Cyndaquil's resentment: 999.
Hu Bin was on edge the whole way. The looks from the young women and burly men put him under enormous pressure, and Vulpix and Cyndaquil huddled against his neck, too scared to come out!
When they reached the training room, Hu Bin spotted Yi Nanzi nearby, shamelessly chatting away at Qin Qin, whose face remained expressionless.
Hu Bin immediately perked up. Taking an equally nosy Vulpix and Cyndaquil with him, he quietly found a hiding spot and peeked at Yi Nanzi and Qin Qin.
"What are you here for?" Qin Qin asked expressionlessly.
Qin Qin had no friendly looks to spare for someone who called Hu Bin his brother, either.
Yi Nanzi gave an awkward smile and scratched his head. "Well, I came to apologize. Hu Bin was too embarrassed to say it himself, so he asked me to apologize to you for him."
Qin Qin snorted. "Why didn't he come apologize himself? Sending you instead really shows a lack of sincerity."
Yi Nanzi grew even more awkward. "Hu Bin, well, he wanted to come, but I thought seeing him would make you even angrier, so I came instead."
Qin Qin's expression softened a little. "Hmph, at least he knows. If I saw him, I'd definitely give him a beating. You're pretty honest, though, and you really look out for your friends."
Seeing Qin Qin praise him, Yi Nanzi was overjoyed.
"What can I do? He's my buddy. When he messes up, of course I have to help him clean up his mess. I've spent plenty of time worrying about him," Yi Nanzi said, pretending to be helpless.
Listening from the sidelines, Hu Bin's face darkened. He wanted nothing more than to rush out and unleash a combination of punches on this friend who would stab his buddy in the back for a woman.
"You really value your friendships. You're so much better than that Hu Bin," Qin Qin said, looking at Yi Nanzi with some surprise.
Hearing Qin Qin's words, Yi Nanzi felt increasingly pleased with himself.
Sorry you have to take the fall, buddy. Just make this little sacrifice for my lifelong happiness.
The heartless Yi Nanzi soon forgot all about feeling sorry for Hu Bin and smiled at Qin Qin. "Exactly. So, for the sake of poor little me, forgive Hu Bin, okay? If he dares to upset you again, just tell me. I'll beat him up!"
After hearing Yi Nanzi out, Qin Qin thought for a moment, then broke into a smile. "All right. For your sake, I'll forgive him. But if he upsets me again, you have to help me teach him a lesson."
Delighted, Yi Nanzi slapped his scrawny chest. "No problem! If there's a next time, I'll definitely teach him a lesson for you."
Watching Yi Nanzi from behind, Hu Bin, Vulpix, and Cyndaquil all wore expressions of utter contempt.
After that, Yi Nanzi and Qin Qin grew more and more cheerful as they chatted. Looking at Qin Qin's smile, Yi Nanzi had already planned which elementary school their children would attend and what tutoring classes they would take.
Yi Nanzi handed Qin Qin Hu Bin's apology gift, which she accepted, and the two exchanged phone numbers and Feixin contacts.
After they said goodbye, Yi Nanzi walked out positively glowing, ready to find Hu Bin and claim full credit.
Instead, Yi Nanzi found Hu Bin, Vulpix, and Cyndaquil all looking at him with contempt. Hu Bin's gaze even carried a hint of murderous intent, as though he might take him down at any moment.
Yi Nanzi forced a smile while his body honestly took two steps backward. "Hey! Hu Bin, everything's sorted out with Qin Qin, so don't worry. No need to thank me too much. We're buddies, aren't we?"
Hu Bin smiled too. "Yeah, thanks. We heard everything just now. You certainly were very 'helpful'!"
"You heard all of it?!" Yi Nanzi's face filled with terror, and his voice shot up several pitches.
Hu Bin's smile grew even brighter. "Not just me. Vulpix and Cyndaquil heard it too. You really went out of your way to ask for it. I've got to thank you properly!"
With that, Hu Bin charged over and sent Yi Nanzi crashing to the ground with a shoulder throw.
Yi Nanzi's eyes spun in spirals. He was unable to battle!
Vulpix and Cyndaquil clapped and cheered, exclaiming how awesome it was!
A Machop lifting weights nearby saw Hu Bin's shoulder throw and gave him a thumbs-up.
Bro, you know your stuff! You're a human Pokémon!
Over the next two days, Qin Qin no longer gave Hu Bin the cold shoulder when she saw him, though she was still a little upset. Meanwhile, our Yi Nanzi showed off his masculine charm around Qin Qin while doing everything he could to please Hu Bin, massaging his shoulders and pounding his legs as he begged for forgiveness!
Hu Bin wasn't idle, either. Over those two days, he and Vulpix gleefully documented Yi Nanzi's progress as a hopeless simp, with help from that little traitor Cyndaquil, of course.
Gossip really was a hobby for all ages!
Of course, Hu Bin also received plenty of challenges over those two days. Many came from Qin Qin's admirers. Having heard that some guy had made her cry, they angrily brought their Pokémon to teach Hu Bin a lesson. Every last one arrived brimming with aggression and went home with his tail between his legs.
Hu Bin couldn't have been happier. After completing the ten-win streak mission, he had received a daily mission that awarded points for every battle he won. He raked in the points over those two days, though poor little Vulpix was so exhausted that the little cutie ate several extra bowls of food at dinner!
However, one other person had very mixed feelings over those two days: Yi Nanzi. Seeing how many romantic rivals he had, he was genuinely panicking. There were so many that he felt completely surrounded by the enemy.
Yi Nanzi began putting even more effort into his training. He trained alongside Hu Bin while continuing to flirt with Qin Qin. Late at night, he chatted with her on Feixin while flipping through the Love Handbook he had bought. Even after they said good night, he kept studying diligently, determined to master the Love Handbook.
Watching him, Cyndaquil could only marvel that his trainer was exactly the kind of master of time management they talked about on TV!
With just five days left before the vacation ended, Hu Bin's close friends finally came online and invited him to bring his Pokémon along for a camping trip.
Hu Bin agreed without hesitation. It was about time he had a proper rest, after all. Besides, the nonstop challenges from Qin Qin's admirers over the past two days had left both him and Vulpix struggling to keep up. He planned to take a couple of days off and lie low.
So Hu Bin arranged to meet his friends the next day to buy some camping gear and ingredients, and show off his little darling while they all indulged in some humblebragging.
When little Vulpix heard they were going away to have fun for two days, the little Pokémon was thrilled. These past two days have worn this baby out! It's time for a couple of days of proper fun. I heard my trainer's friends have Pokémon too. Haha, it's time I recruited some new underlings!
Before you continue