Early morning; Beautifly collecting nectar, Zigzagoon foraging for food, flocks of Taillow soaring through the sky in formation.
It was a picture-perfect scene of a Pokémon paradise.
But this tranquility was shattered by the appearance of certain Pokémon. After all, the forest had its own food chain, and out in the wild the only law was the survival of the fittest.
Mightyena, Dustox, Seviper, when these aggressive Pokémon appeared, it signaled the beginning of countless hunter-and-prey chases.
Such was the nature of this world.
Either the weak sheep would be devoured, or the weak wolf would starve to death.
Of course, for Sieg's part, unless these wild Pokémon actively provoked him, he rarely sought trouble.
After all, his main goal right now was traveling, with training being secondary. But if some Pokémon had a death wish, he didn't show mercy.
These Pokémon all became stepping stones on Sandile's path to power.
"Kroook~~"
Sandile killed yet another Poochyena that had tried to ambush them from the shadows, tearing open its hide and devouring the bloody chunks with relish.
Sieg watched silently from the side, his expression unchanging.
Sandile might not end up being the strongest member of his team, but it would certainly be the most ruthlessly bloodthirsty, and also the most decisive in battle.
Watching Sandile devour the low-quality, energy-poor flesh, Sieg frowned slightly.
This wasn't beneficial for Sandile's development.
"Alright, Sandile, that's enough."
After Sieg gave the command, Sandile paid no attention, continuing to tear at the wolf meat voraciously.
Whether Sandile was too excited to hear him, or was deliberately challenging his authority as its trainer, Sieg couldn't tell.
But he wouldn't tolerate such behavior. His other Pokémon had never acted this way, perhaps this attitude stemmed from the brutal survival competition Sandile had endured with its siblings.
"Murkrow, use Wing Attack to teach it a lesson."
"Kaw kaw!!"
A flash of dark light appeared as powerful wings struck Sandile squarely on the head.
Coming to its senses, Sandile lowered its head and crawled submissively to Sieg's feet, rubbing against his coat with its stubby tail and showing an apologetic expression.
Seeing this behavior, Sieg's expression softened somewhat.
"So Sandile wasn't trying to challenge my authority, it had just fallen into some kind of bloodthirsty frenzy?"
As an experienced trainer, Sieg easily diagnosed the cause.
Since Sandile's birth, it had never engaged in proper battles, only life-or-death struggles.
Even when fighting wild Pokémon, every encounter was lethal, kill or be killed, with every move aimed at vital points.
While this had developed Sandile's exceptional combat instincts and fearless spirit, it also created unavoidable side effects.
As Sieg continued his journey, he pondered solutions to this problem. When he encountered wild Pokémon with exceptional potential and value, he would actively engage and attempt capture.
But few Pokémon caught Sieg's eye, which reflected just how rare high-quality wild Pokémon truly were.
Occasionally, he would also discover precious medicinal herbs and rare materials in the wild, though these were usually guarded by powerful Pokémon or entire colonies.
Sieg would send Murkrow to scout ahead. If the opposition was manageable, it provided perfect training while securing valuable materials.
If the Pokémon proved too powerful, he would quietly retreat and find an alternate route.
Although Sieg's Crawdaunt was now approaching an Elite Level of 40, this didn't mean he could rampage through the wilderness unchallenged.
Especially in his current location, the center of the Hoenn continent, where developed cities were scarce and human presence minimal.
This resulted in wild Pokémon being far stronger than those near coastal forests.
During his travels, he had encountered Elite-level or higher wild Pokémon several times.
These included forest overlords that ruled entire territories, not only powerful themselves, but commanding groups of subordinate Pokémon.
Even with Sieg's strength, he could only give them a wide berth.
When the day's travel ended, Sieg found an open area to make camp. Murkrow had scouted the surrounding area multiple times, confirming no powerful Pokémon were nearby.
Sieg trusted Murkrow completely. With Umbreon's help, he quickly set up camp.
Night fell, and the campfire was lit.
Sieg crouched beside the fire, placing ingredients Crawdaunt had prepared onto the grilling rack, along with a bottle of all-purpose seasoning.
Of course, he wasn't eating Pokémon meat. Unprocessed body parts from high-level Pokémon contained energy that would cause a human body to explode if consumed.
Sieg certainly wasn't going to attempt such processing, he wasn't a chef, after all.
What he was currently grilling was farm-raised Lechonk.
Sizzle~~
As he turned the Lechonk on the spit, golden droplets of fat soon began dripping from the meat into the fire, creating a pleasant sizzling sound.
As the meat neared readiness, its aroma naturally began spreading outward. Sieg didn't order Murkrow to disperse the scent.
Instead, he let the fragrance drift into the distance.
Just as Sieg began his meal, its aroma inevitably attracted some Pokémon, which was exactly his intention.
Rather than actively seeking out Pokémon for training, it was better to let them come to him. This way, Sandile could battle to its heart's content all at once.
His location at the forest's edge was perfect, nearby Pokémon generally wouldn't exceed level 30, making them ideal opponents.
From the corner of his eye, Sieg observed the campsite's perimeter. In the darkness, pairs of red and green glowing eyes peered through the undergrowth, watching the camp.
Sieg felt no concern about these lurking Pokémon.
With Crawdaunt constantly guarding his side, no Pokémon could launch a sneak attack under his watch. Sieg clapped his hands and stretched as he stood up.
Before he could launch the first attack, one Pokémon had already lost its patience.
The Pokémon appeared as a spherical cactus with extremely muscular arms, three diamond patterns on its chest, and a small yellow flower atop its head.
Sieg immediately recognized the species.
"A Cacnea? Didn't expect to find one here," Sieg said with slight surprise.
This species typically preferred dry, arid environments, with deserts being their first choice. They possessed special water storage organs that allowed them to survive thirty days without a single drop of water.
"Hmm, that sweet fragrance..."
Sieg noticed the yellow flower blooming on its head.
That flower bloomed once per year. Cacnea would use its intense fragrance to lure prey, then kill them with its thick, spike-covered arms.
He hadn't expected to encounter a Cacnea in a forest environment. He hadn't even found one in the small desert area of Route 117, which showed just how rare this species was.