Since I'm here I might as well post this its not diaper related yet but I don't think this will be an issue.
this chapter is almost 3,000 words and about 6 pages so its a long one. Its also on FA under a different pen name.
Its also got some content in it (mainly realistic descriptions of injuries and anatomical accuracy) but its no more than lets say what "ER" was. Oh and yeah prepare for a loss of innocence dealing with Pokemon.
Anyways Ill roll it out and see how it goes and leave the community to decide the merits.
Note:
Story was done using Canadian English so no comments about the misplaced 'u's everywhere .-----
Team Picaduck Origins 1 - The End Before the Beginning
A male 16-year-old beaver hunched over in his well-padded chair and reached for a folder to lift it out of its holder. The young Physician had been keeping a silent watch while the unconscious Pokémon’s body, his new charge, for several hours now. 2 weeks ago, both of them went through what no living creature should have survived. Through either a twist of fate or a miracle from beyond, they were still here though, hanging on by mere threads.
The lifelong bond that they now shared was forged in a series of events that lead to their current situation. Their broken bodies was a terrible consequence of the beaver’s reckless decision, their bond cemented in blood and mutual experiences now burned onto both of the creature’s minds. Now sitting here in intensive care, slowly healing, they were facing issues that would be with them for the remainder of their lives. Because of those actions, the critically injured Pikachu was now Kairu’s seventh Pokémon and Kairu was now the Pikachu’s Guardian. As Guardian, Kairu had the responsibility to claim the unclaimed Pokémon and to give him a name. Once he was conscious and able to do this officially he did so, and then promptly named the Pikachu “William”.
Injury wise “William” was the worse of the two though. Together they endured gunshot wounds, burns over most of their bodies, cuts, bruises, bumps and internal trauma from an explosion, fire, and senseless violence but it was the smaller William that currently required intensive life support. In fact, Kairu was almost to the point where he would be able to start rehabilitation and begin the process of returning to his former role. As a senior level Pokémon Physician at the Lakeweed Pokémon Centre in the Region of Kanusta, Kairu had a large set of duties to carry out. His current medical issues left research not conducted, patients needing another physician, a serious gap in manpower, and a major Pokémon centre without one of its finest. For now though, the doctor was the patient and his responsibility was to care for himself and possibly his new Pokémon as his condition permitted.
What could not be healed though was the spinal cord injuries that would leave both creatures permanently paralysed from the waist down. Kairu’s actions to save William from bleeding out within seconds cost them their mobility but saved their lives. William’s resulting evolution from then on kept them both alive until they were able to receive medical treatment.
Lifting William’s medical chart out of its holder on his Life Support Unit, Kairu placed it on top of his own. Cradling the two open folders, he began to read the medical documentation for the first time. He was now functional enough to play the role of physician and by reading them; he could get an overview of their medical situation. With this knowledge, he would be able to prepare himself and his new Pokémon for whatever was to come, for better or worse. Knowing the medical details was an important step in beginning the path of healing and making amends for his deeds. having regained consciousness he knew his current situation was a result of his own negligence. It was likely that for the second time in his life he would have to rebuild himself and find a new way of living. As he thumbed through the documents the list of sustained injuries read more like a pair of medical autopsies rather than what was supposed to be the progress report of two living, breathing patients.
Kairu had broken several ribs, a collarbone, his right arm, and several of his vertebrae were shattered. In the process of being squashed almost flat, the vertebrae crushed his spinal cord. His vertebrae were replaced during surgery and they along with the rest of his bones were healing as he sat there
“The pattern of fractures, locations of the numerous superficial wounds, and bruising all over his body indicate that he positioned himself like a living shield in front of an explosion. This was later determined to be the cause of his physical injuries because upon initial examination it was found that most of his body was covered in second and third degree burns.”
As a burn patient Kairu knew, he would have to manage the risks of infection and dehydration. He needed to constantly watch his fur for signs of discoloration or even worse, total loss. Thankfully, though his fur was beginning to re-grow and replace itself with its original multi toned lustre. So with no signs of this risk once his fur returned fully the burn injuries would no longer be an issue.
“By sheer luck the buckshot and sidearm slugs missed the organs in Kairu’s chest and abdomen. The wounds were either too shallow or in the wrong location to have any serious impacts to his internal structures beyond straightforward tissue repair. Though I found at least 15 different wound locations on his back and arms some penetrating down into the skeletal structure I saw no significant internal damage beyond the immediate wound areas. I was able to remove just about all of the razor sharp fragments from his body with no signs of any remaining. I do not suspect any lasting effects from his gunshot wounds other than traditional follow up,” his surgeon wrote.
Realizing how much metal they actually took out of his back made Kairu thankful for the pain medication. How it was possible to take 15 shots to his body without serious injury Kairu did not know. He did know that even one of those bullets could have gone beyond his outer tissues and into his organs causing massive blood and fluid loss, which would have made him just like will right now. He could feel every single one of those now repaired wounds across his whole body right into his bones and if wasn’t for his pain meds he wouldn’t be able to even sit up given what that flesh shredding material is capable of.
“The locations of the gunshot wounds on both Kairu and William proved without a doubt that Kairu acted like a living shield to prevent further injury to the Pokémon once the shots began,” read the supplement in his file.
Dealing with the psychological and professional consequences of his actions was something that was yet determined. The challenges of going through the rehabilitation needed to deal with his paralysis and the requirements of daily living alone would be a challenge let alone resuming the role of a respected research physician. His body was still too broken to start physical rehabilitation and the event was still too fresh to begin the deconstruction, so right now work was a long way into the future. What was the most apparent consequence of his actions though was apparent in the report that the critical care nurse gave upon him first regaining consciousness.
“Kairu reported upon regaining consciousness and still under partial sedation that he had ‘forced’ the Pikachu he came in with into evolution to save him. It at this point that Kairu took guardianship responsibilities for William and gave him his name. Without knowing more details of the incident, a guilty soul in near death tends to attempt to reconcile his or her sins and this shows up in such patients regularly. This may play a role as to what had caused these horrific injuries”.
Of course later Kairu made his new guardianship official but from the minute he knew that he had been shot he could sense the suspicion on him. With the presence of gunshot wounds on both him and a Pokémon there was a good chance Kairu was somewhere he was not supposed to be. He did not know what this would mean for his future but at least for now he could still care for William while he still had his credentials and credibility.
William was not as lucky as Kairu and this was clearly apparent given the current prognosis. Two weeks ago he was a typical Pichu, progressing as normal as could be assumed given he was not really a Pokémon known to the Centre.
“Pokémon Evolution causes rapid cellular growth and tissue development within the species of question. Evolution is an irreversible process completely changes the developmental timeline and erases any chance of reaching milestones from the previous stage. It is very important that as a caregiver or trainer, one ensures all the appropriate milestones have been reached to ensure that the optimal evolution state is achieved”
Remembering this from his physician training Kairu knew that in William’s situation this was not a good sign. He had no idea what his scales were or where the Pichu was at developmentally or physically. Taking the analytical approach, he really had no choice but to assume that a significant portion of development was lacking in William. Even with friendship-based evolution running on a different series of triggers, Kairu knew that the consequences of no history were far too serious not to consider in making the plan of action. The Pokémon Centre staff, thanks to this, now faced a Pokémon with both yet to be seen developmental issues and severe psychological trauma.
“Without a previous history or baseline on the Pokémon in question requires extensive testing and evaluation before long term goals are determined. If William is to ever awaken and recover from his injuries, caregivers would have to take into account his near death experience, limited mobility, and quite possibly permanent brain damage from his injuries. There is no knowledge of previously experienced trauma or development prior to the injuries in question so this further complicates matters. Treating this Pokémon is a potential minefield and the timeline of care will be long with limited goals. Progress needs to be measured in very small steps and with very basic criteria until the ongoing extent of his abilities are known in full” wrote the intake worker.
William’s physical injuries where similar in scale to Kairu’s and correlated with the findings. Will also had serious burns all over his body and many superficial injuries. The burns had bleached his fur into an off cream colour, a typical symptom in Pokémon who suffered such injuries. These burns of course originated outside of competition conditions and non-defensive attacks, since competition no longer legally occurred Kanusta. The differences in Pokémon physiology and natural resistance to competition related burns meant that they did not suffer from the same sorts of risks that other creatures had when they suffered from burns that are more serious. The same was true for all but the most severe and unnatural causes of injury.
“After a significant dosage of burn healing agents and a few hours in the climate controlled isolation unit, William’s fur is beginning to slowly replace itself. The roots are beginning to show the golden yellow colour typical of the species. In two to three days I expect the burns to no longer need any further medical attention,” Kairu wrote as an hourly observation.
“Thanks to these anatomical differences and the fact he was shielded from all but the explosive gas and gunshot wounds the impact and superficial injuries no longer require medical attention as well.” He continued happily reporting some progress.
Being of a smaller and more delicate body however, William was not as lucky in having his internal systems or critical areas spared from the firearm rounds. This is where William’s chart took a turn for the worse and diverged from Kairu’s. While Kairu took most of the explosion and rounds, he was not able to prevent William from suffering a pair of wounds considered fatal. The fact Will was still alive, even in his current condition was where fate intervened and Kairu somehow knew something else went on.
Pokémon were not as resistant to gunshot injuries and such international standards dictated that any gunshot related injury was an automatic trauma case. Even the slightest indication of a gunshot wound, anywhere in the world, required specific and emergency treatment to give the Pokémon even the slightest chance of survival. Shooting a Pokémon was also despicable act equivalent to murder, if a Pokémon died because of a fur’s actions it was a capital crime and carried deadly consequences.
Because of the legal ramifications, cases like this meant the immediate involvement of law enforcement. From the first suspicion, a special supplement was constructed and placed into the patient’s medical files until law enforcement made it a criminal investigation. Kairu was lucky to see this report so late into the incident before the authorities took it away to pursue charges or destroy it.
“William suffered from 3 gunshot wounds, two of them were from small calibre side arms, likely 9 millimetre slug, to his left arm and chest. The third was from a shotgun based buckshot shell of an unknown calibre to his right side. Postoperative analysis of these wounds and Kairu’s wounds leads to the assumption that two or three shooters were on elevated positions and a forth was directly in front of the pair. The small calibre rounds came from elevated positions while the shotgun user was determined to be at point blank range given the entry wound locations on the Pikachu.
It is also clear that Kairu attempted to shield will from an attack that was clearly an attempt on the Pokémon’s life. Further investigation is necessary to determine the culprits and the actions that led to this incident. Staff procedure and security needs should be reviewed to prevent this incident from occurring again.”
Reading this material made Kairu even wearier of what was to come. Regardless of the risks, it was necessary that he put this on the back burner. Kairu promptly continued on to the postoperative report of his new Pokémon. He knew that reading this would give him medical proof of what really happened. A large portion of his memory of the incident was blown away in the explosion and he had many unanswered questions.
“The buckshot pattern spread across the upper middle of the Pokémon’s abdomen damaging his spleen to the point it needed to be removed in surgery. His right kidney and peppered liver where peppered as well but the organs managed to absorb it. Thankfully, these impacts sealed themselves into their locations and prevented any further bleeding. Had his liver not absorbed most of the shot, there would have been damage to the large abdominal blood vessels directly behind it and to the digestive organs directly below it. No measures known to medicine today would have saved this Pikachu from those instantly fatal injuries.
How the Pokémon was still alive at the point of surgery with no functioning spleen, limited liver function, and quite possibly a kidney needing removal is something I have never seen in my practise. With three damaged internal organs the chances of bleed out were very high, let alone the round that had hit the Pokémon’s chest. Adding insult to injury was the extensive exit wound damage along the lower back, stripes, and tail base. These wounds probably originated from the remaining shot that passed through the areas between the stomach, spleen, and right kidney. Emergency reconstructive surgery allowed for basic reconstruction but with even more extensive work in the future, the damage is likely permanent. The most likely cause will be loss of the species markings along these areas.”
The picture this created in Kairu’s mind made him cringe knowing how much pain and shock that would have given his Pokémon. The trauma of that physical shock alone would have to be something he would need to prepare to deal with when necessary let alone the pokémon’s appearance.
“The round to the Pokémon’s chest entered from the back and shattered the rib in the path of impact. Once past the rib the round went through the lowest lobe of his left lung, shattered the rib directly opposite to the first, then crossed the chest cavity a second time, narrowly missing the heart. What was left of the round ran through the spinal column shredding the spinal cord then came to rest just underneath the side of the lowest broken right rib where it was removed. The second slug round hit the Pokémon’s upper left arm and was removed without issue, per surgical standard. Bullet fragments where recovered within the areas of shattered ribs, which will need prostatic replacements at a later time”
Kairu now realized that the round that should have been the second death knell was the source of Will’s paralysis. His selfless actions were probably fruitless in saving the Pokémon from permanent injury, even though it was still alive. If only he could have done more to stop them from firing, he could have prevented the stigma of paralysis. In reading the comments from the surgeon responsible for putting Will back together, it was very apparent that something else was going on. Even the surgeon himself suggested something of the sorts.
“The slightest change in momentum, round trajectory, the reflection off his ribs or timing of the impact the round would have directly hit the heart and proved fatal. The geometry of the bullet trajectory though the body was so precise that it is entirely possible that some unseen force deflected the rounds enough to avoid his major organs at least 4 times across all the wounds.”
Reading this made Kairu recall the trauma of the incident and it is as if everything came to him all of a sudden. His physical pain increased severely as his body recalled everything and he hunched over whimpering quietly. Gaining all of his mental strength, he wrote in a comment his own hypothesis. Even if it created a conflict of interest, it was something he had to do.
“Assuming nothing was medically done at the time of injury it was suspected that the rapid cellular changes and growth that occur during evolution may have allowed for The Pokémon’s injuries to go from fatal to critical. Though survival by induced evolution is a controversial answer to the unsolved questions, in this case the rapid increase of organ size and strength could have given William’s body the ability to compensate for the gunshot damage. The evolutionary boost may have been just enough to keep the Pokémon holding on until he received lifesaving treatment from Lakeweed’s trauma team”.
As Kairu drained the last of his strength finishing the charts, he finally lost his composure and began to whimper like a scared kit. The combination of the trauma, injuries, and the consequences he was about to face was too much even, for the usually stoic physician. All he wanted right now was to have been burned along with the rest of his memory of what made them like this. It would have been a better solution than what he and his new-orphaned Pokémon would now face. Desperate for relief Kairu promptly mashed the button on his on demand pain pump. The intravenous medication circulated though his body and through a temporary medication induced sleep, he got his relief.