Hu Bin, a Hidden Gem

Qin An looked at Hu Bin with admiration and said, "You're really amazing. You know so much!"

"It's nothing, really. Raising Vulpix lately has given me plenty of ideas, and I've been making improvements based on them!" Hu Bin said, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Wow. Oh, right, I've been wanting to buy some Pokéblocks for Kadabra. Are there any shops you'd recommend?" Qin An asked, looking at Hu Bin with her big, doll-like eyes.

At the mention of Pokéblocks, Hu Bin swelled with pride and thumped his chest. "Come to me! The Pokéblocks I make are unbelievably good!"

Qin An rolled her eyes at him. "You can make Pokéblocks? Yeah, right. I don't believe you!"

Hu Bin immediately bristled. Someone actually doubted his Pokéblock-making skills!

"You don't believe me? Try some. The ones I make are fantastic!" With that, Hu Bin took a small container of Pokéblocks made from Oran Berries out of his bag and handed it to Qin An.

Qin An took it and looked inside, her eyes filling with surprise.

Every Pokéblock in the container was perfectly formed. They were practically flawless!

In disbelief, Qin An opened the lid and sniffed the Pokéblocks with her delicate little nose. A rich, fruity fragrance instantly filled her nostrils, sweeping away the fatigue from her earlier workout!

Qin An looked at Hu Bin in astonishment. How did he do it? These Pokéblocks are better than the ones sold in stores that claim to be made using advanced techniques. And their effects are far better, too!

Hu Bin felt rather smug at her reaction. Who am I? I'm the great Hu Bin! I'm a man with Special-Grade Pokéblock Production. How could those flashy imitations you've seen before compare to mine? Come on, praise me. Don't hold back!

Hu Bin gazed at Qin An expectantly, waiting for her praise!

Qin An now looked at Hu Bin as though he were a monster. How can anyone be this talented? He's great at training Pokémon, and he can make such perfect Pokéblocks, too. Good heavens! How does he do it?

For a moment, the whole scene looked rather strange. Qin An stared blankly at Hu Bin, while he looked back at her with an expression begging for praise. Meanwhile, the fragrance of the Pokéblocks had drifted out of the container, and the Pokémon practicing Calm Mind had all embarrassingly started drooling, their eyes fixed on the container in Qin An's hands!

Even Kadabra, who was teaching Vulpix, could no longer resist and stared at the Pokéblocks in Qin An's hands, drooling!

Vulpix shot Kadabra a disdainful glance. Look at you drooling over them. I'm almost sick of eating those things. We barely have room for them all at home!

When Qin An came back to her senses, she realized how she had just behaved, and her pretty face turned bright red!

With her cheeks still flushed, she said to Hu Bin, "You're really amazing. Pokéblocks like these are truly hard to come by!"

After speaking, she carefully put the lid back on and reluctantly handed the container back to Hu Bin.

But after receiving praise from a beautiful girl, Hu Bin felt especially pleased with himself and waved a hand grandly.

"You can have this container. You had Kadabra help train Vulpix today, and I didn't know how to thank you. Think of this as my thank-you gift!"

Qin An felt terribly embarrassed after hearing his words, but shyly accepted his gift. She became even more determined to help Vulpix learn Extrasensory properly!

Then Hu Bin said to Qin An, "Oh, right. Once Vulpix learns Extrasensory, I'll prepare some Pokéblocks suited to Kadabra and give them as a gift."

Qin An couldn't help being delighted. Pokéblocks suited to Kadabra! With Hu Bin's skill, wouldn't Kadabra's strength improve tremendously after eating them?

But as a well-brought-up young lady, she still had to show some restraint. She said shyly, "Then let me pay you. I can't let you lose out, can I?"

Hu Bin hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, there's really no need. I'm planning to set up a street stall later. Just help spread the word for me!"

"You're going to set up a street stall? That's so down-to-earth!" Qin An's big eyes widened even further!

Hu Bin gave a wry smile. "It's not about being down-to-earth. It's about making a living!"

After saying that, Hu Bin tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. The male lead in Vulpix's favorite Eevee TV drama had said that when you felt miserable, you should raise your head so your bitter tears wouldn't fall!

Qin An looked at Hu Bin with even greater admiration. He can battle, make perfect Pokéblocks, and support a family!

Oh! Where else could you find such a wonderful man? He's an absolute hidden gem!

Qin An immediately looked at Hu Bin and said earnestly, "When the time comes, I'll definitely get lots of people to buy Pokéblocks from you. And I'll absolutely be your shop's VIP, your most loyal customer!"

Hu Bin felt a little touched as he looked at Qin An, though he had no idea what she had imagined about him.

"Thank you. Make sure you come support me when the time comes! Oh, right, we haven't exchanged contact details yet. Let's do that. I'll scan yours!"

And so, the two exchanged contact details. Their conversation grew even livelier, as though a barrier between them had disappeared.

Only Kadabra suffered, constantly drooling at the Pokéblocks while Kadabra's Trainer chatted enthusiastically with some guy. She can't even remember to feed me a couple!

After they had trained for a long time, Qin An finally remembered, under Kadabra's resentful gaze, that she had forgotten to give her hardworking helper a couple of Pokéblocks!

She smiled apologetically at Kadabra, then swam over and fed Kadabra a few!

Kadabra's eyes lit up after eating the Pokéblocks. These taste so good! Now I'm fired up!

Kadabra gave Hu Bin a slight nod. Not bad, young man!

Qin An also thoughtfully fed Vulpix two Pokéblocks!

Vulpix's affection for the young woman grew even stronger. She's so considerate!

In the Psychic-type training room, Kadabra taught Vulpix a special move, Calm Mind. This move could raise Special Attack and Special Defense during battle!

Even Kadabra was astonished! Does Vulpix have to be this clever? It only took a few hours to learn Calm Mind!

Hu Bin was delighted, too. What a great haul. Vulpix even learned Calm Mind! Amazing! That's my kid for you.

Qin An's eyes widened as well, but she quickly recovered. After all, like Trainer, like Pokémon!

After Hu Bin and Qin An agreed on a time to train Extrasensory the next day, they left the Training Hall with their Pokémon, chatting and laughing!

But Hu Bin kept feeling as though he had forgotten something. He just couldn't remember what!

"Oh, well. Forget it!"

Meanwhile, Wu Jin, Liu Yi, and Yi Nanzi stood in the Training Hall, gritting their teeth as they watched Hu Bin leave with Qin An, without sparing any of them a thought!