"So that's how it is!"
Silas suddenly understood, finally grasping the current situation of the Dragonite and Dragon Island.
Right now, Dragon Island was essentially a massive survival-of-the-fittest arena, where strength was increasing at an astonishing rate. Even Dragonite could end up defeated in battles there.
The level of competition on Dragon Island far exceeded that of the Charicific Valley in the Johto region. It was practically a Pokémon version of a dragon crystallization land.
Dragon-type Pokémon from all over the world, whether their names included "dragon" or not but still belonged to the dragon group, would sense the location of Dragon Island once they reached a certain level of growth, then gather here and fight one another.
Charicific Valley only had one species, Charizard. Dragon Island had all dragon-type Pokémon.
With such a massive population base, it was only natural for monster-level individuals to emerge.
Because of the intensity of these battles, some Dragonite that had only recently reached adulthood or were in weaker condition were finding it harder to obtain food, and cases of going hungry had already begun to appear.
Dragonite would help each other and even take care of young ones, but it was not possible for others to keep carrying that burden forever.
That was why Silas's Dragonite's idea of a Dragonite Post Office was so brilliant. It would allow those weaker Dragonite to exchange labor for food.
It could even expand beyond just Dragonite. Other Pokémon could join after passing certain evaluations.
Taking it a step further, Silas proposed that his Dragonite take the lead in establishing a Dragon Pokémon town on Dragon Island.
After hearing Silas's idea, Dragonite's eyes lit up instantly as it cried out excitedly.
"You don't even need me to step in. Tomorrow, just take the Noivern and challenge all the Pokémon on Dragon Island. Once they recognize your strength, they will naturally agree."
Dragon-type Pokémon were inherently proud, and those living on Dragon Island even more so. Strength was everything there.
"Once the town is established, you can hand management over to the Dragonite elder. You just keep doing what you normally do."
With a perfect solution in hand, Dragonite immediately rushed out to discuss the idea with the elder Dragonite, who found it feasible.
Then they went to the cave to inform Diancie first.
Diancie naturally welcomed the establishment of a new town. If needed, the Carbink construction team could assist in building it.
After that, Dragonite hurried to the Pokémon Town, where Magearna and Volcanion both expressed their support.
With confidence secured, Dragonite quickly returned. This time, it also woke up the Noivern, and together they set off toward Dragon Island.
It was not until evening, when the sky was growing dark, that the four Pokémon returned. They also brought back five or six Dragonite. The Dragonite Post Office would begin trial operations tomorrow.
Throughout the entire process, Silas had only proposed the idea. Most of the actual work had been handled by Dragonite.
After settling the visiting Dragonite, Silas called his own Dragonite to head back to the cabin for dinner.
Everything had already been prepared, just waiting for it to return.
After dinner, Silas chatted on the phone with Diantha.
Today was a bit different. Serena and Korrina sat pressed against him on either side.
The two girls were like curious babies, asking all sorts of questions, even some embarrassing ones.
"Alright, time's up. It's bedtime."
Silas quickly cut them off, sending the two girls off to sleep. After saying goodnight to Diantha, he led his Pokémon upstairs.
The next morning, Silas was woken up by Cinccino's fluffy tail brushing across his face.
Still half asleep, he opened his eyes to see the Indeedee siblings standing by the bed.
"Indeedee!" (Silas, wake up, there's a guest at the ranch.)
Cinccino also waved its tail again, urging him to get up.
"Cin, Cin!" (If you don't get up, I'm going to tickle you!)
Still groggy, Silas was assisted by the Indeedee siblings as he washed up and got dressed. Yawning, he reluctantly headed downstairs.
Guided by the Indeedee siblings, he arrived in the living room, where a burly man with a strong build sat on the sofa.
Seeing Silas, the man removed his sunglasses and took out a business card, presenting it with both hands.
"My apologies for the sudden visit. I am Vinnie, secretary to the president of Quasartico Inc. At Miss Diantha's request, I have come to redesign the layout of Mr. Silas's ranch residence."
Taking the business card, Silas froze for a moment before his brain finally caught up.
He remembered now. Diantha had arranged for Quasartico Inc to design blueprints for a ranch villa based on his needs.
"Hello, Mr. Vinnie." Silas reached out and shook his hand. "Sorry to trouble you to come all this way. Shall we get straight to the point?"
"Of course. We will do our best to meet Mr. Silas's requirements."
Vinnie nodded and took out a notebook to record everything.
"First, I need many rooms, enough for all the Pokémon on the ranch to live in. They don't need to be too large, about half the size of a normal secondary bedroom will do."
Pokémon like Meowth, Cinccino, Morpeko, and Jigglypuff were small in size, and overly large rooms would feel too empty for them.
Silas listed out his requirements one by one, covering all daily needs.
"Mr. Silas, your requirements are roughly…" Vinnie repeated them back.
"That's right, that's everything."
"Please give us one week. We will deliver the design plans as soon as possible."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work."
Silas nodded. At that moment, younger sister Indeedee brought over hot tea.
After thanking her, Vinnie took a sip and added, "Once the first version of the design is complete, we will use projection equipment to present it more intuitively, and then make further refinements."
Silas took a sip of black tea, smiled as he praised younger sister Indeedee, and nodded in agreement. That sounded perfect.
"Mr. Vinnie, may I ask something? About Quasartico Inc's urban redevelopment project in Lumiose City."
Normally, such a project would be considered confidential and not shared with outsiders.
But Silas was different. He had a high chance of becoming the Champion of the Kalos region.
If they could gain his support, the project would face far less resistance.
Vinnie placed down his teacup, his tone becoming more serious.
"Since Mr. Silas is interested, I can give a brief introduction."
"I would love to hear it."
"The urban redevelopment project is divided into two parts. The first is the Wild Zones."
"Quasartico Inc uses holographic projection technology to create areas within the city where wild Pokémon can live."
"Trainers can unlock access to different Wild Zones through the ZA Ascension Battles. We have already established Wild Zone No.1, where more than a dozen species of wild Pokémon currently reside."
"That sounds quite good. Have nearby residents filed complaints?"
Clearly well prepared, Vinnie took out a report from his briefcase.
"In the early stages, some residents were concerned that wild Pokémon might cause disturbances. To address this, we installed soundproof barriers around the zones."
"We also assigned company personnel to patrol 24 hours a day to ensure that Pokémon do not leave the designated areas."
"After three months of trial operation, approval ratings have increased from 40 percent to 95 percent."
Taking the report, Silas carefully flipped through it. Alongside written descriptions were photos.
An elderly man sat on a bench outside the zone, smiling as he watched a group of Rattata playing inside. Parents brought their children to feed flocks of Pidgey. New trainers commanded their starter Pokémon in battles against Bunnelby.
Every photo showed people smiling, living in harmony with the Pokémon inside the Wild Zones.
At that moment, one question naturally arose.
"So… what's the cost?"
(End of Chapter)