Alex answered the call, and it was Vera—likely having gotten a phone the moment she received her compensation from the League.
"Hey, Alex, it's Vera. Are you busy?" she asked over the phone.
"Not particularly, no. What's up?" he replied.
"Would you mind coming over for a little get-together with some of the people you saved?"
"Sure. Any specifics?"
"Just bring your fine self."
"Alright."
Alex hung up and received a text with all the details. It was for an expensive restaurant at 8:00 PM.
With an entire day ahead of him, Alex decided to visit a butcher's shop to have the Pokémon processed into packaged and preserved meats for his team. There was a lot to be done, and the shop estimated it would take two weeks to finish the job.
This gave Alex the perfect opportunity to sort out his next steps. Wasting another two weeks in Celadon City didn't sound like a bad idea. He might even stop by the Grass Gym to get some lessons on raising certain plants.
While he hadn't settled on all the details, berry trees were his choice for personal consumption, while the hydroponic farm would focus on vegetables, as they were small and easy to manage.
Since he was already here, getting advice from professionals on site seemed like a good idea.
Alex spent the rest of the day researching, then took a nap. Afterward, he got dressed in his suit with a sapphire blue tie and made his way to the restaurant at 8:00 PM, as scheduled.
Upon entering the restaurant, Alex was directed to a private booth, where he was greeted by the delicious sight of six very beautiful and well-dressed women.
Their ages ranged from 18 to 24, with heights varying between 5'2" (1.5m) and 5'8" (1.7m), and their hair colors were diverse, including green and blue, which complemented their elegant dresses.
Alex had to admit, Monica certainly knew how to pick them. She didn't even discriminate against breast sizes, which Alex appreciated.
"Alex, allow me to introduce the girls who, like me, decided to keep all their memories," Vera said with a smile.
Elara Winters was an engineer specializing in industrial manufacturing before being kidnapped on her way to Saffron City. She has black hair and is the shortest of the girls present. She would be able to set up and maintain the hydroponic farm. She might even be able to custom build guns for Alex.
Nyx Calloway was a recent graduate and a software developer (secretly a hacker), who had been kidnapped during her interview with a shell company. She has black hair with a thin and athletic build. She could help Alex track down his bounties.
Maris Hawke was a manager who had also been kidnapped by the same shell company and is the oldest of the girls at 24. She has red hair and carries herself with a professional demeanor. She would make an excellent manager for the farm.
Lyra Voss was a trainer who had been caught using the same trick that caught Alex, lured by a stolen capture. She is the youngest at 18, with blue hair and the second shortest of the group. She could be a permanent body guard.
Kaia Blackwood was a farmer who had been kidnapped when she ran away from home to become a trainer. She has green hair and is the most energetic of the girls. She could raise the berry orchard Alex plans on feeding his Pokemon with.
Together with Vera, who was the tallest with blonde hair, a large bust, and an aspiring breeder, Alex was convinced they were all sent by the same entity that had sent him. This was a sign to open up a personal base of operations to support his bounty hunting.
He had to have them all.
"Ladies, this is Alex. The bounty hunter who brought Monica and her entire castle down," Vera introduced.
"Oh my," "Wow," "Just my type," "He's cute,"
A barrage of comments and questions flooded Alex, to which he simply smiled. They were all strong women, exuding the confidence of goddesses. They knew they were beautiful and used it to their advantage.
Alex wasn't a wolf among a herd of sheep. He was the timid sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves. These women would have their way with him, whether he wanted it or not. Eventually, he'd be convinced it was what "he" wanted, and he'd be happy with "his" decision.
Under different circumstances, these women might have fought fiercely to stand out from the pack, but their bond was too strong. Their shared experiences and similar pasts had forged a unity that kept them from petty rivalries.
As their food arrived and dinner began, Alex answered their questions and asked his own in turn.
As the only women mentally strong enough to keep all their memories, they had all agreed to stay in touch and support one another as they returned to their former professions.
The only exception was Kaia, who had lost all interest in being a trainer after her traumatic experience. She wanted nothing more to do with traveling.
"So, I'm setting up a base of operations to support my bounty hunting," Alex said, setting down his glass. "I need a reliable team to run it. Conveniently, your skill sets are exactly what I'm looking for—plus a few extras. Would any of you be interested in working for me?"
The women exchanged glances before the questions started rolling in.
"What would you have us do?"
"Why hire so many people?"
"How much is the pay?"
And Alex answered them one by one. Starting with an explanation of their duties to Alex and his team.
Afterwards, he offered them a soft smile. "I'll also need a personal cook and maybe a groomer down the line, but for now, I need all of you."
"As for compensation," Alex continued, "I'll start you at 200,000 per year. It's modest, but the salary will increase with the farm's success. On top of that, each of you will receive 1% of my bounty earnings as a bonus. I think that's fair."
Most professionals in the Pokémon world earn between 80,000 to 300,000 annually—enough for a comfortable lifestyle, especially if they aren't professional Trainers. The real costs in this world often came from Pokémon related products. The only exception being Novice-ranked Pokemon meat which is the League's charity.
The only one who might seem underpaid was Lyra, since trainers had high upkeep costs due to the food and care their Pokémon required. However, Alex's offer included free Pokémon food, which covered the bulk of her expenses. In truth, she was being well compensated.
Alex, who was hired as a trainer, had managed to earn millions per year from the Fighting Dojo because his pay was commission-based—he earned money each time his Pokémon participated in a training session. If his team hadn't been in high demand, he wouldn't have made a Pokedollar.
The gym floor coordinator had to approve sparring partners and the trainers themselves had to pick them based on usefulness to their own Pokemon's training. If Alex's Pokémon weren't valuable training tools, they wouldn't have been chosen and Alex wouldn't have made a single Pokedollar.
"How much have you made in bounties?" Nyx asked.
"Over the past two weeks, I've made 27 million Pokédollars, 5.6 million League credits, and captured hundreds of Pokémon," Alex replied confidently.
"You made over a hundred times our supposed salary in just two weeks?" Nyx exclaimed.
"In one week. It took another week to get paid," Alex clarified.
"What's a hydroponic farm?" Elara asked.
Alex paused, slightly confused by the question, then quickly checked his phone.
Hydroponics hadn't been invented in the Pokémon world. That surprised him, given their advanced technology and scientific expertise. Then again, with Pokémon that could accelerate plant growth, the demand for such methods might never have existed.
"It's a landless farm that uses nutrient-rich water to grow plants. The main advantage is vertical farming—you can grow crops in stacked layers, indoors, with the right equipment," he explained.
"That's amazing," Kaia exclaimed.
Alex continued answering questions throughout the night. By the end, the group had decided to first take some time to visit their families and get their bearings before reaching out to Alex with their decisions.
Alex accepted without hesitation. They'd just escaped imprisonment—reconnecting with the world came first.
In any case, he wasn't in a rush. He hadn't even decided whether to go with the building or the farm. He also didn't know where to find the minerals needed to make the nutrient solution or had any solid plans for the infrastructure. At this point, he was basically just brainstorming.
As midnight approached, Alex intercepted the bill and paid for their meal. The girls looked ready to protest—until they remembered he'd made over three times their compensation in just one week.
"Anyway, Alex," Vera said with a mischievous smile, "the girls and I talked about it, and we wanted to personally thank you for saving us."
"Oh? And what exactly did you girls have in mind?" Alex asked, feigning innocence.
"Come, we'll show you in our room," Vera replied, leading him toward their hotel suite with the girls in tow—where Alex experienced the best night of both his lives.
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R-18 content containing Alex's wild night is available on Patreon for free for those who are interested. Enjoy.
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