After waking up, Maki lay in bed for a while longer before finally getting up, only to be immediately taken on a tour of the island by Mohn.
It seemed that after being alone for so long, Mohn was eager to finally see another living person.
"This area here is where I specifically set aside to grow Berries. The Oran Berries you just ate were cultivated right here," Mohn said, pointing to a vast orchard not far away. The area was filled with Berry trees, and thanks to the excellent soil quality, abundant sunlight, and optimal temperature conditions, the Berries produced here were of exceptionally high quality.
Of course, this was likely due to Alola's natural advantages as well—Berries grown in Alola were generally of superior quality.
"The only problem is that this place is too big. If I plant too many at once, there's no way I can manage everything on my own," Mohn admitted with a troubled expression.
Maki looked toward the distance and noticed even more undeveloped land. Indeed, expecting Mohn to single-handedly manage such a massive area was practically a death sentence for him.
"If you don't mind, I think I could lend a hand," Maki offered with a smile. After all, he was going to be staying on this island for quite some time.
Sponging off someone for free didn't sit well with Maki's principles, so if he could help out, he was more than willing to.
"That would be amazing! I've been stressing over how I could handle everything by myself, so having your help would be a lifesaver."
Their ideas aligned perfectly, and the two clapped their hands together, laughing in agreement.
"So, you've been managing all of this on your own this entire time? Why not catch a few Pokémon that could help you out?" Maki asked curiously.
It hadn't been long since he arrived on this island, but he had already noticed that aside from being an excellent place for growing Berries, it was also teeming with wild Pokémon. Of course, that was probably related to the abundance of Berries.
Hearing this, Mohn scratched his head.
"I've thought about that, but Pokémon that are good at this kind of work aren't exactly easy to deal with. And I don't have any Pokémon of my own… Besides, this amount of land is still manageable for me, and the Berries I grow are enough for my needs, so I figured it wasn't worth the trouble."
"Uh… Speaking of which, what exactly are you growing all these Berries for?"
Maki suddenly realized something. While these Berries were definitely valuable, this was a remote island—there was no way to transport them anywhere, and if they just sat around, they'd eventually rot.
"Oh, I usually share them with the Pokémon here. As for me, I just eat Oran Berries now and then. The rest are for them," Mohn said casually.
Sure enough, as they walked along, Maki spotted several Caterpie clinging to the branches of Oran Berry trees, munching away. Mohn had no intention of chasing them off.
"Wow… that feels kinda excessive," Maki muttered, his mouth twitching slightly. As a self-proclaimed amateur Breeder, even though these weren't his Berries, he still felt a pang of distress. Wasn't this a complete waste? High-quality Berries just being fed to bugs?!
"I mainly grow them to keep myself occupied. Otherwise, they'd just go to waste anyway, so I might as well let the Pokémon have them," Mohn explained.
Alright. Maki realized he had been thinking too small.
As they continued walking, Maki's gaze eventually settled on a towering tree, over ten meters high. However, instead of a normal trunk, its base was formed from thick, intertwined vines.
The fruit hanging from this tree was also quite different from regular Berries—they were heart-shaped and much larger in size. Just one of these fruits was about the size of two or three of Maki's fists combined.
"Oh, right! Since you're not from Alola, you probably don't know about this. This is a specialty of the Alola region—you won't find these anywhere else!" Mohn teased, as if he were deliberately trying to build suspense.
But Maki answered immediately.
"Poké Beans, right?"
Maki was well aware of this Alolan specialty. Not only did he know about it, but back when he was with Team Rocket, he had even seen them in person.
After all, Kanto had developed a certain level of trade relations with Alola, so it was inevitable that some of these items would find their way into the region.
And as the most powerful underground organization in Kanto, there was no way Team Rocket wouldn't get their hands on something like this.
Poké Beans functioned similarly to Berries, but there were also major differences.
In a way, Poké Beans were like a natural alternative to Pokéblocks, offering benefits far beyond those of ordinary Berries.
The only problem was their supply—Poké Beans had an incredibly low production rate. Compared to Berries, their yield was practically insignificant. Moreover, the conditions required to grow them were extremely strict, making large-scale cultivation nearly impossible.
This was why, despite Mohn's orchard being filled with Berry trees, there was only one tree producing Poké Beans. Even if he planted more, there was no guarantee they would grow.
Berries, on the other hand, were different. In a place like Alola, as long as you planted them, watered them, and added a bit of fertilizer, they would almost always thrive. The worst-case scenario was just a lower yield.
But Poké Bean trees? Even the slightest misstep in care, and the tree would simply wither and die.
Another issue with Poké Beans compared to Pokéblocks was their sheer size. A Caterpie could easily eat a Pokéblock, but stuffing a whole Poké Bean into its tiny mouth? That was just cruel.
Maki had seen Team Rocket conduct nutritional comparisons between Poké Beans and Pokéblocks, so he had a clear understanding of their differences.
Regular Poké Beans were roughly equivalent to standard Pokéblocks. Striped Poké Beans were slightly superior to mid-tier Pokéblocks. As for the rarest kind—Rainbow Poké Beans—even high-end Pokéblocks couldn't quite match them.
Poké Beans also had one distinct advantage over Pokéblocks: they worked for all Pokémon. There was no need to customize a formula for different species, making them incredibly convenient.
This was precisely why, despite their limited availability, Poké Beans remained highly sought-after in Alola—their effects spoke for themselves.
Maki looked up at the tree. There were quite a few Poké Beans hanging from its branches, but most of them were the common variety. He could barely spot any Striped Poké Beans among them.
Mohn glanced at the three Pokémon standing beside Maki. It seemed that since it had been so long since they last saw Maki, and they hadn't fully let their guard down yet, Mawile and the others were sticking close to him.
"You actually know about them?!"
Mohn looked stunned for a moment before displaying a surprised expression. He knew that Maki had ended up in Alola purely by accident and assumed he wouldn't be familiar with much about the region. He hadn't expected him to recognize Poké Beans—one of Alola's exclusive specialties.
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