After completing a week-long stint as a guest instructor, Sieg returned to his Pokémon and resud daily training while continuing his studies on breeding techniques.
Before leaving, he had selected a universal interdiate Dark-type Pokéblock formula as compensation for his teaching.
"Murkrow, use Haze!"
Inside a sealed indoor training room, Sieg commanded his Murkrow, whose body was outfitted with training weights.
With a powerful beat of its wings, the Murkrow released thick clouds of black mist from its sharp beak, swiftly filling the room.
The move was Haze.
This technique resets all stat changes of any Pokémon that inhales the mist, making it extrely effective against traits like Swagger or moves like Swords Dance.
That's why mastering it was a top priority for Murkrow!
Thanks to its Prankster ability, Murkrow was especially suited for status moves, both in learning and executing them, it achieved twice the result with half the effort.
Sieg silently observed from the corner of the room as the swirling black mist gradually faded into the air, having lost its energy.
"Alright, Murkrow, co back."
The black bird circling overhead promptly ceased its flapping and gently landed on Sieg's shoulder.
"Kwaa..."
Murkrow let out a raspy caw, as if to boast about its performance.
A rare softness flickered in Sieg's eyes. He gently stroked Murkrow's wings and praised, "You did well, Murkrow. But while you're learning new moves, don't forget to keep up with your flight training."
Recently, Murkrow had already adapted to flying in various environnts, even managing to stay airborne against the strong winds generated by Fearow's powerful gusts.
However, when it ca to maneuvering through complex terrain or obstacles, its flight technique still left much to be desired. Its speed would drop drastically, and without quick braking, it would crash headfirst into objects.
"Crawdaunt, how's the Dragon Dance training coming along? Any progress?"
Sieg turned toward a corner of the room where Crawdaunt was relentlessly pounding the sand with its pincers.
"Craw!"
With a swift spin, Crawdaunt scattered the sand in every direction, releasing its pent-up power. Hearing its trainer's voice, it eagerly scuttled over on its six short legs and then closed its eyes to gather Dragon-type energy.
A few seconds passed, then Crawdaunt began to swing its pincers and sway its body in a strange, mystical rhythm.
Its presence grew steadily more intense, as a purplish-red energy began to flow outward, Dragon Dance had been successfully activated.
Sieg's eyes lit up. "Excellent. You're getting more and more fluent with Dragon Dance. This will be your core focus moving forward, Crawdaunt. You need to truly internalize it."
Imdiately, Sieg started timing with his watch. Training Dragon Dance focused on three main areas:
The ti it takes to execute.
The amount of energy it boosts.
The duration of the effect.
The second point required precise instrunts to asure, so Sieg chose to focus on the first and third for now.
"A strong physique and a powerful body are necessary to handle greater energy."
With that in mind, the Pokéblocks Sieg prepared for Crawdaunt always included ingredients that enhanced physical conditioning.
Tick, tick, tick...
The quiet ticking of the stopwatch echoed in the room. Over ti, the energy Crawdaunt gained from Dragon Dance began to fade, the boost slowly dropping off and vanishing entirely within a few seconds.
"Forty-seven seconds."
Sieg looked at the stopwatch app on his Pokédex and couldn't help but smile.
The first ti Crawdaunt perford Dragon Dance, it could only maintain the boost for just over twenty seconds. In less than two weeks, it had doubled its endurance.
After feeding his Pokémon a few energy-restoring Pokéblocks, he began planning the next training phase.
As the sun set, Sieg returned to the front desk and checked out of the training room. He also paid the extra fee for going over ti. Even as a core League trainer, he still had to pay for using these specialized facilities.
After all, the room's dense energy environnt and its eventual wear-and-tear ca at a price.
That night, lying in bed, Sieg suddenly jolted upright, smacked his thigh, and exclaid.
"Right! Murkrow and Eevee haven't spilled blood yet!"
As a pirate through and through, one who'd walked a bloody path, Sieg was long accustod to killing, whether it be people or Pokémon.
His early partners, Crawdaunt and Sharpedo, had clawed their way out of blood-soaked battles, countless foes falling to their pincers and massive jaws.
But Eevee and Murkrow were different.
Since Sieg had caught them, he'd spent most of his ti traveling on land, not at sea. As a result, neither had ever tasted blood.
"I finally understand why Murkrow hasn't been able to truly blend into the team, or bond with Crawdaunt and the others." Sieg muttered thoughtfully.
It was because Murkrow had never undergone the baptism of blood.
Eevee, with its adorable charm, could easily win affection and beco the team's darling. But the crafty and aloof Murkrow, being a mber of the crow species, could never achieve that.
In fact, Murkrow often seed too withdrawn. Apart from Sieg, it showed no interest in socializing with other Pokémon.
As these heavy thoughts swirled in Sieg's mind, he eventually drifted off to sleep. Nearby, little Eevee rolled over lazily under the blanket.
Earlier, Eevee had been woken up by Sieg's sudden movents, but seeing there was no danger, it curled up again, wrapping its fluffy tail around itself. Only its tiny head poked out as it snuggled against Sieg's shoulder and returned to its slumber.
Morning light broke over the horizon.
On the eastern outskirts of Rustboro City, a young man in a plain adventurer's outfit appeared. His black hair frad a gentle face, paired with warm-colored clothes, he might've looked quite charming.
But for so reason, he was dressed head to toe in cold, dark hues. Paired with the cute Eevee beside him, the contrast was strikingly odd.
Sieg had departed Rustboro at the crack of dawn. His plan: train his Pokémon in the wild and take on a few League missions.
Famous local training spots included Petalburg Woods and the Verdant Tunnel.
"Verdant Tunnel... once I pass through there, I can head straight to Verdanturf Town. It's a crucial passage connecting two cities."
"It used to be mined by the Devon Corporation, but for so reason, construction was halted. Now, it's been turned into an official League exploration zone where trainers can enter to search for resources."
Sieg murmured to himself, recalling information he'd found online.
Interestingly, Verdant Tunnel was rich in ore. Even an ordinary-looking rock could contain a high-quality evolution stone.
Because of this, many hopefuls flocked there, dreaming of hitting it rich overnight through stone gambling.
It was even said that a stone gambling den had been set up near the entrance, selling raw stones freshly mined from the tunnel.
"Kraa..."
A hoarse caw echoed from above.
Sieg looked up to see Murkrow returning from reconnaissance. He extended his arm, offering a perch.
The black bird glided down, and as Sieg felt the pressure of the descending wind, he instinctively shut his eyes. When he reopened them, a sharp beak was inches from his face.
"Kraa, kraa... kraa."
As Murkrow reported what it had seen, it gestured animatedly with its jet-black wings.
Sieg could mostly understand, but so details remained unclear. So he removed the small drone cara hanging from Murkrow's neck and began reviewing the footage to get a clearer picture of what lay ahead.
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