Eddie had already made an appointment with the First Tree Plantation online in advance, so when he arrived there and gave his name, he was immediately warmly received by the staff.
When the staff member saw that it was a child, although he felt a little strange, his attitude did not change at all and he was still warm and considerate.
Under the guidance of the staff, Eddie came to their planting area. The scale of their planting was much larger than Eddie's small-scale operation. Looking around, the fields were full of fruit trees.
Of course, they are an organization that specializes in selling fruit seedlings, so all the fruit seedlings growing in the fields are small fruit seedlings. Eddie didn't see many mature trees along the way.
Every time they arrived at an area, the staff would introduce to Eddie what kind of fruit tree seedling it was, what its characteristics were, and what to pay attention to when planting. The service was very good.
Eddie currently has three kinds of fruit trees, namely Peach, Oran, and generic Berry. The fruits of these three trees usually mature in April and May, but because of the special climate in Coumarine City, they will have another fruiting period in September and October.
Therefore, the fruit trees that Eddie wanted to buy this time were the kind that could bear fruit outside of these two periods. In this way, the fruiting periods of several fruit trees would be staggered, and he would never be afraid of having no fruit to sell.
Soon Eddie selected several fruit trees, namely, the Liechi Berry, Cheri Berry, Persim Berry, and Leppa Berry.
The fruit ripening period of the Liechi Berry is from January to March and from July to September. The fruit setting rate and fruiting period are much higher and longer than those of Peach, Oran, and generic Berry. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness of planting it is much higher than those three kinds of fruits.
The Cheri Berry tree is a little different from the other fruit trees. Even though the climate in Coumarine City is special, they only bear fruit from January to April. However, its fruit is more expensive than other fruits, so it is not a loss to grow it.
The fruit ripening period of Persim Berry is from September to January of the following year. Although there are not two fruiting periods, the fruiting period is as long as 5 months, and the cost-effectiveness is also very high.
As for the last type of fruit, the Leppa Berry, this kind of fruit is the most special. It bears fruit all year round, and the fruit-bearing rate is very high, so relatively speaking, its fruit has the lowest price in the market.
Of course, as long as Eddie can raise the energy level of the fruit trees, even ordinary fruits can be sold at a high price.
It's also because Eddie doesn't have the conditions now. If he had the conditions, he would just build an ecological park where the climate could be controlled directly. There wouldn't be any need to consider the climate and seasons when growing fruits.
Ramos's garden is an ecological park where the temperature, humidity, and sunlight can be adjusted freely. Ramos can freely plant flowers, plants, and trees from all seasons and regions in it.
After all, we are still poor.
"We want 200 of each type of fruit tree," said Eddie.
The price of these fruit tree seedlings with extremely low ratings is very cheap, with an average price of between 20 and 50 per tree. Eddie bought the Liechi Berry for 25 per tree, the Cheri Berry for 40 per tree, the Persim Berry for 28 per tree, and the Leppa Berry was the cheapest, at 21 per tree.
In addition, Eddie also bought 200 of each of the three fruit trees: Peach, Oran, and generic Berry. The ones he had cultivated before were too few.
The prices of the last three fruit trees are not much different: Peach Berry trees are 28 PokéDollars per tree, Oran Berry trees are 31 PokéDollars per tree, and generic Berry trees are 27 PokéDollars per tree.
It cost a total of 40,000 PokéDollars to buy these fruit trees.
After selecting the fruit trees, Eddie paid the deposit, and then all he had to do was wait for the other party to deliver the goods to his door.
First Tree Plantation is very efficient, probably because it is close to the plantation. In the afternoon, they used large trucks to deliver all the fruit trees in batches to Prosper Peak.
Moreover, their service was very thoughtful. In addition to the staff who drove here, they also brought several strong and efficient Hariyama, who moved the fruit trees to the designated location according to Eddie's instructions.
After receiving the call, Eddie had already been waiting at the foot of Prosper Peak. As soon as the fruit trees were delivered, he directed Fletchinder and Hariyama to transport the fruit trees to the mountain. Soon all the fruit trees were in place.
Eddie paid the remaining money for the fruit seedlings and saw off the staff of First Tree Plantation with satisfaction.
The Diggersby family has been digging holes in the mountain since yesterday. They are very efficient and can dig a hole in a few seconds.
In just one night, the family of three dug thousands of holes in the mountain. The size, depth, and distance of the holes were all in accordance with Eddie's requirements.
Eddie is considering whether to hire this family long-term, because they are so capable and they value quality.
After the fruit trees arrived, all that was left was to plant them. This was a physically demanding job, as there were more than a thousand trees.
Eddie's plan is to plant these seven kinds of fruit trees in a ring-shaped layer from top to bottom on Prosper Peak. Persim Berries, which require relatively low temperatures, will be planted on the top of the mountain, followed byLiechi Berry, Cheri Berries, Peach Berries, Oran Berries, and generic Berries, and at the very bottom will be the Leppa Berry.
After Eddie told his requirements to many Pokémon, he led everyone to start working in full swing.
The most hardworking ones among them are the Diggersby couple. They are strong and agile, and they can easily handle tasks such as moving trees and filling soil. They directly became the MVP of this tree planting activity.
(Diggersby: We work so hard just to attract your attention, so that we can get rid of our temporary worker status and become formal employees as soon to possible!)
Eddie and his team worked for four or five days. He and his Pokémon went out early and came back late every day, and finally, they planted all the fruit trees.
In the past few days, Eddie insisted on giving the Pokémon health care once in the morning and once in the evening to relieve their fatigue. Finally, he was surprised to find that the energy of his golden finger suddenly increased a lot.
This is evolution, right?
Eddie tried to divide the golden finger energy into two streams, guide them out of the body through his two palms respectively, and then provide health care for two Pokémon at the same time. Unexpectedly, he really did it.
From then on, he was able to do two things at once and provide health care for two Pokémon at the same time.
It's a bit tiring and requires a lot of his concentration, but to some extent, it is also a test of his willpower.
After the fruit trees were planted, Eddie formally submitted an employment request to the Diggersby family.
"Diggersby, do you want to stay with me?"
In the past, he let go of the female Diggersby because he simply couldn't afford to keep her, but things are different now. Even though he still owes a large sum of money, Eddie feels that he should have no problem supporting a few employees.
I've been waiting for you to say this!
Did the Diggersby have any reason to refuse? Not at all. It was exactly what they wanted!
They have long envied the Talonflame and Fletchinder for having a formal organization. Now that the pie is in their hands, is there any reason not to eat it?
The two parties reached an agreement that the Diggersby family would work for Eddie, and Eddie would provide them with food and accommodation and provide them with regular health care.
With the new employees, new staff dormitories had to be built. Fortunately, there were many trees on the mountain, and Eddie and his Pokémon cut down a few trees at random. Soon, they built a wooden house for the Diggersby family that could accommodate the three of them.
The Diggersby family happily moved into Prosper Peak.
The male Diggersby even went to his original residence and transplanted the Oran Berry trees he had planted with great difficulty to Prosper Peak, planting them next to the wooden house where they lived.
"I have worked hard to grow this fruit tree for many years, and we can't just throw it away."
These wooden houses on the mountain can only be regarded as temporary residences for the employees. Eddie feels that he will have to build new ones when he has enough money, because the wooden houses are too simple.
After the fruit trees were planted, Eddie left the Popplio on Prosper Peak, and the task of watering the more than one thousand fruit trees was its responsibility.
In addition, it is also its task to conduct combat training with the Fletchinder, Diggersby, and others. Only by using skills extensively in daily life and battles can Popplio gradually recover and become a normal Pokémon.
As soon as Eddie got home that day, Max ran over and said, "Brother Eddie, aren't you going back to school tomorrow? There are exams in two days, and your teacher told me to tell you that you must go back to school for the exams."
Uh... Eddie has been so busy these days that he almost forgot that he is still in school.
"Okay, got it. I'll go back to school tomorrow."
The next day, Eddie went to school with Max and Oliver as expected. His classmates were no longer surprised by his absence from school every few days.
After two classes, Eddie was called to the office by his head teacher.
"Eddie, your leave is a bit too long this time, isn't it?" Teacher Takeda said with a slightly dissatisfied tone.
He really loves and hates this student. It goes without saying that his grades are good, but he is a little too self-willed. Not listening carefully in class is just a small matter. Now he misses four, five, or six days of classes when he asks for leave.
This is really outrageous, is there any student like this?
"You're always like this. Do you still want to graduate? You're already one year older than the students in your grade. Do you still want to stay in primary school for another two years?"
Eddie asked in confusion: "But isn't it enough for me to learn everything I need to learn? Why do I have to come to school?"
Teacher Takeda: ...speechless.
This was indeed the case. Eddie always ranked among the top in every exam and had never fallen out of the top three in the grade.
"Okay, that's fine if you say so. If you can't maintain your previous performance in this exam, you must come to class honestly in the future!" Teacher Takeda said with his eyes wide open.
"If I can keep my grades up, then do I not have to come to class?" Eddie asked back. He really felt that he didn't have enough time.
Teacher Takeda was stumped again. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you can get first place in the exam this time, I will agree to your request!"
"Real?"
"Real!"
"Can you decide?"
"I... can! As long as you can get first place in the exam, I will decide that you don't have to come to school!"
"Then... I'll try my best."
After Eddie left, Teacher Takeda suddenly regretted the agreement he had just made. What if that kid really got first place in the exam?
Alas~Teacher Takeda sighed helplessly.
The exam time came as scheduled, and Eddie finished all the test papers smoothly.
In the two days before the test results came out, Eddie went to school on time every day and did not read extracurricular books during class. This abnormal behavior aroused the curiosity of the teachers.
After school every day, Eddie would be taken to Prosper Peak by the Talonflame who would come to pick him up on time. Then, he would comb the energy diagrams in the fruit trees one by one, purifying and compressing their energy.
More than a thousand fruit trees need to be treated, and it's not something that can be done just once. It has to be done in a continuous cycle. This is a very large project and cannot be completed in a day or two.
But cultivation is like this. Only with enough patience can you cultivate good enough fruit trees. Which of those high-energy fruit trees is not cultivated bit by bit by the planting master? The investment of time, energy, and money is indispensable.
On the day the test results came out, Mr. Takeda checked Eddie's results first, and then he was shocked.
He really was first and got full marks in all subjects, far ahead of the second place.
He lay on the chair with no hope in life, staring blankly at the ceiling.
At this time, other teachers saw his lifeless appearance and asked curiously: "Teacher Takeda, what's wrong with you? Did your class not do well in the exam this time?"
Mr. Takeda's eyes gradually came back to his senses. He shook his head and replied, "No, I did quite well in the exam."
"Then why do you have that expression?" The teacher curiously stretched his head over and happened to see Eddie's grade ranking, so he said in a nonchalant manner, "Hey~ Eddie from your class is first this time, that's great, this kid is still so amazing!"
"Not bad..." What's not good about it! Teacher Takeda was in tears.
After Eddie got the report card, he went straight to Mr. Takeda's office.
"I got first place in the exam, so I don't have to come to school anymore, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Mr. Takeda nodded reluctantly. He wanted to say no, but he couldn't open his mouth. He really had no patience to deal with this student.
"Okay then."
Eddie turned around and was about to leave, but Teacher Takeda immediately stopped him and said, "Hey, wait, I haven't finished talking yet!"
Eddie turned around and looked like he was telling him to say what he wanted to say.
Teacher Takeda said helplessly: "I'll tell you first, even if you don't come to school, you can't relax yourself. You have to come back to school for exams in the future. I will let your younger brothers and sisters inform you of the exam time."
"If you fall out of the top three in your grade in any exam, this agreement between us will be void!"
Eddie hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded and said, "Okay, is everything okay now?"
Teacher Takeda covered his head, waved his hand, and signaled him to leave quickly, as if he didn't see it or he wasn't bothered.
After Eddie left Mr. Takeda's office, he went straight back to the classroom, packed his bag, and left. The classmates just looked at him quietly, thinking:
The top students are so awesome that they can come and go as they please in school.
Eddie didn't have a good relationship with any of his classmates, so no one spoke when he left.
Eddie had just walked out of the classroom when the communicator on his wrist suddenly displayed bank account change information, reminding him that one hundred thousand PokéDollars had arrived in his account.
Eddie was wondering where the money came from when the phone rang. He looked and saw that it was Officer Jenny. Now he finally knew where the money came from.
"Eddie, did you receive the money? One hundred thousand." Officer Jenny's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Received." Eddie replied, "Is this the reward for helping to capture the smuggling gang?"
"That's right, the matter of this smuggling gang is a bit complicated, so the bounty was not paid until today." Officer Jenny explained.
"One hundred thousand PokéDollars, isn't that a bit too much?" Eddie asked puzzledly.
"Not much. You don't know how many evil things this gang has done. They have been roaming around, and the police have tried many times but have not been able to arrest them all."
"And because of your help, we recovered a large sum of stolen money. Compared to that, 100,000 PokéDollars is just a drop in the bucket."
"Is that so... I'll take the money then." Eddie didn't ask any more questions, "Thank you for helping me apply for this money."
"You're welcome. This is what you deserve. Besides, aren't you busy running the orchard now? Although this hundred thousand dollars isn't much, I hope it can help you a little."
After ending the call with Officer Jenny, Eddie went directly to Prosper Peak.
In the following days, Eddie lived a life that went back and forth between the orphanage and Prosper Peak.
During the day, he would stay at Prosper Peak, cultivating fruit trees with his golden finger and supervising the training of Popplio and Selene. In the evening, the Talonflame would take him home.
Such days are very lonely and boring, almost isolated from the world, but Eddie, who has lived on the uninhabited island for eight years, has adapted well.
While Eddie was working hard to cultivate fruit trees, he didn't know that there were other people who were concerned about his planting business.
If Berries are planted in large quantities, there must be enough customers.
This is especially true for fruits with high energy ratings, because they cannot be taken directly to the market for processing like fruits with E and F ratings. If there are not enough customers, the fruits will just rot on the trees.
According to Eddie's idea, his Berries had a high energy rating, so it would not be difficult to find customers. Therefore, he was not in a hurry but planned to wait until the fruit trees started to bear fruit before looking for customers. Before that, he just had to concentrate on raising the energy level of the fruit trees.
But Eli didn't think so. He felt that if Eddie planted such a large number of fruit trees, wouldn't it be a waste if he couldn't sell them? The risk was too great.
So while Eddie was concentrating on cultivating fruit trees, Eli had been contacting those breeders through his good friends Kenji and Hiroshi.
Kenji and Hiroshi have very good family backgrounds. Although they did not study in the Pokémon department like their sister Naomi, they are both from wealthy families and have connections that ordinary people do not have.
Through them, Eli got to know many Pokémon breeder students, and through these students, he learned about the rules and market conditions of the fruit sales industry in the department. He even came into contact with the young master of a breeding house.
The major breeding houses have always been the big consumers of Berries. They breed their own Pokémon and make their own energy cubes, Poffins, and other Pokémon food, all of which consume a large amount of Berries.
If we can reach a cooperation with a breeding house, then we will have no trouble selling Eddie's fruit.
I have to say that Eli is indeed very talented in communication. Although he looks cold on the surface, once you really get in touch with him, you will find that he has a very charismatic personality, is sincere, attentive, and gentle...
The reason why Eli went out early and came back late some time ago was because he was in contact with the young master of the breeder house. Now the two have become good friends.
In fact, a long time ago, Eli's dream was, just as Arthor said, to become a trainer as powerful as the Elite Four.
But after going to school, he understood a truth: people are different. As a child from an orphanage, if he didn't have a special encounter, he would never be able to become a great trainer in his life.
He was a pragmatic person and did not have the determination to never give up until he hit a wall, so he decisively gave up this dream and gave up on becoming a trainer.
After graduating from elementary school, Eli chose to study in the general department instead of the Pokémon department.
His only wish now is to make money, a lot of money, so that the younger brothers and sisters in the orphanage can live a good life, so that Director Eleanor will not be so tired, and so that little Daisy can see the best doctor.
But he knew it might take many years to achieve this goal on his own.
Until Eddie showed his extraordinary talent in planting.
When Eddie showed Eli the test results of the fruit from the trees he planted that day, Eli was not only shocked but also saw another possibility in Eddie, a possibility that would allow him to achieve his goal sooner.
He thought, since they were both making money, why not work for Eddie instead of going out to work for others in the future? He saw an infinitely bright future in the fruit trees planted by Eddie.
From that day on, Eli began to prepare silently. He wanted to prove to Eddie that he was capable of becoming the agent for Eddie's fruit sales!