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

The wind blade howled through the air, spiraling mercilessly toward Li Xiaoyu.

And Li Xiaoyu—she had no way out.

"This is it… it's really over…"

Her face turned ghostly pale.

She had witnessed Pei Jingguo barely fend off one of these wind blades with a sword slash earlier.

Even someone like him had struggled—how could she possibly do better?

As a magic-type combatant, she lacked the speed and reflexes of a swordsman. Even if she started chanting now, there simply wasn't enough time!

Just as she was about to shut her eyes—

A shadow flashed across her vision.

"Buuuu—eiii!!!"

With a desperate cry, Umbreon darted into her line of sight like a streak of black lightning.

THUD!

A dull, sickening thump—like a blunt knife sinking into flesh.

The wind blade crashed into Umbreon's body, sending it tumbling.

Li Xiaoyu could only watch in horror as her loyal partner took the hit for her.

Umbreon crashed to the ground, grievously injured.

But its intervention worked—the wind blade deflected skyward, its lethal arc broken.

"Umbreon!!"

Li Xiaoyu screamed and rushed to catch the falling Pokémon in her arms. She frantically fumbled in her pockets, pulling out every healing potion she had, spraying them across Umbreon's bruised and bloodied body.

Only when she saw the wounds slowly fade did she finally exhale.

Umbreon was never built for speed, yet it had just used Quick Attack, leveraging its priority move to forcefully intercept the wind blade before it could reach her.

And that was a Tier-2 Legendary's attack…

If not for Umbreon's naturally high defenses, the result would've been unthinkable.

Li Xiaoyu was visibly shaking—goosebumps crawling across her skin.

"Breeeaaayaaa!!!"

But Articuno wasn't finished.

It hadn't targeted Li Xiaoyu randomly.

It was her Jolteon—a pure Electric-type.

And Electric-types were the natural nemesis of Flying-types like Articuno.

Even in its rage, corrupted by deathly energy, Articuno's combat instincts remained sharp.

Any trainer wielding Electric Pokémon… must die.

"Breeeeeeee—"

The long, piercing cry sent a fresh wave of dread through everyone.

Each attack from this Tier-2 legendary had come like a thunderclap—relentless and merciless.

"Did… did it just cry out for fun?"

"Did it calm down a little?"

Wang Tao scratched his head, confused by the lack of immediate assault.

"Calm down, your ***—!"

Li Xiaoyu suddenly looked up, her instincts screaming.

She could feel it.

The killing intent—the focus.

The target was still her.

Her eyes locked onto a growing green glow high in the sky.

It pulsed with a dangerous aura, its razor-sharp edges gleaming like forged steel.

Articuno's wings still hadn't stopped flapping. The Hurricane hadn't truly ended.

This time, though, it wasn't scattering wind blades in every direction—

It was controlling a single, concentrated blade, strengthened and precisely aimed.

"Sky Splitter!"

A flash of white light streaked through the air—Pei Jingguo had released his sword aura.

He'd noticed the green glow too.

But no matter how fast he was, even an A-rank swordsman couldn't intercept a Tier-2 Legendary's direct strike.

Even he couldn't do it.

His white sword beam was shattered upon impact.

The wind blade continued undeterred—its target, unwavering: Li Xiaoyu.

"I'm done for…"

Li Xiaoyu stared helplessly as it closed in.

Then, like an arrow, a figure leapt into the air!

In the howling storm, the long sword in her hand erupted into flames.

"Done for? Screw that!"

"I won't let my friends get hurt again—not in front of me!"

Ding Yue grit her teeth, eyes blazing with determination.

She poured every ounce of magic into her enchanted sword and swung with all her might.

BOOM!!!

The impact exploded through the air.

Ding Yue was knocked back with even greater force than her charge.

She plummeted.

Her prized sword—crafted by a master S-rank blacksmith—was now shattered at the hilt.

The upper half had disintegrated entirely.

Her wrist twisted grotesquely—broken.

The sheer force of the wind blade and the rebound was too much for her.

She wasn't strong enough to truly stop it. Not alone.

Even so…

That blade—imbued with the best materials money could buy—redirected the wind slash just enough.

The attack flew off-course… and finally dispersed.

Articuno's control over it shattered.

"So what if it's a Tier-2 Legendary? I'm filthy rich!"

Ding Yue, shaking from pain, tossed aside the now-worthless hilt.

She glared up at Articuno and raised both middle fingers with a triumphant grin.

No one—no one—was going to harm Li Xiaoyu again.

She'd already come too close to losing her best friend once.

"Screeeeeech!!"

A cry rang out nearby—Talonflame soared through the wind.

Ding Yue glanced at it.

Confused.

The bird was flying toward her with urgency—too late.

The next moment, her stomach dropped.

The wind had shifted.

Her falling path had changed.

She was no longer plummeting toward Torterra…

She was falling straight toward the frozen cliff below.

The ice was only seconds away.

With the force of the redirected wind blade and gravity accelerating her—Talonflame couldn't catch up in time.

Even for a Magic-Sword dual class like herself, this impact…

was certain death.

"Am I seriously gonna die here?!"

She didn't have time to answer her own question.

Because something caught her arm.

A strong pull.

A hand gripped her own tightly—Li Xiaoyu's hand.

She had reached out at the last moment and caught Ding Yue.

CRACK!

A gruesome crack echoed from Li Xiaoyu's arm.

As a mage, she wasn't built for raw strength.

That one grab… completely destroyed her right arm.

Pain wracked her body.

But when Ding Yue looked up in shock, Li Xiaoyu just smiled through the agony.

"You think I'm letting you get away with saving me? Dream on."

"And that big-ass bird up there—"

Her voice, warped by pain, now trembled with rage.

"You think I'm just a little kitty, huh? You wanna see a tiger?!"

Behind her, her Pokémon began to glow with golden light.

Jolteon, shimmering with energy, stepped forward.

Above its head, a pair of white glowing hands formed—hovering in midair.

They clapped once—quietly, but unmistakably.