After being tormented, Hoshino finally emerged from the police station. It was just a ten-thousand-word self-criticism report, as easy as padding word count in a novel, not too difficult.
He unconsciously glanced back at the police station. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling he might be coming here often in the future. It must be a misconception, right…
"Cycli~"
Hearing Cyclizar's growl, he snapped back to reality, and a slight smile touched his lips. Next, it was off to the Traffic Management Office to get his Riding Gear sorted!
Switching his phone to panel mode, he scrolled a bit and quickly found the location of the Traffic Management Office. It was less than two kilometers away, quite close.
Since he didn't have his Riding Gear yet, he didn't dare to openly ride Cyclizar, but letting it follow alongside was fine.
Continuing to mark the shortcuts on the map, he quickly arrived at the Traffic Management Office, encountering many Trainers riding Pokémon along the way.
However, to his surprise, he had thought that learning traffic laws and regulations might take several days, similar to getting a driver's license.
But it turned out to be just a simple session with Cyclizar, watching an hour of laws and regulations scrolling on a large screen. That was it for the "learning." It was incredibly perfunctory; they almost fell asleep…
"Trainers who have completed their learning can proceed to the East Hall to choose the Riding Gear for your paired Pokémon, then come back here to register!"
Listening to Jenny's voice from the Traffic Management Office, Hoshino finally woke up. He then took Cyclizar towards the East Hall, hoping to find something suitable.
But again, to his surprise, he had expected the hall to have supermarket-like shelves displaying Riding Gear for Trainers to choose from.
Instead, there were mechanical devices set up, allowing users to touch the screen, select their Pokémon and its body type, and then the system would automatically generate and produce the Riding Gear on the spot.
"Quite high-tech, huh…"
Hoshino had never seen these things before, but he stopped Cyclizar from trying to bite them.
All of Cyclizar's body type information was provided on the panel. He entered the Pokémon's name on the screen, along with its height and weight data, and then waited patiently.
A moment later, a sound of something rolling out suddenly came from beneath the machine. Hoshino curiously lowered his head and saw a transparent Poké Ball.
He picked it up, looking at it confusedly, but then a prompt appeared on the nearby screen, explaining how to use it.
[Storage Ball: A special tool for storing Riding Gear, designed in the shape of a Poké Ball for aesthetic appeal. Touching the button in the middle of the ball will retrieve the Riding Gear, and returning it is the same principle.]
"Quite convenient…"
After reading the instructions, Hoshino eagerly opened the ball on the spot, and a set of handlebars and footrests, resembling those of a violent motorcycle, appeared before his eyes.
Cyclizar immediately noticed it, its expression becoming even more excited. From its look, it seemed to really like this Riding Gear.
"Don't rush, let me figure it out first…"
After a while, Hoshino still couldn't figure out the principle, but he did understand how to wear it. He then put it on Cyclizar's back.
This Riding Gear didn't have a seat; Cyclizar came with its own, so it wasn't needed and would only restrict movement. As for other aspects…
Especially after putting it on, Cyclizar felt completely transformed into a violent motorcycle. If he styled his hair into a pompadour and rode it, his aura would be instantly maximized.
"How does it feel?"
"Cycli Cycli~"
Cyclizar wiggled its body. Aside from not being able to maintain a standing posture, it was very satisfied in all other aspects. Now it could carry people and run freely.
"Good to hear. Then this is the one."
Hoshino immediately took it back to the previous spot to register. The main purpose of registration was simple: the Riding Gear was like your Pokémon's license plate. If lost, it could be reported and remade for a fee, but it couldn't be used by other Pokémon.
Everything was done. Unconsciously, it was already past 2 PM. He hadn't eaten lunch, but thankfully, there were still some snacks left from Slowking yesterday. He'd go back, eat those, and then fix the door.
"Let's go, home!"
"Cycli~"
Riding Cyclizar, the moment he gripped the handlebars and stepped on the footrests, Hoshino felt an instant sense of effortless familiarity.
This time, it was truly [Riding EX] in action. Now, he felt like he could even change his hairstyle and go play cards without any problem!
Just as he was about to head back, Jenny's voice suddenly rang out from behind: "Wait! You forgot something!"
"Huh?"
Jenny walked over, holding something in her hand, and pointed at him sternly, lecturing: "How can you ride a Pokémon on the road without safety measures? This is as important as a fisherman wearing a helmet! How exactly did you learn the traffic laws and regulations?!"
"You ask me how I learned…"
"Here, take it. Pokémon riding safety is the most important!"
"Okay, thank you."
Hoshino reached out and took it, finding it was just a black pair of wind goggles, looking exactly like a freebie given with a purchase, some unsold old stock.
"At least give me a helmet…"
These wind goggles used an elastic band for adjustment and fixation. When not in use, they could be directly hung around the neck to avoid losing them.
This time, he was truly heading back. With the Riding Gear to control, he could finally ride Cyclizar openly all the way home.
Every time they encountered other riding Pokémon on the way, Cyclizar always wanted to race them, but Hoshino held it back.
The surrounding crowd gradually thinned, and finally, no other people could be seen. This meant they had arrived at the Wanderer District. Looking at the incredibly quiet street ahead, who would have thought it would be so lively at night?
"The gaze is back…"
Hoshino once again felt the familiar gaze. According to Slowking, these were stray Pokémon living on the outskirts, prohibiting humans from entering their territory.
But he didn't care. He stomped on the accelerator, and Cyclizar instantly understood his intention, launching forward and speeding into the district.
Some stray Meowth and Rattata finally appeared, starting to chase from behind, but they still couldn't catch up, only stomping their feet in frustration and grumbling as they left.
Cyclizar didn't stop until it reached the entrance of the Izakaya. The shop door was closed, and it was unclear if Slowking was inside. Hoshino certainly didn't dare to knock blindly; what if a Ceruledge was hiding behind the door…
"That guy's eyes are really terrifying. I was truly scared last night."
Thinking of Ceruledge, Hoshino couldn't help but shiver. He had a feeling that guy might be secretly watching, ready to make him drop his gold coins at any moment.
He didn't understand why that guy hated humans so much. He actually quite liked Ceruledge as a Pokémon, but now he was truly afraid.
Returning upstairs, the poor door was still quietly leaning against the wall. After having the last of the snacks for their lunch, Hoshino asked Cyclizar for help, knocking the door a few times to straighten it out, making do for now.
Then he returned to the living room, ready to continue his morning idea. Yes, that was how to earn money while helping Pokémon, otherwise, if people starved to death, what was the point of helping anyone?
There were many troubled Pokémon on this street, and these were all potential clients. He couldn't expect to gain friendship from every one of them, but he had to gain money!
Whether it was for daily life or future Pokémon training, these always required resources.
Actively offering services would often be a thankless task, easily leading to being taken advantage of, but having them come over and pay for help would instantly reverse the situation!
However, achieving this was still very troublesome. At the very least, one had to be skilled in everything, because they would face all sorts of strange and unreasonable demands from customers. If one didn't have a good mindset, they shouldn't even try.
"And there's exactly one job that can do this!" Hoshino instantly thought of something, and his current environment was just perfect!
"That is the jack-of-all-trades… Yorozuya!"
"Cycli~"
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