Azure Bay was a beautiful seaport in the northwest of the Kalos Region. It lay near the great northern city of Coumarine City, with a dense forest separating the two.
Because of its location, the Pokémon League had developed the bay into a gateway to the Western Sea Area, with the Alola Islands as the route's final destination.
"Welcome! I'm the duty officer at Azure Bay. Miss Diantha has already informed us of your arrival by message!"
The moment Yong and Cynthia arrived at the Flight Platform, they found a Pokémon League official in a blue uniform waiting for them.
The boy shook his head helplessly and whispered to Cynthia,
"See? I knew this would happen!"
Then Yong composed himself again and smiled at the official.
"Sorry for the trouble! Please thank Miss Diantha for us. There's no need for such formal arrangements for our trip to the Alola Islands."
Seeing that neither of them put on airs, the official relaxed and smiled in return.
"There's currently only one official route to the Alola Islands. Although it doesn't pass through any dangerous areas, the distance means the ship has to stop at an island along the way for supplies. That's why we escort everyone taking the dedicated service."
At that explanation, Yong and Cynthia nodded in understanding.
There was only one official route, but that simply meant it was the safest.
Naturally, there was more than one route across the sea to the Alola Islands.
Travelers, navigators, and Pokémon Trainers who ventured out to sea to catch Pokémon generally chose different routes according to their needs and objectives.
Those routes might not be official, but exploring the unknown was precisely what drew such people in, and they could encounter more Pokémon along the way.
Of course, Yong and Cynthia now