66. Berry Farming

Chris's idea was simple.

He planned to use the berries that were originally planted in the game, but the land had become barren after all the fruit was collected.

Moreover, Chris recalled that the berries in the game grew very quickly! Typically, they would bear fruit in just one to two days. Even though the yield wasn't high—only three or four berries per tree—the rapid growth made up for it. And there were plenty of plots available in the game!

What made it even better was that these plants required minimal care; all that was needed was to plant the seeds and water them.

With this in mind, Chris quickly sprang into action.

First, he needed to check if it was feasible.

He bought rare berries using a treasure app.

He and his Combusken then rushed off in search of a Lum Berry. But before that, he still had to finish his assignment for the berry-growing class.

The pretty red-haired senior hadn't lied. Following her directions, Chris found the target for his homework in just fifteen minutes.

After securing the berry in his bag, Chris returned straight to the harbor on the seaside of Trial Island. He greeted Olivia, who was waiting for all the students to return, and took the first ship back to school. He even managed to complete his homework on the boat.

By the time Chris reached the dormitory, it was already five in the afternoon, and the delivery agent from the treasure app had arrived, bringing the items straight to his room.

Impressed by the fast service, Chris immediately gave a five-star rating.

Opening the package, he found 18 boxes, each containing a rare berry. Their effects were similar to Tanga Berry, each reducing damage from a specific type.

Eighteen berries, corresponding to eighteen types—no more, no less. The purchase had cost Chris over seven million.

Chris quickly grabbed his handheld console.

He headed to Route 117, just left of Mauville City, where there were four patches of soft soil. The berries originally planted there were Wepear Berries, which Chris had already harvested earlier.

He chose four of the rare berries from his backpack and used the Wailmer Pail to water them.

"I remember the growth cycle for berries in the game is around two days..." Chris thought.

Since he had time to wait, Chris decided to explore other fields and plant the rest of the rare berries.

He also counted how many plots of land could be used for planting.

An hour later, Chris's tally was complete.

From Littleroot Town to Mauville City, Chris walked along the route, counting 17 pieces of soft soil available for planting. Including the four patches he'd already planted, there were now 21 pieces of land that could be used.

After planting the eighteen rare berries, Chris used the three remaining plots to plant Oran, Pecha, and Chesto Berries. This would allow him to compare the growth rates of ordinary berries with the rare ones.

With everything set, all he could do was wait.

Twelve hours later, the Oran, Pecha, and Chesto Berries were ready to harvest. Each tree yielded 3 to 4 berries. (In different game versions, the ripening time and harvest yield vary, but Chris opted for the most convenient settings.)

However, the rare berries hadn't even sprouted.

"Rare berries probably have a longer growth cycle, so it's normal they haven't sprouted yet," Chris reassured himself.

Twenty-four hours later.

The soil where the rare berries were planted remained unchanged.

"Did I fail?" Chris frowned. Twenty-four hours was enough for two rounds of Oran, Pecha, and Chesto Berries to grow.

When Chris patiently checked again at the thirty-sixth hour, he was thrilled to see that the eighteen plots of soft soil had skipped the budding stage entirely and were already sprouting tall, visible branches.

This was exciting news! It meant that growing rare berries in the game was indeed possible!

By the forty-fourth hour, the eighteen fruit trees had bloomed.

And by the forty-eighth hour, they were ready for harvest!

Chris eagerly collected all the berries.

Each tree produced 3-4 fruits, just like the Oran, Pecha, and Chesto Berries. 

After subtracting 1 fruit as the replanting cost, each cycle yielded a profit of 2-3 fruits per tree. With 21 plots of land, that meant a harvest of 42-63 fruits.

At 250,000 per fruit, that brought in an income of 10.5 million to 15.75 million. Chris rounded it off to 13 million.

That's 13 million in just two days—leading to a monthly income of 195 million!

Nearly 200 million a month!

This was even faster than making money by stealing Pokémon items!

Chris hadn't expected his money-making plan to evolve so quickly.

He started with a meager income of 1 million a month as part of the trash-picking crew. Then, he upgraded to the Thief + Trash Picking Team 2.0, pulling in 60 million monthly. Now, there was no need to scavenge or steal—he could simply plant berries and rake in 200 million a month as a fruit farmer, with minimal effort!

"Woohoo! I'm flying high!" Chris thought excitedly.

But then, a new idea struck him. 

"Wait... I haven't even maximized this strategy!" Chris realized.

The math could be even better.

First, there was no need to grow all 18 types of rare berries. Why not just plant the most expensive one? Since the growth cycle was the same, he could always buy other berries if needed!

The most valuable berry was the Haban Berry, which reduces Dragon-type damage and sells for 330,000 per fruit.

If Chris fully planted Haban Berries, his monthly income would jump to a range of 207.9 million to 331.85 million! On average, that would be around 260 million.

That, combined with his earnings from the Thief + Trash Team 2.0, would bring in a total of 527 million a month!

And there was even more potential for growth.

Chris remembered there was an item called Mulch in the game that could increase berry yields. It was only available in the *HeartGold*, *SoulSilver*, or *X/Y* versions, but if he ever ventured into those regions, he might be able to get his hands on it.

Alternatively, he could try finding it in the real world, though he wasn't sure if it would work in the game.

On top of that, as Chris advanced through his journey, he would pass through more cities and routes, which meant even more soil to plant berries. He had only just beaten the third gym—there were still five more gyms ahead, and with each new area, the amount of plantable land would double!

Doubling the amount of soil would double his income too!

And if he could travel to different regions in the future, it would be like having multiple worlds to farm in!

Two billion a month? That was just the beginning. Four billion wasn't out of reach!

Chris could see a vast opportunity unfolding before him.

Berry farming was truly the world's mightiest profession!

With this new perspective, Chris felt invincible.

Earning 200 million a month, what did he have to fear?

To capture a Shiny Axew, why bother with the school league? He could just throw 200 million at the school and ask for another chance to conquer Pokémon in the East Sea Dragon Nest. If 200 million wasn't enough, he could raise it to 400 million, and if that wasn't enough—600 million!

Money could solve everything from now on. Chris's future looked brighter than ever!