Science fiction books and shows commonly depict Metang used as a means of speedy and reliable transportation, and there is an understandable appeal in this idea. Automobiles theoretically move as quickly as Metang, but they require clear and reliable roads, a rarity in this era; their only utility is in cities. Flying pokemon, the preferred means of intercity travel, are cautious navigators to a fault, refusing to carry humans to places where they have not yet flown, and demanding prompt recuperation at a pokemon center after the exhaustion necessary in carrying a rider. Seasoned travelers use them at first for return journeys, and only later to go all around the world, but for the average trainer travel is an arduous task indeed.
The few trainers capable of capturing Metang win not only a powerful pokemon, but a wonderful vehicle. They can maneuver capably through land and air at sixty miles per hour, around birds and land obstacles with equal ease. If they get into a collision, Metang can escape with barely a scratch provided the other party does not ignite; the rider is never harmed.
Yet Metang are living things, and machines built from Metang would not work. Metang's small surface requires the rider to stand up, and its metal coat is not a surface any foot or claw could hold onto at their speed; riders are kept in place only by the Metang's psychic waves. Mechanical equivalents would therefore do little more than lead to tragic accidents, yet have tempted many, for Metang are among the proudest and least tameable of pokemon.
They are a superb vehicle only for trainers who treat them well and win their respect; others will find their heads surrounded by force fields and be unable to board.