There he was, the living dead. In her lab, walking amongst them as if nothing happened. She couldn’t help but stare, emerald hues tracing the lines of his face. She’d only ever seem pictures of the former champion, but he seemed to have aged (or rotted) a day.

And there was warmth. When Eva reaches out to take his hand as a gesture of welcoming him to her lab, it surprises her. Her hand lingers perhaps a second too long, “Mr. Stone,” she speaks his name slowly, cautiously, as if she may be calling him the wrong name, “Please, call me Eva,” and finally she smiles, it’s genuine and warm, as usual.

“No problem at all, anything I can do to help,” with the transition from dead to living? What did she know about that? Quite a bit, actually, having experimented on a few pokemon that had mysteriously rose from the dead via INFINITY ENERGY but this was different.

---

ALEXANDER STONE

“Alex it is,” she repeats with a gentle smile and nod that encouraged him to step further into the lab as she slowly moved back to lead him into the depths of her pristine workspace.

“I don’t need to hear it from anyone,” she corrects with a soft laugh, “I’m just doing my job,” doing what’s right, what Hoenn, Kanto, and the world needs to make it a safer, better place for those within it.

She finally turns to face him again, glancing up and down with a critical stare. Perhaps prodding about his time in the afterlife would be a bit too personal for now, she would stick with the collection of some objective data first, “Samples, if you don’t mind,” she motions towards a chair for him to be seated in, “Are you . . . adjusting well?” she asks sincerely as she begins to gather some things to draw blood and obtain other biological samples.

---

ALEXANDER STONE

Eva smiles softly as she continues to gather her supplies. She can only imagine what Alex could be feeling. It would be uncomfortable to feel like a stranger in your own world, a name lost to history. Everyone had written him off in the history books, a memory, a story with a firm ending though a tragic one.

The doctor cared just as much for his mental well-being as his physical well-being. When she turns with syringe and needle in hand, she studies him critically, trying to ascertain whether the gentle playfulness in his tone was sincere or being used to mask something darker.

“Yes, it’s been an interesting few years,” she sighs, moving forward to straighten his arm and feel for a vein, “Do you . . . have any questions about any of it? I may be able to try and fill in some gaps,” it’s a sincere offer to help him feel more comfortable, have a better idea of how Hoenn has fared since his death – not well.

---

ALEXANDER STONE

It’s natural to have questions, so Eva doesn’t mind that being the topic of conversation. She listen politely as he rolls up his sleeve and she gets to work.

Unfortunately for ALEXANDER STONE, she doesn’t know much about the Megalopolans, only the basics really. Her face scrunches in concentration, the subtle wrinkle at the tip of her nose as she carefully places the needle and speaks at the same time, “Well, yes, they were defeated. A few were taken into custody and apparently,” she pauses momentarily to adjust, “Some have been living amongst us the whole time. Right under our noses,” her voice dips into a growl towards the end, obviously unhappy with that last part, “According to Littleroot reports, enough to align with Rocket and form a small army with Ultra Beasts,” just another threat on their ever-growing list of things worries.

---

ALEXANDER STONE

Eva pauses briefly to glance at him, a silent agreement with his assessment, “Yes, it is,” she says softly, pulling away once the sample had been drawn. She pressed a clean piece of gauze against the site, “Hold pressure here,” she left him take over as she fill various tubes.

The thought of how many has occurred to her. Apparently there was an ongoing investigation. Her lips do curl into a slight grin when he jokingly asks the question, “If I am, then I’m probably the least threatening of them all,” Imagine little Eva Morales a vicious Megalopolan.

But that does beg the question, is he?

It was quite a coincidence that his return lined up with their knowledge of Megalopolans living among them. Her eyes narrowed carefully, floating over to observe him.

---

ALEXANDER STONE

When her suspicions are addressed, her eyes narrow, perhaps in a playful manner but there’s still a hint of genuine curiosity, “Hmm, I guess we’ll see!” she grins, motioning towards the samples she just collected. She actually can’t test for a Megalopolan like that because they lack control samples, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“I think the best way, according to the reports, is using Ultra Beasts,” after safely tucking the samples away she turns to face Alex, leaning and the desk behind her for support, “They can sniff them out, kinda. Like an Odor Sleuth but for Ultra Space residue.”

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ALEXANDER STONE