Both Pokemon “Berries” and normal, edible “berries” can be found in the wild. Pokemon Berries are large colorful fruit that are generally unsafe for humans to eat. Certain Berries are native to other regions and will not survive in the wild, but can be bought in stores and also grown at home. Berries have medicinal effects for Pokemon; if you need those for a battle, you can look them up on Bulbapedia here.
That’s all you absolutely need to know (everything else is just for flavor), but if you’d like more info, read on!
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.
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, WHAT BERRIES ARE AVAILABLE IN THE WILD, AND WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU EAT THEM?
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.
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?
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER BERRIES?
In VR, all other berries that are available in the Pokemon games are native to other regions!
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! (Unless you want your character to have a Bad Time… in that case, feel free to get creative with nonfatal but miserable side effects!)
Secondly, while these berries do perfectly well if planted in a pot 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.
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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indigo_league) wrote2016-05-26 01:20 am
Oran Berry: No particularly ill side effects, but the texture is disgusting and waxy. Kind of like eating a candle. Yuck!