The valley at night seemed especially quiet, with only the creaking of swaying branches breaking the silence.
"My name is Rose. Don't forget our agreement, Black Sky." The seductive woman threw Sieg a flirtatious glance, then climbed onto Pidgeot's back and flew away from the valley.
Sieg watched her departing figure, a strange feeling rising in his heart.
However, this woman who called herself "Rose" wasn't wrong. Within their small circle of four, those twin brothers undoubtedly held the dominant position.
If the two of them wanted to avoid being pushed aside, they could only band together for mutual support.
"The world isn't just about fighting and killing, it's about navigating relationships and social dynamics," Sieg couldn't help but sigh.
He donned his black robe once more and disappeared into the night.
By the time he returned to the Pokémon Center, it was already midnight. The lobby was completely empty except for two medical staff members still on duty.
Even Nurse Joy had gone to sleep. After returning to his room, Sieg collapsed completely onto the bed, reflecting on this journey to the Team Rocket base.
The first point was that he had completely resolved the identity issue left behind by the psychic. From now on, he was also an official Team Rocket squad leader. With this additional identity, if he encountered any trouble in the future, he could abandon it at any time.
The second point was that he had upgraded his spatial equipment. Although his original spatial backpack was good, it was still somewhat burdensome and cumbersome in the wilderness. By comparison, the spatial ring now on his left index finger was undoubtedly much more convenient.
The third point was that he had successfully formed a circle with the other three squad leaders dispatched from the Kanto region. Although the verbal agreement of their mutual defense pact might not be effective, it was still better than being completely isolated.
Sieg released all his Pokémon, treating their injuries one by one. Although the battle hadn't lasted long, Crawdaunt had still sustained some minor injuries.
After all, it had been the main force resisting Venusaur head-on. Sieg first fed it a small bottle of healing potion, then took out a spray and applied it to the external scrapes.
With both internal and external treatment, it wouldn't take long for Crawdaunt to fully recover.
"But that Rose was truly unexpected, actually using sleeping drugs." Sieg recalled the sensation from that time.
Those sleeping drugs were definitely not some common street product. Having dealt with medicinal materials for a while, he could tell.
In any case, that woman was definitely a dangerous character.
Sieg kept warning himself mentally that he must be careful, extremely careful.
After settling all his Pokémon, he locked the door and placed a glass cup on the handle with a leaf wedged in the gap.
He then sealed the windows, drew the curtains closed, and had Murkrow hide in the dark corner to stand guard.
Only after arranging everything did he dare to lie down on the bed with a peace of mind, with the dagger hidden beneath his pillow.
Although it was unlikely he would be attacked in a Pokémon Center, as the saying goes, it's always better to be cautious.
The next morning, after hastily finishing breakfast, Sieg went to the self-service video phone area in the Pokémon Center lobby and dialed the public communication device.
After connecting, a cute and playful young girl appeared on the screen, her beautiful hair tied in twin tails. It was Luna.
"Sieg, have you arrived in Mauville City? Why haven't you replied to any of the messages I left on your Pokédex?"
May put on a fake angry expression, though her words were filled with concern.
"..."
Sieg fell silent, not knowing how to respond.
He quickly made up an excuse and hurried to change the subject.
The girl's feelings, Sieg naturally understood. After all, when he had played the hero and saved her, wasn't it precisely to have the Solance family owe him a favor?
Now it seemed he had indeed won the young lady's heart, but it also came with some complications.
"Hehe, Sieg, actually, yesterday my mother returned home. When she learned about you saving me, she insisted on properly thanking you."
Luna stuck out her little tongue, finally revealing the main point.
After thinking for a moment, Sieg said, "Moon, please send my regards to your mother!"
"Don't worry, Sieg, I know what to do. Oh, and Chikorita is still..."
She chattered away, sharing interesting stories from the past few days with Sieg, clearly reluctant to hang up the call.
When the conversation finally ended, Sieg somehow felt slightly relieved.
He turned and dialed another number.
"Big Brother! You finally remembered to call May~"
On the other end of the video was an adorable little girl with a ponytail and rosy cheeks, extremely likable.
It was May.
"May, long time no see. I've been quite busy with traveling recently, so I didn't have time to contact you beforehand."
"How has Mr. Norman been doing lately? Is the Gym operating smoothly?"
Sieg first explained his recent busyness, providing an explanation for his long period of no contact.
Then he politely inquired about Mr. Norman's current situation. After all, Norman was his first investor and also his second benefactor.
"Hehe, Sieg, Dad's finally been able to relax and play with me during this time. The Gym is running perfectly, and everything here is great~"
May had an innocent, bright smile on her face.
After chatting briefly, Sieg stated his purpose, to transfer the newly evolved Breloom over there.
That's right, Breloom.
This morning when he woke up and was about to collect the spores that had fallen from Shroomish's body, he was surprised to discover that when he released it, it had become a Breloom.
Obviously, the original Shroomish had evolved.
Actually, this wasn't too surprising. After all, Shroomish evolves into Breloom around level 23, and the Shroomish had already been at a decent level when he first caught it.
Over these past few months, although Sieg had only been feeding it leftovers from his main team, they were all precious materials and Pokéblocks.
For a wild Pokémon, such food was no different from rare delicacies, and it was highly nutritious.
Therefore, even without active training, Shroomish's level had naturally risen along with the accumulated energy.
After Shroomish evolved into Breloom, it would no longer shed poisonous spores. Sieg simply decided to board it, like Fearow, in the climate-controlled breeding facility at Norman's Gym.
The Pokémon Center had a special device that could transfer various items, a special machine that utilized spatial technology.
This device could not only transfer Pokémon but also send simple items.
If Sieg wanted to provide Pokéblocks to Luna's Chikorita in the future, he could use this instrument to send them directly.
However, right now Sieg first placed Breloom's Poké Ball into the device, then after communicating with May, he confirmed the delivery destination.
Soon, a flash of electric light passed, and the Poké Ball disappeared, transmitted to Petalburg Gym.
Sure enough, within a few seconds, his Pokédex chimed. It was a message from May.
"Big Brother, I received the Pokémon~"^^