Cole met with Kiara and Sara at the entrance of the Pokémon Center, and they flew toward Mt. Ascendant on their Flying-type Pokémon.
As they passed the mountain's base, Cole spotted Helioptile running uphill while carrying something.
"Helioptile, what are you doing?" He called down.
The gecko looked up, recognized him, and waved excitedly.
"Ah-bi~ Ah-bi~"
It was crying for help.
Cole turned to the girls behind him, "Sisters, I'm going down to check."
He patted Talonflame's neck, signaling it to land.
Seeing this, Kiara and Sara directed their Pokémon to descend as well.
Upon landing, Cole discovered Helioptile carrying an unconscious Buneary on its back. The small Pokémon appeared seriously injured.
"Ah-bi~ Ah-bi~"
Before Cole could dismount from Captain Talonflame, Helioptile was already crying out to him, tears in its eyes.
Cole hurried over and examined Buneary's injuries, "Is this your friend?"
It nodded, pleading for him to help.
Though not a Pokémon doctor, Cole took out an Oran Berry he carried, squeezed out the juice, and fed it to the little bunny to stabilize its condition.
Carrying berries had become his habit.
The Oran Berry juice helped normalize Buneary's breathing, though its severe injuries were beyond what the Berry could fully heal.
Cole consoled Helioptile, "Don't worry, I'll take it to the Pokémon Center soon."
"Ah bi~"
Helioptile wiped its tears and nodded while sobbing.
This was the first time Cole had seen the gecko so distressed — Buneary must truly be a close friend.
Kiara and Sara approached them.
"What happened?" Sara asked, "Isn't this your Helioptile? And is this Buneary yours too?"
Kiara, being a breeder, immediately noticed the Pokémon's poor condition, "Is this Buneary injured?"
Cole nodded, "Buneary isn't mine — it's Helioptile's friend, a wild Pokémon. I'm not sure how it got these serious injuries."
Kiara stepped forward, "Let me take a look."
She took out a Poké Ball, and a Miltank appeared before them.
"Miltank, please help."
"Meiluo~"
Miltank nodded, walked to Helioptile's side, and gently lifted Buneary for examination. It used Heal Bell to soothe the Pokémon's pain, and once Buneary's expression softened, followed up with Milk Drink.
Milk Drink is a powerful healing move.
Gradually, Buneary's eyes fluttered open.
"Ah bi~ Ah bi~"
Helioptile rushed forward to check on its friend.
Though still weak and barely able to cry out, Buneary gave Helioptile a gentle nuzzle with its small head to show it was okay.
As Miltank handed Buneary back to Helioptile, Kiara said, "Buneary should be fine now — it just needs two days of quiet rest to recover."
"Ah bi~ Ah bi~" — Thank you, beautiful big sister.
Though Kiara couldn't understand Helioptile's words, she recognized its grateful expression.
Cole gathered both Pokémon in his arms, "Alright, let's head back up the mountain. Buneary needs a peaceful place to recover."
"Ah bi~"
Helioptile nodded and hugged Cole's arm affectionately.
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After returning to the mountain, Cole took Buneary to Helioptile's room and settled it in. He asked Daisy to prepare some food for it before leaving, while Helioptile stayed behind to keep its friend company.
Questions about Buneary's injuries would have to wait, as Cole still had guests to attend to.
When he came out of the house, Kiara asked, "Is everything okay?"
Cole nodded, "Yes, thank you and Miltank."
Kiara shook her head dismissively.
Meanwhile, Sara had already explored around his house and came bouncing back, "Cole, how could you build such a plain house? You have terrible taste!"
"As long as it's functional, who cares about looks!" Cole rolled his eyes, "If you give me money, I wouldn't mind making it prettier."
Sara's eyes lit up as she moved closer, saying mischievously, "Hehe... if you come home with big sister, I'll definitely build you a beautiful and practical mansion."
Cole quickly crossed his arms and said dramatically, "Big sister, I'm still young — we're not suitable."
Seeing their banter getting more outrageous, Kiara intervened, "Let's go take a look at the berry orchard."
Cole and Sara composed themselves, and the three headed to the orchard together.
As soon as they entered, Sara exclaimed, "Wow, are these the trees where the berries we ate before came from?"
"That's right, these are all carefully cultivated by me." Cole replied with feigned pride.
Sara gave him a dangerous look, "I really want to take you home."
Unlike her friend's exuberance, Kiara — ever the professional — immediately began examining the orchard conditions: the berry trees' growth, soil fertility, moisture levels, and other factors.
After a careful observation, she asked with surprise, "These berry trees are quite young, aren't they?"
Cole nodded, "That's right, most of them are only three to four years old."
Kiara's eyes widened, "And you've managed to cultivate them to B-grade in such a short time?"
Before visiting Mt. Ascendant, she had assumed his berry trees would be mature specimens. The youth of these trees astonished her.
Trees typically needed considerable time to grow and build their energy levels. Even with a cultivator's assistance to accelerate the process, such rapid development seemed impossible.
"How did you achieve this?" Kiara blurted out, then quickly added, "I'm sorry — forget I asked."
"It's fine." Cole said with a shake of his head, though he offered no explanation.
He had shared his special ability with Diantha and Lysandre under unique circumstances, but there was no reason to reveal it to Kiara and Sara.
✲✲✲
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