When Cole, Kiara, and Sara returned from Mt. Olympus to his residence at Mt. Ascendant, they met Keith, who was also returning from mountain training.
The two girls were surprised to find another guest at Cole's place. They greeted him politely, and Keith responded in kind.
Being naturally quiet and reserved, Kiara and Keith kept to themselves, while Sara showed little interest in conversing with a ten-year-old boy. After their initial greetings, the three barely interacted.
As evening approached, Keith bid farewell to Cole and headed home, while Cole escorted Kiara and Sara back to the Pokémon Center in the West District.
Upon returning from the Pokémon Center, Cole went to Helioptile's room to check on Buneary.
The Pokémon was sleeping peacefully in the gecko's small bed, breathing steadily and appearing out of danger. Helioptile had also dozed off while keeping watch.
Cole quietly left the room, not wanting to disturb them.
"Garde~" — How is Buneary doing?
Daisy appeared just then, speaking softly as she saw him exit.
Cole gently closed the door and whispered, "They're both sleeping. Buneary should be fine now. Helioptile's asleep too — probably exhausted. We'll wake them for dinner."
His mom nodded and accompanied him to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
After dinner, Cole escorted Lily and the other children back to the orphanage.
When he returned, darkness had fallen. By chance, Buneary had just awakened, so he entered the room hoping to learn what had happened earlier that day.
Though he'd asked Helioptile during dinner, it hadn't known either.
That morning, the gecko had gone to visit Buneary as usual, bringing berries along, only to find its friend's home empty.
At first, Helioptile wasn't concerned, assuming Buneary had gone foraging. It waited patiently in the tree hollow.
But as time passed with no sign of Buneary, Helioptile grew worried and rushed out to search.
The gecko checked all their usual play spots but found no trace of its friend, becoming increasingly anxious.
Then a Butterfree flew by, reporting that it had spotted an injured Buneary in a nearby valley.
This Butterfree, having once received help from the pair, had immediately come to alert Helioptile after finding the injured bunny.
Following the butterfly's guidance, Helioptile found Buneary in the valley, already unconscious.
Helioptile, terrified but determined, carried Buneary on its back and rushed home, hoping Cole could save its friend.
Thanks to Cole's quick treatment, Buneary was now safe. Helioptile hadn't found any clues about what happened in the valley where it discovered its injured friend.
"Buneary, are you feeling better?" Cole asked as he entered the room.
"Mi~ Mi~" — I'm fine now, thank you for saving me.
Having regained consciousness earlier, Buneary knew it owed its recovery to Cole's help.
Cole waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing. You're Helioptile's good friend — I couldn't just stand by when you were in danger."
At this, Buneary hugged Helioptile's neck and affectionately rubbed its cheek against the gecko's.
Helioptile happily returned the nuzzle.
Cole: [-_-]
He thought to himself: Do I really have to witness this kind of PDA at my age? And aren't these two reproductively incompatible anyway?
After the two finished their affectionate display, he asked seriously, "Buneary, what happened with your injury? I thought there weren't any fierce Pokémon left in this area."
The area used to have some aggressive Pokémon, but since Captain Talonflame began daily patrols with the others, they had all moved away. Only gentle Pokémon like Buneary remained.
The fierce Pokémon had all challenged the Talonflames before leaving — and after being defeated, they'd relocated willingly.
"Mi~ Mi~ Mi~ Milu~"
When asked, Buneary began its story.
That morning, just as Helioptile had guessed, Buneary had gone foraging. Food was still plentiful in the mountains this season, and it quickly found some berries.
Though smaller and less tasty than the ones Helioptile usually brought, the berries would satisfy its hunger.
In the wild, weaker Pokémon struggle to survive — not only is food hard to find, but stronger Pokémon often steal what little they do find.
That had been Buneary's life before meeting Helioptile. They'd first met when Helioptile saved Buneary from a bully's harassment.
After gathering food that morning, Buneary had planned to head home. But passing through a valley, it spotted a group of adorable Pokémon flying about.
The Pokémon played joyfully, making Buneary want to join them. But before it could approach, it noticed a fierce Pokémon lurking nearby, glaring menacingly at the group.
Startled by the predator's fierce gaze, Buneary let out an involuntary cry. This alerted the valley's Pokémon, who scattered in fear.
Enraged at having its prey scared away, the fierce Pokémon attacked Buneary before pursuing the scattered Pokémon.
Buneary had no memory of what happened next.
Cole pondered the description carefully. These Pokémon weren't native to the area — they had to be newcomers. Since Buneary had never encountered them before, it couldn't identify their species.
"Buneary, could you describe exactly what these two types of Pokémon looked like?" Cole asked thoughtfully.
"Milu~ Milu~"
Buneary nodded and carefully described the Pokémon from its memory.
As Buneary finished its description, Cole's face brightened with excitement. If these were the Pokémon he suspected, it would be perfect — his orchard could really use their help!
But night had fallen, making it too late to investigate. He'd have to wait until morning, hoping the Pokémon would still be in the area.
"Just rest and recover, Buneary." Cole said after hearing the full story. Turning to his Pokémon, he added, "Helioptile, look after Buneary, and ask Daisy if you need anything."
"Ah-bi~ Ah-bi~"
Helioptile hugged Cole's leg and nuzzled his thigh affectionately, showing its gratitude.
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
Time flew by overnight.
Early the next morning, Cole checked on Buneary again. Its injuries had healed remarkably well — it could already walk around, showing the impressive resilience of Pokémon, especially considering its near-fatal condition just yesterday.
After breakfast, Cole informed Daisy he was heading out, then mounted Captain Talonflame with only Brionne accompanying him down the mountain.
Brionne secretly delighted in being chosen over Helioptile and Daisy, taking it as proof of being Cole's favorite Pokémon.
Captain Talonflame flew swiftly, and they soon reached the valley Buneary had described. It wasn't far from Mt. Ascendant, and its landscape was stunning — flowers bloomed everywhere, making it truly a rare and wonderful sight.
"Captain, let's take a closer look!" Cole said, patting Captain Talonflame's neck.
"Yalo~"
Captain Talonflame nodded and descended gradually, landing in the valley's center.
Cole dismounted and carefully examined the surroundings, but found no unusual Pokémon. He spotted several Caterpie and Butterfree, but these were all familiar local residents.
"Have they already left?" He wondered aloud.
Cole searched the valley once more but still found no sign of the mysterious Pokémon.
Not willing to give up, he said to Captain Talonflame, "Captain, search from the air and report back if you spot any unfamiliar Pokémon."
"Yalo~"
Captain Talonflame spread its wings and took off, using its keen vision to scan the surroundings from above.
Meanwhile, Cole and Brionne searched in another direction, asking the wild Pokémon in the valley for information. Unfortunately, none had seen the Pokémon Buneary described.
"Yalo~ Yalo~ Yalo~"
Shortly after, Captain Talonflame swooped down beside Cole, crying out excitedly.
Cole furrowed his brow as he listened, "You've found signs of human activity nearby?"
"Yalo~ Yalo~"
Captain Talonflame nodded vigorously.
This complicated matters. Whoever it was might also be seeking the rare Pokémon from the valley. If they'd already caught them, Cole would have to abandon his search.
"Take me there." Cole said as he climbed onto the great bird.
"Yalo~"
Captain Talonflame carried him to its discovery. At the base of a cliff wall, they found clear signs of recent activity — a campfire's remains, tent impressions, and carelessly discarded food packaging.
Cole silently complained about the littering as he stored the garbage in his spatial backpack.
Though no one remained, the traces were fresh from the previous night.
"Brion~ Brion~"
Suddenly, Brionne called out, pointing to nearby wheel tracks in the ground.
The damp mountain soil had preserved clear impressions of vehicle tracks.
Cole frowned — this seemed unusual. Few adventurers drove vehicles into the mountains to catch Pokémon.
The fresh wheel marks suggested a truck had passed through recently.
What kind of trainer would use a truck?
"Let's follow these tracks."
"Brion~"
"Yalo~"
Both Pokémon nodded in agreement.
Twenty minutes later, they spotted the truck in an open grassland.
Cautiously, Cole recalled Captain Talonflame into its Poké Ball and crouched in the bushes with Brionne.
"Flabe~ Flabe~"
"Flabe~ Flabe~"
...
Through gaps in the bushes, Cole saw the truck's cargo area filled with iron cages, each holding a captive Flabébé.
Just as Cole had suspected, the Pokémon from the valley were Flabébé.
He also realized that the fierce Pokémon that had injured Buneary wasn't wild — it must have belonged to the truck's owner.
Flabébé are extraordinary Pokémon that resemble delicate flower fairies. These creatures possess a remarkable talent: they can channel and direct the mystical energy within flowers while drawing strength from them.
While gathering this power, they share their energy with the flowers in return, helping plants bloom more abundantly.
As Flabébé evolve, this ability grows more potent. When they reach their final form as Florges, their power fully awakens, earning them the title "Queen of the Garden".
In ancient Kalos, Florges held a sacred status. Noble castle owners would ceremoniously invite them to design their gardens, and having a Florges-created garden was considered the highest mark of prestige for any lord.
Flabébé are elusive creatures, rarely staying in one location. They drift with the seasonal winds throughout their journey toward evolving into Florges.
Yet only a handful of Flabébé ever achieve this final evolution.
If Cole could rescue these Flabébé and help them evolve into Florges, his orchard would thrive under their care.
The imprisoned Flabébé slammed against their iron cages in fury, but the bars proved too strong for them to break.
✲✲✲
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