Team Picaduck - Origins 2

I just finished editing this 4400 word monster now.

If the new thread Isn't appropriate a mod can merge and update the thread as needed.

Anyways I hate dialogue I can never get it right.

As always its in canadian english for grammar Nazis willing to hack at this.

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In a small apartment tucked away behind a busy street within a large city, all is dark and quiet. It is an early spring morning and another day is about to begin for the ill-fated beaver and his Pokémon.

Along with most people his age and in his situation, Kairu and his Pokémon lived in a small and cluttered, but cosy and simple, two-bedroom apartment. They were more brothers than roommates really as Kairu and his Pokémon ate together, played together, slept together, and worked together just like a small family. Being the Pokémon Guardian though, Kairu was of course the household authority and he had the final say on everything. It did not seem like this at times however, because it was hard to distinguish who had the real management ability.

This was Kannusta after all, a complex land where Pokémon were nearly equal to their Guardians in the eyes of society. They followed their Guardian’s paths through life because competitive training was banned here a long time ago. The drama created by this ban was nearly ancient history now and because of that most guardians adapted accordingly and changed the way they lived with their Pokémon accordingly. Kairu’s way of living was common place in fact, and his team shared the apartment building with several similar teams configured like his own. To follow through with the expectations, each of Kairu’s Pokémon took on various duties and roles, according to their individualized skillset, at the Lakeweed Pokémon Centre where Kairu worked.

Through the dark apartment, clothes were scattered haphazardly around a laundry hamper, last night’s dishes were piled unwashed in the kitchen sink, clutter was scattered all over their central sleeping area, and the apartment needed a good cleaning. Their possible breakfast thankfully, last night’s dinner leftovers, were in the fridge where they belonged. What clean clothes and linens remained was tucked away into the 2 dressers in the first bedroom or linen closet ready for use. Everything else that was used in daily life remained in their proper places, despite the outward appearance at the time being.

Basic chores like dishes, laundry, cooking, and cleaning, and just about everything else, was on a rotating schedule. With six male bachelors living in such a small unit splitting up and sharing the tasks in strict rotation was essential in keeping their quarters at the minimum level of cleanliness. To maintain an acceptable level however constant and continuous cleaning was required. Because of this the team spent most of their time performing this task, all in an effort to make their strange household compliant with social standards.


Though with the group having two water Pokémon members, dishes were one of the easier tasks to do as were most kitchen duties. It was these two Pokémon’s turn to do the dishes today and knowing this was quick work for them they had opted last night to move it to the morning. Doing this after all would allow them to have an early bedtime and get the extra sleep needed to have an early morning. They would be able to wash the dishes while everyone else rushed around in the early morning and this would give them a chance to escape away to the kitchen while chaos ensued. Having escaped this chaos they would be able to care for their personal needs while everyone else rushed through their morning routines at the last minute.

While breakfast would be prepared and the others completed their assigned tasks they could be among the first ready for a change. And finally, when everything was finally done and breakfast was ready, the group would be able to sit down and eat as one, a tradition that was much loved by everyone. The group could then prepare themselves for the day ahead accordingly. Today was laundry day as well, so after work and during the evening break there would be six males folding clothes. Most likely they would be doing this while doing the other cleaning needed, or while watching the nightly news while winding down from the day.

Nightly chores like this usually went smoothly, but meal times and nightly routines, their most complicated task, followed the chaotic morning pattern. Showers and personal hygiene for each of the six were haphazardly fit around the chore rotations much in the same way as the water Pokémon were planning this morning.

What was not part of this rotation however was the maintenance and use of a paper-strewn desk that sat in a marked off area in the main room. Kairu was a Pokémon Physician and this was his, and only his, domain. This desk was where he would fulfill the duties that came home with him from work and it was his personal area. Kairu wrote his reports here, did his research, corresponded with other physicians and researchers, and completed his unfinished work here when needed. The nature and use of this area meant that it was his sole responsibility to care for and organize as needed in the chore rotation.

On the desk nearly buried by papers and books, were the unit’s PC and Video Phone. They were two old, but reliable pieces of technology and they kept the small unit connected to the outside world and running on schedule. On the PC was a custom-programmed scheduler and task manager designed by the group’s computer technician and on the phone was a list of contacts and friends. In front of the divider sectioning this area off was a pair of side by side tables that contained a lamp, alarm clock radio, and a few small mementos. A standing lamp in the opposite corner rounded out the central room’s need for lighting.

Opposing the desk area to the left of the room centre was a large bookshelf that contained a mix of research material, study books, samples of Kairu’s published work, and recreational reading materials. A small television set sat on top of the bookcase in storage, too bulky or heavy for the nearby media storage case. This flimsy makeshift unit made out of a storage bin sat beside the bookshelf and contained the rest of their multimedia equipment. The stowed television would be moved from the top of the bookshelf to a more advantageous viewing position during use.

This arrangement made for a rather interesting negotiation point between Kairu and his Pokémon and the group often jostled with where to put the set. Wither it be the coffee table, nightstand, or desk the view was never perfect for everyone. Their set up worked for now though given space concerns, the lack of more efficient technology, and furniture requirements that were difficult to meet. At some point however, they would have to replace this setup with something more efficient, and more suiting to their needs.

Kairu and his Pokémon were eyeing a slick looking media projector to solve this issue. The artificial wall that kept their sleeping quarters private could accommodate the perfect viewing angle and serve a better use. The projector could be placed on one of the side tables or book shelf without needing to be moved and it would negate the need for the television. Their small, bulky, and outdated tube television fit neither of these needs and thus was nothing but a waste of space. A media projector would also be a far more efficient use of their furniture configuration and it would negate the need for a change of the room’s setup. The only barrier though was cost; something that only time could overcome.

For seating, the square shaped room contained a few beanbag chairs, one to each member. The chairs were arranged in a circle around an oval shaped coffee table and they could be combined or re-arranged to form a long couch or bench if needed. Combined with a rearrangement of the two side tables, they could turn their central room back into its original purpose, their living room. The multifunctional layout and the selection of furniture they used was a cheap, efficient way to sit and entertain six creatures of varying size comfortably. It was a perfect fit for six creatures of varying sizes living in a small space

At night, the team’s living room became their sleeping quarters and six large, thick sleeping mats unrolled from of the centre of the room like spokes on a wheel. Each member had a floor mat to himself and they all slept with their feet towards the centre to symbolize their unity. Kairu had imported the arrangement from Jhoto, where he trained as a Pokémon Physician and he employed it as a method of maintaining their spirits outside of competition. This was again, a way for them to save space while making their choices serve multiple purposes.

During the day, these floor mats stayed rolled up away in the closet of the first bedroom which was now turned into a storage area. The ‘artificial wall’ unfurled across the front facing living room to create a private bedroom like space when needed.

Kairu’s central room sat at the end of an entrance foyer that flanked the kitchen and dining area. His bathroom sat opposite to the kitchen behind the hallway closet and its entrance was to the left in the secondary hallway. The first bedroom now turned into storage room sat behind the living room’s left wall where its entrance was. The larger second bedroom was at the end of the hallway flanked by the bathroom and first bedroom. Known as the Master Bedroom, Kairu had converted it into a study that his 5 Pokémon split amongst themselves for personal use. A large storage closet off this room rounded out the space and was used for extra storage for the group. A small deck, also off this bedroom, was used for what little green or outdoor space they could have. This was pretty much a requirement for any Pokémon trainer that had grass Pokémon and Kairu had at least one of these.

Facing the secondary hallway in the foyer was a glass case containing the once great competitor’s exploits, 16 star-shaped badges, and 3 polished medals. These restricted items commended the teams past achievements and remained locked under glass forever for protection and admiration. It hung on the wall as a reminder of where they as a team had been and where they were going in life.

Showing the units neat and regimented, yet haphazard way of living was how the residents shared this space and dealt with their personal items. Out of habit rather than necessity now given they had roots, each creature had an individually labelled basket for personal care items and an assigned space for their possessions or hobbies in the second bedroom. As always, though all six members came together for essential activities and they all participated accordingly.

Kairu dictated that each of his Pokémon could choose what they wanted but due to the amount of space left when the master bedroom was divided they were limited in amounts. Each individual was free to use their assigned space as they wanted but they could not go beyond that and a divider was set up in the bedroom to facilitate this. Over time though these barriers were beginning to dissolve as trading amongst the individuals using the space shifted the allocations around. The need for such strict division was also becoming less necessary and it was becoming apparent that the dividers were “inefficient”

At times, this way of living and the use of the space left the divided and rearranged apartment feeling more like a rooming house rather than a family unit to an outsider. To one living inside of this place it was the best and maybe the only way for a group to live as they did. Kairu and his Pokémon were happy and comfortable here and no one said a word about it so long as they kept it clean so why do anything different?

“BEEP… BEEEP! BEEP… BEEEP! BEEP… BEEEP!” The silent apartment suddenly cracked with a sharp pitch of the alarm clock radio’s alarm. It was time to start another day!

The first to arise was the tough and physical Electabuzz, Matthew. Always the first one to rise and the last to sleep, this Pokémon was the physical motivation of the team. Glaring at the digital clock reading 0530, an hour and a half before the 7 o’clock start of their shift, the burly Pokémon was not exactly happy. This time limit was cutting it close with the long commute and complex morning routine.

Firing a small jolt of electricity into a few switches, he zapped the clock’s mode from alarm to radio. Their favourite morning radio show echoed and the dark apartment filled with light.

“Okay chumps time to get your tails outta bed” he called out. Turning to Phil and Peter, he barked, “You two lazy butts have a sink to clean out!”

The Goldduck and Wartortle lazily rose from their slumber groaning and rubbing their eyes. “Yeah yeah. We know.” snapped the half-asleep turtle.

“Why don’t you nudge sleeping beauty over there so he can go take his hour long shower again?” The Goldduck, Phil replied pointing at the beaver who’s tail was hanging off the futon pad flipping away still in dreamland.

“Better wake up tweetle dumb over there first...” interrupted the rather muscular Charizard, Thomas. “He is responsible for breakfast, even though it just involves the microwave.”
Of course, he was jokingly referring to the Ivysaur, James who loved working in the kitchen.

“Aye!” The Electabuzz nodded. “Whoever has first shower get your tail into the bathroom pronto! We only have an hour to get out of this place.”

“I hate early shifts.” called out the plant Pokémon whose red flower bulb rose from its blanketed nest.

“Ill goes clean myself up while you two clean out that sink since I can’t do anything with that mess still there.” He was still half-asleep and still mumbling as he grabbed his incidental basket with a vine.

“How the heck can I cook with a dirty kitchen at five in the morning when you two slacked off and took an early night?” He continued to mumble while grabbing a towel with another vine before padding off into the bathroom to ‘wake up’.

“Well how about opting not to take such a late night you silly bush?” teased Phil as he watched the Ivysaur disappear into the bathroom. “Save some hot water for the rest of us please?”

Stretching out Thomas looked at the still sleeping Kairu and shook his head. “He is worse than James for his late nights…”

“So what are we going to do him today?” The Charizard chuckled, “Shock him out of it, or are one of you fire hoses going to give him a rather cold bath?”

“Let him sleep!” Peter gaffed after being given the label of ‘fire hose’. “He is the only one today who can actually sleep till six. As long as he wakes up at that point and really moves his rear in the shower he is fine.”

“So... Breakfast at 6:15 then and were out at 6:30?” The Electabuzz questioned, “That’s cutting it pretty close with traffic as it is”.

“Relax Sergeant Misfit.” Thomas cracked, “We’re a block from the subway, and the Pokémon Centre is across the street from Old Gym”, he lectured. “Unless the train explodes or something we will be fine enough to sit, have a coffee, and properly wake up for once. Besides Kairu has intake duty all afternoon and Peter has 200 machines to do housekeeping on, so it’s not like their breaking down the doors to have us there.”

Matthew shakes his head “Yeah what a boring day. I have to teach fitness classes to overweight newbies all day and I ain’t liking it at all.”

He then turned to the bathroom to see James coming out bulb first. “Ill take the next shower since Ill be exactly 7 minutes. If that rodent isn’t out of bed by the time I get out Ill zap him awake!” he sparked to make his threat credible.

“What a worrywart” Peter mumbled while rinsing the washed, and sanitized, dishes en-masse with a well formed water gun blast.

“I hope your mouth is clean…” scolded the Goldduck “cause your doing them all over again by yourself if not. You know better than that especially after sanitation.”

“I brushed earlier, while the rest of you were still arguing about the day, quit being paranoid!” Peter sassed. “You have to sanitize them after rinsing anyways since the solution wont work with soap on the dishes. Then you let them air dry”

“Fair enough” the sea monster replied shaking his head.

Dunking the rinsed dishes back into the sanitation solution he called out to the sluggish Pokémon dragging itself out of the bathroom. “James get your butt in here, we got half an hour.”

“Aw come on!” James whined. “You know I need a lot of water to wake up.” The semi relived Ivysaur then walked into the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for the hungry and cranky creatures.

“Mornings are hell in this place and that shower wasn’t long enough to deal with this!”

“Okay… Phil, and then I will take one” interjected Peter as he attempted to cheer things up “Then we can let sleeping beauty get his before we eat something and catch our train.”

“Tom what about you?” asked the turtle turning to the dragon.

“I took one last night of course.” The Charizard answered happily as he was the first ready this morning. “If you think I am actually going to be able to sneak in there with the 5 of you all vying for showers in this chaos than you have been looking at the blue screen of death for too long.”

He rolled his eyes “Not with how you ‘mons use water at least.”

Walking into the central room full of rolled up sleeping pads Thomas saw his still sleeping Guardian’s unfurled pad amongst them. Finally losing his cool at the lazy ‘guardian’, whom was the last to be up, he took maters into his own hands and roared at the sleeping guardian “WAKE UP YOU LAZY BUM!”

“Its almost 6 now your and going to be late again” he pestered. “Do you want Matt to barbeque your rear end again because you know he will.” He warned while poking the irresponsible lump of a guardian with a dull claw.

Waking up slowly to the roars and chatters of his Pokémon and a rather uncomfortable jab, Kairu then turns over and sits up.

As if he was a zombie arising from his grave he moaned while coming back to life “Uggh… what time is it?” Opening his eyes he was faced with a rather ticked off fire breathing dragon and a clock that read 0605.
Being shocked at the time, he immediately jumped fully awake “Okay, okay... I’m up you guys, no one needs to shock or set me on fire again.” Expelling the cobwebs, from his mind and quenching his fears of a revolt, he stood up quickly and stretched exposing his night clothes. “Who is next in the shower?”

“Goldduck duk!” Phil called out relived as he could see Matthew coming out of the bathroom dressed and towelling off his bald head.

Matthew then promptly chattered calls at his guardian and waved a sparking finger at him. Seeing that he was finally awake he was relieved too, mainly because he did not need to give him another ‘motivational shock’.

“And who is next?” He shuddered while looking at the menacing and sparking Electabuzz drill sergeant fearfully.

“Wartortle wort.” Peter replied.

“That’s it?” Kairu asked the snapping turtle who nodded.

“Okay Ill clean the living room up while I wait then Ill go in. Ill eat on the way to work.” He said while rolling up his mat and tidying up.

“Saurr…” his plant pokemon called rejecting the idea after cooking. “Saur Saur!”

“Okay Ill eat now…” Kairu resigned. “Eating in my pyjamas and being embarrassed in front of everyone is the cost of sleeping in I guess.”

Thomas smirks a little, as the beaver foolishly sits down to eat with him, Matthew Phil, and James while Peter showered. He looked rather juvenile in his 2 piece blue and white paw-printed pyjamas at a table where everyone else was dressed in more adult attire.

“Aww… lookie at da little kit in his cute jammies.” Thomas cooed in Pokémon calls “Hurry up and finish your breakfast now kit, you dun wants to be late now do you?”

“No.” Kairu replied looking at his dragon Pokémon slyly going to his plate to eat. Being singled out was embarrassing enough, let alone being parented by his Pokémon.

After breakfast and having Peter join them, the time was pushing 0650. Kairu had only fifteen minutes to shower and clean up before the group had to catch their train. Already embarrassed as it was, Kairu quickly excused himself from the table and went to get his own incidentals and a towel so he could sneak a shower in-between Peter and Phil.

“Okay Ill be quick you guys try to finish clean up together while I shower.” he began attempting to negotiate out of the situation.

“I’ll wash the dishes Phil, can you clean up the living room so we can switch shower slots?” He pleaded with the Pokémon “Everyone else well relax I guess, unless you can find something to do to help out.”

Accepting the deal and shaking his head as Kairu ran off to shower he turned over to Thomas and scolded him “That was too much Thomas you could have done better.”

“I think it was fine,” Replied Mathew, “hopefully this will finally make him improve himself or take his showers at night”

“Perhaps” Phil concluded debating the idea of foregoing a shower as he began to transform the central room from sleeping to living quarters as per the deal. When he was finished he sat on his beanbag chair and sighed as he waited for his spot.

“Let’s actually relax for a bit as Matt is right. The subway can be real hell around now.”

“Yeah especially when you gotta keep 6 people together” groaned James as he was usually the one who was responsible for this. Many days this meant that he would have to use his vines like living guide ropes to pull the tiny group through the moving masses of bodies. This feat took a lot more strength than what was apparent to a viewer.

Suddenly Thomas’ ears perked “He is out of the shower ‘mons lets get moving!”

They all nodded and waited for Kairu to get himself dressed. They were surprised at his efficiency despite the late morning.

Seeing Kairu take half the time he usually did Phil happily and quickly went in for a shower. He was relived that he could be somewhat decent for today and that he could trade work for pleasure.

As half past six approached, the only thing remaining was Phil wrapping up his much needed shower. Luckily, though he was done by then and by twenty-to, they were at their subway stop. They were 10 minutes late but still on schedule.

“Thank god I can afford a place like this.” Kairu thought swiping his transit pass to let the vine-linked group onto the crowded train. “Who knows what this would be like if I rented a place farther down line, or if we had to transfer from the other lines to this one, or heaven help us if we lived in the ‘burbs and had to bus to the line…”

“Duuccckkk!” Phil pondered acknowledging the issues behind Kairu’s worries while the group navigated the seas of rush hour commuters.

Ironically, these concerns were especially relevant considering Kairu’s pace in the morning and the morning rush hour crowds of Kannusta’s largest city. Had Kairu not been as lucky as he was with his apartment, the mornings at this guardian’s residence would have been far earlier and far more rushed. There would be no sleeping in at all and the beaver would suffer from far more cold, wet, or shocking awakenings than he did.

In a large metropolis like Lakeweed, commutes for people from all walks-of-life averaged nearly 2 hours rather than Kairu’s paltry 20 to 30 minutes. To make it to work on time with that length of commute, the group would have had to start their mornings at 0400 hours or earlier.

Kairu would have had far more issues than just making sure he was not sitting at the breakfast table looking like a kit. His Pokémon teasing him about his favourite ‘jammies’ and not being dressed at the breakfast table would have been the least of his worries indeed. Being late for work even more than once or twice a year would have lost him his job, where there was a zero tolerance policy on attendance.

“Ready for another day of work everyone?” Kairu turned to his group of five Pokémon while they surfaced from the subterranean subway stop across the street from the Pokémon Centre. Their place of work was an old fashioned stone faced building in a sea of glass and steel. Lakeweed’s skyline and iconic tower were behind them as they stood there on the busy street together. The Sun was rising Kairu was about to begin his shift at 0659.

They all called back to him strong and unified “AYE!”

“Let’s go then” he smiled back at his team. He was attempting to cover up his lack of precision this morning and looking more ‘professional’ in front of his off duty night shift colleagues streaming out of the old stone faced building.

Kairu and his Pokémon then promptly crossed the street to the employee entrance to join the crowds for another normal, but boring day. Kairu and his team clocked in directly at 0702, within the 5-minute window as per policy, but cutting it too close for Matthew’s comfort. The location and stature of their workplace were the only redeeming events that they had this morning.

Luckily, their workplace had a justification for its location. Lakeweed’s Central Health centre was a major location in downtown Lakeweed and the subway was an essential part of transportation in this busy city. The most populated city in all of Kannusta.

“We have to do better,” Matthew thought to himself “That was too close.”