Chapter 106: Expansion

The income from selling Berries, combined with the sales of Miltank milk and Mareep wool from Rex Farm, has finally pushed Rex's account balance into six figures again.

With money in hand, Rex began to consider purchasing another batch of Mareep eggs and expanding the variety and area of Berry cultivation.

Previously, expansion was not feasible due to the limited manpower and energy at Rex Farm. However, many tasks can now be handled by the Pokémon, saving a lot of labor.

With the increasing number of Taillow and Poliwag, Rex no longer needed to worry about pest control, protection, and irrigation in the orchard, as he had entrusted these tasks to these Pokémon groups.

The limiting factor for the Mareep herd, which was the availability of pasture, is no longer an issue with the new pasture maturing. 

In the future, there won't even be a need for Rex to cultivate new pastures, as these pastures will spread on their own. At that point, he might need a large number of Mareep to prevent the pasture from expanding too much.

Rex placed an order for six Mareep eggs from Yezawa Breeding House, scheduling the delivery for a few days later. He thought this quantity was suitable and wouldn't disrupt the existing Mareep herd.

Rex then made a trip to Slateport City to purchase samplings of three rare Berries: Lum Berries, Sitrus Berries, and Enigma Berries.

Unlike common Berries such as Oran Berries and Pecha Berries, these three are rare and expensive. 

These Berries contain a lot of energy, helping Pokémon regain substantial stamina. Feeding them to wild Pokémon can increase their affection, capture chances, stabilize emotions, and enhance their levels.

However, cultivating these Berries is challenging, and they yield fewer fruits compared to common Berries once they bloom and bear fruit.

A significant headache for farmers is that these Berries emit a unique fragrance upon ripening, attracting Pokémon from several kilometers away.

To cultivate these Berries, robust greenhouses are necessary to isolate the fragrance and prevent wild Pokémon from invading.

Due to these challenges, only wealthy entities can afford to grow these Berries. Ordinary farmers rarely invest in them as the cost-to-benefit ratio is unfavorable.

This rarity and high cost of cultivation naturally drive up the price of these Berries.

Rex had to visit numerous Berry shops in Slateport City to acquire the seeds, and even then, he only managed to gather about a dozen samplings per type.

Typically, fewer than five of these samplings would grow to bear fruit, and in the worst case, none might survive.

However, Rex believed he could successfully cultivate these rare Berries in his orchard using his life energy and a group of Hoppip with the Grassy Terrain move.

Since he could even grow Revival Herbs successfully, there was no reason he couldn't grow these Berry trees.

Rex infused the samplings with several days' worth of life energy until they could absorb no more. The samplings , now plump and verdant, clearly stood out even to an ordinary person.

Meanwhile, the terraced garden was completed thanks to the efforts of Pokémon like Sandslash. The sloped land now formed terraces, each with rectangular plots ready for planting.

Once the Gracidea flowers in the backyard fully matured, he would collect their seeds and plant them in the terraced garden.

Although the seeds would initially cover only a small area, it was a significant step forward. Rex believed that with successive rounds of planting, the Gracidea flowers would eventually cover the entire terraced garden.

"Mrs. Yezawa, welcome to Rex Farm!" 

Rex, having just checked on the Revival Herbs in the backyard, saw Mrs. Yezawa from the Mareep Breeding House chatting with Yuli in the living room.

"Rex, I've brought the Mareep eggs you ordered. I also have something to discuss with you," said Mrs. Yezawa, pointing to the eggs on the table.

"Please, feel free to tell me. I'll help if I can," replied Rex, having had smooth transactions with the Yezawa couple before and willing to assist with minor issues.

"Our breeding house would like to order fresh Miltank milk from your farm. We only need about 20 liters a day."

The Yezawa couple had recently learned about Rex Farm's Miltank milk production and thought of asking, as buying bottled Moomoo Milk was much pricier than fresh milk.

Although Moomoo Milk has higher nutritional value, fresh milk is more cost-effective for the breeding house and adequate for young Pokémon's growth.

"We can supply the fresh milk, but we're short on staff, so you'll need to pick it up yourselves," Rex said, looking at Yuli. 

Selling fresh milk was no issue, but delivering it would be too much for their limited workforce, considering Rex's frequent absences.

"No problem at all. My husband will come by daily to pick it up," replied Mrs. Yezawa understandingly, aware that their small order wouldn't justify delivery service.

"That works. Mr. Yezawa can start picking up the milk tomorrow," Rex said, smiling.

They then agreed on the milk's price, with Rex insisting on the same rate as he offered to Sengoku Takashi, a produce wholesaler, despite Mrs. Yezawa's offer to pay more.

After finalizing the deal, Mrs. Yezawa happily left the farm.

"Yuli, we'll need you to prepare the milk for the Yezawa family," Rex said to Yuli.

"Don't worry, boss. It's an easy task," Yuli replied, amused but warmed by Rex's efforts to ease their workload.