The Gossip Squad

Hu Bin's instincts told him that if he did not leave now, he might be in danger.

After saying goodbye to Yi Nanzi, who looked distracted and weighed down by worries, Hu Bin headed home with Vulpix.

Even now, Hu Bin had no idea what had happened during those few seconds he had spaced out. Why had Qin Qin run off? Why had Yi Nanzi gone blank? And why had the onlookers started giving him strange looks?

He soon stopped dwelling on it, though. After all, his lavish rewards were far too tempting! Time to study them and put them to use!

Once home, Hu Bin turned on the TV for Vulpix and played the animated Dig tutorial the system had provided. Then he opened a shopping app on his phone, ready to hunt down a Pokéblock maker.

He had no idea until he looked—and then he nearly jumped out of his skin. Poverty had limited his imagination. His hand began to tremble, and he sucked in a sharp breath. "Even the cheapest Pokéblock maker costs 100,000 yuan? Why don't they just rob me?"

In the end, Hu Bin gritted his teeth and tapped the order button with a violently trembling finger. Seeing a third of his 300,000 yuan in savings disappear, he closed his eyes, his heart bleeding.

Vulpix, who had been watching the tutorial, noticed that Hu Bin was upset and quickly jumped into his arms to comfort him.

Seeing how sweet Vulpix was made Hu Bin feel a little better. He gently stroked Vulpix's fur and spoke to the Pokémon in his arms.

"I'm fine, Vulpix. I bought a Pokéblock maker. I'll make your favorite Pokéblocks in a bit. Go watch TV for now. You'll get the first one when it's ready."

Vulpix's eyes lit up at his words. All six little tails wagged furiously. After giving Hu Bin a gentle kiss, Vulpix hopped back down to keep watching the tutorial.

Mm, my trainer treats me so well. I have to work hard, too!

That kiss instantly filled Hu Bin with motivation. What was wrong with spending 100,000 yuan on his own Pokémon to improve the food?

Brimming with enthusiasm, Hu Bin opened the system's points shop and splurged on a pile of rare Berries, ready to treat Vulpix to a lavish feast. Soon, he had only 2,000 points left, and the Berries he had redeemed filled an entire refrigerator.

Luckily, Hu Bin had had the foresight to buy an extra refrigerator.

Looking at that refrigerator packed with Berries, Hu Bin swelled with pride!

The Pokéblock maker he had ordered soon arrived. Yep, Dragonite's local delivery service was just that fast!

After finishing their delicious curry rice, Hu Bin and Vulpix rushed over to inspect the Pokéblock maker, which cost as much as a small car.

There's nothing special about this machine, Hu Bin thought. It looks completely ordinary!

With Vulpix watching expectantly, Hu Bin put in the Berries, added a little Honey, and started mixing. As the mixing speed increased, his hands moved faster, rapidly tapping the buttons. Most of his presses were timed just right, and under his skillful operation, the Pokéblocks gradually took shape.

The finished Pokéblocks had an enticing color and perfectly uniform shapes. Their quality was considerably higher than that of the high-grade batch Hu Bin had bought on his first visit.

Watching from the side, Vulpix was practically crying with hunger, tugging at Hu Bin's trouser leg and gazing up at him pitifully, as if to say, I'm sooo cute! Hurry up and give me some!

Hu Bin could not help laughing at Vulpix's adorable behavior. First, he took out his phone and snapped a photo.

Pitiful Vulpix.ipg

Then Hu Bin picked up a Pokéblock and fed it to Vulpix. The instant Vulpix ate it, a sweet-and-tart flavor spread through the Pokémon's mouth, utterly captivating Vulpix and leaving an irresistible craving for more!

In the end, Vulpix sat on the sofa watching the tutorial, occasionally eating a Pokéblock and taking a sip of Moomoo Milk.

Vulpix felt ready to burst with happiness. Unlimited Pokéblocks, unlimited curry rice—how could life be this wonderful?

The next day, Hu Bin took an energetic Vulpix to the Training Hall. As soon as he arrived, he spotted a somewhat haggard Yi Nanzi and a thoroughly helpless-looking Cyndaquil.

"What happened to you? Why do you look like you've lost the will to live?"

Yi Nanzi gave Hu Bin a resentful look. "I'm fine, but you're in trouble. Aren't you something? You won the battle and still had to act so arrogant. That laugh of yours yesterday was just begging for a punch. You even made Qin Qin cry."

Cold sweat broke out on Hu Bin's forehead. "No wonder everyone was giving me weird looks yesterday!"

Yi Nanzi shot him a glance. "You only just figured that out? Look at how everyone in the Training Hall is looking at you now!"

Hu Bin glanced around the Training Hall. Sure enough, plenty of people were looking at him differently, especially some of the girls, whose faces were full of contempt.

His cold sweat immediately grew worse.

Just then, Hu Bin felt a chill approaching him. He turned and saw Qin Qin, whom he had utterly crushed yesterday.

Hu Bin swallowed and forced a smile. "Morning, Qin Qin."

But Qin Qin merely shot him an icy glare and walked straight into the Training Hall.

"Ah, she's beautiful even when she's angry. So cute."

Hu Bin turned to find his friend Yi Nanzi gazing after Qin Qin with a lovestruck expression as he sighed those words.

Hu Bin looked at him in disgust. Buddy, with that lovesick face of yours, something is seriously wrong with you!

Yi Nanzi reluctantly turned back to his friend and cleared his throat. "Hu Bin, this can't go on. You'll keep running into each other at the Training Hall. Why don't you apologize first?"

Hu Bin looked helpless, too. "But she won't listen to my apology right now. She won't even acknowledge me."

Yi Nanzi patted Hu Bin's shoulder and declared solemnly, "We're best buddies. Your problems are my problems. I'll definitely help you. I'll get on good terms with her first, then let you know once she's cooled down. How does that sound?"

Hu Bin found Yi Nanzi's righteous act rather amusing, but said, "That'd be a lot of trouble for you. Sorry about that."

Yi Nanzi patted Hu Bin's shoulder even harder, maintaining his selfless expression. "It's fine. We're buddies. Your problems are my problems. I'll definitely help you sort this out!"

Hu Bin was speechless at his friend's supposedly considerate expression. He just wanted to chat her up, yet he was acting so righteous about it. What an actor! Even Vulpix and Cyndaquil had seen through him!

Without wasting any more words, Hu Bin took out two jars of Pokéblocks and handed them to Yi Nanzi. "One of these is for you. Give the other to Qin Qin for me as an apology gift!"

Yi Nanzi solemnly accepted them and said with a righteous expression, "I'll make sure it gets done." With that, he turned and entered the Training Hall, looking from behind like a soldier heading off to war.

Grinning, Hu Bin exchanged a look with Vulpix and Cyndaquil. The gossip squad was officially formed!