Nothing to Do Today, So I Hung Out at the Cat Cafe

Six in the evening.

It had taken a whole day to achieve six consecutive victories. Although a few unpleasant things had happened near the end, things had generally been progressing steadily in a positive direction!

Victory!

Walking out of Battle Arena No. 13, Su Hao noticed several unread messages in the small group chat with the three of them.

15:00:

[Dragonite]: I'm exhausted! Blue Raven and Swablu are both out of strength!

[Dragonite]: Record: 3 wins, 1 loss! You guys were still battling, so I headed out first!

16:00:

[Clear Water]: 4 wins, 1 loss. Ran into an Elite Level trainer in the last match who came to bully rookies.

[Clear Water]: When I get back, I'm taking Machop and Pangoro into Shelter training. I won't come out until Machop reaches Elite Level!

Su Hao raised his brows. It looked like both of them had done fairly well.

He opened the chat box and rapidly typed out a string of characters.

18:03:

[Pokémon Master]: Report! Six consecutive wins!

[Pokémon Master]: As expected of me. In the final match, I directly cut down an Early Elite Level Scizor.

18:04:

[Dragonite]: 6.

[Clear Water]: 6.

The first official day of classes.

Most of the students, brimming with energy and ready to accomplish great things, were dealt a crushing blow.

"Why did it turn out like this... For the first time, I got a Starter Pokémon; for the first time, my classmates and I battled each other. Those two happy things intertwined together."

"And those two joys should have brought me countless more joys. I should have obtained such a dreamlike, happy time. But why... did it become like this...?"

The morning's four classes were History, Pokémon Nurturing Studies, Mathematics, and Chinese.

English was not part of the curriculum at schools throughout the Divine Land Alliance.

Forced to sit through boring academic classes, the excitement in the classroom had completely cooled.

They had thought that after school started, there would be adventures! Battles! Competitions!

They had never expected to be forced to sit here and listen to academic lessons.

Human joys and sorrows were not shared.

Ever since awakening Wave Power, Su Hao's mind had become increasingly active. Before school began, he had already studied the third-year high school curriculum on his own.

After spending the entire morning proving himself, Su Hao was granted the privilege of not needing to listen in class and even being allowed to skip class outright to train Pokémon.

While the classmates beside him suffered through their lessons, Su Hao sat in his chair in a newly discovered posture and cultivated his Wave Power.

The feeling of power continuously growing inside him, like some kind of immortal cultivation, was truly wonderful.

At five in the afternoon, the day's classes ended.

Countless students set off for home with exhausted steps.

After cultivating all day, Su Hao was still in peak physical and mental condition.

So, he made a decision that defied his ancestors (x) Incineroar (✓).

Nothing to do today, so it was time to pet cats at the cat cafe!

He arrived at the city center.

A storefront named [Cat Cafe] came into view.

The interior was bright and spacious, with six feline Pokémon resting in their respective territories.

Since there was not a single customer in the store, the owner was sound asleep in a recliner.

How did this place stay open without a single customer?

Su Hao asked himself that question for the second time. It had been the same when he came here last time.

"Ding-ding-ding~~"

He pushed open the glass door, and a crisp chime rang out.

The sleeping shop owner opened his bleary eyes, his gaze slowly focusing.

"Ah... it's Little Su."

The owner was a man in his thirties with a face full of righteous energy.

Su Hao sighed inwardly for the second time. It would be such a waste if this man did not become a police officer. One look told you he would make a fine public servant.

"Mm, is the shop still open?"

The cats at this cafe were unlike those at other cat cafes. Every one of them was a "large feline predator."

Perhaps that was why this cat cafe had no customers. The cats inside were aloof, and they were not as cute in appearance as Meowstic or Skitty.

Looking around, Su Hao counted six feline Pokémon in total, on the floor and on the shelves.

They were Luxray, Persian, Zangoose, Pyroar, Incineroar, and Sableye.

Every last one of them was a fully evolved feline Pokémon.

"We're still open. The price is the same as last time. Would you like something to drink?"

The owner got up, moved the recliner aside, and headed to the drink bar to prepare a beverage.

Most cat cafes bundled a drink purchase with the admission fee. This shop was no exception.

"I'll have a mango pomelo sago."

"Alright."

After receiving the order, the owner began making the drink at the bar.

Meanwhile, Su Hao walked toward the cat he had come to visit today—Luxray.

Luxray was a quadrupedal beast-like Pokémon that resembled an adult lion.

Its face, hind legs, torso, and the rear portions of its forelegs were blue, while most of its body was covered in fluffy black fur. Its fur was longer around its shoulders and at the base of its tail, forming a mane around its head.

Its eyes were yellow with red sclera. Its ears were round and yellow inside. Its tail was long and thin, ending in a yellow four-pointed star. Female Luxray had shorter manes.

Su Hao's reason for wanting to come here was simple: the cats inside were unique and unavailable at other cat cafes.

The last time he came, he had chosen Zangoose.

Zangoose had originally refused to let anyone touch it, but under the owner's death stare, it had no choice but to expose its belly to Su Hao.

Su Hao had also risen to the occasion, using his eighteen cat-petting techniques to rub Zangoose into a limp puddle.

The owner had even wanted to pay to learn the technique!

Resting atop the cat climbing frame, Zangoose's upright white-and-red pointed ears twitched slightly. It could smell the human who had made it feel so good last time.

But that human had made it lose face in front of the other cats last time. It had felt great, but should it let this human pet it again?

Su Hao knew nothing about the fierce internal struggle in Zangoose's heart.

He passed through the cat climbing frame area and walked straight toward Luxray, which was lying on the sofa.

Luxray's ears twitched, and its brilliant golden eyes opened. It thought back for a moment.

It was that human who had petted Zangoose so thoroughly that it lost all composure last time.

Why had he come to it today instead of going to Zangoose?

Luxray was somewhat confused.

While Luxray was thinking, Su Hao had already approached the sofa where it lay.

Pokémon were intelligent creatures. Even though he had only come once, the Pokémon here should recognize him.

Su Hao chose to get straight to it, letting his hands wander through Luxray's black mane and along its neck and chin.

In just a short while, Luxray, which had initially planned to resist a little, went limp and sprawled across the sofa, allowing Su Hao to touch it however he pleased.

As he petted Luxray, Su Hao prepared to satisfy his curiosity.

He had noticed it the last time he came here: every cat in this cafe was a fully evolved feline Pokémon skilled in battle.

Most Pokémon concealed their aura when they were not fighting.

At the time, he had not considered checking the data of the Pokémon in the cat cafe.

Using the system's inspection function, Luxray's data appeared before Su Hao's eyes.