Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

The Alola region is composed of four large, resource-rich islands—Melemele Island, Akala Island, Ula'ula Island, and Poni Island—each blessed with warm tropical climate, and one artificial island: Aether Paradise.

Each island has its own guardian deity and at least one large beach. Alola is famously known as a resort destination, drawing tourists from all over the world.

Melemele Island, located in the northwest of Alola, is protected by the guardian Tapu Koko. Its southwestern region houses Hau'oli City, the largest city in Alola. To the southeast lies Melemele Sea and an extinct volcano on the shore. The northeast has elevated terrain and includes Kala'e Bay, one of Alola's top 100 scenic spots. Verdant Cavern, a trial site for the Island Challenge, is also located here.

Akala Island, in the northeast of the region, is watched over by Tapu Lele. The island features mostly flat terrain, with a volcano in the north, a terraced waterfall region in the northwest called Brooklet Hill, jungle in the south, and a peninsula in the southwest consisting of Diglett's Tunnel and Konikoni City. In the center sits Paniola Town, surrounded by ranches and grasslands. The island hosts three trial sites: Brooklet Hill, Wela Volcano Park, and Lush Jungle.

Ula'ula Island, located to the east, is the largest island in Alola and is guarded by Tapu Bulu. It contains the two tallest peaks in the region. Except for the elevated eastern deserts and Route 12's rugged terrain, the rest of the island is flat and full of towns. Its trial sites include the Hokulani Observatory and the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart.

Poni Island, in the west, is protected by Tapu Fini. Its central area is a vast canyon, with a forest in the southeast, plains to the east, and geysers to the south. The trial site here is Poni Canyon.

Alola, situated in the tropics, exudes a strong "southern paradise" vibe. However, Mount Lanakila on Ula'ula Island is cold due to its elevation.

Alola's unique climate allows berries to grow without soil. The region is known for its unpredictable weather—Po Town and the surrounding areas in the northwest of Ula'ula Island experience constant rain, Haina Desert bakes in daytime sun but suffers nighttime sandstorms, and even Exeggutor Island on Poni can see unexpected rain.

This special climate caused many Pokémon from Kanto to change appearance and even typing. These Alolan forms reflect their adaptations. The most dramatic example is Alolan Exeggutor, which developed an elongated neck and gained the Dragon type. Similarly, Alolan Vulpix and Sandshrew adapted to Mount Lanakila's cold by becoming Ice-types.

In preparation for his journey to Alola, Rex obtained detailed regional information through Professor Birch.

Indeed, most of the info on the Hoenn network was travel guides. The more specific data came from Professor Kukui in Alola, whom Birch contacted on Rex's behalf.

Rex planned to first visit Professor Kukui's lab upon arrival—something made possible by Birch's recommendation. Otherwise, it would've been hard for an outsider like him to get the attention of a Pokémon professor.

That said, Kukui couldn't help much with the Totem Aura, as his research focused primarily on moves, particularly the Z-Moves unique to Alola.

At this point in the timeline, Ash was still traveling in Sinnoh, and wouldn't be enrolling in the Alola school for a few more years. That meant the Alola Pokémon League hadn't been established yet. Local trainers still proved their strength through the Island Challenge.

Rex wasn't sure if he would participate in the Island Challenge himself. His main goal was to help Swellow awaken a Totem Aura and become a Totem Pokémon, shattering its biological limits.

Additionally, Rex hoped to obtain a Z-Ring and a few Z-Crystals, though he wasn't certain he'd be able to.

In the anime, protagonist Ash had received his Z-Ring directly from Tapu Koko, who personally forged it for him.

Thankfully, Rex had already made contact with Kukui through Professor Birch—giving him a strong local connection and lowering the chance of being rejected by Alola's more closed-off residents.

After all, Z-Rings and Z-Crystals were regional specialties, and Rex couldn't be sure whether the still-isolated locals would be friendly toward foreign trainers.

While Alola's integration with the greater Pokémon League was limited at this time, its trainers and Pokémon were by no means weak. In fact, with Z-Moves in play, underestimating them could easily result in defeat.

Not to mention the presence of four guardian deities—mythical-tier Pokémon in their own right—along with the fearsome Bewear and Ultra Beasts that had arrived through Ultra Wormholes. Rex figured it would be best to keep a low profile in Alola.

Before leaving, Rex made sure to inform a few familiar faces of his plans—such as Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy in Springleaf Town—so they wouldn't worry or search for him while he was away.

As for Rex Farm, he took care of a few things before departing. First, he gathered the Taillow and Poliwag eggs into the nursery so that Karen could sell them when the scheduled release date arrived.

He also arranged for Politoed to harvest the rare berries as they ripened and deliver them to Yuli and the others in their cottage, to prevent wild Pokémon from being drawn to the scent and invading the farm.

This time, Rex planned to bring only a select group of rapidly developing Pokémon along with Swellow.

According to his plan, besides Swellow, he would bring Combusken, Shiny Flaaffy, Chimchar, and Bagon.

Oh, right—he'd also be bringing Haunter, who usually hid in his shadow, and Jumpluff, who served as the team medic.

Rex had his reasons for this lineup. Most threats could be handled by Swellow alone, and if things got too dangerous, they could always escape using Swellow's speed.

The rest of the Pokémon were all in stages of rapid development. Alongside training, Rex wanted them to gain experience through diverse battles.

He firmly believed that actual combat was the fastest way to strengthen a Pokémon—and also sharpened their senses, preventing panic when facing formidable opponents.

Of course, when Combusken and the others learned that Rex was taking them on a journey, they were beyond excited.

(End of chapter)