Chapter 464:
In that single moment, this Pecha Berry tree had almost doubled in height. The energy consumed was no small matter, and the energy that spilled over had even spurred significant growth in the surrounding berry trees.
One could easily imagine how immense the energy Serperior had expended truly was.
"Serper..."
Serperior couldn't speak, mainly because it was genuinely exhausted. That burst of Grassy Terrain energy had practically drained it completely.
While the Tree of Beginning had gifted it energy, it had also imparted that the first application of Grassy Terrain on this particular Pecha Berry tree would yield the best results.
It was like eating something delicious—the first bite always tastes the best. So, this was the optimal time to nurture the Pecha Berry tree.
Though, just lying like this in Kaede's arms wasn't bad either.
Serperior didn't resist and unconsciously coiled its body closer.
Kaede fed it a Size Shifitng Energy Cube. After it shrank in size, he carefully cradled it in his arms.
Even now, Serperior's shrunken form wasn't exactly small, still about a meter long and not light, but holding it was still manageable.
Watching Serperior with its eyes closed, the emerald glow having faded, sunlight filtering through the branches of the Pecha Berry tree in crisscrossing lines upon its green scales, Kaede couldn't help but give its skin a gentle poke. The surface was soft, but with a bit more pressure, he could feel the underlying elasticity.
Serperior opened its eyes and gave him a weak, exasperated look. "Serperior..."
The meaning was clear: *Stop bothering me.*
"Alright, alright. I can see you're really tired."
Kaede took out a Stamina Energy Cube and brought it to Serperior's mouth. Not long after eating it, Serperior slowly drifted off to sleep.
Now, Kaede finally had time to properly look at the newly nurtured Pecha Berry tree.
*So big.*
That was Kaede's first impression of the berries on this tree.
If before, these Pecha Berries were nearly twice the size of a normal one, now they were about three or four times larger, almost as big as both his fists put together.
The trunk had also thickened considerably, now easily requiring two people to wrap their arms around it. Fortunately, its berries were all borne on the branches and foliage, which now rose above the height of the neighboring trees. Otherwise, it would have been a real hassle for the surrounding Pecha Berry trees.
Using his psychic abilities, Kaede plucked a Pecha Berry.
Hmm, it seemed even larger than two fists, almost the size of his face.
[S+ Grade Ingredient — Pecha Berry. A berry borne from a unique Pecha Berry tree. Possesses detoxifying and heat-clearing properties. Long-term consumption can increase resistance to poisoning.]
It had already reached S+ Grade ingredient level?
Kaede was surprised.
S+ Grade ingredients weren't ordinary. For example, the Blissey eggs he got from quasi-Elite-level Blissey, and the milk from the Elite-level Miltank, were only A-Grade and A+ Grade respectively.
The Pecha Berries from the normal trees were only C-Grade... no, wait, they seemed to have just become C+ Grade.
Most of Kaede's S-Grade and above ingredients basically came from system rewards or were brought by Mew. The S-Grade ingredients his Breeding House could currently produce were limited to Miltank's Moomoo Milk and berries from a scant few trees. But those trees, no matter how he nurtured them, had fixed berry output and quality, with little possibility of further improvement.
And now, he had another Pecha Berry tree. Not only did its berries reach S+ Grade, they were much larger than those from the other special trees, and had the potential for infinite growth.
Most importantly...
Kaede looked up. The dozen-meter-tall Pecha Berry tree was laden with big and round Pecha Berries. Without counting, he knew there were at least several hundred!
Several hundred S+ Grade Pecha Berries, and they can be sustainably produced!
This meant Kaede would never be short of Pecha Berries again!
The ingredient's effects were simple and clear: detoxification and boosting poison resistance. Those were the inherent properties of the Pecha Berry. So, if made into dishes, what kind of dishes should it be?
Berry Wine, Berry Salad, Pudding, Birthday Cake, Peach Shortbread...
All sorts of dishes names floated through Kaede's mind.
These would all require time to experiment with.
But given the Pecha Berry's effects, it was probably difficult to create dishes that provided stat-boosting effects. At most, it might increase poison resistance.
Still, that was pretty good.
Shaking his head, Kaede thought about carrying Serperior back to the house first to let it rest properly.
But at that moment, the younger Indeedee approached.
"Indeedee?"
"What's wrong?"
"Indeedee...." (Something seems to have happened over in the Berry Plantation.)
The younger Indeedee looked at Serperior curled up in Kaede's arms, then at the giant tree in the center, probably understanding why such a thing had occurred.
"Indeedee..." (It's just that...)
After it relayed what the other Pokémon had expressed, Kaede was both amused and exasperated.
What kind of situation was this?
He hadn't expected Serperior's nurturing of the orchard trees to cause such a commotion.
Many Pokémon reported that today, the berry trees were growing incredibly fast. They'd just finish picking a tree, and berries would immediately start growing back.
While quite a few Pokémon had figured out the trick and chosen to switch trees, there were also some stubborn ones... no, perhaps just simple-minded ones, who stubbornly kept picking from the same tree, believing the job wasn't done until that specific tree was cleared. They picked and picked to the point they become on the verge of tears from frustration.
"Let's go take a look..."
With no other choice, Kaede, still holding the soundly sleeping Serperior, made his way towards the waterfront area of the Berry Plantation.
Before long, a group of Sentret and some other Pokémon appeared before Kaede.
Well, the berries picked today were exceptionally plentiful, piled on the cloth strips under the trees, looking rather abundant.
The Pokémon were still diligently picking.
A pink Sentret stood on a Pecha Berry tree, continuously transporting Pecha Berries down. By now, the cloth strip under the tree held a large pile of them. Finally, this particular tree stopped regenerating berries, allowing the Sentret's tense expression to relax.
"Sentret..."
"Sentret..."
Now, upon seeing Kaede, the group of Sentret immediately found an outlet to vent, pouring out everything that had just happened.
"Alright, alright, I understand. For today, everyone's pay will be doubled... no, tripled... plus a bonus of Moomoo Milk!"
With a wave of his hand, Kaede's pronouncement instantly made the Sentret group so ecstatic they could barely find their bearings.