Sieg could tell right away, this man, this so-called "backpacker," had never killed before. Although he appeared calm on the surface and his act wasn't half-bad, it was clear this composure came from age, not experience.
His killing technique was extremely clumsy. Even his attempt to dispose of the body was rushed and careless.
Sure, hiding a corpse in these twisting, underground tunnels wasn't the worst idea, but if this had happened anywhere outside, the local Officer Jenny would have sniffed him out in no time.
"Sir, this is your first time killing someone, isn't it?" Sieg's tone was calm, almost disinterested as he looked at the middle-aged man. "Don't you know how hard human bones are? You can't get rid of them with just a fire attack. And you don't even have a Pokémon specialized in corpse disposal, do you?"
The man's expression changed slightly when he heard that, but he quickly tried to regain his composure. Feigning confidence, he growled, "Hmph, I don't know what you're talking about."
A faint smirk appeared on Sieg's lips. There was mockery in his eyes as he continued, "There's blood on your clothes, so you had your Pokémon spray water to wash it off. But you didn't do a thorough job. You didn't even notice the smell. Can't you smell the blood on yourself?"
As he spoke, Sieg casually swung his flashlight toward the man's shoes.
The middle-aged man looked down, following the light… only to see it clearly: a smear of blood still clung to his shoes, not fully washed away.
His heart clenched. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
When he looked up again, the chill in his eyes was gone, replaced by savage ferocity. His expression twisted into a grotesque mask of fury, bloodshot eyes glaring like a wild beast pushed to its limits.
"You brat! Why did you go in there?!"
He roared with anger and panic, but it sounded more like he was yelling at himself.
His hands trembled, his fear now plain to see.
"Then die with me here! Azumarill, use Aqua Tail! Grimer, use Sludge!"
Without warning, the man launched an all-out assault. He wasn't just trying to shut Sieg up, he was ready to kill again, to bury his secrets in these tunnels forever.
And honestly, who could blame him? Sieg looked so unassuming.
At first glance, he seemed like nothing more than an average teenager, dressed plainly, hardly rich or experienced.
A young Trainer at the very beginning of his journey, it seemed. The Eevee and Murkrow at his side? Probably his only partners.
That's what the man assumed, and for someone like him, with limited vision and life experience, it was understandable.
He was already middle-aged, and his Pokémon were stuck around level 20. That said enough about his ability and potential as a Trainer.
After all, he had just taken out his own partner, and now overconfidence had taken hold. Seeing Sieg as a mere child, he foolishly chose to strike.
But Sieg wasn't playing games. With a single command, both of his Pokémon activated Protect, blocking the enemy's assault. Then he dodged nimbly to the side and released his Crawdaunt.
A flash of white light filled the tunnel, and the fierce crustacean appeared in all its imposing glory.
"Crawdaunt!"
Sieg glanced at the opponent's Pokémon. With his current level of insight, he could assess their strength at a glance.
Both Pokémon were very average. Their training was poor. The only real threat was Azumarill's hidden Fairy-type.
Though, as it stood, the people of this world had yet to fully discover the Fairy type. Most simply considered it a subset of the Normal type.
Moves like Play Rough were also classified as Normal-type here.
"This is the best you've got?" Sieg scoffed. "Then I'm afraid you'll be joining your partner in the ground."
He hurled the man's earlier words right back at him.
At that moment, the man was already cracking. The psychological strain of killing, combined with Sieg's overwhelming presence, was shredding his will.
When Crawdaunt appeared, his face turned deathly pale. He could feel the creature's immense energy pulsing through the air, and with it came utter despair.
He finally realized he'd been fooled, this kid was no ordinary child.
"Azumarill, Bubble Beam!"
"Grimer, Sludge Bomb!"
The man shouted commands in desperation. He wanted Sieg dead. Right here, right now.
But Sieg didn't waste time taunting. His eyes turned cold, and his voice snapped like a whip.
"Crawdaunt, Razor Shell."
All those days of training hadn't been in vain. Not only had Crawdaunt mastered Dragon Dance, its control over Razor Shell had become razor-sharp.
Water wrapped around its powerful pincers, which came crashing down on Grimer in a single, devastating blow. The sludge Pokémon screamed in pain, unable to endure the strike.
"Murkrow, Wing Attack! Eevee, Swift!"
Sieg kept up the assault. There would be no room for the enemy to recover.
Azumarill found itself pinned down by Murkrow and Eevee. It couldn't spare a moment to help Grimer, who was now being relentlessly hammered by Crawdaunt's crushing pincers.
Sweat poured from the man's brow. His expression twisted in panic.
He regretted it. Why hadn't he trained another Pokémon?
Out in the wild, no one cares about fairness. Outnumbering your opponent was the natural strategy!
I have more Pokémon than you, so I win. That's how it works.
Another Bubble Beam hit Grimer, who was already staggering, its body collapsing into a pitiful, slimy mess. Even its toxins were dripping helplessly to the ground.
The battle was completely one-sided. And with Grimer down, Crawdaunt was freed up to join the others in overwhelming Azumarill.
The tide turned fast and hard. Sieg barely had to give further orders, the three Pokémon moved in seamless harmony, crushing their foe with overwhelming coordination.
The middle-aged man screamed, his face streaked with red. "Why?! Why is everyone pushing me like this?!"
He collapsed to his knees, dazed and hollow-eyed. All hope had drained from him.
Once Sieg confirmed both of the man's Pokémon were dead, he slowly walked forward, eyes sharp as blades. He looked down and asked coldly, "Now… are you ready to tell the truth? Why did you kill your partner?"
But the man didn't respond. He only kept muttering to himself.
"Why? Why did it turn out like this…"
Regret flooded his soul. If only he hadn't killed his partner for that treasure. If only he'd resisted the greed, shared it instead of hoarding it. Wouldn't that have been better?
Sieg backed away a few steps and ordered Murkrow to finish him off.
He watched without emotion as the body went collapsed
In Sieg's dark, unblinking eyes, a cold glint flickered.
This world had always been like this.
If you want your Pokémon to grow stronger… if you want to go farther on the path of a Trainer…
Then you have to fight.
Especially for Trainers without backing, without connections, only by risking their lives and snatching resources can they survive.
Sadly, not everyone is even qualified to fight. Just like this man, who had wasted half his life and achieved nothing.
It was because of this rotten system, these broken paths upward, that so many ordinary people turned to the shadows, joining the underground, becoming petty thugs and criminals.
It was the only way to challenge the League and fight for a share of the world's power.
And that's exactly why, no matter how many times they're hunted down, the criminal organizations keep returning… over and over again.