wang Tao's team were still mopping up experience. The progress ticked to 97%… 98%… 99%…

Then Meloetta's yell rang out:

"Melooo~etta!!"

In that moment, something changed.

A massive bear-like Death Beast had used War Stomp, its AOE shock splitting space and sending Principal Lu flying out of the Lava Ring.

Two S-Class beasts moved in. This was a coordinated attack, aimed at killing Principal Lu.

He had no room to dodge, the shock disrupted him.

Lu Liangpeng stared at the approaching giants, his chances looked bleak.

At the last second…

From above, a fiery spear of red light struck one of the S-Class beasts.

It staggered. Meloetta had descended from the ring to intercept, saving Principal Lu in the nick of time.

Another figure dove in as well, an unfamiliar trainer who tackled the second S-Class beast by surprise, body-slamming it away.

This wasn't a trained warrior, but they'd just lifted a towering S-Class Death Beast as if it were nothing.

The trainer turned to reveal himself: Su Bai, hair messy and clothes dirty, offering a sheepish smile.

"Uh… Principal, you know, I never was much good in physical education…"