When Cole visited Captain Sanders' Research Institute for the first time, he noticed Mogu at the entrance. Mogu was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself with something in his hands, looking troubled.
"Mr. Mogu!" Cole called out.
Mogu looked up and, seeing Cole with a basket, brightened, "Cole, what brings you here? It's been so long! How have you been?"
"It has been a while. I brought the children to play in the West District today and thought I'd stop by." Cole said, walking up to him, "I brought some fruits I grew for you to try. Is Captain Sanders in?"
"Thank you." Mogu glanced at the basket, then added hesitantly, "Sanders is here... but right now he..."
"Did something happen? Can I help?" Cole asked.
"We don't really need help, but let me explain what happened..."
Captain Sanders had a daughter about Cole's age. Today was her tenth birthday — the day she would begin her journey — but there was a problem with her starter Pokémon.
The Pokémon was cute, gentle-natured, and rare. Everything seemed perfect, except it couldn't use any moves at all.
Sanders' daughter had received the Pokémon several days ago. At first, they got along wonderfully — the girl trained enthusiastically every day, and the Pokémon was cooperative.
But after a few days, the girl noticed something was wrong: no matter how hard she tried, her Pokémon couldn't use a single move.
Her enthusiasm vanished instantly — her starter Pokémon was defective!
She began arguing with both Sanders and her Pokémon. What started as minor disagreements grew more intense as her departure date approached.
Today, everything came to a head.
The girl demanded a different starter Pokémon, while her current one refused to follow any commands.
Sanders refused to replace the Pokémon, knowing it wouldn't be good for either of them.
To understand the problem, Sanders had taken the Pokémon to Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center. The examination revealed a congenital defect.
While starter Pokémon shouldn't have such issues, this case was unique — not a physical problem, but a defect in its energy circuits.
Energy circuits are crucial to a Pokémon's body. Once damaged, they're nearly impossible to fix — even Nurse Joy couldn't help.
Only professional Pokémon Doctors could have detected this issue. The breeding center's Breeders hadn't noticed it during their care.
With no clear solution, Sanders returned home uncertain how to explain this to his daughter or communicate with the Pokémon.
He couldn't abandon the Pokémon — it was just a baby — but he also worried about his daughter facing such a difficult setback at the start of her journey.
While Sanders struggled with how to handle the situation, his daughter took matters into her own hands — she bluntly told the Pokémon she would be getting a different starter.
She followed through on her words. Before Sanders could intervene, she had already arranged for a new Pokémon, caught in the wild by a friend.
Though less rare than her original starter, this new Pokémon could perform moves effectively and showed great promise. Delighted with her choice, she brought it straight home.
Her original Pokémon, however, reacted with fury. After giving the girl a fierce beating, it ran away in anger.
Now Sanders was searching desperately for the runaway Pokémon.
As they spoke, Sanders himself hurried back, and Mogu quickly asked, "Did you find it?"
"Ah~" Sanders shook his head and sighed deeply.
Cole stepped forward, "Captain Sanders, would you like me to help search?"
"Ah, Cole, you know about this too?" Sanders looked surprised, "No need — I'll keep looking on my own. You rarely visit this area; you must have other plans. Please, go ahead with those."
Since the Pokémon had been missing for some time with no trace of its whereabouts, Sanders didn't want to burden others with the search.
'I should post a notice at the Pokémon Center to look for Popplio.' He thought, knowing it would be too difficult to search alone in a city as large as Coumarine.
Every family has its own struggles!
Seeing Sanders' exhausted state, Cole felt sympathy. He handed over the basket and took his leave.
After departing the Research Institute, he cheerfully led the children on their outing.
Their first stop was the aquarium, home to numerous Water-type Pokémon. Besides common Kalos natives like Binacle, Skrelp, and Clauncher, there were rare species from other regions: the cute but fierce Corphish, the luminous Lanturn dancing through the water, and the champion swimmer Floatzel.
These Pokémon performed shows that kept visitors laughing with delight. Guests could feed them special Pokémon food purchased from the aquarium.
The Pokémon were trained to refuse outside food — after all, who could be sure if it was safe or might upset their stomachs?
It was the children's first time at the aquarium, and their excitement was boundless as they explored nearly every exhibit.
Next came a popular children's movie — a heartwarming tale about friendship between humans and Pokémon that had the children sobbing in their seats.
Sweet little Claire, too young to follow the plot, slept peacefully in Cole's arms. After the movie, she perked up immediately, her curious eyes darting everywhere with endless energy.
For lunch, Cole treated everyone to a well-known but reasonably priced restaurant in Coumarine City, where they enjoyed a delightful meal.
As Paul declared, "This is the best meal I've ever had!"
Of course, in his happiness, everything became "the best".
Their next destination was Coumarine's largest amusement park — a vibrant attraction beloved by children and one of the city's liveliest spots.
Inside, the endless array of activities overwhelmed the children with choices. With limited time, they focused on the most popular attractions.
Some rides weren't suitable for Claire, and though Lily often offered to stay behind with her, Cole insisted on taking care of the little one himself.
Unlike the children's boundless enthusiasm for the park, Cole was more measured — enjoying it was fine, but missing out wouldn't have bothered him.
Since Claire usually spent most of her time with Lily, Cole wanted to ensure the older girl could fully enjoy this rare outing.
Watching her siblings play and shout with joy, Claire would burst into endless giggles, seeming even happier than if she were on the rides herself. Her excitement often had her squirming so much that Cole could barely keep hold of her.
When he couldn't join the children on rides, Cole would carefully instruct Daisy to watch over their safety.
As evening approached, they decided it was time to head home.
On their way to the station, they unexpectedly encountered Officer Jenny.
She wasn't alone — several police officers accompanied her, each escorting one or two criminals back to the station.
Though Cole hadn't meant to disturb the busy officer, her keen eyes quickly spotted him in the crowd.
She handed her prisoner to a subordinate, instructing them to put him in the police car, then walked over to him.
"Cole, what are you doing here?" She asked.
Cole pointed to the children beside him, "Brought them here to play."
Officer Jenny smiled with understanding, "You're becoming more and more like a big brother now."
She seemed pleased by this observation.
Cole told her about his visit to the police station and his successful berry-growing business. Officer Jenny thanked him for his gift and wished his enterprise continued success.
As they prepared to part ways, Officer Jenny's expression grew serious. She warned Cole about a smuggling gang that had recently arrived in Coumarine City. Though they'd arrested the leader and most members today, a few dangerous criminals had escaped.
"Be careful when you're out." She cautioned, "Don't approach strangers."
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Back home, the children bubbled with excitement as they recounted their adventures to Meili and Alfred. Mischievous Paul's jumbled storytelling had the woman laughing heartily. The outing had become an unforgettable memory for them all.
Early the next morning, Cole and Daisy picked a basket of berries before heading to Ramos's. Cole had finished the books he'd borrowed and wanted to exchange them for new ones.
As mother and son walked leisurely along the road, a truck suddenly roared past, its wind blast nearly knocking them over.
Something fell from the truck with a loud clang.
Cole discovered a Popplio lying awkwardly in a cage, clearly stunned from the fall.
A Popplio? Here? That's a Pokémon unique to the Alola Region.
Then he remembered Officer Jenny's warning about the smuggling gang — could these be the escaped criminals?
Cole opened the cage and gently lifted the Pokémon out. The Popplio suddenly woke up and, as soon as it opened its eyes, rewarded him with a hard slap.
Smack!
The blow made his head turn sideways, leaving Cole and Daisy stunned — and even the Popplio seemed surprised by its own action.
Who was this kid? The last thing it remembered was being captured by large men.
The Popplio darted from Cole's arms, trying desperately to escape. But as an aquatic creature with fins and tail instead of legs, it couldn't move very fast.
With a wave of Daisy's hand, psychic power pulled it back.
"Woo woo woo~~~"
Though the Popplio struggled frantically, its body twisting like a pretzel, it was no match for the Gardevoir's psychic power.
Rubbing his sore cheek, Cole tried to calm the frightened Pokémon.
"Popplio, don't be afraid. We're not bad people — we just found you after you fell from that truck."
"Gardevoir~" — That's right, that's right.
Daisy was slightly angered. Don't be so ungrateful! Look how hard you hit my precious one. Even I've never hit him that hard!
The Popplio finally stopped struggling, though its gaze toward the two still held distrust.
"Kid, that Popplio is mine, give it back!"
A loud shout suddenly rang out, making the Popplio tremble with fear.
Cole turned to see a bearded man in construction clothes glaring at him menacingly.
Instead of complying, Cole hugged the trembling Popplio closer and calmly challenged him.
"Just because you claim it's yours doesn't make it yours. Do you have any proof? I could say the same thing! Why don't you call it and see if it responds?"
The Popplio buried its head in Cole's arms and, hearing these words, secretly glanced up at him, feeling unexpectedly safer.
This person really didn't seem bad after all.
The man's face reddened with rage, "You little brat, refusing to do this the easy way? Today I'll teach you who you shouldn't mess with!"
He pulled out a Poké Ball, and a Gurdurr materialized beside him.
"Gurdurr, teach that kid a good lesson."
"Roar!"
Gurdurr bellowed and charged toward Cole, brandishing its concrete pillar.
In a flash, Daisy appeared before the Muscular Pokémon. Just as it was about to strike with its concrete pillar, she erected a colorful barrier that blocked its attack.
✲ Reflect ✲
This was the move Reflect, which she had recently mastered.
Besides Heal Pulse, her previous moves were all offensive. Over the past year, Cole had specifically taught her two defensive moves: Light Screen and Reflect, perfect for defending against special and physical attacks respectively.
He had found the teaching videos for these moves in Ramos's library.
As a Psychic-type Pokémon, Daisy had a natural affinity for these moves, though she still needed consistent practice to master them.
{T/N: These are moves learnt by TM, the reason why she needed a slight push of training.}
After facing attacks from dozens of large birds daily for a year, she had become highly proficient.
Cole planned to teach her Teleport next. Now that she had mastered attacking, healing, and defensive moves, an escape move would complete her skillset.
Seeing Daisy, the man's eyes lit up with greed, "A Gardevoir too? This must be my lucky day! Gurdurr, catch that Gardevoir as well!"
✲ Dazzling Gleam ✲
However, just as he finished speaking, Gardevoir's body erupted with brilliant rings of light, sending the opposing Gurdurr flying backward with a cry of pain.
The Fairy-type move Dazzling Gleam was super effective against the Fighting-type Gurdurr. Since Gurdurr wasn't particularly strong to begin with, Daisy's single hit knocked it unconscious immediately.
One-hit KO!
The man stood frozen, his mouth hanging open as he stared at Gardevoir. Before he could recover his senses, she had already caught him with her psychic power.
Under questioning, Cole quickly uncovered the man's identity — he was indeed a member of the smuggling gang, now its last remaining member. Despite his fierce appearance, he proved spineless, spilling everything after being intimidated by a mere child.
When they had fled from the police, there had been three of them. With their boss captured, they had discussed disbanding.
But greed gets the better of people.
Among the three, this man had been in charge of the gang's finances, holding their smuggling profits until business concluded.
Before they could divide the money, the police had found them.
With their boss captured and the money in his possession, the old man had seen an opportunity. He reasoned that if his two companions died, all the money would be his.
Their boss's capture had left their operation's future uncertain, and unemployment loomed. Desperate for a big score, he had poisoned his companions to keep all the money for himself.
Cole had encountered him here because he was rushing to flee Coumarine City with the money. The old man never expected his greed would lead to his downfall at the hands of a child.
As for Popplio, they had found it during their escape. Being a rare Pokémon, its high market value made it too tempting to pass up.
When the man mentioned finding Popplio, Cole recalled the starter Pokémon missing from Sanders' home — also a Popplio.
Using his Special Ability to examine Popplio's condition, he confirmed it was indeed a Pokémon with defective energy circuits. Most of its circuits were blocked, explaining why it couldn't use moves.
The principle behind Pokémon using moves is that the Source Energy in their energy circuits resonates with external Attribute Energy, forming different moves based on different resonance patterns.
With most of Popplio's energy circuits blocked, it couldn't store Source Energy or achieve resonance with external Attribute Energy.
While most Pokémon have some blockages in their energy circuits, these minor obstructions don't affect their functionality. Popplio's case was different — its numerous blocked areas completely prevented the energy circuits from working.
It was like a tree — cutting off some branches won't kill it, and even if you remove the entire crown, it can regrow as long as the roots remain intact. But destroy the roots, and the tree dies.
Though not a perfect comparison, the principle was similar.
Cole's Special Ability could fix Popplio's condition by clearing its energy circuits, just as he regularly did for Daisy. However, the blockage was too severe to clear quickly — it would require gradual treatment over time.
As Cole examined Popplio with his Special Ability, the Pokémon felt a comforting warmth spread throughout its body, unlike anything it had experienced before.
When Cole withdrew his hand, the warmth vanished, leaving Popplio with an unexpected sense of loss.
Having confirmed both the man's and Popplio's identities, he contacted Officer Jenny and Captain Sanders.
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Officer Jenny arrived quickly on her motorcycle. Seeing the unconscious old man, she said, "He's indeed one of the three escapees. Thanks for your help!"
Cole waved his hand, "It's nothing — fighting crime is everyone's duty!"
"Fighting crime is everyone's duty..." Officer Jenny repeated thoughtfully, "Well said. And you'll still receive the proper reward — this man is a wanted criminal with a bounty. I'll help you apply for it when I return."
"There's a reward?" Cole asked, surprised by this unexpected bonus.
"Of course. By the way, did you subdue him yourself?" Officer Jenny glanced at the fallen Gurdurr, then looked at Daisy, "You seem to have real talent as a Trainer. In such a short time, Daisy has grown much stronger."
Cole modestly waved his hand, "No, no, it's not that I'm good — Daisy is amazing. She trains very hard every day."
Officer Jenny nodded, then looked at the Popplio in his arms, "What are you going to do with this Popplio? Would you like me to help take it to Mr. Sanders' research institute?"
Cole replied, "I've already contacted Captain Sanders. He should be here soon."
"I see. Well then, I'll leave Popplio to you. I need to take this guy back to the police station." Officer Jenny said, pointing at the old man on the ground.
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After she left, Cole and Daisy returned home, planning to visit Ramos later in the afternoon since he had arranged to meet Sanders at the Blue Bird Orphanage.
Not long after mother and son got home, Sanders drove over. After confirming that Popplio was indeed the one missing from his home, he earnestly thanked Cole.
However, when he reached out to hold Popplio, it dodged away, refusing to return with him.
Cole suddenly asked, "Captain Sanders, after you take Popplio back, what do you plan to do with it?"
Popplio also looked at Sanders scrutinizingly: Yeah, what are you going to do with me? I don't want anything to do with that awful daughter of yours!
Hearing his words, the man froze — he actually didn't know what to do with Popplio.
His daughter wouldn't accept it, and while he wouldn't mind keeping it himself, Popplio's attitude made it clear that wouldn't work — especially since he wasn't a Trainer.
As for giving it to someone else to raise, Popplio couldn't learn moves, so what Trainer would want it?
What a headache!
Seeing his troubled expression, Cole suggested, "Why don't you let me have it? I'm willing to pay for it."
This was an opportunity he couldn't miss — Popplio was a rare Pokémon, and as a kid from an orphanage, he might never get another chance like this.
Even if he became successful later and could afford a Popplio, who knew when that would be — three years? Five years? Ten years?
Too long!
Besides, with Popplio, he wouldn't have to worry about watering his fruit trees anymore! If it could learn Rain Dance later, that would be perfect!
As for its physical defect, that wasn't an issue at all!
Hearing his words, Sanders looked up in surprise, "Didn't you hear from Mogu about this child's problem? It can't learn moves!"
Hearing this, Popplio's fierce demeanor instantly deflated. If it weren't for this condition, when it ran away from home, it wouldn't have just beaten up that wretched girl — it would have beaten up that nasty dog too!
Seeing this, Cole patted its head and said, "I know about that, but I don't mind."
"But..." Sanders hesitated, "You say you don't mind now, but what if you change your mind later? What will happen to this child then?"
Cole shook his head and promised, "That won't happen, please don't worry."
Seeing his sincere tone, Sanders felt this was indeed a good solution, so he agreed.
Cole currently only had P$60,000 in hand, which wasn't enough to buy a Popplio, so he considered asking Sanders about paying the remaining amount later.
However, Sanders waved his hand, "No need for money. I already feel sorry for this child, and if you give me money now, it would make me feel too greedy."
Hearing this, Popplio immediately wore an expression that seemed to say, "Well, at least you have some conscience."
Looking at its expression, Cole wondered puzzledly: Didn't Mogu say Popplio had a gentle personality? This doesn't seem quite right...
(Popplio: After suffering such injustice, how could I not change?)
Since Sanders refused to accept payment, Cole didn't force the issue — he didn't have much money anyway, especially since he was still in the early stages of his business!
After deciding Popplio's fate, Sanders drove away from the Blue Bird Orphanage alone.
"Popplio, from now on we're family. Please take care of me." Cole extended his right hand toward it.
Popplio looked at him, hesitation in its eyes. After its previous experience, it wasn't sure if this kid could be trusted.
Seeing its conflicted expression, Cole continued, "If you're worried I'll abandon you because of your physical defect, don't be — I have a way to help you resolve it."
Hearing this, Popplio's eyes lit up.
"Woo?" — Really?
"Garde~Garde~Gar~Gard~" — Of course it's true, my baby is amazing, this little problem is nothing!
Before Cole could speak, Daisy interjected. In her heart, her precious son could do anything.
Popplio, still quite innocent, had no more doubts after hearing the Gardevoir's assurance. It excitedly placed its fin in Cole's hand.
"Woo~" — Please take care of me!
From this moment on, Cole had his first Pokémon.
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Since they planned to visit Grandpa Fu that afternoon, Cole stayed home after Sanders left and began Popplio's first energy circuit clearing.
He placed his hand on Popplio's belly, letting his Special Ability energy gradually seep into its energy circuits to break down the blocking impurities bit by bit.
Popplio's energy circuits ran from its throat to its tail. The severe blockage prevented energy from completing a full cycle — the Source Energy would bounce back to the starting point halfway through.
This meant its energy circuits couldn't naturally absorb energy from the outside world to build up Source Energy.
Cole needed to use his Special Ability energy to activate the small amount of Source Energy in Popplio's body, helping it break through the impurities and then dissolve them.
The process was simpler than with Daisy, as Popplio's energy circuit structure was less complex. All it needed was patience.
As Cole worked on clearing its energy circuits, Popplio felt a pleasant tingling sensation, like a gentle electric current flowing through its body — strange but exciting.
An hour passed quickly. Cole, feeling it was enough for one session, withdrew his Special Ability energy and asked, "Popplio, how do you feel?"
"Woo~Woo~"
Popplio clapped its flippers happily, now fully trusting in Cole's promise to fix its condition.
✲✲✲
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