As Cole's Special Ability energy entered the ancient sapling's body, a tree-like diagram appeared clearly in his mind.
Having never grown an Aspear Berry tree before, he didn't know what its diagram should look like, but he could tell this ancient Berry tree's diagram was completely different from modern ones.
While tree diagrams inside fruit trees and energy circuits inside Pokémon were fundamentally similar, they manifested quite differently.
Pokémon energy circuits varied greatly by species — appearing as spider webs, snakes, cylinders, or seaweed. These structures were incredibly diverse, with only Pokémon of the same species sharing similar patterns.
Fruit trees' diagrams, however, were more uniform. They all took on a tree-like form with a basic trunk-and-branch structure. Species only differed in their branching patterns — a minor variation compared to the diversity of Pokémon energy circuits.
Yet the ancient tree's diagram that Cole now saw defied this standard. In fact, "tree diagram" wasn't quite the right term anymore.
Normal fruit trees' diagrams consisted of a trunk and crown, with an underdeveloped root system that he usually ignored.
This ancient sapling was different — its root system was so extensively developed that it nearly matched the crown in size. Laid horizontally, Cole couldn't distinguish between the two.
Seeing him stand motionless while touching it for so long, Ramos asked, "Well? Have you noticed anything?"
"No, if you couldn't figure it out, how could I?" Cole withdrew his hand and answered humbly.
"Ah..." Ramos sighed. He had hoped this kid might discover something.
After examining the ancient sapling, Cole bid farewell to the old man and returned to Ascendant Mountain with Popplio.
On the way back, lost in thought about the ancient tree's diagram, he grew distracted. The little sea lion called out to him several times but received no response.
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Back at his mountain, Popplio went off to busy itself in the fruit grove while Cole stood at the mountaintop deep in thought.
After half an hour of contemplation, he walked to an Oran Berry tree, placed his hand on the trunk, and sent his Special Ability energy into it, carefully examining the tree's diagram.
The ancient sapling's root diagram was remarkably well-developed — why were modern fruit trees' diagrams so different? Was this regression, or was there another reason?
What would happen if modern fruit trees' root diagrams matched the ancient tree's?
As he pondered, he directed his Special Ability energy toward the Oran Berry tree's roots. As the energy penetrated deeper, he noticed something unusual.
This was... Suddenly Cole had a revelation.
This Oran Berry tree's root diagram wasn't underdeveloped — rather, the vast majority lay dormant. Only a tiny portion, less than one-twentieth or one-thirtieth of the entire root diagram, remained active and working.
The active parts of the tree diagram were like illuminated areas that worked autonomously, while most of the root system lay in darkness, a dormant zone that had ceased operation.
This dormant section was so inconspicuous that unless specifically investigated, it would remain undetectable — which explained why he had never noticed it before.
Cole wondered: What would happen if this dormant part began working?
When he directed his Special Ability energy toward the dormant section, he encountered resistance — his energy was blocked.
This was unprecedented. Whether in fruit trees' diagrams or Pokémon's energy circuits, his Special Ability energy had always moved freely. This was the first time it had met resistance.
Undiscouraged, he persisted, directing his energy toward that section again and again. He was intensely curious about what would happen if this area awakened, and whether his Special Ability could achieve it.
After some time, a corner of the dark area finally lifted, and active energy immediately began flowing there. Once this gap opened, illuminating the remaining parts became easier than before.
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Over the following weeks, Cole dedicated a set amount of time each day to illuminating the Oran Berry tree's root diagram.
The tree's root diagram gradually developed in complexity until it matched the crown portion. This increased complexity allowed the diagram to store more energy, raising the tree's overall energy rating.
The energy rating of a fruit tree depended not only on the amount of stored energy in its diagram but also on the energy's quality and purity — similar to Pokémon energy circuits.
As the root diagram developed, Cole observed the tree's physical roots growing deeper into the ground.
He wondered whether the ancient sapling he'd examined at Ramos's had similarly developed roots, though he hadn't been able to check — digging up the old man's precious specimen would have been unthinkable.
The Oran Berry tree with its illuminated root diagram soon outpaced its neighbors, growing taller and stronger with a distinctive presence.
Concerned about its rapid growth, Mama Diggersby frequently added fertilizer to prevent malnourishment. After all, trees growing too quickly without proper nutrition could suffer reduced fruit production and damage the soil's fertility.
Cole carefully managed the tree's growth by trimming excess branches, knowing that a properly maintained crown — rather than an overly lush one — was crucial for optimal light exposure and fruit production.
During one of his regular root diagram illumination sessions, Cole glanced up to see a small flower bud swaying among the leaves.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered tiny blue-white flower buds, no larger than fingernails, scattered throughout the tree's branches.
This early flowering was remarkable — while other recently planted trees were still developing branches, this one had already begun to bloom, clearly influenced by the root diagram illumination.
Uncertain whether this accelerated development was beneficial or harmful, Cole decided against rushing to apply the technique to other trees.
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Time flew by, and after more than a month, Cole's specially cared-for tree no longer bore flower buds — instead, tender white fruits had emerged.
He tested the fruits' energy levels. Though they had just begun bearing fruit, their energy rating had reached B-grade, nearly matching his previous batch of mature fruits. In his first harvest, while some fruits had reached B-grade after ripening, most remained C-grade. Even having a quarter of B-grade fruits on one tree had been quite an achievement.
But this Oran Berry tree proved different — most fruits reached B-grade before ripening, and the remaining C-grade fruits would likely achieve B-grade upon maturing. Cole estimated roughly 80% of this tree's fruits would reach B-grade.
This improvement was undoubtedly the effect of illuminating the root diagram.
Excited by this discovery, he began illuminating the root diagrams of his remaining fruit trees one by one.
However, this work proved far more complex than merely organizing the trees' diagrams. The workload was so immense that Cole essentially relocated to Ascendant Mountain. He constructed a simple wooden cabin, moved in with basic supplies, and dedicated most of his time to cultivating the fruit trees.
His daily routine became a cycle of cultivating trees, training Pokémon, more tree cultivation, and studying books — repeating this pattern day after day.
Though fulfilling, his life grew monotonous. He only occasionally visited Coumarine Gym to consult Ramos or returned to Blue Bird Orphanage to check on the children and Meili. Sometimes the children would visit with the woman, helping him with his work.
Fletchling got his meals from the orphanage and delivered it daily to him.
While illuminating the trees' root diagrams, a question occurred to him — if trees had hidden parts of their diagrams that could be illuminated, might Pokémon's energy circuits have hidden parts too?
His work with the trees had shown that illuminating their hidden diagrams produced beneficial effects. If Pokémon possessed similar hidden circuits, awakening them might yield similar positive results.
So Cole found Daisy and Popplio and said to them, "I'm going to examine your bodies."
"Woo~" — Is it time for treatment?
Popplio was delighted — like the Gardevoir, it loved getting treatments from Cole, though for different reasons. While Daisy enjoyed treatments simply because they felt good, Popplio liked them because they made it stronger.
Having faced rejection before, the sea lion took its strength seriously, eagerly cooperating with any treatment that could improve its power. Between Cole's treatments and a steady supply of Pokéblocks, Popplio's training efficiency had become exceptionally high, and its strength was growing rapidly.
Without responding to the excited little one, Cole had Gardevoir lie down and began channeling his Special Ability energy into her body, examining it methodically.
Pokémon energy circuits were far more complex than tree diagrams, making his examination challenging. His energy scanned every inch of Daisy's circuits until, after two hours, he finally found the dormant section in the red sensors on her chest and back.
After this discovery, Cole didn't immediately try to illuminate them. Instead, he gestured for Daisy to get up and had Popplio lie down.
Popplio was confused — this didn't seem like the usual treatment!
Still, it obediently lay down and closed its eyes, staying perfectly still.
As a basic-form Pokémon, Popplio's energy circuits were much simpler than Daisy's, making Cole's examination easier. He quickly found the target area.
The sea lion had only one hidden energy circuit, located in its throat, and it was much smaller than Gardevoir's.
He theorized that even if Daisy reverted to Ralts, her hidden energy circuits would still be proportionally larger than Popplio's. He suspected this difference stemmed from their different species.
After the examination, Cole addressed the two Pokémon with a serious expression.
"I need your cooperation for an experiment. If it succeeds, you'll be able to grow stronger much faster. But this is just a theory-based experiment. There are risks involved, and success isn't guaranteed, so I want your opinion. If you're willing, I'll proceed. If not, we'll forget I mentioned it. Please consider carefully."
"Garde~" — I'm willing!
"Woo~" — I'm willing!
Both responded in unison.
As Cole's mother, Daisy had unconditional trust in him, believing he was the most capable person in the world and couldn't fail.
Popplio simply wanted to become stronger — it would accept any risk for that goal, believing greater risks meant greater rewards. Besides, it trusted this little human wouldn't fail.
"Think carefully—this experiment involves energy circuits. If it fails, the consequences could be irreversible."
"Woo woo~~" — I've thought it through, I trust you!
Popplio answered firmly. With its strong personality, once it made a decision, it would see it through.
"Alright, let's begin." Cole nodded, acknowledging its determination, "We'll start with you."
Since Popplio's hidden energy circuit structure was simpler, Cole would face less pressure.
Before starting, Cole explained all the experiment details, ensuring Popplio understood exactly what the experiment entailed and the potential consequences of success or failure.
After confirming everything, Popplio agreed to continue.
Once it lay down again, Cole directed his Special Ability energy to its throat and began probing the hidden energy circuit.
However, when his energy touched that area, Popplio suddenly convulsed with a cry, nearly jumping off the wooden board.
Cole asked in shock, "What's wrong?"
"Woo~ Wooo~ " — It hurts, it hurts too much!
Popplio answered, its face contorted in pain.
This stunned Cole — he hadn't anticipated it would hurt.
Seeing him stop, Popplio said through gritted teeth, "Continue, I can endure it."
Cole hesitated before saying, "I'll try again, but if it's too painful, you must tell me. Don't try to tough it out."
Popplio nodded and even asked Daisy to use psychic power to hold its body down, preventing its movements from disrupting the process.
Cole again directed his energy toward the hidden circuit. Popplio endured the pain, its face growing increasingly contorted as sweat beaded across its body.
This wouldn't work!
Watching its increasingly violent reactions, he had to stop.
"W-woo~ Woo Woo? Wooo…" — W-why... did you stop? I... can... handle it…
Popplio spoke between labored breaths. It might have been more convincing if not for its rapid breathing.
Cole shook his head, "This won't work. You're in this much pain just from the start — I'm afraid you might go into shock if we continue. Let me think of another way."
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