To Sieg, the young man from earlier was nothing more than an ignorant, spoiled brat, a minor interruption that was barely worth mentioning.
After switching into his usual attire for attending the black market, he made his way to Mauville's underground.
Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin, and it couldn't be more true for Mauville City. When it came to sheer prosperity, Mauville's black market easily ranked among the best Sieg had ever seen.
As one of Hoenn's economic powerhouses, Mauville's wealth is far greater than what it seems like to ordinary people. Even the black market economy flourished in its shadow.
The moment Sieg entered, he made sure the Team Rocket symbol was visible on his robe.
The emblem's worth in these parts was substantial. The people behind this black market were most likely Team Rocket themselves after all.
They wouldn't have set up their base here otherwise. That affiliation came with perks, preferential treatment, or at minimum, a way to sidestep needless trouble.
The trading district was buzzing with activity. Every stall was crowded, and every booth overflowed with rare goods.
Precious materials, specialized equipment, high-level Pokémon with exceptional potential, it was all there, laid out for anyone with the means to purchase them.
Money could buy you anything here. For the wealthy, it was paradise.
But money alone was far from enough. You need the strength to walk out with your purchases intact.
Show up with deep pockets but no power, and you're robbed clean. The oldest law in the history of our world governed this place: survival of the fittest.
Strength meant freedom. Weakness led to an inevitable death.
Sieg hit up several shops after another, selling the various Pokémon he had with him. The whole process ate up a good chunk of time, but eventually he managed to get rid off everything.
His balance now sat at 4 million Pokédollars.
Using information from Team Rocket's internal network, Sieg navigated through a dim alley until he reached a weathered wooden building.
He knocked with a specific rhythm on the door. A creak echoed, and it swung open.
An ugly old man stood in the doorway, his face so pockmarked and scarred it was genuinely unpleasant to look at. He sized Sieg up with a scrutinizing stare.
Getting the message, Sieg slowly pulled back part of his robe to flash the Team Rocket "R" emblazoned on it. Only then did the man step aside.
The interior was dark, a single candle providing the only light, barely enough to see.
The old man settled into a wooden chair, his expression flat as he looked at Sieg. "You understand how this works?"
"Yeah."
Sieg kept his voice low, his masked face revealing nothing.
The "rules" were simple enough: laundering dirty money or cracking encrypted cards came with hefty fees attached.
Sieg produced Kikuta's bank card. "There's a million Pokédollars on this. Standard terms, you crack it, get the money, and keep half."
The old man's blank expression cracked into something resembling a smile. Million-dollar jobs were rare, maybe a handful each month if he was lucky.
"Wait here."
With that terse instruction, the old man grabbed the card and vanished into a back room.
Sieg crossed his arms and settled into his chair, completely unconcerned about getting ripped off.
Nobody in the black market was stupid enough to cross Team Rocket.
Besides, he'd vetted this guy through Team Rocket's network. Word was the old man had been running this operation for over a decade with a spotless reputation.
Team Rocket had even tried recruiting him once. He'd turned them down.
Time dragged on. Just as Sieg's patience was wearing thin, the old man finally reappeared, looking thoroughly satisfied.
He tossed an unmarked card onto the table and practically shoved Sieg toward the door.
"Weird old bastard," Sieg thought.
His balance is now at 4.5 million Pokédollars. With that kind of cushion, funding his training won't be an issue for a good while.
"About time I leveled up my Pokéblock crafting. Can't afford to coast."
Money had a way of burning a hole in your pocket.
Sieg was no different. Letting it sit there doing nothing was a waste, better to invest it now and see real returns.
He stepped into an upscale shop next, the kind where both the décor and merchandise were clearly a cut above the rest.
After politely waving off an eager clerk, Sieg browsed on his own. The place carried everything, Pokéblocks, rare materials and herbs, even specialized Pokémon parts.
He eventually stopped at a display case showcasing Pokéblock machine components. The machine he'd gotten through the Breeder's Guild was already pretty solid.
But there was always room for improvement.
One particular component caught his eye, 300,000 Pokédollars. Installing it would seriously boost his production speed.
"I'll also take a batch of Dark Berries, Ebony Wood, Shadow Bloom, Malice Berries... Pick quality stuff. Don't try pawning off garbage."
Since the inventory looked decent, Sieg figured he'd save himself some legwork and knock out all his shopping in one go.
He made sure the Team Rocket emblem stayed visible, a subtle reminder for anyone getting ideas.
The clerk practically radiated enthusiasm, though his tone stayed carefully measured. "If I may ask, sir, are these materials a gift, or for personal use?"
They clearly figured out he was a Breeder. The materials alone might've been ambiguous, but that Pokéblock machine component was a dead giveaway.
Even entry-level Breeders who could craft Pokéblocks were walking goldmines, exactly the kind of talent every major organization scrambled to recruit.
Sieg glanced at the "brave" clerk, interpreting his poorly concealed nervousness. The owner had definitely put him up to this.
"Tell whoever sent you to back off. Team Rocket isn't someone they want problems with."
Sieg knew their caution stemmed entirely from his affiliation.
After dropping nearly 600,000 Pokédollars, the freshly laundered money from Kikuta's card was already gone.
Looking at his remaining haul, Sieg still had an Ursaring and a Persian, plus the Shiny Pichu and Emolga.
All four were high-value specimens, not the kind of thing to dump casually like the random catches he'd sold earlier.
He also still had a Magnet.
"No rush to sell. I'm liquid right now anyway. Might as well swing by the Team Rocket base."