“You have something amazing here,” Marlo commented as he watched the waves roll past the main windows of the airship lounge in the early morning. “We only slept one night and we’re already in the Melemele Sea. Is it true you brought down five of these to get this one?”

“The first was brought down by a Master ranked Snorlax, the second by Rhea’s missiles. The last three were taken down by my Pokémon and me personally, and we got two airships out of it as compensation. But to improve this one, the other had to be scrapped for parts,” Alex replied.

“Marvelous technology. How much do you think one of these would cost?”

“At least 300 million credits,” Alex answered. “There’s a lot of heavy tech in this ship that the League still can’t mass-produce, though I’ve heard they’re working on building the facilities needed to do it.”

“It’s a bit too expensive for my pay grade,” Marlo said with a laugh.

“You know, I may have a job for you and your family.”

“Oh? What kind? I hope it isn’t anything too dangerous.”

“It is and isn’t at the same time,” Alex said as he started to explain. “I run a bounty hunting business that trains and supports bounty hunters in the region. It takes in families who want to fight for a safer world, trains them to hunt down criminals, and provides them with the resources and information they need to continue hunting successfully. All it would cost is 10% of their bounties to sustain it.”

“I want you and your family to take charge of the main base here in Alola once you reach Champion rank. We’ll handle building the base, building up the structural support for the bounty hunters, including training manuals and initial resources, and I’ll even sponsor you with Champion ranked meat. All I ask is 10% of your income.”

“That sounds like a generous offer and a big responsibility,” Marlo said with furrowed brows. “My wife and I are pretty strong as far as average trainers go but I don’t know if we’re strong enough to fight off all the criminals in Alola even if we reach Champion rank. That sounds more like a job for the current Champion, Selene, to handle.”

“Most of the time, you’re not actually going to be fighting anyone. Your job is to make sure the base doesn’t get destroyed, so you won’t be out hunting in the field. On top of that, the base comes with static defenses that can hold off an army, so your only real concern is other Champions coming to destroy it.”

“If you can handle that, you can handle being in charge since everything else is taken care of by the managers and employees. Also, between you and Leilani as a pair of Champions, I think the base will be in good hands.”

“I…” Marlo hesitated. “Give me and Leilani time to think about it.”

“Of course,” Alex said. “It’s not like we have the funding right now. At minimum, you would have to reach Champion rank, so you have until then to decide.”

The morning continued as the airship approached Melemele Island, with Alex and Marlo’s families lounging about while having breakfast. They enjoyed their conversations and the ocean view, as well as the island in the distance slowly growing larger with each passing minute.

Melemele Island is the smallest and westernmost island in the Alola region, serving as a key entry point and administrative hub. Its gentle terrain, accessible routes, and strong Pokémon League infrastructure make it the primary starting location for new trainers. As the most populous island in Alola, it concentrates early training facilities and support systems and is also where Champion Selene began her journey, giving it outsized importance in regional development and coordination.

Geographically, it features coastal beaches, low hills, and tropical forests that grow denser inland. Its volcanic origins remain visible but softened by erosion and vegetation, creating largely navigable terrain. The climate is consistently warm and humid, shaped by steady trade winds and stabilizing ocean currents.

Economically and culturally, Melemele blends tourism, settlement, and League activity. It draws visitors to its beaches and training routes while supporting residents through fishing, agriculture, and trade. It also contains key cultural landmarks, reinforcing its role as both a symbolic and practical starting point for the island challenge system.

“Oh! We’re finally here,” Marlo said with excitement.

“Where do you want to land, Marlo?” Alex asked. “You’re our local tour guide after all.”

“It would be great to visit Iki Town first, then follow the coastline around the island before reaching Hau’oli City as our final stop before heading to Poni Island. We should land somewhere around Kala’e Bay, but we’ll have to travel over the Melemele Sea since the southeast corner is restricted airspace because the Champion lives there.”

“Rotom, set course.”

“Wait!” Marlo said. “Head a bit further west before turning and following the coast from a distance. It would be great if we could get an aerial view of Ten Carat Hill.”

As the airship continued, Ten Carat Hill emerged inland from Melemele’s southeastern coast, breaking away from the surrounding gentle hills. It appeared as a fractured volcanic plateau, with dark stone partly overgrown by dense tropical vegetation filling its ledges and crevices. Light caught its uneven surface, revealing steep drops, narrow ridges, and shadowed recesses that suggested deep cave systems within. From above, it stood out as a compact geological spine contrasting against the island’s smoother coastal terrain.

Then, the airship turned and headed north along the coastline. A walled-off mansion soon came into view near the shore, its estate grounds neatly contained behind high perimeter walls that set it apart from the surrounding greenery. The structure and its manicured layout suggested controlled access and security, standing in stark contrast to the island’s more natural landscape before it disappeared behind them.

Further along the northern route, the coastline opened into the wide curve of Kala’e Bay, where pale sand and shallow reefs formed a calm, sheltered arc of turquoise water. The airship descended and settled near an uninhabited offshore island just outside the main shore.

From there, they transferred onto Mantine and began traveling west across the water toward Iki Town. Along the way, the view shifted from open sea to Melemele’s lush coastline, with stretches of fertile land and scattered fields visible inland as the island’s landscape rolled past in broad, continuous bands of green.

“I can see why this island would be the most populous,” Alvera commented as she took in the scenery.

Everywhere she looked, small communities sat beside farming fields, with some rural areas already showing early signs of urbanization. It was clear that, unlike Akala Island and its extensive nature reserves, this island supported a far denser human settlement. That also meant fewer threats from wild Pokémon, making it ideal as a starting point for the island challenge.

“It’s actually our next target for the Island Challenge,” Malia said. “We only started on Akala Island because it was more familiar to us, but we were planning to head here once we reached Elite rank.”

“Now that we don’t have to worry about leaving our friends at that asshole’s mercy, we can finally start considering going off on another journey,” Nohea added.

“You know, if you’re still planning to wait until Elite rank before leaving, why don’t you come back to Kanto with us and train there instead?” Alvera offered. “I bet my dad would be more than willing to sponsor you. You’d not only get to train your Pokémon, but also your bodies so you’re not helpless if you get ambushed out in the wild.”

The twins turned to each other and considered it, finding nothing wrong with the idea except being away from their parents for a long time. They weren’t expecting to reach Elite rank quickly after arriving anyway. Realistically, it could take years before they ever got close.

“We’ll think about it,” they both replied in unison.

“Sure,” Alvera replied with a smile. “Although you shouldn’t expect to see much of me if you decide to go. It’s about time I return to my photography career. I’ve put it off long enough, so I need to get back out there.”

“You’ve just made the offer significantly less appealing,” Malia said.

“It would’ve been better if you were there with us,” Nohea added. “We would be having so much… fun.”

“I can’t help it, girls,” Alvera said with a fake sigh. “My passion is calling me.”

By late afternoon, they arrived just in time to see Iki Town and its traditional architecture bathing in the orange light of the setting sun. The town stretched in a broad, open layout where clustered wooden homes and wide spaces blended naturally. Instead of tall modern buildings, wooden structures up to three stories defined the skyline, emphasizing warmth and tradition over efficiency.

“Welcome to Iki Town, the hallmark of Alolan tradition without the heavy influence of tourism and technology,” Marlo said as Mantine descended toward the town. “We’re just in time as well, since they’re starting the famous Iki Town Festival.”