Chapter 63 - Komati's Valleys and Public Transport System

By 11:36 a.m., Rico and Juan grabbed their shoulder bags and left the house, with Juan locking the door and keeping the keys in one of the small zipper pockets of his mint green, spice orange, and shadow grey bag, which was smaller and lighter than Rico's. After that, they exited the front yard, closed and locked the gate, and walked through the streets in meeting up Professor Campillo. They decided to go to mall called Los Seis Caballeros Mall to meet up with Campillo and his city professor, Professor Emerson, an expert of the region's history and an archeologist, at a restaurant, so they'll be taking public transport to get there. But, unlike the train that took them to Vivid Bay station, Komati's train system was multiple and complex, with over 25 stations, 4 lines, and 12 interchange stations. So upon arriving at Vivid Bay station, they glanced at the city's transport map, which also includes bus routes, being surprised by its complexity. Their Pokémon got really surprised as well.

"How we are supposed to get to that mall?" Rico asked Juan, confusing about the colorful and well-detailed map. "It's so complex we couldn't find where it is." To solve this travel puzzle, Juan think of the solution. "If we take the West Central Bay Line, then transfer at the Lauren Central Park station to the Trans-Central line, and stop at the Los Seis Caballeros Mall station, we can get there in less than 40 minutes." Juan was a prodigy in math and calculating travel times, while Rico is a prodigy in something else, something that is yet to be discovered.

"Well, that'll be a bit long," Rico commented with skepticism. "How about we take the West Central Bay Line to Northeast Valley station, take the North Valley Line, and stop at Los Seis Caballeros Mall station? How long it will take?"

"I think that'll be half an hour," Juan answered back, "if it's not too busy."

"Oh, right," replied his friend back. But Juan changed his mind suddenly. "You know what, let's take that route you had made." This stuns Rico a lot.

"Are you serious?" he commented.

"Yes, that'll be fine and great, especially the valleys there," responded Juan back happily. Rico then nodded in agreement; he, Juan, and their teams then proceeded to the platforms through the ticket gates with the proposed route in their minds. By 11:50 a.m., the metro train arrived at their station, opening its doors. As the other passengers get off, they boarded the train and take a few seats for themselves. In that train car, it's not that busy or crowdy. When 12 o'clock struck, the doors are closed and the train proceeds to depart from the station in rising speed. Along the way, as the train went through the rails, Rico glanced at the train windows towards the city's buildings and skyscrapers, which were varied by size and design, but with similar materials. Most of the Pokémon birds are perching on the roofs and trees. Rico can't wait to see his professor and his friend, saying how he missed him so much. Professor Campillo was more like a professor to him than just a close friend, and Professor Campillo usually asked Rico about his Pokédex. Also, Campillo had close friends and fellow professors both in his region and most regions around the world. The reason for Campillo's visit to the capital is to meet up with Professor Emerson and talked about a historical Pokémon arena in the city and its future and concerns. He'll be staying there for a few days, similar to Rico's duration of stay in the big city. Campillo also had a vacation house west from the city downtown, the same one Juan had described to his friend.

Later, by 12:16 p.m., the train had arrived at Northeast Valley station, a station located at a semi-urban area in a famous valley called The Komati River Valley. This series of valleys had a long river that runs through the valley and empties in the west at the Komati Bay. The valleys was home to over one-sixth of the capital city's population. Most of the people living there are mostly farmers, public transport drivers and operators, and shop and restaurant owners. The settlement had two schools, one big Pokémon Center, one big Pokémon Battle Club, and a Town Hall next to the river. Most of the houses and businesses are located within less than 10 meters from the riverbanks, and most of the buildings showed a distinctive pattern: In the bottom parts of the valley, the buildings are always made of strong materials to withstand the floods prevalent in the area, while in the areas a bit further away from the flood-prone ones are made of materials a bit less stronger than the ones in the bottom, but those buildings are also cheaper to buy and maintain. Despite the low grade slope, there are many farms and fields located near the river, mostly growing crops like vegetables, and a concrete bridge that crosses over it, connecting the two parts of the settlement together. There's even a little bus service that serves residents from the valley to the city and vice versa. This unique features made this small settlement in the valleys a strange, but a beautiful place to explore.

And as the doors are open, Rico, Juan, and their teams get off the train and proceeded across the platform and boarded another train bound for Los Seis Caballeros Mall station via the North Valley Line. In less than 6 minutes, the train closed its doors and left the station. It stopped at 3 more stations along the way before finally arriving at Los Seis Caballeros Mall station at 12:30 p.m., the exact amount of time the route takes. But in that amount of time from Northeast Valley station to Los Seis Caballeros Mall station, they enjoyed the view of the valleys there as the train passes by and crossing the river twice. The station was a bit busy than at the Vivid Bay station or the Northeast Valley station. When the doors are opened, Rico and his group get off and went up to the ground via the escalator. There they exited the train station part of the mall through the ticket gates, and into the main part of the mall via the stairs. It was a good experience on their travel.

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N/A:- I'm sorry about the plain parts of this story. I'll be working out the battle parts of this story.