On the second day of the exhibition, Cole and Omura arrived at the venue early again.
The foot traffic in Centrico Plaza had increased significantly compared to yesterday, bringing more visitors even to their remote booth.
As before, many people sought to invest in his business, but Cole declined all offers. However, one visitor surprised him by proposing a partnership to regularly purchase berries from his orchard.
This was an unexpected blessing.
The interested party was another breeding house called Evergreen — larger than the Nurture Nest Breeding House — with branches across various Regions and headquarters in Johto.
The proposal came from Evergreen's Lumiose branch in Kalos.
When investment talks failed, the branch manager attempted to hire Cole to cultivate berries exclusively for their breeding house, offering a substantial salary. However, Cole had to politely decline, as he barely had enough time for his existing work.
The branch manager, clearly seeing great potential in Cole's berry cultivation, settled for purchasing berries directly from him.
Since the exhibition wasn't suitable for detailed discussions, they exchanged contact information and agreed to finalize their cooperation terms afterward.
In the afternoon, Cole ventured out again with Omura's notes, examining berries and successfully establishing trading agreements with several cultivators.
Upon returning to his booth, he was surprised to find two young women — Kiara and Sara, whom he'd briefly met the previous evening — evaluating his berries.
"Oh my goodness, these Pecha Berries are absolutely amazing!" Sara exclaimed after tasting a slice.
Kiara tried a Chesto Berry, and amazement crossed her face — she had never experienced such unique flavors before.
"These are truly remarkable. The cultivator who grew these berries must be incredibly skilled!" The typically quiet girl said, speaking more than usual.
Hearing this, Sara turned to the middle-aged man watching the booth and asked, "Are you the cultivator who grew these berries?"
Omura waved his hand, "No, these berries were grown by my student."
Just then, he spotted Cole and pointed behind the two young women.
"Look, he's back."
Kiara and Sara turned around and found themselves face to face with him.
"It's you!" Sara exclaimed.
Kiara's face showed surprise — she hadn't expected to meet him again so soon.
Sara turned back to Omura, "You're saying these berries were grown by him? A kid who's barely ten?"
Her tone was full of disbelief.
Omura replied with a sigh, "Of course it's true. I'm several decades old — what reason would I have to lie to a young girl?"
"That can't be..." Sara looked at Cole again, doubt in her eyes, "Kiara, do you think it's really him?"
Though Kiara was equally shocked, she didn't share her friend's skepticism. Indeed, as Omura had said, he had no reason to deceive them.
"There are many prodigies in this world…" She said quietly.
"Hello, we meet again." Cole said with a polite smile, recovering from his own surprise.
"Did you really grow these berries?" Sara asked, her curiosity evident.
She seemed fascinated by him.
"Indeed I did." Cole nodded.
Before Sara could continue, Kiara interjected, "Let me properly introduce ourselves. I'm Kiara from Celadon City here in Kanto, currently studying at Celadon University. This is my friend Sara, also a student at Celadon University."
{T/N: Even though the wiki states that Celadon University is an elementary school, either this has been changed here or the wiki is wrong, which I find less likely. Additionally, the other school, Crown Academy or something like that, is an original creation, even though Mt. Coronet is canon.}
Hearing her introduction, Cole's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected to meet Celadon University students just a day after meeting the Crown Academy prodigy.
Celadon University was a prestigious institution, with a reputation matching Crown Academy's. Located in Celadon City, Kanto, it sat in one of the most prosperous metropolises of the Pokémon world — a city rivaling even Lumiose.
Cole wondered if these two might also be cultivators.
As they talked, he learned more about the older girls. Kiara, though majoring as a Pokémon breeder at Celadon University, was indeed a berry cultivator. She came from the renowned Sasaki family of Kanto, a wealthy clan whose berry cultivation empire shipped produce worldwide. Her knowledge came directly from her family elders, as berry cultivation was one of their core businesses.
She had come to the Lumiose exhibition seeking to expand her experience and exchange knowledge with fellow cultivators.
Sara, on the other hand, was simply accompanying her friend. A traditional Pokémon trainer through and through, she knew little about berry cultivation — though she clearly enjoyed sampling Cole's berries.
When the girls learned about Cole's background — that he was an orphan with no connections to any prominent family — they were stunned.
Though Kiara couldn't trade berries with him due to family restrictions, she was fascinated by his produce. Instead, they agreed to exchange cultivation knowledge.
Despite not having Julia's innovative touch or depth of experience, Kiara's fundamentals were impeccable — as one might expect from her prestigious background. Her vast knowledge provided Cole with valuable insights.
Before leaving, she suggested visiting his orchard in Coumarine after the exhibition. Cole welcomed the idea — his cultivation methods, though reliant on his special ability, held no secrets. Her visit might even help with his current research into berry tree grafting, where he was facing several challenges.
"Little Brother Cole, why don't you come stay with me? You can have all the land you want for berry cultivation, and I'll provide any variety of berry tree you need." Sara offered playfully as she gathered the berries he had given her.
Cole drew himself up proudly, "Big Sister Sara, a respectable man doesn't depend on others!"
Sara burst out laughing, "You're not quite a man yet — give it a few more years!"
✲✲✲
T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!
For just $1.50 you can access all the extra content, and descriptive images, costs only $2!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305384