Not just Zhang Qun—even Wang Tao couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Was he about to witness the birth of a legendary Pokémon?
If Grotle was already that powerful, how strong would a real legendary be?!
No wonder Su Bai called this kid a walking four-leaf clover.
Wang Tao's gaze toward Zhang Qun turned complicated—envy, disbelief, and just a bit of bitterness.
Seeing that their expressions were teetering on the edge of overload, Su Bai cleared his throat lightly.
"Ahem. No need to get too excited. This little guy hasn't reached the level of a true legendary."
"Legendary Pokémon wield powers over the laws of the universe itself. They're not something that appears just because you got lucky."
As the sparkle in the boys' eyes began to fade, Su Bai added casually:
"Still, beneath the realm of true legendaries... there exists another class of Pokémon."
"They may not match gods in raw might, but their power is still beyond anything ordinary."
"In fact, they're second only to the god-tier Pokémon who can reshape the world."
He paused to sip the tea passed to him by Meloetta, then looked back at the two dazed listeners.
"This class of Pokémon is what we call… pseudo-legendaries."
Pseudo-legendary!
Zhang Qun and Wang Tao exchanged looks.
Sure, the name didn't carry the same divine weight as "legendary"… but it had the word "legendary" in it!
The strongest species below the gods—if that wasn't prestigious, what was?
Wang Tao looked at Zhang Qun like he was staring at a lottery winner.
"This kid's luck is seriously unfair."
"Wait, hold on—you said earlier his luck might not actually be that good. What did you mean?"
Su Bai sighed and raised both hands.
"Well… since it's a pseudo-legendary, the price tag is a bit steep."
"And according to the shop rules, once a Pokémon is randomly selected, you can't draw again unless you buy it."
"So..."
Before he could finish, the normally shy Zhang Qun suddenly stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"Boss, just tell me—how much?!"
"No matter what, I'm buying it!"
Zhang Qun wasn't an idiot.
He had observed Grotle's performance closely.
He had expected to walk away with a basic contracted beast, maybe something equivalent to a starter Pokémon—and that would've already been a win.
But now he'd drawn a pseudo-legendary?!
This kind of once-in-a-lifetime luck—how could he walk away?
No matter the cost, he was determined to take this Gible home!
In his eyes, the once "ugly-cute" Gible was now just purely awesome.
Those stubby arms and chomping jaw?
Absolutely badass.
Su Bai let out a long breath.
"Well... the standard base price for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon is 80 million credits."
The entire pet shop fell silent.
"Wait—how much?!"
Wang Tao rubbed his ears in disbelief.
"Did you say eighty million?!"
Zhang Qun's expression turned into one of utter shock.
"Boss... are you sure you didn't misplace a zero?"
"It's not eight million? It's eighty?"
Sure, his family was wealthy—but eighty million was the kind of number that made even rich kids sweat.
Yes, awakened professionals could earn incredible sums.
Top-tier ones might rake in hundreds of thousands, even over a million, per month.
But that was for elite awakened individuals.
Wang Tao making 800,000 credits in three days? That was an exception.
He had cleared out nearly every low-level task in the local Adventurer Guild—and only pulled it off because his Grotle's defensive capabilities were used to perfection.
For a normal beginner, that was flat-out impossible.
And that didn't even include the costs of medicine, healing, or basic supplies.
Eighty million credits was equivalent to a decade's salary for a high-ranking professional.
And that's before expenses!
Su Bai shrugged helplessly.
"Nope—I didn't add an extra zero."
He pushed the black crystal card back toward Zhang Qun.
"Believe me, I'd love to close this deal."
"But judging by your face, I'm guessing... you don't have that kind of money."
"And until you buy the selected Pokémon, the Pokédex won't refresh."
"So... I'm sorry."
Just like that, a highly promising customer slipped away.
Su Bai felt a pang of regret.
The kid clearly had the funds to afford a starter-class Pokémon.
But sometimes, being too lucky comes at a cost.
Zhang Qun silently took back his card.
His eyes stayed glued to the Pokédex as Su Bai reluctantly closed the screen.
His heart shattered.
A pseudo-legendary… gone.
He had seen how powerful Grotle had become—already approaching B-rank awakened strength in just a few tasks.
That growth speed was nothing short of insane.
And according to Su Bai, that Grotle only cost around one million credits.
So what kind of monster would Gible become at a price tag of eighty million?!
Suddenly, Zhang Qun gritted his teeth.
"Boss... does that mean, no matter when I come back…"
"As long as I have the money—I can still buy this Gible?"
Su Bai nodded matter-of-factly.
"The Pokédex result is saved."
"As long as you bring 80 million credits, this Gible is yours."
"My shop doesn't scam anyone. And we're not going anywhere."
After all, the Pokémon House system was bound to this pet store.
As long as Su Bai stayed in the shop, he was in a permanently invincible state.
Even if the sky fell, it wouldn't concern him.
Running away? Not a chance.
Zhang Qun gave the Pokédex one last longing glance… then turned and sprinted out the door.
"Boss, wait for me! I'll scrape together the money and come back!"
"Don't you dare sell Gible to anyone else~~~~!"
His voice trailed off into the distance, growing more dramatic with every step.
Back in the store, Wang Tao and Su Bai exchanged a look.
Meloetta hovered nearby, head tilted in confusion.
"Melo? Melo?"
Wang Tao couldn't help but comment.
"He's not seriously going to try and raise 80 million, is he?"
"You think that's something you can just 'pull together'?"
Su Bai spread his hands.
"Who knows?"
Just then, the store's entrance bell chimed again.
Two graceful, elegant girls entered, chatting and laughing together.
"Hey, that kid who just ran out… he looked kinda familiar."
"Yeah, wasn't that Zhang family's weirdo son?"
"Did he eat rocket fuel or something? He bolted like a man possessed."