Chapter 104. Healthy Farm Life

It has been a few months since Alex submitted his scientific paper on hydroponics research, and the League has since worked to gradually lower the cost of vegetables and small plants by paying a premium for other types of produce. This shift in market incentives has led many farmers to prioritize cultivating those premium produce, rather than continuing to grow vegetables and small plants. At the same time, Alex's research was quietly distributed to select wealthy farmers—those with the capital to invest heavily in hydroponic farming. Unlike Alex, who owns only a small plot of land and reserves a third of it as a training ground, these farmers had the means to scale operations quickly. From an initial monthly profit of 8 million Pokédollars, Alex's farm began to see a steady decline in earnings following his original projections. Profits have since stabilized at around 1 million Pokédollars per month, after accounting for Pokémon upkeep and the girls' pay. This level of profit is about what an average farmer would expect with the amount of land Alex has access to. In fact, he's still doing better than most—just not by a wide margin anymore. Hydroponics simply offers incredible land-use efficiency. Unlike fruit trees, which have off-seasons in fall and winter (unless carefully maintained by Pokémon—an approach that significantly raises upkeep and tends to break even at best), hydroponic farming provides consistent yields. As for the girls: Maris and Elara plan to leave by the end of the week, while Lyra intends to depart once all three of her Pokémon reach Expert rank some time next month. Vera has been buried in her new breeder information package, Kaia has fully taken over management of the hydroponics farm, and Nyx is now serving as Alex's new manager—though with a slight twist. Maris had decided to start a delivery service business and withdrew 40 million Pokédollars from Alex's savings to fund it, handing him 51% of the shares in return. Technically, this made Alex the owner of her company, but Maris trusted him not to take advantage of her. She had already purchased a building in Saffron City to serve as her base of operations, hired a few employees, and acquired space bags to get things started. All that remained was for her to handle matters on-site once the permits were certified at the end of the week. Meanwhile, Elara had been successfully hired by Devon Corp thanks to a recommendation from Officer Jenny. She landed a position as an industrial manufacturing engineer, tasked with launching the mass production of the combat gear that Devon Corp planned to roll out for the Jennys. As Alex's associate—and with Alex being the original source of the combat gear—Elara was immediately granted a high level of trust. She planned to leave at the end of the week and take a ship to Hoenn, where the new manufacturing facility was being set up. In light of their upcoming departures, both girls had been spending more time with Alex to show their appreciation for everything he had done for them. Alex closed his laptop in his office after reviewing their latest profit margins. Nyx had taken the initiative to automate all reports for him to review at his leisure—an upgrade from when Maris simply handed him a monthly summary. "Thanks, girls. I'll take a walk around the farm—feel free to get back to what you were doing," Alex said as he rose from his desk. "I was bored," Elara said, crawling out from under the desk to follow him out. "I've already packed. At this point, I'm just wasting time. I'm going to miss having fun like this." "Likewise," Maris added from behind him. "Going back to business is going to be a bit boring." "Nobody's saying you have to stop having sex, you know," Alex replied. "Maybe you can join one of those sex clubs." "Never," Elara said flatly. "I prefer a steady relationship." "I'll think about it," Maris mused. "I'll need to be more professional from now on, so a casual place to relax might be nice." Alex took the long way around to exit the mansion, passing through the main hallway on his way out. This corridor housed all the offices, workshops, and rooms that served as workspaces for the staff. In his opinion, it resembled a department store hallway, with glass-walled rooms lining either side like boutique shops. The clear separation and visibility lent the space a professional atmosphere, encouraging a business-focused mindset rather than the feeling of returning home. As he walked, he passed Vera's study—her usual hangout for cramming breeder knowledge. "How's the studying going, Vera?" Alex asked. "Too much information," she groaned. "I can't just memorize all of this and expect to become a good breeder." "You should ask Nyx for breeder supplies and get some hands-on experience. Use my Pokémon if you want—they live on Pokémon meat and Pokéblocks I select based on budget. You could develop a personalized diet plan for them and learn as you go." "Are you sure?" Vera asked, frowning. "Your Pokémon are top-tier. They deserve the best—not to be test subjects for an amateur." "It's fine," Alex reassured her. "We're not doing official battles where everything hinges on pedigree or ultra-specialized diets. As long as it's beneficial, they'll be happy. Go ahead." Vera lit up at the support and the opportunity to apply her knowledge. She was deeply grateful for the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, which also led to some enjoyable moments with Alex.  Afterward, Alex cleaned up and continued his walk. Next, he dropped by Lina's kitchen, nestled beside the cafeteria where they all took their meals.  Between her short stature, pink hair, sweet personality, the ever-present Miltank, and his Alcremie stirring a pot off to the side, Alex sometimes wondered if he'd wandered into a witch's cottage made of sweets. It certainly smelled like it. "Hey, Lina. How's it going?" Alex asked. "Great! Want some snacks?" she offered, as Miltank and Alcremie worked together on something that smelled wonderfully sweet. "No, just doing a quick walkaround to check on things. Need more supplies? Any complaints?" "Nope! The harvest has been fantastic—I've got all the vegetables, berries, and fruit I could ask for. This professional kitchen is still top-notch, and with Nyx's help, I can order anything I need online," she said brightly. "Thanks so much for hiring me, Alex. The work environment is amazing, and the workload is nothing compared to a restaurant. I've been having a blast." "That's great to hear. Keep it up," Alex said, grabbing a cookie from the counter on his way out. It tasted like matcha. His final stop inside the mansion was Mira's massage parlor, where she not only cared for the staff but also groomed and pampered their Pokémon. "Hey, Mira," Alex greeted as he entered. "Hey, Alex. Did you want a session? Just let me finish this batch of lotion and I'll be right there," she said, continuing to mix Smoliv oil with a few other ingredients to create her personalized massage blend. "Not right now. I just swung by to check in—see how you're doing, and if you had any requests or complaints," Alex replied. "No complaints, no requests. I'm well paid, fully stocked, and kept busy. The work's been fulfilling. Thanks for stopping by." "Thanks for the excellent work, Mira. We really appreciate your professionalism." "Haha, sure thing, boss." Alex left after their short exchange. As sexual as full-body massages could be, Alex never asked Mira for anything more—out of respect for her trauma. While the memories were gone, the mental scars remained, often surfacing as lingering nightmares that both Lina and Mira still suffered through. Unlike the others—who had turned their experiences into strength—or Nyx, who had actually enjoyed her time under captivity, Lina and Mira had endured far more pain. They deserved peace more than anything else. Alex exited the mansion and began making his way around the forest bordering his territory, with Lyra walking alongside him to guide the way. "So, what kinds of Pokémon can be found around here, Lyra?" Alex asked as they trekked through the forest's edge. "Plenty," she replied. "If I had to count, probably over a hundred species. But the most common in this area are the Pidgey, Meowth, Ekans, and Sandshrew lines. If you head farther northeast, you'll start running into more Rock and Ground types. But around here? Mostly forest-dwellers. Lots of Bug-types too." "Any signs of overpopulation?" "Not in the immediate area," she said. "My team and I regularly cull the population to feed the farm Pokémon. But farther out, there's a territory claimed by a nest of Arboks and Sandslashes. We don't usually go that deep in with their Elites on patrol." "Should I be worried enough to cull their numbers personally?" "No need," Lyra reassured him. "The local trainers are already managing their population. If we interfere too much, it might provoke a response from the Rangers." "Got it. How's your training coming along?" "They're nearly Expert-ranked. Shouldn't be long before I resume my journey." "Just remember—you'll always have a place on this farm." "Thanks, Alex." Alex's next stop was the berry orchard, where the Skiddo would occasionally cast Sunny Day, Rain Dance, or Grassy Terrain as needed to support the crops. At the center of the orchard was a small lake, where a Gyarados, Milotic, and six Wishiwashi enjoyed the calm waters. "Hey, guys. How's it going?" Alex greeted. "Graa." "Mii." "Wii," they chorused in return. "That's good to hear. I just swung by to take a look. No need to mind me," Alex said as he strolled past. Magikarp had evolved into Gyarados thanks to sparring and a top-tier diet, while Feebas evolved into Milotic after Alex purchased a Prism Scale from the League Market. He still wasn't entirely sure what roles they'd play, but having strong Water-type Pokémon seemed like a smart move—especially with future ocean exploration in mind. After all, pirates had bounties too. Alex's next stop was the hydroponic farm, where he met up with Kaia. She was overseeing the growth of the vegetables, occasionally having her Skiddo use Grassy Terrain on crops that struggled to absorb nutrients from the mist-based system. It was a major upgrade from before—Elara had built the farm, along with the machines that automated planting, harvesting, and monitoring—but she was ultimately an engineer, not a farmer. Kaia, on the other hand, was a farmer who knew her vegetables inside and out. While she might struggle with the machines, she was an expert at caring for plants. "Hey, Kaia. Any troubles?" Alex asked. "This engineering thing is a bit over my head. You'll need to find a proper replacement for Elara while I occasionally oversee the plants. I can replace parts as needed, but that's about it. Even the screen full of diagnostics is a bit much for me." "No problem. I'll have Nyx get on it right away." "While you're here, mind helping a girl out?" Kaia said, lifting her skirt slightly. "My pleasure." A few minutes of happy time later, Alex found himself in front of Nyx's house. Alex had separated the network at the mansion from Nyx's due to the presence of the Rotom. Whenever she needed to access the dark web for bounties on his behalf, she would do so at her home, where the network was isolated for security. "Nyx," Alex called out, knocking on her front door. "Master," Nyx replied in a sultry tone as she opened the door while wearing a skimpy outfit. "Business first. I need a replacement for Elara. Kaia can't handle the workload." "Got it. Anything else?" "Any bounties available?" "Plenty, but most pay under 1 million Pokedollars. Not much else for higher bounties unless you're ready to start a war." "Just find me something interesting." "How about hunting down a Pokémon?" "Interesting. Tell me more." "Not until you pay for the information," Nyx said, yanking Alex into the house. ----- The R-18 version of this chapter is available on Patreon.