Chapter 134 ⇾ Bitten by an Apple

A pillar of scorching fire and a pillar of rainbow light struck Alcremie simultaneously, making it stagger and crash to the ground. As it lost consciousness, it reverted from its Gigantamax form to its normal state.

Cole and Leon descended from the sky with Daisy and Charizard, landing near Alcremie. A girl came running toward the fallen Pokémon.

"Alcremie, are you okay? Boo hoo..." She hugged her Pokémon and began to cry.

Officer Jenny arrived from Wyndon with a squad of police officers, quickly organizing her team to control the chaotic scene.

After directing her subordinates to calm and assist the citizens, she approached Cole and Leon to understand what had happened.

Meanwhile, Cole examined Alcremie, "Don't worry, your Alcremie is fine — just fainted. She'll wake up soon."

To be safe, he had his mom use Heal Pulse on Alcremie.

"Really?" The girl wiped her tears and breathed a sigh of relief, "That's wonderful, thank you so much, little boys. I couldn't have handled this without you."

The "little boys" comment made sense — Leon was sixteen, like Diantha, and Cole was fourteen, like Sonia. The girl appeared to be seventeen or eighteen.

Officer Jenny thanked Cole and Leon for resolving the situation, then took the girl and her Alcremie to the police station for questioning.

After she left, Cole sighed, "Chairman Rose will have his hands full tomorrow."

As the manager of Galar's Dynamax energy points, Rose would need to explain this major incident to the public.

The energy point leak remained unsealed, its dark red light still blazing. Police officers now guarded the area to prevent other Pokémon from going berserk like Alcremie.

"Yeah, I hope Rose is alright." Leon said worriedly.

Rose had been like a mentor to him — without his guidance and recognition, Leon wouldn't have progressed so quickly.

Cole patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, it's Rose we're talking about!"

"You're right!" Leon smiled, then added enthusiastically, "Cole, you and Daisy are amazing! When you used your Psychic Powers to restrain Alcremie just now — that was seriously cool! Your psychic abilities really do live up to those inherited from Psychic-type Pokémon."

Cole noticed Leon still hadn't caught on and felt secretly delighted. He couldn't wait to see Leon's reaction when he finally realized his misunderstanding.

"Yeah, I think it's pretty amazing to have inherited such abilities too!" Cole replied with a big grin.

"If we get a chance, we should definitely have a Pokémon battle. I bet you'll be an incredible opponent." Leon said, throwing his arm around Cole's shoulders.

Having fought side by side, he felt closer to his new friend.

"Sure, absolutely!" Cole agreed enthusiastically.

At that moment, Sonia came running over, a little out of breath.

She looked at Leon with concern and asked, "Leon, are you okay?"

Leon let go of Cole's shoulder and said cheerfully, "I'm fine, really, don't worry!"

"Honestly, you always rush headlong into trouble!" Sonia grumbled, then turned to Cole, "You okay too, Cole?"

"Of course I'm fine!"

For some reason, it felt like she only asked out of politeness.

Just then, Cole's phone rang. It was Lysandre — he had seen the video of their battle with Gigantamax Alcremie that someone had posted online.

"I'm fine, no need to worry. Everything's taken care of." Cole assured him, nodding, "Yeah, I'll head back soon."

After hanging up, he turned to Leon and Sonia.

"It's getting late, let's call it a day."

"Alright!"

Leon and Sonia nodded.

After parting ways, Cole called a Galar Taxi and returned with his mom to Lysandre's villa.

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When Cole got back, he found Lysandre sitting on the living room sofa, reading. Seeing them return safely, Lysandre breathed a sigh of relief.

The next morning, he woke to find his Pokémon missing from his room. After asking Lysandre, he learned they were playing in the backyard. He decided to have breakfast before going to find them.

The villa's backyard was enormous. Being on the outskirts of the city meant you could buy as much land as you wanted, just like the mountains near Cole's orchard.

Land in the Pokémon world was cheap, and Lysandre, who had plenty of money, had bought almost the entire area — including the two mountains next to the backyard.

Sure enough, Cole found his Pokémon in the backyard.

Daisy had come out to the backyard early in the morning and had been meditating under a tree ever since. Sitting next to her was a Slowpoke, also with its eyes closed.

The Slowpoke was copying Daisy, appearing serious as if meditating, but the bubble of snot hanging from its nose and slightly open mouth suggested it was already asleep.

When Daisy meditates, powerful Psychic energy radiates from her, causing most unfamiliar Pokémon to keep their distance. Only the absent-minded Slowpoke could remain unbothered.

Galarian Slowpoke differ from those in other regions — they're pure Psychic-type rather than Water-type Pokémon. Their appearance is distinct too: while other regions' Slowpoke have white tails and pink heads, Galarian ones are completely yellow in these areas.

There's one more interesting detail: Galarian Slowpoke's tails are spicy. Cole has never tasted one, so their exact flavor remains a mystery, though they're said to be perfect for barbecuing.

His arrival caught Daisy's attention. She cracked open an eyelid to glance at her son, then slowly closed it and resumed meditating.

Just then, Slowpoke startled awake, opening its eyes in panic and looking anxiously around. After a moment, it relaxed and sighed deeply.

Following a brief daze, it ducked into the nearby bushes. When it emerged, it carried a small garland in its mouth — a pretty creation decorated with green leaves and orange berries.

The garland appeared to be woven from Galarian Cardamom, Slowpoke's favorite spice in Galar.

Galarian Cardamom is a special spice found only in Galarian Slowpoke habitats. Legend says that generations of consuming this spice have given Galarian Slowpoke their unique appearance and flavor.

Back under the tree, Slowpoke paused for another moment, then crawled over to Daisy and gently slipped the garland onto her wrist.

After placing it, a subtle change crossed Slowpoke's typically dopey expression — the corners of its mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Cole couldn't help but laugh: Mom really was a natural charmer!

Though Daisy never opened her eyes to acknowledge Slowpoke, it didn't seem to mind. After presenting its gift, it quietly admired her for a few seconds before tilting its head and drifting back to sleep.

Since his mom was absorbed in meditation and paying him no attention, Cole went to look for Brionne and the others.

After walking a short distance, he spotted Chikorita, Larvitar, and Carbink playing with the Falinks on a nearby patch of grass. The Falinks marched in perfect formation at the front while the Three Stooges followed behind, heads held high and chests puffed out, mimicking them with utmost seriousness.

"Chika~ Chika~ Chika~"

Everyone was having such a great time that Chikorita began hopping and dancing, releasing waves of sweet fragrance.

While Larvitar and Carbink managed to resist, the disciplined Falinks succumbed to the enchanting scent. They quickly broke formation and collapsed in a daze, drool glistening at the corners of their mouths.

Falinks: (っ˘ڡ˘ς) So... fragrant...

Cole shook his head with amusement and moved on. He found Heliolisk lounging in the sunshine, its frill spread wide, eyes closed in complete stillness.

Despite not having a Sunflora to cuddle with, it stuck to its sunbathing schedule religiously. Even with a curious young Rookidee perched on its frill, Heliolisk kept its eyes firmly shut, focused entirely on soaking up the sunlight.

Finally, Cole discovered Brionne by the yard's pond, already engaged in vigorous morning training.

A splash erupted from the water as a yellow-shelled, green-skinned turtle burst forth, attacking Brionne with a Water Blade.

The turtle was a Drednaw that lived in the pond. Cole had seen it napping there on his first day at the villa, but now Brionne had enlisted it as a training partner.

Determined to regain its position on Mt. Ascendant, Brionne was training intensely, making every moment count!

Brionne whipped its tail and released a piercing cry. The powerful sound wave scattered the water and shattered Drednaw's Water Blade mid-attack.

Seeing their intense sparring session, Cole decided to leave them be.

"Hmm? Where are Pidove and Dunsparce?" Cole scanned the area but couldn't find either Pokémon.

He had brought Dunsparce along on this trip to Galar, hoping to help it find its homeland.

As if on cue, Pidove swooped down from the sky, landed on his shoulder, and spat out a bright red apple onto the ground.

"Coo Coo Coo~" — Cole, I found an apple that looks really tasty.

The apple rolled across the grass before coming to rest.

Examining the vibrant, juicy-looking apple, Cole wondered, Do we even have an apple tree in this yard?

As he crouched down to pick it up, a tiny head suddenly emerged from the apple and bit him hard between his thumb and forefinger.

"Hissss~~"

Cole yelped in pain, realizing this was no ordinary apple — it was an Applin.

When he flung it aside, the creature immediately began wriggling across the grass in an attempt to escape.

Pidove was furious. How dare this apple grow a head and bite Cole!

"Coo Coo Coo~"

With an angry cry, it launched from Cole's shoulder and dove straight at Applin.

The creature, being just a bug, couldn't outrun the bird and was quickly pinned under its claws. Despite thrashing its tail desperately, it couldn't break free. In a last-ditch effort, it abandoned its apple shell and darted away.

( •_•)? Was that possible?

Even Pidove was stunned.

But it recovered quickly. The instant Applin's real body shot out, Pidove swooped down like a bullet and pinned it again. Unable to escape, Applin went limp in surrender.

Cole's hand was bleeding from the bite, though not severely. He picked up the discarded apple shell and approached Pidove.

"Pidove, let it go. It's not its fault — it bit me because it was scared. If you hadn't grabbed it so suddenly, this wouldn't have happened."

At his words, Applin looked up, nodding vigorously and chittering apologetically.

Pidove, however, remained furious about the bite and continued stomping on Applin, refusing to release it.

Don't be fooled by this pigeon's usually cheerful demeanor — having survived in the wild, it has a fierce side. When necessary, it can be ruthless enough to take another Pokémon's life.

None of Cole's other Pokémon possessed such capability.

Cole sighed and gently lifted Pidove, "Come on, no more anger. I'm not upset, so you shouldn't be either."

Even as he picked it up, Pidove kept its claws wrapped around the thumb-sized Applin, only reluctantly releasing it onto the grass after some coaxing.

Cole handed the apple shell back to Applin and said, "Pidove startled you, and you bit me, so now we're even!"

Applin quickly retreated into its apple shell, then poked its head out to nod frantically at him. Only within its shell could it truly feel secure!

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