WARNING: SPOILERS!!! ~A Watty's 2019 Submission!

Saved for Ni No Who (Maybe...)

Previously, in Ni No Kuni...

"...And this is the main workshop." Marcassin introduced as they entered a smokey workshop, and three people came up to them, two men and a woman.

"Morning, Your Majesties!" The woman greeted, wiping sweat away from her forehead, leaving a streak of grease across it and staining the tip of her bright pink bangs. The rest of her hair was held back by a pair of goggles on her head that looked as though they extended. She wore a yellow top that had no sleeves, but a collar that split in the center by her neck. Her pants were worn and green, and covered brown work boots. "Come to check on the new Porkplanes?"

"Not quite, Bracken." Harmony chuckled, smiling at the young woman. "We actually came to ask if you or Zip knew anything about perhaps a time machine."

"A time machine?" Bracken chuckled. "I don't know anything about that!"

"Emperor Marcassin! Empress Harmony!" A man suddenly came running over, falling to his knee in a hurried bow. He wore a dark blue suit with a striped shirt. He had blonde hair in a bushy, bowl cut style, red glasses, and a grin that looked darker than it seemed intended. It was just a wicked little smirk. "Sorry about that! Didn't see you there!"

"It's quite alright." Harmony laughed as he got to his feet, then looked to the others. "Everyone, this is Zip Vector and Bracken Meadows. Two of Hamelin's leading engineers."

"We've been trying to start up our own company for a little while, one called Broadleaf, but we needed the money," Bracken explained, smiling as she put a hand on her hip. "But because the Empress and the Emperor have been so supportive of our cause, we've been able to raise money!

"Soon, we'll have enough that we could start work on our own office! Broadleaf Industries!" Zip told them excitedly.

"Neato!" Oliver's eyes were big and wide, not even focused at all on what they were saying. He was too focused on the machines that surrounded him to even remember why they were there, his head spinning with the desire to run up to each and every machine just to see what it did. 

"Oliver-" Harmony got worried that he would get in trouble for running around, but Zip just smiled at him, looking proud of him.

"Oh, he's alright! As long as he doesn't break anything!" Zip went over and put his arm around Oliver, showing him around like Oliver was his little brother. Oliver hung onto his every word, completely interested.

Now, because I got lazy...

"Alright, ready Zip?" Oliver asked, Zip nodding, a little anxious about going in there. But he threw his shoulders back and stood up straight. He was Zip Vector, for goodness sake! He was the greatest engineer in all of Ni No Kuni! She would love his gift.

"We'll wait out here for you, Zip." Harmony told him. She knew that he needed to have his moment with her when this happened.

Zip gave a nod, and went into Bracken's room, where she was fiddling with a small circuit board, trying to make a little toy robot work. She looked completely miserable.

"So I stayed up all night making this for you..." Zip held up the metal leg, coming over so she could see it better as she set the board and her screwdriver aside, looking a little confused by the gift. "How about that, huh? A custom leg just for you by the world's greatest engineer!"

"Well..." Harmony nudged the Doctor to keep him quiet as Zip kept talking, Bracken's cheeks turning red.

"You're gonna love it!" Bracken looked at the leg for a moment, before rubbing her eyes, trying not to cry anymore.

"This isn't my leg! I want my leg! I want...my..." She broke down crying again, and Zip took a deep breath, sitting on the bed with the leg on his lap.

"I, I get it, Bracken. I get that you're upset, but... We're engineers. We solve humanity's problems." 

"Well..." Harmony nudged the Doctor again. 

"We use technology to help people." Zip kept going. He knew what Bracken was made of, and he wasn't going to give up on her now. "That's our purpose. That's what we do. Now, do you-Do you really want a little thing like this to stop you from fulfilling that purpose?" Bracken looked down at the stump where her leg used to be, looking unsure of herself.

"I..." Zip stopped her there. He didn't want to hear those kind of excuses from his best friend and most trusted co-worker.

"We solve humanity's problems, and we solve each other's too, right? You lose a leg, I make you a new one. I lose a hand... well, I hope you'd do the same for me." 

"Actually-" Harmony smacked her hand over the Doctor's mouth, pushing him against the wall.

"Talk one more time, and I'm ripping off your lips." She growled.

Meanwhile, Bracken was letting Zip attach her new leg, a new surge of hope going through her. 

"Oh, Zip..."

"And this leg... it's not just a machine. I put my heart and soul into it. It's, it's....uh...It's a part of me." Bracken studied the leg, standing up and giving it a test run, before throwing her arms around Zip's neck as tight as she could, the most grateful she could have ever been.

"...Thank you." She whispered. He patted her back, chuckling.

"Hey, I'm your boss. It's my job."