Basic Berries

1.1: Basic Berries

Along with reviver seeds, escape orbs, and a few other items, the berries in this section are items that are essential to the everyday traveler. These berries – with one exception – have some sort of healing property, with no drawbacks. Depending on the type of berry, they may restore your health or stamina, or they may help heal more specialized issues, such as burns or poisoning. Others may help you resist falling asleep or freezing over. Before heading out on any journey, be certain to pack healing and energizing berries, as well as berries to help protect against any adverse ailments aggravated pokemon or the dungeons might throw at you.

It is worth mentioning that most berries can be fermented into various wines, though this is of little help within dungeons, and more often a hindrance, so this guide will not go into details of the process and will leave it at little more than this note.

Throughout this section, you may see us refer to these berries as both “basic” berries and “utility” berries. Both of these classifications are accurate, but due to the out-of-battle utility of type-based berries (section 1.3) causing confusion, “basic berries” is the more commonly used name.

 

1.1.1: Oran Berry

Overview

When packing for a trip into a dungeon, every pokemon must be certain to prepare accordingly. And sometimes, one must make tough decisions as to what items to pack along. Every item has its use, after all. And some items may be more useful in one dungeon than they are in another. But there are a few items that are recommended when traveling to any dungeon.

The oran berry is one of those items.

Oran berries are a small, round, blue berry, measuring about three cutiefly measures across. Their skin is fairly thick and pocked, with a thin, almost-white pith separating the skin and the edible part. The inside of the fruit is an even darker blue and typically divided into eight wedges. These wedges are quite firm but can be squeezed for juice.

Despite popular myth, oran berries are not at all sweet and have a surprisingly smooth flavor. In fact, if you bite an oran berry and it tastes sweet, it’s recommended that you spit it out immediately, as it may be the toxic oren berry. For more information on oren berries, see section 1.1.11.

Useful as both a healing item or a quick energy boost in a pinch, this guide highly recommends bringing at least one oran berry in dungeons less than ten divisions, and at least one per party member in larger dungeons.

 

Uses

The most common use of an oran berry in dungeons is for healing. Oran berries are known to help influence a pokemon’s natural healing ability and will begin to close minor wounds only moments after being ingested.  A single oran berry can still help the healing process for more serious injuries, including – though not limited to – broken bones and large gashes. However, these injuries often take more than one oran berry to heal, and often take hours, or even days, depending on the severity of the wound.

Caution should also be taken when healing broken bones. If the injury is not properly set before being healed, one runs the risk of the bone healing wrong. If you are in a dungeon and have broken a bone or some other serious injury, this guide recommends using an escape orb and seeking medical attention immediately.

If a pokemon cannot eat an oran berry for whatever reason, the fruit can be mashed up into a poultice and applied directly to the wound. Though not as useful on closed wounds or internal injuries, this method can be more effective on large or gaping wounds, as applying the juices directly to the injury allows it’s healing properties to work on just that part of the body. You should still seek medical attention as soon as possible, but this method can be lifesaving in a pinch.

Due to the abundance of oran berries, they are sometimes used as simple pick-me-ups, energizing a pokemon so that they can work longer. They are also sometimes used in cooking, most often in glazes.  Between the energy boost and their healing properties, eating one just before a fight can sometimes be advantageous.

 

Locations

As one of the heartiest berries, orans can be found almost anywhere, natively growing on all known continents. However, they tend to thrive the most in warm, humid climates. As a result, you’re most likely to find them growing wild in lush forest or jungle areas. Sometimes they can be found lying around in mystery dungeons, blown away from the trees by dungeon winds. Finding entire trees in dungeons is uncommon, but if you do find one, you shouldn’t let the opportunity to harvest a few go to waste.

As they are so easy to grow, there are whole fields of the berries grown at most continents. Due to both the relative abundance, and the fact that these berries are a staple in most dungeon diver’s toolkits, many of these orchards partner with the Kecleon Trading Company to sell them at a very low, reasonable price ranging from 25 to 100 poke, depending on how close the local branch is to an orchard. If you live near an orchard, you may be able to purchase berries directly from them for a discounted price.

Wild trees can be identified by the pale peach color of the leaves. The oran berry tree sprouts pale white flowers with four petals prior to producing fruit. These flowers are typically a little more than half the length of an oran berry. Still, one must be careful to not accidently harvest oren berries instead. We will go over how to distinguish the two in section 1.1.11.

 

1.1.2: Sitrus Berry

Overview

A relative to the oran berry, sitrus berries are a much more powerful alternative, at the cost of being rarer, and as a result, more expensive. If an oran berry takes hours to heal something, the sitrus berry takes less than half as long, and heals much more effectively. If you’re heading into a large, dangerous dungeon, sitrus berries are a must.

Almost three times the size of an oran berry, the sitrus berry is about nine cutiefly measures long on average. The sitrus berry can be identified by its firm, bumpy yellow skin and its shape. It is fat and ovular, with a second ovular growth at one end. On the other end, it curves inward to a shallow point. When cut open, one will find that the rind is very thick, making up about half of the inner fruit. Although quite hard, this rind can be cooked down and eaten (see uses).

Unlike the oran berry, the fruit part produces very little juice, though it can still be processed that way. Although the flavor is overall smooth, it is less tangy than the oran. Fortunately, there are no known lookalike berries for the sitrus, making it overall safe to eat when finding one, provided that it has not grown rotten.

 

Uses

For the most part, the sitrus berry shares the same uses as the oran berry, so we will decline to repeat ourselves. However, the sitrus berry does a much better job of healing, taking less time to begin and healing much more quickly and efficiently. As a result, sitrus berries are almost always recommended over orans for serious injury, so long as you can get ahold of them. They’re often purchased in great quantities in rural hospitals that don’t have dedicated healing pokemon.

Also of note is that their juice is sometimes used to treat mild nausea. Though, due to their use for other healing reasons, this has slowly been phased out.

So, if sitrus berries seem to be better in every conceivable way, why are they recommended less often than orans?

Part of it comes down to cost as a result of demand and relative rarity. Depending on where you live, the cost of sitrus berries can range anywhere from 50 to more than 100 times the price of orans. And even with their miracle healing capabilities, there can be situations where an oran is recommended. For example, consider the warning about broken bones in 1.1.11. An injury that would take several hours and many doses of orans would only take one or two sitrus berries but runs the risk of permanent damage if not set right.  In this case, orans are recommended for their energy restoration, as they will not heal the whole injury, but can provide enough energy to get out of a bad situation.

Despite the relative expense, sitrus berries are occasionally used in food items. In particular, the thick rind can be candied, creating a sweet treat. Sometimes, it’s cooked down into a jam. And even though it provides little juice, it can be juiced for a drink. Some health drinks actually use a few drops of sitrus juice to promote growth in a pokemon’s natural energy. 

 

Locations

With a much more limited growing range than the oran berry, sitrus berries end up much harder to come by, and much more expensive as a result, ranging from 2000 to 4000 poke. Sitrus berries grow best in the foothills of the Grass and Water continents, leading to cheaper prices there, particularly inland.

Sitrus trees can be identified by their pale lavender leaves. When in bloom, they produce small, round, white flowers.

As for mystery dungeons, there are very few where sitrus trees have been found growing. Specifically, they have been found in the dangerous Purity Forest. Besides that, there have been reports of finding them within Wish Cave and Joyous Tower, but these reports have yet to be verified, due to the strong distortion of these dungeons making safe traveling difficult.

They can also sometimes just be found lying loose or even buried within dungeons, such as Gooey Bog, but due to the climate of these locations, the leading theory is that these are items that were left behind by pokemon that had been expelled from the dungeon.

 

1.1.3: Cheri Berry

Overview

Though paralysis may not be the most dangerous ailment, it is still a major cause for concern. Becoming paralyzed in a dungeon makes one an easy target for ferals and can be a death sentence when traveling solo. As such, it is recommended to always carry at least one cure for paralysis, and the cheri berry just happens to be the cheapest option.  That said, how much it will set you back will depend, again, on location. More on that below.

Cheri berries are one of the smallest berries, measuring only a meager two cutiefly marks on average. They grow in singles off of branching, curly vines that are bright green. They are relatively soft and have a thin skin and can easily be squished. Please be careful and do not put them in the bottom of the bag, or you may end up with a sticky mess and no berries in an emergency.

A lesser known fact of the cheri berry is that there is, in fact, two varieties. First, there is the typical green-leafed kind, which are the more common, spicier variety. This type has a bright red skin, and their trees are known to blossom with small, white flowers in the spring. The second variety can be identified by their blue leaves and darker skin. With a milder taste, this variety of cheri berry is often candied and used as a treat. Blue cheri plants blossom with pale pink flowers. For dungeoneering purposes, either type works, but the bright variety is more common.

 

Uses

There are two typical types of paralysis: spore-based paralysis, which involves a pokemon breathing in or absorbing spores, and electrical paralysis, which involves the body seizing up after taking a charge of electricity. Cheri berries can be used to treat both.

When eaten, a single cheri berry is usually potent enough to shake off the effects of either type of paralysis. However, applying the juice to the part of the body that was exposed to spores or to that was struck by the electrical attack works as well, albeit a bit slower. In either case, and especially if spores are inhaled or if an electricity-dependent pokemon (such as porygon or beldum) is struck by a stronger than usual electric charge, please consult with a doctor as soon as possible, as the long-term effects can be serious.

It is also worth mentioning that concentrated cheri juice is occasionally used as a muscle relaxer, but the details of that are not something that will be covered in this text.

As mentioned before, milder cheri berries are often candied, though sometimes they are used as a topping to give desserts a kick.

Locations:

The cheri berry is a seasonal berry, typically harvested during the summer. However, it fortunately lasts for a very long time, and can be cooked into preserves without losing too much of its healing capabilities. That said, fresh is always preferred over preserved whenever possible, since cheri preserves include other ingredients like sugar and cannot be used externally.

Despite being harvested during the hot season, cheri berry plants grow best in climates where it gets cold during the winter. As a result, they are mostly grown on the Water and Mist continents, with the sand continent in particular having no major orchards. However, plants have been spotted within at least a few mystery dungeons on every continent. Within the Sand continent, the Holey Meadow and Apex Mountain have both had bushes spotted inside the distortion in the past, but due to the danger level of these locations, we do not recommend visiting these dungeons for the sole purpose of finding free berries.

As with the oran and sitrus berries, the price of these berries will vary by location. The Sand continent is where they will cost the most, with prices in all continents ranging from 12 to 80 poke. Historically, due to the particular climate these berries thrive in, costs were even higher, with the highest known price being recorded as 120 poke on the Air continent. Since then, advancements in growing techniques have lowered the cost significantly in most areas. If searching for large quantities, we recommend placing a special order through the Kecleon Trading Company, but for smaller quantities, you may be able to find cheaper prices from dungeon foraging teams.

 

1.1.4 Chesto Berry

Overview

One of the less commonly expected injuries during rescue work involves being snuck up on while sleeping. Many teams will stay awake on the job as long as possible in hopes of avoiding such a rookie injury. Unfortunately, this often leads to careless mistakes that a more alert explorer would have noticed. From this need to stay awake came the rise of chesto berry farming.

At an average of eight cutiefly measures long, chesto berries fall in the small to medium size range. They can be easily identified by their bluish-purple shell, and by the bit of pale-white flesh that sticks out from where they are removed from the stem. Each side comes to an almost point, and the shell ends with a small nub. Chesto berries are known for being very firm and dry, but despite how tough they are, the entire berry can be consumed.

As a note, the chesto berry should not be confused with a chestnut. Although the two have very similar names, and likely evolved from the same plant eons ago, chestnuts are known to be sweet and have no known secondary effect.

 

Uses

The chesto berry is a stimulant, of sorts; ingesting it can cause a pokemon to remain sleepless. It seems to work both for natural causes of sleep and for unnatural causes such as hypnosis or a sleep powder. As such, chestos are an invaluable tool when traveling in any dungeon where pokemon with sleep-inducing abilities have been sighted. The length of its effect depends on the size and metabolism of the pokemon that ate it. For example, a snorlax would have to eat at least a dozen to get the same effect that a pikachu would get from one. It’s also worth mentioning that pokemon that are known to be insomniacs will not notice any effects unless their insomnia has been suppressed.

Even a pokemon that’s already fallen asleep can be revived by a chesto berry. However, as they are unable to eat it in this state, it must first be ground down into a powder. This powder should then be applied to whatever breathing apparatus their species might have. For pokemon like beldum or magnemite, apply it somewhere where the powder can get into their inner working to have an effect. This is the only way these kinds of pokemon can use chesto berries, though they can take a pre-dose as a preventative.

Outside of dungeons, some pokemon will use chesto berries to stay awake for one reason or another. Sometimes, the powder is applied to food or drink, but due to the dry flavor of chesto berries, it can cause some drinks to become more bitter. As well, over-dosage can happen on rare occasions, and precautions should be taken to avoid that.

Less commonly, chesto berries are sometimes preserved in syrup or sugar, or canned. This does not adversely effect their sleep preventing abilities, but it will limit the way they can be eaten.

 

Locations

Chesto berries grow best in cooler climates that get a steady amount of rain year-round. They’re one of the fastest-growing berries and can be harvested at almost any time of year, but due to the fact that young growth is susceptible to frost, it is not recommended to begin growing a crop in winter. Chesto plants also tend to bloom late in the season, so a late frost can mean losing an entire batch. Full sunlight is also a factor in their growth, which is why the Mist continent struggles to grow abundant crops. The air and water continents have perhaps the biggest orchards, due to their great growing climate.

Even with these growing hazards in mind, the wide use of chesto berries has caused them to be grown more than almost any berry other than orans. With such a large supply and competitive supplier market, cost has been driven decently low. The Mist, Air and Water continents have some of the cheapest prices, with prices having reached as low as 12 poke. The Sand continent, on the other hand, suffers from the price of importing, and has seen prices as high as 50. The Grass continent tends to land somewhere in the middle.

When looking for bushes in the wild, the chesto bush can bush can be identified by its bright pink leaves and white flowers. Unfortunately, this description is very similar to the oran berry, but it is important to note chesto leaves are a more vibrant pink, and their flowers are larger.

 

1.1.5 Pecha Berry

Overview

Although there are several hindering ailments that could cause you trouble in a dungeon, poison is perhaps the deadliest. Unlike most other ailments, poison will not go away on its own. Left untreated for too long, poison can cause permanent damage to the body, or even death. Although there are a handful of treatments available, including heal seeds and the coveted reviver seed, the cheapest and easiest treatment available comes in the form of the pecha berry.

At only four cutiefly marks long, pecha berries are known for being relatively small. Pecha berries can be easily recognized by their heart shape and pink, spotted skin. The skin is covered in soft, thin fuzz. Extremely soft to the touch, pecha flesh is juicy and just slightly sweet. The inside has a pinkish-yellow color, similar in color to the outside splotches. It is important to note that there is no pit inside, and instead only a small seed.

At some point in history, it is believed that the pecha berry was closely related to the peach, a fruit with mild healing properties. Interestingly though, besides the effects being weak, peaches had one other big problem: the pit, which took up the majority of the fruit, was poisonous. It is speculated that through years and years of selective breeding, the pecha berry was derived from this fruit, strengthening the anti-toxin properties while also shrinking the pit. As it stands, the pecha berry only has a single small seed in the middle, which is nowhere near as dangerous as its supposed ancestor.

 

Uses

Every toxin is different. Some are only poisonous if inhaled, like a bulbasaur’s poison powder. Others, like the poison of a sludge attack, can be absorbed through the skin. Depending on the severity of the poison, it may only take contact on the skin, or it may have to enter through cuts and abrasions. Regardless, it is important to wash off any poisonous residue as soon as possible.

The third, and possibly most dangerous type of poison comes in the form of the venom that several pokemon produce. Injected directly into the bloodstream, this type of poisoning can kill much faster in some cases. Although an anti-venom can be derived, pechas are known to cure all types. Still, it is wise to visit a healer as soon as possible, even after using a pecha, to make sure all toxins have been dealt with.

Like most of the basic berries, pechas are typically most useful when ingested. However, in the case of venom injections, applying pecha juice to the entry wound can help in a pinch, since it allows the berry’s healing juices to enter the bloodstream directly, hopefully counteracting the venom. Eating the berry is still recommended, however.

Despite being primarily used for medicinal purposes, pechas are still often used in cooking. Due to their sweet nature, they are often used for baking sweet dishes. They can also be canned and preserved for later use, extending their shelf life at the cost of some effectiveness.

Though uncommon, sometimes the wood of a pecha plant is used as a ward against ghost types. The effectiveness of this use is debatable.

 

Locations

Although the pecha berry can be found on all continents, particularly in dungeons, they grow the best on the Air continent, and in the mountainous parts of the Grass continent. Pecha Berries grow best in cool, dry locations, and require a certain amount of frosty days to initially bloom. Northwind Field, in particular, is notable for having pecha berries.

In the wild, pecha plants can be identified by their large, blue-purple leaves. They’re also known to bloom with large, white flowers. One should be careful, however, if they come across a pecha plant with red, rubbery-looking leaves. These plants have been infected with a fungus, and any berries they produce are likely to be affected.

Despite being native to the Air continent, pecha berries were sold at a fairly high price there for some time, going for as much as 80 poke for a single berry. Fortunately, advancements in growing crops for heal seeds and reviver seeds on the Mist continent have helped drive down the price. Now days, even on non-native continents, pecha berries can be found for less than 20 poke, and rarely for as low as 10. At a price like that, and considering their utility, there is no reason not to stock up on these valuable items.

 

1.1.6 Aspear Berry

Overview

Similar to paralysis, becoming frozen by a pokemon’s attack can make one an easy target. Frozen in place and barely able to move, it leaves you at the mercy of any passing ferals. But there are other dangers that one wouldn’t have from paralysis. Becoming frozen runs the risk of frostbite or death, depending on how long the victim is frozen. In a warmer climate, where the ice will melt fast, typically you can get out with little harm. But in cold environments it often takes longer for the ice to melt. Grass-types or coldblooded pokemon like scraggy or kecleon are particularly susceptible. If you are one of these pokemon, or if you foresee yourself visiting a cold climate in particular, carrying at least one aspear berry is recommended.

A sour berry that originates from and thrives in colder climates, the aspear berry is a dense berry with a thin, hard skin. Plants can be recognized by their distinctive, dark red leaves, while the berries themselves have bright yellow skin and small, green, ring-like marks. They’re relatively small, measuring only five cutiefly measures, and very fragrant. If wanting to store them for later use, it’s best to store them in a cold, dry location. It can be hard to find appropriate long-term storage, but most larger kangaskhan storage locations hire ice-type pokemon to regulate cold storages.

With a rich flavor, they’re often eaten as is when not used for their effects, but there are some cooking applications.

 

Uses

Similar to the chesto berry, aspear berries must be used before being frozen, as it is rather hard to heal oneself when you’re already frozen. Unlike the chesto berry, however, the aspear berry will only protect you from one or two attacks in that time period. This effect can last for up to half a day. If a pokemon is not totally frozen over by an attack, another pokemon may be able to help by feeding the victim berry pulp, but due to the circumstantial use of this method, using the berry as a preventive instead of as a cure is always recommended.

Aspear berries are rarely preserved or used in cooking; due to high water-content, they do not typically work well in pies and jams. They are, however, occasionally used in sauces to add a slightly sour flavor. Most commonly, though, they are served raw.

In several parts of the world, aspear berries are often given as gifts due to historically being seen as a luxury. More on that in the locations section. In particular, they’ve been gifted to important guests. Modern growing techniques have lowered the cost, but this tradition has managed to stay.

On the other hand, traditionally on the Mist continent, gifting an Aspear berry to a loved one has a negative connotation. Due to reasons lost to time, but believed to date back to the Era of Humans, giving your loved ones an aspear berry signifies that you wish to not see them again.

 

Locations

Aspear berries grow best in relatively cold climates. Perhaps unsurprisingly, due to its natural resistance to the cold, the berry trees can survive well below freezing. The tree will bloom in mid-spring, bearing fruit shortly thereafter. As a result, the berries are most commonly grown on the Mist and Air continents, though can be found occasionally on the Water continent. The Grass and Sand continents climates struggle to grow the berries, leading to higher prices there.

Still, they are considered a bit of a luxury, compared to the other utility berries, and as a result tend to sell for around 15 poke on average on the Mist and Air continents. The Water continent price runs a bit higher, and the Sand and Grass continents often charge as much as 70 poke per berry and have historically charged even more. Though frustrating, ice-type ferals are admittedly less common in those regions, and most pokemon that regularly dungeon dive can afford a Lapras Ferry membership, making it often cheaper to just pick them up while traveling abroad.

In the wild, aspear trees have been known to grow in Frosty Forest and at the base of Mt. Freeze on the Air continent, as well as scattered throughout Northwind Field. On the Mist continent, berries can be found around the Freezing Pillar, as well as near the northern Glacier Sea in general.

Despite knowing several locations, we do not recommend the reader go out and forage for aspear berries; many of these locations, particularly Northwind Field and Frosty Forest, are locations known territories for powerful pokemon. On a good day, one may pass unhindered. But on others, well, there are legends of pokemon disappearing in those regions for a reason.

 

1.1.7 Rawst Berry

Overview

Although less dangerous than most other ailments, burns can still leave an adventurer in a sticky situation. Depending on the severity, the pain from a burn can both weaken an explorer, making it harder to launch attacks at maximum efficiency, and slowly eat at their stamina. Bad enough burns have been known to lead to death in some situations. With how easy it is to treat burns, though, one would be foolish to not travel with at least one rawst berry.

Rawst plants grow low to the ground, recognizable by their pink leaves. Pale purple, almost white flowers bloom in the spring and soon give way to green, unripe berries. As the berries ripen, they turn blue, and the leaves on the end of the blooming stem turn green and start to curl. At this time the fruit is still a bit sweet but has no added effects. When the leaves are at their curliest, and the berry is a deep blue, it turns bitter, but it is at this point that they are usable to treat burns. The berries are fairly firm, are also easy to chew and only have a very thin skin. On average, rawst berries measure about 3 cutiefly measures long, but the largest known was almost 12 cutiefly measures.

Interestingly, there has been debate over whether the rawst berry should be classified as a berry, as its seeds are on the outside of the edible fruit, as opposed to inside like most berries. Despite this, most agree that it is best to continue being classified as a berry, due to its unusual special effect of treating burns in a timely manner. And it is because of this effect that the berries are recommended, especially if traveling to any area with any sort of volcanic activity.

 

Uses

As mentioned in the overview, the rawst berries most common use is for treating burns. Popular myth suggests mashing the berry to a pulp and placing the pulp onto the burns. But this is actually not recommended, unless the burn victim is unable to ingest the berry. Although the berry will still heal the burn fairly quickly when applied outside, it also runs the risk of causing infection. Only pure inorganic, mineral based pokemon, such as geodude, nosepass, or beldam are safe from this type of issue (though they have their own risks). Ingesting the berry will begin to heal the burn just as fast, if not faster, than applying pulp directly to the wound.

In some parts of the world, particularly on the Mist and Grass continents, rawst berries were traditionally used to help pokemon in a depressive state. Although typically not used as a treatment these days, since there are more effective methods, there are still pokemon that hold to the belief that they’re a natural cure.

Like most berries, rawst berries are also used in cooking. Preserving, jamming, or drying the berries to help them last longer at the cost of effectiveness is common. In some of the bigger towns with cafes that carry miltank milk products, rawst berries with cream and sugar are a fairly common treat. Occasionally they are used as a garnish for cakes and pastries, but their bitter causes less use than other berries.

 

Locations

Rawst berries grow best in a warm environment that gets a lot of sunlight. As a result, they are most commonly grown on the Grass and Sand continents, and almost never on the Mist continent. To get the best yield, the berries should be harvested every other day. Once considered a luxury, the berries have sold for as much as 150 poke some areas, such as the Air continent. Now days you could purchase a dozen for the same price in most regions. (The Mist continent, unfortunately, continues to sell for as much as 50 poke per berry, though local businesses have been working hard to secure deals that would lower prices in the area.)

A single rawst berry plant can produce as much as 15 berries in a single growing season. Unfortunately, most plants only produce for two to three years, so replacements must be planted often. Keep this in mind if you wish to try growing your own.

Though rawst berries can be found scattered about all sorts of dungeons by teams that had to make an emergency exit, they typically grow in dungeons with wide-open fields. If you happen to be around Holey Meadow on the sand continent, consider stopping to find some berries. Otherwise, consider trying Lush Prairie or Tiny Meadow on the Grass continent.

 

1.1.8 Persim Berry

Overview

Confusion, though not particularly dangerous in most scenarios, is still one of the more annoying ailments. Confusion can cause a multitude of effects, including blurred or double vision, nausea, and dizziness. Other, more dangerous effects include an impaired sense of judgment and even temporary hallucinations, depending on what kind of confusion was caused (for example, a supersonic attack is more likely to cause dizziness and blurred vision, while a confuse ray tends to cause double vision or temporary hallucinations). Fortunately, nature has given us something to counteract these effects: the persim berry.

Measuring just shy of five cutiefly marks on average, this pale pink berry is a valuable asset; if you are traveling to any cave or any location where ghost pokemon are known to congregate, this guide recommends bringing at least one. After all, a confused teammate may accidentally turn on their allies.

Persim berries are rather firm, and have a thin, waxy outer skin. The flesh inside the berry is a pale white. Before it ripens, it has such a bitter taste that it is almost inedible. But after ripening, it becomes sweet and tangy, not bitter at all. Unripe berries are rather crispy, but once they have ripened, they soften and are easier to eat.

 

Uses

The primary use of persim berries is to combat confusion. Within the berry is a fast-acting ingredient that targets certain receptors in the brain, inhibiting overstimulated receptors, returning them to normal. However, if the receptors are normal, it can dull the senses instead. As a result, raw persim berries should not be used on someone who is not already confused except in certain special cases.

Though they have a relatively short shelf life, persim berries can be dried out at a very low heat without affecting their ability to inhibit the senses. As the berries are typically harvested in the fall, drying them typically allows them to last all the way into the summer.

There is a historical myth about the great beast Raikou that claims that persim berries can ward it off. However, there is no known evidence to support this, and the difficulty in finding Raikou makes it impossible to test.

If not being used for their healing properties, persim berries should be cooked before consuming, as the inhibiting agent can be cooked out. Persims are often used in puddings and other baked goods but can be baked by themselves to help draw out the sweetness.

Besides that, the leaves are sometimes used to flavor drinks.

 

Locations

Persim berries are most often grown in the central parts of the Water and Air continents. As the plants are particularly known to need pollinators, they can most often be found in areas near meadows. The Vespiqueen Monarchy of Nectar Meadow are particularly known for growing them on the outskirts of the dungeon and exporting them to other areas. Townships near this mass growing area are fortunate to be able to purchase the berries for as little as 15 poke per berry. Other areas where they can be found in abundance might be able to find the berries for around 30 to 40 poke, but on other continents the berries still tend to go for 80 to 100 poke. Work is being done to drive down this price, but it is slow work.

If you are hoping to harvest some berries in a dungeon, keep an eye out tall plants with vibrant blue leaves. When in bloom, the flowers will be a very pale green. The berries themselves will start pale pink, but will turn more and more vibrant as they get closer to ripeness and the more they’re in the sun. Be warned though, when they become overripe, they will begin to turn a dark black on the outside.

 

1.1.9 Leppa Berry

Overview

Out of all the basic berries, the leppa berry is interestingly one of the least carried, and even the one of the least recommended berries. Despite being the only berry known to perk up a pokemon’s energy levels, allowing them to draw more power from the Life of the World (a tentative name this guide’s writer uses to explain the phenomena of elemental energy that pokemon are able use), its job is done far better by ethers and elixirs. More on that below.

Despite this, leppa berries are nice to have in a pinch. And as an instrumental ingredient in the aforementioned items, the cost of leppa berries has been driven extremely low. And as a result, they may be worth purchasing if the latter are unavailable or out of your price range.

Measuring just shy of three cutiefly measures on average, leppa berries can be recognized by their distinct red and tan pattern. The top half of the berry is a bright red, typically with two leaves growing from the stem. If not for their size, they could easily be mistaken for an apple. In fact, leppa berries and apples may even be distantly related, but that is a discussion that would take up far too many pages here.

The brightly colored skin itself is only a thin outer layer, with a pale interior. Leppa berries are very firm and crunchy, but also quite juicy when bit into. Most pokemon agree that the smaller ones taste better. Some orchards that will not employ certain pokemon. And grass-type pokemon susceptible to these diseases that work in leppa orchards are required to have frequent checkups to check for disease. Whether or not either of the preventative measures do anything is debatable and, in some areas, have called into question the hiring processes of these orchards.

 

Uses

The most common use for leppa berries is as an energy booster. Dungeon diving can be grueling work on its own, and battles can be particularly exhausting. While an oran berry heals the body, the leppa berry restores stamina, allowing you to keep going. Ingesting even a single leppa berry can be enough to give the body that final push it needs.

Unfortunately, the leppa berry by itself can be one-upped by many others. While we will not go into the details of ether and elixir creation in this section, know that the leppa is a key component in the drinks, and that the drinks both enhance the energy restorative abilities of the leppa berry.

Other than that, leppa berries are sometimes dried out for preservation purposes, or substituted for apples as a baking ingredient. They can be cooked down into a tasty sauce, as well.

 

Locations

Leppa berries grow best in temperate, full sun environments. They need a certain amount of rain and chilly days, without being too chilly. As a result, they are typically grown in the midlands of the Air, Water, and Grass continents. There also needs to be more than one leppa plant growing in a single area, for them to be able to produce the berries. As a result, due to the constantly shifting nature of dungeons, there are very few dungeons where large quantities of leppas have been spotted. The most notable exception is the apple woods on the grass continent.

The plants can be identified by their extremely pale pink, almost white leaves. The blooming flowers are even paler in comparison, though they have a bright yellow center.

Prior to the creation of the elixir, leppa berries often went for anywhere from 100 to 125 poke, depending on the location, with a record high of 150 on the sand continent. The elixir’s creation drove that price down to an average of 50 poke per berry, and the ether’s more recent creation brought the price even lower. Now, leppa berries can be purchased for anywhere from 10 to 20 poke. Prices are typically lower in the late spring or early summer, close to their natural harvest season.

 

1.1.10 Lum Berry

Overview

Every berry covered so far in this section has only served one purpose in dungeons. Either they heal the body, they restore stamina, or they heal a single type of ailment. There is one berry, though, that is able to heal any ailment, a catchall that is all too valuable to the any pokemon that travels regularly: the lum berry.

At about three and a half cutiefly measures, the lum berry is on the smaller side of the utility berries. The outside of the berry is bright green and waxy, while the inside transitions from green to a dark, golden color near the center seed. It is important to note that the central seed has the same healing abilities as the rest of the lum berry, and as a result should not be tossed away. When lum berries are used for other purposes, such as cooking, the pits are typically saved and sold separately as heal seeds. More information on heal seeds can be found in section 2.1.

The flavor of a lum berry is rather difficult to describe. It is fairly smooth, with the only notable mention being its lack of an astringent, sour flavor. When opened, the fruit is divided into four wedges. Due to their nature as a heal all, and historically being difficult to grow, lum berries have continuously been the most expensive of the basic berries to purchase. Because of these limitations, we recommend the lum berry only to pokemon that expect to travel through several varied areas where multiple ailments might be a concern.

 

Uses

As expected, the primary use of lum berries is as a cure all for various ailments. It’s been known to cure poisoning, burns, confusion, and paralysis, but a bit of juice under the tongue can help wake a sleeping pokemon and eating it can help defrost partially frozen pokemon. The berry should be eaten one wedge at a time until symptoms disappear. Typically, it will take all four wedges to heal an ailment, but it is better to save some of the extra if it isn’t needed.

If the injured pokemon has no way to consume the berry, or if they have fallen unconscious, berry pulp can still be applied to the burn or the poison point of entry, but this method should only be used as a last resort for the same reasons as are mentioned in sections 1.5 and 1.7.

Lum berries are, interestingly, one of the berries most commonly made into a wine, but as stated before, we will not be covering that process in this guide. Their juices are actually one of several ingredients in ginseng drinks, but this only makes up a very small amount of lum berry consumption. Other than that, lum berries are often pickled for a quick treat or to help preserve them. Drying them is another common preservation tactic.

 

Locations

Lum berries have very specific growing conditions. If an area is too dry, the berries will drop off before they’re edible. If it’s too wet, the berries will rot. These limitations and the demand for the berries have historically driven their price quite high: prices as high as 400 poke for a single berry have been recorded, with just the seeds still going for 250. Recent advancements that have increased the yield have brought prices down to just 80 poke per berry. Still expensive in comparison to other utility berries, but not nearly as bad as it used to be. Still, the only pure lum orchard is on the Water Continent, meaning prices may still be higher in other areas.

In the wild, lum plants can be identified by their long stems, large, curly, indigo leaves, and pale pink flowers with a green center. Small blossoms will cover the branches, but only a relatively small percentage of those blooms will reach maturity as a berry.

Our only recommendation when looking for the berries in the wilds is to keep a close eye out for a plant in any forested dungeon.

 

1.1.11 Oren Berry

Overview

There is no sugarcoating the fact that oren berries should be avoided at all costs. There are several berries that fall into the “lookalike” category, but none are as hard to distinguish as the orans and orens are. It is because of these similarities that we have chosen to include them in the basic berry section.

From the outside, oren berries look exactly like orans. They have a dark blue peel, measure about three cutiefly measures, and grow on trees with pale peach leaves. There are two distinctions, though. Instead of the white flowers, oren berry trees bloom bright red. The inside of the berry is also bright red. Because of this, one should always peel an oran berry before eating it. If you are a mon that deals with colorblindness, or otherwise has a limited range of vision, please be cautious when using an oran berry, in case of a mix up.

Sometimes oren berries get mixed in with merchant wares, usually on accident. Cases of selling an oren berry will be handled by the leading organized force on the continent: the Pokemon Rescue Organization on the Air continent, the Exploration Team Federation on the Grass continent, HAPPI on the Mist continent, the Expedition Society on the Water continent, and the Desert Search and Rescue Association on the Sand continent. The first infraction will be handled with a small fee. After that, there is a warning period. If another one is sold in that period, a hefty fine will be placed. After a third case, the infringing business will be shut down. The only partial exception to this rule is the Kecleon Trading Company. Because the Kecleon Trading Company specializes in selling even in remote locations, the business will only be temporarily shut down. The Kecleon working that station will then need to be replaced or be able to defend themselves and prove that they have been framed.

The deeper details of this process can be found in each of these organizations’ handbooks.

 

Uses

The only currently known use for oren berries is as a poison. A single berry is typically not enough to kill most pokemon, but young and weaker pokemon are likely to be susceptible. For most pokemon, a single berry will just suffer from an upset stomach, similar to a case of food poisoning. We still don’t recommend eating them. If a young or ill pokemon has eaten an oren, or if several oren berries have been ingested, eat a pecha berry to counteract the poison as quickly as possible, as well as an oran berry, sitrus berry, or energy seed. Then get to a healer pokemon. A healer pokemon should always be contacted regardless, but it’s even more important if you have no healing items on hand.

If, for some reason or another, you cannot visually tell the difference between an oran and an oren after peeling, the taste is typically an indicator. While orans are known specifically for not being sweet despite rumors, the oren berry is almost sickly sweet. If you bite into an oran berry and it tastes sweet, spit it out immediately! If you cannot taste sweetness and you’re not able to see the difference, please check with at least one other pokemon before eating.

 

Locations

Oren berries can grow in almost any climate, but they are particularly abundant on the grass continent. Because of this, one should always be careful when picking oran berries up in a dungeon. Many kecleon will not buy back orans, especially on the Grass continent, due to the liability of mistakenly selling an oran.

To counteract the accidental sale of orens, many Kecleon Trading Company stands have begun employing pokemon with special vision, such as luxray, to screen oran berries for any orens that may have gotten mixed in. This service isn’t available everywhere at this time, but little by little, changes are being made.