Under Hu Bin's tickling assault, Vulpix burst into helpless laughter and could only gaze up at him with big, pitiful eyes, hoping to get away with it.
In the end, Vulpix's cuteness won Hu Bin over, and he forgave the little traitor. Now he felt immensely pleased with himself.
He eagerly started a video call with his two friends, ready to make them jealous.
The call connected quickly. Seeing Wu Jin and Liu Yi frantically catching up on their homework, Hu Bin couldn't help grinning smugly.
"Oh, still catching up on your homework? I thought you two would've finished by now."
Wu Jin took a moment out of his frantic work to look up at Hu Bin with bloodshot eyes. "Easy for you to say. Have you finished yours?" he snapped.
Liu Yi chimed in from beside him. "Yeah, exactly! Don't think you can freeload off us. We're not letting you copy!"
Their words only made Hu Bin's grin more smug. "Homework? Anyone with hands can do that. I've already finished mine."
Wu Jin scoffed. "Yeah, right. If you could finish it, pigs could fly. You finished in that little time? Why don't you just sprout wings while you're at it?"
Liu Yi wore the same expression, though with a hint of sympathy. "Yeah, yeah. Poor Binbin. Homework's driven you crazy."
Hu Bin rolled his eyes, hurried into his room, and brought out his homework to show his two hopelessly narrow-minded friends.
Once Wu Jin and Liu Yi saw the pages packed with writing, they felt the sting of having their words thrown back in their faces. Envy spread across their expressions as they asked in unison, "How did you do it?"
Hu Bin flashed a wicked grin. "It's just homework. How hard can it be? You think it can stop me from conquering the stars and the seas?"
Wu Jin and Liu Yi ignored his melodramatic declaration. Their eyes stayed fixed on his homework, their intentions written plainly on their faces!
Hu Bin saw right through them. "Want to copy it?" he asked with a smile.
Wu Jin and Liu Yi nodded frantically.
Hu Bin rejected them without mercy. "Nope. That's what you get for mocking me!"
Putting on shameless smiles, Wu Jin and Liu Yi pleaded, "Bro Bin, you're so handsome. You wouldn't be that heartless, right? We're your brothers! Practically your own flesh and blood!"
Hu Bin smiled. "You can copy my homework, but first, let's see how sincere you are!"
Realizing they had a chance, Wu Jin and Liu Yi's eyes lit up.
Liu Yi, always the more generous of the two, immediately made an offer. "Brother Bin, let me copy it, and I'll cover your lunches for a whole semester!"
Hu Bin nodded in satisfaction.
Wu Jin panicked. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "Bro Bin, I'll cover your drinks for a whole semester! Take your pick—Cola, Sprite, whatever you want!"
Hu Bin smiled in satisfaction again. "All right. Since you two know how to play ball, I'll be merciful and let you copy my homework. Hang on. I'll send it over by Pidgeot's local courier service. Remember your promises!"
Wu Jin and Liu Yi immediately nodded, their heads bobbing furiously.
Wu Jin turned to Liu Yi. "Yi, I'll come over to your place. We can copy it together!"
Liu Yi nodded in agreement.
After ending the call, Hu Bin booked a local courier through his phone. Within minutes, a huge Pidgeot appeared outside his window, and he quickly put his exercise books into the bag on Pidgeot's back.
He nodded to Pidgeot. "Sorry for the trouble, Pidgeot."
Pidgeot nodded, gave Hu Bin a reassuring look, and flew straight off.
Hu Bin stared in astonishment. "That speed is terrifying!"
With both his own homework and his friends' homework taken care of, Hu Bin was in an excellent mood.
Just then, a message arrived on his phone. After reading it, he turned to Vulpix, who was watching TV on the sofa. "Come on, Vulpix. We're not eating at home today. Let's go out. Someone's treating us!"
Delighted, Vulpix swished those tails and eagerly jumped into Hu Bin's arms, looking up at him.
"Vul!" I'm ready, Master! Let's go!
Hu Bin and Vulpix headed out, hailed a cab, and went straight to the agreed meeting place.
At the restaurant, Hu Bin spotted a dejected Yi Nanzi with Cyndaquil beside him, eyes narrowed. Hu Bin walked over and sat opposite him. Looking through the menu, he asked, "What's up? Why the long face?"
Yi Nanzi gave him a reproachful look. "I heard you went away for some fun. And you didn't even take me."
Hu Bin kept reading the menu and answered casually, "Weren't you busy chasing girls? I didn't want to interrupt your love life!"
That only made Yi Nanzi look more miserable. "My heart's broken. Qin Qin has a boyfriend!"
Hu Bin looked surprised. "How did you find out?"
Yi Nanzi's face twisted until it looked almost knotted. "You know how I went out to eat with her that day? Well, she brought her boyfriend along."
"Pfft!" Hu Bin couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Then he said, "You really had it rough. You went out for a meal and had to watch them flaunt their relationship."
Yi Nanzi looked positively constipated. "Ugh, that meal was painful. It felt like they took my heart and kept grinding it into the dirt."
Hu Bin looked at him sympathetically. "You really are pitiful!"
Pretending not to care, Yi Nanzi gave a faint smile. "This has taught me something. A man aiming for the pinnacle of the Pokémon world doesn't need a woman! I'm going to work hard! I'm going to give it my all! I'll show her exactly what she missed out on!"
Hu Bin scoffed. "Everyone with a broken heart says that. They all want to improve themselves and see the regret on her face, but hardly anyone actually does it. Before long, they forget all about it."
Yi Nanzi sounded less confident after hearing that. "Well, I do want to put some real effort in. There's a Spring City Marathon coming up. Qin Qin and her boyfriend are both entering. I want to enter too. I want to beat him!"
Yet after he said it, his gaze turned resolute, making Hu Bin begin to see him in a new light!
Hu Bin shook his head with a smile. "Well, look at that. I think I can actually see your resolve."
Then he looked at Yi Nanzi seriously. "Tell me more about this Spring City Marathon."
Yi Nanzi explained, "It's an official event held by Spring City. The course is twenty kilometers long, and it's specifically designed to test the endurance and willpower of Trainers and their Pokémon. There are some really generous prizes for the top ten."
Hu Bin's interest was piqued. "Sounds pretty fun. I'll sign up too. While we're at it, I can put you and Cyndaquil through some special training."
Yi Nanzi's eyes lit up. "That'd be great! I won't be on my own, and we can look out for each other. Besides, I have complete confidence in your training!"
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