As Alex entered Rhea's lab, she ran up to him excitedly, a bundle of Poké Balls cradled in her arms.

"Alex, you're back! Check these out. I just finished the Poké Balls you requested," she said, handing him one that looked like a standard red and white ball from the outside.

"How large is the internal space, and how well can it support comfort?" he asked.

Poké Balls function as advanced energy storage devices, similar to highly specialized batteries. What sets them apart is their ability to maintain the unique energetic signature of each Pokémon, preserving the precise information required to reconstruct their physical form when released. This energy-to-matter conversion is what allows Pokémon to be stored inside Poké Balls in a stable state.

This same principle underlies PC storage systems. When a Pokémon is transferred to a PC, it is converted into energy, with its full biological and molecular data preserved. The conversion is considered perfectly accurate by current scientific standards, ensuring no loss or degradation during storage.

This energy conversion principle also applies to physical objects, which is how PCs and space bags are able to store items by converting them into stable energy forms for efficient storage and retrieval.

However, energy cannot be transmitted through the air. Attempting to do so would cause the Pokémon or item to revert instantly to its material form. To safely transfer Pokémon or items across the network, a specialized cable or transfer medium is required. Interestingly, this transfer process can sometimes trigger evolution in specific Pokémon species.

"The space is large enough to comfortably house several of your Steelix. He should feel right at home. I also programmed the interior with environmental data tailored to each Pokémon's preferences. Think of it like a personalized resort, only better. I incorporated multiple habitat types inside. I had to take apart quite a few Poké Balls to gather and configure the right modules, but everything should function exactly as intended."

"Good. Steelix hated the standard ones."

Rhea smiled, then noticed the bag slung over Alex's shoulder. Considering the reason for his trip, she figured it was meant for her, probably more supplies.

"Is that for me?" she asked, eyeing the bag with curiosity.

"Filled to the brim. Ammunition, weapons, armor, and spare parts."

"Perfect. More drones," Rhea said with a grin, giving him a quick kiss before pushing the Poké Balls into Alex's hands and taking the bag to head off for inventory.

Alex dropped the balls on the table, transferred the data from his current ones, and slipped the new set into his belt.

Next, he headed to the server room, where Nyx was usually found gaming whenever she wasn't occupied with work.

"Alex, you're back," Nyx said, rushing over to greet him with a warm hug and a deep kiss.

"Yeah. Did you get my request this morning?"

"I handled it as soon as it came in. I scrubbed your name from their servers and found nothing unusual except the location of the underwater base near Cinnabar City."

"I wasn't expecting much, considering their circumstances."

"Did you meet the new girl yet?"

"Who?"

"The nurse I hired based on Celise's recommendation. She used to work under Gravik at his underwater facility but managed to escape. Celise asked me to find her and offer her the open medical expert position. Apparently, she was the one who always took care of her whenever Gravik's temper left her in the infirmary."

"Is she clean?"

"Her name is Talia Vren. She graduated as a nurse, then disappeared not long after," Nyx explained. "She was fresh out of nursing school when the human supremacist faction recruited her. Same story as Celise. She didn't realize how messed up they were until it was too late, and by then, she couldn't get out."

She paused, then added, "As for whether we can trust Talia, I can't confirm anything. She has no records from the time she was recruited, but Celise vouched for her, so I took the risk."

"I guess I should meet with her. Where is she?"

"One of the offices in the main hall. We converted it into a full medical wing. I had to order a ton of supplies and equipment to get it set up. Cost a fortune, but everything's top of the line."

"That's fine. How are the finances looking?"

"We're down to around 20 million. Most of it went into Rhea's latest projects and the medical wing."

"No problem. I got a decent payout in Pewter City. We should be fine unless more unexpected expenses show up."

"And if they do, one quick bounty hunting trip would cover it. There's a flood of bounties out right now."

"Seriously? Last time I checked, there was nothing worth the effort."

"That was before Gravik's base got taken out. Now his goons are scattered and panicking, running around like headless chickens and causing a mess wherever they go. Plenty of people want them gone."

"Alright, I'll go check out the new nurse then."

"See ya!"

Alex exited the server room and made his way down the main hall. After passing a few closed doors, he stopped in front of the newly repurposed office. A white cross symbol had been drawn onto a sheet of paper taped to the wall, with Medical Bay written in bold black letters underneath.

He gave the door a firm knock before pushing it open halfway.

"Hello?" he called.

"I'll be right there," a clear, youthful female voice called from somewhere deeper inside.

Stepping into the room, Alex paused to take in the transformation. The space had been expertly converted into a functioning infirmary. Sleek metal medical beds lined one wall, each outfitted with overhead monitors, vitals readouts, and mounted IV stands. Along the opposite side, shelves were neatly stocked with labeled containers of gauze, antibiotics, antiseptics, and scanning tools. A compact sterilizer unit hummed quietly in the corner. The scent of disinfectant filled the air, clean and sterile.

A moment later, a woman stepped out from behind a curtain, tying back her auburn hair into a ponytail as she approached. She stood at about 5'7" (1.7 m), with a lean and practiced posture. She looked to be in her late twenties, wearing a fitted white coat over dark tactical scrubs. Her hazel eyes were sharp but kind, and she carried herself with the calm authority of someone who had faced chaos and kept her head.

"You must be Talia, our new medical expert," Alex said, extending a hand. "Alex Ashford Wattson, owner of the farm."

Talia smiled and shook his hand with steady pressure.

"Hello, Mr. Wattson. It's really nice to finally meet you. And thank you, truly, for rescuing Celise. I felt awful when I heard what happened from her. Leaving her behind like that has been eating at me. So thank you for bringing her back."

"No problem. And call me Alex," he said with a nod. "So, Talia, tell me. Why did you decide to work for me, other than to check up on Celise?"

"Same reason as her," Talia replied, her voice softening. "To hide, mostly."

"I've heard word on the dark web that the human supremacists are running around headless. Even if they manage to get back on their feet, they'll be too busy trying to reorganize to go after their old members."

"Until they eventually find the time to do so," Talia said, her tone hardening. "They won't stop until every Pokémon is dead. They are violent, obsessive, and completely consumed by hate. Vengeance is all they understand now."

"Was that how it was for you?"

"I never bought into it," she said, quieter now. "I took the job as a nurse thinking I could just do my work and stay out of the politics. But then the indoctrination started. Anyone who spoke out vanished without a word. So I stayed quiet. I agreed when I had to and kept my head down."

"Understandable. Have they explained how things work around here?" Alex asked.

"You're a bounty hunter who runs a farm that hires survivors. Sometimes you take jobs that put you on the other side of the law. I don't mind, as long as I get paid," Talia said.

"Good enough for me. Although if you're ambitious, this might not be the place for you. We don't get many injuries here. Just the occasional wound that a Heal Pulse can take care of."

"Getting paid to relax and stay out of trouble sounds like the perfect job to me. Besides, I can use the downtime to study and maybe become a real doctor someday."

"Excellent. You'll fit in just fine."

Alex began asking Talia about the realistic limits of the medical problems she could handle. She explained that she was capable of dealing with anything that didn't require highly specialized medicine or equipment typically found only in top-tier hospitals.

She had even performed surgeries in the past due to staffing shortages at the facility and was confident in her ability to handle most medical emergencies. When the girls asked, she also recommended contraception pills with the least side effects.

As for her lack of certification, Alex didn't particularly care what a piece of paper said, as long as Talia was competent and confident in her skills.

He then asked about Celise's condition. Talia explained that she had progressed to eating solid food again, but would need to remain on a strict diet for a few more days. After that, she would likely make a full recovery within a week.

With a qualified medical expert now on the farm, Alex informed Jenny that Nurse Joy's services would no longer be necessary.

After wrapping up the conversation, Alex thanked Talia and stepped out of the medical bay. His final stop for the day was the training grounds, where Lyra and Mika were training hard with their new toys.

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