Berries and Apricorns

[indigo_league]

SO WHAT ARE "BERRIES"?

"Berries" is a catch-all term for a type of large, colorful fruit commonly eaten by Pokemon! They come in all shapes and sizes and can be found almost anywhere in the wild, though many grow them in their own gardens or in small portable pots (gotta get that green thumb on even when you're a travelling trainer, after all!).

In addition to being a Pokemon diet staple (even otherwise-carnivorous Pokemon will frequently consume Berries if given the opportunity), they were also a precursor to man-made medicinal items due to their assorted healing properties.

WILD BERRIES
Oran berry	Heals 10 HP
Sitrus Berry	Heals 30 HP
Pecha Berry	Cures a poisoned Pokemon
Cheri Berry	Heals a paralysed Pokemon
Chesto Berry	Wakes a sleeping Pokemon
Persim Berry	Cures confusion
Rawst Berry	Thaws frozen Pokemon
Aspear Berry	Heals a burned Pokemon
Leppa Berry	Restores 10PP
Lum Berry	Cures all status ailments

If you have a keen eye, you will certainly have noticed the wild in there. These are the various types of berries that are naturally occurring in the Kanto and Johto region. They are very common, and anyone who travels around won't have any problem picking up a few of these along the way.

However, these are obviously not the only berries that exist in the world of pokemon. Every region has its own berries that grow there. Now, while it is not possible for characters to travel to another region just to get some berries, fortunately, you don't have to! Flower shops and gardening centres across Johto and Kanto stock wide varieties of berries from across the poke-globe, some of which have some truly extraordinary effects!

A few things should be noted about these berries, however. Firstly, like the wild berries in Johto and Kanto, while they taste great to pokemon, they are not edible at all to humans. So, please don't try it! There are no bad side effects, but even chewing on cardboard is more pleasant.

Secondly, while these berries do perfectly well if planted in a planted or a garden where they can be tended to with care (and perhaps some special mulch too), they don't do well when planted in the wild. Thank god, because we wouldn't want the Johto-Kantonian ecosystem to get disrupted! But it also means that if you buy one of these berries and plant it in the wild, it'll die.

Now, without further ado, the list of berries that can be purchased through shops.

CULTIVATED BERRIES
Occa Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Fire-type move.	P600
Passho Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Water-type move.	P600
Wacan Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Electric-type move.	P600
Rindo Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Grass-type move.	P600
Yache Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Ice-type move.	P600
Chople Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Fighting-type move.	P600
Kebia Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Poison-type move.	P600
Shuca Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Ground-type move.	P600
Coba Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Flying-type move.	P600
Payapa Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Psychic-type move.	P600
Tanga Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Bug-type move.	P600
Charti Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Rock-type move.	P600
Kasib Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Ghost-type move.	P600
Haban Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Dragon-type move.	P600
Babiri Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Steel-type move.	P600
Chilan Berry	Halves damage taken from a Normal-type move.	P600
Roseli Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Fairy-type move.	P600
Colbur Berry	Halves damage taken from a super effective Dark-type move.	P600
Ganlon Berry	Raises Defense when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Salac Berry	Raises Speed when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Petaya Berry	Raises Special Attack when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Apicot Berry	Raises Special Defense when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Lansat Berry	Raises critical hit ratio when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Custap Berry	Causes next move to go first in its priority bracket when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Liechi Berry	Raises Attack when HP falls below 25%.	P750
Kee Berry	Raises Defense when hit with a physical move.	P700
Maranga Berry	Raises Special Defense when hit with a special move.	P700

CAN HUMANS EAT BERRIES?

Well, they can, but probably shouldn't. Like many real-life plants and fruits, Berries are perfectly edible to the animals in their natural habitats, but are not good for humans. The Trainer Handbook given to each new trainer along with their Starter Pokemon includes a detailed guide to identifying which plants are safe to eat and which aren't. Fortunately, berries (lowercase!) and Berries are pretty easy to tell apart, and in a pinch, the locals would be happy to tell you whether you have yourself a handful of blueberries or Orans.

Of course, this won't necessarily stop a particularly hungry (or masochistic) trainer from trying to munch on them anyway, so here's some side effects one can expect from consuming Berries raw:

Oran Berry: No particularly ill side effects, but the texture is disgusting and waxy. Kind of like eating a candle. Yuck!

Persim Berry: Tastes inedibly bitter. Eating even one can induce nausea and hallucinations.

Rawst Berry: Has a nasty burnt taste, causes the tongue to swell for up to four hours. Have fun talking like you just got out of the dentist for awhile.

Aspear Berry: Tastes dry and woody. Induces chills and a terrible fever that lasts for one day and one night.

Chesto Berry: One of the few Berries that actually doesn't make you want to spit it out immediately, Chesto Berries have a sweet, minty taste. Eating one can relax and calm the nerves-- but eat any more than that and you'd better hope you don't have any time-sensitive appointments the next day because you're definitely going to sleep straight through them.

Lum Berry: Tastes very, very strange... sweet at first but then a whole array of weird, unpleasant aftertastes. Side-effects include any (or ALL, if you're unlucky) of the other Berries' side effects. Oh, and the runs. You're definitely getting the runs. Sorry, bro...

Cheri Berry: Tastes terribly sour. Like a Warhead but without that sweet, sweet sugary relief in the center. Causes severe aches and pains similar to arthritic pain in the knees and knuckles, and doesn't wear off for a gruelling 2-3 hours.

Pecha Berry: Tastes spicy, going from mild to very hot to YOWZA!!! GET IT OUTTA MY MOUTH!! over the space of about fifteen seconds. Inflames the throat and causes swelling that makes it very difficult to breathe. Fortunately, it lasts for only a short burst of ten minutes.

Sitrus Berry: If you thought the Oran berry tasted waxy enough, this is over 9000 times worse. Plus, that taste? Lingers. For a solid week.

Leppa Berry: For a berry that looks nice and juicy, this one sure tastes like eating sand. So much sand. You'll have to drink a good few gallons of water to make that feeling go away. And meanwhile, you won't have the energy for anything.

DARN. ARE THERE ANY USES FOR BERRIES BESIDES FEEDING TO POKEMON?

Given the above information... well, yeah! People are creative, after all-- even negative side effects can have uses, whether medicinal or just for the sake of novelty. They're just not really edible as food.

For example, some people use zesters to add Berry shavings to tea or other beverages, to enjoy mild versions of the side effects. Persim Berries are popular for this, as their zest can create a nice spacey sensation not unlike certain recreational drugs. And with appropriate caution, whole Chesto Berries can be used as sleep aids for insomniac trainers-- but you better not operate any heavy machinery after popping one of those babies. They'll knock you right out.

On the novelty end... the world of Pokemon has its hot sauce enthusiasts just like ours does. It shouldn't come as a surprise to find out that the Cheri Berry challenge is popular among young trainers. And, assuming you have a death wish, you can buy Pecha salsa. Just... uh... be really careful, and keep a glass of MooMoo Milk handy. Okay?

OKAY, SO WE KNOW ABOUT BERRIES. WHAT ABOUT "APRICORNS"?

Apricorns are a very special type of Berry! They're not for eating, though-- even Pokemon don't usually touch them because of their hard outer skin! Although they can be juiced (or even fermented to make a popular type of hard cider) with a lot of effort, the Apricorn's main function goes way back in Pokemon history.

Ancient Johto civilizations used to hollow Apricorns out, put a hinge on the shell, and then fit them with a special device that allowed them to hold and sustain living things within... that's right! The very first Pokeballs were in fact made from Apricorns!

ARE POKEBALLS STILL MADE FROM APRICORNS? HOW CAN I GET SPECIALTY APRICORN POKEBALLS?

Nowadays, most are not. It's cheaper and more effective to mass-produce them using man-made materials. That said, the art of making Pokeballs out of Apricorns is still practiced by some, and many claim that the hand-made touch allows for extremely specialized types of Pokeballs that can't be bought at any old Mart!

The only known Apricorn ballmaker in the Johto and Kanto regions is Kurt, who lives a quiet life in Azalea Town and tends his own orchard of Apricorn trees. Trainers may pick their fill from the orchard and bring them back to Kurt, who will craft them into speciality Pokeballs for P1200 a pop. The type of ball made depends on the color of the Apricorn-- fortunately, Kurt's orchard has plenty of healthy trees bearing all colors!

For a full list of Kurt's various Apricorn pokeballs and the special effects they have, please check the items page for more info.

CAN MY CHARACTER MAKE APRICORN POKEBALLS ON THEIR OWN?

Making Apricorn Pokeballs is incredibly complicated, and something that people usually devote their whole life to studying. There's a reason that Kurt is currently the only practicing craftsman in two entire regions! Visiting him in Azalea Town is currently the only way to obtain these speciality balls.

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