After returning to the Pokémon Center, Sieg slept soundly until dawn.
Early the next morning, he discovered that the 500,000 had already been deposited into his League account.
"Eevee's egg is due to hatch in about 16 hours; better not take any more risks in the wild."
Sieg thought for a moment, then picked up the Pokédex to browse through internal information about the Petalburg Gym. Much of the knowledge inside was completely new to him.
"Wow, I didn't know it could be used like this…"
"Combining Gale Petals with Morning Dew can produce a potion that attracts Flying-type Pokémon…"
"This… this is Dragon Dance training material!"
Sieg eagerly flipped through these precious resources. The knowledge inside was eye-opening, as if stepping into an entirely new world.
He was completely absorbed, hungrily taking in every word and sentence, feeling the power and wisdom contained within.
The power of knowledge is truly incredible!
Time ticked by unnoticed as Sieg immersed himself in the sea of information.
It wasn't until noon, when sunlight poured through the window, that Sieg suddenly snapped out of it.
"Looks like accepting that investment was definitely the right decision. If I had explored this alone, I never would've had access to this kind of incredible knowledge."
Among the documents, Sieg found a method for learning Dragon Dance. He was thrilled. Crawdaunt had inherited Dragon Dance genetically, but had never been able to master it, which had always been a small regret.
Now, he finally had a chance to fix that!
"First, I'll copy this video that explains the move from the Pokémon's perspective."
There were many ways to learn Dragon Dance. The most direct was a video featuring a Dragonite demonstrating it. Although Sieg couldn't understand the Pokémon's speech, Crawdaunt could.
"I'll also need to prepare a potion to enhance Dragon-type bloodlines, Axew scales, Noibat fur, and Druddigon blood."
The pressure hit him hard. These Dragon-type materials were among the most expensive in their category.
Stretching, he walked out of his room and headed to the Pokémon cafeteria, where he ordered a free meal and began to dig in.
"Hey, a new shop just opened up on the street nearby. Supposedly, they're selling some really good stuff, even Pokémon gear!"
"Really? Do they have an alchemist in the store?"
"Hehe, I don't know, but I heard they're putting a mysterious Water Droplet on sale today, said to boost your power by over 10%!"
Sieg's eyes lit up as he overheard the chatter around him.
"Pokémon gear!"
"Alchemist!"
These unfamiliar terms gave him a jolt.
If he hadn't gone through those documents, he would've had no idea what an alchemist was.
So-called alchemists, also known as "item crafters," were a type of profession, though much more mysterious and rare compared to breeders.
The current field of Pokémon gear creation was split into two schools of thought. The first involved using rare minerals and machinery to manufacture gear, the method adopted by most companies and factions. It saved on materials and was quick to mass-produce.
However, it came with limitations: it could only create attribute-boosting items like Charcoal or Mystic Water.
Special items like Life Orb, Toxic Orb, Quick Claw, or Focus Sash couldn't be made this way.
Alchemists, however, a profession passed down for a thousand years, were said to be capable of crafting items using parts of a Pokémon's body.
They even knew how to create niche or unusual items. But one trait united them all: isolation.
After all, the League strictly prohibited the private sale of Pokémon corpses. Since these practices were banned by the League, alchemists often lived in hiding, rarely appearing in public.
When two breeders met, they'd usually share knowledge and swap Pokéblock recipes, forming strong bonds.
When two alchemists met, they would often try to kill each other to steal the other's crafting methods. This made alchemists even rarer, a profession that valued master-apprentice inheritance above even blood relations.
"Mystic Water, huh? That would be perfect for my Crawdaunt. I might as well go check it out."
With a large sum of money newly deposited, Sieg's wallet was full. Since he'd run into Mystic Water, how could he pass up such an opportunity?
As the Gym was built, the city had become truly prosperous. Sieg could clearly sense the increase in the number of people at the Pokémon Center recently.
New houses were springing up all around, with all sorts of buildings popping up nonstop.
After finishing lunch quickly, he rushed out of the Pokémon Center and, following the Pokédex's navigation, headed to the newly opened Pokémon shop.
"So many people… all here to buy that Mystic Water?" Sieg stepped inside and saw the place packed with customers.
After thinking for a moment, he understood. Hoenn was a region rich in water routes, and most of its major cities were coastal.
The further inland, the poorer the cities, with the exception of Lavaridge, built near a dead volcano, which was the only inland city of any significance.
This made Water-type Pokémon especially popular around here.
"Damn, a Mystic Water that boosts move power by 10% costs 1,000,000 Pokédollars, that's half the price of a starter Pokémon!"
Sieg had expected the price to be high, but not this outrageous.
No wonder everyone was just staring at the Mystic Water on display without buying it.
Only a handful of trainers could afford 1,000,000.
Sieg did a quick calculation of his own funds. He'd still have some left for emergencies after the purchase.
Screw it, I'm buying it!
"Sorry, sir," said a staff member with a blank expression. "This Mystic Water is for display only, not for sale."
Sieg's face twitched, silently cursing inside.
The surrounding customers didn't seem surprised. Apparently, others had already tried to buy it and had been refused.
"This is just the store's strategy, using a rare Mystic Water to attract foot traffic and boost sales of regular goods."
Honestly, it was working well.
Plenty of basic items like Pokéblocks and berries were selling like hotcakes.
Sieg, though, was extremely disappointed. He was about to buy some basic materials and leave when he suddenly remembered that Gym Leader Norman had upgraded his League clearance yesterday.
"Mr. Norman said I could get preferential treatment in some places… maybe here too?"
With a hopeful mindset, Sieg asked the staff to fetch the store owner, then presented his League credentials via the Pokédex.
"Oh my, sir!" the owner beamed warmly. "Forget what I said before, of course we're willing to sell it. For you, we'll even give a discount!"
The store owner, smiling ear to ear, carefully packed the Mystic Water into a beautiful gift box.
Sieg looked at the owner's sycophantic smile, then remembered the staff's earlier indifference. His mouth twitched again, he felt a bit speechless.
"So, just one rank upgrade in League clearance makes this much of a difference?"
Sieg was beginning to realize that the best benefit from his investment deal might have been the clearance increase.
The League's clearance system was somewhat like the aristocratic title system of ancient times.
"No wonder the League doesn't care at all about the commoners at the bottom. With such a rigid and secure system, they don't have to fear anything; Something like the 'French Revolution' isn't going to happen.
If the direct descendants were like aristocratic elites in a past life, the ordinary residents of the League were like commoners.
In that case, upgrading one's clearance was akin to advancing in noble rank.
"What an absurd world~"
Sieg sighed with resignation.
But he didn't criticize the system; after all, he was now one of its beneficiaries. No one wants to undermine their own position.
Of course, had he not become a direct League trainer and instead stayed with a shady organization, he might've thought differently.
Maybe, back then, he would've sparked a rebellion of his own?
Well, humans are selfish creatures, it's part of our flawed nature.