Hey guys! I just want to give out a friendly warning for this chapter. It contains adult themes of death and acceptance. You have been warned. Enjoy the next chapter if you choose to read anyways!
Chapter seven: Outpost 3C 273
The sun is barely visible in the horizon. As the last rays of sunlight touches the forest, leaves in some places are giving off a mixture of shiny orange color and dark shadows on others. Normally I would take time to appreciate the beauty in this environment; however, this wasn't a good sign because it meant pitch-black darkness will soon come.
In times like these, if Team Rocket members were to find themselves far away from their home base after dusk then they are to report to the nearest outpost for shelter and evaluation until morning. In our case, me and Km, there was no way we could return to base, and another problem was that we are being pursued by the authorities from behind. I am also reminded of Km's condition: Beedrills attacked her.
She was stung three times: one behind her neck, one on her right arm, and one near her forehead. She has massive swelling around her throat, which has me worried. I take out a survival knife from my leg sheath that I always have on me as I carefully scrape the large stingers off gently. I look toward Km, she's barely awake. We have three water bottles and several napkins stored in the jeep, so I go ahead and grab one of each. She tries to get my attention as I pour water on the affected areas which I then clean with the napkin. We don't have medicine which means that Km is in big trouble. I close my eyes as I rub my temples in frustration.
Should I head back to base? We would never make it. Km would die before we even make it through the first ten miles.
Should I return to Viridian City and get her to a hospital? The authorities would catch us. They will also waste time processing us before they get a chance to call an ambulance.
Should I call Dr. Bartoli and ask for the nearest Outpost to help us?
The third option sounds ridiculous while I strongly advise to myself that the second was the best one, but I've heard of the Zero Toleration Policy that the Kanto region has on Team Rocket. Yes, the police will help us out but in the end we will spend a large amount of time behind bars. Perhaps less than 10 years if we're lucky.
So, I made what could have been the stupidest decision of my life, I turn on my phone and call the only person who could possibly help me from Team Rocket. It takes three attempts but I manage to get a voice on the other line, "Hello? And to whom am I speaking to?"
"Dr Bartoli! Km has been poisoned by Beedrills! Please send help from Viridian City quickly!" I yell into the device, "We're about ten minutes from the city. I'll give you my location!" I press a button which causes a map to show up on the screen.
Beep…Beep…Beep…
"Listen Ansel," I bring myself closer toward the speaker, "If she has difficulty breathing: loosen any type of tight clothing she may have on her. Then, perform CPR if necessary. I'll get a squad to show up in a helicopter to help take you to Outpost 3C 273 near Viridian City. Get to a clear area where they can pick you up and hurry! That's all I can tell you right now," She instructs me with a dark tone in her voice.
"Got it. Thank you Dr. Bartoli."
"Get moving." She concludes.
I check Km's breathing: It's steady for now, but it's shifting unpredictably. I cautiously take her to the jeep and place her in the back. I hit the ignition and make a turn toward the field. After a rather tense ten minute drive I make it to the grassland. I have no way to signal the rescue team, which causes me to yell in frustration.
Wait! The jeep has small emergency flares!
I reach into the glove box. And my heart almost stops as I barely find one small red cylinder-shaped flare. I try to ignite it by taking the plastic lid off the top and striking it with the scratch surface on the plastic lid; however, the wind is strong and it keeps hitting me from all directions.
Come on…come on! Work dammit! It doesn't work. I drop the flare down next to me in sheer anger. I almost give up until my head unwillingly turns toward Km. Her belt is showing three different-colored Poké balls, two of which have fainted.
My eyes widen.
…Km! Her last Pokémon is a Fire-type! I run back to the jeep towards her and take an Ultra ball from her, it's a good thing I stopped her from using this.
I throw the black and yellow ball in the air, "Km needs your help…Growlithe!"
The ball releases an orange-colored canine which has black stripes covering many parts of its body. Its chest, tail, and mane are beige instead. Confused, it looks around for its trainer and finds her on the jeep unconscious. It whines softly to her as I grab the flare and brandish it to the dog. It immediately recognizes me.
"Listen, I need you to use Ember on this. I can get her to safety if you do this!" I command.
Not hesitating, it roars as many small individual flames come out of its mouth. This causes the flare's components to explode. It's very bright and just what I need to signal the helicopter. I rub Growlithe's mane as he pants in joy, "Good boy." I go ahead and call him back into the ball.
As I set the flare down on the ground to grab Km, many thoughts are going on in my head.
Was Km going to die? Is she even still breathing by this point? This is my fault.
I hear a whimper. It's coming from Km. I am surprised and relieved to see that she is conscious.
"Ansel…I…I'm sorry I wasn't careful," Her voice is extremely croaky from the sting, "Don't try to talk please. You're going to hurt your vocal cords."
"I might…die…tonight Ansel…" She says halfheartedly.
"Don't say that, you're not going to die! I've got help coming for you-"
"I…feel numb."
"Please Km…don't say things like that. We're partners and if you die then what the hell am I going to do with myself!? This is my fault Km!"
"No…it was our fault." She retorts.
I begin to cry softly as I hug her, "We'll get through this I promise…"
Then, a black-colored Mi-17 with an 'R' sign arrives and successfully lands causing many hidden Pokémon in the grass to run away in fear. It's a glimmer of hope for us as I see two Team Rocket Grunts come out. One grabs Km from me while the other heads toward the jeep. I also run to the jeep to get my messenger bag and guitar and give the grunt the car keys, "Thanks."
I then rush back toward the helicopter, "I am so glad to see you guys! How can I repay you!?" I ask.
"You can start by getting your ass in here! The whole city is on full alert tonight. Looks like you guys caused quite a mess." He shows me a small wanted poster which has our faces on it. I enter the helicopter and sit down on one of the seats. I take the poster from him and examine it.
It reads: Wanted for mass robbery. If you see these two fugitives, report them immediately. Reward: 1,000,000 Poké Dollars.
"If that's the case, we need to stay clear from Viridian City for a while." I sigh.
He moves his head sideways, "It's not just Viridian that wants your head. It's the whole region. You're on their most wanted list now my friend."
I stare down on the cold metallic floor, "Most wanted…?"
"Yup, get used to it. Hey, at least you actually get stuff done. You're more successful than most of us. You guys actually catch Pokémon without any problems."
Km was placed horizontally on a row of seats and kept in close watch. I suddenly feel the earth shake as we are lifted off the ground. I regain my posture, "How long before we can get her to a doctor?" I ask.
"Hard to say. We'll do the best we can." I look back toward Km, she has been unconscious for a few minutes now, but fortunately she's still breathing.
It's night time but surprisingly, in just five minutes we reach the outpost. It has fewer guards than back at base but much more room to spare. Of course it has more room. Our base is mostly a research facility for Pokémon. This place has about five separate buildings with the main one to the north: it's huge and has a helipad.
We land on the helipad and from I notice immediately is that this place looks like an abandoned factory. The helicopter then takes off without us and disappears into darkness. Because of my small structure I am unable to carry Km, so the older man does it instead.
"This way!" He takes us to a door that leads inside the building. For a moment I am in awe. The inside of this place looks like a huge warehouse for the sick and injured with hundreds of portable travel beds all lined up in countless rows. This noisy place is a hospital…for Team Rocket members.
We make our way down some stairs to reach the first floor. After the man helping us informs the doctors of our situation however, one of them lead us to the third floor toward the intensive care unit. It's a small and narrow hallway with columns that are barely supporting the damp ceilings. Despite the possibility of this place collapsing at any time, they nevertheless take us all the way down the hall and into an empty room. It's filled with mostly home-made medical equipment.
"Nurse Mello, place her on the bed please."
The nurse nods as she places my partner gently on the soft fabric. The doctor walks toward a machine and flips a switch as he puts a mask on Km. The breathing machine turns on and vapor begins to escape from the mask. He then injects several needles under her skin. Afterwards, he turns on the heart monitor and it's an awful sight: her heart rate is really low. The nurse brings several transparent bags of medication and sets them on a rack by the bed.
"Hope she gets better. Take care." The man from the helicopter says as he leaves, "Thanks for your help." I say.
The doctor finishes and walks toward me offering a handshake, "Good evening, my name is Anthony Preston and I am the critical care specialist here at 3C 273. She will be fine here with us; however, I have to ask you to leave."
"W…why?" I blink twice in confusion.
"She requires tracheostomy for her difficulty in breathing and I have to ask you to wait in the main lobby downstairs."
"Trach…what?"
"She requires immediate surgery. She cannot breathe on her own because of the poison. It is fortunate that you brought her here in time because most people cannot survive more than an hour from Beedrill poison. The staff will do what they can with her."
I walk to Km and kiss her on the forehead, "Stay strong Km…I'll be waiting outside."
She hears this and barely opens her eyes. She struggles to speak, "When I see you again…play me a song…a Classical piece…if you don't mind."
I nod softly as tears fall from my face again, "…okay," I hesitate, "You're going to be fine, I promise…"
"Ansel...I..."
She struggles to speak through the gas mask, she passes out. I check the heart monitor: she's fine for now. Despite this, I walk out of the room to head down the hallway as I try to cover my tears from the other Grunts but it's useless. I burst into a sorrowful cry as I collapse along the wall.
…
Many hours go by and it's past midnight. Most of the patients that are kept in the large open room are sound asleep. I'm still holding her Poké ball, I haven't stopped thinking about Km. I haven't slept. It's hard to do so because I'm lost in an endless cycle of thought.
So this is death? Closing your eyes hoping that you'll somehow make it through in the end, but it's useless because there's a chance that you're going to die anyway? Is that what living is all about, hoping something will work out the way you want it to but it never does?
If Km was to die in such a depressing building where the concrete is falling off its foundation and the wood is rotting, where would I go? Km and Team Rocket are all I have left in my life. Now it's sad to think that tears are forbidden within Team Rocket because it is widely believed that it is a sign of weakness.
And then it hit me…was it worth risking our lives for Team Rocket just to steal Pokémon? I wonder if anybody cares if a Grunt dies. There's so many of us that I begin to wonder if Dr. Bartoli helped me because I was her friend or because it's her job to help others. It's amazing how your whole view of everything can change in less than a second.
I see the same doctor stride towards me with the nurse, "She's in critical condition. There is a chance that she might die. You can go see her, but please walk on your way there. You have five minutes because your base requires that you return immediately."
I run, not walk, to the third floor down the same hallway. I see Km and she has many instruments attached to her. Km no longer has the oxygen mask but instead has a device placed on her throat: it's a breathing tube. She's sleeping, so I shut the curtains behind me and sit down next to her. I begin to cry miserably on her bedside.
This is it. This could be the last five minutes I'll ever get to spend with her. After that, I might never be able to see her ever again. The sheer thought causes my voice to stutter a lot.
"H...here's your dog. You've trained him well." I say softly as I place the Ultra ball next to her.
"Km…Leila…I should've always called you by your first name. You've taught me a lot over the years. I remember the first Pokémon I caught as a boy thanks to you. I remember helping you catch Growlithe and how I didn't stop hearing the words: I caught it myself, all on my own." I rub my nose in sadness, "I'm happy we spent time together, from when we were just fourteen to where we are now. Hear me out Leila…it's…not over. It doesn't have to be over for you…"
Remembering what she had requested from me earlier, I grab my guitar, "It…it's a good thing I like Classical music," I say softly, trying to soften the situation, "I know you'll love this one."
I begin to play a classic: BWV 998 "Prelude" by Johan Sebastian Bach in D-minor for guitar. The first few notes are the hardest to play and it's not because this is a difficult piece to learn but rather because I can see her sub-consciously turning toward me with a smile. I look away as I continue playing. I pretend to watch where I am placing each finger on each specific fret to hide my tears but inside me this is painful for me to do.
Halfway through the music, the doctor comes in and interrupts our session, "Time to go. Pack your things and report outside for evaluation."
I stand up from my seat and kiss Km in the cheeks. I then walk towards the taller man and say in a threatening voice, "You make sure she lives. I'll keep in touch." I say as I leave the room.
"That's not for you to decide." He says quietly.
