"Whoooo~~~!!!!!!"
The ship's horn echoed across the open sea. As several Pokémon League officials at the port waved searchlights and Red Flags to guide her in, the Blue Wave slowly entered Fakola Island's port and docked.
Unexpectedly, the crowds they had imagined disembarking never materialized. Apart from Yong and Cynthia, only a few dozen people were heading onto Fakola Island.
Most were first-time passengers on this dedicated route, "newcomers" traveling to the Alola Islands for the first time, just like them. As those boys from the Alola Islands had put it earlier,
"Even the most wonderful scenery gets old after you've seen enough of it!"
That dampened Yong and Cynthia's expectations a little, but their desire to see the Pokémon here still won out. With that in mind, they left the ship and headed inland.
There was a checkpoint at the pier, but it was only there to record how many people entered the island, ensuring that no passengers would be left behind when the Blue Wave departed.
After passing through without any trouble, Yong and Cynthia looked at everyone waiting in line, momentarily puzzled.
"They don't even check our identities?"
The Pokémon League official directing people nearby gave a wry smile.
"Although this island officially belongs to both regions, it's actually so far away that, aside from regular supply deliveries, only these dedicated passenger routes stop here. To put it plainly, this island is just a supply station and a suitable habitat for Pokémon. It has no other resources, so there's hardly any proper administration here. We just need to make sure no passengers get left behind."
Yong understood.
Clearly, both the Kalos Region and the Alola Islands felt that investing in this resource-poor island wouldn't yield worthwhile returns, so neither wanted to put more effort into it. Yet