A week has passed since Alex and the group took off from the base in Kanto, and they were already approaching the Alola region. The trip had been largely smooth sailing without any disturbance, given the altitude they were flying. They were too high for any random Master ranked Pokémon on the ground or in the water to reach and were traveling fast enough to deter battles with Flying type Pokémon.
During that time, they mostly relaxed in light, casual clothing to get into the beach vibe, including thin dresses, bikinis, and skirts, while taking in the scenery. It was the most entertaining feature of their travels so far. Even when all they could see was the blue of the sea on one side of the common area and the blue of the sky on the other, they would occasionally spot lone islands or Pokémon that caught their interest.
Alvera was having a blast, taking pictures of migrating flocks of Swellow, Jumpluff, and Pelipper. She even managed to snap a very rare kaleidoscope of Butterfree. This particular group likely had much stronger wings, allowing them to migrate over vast oceans while being carried by the wind.
She also took powerful solo shots of Champion ranked Dragonite, Gyarados, and Pidgeot hunting in the open ocean, scanning for prey to dive on. These were less impressive overall, but she couldn't exactly pick and choose her own subjects given her restraints. It made her want a Flying type Pokémon of her own now that she had seen a new environment to work with apart from forests and mountains.
After posting her new photos on her blog, she was greeted by a wave of new fans, all excited to finally see an update. The images were rare enough to breathe new life into her blog, letting her rebuild momentum and add fresh entries to her gallery. Of course, her popularity had died down, but it was still significantly better than before the Zapdos incident. She now had genuine fans who appreciated and followed her photography.
Alex, meanwhile, spent most of his time attending to the girls one after another. It was a well-deserved vacation after spending months away from them in Galar. With his room reinforced to Champion rank standards, there was ample time, space, and reason for such activities.
In his quieter moments, he too looked out the window in amazement, struck by how large the world was. Geographically speaking, the Pokémon world was similar to the Earth he had come from, with more landmasses present in this world. The trip from Kanto to Alola was therefore similar to a flight from Japan to Hawaii over the Pacific Ocean, the difference being the sheer size of the planet.
It took about 7 hours to fly from Japan to Hawaii, but here it takes 7 days. It was easy to calculate that the Pokémon world was 24 times larger than Earth, but taking into account that the airship was flying even faster than a regular airbus, it was plain to see it was far far larger. It was a wonder filled world that he hadn't even managed to scratch the surface of despite having visited the majority of the regions under the Pokémon League.
Thinking about it, he could spend the rest of his time exploring uncharted lands, visiting other governments, or seeing the entire world, needing only a bit of initiative to begin. But for now, he was more focused on gaining strength.
Everything else could come after he managed to reach the known peak of the world. At that point, he would have all the time, strength, and resources to explore to his heart's content, assuming that was truly what his heart wanted.
"The airship will soon be arriving at its first scheduled stop," Rotom announced over the intercom.
"We're already in Alola?" Alvera exclaimed beside Alex, the pair enjoying some father-daughter bonding near the window. "It takes me a month to go from one city to another on foot, and a month to go to the Sevii Islands from Kanto and back on a yacht, and you're telling me it only takes a week to go from Kanto to Alola on this airship?"
"We're flying pretty fast," Alex said without moving from his comfortable seat. "You can thank Rhea for managing to fix up and upgrade the gift Team Dominion gave us."
Alvera scoffed, knowing exactly what her father meant. He had a penchant for getting into trouble without caring about the consequences. It was amazing he was still alive after running around and pissing people off. Her own short journey alone proved he actively sought out trouble, given that she hadn't encountered any criminals at all during an entire year of travel.
"Anyway, I'm guessing we'll be at Akala soon?" Alvera said.
"Why would you say that?" Alex asked.
"Because Akala is where Malia and Nohea live, and it's also the most tourist friendly island in the region."
Akala Island had multiple settlements and the largest tourist population, largely because of the Hano Grand Resort. In addition, there was also plenty of nature for tourists to enjoy, from lush forests to scenic coastlines.
"No, we're not going there yet. We have a short stop before heading there."
"Where?"
"Poké Pelago."
"The trainer-Pokémon only archipelago? What are we doing there?"
"We'll be stopping by to drop off our Pokémon."
"Why?"
"Since we're heading to Alola for a vacation, it would only be fair that they get to relax away from us as well. Also, my Pokémon might have been overtrained during our stay in the Galar region, so they deserve some downtime."
"Isn't that dangerous? What would happen if we're attacked by Champion ranked trainers?" Alvera asked with justified concern.
"You need Pokémon to defend yourself?" Alex asked, raising a brow.
"Um… I guess not."
Not only was Alvera trained in mixed martial arts and shooting, she was also heavily equipped with Rhea's exosuit, capable of allowing her to fight a Champion ranked Pokémon in hand to hand combat. There was no reason for her to be unable to defend herself.
"Besides, we're not leaving all of them," Alex added. "We'll only leave those who want a vacation while keeping those who don't. Except Mantine, who will act as our transportation, and Nyx's Rotom, who will defend the airship."
"You don't think they deserve a vacation?" Alvera teased.
"Mantine hasn't been training as much as the others, so he deserves this punishment, not that he minds since he gets to sightsee the region. As for Rotom, do you really think they'd be comfortable without access to technology?"
"Good point."
Soon, a group of five islands came into view, with a floating platform at their center. From above, the formation resembled a five-petaled flower.
As the airship slowly descended, they could make out a large beanstalk forest on one island, a berry forest on another, a rocky island filled with mountains, an open field dotted with training equipment and battling Pokémon, and a hot spring island with steam rising into the air. It looked like a paradise for anyone, not just Pokémon. Then again, there was absolutely no technology anywhere.
"The airship has completed its water landing. Passengers may now proceed to the yacht," Rotom announced.
Everyone hurried down to the wet docking bay and climbed onto the Azure Voyager with all their Pokémon. They then set out over the water, cruising toward the lone floating platform with a respectable building at the center of the islands.
After docking, they disembarked and were greeted by a middle-aged man with a slightly rugged appearance, short, somewhat tousled gray hair, light stubble along his jaw, and an average but sturdy build.
"Hello, and welcome to Poké Pelago," he greeted. "My name is Mohn, and I take it you're the Watsons?"
"That's us," Alex said. "We're here to leave our Pokémon."
"Excellent. Just release them here. They're free to choose any island they like and explore as much as they want."
Everyone released their Pokémon, instantly filling the entire platform with over a hundred of them. The majority belonged to Alex, though the girls also contributed a sizable number of their own. Each of them had at least six Pokémon in their teams, making the collective presence on the dock feel dense and chaotic.
Especially notable were Alex, Lyra, Mika, Sable, and Clarissa's Champion ranked Pokémon, whose combined aura pressed heavily across the surroundings, unsettling the islands' inhabitants.
"Whoa!" Mohn exclaimed. "Quite the lineup you've got there. Now I'm sure you've all been briefed, but make sure your Pokémon play nice. No bullying, teasing, stealing, or killing. They're only allowed to fight if both parties consent, and apart from that they can pretty much do or eat as they want, so long as they don't bother the other inhabitants."
The Pokémon all nodded, seemingly accepting the rules, before bolting from the platform, leaving only a handful behind. These were the ones who, at the last minute, decided not to go after seeing the islands.
Included among them were Gardevoir, Gothitelle, and Espeon, who stuck close to Alex like glue, unwilling to leave him. There was also Alex's Rotom, Aegislash, and Ditto, who chose to stay behind and protect him.
All of the girls' Pokémon, however, had already left, eager to explore a new environment beyond the base, while Sable and Clarissa's Pokémon were simply looking forward to a break from mining and training.
Alvera, meanwhile, was surprised that only her Aegislash and Rotom remained, with Rotom settling back into her exosuit vambrace as its preferred host. It seemed the others had opted for a break from her, likely after an entire year of nonstop training together every single day.
"How am I supposed to take pictures of nests now?" Alvera complained.
"Sounds like you need to work on your stealth," Alex replied, patting her shoulder.
With their business done, the group returned to the yacht and then back onto the airship before taking off. Their new destination being Akala Island.