Chapter 150 ⇾ Hmm, Did I Forget Something?

There were so many lapis lazuli here that in no time, Larvitar's little belly was round and full. It let out a satisfied burp and lay flat on the ground, completely content.

Cole walked over, patted its belly, and asked, "How is it? Tasty?"

"Yow! Yow!"

Larvitar nodded with satisfaction.

"Then would you like to stay here?" Cole asked again.

Hearing this, Larvitar sat up with a start, looking at him with terror in its eyes.

Cole, are you abandoning me?!

It had been hatched by Cole himself and saw him as a father figure. Now that father was trying to get rid of it — how could it not panic?

You can't do this, I'm still just a baby!

Seeing its expression, Cole immediately knew it had misunderstood, so he quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. I'm not abandoning you. I want you to stay here and eat all the minerals, and then I'll come back to take you home. It's just that there are so many minerals here, and to finish them all, you'll probably need quite some time!"

Hearing his explanation, Larvitar finally breathed a sigh of relief, but at the thought of being separated from him for a long time, it felt reluctant again.

Seeing it looking so pitiful, Cole patted it again and said, "No rush, think it over, and tell me your decision before we leave."

Larvitar slowly stood up and nodded listlessly.

Then Cole and the others were escorted by the Dudunsparce couple back to the bamboo forest where Whimsicott and Cottonne were.

At this point, they had already discussed things among themselves and were waiting for his return.

"Have you all decided? Is anyone willing to come with me?" Cole asked, looking toward the Cottonne and Whimsicott groups.

At that moment, there was a commotion among the Cottonne and Whimsicott groups as they looked at each other. Finally, Dunsparce's friend was the first to step forward.

Following Dunsparce's friend, about ten more Whimsicott and twenty more Cottonne gradually stepped forward.

They were all willing to leave with Cole.

Their reasons varied. Some simply wanted to see the outside world; some were attracted by Dunsparce's description of Mt. Ascendant and wanted a better life; some were frightened by the recent events and worried about encountering similar situations again, so they sought his protection.

But none of this mattered to Cole, as long as they were willing to follow him. Looking at the Whimsicott and Cottonne before him, he was very happy.

"Please take care of each other from now on. I believe you won't regret it!"

Hearing his words, the Whimsicott and Cottonne all eagerly began to envision their beautiful future lives.

Of course, a few also showed signs of unease. Although they were willing to follow Cole, they couldn't help feeling lost about the unknown environment.

At this time, Dunsparce flew tearfully to his good friend's side.

"Are you really sure? Are you really leaving? We've only just reunited!"

Whimsicott firmly said, "That's right, I must go with them!"

Because when Cole left with the Dudunsparce couple, he had said one thing: "Whoever comes with me will have the chance to personally train those Pangoros and Panchams~"

It was this statement that had firmed Whimsicott's resolve to definitely leave with him.

Its resentment toward the Pangoro family was beyond others' imagination!

Thinking of this, Whimsicott couldn't help touching the bald patch at the corner of its ear.

Damn it!

"Can't you stay?" Dunsparce asked reluctantly.

Whimsicott countered, "If you miss me so much, why don't you leave with me?"

Dunsparce mumbled quietly, "I like it here, I don't want to leave. I'd miss my mom and dad, and I've only just come back."

Hearing this, Whimsicott said, "See, you wouldn't leave your hometown for me either, so of course I won't stay for you."

Upon hearing its words, Dunsparce burst into tears, "You're heartless, you're cold, you're being unreasonable!"

With that, it flew away, flapping its wings.

Whimsicott watched Dunsparce fly farther and farther away, whispering, "You're the heartless one, you're the cold one, you're the unreasonable one!"

Cole, who had witnessed this entire scene: (⊙▂⊙)

Are you two a quarreling couple?

After selecting the Whimsicott and Cottonne to take with him, Cole didn't leave immediately. Instead, he gave them ample time to say goodbye to their friends and family, while also giving Larvitar time to consider whether it wanted to stay.

Having the rare chance to camp outdoors, he held a bonfire party with the Pokémon in the evening, having a lively time all night. Probably only Larvitar was feeling down.

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Early the next morning, Larvitar took the initiative to find Cole.

Cole asked, "Have you made your decision?"

"Yow~ Yow~" — Temporary separation is for a better reunion in the future!

Larvitar nodded and said something very poetic, making Cole laugh heartily.

After laughing, he added, "Actually, it's fine if you don't want to stay. Don't force yourself. I can always buy you stones; I won't let you go hungry before evolution!"

Larvitar shook its head gently.

It understood clearly that to fully develop its potential, it would need to consume a large amount of rare minerals. Although Cole could afford it, Larvitar didn't want to add to his burden.

The phrase it had just used, though learned unintentionally from a TV drama Daisy was watching, truly represented its sincere feelings.

It wanted to become strong, to have the power to protect Cole, to protect Mt. Ascendant, to protect its companions, rather than always being protected by everyone.

Seeing its determined expression, somehow, Cole's eyes suddenly grew moist. He rubbed its forehead.

Our Larvitar has grown up too!

Then Larvitar made another request to Cole, hoping that before he left, he could help illuminate all of its remaining hidden energy circuits.

It wanted to greet him with a completely new form when they met again.

"But you still have quite a few hidden energy circuits left. Illuminating them all at once will put a considerable strain on your body!" Cole said disapprovingly, "After you finish eating those minerals, I'll come get you right away, and we can do it step by step, can't we?"

Larvitar shook its head, looking at him with determination. That would waste too much time, and time is life!

Following Daisy, this little one had learned quite a few catchphrases.

Finally, Cole gave in, "Alright, I'll try my best!"

Larvitar nodded with satisfaction.

After reaching an agreement with it, Cole told his companions about Larvitar staying behind. They were all very reluctant to part with it.

Especially Chikorita and Carbink, who played with it the most. Upon learning they wouldn't see Larvitar for a long time, they tearfully embraced it.

Afterward, Cole called both Lysandre and the aircraft pilot in Turffield, telling them he would be staying out longer and asking them to return to Kalos without him if he didn't make it back in time.

He also asked Lysandre to take the berry tree roots back with him when he left. Thus, Cole temporarily stayed to help Larvitar illuminate the remaining hidden energy circuits.

Larvitar's hidden energy circuits were much more complex than Chikorita's. Cole had originally expected Chikorita's hidden energy circuits to be fully illuminated first, but now Larvitar was going to beat it to the punch.

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A week passed in the blink of an eye.

During these days, Cole helped illuminate a section of Larvitar's hidden energy circuits every day. This high-frequency illumination made its spirit appear somewhat listless.

Fortunately, it didn't have many hidden energy circuits left, and on the morning of the seventh day, Cole successfully illuminated all of them.

It was lucky there weren't many left; otherwise, if it had gone on for a couple more days, Cole might have given out before Larvitar even had a problem. Watching the little one grow increasingly weak day by day, he was under tremendous psychological pressure.

Fortunately, it was all over now, and Larvitar had persevered.

However, Cole didn't remove the Everstone from it. It wasn't time for it to evolve yet. When Larvitar could completely consume the lapis lazuli vein, it could remove the Everstone itself and transform into a new form!

Since Larvitar's matter was concluded, Cole was ready to leave. That afternoon, he and Daisy set out on their journey back to Turffield, entrusting the little dinosaur to the care of the Dudunsparce couple.

Before leaving, he left enough Pokéblocks for Larvitar, telling it to eat them along with the minerals for a balanced diet.

Larvitar stood at the cave entrance with the Dudunsparce couple, seeing Cole off. With crystalline tears in its eyes, it watched until their figures disappeared before reluctantly returning to the cave.

Once back in the cave, it channeled its longing into appetite, grabbing a large piece of lapis lazuli and munching away until it was stuffed.

Dunsparce was equally reluctant to part. Since the day it had quarreled with Whimsicott, it hadn't spoken a word to it.

It had planned to never speak to Whimsicott again, but on the day of departure, it secretly came to say goodbye. Unfortunately, Whimsicott had already been caught in Cole's Poké Ball, so it couldn't even see it one last time.

Dunsparce was filled with regret, but it was too late — Cole had already gone far away.

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Originally, Cole and Daisy had planned to walk back to Turffield, but unexpectedly, before reaching the foot of the mountain, they were attacked by a group of Corviknight.

The Corviknight and Skarmory on this mountain were truly arrogant, trying to peck at people on sight.

Cole didn't show them any courtesy, directly ordering Daisy to use Mystical Fire to knock them down one by one.

"I happen to need a mount, and since you've delivered yourselves to me, I won't be polite!"

So Cole and Daisy each rode a subdued Corviknight back to Turffield.

Upon reaching the town, he didn't release the two Corviknight but instead caught them in Poké Balls, thinking he might need flying mounts on the way back!

They would make perfect "mountain wives" (or husbands) for the Talonflame back home, improving their group structure.

Constant inbreeding wasn't good; the bloodlines were too close. It was better to introduce some outside blood for improvement.

The first thing Cole did upon returning to Turffield was to visit the Flying Taxi Company. He hadn't yet compensated for the destroyed carriage, and a week had passed. He wondered if they would have any complaints.

But Cole's worry was clearly unnecessary. Not only did they have no complaints, but they also didn't require any compensation from him.

The staff told him that the carriage's destruction was due to force majeure, and the customer didn't need to bear any responsibility.

After all, before departure, Cole had informed the taxi company of his destination, and they had agreed. Under these circumstances, the customer wasn't responsible for any losses incurred during this period.

If, during transport, a customer forcefully demanded that the Corviknight take them somewhere beyond the agreed destination, and losses occurred during that time, then it would be the customer's responsibility.

Leaving the Flying Taxi Company, it was almost dark, but Cole didn't waste time. He went to the airport to book a night flight, planning to return to Wyndon and then take an aircraft back to Kalos.

Lysandre had already returned to Kalos two days earlier, calling him before he left.

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Cole slept on the aircraft, and when he opened his eyes, it had just arrived at Wyndon.

The moment his feet touched down in the city, he suddenly felt like he had forgotten something. It wasn't until he saw a Pokémon battle playing on a nearby electronic billboard that he slapped his forehead.

Right! Piers asked me to contact him!

In fact, Piers was nearly furious.

He had waited in Wyndon for several days without receiving a call from Cole. He had even specifically inquired about Lysandre's villa, hoping to get Cole's contact information from him.

But how could Lysandre possibly give out his friend's contact information to others without his permission? So he refused.

Piers couldn't wait in Wyndon forever, so he finally left, full of disappointment.

Thinking about it, Cole felt quite embarrassed. He walked into the Pokémon Center, found a seat, and after rummaging through his spatial backpack for a while, finally found the crumpled note.

Following the number on the note, he dialed the phone. After a moment, Piers's dejected voice came from the other end.

[Hello~ Who is this?]

"Um... Gym Leader Piers, I am..."

But before Cole could finish, Piers's voice, now full of resentment, came through the phone.

[You... finally... called... me!]

Evidently, he had recognized Cole's voice.

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