Eight hours a day, two days off a week, and ten silver coins a month?!
There's actually such a good deal in this world?
Farnus and the others stared in disbelief at the man holding up the newspaper not far away.
A bold thought sprang up in their minds.
If—if this was all true… "Really?" The other men around couldn't sit still; they jumped up and crowded forward to ask.
The man flicked the newspaper and said, "Of course it's true—His Highness Draconis personally announced it in the paper!"
He read the recruitment ad word for word, not missing a single syllable.
When he finished, everyone's eyes lit up in an instant.
This wasn't a job—this was paradise!
Eight hours a day and two days off every week… Back when they were Slaves under the great lords, they had to rise at four to wait on the masters and couldn't sleep until the masters did, busy from dawn to dusk with no rest the whole year.
"When's the hiring?" Farnus squeezed to the front, unable to hold back.
"You can register right now!" the man answered.
So the whole excited crowd left the town and headed for the Factory district outside.
They hadn't come in ages; the place had changed beyond recognition.
Gigantic buildings now stood on the land; inside, machines thundered, and thick smoke billowed from huge chimneys.
The sight stunned them all on the spot.
They walked into a Factory to ask about the details.
"Sign up? Sure—what can you do?"
"We've got plenty of plants: textile mills for clothes and carpets, ironworks for smelting steel, and potion plants that mass-produce medicines," the Factory manager explained one by one.
Farnus and company were instantly dumbfounded.
Spinning and weaving? They had no idea how.
Smelting steel, though—that they could help with by lending some muscle.
Noticing their plight, the manager smiled and said:
"Don't worry—we'll train you before you start."
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After registering their details, they were told to come tomorrow for a week of paid training before officially starting work.
Seeing his name written in the book, Farnus felt a huge weight lift from his heart.
He hurried home, bursting to share the good news with his wife.
"Honey, son—I got a job!"
Linda set a roast chicken on the table; hearing her husband, she smiled.
"Come and eat!"
Farnus was shocked at the feast before him.
They were almost out of money—how could they afford roast chicken?
Where had the coins for it come from?
Farnus's face turned grave, worry knitting his brows:
"Linda, I know we're broke, but we mustn't break the law, no matter what…"
"What are you thinking?" Linda scolded gently, then explained, "I found work too. Starting tomorrow, Martha next door and I will spin yarn at the textile mill outside town—twelve silver coins a month!"
"What?!" Farnus exclaimed. "I'll be at the steel plant next door!"
"Perfect—we'll go to work together and come home together. Once we earn enough, we'll send little Gray to Pokémon school. Maybe he'll become a great Trainer!" Linda said dreamily.
Right now she was full of hope for the future.
"We'll save a bit more, then go to the Nursery and buy Gray a Pokémon egg so he can grow up with Pokémon and avoid some detours," Linda planned aloud.
"Yes, we'll work hard together. With His Majesty Draconis, life will only get better!" Farnus said, gratitude shining in his eyes.
They would remember His Majesty's kindness forever.
"Come and eat!" Linda smiled tenderly, calling her son and husband to enjoy lunch together.
Scenes like this kept playing out across Nimbasa City.
The factories greatly eased the city's employment pressure, offering jobs to countless people.
And Draconis, in turn, gained a huge boost in public satisfaction.
In the castle, Draconis looked at the panel before him and thought:
"Now I can finally unlock two more important technologies."
With a flick of his mind, the locks on two tech branches on the tree snapped open.
A flood of information poured into Draconis's mind.
[steam train technology unlocked!]
[steam train: Unlocks rail-making, track-laying, and the theory and construction of steam locomotives.]
[oran berry crafting unlocked!]
[oran berry crafting: Unlocks the art of using oran berries and special materials to craft the old-style Poké Balls.]
Using manpower and Pokémon to haul goods between towns had been too backward—slow, and caravans were easy prey for bandits or wild Pokémon.
With steam trains, transport efficiency would soar and cargo safety would be vastly improved.
The oran berry Poké Balls were even more important.
Though they looked different from modern Poké Balls, their catch rate was no different from the ones Ash used in the anime—except they couldn't shrink.
More importantly, with these Balls, Trainer culture could be promoted nationwide.
Trainers would journey, spend at Poké Marts, challenge Gyms, compete in the League for the title of strongest; losers would keep traveling and sharpening their skills—forming a complete industry chain.
Of the two techs, the latter was simple: just produce the Balls and ship them to every Poké Mart.
The former—promoting steam trains—would be laborious and time-consuming.
Steel plants would smelt iron to make rails and lay them across the country… a project that would take two or three years at least.
"No matter—I've got plenty of time," Draconis murmured.
The important thing now was to hand it all to the Royal Workshop to study at leisure.
Draconis picked up a pen and carefully wrote down the information, then gave it to Alfred to deliver to the craftsmen of the Royal Workshop for slow, steady research.
Alfred was long used to His Highness producing novel things out of nowhere.
He took the papers and turned to leave the Royal Workshop, but suddenly remembered something just as he stepped out.
"By the way, Your Highness Draconis, those Flying-type Pokémon you asked us to find—so far we've located more than a hundred. They're living in a compound inside Nimbasa City. Would you like to see them?" asked Alfred.
"A hundred-plus?" Draconis was surprised; that number should be enough for now.
He nodded. "Take me to have a look."
"Yes, sir!"
Truly, being king made certain things effortless—sometimes a single sentence was all it took, and his subordinates finished the job without his spending any further time or effort.
The steam train's official launch was still a long way off; something had to fill the gap in the meantime.
Draconis quickly thought of a famous and popular travel method from the modern Pokémon world.
—Pokémon Flying Taxis.
This mode of transport relies on certain Pokémon's ability to fly, transferring the passenger capacity of buses or cars onto the Pokémon and borrowing their strength for short-range flight.
For example, the Corviknight-based flying taxis of the Galar Region.
There, people hand the passenger vehicle to a Corviknight and have it grip a crossbar with its huge talons, enabling human flight.
In Paldea, however, Corviknight's natural enemy Tinkaton lives. Tinkaton hurls its hammer to knock Corviknight out of the sky, so the locals replaced Corviknight with another Pokémon called Squawkabilly.
Come to think of it, Unova also has plenty of Pokémon suited to be flying-taxi drivers.
Such as Unova's regional starter's final form, Unfezant, and the brave, handsome Braviary.
The two left the castle, and before long, guided by Alfred, Draconis arrived at a lush green estate.
The moment he stepped through the gate he heard shrill bird-Pokémon cries.
"Your Majesty Draconis!" the estate's caretaker hurried forward to salute.
"Show me the Pokémon living here," Draconis said quietly.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The caretaker quickly led the way; soon Draconis saw a dense grove of trees.
The woods looked like the result of deliberate transplantation—amid the foliage bird-Pokémon silhouettes were visible here and there.
The caretaker whistled.
A clamor followed, accompanied by rustling branches, as Pokémon flew out of the grove and landed before Draconis.
Draconis's gaze swept across them.
Pidove, Unfezant, Crobat, Woobat, Braviary, Mandibuzz, Swanna, Skarmory, Wingull, Pelipper, Gligar, Yanmega, Altaria, Tropius… "So many species?" Draconis was surprised.
"Almost all of these Pokémon retired from the last war," Alfred explained. "After the war, some returned to the wild, some stayed with humans, and some followed soldiers to other cities to serve as peacekeepers under Your Majesty's orders."
No wonder, Draconis thought, nodding as he scanned the Pokémon.
And the Pokémon were curiously studying him.
Was this King Draconis—the one who had stopped the war and let them live here—the good human they'd heard of?
Friendly light shone in every Pokémon's eyes.
Draconis didn't notice; he was busy deciding which Pokémon would suit the flying-taxi job.
Pidove—too small to carry passengers; they could wait until fully grown.
Unfezant—looked agile and strong; it could grip a vehicle with its talons like Corviknight.
Mandibuzz—bad-tempered and quick to anger. If it got stubborn mid-flight it might drop passengers from the sky.
Skarmory—well suited; said to fly at 300 km/h, high-speed-rail speed. A Skarmory taxi could reach Castelia City from Nimbasa City in about three hours.
Pelipper—unsuited for passengers, but perfect for mail and parcels.
Gligar, Yanmega, and Altaria were the same.
As for Tropius… Draconis looked at the bunch of bananas hanging from its neck.
Rather than a vehicle, Tropius had a better place to go.
A ranch.
There were about a dozen Tropius among the hundred-plus Pokémon—enough to build a new Tropius ranch, like those in Alola.
After all, the banana fruit that grew on Tropius's neck was hugely popular with children.
"A-hem." Draconis cleared his throat, and every Pokémon turned to look.
Draconis spoke slowly: "How is everyone finding life here?"
"Chirp!"
"Pidove!"
"Woo-oo!"
The flock answered cheerfully.
Clearly they loved living here.
Draconis smiled. "I have a favor to ask. I plan to set up a flying-taxi company, and I'll need strong, capable Flying-types among you to work for me."
"The job is simple: carry passengers to other cities every day. If you're willing, sign up with Alfred. As payment, we'll provide every food you love."
"Even when you grow old and can't hunt, we'll keep feeding you, and you can stay here for life."
Working in the flying-taxi company meant gaining lifetime boarding and a safe home free of threats or enemies.
The meaning was complicated; many Pokémon didn't grasp it at once.
Draconis therefore explained in the simplest terms what a flying taxi was, the daily tasks, and the rewards.
Hearing they would never again need to hunt, could eat free for life, have whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, and retire here in peace, many Pokémon's eyes widened.
"Woo?" an Altaria asked in disbelief—was all this true?
"Of course. I swear by the crown," Draconis answered with a nod.
At those words the Flying-types surged forward, surrounding Draconis and clamoring to sign up.
Charge! Human food tasted far better than anything they found in the wild! Miss this chance and it might never come again!
....
Power Stones PlZZZZ
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