After the meal, Cole, Lysandre, and all the Pokémon had eaten their fill.
Cole squeezed glasses of juice for Lysandre and himself, and they sat together outside the courtyard gate, lost in thought.
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance from the fairy flower field, while the distant berry groves swayed their branches and leaves in the wind. Everything looked beautiful.
Moved by the scene, Cole said, "Look at how beautiful this world is. Though human nature may have its dark side, the world remains unchanged by it. It stays just as beautiful."
Lysandre fell silent at these words, and without looking at him, Cole continued.
"Do you know what I admire most about you?"
Lysandre looked at him questioningly.
Cole continued unprompted, "It's your kindness and integrity. There are many kind and upright people in this world, but few are as pure as you, which makes your heart so precious.
Maybe I'm not a kind person myself, which is why I admire you so much. Some people might not recognize this precious quality, but there will always be those who can see it. You might not have noticed it yourself, but please always believe in this."
After saying this, he stopped talking, feeling so embarrassed his toes were curling.
The things we do for a rich friend!
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Lysandre stayed for two days, and Cole didn't bring up anything else. Each day, he simply took him sightseeing and dining. They visited all of Coumarine's famous attractions and tried every recommended local dish.
Cole also took him to Roman and Bianca's ranch, where they had an exhilarating riding competition on Gogoat.
Lysandre's riding skills were quite poor — he couldn't keep up with veterans like the couple, and he couldn't even outrace Cole. In the end, everyone mercilessly teased him about it. He burst out laughing too — he had never expressed his emotions so openly in public before.
Two days later, Cole saw Lysandre off at the airport, where his private aircraft was waiting.
Before leaving, Lysandre said to him with a relaxed expression, "Cole, thank you. I'm really glad I came to visit. These two days have been wonderful — may our friendship last forever."
Cole nodded and waved to him, "May our friendship last forever!"
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After Lysandre left, Cole returned to his daily routine — going to school, coming home, cultivating berry trees, and training Pokémon.
A few days later, the online rumors about Lysandre took an unexpected turn when the young man who had posted the original video released a follow-up. In this new video, he thoroughly explained his actions, revealed why Lysandre had withdrawn support, and provided evidence of his dealings with business rivals.
Lysandre had clearly taken decisive action, resolving the issue swiftly — just as one would expect from an experienced business tycoon.
The new video completely reversed public opinion. Both the video poster and his business rivals faced harsh criticism, while those who had threatened to boycott became targets of backlash themselves.
Cole later learned that the video poster was sentenced to prison. As for Lysandre's business rivals, while their fate remained unknown, they had certainly gained nothing from the ordeal.
Meanwhile, Cole had to frantically catch up on his schoolwork after taking those two days off to spend time with Lysandre — it was absolutely brutal.
That same day, Buneary returned from Bryan's place with its little bundle.
When Cole came home from school, he spotted it cooking dinner with Hatterene in the kitchen. "Oh? Buneary, you're back!" he said curiously.
"Bun~ Bune~" — Yes, yes, Mr. Bryan said I don't need to go anymore. I've learned all the techniques I need to, now I just need to practice at home.
It replied.
"You've finished your apprenticeship so quickly?" Cole asked in surprise.
"Bune~Bune~" — Not yet, I've just learned the techniques, but my skills aren't quite there yet. I need more practice, more practice...
Buneary said shyly.
Cole smiled and said, "Don't worry, you can do it. I believe in you. Feel free to use any berries from home, practice hard, and strive to become a master!"
Buneary fidgeted shyly again and indicated that it would definitely work hard.
From that day on, Buneary practiced making Pokéblocks in a special room Cole had prepared. Basket after basket of berries went in, and jar after jar of Pokéblocks came out.
Though Buneary produced Pokéblocks in large quantities, their quality wasn't yet up to the standards Cole's Pokémon required. While the quality steadily improved, there was still quite a way to go.
Rather than letting the Pokéblocks go to waste, Cole had Hatterene deliver them to the Pokémon shelter. Though not suitable for his own Pokémon's intensive training needs, the Pokéblocks were perfect for the shelter's residents, who didn't need to battle or engage in strenuous activities.
Hatterene, touched by Cole's thoughtfulness, became even more devoted to caring for him.
To reward its dedication, Cole arranged a special "private vehicle" for Hatterene — a Talonflame. Now it could fly to visit friends at the shelter whenever it wished. As more Fletchinder in the patrol team evolved, Mt. Ascendant gained several additional Talonflame.
Buneary didn't spend all its time making Pokéblocks — it also kept in regular contact with Siebold, discussing culinary arts over the phone. Though Cole couldn't fathom how they communicated across the language barrier, he'd often spot Buneary clutching the phone, chattering excitedly and waving its limbs with enthusiasm.
After each call with Siebold, Buneary would rush to the kitchen to practice its culinary skills, treating Cole and the others to delicious meals.
Cole later discovered that Siebold had embarked on his own journey shortly after Buneary's return home. He'd packed his bags and set out with his Pokémon, honing both his training and culinary abilities along the way. Even while traveling, he never failed to make time for his calls with Buneary.
As the days passed, the little bunny's cooking prowess grew remarkably, advancing even more rapidly than its Pokéblock-making skills.
Now, Cole's three daily meals were primarily prepared by Buneary and Hatterene working together, with Hatterene serving as Buneary's assistant.
That day, when Hatterene rode Talonflame to deliver Pokéblocks to its friends at the Pokémon shelter, it returned with two Pokémon eggs in its arms, much to Cole's surprise.
It approached him carefully and asked to keep the eggs. The eggs looked similar — white shells adorned with blue patterns — differing only slightly in their pattern density.
Cole couldn't immediately identify what kind of Pokémon eggs they were.
"Where did you get these eggs?" He asked curiously.
"Hat~ Hatte~"
Hatterene then explained their origin.
After delivering the Pokéblocks, it had been flying back on Talonflame when, approaching Mt. Ascendant, it discovered the two eggs by the roadside near the mountain. It had brought them home.
"That's impressive spotting eggs from up in the air." Cole said admiringly.
"Hat~ Hatte~ Hatte~" — The white eggs stood out clearly against the green grass.
It gestured toward Talonflame, indicating it had spotted them first.
Cole nodded, unsurprised — Talonflame's exceptional vision could easily detect objects on the ground, even from great heights.
"You really want to keep these eggs?" He asked.
"Hatte~ Hatte~"
Hatterene nodded eagerly, its eyes pleading.
"But these eggs were found by the road — they might belong to someone. What if their owner is searching for them?" Cole asked.
Hatterene: ...
It hadn't considered that possibility.
"All right, we can keep them for now." Cole said with a sigh, "But I'll have Talonflame watch the road. If anyone comes looking, you'll need to return the eggs. If no one claims them, then they're yours."
"Hatte~ Hatte~" — Boss, don't worry, I won't neglect my work.
Hatterene spun in circles with joy.
Cole was speechless: Was that really what he had been worried about?
He couldn't understand why Hatterene was so insistent on keeping the two Pokémon eggs, but then he recalled how loving it was toward all baby Pokémon, like Buneary, Larvitar, and Chikorita.
Now there would be two more to add to the list. Perhaps Hatterene simply had a natural maternal instinct?
Cole instructed Talonflame to keep watch over the road area.
Several days passed without anyone coming to look for the eggs. Meanwhile, Hatterene took excellent care of them, even bringing them to the Pokémon Center for check-ups during its visits to the shelter.
Its dedication to the eggs rivaled how attentive it was to Cole, its boss.
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As December arrived, Cole's school began winter break. Though Coumarine never experienced a true winter or cold weather, everyone welcomed the vacation.
With his extra free time, he decided to visit Ramos and bring him some berries.
He hadn't visited the old man in a while, and he didn't want to be seen as someone who only visited when he needed something.
But just as Cole arrived at the Coumarine Gym, he saw Ramos rushing out. Upon spotting Cole, the old man's eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled him inside.
"You've come at just the right time! I was worried about having no one to help!"
Cole was confused, "Huh? What's got you in such a rush?"
Ramos explained, "Chaise and I need to go to Lavender Town for something, and there's no one to watch the gym. You'll have to be the substitute gym leader for two days."
Cole pointed at himself in surprise, "Me, be the substitute gym leader? But I don't have any experience!"
Ramos replied irritably, "Isn't this the perfect opportunity to gain experience? Besides, this is the off-season for gym challenges — there probably won't be any challengers. You'll definitely be able to handle it."
"I—" Before Cole could say anything more, the old man cut him off.
"Why are you being so fussy about this? It's just watching the gym for two days. It's decided then — Chaise and I need to hurry to the airport!"
With that, Ramos pushed the gym keys into his hands.
"Ramos..."
In the blink of an eye, Ramos had taken Chaise, grabbed their luggage, mounted Tropius, and flown away, leaving Cole alone in the empty gym, feeling bewildered.
However, just as the old man had said, it was indeed the off-season for gym challenges. He watched the gym for a whole day without seeing a single challenger.
He even ate lunch at the gym, which his mom had specially delivered via Talonflame.
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The next day, Cole delayed going to the Coumarine Gym until he finally rode Talonflame Captain there.
As he landed, he noticed a young girl anxiously scanning the gym entrance.
When she saw him dismount from Talonflame Captain, she rushed over, "Excuse me... do you know where the Coumarine Gym leader is? I'd like to challenge the gym."
"Well... um... the gym leader is away on business. I'm currently the substitute gym leader. Are you sure you want to challenge?" Cole asked hesitantly.
"Of course! As long as I can challenge the gym, it doesn't matter who the gym leader is." The girl said matter-of-factly.
"All right, if you insist."
With no other choice, Cole led her into the gym.
"I haven't asked your name yet." He said as he guided her toward the battle arena.
"I'm Valerie, from Johto." The girl replied.
Cole looked at her in surprise — this girl would become the future gym leader of Laverre City in Kalos.
Though at present, she was only about ten years old, appearing even younger than him.
"If your home is in Johto, why did you come to challenge gyms in Kalos?" Cole asked, puzzled.
Valerie seemed like a novice trainer, and typically trainers only traveled within their home region — rarely did beginners venture to unfamiliar regions.
"Ah~ can't help it, my family moved to Kalos, so from now on I'm a Kalos resident!" Valerie said playfully.
✲✲✲
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