Chapter 88. Construction of the Farm

"What?!" Alex exclaimed at the news. "Congratulations on receiving a grant from the League, Mr. Wattson," the bank manager said with a pleasant and respectful smile. After all, no one insignificant just gets handed a hundred million in cash. "Unfortunately, you'll have to sign this Non-Disclosure Agreement to claim the grant. The League has found your scientific paper disruptive—despite its genius. I hope you understand," the manager added, handing over a folder with the contract already written out. Alex read through it carefully and confirmed its authenticity. The League had deemed his paper too economically disruptive to release as-is. Instead, they wanted him to complete the research and submit it to a special website, where it would be published only at the League's discretion. In exchange, he would receive a grant to finish the work. 'Hell, yeah!' Alex thought, nodding seriously. He took a pen, signed the contract, received his copy, thanked the manager, and left. The total amount would be deposited into his account by the end of the day. DING. Scratch that—it was deposited immediately. And just as quickly as it arrived, it left for other pastures by the end of the day. Alex's account returned to its original 27 million, having included the purchase of land in the total loan amount. By day's end, Alex had signed contracts with both the construction company and the industrial manufacturing facility, depositing the funds directly into their accounts.  As these were League-guaranteed accounts, the funds could only be withdrawn in accordance with the signed contracts between both parties. This was one of the advantages of a Porygon-inhabited system—such conveniences were trivial for the League to manage. Three months later, construction was complete—a testament to the efficiency of Pokémon-powered labor. On day one, Dugtrios and Sandslashes handled all the excavation for the foundation. By day three, reinforced steel beams—delivered by flying couriers using space bags—were installed and assembled. Machamps, Machokes, Hariyamas, and Magnemites lifted the beams with ease, while workers bolted and welded everything into place. On day five, they mixed and poured the concrete, then used a weakened Earthquake to vibrate it and eliminate bubbles. This was followed by simultaneous use of Tailwind and Sunny Day to accelerate the drying process. By day seven, the curing process had reached the initial stage, allowing for the framing of the house with additional reinforced steel. This was necessary to prevent the structure from collapsing under a single move from an Elite-ranked Pokémon. It was also the reason each house cost a million Pokédollars. By day thirty-five, the concrete had fully cured, and work moved to the interiors: insulation, drywall, electrical systems, and plumbing. These tasks required a level of precision that Pokémon couldn't easily assist with—except for a few, like Smeargle, who could effortlessly paint entire walls with a swipe of its tail. By day fifty, the first few houses were finished, fully furnished and equipped with appliances. This was when the girls began choosing their homes. By day sixty, all the houses and greenhouses were complete. The greenhouses, in particular, took more time due to the extensive number of light fixtures, the complex electrical wiring required for the hydroponic systems, the intricate distribution of hoses connected to the nutrient solution mixing tanks, and the detailed plumbing needed to collect the unabsorbed solution. It was also during this time that the 29,700 hydroponic units were delivered, complete with a complimentary reverse osmosis water filtration system and a simple mixing tank. By day ninety, the more tedious and intricate work on the mansion was finally finished. With countless rooms, doors, fixtures, appliances, and pieces of furniture to install—alongside the need for delicate human craftsmanship—it was no surprise the mansion took the longest to complete. Around the same time, the installation, connection, testing, and calibration of the hydroponic systems were also completed. Elara worked overtime on this part of the project, as she was responsible for ensuring everything ran smoothly. Kaia had spent the past three months with her newly hatched Skiddo planting a thousand berry trees in the southern part of the farm. Her Skiddo quickly gained proficiency in Dig, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Grassy Terrain, helping the seeds sprout and reach maturity by the third month. Lyra, meanwhile, had taken to hunting once her Rookidee hatched, accompanied by Alex's Ceruledge, who guarded her from the shadows. Rookidee evolved into Corvisquire just one month later, thanks to the supply of Expert-rank Pokémon meat Alex had been providing.  Since then, Lyra expanded her team with a male and female pair of Poochyena she caught in the forest. They were as common as Rattata, but invaluable for scaring away wild Pokémon. A month later, they evolved into an intimidating pair of Mightyena. Nyx had been slowly getting back into the swing of things after returning home. She caught up on all the latest software patches and technology releases she'd missed during her imprisonment, with Rotom proving to be an invaluable assistant in her research. Now, She finally got to see her new "baby" in the server room, where Alex's Metagross and Rotom had also taken up residence and refused to leave since installation was completed. Maris currently holds the top spot in Alex's Ideal Wife Ranking. She managed all the paperwork and financials, establishing contracts with suppliers and distributors for both their needs and their products. With Maris doing all the mental work, her Indeedee was doing all the manual work helping her clean and organize her paperwork. She also handled financial requests from the other girls—requests for materials and parts for Elara, seeds and fertilizer for Kaia, supplies for Vera, Lina, and Mira, and so on. This was why Alex's 27 million is down to only 5 million after three months. There were plenty of extra costs that piled up. Vera, Lina, and Mira were tied for second place in Alex's Ideal Wife Rankings. The three doted on both him and his Pokémon, pampering, grooming, and feeding them to an almost excessive degree. Alex, in particular, received even more "care" from Vera and the other girls—there was a reason they were so insistent on keeping their memories intact. Each of the girl's Pokemon had their own way of contributing. Audino assisted Vera with her Pokémon breeding research, while Miltank took care of the heavy lifting and milk production for Lina. Smoliv, on the other hand, provided the oil Mira used to craft her signature massage oils. Together, they formed a seamless support system, each balancing the others' strengths with affection and skill. Alex had been busy as well. He had spent the past three months training his Pokémon and preparing the new additions to the farm. Raticate had already been on the verge of reaching Elite rank over five months ago, with Arcanine following closely behind. Now, both had officially crossed that threshold. For Alex, this marked a turning point.  He now considered himself a bona fide Elite-ranked trainer. His bond with Hydreigon had always been stronger than any other—thanks to his affinity—but he never saw that as a true indicator of his rank. At most, he considered himself an Elite-ranked bonder of Dark-type Pokémon. But now, things are different. He had personally raised his starter, a humble Rattata, into an insidious Raticate. He had hatched a Growlithe from an egg and trained him into a formidable Arcanine. Both are now Elite-rank under his guidance. In his mind, that achievement was what truly qualified him as an Elite trainer. And as an Elite trainer, he no longer feels conflicted about taking advantage of his affinity to instantly bond with Dark-type Pokémon. Which is why he spent the remainder of his League credits—previously spent on the girls' Pokemon eggs—on three wild, Elite-ranked Dark-type Pokémon with attitude problems that most other Elites couldn't handle. The three he ended up picking from desperate sellers were Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom. All at Elite rank, and all very short-tempered with anyone other than Alex. Absol are known for warning others of impending local disasters. This innate trait makes them expensive—especially Alex's Absol, who wasn't violent at all. She simply ignored everyone, even when accepting food or being threatened by stronger Pokémon. Alex, however, fell in love with her. She was perfect for the farm as an early warning system, so he had to have her—and strained his credits to make the purchase. The moment she saw Alex, she tackled him and sat on top of him, as if to claim him, the bond snapping into place instantly. Then Hydreigon walked in. Absol immediately relinquished her claim and began following Hydreigon's lead. Now, she only gets clingy when Hydreigon isn't around. With Alex's credits nearly drained, he could only afford the cheapest options next—but that was fine. Morpeko was perfect for him, though her story was morbid. She had been caught in the wild by a trainer who thought she looked cute—and she was. Until she got Hangry and bit the trainer in the neck while they were trying to bond with her. The change in form and demeanor was so sudden that the trainer's Pokémon didn't have time to react. Their trainer bled out on the spot. Morpeko simply kept eating—until she was beaten half to death by the enraged Pokémon. The commotion drew nearby trainers, who subdued the grieving and rampaging Pokémon before they could finish her off. After the investigation, the League put Morpeko up for sale with the story attached, which tanked her value. She also had too little meat on her so the price started low—and kept dropping with each failed bonding attempt. That was until Alex bought her. The bond formed instantly. Morpeko switched to Hangry mode and began rubbing herself on Alex's face. The bond they shared turned out to be even stronger than the one Alex had with Hydreigon, thanks to his Electric affinity, which amplified the connection enough to matter. Now, Alex's bond rankings are as follows: Morpeko at the top, followed by Hydreigon, then Absol, and finally Houndoom. ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath