True to its name, Spring City enjoyed springlike weather all year round. The weather was wonderful, but its high altitude could affect runners. That was manageable for the locals, but for those drawn to the race from lower-altitude regions, it posed quite a challenge!
Of course, the prize money was extremely tempting. First place would receive 500,000 yuan in cash, and everyone in the top hundred would earn generous rewards too!
Determined to win, Hu Bin and Vulpix trained hard through the last few days. Yi Nanzi and Cyndaquil worked just as hard, though the increased training load left them half-dead every day!
The results, however, were remarkable. After all that training, the once-frail Yi Nanzi had grown much sturdier! Cyndaquil was also on the verge of evolving and would probably become a Quilava before long!
Hu Bin, meanwhile, had been enjoying himself. He trained every morning, then went to school, occasionally finding Qin An for a chat. In the evenings, he trained with Qin An and Wu Jin, the three of them together. Once home, he watched TV with Vulpix and exchanged messages with Qin An!
He was a true master of time management, though what he managed his time for was perfectly respectable!
Soon, only one day remained before the Spring City Marathon. Early that morning, Hu Bin and Yi Nanzi trained with their Pokémon. Yi Nanzi and Cyndaquil were already sprawled across a bench, panting for breath!
The training load over the past few days had been enormous! But why did Hu Bin and Vulpix look so relaxed? Even now, they were only breathing a little harder and sweating a bit. Did they really have to be that physically fit?
Noticing Yi Nanzi's look, Hu Bin gave a disdainful smile.
Please. Vulpix and I both drank the system's Body Enhancer. Forget ordinary fitness—we could practically achieve sainthood through our bodies alone! How could ordinary mortals compare?
I'm determined to win tomorrow's race, take the championship, and reach the pinnacle of life!
With an expectant look, Hu Bin told Yi Nanzi, "Remember to take off your weights before the race tomorrow. Tomorrow's your chance to amaze everyone!"
Still reclining on the bench, Yi Nanzi smiled at Hu Bin's words. "Of course. Cyndaquil and I are definitely going to get a good result."
"Yinuo!" Watch me pull off a spectacular turnaround tomorrow!
Yi Nanzi looked at Hu Bin with some admiration. "Are you and Vulpix going to take off your weights for tomorrow's race? I feel like you could easily run twenty kilometers without removing them!"
Hu Bin considered it for a moment, then looked at Vulpix. "Vulpix, do you want to take off your weights?"
Vulpix shook its head.
"Vul!" No. I'm fine as I am. I'm afraid taking them off would scare everyone!
After hearing Vulpix's answer, Hu Bin turned to Yi Nanzi.
"Vulpix says it doesn't want to, so we'll leave our weights on. We'll just treat tomorrow's race as training!"
Yi Nanzi and Cyndaquil were utterly speechless. Did they have to humblebrag that hard? Did they have to be so ridiculously strong? What did they take the other competitors for?
After classes that afternoon, Hu Bin said goodbye to Wu Jin and the others and went home to rest and prepare for the next day's race.
Meanwhile, Wu Jin, Liu Yi, and the adorable Qin An secretly went off to make posters and cheering sticks, ready to support Hu Bin and Yi Nanzi tomorrow.
Incidentally, since Qin An had often trained with Hu Bin lately, she had grown much closer to Wu Jin and the others. After all, in their eyes, she was their future sister-in-law!
At home, Hu Bin and Vulpix stared solemnly at the television. The atmosphere was tense!
"Vulpix, are you ready?" Hu Bin asked gravely.
Vulpix looked extremely nervous, its little face tense as it nodded gently.
Hu Bin took a deep breath, held it, and switched on the television with intense concentration.
Vulpix's breath caught too. It was terribly nervous!
The moment the screen lit up, a Duskull appeared, startling Hu Bin and Vulpix. Vulpix immediately burrowed into Hu Bin's arms, trembling, while Hu Bin clutched it tightly in fear.
Yikes! This horror movie really was scary! Just listen to its title, "Midnight Skeleton"—that alone told you how terrifying it was!
That was right. Hu Bin and Vulpix were making thorough preparations for tomorrow's race, getting themselves into the right state. Their method was to watch a horror movie despite both being afraid of ghosts!
By the time the movie ended, Hu Bin and Vulpix had both gone pale with fright, though Vulpix's face had been white to begin with!
Both Hu Bin and Vulpix felt as though they had narrowly escaped death.
After finally catching his breath, Hu Bin said, "Vulpix, come to the bathroom with me. I'm worried you'll get scared staying here alone."
At eight on Saturday morning, when many office workers should have been enjoying a good rest, all of Spring City was bustling. Crowds poured onto the streets, ready to watch the fiercely contested marathon!
Quite a few competitors were already standing in the runners' area with their Pokémon. Dressed in sportswear, Hu Bin and Yi Nanzi warmed up alongside Cyndaquil and Vulpix.
"So, what do you think? Got a good chance of winning today?" Hu Bin asked Yi Nanzi as he bent backward into a stretch.
Yi Nanzi was warming up diligently too. Hearing Hu Bin's question, he replied confidently, "It's practically in the bag!"
Just as Hu Bin was about to speak, Yi Nanzi stopped moving and stared fixedly ahead.
Hu Bin followed Yi Nanzi's gaze and saw Qin Qin affectionately wiping the sweat from a man's face.
Sensing someone watching him, the man turned and met Yi Nanzi's eyes. He recognized Yi Nanzi and gave him a contemptuous smile.
Yi Nanzi turned away expressionlessly and said coldly, "I'll show you what I can do soon enough!"
Hu Bin was not nearly so patient. He looked straight at the man and made a universally understood gesture—he raised his middle finger!
The man was furious. Noticing something was wrong with her boyfriend, Qin Qin followed his gaze and saw Hu Bin and Yi Nanzi's turned back!
Qin Qin felt awkward and gave Hu Bin an embarrassed smile.
Hu Bin ignored her, turned away, and resumed warming up with Yi Nanzi.
"I'm going to teach those two a lesson. They're infuriating!" Qin Qin's boyfriend said through gritted teeth.
Qin Qin looked at her boyfriend and said gently, "Oh, don't bother with them. How could either of them be a match for you? You, Jin Kaiwei, and Raichu are the strongest marathon competitors!"
Hearing Qin Qin's words, Jin Kaiwei smiled smugly. Exactly. How could those two weaklings possibly compare to me?
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