PLEASE NOTE This chapter was initially separated into two parts (chapter 26 and 27). Due to it being two weeks since my last upload, I wanted to give the readers something extra for having to wait so long. Enjoy.

PART 1

The Boss didn't seem as miffed about the issue as Riker expected. Regardless, he still made it a point to insist on a great deal of urgency. With Sanchez's Lab also working on the project, (per the Boss' orders) they'd have the necessary funds needed to make progress.

The attacks were becoming more frequent. Due to the public being yanked into the fray, it seemed their Organization and the police had become reluctant allies. It wasn't an open duopoly, as the police were still secretive, but at least someone else was working on the cause.

By the time Riker was able to contact Breccia, a couple days had passed. The cut on his face was still sore, and upon glancing in the mirror, he found it to be unsightly. With his luck, the scar would run just under his eye to the halfway point of his cheek. In a way, he supposed it would look intimidating as he aged.

Inviting himself into the Lab, he took notion of the holes in the wall. Tess made mention of them when repair costs were tallied, but from the looks of it, their short term plywood method did well enough.

At the main table stood Breccia and Maddie, along with Vanessa Carter's Koffing (who was floating about with nary a care in the world).

"What you need to do..." Maddie said. "Is change this equation. 2x-b=y3 should be 2x-c=y2. It's a simple mistake, I'm sure Lars has since fixed it."

"Ladies." Riker called. Maddie jumped, showing the same trepidation Breccia recalled feeling when she first arrived. "Sorry to interrupt class time."

Breccia put her pen behind her ear. "It's nothing, Maddie was running a few equations with me." When Riker stepped closer she got a good look at his battle scar. "Geez! What happened to your face!?"

Her Boss pursed his lips. "A simple 'hello' would've sufficed."

"Okay then." Breccia paused for effect. "Hello...What the hell happened to your face?"

Riker rolled his eyes, "Just collateral damage." He figured he'd go into detail later. "I didn't expect to see you taking lessons from the coffee runner."

Maddie responded to this by shying away, nervous and quiet.

"She's very intelligent." Breccia defended, not keen on her superior's attitude. "Her father was-"

"A technician from Rustboro, I've heard the story."

"Yes, well, she's taught me a new thing or two." She sighed. "It's just too bad we have old blueprints to work off of."

Riker pulled the chip Kelly gave him from his coat. "Maybe this will even the odds."

Breccia gasped, acting as if a diamond ring had been dropped in front of her. "You found one!" She took it with gentle hands, like a father holding their newborn for the first time. "Where did you get this? Was there another attack?" She took her Riker's silence and demeanor as proof. "Maddie, could you go shovel the walk way please. We need privacy."

"Yes'm."

Both waited the time it took for Maddie to retrieve her snow gear, find the shovel, put on her gloves and secure the door before speaking again.

"There was another attack?" Breccia inquired.

"In Cerulean. They lit the gym on fire and blew out the hospital windows. I'm guessing they figured out the Boss was there." Remembering Stotler's warning to keep the Boss' condition between them, Riker figured he could trust Breccia to keep her mouth shut. (She'd done well with it before).

Breccia frowned. "Is he alright?"

Riker was putting on a decent front. "It's his third time this year. They aren't sure he's going to make it through this one."

The noise of Maddie shoveling and swearing made for a decent distraction from the awkward sadness.

"I'll be flying down to see him again this week." Riker seemed to be staring off, trying to collect his thoughts. "Sanchez is sending some of his men so we have a better grip on security while I'm gone. You'll also be sending any information you receive to his Lab from now on."

"Are we being taken off the project?"

"No, the Boss wants both groups actively searching for a solution. Double the man power means double funds."

"Makes sense."

Riker continued to ramble about other things (not important in nature), all the while Breccia struggled to keep herself focused on the conversation.

She hadn't really been herself since she and Morice's 'get together'. Mostly because she hadn't heard much from him since. It made her worry that her little breakdown scared him off.

Simply being able to let loose about her grievances towards her father and brother helped to loosen the grip they had on her psyche. Knowing she had a friend who was willing to listen gave her a moment to truly breath since her father's death.

"I wish you the best of luck." Breccia placed the chip on the table next to the blueprint. "We'll get started on what to do next and keep the other Lab on call if we find anything." Her Transceiver began to ring from her locker. The chime was faint, but loud enough that she could make out the escalating tone.

"I better get that." By the time she made it, the call went to voicemail. She was tempted to ignore it until she noticed it was Vanessa.

Hitting the redial faster than she ever had before, she waited with impatience until the line picked up.

'Hello?' Hearing Nessa gave her a great sense of relief. 'Hey, good thing you called me back, I was getting ready to start the best round of phone tag ever.'

"I have limited battery life, lets not." Breccia pulled the Transceiver closer to her ear when she heard Maddie come in. "How are you doing?"

'Great, I'm being discharged this weekend and heading into Lavaridge.'

"They find work for you?"

'No, I found this physical therapist who's willing to do my recovery therapy for free if I work as her secretary. She says the hot springs do wonders for your aches and pains.'

Breccia's brow furrowed. "Wait...the Organization is just gonna let you walk out?"

'More like ride out...you know, because of my wheel chair. Anyway, considering my state and recovery time, I'm not going to be much help. I'm not high enough up in rank to know any secrets, so Riker sent a termination request to the Executive in Hoenn and they gave me the slip!'

"That's great!" It was nice hearing Nessa in such a chipper mood. Breccia feared she'd forever stay depressed after Caleb's passing.

'I know right! And my new boss doesn't even care about my record. She just wants someone to file papers.'

The two chatted back and forth for a few more minutes with Breccia stepping into the bathroom in order to get a little more privacy. However, when she revealed her promotion, she wasn't greeted with the excitement she expected.

'Oh I know.' Nessa said when she heard the news. 'Morice told me.'

"Morice?"

'Yeah, he calls every Saturday after his shift.'

"Oh...that makes me feel bad considering I hardly talk to you."

Vanessa laughed. 'Don't worry about it, I'm sure you're busy Ms. Head Lab Coordinator.'

"True." Breccia almost let slip what was going on with Lars, but considering Nessa was no longer a part of the Organization, it might end badly for her. (She made a mental note to tell Morice the same later). "Glad to hear he's talking about me." She said this jokingly.

'All the time.' Nessa answered. 'Though he couldn't get back with me last week. How is he?'

"Okay, he showed up at the Lab Sunday with doughnuts and dragged me out to the hill overlooking the island." She left out the whole 'melt down' thing, as she was still embarrassed by it, She also left out she and Morice's joking about it being a 'date' because she wouldn't be relieved of Nessa's taunting otherwise.

'Seriously?'

"Uh, yeah."

There was a beep where Nessa's cheek slipped and hit a button. 'He usually gets drunk on his days off.'

"Maybe he wanted to do something different." And by something different, Breccia meant being the 'shoulder to cry on guy.' (Just saying that made her feel bad).

Taking two fingers, she rubbed her forehead. "Hey, my battery is starting to chime at me. I better go."

'Mkay. I'll call you once I get settled into Lavaridge.'

"Talk to you then."

'Love you.' Then Nessa said. 'No homo.'

Breccia laughed. "Love you too...bye."

Going back to the blueprints while Maddie put her snow gear away, Breccia took her Pokeball out and let Nibs loose.

She had been trying (in vain) to ball train him. If he didn't break the ball he was stuck in, he'd come out cross, feisty and ready to bite.

And this time, once she set him free, he was in a bitter mood.

Attempting to fly off the table, he jumped... only to flop to the tile and turn in circles on the floor.

"Poor little guy." Maddie cooed. "Have you thought about getting that corrected?"

"Getting what?" Breccia retrieved her Pokemon (getting a chomp on the wrist as punishment).

"His wings. All they have to do is break and realign the bones."

"I dunno..." Still angry and throwing a tantrum, Nibs began to bash his skull against his trainer's cheek. "I don't want to put him through that."

"Worst case scenario: it doesn't work."

"No, worst case scenario: he has to deal with the pain for no reason." Breccia tried to occupy Nibs by stroking the tip of his tiny nose with her finger. "Even if I wanted to, I can't afford surgery. Our pay sucks and I'm not insured."

Maddie scoffed. "There's a Pokemon Surgeon in Isador who will do it for free."

"Free?"

"She's on our payroll. Show up with your ID badge and she'll fix him up. no problem." Going to the coffee pot, she drained the last of the tepid, ground-filled coffee into her cup. "We pay her to stay running, she patches up our Pokemon. It's a win/win."

Breccia sighed, plucking her Zubat from her shoulders. "Well buddy, what do you think?"

Nibs didn't give her anything that sufficed as an answer. Instead, he continued to flap his small, deformed wings, growing frustrated when he failed to take flight.

Breccia kissed him on the head. "I guess that's my answer."

"Great." Maddie said in between sips. "We can go next Sunday."

"Sure. Go out, see the sights, subject my Pokemon to reconstructive surgery. Sounds like a plan."

PART 2

The week passed in an uneventful blur. Having the new chip made for some good comparisons to the old blueprint. By the time Sunday rolled around, they sent their findings to Sanchez's Lab.

"Yeah I'm fine...Just to Isador...we took Neil too, he's been cramped up in his apartment all week...Yes I'll call you if anything happens...you too." Breccia shoved her Transceiver into her bag.

"Who was that?" Neil asked, leaning on the boat rail.

"Morice, just making sure everything's going okay."

"We took off an hour ago..."

"And he's making sure we're okay." Breccia stood alongside him, taking a deep breath and enjoying the salt on the air. "Maddie's sleeping below deck, we should touch land within a couple hours."

"Joy." Neil pushed the glasses up along the bridge of his nose. "...Thanks for inviting me. I was just going to watch TV with Skarmory all day..."

Breccia never noticed how little she and Niel had to talk about when Tess wasn't with them. Without her, he was usually quiet and mute. "No problem, maybe we'll find you a cute boy on shore."

Neil chuckled. "I doubt that."

"You never know."

He shrugged, frowning. "I guess..." He seemed to withdraw, pulling his jean material coat around him. It was thin and made for very little wind resistance. He'd been meaning to get a new one, but as of late, he didn't have the energy to do much aside from work and sleep.

Breccia watched him fidget, wondering if she made a mistake in inviting him. She wasn't mad at him by any means. If anything, she was mad at herself for breaking down his door and dragging him out.

Neil must've noticed Breccia's expression because he spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "I'm sorry." He muttered. "I know you're trying to help. I'm just...not ready to move on yet." He pulled out the note he took from Tess back in the Lab. "I-" He bit down on his bottom lip and, for a moment, Breccia feared he may cry. "I wrote this for him a day before he went out to Verandi. We had a date planned when he came back."

Breccia gave him a friendly pat on the back. "You seem to be doing better than you were."

"Each day is a little easier..." Neil exhaled. "I keep thinking about that last time I saw him."

"You'll always have good memories..." Breccia felt her attempts to sooth were lacking. "When I think about my dad lately, I try to laugh." She felt a chill. "At the clinic one time, he had a Squirtle come in with a thorn in his paw. When Dad went to remove it, he freaked out and flooded the examination room." She laughed. "Took us a week to replace the floor boards."

Neil gave a small, weak chuckle. "Caleb and I's first date, I stepped in a divot and twisted my ankle. He had to carry me home." He added. "And then he dropped me down the stairs and I broke my arm."

The horn on the boar mast blared, causing Breccia to jump. "I wish he'd stop doing that."

Neil tucked the note back into his pocket and separated himself from the rail. "I'm gonna go below deck."

"I hope I didn't make things uncomfortable."

"No, I'm fine...In truth, I am doing better. It's just gonna take some time."

Breccia hadn't been back to Isador since her first arrival in Birtan.

The Surgeon's office was the only decent looking building in the town, sticking out among the cabins and huts. It looked like something one would see in the capital with several windows and an arching glass door. (It would seem the Organization's money was doing some good).

"It's a simple procedure." The doctor: young, heavy set with a mane of black curls all about her face, looked at the x-rays. "We'll need to break this bone on each wing..." She pointed to the pictures. "We'll also realign them and put in a small metal rod to strengthen the bones."

"That isn't going to make him more susceptible to lightning will it?"

The doctor laughed at Breccia's inquiry. "No, nothing like that. It'll just insure he heals correctly."

Breccia petted Nibs as he sat on the cold, sterilized table. He wasn't responding to her affection. He was too busy sneering at the doctor. "Nibs stop, she's trying to help."

"Not very trusting?"

"Unless you feed him."

"Well, if that's the case..." The doctor reached into a bowl on the counter. She pulled out a Pecha Berry. "I have something that may change his mind."

As to be expected, Nibbles warmed up instantly and devoured the berry before the doctor could let go. After, he pressed his head up against her fingers, demanding pets.

Breccia left her Pokemon in the doctor's care and was given a couple hours before the surgery was complete.

Leaving the clinic with Maddie and Neil, she felt anxiety building in her chest. She had never been separated from Nibs. From the moment he was born he'd always been by her side.

"You gonna be alright?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah..." Breccia said, kneading her hands. "I just worry about leaving him alone in there."

"With how feisty he is, it's the doctor I worry about." Maddie took Breccia by the wrist. "Come on, lets go to the park."

"The park?"

"Kinda a park, there's a bench and a swing set."

"You know what'd be nice?" Breccia complained. "One decent sunny day. Maybe Seventy Five degrees, have the beaches be white from sand instead of snow."

Neil kicked said snow with the tip of his boot. "It gets warmer the further north you go."

Maddie nodded. "Travessia's tropical, but you can only get to it if you pass through Nattura Mountains. It's a five hour trip from where we are now."

Breccia rubbed her arms through her jacket. "Of course it is."

"It could be worse." Maddie suggested. "You could be stuck here AND have a boss that hates you..."

"Riker doesn't hate you." Neil said. "I thought the same thing when I first started." He sat on the far edge of the bench with the ladies. "If he hated you, you wouldn't be here. And if he grows to hate you, you won't be here very long. Just do your job, do it right, and listen when he talks."

They stayed at the park for half an hour, talking of trivial things and struggling to keep warm. Eventually, they wandered back into town and came upon the local Inn. Inside, they paid for a meal and sat around the fireplace. Since the Inn didn't have a policy regarding Pokemon being in their balls, Neil let his Skarmory out to unwind.

"I wonder what happened to Caleb's Electrode?" He wondered, sitting at just the right distance from the fireplace to stay warm but far enough that the heat didn't hurt his Pokemon (who was sitting beside him.) "He had him for years."

Breccia hugged her knees, soaking in the warmth. "If it was on Caleb when those Mammoswine..." She debated continuing. "I mean...it might not have made it."

Neil mimicked her position and hugged one of his knees as well. "You never know, maybe it was recovered and re purposed to a new initiate." The thought made him wince. "I'm not sure how Ol' Buzz would treat an inexperienced trainer."

The innkeeper came by to prod the fire and throw another log in. The crackling and smell of burning wood lowered the raging anxiety running through Breccia's veins. All she could think about was Nibs. "Wait..." She interjected. "I could've swore Caleb had a Nosepass before he and Nessa left Pewter...I guess their dad took it when they fled the region."

"Sounds like an asshole." Maddie, who had been staring into the flames quietly up to that point, spoke up.

"He was." Breccia nodded. "Caleb's dad use to beat the spit out of him. Nessa got a few lashings too, but Caleb usually stepped in for her. We grew up together, my dad felt sorry for them and often let them stay over at our place. He was even training Caleb to join his gym." Thinking of her father's kind heart made hers feel a little less cold. "That's just how he was. He'd reform a rabid Eevee if he could."

"I wish I had an Eevee." Maddie complained. "I wish I had ANY Pokemon now that I think about it."

Standing up to stretch, Neil yawned. "You'll get one eventually. We caught quite a few a couple weeks back. Riker will probably just have you chose one."

"I hope so."

When they returned to the surgeon's office, the doctor was in wait.

"How is he?" Breccia asked.

The doctor held up several bandaged fingers. "He wasn't fond of the IV. But, he pulled through just fine."

Inside, she handed Breccia a tiny plastic crate (air holes included). "He's still asleep." She handed her a bottle. "These are for the pain. Since he's so small, I'd recommend half a pill in the morning. I'd also recommend he not be put in his ball until he's fully healed." She reached in and stroked the sleeping Zubat between the ears. "He has strong bones, he'll be quite the flyer."

"Does this happen often?" Maddie pondered.

"I'd say one in every two thousand hatchings. It's not common, but not rare. The sad thing is, it's easily fixable, but most people see it and throw them out."

Breccia looked inside one of the air holes to her sleeping Pokemon. "That's not going to happen any time soon."

There was no reason to stay in Isador after Nibs was retrieved. He stayed asleep until half way into the boat ride home. Once awake, he felt the pain in his bandaged wings and began to squeak, feeling groggy and uncomfortable.

"I know you're sore." Breccia said when he started shifting around. "Don't worry buddy, when we get home, I'll give you your pill and get a nice, fluffy pillow for you."

Nibs seemed appeased by this and settled back down into his bedding, ready for the long trek home.