Murong Nan stared at the steel plate, which was at least two fingers thick, her brow slightly furrowed.
"That thick? Can Piplup really handle it?"
Even a D-rank Awakened would struggle to pierce such a plate with a single strike.
Could a small, adorable Pokémon like Piplup really have that much power?
Su Bai chuckled.
"Only one way to find out."
After living in this world for so many years, Su Bai had a good grasp of its standards.
E-rank Awakened individuals were roughly the peak of normal human potential.
D-rank Awakened had already surpassed human limits, but not to a ridiculous degree.
This kind of steel plate? An E-rank couldn't break it. Even a D-rank would need to be offensively specialized to barely manage it.
But when it came to Pokémon, Su Bai honestly wasn't sure.
After all, games and anime weren't reality.
Sure, there were legendary beasts capable of shattering the world—but what about the more common starters?
What could one of the best of the regulars actually do in real life?
Even Su Bai was curious.
Murong Nan opened her mouth to say more, but Piplup leapt from her arms with a confident bounce, waving its little flippers proudly.
Liu Yunlan gasped.
"This little guy… it's so expressive!"
Su Bai nodded with a smile.
"Pokémon are highly intelligent. Piplup is actually smarter than the average toddler."
"So, don't underestimate them."
Murong Nan turned her gaze to her partner, her anticipation growing.
Piplup stood tall—well, as tall as its stubby legs allowed—about four meters from the steel plate.
Then, with a proud tilt of its head, it fired a concentrated blast of water from its beak!
The high-pressure stream rocketed through the air like a blade—striking the steel with a muffled bang!
BOOM!
The two-finger-thick plate barely lasted a second before the water pierced right through it—clean and complete!
"It actually broke through?!"
Liu Yunlan's eyes widened in disbelief.
This little cutie… was that strong?
At Haicheng No. 1 High School, most students were only at the E-rank level.
Even top performers like her and Murong Nan were only recently upgraded to D-rank.
But this tiny penguin had just shown D-rank combat strength—maybe more!
That wasn't fair!
Su Bai casually picked up the steel plate and pointed to the clean hole.
"Looks like Water Gun packs quite a punch."
"Congratulations, Murong Nan. Your Piplup has incredible potential."
His own Pokédex was the full version. Though this world didn't use "IVs" like the games, Pokémon talents were still rated.
This Piplup? Its talent grade was clearly displayed as an A!
Looks like the "Grand Opening Special Gift" was no marketing gimmick.
It wasn't the highest possible S-tier, but A-tier was already outstanding!
In game terms, this was easily a 4V or 5V kind of Pokémon.
Any of those commemorative Poké Balls? A jackpot.
Murong Nan couldn't help herself anymore—she scooped up her proud little penguin and showered it with praise.
Gone was the cold, elegant "Ice Queen" demeanor—her joy was unmistakable.
Just then, a credit card appeared before Su Bai.
Beside him, Liu Yunlan's impatient voice snapped:
"Cut the crap! Take the money and hand over my Pokémon!"
"Transaction complete: 1,000,000 credits."
The Rotom register chimed once more inside the tiny pet shop.
Su Bai smiled as he swiped the card, then placed the remaining two commemorative Poké Balls on the table.
"Your turn to choose."
As a responsible store owner, Su Bai was going all-out for his first two customers.
"Before you pick, let me give you a hint," he added.
"Inside the balls are three Pokémon—one Water-type, one Grass-type, and one Fire-type."
"Trainers choose their Pokémon… but Pokémon also choose their Trainers."
"If one feels right, don't hesitate."
"That connection might just make your journey smoother."
Liu Yunlan nodded quickly, already mimicking Murong Nan's earlier actions—placing her hand on each ball to sense them.
The moment she touched one, it twitched slightly.
"This one! It's this one!" she exclaimed in delight.
Su Bai nodded.
"Looks like your perfect match has found you too."
A satisfied customer meant return business—always good news.
He handed the Poké Ball to Liu Yunlan.
"Congratulations. This Pokémon is now yours."
Liu Yunlan beamed and, just like Murong Nan had done, pressed the center button and flung it forward with all her might.
A flash of fire flared—
And a small monkey with a flame blazing from its rear landed on the ground!
Su Bai's eyes lit up.
"That's Chimchar!"
One of the Generation IV starter trio—same era as Piplup.
That meant the third Poké Ball probably contained Turtwig, the Grass-type starter.
Chimchar, meanwhile, was spinning in place energetically, showing off for its new Trainer.
Liu Yunlan squealed in delight and rushed over to scoop it up—only to nearly singe her hands from the tail flame!
"Whoa! So cute! But its butt is on fire!"
"Is that… safe?!"
She looked at Su Bai in alarm.
The little Chimchar tilted its head at her, then glanced back at its own flaming backside. The flame flickered slightly, as if in response.
Su Bai sighed.
"That's Chimchar."
"The flame on its tail reflects its health and mood."
"The stronger the flame, the better it's feeling!"
Still cradling Chimchar, Liu Yunlan asked:
"But what if it rains? Will it go out? Will it… die?!"
Her eyes went wide with panic.
She didn't want anything to happen to this adorable monkey!
Su Bai waved his hand.
"Relax. The flame is part of its body. Rain won't hurt it."
"Besides, Chimchar naturally extinguishes its flame when sleeping—so it won't burn things around it."
That finally reassured her.
Su Bai handed her a card.
"This is your Pokédex copy. Keep it safe."
"By the way… want to test Chimchar's strength?"
Liu Yunlan accepted the Pokédex and scanned it eagerly.
"Scratch, Leer, Ember... hmm, doesn't seem that strong either."
"But since Piplup was amazing, my Chimchar should be no slouch either!"
Su Bai nodded.
"Of course. All three Pokémon from the commemorative set are of the same class."
This Chimchar, like Piplup, was A-rank in potential.
But unlike Piplup, Chimchar was a dual threat—both Attack and Special Attack were high.
What truly set it apart, though, was its blazing speed.
A high-speed, high-power Pokémon!
"That's great, then!" Liu Yunlan said with satisfaction.
Su Bai seemed to think of something, then clapped his hands together.
"Now that both of you have your Pokémon... how about we do something meaningful?"
Murong Nan and Liu Yunlan exchanged glances.
"Something meaningful?"
Su Bai grinned and snapped his fingers.
"That's right—how about your first Pokémon battle?"
"You both have your starters now. That makes you official Trainers."
He stood up and once again opened the gate to the backyard.
Awakened students, becoming Trainers and engaging in Pokémon battles...
Now that was something worth watching.