Though growing a berry tree would take time before it bore fruit, that was one thing he had plenty of right now.
If a Diggersby could grow berry trees successfully, surely he could too! Besides, there was nothing to lose by trying.
So he asked Diggersby, "Is that small sapling yours too?"
The Pokémon looked where Cole was pointing, wondering to itself: When did that sapling appear there? Could it have grown from a berry core I discarded?
It was just a tiny sapling that would take ages to mature. Besides, it didn't have the energy to tend another tree.
So Diggersby shook its head, indicating it wasn't its tree.
Hearing this, Cole happily asked, "Can I take it then?"
Seeing Diggersby's indifferent attitude, he quickly called Daisy over to help dig up the tree.
While digging, she thought: My darling is so clever, why didn't we think of growing our own berry trees before! (Cole: I was an idiot before.)
Mother and son carefully dug up the berry tree, making sure to keep soil around its roots. Though Cole had no formal training in gardening, he knew enough basics to help the tree survive — after all, you don't need to eat pork to know how pigs run!
With their prize in hand, mother and son happily returned home.
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Upon returning home, Cole immediately sought out Meili, who was telling stories to Charlie, Lily, and the others.
He approached her carefully and said, "Director Meili... I... um... plant tree... may I?"
Meili looked at the small sapling in Daisy's arms with surprise, "Cole, you want to plant this tree?"
He nodded.
After a moment's thought, Meili smiled, "Of course, let me find a spot outside for you?"
Cole bowed his head gratefully, "Thank you, Director Meili."
Meili turned to the others, "Wait a moment, I'll be right back."
"Go ahead, Grandma Meili, we'll wait for you." Lily said obediently, holding Claire in her arms.
Meili led Cole and Daisy to a small empty plot behind the orphanage building. She had once planned to grow flowers there, but being too busy with other matters to maintain a garden, the space remained vacant.
She had brought along a small shovel and watering can for Cole.
"Cole, would this spot work?" She asked.
"Yes, thank you, Director Meili."
He chose a spot and began digging with the small shovel.
"Do you want help?" Meili asked kindly, watching him struggle to dig while awkwardly sticking his bottom out.
Cole shook his head, "I can do it myself."
Meili, thinking this was just a child's whim to plant trees for fun, didn't take it too seriously.
"Well, be careful not to hurt yourself. I'll head back first — call me if you need anything."
Cole nodded and continued digging.
After Meili left, he dug for quite a while before finally creating a hole of suitable size and depth. Once he planted the sapling, he began removing its excess branches and leaves, leaving only the main trunk.
"Garde~ Garde~" — Darling, why are you pulling off its leaves? What if it dies? Won't all our work be for nothing?
Daisy, who knew nothing about tree planting, watched in confusion, not understanding her son's actions.
Cole explained, "The sapling has just been moved to a new place and isn't adapted yet, so its roots can't absorb nutrients well. Removing excess branches and leaves reduces water loss, which helps it survive."
"Garde~ Gar~" — Oh, I see. My darling is so smart!
Daisy was impressed without really understanding.
"Now that the tree is planted, it needs water. Mom, this job's yours!" With his small frame, carrying a bucket of water would be too much for him.
Always 'Mom' when there's work to be done, but 'Daisy' at other times! Hmph, men... Daisy huffed as she walked away with the watering can.
Watching her water the sapling, a sudden inspiration struck Cole.
Pokémon were magical creatures with Special Energy circuits that gave them wonderful abilities — so what about berry trees?
Berry trees produced fruits with magical properties: some restored energy, some cured ailments, some strengthened bonds between Pokémon and trainers. Most importantly, Pokémon food made from these berries could increase their Source Energy.
So weren't berry trees special organisms too? Could they have their own energy circuits?
Cole rushed to test his theory.
He placed his hand on the sapling's trunk and channeled his Special Ability energy into it.
His healing ability had grown stronger from practicing on Daisy and the Spearow, giving him much better control than before.
As soon as his ability energy entered the sapling, an emerald-green tree diagram appeared in his mind. The diagram showed branches and leaves, with weak Special Energy flowing through them.
It really exists! Cole was overjoyed — his guess was correct!
The sapling's energy was both similar to and different from the Source Energy in Pokémon's circuits.
The energy within Pokémon was more active and fluid. Like a broad river, it surged forward with unstoppable momentum from one place to another.
But the tree diagram within the sapling revealed a gentler energy pattern — like a peaceful stream, its energy flowed quietly from roots to trunk and branches.
Cole attempted to purify and compress the energy in the tree diagram, just as he did with Pokémon energy circuits. Though the tree's energy behaved differently, requiring slight adjustments, the basic principle remained the same.
After withdrawing his Special Ability energy from the sapling, he examined it carefully but saw no visible changes.
This made sense — changes would take time to manifest, and unlike Pokémon, trees couldn't provide immediate feedback about their condition.
'I need more samples to experiment with!'
Cole thought, but finding more berry trees would be challenging. This single sapling had been difficult enough to obtain.
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The next day, when Meili was heading out to buy groceries, Cole followed behind her and asked, "Can I... come too?"
She initially wanted to refuse, but then considered how this child had spent his life in the wild, rarely interacting with humans. Even at the orphanage, he could only interact with a few children. Taking him out to meet more people would be good for him.
Besides, Cole had always been well-behaved, helping her with chores whenever he had free time with Daisy. There was no reason to refuse such a simple request.
"Alright, but you have to be good and not wander off." Meili cautioned.
"Mm, don't worry!" Cole promised with a serious expression.
Meili found his attempt to act grown-up adorable and playfully patted the back of his head.
Coumarine City was divided by a long light rail line and steep cliff — one side faced the sea with a bustling downtown area, while the mountain side held a quiet suburb where the Blue Bird Orphanage was located.
Though not as prosperous as downtown, the suburb was home to many people and had all the necessary infrastructure.
Under Meili's guidance, Cole took a short light rail ride and brief walk before arriving at a lively market.
Many vendors knew Meili and greeted her warmly, curious about the new child following beside her.
Upon learning that Cole was a new resident at the Blue Bird Orphanage, some produce vendors would even give Meili extra vegetables with her purchases.
When passing a berry stall, Cole suddenly pointed at an empty space nearby and asked, "Director Meili, can I... wait here... for you?"
Thinking he was tired from walking, Meili agreed, "Stay right here and don't wander off. I'll come back for you soon."
As luck would have it, the stall owner was her acquaintance, so she asked them to keep an eye on Cole, which they readily agreed to.
The stall owner was a warm-hearted auntie in her thirties — slightly plump and not particularly tall, but with a contagiously cheerful smile that easily endeared her to others.
After Meili left, the stall owner looked at him and asked, "What's your name, little one?"
He answered obediently, "Cole Sage."
"Such a good boy. I'm Sarah, you can call me Auntie Sarah." The stall owner ruffled his hair and offered him two pieces of fruit, "Here, have these. Be good and stay right here, okay? Call me if you need anything."
Cole accepted the fruit with a nod, then pointed at a basket under the stall, "That... can I have it?"
The basket contained some spoiled fruit that Sarah was planning to throw away after closing.
Thinking the child wanted to eat them, she said, "Those are spoiled, you can't eat them."
She took two more fresh pieces of fruit from her stall and held them out.
"Here, have these instead. Don't take the spoiled ones."
This time Cole didn't accept, explaining carefully, "Thank you Auntie Sarah, but... I need those... not for eating."
Sarah felt relieved and pulled out the basket, warning him, "You can have these, but absolutely don't eat them — they'll make you sick."
Cole nodded obediently, dragged the basket to a corner, and sat quietly. Satisfied, Sarah returned to her business.
In his corner, Cole emptied the basket and methodically separated the flesh from the seeds, keeping only the latter.
He had come to the market specifically for these seeds, not expecting to obtain them so easily. Unable to get berry trees directly, he'd planned to grow them from seeds for his experiments. The time it would take didn't concern him.
Using his Special Ability, Cole examined each seed. He kept those containing Special Energy since they would sprout more easily, discarding the empty ones.
Of course, not all berries contained seeds — some had nothing but flesh inside.
The spoiled fruit's pungent smell was overwhelming. Cole persevered through the task, finally collecting about ten seeds of varying sizes.
'Phew~ Finally finished!' He exhaled deeply, 'I was suffocating!'
After storing the seeds in his prepared bag, he repacked the fruit flesh in the basket and tied it up with the existing bags, planning to dispose of it later.
"Little one, it's you!"
Cole looked up at the sudden voice to see a young woman in a green dress with long hair staring at him in surprise.
"Remember me? From the police station, Officer Jenny's friend, Margie."
Of course he remembered her — without her Alakazam's help, explaining his situation would have been far more difficult.
Seeing him looking at her in surprise, Margie suddenly said, "Oh... right, you can't understand what I'm saying."
Cole quickly explained, "Now... I can."
Knowing something of his situation, Margie said in surprise, "That's wonderful! You're so clever. Your name is Cole, right? What are you doing here?"
Just then she noticed the rotting fruit in the basket at his feet. Thinking about how he had just arrived at the orphanage, she assumed he wanted fruit and offered him the ones she had just bought.
"Here, these are for you."
Cole quickly refused, "I don't want them."
"It's fine, I can buy more. Take these — consider it a gift for meeting again." Margie insisted.
Should I give her a gift too? But I'm completely broke, I have nothing.
"I don't want them." He firmly refused.
Margie thought he was refusing out of pride, so she had to give up.
In truth, Cole had no such pride — he just didn't see the point, as he wasn't really a child who craved sweets. Hadn't he eaten enough fruit on the island? After several years of it, he was practically traumatized by fruit.
"Alright then, I'll come visit you when I have time."
Margie chatted with him briefly before leaving.
Meili soon returned from her shopping, thanked Sarah, and took Cole back to the Blue Bird Orphanage.
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