# Chapter 38: The Berry Convention
"Senior Zhenli, stop talking nonsense. What 'break the law' or not 'break the law'? Do I look like someone who would break the law?" Bai Feng rolled his eyes at Zhen Li.
"Hahaha... I was just joking!" Zhen Li burst into laughter. "Larvitar is a Pokémon that's not easy to raise. If you really want to train it into a powerful being, its requirements for food are especially high."
"How so?" Bai Feng pressed.
"First, the berry material used to make Pokéblocks for it must have an energy rating no lower than Grade A," Zhen Li said, giving Bai Feng a deep look.
"Grade A?" Bai Feng couldn't help but exclaim.
"Exactly!" Zhen Li nodded. "That's why I said Larvitar is hard to raise. Their growth has particularly high demands for energy level. But on the market, it's almost impossible for you to buy Grade A Berries. Otherwise, why do you think so few people cultivate Pokémon like Larvitar, Dratini, and Goomy? It's not just because they are rare, but also because their energy needs are too high. Raising them is far less cost-effective than other Pokémon! Those who can afford to raise these Pokémon, needless to say, have some foundation at Home. At least they don't have to worry about basic food like Grade A Berries."
Grade A Berries are just basic food... Hearing this, Bai Feng started to worry. He didn't have any Grade A Berries on hand either, let alone purchasing channels – he had none! It was truly a headache! This was practically bringing back an ancestor.
Seeing Bai Feng's worried expression, Zhen Li continued, "Besides that, where Larvitar costs more money than other Pokémon is that it needs to regularly consume certain hard ore to absorb enough minerals from the ore to promote the growth of its outer shell. However, compared to Grade A Berries, ore is much simpler. After all, this stuff isn't used much elsewhere except for cultivating Rock-type Pokémon. As long as you have money, you can buy it, and there are many types of ore, offering a lot of choices."
"I'm just a broke person!" Bai Feng said with a frustrated look.
Zhen Li comforted him, "Don't be discouraged. I believe you'll make a lot of money in the future. You were already able to cultivate Grade B Berries a few years ago, so maybe it won't be long before you can cultivate Grade A Berries."
Zhen Li genuinely thought highly of Bai Feng and believed he would definitely become a prominent figure in the future. It was just that he was still too young now and needed some time to grow.
"Thank you, Senior Zhenli!"
Senior Zhenli's words didn't comfort Bai Feng. He also believed he would eventually cultivate Grade A Berries, but that would take time, and he needed them *now*!
"Actually, there's no problem with using Grade B Berries as a substitute for now. Pokémon growth also takes time, so take it slow, no need to rush. As for the ore problem, I can help you inquire about it. I know a Rock-type Pokémon Trainer who definitely has some stock on hand. I'll help you get some."
"Thank you so much, Senior Zhenli!" Bai Feng said gratefully. "Please also help me make a batch of Pokéblocks suitable for Larvitar to eat."
"You're welcome, leave it to me. Just remember me when you achieve success in the future!" Senior Zhenli said jokingly.
After school, Bai Feng went straight to Fangcun Mountain without saying anything. Because of Senior Zhenli's words, he became even more attentive to those grafted fruit trees.
He definitely had no way to obtain Grade A Berries from the outside, so he could only hope to cultivate them himself.
In Bai Feng's opinion, the fruit trees on Fangxing Mountain had a chance to grow into Grade A fruit trees, but it required time accumulation, as their tree age was only a few years.
But the ones on Fangcun Mountain were different. Many of the fruit trees used to graft them were already Grade A in the Sea God's Cavern. If they could grow successfully, the possibility of becoming Grade A was extremely high. By then, wouldn't Larvitar's meals be taken care of?
Of course, this was on the premise that everything developed in a good direction. If the grafting was unsuccessful, it wasn't impossible for the fruit tree's energy level to drop instead of rise. In that case, all efforts would be wasted.
Arriving at Fangcun Mountain, Bai Feng began sorting energy circuits for the fruit trees that had already taken root, one by one, hoping they would grow more vigorously.
To cultivate Grade A fruit trees as soon as possible, in the following days, Bai Feng became even more diligent, dedicating more time to the fruit tree cultivation on Fangcun Mountain.
One day, during the Basic Berry Theory class, the Teacher suddenly mentioned a piece of news: soon, Lumiose City, the largest city in the Kalos Region, would be holding a Berry Convention.
He asked if any students in the class wanted to go with him to see it, stating it was a great learning opportunity.
The students looked at each other, but not a single person signed up.
Although recognizing Berries and understanding the effects of various Berries was a curriculum every Breeding Major student had to learn, they only needed to acquire the knowledge. As for where the Berries came from or how they were cultivated, the students didn't care, let alone spend time to understand it. They already felt they didn't have enough time normally.
The Teacher was very saddened by this situation, feeling that the students lacked a spirit of inquiry. However, participation in such activities was entirely voluntary, so he couldn't force them.
At this moment, Bai Feng quietly raised his hand and said, "Teacher, I'd like to go with you to see it!"
The Teacher's eyes immediately lit up, and he looked at Bai Feng happily, saying, "Excellent, Student Bai Feng. Come to my Office after class!"
After class, the Teacher beckoned to Bai Feng, then walked out of the Classroom with a smile.
Just as Bai Feng was about to follow, Dafu suddenly pulled him and asked, "Are you really going to the Exhibition with the Teacher?"
Bai Feng nodded and said, "Yeah, is there a problem?"
Dafu looked at him speechlessly and said, "Why are you so stubborn? Haven't you seen enough of the Teacher at School every day? If you want to go to the Exhibition, just go by yourself. It's much more comfortable going alone. Why bother having someone monitoring you tagging along!"
"But with the Teacher there, I can learn a lot of knowledge. If I go by myself, I'll be completely clueless," Bai Feng looked at Dafu with an expression that seemed to say, 'Are you stupid?'
He might even be able to inquire about Grade A Berries at the Berry Convention. Even if he couldn't buy them, just seeing them would be good. What if it could inspire him to cultivate Grade A Berries?
"Alright, alright," Dafu waved his hand at Bai Feng. "Go ahead, I can't talk sense into you."
Seeing this, Bai Feng shook his head and left.
Upon reaching the Office, the Teacher introduced Bai Feng to the details of the Berry Convention.
According to the Teacher, this Berry Convention was equivalent to the League Tournament for Pokémon Trainers in the planting world. Its purpose was to provide a platform for young Planters to showcase and exchange ideas.
At that time, Planters from all over the world would bring their cultivation results to participate in the Exhibition. There, you would see all sorts of fruit trees and Berries.
Furthermore, the Berry Convention would also be a platform for some Planters to promote themselves.
Cultivating high-quality Berries requires spending a lot of money and resources. Some young Planters have great skill but lack sufficient funds to support them in achieving great things.
If they could gain the favor of a benefactor at this time, wouldn't they be able to soar rapidly?
Of course, the premise for this situation is that you truly have real skill. After all, there are quite a few people trying to take advantage at the Berry Convention.
Also, even if you don't get investment from others, if a major power, large organization, or large company takes notice of you and invites you to specifically help them cultivate fruit trees, this is also an opportunity for many people.
In addition, there will be some young Planters from major powers at the Berry Convention. They possess advanced cultivation techniques. If you can exchange ideas with them and learn even a little bit, that would also be very good.
In summary, at the Berry Convention, opportunities and fortunes are everywhere; it just depends on whether you can seize them.
After listening to the Teacher, Bai Feng asked, "Can I also bring the fruit trees and Berries I've cultivated to participate in the Exhibition?"
The Teacher asked in surprise, "Student Bai Feng has also cultivated fruit trees?"
In the Teacher's eyes, Bai Feng was an excellent student with good grades, but he wasn't very clear about Bai Feng's other circumstances. Today was the first time he heard that Student Bai Feng was cultivating fruit trees, and he was inevitably very surprised.
Bai Feng nodded and replied, "I manage an Orchard and have cultivated some fruit trees there."
Actually, Bai Feng wanted to participate in this Berry Convention not for the sake of seeking investment or joining a major power or large organization. He just wanted to see if he could use the fruit trees he had cultivated to exchange for some new variety fruit trees.
He was currently very interested in the knowledge of grafting, so he wanted to collect more fruit trees of the same variety that grow in different regions, compare their regional differences, and see what variety or flavor of Berries could be cultivated if they were grafted together.
"You manage an Orchard?" the Teacher said incredulously. "You manage it yourself?"
"Yes," Bai Feng nodded.
The Teacher immediately sat up straight and stared intently at Bai Feng, asking, "Student Bai Feng, I wonder if I would be so honored as to visit your Orchard?"
"Of course!" Bai Feng readily agreed. As far as he knew, the Teacher was also a professional with extensive research in planting. If he could get his guidance, that would be even better. "It's my honor for the Teacher to come."
Bai Feng's achievements today were mainly thanks to his golden finger. He himself didn't actually have any remarkable achievements in planting; one could even say he was still a beginner.
He wouldn't say anything like needing to rely on his own ability to build a venture and not relying on the golden finger for everything, which would be a false pretense of nobility. The golden finger was his, and he could use it however he liked. But within his own capabilities, learning more useful knowledge was also something that gave him a sense of achievement.
"Then how about we go after school today? No time like the present!"
Uh...
Does it need to be this urgent?
"Okay, then I'll wait for the Teacher after school."
After school, Bai Feng indeed went to Fangxing Mountain with the Teacher.
Seeing the mountain full of fruit trees, the Teacher clicked his tongue in wonder. By this time, he had already learned about Bai Feng's background, and therefore admired Bai Feng even more.
Bai Feng's image in his mind had risen to the peak.
Upon learning that these fruit trees could already grow Grade B Berries, the Teacher was even more excited and encouraged Bai Feng to definitely participate in this Berry Convention.
At the same time, the Teacher also offered some of his own suggestions for Bai Feng's Orchard, such as how to control the frequency of fertilizing the fruit trees, when it was most suitable to arrange Pokémon pollination after the fruit trees bloomed, what tree shape each type of fruit tree should be pruned into, and so on. These were all practical knowledge full of sincerity, greatly benefiting Bai Feng.
In the following days, Bai Feng began actively preparing to participate in the Berry Convention. He had newly cultivated a batch of Berry Seedlings and planned to take them to the Berry Convention for trading.
Originally, he had planned to use this batch of fruit trees to plant the empty Plot of Land on Fangcun Mountain, but now, in order to participate in the Berry Convention, the matters on Fangcun Mountain had to be put aside for the time being.
Participating in the Berry Convention required registration. Since it was Bai Feng's first time participating, there were many things he didn't understand, but the Teacher enthusiastically helped him resolve them.
The Teacher who taught Bai Feng and his class the Berry curriculum was named Da Cun. He was in his early fifties, with a somewhat rigid nature, and was always stern towards students who didn't like to study, so many classmates were afraid of him.
However, Bai Feng knew that Teacher Da Cun was a kind-hearted person. As long as you studied hard, he was very amiable.
During this period, Senior Zhenli delivered the Pokéblocks she made for Larvitar and the special ore she had asked someone to buy for Bai Feng.
Larvitar's reaction to the Pokéblocks was lukewarm. If you fed it, it would eat; it would eat as much as you fed it, accepting almost anything. It was a genuine bottomless pit. But if you asked it if the Pokéblocks were tasty, it wouldn't make a sound, like a gourd with its mouth sawed shut.
But Larvitar really liked the special ore.
The ore Senior Zhenli sent was a special stone called Silver Gold Stone. It was overall silvery white, but the color was slightly duller than pure silvery white.
Its density was very high. A small fist-sized piece could weigh thirty to forty pounds. If a few pieces were stacked together, Bai Feng's twelve-year-old small frame couldn't lift them.
The ones Senior Zhenli sent were neatly cut into regular cubes, each weighing about eleven pounds. According to Senior Zhenli, feeding Larvitar one small piece a day was enough.
Eating this one small piece of Silver Gold Stone was equivalent to Larvitar eating a large pile of ordinary stone.
Of course, the price of this special stone was also astonishingly high, almost the same as the price per pound of Grade B Berries.
You have to understand, one pound of stone and one pound of Grade B Berries are completely different concepts, especially considering how dense this stone is.
To pay off the payment for this batch of Silver Gold Stone, Bai Feng sold a batch of Berries overnight.
He was still too poor. If things really got tough, he would sell another Water Stone!
In the blink of an eye, the day the Berry Convention was about to be held arrived. Bai Feng made all the preparations and set off with Teacher Da Cun.
(End of this chapter)