Wow, this story already has five reviews! Thanks a lot, everyone! I'll reply to the reviews I've gotten so far in the author's note below this chapter. I hope you all didn't have to wait too horribly long to see this next chapter of my story—I don't plan on making subsequent chapters nearly as long as the first, so hopefully, my update schedule should go a bit more smoothly.
Sapporo, Japan
Spanning fifteen blocks across downtown Sapporo, Odori Park was one of the city's most popular landmarks. For decades, it had been a place of enjoyment for locals and tourists alike, providing them some respite from the bustling metropolis surrounding it. Additionally, it was the home of the 147-meter-tall Sapporo TV Tower, which stood proudly at the park's eastern end.
It was also the source of a sound that hadn't been heard in over fifty years.
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOONNNK!
The roar was so loud that it shattered windows in the immediate vicinity, and could be heard from several miles away as it reverberated off the distant mountains and across the Hokkaido countryside. For those who heard it, they knew it could only mean one thing.
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, had returned.
The nuclear leviathan stood near the middle of the park, glaring furiously at his adversary several blocks away: Rodan. For generations, the giant pterosaur had been a close companion of Godzilla, often coming to his assistance even when he didn't really need it. But now, for reasons beyond Godzilla's understanding, Rodan had been possessed by a strange, sinister being, forcing Godzilla to do battle with his former ally.
At just seventy meters tall, Rodan was shorter than Godzilla, but what he lacked in his opponent's immense size and strength, he made up for with his incredible speed and agility. On the other hand, however, Godzilla very seldom lost a fight, and he had no plans of doing so tonight.
This would not end well.
With an ear-piercing squawk, Rodan stretched out his arms and began to rapidly flap his wings in Godzilla's direction. Within seconds, hurricane-force winds were buffeting against Godzilla's scaly hide. They were so strong that they lifted even the heaviest debris on the ground—cars, trees, statues, et cetera—and sent them hurtling towards the leviathan at hundreds of miles per hour. Despite this, the comparatively small objects did little more than bounce off of Godzilla's stocky frame, and the winds did not push him back even slightly.
With a displeased squawk, the possessed Rodan decided it was time to get physical. His wings still outstretched, he sprang from the ground, taking flight before swooping down towards Godzilla, baring his sharp talons. Before he could strike, however, Godzilla used his dexterous, four-fingered hands to grab hold of Rodan's legs, and suddenly the two kaiju were locked in a titanic grappling match, each one trying to gain an advantage over the other.
Rodan let out another frustrated screech as he flapped his wings madly, trying to escape Godzilla's grasp, but to no avail. With an immense show of strength, the nuclear leviathan pulled the giant pterosaur downward, allowing Godzilla to lean forward and bite his opponent's winged arm. Rodan cried out in agony as he began to struggle more, resorting to smashing his pointed beak into Godzilla's head like a woodpecker until it struck the radioactive saurian's eye.
Howling in pain, Godzilla released Rodan's arm from his maw, giving the flying reptile the opportunity to clutch onto Godzilla's arms with his talons. Then, still flapping his wings, he began to lift his opponent off the ground—an impressive feat considering Godzilla weighed over 60,000 tons. Fortunately for Godzilla, however, his immense weight proved to be too much for Rodan, and the latter could only lift him some fifty feet from the ground before having to drop him.
Godzilla landed on his feet, generating a severe tremor that caused some of the weakened buildings around him to collapse. He rubbed his injured eye, then began to look around. Rodan had disappeared from sight. Godzilla snarled, realizing his opponent must have taken to the air. His orange eyes scanned the night sky, searching for any sign of the giant pterosaur. Then he felt a pair of talons latch on to his tail, and all of a sudden he was pulled off his feet, wailing as he tumbled to the ground.
Rodan had reappeared, now dragging Godzilla by the tail across Odori Park. At the park's western end, Rodan released his grip on the nuclear leviathan and flew off, sending his body skidding into the surrounding cityscape, which crushed the buildings that stood in his path. Growling in frustration, Godzilla righted himself and began to rise back up, but was promptly sent crashing to the ground again when Rodan swooped down for another pass, slamming his spiked torso into Godzilla's before once again retreating into the darkness.
Godzilla finally managed to get to his feet. Looking around, he still couldn't see his adversary hidden in the night sky, but soon realized he didn't need to—he could easily hear the signature squeal of Rodan's wings in the distance as they pierced through the air at supersonic speeds. Godzilla listened carefully to the sound as it steadily grew louder, trying his best to judge where it was coming from, and how fast his opponent was flying before—
The radioactive saurian suddenly ducked. At the same time, he swung his long, whip-like tail upward into the air at a lightning speed.
WHACK.
Godzilla's timing was spot-on. His tail struck Rodan's wing as he flew overhead for another attack. Crying out in pain, the giant pterosaur immediately lost control of his transonic flight. The resulting crash landing was not a pleasant one—Rodan violently slammed into the ground head-first before plowing across the entire length of Odori Park, only to come to an abrupt halt when his massive body tumbled into the Sapporo TV Tower at the end of the park, toppling the once-proud structure in a matter of seconds. Now lying on the Tower's remnants, Rodan could do little more but warble weakly in defeat.
At the other end of the park, Godzilla roared triumphantly. Normally at this time, he would have finished his downed opponent while he had the chance. But Rodan was supposed to be his ally, and it was obvious to him that the giant pterosaur was not being himself because of this strange force—as a result, Godzilla was hesitant to inflict any further injury to him. Instead, Godzilla slowly lumbered towards Rodan to check if the flying reptile was truly down for the count.
Suddenly, Rodan's eyes opened, and Godzilla saw the unfamiliar, eye-like symbol flash across his pupils once again. Rodan swiftly rose and got back to his feet, letting out a defiant screech at the nuclear leviathan. Godzilla roared again in response, expecting a continuation of their fight. To his surprise, however, Rodan quickly turned around and took flight in the opposite direction, retreating towards the sea.
Godzilla's orange eyes narrowed as Rodan flew off. Then, within moments, he, too, started to make his way back towards the coast, following Rodan's path. Whatever plans this strange force had for his fellow kaiju, Godzilla was intent on putting a stop to it.
Yumi woke up in the hotel's lobby.
She didn't recognize the place at first; the entire floor space had been converted into a makeshift triage for those that had been injured in the carnage overnight. Several rows of medical cots, including the one she now lay in, had replaced the scattered furniture in the lobby, and several nurses whisked their way between them, tending to her fellow patients—many of whom had suffered worse injuries than she had.
Remembering her injury, Yumi sat up and clutched her forehead. Where there had been a severe gash was now covered by a large bandage. She looked up to find a TV hanging from one of the lobby's walls, tuned to the local news. She watched in horror as the wrecked skyline of Sapporo filled up the screen, looking very similar to what she had seen of Rodan's rampage in Tokyo the day before—minus the giant pterosaur himself.
Rodan. What had happened to that massive flying monster, anyway? Yumi couldn't remember. What she did remember before fainting, however, was that second kaiju that had arrived during Rodan's assault. And how could she forget it? The image of its gigantic, darkly-colored physique towering over the surrounding buildings, the maple leaf-shaped spikes protruding from its back, and—above all—its orange, seemingly infuriated eyes was permanently etched into Yumi's memory.
"Yumi!"
Yumi turned her head and saw Hiroki and their mother approaching, looking concerned. Both of them stopped and sat down next to her cot.
"How is your head?" Mrs. Ishiyama asked her daughter.
"It's still sore, but other than that, I'm fine," Yumi answered, still holding her forehead. She turned to Hiroki. "How about you?"
"Just some cuts here and there from those windows you shielded me from," Hiroki replied. "Thanks for that, by the way." Yumi noticed he had a few bandages on his forehead and arms, but none of them were nearly as big as hers.
"We were really worried about you both," Mrs. Ishiyama continued. "When that flying monster attacked, we were immediately told to go the subways; the hotel staff wouldn't let us wait for you."
"Why did that giant pterodactyl come here, anyway?" Hiroki asked. "And what about that other kaiju that came and fought it?"
Mrs. Ishiyama sighed in response. "I think that's a question better suited for your uncle." She shifted her gaze across the lobby.
Yumi looked in that direction to find that her father was approaching with another man in tow. The other man stood taller than her father, and looked considerably younger as well. It was the sight of this second man that caused Yumi's eyes to widen in joy. "Uncle Hiroshi!" she called out to him.
Promptly, Hiroshi Ogata left his brother-in-law's side and rushed to Yumi, greeting his beloved niece with a tight embrace, which she returned.
"How are you feeling, Yumi-chan?" Ogata asked her in fluent French, although he still addressed her with Japanese honorifics out of habit.
"A lot better now that you're here, ojisan." Yumi replied, grinning. "You haven't changed one bit since I last saw you."
"Ah, but you've changed a lot," Ogata responded back, sitting down on the vacant cot next to her.
"When did you get here, anyway? Weren't you in Tokyo when Rodan attacked?"
Ogata nodded. "When I found out that your flight had been diverted to Sapporo, I tried to get here as quickly as I could. I spent all of last night on a train, but our arrival was still delayed—nobody expected Rodan to suddenly come to Hokkaido. Your father only came to pick me up from the station half an hour ago."
"I thought it was crazy enough when Rodan came here," Hiroki joined in, "but then that other monster showed up and beat him up—you should've seen that, Uncle Hiroshi! I think it had a name, too—Gor-jee-ro, or something like that."
Ogata's face fell suddenly. "Gojira," he corrected his nephew grimly.
Yumi looked up at him, surprised. "You know about that thing?"
Ogata nodded again. "Half of the people in this country know about him," he said. "Outside Japan, he is called Godzilla."
"Godzilla?" Yumi asked, recognizing the name. "You mean that thing that attacked Tokyo back in the Fifties? That's what we saw last night?"
"Well, yes and no," Ogata answered, eliciting a confused look from his niece. "The monster that first attacked Tokyo back then was a member of the same species, but a different individual entirely."
"But where did they come from?" Yumi inquired.
Ogata said nothing for a few moments; instead, he stared blankly towards the ceiling, as though he were collecting his thoughts. Finally, he took a deep breath and began to explain: "During the Fifties, the United States was testing nuclear bombs in the Pacific. In 1954, one of them awakened something—the first Godzilla.
"The monster had been badly injured and mutated by the radioactive fallout from the test. It attacked Tokyo in retaliation, destroying over half of the city and killing nearly 200,000 people. It was Japan's worst disaster since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—not even the best weaponry of the time could deal any harm to the creature."
"How did they stop Godzilla?" Yumi asked.
"As it turned out, a chemist named Daisuke Serizawa had inadvertently created a chemical weapon called the Oxygen Destroyer," Ogata responded. "When he saw the devastation that Godzilla left behind in Tokyo, he decided to use it to kill the monster in Tokyo Bay. However, Serizawa was so horrified by the destructive power of his creation that he took his own life so that he wouldn't be able to create another.
"Sadly, though, Serizawa's sacrifice was in vain. Within a year, another Godzilla—much bigger and even more powerful than the first—appeared and raided Osaka. The Self-Defense Forces were later able to bury him inside an iceberg, but he broke free just a few years later; nothing has been able to stop him ever since."
"I see," Yumi acknowledged. "What about Rodan and the other kaiju that were mentioned on the news?"
"I was just getting to that," Ogata said. "In 1955, the same year that Godzilla re-emerged, a second kaiju called Anguirus also appeared. The two fought each other using Osaka as a battleground. Godzilla was victorious, while Anguirus just barely managed to limp back into the sea. Other kaiju soon followed; Rodan first emerged from Mount Aso in 1956, and was driven out of Japan by the Self-Defense Forces shortly after. As the years passed, even more kaiju began to appear all over the globe—Varan, Baragon, and Manda, to name a few."
Yumi listened to her uncle attentively, her interest—and horror—growing greater by the second. She hadn't known about it until now, but the Earth was home to numerous giant monsters. That in itself was a revelation she struggled to come to terms with. And not only had XANA known about it, but he had also found a way to use them as weapons against humanity…somehow, he needed to be stopped. Yumi could only hope that Jeremy was wrong and that he and Aelita could determine how to beat the A.I.
Yumi continued to listen as Ogata finished his narrative. "Eventually, the various governments of the world figured out that they would have to band together in order to combat the threat that the kaiju posed. Shortly after the first Godzilla's attack in 1954, they agreed to form a dedicated kaiju-fighting organization in the U.N. known as G-Force. They also agreed to ban all nuclear testing in 1966.
"Since then, very few kaiju attacks have occurred—with no nuclear bombs to disturb them, many of them have been dormant for the past several decades. Until now, that is. Apparently, something is waking them up again. But what, exactly?"
Obviously, Yumi knew the answer to her uncle's rhetorical question. But it was of the utmost importance to her and her friends to keep their struggle against XANA a secret—being the only ones who were able to fight him, they couldn't afford to risk exposure and possible arrest by the authorities. Because of this, Yumi held her tongue.
Shortly after Ogata finished talking, a ringing sound abruptly chimed from his pocket. Pulling out and looking at his cell phone, he answered it and began to speak to the caller in Japanese. The conversation was a brief one; less than a minute passed before he hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. He sighed deeply.
"What's the matter, Uncle Hiroshi?" asked Hiroki.
"One of my bosses just called me," Ogata answered. "When Rodan attacked Tokyo yesterday, he caused severe damage to the Geological Institute's offices there, where I work. Until they can be repaired, I am to be transferred to our sub-branch in Osaka."
Yumi's heart sank. "You mean you can't stay?" she asked sadly.
Ogata sighed again. "I'm afraid not. I wish I could, but the demands of my job are just too strong, even during an emergency such as this."
There was that word again—demands. What kind of demands were there for a geologist for a time like this, anyway? Yumi realized that her uncle was one of the most prominent geologists in Japan, so it made sense for him to be very busy. But I highly doubt that his job description mentioned anything about giant monsters, she thought.
"And speaking of this emergency," Ogata continued, "Japan is no longer a safe place for visitors now that kaiju like Godzilla and Rodan have returned. I've spoken with your parents, and they agree with me. You all will be heading back to France tomorrow morning."
Ogata hugged Yumi again. "I'm really sorry I can't stay with you," he said. "I was really looking forward to spending time with you again after all these years."
"So was I," Yumi responded sorrowfully, returning the hug. "Just promise me I'll be able to see you again soon."
"I promise." With that, Ogata separated himself from his niece and, after exchanging similar goodbyes with the rest of his family, left the hotel.
Paris Metropolitan Area, France
The Ishiyamas had returned to their home much earlier than they had anticipated. Spending the rest of the week in her house instead of Japan made Spring Break go by a lot faster for Yumi than she would have liked. Now it was Saturday, and school would resume in just two days. It was almost time for her to go back to her daily routine of hanging out and having fun with her friends, all while trying to deal with the stress that came with trying to maintain good grades. And fighting XANA, she mentally added to herself.
The new threat that the A.I. posed had been on Yumi's mind ever since that night in Sapporo. Remembering what her uncle had told her about Godzilla and the other kaiju, she didn't want to stand idly by while XANA used them to annihilate the world's most populated cities—and she knew that her friends wouldn't want to, either. So she decided to call Jeremy again to see if he had anything new to report since then.
Jeremy's first announcement was promising. "Aelita and I have just about finished rebuilding Lyoko," his voice told Yumi from the speaker of her cell phone. "We should be able to entirely restore all five sectors to the supercomputer by Monday."
"That's fantastic," Yumi replied. "You really spent all your vacation time to rebuild it?"
"Oh, don't worry, Yumi," Aelita's voice chimed in from the other end. "I was able to convince him to take breaks every now and then. Isn't that right, Jeremy?"
"Oh, um…yeah, Aelita," Jeremy stuttered in response, apparently sounding…embarrassed? Yumi wasn't sure, but she decided not to press the issue.
"What about the Digital Sea?" she asked.
"We've been able to make significant progress on that as well," Jeremy answered. "However, it will be a couple of weeks before we'll be able to travel to the Replikas. Which reminds me—I think I've come up with a way to destroy them."
"You have?" Yumi nearly exclaimed excitedly. That means we still have a chance to beat XANA!
"Yes," Jeremy confirmed. "Aelita and I still need some time to iron out the kinks, though. I'll tell you, Odd, and Ulrich more about it on Monday after we restore Lyoko."
"Sounds like a plan," Yumi acknowledged. "I just hope XANA doesn't send any more kaiju to attack us here in France."
"Don't worry about it, Yumi," Jeremy reassured her. "All of the kaiju that have been sighted so far have been all the way on the other side of the world, in the Western Pacific. That being said, though—" he paused momentarily before finishing, "I think it's only a matter of time before XANA does send one here to deal with us."
Jeremy's prediction sent a chill down Yumi's spine. From this point forward, fighting XANA would be nothing like it used to be. Unless they could defeat him quickly, nothing would be able to stop the A.I. from summoning more kaiju elsewhere in the world—including their own homes.
It would be a race against time.
That does it for Chapter 2, the second of three "introductory" chapters before we start to delve deeper into this story. Hopefully, the fight between Godzilla and Rodan didn't disappoint! I also understand that this chapter was pretty heavy on dialogue, but I wanted to give you an idea of what the Godzilla timeline looks like for the purposes of this story. As you can see, only a select few of the early Showa movies are considered "canon" here (namely the original Gojira from 1954, Godzilla Raids Again, and Mothra vs. Godzilla; as well as a few non-Godzilla films that introduced other kaiju, like Rodan and Varan the Unbelievable). I hope you enjoyed this chapter regardless!
And now I will reply to the reviews I've gotten for the first chapter:
Guest: Thanks for being the first to review! To the best of my knowledge, no one has created a Code Lyoko/Godzilla crossover before, so I thought I would be the first. I'll try my best to continue this story, but it'll be tough since I'll have a lot of college work to do.
MadameMirage77: Thanks for your kind words! As for your questions, the only one I'm willing to answer without potentially spoiling any future content is your last one. The Godzilla I'm using for this story is a composite of some of his past incarnations. His backstory here is similar to that of his Showa incarnation, while his behavior is a bit like that of his Heisei version. In terms of appearance, he looks like something of a cross between his Heisei (he is 100 meters tall in this story) and Final Wars designs. Finally, while he's not exactly heroic like he was in the late Showa era (Destroy All Monsters onwards), he's not inherently aggressive towards humans, either (unless they provoke him). Also, don't be surprised to see some parallels to the IDW comics, like Rulers of Earth.
Matt: Thanks, I'll try to get to the next chapter as soon as possible! As for your question...again, that's something I'm not ready to disclose just yet, unfortunately.
IMPORTANT: From this point forward, I will be replying to all future reviews as they come in at the end of the most recent chapter.
MadameMirage77: Thanks for another review! I only slightly edited the title to include Godzilla in it as well, so it wouldn't look like this story would have much more to do with Code Lyoko than Goji and his fellow kaiju. While I am gearing this story more towards Lyoko fans, I also want to attract G-Fans who might not know that much about CL. I just want to make sure both elements are well-balanced. :)
Matt: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope to get Chapter 3 uploaded soon. :)
MadameMirage77 (2): Glad to see you're rewatching CL! To answer your question about Godzilla's radiation, I haven't exactly put a lot of thought into it, but in this story, he won't render everywhere he goes an irradiated wasteland like he did in the 1954 original. He will, however, have his signature atomic breath. :) As for Code Lyoko Evolution...I have heard of it, and seen it. A lot of CL fans don't like it due to the 2D animated segments being replaced by live action, but I honestly don't mind it. Go ahead and watch it; I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you like it or not.
ReginaDC21: Thanks for the review! I'm actually in the process of re-reading IDW's Godzilla comics for potential ideas, but that's one I didn't think of. If anything, that's probably going to be how I'll treat Goji's radiation in this story. :)
Mick: Thanks! And don't worry, I'm still working on Chapter 3, although it hasn't been a simple task so far...
I'll regularly update this section of the chapter with a response to each review I receive. Watch this space.