But neither of them felt any disappointment or regret. They had both given the battle everything they had!
Their spirit, and that of their Pokémon, had inspired everyone watching. Even the principal nodded repeatedly in approval of Wu Jin and Liu Yi!
The entire audience gave Wu Jin and Liu Yi a thunderous round of applause to show their appreciation!
The dating prospects Wu Jin and Liu Yi had been dreaming of were finally looking secure!
From the sidelines, Hu Bin had already spotted plenty of girls cheering their hearts out for the two after watching their battle!
The two boys basked in the audience's applause, reaching out and clasping hands tightly as a testament to their friendship.
"Keep it up! Don't go losing in the semifinals!" Liu Yi said.
Wu Jin gave a wry smile. "I can only do my best. The match is this afternoon, but Machoke's pretty badly hurt. I probably won't be able to fight at full strength!"
"That's what we get for going so wild! Still, that was seriously satisfying. I have no regrets. But I won't lose next time. Just you wait!"
A faint smile played on Liu Yi's lips!
Wu Jin laughed. "Then I'll be waiting! Anyway, that battle was so satisfying that I don't even care whether I advance anymore. Our next stage will be the Spring City Rookie Tournament. We can settle the score there!"
"I'll take you on anytime!" Liu Yi said.
With that, they left the battlefield and returned to sit beside Hu Bin under their classmates' gazes!
Hu Bin looked at them and smiled. "Not bad at all! That battle had some real substance!"
"Of course!" Wu Jin declared proudly. "Who do you think we are? The Spring City Little Tyrants!"
Hu Bin chuckled. "Getting pretty full of yourself, huh? How about a little spar with me?"
Wu Jin's face fell at Hu Bin's words, and he hurriedly said, "I was only joking, Brother Bin! Let's keep things friendly!"
Liu Yi also shot Wu Jin a scornful look. "I didn't see anything friendly about you during that battle!"
Wu Jin argued, "That was me showing respect for my best buddy! It wasn't unfriendly!"
Hu Bin laughed. "You two really stole the spotlight this time. Look, plenty of girls have noticed you already. Better get moving!"
At Hu Bin's words, the two girl-crazy buddies let out a howl and excitedly turned toward the stands. Sure enough, just as Hu Bin had said, quite a few girls were looking at them with admiration!
Wu Jin and Liu Yi could no longer keep their cool. They even felt like crying!
Boohoo! Looks like we finally have a chance to shake off those 'single since birth' and 'hopeless bachelor' labels!
And so, the two turned into lone wolves. With another howl and a quick word to Hu Bin, they rushed straight to the stands to show the girls their damn irresistible charm!
Hu Bin curled his lip disdainfully. "A man destined to stand at the pinnacle of the Pokémon world doesn't need some sweet romance. That would only slow down my Poké Ball throws!"
It was clearly summer, yet love was in the springtime air!
Yep, and there were two hungry wolves, too! The absolutely ravenous kind!
Soon, the screen displayed the afternoon's match times and pairings. Hu Bin was scheduled for the first match, against a Trainer who owned a rare Pokémon—a Riolu!
Wu Jin was scheduled for the second match, but that hardly mattered! His mind was entirely on the girls now, leaving him no attention to spare for the battle schedule!
At noon, Hu Bin called Yi Nanzi and learned that Yi Nanzi had been eliminated in the quarterfinals without making the final four. He spent ages offering comfort!
Only then did Yi Nanzi regain some confidence and promise Hu Bin to train hard from now on and aim for a good result in the Spring City Rookie Tournament!
After hanging up, Hu Bin headed to a restaurant outside the school for lunch with Wu Jin and Liu Yi, both of whom looked utterly lovestruck!
Inside the restaurant, Hu Bin and Vulpix watched Wu Jin and Liu Yi with shudders of revulsion, their faces full of disdain!
Wu Jin and Liu Yi stared at their phones with lovestruck expressions, messaging the girls and occasionally letting out sleazy chuckles!
Munchlax and Machoke, who had already recovered their stamina, were also utterly disgusted with their Trainers!
Can I return a Trainer like this? I can't carry this team anymore! Too sleazy!
Wu Jin and Liu Yi were in such good moods that their appetites soared. Each ate three bowls of rice with lunch and downed a bottle of ice-cold cola!
After finishing his meal, Hu Bin gently wiped Vulpix's mouth, which was smeared with grease!
Vulpix obediently let its Trainer wipe its mouth.
Looking at the lovesick pair, Hu Bin said, "Could you two tone it down a little? You look terrifying."
"Brother Bin, I'm just happy! I've never talked this much with any girl in my whole life!" Wu Jin said, looking deeply moved!
"Exactly, exactly! You need to step up your game too, Brother Bin!" Liu Yi said excitedly.
Hu Bin curled his lip disdainfully. "I'm never going to get all lovesick like you two. Never!"
Wu Jin looked shocked and stammered, "Bro, don't tell me you like guys? I feel like we're in serious danger!"
Although Liu Yi said nothing, his expression gave him away! He was deeply suspicious of Hu Bin!
Hu Bin's face darkened, and he said through gritted teeth, "I'm telling you, you two have seriously gotten too cocky. I'm taking you out today before you can menace the rest of the world!"
True to his word, Hu Bin immediately put them both in a Chokehold, making Wu Jin and Liu Yi beg for mercy!
Hu Bin, the human Pokémon, was not someone to mess with!
The afternoon sun blazed like fire, but it was still no match for the students' enthusiasm. They had claimed good spots to watch the matches early!
Some students who had awakened their inner hustlers proved to have excellent business sense!
Carrying insulated coolers, they wandered among their classmates selling ice pops, bringing a hint of cool relief to the scorching day!
The ice-pop sellers were grinning from ear to ear. They had already sold through several batches, business was booming, and the cash was rolling in!
Hu Bin's eyes went red—redder than a rabbit's!
Money! It's not virtual. I can get my hands on it! Forget battling—I just want to sell stuff, make some money, and raise my Pokémon!
Hu Bin became even more determined to answer the nation's call and wholeheartedly support the street-stall economy!
Setting up a stall to sell Curry Rice and Pokéblocks and rake in the big bucks could not wait!
Hu Bin was the first to take the field in the semifinals. After a friendly handshake with his opponent, he stood on the battlefield in imposing style, drawing cheers and applause from the audience!
Hu Bin thought to himself, Wu Jin, Liu Yi, let me show you what a real campus superstar looks like!
Seeing Hu Bin's punchable expression, Wu Jin and Liu Yi were overwhelmed with envy. We worked ourselves to the bone in that battle just to finally win over a decent number of spectators!
You step onto the field and instantly fire up the crowd. The applause is even louder than during our battle, and the cheers are even wilder!
Comparing yourself to others really is enough to drive you mad!
Before you continue