Inside the small pet shop on the bustling commercial street...
Su Bai wearily watched yet another potential customer walk out the door after grumbling about his "outrageous prices."
It had already been three days since Liu Yunshuang purchased Jigglypuff from his shop.
And in those three days, he hadn't made a single sale.
Business was bleak, and so was Su Bai's mood.
Even the always-cheerful Meloetta wore a tiny frown on her face, mimicking her trainer's gloom.
"Melo~ Melo~…"
Su Bai gently rubbed Meloetta's soft cheek to comfort her.
"It's okay, don't worry. We're not in a rush."
He had sold three Starter Pokémon and one Jigglypuff. That was nearly four million in earnings.
Even if he didn't work another day for years, he wouldn't have to worry about running out of money.
Still, the silence in the shop was disheartening. There was something deeply frustrating about watching dust gather on your inventory.
Just as Su Bai was teasing Meloetta to pass the time, the pet shop door burst open.
Wang Tao, his face flushed with excitement, charged in, clutching a Poké Ball.
"Su Bai! Turtwig is incredible!"
"I ran out of potions and energy cubes—I need more!"
"Oh! But first, can you help heal him?"
With the enthusiasm of a man on a mission, Wang Tao carefully handed over the Poké Ball like it was a national treasure.
"Be super gentle, okay? He's my baby now!"
Su Bai lazily nodded, sliding the Poké Ball into his Pokédex.
Dun-dun, dun-dun-dun!
That familiar chime rang out, signaling the Pokémon's full recovery.
Wang Tao eagerly snatched the Poké Ball back, grinning from ear to ear.
"Heh, Su Bai, you're amazing! That advice you gave me really paid off!"
He pressed the center of the Poké Ball and released the Pokémon inside.
The next moment, a hulking creature appeared in the shop.
In an instant, the once-empty pet shop was now cramped and crowded.
Su Bai stared, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"Wait a minute… You got Turtwig to evolve already?!"
"In just three days?! What the heck did you do!?"
Indeed—the Pokémon standing before him was none other than Grotle, Turtwig's evolved form!
Its elongated body stood over a meter tall, its sturdy shell now broader, more formidable.
The sapling that once grew from its head had transformed into two thick shrubs sprouting from its back.
Just by appearance alone, this thing looked like a miniature tank!
"Grrrrooo!"
Grotle gave a low, satisfied growl and affectionately nuzzled its massive head into Wang Tao's chest.
Grinning proudly, Wang Tao stroked Grotle's head and said:
"I didn't really do anything special."
"I just cleared out nearly all the low-level missions at the guild."
"Then boom! Evolution!"
"Isn't he awesome? He even learned Leaf Blade—a super cool move!"
"Once he unleashes it, it's like a flurry of glowing swords! Like a mage's ultimate attack!"
"It's practically unbeatable!"
Wang Tao's face radiated pride.
This powerhouse of a Pokémon? He trained it from scratch.
If that didn't scream Trainer talent, what did?
Even Su Bai couldn't help but be impressed.
On his shoulder, Meloetta floated toward Grotle, curiously patting its thick armor with her small hands.
Su Bai smacked his forehead, suddenly remembering something. He opened his Pokédex.
Sure enough—the Grotle icon, once just a silhouette behind Turtwig's entry, now shone in full color!
"So evolution updates the Pokédex, too.
That means progress!"
His mood instantly lifted.
If his customers' Pokémon evolved, his shop's reputation and Pokédex data would grow exponentially.
He grinned and playfully punched Wang Tao in the chest.
"Still got it, huh, Fatty?"
"When did you get so clever?"
Wang Tao winced from the punch. It may have looked casual, but it nearly knocked the air out of him.
He gave Su Bai a skeptical glance.
Wasn't he supposed to be a near-D-rank Awakener? A tank-class Knight, no less?
When did Su Bai get that kind of strength?
Wang Tao shook his head and laughed.
"Turtwig's got insane defense, so I just took missions involving swarms of low-level Death Beasts."
"We used a counter-attack strategy—defend and chip them down. Easy kills, low risk."
"I didn't even go back to school. Just camped out at the guild for three straight days."
"Now, I've cleared almost all the low-level quests."
"I've saved up quite a bit. If I can break into the top ten in the ranking tournament, I'll finally be able to afford another Pokémon from you!"
"Honestly, if there were still more good quests, I wouldn't even bother with the rankings!"
Wang Tao waved his arms excitedly as he told Su Bai about his and Grotle's epic grind session.
Killing Death Beasts wasn't just about XP.
Their pelts and magic cores—especially from elite variants—were extremely valuable.
Between the item drops and quest rewards, Wang Tao had racked up nearly 700,000 credits in just three days!
Add that to the 100,000 he'd saved before—if he scored high in the tournament, he'd break a million!
Even if he rolled another Starter-level Pokémon from Su Bai's shop, he could afford it.
Su Bai nodded repeatedly, genuinely impressed.
He had only casually suggested the idea of quest grinding, but never imagined Wang Tao would have such innate Trainer instincts.
Grotle's current stats were excellent.
According to the Pokédex, its effort values were being distributed perfectly between endurance and defense.
It was the ideal counter-tank build, perfectly aligned with Grotle's battle style.
This was textbook-level Pokémon training.
"Melo~ Melo~!"
Just as Su Bai was admiring Grotle's data, Meloetta floated over and gently handed him a cup of steaming tea.
Su Bai accepted it with a smile, about to say something...
When the pet shop door opened again.
A young boy, still a little green and awkward, stepped through.
"Um… Excuse me… Do you sell contracted beasts here?"