That sentence had been spoken with such speed and conviction that no one would have guessed it came from the top-tier A-rank pop idol of the entire Eastern Divine Federation.
Liu Yunshuang's eyes were locked on the fluffy little Jigglypuff, round as a ball, unable to look away for even a moment.
Su Bai had wanted to continue with the rest of the introduction, but her intensity forced him to swallow his words back down.
With a helpless chuckle, he took her card, casually swiped it, and handed her a Poké Ball.
"That'll be 600,000 credits. Thank you for your purchase."
Liu Yunshuang eagerly accepted the Poké Ball.
With a shimmer from the Pokédex, the round little Jigglypuff bounced out, blinking its big sparkling eyes.
"Puuuu~ Puuuf~ Jiggly~ Puffff~!"
In an instant, everyone in the room was overwhelmed by its cuteness.
Liu Yunshuang wasted no time. She scooped Jigglypuff into her arms and gave it a loud smooch.
"My sweet little baby! My adorable Jigglypuff! I'm your Trainer now!"
While fawning over her new partner, she pushed Su Bai's card-reader away.
"Don't give it back yet! You've got treats for Pokémon, right?"
"Give me a bunch! As much as you can!"
"Can I get a membership card or something? No? Whatever, just load me up!"
"Money's not an issue!"
Su Bai stared blankly, then silently swiped another 500,000 credits from her card.
From the Pokédex inventory, he pulled out a stack of Poké Puffs, Energy Cubes, and a variety of berries that Jigglypuff loved.
"This is… as much as I can give for now. Any more, and you'd have trouble carrying it."
"As for membership cards, sorry—no such service yet."
"Just come by when you need more. Also, no discounts. Ever."
Rich people really are something else...
Liu Yunshuang didn't even glance at the card reader. She casually stuffed her card back into her purse.
Then, she pulled out an Energy Cube and gently held it in front of Jigglypuff's mouth.
The pink puffball's already wide eyes grew even rounder with delight. With a happy squeal, it buried its head into the treat.
The other Pokémon in the room stared at the scene, practically drooling.
That Jigglypuff eats like royalty…
Especially Turtwig.
Compared to Liu Yunlan and Murong Nan, Wang Tao didn't come from a wealthy family.
So Turtwig's meals were nothing like those of Chimchar and Piplup.
Seeing this, Liu Yunshuang giggled. She pulled out more Energy Cubes and handed them to the three little Pokémon.
Once their Trainers gave the okay, the trio of Pokémon immediately dove in, munching away happily.
Liu Yunlan's eyes sparkled as she looked around at the room full of adorable Pokémon.
"Sis, let's have a Pokémon battle!"
"It's a great way to gain battle experience!"
"Nothing but benefits!"
Liu Yunshuang raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"I know what you're thinking."
"Jigglypuff just joined me. There's no way I'm throwing her into battle so soon."
As an A-rank Songstress, her priorities were vastly different from Liu Yunlan, a mere D-rank Magic Swordswoman.
She didn't need Jigglypuff as a front-line fighter—not yet. It was far more important to nurture her slowly, carefully.
That way, her Jigglypuff wouldn't suffer needlessly.
Caught red-handed, Liu Yunlan pouted.
"You're no fun, sis…"
Su Bai chuckled.
"That's fair. Whether or not a Trainer battles is entirely up to them."
"But remember, when raising your Pokémon, it's best to focus on specific strengths."
"For example, Jigglypuff's attacks rely heavily on Special Attack."
"How you train her is up to you, of course."
Liu Yunshuang nodded thoughtfully.
Though she looked like a dazzling celebrity, she was also an experienced fighter with her own methods—ones exclusive to Songstresses.
When it came to training Jigglypuff, she was far more capable than these three D-rank kids.
"Alright, I shouldn't linger much longer."
"I was tempted to buy another Pokémon, but maybe not today."
"Jigglypuff might get jealous, you know?"
With a soft kiss to Jigglypuff's cheek, she scooped up her new partner and headed for the shop's entrance.
"Right… her concert is in two days," Liu Yunlan murmured.
"And traveling from Haicheng takes at least half a day…"
Though thrilled to see her sister, parting again so soon left her feeling a little down.
Liu Yunshuang smiled as she turned back.
"Aren't you about to take your combat evaluation?"
"If your ranking improves, how about I give you a reward?"
Liu Yunlan blinked.
"What kind of reward?"
Liu Yunshuang pointed at the Pokédex.
"You draw a Pokémon—I'll pay for it."
"I'll even cover food and medicine!"
Liu Yunlan's eyes lit up like the sun.
She waved frantically at her sister's retreating figure.
"You got it, Sis! I'll give it my all!"
Watching Liu Yunshuang disappear out the door, Liu Yunlan quickly turned to her companions.
"Let's go! We need to train, Murong Nan—hardcore training!"
"This time, I'm aiming for the top ten!"
The three girls rushed out of the pet shop, high-spirited and determined.
Leaving behind just Wang Tao and Su Bai, staring at each other.
Wang Tao scratched his head awkwardly.
"Man… if I end up drawing an expensive one, I won't be able to afford it even if I sell myself!"
Su Bai rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Actually, didn't the school say that anyone who ranks in the top ten gets a 100,000 credit reward?"
"And if you pick up a few commissions from the Adventurer's Guild, you might be able to scrape it together."
"Just don't bite off more than you can chew. Stick to missions within your skill level."
Wang Tao slammed a fist into his palm in realization.
"Why didn't I think of that?!"
At Haicheng No. 1 High, plenty of students did part-time missions through the Guild.
E-rank tasks didn't pay much, but they were also fairly safe.
Wang Tao hadn't considered it before because, as an E-rank Shield Soldier, even F-rank requests didn't want him. He was too slow, inefficient, and often left out of teams.
But now? He had Turtwig!
Turtwig alone had already wiped out a whole pack of Wolf!
Both he and his Pokémon were tanks—slow but tough. Grinding through an E-rank mission didn't sound so impossible anymore.
No teammates. No splitting rewards.
And healing expenses were almost nothing!
He may have just found his path to riches!
"Su Bai, you're practically family at this point!"
With that, Wang Tao threw his arms around Su Bai in a bear hug, scooped up his still-munching Turtwig, and charged out the door.
Leaving Su Bai and Meloetta staring blankly at the now-empty shop.
Su Bai sighed.
"Looks like it's just us again."
"We really need to think of a way to promote the store, huh, Meloetta?"
Meloetta looked at him and nodded in agreement.
"Melo~ Melo~!"