Without Sieg's permission, Officer Jenny was already sitting upright in his room, speaking to him as if it was her office.
"Trainer Sieg, in light of your outstanding performance during the League's conscription mission yesterday, I'm here on behalf of the League to deliver your reward. In addition to fifty thousand in cash, you've also been granted 500 League points, which have already been deposited into your account."
As she finished speaking, Officer Jenny took out a thick stack of cash from her pocket, placed it neatly on the table, then stood up.
Looking at Sieg, her bold and refined face formed a proud smile.
"I hope you'll continue to perform admirably and contribute even more to the League."
"I wish you success in your journey!"
With that, Officer Jenny gave a light nod, turned on her heel, and left the room, leaving Sieg standing alone.
He stared at the Pokédollars on the table, deep in thought.
Five hundred League points… that's equivalent to five hundred thousand Pokédollars. The League sure was feeling generous?
Sieg couldn't figure it out, but free money was free money. No reason to turn it down, so he accepted it as only natural.
Outside the door, Officer Jenny was in high spirits. The recent chain of events had sent her merits within the League skyrocketing, and there was even a chance she could get promoted in the near future.
"Distributing rewards really is a fat opportunity," she thought to herself. "But this Sieg kid… being a direct Trainer of the League and possessing a Level 2 clearance, I can't embezzle a single coin from him."
She glanced back at Sieg's door with a tinge of regret.
Among the dozens of trainers who participated in the battle, there were commoners, League elites, and some like Sieg with powerful backings.
If it had been a commoner, Officer Jenny would have shamelessly swallowed the entire reward without a second thought. They're just nobodies, after all, not worth fearing.
When it came to elite trainers, she'd be more cautious. Even so, she'd usually shave off a portion of their reward, just a little cut for her own purse.
As she was daydreaming about all the money she'd make, the phone at her waist suddenly rang.
"Hello? Captain Jenny? A bunch of civilian trainers are gathering at the front of the station! They're shouting that we embezzled their League rewards and are demanding an explanation!"
The voice on the other end was drowned in chaotic noise, mixed with chants and shouting.
Officer Jenny's valiant face twisted into a sneer. "A bunch of low-born civilians dare to question us? Arrest them all, charge them with disturbing public order!"
Several respectful voices immediately echoed from the other end of the line.
She'd done this kind of thing countless times before. She'd never been caught.
Even if someone did manage to stir up trouble and spark public outrage, the power of the Jenny family would crush it swiftly.
After all, even the League couldn't control them.
Or rather, the Jenny family was the League. The two were so intertwined that they had become inseparable.
Back in the Pokémon Center, Sieg quietly left his room and headed for the lobby.
He strolled toward one of the self-service machines and began tapping on the screen.
"Time to turn in the Whismur."
After a long and intense negotiation with the mission giver, Sieg finally secured a satisfactory price.
Watching the League points in his account rise, Sieg's mood lifted. Without hesitation, he purchased the training manuals for Crawdaunt and Sharpedo in full.
There were just enough remaining points to exchange for a manual for Murkrow as well.
Might as well spend all the League coins while he was at it. After all, he was about to leave the city, and there wouldn't be any Pokémon Centers for quite a while.
Letting those points rot in his account would be pointless, better to spend them on something useful now.
"But the Pokémon in my backpack are still hard to sell. Better to hold off and head to the black market after some time."
With the recent chaos stirred up by the two major criminal organizations, the black market would definitely become unstable for a while.
Sieg wasn't about to take any unnecessary risks. He already had plenty of resources and Pokédollars in his backpack, money was not a concern.
Taking advantage of the quiet morning hours, Sieg approached the front desk and booked a training ground.
"Murkrow, come on out."
He took out a luxury ball from his belt. A flash of white light, and the Murkrow emerged.
"Krah!"
Murkrow immediately took to the skies, circling above Sieg's head.
"Murkrow, your task today is to master Tailwind. It'll be one of your core flying-type skills in the future. Don't slack off."
Sieg instructed carefully, letting the Murkrow perch on his shoulder.
He took a weighted ring from his spatial backpack and adjusted it to the second level.
Right now, Murkrow's training was progressing at a rapid pace. It was like watching a different Pokémon entirely from before.
As the scorching sun rose higher, time quietly ticked by.
"Murkrow, Tailwind!"
Sieg stood in the corner of the training ground, keeping to the shadows to avoid the sun, all the while issuing commands.
Murkrow's base Speed stat was a solid 91, above average among Pokémon. But after it evolved into Honchkrow, that stat would drop to 71.
That meant Tailwind would become crucial to making up for the speed loss. And paired with the Prankster ability, it was the perfect combo.
Not only would it activate faster during battle, it also helped during the learning process for support-type moves, boosting Murkrow's overall understanding and mastery.
As Murkrow spun midair and flapped its black wings, a faint breeze began to rise around it.
Tailwind, when used properly, boosts the Speed of the whole team.
It wasn't just a staple in official League battles. In wild group battles, it was practically a god-tier move.
Sieg watched the breeze around Murkrow start to fade and called out again, "Feel the wind's energy. Keep it going!"
Tailwind, as the name implied, was all about momentum and flow.
Following Sieg's instruction, Murkrow carefully gathered the surrounding Flying-type energy, creating swirling air currents around itself.
The wind returned. Murkrow suddenly felt lighter, its speed increasing once more.
It zipped through the training area, so fast it was nothing but a blur. Not even the naked eye could track it.
"Don't stop Tailwind…"
"Control the flying energy with more precision…"
"Two wind streams just leaked out. Murkrow, focus…"
Once training started, Sieg's expression shifted instantly.
He was like a machine, unrelenting as he issued one command after another.
But this wasn't cruelty, it was the care of a true Pokémon Breeder, one who knew exactly where a Pokémon's limits were.
He had calculated the training load precisely. It was enough to challenge Murkrow, but never enough to cause harm or pain.
"Alright, Murkrow, that's enough!"
Sieg checked the stopwatch. Compared to the start, the progress was remarkable.
Panting and flapping its wings, Murkrow landed weakly on Sieg's shoulder, waiting quietly for him to remove the weighted ring.
Sieg gently ruffled Murkrow's messy feathers and smiled, "Come on, let's go back to the room. I'll groom your feathers."
Murkrow leaned its tired body against Sieg's neck, letting out a soft series of "Krah, krah".