"I should count as half a breeder, right?" Sieg thought to himself.
Although he had not yet passed the Breeders' Association exam, he was already capable of making Pokéblocks, which meant he had at least one foot through the door.
With enough experience and practice, he would be able to craft Pokéblocks with ease in the future.
"But I only managed to make this one kind of Pokéblock after the last experiment. I wonder how many kinds Metako can make..."
Sieg's thoughts began to drift. He had also heard of how difficult the breeder exams were. Besides numerous written tests, the final part required candidates to create high-quality Pokéblocks within a limited time.
Only those who succeeded could become respected junior breeders.
Sieg glanced at the pile of wasted materials in the corner and said, "Breeders are said to be money-making machines, but the investment is just too huge. No wonder the teacher had such a high status on the ship back then."
When the old Captain was still here, her position on the Megalodon was one of the highest.
That was entirely because she monopolized the Pokéblocks supply. Out here at sea, the most valuable resource without question was Water-type basic Pokéblocks.
Because almost everyone here had Water-type Pokémon, and the majority of them were raised as main partners.
Pokéblocks from the mainland were mostly found on the black market, and they were extremely expensive. So the ones made by Lady Metako were in high demand.
The rarity of Water-type Pokéblocks meant supply could never meet demand, which led to Metako's prestigious status.
"But now, even I should be able to…"
Sieg's lips curled up slightly.
As expected, once the news that he could makePokéblocks spread aboard the Megalodon, more and more people began to visit him.
And their reason was never a surprise; all of them came to buy Pokéblocks.
In the days that followed, Sieg also increased his practice. At first, he could only succeed once every few hundred tries.
Now, he could steadily succeed once in every hundred tries. Occasionally, with some luck, he could succeed twice.
…
Half a month passed quietly.
The Megalodon had returned to the Hoenn region's waters, and in this familiar territory, every pirate crew had its designated activity zone.
During this period, they occasionally robbed some tourist ships. If they encountered rare Water-type Pokémon, they would capture and tame them to sell on the mainland.
They had also recruited new members twice. Though the number wasn't high, the crew was approaching 200 people.
"Sieg, not bad. Your technique is getting more and more refined. The purity of this Pokéblock is nearly on par with the ones I make." Metako said as she delicately held a pure white Pokéblock between her slender fingers.
Sieg replied respectfully, "It's all thanks to your careful guidance, teacher. I just happened to be lucky."
Although Sieg's status had risen sharply during this time, he still remained clear-headed about his position.
Whether due to identity or benefits, he had to show deep respect to Metako.
"You, always so pleasant to talk to."
Metako's eyes curved gently as a smile appeared on her face. She was clearly very satisfied with this student of hers.
The two of them chatted a while longer, with Sieg bringing up all the issues he'd encountered in study and practice during this time.
Metako answered them all with the tone of a true teacher.
Back on the deck, Sieg looked at the Pokémon in their daily training. Over the past half-month, supported by ample resources — especially the steady supply of Pokéblocks, Corphish had reached level 24, and Carvanha was now at level 22. Both were not far from their big evolution milestone at level 30.
"Spearow, I haven't sent you on scouting missions recently. Your level is close to evolving, so stock up on energy," Sieg said, extending his arm for Spearow to perch on as he gave it instructions carefully.
"Spee~~"
Sieg looked at a group of young people in the distance. Their faces were youthful, full of both fear and excitement.
"Are these the new recruits? Hope they can hold out. The Megalodon is seriously understaffed right now."
Sieg asked a regular pirate beside him.
That man, seeing it was Sieg, quickly responded nervously, "Sir Sieg, there are 27 newcomers in this batch. I'm responsible for helping them get familiar with sailor duties. Here's the roster. Would you like to take a look?"
Sieg had now become someone highly respected among the regular pirates, not just because of his status as Metako's student.
The ability to make Pokéblocks alone was enough to command respect.
"I've actually become 'Sir Sieg' now?"
Sieg found the thought amusing.
He casually took the roster and skimmed through it. Most of them were street thugs or people forced by life circumstances to become pirates.
Of course, there were also a few who had been abducted. Their faces were full of fear, and they didn't dare lift their heads to look at their surroundings.
Just then, Sieg's eyes were drawn to a name: Hiroki Kōsei.
"What? This chubby kid is a direct League Trainer? How did you catch him?"
Sieg's tone was full of reproach. If the League found out about this, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The ordinary pirate hurriedly explained, panicked, "Sir, we didn't capture this chubby kid. We bought him from the black market. At the time, we didn't know his identity. We only found out he was a League Trainer after the purchase."
"But according to our investigation and his own account, his father was a businessman with immense wealth. He was targeted by a high-ranking League official, which eventually led to their family's ruin. He himself was sold into the black market and became a slave."
After hearing this absurd story, Sieg's mouth twitched. In his heart, he gained an even deeper understanding of how rotten the League truly is.
"No wonder the League can't wipe out these dark organizations. They're multiplying. The corruption and darkness inside must go far beyond our imagination," Sieg thought to himself.
While the two were chatting, the chubby kid stepped out from the crowd, confidently shouting, "Bring your captain out to meet me! I've got a project that could make us all rich!"
The kid didn't look very old — eleven or twelve at most — but his speech and demeanor were filled with confidence.
The guarding pirate beside him immediately rushed forward and began punching and kicking him, "Pah, what kind of trash do you think you are? Still acting like a League Trainer? On this ship, you're just a bottom-rung prisoner!"
None of the other pirates found this surprising. It was perfectly normal for older pirates to bully the new ones, especially when the newcomer was a direct League Trainer.
Bullying someone with such a high status gave these pirates immense satisfaction.
"Ow, stop! Stop! Please let me go! Let me go…"
By now, the chubby kid had lost all his earlier arrogance. He curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach and rolling around like a stray dog.
For someone who had grown up in wealth and comfort, this was his first time experiencing such pain and humiliation.
His once rosy face was now full of agony, tears streaming down nonstop, pleading, "Please, I'm begging you! Let me go!"
However, the other twenty-something young people remained silent. No one dared step forward or speak on his behalf.
Some looked in terror at the unfolding scene, while others lowered their heads in thought, secretly relieved that they weren't the ones being beaten.
As the chubby kid looked at his cold-faced peers, he felt a deep sadness. For the first time, he realized how heartless people could be.