Chapter 45: Exchange
"Ah~"
After tasting the other person's Berry, the young man sighed deeply, a sense of powerlessness welling up within him.
"Oh, right, young man, would you like to try my Berries too?" Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was a bit awkward, the young man said with an embarrassed smile.
"Okay!" Bai Feng replied. This was exactly what he was waiting for.
Bai Feng had noticed the situation with the young man's exhibit. He was actually very curious about the state of the other party's Berries and why everyone who tasted them seemed to avoid them like the plague.
"Right, my name is Ji En. May I ask what your name is, young man?" As he led Bai Feng to his exhibit, the young man suddenly remembered that he and Bai Feng hadn't exchanged names yet.
"My name is Bai Feng." Bai Feng simply introduced himself.
"Truly young and promising!" Ji En couldn't help but exclaim.
Upon arriving at Ji En's exhibit, Bai Feng finally got to taste Ji En's Berries and understood why they were so unpopular.
The situation with Ji En's Berries was similar to Bai Feng's; there were very few Varieties, only a handful in total. Bai Feng recognized all of them: Pinap Berry, Babiri Berry, Tamato Berry, and Chilan Berry.
The Pinap Berry is a Berry that looks slightly similar to a pineapple from Bai Feng's previous life, but its size is not as large as a pineapple. One Berry is about the size of an adult's fist, and the Variety Ji En Cultivated was even smaller.
Pinap Berries are golden yellow all over with green stripes on the surface. Normally, their Flavor is slightly sour and extremely sweet.
However, the Variety Ji En Cultivated amplified the sourness countless times. One bite could make your teeth ache. Not only could ordinary Humans not stand it, but even Pokémon who liked sourness couldn't tolerate it. There was sweetness, but it wasn't obvious, probably because it was too sour. At least, Bai Feng couldn't taste it.
The Babiri Berry is a segmented Berry with a green skin. Normally, its Flavor is slightly bitter and astringent, but the overall aroma is fragrant, similar to the taste of green tea.
However, the Variety Ji En Cultivated was bitter and astringent to the extreme. One bite could make your tongue numb with astringency. After taking a bite, Bai Feng felt his sense of taste disappear for a while.
Then there was the Tamato Berry. This is a spicy Berry, fiery red all over with thorns, generally popular with some Fire-type Pokémon.
The Variety Ji En Cultivated was indeed very spicy. This kind of Berry is generally more popular the spicier it is, but its problem was a particularly strange texture. It felt like sand in your mouth, which was truly unacceptable.
Finally, there was the Chilan Berry.
The Chilan Berry is named for its appearance resembling small lanterns. When ripe, they are pure yellow all over. Their pulp is usually very soft, and a gentle squeeze can burst out a large amount of juice.
Normal Chilan Berries have a rich aroma, with a slight hint of osmanthus fragrance hidden within the strong Berry aroma. Due to their unique Flavor, this Berry is not only very popular among Pokémon but also loved by a large portion of Humans.
However, the Chilan Berry Ji En Cultivated had an overly strong smell. Even a sniff of the smell at first felt like the scent went straight to your brain, extremely pungent. It would make people think it was a bad smell. Forget the osmanthus fragrance, even the normal Berry aroma was gone.
Who could possibly take a bite of a Berry that smelled bad? Not Humans, and not Pokémon either!
Through their conversation, Bai Feng learned that Ji En's hometown was on a plateau in the easternmost part of the Kalos Region. The environment there was special, the soil was unique, and the temperature difference between day and night was particularly large, resulting in Berries with very peculiar tastes.
The Berries Ji En had Cultivated were already improved Varieties that had their peculiar tastes weakened by more than half.
Ji En's hometown was a very poor rural area, and the only local specialty was these strangely flavored Berries.
His biggest Dream since childhood was to help the village find a way to get rich. For this, he had been working hard to improve the Berry Varieties.
Unfortunately, after Cultivating for so long, the Berries he grew still tasted too strange. He came to participate in this Exhibition with a hopeful attitude, thinking that maybe someone might actually like this uniquely flavored Berry!
However, the reality was that a miracle did not happen.
After listening to Ji En's story, Bai Feng developed a strong interest in the Fruit Trees from his hometown. If the improved Varieties could produce Berries with such "intense" Flavors, what did the unimproved Berries taste like? Bai Feng was very curious.
Thinking of this, he asked, "Mr. Ji En, I wonder if you are interested in the Berries I Cultivated?"
Ji En was a bit surprised by this, or rather, he didn't quite understand what Bai Feng meant. Planters who came to the Exhibition were either looking for Investment or exchanging experience. Bai Feng seemed to be the only one looking to trade Fruit Trees, so it was no wonder Ji En didn't immediately grasp the situation.
Seeing that Ji En didn't understand, Bai Feng told him his request. He didn't need the Fruit Trees that Ji En had already improved; he wanted some of the original, native Fruit Trees from Ji En's hometown.
"You really want to use the Fruit Trees you Cultivated to trade for the Fruit Trees from my hometown?" Ji En looked at Bai Feng as if he were an idiot.
For any Berry Cultivator, the Fruit Trees they Cultivate are their life's work, especially the high-quality ones. Almost no one would trade their life's work with others unless they could trade for a more superior Variety.
But what Bai Feng wanted to trade for were unimproved wild native Fruit Trees, whose value was worlds apart from the Fruit Trees he held that could produce delicious Berries. Was this really okay?
Bai Feng nodded, "That's right. I'm researching Grafting Fruit Trees, so I want to understand the differences between Fruit Trees from different regions."
So that's it! Ji En suddenly understood. Researchers often disregard cost and consequences to obtain research materials. He felt that Bai Feng might be in a similar situation.
"Of course, I'd be very happy to," Ji En said happily after understanding the situation.
Perhaps from Bai Feng's Fruit Trees, he could gain inspiration for improving the Fruit Trees from his hometown. He had tasted Bai Feng's Berries, and the taste was truly wonderful. Whether it was the sweetness, sourness, or aroma, it was just right, not too much, not too little.
The Flavors of the several Berries Bai Feng Planted were relatively mainstream, mainly sweet with a slight sourness. This Flavor was dominant among both Humans and Pokémon. After all, Pokémon who liked spicy, astringent, bitter, and other Flavors were a minority, and even fewer Humans liked these Flavors.
Seeing Ji En agree, Bai Feng was naturally very happy. However, after thinking for a moment, he still said, "I should tell you beforehand, I live in Biyi City not far from here. It's like spring all year round, with a mild climate, which is quite different from the climate in your hometown. So, if you want to grow my Berries well, you might have to put in some effort."
"I know that. Don't worry, young man."
After Cultivating Fruit Trees for so many years, it was impossible for Ji En not to notice this problem. There were many ways to solve regional climate differences; it just depended on whether you were willing to put in the effort.
Then the two exchanged contact information and promised to send the Fruit Trees they needed to each other after the Exhibition ended.
With the exchange with Bai Feng, the look of distress on Ji En's face disappeared. Even if he was still often rejected by customers afterward, he kept smiling.
Even if no one was willing to Invest in him this time, being able to trade for Bai Feng's Fruit Trees made him feel that the trip was worthwhile.
As time passed, more and more guests came to visit the Exhibition, and Bai Feng's exhibit gradually received more visitors.
Not all guests were easy to send away, like the one Bai Feng was currently dealing with.
"Sir, I really don't need Investment. Please find other Investors," Bai Feng said helplessly to the person in front of him.
The person pestering Bai Feng was a rather ostentatiously dressed chubby man, wearing brand-name clothes from head to toe, as if to announce to the World: I am very rich.
The chubby man was probably in his thirties, fair-skinned and plump. After tasting Bai Feng's Berries, he was amazed and insisted on pestering Bai Feng to Invest in him.
"Young man, don't be so quick to refuse. I'm very rich. Just name a price, and I'll satisfy you," the chubby man said with a grand air.
"It's not about Money; it's that I really don't need it," Bai Feng refused again.
"If you don't need it, why come to the Exhibition? Are you looking for a better Investor?" The chubby man looked at Bai Feng suspiciously. "Let me tell you, among the people here, there's no one richer than me!"
Bai Feng was speechless. Couldn't he be a little more low-key?
"Kid, our boss is willing to Invest in you because he thinks highly of you. Don't be ungrateful!"
At this moment, a burly man behind the chubby man, dressed in black clothes and wearing black sunglasses, stepped forward and shouted at Bai Feng.
That's right, this chubby man even brought five or six bodyguards dressed like an "Axe Gang," which was one of the main reasons Bai Feng said he was high-profile.
What kind of truly rich person goes out with such a display? Isn't this clearly a nouveau riche?
"Hey~ David, how are you talking to the young man! Be polite!" The chubby man, seeing his bodyguard step forward, immediately put on a show of reprimanding him.
"Yes, Boss, I know I was wrong." The bodyguard immediately lowered his head and retreated behind the chubby man.
You two aren't even good at acting!
Just then, Teacher Omura returned. Seeing Bai Feng surrounded by a group of people, he quickly squeezed over and asked, "What's happening? What's happening?"
So Bai Feng had to explain that the chubby man insisted on Investing in him. Teacher Omura listened and immediately said with a stern face, "Are you trying to cause trouble? Do you believe I'll complain about you to the organizers?"
Every year, this Exhibition is hosted by the Pokémon League Headquarters and co-organized by the Regional Pokémon League. Although it's not as important as the Trainer's League Tournament, the organizers would never allow anyone to cause trouble at the Venue.
Hearing Teacher Omura's words, the chubby man indeed seemed a bit intimidated. He said stubbornly, "Complain about what? Is it wrong for me to want to Invest in him? Don't be unreasonable!"
Now he was saying others were being unreasonable. Teacher Omura was speechless. His temper was notoriously fiery at the School, and in this situation, he was already strongly suppressing his anger.
"Stop talking nonsense, we don't need Investment!"
"Bai Feng, what's happening here?"
Just then, another voice sounded. Bai Feng turned his head and saw Lysandre had appeared not far from his exhibit at some point.
However, before Bai Feng could greet Lysandre, the chubby man had already rushed over to Lysandre's side, saying with a face full of smiles:
"Oh my goodness, Mr. Lysandre, I can't believe I'd meet you here! What a coincidence!"
Lysandre was momentarily stunned by the chubby man's enthusiastic attitude, then smiled and greeted the chubby man, "Ah, Mr. Pierre, it's been a long time. Are you also here for the Exhibition?"
"Yes, yes, I'm quite interested in Investing in Berry Cultivation," Mr. Pierre said, rubbing his soft, chubby hands.
"Then we have something in common," Lysandre said with a smile.
"Exactly, exactly!" Mr. Pierre echoed obsequiously. "It's just that some people don't know what's good for them. I kindly offered to Invest in him, but he looked down on it." Saying this, he specifically glanced at Bai Feng.
At this point, Lysandre walked up to Bai Feng, took Bai Feng's arm, and said to Mr. Pierre, "Do Mr. Pierre and Bai Feng know each other too? What a coincidence, Bai Feng and I are also good friends!"
Hearing Lysandre's words, Mr. Pierre froze for a moment, then immediately broke into a bright smile.
"Really? That's too much of a coincidence! I was just praising how capable this young man is. The Berries he Cultivated are top-notch!"
Saying this, he gave Bai Feng a thumbs-up.
His rapid change in expression caught Bai Feng completely off guard, but he didn't expose Mr. Pierre.
It's best to leave a way out in everything; it makes future encounters easier. He wasn't some important figure, so it was best to avoid offending such a petty person if possible.
Knowing that Bai Feng was a friend of Lysandre, Mr. Pierre naturally didn't dare to pester him any longer. After shamelessly trying to ingratiate himself with Lysandre for a while, he left feeling satisfied.
Seeing Mr. Pierre leave, Lysandre looked at Bai Feng and asked, "Do you have time to walk around with me?"
Bai Feng looked at his exhibit, feeling a bit hesitant.
"Bai Feng, you should go out and look around too. I'll watch the exhibit for you. Aren't you looking to trade Fruit Trees? Staying at the exhibit all the time makes it hard to gain anything. It's better for you to investigate personally." At this moment, Teacher Omura said, and he took out a notebook and handed it to Bai Feng. "This is a Berry evaluation I did while visiting other exhibits. It records some of my analysis of the Berries at some exhibits. You can use it as a reference."
Bai Feng took the notebook and said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher Omura."
Teacher Omura waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. You're my Student. I can still help with this small matter."
Bai Feng was even more touched.
"Teacher, I'll leave the exhibit to you then. I'll be back as soon as possible."
Then Bai Feng took Teacher Omura's evaluation notes and toured the Exhibition with Lysandre. Lysandre also came this time intending to find some potential Planters to Invest in, and Teacher Omura's notes were a good reference.
(End of Chapter)