Eva was somewhat surprised to receive a call from Zac Ramsay . The doctor was both curious and skeptical. She had a front row seat at the festival, witnessing both the destruction and beauty that came with the burden of becoming an avatar. Eva still hadn’t decided on which side of the aisle she would sit. Her curiosity had her reading up on legendary lore but she was still far too busy to really dive into it.

This was her first trip to Mt. Pyre. Her swift Salamance made quick work of the journey. The pokemon disappeared into its pokeball as Eva approached Zac from the walking path. He was hard to miss. The robust, indeed.

“Good to see ya again, Leader Ramsay,” the small blonde smiled, accepting his hand for a vigorous shake. The Gallade behind her shrugged the large medical pack off his shoulders and onto the ground.

Eva stepped back to inspect the Turtonator as Zac talked. Her brow pinched in concentration as she slowly moved around the beast. Every so often she would nod, acknowledging she was still listening to Zac. Her lips pulled into a frown at the weakened jet of flame, “Yea, I see that,” Eva stepped back, leaning her chin into her palm. Her fingers strummed her cheek while her mind cranked out a plan, “Yea, it’s definitely possible,” she sighed, crossing her arms and looking back over towards Zac, “Some things can pop up over time. And some things, you can’t see,” She tapped her head for emphasis. All the fancy equipment in the world wouldn’t fix PTSD. Eva had bared witness to its debilitating effects too many times.

“Alright, big boy! Lemme see your shell!” she enthusiastically spread her arms out, asking the Turotnator to so the same so she could get a good look at the carapace and the plastron.

Zac Ramsay

The Turtonator did it’s best to give the doctor a good view of its shell. Eva took time to carefully inspect the vulnerable part of the pokemon’s plastron on the center of its chest. As her eyes ran over the pokemon’s shell a smile grew on her lips while Zac spoke. There was an intrigued sparkle in her eyes when she glanced over at him, “Wow, Zac, I’m very impressed,” it was very rare she came across someone who actually knew just as much, maybe more, than her about pokemon. Veterinary school drilled it into Eva. It was, after all, the most important part of her profession – recognizing the unique properties of her patients. Each pokemon had its own set of physiological laws that must be followed for optimal health. For the lay person to know such depth was a breath of fresh air.

“Guess I don’t have to bore you with the details then,” she stepped back from the Turtonator, giving it a thankful nod for its cooperation, “Well, good news is I don’t see anything wrong with ‘im grossly,” she motioned to the pokemon as a whole, “I assume you increased the amount of volcanic and explosive material in his diet after the battle?” his shell seemed to be regenerating fine so she assumed that was the least of their worries. Boshi seemed mentally appropriate with no neurologic deficits, “Next step may be to run some bloodwork to make sure everything’s functioning well on the inside,” It wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen a hard battle damage a pokemon’s organs and the clinical signs didn’t manifest until days, sometimes weeks, later.

“Otherwise, it may not be . . . physical,” she tapped her chin and glanced at Zac to see if he understood what she meant by that.

Zac Ramsay

Eva smiled, mildly amused. It was common for people to think bloodwork was extreme. The doctor reveled in the teaching opportunity, “Bloodwork’s no big deal, just a lil poke, this big guy would barely feel it,” What was a small needle in comparison to being slapped around by another pokemon? “Even if nothing is wrong, it’s always good to have a baseline in case there if disease in the future. We at least know what is ‘normal’ for that individual,” she wasn’t pushing bloodwork, per say, mostly giving her two cents as a doctor.

“Well, it’s not really something I can test for so really it’s a diagnosis of exclusion. Meaning, if I can’t find anything else wrong that’s really the only thing left,” Her gaze flashed over to Boshi, “The only treatment is time and support,” she wished she had a magical cure, “Sometimes, it’s easy to forget a pokemon’s mind isn’t benign. A rough battle can leave ‘em flustered and anxious. Pardon my bluntness, Boshi,” she apologized in advance to the Turtonator. He was gonna hate this, “He got whooped by a legendary, and I’m sure losing isnt’ something he’s use to,” she braced for the Turtonator (or Zac’s) reaction to her straight forward response. Eva wouldn’t be surprised if he was having some mild form of PTSD. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d diagnosed it.

Zac Ramsay

Zac wasn’t the only one ready for an explosion. Eva’s Gallde was ever attentive to her well-being. It was his job, after all, to protect and heal. The sparkling shimmer of a PROTECT rose between them and the Turtonator as he lunged to Eva’s side. Judgmental eyes narrowed towards Boshi. The Turtonator’s carelessness didn’t sit well with the psychic-type.

“Yea, no kiddin’!” Eva gasped in surprised as both Zac and her Gallade came to her aid, Sorry, Boshi,“ she grumbled, honestly upset she distressed the explosive turtle.

She glanced back over at Zac, “Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do. No magic pill for that,” she laid a hand gently on Blade’s shoulder, encouraging him to step back away from the other pokemon, “Support, practice, slowly easing him back into it,” she thought for a moment more, “Maybe even slowly introducing him back to Tapu Bulu now that you’re . . . one” she vaguely motioned towards Zac as a whole. She wasn’t really sure how else to put that.

Zac Ramsay

“Huh…” Eva nodded her head while a few scenarios popped to the front of her brain, “If you think it’ll work,” she shrugged, eyeing Boshi. Would Zac be able to “trick” the Turtonator into think it wasn’t rigged? Eva hadn’t seen the turtle in action prior to the Festival but she doubted it would emerge victorious over the legendary without help, “If he’s willing to battle it, then it’s worth a shot,” as long as he didn’t get his ass kicked there was no harm to it that Eva could think of.

Zac Ramsay

Eva placed her hands on her hips, listening intently to Zac’s plan. The man seemed confident in it and he didn’t strike Eva as someone who lacked common sense. He had impressed her with his knowledge thus far. Therefore, he didn’t need her coddling in a sensitive situation like this. Eventually, she nodded, “Sounds like you’ve got this covered! But yes, I’m happy to be there whenever you need me!” It was solidified with a bright smile.

A subtle flush rose in her cheeks, it wasn’t everyday someone actually told her they trusted her. The bright smile turning coy. As far as being on call, Eva dismissed the thought of a fee with a wave of her hand, “That won’t be necessary. You’re a Gym Leader, I’m contracted with The League, badda bing, badda boom, I’m always on call for y’all,” she explained with a serious of hand gestures.

Eva snapped on a set of gloves Blade handed her along with a syringe and long spinal needle. It look intimidating to the human eye but this was a 2 meter, 200kg plus pokemon they were talking about here, “Alright, Boshi, hold still. Ya shouldn’t feel a thing,” hopefully. She hadn’t forgotten about his little outburst earlier.

Zac Ramsay

The way Boshi glared the whole time made Eva a bit nervous. She moved slowly to avoid startling him. Surprisingly, she collected the sample without getting burned to a crisp so that was a win. She exhaled, quickly stepping away to place it in the proper tubes, “Good boy, Boshi! Thanks for not crushing me,” she praised with a smile, “I’ll get back to ya as soon as I get the results, alright?” she assured Zac Ramsay as she put away her items, “It was good to see ya, Zac. Hope to see you again soon!” she smiled before stepping away to give the trainer and pissed off pokemon some space to work it out. The doctor and her companion disappeared back down the path towards the base of the mountain.

Zac Ramsay