Author: Joshua Reynolds | Banner: Tyler Trieschock

A cool breeze blew across the tropical paradise. Infant Island, once used as a nuclear testing ground over half a century ago, was resilient. Only a third of the island had become barren. The rest was still lush. If the fools in the States would have done their proper research back then, they would have discovered that the island wasn’t unpopulated like they had come to believe. No. There was a population. A population determined to live. The islanders hid deep in the heart of Infant Island, far away from the prying eyes and sins of the rest of the world. However, when the blast came unexpectedly, it tainted the island.

And it awoke something.

Their God, long shrouded in mythology, had been uncovered. Mothra was reborn after millions of years. A protector, she was guided by two mystic protectors. They went by many names to the islanders and the few people that visited it afterward. The Cosmos, the Elias, but the most well known was the name the natives had bestowed upon them: Shobijin. There were only two of them, Moll and Lora.

There was only one instance of Mothra showing aggression to the rest of the world. And that was back in the 1960’s when the Shobijin had been kidnapped by the greedy. Mothra rescued them at the cost of billions of dollars.

Now, decades later, that Mothra is aging. She has spawned the next generation. With a watchful eye, she has guided this new generation into becoming something special. Moll and Lora gave this second one its own title: Leo. Like all of his kind, this male member of the race started life as a grub-like larva before maturing into a majestic, butterfly-like entity…

Moll looked up at their protector with worried eyes. Leo seemed anxious. His antennae fluttered constantly and faint bolts of mystic power coursed through his multi-colored wings. “Something’s wrong.”

Lora approached her sister. She tried to comfort her. “I’m sure its just maturity setting in. His mother has been missing for a little bit now.”

Behind them, the Natives began to bow once Leo’s head lifted and his brilliant, emerald-colored eyes fixated on them.

“Something isn’t right, Lora.” Moll declared, turning to gaze at her sister. “Mothra has never been gone for this long. It’s been three days!”

Lora bit her tongue, “Always so concerned, my sister.”

Suddenly, a strange noise echoed through the island. The twins and those that worship the divine moths spun around. Their eyes looked up to the clouds. Fear gripped them tight. Something approached fast. It was an insect, but something completely opposite to a Mothra. It was more akin to a dragonfly. Its body covered in a purplish exoskeleton and its eyes shined a blood red. The noise that came from its mouth was like that of a nightmare, a terrible screech that was only enhanced by the intense buzz generated by the beating of its wings which moved so fast they were virtually invisible.

Suddenly, a beam of energy shot at it from behind. Megaguirus dodged, allowing the orange beam to vanish into a cloud. Emerging from behind one of the mountains, Mothra flew. She chirped as she approached. Megaguirus hissed, her head looking back toward her divine enemy. Such power… it was just begging to be drained.

“Mothra!” Both Shobijin declared in unison, in shock and awe.

Leo lifted his head and moved in his wings. However, as soon as he did, a cry from his mother ceased it. Leo’s wings went flat against the stone floor in which he lay.

“This is where she went. What does this other creature want!?” Lora begged the question as the hundreds of natives rushed to their village huts for shelter.

Moll shook her head, “I don’t know.”

Megaguirus spun in the air, faster than Mothra could stop. Suddenly they collided in midair with a tremendous bang. Bolts of energy flew in every direction from Mothra’s wings and a strange, pollen-like storm began to cloud both of them. Megaguirus’s shrieks muted the chirps of Mothra as they began to fall. The large, leathery wings of the dragonfly began to flap while her claws clamped Mothra’s steady. She held both herself and Mothra in the air, head moving side to side and avoiding several point blank beams. An extremely high-pitched scream came from Mothra. Megaguirus’s scorpion-like tail plunged deep into Mothra’s midsection.

Mothra tried firing, but her beams were sucked right back into her antennae. Her energy was being siphoned.

“Mothra!” Moll once again shouted, “No!”

“That monster is eating her energy!?”

Watching from the ground, Leo’s wings moved again. The second generation began to move. As soon as his body lifted off the ground, Megaguirus’s head tilted. She spotted him instantly. Her tooth-like jaws seemed to widen into a grin. Her tail tore out of Mothra’s fuzzy abdomen, bringing with it a glob of yellow and green-colored goo. The dragonfly’s claws tore apart, tearing Mothra’s wings halfway through. She released the Infant Island deity. Mothra fell, unable to sustain flight with each of her wings shredded. She crashed into the side of a mountain, a rockslide following suit. She was buried…

“MOTHRA!”

Mothra Leo flew in as fast as his majestic wings would allow. From the three gem-like objects between his antennae, streams of multi-colored energy erupted. Megaguirus flew up and forward, spiraling around the beams. Her speed took the youthful moth by surprise. In no time, she closed the distance. Her claws clamped around the base of the moth’s head. Megaguirus spun in the air, dragging Leo with her. Upon instinct, green bolts erupted from his wings. The lightning-like strikes struck Megaguirus, coating her in a series of small explosions. She released the moth and flew back.

Leo chirped and flew, his body speeding up. Megaguirus flew up, but Leo spun. His body became a blur. Megaguirus’s eyes widened, shifting her exoskeleton in the process. Leo, for a brief moment, moved faster than she. He collided with her, turning his entire body into a projectile. A thunderous echo boomed through the mountains and hills of Infant Island. The dragonfly began to fall as Leo circled overhead…

As she fell, Megaguirus’s wings stretched out and her tail stiffened. A fiery power gathered in front of her body. Leo looked down, just in time to see the building ball of energy fire. It moved fast, even faster than Megaguirus and Leo’s enhanced speeds. Unable to escape, Leo was struck by the orb of energy that was composed of his mother’s power. His body was shot upward, vanishing into the clouds.

But a few dozen meters from the ground, the dragonfly’s wings began to move at a blur. She recovered and flew up, shooting toward the clouds like a bat out of hell. Before she could reach them, a powerful blast of emerald-colored energy parted it. The beam missed the predator by dozens of meters, but the impressive shot hit the ground and made the entire island shudder as if an earthquake.

Leo erupted from the clouds, beams and bolts launching from his forehead and wings respectively. Megaguirus moved to the side, dodging the immense firepower. Leo chirped, turning in the air to face his speedy rival. By the time he did, Megaguirus buzzed away again.

A sharp pain raced through Leo’s back. Megaguirus’s stinger plunged into the center of his back. The dragonfly cried aloud as she began to drain Leo’s energy.

Unable to sustain flight, Leo began to fall with Megaguirus balancing herself on his back via her stinger. She guzzled his energy, siphoning it like a sponge does water. The ground raced upwards, faster and faster, to meet the insects. Finally, Leo hit like a meteor. The lush jungle cratered and a cloud of dust and dirt flew around them. Megaguirus’s body lowered, virtually lying across her victim’s body. The dragonfly’s eyes flashed, changing colors to green as she fed.

A distance away, Mothra’s head lifted. Her body was over half-way buried. She’d never escape. She looked up, watching as her son was helplessly drained. Her antennae fluttered. A beam of energy fired from each. It was weak, but it’d due. The twin beams struck Megaguirus’s forehead, covering it in a small shower of sparks and smoke. The dragonfly shrieked, ripping her tail free. Her wings flapped, carrying her up.

Leo whined softly. His head moved, looking at his trapped parent. He tried moving his wings, but he didn’t have the strength to get into the air. Megaguirus drained him of too much. Weakly, he began to move forward.

Mothra chirped again, her blue eyes flashing a golden light. She spotted the insect zooming in fast. Her head lifted and twin streams of energy shot forth, striking Megaguirus’s wings. They were quickly engulfed in fire. The prehistoric predator flew upward, spiraling out of control before vanishing on the opposite side of the surrounding mountains. Gathering her strength, Mothra whined in pain as she struggled against the thousands of tons of rock. The boulders shifted, but as they did, more fell upon her. Slowly, she began to crawl out of the landslide. Her body was ragged and half-crushed, leaving a gory trail of insect pulp behind. She began to crawl, fighting to stay alive as her innards spilled from her crushed thorax.

Mothra’s antennae touched those of her offspring. She didn’t have much power left. But what she did have, her son would need it if he were to survive and bring forth the next generation. Her mandibles released a cry as wisps of golden energy surged from her torn wings, through her body, and into her antennae.

“Mothra… she’s…” Lora looked on in awe, streams of tears running down her cheeks.
“She’s passing on her energy.” Moll finished her sentence, holding back tears.

They both knew what this meant. Leo’s body absorbed the energy his mother was transferring. Mothra’s body transferred all of her powers as fast as she could. Her wings and antennae fluttered slowly as golden particles lifted from her and fell upon her child. Leo’s eyes began to shine brighter. His colors began to shift. As Mothra’s colors dulled and her snow white fur grayed, his became a patchwork of beauty. His wings changed, the lightning-like patterns becoming a display of blues, greens, and other tropical colors.

Mothra’s head collapsed as the very last of her energy was bestowed upon Leo. Her wings remained still and all life faded from her blue eyes. Leo released a mournful cry, but he’d have to wait to memorialize his mother. Leo had become something new. A new form of Mothra unlike that of any other.

Moll and Lora gasped. Holding hands, they looked upon the revived moth with wide eyes. “He’s… he’s become Rainbow Mothra!”

Rainbow Mothra, the ultimate form a divine moth could reach. There had only been a handful of moths that had reached this state. It had been centuries since it had been needed.

Leo’s new wings pushed off the ground. He was quickly airborne. And as soon as he was, Megaguirus’s nightmarish cry pierced the air. The dragonfly flew in from above, her wings now burnt black. Her tail lowered and claws opened. Her tooth-lined jaws screamed with an insatiable hunger. Beams of energy lanced from the jewels on Rainbow Mothra’s forehead. The dragonfly buzzed around them, avoiding all three streams with ease.

As they rushed one another, Rainbow Mothra’s body flashed with energy. His body became but a blur. He moved faster than Megaguirus! She was taken off guard. Before she could react, Leo’s body collided with hers in a ram that exceeded Mach 15. Megaguirus’s body flew back from the impact, her left claw flying in the opposite direction along with numerous teeth that broke free of her skull. Her exoskeleton cracked like glass, spilling a vile fluid.

Leo began to circle overhead as Megaguirus fell. She screamed in a mixture of agony and rage. Her wings began to beat faster than the eye could see. Before she hit the jungle canopy, she flew away. Leo’s head tilted. His wings flapped and he took chase, firing beams from his forehead and lightning from his rainbow wings. The dragonfly cried in fury as she spun about. Her remaining claw opened wide. Leo closed in, aiming to ram her again. But her speed picked up. She dodged at the last nick of time. Her claw clamped around Leo’s wing and her stinger thrust up, tearing into the base of it. She began to siphon the moth’s power once more.

“Leo!” Lora shouted from the ground.

As if hearing her cries, the moth’s body shined brighter than the sun. Megaguirus’s claw suddenly clamped shut on nothing and her tail fell loose. The moth vanished in the light. Then, from the sudden flash, a swarm of smaller moths. Each one flew around Megaguirus like angry gnats. Her body was coated in explosions, showering her in fire and the energy she lusted for. The dragonfly fell, her claw and stinger swiping at anything she could hit. But each contact with the smaller insects merely caused more detonations across her exoskeleton.

She hit the ground like a rock and a tremendous cloud of dust and broken trees catapulted into the sky. Her screams of agony rang loud as she fluttered on the floor. The swarm of tiny moths seemingly vanished just as she made impact. But the damage was done. Numerous breaks in her exoskeleton spat green and yellow ooze. The dragonfly had to leave. She flipped herself over, leaving several pieces of purple exoskeleton clinging to the ground…

Her wings beat softly and her body lifted off the bloody grass. She got but a few meters high before something caught her senses. Megaguirus’s crimson eyes looked up. Above her, Rainbow Mothra had reformed and a brilliant light was channeling from his wings and into the mid-section of his body. Megaguirus’s wings began to move slower. Her jaw fell limp, hanging from her mouth as all of her limbs dangled. It was if she was in a trance. Rainbow Mothra continued gathering his energy. The dragonfly was being drawn to the gathering of power like a moth to the flame.

She closed the distance slowly but surely.

She reached out with her claw. It opened wide as if she could grab and take the tremendous power.

Rainbow Mothra chirped. The tremendous energy he had been summoning flashed. The air warped and for a brief second, Megaguirus’s senses returned. Her eyes widened and she screamed in horror. A tremendous boom followed as she was hit point blank by the biggest, most powerful Mineral Chest Beam the moth could muster. The beam was so wide that it swallowed Megaguirus’s form entirely. Her entire body was shot down like a canon. The very energy she desired tore her apart in seconds. Her exoskeleton was vaporized, followed by her muscles and organs. Her deafened screams ceased.

Leo looked down. There was nothing left. The area where she hit was a burning crater. There was no signs of life. Megaguirus was sent back to extinction…

Rainbow Mothra chirped. He flew over his fallen mother. He cried softly as energy trailed behind him. A golden light fell upon Mothra. As the light shined down upon her, Mothra’s body began to sink into the soil. A proper burial for the fallen moth…

Winner: Mothra Leo