Chapter 93. Harvest Time

It had been two weeks since taking down Darren, and the farm was finally ready for its first harvest. Setting up the hydroponic system took time, especially given the scale of the operation for just one person—but thankfully, the Pokémon had been a tremendous help throughout the process. The farm operated on 29,700 units per growth cycle, translating to approximately 178,200 individual vegetables. With each vegetable selling at an average of 50 Pokédollars, this brought in a gross income of roughly 8.91 million Pokédollars per cycle. After deducting taxes and operational costs, the net revenue came to 6.237 million. In recognition of the girls' exceptional work, Alex raised their salaries to match the highest current market rate—300,000 Pokédollars each. Factoring in their pay, along with the monthly cost of feeding the Pokémon, the final income settled at approximately 2 million Pokédollars per monthly cycle, securing the farm's place as a highly efficient and profitable venture. As for the berry farm, it hosts around 1,000 berry trees, each producing approximately 400 berries per 4 months growth cycle—resulting in a monthly yield of about 100,000 berries. After accounting for the farm's own consumption of roughly 10,000 berries per month, that leaves 90,000 berries available for sale.  While individual berry prices can vary, the average market value sits around 100 Pokédollars per berry, generating an estimated gross income of 9 million Pokédollars per month. After taxes and operating expenses, the net profit comes out to about 6 million. The hydroponic farm, meanwhile, is expected to see reduced profits due to upcoming upgrades initiated by the League to improve farming efficiency across the region. These upgrades are based on a paper Alex plans to submit, detailing his advanced hydroponic methods.  Once shared, other farmers will be able to grow vegetables and other related crops more efficiently, increasing supply and driving down market prices—ultimately reducing the income Alex earns from his own produce. With these changes in mind, Alex anticipates the hydroponic farm will break even, while the berry tree farm will continue to generate a steady profit of around 2 million Pokédollars per month. Does this mean the hydroponics farm is useless and should be removed? No, because the produce Alex makes and sells would fulfill his production requirements to continue owning the farm.  Plus, breaking even covers the cost of Pokemon food and the girls salaries so technically, they made a profit then used it for upkeep. This outcome falls well within Alex's expectations.  As long as the farm can cover the ongoing maintenance and care for the Pokémon, he considers the venture a success—especially given that the costs include enough Expert-ranked Pokémon meat to keep everyone well-fed. It's the highest-quality food they could afford without going over their monthly income. Finished reading Maris's report on their sales, Alex turned his attention to his own scientific paper on hydroponic farming. Once complete, he submitted a copy online to the League for evaluation and distribution. This was one of the reasons why his hydroponics farm wasn't as profitable as the berry farm. The crops grown were a wide variety of vegetables rather than focusing on a few high-profit options—he needed the diversity for the sake of the paper. After stretching lightly, Alex decided to spend the rest of the day inspecting the farm. The Cinccino had just arrived and needed to start cleaning, so it was a good time to leave the room. He stepped out onto the balcony and leapt down from the third floor. With a heavy thud, Alex landed, easily brushing off the impact before heading toward the berry farm. As an Elite-ranked trainer who had been consuming high-ranked Pokémon meat and pushing his training regimen for years, Alex was now strong enough to take on Adept-rank Pokémon in direct combat. He remained consistently impressed by what people in this world could achieve when pushing the human limit. It made sense, though, considering the relationship between humans and Pokémon. Trainers couldn't hope to command Elite-ranked battles if they weren't capable of keeping up. Pokémon at that level fought at such incredible speeds that the human eye couldn't follow—let alone survive being anywhere near the battlefield. So, trainers grew stronger alongside their Pokémon to maintain their place as commanders. Alex arrived at the orchard, where berry trees stood in neat rows. Kaia and the Skiddo patrolled between them, using Razor Leaf or Vine Whip to pluck ripe berries and store them in small space pouches attached to their sides. He walked until he reached a small lake at the orchard's center. Feebas, Magikarp, and Wishiwashi swam lazily in the water.  The Feebas and Magikarp were part of Alex's plan to eventually raise a Milotic and a Gyarados to defend the farm. They were added to the shopping cart at an impulse buy because Alex wanted a water team in the future. The Wishiwashi came from an older project—Alex had purchased them long ago to produce Beat Up x6 bullets for Arcanine and had cared for them diligently until Vera took over as their breeder. Finishing his inspection, Alex made his way back and spotted Vespiquen and her pair of Combee returning from a successful harvest in the forest. They'd been persuaded to nest inside the mansion's right-side entrance for easier access to their honey.  The honey production was just enough to supply the Pokémon, the staff, and Alex himself. Lina would often come to collect it whenever the nest was full—with the Pokémon's permission, of course. Continuing his walk, he reached the training grounds, which were neatly sectioned off: the outer rim for running, the west side for sparring, and the east side for target practice. Twenty floating drones hovered there, with the forest providing a natural backdrop. Alex still practiced his shooting from time to time, and it had paid off—he could now confidently hit targets from 50 meters away while firing rapidly. As he passed through, he noticed Raticate, Arcanine, Aegislash, and Lyra with her Pokémon diligently training and honing their move proficiency, in contrast to the rest of the group, who were noticeably less motivated. His three newly acquired Elite-ranked Pokémon were especially lazy—but understandably so. Their primary role was to deter wild Pokémon, and at most, they would patrol the forest to mark their territory before spending the rest of the day lounging or getting massages from Mira. After rounding the corner of the property, Alex reached the hydroponics farm—a complex of nine greenhouses all connected to a central nutrient-mixing tank. The system used recycled water, passed through a reverse osmosis filter and UV light treatment to eliminate minerals and bacteria. The entire farm was also connected to a generator that could be powered by an Electric-type move, providing enough energy to run the system for a week—far more efficient than solar panels. Alex didn't bother going inside but inspected the structures from the outside. Goomy slithered across the floors and walls, consuming mineral deposits and algae, while Dewpider followed behind to clean up the slime, making sure everything drained into the drainage system. Goomy even cleaned the glass walls, ceilings, and individual hydroponic units, carefully unclogging sprayers. Dewpider handled the final polish, power-washing everything in its wake. With two teams working together, they can easily maintain the farms indefinitely. As for the tedious process of planting and harvesting individual vegetables, Elara developed an automated system to handle everything. It consisted of two machines: The first was a conveyor belt-style machine that prepared seeds and inserted them into neoprene collars, which were designed to break down by the time the vegetables matured. It also removed the roots and cleaned the harvested vegetables for shipment. The second was a robotic rover equipped with two articulated arms and a space bag mounted on top for storage. It distributed the prepared seeds into each hydroponic unit across the greenhouses and, once the vegetables matured, collected the produce for cleaning and delivery. The entire process was automated to minimize human contamination, only requiring manual intervention if the greenhouse cameras detected rotting or dying plants that needed replacing. Alex finished inspecting the greenhouses and finally returned to the mansion, where he would be having dinner with the girls. It had been a productive and lucrative day for all of them—definitely worth celebrating. On his way to the dining area, he crossed paths with Nyx, who had just exited the server room after finishing some maintenance. "Hey, sexy. How's payday been?" Nyx asked. "Well within expectations. We should see strong profits until the League rolls out my research. Once that happens, we'll likely stabilize at around two million in monthly income—mostly thanks to the fruit trees." "Still not as much as you make bounty hunting." "Assuming I spend every waking moment out there chasing targets. Got any new ones?" "I might have one, but they're slippery. Give me a few more days." "Take all the time you need. Just make sure I'm free in six weeks—I'm challenging the Ghost Gym in Lavender City." "Alright." As Alex's personal informant, Nyx received 10% of his bounty earnings—far more than the 1% hazard pay the other girls received. Naturally, she was far more enthusiastic about her work. Now that Alex no longer had to scrape together every last Pokédollar just to feed his Pokémon, he could finally afford to be generous. The pair arrived at the mansion's elegant dining area, where Lina had already laid out a generous spread for everyone. Dinner began with an income report from Maris, who took a moment to congratulate Elara and Kaia for their excellent work. The meal ended on a high note—with a decadent cake made from Vespiquen's honey, Lina's Miltank's milk and Alcremie's crème. It was divine. They wrapped up the evening with a little fun—an indulgent reward for a day well spent. Tomorrow, Alex would return to his true calling: bounty hunting. ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath