After arriving in Coumarine, Cole parted ways with Omura, while Kiara and Saran checked into the Pokémon Center.
Cole wanted to invite them to stay at his house — after all, he was just a kid, so there was nothing to worry about — but Kiara declined. She wasn't one to impose on others, feeling that staying at his house would be an inconvenience.
Understanding their decision, Cole didn't press the matter. He took Daisy and the others back to the Blue Bird Orphanage, promising to invite Kiara and her friend over another day.
Since it was summer vacation, Cole expected all the children to be home. However, when he returned to the orphanage, he found it empty — not even little Matthew, the youngest, was there. Only Meili remained.
Though Cole had brought gifts from Lumiose for the children, there was no one to receive them.
Meili explained that Alfred had taken all the children to help at the orchard on Mt. Ascendant.
She was delighted to see Cole return and eagerly asked about the Berry Exhibition, listening intently to his answers.
After their chat, Cole left the gifts with Meili to distribute and headed to Mt. Ascendant with Daisy and the others.
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The Talonflames spotted his group approaching the mountain from afar with their keen eyesight. A flock of them circled above Cole's head, their excited calls filling the air with energy.
"Everyone, we're back!" He waved enthusiastically at the sky.
"Ah-bi~ Ah-bi~"
Helioptile joined in, mimicking his greeting to the Talonflames above.
"Talooo~"
The Talonflame leader descended gracefully, landing before Cole and gesturing for him to mount.
After climbing on, he patted its neck and said, "Thank you!"
"Talooo~~~"
Captain Talonflame let out a long cry and soared skyward with him.
Meanwhile, Daisy, Brionne, Helioptile, and Larvitar each mounted a Talonflame, following their leader toward Mt. Ascendant's summit.
Cole kept Purrloin and the three Ghost-type Pokémon in their balls, as they hadn't yet been introduced to the Talonflames.
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In the orchard on Mt. Ascendant.
Alfred and Leavanny were working with Charlie, Lily, Norman, and Paul, collecting pruned branches and piling them aside. The three powerhouses — Machamp, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen — would then break the branches into smaller pieces to be dried for compost.
In the shade, Claire played with little Matthew, who had just learned to walk, while Vaporeon kept a watchful eye on them.
Suddenly, excited Talonflame cries rang out from above. Charlie looked up and exclaimed joyfully, "Is that Brother Cole coming back?"
He immediately dropped his branches and ran toward the courtyard. Norman and Paul abandoned their work and followed suit.
"Where are you all going? We're not done here!" Lily shouted angrily.
"We'll finish later!" Charlie's voice echoed from the distance.
Lily stamped her foot, "Really, they always leave things half-done!"
Alfred shook his head with a gentle smile, "Let them go. There isn't much work left, and the Pokémon are quite diligent. You can go too if you'd like — I can finish up here."
Lily pouted, "I'm not going. I'll stay and help you finish the work first."
As Cole dismounted from the Talonflame leader, Paul charged toward him like a little missile.
"Brother Cole, you're back! Did you bring us presents?"
Before leaving, Cole had promised to bring gifts, and the children had eagerly awaited his return.
Cole caught the flying child and said, "Of course I did! How could I not? I left them with Director Meili since none of you were home!"
"Ah? How could you..."
Charlie, who had just arrived, immediately started wailing. Even the usually quiet Norman looked disappointed.
"Come now, you'll see them when you get back — no need to rush." Cole consoled them with a smile.
Led by the children, he went to check on the Grade-A fruit tree planted behind the house — the Ganlon Berry Tree.
The Diggersby had done excellent work. Upon inspection, he found the tree well-planted, properly watered, and fertilized.
Though it grew slowly, this eight-hundred-year-old berry tree was already massive. Most of its branches and leaves had been pruned, but Cole knew that with time, it would become lush and verdant again.
Eventually, the tree's canopy would spread to cover the entire courtyard.
Since the courtyard sat atop the mountain, Cole had installed lightning protection to prevent any safety hazards during storms, even as the tree grew larger.
After the children left, Cole placed his hand on the tree trunk and channeled his Special Ability energy into the Ganlon Tree to examine its status diagram.
He hadn't had a chance to check the diagram yet, having transported the tree to Coumarine immediately after acquiring it.
As his energy circulated through the Berry tree, its status diagram materialized in his mind.
The diagram's sheer size and complexity left him in awe — fitting for a Grade-A fruit tree. Compared to his other fruit trees, this one's diagram was truly massive.
Yet having just been transplanted, the tree's energy flowed sluggishly through the diagram, like an elderly person taking careful steps.
He also discovered a serious problem: the tree's energy was poorly mixed, with remarkably low purity.
This seemed to be a common issue with high-energy-grade fruit trees that grew stronger through time alone. Without proper cultivation, they simply absorbed whatever energy they could find.
As a result, while their energy grade increased, the purity of that energy suffered.
The Ganlon Berry Tree's status diagram was an ocean of vast, complex energy. Improving its purity would be no small task.
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