Quite a few students shouted excitedly, "Demon King, you're freaking awesome!"
Wu Jin and Liu Yi were the most excited of all, bouncing around below the stage as they celebrated Hu Bin and Vulpix's victory!
"Bin, you're the man!"
"Way to go, Bin!"
When Hu Bin shook hands with Qin An, another wave of cheers and teasing rose from the crowd!
Qin An looked at Hu Bin, seeming to have made peace with her loss. "I have to admit, you beat me fair and square! You and Vulpix are just too strong. Let's settle the score at the Spring City Rookie Tournament!"
Hu Bin smiled in response. "Sure, I'll take you on anytime. But you really surprised me too. I never expected you to fight so fiercely. Just look at all those craters in the battlefield. Impressive!"
Qin An's pretty face flushed, and she said a little bashfully, "Oh, come on. It was a battle, so of course I had to give it my all!"
Seeing Qin An turn so demure, Hu Bin marveled at how quickly women could change their expressions. A moment ago, she had looked downright fierce, but now she was all shy and sweet. Incredible!
At the award ceremony, Hu Bin and Vulpix stood in the first-place spot, holding their championship trophy and waving to the students below.
Vulpix was thrilled too. All six little tails swished rapidly onstage, and the smile never left Vulpix's face!
I'm so happy! I finally won a championship with my trainer! Next time, I'm going to win the Marathon and the Rookie Tournament with him too! And after that, we'll win even more trophies!
All sixteen finalists stood onstage during the award ceremony, basking in the gazes from below—admiration, congratulations, jealousy, and every other sort of look!
It was Wu Jin and Liu Yi's first time receiving honors in front of the entire school, and both were a little nervous. Their parents were watching from below, too!
Wu Jin and Liu Yi wore very solemn expressions onstage, but their palms kept sweating!
Hu Bin watched them from the side, speechless. These two were usually so hyper, yet now they looked perfectly prim and proper. Did they really need to be that nervous? What a pair of embarrassments!
Then the principal approached each student, offered a few warm words of encouragement, and personally presented them with certificates and prizes!
Liu Yi, who had reached the top eight, received the valuable item Leftovers from the principal! He was absolutely delighted.
Wu Jin, who had reached the top four, received a Black Belt suited to Machoke, along with a training manual for Submission!
Below the stage, Wu Jin's and Liu Yi's parents shed tears of excitement at seeing their children do so well!
How many years had it been? For once, they weren't coming to school because their children had gotten into trouble and the teachers had summoned them. This time, their children had finally made them proud! Good heavens, it hadn't been easy!
When Hu Bin's turn came, the principal walked up to him and said warmly, "Well done, Hu Bin. Make sure you place well in the Spring City Rookie Tournament and bring honor to our school!"
Hu Bin smiled. "You bet!"
With some reluctance, the principal took out a small box and said to Hu Bin, "This will be a great help to your Vulpix, so make good use of it. It pains me just to give it away!"
Hu Bin accepted the box with a beaming smile. "Don't worry, Principal. You'll be grinning from ear to ear after this Rookie Tournament. Just wait for the good news!"
"Good. I have high hopes for you this time, so don't let me down. Our school hasn't won the Spring City Rookie Tournament championship in twenty years."
"That has always weighed on my heart. I've been hoping to see our school produce a Rookie Tournament champion before I retire. Then I would be completely satisfied!"
The principal looked at Hu Bin as he spoke, his voice full of emotion.
Hu Bin grew serious and promised the principal solemnly, "Don't worry, Principal. I'll give it everything I've got to win the championship!"
Hearing Hu Bin's words, the principal felt deeply reassured. Moved, he said, "Good boy. What a good boy! Give it your best. I believe in you!"
With that, he took a USB drive out of his bag and handed it to Hu Bin.
"This contains the training method for Extrasensory. I'm sure it will be a great help to you and Vulpix. Do your best."
After speaking, the principal gently patted Hu Bin's shoulder and left!
Hu Bin stared at the move the principal had given him in surprise. The principal had really spared no expense this time. This was Extrasensory! Its training manual was incredibly hard to find, and in the system shop, it cost twice as many points as Return. That alone showed how precious it was!
Vulpix was delighted too. New study material! I get to learn something new again!
Containing his excitement, Hu Bin opened the box. One look inside nearly made him laugh with delight like a squealing pig!
The principal had given him a piece of Never-Melt Ice! No wonder he had looked so pained. Even a tiny piece of this stuff cost at least a million on the market, and that was if any was available at all!
Never-Melt Ice could insulate against heat, and holding it boosted the power of Ice-type moves by twenty percent!
With Vulpix wearing it, those Ice-type moves would become even more powerful!
Wow, the principal really went all out this time. No matter what, I can't let his generosity go to waste. I'm giving this everything I've got!
The principal had even thoughtfully made it into a little necklace so Vulpix could wear it easily. How considerate!
After the award ceremony, Hu Bin and Vulpix became even more popular at school!
They were the undisputed number one!
Hu Bin had also become that exemplary child every other parent compared their own children to!
Hu Bin sent his parents a photo of himself and Vulpix standing on the podium!
Before long, everything erupted into excitement. Hu Bin received a call from his father, Hu Jiaxing, and his mother, Zhao Lifang. Both were beside themselves with joy, wishing they could fly over from Alola to celebrate with their son.
When Hu Bin told his parents that he planned to enter the Spring City Rookie Tournament and win the championship, Hu Jiaxing was even happier and prouder!
"Son, just focus on competing. Don't you have seven days off next month? Come to Alola, and your uncle and I will give you some special training. Your mom and I will take time off for the finals and watch you win the championship together!" Hu Jiaxing said happily.
Zhao Lifang grabbed the phone from beside him. "That's right, that's right! Son, I'll make you something delicious when you come!"
Hu Bin's eyes lit up, and he eagerly agreed.
I haven't seen Mom and Dad in ages. Now I can visit them over National Day, spend some time together, and learn loads of new things too. What a great deal!
Hu Bin chatted with his parents for a long time before reluctantly hanging up.
His resolve grew even stronger. He had to win this Rookie Tournament championship and give his parents something to be truly proud of. He couldn't let them down!
Now that the call was over, Hu Bin and Vulpix had something even more important to do!
So Hu Bin, Wu Jin, and Liu Yi took Yi Nanzi, who had just come out of the school, and charged toward one destination with murderous determination: the buffet restaurant!
Food lovers lived to feast, and on a day this wonderful, they had all the more reason to celebrate with a good meal!
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