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

There was no doubt about it—this Pokémon was no ordinary creature.

With its blue-and-black markings arranged across a face resembling that of a wolf or jackal, it exuded a powerful, commanding aura. The colored fur on its body—blue, black, and yellow—naturally formed a pattern that looked almost like a sleeveless top and shorts.

Sharp spikes jutted out from the back of its hands and from its chest, lending an even fiercer edge to its appearance.

It stood just over a meter tall. Slender, lean, almost childlike in stature—yet to any awakened fighter, height was never a true measure of strength.

Especially not when this Pokémon had just shattered a massive boulder with a single kick.

"Is it friend or foe?"

Pei Jingguo looked up at the mountain, then back at the Pokémon standing before him, uncertain of what to make of it.

Most wild Pokémon had already fled the area. The fact that this one was charging up the mountain instead? There was no way it was just a coincidence.

Given that Articuno's berserk state likely stemmed from the corrupted death energy they had encountered earlier…

If this Lucario was also affected—then things could get ugly fast.

"Liii—Liii!"

A deep rumble followed, and Machamp caught a house-sized boulder with all four arms, heaving it to the side with a grunt.

Then, as if not to be outdone, it strode forward and posed heroically in front of the unfamiliar Pokémon.

Lucario calmly looked up at Machamp, utterly unbothered.

Xiao Zhang scratched his head, taken aback by the surreal scene unfolding in front of him.

Honestly, despite Machamp's hulking, muscular figure, most humanoid Pokémon weren't actually that tall.

Machamp only stood around 1.6 meters—less than one might expect, considering his massive build.

Lucario was even shorter. Compared to Machamp's brawn, Lucario's figure was far more lithe, giving the strange impression of a sixth grader squaring off against a fourth grader.

Despite their tense standoff, a much bigger problem was still crashing toward them:

"RUMBLE——!!"

Another enormous boulder, this one studded with jagged icicles, came crashing down directly toward the two Pokémon, radiating a crushing momentum.

"Trouble…"

Xiao Zhang clenched his fists and exhaled sharply, preparing to leap into action.

But then—he froze.

The unfamiliar Pokémon quietly raised its hand.

A strange energy—foreign yet oddly familiar—began to coalesce around its palm.

A soft blue glow flickered to life. Without any apparent physical movement, the glowing energy detached itself from Lucario's hand…

And shot toward the boulder!

BOOM!!

With a thunderous explosion, the massive boulder was split clean down the middle—shattered into countless fragments that scattered through the air like snow.

"What the—?! What kind of move was that?!"

Xiao Zhang's eyes went wide. "Just that tiny bit of energy did all that?!"

As an elite young martial artist, Xiao Zhang was no stranger to the use of internal energy.

Yes, martial artists could project energy externally—but its power dropped significantly once it left the body. Normally, such energy was best used to enhance physical strength and defense—not as a projectile.

But that little orb of "aura"… It just blew apart a mountain-sized rock!

"What… kind of Pokémon is this?!"

Lucario stood there, expression calm, not even winded—sending a chill down Xiao Zhang's spine.

This thing… might be stronger than I thought.

Suddenly, a voice came through their comms—Su Bai's.

"That's a Lucario… and I don't think it's hostile."

If Lucario had been corrupted by the death miasma, it would have attacked long ago.

The fact that it was calmly standing face-to-face with Machamp instead of starting a fight?

That alone proved this Lucario's peaceful intentions.

Still, Su Bai looked more confused than relieved.

His mind was racing—utterly tangled.

As a lifelong Pokémon fanatic, he could never mistake Lucario—one of the most iconic, most beloved Pokémon in the entire franchise.

In fact, Lucario was one of his all-time favorites.

But… this didn't make any sense.

Lucario was a Gen IV Pokémon—yet the world they were in right now was still strictly within the Kanto region's ecosystem.

If this had happened inside a Pokéball facility or a Pokédex entry, he might've accepted it.

But this was the wild.

And he was absolutely sure he hadn't released this Pokémon.

At this moment, Su Bai was burning with curiosity. He wanted nothing more than to grab Diancie and rush over to interrogate this Lucario in person.

"Professor Su… um, Professor?"

Xiao Zhang waited awkwardly, wondering why the professor had gone silent again.

Snapping back to his senses, Su Bai cleared his throat and grabbed the mic, forcing himself to resume the explanation.

After all, even if Lucario's appearance was baffling, it was now a confirmed presence—and he still had a job to do.

"Lucario is a dual-type Fighting/Steel Pokémon, classified as an 'Aura Pokémon.'"

"The energy that just shattered that boulder was its Aura Sphere, a manifestation of its ability to harness aura."

But Su Bai wasn't just puzzled by Lucario's origins.

He was just as baffled by its composure.

Normally, Legendary Pokémon like Articuno could send lower-ranked wild Pokémon into uncontrollable panic. The system had made this clear when issuing the mission.

Even if Lucario had somehow "smuggled" itself into this world, it should've shown signs of fear.

But now there had been two exceptions: first that Alakazam… and now this Lucario.

Two Pokémon, both completely unshaken, even in the presence of a raging Tier-2 Legendary.

"Aura… so that's what it was…"

Xiao Zhang rubbed his chin, clearly intrigued by the externalized power that could still retain such destructive force.

"Aura is one of the unique forces in the Pokémon world," Su Bai continued.

"Modern researchers in the Paradise Era discovered that all matter emits some form of wave. This seems to hold true across different worlds."

"Lucario's aura lets it sense these waves. If its target is a living being—like a human—it can even interpret their thoughts, emotions, and spoken language."

"Because of this, Lucario only bonds with Trainers who are pure of heart."

Suddenly, Su Bai's eyes lit up.

"Wait—that explains it!"

"Aura can only read emotions and thoughts through direct aura contact!"

"I've been talking through the comm system. It can't possibly understand me."

"But you or Pei Jingguo might be able to!"

"Quick—ask it what's going on!"

"Most importantly, ask it how the hell it even got here!"

(End of Chapter)

✅ Pokémon clarification:

The unknown, powerful Pokémon is indeed Lucario, known for its ability to sense and manipulate aura (波导).

The move that shattered the massive boulder is Aura Sphere (波导弹).

Lucario typically appears in Generation IV (Sinnoh region), which makes its presence in a Kanto-based world a major anomaly.