"Have something to eat first. This island doesn't have much else, but there's plenty of fruit."
"Th-thank you..."
With a weak voice, Maki accepted the fruit handed to him without hesitation and immediately took a bite. Though his mind was still in a state of confusion, his extensive experience in making Pokéblocks allowed him to instantly recognize the type of berry just from the taste.
Oran Berry. Though its restorative effect on Pokémon wasn't the best, its flavor was one of the few that both Pokémon and humans found palatable, making it a rare berry that humans could eat directly.
Maki struggled to prop himself up, leaning against the wooden wall behind the bed. As he took another bite of the Oran Berry, its juice accidentally dripped onto his collar.
Huh?
Maki paused the moment he bit into the berry. The taste was far better than any Oran Berry he had eaten before. Normally, Oran Berries tasted similar to regular fruits, just with the added effect of restoring stamina.
Not knowing how long he had been unconscious, Maki simply chalked it up to his hunger making the berry seem tastier.
After devouring three Oran Berries in quick succession, he still seemed unsatisfied, but the man stopped him.
"You shouldn't eat too much in your current condition. Besides, Oran Berries are already quite nutritious."
Maki nodded in agreement. After regaining some strength, he finally lifted his head to take a good look at the man.
The man wore an old, worn-out straw hat. His upper body was covered by a simple white shirt—the kind elderly men often wore in the summer. His lower half was dressed in green shorts, but the right leg of his shorts was noticeably shorter than the left, as if it had been torn for some unknown reason.
A kind smile spread across his face as he looked at Maki. His age seemed to fit the "elderly man" category.
Something about the man's appearance felt oddly familiar to Maki, but he couldn't quite recall where he had seen him before.
Suddenly remembering something, Maki reached for his belt and let out a sigh of relief.
His Poké Balls were all still there.
Without hesitation, Maki released his Pokémon.
"Cotton!"
"Charmeleon!"
"Mawile!"
The three Pokémon immediately rushed toward him as soon as they emerged. Cottonee floated around him in circles, as if checking to see if he was hurt.
Mawile and Charmeleon expressed similar concern.
Maki carefully examined them in return. Seeing how energetic they were, he felt reassured.
However, when his hand touched Dragonite's Poké Ball, his heart sank.
It was empty.
That meant he and Dragonite had been separated when they were pulled into the Ultra Wormhole.
Still, if he was fine, Dragonite was likely okay too. After all, its strength was more than reliable.
"Thank you for saving me. May I ask—where are we?"
Maki glanced around. The wooden house was extremely simple, lacking any traces of modern human technology. It looked as though it came straight from ancient times.
"Does a place like this still exist in the Kanto region?" he wondered. "It must be on some remote island or deep in the mountains."
Though he had no idea where he was, he subconsciously assumed he hadn't drifted too far. He still believed he was somewhere in Kanto.
"If you're asking me that…" The old man scratched his head. "I have no idea."
"Huh?"
"I woke up on this island just like you, with no memories of anything else." He chuckled, seeming unbothered by his own amnesia.
Maki was momentarily stunned. Memory loss?
After a brief moment of thought, he asked another question.
"Let me put it this way—this is still the Kanto region, right?"
Something about this situation felt off, but Maki asked just to be sure.
"Kanto… Oh, I remember! It's pretty far from Alola, right? Don't tell me you came from there?"
The old man tilted his head, looking at Maki with a puzzled expression.
"Al… Alola?"
Maki stammered.
No way… Had he drifted all the way to Alola?!
Ultra Wormholes, you've really outdone yourselves this time.
Judging from the man's expression, he had no reason to lie. Plus, few people in Kanto even knew about Alola, given the distance between the regions. The same could be said for Alolans regarding Kanto.
That made the man's identity rather intriguing. First, Maki found him oddly familiar. Second, he knew about Kanto, which suggested he wasn't just an ordinary person.
"Hmm… May I ask for your name?"
Given the circumstances, asking the name of his savior didn't seem out of place. It was also a chance to learn more about him.
"I may have lost my memories, but at least I still remember my name. Ahaha, you're actually the first person to ask me that on this island!" He pressed down on his worn-out straw hat, looking a little embarrassed.
"My name is Mohn. I suppose you could say this is my own little deserted island. Though there aren't many people here, I've been working hard to develop it! Are you interested in helping me out?"
Mohn…?
The legendary father-in-law?!
At that moment, everything clicked for Maki.
Not only did he now know the man's identity, but he also realized exactly where he was.
Mohn, or rather, Professor Mohn, was once the leading researcher on Ultra Space and Ultra Beasts. However, during an experiment involving an Ultra Wormhole, he mysteriously vanished.
More importantly, he held another significant role—he was Lusamine's husband, as well as Lillie and Gladion's father.
Yet, due to the effects of the Ultra Wormhole, he had lost all of his memories. This wasn't an isolated case, either—most people who entered an Ultra Wormhole and reappeared elsewhere ended up suffering from memory loss.
Maki didn't know why he hadn't lost his own memories, but he was certainly grateful. If he had, things would have been much more difficult.
Still, the situation wasn't exactly ideal.
Mohn's deserted island… But where in the world was it?!
With no way to leave and no sense of direction, even if he wanted to escape, he'd just be aimlessly drifting across the ocean.
And with Dragonite missing, Maki was completely on his own.
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