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

"Trainer… huh?"

Zhu Jianyuan repeated the word slowly, his expression solemn, chewing over the implications.

The students from Haicheng No.1 High had performed outstandingly in the siege against the Death Beasts, and those cute yet ferocious creatures fighting by their side had left a deep impression on everyone.

"It hasn't even been that long since your awakening as a Pokémon Trainer, right?"

Su Bai nodded calmly.

"That's right—less than two weeks, actually."

Zhu Jianyuan's heart skipped a beat.

Two weeks?!

In just two weeks, a group of inexperienced students had grown into a key fighting force in a war against S-Rank Death Beasts? That was unimaginable.

Even a genius Awakener like Pei Jingguo had trained day and night for years to reach his current power. But these Pokémon? They grew this fast?

Su Bai saw straight through Zhu's thoughts and quickly explained:

"It's not quite what you think, City Lord."

"A Pokémon's strength is indeed partly based on its innate talent, but more than that, it's deeply tied to its Trainer."

"A strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon—genuine emotional connection—is the key to rapid growth."

"And that growth demands real, brutal battles. The ones you saw perform so well? Most of them gained that strength through fighting Death Beasts head-on."

Pokémon don't level up by just sitting around.

Take Wang Tao, for instance.

He had evolved his Turtwig into a Grotle in just a few days, but the price? He practically cleared out every low-rank mission from the Awakener's Guild by himself.

Pokémon need experience points to evolve too!

If you just raise one as a pet—sure, it'll stay cute. But don't expect it to evolve.

In that sense, they're just like human Awakeners, growth requires hardship.

"That's already incredible as it is!"

Zhu Jianyuan wasn't discouraged by what others might consider a cold splash of reality. In fact, he looked even more excited.

To an Awakener, power gained through training was far more trustworthy than any shortcut.

Contract Beasts, for example, offered instant strength, but they were notoriously unstable.

Pokémon, by contrast, were far more reliable and controllable.

Can Anyone Be a Trainer?

Suddenly, the headmaster, Lu Liangpeng, who had been quietly listening the whole time, spoke up:

"Could an old man like me still become a Trainer?"

"Would having more Trainers be a burden to you?"

His voice was laced with genuine concern.

Su Bai felt his heart warm at those words. As City Lord, Zhu Jianyuan focused on the strategic advantage Trainers could bring, that was understandable.

But only someone like the headmaster, who had spent his life caring for students, would worry about Su Bai's burden.

"Not at all, Headmaster."

Su Bai smiled sincerely.

"I'm only responsible for establishing the link between our world and theirs. If anything… it's not that we choose the Pokémon, but rather, the Pokémon choose us."

"And the more Trainers there are, the better it is for me."

"Age or physical condition doesn't matter. Anyone can become a Pokémon Trainer."

"Besides… you're an S-Rank Mage, Headmaster. You're more than qualified."

Su Bai half-lied—the system was the true reason he could summon Pokémon, but his words weren't wrong either. And the part about the headmaster being strong? That was the absolute truth.

After all, the more Trainers there were, the more the Pokédex would unlock, and the faster his system could upgrade.

"Is that so? Then I feel relieved."

Lu Liangpeng grinned:

"In that case, how about I help you out and become a Trainer myself?"

"What do I need to do?"

Su Bai scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed as he glanced between the two elders.

"Well… it costs money."

"The cheapest Pokémon is 200,000 credits. The most expensive one… is 80 million."

Lu Liangpeng's hand froze midair. His aged face twitched in disbelief.

"…Sorry, I must've misheard. How much?"

"Eighty million?!"

Su Bai winced and nodded.

If it were up to him, he'd happily gift the old man a Pokémon, but the system's pricing rules were unchangeable.

A heavy silence filled the room.

A faint red hue crept up the old headmaster's cheeks.

In theory, a position like his, headmaster of an Awakener academy, should come with plenty of "side income." At the very least, the government salary alone was generous.

But Lu Liangpeng had always lived simply and used most of his stipend to fund underprivileged students.

If Su Bai's parents hadn't left him some savings, he might've been one of the headmaster's sponsored students himself.

Even the cheapest 200,000-credit Pokémon… was beyond reach.

The atmosphere grew so awkward, Su Bai felt he could dig a three-bedroom house into the floor with his toes.

The headmaster's hand just hung there—neither up nor down—face burning in shame.

A Friend Steps In

After a long pause, Zhu Jianyuan pulled out a card engraved with the Dongshen Federation insignia.

"Use this card…"

It was his personal savings, years of emergency funds tucked away.

Though his wallet ached, he couldn't just watch the old headmaster struggle like this. Even if he wasn't exactly wealthy, a few hundred thousand was manageable.

As for what his wife would say when he got home…

He'd cross that bridge when he got there.

Su Bai looked between the two men—Zhu's pained expression and the old headmaster's stubborn silence.

He sighed deeply and offered weakly:

"Maybe we… shouldn't go through with this?"

Middle-aged men… truly pitiful.

"Absolutely not!" the two shouted in unison.

They stared at each other in surprise, and in their gazes, shared the same unspoken resolve:

"We can't lose face in front of the kid!"

Lu Liangpeng coughed into his hand and straightened up.

"Ahem… it's fine, Su Bai. We're Haicheng's leaders, aren't we? We can afford this much."

"These marvelous creatures aren't expensive at all."

"Even if you're not saying it, I know you're probably paying some great price to summon them."

"This cost? Totally fair. In fact… very reasonable."

"And besides, we might be able to file for reimbursement—cough, cough…"

"Now come on, child. How does the process work? I'm curious."

The Headmaster's Pokémon

Su Bai wordlessly raised both hands.

With a flash, a massive Pokédex appeared in front of them.

"These two old guys… really hoping for a refund, huh?"

he thought, shaking his head.

Even outside the pet shop—and without its invincibility buff—he could always summon the Pokédex from the system called Pokémon's Home.

He placed the Pokédex beside the bed, and then skillfully brought out a card reader.

"Alright, Headmaster. Place your hand on the Pokédex. It'll select a Pokémon for you."

"The price… will be revealed once the selection is complete."

Lu Liangpeng nodded and pressed his old hand to the device.

The screen shimmered, flickering through multiple images—then settled on a silhouette.

Su Bai's eyes widened.

"This guy?!"

He had expected the old Mage to draw a Ground-type Pokémon. But this choice?

Both Lu Liangpeng and Zhu Jianyuan leaned forward eagerly.

They stared at the screen.

A clown-like figure resembling a human mime appeared.

Just as they were about to speak, a loud beep! from the card reader interrupted them.

Then came Su Bai's announcement:

"That'll be 1.5 million credits. Congratulations, Headmaster—you've drawn a great Pokémon."

"Its name is… Mr. Mime."

A white light flared—and a shadowy humanoid figure materialized at the foot of the bed.