Was food from other regions expensive?
No.
In regions where agriculture was highly developed and cash crops yielded abundant harvests, people had long since begun demanding higher-quality food.
Grain that failed to meet their standards but suited Orre was imported there at extremely low prices.
So when Shan Ren learned that Baimu wanted to gather the wandering Wild Pokémon under his care and feed them out of his own pocket, he complained that Baimu should have discussed it with him first.
What a waste of money!
But cheap imports were one thing; being self-sufficient was another.
What region could afford to depend entirely on others for its food? Shan Ren had no desire to see Orre at someone else's mercy.
But Orre's soil was poor.
Now that Baimu had brought him two people with extraordinary abilities, Shan Ren could hardly contain his excitement. He barely reacted when Baimu said goodbye, too absorbed in discussing Orre's future with Barza and Meray.
The talk made Hoopa's head spin. It quietly followed Baimu, then sprang onto his face like a Facehugger just as he mounted his motorcycle to head for the Arena.
"Little White—"
"What are you... Never mind. You might as well come along."
Baimu pulled Hoopa off his face. Seeing it clasp its hands and plead with him, he thought for a moment and decided not to send it away.
"Hee-hee-hee~"
Delighted to get its way, Hoopa dove into the sidecar. But Shiny Gengar suddenly emerged from a shadow, its plump, barrel-shaped body squeezing Hoopa into a corner.
"Geh-hee-hee-hee!"
Gengar cackled at Hoopa, whose cheeks were squashed against its side.
Hoopa didn't get upset. It opened a Golden Ring beneath Gengar, dropping it through and sending it out above the Hover Motorcycle. Gengar landed butt-first on Baimu's head just as he