Author: Joshua Strittmatter | Banner: Connor Clennell

Scotland
9:00 A.M.

The restaurant was brimming with life once more. The sun’s morning rays shone through the windows to warm the interior of the charmingly quaint building, bathing all those who had come here to dine in its heat. A most mouth-watering aroma drifted in the atmosphere as the cooks and chefs did their work, adding to the pleasantry of the old restaurant. Breakfast was being served, and stomachs who hadn’t yet been sated were rumbling more than ever just by the mere scent of what they were inevitably about to gorge on. Those who had just begun their meal were seemingly all but satisfied just by a mere small bite of the meals they had ordered; such was the incredible taste.

Even those who were dead set on completing their personal goals could hardly wait to at least take a moment to gorge on their oncoming breakfast. Sitting just next to the window that offered the best view of the outside world, a man known as Shin Hayata took a moment to smile merrily as he finished telling one of the waiters what he would like for breakfast today, the waiter then asking him what he would wish to drink.

“Just water is fine, thank you,” he politely replied with a slight bow of his head, moments before the waiter walked away.

Shin turned back to the window, staring out at the revered Loch Ness for which this land was so famous. Such beauty. Such shimmering, ancient, incomparable beauty stretching out for miles and miles; an aquatic gem surrounded in of itself by a beauty of a different kind. Trees, grass and mountains that towered in the distance, a serenity that was older than the human race itself. What a heavenly place to call home.

And yet, despite its beauty, the famous Loch was the very reason why he was here. There was an important mission he had to attend to, a task needing to be done. That beautiful body of water had recently been subject to an abundance of mysterious sightings over the past two months; tourists and citizens alike, from single to in large groups, have reported seeing something moving about in the Loch. Something gigantic, something alive. Many believed that what they saw was none other than the fabled Loch Ness Monster, or “Nessie,” the elusive cryptid said to have inhabited this Loch for hundreds upon thousands of years. Such a legendary entity had already been responsible for quite the rise in tourism for decades; but this time there was a hitch, one that caught the attention of much… … …higher figures in the world, such as himself.

Some individuals who had seen the strange entity strongly claimed that the beast responsible for all the sightings was not the fabled cryptid, but something else. Something bigger.

And such claims were gradually mounting by the day.

It was this news that had seized the attention of the Science Special Search-Party, or The Science Patrol for short. For such news pointed one big finger at a very plausible answer to all these claims: a new kaiju. Yet another goliath that had crawled out of the woodwork, one capable of causing great destruction and casualties should it be provoked or tampered with by the wrong hands. Should such circumstances come to fruition as feared, then it would have to be stopped. One way or another.

Shin Hayata lightly shook his head. It would depend entirely on what the kaiju was and where it came from that determined how it should be stopped. From the beginning it had dawned on Shin that not every kaiju was evil or even malevolent in nature; hell, he didn’t yet even know the identity of this newfound entity yet. For example, if the creature that was being spotted by the civilians was indeed the actual Loch Ness Monster, then that means it had been living here peacefully for eons, all but undisturbed by human activity. It would be both a great tragedy and an unnecessary act of violence to destroy such an animal. If the creature turned out to be not quite as much a menace as initially thought, then Shin was certain that a peaceful solution would be found to the problem.

Shin looked about through the restaurant, taking a moment to gaze upon the flourishing civilians around him, all of them entirely oblivious to the potential of a much bigger problem at hand than just a mere boom in mysterious cryptid sightings. Deep down Shin hoped that most of the rumors were true, that what people were seeing really was just another rare phenomenon of nature and not some monstrous aberration beyond mankind’s understanding. These people didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of a looming conflict they didn’t even know existed—if there was even one to begin with.

As Shin looked up, he noticed the television just up ahead, and the news bulletin of the day. He couldn’t quite hear what the reporters were saying, but it was not their words that caught his interest; it was the subject of the bulletin itself. A fresh video had been captured by a fisherman out in the middle of the Loch, another sighting of the supposed “monster” that had been swimming through the waters. The footage was the most recent yet, shot barely an hour ago. His eyes narrowing slightly, Shin Hayata watched with great interest as the video footage began.

The moment the video started, there was already something on-frame. Like many alleged “sightings” of the Loch Ness Monster, the footage showed a lump of skin protruding from the water’s surface, the rest of the animal unseen. As Shin Hayata looked closer, he noticed that the hump was far thinner than most photos and videos of “Nessie”—too thin to be a back. Perhaps it was part of a tail? And the footage was shot very far away from the entity, and yet it still looked big on the screen. For it to appear that big from being shot at a distance, it must be huge!

Furthermore, he noticed another major difference: even from being shot far away, the video footage was clear as day when distinguishing the entity’s skin. It was not smooth like most sightings, but rough and rugged in texture, and from the looks of it a muddy brown color. Almost like tree bark.

Shin continued to stare at the footage. Was this all the video had to offer—?

Before he could finish his train of thought, he suddenly widened his eyes in shock when the appendage lifted high out of the water, revealing its true gigantic size. Shin nearly gasped at the sight. It WAS a tail! And then, almost as quickly as it appeared, the ‘tail’ smashed back down into the water in a massive splash, disappearing into the depths of the water while sending large ripples and waves toward the boat of which the fisherman shot the video upon. A good thirty seconds passed before the footage finally ended, but Shin found such a tactic wise. You never know when such an occasion might repeat itself.

The man kept his eyes on the TV screen, watching as they proceeded to re-play the footage, at one point even in slow motion. Looking at that tail again, he couldn’t help but wonder. Part of him felt that tail looked familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before. Perhaps they weren’t dealing with something new? Maybe they were dealing with an opponent from the past, one that he would recognize once he saw it in full?

Suddenly, Shin turned his attention away from the television when the waiter returned with the glass of water he had ordered—and the breakfast he couldn’t wait to dine on.

“Here’s your drink,” the man stated as he set the glass down on the table, “and here’s your breakfast.”

Shin smiled politely once more. “I could smell it from here!”

As he thanked the waiter and set down to dine, Shin Hayata internally hoped that the rest of his beloved crew had gotten to the bottom of things—especially hoping that their interview with a local “Monster Professor” went well, all things considered. The man was dismissed by many as a typical crazy old loner who possessed an obsession with dinosaurs, and probably wasn’t wouldn’t be too happy with the idea of visitors when his reputation in the public’s eye was as such. And even if he was nowhere near as crazy as the public assumed him to be, it would be most unpleasant if his soon-to-be visitors came off as rude and were shut out before a discussion could even begin.

Shin shook the thought off. He knew his crewmates better than anyone; they would make no such mistakes. And like him, they knew that they couldn’t afford to. For out of every viable source of information in the vicinity, the professor was the best lead they had.

*****

Professor Nikaido retracted his hand out of the exhibit once the frilled lizard snatched the beetle out of his tweezers, gobbling down the chunky arthropod in a series of quick gulps. Small crunches echoed in the quiet room as the small reptile fed, some of the insect’s legs falling off as the lizard finished its meal.

“Well, someone was hungry!” the professor said with a smile. “Alright now, Jirass. Off you go.” After briefly setting down to gobble up the shredded remnants of his food, ‘Jirass’ crawled back to a more preferable spot of his glass exhibit to perch. Satisfied that the animal had fed, Nikaido closed the doors and stepped away.

“One more to go,” he mused as he moved to the final exhibit in his collection, the largest of them. Within the glass habitat, sitting comfortably at the edge of a sizable pool of cool water, a Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman stared seemingly into space with its piercing orange eyes. Placing the now empty canister of what once held insects beside him, Nikaido grabbed a larger bucket filled with fish and made his way to the reptile’s exhibit. Carefully opening the main door, he stood at a moderate distance from the archosaur that suddenly began to move, aware of his presence.

Turning about quickly to face the man’s direction, the caiman opened his jaws ever so slightly. The professor smiled. The reptile knew he was about to be fed. The professor took a brief moment to look at the caiman’s red eyes, making sure not to stare for too long before looking away. Looking into the eyes of a predatory reptile was said to be a truly bone-chilling experience. But Nikaido experienced no such fear; the eyes did not say everything for him. He could tell just from its behavior that the animal before him was no mindless cretin. Even now, he watched as the caiman raised his head up off the ground, clearly excited at the man’s presence. He knew what was coming. He remembered.

“Here’s breakfast,” the professor said as he grabbed a sizable fish from the bucket and tossed it lightly at the caiman. The crocodilian reacted in the blink of an eye, gaping and snapping those toothed jaws shut on the deceased fish before proceeding to swallow it in a few quick throws of his head. Beaming in endless fascination with the little archosaur, Nikaido grabbed another fish and tossed it to the caiman and got the same results. Again and again, like the professional he was, the professor carefully tossed each and every fish to the four-foot crocodilian, who devoured each and every one with relish. Only after the caiman snapped up the last remaining fish did the scientist finally retreat back into the door and close it behind him with a sigh of satisfaction.

All of his reptiles had been fed.

As he exited back into the hallway, he heard the familiar ring of the doorbell, stopping him in his tracks.

*****

A minute earlier

“This is it,” murmured Akiko Fuji as she stepped out of the Special Search-Party Private Car, softly shutting the door behind her while her other crewmates followed suit. Beside her, ‘Captain’ Toshio Muramatsu nodded in confirmation as he got out of the car; sharpshooter Daisuke Arashi and technician Mitsuhiro Ide following his lead.

“God, I hope this works,” Akiko said nervously as they began their march toward the large mansion.

“No kidding,” replied Ide, “the last thing we need right now is him taking us for a bunch of idiotic imps. Who knows how many pranks he’s gotten these days?”

“Easy,” Muramatsu spoke up as they got close to the door, “we’re just here to ask a few questions, and get his permission to do an investigation of the Loch in this general area.”

At this, Arashi raised an eyebrow. “Why?” he asked. “While I get he owns this property, he doesn’t own the Loch itself. Why ask his permission to look over a place he doesn’t own?”

“Because if he’s hiding something, he may be more than likely to refuse our offer. And that will give us all the red flags we’re looking for.”

“Hopefully it never even comes to that,” Akiko expressed.

“None of us hope that,” Muramatsu replied, “even if he is hiding something.”

With that, the Science Patrol leader pressed the doorbell, and waited. Akiko calmly took a few breaths to steady her growing anxiety that something might go ill, while Ide fidgeted with his hands to pass the time. Muramatsu simply stood facing the door, patiently waiting for their host to respond. The suspense had barely lasted ten seconds and already it was getting to a few of them, but still everyone kept their composure and kept waiting.

Ide tilted his head in thought. “I wonder if he’s not home…”

Suddenly, a creak began to resound from behind the door, shortly before it swung open to reveal a middle-aged man with dark hair and a trench white coat. Akiko did her best to hide her surprise while Ide let out a short half-gasp, not even trying to begin with.

“Can I help you?” the man asked.

“Professor Nikaido?” Muramatsu asked.

“That’s right,” the scientist replied, causing the captain to extend his hand in greeting.

“Captain Toshio Muramatsu, Science Special Search-Party,” he civilly responded as the scientist took his hand and they shook. “This is the rest of my crew.” Akiko and Arashi nodded respectfully—the latter then lightly elbowed Ide behind him, who was fiddling with a nearby plant. Immediately, the technician noticed himself and turned back to the professor, bowing politely. The scientist nodded back, forgiving him instantly.

“We’re here to investigate a recent surge in anomalies regarding the sightings in the Loch, and we were wondering if we could spare you a short while of our time to ask you a few questions?” Muramatsu asked. “I promise you this is no prank or practical joke. We take these kinds of topics very seriously.”

Nikaido did not reply for a moment, seemingly considering his options. Part of Muramatsu didn’t blame him, regardless of whether or not he knew something they didn’t. Akiko, meanwhile, was mentally praying that the scientist would eventually relent, no matter how long it took for him to give them an answer. She just wanted things to go smoothly and by the numbers, nothing more. Get some answers, find out what this new anomaly was, find it and decide what to do with it. Standard routine with as few complications as possible. There was no need for things to be made harder than they needed to be.

“… … …well, I guess I could spare a few minutes.”

Akiko fought with every fiber in her body not to breathe a sigh of gratitude as she heard Nikaido’s answer, while Muramatsu nodded once more. “Thank you,” he said. “Apologies if we disturbed any of your work.”

“All is forgiven,” Nikaido replied with a kind smile as he opened the door to let them in. “I just can’t be too careful. For a minute I feared I was being invaded by Monarch.”

“What would Monarch even want to do with you? Or this place for that matter?” Ide asked as he stepped into the main living room.

The professor eyed him carefully. “You’re not the only organization who’ve turned their eyes toward this land recently.”

The rest of the crew looked about the interior of the mansion as they walked in, gazing in awe at the cleanliness and the many decorations layered about in a most sophisticated manner. Shelves of seemingly countless books on biology and paleontology, numerous fossils and some reptile and bird skeletons, and even a complete Velociraptor skeleton in one of the corners nearby an impressive couch. Akiko was somewhat surprised. Some of these decorations she had anticipated, but she had also expected the mansion to be a lot dirtier, a lot more primordial in appearance than the pleasant cleanliness they saw.

It was indeed quite impressive.

“Here, have a seat,” Nakaido offered as he extended a hand toward the couch.

“Thank you,” Akiko said with a slight head bow.

One by one, the group gathered around at the couch, where they sat down in preparation for their “interview.” The so-called ‘dinosaur professor’ sat upon the armchair across from them, understandably putting some safe distance between himself and the Science Patrol. Akiko felt somewhat sorry for him; he didn’t seem to feel very safe in these circumstances. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what hell the locals must give him on a regular basis, what with such nicknames as ‘monster professor’ and whatnot. And now these strange new people in orange jumpsuits showed up at his doorstep out of nowhere, from his point of view? She didn’t blame him for feeling so jumpy.

Akiko sighed as Muramatsu began to ask the first question, hoping that they could make it through the day without offending the professor. Hoping that they could get through this routine without things going out of hand, or Ide going out of line to ask some stupid question such as… … …

*****

“A real-life dinosaur?” the professor repeated the question with a confused expression.

Akiko, Arashi, and Muramatsu shot Ide a trio of wide-eyed expressions. The technician looked to them, noticing their urgent stares but failing to understand why they were looking at him that way. Akiko mentally facepalmed herself. He just had to do it, didn’t he?! He could’ve sat tight and let Muramatsu do the talking and ask the questions in a more thought-out and sophisticated manner, one that didn’t make them look like they were taking the professor for some kind of fool in his eyes. But no! He just had to screw it up, didn’t he?!

But to their surprise, the professor’s reaction was not one of scorned offense. Instead, the man began to laugh. Not some cackling ‘mad-scientist’ laugh, but a much heartier, genuine chortle. Almost as if he had been asked the question by a young child.

Akiko mentally scoffed at the thought. For all she could tell, Ide was a child.

“My dear boy,” the scientist began as he stood up to trudge over to the nearest window, “I am aware of the ‘dinosaur professor’ nickname the locals call me by, though I couldn’t care less. I do believe there is something swimming out there in that Loch. And I do call myself a dinosaur expert.” He paused for just a brief second, before continuing.

“But I think you’ve been drinking a little too much of the Kool-Aid when you assume I’ve seen a real-life dinosaur.” He chuckled again. “The only dinosaurs I’ve seen are the crows that visit my yard.”

Muramatsu shook his head, taking a moment to shoot a stern scowl at Ide before turning his attention back to the professor. “Forgive my colleague, he doesn’t always think before speaking. But we’re not making a fool of you in any way.” The professor turned his gaze away from the window, back to the captain. “We just want to know if you’re aware of something unconventional inhabiting the Loch. At least… … …more than the other locals, anyways.” He paused for a second before stating, “We believe it might even be a new kaiju.”

“Not to be rude by any means, but why is it that you assumed I would be?” Nikaido responded.

“Given your passion with dinosaurs, I would assume with the knowledge that a possible prehistoric lifeform is swimming about in your own backyard you would be doubling down on finding and studying such an animal,” Muramatsu replied. “It would be your field. Your area of expertise.”

Nikaido shook his head. “Hmmm. I know nothing more about whatever that entity is than you lot,” he assured. “And I’ve seen nothing more than what you see on the news.” He moved to the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“I don’t mean to leave you devoid of any meaningful answers, but I’m afraid I cannot help you.”

Muramatsu nodded in understanding. “I see,” he muttered. “Well, nonetheless, thank you very much for your time,” he stated as he calmly stood up, his crewmates following suit. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to do an investigation of the Loch in this general area, due to most of the sightings being close to here. I promise we won’t interfere with any of your nightly activities or studies.”

Nikaido shrugged. “I don’t own the Loch, so you do as you please.”

Arashi nodded. “Once again, we thank you for your time.”

Before they could turn to walk away, however, the professor spoke again.

“One last word. A question of my own, if you will.” Muramatsu stared expectantly at him, waiting for whatever it was he wanted to know.

“Should you succeed in finding this creature, whatever it is, what do you plan on doing with it?”

“Given how little we presently know about it,” Arashi responded, “we don’t fully know yet. That’s what we’re here to find out.”

“As far as we can say as of this moment, it depends solely on what the culprit is in the first place,” said Muramatsu. “And… … …how much of a threat it poses to the populace.”

“I’m certain it poses no such trouble,” Nikaido said. “If it did, we would’ve likely had attacks by now.”

“We hope that’s true,” Muramatsu replied. “Well, take care, professor.”

The scientist nodded. “As do you. Be careful out there.”

Nikaido kept his calm composure as he watched them leave, waiting until the door was closed before he sighed. He didn’t know what to make of these “Science Patrol” individuals, as they called themselves. They were far more well-mannered than he initially expected they would be, which was a nice change of pace; even if this Ide character was a little wet behind the ears. But, regardless, he didn’t have a very good feeling about what would come to pass should they—or any other big organization for that matter—find what he knew was indeed inhabiting the beautiful Loch that he lived so close to. He sighed once more, putting a hand on his head.

He had lied to them… … …but, as he saw it, for the right reasons. He didn’t know enough about these people; he wasn’t yet ready for them to know what he knew. Pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee, he took a refreshing drink as he continued to stare at the Loch.

He was grateful that the Science Patrol Car had long driven out of sight, as he saw a familiar row of spines briefly break the water’s surface in the distance before slinking back out of sight.

*****

Shin Hayata sighed contently as he took his leave, his hunger sated for the time being. The breakfast was beyond delightful, but now dining time was over. It was time to get back to business. Finally ready to carry out the day’s duty, he stepped back out into the chilly morning air. The town lay before him once more, and he began to walk down the road. He looked about, trying to find a suitable area where he could cut off from the public’s eye view for a moment; he had a call to make. It took a couple minutes, but eventually he did find a sizable ditch that he managed to make a go for. Once he was deep enough inward, Shin Hayata stood against the wall as he pulled out his phone, dialing the number he needed.

He only had to wait six seconds before an electrical sizzle echoed from the phone as his friends’ voices crackled to life.

“Hayata,” Muramatsu acknowledged.

“Captain,” Shin replied, “how’d it go?”

“Well, he claims to know more or less than the locals.”

“So, I take it he wasn’t a viable source of information?” Shin asked.

“He was kind enough to be okay with us doing an investigation of Loch Ness outside his property,” Muramatsu affirmed, “though that doesn’t mean we have no reason to be suspicious.”

Shin raised his eyebrows. “How so?”

“Before we left, he asked us what we planned to do with such a creature should we find it. He sounded quite specific about it.”

“Like he’s…protecting something?” Shin wondered.

“Possibly,” The captain replied.

“So, what did you tell him?”

“The truth. That as of right now, our end goal is to find the exact identity of the entity and whether or not it poses any danger to the population.”

Shin nodded slightly, processing all of this. “So, what’s our next move?”

“I think we’ve talked to enough locals at this point,” Muramatsu responded. “We’ll meet back up with you in half an hour. We’ll be preparing S-Sub 21 for deployment.”

Shin Hayata nodded. “Understood. I’ll see you in a few,” he confirmed before hanging up.

*****

Loch Ness
10:44 A.M.

The Jet VTOL S111, the main aerial transportation vessel of the Science Patrol, streaked through the air as it soared over the famous Loch Ness, leaving a trail of cerulean flames behind it. The jet had all but finished its initial scouting mission, its pilots having fully mapped out the terrain below them as they began to fly in a little lower, closer to the water itself. Beneath the jet, clasped to the bottom of its hull like an infant primate to its mother, was a nine-meter-long submarine adorned with the same signature silver and red colors as the airplane which carried it.

“S-Submarine 21, Arashi, come in,” Shin Hayata spoke through the communications line within the Jet. “We’re preparing to release.”

Within the sub, Arashi grabbed onto his headset as he made contact with his companion. “Everything’s up to speed. I’m good to go!”

“Roger that,” Shin responded before turning to Ide, “start vertical descent.” The technician nodded, and as he changed the vessel’s trajectory the jet flew lower and lower until it was just mere meters above the surface of the water. Once they were close enough, Ide judged the timing to be fit and pulled the middle of three levers. Like a torpedo, the S-Submarine 21 ejected from the bottom of the plane and plunged into the water like a bullet through butter, vanishing into the Loch with a large splash.

“And here we go,” Arashi muttered as the sub began its descent to the depths.

“Be careful, and good luck down there,” Ide said.

Beneath the surface, the Submarine glided silently through the aquatic kingdom like a giant inanimate alligator, sonar activated and systems on full alert. The vessel had performed this routine many times over in the past; it was built for this exact task. As a result, it took less than two minutes before it began to near the bottom of the Loch, the sight of rugged cliff-like rock faces beginning to enter visibility.

“This is Arashi, S-Sub 21. Muramatsu, Akiko, do you read me?” The sharpshooter asked. “I’ve reached the bottom and am beginning my survey.”

“Got it,” Akiko’s voice crackled through his headset, “we’re prepped for the sonar scan. We’ll let you know if we detect any biological signals of significant size.”

“Loud and clear,” Arashi responded as he pressed a red button, “I’m starting now. I’ll turn on the light just to add extra visibility.”

“In the meantime, let’s switch to the camera,” Muramatsu’s voice came through. “Add some extra visibility.”

A beam of light flashing on the front of its port, the sub continued to slowly pierce through the watery void, alert for any sign of movement larger than the average eel or catfish. The beam slowly panned over the underwater kingdom of jagged rock, illuminating schools of fish that seemed to fly through the water like birds through the air. Arashi’s eyes swept over each and every one of them like a bald eagle watching salmon, pinpointing every corner and every crevice and deducing each one as nothing more than another part of the ecosystem.

Nothing other scientists hadn’t seen before.

Nonetheless, Arashi held onto the control levers of the sub as he continued to pilot the sub through the murky depths, minutes creeping by without notice. The Loch was still wide and spacious; there was plenty more ground to cover. And besides—he enjoyed this immensely. Loch Ness was a place he had longed to visit for a very long time, ever since he was a boy. Despite how dark and eerie it was down here, he would not deny that, like on land, underwater the Loch was beautiful.

He could easily see a creature making a home down here.

“Is anybody getting anything I’m not seeing?” He asked as he continued to steer the light through the deep.

“Nothing but the fish you’re seeing,” Akiko’s voice responded back.

“Don’t lose hope now, Arashi. We’ve only just started the search,” Shin Hayata spoke up.

“Who said anything about giving up?” Arashi chuckled.

“Anyhow, just keep your eyes open. We’ll let you know if we pick up on anything larger than a whale,” said Muramatsu.

“Heh, even after the investigation ends, I could do this all day.”

“Much as I appreciate the enthusiasm, we should stick with the regular routine,” replied Muramatsu.

“Understood, Cap,” the sharpshooter responded with a slight grin. “Continuing the search…”

*****

11:40 A.M.

Ide had been quietly tapping his foot with impatience ever since the search began, but even that was beginning to reach its limit. To suffice for this, he was now beginning to pace back and forth along the shorelines of the Loch, every now and then stealing a glance at the rippling waters that had for so long been said to harbor a creature of legend since before his grandparents were born. The Jet VTOL had landed on the edge of the Loch, its aerial survey having ended a while ago, and its pilots now stood by waiting on the shoreline waiting for something, anything to happen.

“It’s been almost an hour,” Shin Hayata conveyed as he looked at his watch. “So far, we’ve seen or heard nothing.”

“He’s right, Captain,” Arashi’s voice crackled through, “I’ve been looking over every corner and crevice, and I haven’t seen a thing other than fish.”

Shin shook his head somewhat in defeat, hoping they would’ve seen at least something today. Putting his hands back to his head gear, he communicated back with their leader. “Should we call it a day?”

“With all due respect, Captain, we don’t have to,” said Arashi. “I can do this for another hour if need be.”

For a bit, communications were silent. Ide was starting to grow even more impatient as he paced ever more frequently, so much so that Hayata had to break off his calm demeanor and place a hand firmly on his shoulder to stop him. Only seconds after the technician regained his own calmer posture did a response manage to come through.

“I’ll give you exactly another hour,” was Muramatsu’s answer, eliciting a brief sight from Ide. “Shin, Ide?” he then directed his voice directly to the bystanders.

“Sir?” Ide awaited.

“I want you two to run another aerial survey around the Loch. Check one more time to see if you can see or find anything we didn’t before. Maybe see if something happened while you were on the ground.”

“Will do, sir,” Shin answered, before turning to Ide. “Come on.”

“You better get on it quick!” Akiko’s voice suddenly echoed through their ears, “Arashi, where exactly are you?”

“From what it looks like, I’m a little over half a mile away from the old professor’s mansion. Why?” the sharpshooter asked.

“I’m currently picking up a signal of some kind not too far away from you. I can’t tell whether or not it’s organic!” Akiko answered.

Shin and Ide stole a quick, wide-eyed glance at one another before scrambling back toward the jet as quickly as they could. Hayata almost ripped the door right off its post as he dashed inside, back toward the cockpit with Ide following closely back behind him, closing the door on his way in. It took mere seconds for the two pilots to seat themselves and start up the jet once more, preparing to take back to the air.

“You think it’s still underwater, or you think we’re gonna see it surface first?” Ide asked as he began to take control of the cockpit.

“I have a hunch,” Shin replied as he fastened himself in his seatbelt. “I just don’t know whether to hope I’m right or wrong.”

*****

“Should I move closer to the source?” Arashi’s voice crackled through the line.

“Negative, stay where you are!” Muramatsu responded, “wait until Shin and Ide are over your position.”

“But sir, what if the signal is the creature? And what if it’s right in front of me?”

Hearing this, Shin Hayata took his turn to speak. “Then it might turn its attention toward you, and we don’t know of its strength. Remember, there’s a considerable chance this is no mere animal we’re dealing with here.”

“I agree. That sub isn’t designed to withstand direct attack from a kaiju. And even if it wasn’t wholly destroyed,” Ide added, “the temperature and depth of the water would kill you before you even had time to swim to the surface.”

“Alright,” Arashi replied back, the tone of his voice seeming to indicate he was considering his options. “Ide, Shin, how far are you two from the signal’s position?”

“They’re not too far,” Akiko responded, “they should be arriving at its very soon, now.”

“Scratch ‘soon.’”

Ide looked to Shin, confused.

“Excuse me?”

Shin motioned out the window. “We just found the source.”

Ide, being careful as to not keep his eyes off the controls for too long, took a brief moment to let his gaze follow that of his comrade, looking out his side of the window to try and find what it was that had caught Shin’s attention. What he saw would, in normal circumstances, be considered far underwhelming taking into account what they were looking for. But, to the two Science Patrol pilots, this was nothing to pass up. This was a big red flag.

Below them, floating exactly in the middle of the Loch, was a single large buoy, blaring up a storm with its unpleasant siren.

“A signal beacon?” Ide gasped.

Shin turned back to him. “And not one of ours.” He turned away, quick to get back on the communications line. “Captain Muramatsu, Akiko? We found the source.”

“And…?”

“Someone put a signal beacon on a buoy since our last survey,” Shin answered his superior. “There’s someone else out here.”

“Wait, come again? You say there’s a signal beacon right above me?!” Arashi asked. “Why in the hell would—?”

The sharpshooter abruptly ceased talking, the realization setting in faster than the blink of an eye. His crewmates didn’t need to see him to know he had come to the same conclusion as them.

“Someone’s trying to lure it out into the open.”

For a moment, there was silence—but thankfully, said silence didn’t last very long.

“I’m gonna surface now.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Muramatsu replied. “Shin, Ide, land by the shoreline. Be prepared to pick Arashi up when he gets back to land.”

“And what if the alleged ‘beast’ takes the unexpected bait?” Ide asked, motioning to the ever-blaring signal buoy.

“Depends on what the creature is and how it reacts,” Muramatsu answered, “if it gets too close to the nearest town…Hayata… … …”

“Got it sir,” Shin replied, “I’ll know what to do.”

As they began to circle the jet around, trying to find a suitable area to land, they noticed a sizable patch of water beginning to bubble and froth, heralding the arrival of something large. Shin and Ide stared intently at it, wondering whether the perpetrator was their fellow sharpshooter or the alleged culprit they had come searching for. In equal parts thankfully and regretfully, it was revealed to be the former when the familiar red-and-silver hull of the S-Submarine 21 burst from the surf in a spray of cold water, crashing to float atop the surface like a bath toy.

“We see you,” Shin Hayata announced.

“You didn’t tell me it sounded this obnoxious!” Arashi yelled into their ears, referring to the ever-blaring signal beacon. “I’m all locked up inside the sub and I can still hear the damn thing!”

“Just bring the sub over to the shore!” Shin ordered. “If there is a creature in the Loch, it’s gonna come right for that beacon, and you’re currently in the line of fire!”

“Ha! Don’t have to tell me twice!” Arashi screeched as the sub began to move toward shallower waters.

But as the S-Submarine 21 began to move away, the results of the blaring beacon began to make themselves known; the horrible frequencies of sound had not gone unnoticed. Their consistent pattern had sparked a response.

Triggered a reaction.

The water beside the retreating submarine had begun to spume like a boiling pan, growing far larger in size than the vessel itself in seconds. But the phenomenon didn’t end there, for out of nowhere the water was also lit up by bizarre flashes of eerie lights from deep within. It were as if a thousand spotlights had suddenly begun flickering on and off nonstop underwater, all of them half-seconds apart. At first, the phenomenon in of itself held Shin and Ide’s shocked attention, and nothing more. But as seconds passed and the lights grew even brighter, they managed to pay closer attention to the unexplainable occurrence—and could’ve sworn that the lights illuminated a shape growing in visibility… … …

“Wait a minute…!”

All of a sudden, a beam of azure energy erupted from the water, blasting into the sky. Ide reacted quickly, steering the Jet VTOL away from the beam’s path which just barely managed to miss their right wing. And as the beam faded, something gigantic loomed out of the frothing mass of water.

“Captain, are you and Akiko seeing this?!” Shin yelled.

“We see it!” Akiko confirmed, panic lacing her voice. “We see—!”

But she didn’t even finish her sentence, for even the loudest and angriest order over the communications link would too have been cut off and drowned out into acoustic obscurity by the sound that abruptly tore into the air. An all-too familiar, almighty screeching roar that sent awesome shockwaves of auditory power echoing across the land for miles, revealing the infamous identity of its perpetrator to even the farthest listeners before they even so much as saw him, before he even finished fully revealing himself… … …

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKK!!!!

Whether being physically there in his presence, or witnessing his arrival from the camera feed, all five members of the Science Patrol watched as a creature far beyond anything they thought they would ever deal with rose to his full powerful height from the cold depths of the Loch. A saurian goliath clad in radiation-scarred scales, and three rows of legendary plates running down his back like spires of bone. Glistening fangs like a snake dripped with falling water, a pair of dragon-like ears perked sideways while two bloodshot and obviously very cranky eyes scanned the environment around him with a bitterness comparable to someone waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

Then the creature reared back his reptilian skull to bellow a second time, and that’s when Mitsuhiro Ide broke the silence among his comrades.

“IT’S GODZILLA!”

*****

Nakaido’s mansion

The professor brought a hand to his chin in thought as he continued to write all of his most recent findings into his journal. An entire wealth of knowledge and theorizing that even the greatest scientific communities yearned to study, information that some would even kill to obtain, data that would be the study of the century for scientists worldwide, all casually being jotted down in a small bundle of pages of paper at his very fingertips like another day’s work.

Nikaido smiled.

Maybe someday, when he judged the world fit to finally know what he knew; when he knew that if the public discovered the existence of the subject of his studies, he would reveal his findings and knowledge to the world. Though he would have to be careful—there was a reason why he feared Monarch showing up on his doorstep. Much as he admired Monarch and their methods of studying colossal lifeforms rather than seek to destroy them, he was fully aware that nobody was perfect—and Monarch was no exception. He was not bent on being evicted from his home or having all of his research and equipment taken from him so that they could study the entity in his place.

So for now, he stayed in the shadows, off the radar. This creature was his to research, and his alone.

Nikaido continued to add more theories of his to his journal as he watched the News report of the ‘massive tail video’ play over on the television. Perhaps the creature was acting on the rise in fish population in the Loch this season? It could explain how so many of the sightings were by the eyes of fishermen out catching fish on the water’s surface; perhaps in the absence of nuclear energy, the leviathan fed on fish when the season was ripe? Given both his hypothesized intermediary relation to both land-living dinosaurs and sea-going archosaurs, and his physiology—especially his teeth—it would not be far-fetched by any means to theorize an at least piscivorous, or even fully carnivorous diet… … …

Nikaido scratched his chin as he finished one page, then flipped to another. The professor had many theories for certain aspects of the creature’s behavior; but why he had not attacked any human structures or vessels, a great deal unlike his predecessor, he could not say.

Particularly due to a certain trait of his physical appearance—

He was completely taken from his thoughts, however, when he saw a familiar outline in the corner of his eye. Nikaido looked up—and gasped when he saw that the news report had changed immediately. No longer were past events being discussed; now, urgent voices filled the television as a Live feed of an event that was transpiring as he drew breath this very minute, was being shown to a soon-to-be-panicking world. Live footage of a dinosaurian juggernaut that had just emerged from the cold depths of the Loch, and was now beginning to head in the direction of civilization… … …

*****

Loch Ness

The trees blew and the mountains shook as Godzilla raised his hands into the air and roared in fury, clearly not in a good mood. His mighty tail reared out of the water like a serpent before splashing back down, destroying the signal buoy and sending a powerful shockwave of water that nearly knocked the distant S-Submarine 21 off-balance. The King of the Monsters crossed his muzzle into a snarl as he gazed into the distance, his bitter eyes spotting a distant neighborhood of houses and crop fields. The very moment he saw them, Godzilla immediately felt compelled to go at them. To take his anger out on them… … …

… … …and yet… … …he didn’t know why.

He didn’t know what was making him so angry that he felt such an urge to vent it out on the first thing he saw. But, for whatever reason he couldn’t fathom, the anger was an irresistibly boiling ring in his skull that never seemed to go away, only egged him on to release all that rage contained within. Godzilla howled his malevolent cry to the world as he turned about and lumbered ashore, shaking the earth’s crust with his mighty footfalls as he began to follow the path of the road, heading in the direction of the nearest neighborhood.

*****

“Son of a bitch!” Arashi cursed as he clambered out of the submarine. “I had a gut feeling that the professor was hiding a monster in these waters.”

“Yeah, but…” Shin Hayata nearly stammered as he watched the scene with dread, “… … …I had no clue that monster was gonna be Godzilla!”

“At this point, it doesn’t matter,” Arashi replied. “Right now, I think it’s obvious what our top priority is.” He hefted the SPIDER, a silver submachine gun-like rifle, and fired. A bluish-white ray of energy lanced from its barrel to strike Godzilla in the back of his head, eliciting a small explosion… … …and the King of the Monsters didn’t seem to notice. He just kept lumbering on, leaving a trail of destruction in his path.

“Shit! It didn’t even faze him!” Arashi swore before firing again. This time, he fired a continuous beam into Godzilla’s shoulder, eliciting several sparks and explosions of smoke that curled off the saurian’s still-unscathed hide. But, after a full minute of firing, the beam shrank away until it ceased to be.

“And it’s out of energy.”

Shin turned to Ide. “Get back in the jet. I need you to get me over to that little island over there,” he demanded, pointing to a small patch of land a few hundred meters ahead of them.

“Why? You want to shoot from a place that makes you feel safe?” the technician asked.

“No,” Shin answered as he pulled out a small capsule, causing both Ide and Arashi to widen their eyes in understanding.

“Oh… … …I see now.”

*****

Godzilla taking one wrong step was all it took for his foot to crash through the pavement, and the Monster King half slid into the side of the Loch with a loud screech. As the water splashed into the air from the impact, the nuclear giant threw an immediate fit. Screaming in rage, Godzilla whirled around and tore into the hill nearest to him with his bare hands. Ripping his claws through dirt and earth, he demolished the small mountain in a massive spray of brown dust like an angry child having a bad day, causing a huge avalanche of dirt and destroyed grass to tumble into the water behind him before he turned back to lumbering along the road.

The irradiated reptile, despite his heavy gait, was gaining on his current objective quickly, and the first screams of panic began to echo down the countryside as his towering shape grew ever closer. His thrumming footfalls echoed like firebombs, his roar reverberating across the isle louder than a harrier jet in flight.

Loud cracks resounded as the first small households fell victim to the saurian’s wrath. The small constructs crumpled like wet paper under Godzilla’s taloned feet, sending wood fragments and debris flying. The King of the Monsters screeched his iconic bellow as he waded deeper, crushing more houses and vehicles underfoot. When his cantankerous eyes saw the town starting to get larger, he reared back with a growl as his dorsal spines lit up with an all-too recognizable glow.

Lunging forth, a beam of pure atomic radiation spat forth from his jaws to strike the edge of the docks, and it and the entire assortment of buildings around it erupted in a powerful explosion. A large fireball blossomed into the air with an ear-cracking BOOM! as Godzilla roared to the heavens yet again. Unsatisfied, Godzilla’s spines lit up as he looked to the other side of the Loch, seeing yet another assortment of houses and roads and fired his atomic ray again.

As the flames erupted and the explosions rattled the countryside, the atomic monster spotted yet another human wearing snow-white clothing watching him from atop the hills. Normally, Godzilla would ignore such a minor presence; but for reasons he had no idea why, he was constantly in such a foul mood that he felt compelled to make an instant target of the miniscule creature.

Godzilla roared as he took a step in the man’s direction.

*****

Shin Hayata ran into the forest that adorned the small “island,” stopping only when he knew he had reached exactly where he needed to be. As he reached near the edge of the tree line, he looked through the gaps to see his target. Even with the trees and ferns partially obscuring his view he could still see the radioactive giant, but as he looked on he noticed something else.

Godzilla looked to be homing in on something. Or someone… … …

“Hayata-san, this is Arashi!” the sharpshooter’s panicked voice came through the small device on Shin’s jumpsuit. “The old professor is in the line of fire! Godzilla’s going right toward him!”

“I think you need to act now!” Ide added.

“Copy that!” Shin replied as he held up the Beta-Capsule. “Get the old man out of there while the Big Guy’s distracted.”

With that, he pressed the button, and his body was engulfed in swirling light. His humanoid shape rapidly began to grow in size, still covered by a glow that shone with the brilliance of the sun. A glow which grew ever more magnificent as the humanoid outline grew to nearly the size of Godzilla himself! When the light finally faded, Shin Hayata stood no more; in his place towered a red and silver giant with huge eyes shining with noble radiance. A brave warrior from beyond the stars who’s very appearance sparked slivers of hope in even the most despaired individuals.

Shin Hayata had transformed into the Warrior of Light, Ultraman!

*****

Even at a distance of a few hundred meters, Godzilla’s roar was loud enough to nearly knock Professor Nikaido off his feet. The scientist covered his ears as he recoiled from the auditory power of that roar, staring at the rampaging King of the Monsters in horror. He had no idea what had prompted the creature to suddenly start behaving this way. For two months, he seemed to just go about in the Loch nearly unseen, coexisting with the populace with apparently no problem.

And now, up and out of nowhere, he just started going crazy!

Nikaido held no hatred for Godzilla, even seeing what he was doing. Even seeing the destruction left in his wake, even hearing the terrified cries of those who fled his rage. Deep down, he could tell that something wasn’t right with the radioactive saurian. His behavior was completely different, inconsistent with how he had been acting beforehand. He had abruptly become belligerent and irritable; a far cry from the elusive animal that all but ignored any human presences as if they didn’t matter.

Perhaps something had triggered Godzilla to suddenly come to the surface, to change his behavior so drastically. Perhaps there was something else at work here. Something that he didn’t see… … …

As Godzilla’s dorsal plates flashed to life and he fired his atomic ray at the nearest structure he could find, a bright light suddenly flashed into existence on the distant, miniature island in the middle of the Loch. Godzilla was too caught up in his unusual rage to notice as the light continued to shine like a miniature star for a few seconds—and then it faded. And when it did, there stood a presence just as unmistakable as Godzilla. A powerful figure who held his fist in the air as he struck a battle pose.

It was Ultraman!

Godzilla suddenly turned his glistening eyes toward the professor, and the man froze. The Monster King boomed a screeching roar that blew against the grass like the strongest wind, and took a thunderous step forward. Dust kicked up from the huge footfalls as the angry behemoth lumbered in the direction of the scientist, and a new sense of terror enveloped the man as the Monster King began to close in on him.

Godzilla fired an atomic ray that struck a nearby hill, the force of the explosion knocking Nikaido off his feet as the saurian then raised a hand… … …

“SHUWATCH!”

As the famous war cry echoed across every square inch of Loch Ness, a human-like hand grabbed Godzilla by the wrist. Loosing a howl of anger, the nuclear dinosaur whipped about to face his sudden attacker.

Ultraman had leaped from the small island!

Godzilla lashed out with a hand, striking the hero against the side and forcing him to jump back a small distance. Nikaido gasped at the unexpected save, watching as Godzilla stomped the ground and bellowed at the Warrior of Light. Ultraman waved a hand as he stared the radiation-scarred reptile in the eye, taunting him. The ploy definitely seemed to be working, as Godzilla narrowed his eyes and uttered an almost cat-like growl.

As the two giants eyed each other, a roar of an inorganic sort assailed the professor’s ears as the grass around him began to blow about from powerful winds. He looked up behind him to see a strange jet plane bearing identical colors to Ultraman beginning to land before him. As the airborne vessel set down on the grassy hill, the side door opened to reveal a most surprising sight. A familiar face ran onto the stairs, motioning for the professor to come over.

It was one of those…’Science Patrol’ individuals, from earlier.

“GET ON!” Daisuke Arashi yelled over the roaring of the jet’s engines. For a brief moment, the professor hesitated. But when he heard yet another angry bellow from Godzilla, he made his choice. Running quickly, he clambered up the stairs as he made his way inside.

“Don’t make me regret this,” the sharpshooter grumbled as he shut the door.

*****

Godzilla treated the departing jet plane as if it didn’t even exist, instead keeping his temperamental attention on the alien superhero before him. Ultraman made sure it stayed that way and made a ‘come here’ motion with his hand, daring Godzilla to come at him. The irradiated saurian bellowed and pawed the ground with his right foot, flexing his hands and balling them into fists. He wasn’t taking the bait, instead opting to hold his ground right where he was.

The Warrior of Light and the King of the Monsters slowly proceeded to circle one another, fixing each other with unblinking stares. Ultraman held his fighting posture, reflexes tensed to spring at the slightest sign of offensive movement. Godzilla uttered a guttural growl as he cautiously circled about his humanoid opponent, his own muscles equally tensed and ready to spring should any sign of aggression present itself.

Whilst time passed, the massive combatants kept up their gradual circle ‘round one another, sizing each other up.

It was then that the warrior from the Land of Light bent over, causing Godzilla to narrow his eyes with a savage rumble. But rather than any offensive tactic, Ultraman instead grasped a small boulder in his hand. At first, he began to move slowly back up, somewhat easing the saurian’s attention. But then, with a quick movement, the hero tossed the rock into the air like a baseball before crossing his hands in an L-shape and firing his almighty Specium Ray! The powerful beam hit the boulder with complete and utter precision, destroying it in mid-air before it even finished rising to its full height.

Godzilla’s eyes narrowed, unimpressed with the show of strength.

Bending down to clasp a boulder of his own, Godzilla didn’t take his irritable gaze off Ultraman for a second as he flipped the rock up and down like a golf ball. With one hard throw, he tossed the boulder into the sky at equal height to that of his opponent’s, and just as quickly his spines lit aglow as he fired his atomic ray. With pin-point accuracy, the radioactive beam destroyed the boulder in a brilliant fireball, and Godzilla roared at his alien adversary in challenge.

Then, he charged.

Ultraman jumped out of the way as Godzilla swung a clawed hand, delivering a hard kick to the saurian’s side. Not a second later, the howling saurian whipped right around, smacking Ultraman with his tail. The hero was knocked sprawling on his back, but his reflexes served him well and he used the momentum to roll backward, leaping back to his feet. The King of the Monsters snarled before charging a second time. This time, Ultraman stood his ground; holding his feet against the ground as hard as he could, he planted his hands against Godzilla’s skull as he slowed the creature’s advance.

Even digging his feet into the earth, the Ultra Warrior was still being steadily pushed back by the Monster King’s pure brute strength, so he decided to make his move right now. Summoning all the physical prowess he could and concentrating it into his arms, Ultraman yelled a mighty cry and shoved forth. Godzilla roared as he staggered off, but planted his tail against the ground to keep himself upright.

That’s when Ultraman attacked again.

Shouting mightily, the M78 hero lunged low and ducked, jabbing his foot into Godzilla’s heel with an Ultra Kick. Rolling away like a ninja, he stood back up just as the screeching nuclear saurian tripped and fell to the ground with a colossal THUD!

Godzilla’s angry roar was so loud it sent flocks of waterbirds miles away flying for their lives. Kicking and thrashing, the irradiated reptile smashed the earth with repeated blows from his tail as he clambered back onto his limbs. Wrathful eyes snapped open and fixed back on Ultraman, who tapped his chest with his hands in yet another gesture of strength before motioning Godzilla to come at him. A low growl reverberated from the Monster King’s throat as he eyed the hero with a savage glower.

Despite the molten anger he felt boiling in his blood, Godzilla was patient as he stood back to his full height. His tail swished back and forth like an angry cat as he stepped about, keeping the alien superhero in his sights like a bird of prey. A giant, fanged, featherless, hideously scarred, very pissed off bird of prey.

Ultraman suddenly broke into a powered sprint, hands tensed to deliver a most mighty blow. So fast and abruptly he ran, that the nuclear giant barely had time to register what was happening before Ultraman delivered an Ultra Chop to his chest, jumping by him in the process. A snarling gag heaved from Godzilla’s jaws as he staggered once more from the powerful attack, all of the wind having been knocked out of him. Legs wobbling like an exhausted horse, he collapsed to one knee.

With a fearless shout, Ultraman leaped in a clear arc onto the crippled King of the Monsters. Landing hard on the left side of his back, the Warrior of Light quickly wrapped his arms around Godzilla’s neck as he let himself tilt to the left, trying to use his 40,000 metric-ton weight to bring the radioactive dinosaur down. Godzilla, still struggling to regain his breath, tried and failed to prevent the extraterrestrial hero from bringing him crashing to the ground—but even so, the atomic monster improvised.

Rather than sideways, Godzilla instead pushed himself forward, managing to land on his stomach. At first, Ultraman thought this an advantage; holding firmly, he tightened his grip around the saurian’s sturdy neck like a crocodile wrangler. But too late did he recognize Godzilla’s strategy as the nuclear giant’s serpentine tail reared up and began to bat against the hero’s back in repeated strikes. Each hit struck with a force greater than a collapsing building, and before he knew it Ultraman was forced to leap away, lest he wished his back to be broken.

Godzilla stood back to his feet before turning around quickly, and this time both he and Ultraman charged at the same time.

The superhero ducked under a swiping claw and jabbed out a foot—and received a kick to his leg before the blow could connect. Ultraman recoiled before lashing out with an Ultra Punch—and had his eyes been capable of widening, they would be like giant pizzas as Godzilla caught his fist in one hand. Ultraman reared back his head before flinging it forward in an Ultra Headbutt… … …and Godzilla planted his palm against his face, seizing it.

The force dislocated Godzilla’s wrist, but that didn’t stop him from pulling his next trick.

Turning about on his heels faster than his giant physique looked capable, Godzilla lifted and threw Ultraman clear over his shoulders! The giant impacted the ground with a force that quaked the distant mountains, and a painful grunt boomed from his vocal cords.

Godzilla roared and stormed toward the downed hero, shaking the earth with every footfall. This time, Ultraman did not get up in time; the King of the Monsters repeatedly stomped and kicked the injured warrior, the blows echoing off the hills and reverberating through the mountains like giant gunshots. Ultraman’s pained shouts mixed in with the thunderous chorus, though they were drowned out by Godzilla’s angry roars as he continued to assail the heroic humanoid.

But the Warrior of Light was only down, not out.

Crossing his hands in an L-shape, Ultraman fired his Specium Ray at Godzilla’s chest. An explosion blossomed off the Monster King’s torso, and a screech of pain tore from his jaws as he took a step away. Seizing the opportunity, Ultraman planted his hands against the ground and leaped up, lashing out with his feet and delivering a double dropkick to the saurian’s face. Screeching once more, Godzilla backed up, clutching his face in pain.

Keeping at a distance, Ultraman flattened his hands and put them together, before pulling one back. Them, whipping it forth in a throwing motion, the hero flung a buzzsaw-like energy disc at Godzilla. The King of the Monsters was quick to notice and jerked his upper body to the side, but not fast enough for the Ultra Slash to slice clean through his shoulder. A burst of scarlet blood erupted from the sudden incision, eliciting an agonized shriek from the atomic reptile. Clutching the bloody injury, Godzilla planted his tail firmly against the ground in an effort to keep himself from falling back.

Ultraman fired another Specium Ray, this time striking Godzilla’s right leg. With another screeching roar, the Monster King collapsed to one knee. Taking the golden opportunity before him, Ultraman broke into another powered run, hands crossed in another Ultra Chop… … …

An awesome roar exploded from Godzilla’s fanged jaws as the atomic saurian reared back on his tail, lifting his entire body off the ground before lashing out with his feet. Ultraman had zero time to be shocked at what he was seeing before Godzilla’s kangaroo kick slammed into him, sending him careening through the air like a soccer ball. The hill behind him substituted perfectly for a goal net, but without a goalie to stop his advance as he collided back first into it with a pained shout. Letting loose a satisfied roar, Godzilla allowed himself a round of applause, much to the surprise of onlookers.

Ultraman powered through the pain that scourged his body as he crossed his hands in an L-shape, firing a Specium Beam that struck Godzilla’s face. The King of the Monsters ceased clapping and howled in agony, and Ultraman wasted no time to fire a second Specium Ray at Godzilla’s neck. The atomic monster screeched in pain as a small fountain of blood leaked from the injury, and Ultraman jumped back to his feet.

The Warrior of Light sprinted at the stunned King of the Monsters, leaping up and grabbing him in a headlock as Godzilla bellowed in anguish. Then, without sparing a second, Ultraman dropped backward to the ground and took Godzilla with him, slamming the nuclear reptile against the earth with all the strength he could muster.

Ultraman made certain to roll away as quickly as possible, not wanting to be near the Monster King when he began recovering. Sure enough, Godzilla pushed up off the ground with his fists, growling loud enough to ripple the surface of the Loch itself. Shaking his head to fight the pain, the nuclear leviathan was having an immensely difficult time keeping himself contained. His claws tensed; his feet dug into the ground in vengeful anticipation.

Godzilla rushed with a loud roar, and Ultraman swore he would be deaf before the day was over. His reflexes kicking into overdrive, Ultraman twisted out of the way, hitting Godzilla’s right leg with an Ultra Kick as he passed. Screeching in surprise, the Monster King tripped and fell flat on his face, causing Ultraman to chuckle audibly.

Godzilla’s eyes snapped open quicker than a trap jaw ant’s mandibles upon hearing that noise, and his reaction was just as explosive. Yanking himself up quicker than even he thought he could, his spines flashed with nuclear power and he fired his almighty atomic ray. Ultraman was taken completely by surprise, the heat ray striking him right in the chest and creating a flowering explosion as he was knocked right off his feet.

The Monster King wasted no time and fired again while already beginning to get back on his feet, blasting the downed Ultraman. The superhero cried out in pain as the beam struck dangerously close to his color timer, which only emboldened Godzilla to attack again. Screeching in fury, Godzilla charged like a maddened bull, and this time Ultraman did not get to his feet in time; the enraged saurian grabbed the Nebula M78 hero by the leg and slung him over his shoulder like a rag doll. Ultraman cried out in pain once more as he impacted the ground like a ton of bricks.

The nuclear dinosaur howled mightily and lashed out to kick the fallen hero, but this time Ultraman reacted accordingly. Flinging his hand forward, he threw an Ultra Slash that cut halfway through Godzilla’s leg, causing him to stagger back with an agonized shriek that made Ultraman’s ears ring. Collapsing yet again to one knee, Godzilla heaved and sighed as he fought through the agony, keeping his focus on the stubborn superhero who had now clambered back on his feet.

Ultraman watched as Godzilla’s injury, in a manner he did not see coming, suddenly began the process of stitching itself back together. Like a lizard regenerating its wounds, only far, FAR faster, Godzilla’s wound healed right before the hero’s very eyes! Ultraman looked over to Godzilla’s shoulder, and noticed that its injury had also regenerated. But as the process took place, he noticed that the Monster King winced and growled through the entirety of it, revealing that the process was not painless in the slightest.

Legs wobbling at first like a baby deer, but eventually stiffening through great effort, Godzilla stood back up.

Once more, the two giants began to circle each other. Godzilla uttered a low growl as he stepped about, cracking his fists into place. The near silence was deafening, but even the combatants themselves knew it wouldn’t last very long.

And in 3…2…1…

“SHUWATCH!”

SKREEEEEEEOOOOOOOONNNKKK!!!!

Both combatants rushed one another, fists balled and adrenaline running high. Ultraman jumped up mid-sprint, landing both of his feet against Godzilla’s chest in a Swoop Kick. But despite the incredible force of the blow, the nuclear giant withstood it. Grabbing Ultraman’s legs, the Monster King spun around and threw the Warrior of Light with little effort. But, spinning in midair, Ultraman managed to land on his feet before charging again. Crossing his hands, Ultraman fired his Specium Ray—but, noticing the pattern, Godzilla swerved his neck to the right, avoiding it! Then, not wasting time, he fired back with his atomic ray.

And unlike his opponent, he didn’t miss.

As Ultraman recoiled from the painful strike, Godzilla charged like a giant sumo wrestler. The Warrior of Light threw forth an Ultra Slash, but the King of the Monsters ducked under it just in time mid-stride, continuing his charge. Ultraman jumped up just as Godzilla nearly slammed into him like a charging rhino, landing upon the saurian’s back and wrapping his arms around his neck once more. This time, Godzilla did not fall, only thrashed and flailed about like a rodeo bull, roaring in fury. Already, Ultraman was having trouble keeping a firm hold on the Monster King; Godzilla was no bull, and nearly threw him right off several times.

This tactic was not gonna get him anywhere—and already his grip was hanging on by a thread.

Grabbing the hero’s arms with his own hands, Godzilla summoned his legendary strength and began to steadily pry them off his neck, no matter how hard Ultraman tried to keep hold. The irradiated dinosaur released a dominating roar as he gave one hard yank and broke Ultraman’s grip for good, then bent over and thrust Ultraman over his shoulder.

Landing on his feet, Ultraman spun around and threw a punch, but unlike before Godzilla tanked it before throwing one of his own. This blow rippled through Ultraman like nothing he had ever felt before, and the Warrior of Light’s cry of pain echoed across the hills of Scotland, sending herds of deer stampeding for their lives. By the Gods, what a strike!

But the Monster King didn’t stop there; quick as a flash of lightning, Godzilla landed another punch to the Ultra Warrior, causing him to recoil. And in less than a second, another. In the blink of an eye, Godzilla had suddenly switched from overgrown Judo blackbelt to super-sized professional boxer, slamming the heroic humanoid with repeated lightning-fast punch after punch to the face, chest, and shoulders. So quickly the King of the Monsters moved, so many punches he landed so fast, that Ultraman didn’t have time to counter or dodge any one of them.

Godzilla had him on the ropes.

Like a martial artist sped up on a fast forward button, the Monster King unleashed a nonstop, seemingly machine gun’s worth of megaton punches on the warrior from the Land of Light. Ultraman was shocked out of his mind; he had never expected the creature to be able to hit or even so much as move this fast. Every hit was like an organic gunshot that sent the Warrior of Light reeling in agony, all in rapid succession with one another as Godzilla beat into him without mercy.

Rearing his right fist as far back as he could, Godzilla threw it forward and slammed it right into Ultraman’s groin, and the Nebula M78 hero was sent slamming into a hill so hard it caved in on itself. The red and silver giant could hardly stifle the energy to make the slightest noise, he was in so much agony. His vision was all but molten white, his senses were beginning to dull to the point where he questioned whether or not he could feel any pain.

Godzilla boomed a mighty shriek as he stomped toward his heroic adversary, dorsal spines flashing to signal his destructive intentions. Atomic energies born from the heat of the hydrogen bomb flowed through his throat, reaching the point of combustion as Godzilla neared, ready to let loose at close range upon the injured Ultra Warrior… … …when Ultraman suddenly put his hands together and fired a barrage of arrow-shaped energy projectiles straight into Godzilla’s face! The Slash Ray sliced and cut into the saurian’s scarred flesh with explosions of smoke and cauterized skin, eliciting a screech of pain from the Monster King as he stopped in his tracks. As Godzilla reared back and blindly fired his atomic ray into the sky, Ultraman moved the Slash Ray to the side of the saurian’s head—and the impact it scored was one in a million.

One of the projectiles struck just behind the Monster King’s jaw and blew off a sizable chunk of flesh, severing Godzilla’s left ear from his head.

Godzilla’s agonized shriek was heard for miles, but in this moment and time volume was no longer a concern to Ultraman. The Warrior of Light had taken notice of a most dire change, one that signaled that his time in the combat was beginning to run out: his Color Timer was now starting to blink. He had to make do with the time he had and end this fight quickly, otherwise he would be down for the count, and millions more lives could be lost to the irradiated saurian’s wrath.

Fighting the pain like the champion he was, Ultraman returned to his full height and resumed a combat stance.

Godzilla thrashed and stamped about, roaring in equal parts hideous pain and sweltering rage. His feet left massive four-toed craters in the earth, his tail annihilating anything unlucky enough to be behind him. But as the King of the Monsters endured the grueling torture of missing his left ear, he also felt something else. Something so strangely…pleasant. As if the pain he was enduring was a cleaner, more natural pain than what he had been undergoing before, like he had just been set free of an ache he had never known existed in the first place. For reasons he wasn’t aware, he now felt… … …clean. Unshackled.

A Specium Ray struck his neck, knocking him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

Ultraman sprinted at the recoiling Godzilla, just as the latter recovered and took notice. Godzilla, ignoring the foul pain coursing through him even as his regenerative factor began to take hold, acted quickly and spun around a full 180 degrees, swinging his tail. But Ultraman contracted his legs and jumped a clear arc over the irradiated saurian. Ultraman landed—right in Godzilla’s path. The Warrior of Light spun around to face him just as Godzilla fired an atomic ray. Acting on pure survival instinct, Ultraman yanked himself backward and ducked just under the radioactive blast before throwing an Ultra Slash at the saurian. Reacting just as impressively quick, Godzilla cut off his heat ray and sidestepped, avoiding the dismembering halo before charging his opponent.

Ultraman shouted as he ducked under Godzilla’s first punch, landing one of his own to the Monster King’s stomach before jumping up and delivering a full-strength uppercut to his jaw. But before gravity could take Ultraman back to the ground, Godzilla’s powerful arms seized him in midair; the King of the Monsters snarling fiercely as he hoisted the Ultra Warrior over his shoulders. The hero struggled, but such a task would prove to be a vain effort; in a manner seemingly straight out of a wrestling match, Godzilla whipped himself to the side and slung Ultraman back-first against the ground with a thunderous CRASH!

Godzilla loosed a fearsome roar and stomped a foot on Ultraman’s chest, eliciting a pained shout from the Warrior of Light. The hero placed his hands on the taloned appendage and shoved mightily; while most kaiju would’ve been knocked right off their feet, Godzilla only staggered back before regaining his composure. Nonetheless, it gave Ultraman just the time he needed to fight through the pain and exhaustion and return to his feet.

His color timer was beginning to blink in quicker succession.

At the same time, both Ultraman and Godzilla fired their respective projectile attacks. The Specium Beam and the atomic ray locked in an even struggle for a moment, neither able to overpower the other. For ten seconds they waged war, the sphere of building energy between never shoving toward either combatant. The balance of power remained unchanged… … …and then, the sphere exploded, sending both giants reeling back from the power.

The Warrior of Light and the King of the Monsters both stood back up, ignoring the pain of their wounds. Ultraman crossed his hands, preparing to hit his opponent with the move he hoped would take him down for good. Godzilla pulled his fists and smashed them together, screeching fearlessly as he planned his own final blow.

Each letting loose their respective battle cries, they both charged.

Ultraman sprinted at rapidity that would make a sailfish jealous; Godzilla charged at speed that all but went against his massive bulk. The moment they neared they struck, with no attempts of blocking or dodging in mind. Striking right past the radioactive reptile, Ultraman hit him with one of his most powerful blows: the Ultra Haze Slash. Not a second later, as they distanced yet again and whipped around to face one another, Godzilla fired his atomic ray straight onto Ultraman’s chest—blasting him right in the color timer. Grunting in pain, the Nebula M78 hero recoiled

Then, at once, both colossi went still.

An entire minute passed by as they stood there in mighty combat stances, a minute that felt like an entire hour. Everyone and everything was silent as a graveyard for a suspenseful sixty seconds. And then… … …

Blood began to drip from the corners of Godzilla’s toothy jaws.

A low grunt escaped the Monster King’s throat as he began to sway like a tree in the wind, his columnar legs beginning to quiver like ailing support pillars. Ultraman tensed as Godzilla seemed to begin having trouble keeping standing… … …before he too began to sway from his own injuries.

Godzilla growled sternly as he collapsed to both of his knees, but he did not fall.

Ultraman, with a strained groan, fell onto his back.

The King of the Monsters huffed and puffed as blood continued to pool around his jaws and drip to the ground below, the full adverse effects of Ultraman’s heavy attack beginning to show. He had been struck with a blow that had slain even the toughest of monsters and had surely caused immense damage within his bulky form; but even so, Godzilla refused to fall any further. Keeping his knees and fists firmly planted in the ground, the King of the Monsters held himself together as he endured the everlasting fury of Ultraman’s crippling attack, spitting out the foul taste of iron from his mouth.

Ultraman’s color timer was still flashing, signaling that this battle was nearing its end. There were no solar energy sources nearby to recharge him; he wouldn’t last in this form for much longer. His muscles ached terribly, exhaustion creeping throughout his every fiber. His energy limits were lower than ever, and gradually dropping by the second. But, as long as Godzilla remained undefeated, he knew that he could not give in to his exhaustion. He could not fall. The fate of millions depended on it.

At once, both giants began to stir. Silver hands clasped the ground before pushing off with strength great enough to crush boulders. Even in his weakest moment, Ultraman was powerful—and his willpower had not diminished in the slightest. Steadily, shakily, the Warrior of Light rolled over onto his stomach, and began to rise back up to his feet. At the same time, a reptilian snarl escaped Godzilla’s vocal cords as he too began to wage war with his own dilemmas and stand back up. Deep within, his regeneration had begun to kick into gear, repairing the horrendous damages that Ultraman’s Ultra Sword Haze had done. The process was incredibly painful and forced a loud roar from Godzilla’s jaws, but the King of the Monster endured it. The ground quaked as Godzilla placed his other foot on the ground, and began to rise to his full height once more.

Second by second crawled by, taller and taller the two giants stood, until once more it seemed as if the pain and tiredness wracking their mighty forms didn’t exist and they now stood eye to eye with each other yet again. Displaying as little signs of weakness as possible, Ultraman pulled his fists into a cross pose yet again. Godzilla cracked his fingers and balled them into fists, beating his tail against the earth and letting loose his signature roar for all the world to hear. A few seconds passed as they took a moment to look one another straight in the eye, silence permeating the atmosphere… … …

Then, they charged for the final time; all strength left in them let loose for this one final moment, to deal the final blow to see who’s would prove the stronger and take the other out. Ultraman tensed as he prepared to hit the nearing Godzilla with all he had in this final attack—

—and it was in this moment for all to look upon, that Godzilla performed his most unbelievable feat in history.

Running as fast as he could, Godzilla suddenly snapped his entire body back, leaning back on his tail which now supported his weight while his feet jutted up, raised off the ground and aimed straight at the Warrior of Light. In the blink of an eye, Godzilla was sliding on his tail at cheetah speeds toward Ultraman!

The alien superhero had no time to react or dodge such a ridiculously unexpected maneuver, even less so merely comprehend the utter existence-questioning insanity of what he was seeing before—

WHAM!

With a force unlike anything he had ever felt, Godzilla’s raised feet slammed into Ultraman in the most powerful and mind-blowing dropkick the world had ever seen. Like a golf ball, Ultraman was sent flying from the sheer power of the kick, his anguished shout echoing across the land like thunder before he finally made landfall with a deafening BOOM!

Godzilla landed back on his feet; eyes narrowed as he viewed the crippled Warrior of Light with a fearsome stare. He never took his eyes off the extraterrestrial hero, instead keeping a watchful gaze on the Warrior of Light as he prepared for him to pull a fast one. Such a tactic would no longer be surprising for the Monster King. Keeping himself steady, the atomic monster kept the downed Ultra Warrior in his sights, ready to let loose at the slightest sign of upward movement… … …

A flash of light overtook Ultraman.

*****

On top of a distant hill, Daisuke Arashi gasped with widened eyes as he saw the heavenly light engulf the beloved Warrior of Light—and in this condition, such a luminous occurrence could only mean one thing. Something that couldn’t have been more contrasting to the visual beauty… … …

“Get back off the ground!” he yelled up to Ide.

Both Ide and Professor Nikaido looked at him with shocked expressions. “What? Are you insane?!” the technician gasped.

“Mr. Arashi, with all due respect, I share different opinions on this whole matter than all of you, but I agree with your technician,” Nikaido spoke up, “in this unusual behavioral state, Godzilla is dangerous. Flying close to him would only increase the risk of him lashing out at us!”

“We have to save Hayata-san!” The sharpshooter retorted. “In a few seconds, he’ll be completely at the mercy of a very pissed-off radioactive dinosaur! And we don’t leave our men behind!”

“I think we’re already out of time!” Ide stated grimly as, with growing brightness, the light began to shrink, and within moments Ultraman was no more. The defeated Warrior of Light had vanished back into the depths of his human host.

And Shin Hayata lay unconscious in the middle of a ravaged battlefield.

*****

An earth-quaking growl resounded from Godzilla’s jaws as he narrowed his eyes, taking a moment to curl his upper lip in a snarl. Raising one hand, he rubbed a single finger across his nose in a sign of triumphant scorn. Rearing his head to face the sky, Godzilla all but shattered the sound barrier into millions of pieces with an almighty roar of triumph, letting the entire world know right then and there who was victorious.

Letting any and all who could possibly hear him who still reigned supreme.

His mighty roar eventually faded to a bass drone to echo across the mountains of Scotland, and Godzilla returned his gaze to the knocked-out vessel of his defeated opponent. Anger scourged his blood, and the King of the Monsters began to wade toward the insignificant primate with booming footfalls. A dark shadow loomed over the fallen human as Godzilla blotted out the sun from where he lay, looking like the silhouette of a giant Grim Reaper as he closed in for the kill. The Jet-VTOL had only just lifted off the hill and begun its flight as Godzilla reared over Ultraman’s unconscious host, raising a curled fist as he prepared to bring it down and end this predicament right here and now… … …

To his own surprise, Godzilla hesitated. His arm began to tremble lightly as he held it up, suddenly unsure if he would be able to bring it down or not. Before, the Monster King had wanted nothing more than to just unleash all the rage that had suddenly built up so much within him; to simply vent the anger that persisted so savagely in the back of his mind. He would’ve had no trouble just smashing this human right here and now and been done with it, but now…something had changed. That anger that he didn’t know why it existed, that unexplainable surge in wrath that compelled him to smash and destroy everything he saw… … …it no longer existed.

That reasonless anger was gone.

Slowly, Godzilla lowered his arm, and his once fearsome gaze suddenly softened. The Monster King felt no true hatred or animosity toward Ultraman, and even less so his now-present human host. His battle with the Warrior of Light had been a harsh and painful one, but deep down it had awakened something within the atomic leviathan that prevented him from ending his life in this moment: respect. And a being who harbored such an emotion from the King of the Monsters deserved more than being treated like an ant under a boot.

Godzilla took a moment to simply stand there, head bowed ever so slightly in a gesture of respect for the defeated Ultra Warrior. Then, without another sound, he turned about and began to lumber away. Not further into the reaches of civilization, but back toward the water. The battle had been painful and tiresome, and his injuries still ached considerably. His foul mood had disappeared, but that didn’t take away how worn out he felt. He couldn’t stand to be on land anymore; he just wanted to go back home. Back into the cool, welcome confines of the water.

Godzilla closed his eyes as he stepped into the Loch, letting the pleasant cool of the waters ease his being as he lumbered back into the aquatic domain from whence he emerged, ready to search for a perfect place to take a week-long nap. He hoped that whatever it was that had ignited his unexplainable temper would never do so again.

As he gained a great distance between himself and the humans he now left behind, Godzilla turned around one last time and reared his arms to the sky, gaping his jaws and letting loose a final roar to remind all within hearing range of one simple truth:

The King of the Monsters still held his crown.

*****

Shin Hayata’s eyes rose droopily open as the unmistakable roar echoed into his ears, a roar so loud and powerful it even drowned out the bellow of the jet engines that grew in volume as its vessel shrunk the distance between it and himself. The man slowly rose his head up off the ground as his vision came back into place, ignoring the vibration in the ground not very far away from himself as he spotted the dorsal-plated form of Godzilla, King of the Monsters lumbering back into the Loch, his rampage having come to a sudden end. An equal mix of awe and confusion set into the vessel of Ultraman as he watched the atomic dinosaur take his leave, to the point where he almost ignored the pair of arms that wrapped around his shoulders to hoist him up to a sitting position.

“Oh my God, you’re okay!” Akiko Fuji exclaimed as he held Hayata up, Arashi and Professor Nikaido rushing to her assistance to help him up.

“So, professor,” Arashi said as they sat Hayata up, “now that the cat’s out of the bag, care to share what you know about the elephant in the room?”

“Hey, lay off!” Ide shot back, “we’ve been holding back Ultraman just the same, so don’t be a hypocrite.”

“Hiding a secret identity is very different from keeping a giant monster’s existence a secret, and you know it,” Arashi fired back.

“Hey—!”

“It doesn’t matter,” the professor interrupted, “he’s right. I didn’t tell you the truth back home, but I felt I was doing it for the right reasons.”

“You thought keeping secret a creature capable of sending entire countries to the grave by itself was for the right reasons?” Arashi prodded angrily—before Shin Hayata abruptly held up his hand, a non-verbal way to let the scientist talk.

“When I first stumbled upon Godzilla three months ago—a month prior to the boom of sightings—I will freely admit I was as frightened as anyone else would be. But the creature never pursued me, never rose to land and laid a claw on the populace. Even when folks began to see him, he never once committed a single destructive act. For months, all he seemed to do is tolerate their presence like we would flies in our backyard. So, over time, I eventually decided to study him.” He lowered his head for a moment, then turned his gaze back toward the distant Godzilla.

“Then, today, his behavior changed entirely.”

“What changed his mind?” Shin wondered aloud as he continued to stare at the departing Godzilla, causing all other eyes to follow his gaze. “He could’ve killed me right here. Why didn’t he?”

“I think… … …it’s because you gave him a helluva fight,” Captain Muramatsu replied. “If there’s anything that garners the respect of the most powerful monster of all, it’s a worthy challenge. And that’s exactly what Ultraman delivered to Godzilla.”

Shin smiled as he nodded. “If that’s how you see it, then I won’t argue.”

“But what stopped him from rampaging altogether, I cannot fathom,” Nikaido muttered.

“I can!” Ide yelled from afar, causing everyone else to turn their eyes toward him.

The technician was standing not too far from the Monster King’s severed ear, a testament to the might and brutality of the battle past. At first, it seemed like Ide was standing near to the severed appendage for the sake of it; but as his crewmates found their feet and trudged over to his position, they began to notice that there was, indeed, something up with the scaly ear. Something that they could only notice now due to being so close to the appendage.

Deep in the recesses of the ear, though still visible enough, was an orange mechanical construct of some kind.

“What the hell is that?” Akiko gasped.

“It looks like some kind of… … …transmitter,” Muramatsu replied, a thought beginning to grow on him. A thought more than likely already being shared with his crewmates. He turned to Shin and Ide.

“Perhaps it has something to do with that signal beacon you two found earlier—”

“I know exactly what that is,” Nikaido interrupted ominously. All eyes, confused and broadened, turned to him.

“That’s a neural stimulator, specifically designed to fit in the inner ear of an animal. They can be of various sizes, and are made to stimulate any and all centers of the brain.”

“Just like a big puppet,” Arashi comprehended.

“More than that,” Nikaido replied. “By doing so, they can manipulate—or rather, amplify—any of the target animal’s emotions. Fear, stress, docility, contentment… … …even anger.”

“How do you know all of this?” Shin Hayata asked uneasily. As the crew gazed at the professor, awaiting his answer, the scientist’s gaze lowered, and the man sighed.

“Because I know who’s pulling the strings.”

*****

Location: Undisclosed

With a mere click of a button at his very beckoning, the screen before the man ceased to be, turned black and dormant once more. An arrogantly satisfied smile crossed the mug of Cameron Winter as he stood up, walking out of the room and into a decently lit hallway.

“Poor old ‘monster professor’ doesn’t even know what really hit him,” he muttered triumphantly before grabbing his phone to make a call. Within moments, he got the answer he needed. “Well, how did it go, Doctor Trevor?”

“The professor left the household the moment the attack began. Worked like a charm,” replied the voice of Doctor Hugh Trevor, Director of the Pisces Research Institute.

“And? Is the specimen secure?”

“Yes, Mr. Winter. With us, and we’re en-route as we speak,” Trevor responded. Yet another smile beamed from the billionaire-mogul.

“Stellar,” he praised, “I’ll see it in a few.”

“Understood,” Trevor replied before the mogul hung up.

Cameron Winter trudged toward the exit, keeping a perfect composure as always despite containing a level of excitement as big as an actual kaiju. One more major step toward his goal had been accomplished, and in the very-near future, his latest project could begin. Cameron sighed happily as he stared at the image of a most fascinating and peculiar animal. Looking upon it, though, he saw not a mere animal.

Instead, he saw a beast. A beast that, with the right genetic pinches here and there, could rival even the likes of the King of the Monsters himself.

“Now then,” Winter muttered, gazing at the image of an Australian Frilled Lizard, “let’s see just how far to the occasion this specimen can rise… … …”

Winner: Godzilla (Showa)