On one of the streets of Lavaridge Town, countless trainers were lined up, forming a long queue that drew the curious eyes of passersby.
And the destination of these trainers turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary herbal medicine shop. Sieg stood quietly in the line with them.
"This herbal shop supposedly has Revival Herbs, one of the raw materials for making Pokéblocks. It's said that the family running it has mastered a unique method of cultivating medicinal plants over generations."
Sieg stepped slowly into this quaint old shop, and at once, a pungent scent unique to traditional medicine enveloped him.
On the counter beside him were countless ingredients he knew well.
Even precious Energy Powders and Revival Roots were displayed openly.
At that moment, Sieg knew this trip had not been in vain. Without hesitation, he bought up every last Revival Root they had, each priced at a hundred thousand, yet Sieg didn't think it to be expensive at all.
As a breeder, he understood better than anyone just how low the chances were of finding such materials growing in the wild.
They demanded extremely strict conditions, the right soil, the right humidity.
And they could never be disturbed by wild Pokémon, so each root was incredibly precious.
"Seems like these are all cultivated by the shop itself."
Sieg held a Revival Root in his palm, carefully observing its tiny fibers and natural veins.
The shop was run by an old couple, a frail-looking grandpa and grandma.
Logically, with their age and the secret method they possessed for growing these rare herbs, they should have been an easy target for shady forces or big corporations.
And indeed, that had already happened. Rumor was, a few years ago, some large companies tried to use their wealth and influence to forcefully buy out the herbal shop.
In the end, they were driven away by a powerful Altaria that resided here.
Word was, the commotion even alarmed the local police, and under Officer Jenny's mediation, the matter ended inconclusively.
This incident alone proved that while this herbal shop appeared to stand aloof from the world, it was not something that could be provoked so easily.
After spending nearly a million on herbs, Sieg finally stepped out of the shop.
Though he had spent so much, the old couple showed no surprise, silently wrapping up his selected herbs with steady hands.
He had about 2.7 million Pokédollars left before, and now he'd spent nearly 1 million in one go. Being a breeder was, without a doubt, a money-consuming calling.
"But to come across such rare herbs and not buying them, that would have been an even greater loss."
Sieg tucked the carefully packed herbs into his dimensional backpack.
Rare medicinal ingredients like Revival Roots were difficult to come by, even in the breeder's guild back in Rustboro.
So he had to handle them with utmost care.
As he stepped out of the herbal shop, the line at the entrance was still long, full of people hoping to buy rare herbs.
Word was, this herbal shop also offered pre-orders. However, to wait for the next batch of medicinal herbs to grow, it would take years at minimum.
Which meant, if one wanted to place an order, it would be several years before they could actually get their hands on the finished products.
Given the old couple's age, it left many wondering if they would live to see that day. Yet rumor had it they planned to pass down their life's work and techniques.
So recently, many young people had come here, hoping to become their apprentices.
For instance, the few young clerks Sieg saw inside seemed like they were hoping to inherit that legacy.
But Sieg had no such interest.
Returning to the Pokémon Center, he drew up training plans for his Pokémon before throwing himself into the research of the "Weatherflow" Pokéblock.
He spread out a giant sheet of paper, covering it with messy scribbles, recording all kinds of herbal formulas and experiment results.
His approach was simple, he eliminated ingredients one by one in a process of reverse testing.
"Weatherflow essence and Camphor Powder, do they trigger a conflicting reaction?"
"Weatherflow essence with Glory Water, it actually promotes plant growth!"
"Weatherflow essence mixed with Ash Essence, it caused a violent explosion!"
For three whole days, Sieg did not step out of his room. When he was hungry, he ordered food to be delivered, and handled all his needs in that cramped little space.
The entire room turned into chaos with all the experimental materials scattered about.
Finally, after testing and recording reactions among hundreds of ingredients, Sieg managed to sketch out a rough framework.
Weatherflow essence needed to be paired with Energy Powder and two balancing elements, one water-based and one fire-based.
As for the remaining minor supplementary ingredients, Sieg still had no clue yet.
Every Pokéblock recipe demanded countless hours of a breeder's dedication. There was no way it could be perfected in just a few days.
That Sieg could map out even a rough outline already proved his talent.
"I need to get out and stretch my legs, I've been cooped up in here for three days!" Sieg drew open the curtains, sunlight streamed through the window, so bright that he instinctively shielded his eyes.
During these three days, even Nurse Joy had come knocking on his door several times, worried that he might have died inside.
This made Sieg both embarrassed and amused.
After all, Nurse Joy had received information from her family, reminding her that Sieg was an important investment target.
So naturally, compared to ordinary trainers, she paid special attention to him.
However, Sieg did not plan to linger in Lavaridge Town any longer. With Mt. Chimney nearby, he felt uneasy deep down.
After all, deep inside Mt. Chimney lay Team Magma's headquarters.
Though the story had not yet progressed to that point, and Team Magma might not have occupied the place yet, Sieg had no intention of staying here longer than necessary.
The very next day, he checked out of his room at the Pokémon Center.
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In a rugged, uneven mountain range.
This place, known as Jagged Pass, was the only path that led to the summit of Mt. Chimney.
Just as its name suggested, Jagged Pass was a mountain trail that zigzagged up and down Mt. Chimney's slopes.
The path was littered with bumpy rocks, but this was where Sieg's mountain bike came in handy, letting him breeze past all obstacles without slowing down.
His reason for coming here was twofold. First, to help his newly evolved Umbreon adapt to its new body and hone its strength.
Second, to collect materials for the "Weatherflow" Pokéblock. After all, this place was famous as a sacred ground for Fire-type Pokémon, with plenty of fire-element materials to be found.
Right now, Sieg was crouched low on the ground, gathering a certain type of mountain ash from between the rocks.
This ash was Mt. Chimney's volcanic ash.
It could be used as an ingredient, and Sieg had seen it mentioned in a breeder's old notebook. This volcanic ash could even serve as food for certain Pokémon.
It was said that if Fire-type Pokémon grew up eating this ash from a young age, the power of their fire moves would increase.
Sieg felt this might just be a myth, with no real data to back it up.
But that didn't stop him from collecting the precious volcanic ash, bringing it back for research. Who knew, maybe it would turn out to be the key to perfecting the "Weatherflow" Pokéblock.
The higher he climbed up the mountain, the more the surrounding rocks were streaked with searing red lines, until he reached halfway up.
Here, nearly every rock was dyed with fiery markings, seemingly scorched by the heat radiating from Mt. Chimney.