"Sigh~"
After tasting the other person's fruit, the young man let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Oh right, would you like to try my berries too?" The young man asked with an awkward laugh, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Sure!" Cole replied eagerly, having waited for just such an invitation.
He had noticed the situation at the young man's booth and was curious about the berries, particularly why everyone who tasted them seemed to avoid them afterward.
"By the way, I'm Jean. What's your name?" The young man suddenly remembered they hadn't introduced themselves as he led Cole to his booth.
"I'm Cole."
"Such an accomplished young man!" Jean exclaimed.
When they reached his booth, Cole finally tasted the berries and understood their unpopularity.
Jean's selection was similar to his own — just a few varieties that Cole recognized: Pinap Berry, Babiri Berry, Tamato Berry, and Chilan Berry.
The Pinap Berry resembled a miniature pineapple, golden yellow with green stripes. While it normally balanced sourness with sweetness, Jean's variety was overwhelmingly sour — one bite made your teeth ache. Even Pokémon that enjoyed sour flavors couldn't handle it. Any sweetness was lost beneath the intense sourness.
The Babiri Berry, typically a pod-like fruit with green skin, usually offered a mild bitter-astringent taste with a green tea fragrance. Jean's version, however, was so bitter and astringent that one bite left Cole's tongue numb for several minutes.
The Tamato Berry, bright red and covered in spikes, was traditionally popular among Fire-type Pokémon. While Jean's variety achieved impressive spiciness, its sandy texture made it completely unpalatable.
The Chilan Berry had a distinctive lantern-like shape, turning pure yellow when ripe, with soft, juicy flesh.
Regular Chilan Berries were prized for their rich fragrance, combining intense fruit notes with subtle osmanthus undertones — a combination beloved by both Pokémon and humans. But Jean's version was overwhelming — the smell was so pungent it assaulted the senses, more resembling a foul odor than a pleasant aroma. The delicate osmanthus notes were completely gone, along with any natural fruit scent.
Who could possibly eat berries that smelled so terrible? Neither humans nor Pokémon would dare!
Through their conversation, Cole learned that Jean's hometown lay in the eastern highlands of the Kalos Region. The area's special environment, unique soil, and extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night produced berries with extraordinarily distinctive flavors.
Even these cultivated varieties Jean brought were improved versions, with their intense flavors already reduced by half.
Jean's hometown was a poor rural area where these distinctively flavored berries were their only local specialty. Since childhood, his greatest dream had been to help his village prosper, so he'd dedicated himself to improving these berry varieties.
Yet despite his cultivation efforts, the berries' taste remained too unusual. He'd come to this exhibition hoping someone might appreciate their unique flavors — but that miracle hadn't occurred.
Cole found himself intrigued by Jean's story and the berry trees from his hometown. If these improved varieties produced such "intense" flavors, he wondered what the unmodified berries must taste like.
With curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "Mr. Jean, would you be interested in my cultivated berries?"
Jean was taken aback, not quite understanding Cole's meaning at first. Most cultivators at the exhibition sought either investment or knowledge exchange. Someone like Cole, offering to trade berry trees, was unique — no wonder Jean seemed confused.
Seeing this, Cole clarified his request: he didn't want Jean's improved varieties but rather the original, unmodified local berry trees from his hometown.
"You really want to trade your cultivated berry trees for my hometown's trees?" Jean looked at him as if he were mad.
For any berry cultivator, their cultivated trees represented their life's work, especially the high-quality ones. Nobody would trade such precious work unless they received even better varieties in return.
Yet here was this young man, wanting to trade for unimproved wild local berry trees — specimens whose value seemed worlds apart from his delicious berry-producing trees. Could this be right?
Cole nodded, "That's right. I'm researching berry tree grafting, so I want to learn about differences between trees from different regions."
"Ah, I see!" Jean's face lit up with understanding.
He knew researchers often went to great lengths for research materials, regardless of cost or consequences. Perhaps Cole was similarly driven.
"Of course I'd be happy to!" Jean replied cheerfully, now grasping the situation.
Perhaps he could find inspiration for improving his hometown's berries from Cole's trees. After all, he'd tasted Cole's berries, and their flavor was truly wonderful — the sweetness, sourness, and aroma all perfectly balanced, neither too strong nor too subtle.
Cole's berries had a mainstream appeal, featuring a sweet taste with subtle sourness — a flavor profile favored by most humans and Pokémon. Few Pokémon preferred spicy, astringent, or bitter flavors, and even fewer humans enjoyed such tastes.
Seeing Jean agree, Cole was delighted, but he added thoughtfully, "I should mention something first — I live in Coumarine City, not far from here. The climate there is spring-like year-round and quite mild, very different from your hometown's climate. Growing my berries successfully might require extra effort."
"Don't worry about that." Jean replied.
Having cultivated berry trees for many years, he was well aware of such challenges. There were numerous ways to handle regional climate differences — it simply required dedication.
The two exchanged contact information and agreed to send each other their berry trees after the exhibition.
After securing the trade with him, Jean's mood brightened considerably. Though customers continued to reject his berries, he remained cheerful. Even without investors, he felt the trip was worthwhile just to acquire new berry trees.
As the exhibition grew busier, Cole's booth attracted more visitors — though not all were pleasant to deal with, like his current guest.
"Sir, I really don't need investment. Please look elsewhere." Cole said wearily.
The man pestering him was dressed flamboyantly — a chubby figure covered head to toe in designer brands, as if broadcasting his wealth to the world.
The man, in his thirties with smooth, fair skin, had tasted Cole's berries and become absolutely determined to invest.
"Young man, don't be hasty! I'm very wealthy — name your price, I'll match any number." The chubby man declared grandly.
"This isn't about money — I simply don't need investment." Cole insisted.
"If you don't need investment, why come to the exhibition? Looking for better investors?" The chubby man eyed him suspiciously, "Let me tell you, no one here has more money than me!"
Cole was too tired to respond — couldn't the man show any restraint?
"Kid, our boss is doing you a favor by offering to invest. Show some gratitude!" One of the chubby man's bodyguards — wearing black clothes and sunglasses — stepped forward and barked at him.
The chubby man had brought five or six such bodyguards, all dressed like gangsters, which only added to his ostentatious display.
What truly wealthy person would travel with such a spectacle? This was clearly nouveau riche behavior.
"Ah, David! How dare you speak to the young man that way! Be polite!" The chubby man quickly put on a show of scolding his bodyguard.
"Yes, boss. I apologize." The bodyguard mumbled, stepping back behind his employer.
"Your acting skills need work!"
Just then, Omura returned.
Seeing Cole surrounded by people, he quickly pushed through the crowd, "What's going on here?"
Cole explained about the chubby man's persistent investment attempts.
After listening, Omura put on a stern face, "Are you trying to cause trouble? Should I report you to the organizers?"
This annual exhibition was hosted by the Pokémon League Headquarters and co-organized by the Regional Pokémon League. Though not as prestigious as the Trainer League Championships, the organizers strictly prohibited any disruptions at the venue.
The chubby man visibly faltered but stubbornly retorted, "What's there to report? Is it wrong that I want to invest? You're the ones making trouble!"
Now accused of being the troublemakers, Omura was speechless. Known for his explosive temper at school, he was clearly struggling to contain his anger.
"Enough nonsense — we don't need investment!"
"Cole, what's going on here?"
A new voice rang out.
Cole turned to see Lysandre standing near his booth.
Before he could respond, the chubby man rushed to Lysandre's side, his face beaming.
"Oh my goodness, Mr. Lysandre! What incredible fate to meet you here!"
Lysandre appeared momentarily taken aback by the man's enthusiasm but smiled politely, "Ah, Mr. Pierre, it's been a long time. You're here for the exhibition too?"
"Yes, yes, I'm quite interested in investing in berry cultivation." Pierre said, rubbing his plump hands together.
"Then we have something in common." Lysandre replied with a smile.
"Exactly, exactly!" Pierre agreed fawningly, "It's just that some people don't know what's good for them. I kindly offered to invest, but they looked down on it."
He cast a meaningful glance at Cole.
Lysandre walked over to Cole and, placing a hand on his shoulder, said to Pierre, "You know Cole too? What a coincidence — he and I are good friends!"
Pierre froze for a moment before his face broke into an even brighter smile.
"Is that so? What a wonderful coincidence! I was just praising this young man's abilities — his berry cultivation is top-notch!"
He gave the kid a thumbs up as he spoke.
The sudden shift in Pierre's attitude left Cole stunned, though he chose not to call out the man's obvious act. Being relatively unknown himself, Cole figured it was wiser to avoid making enemies of such petty characters.
Once Pierre learned of Cole's connection to Lysandre, he quickly abandoned his aggressive stance. After spending some time attempting to network with various people, he finally departed with a satisfied air.
Seeing Pierre leave, Lysandre turned to Cole and asked, "Would you like to look around with me?"
Cole glanced at his booth hesitantly.
"Cole, you should go explore." Omura said, "I'll watch the booth. Weren't you hoping to exchange berry trees? You won't accomplish much just standing here — it's better to investigate in person."
He pulled out a notebook and handed it over.
"These are my evaluations from visiting other booths. I've analyzed various exhibits' berries — use it as a reference."
Cole accepted the notebook gratefully, "Thank you so much, Teacher Omura."
Omura waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing — you're my student, I can at least help with something this small."
Cole felt deeply touched by his words.
"Teacher, then I'll leave the booth in your care. I'll be back soon."
He set off with Lysandre to tour the exhibition, taking Omura's evaluation notes with him.
Lysandre had come seeking promising cultivators to invest in, and his teacher's notes would serve as excellent reference.
✲✲✲
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