After returning home, Cole gathered all the Pokémon and formally introduced them to Hatterene.
Uncomfortable among so many unfamiliar Pokémon, Hatterene anxiously used its hair to cover the scar on its face, worried they might mock its appearance.
Cole noticed its concern and patted its shoulder, "Hatterene, no one will look down on you, don't worry."
Perhaps moved by his sincere gaze, Hatterene slowly lowered the hair from its face.
Looking at the Pokémon before it, Hatterene saw only excitement and warmth in their faces — not a trace of disdain or judgment. They truly welcomed it.
In fact, everyone was so happy not just because they were welcoming it, but also because a new member meant they would get to enjoy another spa treatment today.
What a beautiful misunderstanding.
Through this misunderstanding, Hatterene overcame its initial fears, laying a foundation for future friendships with everyone.
After introductions were complete, Cole began showing Hatterene its future duties.
He first took it to the house.
"Your job will be to handle the household chores here. Buneary used to do this, but since it isn't home now, we'll need your help. Buneary is also an employee here — a lovely little one. I'll introduce you two when it returns."
"Hatte~"
Hatterene nodded.
"When Buneary returns, you'll be in charge of cleaning the staff dormitory. I'll show you that area later." Cole continued.
He then showed Hatterene to its private room in the house. Since it would handle household duties, living in the house made more sense than commuting from the staff dormitory.
Hatterene was surprised to have its own room — at the shelter, it had always shared space with many other Pokémon. This was its first private room.
Looking at the beautiful furnishings and complete set of living necessities in the room, Hatterene felt emotion welling up inside.
Seeing its dazed expression, Cole said, "Daisy prepared this room specially for you two days ago. If anything isn't to your liking, just let her know directly. You remember Daisy, right? The Gardevoir — she's also my mother and handles all household matters."
Hatterene nodded in understanding.
As Cole showed it around, Hatterene began to grasp everything about Mt. Ascendant, including the working conditions. The benefits far exceeded its expectations, and these were just the obvious perks — there were many more hidden advantages yet to discover.
That evening, Hatterene surprised Cole by volunteering to help prepare dinner.
Hatterene could cook?
When asked, Cole learned that at the shelter, Hatterene had not only cared for other Pokémon but also looked after the caretaker, preparing all three of his daily meals.
Hatterene modestly warned that its self-taught cooking skills might not be very good, suggesting Cole should lower his expectations.
In truth, Hatterene was being far too humble. While its culinary skills might not rival professional chefs, they were perfect for family meals — and far superior to Cole's embarrassingly basic cooking abilities.
Being from Kalos, especially Coumarine where seafood dominated, the local cuisine differed greatly from what Cole knew in his previous life. He'd been cooking for himself, growing accustomed to his own mediocre results.
That night, he described his recipes to Hatterene, who took charge of the cooking. The results were magnificent.
When he tasted those familiar flavors, he nearly wept.
The Pokémon finally experienced the true essence of Cole's previous life's cuisine. They'd always thought his cooking was good simply because it was different, but the taste had been merely passable. Hatterene's skill truly brought out these dishes' authentic charm.
Everyone gave him questioning looks — how could he be so bad at this?
Still, human food remained just a pleasure for Pokémon; their primary energy source had to be Pokéblocks.
The Pokéblocks Bryan made for Cole had arrived, and the Pokémon were already enjoying them. The effects were remarkable — they gained energy much faster than with their previous Pokéblocks.
Larvitar showed the most visible improvement: its complexion was healthier, its energy levels higher, and its training strength had increased notably.
For Hatterene, this was its first experience with Pokéblocks, especially such high-grade ones made with A-class berries. The sensation of energy coursing through its body was extraordinary — a feeling only possible with Pokémon food made from A-class berries.
After trying the Pokéblocks, Hatterene was amazed at Mt. Ascendant's luxurious lifestyle!
The last activity of the day was, naturally, the spa treatment. When Cole announced this, the Pokémon erupted in cheers.
The "innocent" Hatterene looked bewildered at everyone's sudden excitement.
Spa treatment? What's that?
Tonight would be another wonderful night!
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With Hatterene's arrival, the house transformed — even the air seemed fresher.
Rising early each morning, Hatterene busied itself with chores. By the time Cole awoke, it had prepared breakfast and thoroughly cleaned the entire house.
Looking at the spotless house, Cole's spirits lifted. He hadn't fully appreciated Buneary's presence until after it left.
That afternoon, while returning from school, Alfred called about an urgent situation — a fruit merchant needed an additional berry order right away.
Cole quickly gathered the Pokémon to pick berries to fulfill this rushed order.
The unreliable merchant proved frustrating — after Cole and the others hurriedly harvested everything, the merchant's delivery truck broke down, delaying collection until late in the day.
Cole felt a headache coming on from the whole ordeal.
Then a thought struck him: shouldn't he get his own truck? With one, he could deliver fruit directly when merchants had vehicle troubles, avoiding these delays.
But a new problem arose — who would drive it? He certainly couldn't. Not only was he too young for a license, but his legs wouldn't even reach the brake pedal!
Cole found himself in quite the predicament.
The next day, after discussing this with the Pokémon, Machamp surprisingly volunteered to get a driver's license.
??? Can Pokémon even get driver's licenses?
Cole had never heard of this before. After searching online, he discovered, to his great surprise, that Pokémon could indeed obtain driver's licenses.
However, there were two prerequisites: the Pokémon had to be humanoid, and they needed official registered status.
Machamp being humanoid wasn't an issue — the main concern was the status requirement.
In the Pokémon world, Pokémon could register for proper resident status with the League. While this wasn't equivalent to human citizenship and didn't grant full autonomy — they still needed a guardian — registered Pokémon became official League members and enjoyed basic rights under League regulations.
None of Cole's Pokémon had ever been registered.
Though Machamp's offer to get a driver's license was good news, the registration requirement meant Cole would need to discuss this with his classmate Keith, since Machamp was just an employee, not his own Pokémon.
Who to list as guardian on the registration form was a major question.
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The next day at school, Cole discussed this with Keith, who after careful consideration decided to let Cole become the guardian.
Though Keith had entrusted Machamp to Cole's care, it was Cole who had been looking after it and the others, and whether Keith could ever take them back remained uncertain.
Initially, Keith had tried to pay Cole living expenses for the five Pokémon, but Cole refused since he was already responsible for all employees' meals, and the Pokémon worked very hard, making such expenses unnecessary.
Cole had no objections to becoming Machamp's guardian. After school, he took it to register for status.
The registration process proved quite complex. The department had to verify not only Cole's identity but also thoroughly investigate Machamp's background.
If not for Machamp's easily verifiable background and Keith's witness testimony, the process would have been even more challenging.
No wonder few people bothered with this registration. He learned that most who did were trainers needing to participate in League-sponsored competitions.
By the time Cole and Machamp finished the registration process and returned home, it was completely dark.
The next day, since Cole didn't have school, he took Machamp to enroll in driving school.
Coumarine had numerous driving schools, primarily concentrated in the West District. After careful research, he selected one with an excellent reputation that was closer to the East District.
When they arrived to enroll, the driving school staff were quite surprised — while Pokémon were eligible for licenses, few ever came to register.
After enrollment, Machamp was assigned an instructor and began its lessons. Cole, having no other commitments, stayed to observe.
To his amazement, Machamp picked up the skills with remarkable speed. Even the instructor praised its abilities, noting that it could almost drive on actual roads already.
When Cole inquired about this, Machamp revealed that it had previously learned to drive while staying with a foster family, explaining why it wasn't truly a beginner.
That family, though friends of Machamp's previous owner, had been difficult to live with. The wife had been particularly harsh, frequently complaining about the Pokémon eating without working and constantly finding ways to make them do chores.
Initially, the husband had opposed his wife making Machamp and the others work, since their owner had paid for their care. However, he eventually began giving them tasks as well.
Fearing eviction, the Pokémon had endured this treatment without complaint.
Machamp had learned driving from the family's husband, who, while never allowing it on public roads, had often had it help move things around their property.
This experience had made Machamp comfortable with driving, leading to its volunteer offer when Cole needed a driver.
Its four arms proved particularly advantageous for handling the vehicle.
"Well done, Machamp! Study hard, practice well, and aim to get your license soon to become Mt. Ascendant's exclusive driver!"
During the break, Cole's encouragement delighted Machamp — it particularly loved the title of Mt. Ascendant's exclusive driver.
Cole headed home alone, telling Machamp, "I'll pick you up in the afternoon!"
Machamp nodded obediently, watching him leave. It took out its Pokéblock container, popped one into its mouth, and returned to its studies.
Being quite earnest by nature, Machamp took Cole's instruction to study hard very seriously. It practiced continuously throughout the day, barely taking breaks — only pausing to eat a Pokéblock when its energy flagged. Even its instructor couldn't keep up with such dedication.
When Cole discovered this intense practice routine, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He advised Machamp that balancing work and rest was important, since excessive practice wouldn't actually speed up the learning process.
Though Machamp agreed to this wisdom, the next day at driving school it remained extremely dedicated — only allowing itself slightly more breaks than before.
While Machamp diligently worked toward its license, Cole and Alfred visited truck dealerships. After comparing three options, they selected a heavy-duty truck with impressive cargo capacity — suitable not just for berries, but capable of hauling steel and concrete.
When Cole researched the manufacturer, he discovered the truck was produced by a subsidiary of Lysandre's company — quite a coincidence. The tycoon seemed to have his fingers in every industry.
Since neither Cole nor Alfred could drive, the dealership staff delivered the truck.
When Machamp returned from driving practice that afternoon and found the brand-new truck parked at home, it was overjoyed, immediately hopping into the driver's seat to try it out.
The truck Cole bought was expensive but performed excellently — far superior to the ones at driving school. It was truly fun to drive.
When the other Pokémon saw Machamp driving, they all wanted rides, leaving Machamp no choice but to drive them around the mountain.
Upon returning from his business discussion with Alfred, Cole found Machamp driving around with a truck full of excited Pokémon.
Even the flying Pokémon — Talonflame, Fletchinder, and Fletchling — had squeezed onto the truck out of curiosity, chirping non-stop with excitement.
Brionne, though initially reluctant to join the fun, was dragged aboard by Daisy. Despite its initial discomfort, it soon caught everyone's joyful mood and ended up laughing along with the others.
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