VS.
Arena:
Author: GodzillavsRayquaza
Word Count: 4,004 words
Posted: June 20th, 2019
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Ancient eyes opened in the depths of the ocean. This place would seem like hell to most, impenetrable darkness and crushing pressure for miles in all directions. But to a being that cared little for the latter, and didn’t mind the former, it was peaceful. But he wasn’t content to rest here forever, so he pushed off and began swimming. The gills on his neck flared in and out as they took in oxygen from the water. Barnacles that had formed on his armored hide began falling away. Sand fell away from the jagged trio of spines running down his back, as fish scattered in all directions. He began rising, eager to see light for the first time in months.
A light breeze flowed over Monster Island as the sun warmed the tropical landscape. It was peaceful, or at least as peaceful as a land of titans can be.
A brown-scaled quadruped, with a rock-hard shell covered in spikes and a maw filled with razor sharp teeth, faced off with a small, grey saurian. The young dinosaur had large eyes, a short snout, and a stubby tail. Anguirus lunged at Minilla, jaws open. With a shriek, the Prince of Monsters stepped back, barely avoiding a bite to the arm. As soon as his jaws closed, Anguirus lashed out with a clawed hand. Another backpedal from Minilla meant that the claws only grazed his skin, failing to pierce his underdeveloped scales. Whimpering, the son of Godzilla closed his left fist, before bashing Anguirus across the face with it. The attack barely slowed the ankylosaur down, as immediately afterwards he went for another bite. This time Minilla couldn’t avoid it in time, allowing the ancient jaws to close around his upper arm. Scales and flesh parted before the teeth, staining them scarlet. The Prince of the Monsters screamed in anguish, tears flowing from his eyes. Anguirus released his hold, and stepped back, watching Minilla clutch the bleeding wound. A meaty thwack rang out as Anguirus whipped his tail against the child’s head.
The juvenile kaiju fell on his back, flailing in pain as a large welt formed on his forehead. Anguirus yelled at Minilla, about not letting pain blind him during a fight. Godzilla had appointed the ankylosaur to teach his son about fighting, citing his own first battle being against a member of Anguirus’ species.
Before he could lecture his best friend’s son once more, the quadruped noticed Godzilla standing still, staring out over the ocean. With another shriek, Anguirus called a break as he went over to see what was wrong, something Minilla was happy to accept. Stepping up to Godzilla’s side, the ankylosaur gave out a low, questioning growl. The King of the Monsters noticed his friend but remained silent for a moment. Finally, he replied with a quiet roar.
He could sense something approaching the island, something big...
The ancient Godzilla continued his usual, aimless swimming through the expanse of the ocean. He watched fish scatter in his presence, from the tiniest minnows to the greatest of sharks. They were all minuscule next to him. Light pierced the water and fell upon him, causing the corners of his mouth to curl upwards. He enjoyed the darkness, but light was always welcome.
At that moment, a presence made itself known to him. His natural ability to sense radiation flared up as it detected a surplus of nuclear power several miles away. It felt so similar, but at the same time so foreign. He knew what it was, but the sheer amount of time that had passed since he last sensed another of his kind meant it was almost forgotten.
Godzilla instantly turned to swim towards the radiation signature, picking up speed as well. He never thought he’d find someone else like him, the last of a species that had gone extinct millions of years ago, no matter how long its last son cheated death. As he drew closer, he sensed a second, smaller presence as well. He harbored no hope of reviving his species, but this was still comforting. He wasn’t sure what would happen, but anything would be better than nothing.
Winds kicked up sand as Rodan descended onto a large rock, eyes trained on the waves. The pterodon monitored the waters, waiting for a passing whale or shark to make itself known. A ripple, large to most creatures but miniscule to him, caught his eye. Rodan lunged forward, claws outstretched. They plunged into the waters, one wrapping around a dolphin’s body. With another flap of his wings, Rodan forced himself out of the water, putting great care into ensuring he didn’t reduce the dolphin to inedible paste. He turned to go back to shore, only to pause as the tide receded.
Rodan dropped his prey in shock as jagged spines pierced the surface of the waters below him, heading directly towards shore. The tide rushed forth as a tidal wave while the dorsal plates rose up, revealing the colossus. Rodan flew higher into the air, keeping at least one eye trained on the lumbering behemoth making his way towards the island.
The thick, tree trunk like feet of the alpha predator touched the shoreline, dragging his gargantuan body out of the churning waves. He glanced upwards at the hovering pterodon, then resumed his trek inland. He would not bother the flying reptile if it didn’t bother him.
Monster Island’s other residents were leaving their usual secluded dens and clearings as they heard the stomping of the new arrival. A Kamacurus hovered near Rodan as they both trailed him hundreds of feet above ground. Ground collapsed into a tunnel as Baragon poked his head out, trying to avoid getting in the way of the colossus as he watched. Trees were flattened as Gorosaurus marched through thick brush, Varan gliding down from the clouds to join the theropod.
The sudden commotion drew the ancient Godzilla’s attention, though he kept his straightforward march consistent. How many titans lived on this island, and how was it not a wasteland? In his experience, far fewer giants living in the same general location brought about constant war for territory, food, mating, and general survival. And that was with creatures who were all the same species, or at consisted of several closely related species. Yet these lived in harmony. How?
Overheard murmurings between them gave the alpha predator a vital clue to this. He heard them mention how he resembled another monster on this land, the ruler of this kingdom. So, it appeared his senses hadn’t deceived him after all.
The mutated Godzilla leaned against a mountain, watching the sparring match between his greatest friend and his son. At this point, Minilla was dodging everything Anguirus came at him with. Though the young saurian was having trouble with actually fighting, the saurian was proud of the progress his child was making. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rodan and Kamacurus flying side by side, and this caused him to lose focus on the battle before him, suddenly filling his mind with the incredibly close radiation signature. Godzilla turned to face it, realizing that what he had sensed earlier was here. His momentary tension faded as he realized that if it was dangerous, he’d have already known so.
A moment passed before the head of the ancient leviathan crested over a large mound of stone and dirt. His eyes locked onto the King of Monster Island, and he stopped. The younger Godzilla turned to the new arrival. Silence fell over the land, neither radioactive saurian making a move as the rest of Monster Island’s residents slowly moved into place, so they could see whatever happened between the two.
The alpha predator began to walk over the mound, gears in his mind churning as he processed what was before him. He had been deceived, by his senses and his mind. Standing before him was not another of his kind. This was an imitation. He had encountered roaming herds of this being’s kind, though they lacked the potent nuclear power roiling within the one before him. The last time the alpha predator had seen a hoard of those saurians was on his way towards a meal which he soon discovered to be a bomb of horrid power. Perhaps that blast was responsible for who stood before him.
As the super-ancient one reached the bottom of the hill, Anguirus got between him and Minilla. Though no aggressive moves were being made, the ankylosaur didn’t like the look on the leviathan’s face. It spoke of wrath, not a berserk kind like his own often was, but a slow rising boil. Sensing this as well, the younger Godzilla began stepping forward to meet his counterpart. Minilla meanwhile tried to balance hiding behind his honorary uncle and being able to see what was unfolding.
As the two got closer, the taller of them broadened his shoulders and stood more upright as another thought rose in his mind. He felt no hatred for the younger saurian over the mutation, he could not control such a thing. But what he did know was that he was staring down the ruler of a luxurious island, with power over a veritable army. And what he also knew, was that such a title could be taken by force.
The shorter saurian broadened his shoulders as well, sensing the body language’s intent. The two stopped just before each other, locking eyes. A short roar left the alpha predator’s jaws. A challenge, over the right to rule this land.
A battle to determine who was King of the Monsters.
Despite how much his older counterpart dwarfed him in both size and weight, the mutated Godzilla did not recoil. He merely barked out an order to his subjects to stay back and watch, which they complied to. He put his fists forward, and slightly spread his legs for greater balance. He hadn’t woken up today looking for a fight, but when some stranger wanders onto his territory and demands a battle, it’s exactly what he gets. A sharp exhale of air left the ancient saurian’s nostrils as he watched this. So, the imitator was brave. Or perhaps too foolish to realize what he was getting into. He slouched down, claws flexing in anticipation.
They both shot forward, arms outstretched. They locked hands, dug their feet into the ground, and began pushing. Muscle strained beneath scale and flesh as they tried to force the other back, neither making any ground. Despite the superior muscle mass of the primal saurian, he could not force back the mutant. Letting out a strained roar, the elder clamped his massive hands shut, attempting to crush the younger saurian’s hands. A surge of pain shot through the mutant’s arms, but it did not slow him. Slamming his tail into the ground behind him, he pushed his feet off the ground. In the split second before he touched the ground, his legs pumped forward and crashed against the elder’s stomach.
The Kangaroo Kick was enough to force the ancient Godzilla to take a step back, releasing his grip on the younger’s hands. So, this would be tougher than he thought. With a snarl, he lunged forward, raking his right set of claws against the mutant’s chest. Scales and flesh were rended by the humongous blades, letting out streams of blood. Gritting his teeth as the wounds began sewing themselves together, the younger swung a punch directly into the elder’s stomach. The armor plating of the alpha predator cracked beneath the fist, causing him to recoil slightly as the punch carried far more power than he anticipated. Capitalizing on the brief opening, the mutant struck the same spot repeatedly with his fists, cracking the plates further and beginning to force his foe back.
The dull thud of the larger saurian slamming his skull down against the younger’s own echoed across the field. The current King of Monster Island staggered back, forehead pouring blood down his face. Despite the pain and obscured vision, the mutant Godzilla still leaned back to avoid the snapping jaws of his challenger, leaving them to only hit air. The younger saurian lunged forward, delivering a fierce uppercut to his foe’s lower jaw. Staggering back from the blow, the elder groaned in pain as blood filled his mouth. He spit it out, before swiftly turning 180 degrees. A long, armored tail swung through the air, whipping across the mutant’s chest at insane speeds.
The King of Monster Island screamed as he hit the ground, a sickening gash torn into him. He had braced himself for the attack, recognizing the tail whip as a move he also used, but this had been different. His attack was a mere bludgeon, a stronger hit than a usual punch or kick. But his foe’s tail was sharp, and the sheer speed with which it flew made it a horrid scourging tool.
Another scream echoed as the alpha predator stomped down on the still-closing wound, tearing it back open while cracking ribs in the process. There was a fire in the elder’s eyes as he lifted his foot again, the corners of his mouth beginning to curl up. He forced his elephantine foot down once more, hoping to put an end to this now.
What he didn’t expect was for his foot to be stopped. Beneath him, the younger held it up with both hands, before shoving up with all his might. To the shock and horror of the ancient Godzilla, his other foot slipped out from underneath him, sending him crashing to the ground. Walls of sand rose from his fall, descending as soon as they ascended. The elder rolled onto his stomach, planting both hands on the ground to push him back up. Before he could do this, he felt two hands wrap around his tail, and pull.
A yelp of terror involuntarily left the alpha predator’s jaws as he was lifted above his smaller foe’s head. The island shuddered as all 90,000 tons of the ancient’s body was slammed into the ground, forming a crater.
The battlefield echoed with the cries of the spectators, cheering for their king. By this point, more had joined the growing crowd. Kumonga sat atop a mountain, her unmoving eyes making it difficult to tell her thoughts on the event. Manda slithered across the ground, making her way next to Varan. Gabara, far away from everyone else, peeked his head over a hill.
The joyful cheers at his injury provoked a growl from the elder Godzilla. He pulled his tail away from his foe’s grip before anything else could be done with it, and quickly got to his feet. The mutant Godzilla went back on the attack, fists flying towards the ancient’s chest. Ignoring the pain the attacks brought, the alpha predator slugged the mutant across the face. As the younger Godzilla recoiled, he felt his foe’s massive hands grip his shoulders.
Hoisting the smaller saurian into the air, the alpha predator bit down onto the throat. Scales failed to protect the soft flesh beneath from the sharp teeth. The mutant let out a choked scream as his challenger pulled his hands away, leaving him suspended only by the neck. Despite being put in a position that would easily kill most living beings, the younger saurian still thrashed in the grip, actually making it difficult for the alpha predator to keep his hold. The elder Godzilla let out a muffled groan of rage, beginning to clench his fists. His rage only intensified as heard the cries of rage and sorrow from the watching crowd.
Before he could begin striking the suspended body of his foe, a technique he remembered from a foe he had faced a long time ago, the mutated Godzilla fought back. A quick punch slammed into the gills of the larger saurian, forcing him to drop the younger. He staggered back, clutching his throat as he gasped for air. And to the elder’s shock, his mutated foe stood tall. The mutated saurian was clearly in pain, wincing as his neck healed itself, but he was in far better condition than the ancient leviathan thought he should have been.
As the smaller Godzilla rubbed his neck, he remembered a far greater pain being inflicted there, by the glowing beam of a mechanical doppleganger. He had been through much worse than what this foe had demonstrated, and if this was all his distant relative had to offer, than he had been sorely mistaken in thinking he could take this island.
The King of Monster Island reared back, dorsal plates flashing blue. He leaned forward, mouth opening to release a blue, translucent beam. The atomic breath crashed against the ancient leviathan’s stomach, forcing him to backpedal as explosions rocked his torso. A bellow of pain left his maw as scales turned black, the ones at the epicenter of the blasts being ripped away. Pain gave way to rage, as a similar blue light formed in the spines on his tail. The younger Godzilla’s beam faded, as he noticed the building energy crawling up his foe’s back, accompanied by a whirring sound which filled the air.
Before he could respond, the alpha predator lunged forth, bashing an open palm onto the smaller saurian’s face. He wrenched the younger Godzilla’s head back and forth, as if he was trying to crush it. The mutant pulled the massive hand away, only to discover he was too late as the first thing he saw was his foe’s open maw, filled with a brilliant light.
A blue stream of what looked like liquid fire rushed forth from the ancient leviathan’s throat, enveloping the skull and upper torso of the mutant. The younger saurian wanted to scream, but he kept his eyes and mouth shut. Fighting past the agony, he shoved his arms out. The elder Godzilla’s beam faded as he was forced back, able to see the results of his attack. Smoke curled off the blackened hide of the mutated saurian, a long groan exiting his maw as he felt the full affect of his foe’s last resort weapon. He heard nothing from his subjects, but he didn’t have time to consider this.
Both of their spines flashed blue, as the two locked eyes. Their jaws opened, heralding the geysers of atomic power which so many had met their end by. An azure luminance fell over the land as the two met, forming an orb of surging power. To the mutant’s horror, and the spectators’ horror as well, his beam was forced back with ease. He put as much power as he could into his beam, but the orb of combined power flew towards him all the same.
Shockwaves ripped apart the sand, sending shards of newly formed glass flying in all directions. The light the blast generated was so intense, the audience averted their eyes, shrieks of panic and shock being inaudible over the deafening rumble. The only one who stood facing it was the alpha predator, who let the waves of heat, compressed air, and radiation flow over him. When the chaos settled, all was silent, as a colossal cloud of smoke rested in the air.
The ancient Godzilla turned around, roaring to the heavens. A chorus of outrage sounded in reply, earning a deep scowl from the elder saurian. He took a step forward, putting all his weight into the stomp as a show of intimidation, but the denizens of Monster Island did not back down. He won! He ruled this place now, by right of conquest. Did they not respect the rule of nature?
A hoarse, weary roar pierced the air. With his eyebrow twitching, the elder Godzilla turned to see his smaller foe still standing, burns marring his entire body, but with eyes that had only grown more intense. He turned around, prompting a snort from his ancient foe. Perhaps this, he thought, would show the rebellious creatures of this land his dominion over it.
Until the mutant spread his arms, and began firing his atomic ray. The pride was quickly replaced by confusion in the alpha predator. Had that blast knocked something loose in the mutant’s skull?
He got his answer when the youthful Godzilla rocketed off the ground, back first into the ancient leviathan’s stomach. There was a heavy thud, like the crack of thunder, at the impact. A stream of toxic bile fell from the alpha predator’s mouth as his feet tore trenches through the ground, desperately trying to fight against the force his foe was exerting. Just when it seemed the larger saurian would win the contest of strength, the mutated Godzilla tilted his head down. He launched upwards, uppercutting the armored leviathan and throwing off his already unsteady balance.
As all ninety thousand tons of the alpha predator slammed into the ground, his foe continued climbing higher into the air, to the uproarious cheers of the watching kaiju. The King of Monster Island had been at his rope’s end after the beam struggle, leaving him wondering if he was truly about to lose his title. But then, he heard the rest of the monsters challenge the foreign beast. They didn’t care if he had lost or not, they still considered him their king. They weren’t subjects, expendable pawns who’d bow at the feet of anyone else to take the throne. They were his friends, who had been at his back as he lead them into battle against horrid things from other worlds. And nothing would take that away.
After climbing hundreds of meters into the air, Godzilla dropped from the skies, elbow outstretched downwards. The elder leviathan, still laid out on the ground, breathed heavily. This battle had taken more out of him than he expected. He began to turn over, only for a stream of yellow silk to fly out and fall upon his right arm. The adhesive stuck the limb to the ground, halting his rise. He roared in outrage, barely managing to catch Kumonga firing upon him. With another pull, the webbing gave way, allowing the ancient saurian to free his arm. The alpha predator looked up just in time to see his foe, moments before he landed.
A sickening crack resounded as ribs snapped in two. Blood came up in a hacking cough from the elder Godzilla, as his foe rolled onto his side, writhing in pain. His elbow was swelling rapidly, broken, and the adrenaline which had blocked out the pain of his burns faded. Shakily, the younger saurian stood up, looking down at his still grounded opponent. His foe still clutched his chest, which was mangled and indented from the blow. Managing to muster the strength, the alpha predator rolled onto his hands and knees, then pushed himself up. He felt his ribs tearing into his lungs, making every weak breath burn. He’d lived through worse, but that had been such a long time ago that this pain felt new.
He locked eyes with his foe. Then his eyes rolled to observe the horde of unharmed, snarling monsters who would die for the being he had challenged. Turning back to the younger saurian, he gave a simple nod of the head, before turning around and walking away. The King of Monster Island turned as well, walking over to his friends, who were cheering and bellowing loud enough for the whole island to hear. He stumbled each step, until he fell forward. Rodan and Gorosaurus were able to catch him before he hit the ground, causing the gathered group to laugh a bit, before going back to their cheering.
The ancient Godzilla looked out over the waves, before stepping into them. Despite his pain, he could still swim. He departed Monster Island, thinking. He was no stranger to failure. This wouldn’t be the last time they’d meet, of that he was certain. He respected the King of Monster Island. He’d return.
Whether as a rival, or an ally, he did not know.
Spoiler:
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off.