Of course, Yi Nanzi never mooched for free. Yi Nanzi often bought Pokéblocks for Vulpix, prompting Hu Bin to exclaim, "You know how to do things right, little bro!"
After his last battle with Yi Nanzi, some of the trainers who had watched became interested in Hu Bin and Vulpix's strength, and many wanted to challenge him.
Hu Bin readily agreed. After all, battling was something you either never did or did countless times.
With all the training Vulpix had done lately and Hu Bin's guidance, Vulpix kept winning battles, bringing their total victories to nine.
Today, Hu Bin and Vulpix were once again sweating it out in the training hall, with Yi Nanzi and Cyndaquil training alongside them.
They had not been training long before Yi Nanzi collapsed from exhaustion, even though Cyndaquil could still keep going. Yi Nanzi lay on the floor, gasping for breath. Already rather scrawny to begin with, Yi Nanzi now looked like a bamboo pole swaying in the rain, ready to topple at the slightest gust.
"I can't do this anymore. Any more training and I'm going to die." Yi Nanzi lay on the floor with a look of utter despair.
Hu Bin glanced down at Yi Nanzi, his expression teasing. "How are you this weak? Been overworking your kidneys?"
Vulpix and Cyndaquil looked equally disgusted.
Yi Nanzi bristled at once. "You're the one with weak kidneys! I just didn't sleep well last night. Otherwise, training like this wouldn't even leave me out of breath!"
At that, Hu Bin, Vulpix, and Cyndaquil all turned their heads away.
"Pfft!"
Yi Nanzi now felt abandoned by the entire world, which only made everything worse.
Jokes were jokes, but training was serious business. Stung by their mockery, Yi Nanzi trained with particular ferocity that afternoon. By the time training ended, however, Yi Nanzi was on the knees, clutching the lower back and groaning in agony in the training hall.
"Ow, my back's done for. It feels like it's about to snap. Why am I so fragile?"
Watching this, Hu Bin immediately whipped out his phone and snapped a photo to immortalize Yi Nanzi's humiliation. Let your phone capture your beauty and record life's little moments.
Yi Nanzi clutching a kidney-deficient back.ipg
That evening, Hu Bin and Vulpix stood on the battlefield, exchanging stares with a pretty, long-haired young woman across from them.
Hu Bin was getting nervous. Do we have to stare at each other for this long? I'm about to blush. Why aren't we starting?
The young woman was getting nervous too as she watched him. Ah! Why has he been staring at me for so long? I know I'm pretty, but that doesn't mean he can just keep staring! Still, this is a battle. If the enemy doesn't move, neither will I.
The spectators on the sidelines were equally baffled. Weren't they supposed to be battling? Why hadn't they started? What kind of strategy was this? Were they trash-talking with their eyes?
Yi Nanzi, who had been watching the whole time, was so jealous that the soda can in hand nearly got crushed.
"Tsk, tsk. Hu Bin gets to battle such a pretty girl, and they've been gazing at each other for so long. I'm so jealous! Why are all my opponents a bunch of scruffy guys picking at their feet?"
Heh. The protagonist's halo, Yi Nanzi. You wouldn't understand.
After a long while, the young woman finally could not stand it anymore and released her Pokémon.
It was a rather dopey-looking Squirtle with a little bald blue head and a small shell on its back.
"Squirtle, Squirtle!"
Seeing her finally release her Pokémon, Hu Bin breathed a sigh of relief. I really couldn't have taken much more staring. At the same time, he marveled inwardly. The winds of reform are blowing everywhere, and everyone has a pseudo-legendary!
Still, these Pokémon were not so easy to obtain. You needed family connections—or the superpower of money!
"Go, Vulpix. Get ready to battle."
Already tired of waiting, Vulpix let out a cry and dashed onto the battlefield to face Squirtle.
The young woman declared with a touch of haughtiness, "My name is Qin Qin, and this is my partner, Squirtle. Today, my Squirtle and I will put an end to your ten-win streak!"
Hu Bin was instantly amused. One look at Qin Qin's Squirtle told him it had only recently begun training. He decided to teach this fearless little girl a proper lesson and show her just how cruel the world could be!
The battle began, and Qin Qin gave the first command. "Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
But before Squirtle could unleash Water Gun, Vulpix was already right in front of it, charging straight into its face with Quick Attack.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried out in pain and went flying to the side.
Qin Qin was rattled at the sight of Squirtle being sent flying.
"How is it so fast?"
Taking advantage of her stunned hesitation, Hu Bin immediately called to Vulpix, "Vulpix, use Quick Attack again! Hit it head-on!"
Hearing Hu Bin's command, Vulpix once again became a streak of white light and charged at Squirtle.
Snapping out of her daze, Qin Qin hurriedly shouted, "Squirtle, quick, use Withdraw! Hide!"
"Squirtle!"
Seeing Vulpix charging toward it, Squirtle hurriedly retreated into its shell.
A flash of white light sent the shell flying into the air. It crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up dust.
Vulpix performed a stylish backflip and landed right in front of Hu Bin, flashing a brilliant smile.
The dust cleared to reveal Squirtle lying on the ground with spirals in its eyes.
Ding! Congratulations, host, on achieving ten consecutive victories. Rewards: a Dig move manual, advanced Pokéblock crafting skill, one Ice Gem, and 5,000 points.
Seeing such lavish rewards, Hu Bin broke into an utterly radiant grin.
Having lost the battle, Qin Qin silently recalled Squirtle. When she saw Hu Bin's infuriating grin, she nearly ground her teeth to pieces. Her eyes instantly reddened. She glared fiercely at him, wiped away her tears with both hands, and ran out through the crowd.
As the tearful Qin Qin ran past Yi Nanzi, that pitiful figure made Yi Nanzi's heart skip several beats.
Meanwhile, Hu Bin was still utterly absorbed in his abundant rewards, occasionally letting out a piglike chuckle.
"Ho, ho, ho!"
Vulpix had come over to celebrate the victory together, but seeing that goofy look on Hu Bin's face, Vulpix helplessly covered that little face with a paw.
"Vul!" Master, don't laugh like that! It's so embarrassing!
The spectators began murmuring among themselves when they saw how Hu Bin was laughing.
"Tsk. One win and it's already gone to his head. He'll never amount to much."
"Exactly. He's acting so arrogant after winning that he even made that girl cry."
"Pah! What a hopelessly clueless guy!"
At last, Hu Bin came back to his senses. The young woman across from him had already left, the spectators were pointing and muttering about him, and his friend Yi Nanzi was staring dreamily down a little path ahead.
Hu Bin scratched his head. "What's going on?"
Vulpix looked at him with utter disdain.
"Vul." Master, please get a clue!
Before you continue