The Berry exhibition was held in the central square of Lumiose City. Because there were many preparations that needed to be made in advance, Eddie and Teacher Omura set out early in the morning before daybreak.
But even so, when they arrived at the central square, the exhibition booths throughout the square were already full of exhibitors.
It's not time yet, so outsiders are not allowed to enter. Only exhibitors can enter in advance to prepare. These people come so early, obviously like Eddie, to make preparations in advance.
Eddie's booth was located in a remote corner in the southwest of the square, so it was not easy to attract attention. But whoever registered early would be more likely to be arranged in a good position.
Teacher Omura consoled him, "As long as your fruit tree bears good fruit, a remote location doesn't matter."
Eddie said nonchalantly: "Whether it's remote or not doesn't matter to me. I'm not here to solicit investment anyway."
Teacher Omura thought about it and agreed. Since there was no investment involved, the remote location would not have much impact.
So the two of them began to set up the booth, build the stage, put up the sign, install the preservation equipment, etc. There was a lot of preparatory work that needed to be done. By the time they were almost done, it was already late, and the Berry exhibition had officially begun.
The venue started letting people in to visit, and people came to other booths to inquire about the situation. Since Eddie's booth was in a relatively remote location, no one was interested in it yet.
Eddie was not in a hurry either. He and Teacher Omura sat quietly behind the booth and ate breakfast. After a busy morning, they didn't even have time to eat breakfast.
When the time was almost up, Eddie and Teacher Omura cut the Berries on their booth into small pieces, arranged them neatly on exquisite plates, and attached bamboo sticks for visitors to taste them easily.
Most booths do this. After all, an exhibition is not a business. In order to attract investors, most of the Berries at the booths can be tasted for free.
Seeing that the exhibition had been open for half an hour and no one had come yet, Eddie said to Teacher Omura, "Teacher, why don't you go and take a look first? I can watch over here by myself."
Teacher Omura thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. I'll walk around for a while and come back to take your place."
Eddie shook his head and said nothing. The booth was his, and Teacher Omura was just here to help for free, so he didn't want to take up too much of the teacher's time.
What Eddie didn't expect was that not long after Teacher Omura left, a visitor came to his booth.
"Hello then."
A timid voice brought Eddie back to his senses. He looked up and saw a girl wearing glasses standing in front of his booth.
The girl was not tall, with long dark brown hair tied into two pigtails hanging in front of her chest. She seemed very introverted and was obviously not very good at communicating with others.
She was accompanied by a beautiful and bold Roserade, who was looking at Eddie and the Berries on his booth with curiosity.
"Hello!" Eddie greeted the other party in a friendly manner, " do you want to taste the Berries? You can try everything on the plate over there, please feel free to try."
"Thank…thank you…"
The girl smiled shyly, then picked up a bamboo stick, picked up a piece of Berry from the plate and put it into her mouth. Then she widened her glasses slightly.
"This...this is too delicious, isn't it?" When the girl realized what was happening, her face suddenly turned red. She looked at Eddie expectantly and asked, "Can I have another piece?"
Eddie nodded with a smile: "Of course, you can taste the Berries on the plate as you like."
The girl nodded, then tasted a piece of each type of Berry, and did not forget to feed a few bites to the Roserade beside her.
Roserade's personality is completely opposite to its Trainer, but its reaction after eating the Berries is exactly the same as its Trainer.
After being amazed by the taste of the Berries, it began to talk with Eddie, as if the more she talks, the more Berries Eddie would give it.
The girl tasted the Berries very carefully. She closed her eyes from time to time to carefully feel the flavor of the Berries. If you didn't know her, you would think she was a gourmet.
After tasting almost all kinds of Berries, the girl walked up to Eddie and shyly introduced herself:
"Hello, my name is Julia, I'm from Celestial Academy in the Sinnoh region, and I'm a Berry grower."
Eddie was a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that the girl in front of him was actually a college student from an advanced college. He thought that she was at most a senior from a junior high school a few years older than him.
In advanced schools, majors are no longer generally divided into cultivation majors and Combat Majors but are specifically divided into many more detailed majors. Berry growing is one of them.
However, Berry growing is a relatively unpopular major, and many advanced colleges and universities do not even offer such a major.
In contrast, majors such as pharmacy and Pokémon food research related to Berries are more popular.
Eddie is also familiar with the name of Celestial Academy. It is a well-known institution of higher learning in the Pokémon world. Its strength can at least be ranked in the top three in the entire Pokémon world. It is located at the foot of Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh.
[TL: not sure which school this is so im gonna leave it as is for now]
Such a famous school is not available in every region. The more famous institution of higher learning in the Kalos region is Nidbell Academy, located in the Azoth Kingdom. However, its popularity is far from comparable to that of the Celestial Academy in Sinnoh.
The Azoth Kingdom is one of the few autonomous kingdoms under the rule of the Pokémon League. Its capital, Delin City, is a city with a very developed mechanical industry. Nidbell Academy was founded by the ancestors of the royal family of the Azoth Kingdom, and it is also an academy with a long history.
Although Nidbell Academy is very famous in the Kalos region, it is not so noticeable in the entire Pokémon world.
"Hello, my name is Eddie, and I'm the owner of this booth." After the girl Julia finished her introduction, Eddie also introduced himself.
Julia said hesitantly, "Um...um...can I meet the Berry grower who cultivated these Berries?"
Eddie nodded and replied: "Of course, you have seen it."
Julia looked confused when she heard this. She stretched her neck to look behind Eddie: "Where is he? Where is he?" However, she did not see the second person.
"What I mean is that I am the one who cultivates these Berries." Seeing Julia's dazed look, Eddie couldn't help but replied with a smile.
"Ah?" Julia covered her mouth and looked at the boy in front of her who was not even as tall as her in disbelief. After a long while, she asked, "Is this true?"
Eddie nodded: "Of course!"
When Julia heard this, her eyes immediately sparkled, and she asked excitedly, "Can I have a chat with you?" Julia had a simple personality and did not have the slightest doubt about Eddie's words.
"Of course, I'd love to!" Eddie replied.
It was indeed a rare opportunity for Eddie to be able to exchange Berry growing experiences with a top student from Celestial Academy.
So Eddie called Selene to come and see the booth, while he and Julia went to the side to exchange Berry growing experiences.
As there were few visitors here, no one came to disturb them, and the two of them chatted until they forgot the time.
Julia is worthy of being a graduate of Celestial Academy. Her professional knowledge is very solid. She is not the kind of theorist who can only talk on paper. She has very rich experience in cultivating Berries.
According to her, Berry growing is a very unpopular major in Celestial Academy, with less than ten students enrolled. Therefore, these people formed a mutual aid group, and Julia was a member of this group.
They applied for a piece of land in the academy specifically for growing fruit trees, and this time they came to the exhibition with their cultivated Berries.
The cultivation of high-quality Berries often requires a lot of money, but the families of Julia and other members of the mutual aid group are not wealthy. Although they have research funds allocated by the academy, it is still far from enough, so they thought of participating in this exhibition.
If they can attract enough investment, their fruit tree cultivation business will be able to reach a higher level.
Eddie could not match Julia's practical experience in Berry research, but he had read a large number of Berry growing books in Selene's collection and had rich theoretical knowledge. Therefore, when he communicated with Julia, the two of them talked back and forth and got along very well.
When she learned that Eddie wanted to exchange the fruit trees he cultivated for some fruit trees from other regions, Julia said excitedly: "Eddie, you should also go to our booth and taste our Berries. If you are satisfied, you can exchange with us. You must exchange with us!"
When talking about things related to Berry growing, Julia seemed like a different person. Not only did she no longer stutter when speaking, but she became extremely excited.
"Julia, there you are!"
Just when Eddie and Julia were talking excitedly, a voice interrupted their conversation. A tall, slightly plump girl ran over panting, with a few beads of sweat on her face.
Behind the girl was Julia's Roserade. It was obvious that Roserade knew the character of her Trainer. Seeing that Julia and Eddie had forgotten the time while chatting, she went to find Julia's companions.
Julia was so careless that she didn't even notice when her Pokémon disappeared.
"Amy, why are you here?"
Seeing the slightly plump girl, Julia stood up in surprise and asked.
The plump girl named Amy walked up to Julia, patted her, and said angrily: "How dare you say that? How come you disappeared while walking? I thought you were lost and was looking for you everywhere. If it wasn't for Roserade leading me here, I don't know when I would have found you!"
"Hehe... I was just having so much fun chatting that I forgot the time." Julia smiled with a guilty look on her face. Then she suddenly pulled Amy to Eddie and said to Amy, "Amy, this is my new friend Eddie. He is also a Berry grower. He can cultivate B-grade Berries!"
Looking at the boy in front of her who was not even as tall as her shoulders, Amy had no doubts. She knew Julia's character and knew that she was very persistent about things related to Berries. Since the boy in front of her could chat with Julia, it meant that he was indeed talented.
She was just a little surprised. It was unbelievable that a boy who looked only twelve or thirteen years old could cultivate B-grade Berries.
The members of their mutual aid group are all top students from higher education institutions who have received the most advanced technical training. But even so, apart from Julia, there are only a few among them who can be sure to cultivate B-grade Berries.
Different from Julia's straightforward personality, Amy is more worldly-wise. She smiled and stretched out her hand to Eddie and said:
"Hello, my name is Amy. I am Julia's classmate and friend. I study at Sinnoh Celestial Academy. Julia has a simple personality. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble just now. If I did, I apologize to you on her behalf."
"Hello, my name is Eddie. Julia and I got along very well, and I'm glad to meet her." Eddie stretched out his hand and shook hands with her.
Seeing that Eddie and Amy already knew each other, Julia said to Amy excitedly: "Eddie can not only cultivate B-grade Berries, but the taste of the Berries he cultivates is also very unique. I plan to exchange a batch of fruit trees we cultivate with him..."
Julia kept chattering to Amy about Eddie, but Amy didn't show a trace of impatience on her face. Instead, she responded to her from time to time. It was obvious that the two of them were very accustomed to this way of getting along.
Under Julia's introduction, Amy also tasted the Berries cultivated by Eddie. She was instantly attracted by the unique flavor, and when she looked at Eddie again, there was a hint of admiration and solemnity in her eyes.
The shock brought by hearing about it and the actual experience are completely different. After actually tasting Eddie's Berries, Amy realized how terrifying the young man in front of her was.
If this kind of Berries with unique flavor can be cultivated in large quantities, it will definitely occupy a place in the market in the future.
After learning that Julia wanted to exchange a batch of fruit trees with Eddie, Amy agreed with both hands. She felt that if their mutual aid group could use Eddie's fruit trees to cultivate a fruit tree with their own unique style, they would definitely be able to stand out in the future.
After exchanging contact information with Eddie and telling Eddie the location of their exhibition booth, Amy took Julia away. "Eddie, I'm waiting for you at our booth!" Before leaving, Julia turned around and shouted loudly to Eddie.
After Julia and the others left, several more people came to Eddie's booth. After tasting Eddie's Berries, they were all amazed by its unique flavor and took the initiative to propose investing in Eddie.
But Eddie rejected them one by one. His purpose of participating in the exhibition was not to attract investment.
Although not many people come to visit Eddie, the customer feedback rate is very high. Almost everyone who has tasted the Berries from his trees expressed their willingness to invest.
The situation at the booth next to Eddie was just the opposite. Out of ten people who tasted his Berries, all ten shook their heads and waved their hands to express their rejection.
The owner of the booth next to Eddie was a handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes, but the distress on his face destroyed 99% of his handsomeness.
Seeing that Eddie had rejected another investor, the other party said with envy: "That's great, I wish there were so many people willing to invest here!"
Seeing Eddie looking at him, the young man smiled embarrassedly.
Eddie smiled at him in a friendly manner and then asked, "Do you want to taste my Berries?"
"Hey~ me?" The young man asked in surprise, pointing at himself and looking around, thinking that Eddie was talking to someone else.
Eddie nodded and said, "Yes."
"Okay, I'll give it a try then."
The young man hesitated for a moment and then nodded in agreement. He was really curious about why Eddie's Berries were so popular. Was it really that delicious? Or was it that the Berries' energy rating was very high?
"Please enjoy it." Eddie brought the cut Berries to the young man.
The moment he ate the Berry, the young man understood everything. This kind of Berries with a unique flavor, even if its energy rating is only E or F, can still stand out among ordinary Berries and is indeed worth the investment.
If the energy rating were higher, the future would be limitless.
The young man is a professional Berry grower after all, so he can certainly taste that the energy rating of these Berries is definitely not lower than C-grade.