Chapter 44: Julia of Mt. Coronet Academy
The Berry Exhibition Convention was held at Lumiose City's Central Plaza. Because there was a lot of preparation needed beforehand, Bai Feng and Teacher Omura set off early in the morning, before the sky was even fully bright.
But even so, when they arrived at the Central Plaza, the Exhibition Booths throughout the plaza were already filled with Exhibitors.
It wasn't time yet, so outsiders weren't allowed to enter. Only Exhibitors could enter early to prepare. These people arriving so early were clearly, like Bai Feng, there to prepare in advance.
Bai Feng's Exhibition Booth was in a relatively out-of-the-way spot, squeezed into a corner in the southwest corner of the Plaza, making it hard to attract attention. But that was because he registered late. Those who registered early were more likely to be assigned good spots.
Teacher Omura comforted him, saying, "As long as your Berries are good, being in a slightly out-of-the-way spot doesn't matter."
Bai Feng said indifferently, "Whether it's out of the way or not doesn't matter to me. I'm not here to attract investment anyway."
Teacher Omura thought about it and agreed. Since he wasn't seeking investment, a slightly out-of-the-way location indeed wouldn't have much impact.
So the two began setting up the Exhibition Booth, erecting the stand, putting up signs, placing the Preservation Equipment, and so on. There was a lot of preparation work to do. By the time they were nearly finished, it was already getting late, and the Berry Exhibition Convention had officially begun.
The Venue began letting Visitors in. People started inquiring at other Exhibition Booths one after another. Because Bai Feng's spot was relatively out of the way, no one had come to inquire yet.
Bai Feng wasn't in a hurry either. He and Teacher Omura sat quietly behind the Exhibition Booth and ate their Breakfast. After a busy morning, they hadn't even had time to eat Breakfast yet.
When the time was right, Bai Feng and Teacher Omura cut the Berries at their Exhibition Booth into small fruit cubes, neatly arranging them on exquisite plates, and included Bamboo Skewers for Visitors to sample.
Most Exhibition Booths did this. After all, an Exhibition wasn't about doing Business. To attract Investors, most of the Berries at the Exhibition Booths were available for free tasting.
Seeing that the Exhibition had been open for half an hour and no one had come to their spot yet, Bai Feng said to Teacher Omura, "Teacher, why don't you go look around first? I can watch things here by myself."
Teacher Omura thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, I'll look around for a bit and come back to relieve you."
Bai Feng shook his head without speaking. The Exhibition Booth was his, and Teacher Omura was just helping out for free, so he didn't want to take up too much of his Teacher's time.
However, what Bai Feng didn't expect was that not long after Teacher Omura left, a Visitor arrived at his Exhibition Booth.
"Um... hello."
A timid voice brought Bai Feng's wandering thoughts back. He looked up and saw a girl wearing glasses standing in front of his Exhibition Booth. He hadn't noticed when she arrived.
The girl wasn't tall and had long, dark brown hair tied into two braids hanging down her chest. Her personality seemed very introverted, and she clearly wasn't very good at interacting with people.
Beside her was a beautiful and bold Roselia, observing Bai Feng and the Berries on his Exhibition Booth with curious eyes.
"Hello!" Bai Feng greeted her kindly. "Are you here to sample the Berries, miss? The ones on the plates over there are all available for tasting. Please feel free."
"Th-thank you..."
The girl smiled shyly, then picked up a Bamboo Skewer, speared a piece of Berry from the plate, and put it in her mouth. Then, her eyes widened slightly.
"Th-this... this is too delicious, isn't it?" After she reacted, the girl's face instantly turned red. She looked at Bai Feng expectantly and asked, "Can I try another piece?"
Bai Feng smiled and nodded, "Of course. You can sample the Berries on the plates freely."
The girl nodded, then tried a piece of each type of Berry, not forgetting to feed a few bites to the Roselia beside her.
Roselia's personality was completely opposite to its trainer's, but its reaction after eating the Berries was exactly the same as its trainer's.
After being amazed by the taste of the Berries, it started making eyes at Bai Feng non-stop, as if making eyes a few more times would make Bai Feng offer it more Berries.
The girl was very meticulous when sampling the Berries, closing her eyes from time to time to carefully savor the flavor. Anyone who didn't know better might think she was a Gourmet.
After sampling roughly all the types of Berries, the girl walked up to Bai Feng and shyly introduced herself:
"Hello, my name is Julia. I'm from the Sinnoh Region's Mt. Coronet Academy, and I'm a Berry Cultivator."
Bai Feng was a bit surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected the girl in front of him to be a university student from an Advanced Academy. He had thought she was, at most, an upperclassman from an Intermediate School a few grades above him.
In Advanced School, Majors are no longer broadly divided into just the Breeding Major and the Battle Major. Instead, they are specifically divided into many more detailed Majors, and Berry Cultivation is one of them.
However, Berry Cultivation is a relatively niche Major. Many Advanced Academies don't even offer such a Major.
In contrast, Majors related to Berries, such as Pharmacology and Pokémon Food Research, are more popular.
Bai Feng had also heard of Mt. Coronet Academy's great name. It was a renowned institution of higher learning in the Pokémon World. It ranked at least among the top three in the entire Pokémon World, located at the foot of Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh.
Such famous schools weren't found in every Region. The more famous institution of higher learning in the Kalos Region was Nebeli Academy, located in Dendemille City, the capital of the Azoth Kingdom. However, its reputation was far from comparable to Mt. Coronet Academy in Sinnoh.
The Azoth Kingdom was one of the few autonomous kingdom areas under the Pokémon League's governance. Its capital, Dendemille City, was a city with a very developed mechanical industry, and Nebeli Academy was founded by the ancestors of the Azoth Kingdom's royal family, also considered an institution of higher learning with a long history.
However, while Nebeli Academy was quite famous in the Kalos Region, it was less conspicuous when placed in the entire Pokémon World.
"Hello, my name is Bai Feng, and I am the owner of this Exhibition Booth." After Julia finished introducing herself, Bai Feng also introduced himself.
Julia stammered, "Um... um... could I meet the Planter who cultivated these Berries?"
Bai Feng nodded and replied, "Of course, you already have."
Julia looked confused at his words. She craned her neck to look behind Bai Feng. "Where? Where?" However, she didn't see a second person.
"What I mean is, I'm the one who cultivated these Berries." Seeing Julia's stunned expression, Bai Feng couldn't help but answer with a smile.
"Huh?" Julia immediately covered her mouth, looking at the young boy in front of her, who wasn't even as tall as she was, with disbelief. After a long while, she asked, "Is that true?"
Bai Feng nodded, "Of course!"
Hearing this, Julia's eyes immediately sparkled, and she excitedly asked, "Then can I exchange ideas with you?" Julia's personality was relatively simple; she didn't have a single shred of doubt about Bai Feng's words.
"Of course, I'd be delighted!" Bai Feng replied.
Being able to exchange cultivation experience with a High-Achiever from Mt. Coronet Academy was indeed a rare opportunity for Bai Feng.
So Bai Feng called out Bai Ye to watch the Exhibition Booth, while he and Julia went off to the side to exchange cultivation experience.
Because there were few Visitors coming to this area, no one came to disturb them. As they talked, the two of them actually forgot the time.
Julia was truly worthy of being from Mt. Coronet Academy. Her professional knowledge was extremely solid, and she wasn't just a theorist who only knew things on paper. She possessed very rich experience in Berry Cultivation.
According to her, the Berry Cultivation Major was a very niche Major at Mt. Coronet Academy, with fewer than ten Students enrolled. Therefore, these few people formed a Mutual Aid Group, and Julia was a member of this group.
They specifically applied for a Plot of Land at the Academy to cultivate Fruit Trees. This time, they came to participate in the Exhibition with the new results they had cultivated.
The cultivation of high-quality Berries often required a large amount of funding. However, the members of Julia's Mutual Aid Group didn't come from wealthy families. Although they had Research Funding allocated by the Academy, it was still far from enough, which was why they thought of participating in this Exhibition.
If they could attract enough investment, their Berry Cultivation Venture could reach a higher level.
Bai Feng couldn't compare to Julia in terms of practical experience in Berry research, but he had read a large number of cultivation books collected by Grandpa Fu and was quite rich in theory. Therefore, when exchanging ideas with Julia, the two hit it off, talking back and forth.
Upon learning that Bai Feng wanted to trade the Fruit Trees he cultivated for some Fruit Trees from other Regions, Julia excitedly said, "Bai Feng, you should come see our Exhibition Booth too! Try our Berries. If you're satisfied, trade with us, you absolutely must trade with us!"
As soon as the topic turned to Berry Cultivation, Julia seemed like a different person. Not only did she stop stammering, but her entire demeanor became exceptionally excited.
"Julia, you're here!"
Just as Bai Feng and Julia were talking animatedly, a voice interrupted their conversation. A tall, slightly plump girl came running over, panting, with beads of sweat on her face.
Following behind the girl was Julia's Roselia. It was clear that Roselia knew its trainer's habits and, seeing that Julia and Bai Feng had forgotten the time while chatting, specifically went to find Julia's companion.
And Julia, being so scatterbrained, hadn't even noticed when her Pokémon had disappeared.
"Amy, why are you here!"
Seeing the slightly plump girl, Julia stood up in surprise and asked.
The slightly plump girl named Amy walked up to Julia, patted her, and said exasperatedly, "You have the nerve to ask! How did you just disappear while walking? I thought you were lost and was looking everywhere! If Roselia hadn't brought me here, I don't know how long I would have been searching!"
"Hehe... I was just having such a good time chatting that I forgot the time." Julia smiled sheepishly. Then she suddenly pulled Amy in front of Bai Feng and said to Amy, "Amy, this is my new friend, Bai Feng. He's also a Berry Cultivator, and he can cultivate Grade B Berries!"
Looking at the boy in front of her, who wasn't even as tall as her shoulder, Amy didn't have any doubts. She knew Julia's personality and how persistent she was about things related to Berries. Since this boy could chat so well with Julia, it meant he truly had substance.
She was just slightly surprised that a boy who looked only twelve or thirteen years old could cultivate Grade B Berries. It was incredible.
The members of their Mutual Aid Group were all High-Achievers from an Advanced Academy, having received the most advanced technical training. Yet, even so, among them, besides Julia, there were only a few who could definitively cultivate Grade B Berries.
Unlike Julia's straightforward personality, Amy was more worldly and socially adept. She smiled and extended her hand to Bai Feng, saying:
"Hello, my name is Amy. I'm Julia's Classmate and good friend, studying at Mt. Coronet Academy in Sinnoh. Julia has a simple personality, and I hope she didn't cause you any trouble just now. If she did, I apologize on her behalf."
"Hello, my name is Bai Feng. Julia and I hit it off very well. It's a pleasure to meet her." Bai Feng extended his hand and shook hers.
Seeing that Bai Feng and Amy had introduced themselves, Julia excitedly said to Amy, "Not only can Bai Feng cultivate Grade B Berries, but the Berries he cultivates also have a very unique taste! I plan to trade some of the Fruit Trees we cultivated with him for a batch..."
Julia chattered on to Amy about Bai Feng, but Amy didn't show the slightest impatience. Instead, she responded to her from time to time, clearly showing that the two were very used to this way of interacting.
After being introduced by Julia, Amy also sampled the Berries cultivated by Bai Feng. She was instantly captivated by the unique flavor, and her gaze towards Bai Feng gained a hint of admiration and seriousness.
Hearing about something was completely different from the shock brought by experiencing it firsthand. Only after truly tasting Bai Feng's Berries did Amy understand the formidable aspect of the young boy before her.
If this type of uniquely flavored Berry could truly be cultivated in large quantities, it would definitely secure a place in the Market in the future.
After learning that Julia wanted to trade a batch of Fruit Trees with Bai Feng, Amy raised both hands in agreement. She felt that if their Mutual Aid Group could use Bai Feng's Fruit Trees to cultivate a type of Berry with their own unique style, they would definitely make a name for themselves in the future.
After exchanging contact information with Bai Feng and telling him the location of their Exhibition Booth, Amy finally left with Julia.
"Bai Feng, I'll be waiting for you at our Exhibition Booth!" Before leaving, Julia turned back and shouted loudly to Bai Feng.
After Julia and Amy left, a few more people came to Bai Feng's Exhibition Booth one after another. After tasting Bai Feng's Berries, they were all amazed by their unique flavor and very proactively offered to give Bai Feng investment.
But Bai Feng refused them one by one. His purpose for participating in the Exhibition wasn't to attract investment.
Although not many people came to visit Bai Feng's spot, the response from customers was very positive. Almost everyone who tasted his Berries expressed willingness to invest.
The situation at the Exhibition Booth next to Bai Feng's was the exact opposite. Out of ten people who tasted his Berries, all ten shook their heads and waved their hands, indicating refusal.
The owner of the neighboring Exhibition Booth was a handsome young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, but the look of distress on his face severely marred about ninety-nine percent of that handsomeness.
Seeing Bai Feng refuse another investor, the other party said with an envious look, "That's great! I wish I had that many people willing to invest over here!"
Seeing Bai Feng look over, the young man smiled sheepishly.
Bai Feng also smiled back at him kindly, then asked, "Would you like to try my Berries too?"
"Huh? Me?" The young man asked, pointing to himself in surprise, not forgetting to look around, thinking Bai Feng was talking to someone else.
Bai Feng nodded, "Yes."
"Alright then, I'll give them a try."
The young man hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement. He was truly curious why Bai Feng's Berries were so popular. Were they really that delicious? Or was the Berry's Energy Rating very high?
"Please sample." Bai Feng presented the cut Berries to the young man.
The moment he ate the Berry, the young man understood everything. This kind of uniquely flavored Berry, even if its Energy Rating was only E or F, could still stand head and shoulders above ordinary Berries. It was indeed very much worth investing in.
If the Energy Rating was even higher, its future would be limitless.
The young man was a professional Berry Cultivator after all. Of course, he could taste that the Energy Rating of these Berries was definitely not lower than Grade C.
(End of Chapter)