"I just happened to hear someone mention it once, but I've never actually seen it in person." Maki had to tell a small lie for now—he couldn't exactly say that not only had he seen it, but he'd even eaten it before. The taste? Nothing special. Just about acceptable for human consumption.
Hmm, at least according to Silver, compared to his initial reaction when trying Pokéblocks for the first time, this was much better. It shouldn't be considered bad-tasting.
But Pokémon seemed to really enjoy the taste of Poké Beans, as if there was something special inside them that attracted them.
"I see." Mohn nodded, not particularly suspicious about this, then turned to Maki and said, "Then let me prepare some for your Pokémon to try. I'm sure they'll like them."
"Hmm… that tall, huh…?"
Maki looked up at the Poké Bean tree, which towered over ten meters high. A tree this tall—trying to pick its fruit without the help of a Flying-type Pokémon would be extremely difficult. Besides, this island didn't seem to have any tools available for the task.
But then, a method from the games for obtaining Poké Beans suddenly came to Maki's mind… No way, right?
Maki turned to Mohn with a curious look, as if to see how he would handle this.
Then, Mohn spread his hands in front of him, pressed them against one side of the tree trunk, and suddenly shook it vigorously.
"Hup!"
With Mohn's forceful shaking, over a dozen berries and beans fell from the tree all at once.
"Phew~ Normally, Toucannon and the others help me pick them, but since they're not here right now, this will have to do."
After shaking down the berries, Mohn let out a breath, then picked up a few and washed them in a wooden basin nearby before handing some to Maki.
As for why there happened to be a wooden basin there—that was a question for Mohn. But Maki figured it was probably because he liked to keep things clean. After all, even though the Poké Beans wouldn't be damaged from the fall, they still got a little dirty from landing on the ground.
"You're quite particular about this."
Taking the four beans Mohn handed over, Maki gave three of them to Mawile and the others, remarking on Mohn's thoroughness.
"I don't really know why, but I guess it's just a habit. Besides, washing them makes them more hygienic."
Mohn chuckled, then took a bite of the Poké Bean in his hand.
"Hmm… is that so?"
Maki grabbed one and took a big bite as well, and the three Pokémon followed his lead, eating alongside him.
The taste was pretty good—sweet and slightly sour. But Maki still preferred Oran Berries. His Pokémon, on the other hand, were thoroughly enjoying it; clearly, this type of food was more suited to their tastes.
At the same time, Maki was conflicted about one thing—whether or not to tell Mohn about his true identity. After thinking it over, Maki decided that if Mohn showed any willingness, he would give him a small hint.
"Mohn, do you have any memories of your past?" Maki asked directly.
Hearing this, Mohn shook his head.
"I do remember many things, like the Kanto region where you're from, but if you ask me how I know these things, I wouldn't be able to answer."
This was common for amnesiacs—knowledge-based memories remained intact. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be amnesia; it would be complete mental incapacity.
"Do you want to regain those memories?" Maki continued.
"I wouldn't say I don't, but honestly, I'm pretty content with my life here. If I can't recover them, I don't mind staying like this."
"But what if you still have family out there?"
"Family…?" Mohn lowered his head, lost in thought. It seemed like he had never really considered this before. But Maki's question made him hesitate—he wasn't sure how to respond.
The word "family" hadn't crossed his mind in who knows how long. When he first woke up here, he occasionally thought about it, but as time passed and his memories showed no sign of returning, he gradually let go of the idea.
But now, Maki's words brought those thoughts back to the surface.
Because, from the way Maki spoke, Mohn felt like they had similar experiences—the only difference was that Mohn had lost his memories, while Maki had not. And that gave Mohn a sliver of hope.
Maybe there was a chance his memories could return?
But thinking realistically about his situation, there wasn't much reason to dwell on it. He couldn't even leave this island—wasn't it pointless to think about such things?
Or even if he did recover his memories, what could he do?
"For now, I think I'm fine like this." Mohn shook his head again, then smiled optimistically at Maki.
"Of course, if you're willing, could you look into it for me after you leave?"
"Of course." Maki nodded. From what he could see, Mohn didn't seem particularly eager to chase after his past or his identity. Naturally, Maki wouldn't force him to make that decision.
Or perhaps… it was best to leave that decision to Mohn's family—Lusamine.
In the Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon storyline, Mohn and Lusamine eventually reunited, but Mohn still had no memories of her or the Aether Foundation.
Seemingly not wanting to disrupt his current life, Lusamine neither forced him to stay nor mentioned anything about his past. She simply watched him leave in silence.
As for Lusamine herself, Maki had always felt a certain reluctance to interact with her. The uncertainty about whether the Lusamine of this world was more like her game counterpart or her anime counterpart made him hesitant.
If she was like the Lusamine from the anime, that would be fine—she was a true Pokémon protector, and her strained relationship with her children stemmed from misunderstandings.
But the Lusamine from the games… Maki would rather avoid dealing with her unless absolutely necessary. When playing through Sun and Moon, he found it hard to believe that the official Pokémon games included such a twisted character—her love for Pokémon had reached an obsessive and distorted level.
Still, since it was Mohn's request, Maki wouldn't mind visiting the Aether Foundation in the future… perhaps under a different identity. After all, considering Alola's significance, it was impossible that Team Rocket had no interest in it.
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