Mauville City was located at the very center of the Hoenn region, a major metropolis blending old and new.
Known as the "City of Brilliant Lights and Joy."
This city was one of Hoenn region's most crucial transportation hubs. Route 111 connected to the north, Route 110 to the south, Route 117 to the west, and Route 118 to the east.
Precisely for this reason, it was hailed as the absolute center of the entire Hoenn region.
"Tsk, they've covered the entire city with a canopy."
Sieg looked up at the overhead covering. Reportedly, this city's renovation referenced Lumiose City in the Kalos region.
The entire city was built as an indoor district, with a circular building enclosing everything while a park occupied the central area.
"Moreover, legend says the Tower of Mauville was designed after Lumiose City's Prism Tower, symbolizing the friendship between both cities."
Sieg stood in the park's center, gazing at this towering structure reaching into the clouds.
Ring ring ring~~~
Sieg retrieved his bike from the spatial bag. Since all of Mauville City was interconnected with exceptionally developed transportation, bicycles were far more popular than cars here.
"Truly feels high-tech. No wonder Gym Leader Wattson's renovation plan passed unanimously."
If Rustboro City was a kind of a heavy industrial city, then this place completely resembled the futuristic technological cities Sieg had imagined in his previous life.
However, powering such a city required enormous electricity. Sieg recalled memories from his past life about New Mauville, that underground power plant.
Dismissing these wandering thoughts, Sieg rode his mountain bike straight to the Pokémon Center and checked in.
In his room, he set up appropriate environments for his Pokémon, including compact portable pools for Crawdaunt and Sharpedo, and a small heated sand pit for Sandile.
Such suitable environments allowed Pokémon to rest better, effectively relieving fatigue after training.
After simply handling the Pokémon's lunch, Sieg walked straight out of the Pokémon Center, hailed a cab, and headed toward Mauville City's Game Corner.
The Mauville Game Corner was one of six famous game corners known throughout the Pokémon world.
Alongside Celadon Game Corner, Goldenrod Game Corner, Veilstone Game Corner, and other renowned establishments.
Horse racing, slot machines, roulette, card games.
Every day witnessed various tales of dramatic reversals, overnight fortunes, bankruptcy, and ruin.
What attracted trainers like Sieg to this place was the exchange catalog inside, using won game coins to exchange for various Pokémon-related items, resources, and even finished Pokémon hatchlings.
From this alone, it wasn't hard to see that any establishment conducting open Pokémon trading must have League backing.
"Welcome~"
Sieg walked directly through the high-tech entrance, unexpectedly hearing this greeting, yet no greeter personnel were visible.
"This high-tech? They've even got automatic recognition systems with voice capabilities."
Sieg observed for a while until another person entered, triggering the same welcome greeting.
Every aspect of the entire city felt like entering a high-tech era, creating a stark contrast to other cities. His curiosity about Gym Leader Wattson, who'd proposed the renovation plan, increased.
Walking to the lobby service center, he first exchanged for 100 Game coins, spending 2,000 Pokédollars.
"This luxurious exchange catalog even includes starter Pokémon, it rivals Team Rocket's exchange list!"
Sieg watched the rewards and exchange options constantly scrolling on screen, thinking to himself.
Of course, the Game Corner wouldn't operate at a loss.
Sieg suspected they likely manipulated odds and win rates behind the scenes. Others probably knew this too, it was practically an unspoken rule.
But even so, countless people still willingly came here, ultimately due to greed stirring in their hearts.
The entire Game Corner was divided into many zones. Besides the bustling main lobby, each zone entrance had guards.
They scanned every entering person with some kind of device. A sign nearby read: "Psychic-type Pokémon and Psychics Not Permitted Inside."
Every rule was written in blood, as the saying went.
Sieg roughly guessed what had happened.
Through psychics' mysterious abilities, they could win massive amounts of game coins without triggering the games' built-in switches.
Sieg walked in calmly and composed. Though he carried items left by that psychic, they were all stored in his spatial bag without psychic energy fluctuations, so naturally wouldn't be detected.
He now entered a card game zone, where various card-based gambling games were conducted.
Upon entering, a clamorous atmosphere hit him immediately, the air mixed with various smells.
Cigarette smoke, body odor, and various peculiar Pokémon scents.
Sieg wrinkled his nose, suppressing the urge to sneeze. Though it was lunch time, the vast majority here had no intention of leaving.
Almost everyone was completely absorbed.
Those who won naturally shouted joyfully, then smugly showed off their victories to surrounding people.
Those who lost naturally cursed angrily, forcefully pounding the gambling machines. Finally, when all game coins were lost, they left dejected, yielding the machine to the next person.
Overall, losers far outnumbered winners.
Hardly anyone walked out of the Game Corner smiling.
Losers often wanted to keep playing to recoup losses, constantly telling themselves: "How could a gambler lose every day?"
Winners always wanted to continue winning, feeling like today's good fortune stood on their side.
The ultimate result was that actually winning prizes and exchanging them for rare items was extremely rare, practically negligible.
Making money through stimulating emotions in human hearts, greed, unwillingness, and similar feelings, was this Game Corner's truly enduring philosophy.
Sieg's arrival caused not a single ripple. These people were all completely immersed in their gambling worlds, paying virtually no attention to external circumstances.
"Living in an intoxicated dream~"
Sieg didn't know how to feel.
Throughout various corners of the game area were staff members wearing suits, accompanied by fierce-looking Pokémon, with wireless earpieces.
These people's sharp gazes hidden behind sunglasses constantly monitored the entire Game Corner's situation. Anyone attempting cheating tricks couldn't escape their eyes.
But without exception, some people always took desperate risks for high profits.
The final result was being caught by the Game Corner's comprehensive camera network.
Ultimately, they were dragged into back rooms by several cold-faced staff members wearing black clothes and sunglasses. Their final fate remained unknown to all.