Kanto. Pokemon Center. Flashback.
Eris Halla

It’s been nothing but chaos. It’s easy to get lost in the riptide and let it carry you out past your limits where you’ll eventually find yourself lost, tired, and in danger of drowning. That’s about where Eva is at, at this point. She’s been working for days, what little sleep she’s gotten has been in abandoned hospital rooms, her mind has been running a million miles a minute. She’s saved lives but she’s also lost far too many. It’s heartbreaking, but she’s too tired and she’s already cried all the tears she has left in the janitor closet in the back of the second floor.

She’s just stepped out of surgery, discarding bloodied gloves and gown with a frustrated grunt as the nurse silently walks by to cover and collect the body. Another she couldn’t save. Another trip to the janitor’s closet was looking pretty good right now, maybe a nap, or maybe she’d finally wake up and this is all just a terrible, terrible dream.

Doctor to reception. Doctor to reception. the PA system repeats just before she’s buzzed. It would never end, would it? “Tell them I’m on my way,” her nurse nods, repeating it into the comms for the front desk to hear.

When Eva arrives she doesn’t know what she was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn’t a child folded over a Luxray. The sight is enough to stop her in her tracks, erasing any dullness from exhaustion with an adrenaline spike of concern. She can smell the smoke, see the ash and burns scattered across the Luxray, “Quick, get them into a room and get me some supplemental oxygen,” the orders are sharp, clear. And the equally overworked nursing staff runs to grab supplies while Eva gently encourages the Luxray to follow her into a room.

Kanto. Pokemon Center. Flashback.
Eris Halla

They’re ushered into a treatment room. It’s pretty standard, small, not too comfortable. The Hospital beds upstairs would be much more fitting and likely necessary. The child would have to stay for a while, no doubt.

Eva observes, emerald eyes tracing over Eris’s burnt skin. Horrible. She can’t help but wonder what awful thing happened to them. Rocket, no doubt.

She crouches down to eye level, slowly approaching. The Luxray seems protective. It’s admirable, but she’ll need free access to them both to evaluate them, “An angel?” she looks bewildered for a moment. It’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever mistaken her for (not that it happens frequently), “No, just a doctor.”

A nurse shuffled in with an oxygen tank and two masks, setting it up before handing it to Eva, “I’m going to need you to wear this mask, ok? Just until I know your lungs are alright . . . can you do that for me?” her tone is soft for the child, but her eyes are fixed sternly on the Luxray as she leans forward to adjust the mask over Eris’s nose and mouth, “You too, buddy,” she attempted to fix a pokemon sized one onto the Luxray.

“I’ll need pain meds, the burn kit, and lots of bandaging material . . . also phone an MD for transfer,” Eris will need to eventually be seen by a human doctor. As a frontline medic, Eva is qualified to perform basic stabilization, but continued care will need to be provided by someone else for her while Eva continued to treat Reiner, “Don’t worry,” she smiles, “I won’t let them separate you.”

Kanto. Pokemon Center. Flashback.
Eris Halla

No, not an angel. For now, Eris Halla is safe and Eva will do everything in her power to continue to keep her that way now that the two were under her care. Eva will heal them, and whatever sinister force tried to take them wouldn’t win. Not while she had anything to do with it.

It breaks her heart to watch the child struggle to form her memories into words. It’s even more disheartening to know these memories would bleed into her dreams, most likely staining her dreams with nightmares. Eva assumes the worst – she always does.

Eva’s hands gently drift over the Luxray’s plush fur, searching for some sort of collar or indication as to where they may have some from. She finds nothing. The mention of her parents, although brief, reminds her she must try and find them, “Can you tell me your name? Where are you from?” she asks while they wait for the nurse to return with the supplies to treat and bandage Eris’s wounds.

Kanto. Pokemon Center. Flashback.
Eris Halla

“Eris,” Eva repeats softly, finding some sort of comfort in being able to use the child’s name, “Reiner,” she repeats as well, looking towards the Luxray, “It’s nice to meet you both, I’m Eva,” it’s hard to hide the inherent look of concern on her face. The way Eris speaks so softly, so weak, tells her this isn’t something recent. It’s been long enough to take a toll on the child’s fragile body. She bites her lips in anticipation as the door cracks open and the nurse returns with the burn kit.

A pair of emerald eyes flash quickly between Eris and the nurse at the mention of Vermillion City. It is no secret that had been Rocket’s latest target for their terrorism. The nurse knows what to do and she rushes off to check the “Missing” ads for evidence of her parents looking for her. They would soon come to find out, there is no one looking for Eris. She’s been robbed of her family far too early in life.

“Ok, Eris, I’m going to need you to come down from there so I can clean your wounds,” Eva offers the girl a bottle of water as well as a bowl provided by the nurse for Reiner. Dehydration is one of the greatest complications in burn victims. Eris would undoubtedly need IV fluids, but that is the human doctor’s responsibility . . . but I they didn’t get here soon she wasn’t going to let Eris suffer and she’d just do it herself.

Kanto. Pokemon Center. Flashback.
Eris Halla

It didn’t take much to stabilize Reiner. The Luxray got off easy in comparison to the child. A little nebulization and some topical medications with bandaging would heal his burns right up. He remained stable, ana anxious. Restless, really. It was a constant battle to keep him to attempting to find Eris. Despite Eva’s promises, he was a persistent lion. The anxiety mirrors her own. There’s a pit in her stomach that can’t be filled. Her mind frequently wanders to the child which makes the void deeper.

There’s no one looking for her, no home to go back too. Vermillion had been overtaken and the home she once knew burned to the ground. Her life was stolen from her, and so much more than that. It made the doctor sick to her stomach. She has seen some shit, but the trauma endured by innocent children struck a different chord.

Eventually, they get word Eris is stable enough to receive visitors. As she promised, she takes the Luxray to her room right away. The reunion is subtle, but sweet. It give her a fraction of hope to know there’s love in Eris’ life. Eva greets her with a soft smile, letting to two say their hellos before she enters the rest of the way. Eva sits at the edge of her bed, “Just doing my job,” she reassures her, “How are you feeling?” she avoids the elephant in the room, though her thoughts dwell on Eris’ future and what is to come of her situation.