On the day the reservoir was completed, all the Pokémon from the orchard gathered to see it. The Gyarados and Clauncher were particularly excited, as this would be their new home.
"It's time — open the floodgates!" Cole called out.
Following his instructions, the Nidoking and Nidoqueen standing by the floodgates worked together to lift them slowly.
As the dam opened, water from the tributary rushed in, quickly filling the reservoir.
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
...
The eight Gyarados immediately dove into the water, roaring with excitement as they stretched their powerful bodies freely.
'It feels so much better in the water!' They thought to themselves.
The Clauncher weren't far behind, leaping in one after another, splashing back and forth with their little tails rapidly slapping the water's surface.
Seeing their joy, Brionne and Vaporeon couldn't resist joining in, and soon the reservoir was bustling with activity.
That evening when they returned home, Cole treated all the Pokémon to another spa session to celebrate the reservoir's completion. They were absolutely delighted, wishing such treats would come every day.
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Several days after the reservoir's completion, the Gyarados and Clauncher had settled well into their new home. Vaporeon spent most of its free time there too, essentially becoming a permanent resident.
Brionne also visited frequently to train its subordinates.
Cole planned to plant suitable aquatic crops once the reservoir's environment stabilized.
Meanwhile, he began considering hiring a new housekeeper. Coming home after working all day only to face more housework left him exhausted — he'd had enough.
But where could he find a Pokémon skilled at housework? It wasn't an easy task.
This question had him distracted during school.
"Cole, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?" Keith asked with concern.
"It's nothing, just thinking about something." Cole shook his head, then considered that his friend might offer some advice, "Well, it's like this..."
So he explained his housekeeping dilemma.
"I see..." Keith pondered for a moment. His eyes suddenly lit up, "Cole, do you know about the Pokémon shelter?"
"Pokémon shelter?" Cole asked, puzzled.
"Yes. Every city has stray Pokémon, so some cities build shelters to take them in and provide basic care. It helps keep the city looking nice too."
"I had no idea such places existed — sounds nice." Cole said, surprised.
Keith shook his head, "The Pokémon only get their basic needs met—most don't live very well."
"So you think I should look there?"
Keith nodded, "All the Pokémon at the shelter are available for adoption. The League really encourages trainers and families to adopt from there."
Cole thought that might be worth exploring.
"Does Coumarine have one?"
"Of course." Keith nodded, "I can take you there after school if you'd like."
"That would be great, though I hate to impose." Cole said cheerfully.
"It's no trouble — I don't really want to head home early anyway." Keith replied.
Cole understood his situation, so he spoke openly.
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After school, the two boys headed to the West District together.
Having been to Coumarine's Pokémon shelter before, Keith led them straight there.
The shelter sat in a remote corner where the Districts met, technically within the West District's borders.
It occupied a large courtyard, somewhat like Cole's home, though the buildings were old and dilapidated.
Keith explained, "This used to be a wealthy family's villa. They sold it to the League cheaply because it was supposedly haunted. When the League investigated, they found it was just some Ghost-type Pokémon causing trouble.
When Coumarine needed a Pokémon shelter, the League gave them this run-down villa. But with minimal funding and attention from above, they never renovated it."
Cole nodded in understanding.
The two approached the villa's entrance and rang the doorbell.
"Who is it!"
The door creaked open to reveal a disheveled man rubbing his eyes, clearly just awakened, his hair as messy as a Pidgey's nest.
"Hello." Cole said politely.
Seeing two children at the door, the man asked impatiently, "What do you want?"
Cole replied, "I heard we can adopt Pokémon here, so I came to take a look."
Hearing this, the man finally gave him his full attention, "You want to adopt a Pokémon? Do your parents approve?"
Cole smiled, "Don't worry about that."
The man studied him silently for a moment, then stepped aside, "Come in."
"Thank you, sir." Cole said with a smile.
"Thank you, sir." Keith echoed.
After entering the courtyard, Cole surveyed his surroundings.
The courtyard was massive — even larger than his home — befitting its history as a wealthy family's villa. Though many rooms were damaged and uninhabitable, the space remained impressive.
Pokémon filled the courtyard — some sweeping and working, others playing games like hide-and-seek. They all wore content smiles and appeared to be doing well.
The arrival of the two boys caused the Pokémon to pause their activities, curiously observing the visitors.
The man turned his head, "Keep moving."
"Coming!" Cole quickly caught up.
Following the man's lead, they entered a dim room that served as both his office and living quarters.
The man sat behind the desk, picked up a pen, and without looking up asked, "What's your name?"
"Cole Sage."
"Where do you live? Who else is in your family?" The man continued.
"I live at the Blue Bird Orphanage, and as for family..."
Cole's household registration remained at the orphanage, as he couldn't have his own separate registration before becoming an adult.
Hearing his answer, the man looked up in surprise.
"You're an orphan? And you, an orphan, want to adopt a Pokémon? You..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Cole could guess what he meant to say — probably something like "Can you even take proper care of a Pokémon?"
"Are orphans not allowed to adopt Pokémon?" Cole asked in return.
The man didn't answer, keeping his head down as he continued recording information.
"Why do you want to adopt a Pokémon?"
"I run an orchard, and I'm very busy with work. I can't keep up with everything at home, so I'd like to have a Pokémon help with the housework."
Hearing this, the man looked up in surprise again, "Didn't you say you're an orphan?"
Cole nodded, "Yes, is there a problem?"
"But then you say you run an orchard!" The man said irritably.
"That's right, are orphans not allowed to run orchards?" Cole asked again.
The man was stumped by his question. There wasn't actually any rule against it, but this defied common sense — how old was this kid to already have his own orchard?
The man said irritably, "Show me your ID!"
Cole nodded and pulled up his identification on his phone.
The man carefully compared the photo on the ID, confirming it was indeed Cole, and the ID clearly stated that he was an orphan. As for whether the kid actually had an orchard, that would be verified when the adoption paperwork was submitted — no need for the man to worry about it.
After confirming his identity, the man asked, "How many Pokémon do you want to adopt? And what types are you looking for?"
Instead of answering, Cole asked, "Could I see the Pokémon here before deciding?"
"What a hassle!" The man impatiently threw down his pen, "Follow me."
Under the man's guidance, they returned to the courtyard, where he took out a megaphone and shouted:
"Everyone come out! Come out! Come out!"
As the sound spread through the courtyard, Pokémon began emerging from their rooms, soon filling the entire yard.
Cole roughly estimated there were at least a hundred Pokémon living here — it seemed impressive that the man could manage them all.
Actually, he had misunderstood — the Pokémon weren't managed by the man, they managed themselves.
Due to the special nature of this place, the Pokémon living here were all well-behaved, fearing that causing trouble might lead the city to shut down the shelter and leave them homeless.
Though conditions weren't ideal, the League provided regular food allowances. The facility manager, despite his minimal involvement in daily affairs, never skimped on their meals. The Pokémon were content with this arrangement, even if the allowance wasn't enough for full meals — it was still better than life on the streets.
"This young man is here to adopt a Pokémon. Everyone behave well — if you're chosen, good times are ahead!" The man shouted through the megaphone.
Whether he believed his own words remained unclear.
The Pokémon exchanged glances without enthusiasm, having grown comfortable with their current life and hesitant about adoption. Those who had been adopted before were never seen again, leaving the others wary of an uncertain future.
Seeing their reaction, the man spat in anger and muttered, "Bunch of hopeless cases."
Keith heard this and grew angry, seeming about to speak up, but Cole held him back.
There was no point in confronting the man — if he truly mistreated the Pokémon, a hasty confrontation would only make them suffer after the boys left.
Besides, from Cole's observations, the Pokémon didn't seem to fear the man. When they made eye contact with him, they remained calm and at ease, suggesting their relationship was reasonably good.
Cole stepped forward and said, "My name is Cole. I live in the East District of Coumarine and run an orchard. At my place, you won't have to worry about food, and since it's close by, you can come back to visit anytime you want."
He understood these Pokémon's mindset — they had fully adapted to their peaceful life and were resistant to change.
Seeing their continued indifference, he felt helpless and added, "The work at my place isn't heavy, just housework. Is anyone here good at housework?"
The Pokémon's eyes wandered, but Cole noticed they kept glancing at a Hatterene.
He had spotted this one hiding among the group from the start, most notable for the striking scar on its cheek.
Hatterene, native to the distant Galar region, was rare enough there — finding one in Kalos was particularly unusual.
Cole couldn't help but ask the man about its situation. The man openly shared everything about why Hatterene was there.
It turned out this Hatterene had been smuggled from Galar by Pokémon poachers years ago. Being quite rare in its native region, its value would have nearly doubled if successfully brought to Kalos.
The poaching group's luck ran out when police spotted them shortly after arriving in Kalos. During the ensuing battle, their aircraft exploded violently, killing almost all the captured Pokémon aboard. Most were newly hatched in their initial forms, defenseless against an explosion of such magnitude.
At the time, this Hatterene was only a Hatenna. Its instinctive psychic powers protected it just enough to survive, but debris from the exploding ship carved a deep gash in its cheek — a wound that even healing pulse and other recovery moves couldn't mend.
As it healed, the injury left a horrific scar on its face, which became even more prominent after evolution.
While medical technology could theoretically heal its facial wound, the cost was prohibitive. "Who would spend that much money on a 'worthless' Pokémon?" they said.
The trauma deeply affected Hatenna. After waking from the explosion, it never used a single move again, leading others to label it useless. Nurse Joy's examination revealed no physical issues — its refusal to battle or use moves stemmed from psychological trauma.
Despite being a rare Pokémon, no one wanted to adopt one with such problems. Unable to determine its origin, authorities placed it in this Pokémon shelter.
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