Vulpix casually patted her little buddy Cyndaquil, who had recovered his strength and gave the big sister who had thrashed him a simple, good-natured smile.
Hu Bin and Vulpix were both in great spirits when they got home. Hu Bin was especially happy as he cooked, and Vulpix ate with particular enthusiasm, quickly polishing off a big bowl. Then she kept staring at her Trainer, making her meaning perfectly clear.
Trainer, another serving!
After eating three big bowls, Vulpix hopped onto the sofa in satisfaction. She deftly tapped the remote with her little paw, turned on the TV, and switched to the drama she was following, "When Gardevoir Fell in Love with Me." Training is tiring, after all. You have to balance work and relaxation, she thought happily.
Watching Vulpix, Hu Bin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She's practically human now! I used to have to put her shows on for her, and now she's learned to do it herself!
Hu Bin shook his head with a smile, gathered the dishes, and took them to the sink. He put on his gloves and briskly started washing up.
While doing the dishes, Hu Bin checked the Protect manual the system had given him as a reward. The system had even kept up with the times and made it into an animated tutorial to help Vulpix learn.
Just my style—learning through entertainment! The system really is such a sweetheart!
"Once Vulpix finishes her drama, I'll put on the Protect animation so she can watch and learn."
Soon, Hu Bin finished the dishes and sat down on the sofa. He scooped Vulpix into his lap and stroked her silky, snow-white fur.
Vulpix was perfectly cooperative, even shifting into a more comfortable position in his arms, though her eyes never left the TV.
"Ah! Gardevoir, I love you! Don't leave me! I'll give you all my love, take you to eat the tastiest Pokéblocks, enter Pokémon Contests with you, and travel to every corner of the world together!"
"I know. I love you too, but there's no future for us."
"Why not? As long as we love each other, we can overcome anything!"
"But... but you're a Magnezone! You don't even have a gender!" On the screen, Gardevoir tearfully wiped her eyes, her face filled with sorrow.
"Ah! Must the heavens punish me like this?!" Magnezone cried out to the sky, tears rolling from its eyes. The wind was especially wild that night!
Hu Bin stared at the TV, dumbfounded. The drama had clearly fried his brain inside and out. He glanced down at Vulpix in his arms and found that she had already started sniffling softly.
"Ah, Vulpix. You're too young. You haven't seen enough of the world."
Even after the drama ended, Vulpix's eyes were still red, and she wiped the tear stains from her little face with her paws.
All Hu Bin could do was keep holding Vulpix and coaxing her, trying to cheer her up.
Clearly, keeping newly hatched Pokémon away from romantic dramas was the right call. Just look at how many tender young Pokémon hearts they broke!
Finally, once Vulpix had calmed down, Hu Bin took out the Protect tutorial disc and played it for her. Vulpix did him proud, watching with intense concentration. Whenever something was difficult to understand, she even used her little paw to replay it herself, studying it again until she grasped it thoroughly.
Looking thoroughly pleased, Hu Bin reached out and put his expert massage skill to work, sending Vulpix into utter bliss!
Learning a new move while getting a massage—Vulpix felt satisfied in both mind and body. Now this is the life!
The next day, Hu Bin and Vulpix left home with deep, dark circles under their eyes and headed to the training center. The night before, Vulpix had watched the Protect disc more than a hundred times and finally learned the move, astonishing Hu Bin, who had stayed beside her through every viewing.
"I finally believe people when they say they can learn something just by watching it a few more times. Geniuses really are infuriating!"
After arriving at the training center, Hu Bin began training with Vulpix as usual. Before long, Yi Nanzi arrived too. Yi Nanzi's eyes lit up at the sight of Hu Bin, and he came over with his Cyndaquil to say hello.
"Hey, Hu Bin! Morning! Want another battle after training today?"
"Morning. You really are a battle maniac. Is challenging me to a battle always the first thing you say when we meet?" Hu Bin said irritably as he looked at Yi Nanzi.
Yi Nanzi scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Come on! Battling is like playing games. Once you've done it once, you'll want to do it countless more times!"
Hu Bin wholeheartedly agreed. After yesterday's battle, he and Vulpix had become addicted not only to training, but also to the thrill of winning battles.
Hu Bin had read plenty of military strategy and plenty of history, but right now, even he was getting carried away!
He gladly accepted Yi Nanzi's suggestion.
Meanwhile, Vulpix and Cyndaquil had been playing together. When they heard Hu Bin accept the battle challenge, Cyndaquil patted Vulpix's shoulder with a slightly pained expression.
"Cynda." Boss, go easy on me during the battle.
Vulpix looked at her little buddy, nodded, and patted Cyndaquil on the head with her little paw.
"Vul!" Don't worry, little buddy. I'll take good care of you!
Sure enough, after finishing their training that afternoon, the two met at the battlefield for a completely one-sided battle. Without question, Vulpix defeated Cyndaquil again. This time, she couldn't even be bothered to use Mist, finishing him off with a straight combination of Quick Attack, Protect, and Aurora Beam.
In the end, Vulpix still found herself on the receiving end of Cyndaquil's reproachful stare. She felt rather embarrassed. After all, she had promised to go easy on her little buddy, only to forget all about it.
Of course, how exactly Cyndaquil's narrow eyes managed to convey that reproach was another question. There was serious reason to suspect Vulpix was imagining it!
Still looking calm, Hu Bin patted the somewhat dejected Yi Nanzi on the shoulder. "You and Cyndaquil did pretty well. Let's battle again next time. How about I treat you and Cyndaquil to dinner today?"
Yi Nanzi had been wallowing in defeat, but the moment he heard Hu Bin offer to buy dinner, his gloomy expression brightened. "Sure! Cyndaquil and I love spicy food. That's the good stuff!"
And so, Hu Bin brought Yi Nanzi home and personally cooked a big pot of spicy curry rice.
Yi Nanzi and Cyndaquil couldn't stop exclaiming about how good it was. The human and Pokémon ate with tremendous gusto, putting the clean-plate campaign into practice to perfection!
Yi Nanzi even declared Hu Bin his big brother right there at the dinner table, leaving Hu Bin utterly helpless. In the end, he accepted Yi Nanzi as his little brother. Sure enough, nobody stood a chance against good food.
Cyndaquil envied Vulpix even more. She gets food this delicious every day! How can anyone be this lucky? What kind of household is this?!
Before you continue