After returning to the orphanage, Cole found Lily in the courtyard holding Claire, lost in thought. Norman sat on her left and Paul on her right, all three wearing identical expressions — except for the baby's bright, lively eyes darting around.
"Big brother Cole, you're back!" Paul's face lit up as he jumped to his feet and ran to Cole's side.
Cole took out two fruits Sarah had given him, "Here, one for you and one for brother Norman."
"Thank you, big brother Cole!" Paul happily accepted them, then ran to Norman to share.
Norman took his fruit with a shy smile, "Thank you."
"Big brother Cole, you should eat them yourself! Why give them away?" Lily protested.
"It's fine, I don't like eating fruit." Cole replied casually.
Lily didn't believe him. She was certain he had denied himself the fruit just to give them to Norman and Paul.
"There were only two, so none for you this time. I'll bring you some next time I have the chance." Cole said, noting her skeptical look.
"I don't want any." Lily said stubbornly, "Big brother Cole should keep them for himself."
Paul wiped his fruit and took a bite, and exclaimed with an exaggerated expression, "Wow! This is delicious! It's the best fruit I've ever eaten!"
"Hahaha..."
Everyone burst out laughing at his silly behavior, even Claire joining in with giggles.
After sending the children away, Cole returned to his room to process the seeds. Rather than planting them immediately, he first used his Special Ability to organize their internal energy.
Though the seeds hadn't sprouted, they contained energy-storing tree diagrams as long as they had vitality — just smaller and with more diluted energy than full-grown trees.
Cole's task was to ensure these tree diagrams could allow their stored energy to flow smoothly.
The tree diagrams of berry trees and Pokémon's energy circuits resembled the meridians of martial artists in the Xing Ling novels he had read on Earth. Like those meridians, they could become blocked, requiring active clearing.
When martial artists cleared their main meridians, their cultivation speed would increase dramatically, leading them to become extraordinary masters.
Cole believed fruit trees and Pokémon worked similarly, but they couldn't clear their own tree diagrams and energy circuits — that's where his Special Ability came in.
His task now was to clear the blockages in the seeds' tree diagrams. While he wasn't certain this would improve germination and survival rates, experimentation would tell.
The miniature tree diagrams inside the seeds required extreme precision to work with, consuming more energy than usual.
When he finished clearing all the seeds, he was drenched in sweat.
Instead of planting them immediately, he placed the seeds in a jar and covered them completely with clear water.
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He soaked them for several days until the seed shells softened before planting them one by one.
During this period, Cole made several trips to the market with Meili, collecting seeds from spoiled fruits that Sarah gave them.
He devoted most of his energy to seed cultivation, entrusting Daisy's training to the Fearow and other Spearow. He only visited the training grounds to help clear their energy circuits.
The Fearow and companions proved to be diligent supervisors — they would report any sign of Daisy slacking off during his visits, much to the Gardevoir's dismay.
Cole would then lecture her for an hour until she felt thoroughly ashamed.
After all, her young son was working so hard for their family — how could she, as a mother, still be lazy?
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After half a month, the seeds Cole planted sprouted with a remarkable 90% survival rate, each sapling showing robust growth.
His first planted tree had fully taken root, sprouting new branches and growing significantly taller.
This proved his Special Ability could affect berry trees — or more precisely, any magical plants with Special Energy circuits.
Over this month and a half, he had successfully grown thirty-six saplings. Looking at the neat rows of green plants before him, his heart swelled with excitement and achievement.
With this Special Ability, could he become a berry tycoon if he pursued agriculture?
In the Pokémon world, berries were in huge demand, with countless trainers needing them for Pokémon food like Pokéblocks and Poké Puffs.
The market was vast and the business promising!
Cole: (*￣︶￣)
Imagining stacks of money flowing into his pockets, he couldn't help but laugh.
Hehehe~
But reality quickly sobered him — dreams were dreams, and making them happen would be incredibly difficult.
If his Special Ability only helped berries survive and promoted growth, that wouldn't be enough for a competitive advantage.
Quality, not quantity, was key to selling berries. Otherwise, his produce would end up like Sarah's market stall.
Only high-quality berries could attract trainers' attention — especially from high-level trainers!
What Cole needed to verify now was whether his Special Ability could improve the quality of the berries. If it could, he truly had a chance to become a berry tycoon and reach life's peak.
This would take time — he'd have to wait until the saplings grew and bore fruit. The plot behind Blue Bird Orphanage wasn't large, but since the saplings were still small, planting them there temporarily wasn't an issue.
Once the trees grew larger, their close proximity would significantly affect fruit production.
In short, Cole faced many challenges.
As he silently planned his future, Lily led Charlie, Norman, and Paul over, each carrying a small shovel.
"Big brother Cole, we've come to loosen the soil and weed around your trees." Paul said, bouncing over to his side.
Cole patted his head and said, "Good, thank you all for your help today!"
Since learning about his berry tree cultivation, Lily and the others had become regular helpers, taking on tasks like loosening soil, weeding, catching bugs, and watering — truly making a significant difference.
Though Cole had an adult's soul, his child's body made it impossible to care for thirty-some fruit trees alone.
Despite their young age, Lily and the others worked efficiently, with even four- and five-year-olds Paul and Norman doing their tasks properly.
They were careful too, following his instructions exactly and never damaging the saplings.
Paul looked at Cole with admiration, "Big brother Cole is so amazing, growing so many fruit trees! Does that mean we'll be able to eat as many fruits as we want in the future?"
Seeing his mouth-watering expression, Cole laughed, "That's right — when they bear fruit, you'll be the first to eat them, Paul."
Overjoyed, Paul gushed, "I knew big brother Cole was the best!"
"All you think about is food!" Charlie gave Paul a flick on the head, making the kid stick his tongue out repeatedly.
After their playful moment, everyone got busy working with enthusiasm.
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As the sun was setting, Cole said goodbye to the children and headed to the small forest on the hillside.
When he arrived, Daisy was engaged in an intense battle with the Fearow and several Spearow.
Facing simultaneous attacks from over ten flying Pokémon, she had grown more confident, handling both offense and defense with ease and occasionally managing to knock down a Fearow or Spearow.
The intensive training had proven remarkably effective — even a gentle soul like Daisy had transformed into a graceful warrior.
Upon seeing Cole, the Fearow and Spearow recognized that training was over. They ceased their attacks and landed in an orderly fashion beside him, lining up for their treatment.
In the past half month, five more Spearow had evolved into Fearow, further confirming Cole's belief that his Special Ability could promote Pokémon evolution.
According to his theory, Pokémon evolution was essentially a species transition — specifically, the evolution of internal energy circuits.
But what about Pokémon in their final form? If Cole continued using his Special Ability on Daisy, helping compress and purify her Source Energy and clear her energy circuits, would they continue to evolve? And if so, what would she ultimately become?
It was hard to imagine...
{T/N: He probably doesn't know about the Mega Evolution.}
Through frequent practice, Cole's Special Ability had grown increasingly powerful. Now he could complete the treatment of the Fearow and their companions in a very short time.
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On the way home, Cole noticed a small mound of earth bulging up nearby and quickly gave Daisy a silent signal.
The mother immediately understood, focusing her psychic power on the mound. With a yelp, a Bunnelby was pulled from the dirt pile by her powers.
"It really is you!" Cole exclaimed with satisfaction, "Haha... caught you again!"
He had heard from the Spearow that there weren't many Pokémon in the area — just a few regulars — so when he saw the mound, he suspected it might be the same Bunnelby that had tricked him and Daisy at the Oran Tree.
And indeed it was!
"hobi~~~"
The Bunnelby gave him a "pitiful" look, trying once again to earn its freedom.
"Trying to act pitiful with me? Not this time."
Cole wasn't falling for it. Spotting some nearby vines, he gathered them and secured them around Bunnelby's neck.
"Let's see if you dare trick me again."
If it hadn't been for Daisy's strength intimidating the Diggersby last time, they would have been buried alive.
(o﹏o) — Please don't.
Bunnelby continued its pitiful act, pleading for Cole to release it.
And he did indeed release it.
He set the bunny on the ground, but after just two steps, it was yanked back by the vine around its neck.
Hehe~ Just kidding.
Seeing this, Cole said smugly, "I advise you not to try escaping. Otherwise, if I catch you again... heh heh..."
Daisy cooperatively pressed her aura onto the Pokémon — mother and son working in perfect sync.
Bunnelby immediately lowered its head in fear.
"Alright, let's go home."
He and Daisy walked home with Bunnelby resignedly following behind the mother-son pair.
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When they got home, the children were surprised to see Bunnelby, wondering where Cole had found a rabbit.
He announced to everyone, "From now on, you won't need to loosen the soil for the fruit trees anymore. This little guy will take care of it, right, Bunnelby...?"
Seeing his threatening gaze, the frightened rabbit shuddered and quickly nodded.
From then on, Bunnelby became Cole's second worker after the Fearow and company — and an unpaid one at that.
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Three months passed swiftly as Cole divided his time between training Daisy and tending to the fruit trees.
Daisy's strength continued to grow steadily, though he felt her progress could be even better with proper Pokéfood.
The fruit trees flourished beyond expectation — most saplings now reached Cole's height, creating a vibrant green patch that radiated health and vitality.
One day, Cole walked among the saplings with Bunnelby, searching intently. The previous day, he'd noticed several serrated circular holes in some leaves — clear signs of insect damage.
"Hobi~Hobi~"
Suddenly, Bunnelby called out excitedly, gesturing toward something.
Following the rabbit's lead, Cole discovered two insects nestled between tree leaves, contentedly munching away.
"Well, well, so it's you two!" He deftly caught the culprits, one in each hand, lifting them from their leafy feast.
"Pu~pu~pu~" — Let go, let go, help!
"Pu~pu~" — Let me go, let me go!
The captives were two Caterpie, each no larger than Cole's palm.
"You two are quite bold, daring to come here and eat my fruit tree saplings!"
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