Chapter 12 ⇾ Taking the First Steps into Business

In the afternoon, Cole arrived at the Coumarine Gym without incident.

His visit to Ramos wasn't just to borrow books — he had business to discuss.

Besides gardening, the old man had another hobby: drinking tea. When Cole arrived, he found Ramos leisurely sitting in the garden enjoying his tea. On days when no one came to challenge the gym, Ramos's schedule was always relaxed.

"Grandpa Ra, good afternoon." Cole waved in greeting.

Ramos nodded, gesturing for the boy to sit across from him, then poured him a cup of tea.

Cole placed his basket on the table and, catching the tea's fragrant aroma, couldn't help but lift the cup for a small sip.

"What excellent tea! Is it new?" Though not a tea expert, he could still tell good from bad.

The tea had a lingering taste, with a rich and smooth flavor. After the slight bitterness faded, a refreshing sensation slowly spread through his mouth.

Ramos said with amusement, "Oh, now you're an expert?"

This wasn't the first time he'd invited the boy for tea, but this brash youngster had always drunk it like a cow chewing on peonies, without any elegance.

Cole chuckled and shook his head, not pretending to know more than he did.

Ramos looked at the basket of berries on the table and asked, "Have your cultivated berries started ripening? How's their quality?"

"Not bad." Cole said confidently, taking out the prepared test results, "Here are the test results, please take a look."

Ramos casually took the papers, glancing at them carelessly before his eyes suddenly widened.

Cole had placed the B-grade berry test results on top, giving the old man the most direct impact.

Though Ramos had always thought this kid had talent for cultivation, he never imagined he would be so exceptional, producing B-grade berries in just one year. If given a few more years... He could hardly imagine.

He suddenly felt very fortunate that he had discovered Cole over a year ago and given him the conditions to grow. Otherwise, such valuable talent might have been wasted — a great loss for the League.

Suppressing his amazement, Ramos looked at him with a half-smile and said, "It seems you came prepared today. Tell me your purpose."

Hearing this, Cole's expression turned serious. He sat up straight, looked directly at the old man, and said solemnly:

"Money. I need money now, so I hope you can lend me some, Grandpa Ra."

Ramos understood immediately. Cole couldn't achieve his cultivation goals through small-scale operations alone, and his current situation made it impossible to proceed independently.

Though Cole's B-grade berries would certainly attract investors, that wasn't what the boy wanted — he clearly preferred to keep his business to himself.

He simply wanted a loan.

Despite thinking highly of Cole, Ramos didn't agree immediately. Had Cole asked for an investment, he would have accepted without hesitation. A loan, however, required more consideration.

"I do have money, but you need to give me a reason to lend it to you." The old man said.

Cole was prepared and replied, "I currently have 37 Berry trees, each capable of producing B-grade berries. This is only their first fruiting — I believe with continued cultivation, they'll produce A-grade berries in the future. I'm offering these 37 trees as collateral. If I can't repay the loan, all these trees will be yours."

Thirty-seven trees producing B-grade berries represented an endless source of wealth. Few would be foolish enough to part with trees of this caliber.

Yet here they were, offered as Cole's collateral — his only bargaining chip.

Ramos nodded with satisfaction, "Good, I agree to lend to you."

After the boy's proposal, he had no reason to refuse.

If Cole's business succeeded, he would earn interest; if it failed, he would acquire valuable berry trees — either way, he couldn't lose.

"The young are truly impressive!" Ramos expressed sincere admiration as he looked at the ten-year-old boy, whose face still held its baby fat, "How much do you want to borrow?"

Cole took out the contract he had prepared and said, "Five million!"

Ramos looked at him with slight surprise, "Borrowing so much at once? You must be very confident in yourself."

Cole replied, "Time is money. If I weren't confident, I wouldn't have asked you today."

Ramos nodded and silently examined the contract Cole handed over, reading it carefully.

Cole had done his homework — the contract was meticulously prepared after extensive research and consultation. Finding no issues after his review, the old man signed his name.

They each kept one of the two copies of the contract, which would later need notarization at the relevant department to become legally binding.

After signing, Ramos picked a berry from the basket and tasted it, "No wonder you're so confident—these berries are indeed exceptional."

As an experienced cultivator, he could assess the berries' quality by taste alone, even without the test results.

They chatted for a while longer before Cole returned his borrowed books to the study, selected a few new ones, and left the Coumarine Gym.

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Back home, Cole told Meili about his plans to buy land for berry cultivation and his loan from Ramos. He kept the amount secret, knowing P$5,000,000 would shock her — it was worth more than the entire orphanage.

Though worried about his ability to repay such a loan, Meili kept her concerns to herself and offered encouragement instead. She believed in his capabilities.

The next day, Cole sprang into action.

With funding secured, his priority was acquiring land. His berry trees had outgrown the orphanage's cramped orchard, and expansion was impossible without his own property.

The eastern district of Coumarine City bordered a mountain range dotted with unclaimed peaks of various sizes, like stars scattered across the sky. He would choose one to purchase.

Land in the Pokémon world came cheap, especially in remote areas far from urban centers, thanks to sparse population and vast undeveloped territories.

The League even encouraged private land purchases in some regions to boost economic development. Better yet, purchased land granted full ownership rights, not just usage rights.

While renting was an option for those short on funds, Cole dismissed this idea — buying outright made more financial sense than long-term leasing.

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Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Cole spent his time running between departments handling paperwork until everything was finally arranged and Ramos's money was deposited.

He purchased a relatively flat, low mountain near the Coumarine Gym. The moderately-sized area cost over P$4,000,000 — nearly all of his P$5,000,000 loan seemed to vanish instantly. Still, he was happy.

He had finally taken the first step in his career!

In the following weeks, Cole brought Daisy and Popplio to clear his property, removing weeds, trees, and rocks from the mountain.

This work stretched over two months.

To save money, he relied solely on himself and Daisy, without hiring additional help. Popplio, struggling to move on land, could offer little assistance. Fortunately, Daisy's psychic powers proved invaluable — the Gardevoir had grown much stronger, handling most of the workload that would have taken far longer in the past.

For now, Cole had cleared just enough space to transplant the thirty-seven berry trees from the orphanage. He would develop the rest of the land gradually.

Though the orphanage children offered to help, Cole declined. They were too young and inexperienced to protect themselves, and with the property's distance from residential areas and frequent wild Pokémon appearances, he couldn't risk their safety.

Throughout these two months, Cole's remaining berries ripened and sold steadily. Emely and her classmates purchased the majority, while Officer Jenny and Captain Sanders bought substantial amounts, bringing friends, relatives, and colleagues as customers.

Of the remaining berries, Cole set aside some for the orphanage children and gave others as gifts to his bulk-purchase customers.

These berry sales earned him nearly P$800,000. After allocating the children's portion, his share came to over P$600,000.

With this money, he asked Emely to custom-make Pokéblocks for Daisy and Popplio, allowing them to enjoy better meals.

During these two months, besides clearing the new property, Cole achieved another milestone: clearing most of Popplio's energy circuits. Though its moves were still weak, it could finally use them.

When Popplio first summoned a tiny water ball, no bigger than a fist, it broke down in tears.

Still, compared to other Pokémon, many of its energy circuits remained blocked — Cole would need to continue clearing them gradually.

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That day, Cole sought out his group of Bird-type Pokémon — the Fearow, Spearow, and his newer additions of Fletchinder and Talonflame — to discuss a proposal.

Throughout the past year, his work clearing their energy circuits and their training battles with Daisy had helped a dozen Fletchling evolve into Fletchinder. One had even reached its final evolution as Talonflame, becoming their leader.

The flock now consisted of two groups: the Fearow squad led by their strongest member, and the Fletchinder team under Talonflame's command.

After another session of clearing their energy pathways, Cole made his proposal, "I've bought a mountain for growing berry trees, but I need help maintaining it. Would you be willing to work for me? I'll continue clearing your energy circuits and provide food and shelter."

Could they ask for a better offer?

"Char-pu~ Char-pu~"

"Yalo~ Yalo~"

They all eagerly agreed.

The offer of payment wasn't even necessary — their year-long bond and gratitude for Cole's help with their evolution were enough to secure their loyalty. The room and board was just a bonus!

Seeing their enthusiastic response, Cole beamed with joy.

The mountain he bought was in a remote location, and he currently didn't have the means to develop it properly. Security would need special attention — once the berries grew, wild Pokémon from all over would come to steal them. How could he make any money then?

That's why he thought of employing the two "Battle Companies".

After more than a year of training, Fearow and Talonflame had grown so strong they were like kings among the nearby wild Pokémon. With them guarding the property, Cole hardly needed to worry about security issues.

"Alright then, I'll take you to see my new property right now!" He said.

"Char-pu~ Char-pu~"

"Yalo~ Yalo~"

They all cheered at once.

The most powerful Fearow, larger than any other around, slowly crouched down, gesturing for Cole to sit on its back.

"You want to carry me?" He looked at it in surprise, "This is treatment I've never received before."

"Yalo~"

Fearow narrowed its eyes, nodding at him with a smile.

"Thank you so much!" Cole quickly took out Daisy's Pokéball to recall her, hugged Popplio in his arms, then nimbly climbed onto its back.

Fearow slowly flapped its wings and rose into the air, flying toward the new property according to his directions, with the other Pokémon following closely behind.

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It flew swiftly and soon brought Cole to their destination, landing on the mountaintop where he and the others had spent two months clearing the area.

He had built several wooden cabins here to serve as dormitories for all of his Battle Companies, so they wouldn't have to worry about exposure to wind and sun anymore.

"This is it." Cole said, gesturing to the entire mountain as he introduced it to them, then pointing to the wooden cabins behind him, "These are the cabins I prepared for you. They're a bit rough and basic, but once things are running smoothly here, I'll rebuild them for you."

He was an amateur, and despite his best efforts, the cabins he built were crooked and uneven. Their only merits were being sturdy and providing warmth and shelter.

However, the Fearow and Talonflame (and the other Fletchinder) didn't mind — weren't these much better than their previous homes? They used to live in nests made of piled-up grass.

The twenty birds — eight Fearow, one Talonflame, and eleven Fletchinder — chirped and chattered as they discussed their new homes, quickly allocating rooms among themselves.

They tried out their new shelters with delight: "Ah~ comfortable!"

Cole had thoughtfully lined each cabin with dry grass and leaves, and raised the floors to prevent moisture problems.

"I'll transplant the berry trees here in the next couple of days. After that, I'll be counting on you to guard them." Hhe said.

"Yalo~ Yalo~" — Leave it to us!

The largest Fearow gently flapped its wings, making the promise with confidence while the others followed their leader's lead.

At this point, Cole realized his property still needed a name, so he released Daisy and said to everyone, "Let's name this place together!"

"Garde~"

"Woo~"

"Yalo~"

"Char-pu~"

Everyone enthusiastically agreed with his suggestion.

"What should we call it?" Cole pondered.

"Garde~ Garde~" — Let's call it Black Petals Mountain!

Daisy suggested, combining her own name and her precious son's name (Cole=Coal-black or Charcoal)

"Black Petals Mountain? But there aren't any flowers of that color here! Besides, it sounds rather gloomy..." Cole said helplessly.

"Gar~ Gard~" — That doesn't matter.

"…"

"Yalo~ Yalo~" — What about Beak Mountain!

"... That's flat ground!"

"Char-pu~ Char-pu~" — How about Flame Mountain?

"That's even more ridiculous — there's nothing here related to fire at all!"

"Woo~ Woo~" — I think Popplio Mountain would be best.

The little sea lion eagerly suggested.

Cole patted its head and said with mock irritation, "Nonsense, is this mountain yours or mine?"

Popplio covered its head and muttered:

"Woo~ Woo…" — "What's yours is mine, isn't it? And isn't Popplio cute?"

Seeing the Pokémon's suggestions becoming increasingly absurd, Cole ignored their chattering and thought for a moment before announcing, "How about calling it Ascendant Mountain?"

What does that mean? The Pokémon were puzzled.

So Cole explained it to them.

The name "Ascendant" means "always rising" or "elevating", he told them. It symbolized how his business was just beginning and would grow magnificently in the future. The name captured both their current starting point and their hopes for what lay ahead.

After hearing his explanation, the Pokémon unanimously abandoned their own suggestions in favor of his choice. Daisy, in particular, showered her precious son with praise, declaring that her baby was the smartest in the world.

After getting the bird Pokémon settled in, Cole headed home with Daisy and Popplio.

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