After returning to his room, Sieg immediately shut the door, opened his Pokédex, and redialed the video call.
Beep, beep, beep...
In just a few seconds, the call connected, and a cute, rosy little face appeared on the screen.
"Schieeegggg!"
A delighted cheer rang out from the Pokédex.
Sieg's expression softened. He gently said, "It's you, May. What made you suddenly think of calling me? Bored at home again?"
On the other end of the call, May looked at the familiar face on the screen with joy radiating from her cheeks.
Her big eyes squinted into crescents, eyebrows arching adorably as the corners of her lips curved up.
"No, Big Brotha, it's my dad who's looking for you, but he's still busy with his Gym Challenge...!"
May's tone carried a hint of grievance.
She wasn't too pleased with her always-busy father. Just to get a little closer to him, she had even gone to the battle arena to cheer him on.
But Schieg was way better~
May glanced at the Star Petal Flower placed by her bedside, and a subtle sweetness bloomed in her heart.
Sieg couldn't help but chuckle, gently comforting her. "May, let me tell you, this journey has been so much fun..."
He began recounting the tales of his adventure.
Of course, his version had been edited thoroughly. The stories he told were innocent, cheerful, and full of sunshine.
As for things like murdering and looting in underground caves, brutal battles with criminal organizations, he left all of that out.
Still, for May, who had barely left home since she was little, every word was fascinating.
Her affection for her big brother, once again, grew a little more.
Schieg is the best~
Just as Sieg's throat was going dry from all the talking, a familiar voice finally came through from the other end.
"Alright, May, give the Pokédex to Dad. I need to talk business with your big brother!"
May pouted and looked at her father pitifully, but her usual cutesy charm didn't seem to work this time.
"Bleh bleh bleh~~"
With a silly face, May finally handed over the Pokédex to Norman.
Sieg quickly straightened his expression and greeted respectfully, "Good afternoon, Mr. Norman!"
After a few polite words, Norman cut to the chase.
"Sieg, I already received word from Rustboro about your recent accomplishments. I didn't expect you to actually become a certified junior breeder!"
"Looks like you really have talent in this field. I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You're no small fry, you're a hidden dragon ready to soar!"
As time passed, Sieg's name had naturally begun spreading, thanks in part to the publicity by the breeder's guild in Rustboro.
Normal trainers might not pay much attention, but someone like Norman, an official of the Pokémon League, certainly did.
He had memorized Sieg's face long ago.
Hearing Norman's praise, Sieg felt a hint of joy in his heart, but he maintained his modest demeanor.
"You're too kind, Mr. Norman."
"It was your sharp eyes that saw my potential in the first place. Otherwise, I'd still be buried among the crowd."
Sieg wasn't going to overdo the modesty and make himself seem worthless.
Nor would he act arrogant and leave a bad impression.
One had to admit, Sieg was something of a master when it came to the art of words. In just a few sentences, he managed to lift Norman's status without lowering his own.
Norman was clearly pleased.
"Haha, Sieg, it makes me happy to hear you speak this way."
After a brief conversation, Norman's expression turned serious.
"The reason I called you this time is to discuss investment. According to the evaluations from our Gym professionals, we've decided to increase your funding."
"Your annual breeder funding will be raised from 500,000 to 1.5 million Pokédollars. In addition, you will receive a special TM of your choice."
Sieg's lips curved into a satisfied smile as his eyes lit up.
"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Norman."
He had anticipated that the Petalburg Gym would increase their investment, especially since the Joy family had gone in with such a huge amount.
True, the Joys were wealthy, but even more important was that Sieg's talent as a breeder was too remarkable to ignore.
With that in mind, how could the first investor, Petalburg Gym, possibly stay quiet?
After wrapping up the conversation, Sieg said goodbye to Norman. Under May's reluctant gaze, the call ended.
He collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"I just casually brought it up, but I didn't think Mr. Norman would actually agree to give me a TM for Rain Dance..."
Sieg muttered unconsciously, the smile on his lips impossible to hold back, practically splitting his face.
Even the affluent Joy family hadn't given him a TM like that.
Among all the TMs, the most expensive were undoubtedly the stat-boosting ones like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, and the terrain-based moves like Grassy Terrain or Psychic Terrain.
Then there were the weather-based moves, such as Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Sandstorm.
These types of TMs were incredibly rare. Even in the black market, they could fetch millions, assuming you could even find one.
Even if you had mountains of Pokédollars, that didn't guarantee you could buy one.
Sieg figured his relationship with May must have played a part in this outcome.
"As expected, getting on May's good side was the right move. Mr. Norman's totally a doting father!" Sieg thought to himself, smirking.
After preparing dinner for his Pokémon, Sieg got up and headed to the dining hall for a meal himself.
Today, he didn't order the usual free trainer meal. Though those were nutritionally balanced, his mood was too good for something ordinary.
"I'll have a fish burger, curry meat noodles, and an iced bottle of Coca-Cola!"
Sieg sat happily at the table, relishing the food and washing away the weariness from visiting the black market.
Of course, it wasn't physical exhaustion.
Places like that required total mental focus. It was that kind of stress that wore him out.
Sieg understood that whether it was training or life itself, there had to be a balance of tension and relaxation. If you strung yourself too tight, eventually you'd snap.
Sure enough, as he was still eating, the Pokédex at his waist vibrated.
It was a digital contract. Sieg skimmed through it, found no issues, and signed without hesitation.
The very next day, the TM for Rain Dance arrived at Sieg's doorstep.
"Crawdaunt, you're in for a treat."
Sieg could hardly imagine how terrifyingly powerful Crawdaunt's Crabhammer would be after a single Dragon Dance, empowered by rain.
Dragon Dance, boosted rain, Adaptability, STAB, Mystic Water...
And on top of all that, Crabhammer had a base power of 100!
It even had a chance to land a critical hit on its own.
If that hit turned out to be a crit, with all those boosts stacked on top, the damage would be unimaginable.
Sieg looked at his intimidating Crawdaunt, and deep inside, he was already anticipating the day that power would be unleashed!