Day X, early morning.
After slowly waking up, Sieg first headed to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria to fill his stomach.
"Free food just tastes better!"
Looking at the curry meat sauce noodles in front of him, Sieg was visibly satisfied.
The League's privileges for direct-line trainers extended to every aspect of life, from food and clothing to shelter and travel.
"Cor Cor!!"
Corphish waved its pincers as usual, but Sieg's sharp observation caught a trace of fatigue in its expression.
Could Corphish be feeling weak?
Sieg gently touched Corphish's body and noticed that its shell, normally moist, was now slightly dry and warm.
"Aha, it's dehydrated!"
Sieg suddenly understood, "Corphish may be an amphibious Pokémon, but it needs regular hydration. Otherwise, it becomes lethargic and sleepy."
All this was written in the trainer's handbook. A regular civilian trainer would likely have to spend a long time figuring this out through trial and error.
Some less gifted individuals might never notice at all.
Sieg quickly went to the front desk in the lobby and booked a bathroom, letting Corphish go in for a proper soak.
"Splaaaash~"
Corphish excitedly trotted forward on its six short legs in quick little steps.
"Cor Cor!!"
It waved its pincers in the air, looking eager to dive in.
Sieg crouched down and tapped Corphish's pincers, their own special way of greeting.
"Not bad, Corphish is pretty energetic. If we brought over a few female Corphish, would we get baby ones right on the spot?"
Corphish gave a confused look, so Sieg immediately decided to take it into battle.
Returning to the Pokémon Center lobby, it wasn't as lively as last night. Now the atmosphere was a bit quiet.
Some people had already slung on their backpacks and set off on their journeys, while others were still lazily sleeping in.
"Good morning, Nurse Joy~"
"Good morning, Trainer Sieg~"
Nurse Joy responded warmly, her sweet expression probably driving many men crazy.
Sieg leaned in and said, "Nurse Joy, could you help me find a sparring opponent? Nothing too strong, just someone who's been traveling for less than a year."
Nurse Joy smiled and nodded, turning to operate the computer.
The Pokémon Center was an all-in-one facility, complete with battle arenas.
Ordinary trainers had to rent them out, and if anything was damaged, they'd have to pay for it.
But someone like Sieg, a direct-line League trainer, didn't need to worry. All expenses were covered by the League.
"Trainer Sieg, please wait a moment, most people aren't looking for a battle at this hour," Nurse Joy said apologetically, hands clasped together.
Sieg didn't mind at all, he wasn't in a hurry anyway. It was a good chance to chat with Nurse Joy and gather some intel.
As someone highly respected, Nurse Joy was a walking encyclopedia.
Sieg made use of having memories from two lives and used knowledge from his previous one to liven things up and flirt a little.
"Giggle~ I didn't expect you to be this interesting, Trainer Sieg~" Nurse Joy covered her mouth with her delicate hand and let out a bell-like laugh.
Sieg took the opportunity to get closer and said, "No need to be so formal, just call me Sieg. By the way, I don't know your name yet."
"I'm Joy Lin, you can call me Lin."
"Alright, Lin..."
Just as they were chatting away enthusiastically, a chime sounded from the computer.
"Ah, Sieg, your opponent has been matched."
Following Nurse Joy's words, Sieg turned and scanned the lobby, and sure enough, he spotted a boy around his age at a self-service terminal.
The boy's eyes sparkled with the heat of battle.
Sieg followed the broadcast screen's directions and headed to an outdoor battlefield.
"So you're my opponent? Remember this, the one who defeats you is me!"
The opposing trainer acted all dramatic, delivering a line straight out of a cliché. Sieg felt secondhand embarrassment and said nothing, jumping straight into battle.
"Go, Zigzagoon!"
The boy threw out a Poké Ball, releasing a Zigzagoon, a common Pokémon in the Hoenn region.
Sieg took out his Pokédex and scanned it.
"Beep beep beep~~"
"Zigzagoon, the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon, Normal type. Its curious nature causes it to walk in a zigzag pattern, always interested in everything it sees."
Not much info appeared, since to get complete data, one had to insert the Poké Ball into the back of the Pokédex for a full scan.
That wasn't possible now, but Sieg didn't mind. He immediately released Corphish.
With a flash of white light, Corphish emerged, excitedly waving its proud pincers, eyes full of fighting spirit.
"Cor Cor!!"
The opposing trainer noticed Sieg's Pokédex and showed a trace of envy on his face. As a civilian trainer, he had to earn everything himself.
Just raising a Pokémon was already a financial burden, let alone buying travel gear.
"Corphish, use Bubble Beam."
Sieg gave the command, choosing to test the waters first.
"Zigzagoon, use Sand Attack to block it!"
The opposing trainer responded quickly, showing he wasn't a complete newbie.
Sky-blue bubbles shot out from Corphish's pincers.
Pop pop pop pop~~~
Most of the bubbles burst against the sand, but a few slipped through and flew toward Zigzagoon.
"Use Headbutt and charge, teach it a lesson!"
Zigzagoon gathered milky-white energy on its forehead, then kicked off the ground and charged swiftly at Corphish.
"Close combat? Corphish, use Vice Grip combo." Sieg was a little surprised, but gave the command.
Corphish reacted instantly, lifting its two hard pincers.
First, one pincer deftly blocked Zigzagoon's headbutt, then the other struck sideways like lightning, slamming into Zigzagoon's flank.
"Yow~~"
Zigzagoon cried out in pain, knocked back repeatedly by the heavy blow, tumbling several meters before finally stopping.
"Don't give it a chance, finish it with Bubble Beam!" Sieg's cold voice rang out again.
Corphish acted immediately, opening its pincers and firing a dense barrage of bubbles. Like raindrops, they pelted Zigzagoon, quickly overwhelming it.
As the number of bubbles increased, Zigzagoon's stamina gradually wore down.
"Zigzagoon!!"
The opposing trainer let out a miserable cry and rushed forward, frantically clearing the mountain of bubbles and hugging the exhausted Zigzagoon tightly.
Sieg walked forward slowly, looking at Corphish, who still seemed to want more, and softly said, "Don't worry, that was just a warm-up. Next time, you'll really get to go wild."