Radioactive
CHANSON DU SOLITARE
XII.
The minutes turned to seconds when the shuttle came.
"We're almost out of time!" the pilot yelled. "Go! Go! Go!"
The two jumped onto the vessel. Little did Takeru know, however, that a bit of fallout had fallen onto his collar, and into his shirt.
"Thanks," Takeru said to the pilot. "We'd have been dead if we were there a second more."
"No problem," the pilot said. "We'll also be aboard the Katana in a minute or so, and then we'll be in Harberia quickly."
"Um, no," Takeru said. "We need to get to Viridian City!"
"Admiral Mateo gave orders to fly you onto the Katana immediately," the pilot said.
"Well, I'm the King, and I'm overriding Mateo's orders, per Order 67-21, fifth Senate."
"I'll lose my job if I don't get you to the Katana, sir."
Takeru then took out his SCAR.
"And you'll lose a lot more if you get me there."
The pilot then sighed.
"Fine, then. I'll take you there, but I'll be filing a report about this."
"You do that," Takeru said, taking a syringe out of a nearby med-kit, and poured in a liquid he always kept with him. Upon arrival, he walked up to the pilot, overpowered him, and injected it into his veins. He then erased the shuttle's video log, security cameras, and the pilot's list of orders.
"Bonne nuit," Takeru remarked sarcastically, as he and Listol departed.
"My lips are sealed, my Liege!" the Captain said. "But what was that, anyway?"
"Memory termination serum. He won't know what he was doing when he wakes up in a few hours."
He suddenly felt weakened and almost fell, but Listol caught him.
"My Lord!" he said loudly, "Are you alright?"
"Alive as ever, thanks!" Takeru replied. He stood up, and they walked to the Center. By then, he was severely weakened, but hid it very well, and managed to walk to the front desk.
"I'm looking for a Rukario named Crystal," he said.
"She's here," Joy said, "but she's in no mood to speak. Her fiancé must have been with his Trainer, fighting the Nyonians when the bomb went off in Lilycove. Her grief is terrible enough to where she's under suicide watch."
"I'm that fiancé," Takeru said.
"That's not funny." Joy replied.
"Just allow me to see her. Ask her if she wishes to see 'Yoshi Takeru' and 'Captain Listol', and we'll see."
"Very well," the nurse said.
She walked away. A minute later, she returned.
"Hurry, she's hysterical!" Joy said.
"Thanks," Takeru said.
The two entered the room, where everyone's tears of pain and sorrow became of joy and ecstasy (not of the pill) at the nurse's announcement.
"Yoshi," Crystal whispered calmly, as if she were unable to believe her eyes, "you're alive..."
"I've returned to you, my love," he said quietly.
Suddenly, the fallout in his shirt fell out, and he realized what it was immediately.
"Oh, damn..." he said slowly, and then he collapsed, the radioactivity pulsing within him.
And before his eyes shut, he saw everyone, from the nurse, to his fiancée, to the Captain, surrounding him with concern...
The sound of the near-rhythmic beeping of the machines slowly woke Takeru. He looked around, and saw Mateo, Listol, and the pilot of the evac shuttle.
"Ugh...my God, where am I?" he asked.
"The Viridian Pokémon Center's E.R.," Mateo said.
"Oh...well, what do ya know? Mateo, is that you?"
"Yep."
"So...what happened, anyway? I'm seeing my wife, and then there was a bit of fallout, next I know, I'm out like a light!"
"The fallout must've given you radiation poisoning," the pilot said.
"Oh...say, pilot, what's your name, anyway?"
"I'm Lt. Johannes, 1st class."
"Ah...Johannes...well, I'm surrounded with my own kind now...but still, I want to know why you wouldn't want to turn the shuttle to Viridian."
"I don't recall, sir."
"Of course you don't...Mateo, are you aware of Order 67-22, 5th Senate?"
"Well, yes, I..."
"Your pilot felt you wouldn't want him to comply with that order, could you explain?"
"Well," he said, "your presence is necessary on Harberia, you see. I thus ordered him to ignore that order."
"All in good faith, Admiral. God will provide. Anyway," Takeru said, "I wish to see my fiancée and child."
"Very well," Listol said. "Guys, we should give the Royal Family-to-be some time alone, no?"
"Agreed," Mateo and Johannes said in unison.
They left, and a minute or so later, Crystal and Corey entered.
"I told you I'd return," Takeru laughed.
Crystal kissed him briefly, and spoke softly.
"And you got poisoned by dust. What next?"
"I don't know," he said. "But I'm sure the Nyonians won't dare pull that stunt again. The human governments are, for the most part, considering themselves at war with Nyonia. I daresay that this will be their last attack of that magnitude. But a bullet can cause the damage of a nuclear weaponâ�"it depends on who gets hit."
"But surely they'll attempt to kill you even still? The Emergency Bulletin said that a rival of Nyonia was the targetâ�"that must have been you!"
"Then they'd best hit me before they wipe us all out," Takeru laughed.
"Don't say that," Crystal said. "You're the only person I know that'll make a joke of his own demise!"
"Good humor," Takeru replied, "keeps the spirit intact. Jokes about my assassination have kept me cheerful for the past many years...how ironic."
"Still..."
A melodic sound arose suddenly, and the two looked over to see Corey playing Takeru's violin, and the sound was beautiful.
"Kid's taken a liking to music, eh?" Takeru remarked.
"Apparently," Crystal replied.
He put his hand over hers.
"It's been odd, these past few months. I come here, a refugee waiting to leave, and now I'm a proud father, fiancé...my God, what say we get married sometime soon, anyway? If we can ever get back to Harberia...I know of the most beautiful of cathedrals...it's known as Veranda Monte Blanca...the most beautiful building in history. We could wed there, if you so desire."
"I'd have to see it. Say, that thing you spoke of, 'puberty' as it is known, when does that kick in? I'm rather eager." Crystal said.
"No-one knows. I'd say not long, but it could be a day, a month, a year, or more. And believe me; you'll be tired of me when it gets there. What say we continue discussing this away from the boy sometime?"
"Sure." Crystal said.
"So," Takeru said, attempting to pick up the conversation, "how's the baby?"
"Good," she said. "I think it'll be another month or two."
"I'm glad. Heh...as if it was all perfection, and it nearly is! Ah...to think, that we'll be home, and able to rule over the Kingdom, husband and wife."
"The problem is those psychos you've been fighting, though."
"Anyone who'd use a nuclear missile to kill a single person is rather mad, yes." Takeru replied.
"So," Crystal asked, "how long are you in here?"
"I really don't know. I feel fine, personally."
"I'll go check."
And as she left the room, he looked at his son. He realized then...he knew what was he was truly fighting for.
XII.
The minutes turned to seconds when the shuttle came.
"We're almost out of time!" the pilot yelled. "Go! Go! Go!"
The two jumped onto the vessel. Little did Takeru know, however, that a bit of fallout had fallen onto his collar, and into his shirt.
"Thanks," Takeru said to the pilot. "We'd have been dead if we were there a second more."
"No problem," the pilot said. "We'll also be aboard the Katana in a minute or so, and then we'll be in Harberia quickly."
"Um, no," Takeru said. "We need to get to Viridian City!"
"Admiral Mateo gave orders to fly you onto the Katana immediately," the pilot said.
"Well, I'm the King, and I'm overriding Mateo's orders, per Order 67-21, fifth Senate."
"I'll lose my job if I don't get you to the Katana, sir."
Takeru then took out his SCAR.
"And you'll lose a lot more if you get me there."
The pilot then sighed.
"Fine, then. I'll take you there, but I'll be filing a report about this."
"You do that," Takeru said, taking a syringe out of a nearby med-kit, and poured in a liquid he always kept with him. Upon arrival, he walked up to the pilot, overpowered him, and injected it into his veins. He then erased the shuttle's video log, security cameras, and the pilot's list of orders.
"Bonne nuit," Takeru remarked sarcastically, as he and Listol departed.
"My lips are sealed, my Liege!" the Captain said. "But what was that, anyway?"
"Memory termination serum. He won't know what he was doing when he wakes up in a few hours."
He suddenly felt weakened and almost fell, but Listol caught him.
"My Lord!" he said loudly, "Are you alright?"
"Alive as ever, thanks!" Takeru replied. He stood up, and they walked to the Center. By then, he was severely weakened, but hid it very well, and managed to walk to the front desk.
"I'm looking for a Rukario named Crystal," he said.
"She's here," Joy said, "but she's in no mood to speak. Her fiancé must have been with his Trainer, fighting the Nyonians when the bomb went off in Lilycove. Her grief is terrible enough to where she's under suicide watch."
"I'm that fiancé," Takeru said.
"That's not funny." Joy replied.
"Just allow me to see her. Ask her if she wishes to see 'Yoshi Takeru' and 'Captain Listol', and we'll see."
"Very well," the nurse said.
She walked away. A minute later, she returned.
"Hurry, she's hysterical!" Joy said.
"Thanks," Takeru said.
The two entered the room, where everyone's tears of pain and sorrow became of joy and ecstasy (not of the pill) at the nurse's announcement.
"Yoshi," Crystal whispered calmly, as if she were unable to believe her eyes, "you're alive..."
"I've returned to you, my love," he said quietly.
Suddenly, the fallout in his shirt fell out, and he realized what it was immediately.
"Oh, damn..." he said slowly, and then he collapsed, the radioactivity pulsing within him.
And before his eyes shut, he saw everyone, from the nurse, to his fiancée, to the Captain, surrounding him with concern...
The sound of the near-rhythmic beeping of the machines slowly woke Takeru. He looked around, and saw Mateo, Listol, and the pilot of the evac shuttle.
"Ugh...my God, where am I?" he asked.
"The Viridian Pokémon Center's E.R.," Mateo said.
"Oh...well, what do ya know? Mateo, is that you?"
"Yep."
"So...what happened, anyway? I'm seeing my wife, and then there was a bit of fallout, next I know, I'm out like a light!"
"The fallout must've given you radiation poisoning," the pilot said.
"Oh...say, pilot, what's your name, anyway?"
"I'm Lt. Johannes, 1st class."
"Ah...Johannes...well, I'm surrounded with my own kind now...but still, I want to know why you wouldn't want to turn the shuttle to Viridian."
"I don't recall, sir."
"Of course you don't...Mateo, are you aware of Order 67-22, 5th Senate?"
"Well, yes, I..."
"Your pilot felt you wouldn't want him to comply with that order, could you explain?"
"Well," he said, "your presence is necessary on Harberia, you see. I thus ordered him to ignore that order."
"All in good faith, Admiral. God will provide. Anyway," Takeru said, "I wish to see my fiancée and child."
"Very well," Listol said. "Guys, we should give the Royal Family-to-be some time alone, no?"
"Agreed," Mateo and Johannes said in unison.
They left, and a minute or so later, Crystal and Corey entered.
"I told you I'd return," Takeru laughed.
Crystal kissed him briefly, and spoke softly.
"And you got poisoned by dust. What next?"
"I don't know," he said. "But I'm sure the Nyonians won't dare pull that stunt again. The human governments are, for the most part, considering themselves at war with Nyonia. I daresay that this will be their last attack of that magnitude. But a bullet can cause the damage of a nuclear weaponâ�"it depends on who gets hit."
"But surely they'll attempt to kill you even still? The Emergency Bulletin said that a rival of Nyonia was the targetâ�"that must have been you!"
"Then they'd best hit me before they wipe us all out," Takeru laughed.
"Don't say that," Crystal said. "You're the only person I know that'll make a joke of his own demise!"
"Good humor," Takeru replied, "keeps the spirit intact. Jokes about my assassination have kept me cheerful for the past many years...how ironic."
"Still..."
A melodic sound arose suddenly, and the two looked over to see Corey playing Takeru's violin, and the sound was beautiful.
"Kid's taken a liking to music, eh?" Takeru remarked.
"Apparently," Crystal replied.
He put his hand over hers.
"It's been odd, these past few months. I come here, a refugee waiting to leave, and now I'm a proud father, fiancé...my God, what say we get married sometime soon, anyway? If we can ever get back to Harberia...I know of the most beautiful of cathedrals...it's known as Veranda Monte Blanca...the most beautiful building in history. We could wed there, if you so desire."
"I'd have to see it. Say, that thing you spoke of, 'puberty' as it is known, when does that kick in? I'm rather eager." Crystal said.
"No-one knows. I'd say not long, but it could be a day, a month, a year, or more. And believe me; you'll be tired of me when it gets there. What say we continue discussing this away from the boy sometime?"
"Sure." Crystal said.
"So," Takeru said, attempting to pick up the conversation, "how's the baby?"
"Good," she said. "I think it'll be another month or two."
"I'm glad. Heh...as if it was all perfection, and it nearly is! Ah...to think, that we'll be home, and able to rule over the Kingdom, husband and wife."
"The problem is those psychos you've been fighting, though."
"Anyone who'd use a nuclear missile to kill a single person is rather mad, yes." Takeru replied.
"So," Crystal asked, "how long are you in here?"
"I really don't know. I feel fine, personally."
"I'll go check."
And as she left the room, he looked at his son. He realized then...he knew what was he was truly fighting for.