Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

No point beating around the bush.

"Guinea Pig." He said bluntly.

He gave Isaac a moment to process the words, before continuing on.

"I developed the theory behind a regenerative surgical procedure towards the later quarter of my time in Galar." He said simply. "However— theory is theory. I've yet to attempt it on a live human."

Or a non-memory Galar one, but that didn't need to be mentioned.

"Eyes were of particular interest to me."

Eris Halla had issues in one eye. FERNANDO SILPH was missing an eye... Hideo Kino was blind.

Eyes were often on his mind, as a physician.

"I can't promise you results— but I can promise failures won't harm you."

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

"I do... I have lost my right eye a couple of times before, though." He said, tapping at his closed eye lid. "That was actually one of my inspirations during the development of the procedure."

He could recover life, limb and organ if it was somehow compromised— so clearly, the scales could go beyond merely repairing what was broken, if employed correctly. That had been the starting mindset.

"Mind you, it's not just about a missing eye." He said, leaning his chin onto his palm. "A missing leg. A missing arm. A missing finger. If I can restore these things... if I can somehow make this procedure work 100% of the time— don't you think a lot of people's lives would be bettered?"

He let the other process his words, before shrugging.

"But I won't lie— my reasons ain't purely altruistic. I've got a friend with a fucked up eye; a colleague who's eye was torn out; a little brother who was born blind. I guess that's why eyes specifically linger in my head a lot."

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

Doug was beginning to suspect Isaac might not be aware of who he was talking to— as in 'Avatar status unknown'.

Which was... huh.

Perhaps rocket was not doing as good of a job at keeping its members informed as it should.

Well, at least they were on the same footing on that front.

A small smile graced Doug as his new guinea pig— er, fellow researcher immediately showed off his worth by releasing several pokemon famously capable of some form of regeneration.

"Much appreciated, my friend. That said— those methods of regeneration are currently being studied all over the world, by men much more qualified and brilliant than I." Not medics, per say, but scientists seeking a myriad or so of applications.

"I... have my own, unique research, you could say." He said.

Before smiling broadly at Isaac.

"Need a preview?"

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

It was good to see Isaac could be quick on the uptake.

Now. What to use to demonstrate...?

Doug looked around casually; there were... many people around. Many children, too.

He gestured for Isaac to follow him, casually moving back towards the healing bay tent— his stomping grounds as a member of the carnival's medical staff.

As he entered the tarp, he casually handed Isaac over a small sign to hang outside, which read: 'Busy. Unless an emergency, knock before entering.'

Not the most succinct of signs, but it did the job.

Finally in the privacy of the tent, Doug casually strolled up to his table, before leaning back against it.

"Alright." He paused. "Naturally, I'll be demonstrating on myself."

He knew what would happen on himself— it was everyone else that he was very iffy on.

"So..." He reached into his breast pocket as he rounded around the table, standing behind it like he were manning his own stall... before suddenly ramming a military combat knife onto it. "I'll be using this to demonstrate. Please hold the applause, I've not begun yet."

He paused.

"You're not squeamish, are ya?" He asked as he casually slipped one of his gloves off his left hand.

God, he hoped not. He didn't want to clean up any more vomit today. Way too many kids had passed through the healing bay with tummy aches already.

Picking up his knife, he looked over it critically, examining the edge. He didn't take as much care of it as he did his tools of trade, but it seemed to still be in good condition.

Regardless of whether Isaac had a strong stomach or not—

SLAM.

It did not change the fact that Doug had just rammed his knife straight through his pinkie, severing it at the knuckle from the rest of his hand.

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

Doug had a clever quip all ready and prepped, but it was kind of hard to communicate it with the blinding pain that came with (minor) dismemberment.

The young man was doing a pretty good job of keeping himself silent— but if Isaac had ever stood before someone truly stoic, he could probably tell by the opening and closing jaw, twitching eye lids and the fact that Doug was banging his other fist on the table repeatedly that he was not immune to the pain.

Right.

"Not... here, per say...!" He had tested this back in Galar.

His current body had only experienced this back in—

"Dewford. Not... by choice, mind you!" Xenon Antheil was a hell of a scientist. For better or worse, he had learned a lot from being turned into a pin cushion.

He raised his hand— letting Isaac witness as bone, artery, vein, muscle, skin and more regrew before his eyes.

"Hooo! That freaking sucked!" He huffed as he dropped his hand down, shaking it off like he had merely slapped it against the table. "Note to self— Inject adrenaline or some form of pain suppressor before demonstrating. Jeez!"

Left on the table, as proof of what had happened— was blood... and a finger.

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

"Fair question, counterpoint: I am perfectly hinged." Doug said, not answering the other man's question at all as he picked up his now extra finger. "Just a sec."

His whole hand burned a bright magenta before the entire finger began to bloat and decompose, before seemingly beginning to dissolve. The doctor casually chucked it into one of the cans meant for disposable syringes.

"I'll get rid of it properly later." He said, before plucking his knife off the table and producing a rag to clean the blood from it, leaning back against the wooden frame as he addressed Isaac once again. "Anyway— so you've met Dr. Reyes, then!"

Good, he didn't need to explain where his powers came from, then!

"Anyway, as you saw, my body is perfectly capable of regeneration, thanks to Lele's gifts." He said, before propping up his index finger, from which a single, glimmering scale rose, hovering just an inch off the tip of his digit. "These are the source of that healing."

Casually, he held out the knife to Isaac.

"I can demonstrate on you as well, if ya want." He said, before pausing. "Uh. You can just scratch yourself. I don't think I can regenerate your fingers... yet."

He paused again.

"I could reattach them, though." With or without the powers, he almost added with a little too much pride.

Update

well, well, well. Hello again, Isaac Merlo

He pointedly ignored Isaac's cut-off sentence, humming as he began to drag a clean rag over the table, erasing away the splotches of blood.

"That she is." He said simply, nodding. "Everyone's a little scary. Comes with the territory."

People in Hoenn in general seemed more willing to end a motherfucker's life than the average civilian, for one. He supposed living in an active warzone could do that to a population.

Though perhaps that wasn't what Isaac meant.

Shlorp!

Like an action figure's limb popping out of the socket, Isaac's Cyclizar had gotten rid of its own tail, the lump of flesh falling to the floor with a distinct splat.

"I guess." He replied to the other wryly, crouching down to look over the lump formerly known Vespa's tail. "Is this one a shed skin, a regenerator, or both?"

He reached into his breast pocket, producing his notepad and beginning to write.

"I could use some data on pokemon as well, I suppose. Vespa, yes? Please, take a seat." He said, gesturing to one of the med-beds inside the tarp. "Or... lay down on it, rather?"

Whichever.

As he waited for the pokemon to do that, he fetched his case once more, popping it open before producing some prefilled syringes as well as the respective vials.

"There's several ways I can apply healing— I'll be using syringes in this case." He said, before pointing over his shoulder at a nearby, small book shelf. "See that book over there? Anatomy of Paldea? Mind fetching it for me? Thanks."