The babies swarmed her the second she knelt down. Her fingers scratched between as many ears and she could but some were too impatient and ran off to find attention and play elsewhere. Eva scooped up the Pichu into her arms, scratching its belly playfully while it squealed in delight, “My goodness you’re adorable!” she laughed, peeling her eyes away from the baby to survey the rest of the backyard.

The doctor’s brows pinched in thought when her gaze settled on a young, blond child and her Luxray. She looked familiar, but Eva was still too far to tell.

A few quick steps brought her closer but her feet would go no further when she recognized Eris Halla. An audible gasp accompanied a sharp inhale. It was the child from the excursion just outside Sootopolis, the one that Lugia struck with its tail, the one that left with Rocket.

She looked so innocent sitting there brushing the Munchlax. It was good to see that she survived, Eva was terribly worried about her well-being, “Hello,” she gently called out with a smile, careful to not startle her and the Luxray, “That Munchlax is looking real pretty,” she grinned, complimenting Eris’s grooming.

Eris Halla

Eva cautiously eyes the Luxray that protectively turns its full attention onto the doctor. The Luxray’s change in behavior isn’t the only thing she notices. Eris seemed to be frozen in surprise or fear. It broke Eva’s heart. Did she really think Eva was going to hurt her? A child’s life and mind was too precious to be corrupted with such thoughts. A part of her wondered where that came from, although she had a suspicion.

Slowly, she knelt down beside Eris and the Munchlax, “Oh! Yes, please!” she smiles at the offer to pet the Munchlax, “You’re right! Very soft,” she nods as he hand gently strokes the baby’s fur. The Munchlax wiggles in delight at all the attention.

“Would you like to hear its heart?” The doctor grinned, uncurled the stethoscope from around her neck. Children normally loved the opportunity to use a stethoscope. It was one thing to feel a beating heart, and another entirely to hear it. Eva enjoyed getting the babies use to a stethoscope and she loved even more to share the wonders of her chosen career with curious minds. She rarely found baby pokemon were afraid of the stethoscope at such a young age. If anything, they were extraordinarily curious about it. Building good habits now, meant good habits in the future.

Eris Halla

Eva smiled warmly as Eris Halla struggled with the word. She let the child try a few times before caving, “A stethoscope, yes,” she reminded her, presenting the object in her hands for Eris to see.

“You just pop it in your ears like this,” Eva placed the snug ear pieces into her ears and took the bell of the stethoscope into her hands, “You go slow, give them a few pets first,” the back of her hand stroked the pokemon’s chest, “It should be right . . . about . . . here,” she decided as she pressed the bell against the Munchlax’s soft fur.

Eva kept her hand over the pokemon’s heart after she heard the strong beats. With one hand she wiggled the stethoscope out of her ears and presented it for Eris to take, “You try,”

Eris Halla

Eva finds her chest swelling with a sense of joy as she watches the young girl’s eyes light up in awe at the sound of the Munchlax’s heartbeat. Children had an innocent sense of wonder that always amazed the doctor. Eva often found herself wondering if she was ever like that as a child. Did her enthusiastic curiosity ever spark joy in her predecessors?

“Yes, I do,” she laughed gently, “That’s not all I do though. There’s a lot of other things that are important for a pokemon’s health tan just its heartbeat,” she explains before glancing towards the Luxray as Eris’s did, “They can sound quite different, actually,” she confirms, “Large pokemon will have much slower, stronger beats, and their typing can affect it too. You might hear some sparks and crackles in an electric-type as large as Reiner with such strong electrical currents. Although, their hearts are extra special,” she explains, “So that their electricity doesn’t send them into an arrhythmia every time they use it,” Eva had taken note that Reiner wasn’t too fond of her presence so she doesn’t try to approach the pokemon, “I’m sure he’ll let you listen,” she points a finger to his left side, just behind his elbow, “Try listening right there, and listen for a while, his heart rate will be much slower than the baby pokemon’s.”

Eris Halla

Eva laughed at Eris’s curiosity, “I do all kinds of things,” she thought for a moment, “I keep pokemon healthy, I treat their injuries and disease, I do surgery if they need it . . “ the full list was exhausting so she left it at that.

Eris seemed like a bright child, “Yea! Kinda! Mutations through evolution,” diversity was important and diversity was brought through mutations, “You’re quite smart, maybe you can be a doctor when you grow up,” Eva teases, “You’re already good with a stethoscope,”

“An arrhythmia can cause a heart attack, yes, but not all arrhythmias cause a heart attack . . . if that makes sense,” as much as she liked teaching, sometimes she wasn’t very good at it.

Eva eyed Reiner cautiously. For some reason, she didn’t think that explanation extended to her. The Luxray looked like it wanted to take a bite out of her at its first shot.

Just like Eva, Eris methodically listened for the Luxray’s heart. She knew she found It when her eyes lit up in wonder, “Of course,” Eva smiled, taking the ear pieces from Eris to listen to the feline’s heart. She listened for a good while to hear enough beats to make an assessment, “Sounds very healthy, keep up the good work, Trainer” she complimented, giving Eris a gentle, playful nudge.

Eris Halla