Chapter 107: That is the Romance of Motorcycles
...After working for a while at the Hoenn Ice Room...
"...So that's how it is. Rio and I are going to continue training our coordination. Ruru, I'll have to ask you to keep handling the part-time job."
Ming Rizhao clasped her hands together, looking at Ralts with teary eyes.
Beside her, Rio also cooperated by putting on a "macho man trying to be cute" expression.
The final result was that Ming Rizhao and Rio walked out of the "Hoenn Ice Room" under the resentful gaze of Ralts from behind them.
The scorching sun from the past few days had now become gentler. The young girl, enjoying the pleasant weather, took an exaggeratedly deep breath.
"Freedom! I finally don't have to wear that outfit anymore!"
Rio pillowed his head with his hands and walked lazily beside her.
"You should be thinking about how to practice that 'balance' Mr. Norman talked about."
Just as the person and Pokémon were contemplating where to go to continue their combat coordination training, the "rumble, rumble" sound reached their ears.
Ming Rizhao and Rio's eyes lit up at the same time.
"...You heard that too, right?"
Rio gave Ming Rizhao a look.
"The sound of motorcycles!"
Ming Rizhao squinted, looking at a place slightly in the distance.
Then, she and Rio nodded at the same time.
"Let's go!" x2
Well now, these two have probably thrown the matter of training their combat coordination to the back of their minds again.
…
What is a motorcycle?
From the perspective of the human world, it generally refers to that type of heavy-duty mobile vehicle with front and back wheels, driven by a single person. Developing to this day, it has already detached from the simple definition of a transportation tool. The motorcycle itself has become a culture, and even a trend. (Author: So, when people say you're very jīchē (lit. motorcycle, slang for 'annoying/a handful'), it means you're very trendy. Trust me! (Confident face))
In the Pokémon world, an important representative of motorcycle culture is those people who often wear jackets, have wild hairstyles, and ride their own vehicles, known as the "Bōsōzoku."
Although they don't look like good people, more like great villains who would rush into your house to murder and commit arson at the drop of a hat, that's actually not the case. In reality, they only love their own vehicles, viewing their motorcycles as another life. Because of this shared hobby, they are very united internally, place great importance on "rider" chivalry, and favor one-on-one duels. Even passing Pokémon trainers applaud and praise them, giving them rave reviews.
"Are you going to take on our whole group by yourself, or are we, a whole group, going to take on you?"
"Huh?"
A passing Pokémon trainer looked blankly at the group of burly, fierce-faced guys surrounding them.
"Also, remember to give us a good review, or you're not leaving this road! Hmm? Got it?"
"Okay, okay, okay..."
The Pokémon trainer expressed: I just want to live. A wise man knows when to yield. Don't you bully a young man in his poverty. When I become strong and return, I... what's a good review? Not a problem at all! Big brothers, can you please put down the iron chains in your hands first...
Ahem, in short, the Bōsōzoku are also a rather unique group in the Pokémon world.
However, to this day, these very united people have begun to have different voices within their ranks.
…
On the outskirts of Zidian City, there was also a rather special scenic spot.
Exiting from the east gate of Zidian City, besides the regular roads, there was also a road that only allowed motorcycles—the Speedway.
If you didn't have a motorcycle, the entrance of the Speedway would stop you and not allow you to enter. This racetrack was also connected to the largest city in the entire Middel Region—Cale City. Therefore, some people who wanted to quickly reach Cale City would often choose to take this road.
Of course, you needed a certain level of skill to take this road, because...
"Vroom, vroom, vroom," an electromagnetic levitation motorcycle passed through two S-curves with an extremely graceful posture, finally stopping deliberately just before the man-made finish line.
A crowd of Bōsōzoku watching from the side cheered. The driver of the maglev motorcycle chewed gum, looking back down the road with a smirk, as if waiting for something.
"Rumble, rumble," a motorcycle with two large tires had just managed to pass the curve and, under everyone's gaze, arrived in front of the stopped maglev motorcycle.
"Give up, Misa. You can't catch up to me." The man driving the maglev motorcycle deliberately waited until the wheeled motorcycle was about to reach him before nonchalantly starting his own bike.
"Vroom!" The maglev motorcycle left the other in the dust and crossed the finish line.
"Ahhhhh, so infuriating!"
The driver of the wheeled motorcycle took off her helmet, revealing a woman's face, red with anger.
"Masha! Don't be so smug! Next time, I will definitely beat you! I'll prove to you that two-wheeled motorcycles are the romance of the Bōsōzoku, not your damn maglev bikes!"
After yelling at the departing maglev motorcycle for a while, Misa sullenly drove back to her own territory—a small workshop located at the entrance of the Speedway.
"Boss, this is... the third time you've lost, right?"
A burly underling beside her cautiously said to Misa.
"Shut up!"
Misa glared at her underling.
"That kind of soft machine is not a Bōsōzoku's motorcycle at all! I will absolutely not acknowledge them!"
The underling who was being glared at still said in a low voice, "But they're strong. We've challenged them several times and haven't won. If this goes on, no new members will join us..."
Looking around at Misa's small group here, there were only a few people left. Compared to Masha's group on the other side, which owned a large motorcycle assembly factory, the disparity was indeed visible to the naked eye.
Times were changing.
The motorcycle riders of the past, who once ruled the roads and galloped freely on their two-wheeled heavy motorcycles, had gradually evolved into riders of new-era electromagnetic levitation motorcycles, wantonly trying to crush the stories of the old era.
The new type of motorcycle had abandoned the large wheels, used maglev technology brought by electromagnetic rotors, and simplified various operations. Equipped with an intelligent steering function, both the convenience of riding and the difficulty of control had been greatly reduced.
However, there was still a group of people who insisted on traditional heavy two-wheeled motorcycles. Because in their hearts, the feeling of the tires rubbing against the ground, and the satisfaction of taming a beast, was a romance that those simplified motorcycles could not bring.
But for the new generation, the coolness of maglev motorcycles and the convenience of being able to ride them without much training were very attractive to them. Even many Bōsōzoku who were accustomed to traditional two-wheeled motorcycles couldn't resist the temptation of maglev motorcycles and "defected" to the other side.
Watching her subordinates defect one after another, Misa, who insisted on traditional motorcycles, was naturally anxious. Therefore, she had also challenged Masha, the leader of the maglev motorcycle Bōsōzoku group, to several duels.
Don't misunderstand. For these Bōsōzoku, the so-called duel was not the common Pokémon duel.
On the Speedway, there was an unwritten rule: here, races are settled with motorcycles, and anyone has the right to challenge any other motorcycle rider. Naturally, the challenged party could choose to refuse. If it was a challenge with a large difference in skill, then no one would say anything. But if it was a challenge where the skills were comparable, or if a weaker party challenged a stronger one, and if the challenged party did not accept the challenge at this time, then everyone on the entire Speedway would mock them endlessly until the challenged party withdrew from the Speedway.
In a duel between a two-wheeled motorcycle and a maglev motorcycle, the absolute winner was undoubtedly the latter. After all, the performance gap brought by the technological difference between the two types of motorcycles was simply too large.
And the price of losing the race was the right to use several tracks on the Speedway, as well as that large motorcycle factory that originally belonged to Misa's group.
"Damn it, what should I do?" Misa walked out of the small workshop with some frustration. Her Pokémon—a Cloyster—bounced along beside her.
"If I lose one more time, this last remaining workshop will also have to be handed over. Then there will be no place for us here anymore..."
Just as Misa was deep in thought, a crisp voice sounded in her ear.
"Hello, can we take a look at your motorcycles?"
Looking at the young girl and the Pokémon beside her, at their expectant gazes, Misa suddenly had an idea.
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