The Berry Exhibition was taking place at Centrico Plaza in Lumiose. With extensive preparations needed, Cole and Omura set out before dawn.
Yet when they arrived at the central plaza, exhibitors had already filled the exhibition booths.
The public wasn't allowed in yet — only exhibitors could enter early to prepare. Like Cole, these early arrivals had come to set up their displays in advance.
His booth was tucked away in the southwest corner of the plaza, where foot traffic would be minimal. This was the price of late registration — the earlier you signed up, the better your spot.
Omura offered reassurance, "If your berries are good, the location doesn't matter."
Cole shrugged, "I'm not here to attract investors anyway, so being remote isn't an issue."
Omura nodded in agreement — since they weren't seeking investment, the location was inconsequential.
They began setting up their booth — assembling the platform, hanging signs, installing preservation equipment, and completing other necessary preparations. By the time they finished, the Berry Exhibition had officially opened.
As visitors began streaming in and other booths received inquiries, Cole's remote location remained quiet.
He stayed calm. He and Omura sat behind the booth enjoying their breakfast — their busy morning hadn't left time to eat earlier.
When ready, they cut their berries into small cubes and arranged them on elegant plates with bamboo skewers for easy sampling. Most booths offered free tastings — after all, the goal was attracting investors, not making sales.
After half an hour without visitors, Cole turned to his teacher, "Teacher, why don't you look around for a while? I can manage the booth."
Omura considered this and replied, "Alright then, I'll take a walk and come back to relieve you."
Cole shook his head silently. The booth was his, and since Omura was helping out for free, he didn't want to impose on the teacher's time.
Shortly after his teacher left, an unexpected visitor approached his booth.
"Um... hello."
A timid voice pulled Cole from his thoughts. He looked up to find a young woman with glasses standing before his booth.
She was petite, with deep brown hair woven into two braids that fell over her chest. Her demeanor was notably shy and reserved. Beside her stood a beautiful, confident Roserade that studied both Cole and the berries with evident curiosity.
"Hello!" Cole greeted warmly, "Would you like to try some berries? Everything on these plates is available for tasting — please help yourself."
"Th-thank you..." The young woman smiled shyly, selecting a berry piece with a bamboo skewer and tasting it.
Her eyes widened behind her glasses.
"This... this is incredibly delicious!" Her face flushed as she looked at him hopefully, "May I try another piece?"
Cole nodded with a smile, "Of course, you can try as many as you like from the plates."
The young woman sampled each variety of berry, sharing some with her Roserade.
While the Roserade's bold personality contrasted sharply with its trainer's, both shared the same amazed reaction to the berries. The Pokémon began batting its eyes at Cole playfully, as if flirtation might earn it more treats.
The young woman approached her tasting with remarkable focus, often closing her eyes to better appreciate the flavors — rather like a professional food critic.
After trying all the varieties, she stepped forward and introduced herself:
"Hello, I'm Julia, from the Crown Academy in Sinnoh. I'm a berry cultivator."
Cole was taken aback — he hadn't expected this young woman to be a university student at an advanced academy. He'd assumed she was, at most, a senior student a few years his senior in middle school.
Advanced Schools offered specialized majors beyond the basic Breeding and Battle tracks, with Berry Cultivation being one such specialization.
Berry Cultivation was a niche field, one that many advanced academies didn't even offer. More common specialties included pharmaceutical studies and Pokémon food research.
Cole knew the Crown Academy's prestigious reputation well — it ranked among the top three higher education institutions worldwide, situated at the foot of Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh.
While every Region had its notable schools, few could match Sinnoh's Crown Academy. Even the Kalos Region's premier institution, the Nidebelle Academy in Dorlin City's Azoth Kingdom, couldn't rival its standing.
The Azoth Kingdom was one of the few autonomous kingdoms under the Pokémon League's jurisdiction. Its capital, Dorlin City, was a highly developed mechanical industrial city, and the Nidebelle Academy — founded by the ancestors of the Azoth royal family — was considered a historically significant institution of higher learning.
{T/N: This is all original content, as Pokémon doesn't delve much into these aspects of education and such, nor does it disclose many location names. I did quite a bit of research about it and couldn't find anything, at least.}
However, while the Nidebelle Academy was famous within the Kalos Region, it wasn't particularly notable in the broader Pokémon world.
"Hello, I'm Cole Sage, the owner of this booth." Cole introduced himself after the woman finished her introduction.
Julia hesitantly asked, "Um... um... could I meet the cultivation specialist who grew these berries?"
Cole nodded and replied, "Of course, you already have."
Julia looked confused, craning her neck to look behind him, "Where are they? Where are they?"
But she didn't see anyone else.
"What I mean is, I'm the one who cultivated these berries." Cole answered with a laugh, seeing her bewildered expression.
"Huh?" Julia covered her mouth in disbelief, staring at the young boy who wasn't even as tall as she was. After a long moment, she asked, "Really?"
Cole nodded, "Of course!"
Hearing this, Julia's eyes lit up with stars as she asked excitedly, "Can I discuss cultivation techniques with you?"
Her personality was quite innocent, and she didn't doubt his words at all.
"Of course, I'd be delighted!" Cole replied.
The chance to exchange cultivation insights with a talented student from the Crown Academy was indeed a rare opportunity for him.
So he called out Daisy to watch the booth while he went to the side with Julia to discuss cultivation experiences.
Since there weren't many visitors in this area, no one came to disturb them, and the two became so engrossed in their conversation that they lost track of time.
Julia's expertise certainly lived up to her Crown Academy background. Her professional knowledge was solid, and she wasn't just someone who only knew theory — she had extensive hands-on experience in berry cultivation.
According to her, the Berry Cultivation major at Crown Academy was a very niche program with fewer than ten students enrolled. These students had formed a mutual support group, of which she was a member.
They had specially requested a plot of land at the academy for cultivating berry trees, and they were here at the exhibition to showcase their latest cultivation results.
High-quality berry cultivation required substantial funding, but Julia's support group members weren't particularly well-off. Though they received research funding from the academy, it wasn't enough — which was why they joined this exhibition. With proper investment, their berry cultivation business could flourish.
While Cole couldn't match Julia's hands-on experience in berry research, his theoretical foundation was strong thanks to the cultivation books from Ramos's collection. The two quickly found common ground, eagerly exchanging ideas.
When she learned of his desire to trade cultivated berry trees from different regions, she lit up. "Cole, you must come see our booth! Try our berries — if you like them, we have to trade!"
When discussing berry cultivation, Julia transformed completely. Her stutter vanished, replaced by passionate animation.
"Julia, there you are!"
A tall, slightly plump girl interrupted their conversation, running up to them while catching her breath.
Behind her stood the Roserade, who — knowing its trainer's habits and seeing Julia absorbed in conversation with Cole — had gone to fetch her companion.
Julia, in her absent-mindedness, hadn't even noticed her Pokémon's departure.
"Amy, why are you here!" Julia jumped up in surprise.
Amy approached, gave her a light pat, and said with exasperation, "How dare you ask! You disappeared while we were walking! I've been searching everywhere for you. If Roserade hadn't led me here, I'd still be looking!"
"Hehe... I just got caught up in our chat." Julia smiled sheepishly. She suddenly pulled Amy forward and said, "Amy, this is my new friend Cole. He's also a berry cultivator, and he can grow B-grade berries!"
Looking at the boy who barely reached her shoulder, Amy didn't doubt Julia's assessment. She knew her friend's passion for berries — if this boy could keep Julia so engaged in conversation, he must truly have skill.
She was amazed that someone who looked only twelve or thirteen could cultivate B-grade berries. Even among their support group at the advanced academy, where students received cutting-edge technical training, only Julia and a few others could consistently produce B-grade berries.
Unlike Julia's direct manner, Amy was more socially polished. She smiled and extended her hand, "Hello, I'm Amy, Julia's classmate and good friend from Sinnoh Crown Academy. Julia can be quite guileless — I hope she hasn't been any trouble. If she has, I apologize."
"Hello, I'm Cole Sage. Julia and I had a wonderful chat, and I'm delighted to have met her." Cole said, shaking her hand.
After the introductions, Julia burst out excitedly to her friend, "Cole can not only grow B-grade berries, but his berries have an amazing unique taste too. I'm planning to trade some of our berry trees with him..."
Julia chattered enthusiastically about Cole, while Amy listened with practiced patience, offering occasional responses — clearly their usual dynamic.
When Amy tasted the berries herself, she was immediately won over by their unique flavor. She regarded Cole with newfound respect and seriousness.
The difference between hearing about something and experiencing it firsthand was stark. After tasting his berries, Amy understood what made this young boy exceptional. These distinctively flavored berries could certainly capture a market if mass-produced.
She heartily approved of Julia's plan to trade berry trees. Amy realized that if their support group could cultivate varieties using Cole's berry trees, they might develop their own unique product line.
After exchanging contact information and directions to their booth, Amy departed with Julia.
"Cole, I'll be waiting for you at our booth!" Julia called back enthusiastically.
After they left, more visitors approached his booth. Everyone who sampled his berries marveled at their unique flavor and eagerly offered to invest. Cole declined them all — attracting investment wasn't why he'd joined the exhibition.
Though his booth saw few visitors, nearly everyone who tasted his berries wanted to invest.
The neighboring booth faced the opposite situation — all ten people who tasted their berries declined interest. Its owner, a handsome young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, wore a troubled expression that diminished his good looks.
Watching Cole turn away another investor, he said wistfully, "How lucky! If only I could get that many people interested in investing in my booth!"
Seeing him look over, the young man smiled sheepishly.
Cole smiled back warmly and asked, "Would you like to try my berries too?"
"Eh? Me?" The young man asked in surprise, pointing at himself and glancing around as if Cole might be addressing someone else.
Cole nodded, "Yes."
"Well, alright then, I'll give them a try." The young man agreed after a moment's hesitation.
He wondered why these berries were drawing so much attention — were they truly that delicious? Or perhaps their energy rating was exceptional?
"Please, help yourself." Cole said, offering the cut berries.
The moment he tasted one, the young man understood completely. These berries' unique flavor would make them stand out even if their energy rating was only E or F — they were absolutely worth the investment.
If the energy rating was higher still, their potential would be limitless.
As a professional berry cultivator himself, he could tell from the taste alone that these berries' energy rating couldn't be lower than C-grade.
✲✲✲
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