The airship continued flying east for half a day before Alex and the group finally started seeing large landmasses in the distance. To the north was the lush island of Melemele, with the city sprawl of Hau’oli plain to see on its southwest side. To the south were the rocky canyons of Poni Island, with the Battle Tree standing to its north. Given that their destination was the southeast side of Akala Island, they still had another half day of travel before reaching it.

Early the next morning at dawn, they finally got a clear view of Akala Island, which was one third city sprawl on the west side, one third dense rainforest at the center, and one third volcanic region to the northeast. The southeast, however, was their destination, Hano Beach, the island’s most popular tourist spot.

“The airship will soon be arriving at its second scheduled stop,” Rotom announced over the intercom.

“We’re finally here!” Alvera cheered.

The girls and kids scrambled toward the docking bay and began climbing onto the yacht before Alex called them down.

“We’ll be taking Mantine from here.”

“Won’t we need the yacht to travel between the islands?” Vera asked.

“Mantine is more than enough for traveling on land and sea, while the airship is far more comfortable for island hopping. The yacht might be useful later for fishing, though.”

The group climbed down and waited to reach the correct elevation before the docking bay opened, revealing Hano Beach and its pristine white sand and gentle rolling waves. The shoreline stretched far into the distance, its wide arc fading toward the horizon even from their height.

On the western side, the beach was dense with visitors gathered near the main resort, while the eastern side was far more sparsely populated, bordered by private residences for the wealthy. Although the beach was open to the public, that stretch offered few amenities, making it less appealing for most visitors and naturally reducing tourist density.

Alex released Mantine, and they quickly climbed aboard before he began his descent. As Mantine glided downward toward the beach, they could already see the attention they were drawing from the beachgoers. The airship was a rare sight and large enough to be noticed from a distance, so the crowd’s gawking was hardly surprising.

“I see them!” Alvera shouted, pointing ahead.

On the section of the beach they were approaching stood a man with a muscular build and a noticeable dad bod, broad and solid but softened by comfort. Beside him stood a woman who carried herself with a natural, motherly allure, her curvy figure defined by a narrow waist, full chest, and rounded hips. Both had brown skin, black hair, and brown eyes.

It was Marlo and Leilani, standing near a long row of over 20 lounge chairs as they watched Alex and his group approach on a gigantic Mantine. Behind them, a cooking station had been set up, while a long table was covered with a generous spread of dishes. It seemed they were ready to receive their guests and give them a warm Alolan welcome.

Nearby, their daughters Malia and Nohea lounged in matching white bikinis with floral print sarongs tied loosely at their hips, doing little to cover their long legs. The twins shared their parents’ brown skin, black hair, and brown eyes, with long flowing hair and slim frames that mirrored their mother’s alluring physique. At 18, they were fully grown, the same as Alvera, and they weren’t afraid to show it.

Lastly, a young boy, around 8 years old, lingered close to the group. He was playing in the sand by himself, looking bored as he idly shifted it around. He stayed near the lounges, only occasionally glancing between the approaching figures and the shoreline.

Once Mantine landed on the beach and Alex and his family disembarked, Marlo was the first to step forward and greet him.

“Alola, friends! It’s nice to finally meet again after all these years. Is that the Mantyke you caught back then? What have you been feeding it?”

“Herba Mystica,” Alex said with a smile as he approached and shook Marlo’s hand before Marlo pulled him into a hug.

“Only you could afford such an expense, my friend,” Marlo said, releasing Alex before waving them over to the table. “Come, come. We’ve prepared breakfast for you with the best Alola has to offer.”

“Do you have malasada?” Alvera asked.

“Do we have malasada? Of course we have malasada. Ha ha ha,” Marlo laughed, his belly shaking. “We’ve got Sweet, Sour, Dry, Spicy, and Bitter. We’ve got all the Alcremie flavors, and we even have the elusive Mystic Malasada.”

Marlo led the way with Alex right beside him, while Leilani guided the young boy along as they met up with Vera, Iris, Kaia, Lyra, Mika, and Alex’s younger kids.

“This is Koa,” Leilani introduced. “He’s eight.”

“These are Kai, Lila, and Micah. They’re also eight. I bet the four of them would get along splendidly, don’t you agree?” Vera asked, turning to the children, who just nodded absently.

Meanwhile, the women didn’t miss Koa staring at Lila with wide eyes as a blush colored his cheeks. It seemed a childhood crush had just formed, though it appeared one-sided, as Lila was too distracted by the food to notice.

“Alvera!” Malia shouted as she ran up and hugged her, with Nohea following after. “We have to have a Pokémon battle! Our starters are at Expert rank now, and we even managed to complete Akala Island’s Grand Trial.”

“We’ll probably lose, though,” Nohea added. “You were already as strong as us when we first met. How many badges do you have from Kanto now?”

“I’m actually not an official trainer,” Alvera said. “I’m a photographer, and I can’t battle either because we left most of our Pokémon on Poké Pelago.”

“That’s a shame,” Malia said. “I really wanted to have a battle with you. You were like an inspiration when we watched you battle in the Trainer Tower.”

“Why photography?” Nohea asked. “You had such a head start as a trainer. It seems like a waste.”

“Pokémon Training is just so I can protect myself, but photography is my passion,” Alvera answered with a smile as she took out her phone and pulled up her archive. “Here, have a look. Tell me what you think.”

“Wooow~”

Lina started sampling all the Alolan delicacies, taking one of each to analyze their taste. The others grabbed food alongside her, simply relaxed on the lounge chairs, or jumped into the cold, refreshing sea. This was their vacation after a decade of hard work running the base, and they were going to enjoy it to the fullest.

Onlookers weren’t unavoidable, though, despite how far they were from the popular tourist spots. There was simply no competing with the sight of seventeen scantily clad women laughing, splashing, and enjoying themselves without a single care in the world.

Their bikinis and thin seethrough clothing left very little to the imagination, thin strings and wet fabric clinging to sun-kissed skin, barely containing full, bouncing breasts and smooth, rounded curves as they moved. Water glistened on their bodies, tracing slow, teasing paths down toned stomachs, over shapely hips, and along long, slender legs. Every playful jump, stretch, and giggle made the already revealing swimwear ride up and shift in the most tantalizing ways.

“Your women are a sight for sore eyes, as ever,” Marlo commented, taking the chance to enjoy the view while his wife was distracted.

“I could say the same of yours,” Alex replied. “You must be fighting off all the men coming for your daughters. Beautiful twins wearing tropical Alolan clothing are a deadly combination.”

“Isn’t yours the same?” Marlo said as he turned his attention to Alvera, who was wearing a very revealing black bikini.

“She knows how to handle herself,” Alex said with a hint of pride. “If anything, it’s the men I feel bad for. Growing up, Alvera had a reputation for kicking balls, so every man tread lightly around her.” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Hahaha,” Marlo laughed boisterously. “My daughters could learn a thing or two from yours. Perhaps I should ask for some self-defense lessons for them. They’ve built a bit of a reputation around our neighborhood.”

“Is it true?”

“I don’t even know at this point. I’m still holding on to the hope that they’re being called sluts because they’ve just broken too many hearts.”

“What’s the worst that could happen if the rumors were true?”

“They might get pregnant or end up with the wrong crowd.”

“Can’t you just deal with this crowd? You’re strong enough to handle it without much trouble. As for pregnancy, don’t you have enough money?”

“Hm… I never thought about it like that. What about yours? What if your own daughter slept around?”

“I wouldn’t care, honestly. What matters is that she’s happy and understands that I’ll be there for her no matter what. All she has to do is ask for help, and all her problems will disappear.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“And something she needs to understand if she’s going to go around breaking hearts. So long as she doesn’t end up with a criminal bounty on her head, I wouldn’t mind how much she fucks up. It’s a father’s responsibility to keep his children in line and protect them.”

“No truer words have been spoken, my friend. No truer words,” Marlo said, though there was a note of defeat in his voice.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, catching the change in Marlo’s tone.

“I’m afraid I may have already failed as a father,” Marlo said after a moment’s pause. “Have you ever heard of Team Bones?”