Chikorita hugged Cole's leg, crying and pointing at its reddened cheeks where the baby Dunsparce had bitten it, accusing the creature of cruelty.
Cole picked it up and asked, "Where did this baby Dunsparce come from?"
Instead of answering, Chikorita buried its head in his chest, acting spoiled. Larvitar stepped forward to explain their encounter with the land snake.
Earlier that day, while Chikorita, Larvitar, and Carbink were playing hide-and-seek in the berry grove, they discovered an unhealthy-looking berry tree. Curious, they investigated the cause.
Carbink, being skilled at digging, quickly found the problem. At the tree's base was a black hole leading underground. It jumped in and discovered a baby Dunsparce gnawing on the tree's roots.
The roots had been eaten away by half, indicating the Dunsparce had been hiding there for several days.
This wasn't just any tree — it was a Grade A berry tree. If Cole hadn't already strengthened its root system, making it particularly robust, the damage would have been far worse.
The three Pokémon joined forces to capture the baby Dunsparce, planning to bring it to Cole for punishment.
Their plan hit a snag when Daisy called Carbink away. In that moment of distraction, Chikorita and Larvitar nearly lost the baby Dunsparce as it tried to burrow into the ground.
Luckily, Chikorita caught it before it could escape completely — which led to the scene Cole had just witnessed.
After hearing Larvitar's explanation, Cole shot Dunsparce a fierce glare, making it cower in fear.
He had precious few Grade A berry trees, and each one was invaluable. The nerve of this little one to damage them!
"Come on, take me to see that berry tree!" Cole said to Larvitar.
"Yow~"
Larvitar puffed out its little belly and proudly led the way.
When Cole left, he dragged Dunsparce along — he couldn't let this troublemaker escape.
Cole, carrying Chikorita, followed Larvitar to Mt. Olympus, where they found the area around the Grade A berry tree's roots in complete disarray.
The mess outside was evidence of Chikorita, Larvitar, and Carbink's struggle to capture Dunsparce.
"Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?" Cole asked Dunsparce, his expression pained.
He understood why this little one had eaten the tree roots. His berry trees had very high energy ratings, making them especially nutritious for Pokémon that feed on roots and leaves.
Despite the Talonflame patrol team's daily vigilance, some Pokémon still managed to sneak through.
Thankfully, Chikorita and the others had discovered it in time. A few more days, and the entire root system might have been devoured — the tree wouldn't have survived.
This was a Grade A berry tree! You couldn't buy one in the market at any price. Even selling Dunsparce wouldn't cover the damage!
Cole had poured countless hours into cultivating these berry trees. While other kids played, he worked from dawn to dusk in the berry grove. While they had fun, he studied cultivation techniques.
Tears welled in his eyes — he was only fourteen, after all! After all his effort to build the orchard to its current glory, anyone who dared harm his precious trees would face serious consequences!
Cole's fierce gaze made Dunsparce curl up in terror.
What could it do? It had no answer.
"Dun~ Dun~" — I'm... I'm sorry...
Dunsparce said, trembling.
"If sorry was enough, we wouldn't need Officer Jenny! If you can't heal my berry tree, I'll turn you into fertilizer!" Cole said fiercely.
His threat gave Dunsparce a sudden inspiration, and it perked up.
"Dun~ Dunsparce~" — I have a good friend who can definitely help heal your berry tree...
But halfway through speaking, its voice faltered as it realized it had no idea where its home was, let alone how to find its friend.
Cole's eyes lit up, "There's such a capable Pokémon?"
"Where is your good friend? If you can introduce us, I might forgive you!"
"Dun~ Dun…" — I... I don't know! Waaah...
Dunsparce burst into tears, sobbing miserably.
Cole frowned, "I'm the victim here, and I'm not crying, so why are you?"
Through Dunsparce's hiccuping sobs, he gradually pieced together its story.
The little Pokémon had lost its way home. After spending too long underground, it had ventured out to sunbathe, only to catch the attention of a fierce Corviknight.
Unable to defend itself, Dunsparce was captured.
The Corviknight lived on a cliff where harsh mountain winds blew year-round — a terrifying place for Dunsparce.
The Corviknight intended to take Dunsparce back as food for its baby Rookidee, showing no concern for its captive's feelings.
On the way to its nest, the Corviknight encountered a Skarmory — apparently rivals — which led to an intense battle.
During their fight, Corviknight dropped Dunsparce off the cliff. The little Pokémon plunged into a river below and was immediately swept away by the rapid current.
As an underground-dwelling Pokémon, rivers were Dunsparce's nightmare. It resigned itself to drowning.
However, there's always hope for Pokémon in dire straits.
A passing Drednaw appeared, and Dunsparce managed to climb onto its back with great effort. The Drednaw carried it downstream until they reached the sea.
Dunsparce's homeland wasn't far from the seaside.
Once in the ocean, the Drednaw swam toward deeper waters while Dunsparce was swept away by the waves. Once again, it thought this was the end.
But another miracle occurred — a Cramorant scooped it from the sea, mistaking it for food.
The Cramorant flew an incredible distance with the baby Dunsparce in its beak, neither eating nor releasing it, until finally landing on an island.
There, they encountered adventurers who caught them both — the Cramorant as a battle Pokémon, and Dunsparce merely as backup food for the Cramorant.
And so, Dunsparce boarded the adventurers' ship heading toward Kalos.
However, the baby Dunsparce's adventure was far from over.
Just as they were about to reach Kalos, a friend of the trainer who had caught Dunsparce stirred up trouble.
Bored on the ship, this friend decided to pass time fishing. His luck was terrible — he caught nothing but Magikarp. After the seventh one, he lost his temper, cursing at the Magikarp as he released it and even kicking it.
This action caused the Magikarp's rage to surge, and it unexpectedly evolved into a Gyarados. Not only did the Gyarados whip up huge waves, but it also called for help, summoning over a dozen other Gyarados to seek revenge.
The entire ship was caught in the chaos as everyone faced the Gyarados attack.
During the battle, Cramorant cruelly used Dunsparce as a projectile weapon.
Once again, the little one fell into the water. This time, Dunsparce had given up struggling and simply let the waves carry it away.
Though the ship's fate remained unknown, Dunsparce was rescued once more.
A group of gentle Lapras discovered the baby Dunsparce floating in the sea. They rescued it and kindly brought it to shore.
Dunsparce landed near a coastline close to Vaniville Town, where it began its difficult struggle for survival.
But fate remained unkind. One day, while searching for tree roots to eat at the bottom of a seaside cliff, it encountered a Xatu practicing Teleport.
The practice itself wasn't problematic — but after many failed attempts to teleport itself, the Xatu accidentally teleported the baby Dunsparce instead.
When Dunsparce opened its eyes, it found itself in Cole's orchard, completely disoriented.
Looking up to see flocks of Talonflame flying overhead, it froze in terror. After all its ordeals, it had developed a deep fear of bird Pokémon.
Dunsparce quickly dug a hole and hid underground.
Driven by hunger and drawn to the berry trees, it began eating without thinking — and that's when Chikorita, Larvitar, and Carbink caught it.
After hearing the little one's tale, Cole couldn't help but feel sympathy — what a string of misfortunes! He considered it miraculous that it had survived this far.
Based on Dunsparce's description of its homeland and the Pokémon species mentioned, Cole suspected it came from Galar, far from Kalos.
The Dunsparce had described its home as being filled with Gossifleur and Eldegoss, with one Eldegoss being its closest friend. Though these Pokémon could be found elsewhere, they were most abundant in Galar.
Eldegoss was truly remarkable, its head crowned with pure white cotton that contained green seeds — nutrients that benefited both humans and Pokémon alike.
Most importantly, when its seeds mixed with its cotton, they created a special fertilizer that brought abundant nutrients to the soil, helping both vegetation and Pokémon thrive.
This explained why Dunsparce claimed its friend could help heal berry trees.
Cole coveted Eldegoss's ability. If he could raise a group in his orchard — combined with his Special Ability and his future Florges evolved from Floette — the B-grade berry trees might evolve into A-grade ones early!
Then he would have plenty of A-grade berries to sell — wouldn't that be profitable? Just thinking about it made him excited!
Better yet, Gossifleur and Eldegoss could help with berry tree pollination. With a group of them, he wouldn't need to pay for outside Pokémon to handle pollination anymore.
But there was one major problem: Dunsparce's homeland was in Galar, and it couldn't remember its exact location, offering only vague descriptions.
Under these circumstances, was it really worth making a special trip to another region?
Cole felt it wasn't worth it.
After much deliberation, he decided to let it go and wait for another opportunity.
He picked up Dunsparce and said, "I haven't decided how to punish you yet, so keep that in mind!"
Dunsparce felt both scared and sad, fearing Cole might actually turn it into flower fertilizer while deeply missing its homeland.
The little Pokémon temporarily stayed at Cole's home. He didn't make things difficult for it — after all, even if he did, the berry trees wouldn't heal immediately. Instead, he provided food and shelter, showing true kindness.
However, since Cole never specified how he would punish Dunsparce, it lived in constant fear, and despite having plenty to eat, it visibly lost weight.
Perhaps this was the real punishment.
✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲
Although Cole had decided not to go to Galar, things soon took an unexpected turn.
One day, he received a call from Lysandre about a grand auction being held in Galar, asking if he wanted to attend together.
Cole wasn't particularly interested in auctions, but Lysandre mentioned rumors of items related to S-grade berries appearing.
S-grade berries!
Now Cole had to go. This might be his chance to learn about the secrets of S-grade berries — whether the rumors were true or not, he couldn't miss this opportunity.
Plus, after the auction, he could search for Dunsparce's hometown. If he found it, he might convince some Gossifleur and Eldegoss to return with him.
Haha... not convince — employ!
Having made his decision, Cole gave Lysandre an enthusiastic answer. They agreed to meet in Lumiose and depart together on Lysandre's private aircraft.
✲✲✲
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