Transportation

The Spring Festival in Verdanturf Town was a great success, and even after the festival had ended, there were still many tourists in the town.

Cynthia left on the day after the festival ended, having made plans with Yuga to meet again at the Sinnoh region in a month.

On this day, after Yuga had finished training his newly acquired Rowlet at the Gym, he was on his way back to the Day Care when he noticed a group of people waiting for a bus outside the Pokémon Paradise.

Since Yuga's Pokémon Paradise had become a well-known tourist attraction in Verdanturf Town, an additional bus route had been added to accommodate the increased visitors.

It seemed like these people had been waiting for quite some time, and they were starting to complain.

"It's fun here, but transportation is such a hassle. We have to wait so long for a bus to get back to our hotel."

"Yeah, that's the downside. But the whole of Verdanturf Town is like this. There's not much we can do."

...

Yuga listened to their conversation and began to contemplate the situation.

Indeed, transportation in Verdanturf Town was not the most convenient. The town was still in the early stages of development, and not all public facilities could be perfected immediately.

Just like the tourists who came to visit the Pokémon Paradise, they couldn't all stay in the Paradise Hotel. Some of them stayed further away, and waiting for a bus back to their accommodations could be time-consuming.

Yuga realized that if this issue wasn't addressed, it could potentially hinder the town's future development.

As he continued walking home, Yuga thought about possible solutions to this problem.

At this moment, his Chansey, Yuan Yuan, finished her day of work and came out of the Pokémon Paradise with Miltank.

To ensure that the stray Pokémon in the Paradise were well taken care of, as well as the Pokémon working in the Paradise Restaurant and Paradise Hotel, Yuga had a regular schedule for Chansey and the Miltank to take shifts at the Paradise.

"Chansey!"

"Miltank!"

On their way home, when they saw Yuga, both Chansey and the Miltank greeted him politely.

"You've both worked hard!"

Yuga expressed his gratitude to Yuan Yuan and Miltank.

As he walked alongside them, Yuga's mind was still occupied with the transportation issue in Verdanturf Town. He needed to find a solution.

And so, Yuga returned home in the company of his two Pokémon.

On the way, Yuga learned that the Miltank was pregnant and happily exclaimed, "Congratulations, Miltank! Since you're pregnant, you should take it easy. We can have our fellow Pokémon handle the work for you."

"Miltank, Miltank!"

The Miltank shook its head, indicating that being pregnant wouldn't affect its work. After all, it was a medical Pokémon, and its duties didn't involve strenuous physical activity.

Seeing its determination, Yuga didn't insist further. Pokémon had much stronger physical endurance than humans, and regular work typically didn't pose significant challenges for them.

Since the arrival of the six Chansey at the Day Care, the medical Pokémon's capabilities had greatly improved, and their enthusiasm for work had reached new heights.

As they continued to multiply, the number of Miltank in the Ecopark had grown to nearly a hundred, thanks in large part to Tauros's diligent care.

Thinking about Tauros, Yuga had a sudden revelation.

That's right! Verdanturf Town's transportation issue could be solved by using Poké Ride!

As long as the destination wasn't outside the town, Poké Ride could easily address the internal transportation needs of Verdanturf Town.

Verdanturf Town was primarily an agricultural town with tourism as its main source of additional income. Utilizing Poké Ride instead of conventional transportation not only aligned with environmental sustainability but also offered cost savings.

The use of Poké Ride as a substitute for regular transportation was a common practice in regions like Kalos and Alola.

Pokémon like Doduo, Dodrio, and Tauros, which were suitable for riding, were not rare Pokémon. If Verdanturf Town introduced these Pokémon into its public transportation system, the costs wouldn't be prohibitively high.

Yuga realized that he could even set aside an area within the Pokémon Paradise to accommodate the Tauros from his Ecopark, allowing them to work and assist in transporting tourists around town.

This idea had the potential to address Verdanturf Town's transportation problem while integrating the local Pokémon community and promoting eco-friendly practices.

Tourists could leisurely Poké Ride around Verdanturf Town, exploring every corner without worrying about time constraints. The Poké Ride would be readily available to take them to any destination in the town.

Since Pokémon were intelligent beings, once tourists arrived at their destinations, the Pokémon could return home on their own, making it highly convenient.

The Tauros that Yuga had introduced didn't possess high potentials. Aside from being companions to the Miltank and occasionally venting their excess energy by running in the Grassland Sub-Ecopark, they didn't have much to do in the Ecopark.

Now, they finally had a purpose.

With this idea in mind, Yuga went to see Mayor Ishida the next day to discuss the matter.

Yuga's proposal received strong support from Mayor Ishida.

After negotiations, the plan to introduce Poké Ride into Verdanturf Town's public transportation system was approved within a few days and set into motion.

Of course, the existing public transportation in Verdanturf Town wouldn't be abolished. A town's transportation system couldn't rely solely on Poké Ride.

Conventional transportation methods would remain the primary mode, with Poké Ride serving as supplementary transportation.

As the new transportation plan was implemented in Verdanturf Town, Yuga also brought out the Tauros from his Ecopark.

While the number of Miltank in Yuga's Ecopark continued to increase, the Tauros population also grew. This was because the offspring of Miltank and Tauros were primarily Tauros.

Training Poké Ride was a specialized process, and no one would allow Pokémon that hadn't undergone proper training to carry passengers. Safety was paramount.

Yuga had hired dedicated trainers for Tauros. Finding professionals to train Poké Ride wasn't challenging since many industries in the Pokémon world required Poké Ride, such as maritime rescue, wilderness exploration, and competitive riding events, among others.

The Tauros were enthusiastically undergoing Poké Ride training. Mayor Ishida approached Yuga once again, this time seeking his help in connecting with the Pidgey Express Delivery Service to introduce Pidgey and Pidgeotto into their town.

Pidgey Express Delivery Service was one of the most renowned logistics companies in the Pokémon world, known for their impressive Poké Ride lineup. They had flying Pokémon like Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot, as well as ground-based runners like Rattata and Raticate, all of which were part of their signature fleet.

For local deliveries, especially non-urgent or valuable items, the Poké Ride from Pidgey Express Delivery Service could independently complete the tasks without the need for human accompaniment.

In fact, Mayor Ishida had already introduced a batch of specially bred Tauros. However, relying solely on Tauros for transportation could become monotonous, leading to aesthetic fatigue. This was why he was interested in bringing in Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

There were specialized companies in the Pokémon world for breeding and training Poké Ride. The key difference between them and Pokémon Day Cares like Yuga's was that they didn't prioritize the Pokémon's innate potentials. Instead, they focused on quickly producing a large number of low potential but highly specialized Poké Ride.

The Tauros Mayor Ishida introduced came from one of these specialized companies.

Pidgey Express Delivery Service also followed a similar approach to breed and train their Poké Ride. However, their Pokémon were primarily for in-house use in delivering goods. They had, on occasion, sold Pidgey and Pidgeotto, which was why Mayor Ishida approached Yuga for assistance.

Yuga considered the request and agreed to help Mayor Ishida. After all, he didn't need to get directly involved; he was simply acting as a middleman. The rest of the negotiations would be up to Mayor Ishida's abilities.