In the village of Fruitvale, the villagers were busily harvesting the berries.
It was already early winter now, and heavy snow could fall at any time. Once that happened, the berries might easily freeze and spoil.
"Another bountiful year of berry harvests," Texi said with a pleased smile as he gazed at the trees laden with ripe berries.
Throughout the entire year, he had witnessed the steady growth of Fruitvale Village and the Pokémon Domain. Life was truly getting better with each passing season.
In particular, when he thought of his son Peter, Texi couldn't suppress the proud curve at the corners of his mouth.
Who would have thought that the mischievous boy from back then would now become the captain of the patrol team of the Lord Aven's Pokémon Domain—a man admired by everyone?
"Uncle Texi, all the berries have been picked!"
At that moment, several young men emerged from the orchard, each accompanied by a Gloom or Oddish walking alongside them.
They were members of the Berry Harvesting Team of Fruitvale Village. The orchards had expanded greatly over the years, and it was no longer possible for ordinary farmers to pick all the berries on their own.
Thus, the specialized Berry Harvesting Team was established. Their Pokémon—trained Oddish and Gloom—had become expert berry pickers, completing the harvest work with astonishing efficiency.
In today's Pokémon Domain, Pokémon had become fully integrated into daily human life. The trainers who grew up as commoners were completely different from the arrogant knights of the past.
In the days before Lord Aven, any knight who owned a Pokémon was considered a superior being, someone who would never perform tasks deemed "menial" or "for commoners," let alone serve others.
"Well done. Thank you for your hard work," Texi said warmly.
"Please take the berries to the berry purchasing plant, and send those trimmed branches and leaves to the Burmy Cultivation Field afterward."
"Don't mention it, Uncle Texi," one of the harvesters waved his hand modestly. "You've already paid us, so of course, we'll see it done properly."
Saying that, he began directing his teammates to load the berries onto carts pulled by a Skuntank. Skuntank possessed great strength and could haul several full carts in one trip. Within just two or three rounds, all the berries from the orchard would be delivered to the purchasing factory.
The berry purchasing factory had been built by the territory itself. In the past, berries from the southeastern domains were transported all the way to Aspiration City for trade, but now the Pokémon Domain could process everything on its own.
After all, the Pokémon Domain currently gathered the largest number of apothecaries and potion makers in the entire territory. With the most advanced potion-making techniques and formulas, it had become a magnet attracting apothecaries from across the land.
Besides potion crafting, Pokémon food production also required vast amounts of berries. Berries were the essential ingredient that allowed the food's taste and effect to achieve remarkable transformations.
Even spoiled berries were not wasted—they were continuously sent to fertilizer processing plants, where they were turned into different kinds of nutrient fertilizer. Thus, every berry produced within the territory was put to good use, with not a single one wasted.
Because of this, not only did the Pokémon Domain consume its own berries, but berries from surrounding lands were also being transported in bulk to be processed into potions, Pokémon food, and fertilizers—then exported to Pokémon nurseries across other territories for sale.
Watching the Skuntank-drawn cart slowly departing with the harvested goods, Texi followed along cheerfully, intending to complete the delivery paperwork at the factory. The gold coins he'd receive from the sale, he planned to give all to his son Peter.
Though Peter was now an officer of the Pokémon Domain, his monthly salary was still limited. Training Pokémon was said to be very costly—this amount of money should at least allow Peter to raise one or two more powerful Pokémon.
Besides, Peter wasn't getting any younger, and Texi felt it was time to start arranging his marriage. With this money, he could finally fulfill a father's responsibility.
After that, he planned to hand over the management of the orchard and buy himself a small house in the residential district of Fair Haven Town to spend his later years in peace. The very thought made his face glow with quiet anticipation.
At the same time, Mike, the former village chief of Fruitvale now head of the ministry of agriculture was at the berry purchasing factory. Having long been attached to the village, he was deeply pleased to see how prosperous the villagers' lives had become.
"Texi, long time no see! How have you been?" Mike greeted warmly, patting Texi on the shoulder.
"Do you even need to ask?" Texi grinned. "Just look at all these berries behind me! This year's harvest is even better than the last."
Mike glanced over the crates and, as an experienced farmer, could instantly estimate their worth. He gave Texi a hearty thumbs-up.
Soon, the factory workers began inspecting and sorting the berries Texi had brought. They separated those of lower quality and quickly calculated the total value.
"These days, the Pokémon Domain has standardized pricing for all berries," Mike explained. "No matter the yield, the price per unit remains fixed. Are you fine with that rate?"
Texi nodded without hesitation.
He had already heard about the price regulations for grains and berries that had been set some time ago.
Everyone knew that Lord Aven had once purchased grain at high prices only to resell it cheaply to the people, ensuring no one would go hungry. The citizens of the Pokémon Domain had all benefited greatly from that decision.
Thus, none of them objected to the current fixed pricing—if anything, it made them feel safer and more stable.
"Would you like your payment in gold coins, or should I deposit it in the Agriculture Ministry for you?" Mike continued.
Because farmers often sold large harvests at once, they would receive a substantial sum in a short time.
To make things easier, the Agriculture Ministry had started offering deposit services. Farmers could store their gold coins there and withdraw them whenever they wished.
"I'll take just ten gold coins with me for now," Texi replied with a smile. "Please deposit the rest. Oh—and I'd like to transfer a portion of it to the Breeding House, under Peter's name."
"Haha, not a problem," Mike said cheerfully. "I'll handle that for you."
Currently, the Agriculture Ministry and Pokémon Breeding House were the only two places in the entire territory that provided currency deposit services.
The Agriculture Ministry did so for the farmers' convenience, while the Breeding House offered it for the many trainers who frequented it.
Nowadays, the Breeding House had become one of the busiest facilities in the entire territory, serving countless trainers every day who came for various Pokémon-related services.
To streamline things, the Breeding House had even launched a points system. Trainers could use points to offset costs when paying for services.
There were many ways to earn points: trainers could exchange them directly at a one-to-one rate with copper coins, or they could complete missions issued by the territory to receive them as rewards.
And if a trainer ever needed cash urgently, they could even exchange their points back into currency at the same rate—making points practically equivalent to money.
In truth, Aven had originally wanted to establish a proper banking system, but since the monetary system of Aspiration City was still underdeveloped—and a full financial infrastructure far from ready—he opted for this simpler point-based substitute instead.
This system brought many benefits. It made life easier for both citizens and trainers, while also greatly easing the financial burden on the territory. Phyllis, the head of finance, had praised it endlessly, as it allowed her to maintain better liquidity of the treasury.
She had even suggested implementing a similar system in the Finance Ministry for merchants, so they could deposit their gold there as well—but Aven vetoed the idea, warning that it could trigger financial risks.
"Well then, I'll be off. I still need to deliver those branches and leaves to the Burmy nursery," Texi said, waving farewell after finishing his transaction.
Riding the Skuntank-drawn cart, they soon returned to the orchard and began loading the pruned branches and leaves.
The trees now stood bare, which would help reduce their energy consumption and allow them to better survive the winter.
The farmers were already familiar with this set of winter maintenance practices—clearing snow, fumigating the orchard, and sealing the irrigation systems to prevent freezing—tasks they routinely carried out each winter.
Texi had already decided to contract these tasks again to the berry-harvesting team. They were trained professionals and would handle everything efficiently, saving him much effort.
He had also heard that Lord Aven had developed special berry species capable of growing even in the cold seasons. A few years ago, he would have been thrilled to try them, but now, with age and his orchard nearly self-sustaining, he no longer had the same drive to start anew.
"Uncle Texi, all the branches are loaded! We're heading out now!" one of the workers called.
"Alright, thank you," Texi replied with a smile, waving them off. He didn't accompany them this time—the branches and leaves had already been sold under contract to the Burmy Nursery.
(End of Chapter)