Training a Diancie wasn't as simple as it sounded. Cole carefully examined each Carbink's body. Though Ember had drawn detailed diagrams of their energy circuits, seeing them in person would be far more valuable.
When he used his ability to observe the Carbinks' actual energy circuits, his understanding deepened significantly.
Like most Pokémon, Carbinks of the same species shared nearly identical energy circuits — barring rare, specially developed individuals.
Examining them one by one, Cole gained intimate knowledge of Carbink anatomy. He thought to himself: If I could study a real Diancie's structure, I might be able to raise one myself.
At last, he turned his attention to his special Carbink.
Just as Ember had described, this Carbink's energy circuits matched its species — except for a distinctive diamond-shaped core at its center. The core's circuits were intricately woven together, so densely packed that studying them made his eyes swim.
The core lay dormant and dark, requiring gradual illumination to awaken.
Cole's head throbbed at the thought — how long would this process take?
It had taken years to fully illuminate the hidden circuits in Heliolisk and Brionne. This Carbink could take decades.
Indeed, raising a mythical Pokémon was no simple feat!
Ah well — one step at a time!
Ember observed Cole's examination closely. Despite the subtlety of his power, her keen perception detected his ability at work.
"Was that your ability just now?" She gave him a knowing smile.
"Huh? Oh, yes." Cole was taken aback by her sharp observation.
"What a fascinating ability. I've met many special ability users, but yours is truly unique." Ember mused.
"Haha..." Cole could only laugh awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
He couldn't exactly explain that being a transmigrator was the source of his special ability, could he?
Seeing Cole's silence, Ember didn't press further. She wasn't interested in uncovering others' secrets — as long as he could help her raise Diancie.
"Are you finished examining?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm done." Cole glanced at the darkening sky, "Sister, it's getting late. I should go."
Ember nodded, "Yes, it is. Leave your contact information with me."
Cole provided his phone number.
"Wait a moment." Ember said after writing it down.
She waved toward the house, and the Goodra that had brought the silver ore appeared again, carrying a space bag. At her gesture, it placed the bag in Cole's arms along with a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Cole examined the space bag and the yellowed paper.
Ember explained, "That paper contains the recipe for Carbink's exclusive energy blocks. The space bag holds special ore from the Mineral Kingdom — an essential ingredient for Carbink's food that you'll need when making the blocks."
Cole was impressed — she was even providing food!
Opening the space bag, he found it filled with beautiful, colorless, transparent crystals. He hadn't expected Carbink's food to be so luxurious.
"When you run out, contact me and I'll send you more." Ember said.
"I understand, sister Ember." Cole nodded absently, thinking that depending on others wasn't so bad after all — quite manageable, really.
Pleased with his compliance, Ember nodded, "Alright, you can go now. If you have any questions about raising Carbink, or if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask for help."
Cole nodded, and just as he was about to leave with Daisy and his newly acquired Carbink, Ember suddenly said:
"Actually, I'll escort you back. Since you found this place by accident, you probably can't find your way here again."
As she finished speaking, her eyes flashed with intense purple light, and a powerful Psychic force rippled outward, making Cole — a novice Psychic — turn pale from the pressure.
A Salamence descended from the sky. Another pseudo-legendary, and it was clearly immensely powerful!
Cole found himself wondering again about this beautiful woman's true identity.
"Let Salamence take you back. Where are you headed? Shalour?" Ember asked.
"Yes." Cole nodded.
"Then let's go."
Following her instructions, Cole climbed onto Salamence's back with Daisy and the others. The Pokémon's back was surprisingly spacious, giving them plenty of room.
Salamence snorted uneasily at having passengers, then flapped its wings and took off.
From this vantage point, Cole finally got a clear view of Ember's home.
A cliff rose at the mine's entrance, with a ravine stretching eastward below. The terrain gradually softened until the ravine faded away, revealing the flower field he had first encountered.
The mine and Ember's residence weren't far from each other. After memorizing the location, he flew to Shalour with Salamence as his guide.
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Salamence landed on a secluded beach. Its familiarity with the area suggested it had visited many times before.
As Cole and Daisy dismounted, a voice called out nearby.
"Young man, is that you?" Cole turned to see Gurkinn once again.
He couldn't help but wonder: Does she just wander these beaches all day?
Salamence barely acknowledged Gurkinn's presence, giving her a brief glance before spreading its wings and taking flight.
"That... Salamence..." Gurkinn murmured, watching it vanish.
"Ms. Gurkinn?" Cole called out, noticing her distant expression.
"Young man, you know who I am?" Gurkinn asked, coming back to her senses.
Cole nodded, "Of course I know you — you're the Shalour Gym Leader."
"Well, that's true..." Gurkinn nodded, "Young man, do you know Miss Ember?"
Cole looked at her in astonishment, "Ms. Gurkinn, you know Sister Ember too?"
"Sister Ember?" Gurkinn's expression turned strange at hearing how he addressed the woman.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Cole asked, confused.
Gurkinn shook her head, "Nothing. That Salamence just now was Miss Ember's Pokémon, right?"
"Yes." Cole nodded.
"Haven't seen it in a while." Gurkinn sighed, then looked at him again, "Young man, are you close with Miss Ember?"
She had come running over after seeing Salamence during her walk, not expecting to run into this kid.
Cole shook his head, "I just met her today."
"Is that so? Then Miss Ember must really like you, otherwise she wouldn't have let Salamence escort you." Gurkinn said with a smile.
She doesn't particularly like me, she just needs my help with something.
"Are you familiar with Ember, Ms. Gurkinn?" Cole asked.
"Familiar?" Gurkinn paused thoughtfully, "I suppose so — we've been neighbors for many years."
"What kind of person is she? She seems really impressive." Cole continued.
Gurkinn was silent for a moment, "She... is impressive indeed. Miss Ember used to be one of the Elite Four of the Kalos region."
Cole's eyes widened in shock, "Elite Four?"
Gurkinn nodded, "Yes, though Miss Ember only stayed in that position for about a month before voluntarily resigning. No one knows exactly why. If she hadn't resigned, who knows who would be the Champion of Kalos now..."
There was clear regret in his voice.
No one knew Miss Ember's background, but everyone knew that when she ran for the Elite Four position, her popularity was overwhelming — she was in a league of her own. When she left the Elite Four, countless people were heartbroken.
Many years have passed, and who knows how many still remember Miss Ember...
Cole's mind had stopped working from the shock of Gurkinn's words.
This... she was that powerful?
Seeing his surprised expression, Gurkinn patted his shoulder and said, "Haha... young man, since you've earned Miss Ember's favor, make sure to work hard!"
With that, he left. He hadn't asked for Cole's name — if they were meant to meet again, they would, and he could ask then.
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Cole and his companions spent the night in Shalour, then returned to Coumarine early the next morning on another express aircraft.
As soon as they got home, Larvitar eagerly dumped out all the silver ore that Ember had given them, diving right in and rolling around in it.
"Yow~ Yow~ Yow~" — So happyy~~~
Cole grabbed its little tail and pulled it out of the pile of silver ore, "I'll keep these for you and give you one piece per day. The rest of the time, you can make do with the dirt you bring back from the mine."
"Yow~ Yow~ Yow~" — But why, why, why?!
Larvitar wasn't happy to hear this and started jumping around in protest.
Cole held its little head down, "If I give them all to you, you'll finish them in two or three days. Do you want to gorge yourself once and then have nothing left?"
Hearing this, Larvitar immediately settled down.
"Yow~ Yow~" — When we run out, you can buy more...
With that, it plopped down on its bottom, kicking its little feet.
"Yow~ Yow~ Yow~" — Ah... I want my own mine!!!
Larvitar suddenly let out a roar to the sky, though given its childish appearance, the sound came out rather comical.
Ignoring the spoiled little one, Cole went to prepare a room for his new Pokémon. Though he hadn't expected Carbink to join them, he managed to arrange a room quickly, thankful that the house had everything they needed.
"Carbink, this will be your new home from now on. Make yourself comfortable, and if you need anything or feel uncomfortable, you can tell me anytime — don't worry about it." He kept his voice gentle and calm to help Carbink feel at ease in its new surroundings.
"Carb~ Carb~"
Carbink nodded and circled the room, appearing pleased with its new home.
"Alright, let me introduce you to the other Pokémon in the house. They're all very friendly, and I'm sure you'll like everyone." Cole said.
"Carb~"
Carbink responded cheerfully and followed him outside.
Learning there was a new friend joining them, everyone erupted in celebration.
Yay, more spa treatment time!
Not understanding their true motivation, Carbink thought everyone simply liked it. Though overwhelmed, it couldn't hide its happiness.
Hatterene: Speaking from experience, you're reading too much into it.
That evening, Hatterene and Cole worked together to prepare a welcome feast for Carbink.
Unfortunately, Carbink showed little interest in human food, barely tasting it before stopping. Cole didn't force the issue and instead prepared some berries more suited to its taste.
Still, Carbink was happy because everyone was so welcoming, constantly engaging with it and ensuring it felt included.
That night, the Pokémon finally got their wished-for spa treatment.
As the newest member, Carbink received special attention, getting much more spa time than the others, drawing envious looks from everyone.
Though shy, it secretly enjoyed being the center of attention.
Cole repeatedly helped Carbink organize and purify its internal energy.
To his surprise, its energy accumulation, purity, and quality far exceeded that of ordinary Pokémon, even matching Larvitar who had been through multiple purification sessions with him.
Clearly, Carbink had already received training while with Ember.
As the spa treatment continued, Cole suddenly felt both his Special Ability energy and Carbink's Source Energy reach a critical point.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed through his mind, followed by a shock to his heart that left him dizzy and disoriented.
When he recovered, Cole was amazed to discover his Special Ability energy had more than doubled in both quantity and quality.
Had his Special Ability... evolved?
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