# Chapter 6: Exploring the Mysteries of Berries
Perhaps it would take a considerable amount of time for a Berry Tree to grow from planting to bearing Berries, but the only thing he didn't lack was time.
If even a Diggersby could raise a Berry Tree so well, there was no reason he couldn't! Besides, trying didn't cost anything. So he said to the Diggersby, "Is that little sapling yours too?"
The Diggersby looked in the direction Bai Feng was pointing, feeling puzzled. *Huh? When did a little sapling appear there? Did a Berry Pit I threw sprout?*
It was just a small sapling. Who knew how long it would take to grow and bear Berries, and it didn't have the energy to look after another one.
So the Diggersby shook its head, indicating it wasn't its.
Hearing this, Bai Feng happily said, "Then can I take it?"
Seeing the Diggersby give a look that said "whatever you want," Bai Feng quickly called out to Bai Ye to help dig up the Berry Tree.
As Bai Ye dug, she thought, *Baby is so smart. Why didn't we ever think we could grow Berry Trees ourselves before!* (Bai Feng: *I was an idiot before.*)
The mother and son quickly dug up the Berry Tree along with the soil around its roots. Although Bai Feng wasn't an agriculture student, even if he hadn't eaten pork, hadn't he seen a pig run? He knew this basic common sense; it would help the Berry Tree survive.
With the Berry Tree in hand, the mother and son happily returned home.
The first thing Bai Feng did upon returning home was to find Director Meili. Director Meili was currently telling stories to Yangtai, Caicaizi, and the others.
He ran over and said to Director Meili, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Director Meili... I... this... planting a tree... is that okay?"
Director Meili looked at the little sapling Bai Ye was holding in surprise. "Bai Feng, you want to plant this tree?"
Bai Feng nodded.
Director Meili thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded in agreement. "Of course, that's fine. How about I find a spot for you outside?"
Bai Feng nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Director Meili."
So Director Meili stood up and said to Yangtai and the others, "Wait a moment, I'll be right back."
"Grandma Meili, you go ahead. We'll wait for you," Caicaizi said obediently, holding Limo in her arms.
Led by Grandma Meili, Bai Feng and Bai Ye arrived at the back of the Orphanage building. There was a small empty plot of land there, also belonging to the Orphanage.
Originally, Grandma Meili had planned to use this area to plant flowers, but she was too busy with other things and simply didn't have the energy to tend to a garden, so the spot had remained empty.
Before they came, Director Meili had also found Bai Feng a Shovel and a Watering Can.
"Bai Feng, do you think planting it here is okay?" Director Meili asked.
"Yes, thank you, Director Meili."
After saying that, Bai Feng chose a spot, took the Shovel, and began to dig.
"Do you need help?" Director Meili saw Bai Feng struggling, his rear end sticking up, putting in a lot of effort just to dig up a small amount of soil, so she kindly offered.
Bai Feng shook his head and refused. "I can do it myself."
Director Meili just thought Bai Feng was acting like a child, wanting to plant a tree on a whim, and didn't take it very seriously in her heart.
"Alright, be careful not to hurt yourself. I'll go back now. If you need anything, just call me."
Bai Feng nodded while continuing to dig the hole.
After Director Meili left, Bai Feng dug for a while longer before finally digging a hole of suitable size and depth. He then planted the little sapling in it.
To ensure the sapling's survival, he also pinched off the excess branches and leaves, leaving only the main trunk.
"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~" *Baby, why are you pinching off its leaves? What if you kill it? Wouldn't all our work be for nothing?*
Bai Ye knew nothing about planting trees and watched with a puzzled expression, completely failing to understand Bai Feng's actions.
Bai Feng explained, "The sapling just moved and isn't used to the new place, so its roots are less capable of absorbing nutrients. Pinching off the excess branches and leaves can reduce water loss, thus increasing the sapling's survival rate."
"Oh, I see. Baby is so amazing!" Bai Ye didn't understand the principle but felt it was impressive.
"After planting the tree, you still need to water it. Mom, I'll leave this to you!" With his small body, asking him to carry a bucket of water was really asking too much.
*When he needs something, it's 'Mom', when he doesn't, it's 'Bai Ye'! Hmph, men...* Bai Ye grumbled inwardly and walked off with the Watering Can.
Watching Bai Ye carry the Watering Can to water the sapling, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Bai Feng.
Pokémon, these magical creatures, can perform all sorts of diverse and bizarre feats because they have special Energy Circuits within their bodies. What about Berry Trees?
The Berries produced by Berry Trees have various magical abilities. Some can restore stamina, some can cure status conditions, some can increase the Bond between Pokémon and trainers... Most importantly, the Pokémon Food made from them can increase the Origin Energy within a Pokémon's body.
So, to some extent, aren't Berry Trees also a type of special creature?
Could Berry Trees also have special Energy Circuits within them? Bai Feng speculated boldly, then ran to the sapling, eager to verify his guess.
He placed his hand on the sapling's trunk and then input his Golden Finger Energy into it.
After continuously using Rejuvenation on Bai Ye and Fletchling during this time, Bai Feng's Golden Finger Energy had become stronger, and his control over it was vastly improved, allowing for more precise operations.
As soon as the Golden Finger Energy entered the sapling's body, a vibrant green Tree Diagram appeared in Bai Feng's mind. The Tree Diagram was lush with branches and leaves, and a faint Special Energy flowed within it.
It's real! Bai Feng was ecstatic. His guess was correct!
The Energy within the sapling was both somewhat similar to and very different from the Origin Energy in a Pokémon's Energy Circuit.
The Energy within a Pokémon's body was more active and flowed more strongly.
For example, a Pokémon's internal Energy Circuit was like a wide river with surging waves, carrying an unstoppable momentum as it flowed from one place to another.
The Tree Diagram within the sapling, however, was like a tranquil stream. It was very calm, and the Energy within it flowed like gently moving water, steadily starting from the root of the Tree Diagram and slowly flowing towards the trunk and branches.
Bai Feng tried to purify and compress the Energy in the Tree Diagram, just as he would regulate a Pokémon's Energy Circuit, and it worked. Although the operations were slightly different due to the different nature of the Energy, the principle was the same.
Withdrawing the Golden Finger Energy from the sapling's body, Bai Feng carefully observed the sapling's condition, but he didn't notice any difference from before.
Well, it was only a short time, so it was naturally difficult to see any changes. Besides, Berry Trees didn't have their own consciousness like Pokémon, capable of giving him timely feedback on how they felt.
*I need more samples to experiment with!* Bai Feng thought. But where could he find more Berry Trees? This little sapling was already hard-won; getting more would likely be a bit difficult.
The next day, when Grandma Meili was about to go out to buy vegetables, Bai Feng followed her and asked, "Can I... come with you?"
Director Meili originally wanted to refuse, but then she remembered that Bai Feng had lived in the wild for a long time and had little contact with humans. Even at the Orphanage, he only had limited contact with the few children there. She thought it would be good to take him out to interact with more people.
Besides, Bai Feng had always been well-behaved, helping her with housework with Bai Ye whenever he had free time. It was fine to agree to an occasional small request.
"Alright, but you have to be good and not run around, okay?" Director Meili cautioned.
"Yes, don't worry!" Bai Feng guaranteed with a serious expression.
Director Meili found his attempt to act like a little adult very cute and playfully patted the back of his head.
Biyi City was divided into two by a long Light Rail and a steep Cliff. One side faced the sea and was the bustling Urban Area; the other side faced the mountains and was the quiet Suburban Area. The Blue Bird Orphanage was located in the Suburban Area.
Although the Suburban Area was not as prosperous as the Urban Area, many people lived there, so all the necessary infrastructure was present.
Under Director Meili's guidance, Bai Feng took a short Light Rail ride and then walked a short distance, finally arriving at a lively Vegetable Market.
Many of the Stall Owners in the Vegetable Market knew Director Meili. When they saw her, they would greet her warmly and also ask about Bai Feng, who was with her.
After learning that Bai Feng was a new member who had recently arrived at the Blue Bird Orphanage, some of the vegetable Stall Owners would give Director Meili a little extra when she bought vegetables.
When passing a Berry stall, Bai Feng suddenly pointed to the empty space next to the stall and said to Director Meili, "Director Meili, can I... wait for you... here?"
Director Meili thought Bai Feng was tired from walking, so she agreed and instructed him, "Stay here and don't run around. I'll come back to get you later."
The Stall Owner happened to be an acquaintance of Director Meili, so she asked the Stall Owner to keep an eye on Bai Feng, and the Stall Owner readily agreed.
The Stall Owner was a warm Auntie, probably in her thirties, slightly plump and not particularly tall, but her smile was particularly infectious and easily made people feel favorably towards her.
After Director Meili left, the Stall Owner looked at Bai Feng and asked, "Little friend, what's your name?"
Bai Feng answered obediently, "Bai Feng."
"Such a good boy. My name is Sala, you can call me Auntie Sala." The Stall Owner patted Bai Feng's head, took two Berries from the stall, and handed them to him, saying, "Here, have these. Be a good boy and stay here, don't run around, okay? Call me anytime if you need anything."
Bai Feng took the Berries and nodded, then suddenly pointed to a Basket under the stall and asked, "That... can I have that?"
The Basket contained some rotten Berries that Sala planned to throw away after closing the stall. She thought Bai Feng wanted to eat those Berries, so she said:
"Those are bad, you can't eat them." Saying this, she took two good Berries from the stall and handed them to Bai Feng. "Here are two more for you, don't bother with the bad ones."
This time, Bai Feng didn't accept. He explained, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Thank you, Auntie Sala. That... I need it... not to eat."
Only then did Sala feel relieved. She dragged the Basket out from under the stall and instructed Bai Feng again, "You can have this, but absolutely do not eat them. They'll make your stomach sick."
Bai Feng nodded obediently, then dragged the Basket to a corner of the empty space and stayed there quietly. Seeing this, Sala felt at ease and continued with her business.
In the corner, Bai Feng poured all the rotten Berries out in one go, then removed the Fruit Pulp from each one and set it aside, leaving only the Berry Pits.
Bai Feng had come to the Vegetable Market this time precisely for these Berry Pits. He hadn't expected to get them so easily.
Unable to obtain Berry Trees directly, Bai Feng had thought of the method of cultivating Berry Trees from Seeds to get more experimental samples. Although it would take some time, that was nothing to Bai Feng.
After extracting each Berry Pit from the Fruit Pulp, Bai Feng would check it with his Golden Finger. He would keep those that contained Special Energy, as these should be easier to sprout. Those that were empty inside would be discarded.
Of course, not all Berries contained Seeds; some had nothing but Fruit Pulp inside.
The rotten Berries emitted a strong, pungent odor. Bai Feng endured the smell and peeled for a long time before finishing one Basket of Berries, finally obtaining about ten Seeds of varying sizes.
"Phew~ Finally finished peeling!" Bai Feng let out a long sigh. "That was suffocating!"
Putting the Seeds into a pre-prepared bag and storing them, Bai Feng put the remaining Fruit Pulp back into the Basket, tied them up with the bag that was already in the Basket, and planned to take them to throw away when he left.
"Little friend, it's you!"
Just then, Bai Feng suddenly heard a voice. He looked up and saw a long-haired older sister in a green dress looking at him with a surprised expression.
"Do you remember me? From the Police Station, Officer Jenny's friend, Ma Qiqi."
Of course, Bai Feng remembered her. If it weren't for the help of this older sister's Alakazam, he didn't know how much effort it would have taken to explain his situation clearly.
Seeing Bai Feng look at her with a surprised expression, Ma Qiqi suddenly said, "Oh... right, you can't understand me."
Hearing this, Bai Feng quickly explained, "Now... I can."
Ma Qiqi, who had some understanding of Bai Feng's situation, said in surprise, "That's wonderful. I didn't expect you to be so smart. Your name is Bai Feng, right? What are you doing here?"
Just then, Ma Qiqi noticed the rotten Berries in the Basket at Bai Feng's feet. Remembering that Bai Feng had just entered the Orphanage, she thought he wanted to eat the Berries, so she handed him the Berries she had just bought.
"Here, this is for you."
Bai Feng quickly refused. "I don't want it."
"It's okay, I can buy more. This is for you, as a gift for our reunion." Ma Qiqi insisted on giving it to Bai Feng.
*Should I give you a gift too? But I'm utterly poor, I have nothing.*
"I don't want it," Bai Feng insisted.
Ma Qiqi thought Bai Feng was refusing because of his strong self-esteem, so she had no choice but to give up.
In fact, what self-esteem could Bai Feng possibly have? He just felt it was unnecessary. He wasn't a real child who craved a few bites of Berries. Hadn't he eaten enough Berries on the Island? He had eaten it for several years; he was almost getting PTSD from Berries.
"Alright then, I'll come visit you when I have time."
Ma Qiqi chatted with Bai Feng for a bit and then left.
Director Meili soon finished buying groceries and returned. After thanking Sala, she took Bai Feng back to the Blue Bird Orphanage.
(End of this chapter)
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