Author: Alex Williams | Banner: Zid
Revised: June 26, 2023

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: A Divergence in the Timeline
Chapter 2: Discussing Japan’s Future
Chapter 3: The Winter Extraction
Chapter 4: Gomora’s Counterattack
Chapter 5: Godzilla’s Wrath
Chapter 6: The Best of Us
Chapter 7: Godzilla vs. Gomora
Chapter 8: We Were All Deceived

Chapter 1: A Divergence in the Timeline

His knees buckled under the pressure of his own weight. He didn’t know how much more he could take. The Ancient Monster was far more powerful than anything he had ever faced. Surviving a two-thousand foot fall, a barrage of the self defense force’s best artillery and even his own attacks did not faze him. It was as if Gomora was too stubborn to die, too angry at the world, intending to have it feel his wrath for all of the pain it brought upon him.

Ultraman couldn’t ponder it further as he felt a large force collide into his head! Gomora’s tail sent Ultraman careening across the construction zone. The hero from the stars felt himself rolling through the structures, causing immense amounts of destruction as its pieces were scattered around the battlefield. He picked himself up to his feet as he saw Gomora charging for him. He immediately rolled out of the way, however, the Ancient Monster was faster. With a mighty kick, his foot landed onto his shin, eliciting a pained cry from Ultraman, forcing him to fall face first into the dirt.

CHING!

A small, light green object flew out from the area and into a ditch. It didn’t remain long until a boy known as Hajime Osamu, or as many of his friends and family would know him, “The Prince of Monsters,” picked it up. He inspected it with awe, knowing now he wielded an essential item of Ultraman, a hero he greatly respected.

Ultraman picked himself up, keeping a close eye on the opposing Gomora, calculating every possible move he could make at any moment. He knew his opponent liked to charge in with brute force, throwing every punch with everything he has. The hero of the Land of Light could use this against him, exhaust him to the point where he can get an opening. However, a sudden realization crossed his mind. It was as his heart sunk, realizing a part of him was gone.

“The Beta Capsule!”

Ultraman snapped his head both left and right, attempting to spot the instrumental device needed to jump into battle at any time, but it was of no use. It was gone as if it vanished from the face of the Earth.

“How did it fall out!? This shouldn’t be happening!”

Then, to make matters worse; he heard a loud beeping. Ultraman looked down to see his timer now blinking red. His time was nearly up.

The hero hailing from The Land of Light mentally cursed to himself, knowing full well he wouldn’t have time for his plan nor be able to intervene should Gomora escape or a future threat arise. He didn’t want to do this, but he had no choice. Ultraman just hoped it would be enough to at least draw the beast away forever.

Ultraman rushed forward, causing Gomora’s head to tilt slightly as if he didn’t expect the sudden change in his opponent’s behavior. Despite it all, the hero of Japan jumped up, bringing his feet forward and planting them onto Gomora’s head, causing the subterranean beast to let out a shriek as he collapsed to the ground.

The Monster Exterminator slammed his body down on his monstrous foe, pinning him down with every bit of strength he could muster up. He knew his punches couldn’t drive him into submission, so he had to go with more drastic measures.

Ultraman’s mind flashed with knowledge he learned when one of Hayata’s teammates was teaching how the horns of a bull contained blood and how snapping them would be very deadly for the animal. He, along with the rest of the Science Patrol, were horrified by this piece of knowledge, but the hero couldn’t discriminate against the most viable tactic that came to his mind. And so, Ultraman elbowed the struggling Gomora, giving him an opening to grab a hold of his horns.

With all of his might, Ultraman gripped tightly onto the horns, pulling with all of his might to rip them off to cease the assault. Gomora unleashed a blood-curdling cry, feeling vital parts of his body being torn away. Pain surged through his whole body while the rage brewed inside tenfold. He didn’t know where this silver and red being came from and didn’t care. All he wanted was for him to stop. He previously held no quarrel with him and wanted no desire to fight. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get him to relent, so he would do what he had to.

Gomora diverted all of his strength into his legs and pushed himself upwards, noticing the shock in Ultraman at how he was able to accomplish such a feat. The Ancient Monster thrashed repeatedly while the being from the skies tightened his grip. Gomora endured the intense pulling, as he rapidly moved himself backwards.

Ultraman yelped as he felt himself being dragged across the construction field. The hero of light diverted some of his strength into digging his feet down, but it was to no avail. With a mighty tuck, Gomora launched himself and Ultraman back onto the ground where he lost his grip on his key to victory.

He picked himself up only to find Gomora’s tail sending him flying across. Ultraman could only watch as Gomora charged forward, unleashing a volley of kicks, ensuring he stayed down. The silver and red hero struggled to get up, throwing out a desperate attempt to even throw out a meager punch, but he was just met with another tail swipe across the face.

Ultraman felt himself planted face first in the dirt, his time was nearly up and his strength had all been exhausted. His arms shook rapidly, trying to pick himself up, but he felt himself being lifted from the ground. Gomora huffed and puffed, using everything he had to end this fight once and for all. The subterranean monster lifted the invader above his head, feeling no resistance. A part of him told him to just set his foe down and leave as enough was done, but he let out a brief snarl.

He was disturbed from his sleep and when he did try to resume it, he awoke to being taken from his home. All he wanted to do was to return to his home, but all that got him was pain, as if the world wanted him dead for existing. Then, finally, this giant, resembling those who enacted their warfare against him came crashing down on him, demanding his execution.

No.

He was going to make an example of him. To tell the world he would not be trifled with.

With a mighty shriek, Gomora gave it everything he had and threw Ultraman across the sky and into several structures ahead. The Ultra unleashed a loud cry as he felt his body slamming against them, like falling several stories high and onto the hard, unforgiving cement. Ultraman felt his eyes fading away as he used the last of his strength to transform back into Hayata, ensuring their survival to fight this terrible beast another day.

However, what Hayata and Ultraman didn’t realize was that they failed in more than one way against their fight. With the buildings still crashing down, the lone watcher of their encounter desperately tried to run, using his tiny legs to outrun the collision.

Hajime Osamu’s life flashed before his very eyes. The time he spent with his family, declaring himself the “Prince of Monsters” and the hours he dedicated to his drawings. His love for them would all dissipate as regret soon washed over it, not taking the opportunity to evacuate with his friend when he had. Now, he ceased to be as the building collapsed onto him, and with it, the Beta Capsule trapped under the pile of rubble.

It was a dark day for humanity, but one they ultimately deserved.

 

Chapter 2: Discussing Japan’s Future

“You’re lucky Ide and I found you when we did, because who knows what would have happened to you,” Arashi commented, patting his teammate on the back.

“Please!” Ide chipped in, following it up with a laugh. “Hayata’s like a cockroach! Just when you think he’s dead, he always comes back!”

Unlike his comrades, Hayata didn’t crack a smile or even engage in their banter, but instead, kept a solemn look on his face. It had only been a few days since the fateful battle, but it felt like a lifetime of regret. Out of all the foes he had fought in the past, alien species surpassing humanity with technological marvels, reality warpers, or even monstrosities born from the supernatural, how could one simple beast get the best of him?

“Much less, how could I lose the Beta Capsule?”

“Hayata!” Arashi nearly barked out, snapping Hayata away from his train of thought and back into reality. His eyes darted over to his teammate, meeting his concerned gaze with his own.

“Yeah, what’s going on?”

“You’re not doing our usual spiel, poking fun at each other for what we did on the mission,” Arashi pointed out.

“Arashi, he was just buried in a few feet of rubble, I think we can give him a pass,” countered Ide, as he felt sympathetic towards Hayata’s current mindset. He was there when Gomora proclaimed victory and couldn’t imagine how his teammate felt at the sight of death on his doorstep.

“Right… it’s just been a rough few days. Forgive me,” Hayata plainly answered, hiding away his shame and grief underneath a stoic voice.

“I suppose I can forgive you this one time,” Arashi vocalized as his tone of voice shifted upwards while he patted his teammate on the back. “And hey, don’t get too bummed out. Before you know it, we’ll see Gomora again, the five of us will blast it and Ultraman will swoop back in to save the day. That’s how these things always work out.”

“Right, that’s how they always go,” Hayata murmured, as he feigned a small smile to get Arashi off his case, but yet knew things won’t go down like their normal routine.

“If I do get the Beta Capsule back, who’s to say the outcome won’t happen again? And worse, who will pay the price over our failure to subdue the creature?”

Hayata couldn’t ponder his dilemma for much longer as the three were greeted by JSDF members in front of two brown doors. Without speaking a word, they immediately opened them and granted them entrance. A summit was called between the government and the Science Patrol as they were to discuss how to thwart Gomora’s invasion of the country.

The three took their seats next to Captain Muramatsu and Fuji as they waited for the meeting to commence. Muramatsu leaned over to Hayata. “Are you okay? Are you still fit for duty?”

Hayata simply nodded as the Captain returned the gesture, turning their attention towards the other members of the congregation. The host of the Ultra eyed everyone present as they were nothing more than the typical dignitaries he’d normally see, but a couple of people caught his eye, though. More importantly the way they were dressed in red and yellow puffer jackets, as if they were just caught in a massive blizzard. More so, the woman of the group was very inquisitive towards her surroundings, touching nearly every object in the room. Hayata was puzzled by how they could let a group of people like them in, much less that one individual. However, his thoughts dissipated when he heard Ide chuckling, likely at the woman’s behavior when she was poking her finger with a pencil.

“If you’re curious as to who they are, they’re the team the United Nations sent to Solgell Island to test the weathering devices,” Fuji explained, as Hayata glanced at her. He was further curious at their presence here as he gave her his full attention.

“I don’t understand. How’s the weather going to help our problem?” inquired Hayata.

“It’s not, but they say they have intel on something that could be of use towards us in our fight,” Fuji countered.

Hayata turned silent as Fuji motioned for him to face the rest of the committee as the last of the participants took their seats. The Prime Minister cleared his throat. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish we could discuss in greater detail the efforts made on Solgell Island, but that’ll have to come at another time.”

“I concur,” Tsunezo Kusumi, head of the Solgell expedition, reluctantly spoke, his head hanging down slightly, disappointed he and his crew arrived at the wrong time. “Personal feelings aside, we have made a discovery that we think will help with the ongoing threat.”

“And this discovery being?” the Prime Minister questioned.

“Godzilla,” Tsunezo spoke.

***

The attendants in the conference room spoke amongst themselves at the mere mention of the “King of the Monsters” until the Prime Minister motioned for the lead scientist to continue.

“That name isn’t to be taken lightly, I know, but under the circumstances we’re in. It may not be ideal, but we could lure either one of them to the other and hope Godzilla emerges victorious,” elaborated Kusumi.

“And why would we do that!? Do you have any idea on how much of a threat Godzilla is!? The same monster that laid waste to our country countless times!” spoke an outraged member.

“And what choice do we have!? If left unchecked, Gomora could reduce all of Japan to a barren wasteland!” another member barked out, slamming his hand on the table.

“Are you forgetting the countless lives Godzilla has taken over this past decade?! And the fact that he allied with the Xiliens ravaging the countryside just only a year ago!”

“Oppose the plan all you want, but don’t make shit up! It’s been well documented Godzilla and Rodan were not in control of themselves!”

The members of the Science Patrol watched the members of the committee argue back and forth. Muramatsu pinched his forehead, feeling the massive migraine brewing inside his head. Arashi felt his eyes getting heavy, struggling to keep them open. All the while Ide leaned in towards Fuji and Hayata, who still kept their focus on the bickering government officials.

“And here I am already missing getting shot at by fifty meter kaiju,” Ide joked, following it up with a yawn.

“I hate this whole situation, I just know it’ll be nothing but trouble,” Fuji replied, echoing her teammate’s tiredness by unleashing a yawn.

Hayata, however, didn’t offer any comment, appearing to keep his focus on the meeting at hand, but instead, his mind was on his defeat. He went over it several times and each time he rationalized trying to find a way to outdo Gomora, but nothing concrete came. The Ultra host was at a loss.

“Why not bring Godzilla out here? He did a great job at single-handedly dismantling the Red Bamboo!”

“Only because they got in his way! It was a mere coincidence at best!”

“Enough!” Kusumi lashed out, causing everyone to cast startled looks at him. The lead scientist realized the tone of voice he used and bowed his head. “I apologize for my outburst, that was unprofessional. I do have an idea on how to lure Godzilla out here.”

The Prime Minister eyed him with interest, motioning his hand forward. “Do tell.”

“The most important breakthrough on Sollgel island wasn’t Godzilla’s location, but the discovery of a juvenile of the Godzillasaurus species,” Kusumi elaborated.

The members of the room went wild at the mention of another Godzilla, bombarding the scientists with questions until the Prime Minister silenced them.

“The questions about this juvenile can come later,” The Prime Minister spoke before turning his attention back to the lead scientist. “And I am assuming this juvenile is the key to getting Godzilla to fight Gomora?”

Kuzumi felt his stomach going wild, as if his whole body was effectively telling him not to suggest the plan he was about to convey. He knew this whole idea was morally wrong despite the carnage Godzilla has caused in the past, however, he saw no alternative.

“We kidnap the baby Godzilla and bring it near Gomora in the hopes Godzilla will follow,” Kuzumi paused, feeling the absolute disgust in himself completely wash over him. His whole body was once again trying to prevent him from continuing on, but his brilliant mind pushed on, for the sake of saving everyone from Gomora’s onslaught. “It’s unethical, I know, but Godzilla is the only one who can stop Gomora, and if fortune smiles upon us, then he will just focus on getting his son to safety once Gomora is defeated.”

The room went silent. Neither Godzilla’s defenders or detractors offered up any words of support or opposition. Everyone in the room knew this wasn’t a matter to be taken lightly and couldn’t afford to be picky. It was now or never.

After a few minutes of silence, the Prime Minister cleared his throat. “I guess we have no choice, then. Bring the infant to the mainland.”

 

Chapter 3: The Winter Extraction

The violent winds of the snowstorm shook the Jet VTOL, causing the crew to hold onto their seats as they continued to navigate through it. The windows on the jet froze up instantly, obstructing the view of the crew.

“Captain!” Arashi called out. “We need to set her down! Any further and we may risk crashing into the mountain or worse….”

“Godzilla,” Muramatsu mouthed.

“If that happened, at least we wouldn’t be alive to face his wrath,” Ide joked, only to realize everyone save for Hayata glared at him. The inventor tugged on his sleeve and wiped his brow, realizing this wasn’t the time to take the situation lightly. “I’ll just stay quiet for now.”

“Prepare yourselves, I’m setting her down,” Muramatsu called out, gaining a collective nod from his team. The jet soon lowered itself on the closest thing they could to flat, stable land.

The members of the SSSP unbuckled themselves from their seats and stood up grabbing the gear necessary to their mission. They took the words of Kusumi and his research crew to heart as they were decked out in the warmest clothing made to deal with a blizzard like this.

The ramp extended forward, revealing the cold, unforgiving storm before them as snow piled inside the jet. The five of them stared out, already feeling the sharp winds pierce through their gear.

“If we’re already having trouble completing the mission, then how are they going to retrieve the child in this storm?” Arashi inquired, shivering between words from the intense cold.

Captain Muramatsu glanced over to Fuji. “You have the tracker?”

“Yes,” she answered, peering down to the device in her hands. “If we move now, we’ll maybe reach them in a couple of hours.”

“That doesn’t answer my question!” Arashi interjected.

“Once we locate them, the tracker will act as a beacon. It’s not ideal, but in combination with us on the ground and that, they’ll be able to recover the kid in no time,” Muramatsu answered, starting to feel the cold pierce his skin, but not as much as this operation did. In his time with the SSSP, nothing spooked him as much as being near the King of the Monsters. He had heard the stories of what he could do, but never imagined he would be near him, and pissing him off was giving him second thoughts about his decision to join the organization.

And yet, his legs moved forward, trudging through the frozen landscape with the rest of his team. Their only reliable means of direction was the tracker, and even its usefulness wasn’t fully reliable.

“Did they have any objections, any private traitorous thoughts?” Muramatsu wondered, covering his freezing lips with his hand. “Perhaps, but none of them are speaking out against it.”

He briefly glanced at each of his subordinates, each of them keeping their attention elsewhere. Arashi kept his eyes peeled all over the landscape, likely ensuring nothing came to surprise them as Fuji placed her hand firmly on Ide as he guided her while she kept her attention on the tracker. Then, Hayata. It was as if he was lost in thought, as if something was troubling him.

In these past few months, he had noticed Hayata acting differently ever since Ultraman first made contact. Especially with how he always seemed to disappear whenever the hero always showed up. Muramatsu knew the situation was strange in it of itself, even pondering the idea if the two were somehow connected.

“Hayata, what do you know about Ultraman?”

“Watch out!” Arashi screamed at the top of his lungs, managing to cut through the strong winds, snapping Muramatsu out of his thoughts. His eyes went wide when an orange claw struck the land right in front of them blanketing them with piles of snow.

Peering through the falling snow, bright orange eyes stared down at them as its mandibles moved rapidly, signaling its hunger. It hadn’t eaten in days, these five would serve as a nice warm meal in this terrible storm.

The giant praying mantis unleashed a shriek of excitement as it slammed its other claw into the ground, but to its frustration, its prey were a lot faster than it anticipated.

“Open fire!” Arashi screamed out from the top of his lungs, with the rest of the SSSP pulling out their guns simultaneously. With the click of their triggers, five concentrated blue beams fired out of the barrels and directly towards the creature, blasting all over its body.

Before it could even think more of its impending meal or its next plan of its attack, the praying mantis lit up like a beacon, ceasing all of its brain function. The creature collapsed instantly as the flames overtook its body, generating a great deal of warmth for the SSSP crew.

While the situation was brief, the crew, without even having to utter a word, collectively decided to rest up near the flaming carcass. “So…..” Arashi breathed out, taking a moment to collect himself. “Mind telling me what the hell kind of kaiju that was?”

“Kamacuras, one of the many gimantis encountered by the science team,” Fuji answered, briefly taking her eyes off the tracker.

“Great! More of them!” complained Arashi.

“Eh, if they’re that easy for us to take down, they just make for good fire pits,” Ide joked once more, but immediately realized he gained a glare from the rest of the team. The wisecracking SSSP member gulped. “I’ll shut up again.”

Without having to give the order, the crew moved forward in their trek towards the hibernating family. Time became an illusion to them. Did only minutes or hours pass? None of them knew, but that question wouldn’t have to be asked for much longer.

The tracker emitted a lark beep while beeping red repeatedly. “We found them,” Fuji pointed out, causing the whole team to collectively look at the two in complete awe. Both Godzilla and Minilla were huddled up with the snow continuing to pile on top of them. Neither of them were completely aware of their surroundings.

“Fuji, press the button,” Muramatsu ordered abruptly.

“Is there really no other way?” Fuji inquired, her hands shaking from the hesitancy of going through the plan.

“I understand your reluctance and I’m not fond of the idea either, but we have no choice,” Muramatsu replied, feeling his whole body go cold from what he had just said. He didn’t want to go through this either, but if it meant saving Japan from one of the most dangerous threats, then he would do it.

“I know, but we’re literally ripping a child away from his father!” Fuji snapped, letting fear and guilt overtake her mind. She never liked seeing a family torn apart or a living creature to suffer even if it was to save others. “Think about what could happen if this goes south! What will we do then!?”

The crew went silent from her outburst, letting it settle in for the moment until Ide stepped forward. “I have to agree with Fuji. We’re at a place in time where we reached the closest thing to peace with Godzilla as we can. Do we really want to jeopardize that for a kaiju that could eventually be defeated by Ultraman or even us?”

“If it gets Gomora to stop, then why are we still questioning it?” Arashi jumped in, turning his attention to Godzilla. “We have the evidence about Godzilla’s recent behavior. If he cares that much about his son, then all he’ll do is just focus on getting him back. Nothing more to it.”

Unlike the rest of his comrades, Hayata couldn’t offer his opinion as his mind still lingered on their loss with Gomora. If he and Ultraman were just faster and stronger, then none of this would have happened. They could have just let the two hibernate in peace.

“Fuji,” Muramatsu spoke once more, allowing her to give him his full attention. “Give me the tracker.”

“But sir….” Fuji stammered out, her heart sinking at the Captain seemingly making the decision to go through the plane.

“I’ll be the one who enacts the plan,” he announced, his voice remaining stoic, but the inside of his body collapsing with the impending guilt and sickness over what he was about to do. “That way if anything does go south, I’ll be the one who will claim responsibility and deal with the consequences.”

“Sir, you don’t hav-“ Fuji tried to plead, but was cut off by her superior.

“I know, but we have no other choice,” Muramatsu reasoned, taking his steps towards her and presenting his hand in front of hers. Fuji stared at her commander, feeling unsure about allowing him to take all of the responsibility, but with everything on the table, she relented.

The tracker was placed in his hand and without wasting another second, he pressed it. Soon after, he threw the tracker on the ground, giving it a few minutes before a lone jet hovered above them.

“And to think they really needed us,” Arashi chuckled in annoyance, shivering from the cold tugging at his skin.

“Once the net is secured, we run like hell back to the ship,” Muramatsu conveyed, not wanting his team to be here any longer than they had to.

All of them nodded as they watched the aircraft slowly approach the hibernating family. The hatch opened up with the net dropping down on the infant, wrapping him up in an instant.

Minilla, feeling something pressing up against his body, opened his eyes, slowly stirring himself awake. He looked up to see his father still present in front of him; albeit asleep, but noticed something strange. The juvenile Godzilla saw a strange beige material wrapped around his skin. He let out a murmur of curiosity, trying to figure out what was going on.

Before he could investigate even further, Minilla felt himself being lifted off the ground as the jet veered off towards the coast. Fear had overtaken him as he saw himself being ripped away from his father. Minilla, scared beyond belief, unleashed several shrieks of horror, crying out for his father to help save him from this kidnapper.

Each scream became quieter and quieter as he felt himself being seized away from his father until one loud scream of desperation was all it took.

Godzilla’s eyes opened.

He no longer felt the soft embrace of his son, but instead emptiness.

His heart beat rapidly as his whole head thrashed back and forth, searching the premises only to find Minilla carried off into the distance by an unknown entity. He couldn’t make out the culprit due to his eyesight still recovering from the hibernation and the injuries he received from Kumonga, but the rest of his body was in full gear. The King of the Monsters’ regeneration was in full swing since the hibernation began, providing him with a new form that was ready to take on any threat thrown at him.

“Back to the ship, now!” Muramatsu screamed out, as the five of them bolted away from the scene as fast as they could. Hell had been unleashed and no matter what their thoughts were on the situation, doubt would have no room to play in this scenario they had created. It was in King of the Monsters’ hands on how this would all play out.

Godzilla unleashed an earth shattering roar, forcing the SSSP to stumble. He got to his feet and trudged through the snow, moving as fast as the difficult terrain allowed him to. Godzilla couldn’t even begin to process anything else except for the priority of his son. Whoever dared to jeopardize his peace will meet his wrath and will regret doing so.

For he had become far more dangerous than before.

He had something to lose, and if he lost it, then all would suffer like him.

 

Chapter 4: Gomora’s Counterattack

Buildings trembled as the ground shook violently. The citizens of Osaka lost their footing and cars swerved off the road into surrounding objects. Fires erupted instantly as people unleashed screams at the devastation taking place before them. Everyone struggled to get up as the earth quaked, causing cracks to form down the streets, splitting the once busy streets into doorways to oblivion. Cries of terror echoed throughout the city as they soon dissipated through the newly created chasms, never to be seen or heard again.

In the center of it all, a loud explosion was heard as if several tons of TNT went off. Gomora’s upper half launched itself out of the earth and discharged a massive roar of anger, announcing a declaration of war with those who had disturbed his peace. Peace he had once attained, but was taken away from him when they invaded his slumber.

Gomora pulled the rest of his body out of the hole he created and scanned his surroundings, already taking note of the damage he caused from his entrance. Deep down he admired his handiwork, but on the surface, he was furious at the little pests struggling to run away from him. He knew these terrified little animals were innocent in all of this, however, it mattered not. They were to pay for the actions members of their race enacted upon him. Gomora closed his eyes and composed himself, feeling his energy build up all around him. He tuned out the screams and all that was left was silence. Gomora unleashed a battle cry, turning his whole body three-hundred and sixty degrees with his tail following suit. His impressive tail, a force to be reckoned with on its own, slammed into the tallest buildings around them, severing the tops from the bases.

Gomora opened his eyes to watch the falling pieces of rubble crashing down on his victims. Their collective screams were cut off all at once with the falling pieces of debris, reducing them to nothing. Then, to add insult to injury, Gomora chose the path before him, kicking away the rubble that stood in his way, intending to repeat the devastation he had brought on this one block.

Tanks rolled in, synching up all too well with the invading kaiju’s footsteps, as they wasted no time in firing their rounds at the creature. Their shells blasted Gomora, unleashing a roar of irritantance. He looked down to see the perpetrators, noting their deformed, stubby olive green-like forms. The very look of them inspired disgust in Gomora, but he couldn’t dwell on their ugliness for long. He couldn’t let it get in the way of his devastation as he eyed several civilians running towards his attackers, noting how they perceive these creatures as their guardians.

His eyes widened as ideas flowed in his mind. Gomora backed away while tanks continued to open fire on him. The subterranean beast bent one leg back and the other forward while he extended his arms forward. Like his previous attack, he closed his eyes and drowned out the noise of the battlefield he created. Then, in the blink of an eye he charged forward, his footsteps leaving craters behind while arms crashed through the taller buildings, causing rubble to rain down on the fleeing civilians.

Their cries were cut short as the falling pieces of rubble reduced them to paste while those who narrowly avoided the concrete rain were trampled by the monster’s powerful feet. The tanks continued to give it everything they had, but it was all for naught, as Gomora collided into them, flattening one of them and kicking another away. The remainders were quickly dispatched by Gomora’s footsteps as if he were a child throwing a tantrum.

Gomora looked around, taking note of the lack of distractions around him. He snarled as he felt free to resume his invasion of this settlement, marching forward as he eradicated everything in his past, leaving it to be a barren wasteland. One that would leave a bad memory to anyone who dared to visit in the future.

Smoke nearly blanketed the once blue sky, casting Osaka’s assailant in shadow, but it did not deter him or even take a moment to notice. Instead, it kept moving forward with its tail creating roadblocks of rubble behind, cutting off anyone who attempted to escape.

However, Gomora’s eyes shot up when he heard engines roaring in the smoke above him. The subterranean beast snapped his eyes upwards to see several descending towards him. They wasted no time by bombarding him with their full armament. Gomora roared out in fury, angered by being interrupted by their fruitless endeavors to stop him.

The invader swung his tail upwards, immediately colliding with several of the jets. They detonated on impact as their metal rained down from the sky. Their remains crashed down on several structures and citizens trying to flee. Gomora heard their screams and snorted.

They can’t even help themselves.

He dispatched the rest shortly after, repeating his methods once again. Gomora’s ears felt at peace, no longer hearing the insistent howl of the engines. He prepared to further his domination once more, but noticed something peculiar catching the corner of his eye.

Gomora looked up to a lone jet flying above him, but something was odd about this one compared to the others. He held his ground, inspecting the lone craft only to see something was attached to it.

Then, he heard a loud cry emitting from the aircraft.

Gomora’s eyes widened in shock at seeing a gray, pudgy little being held by powerful wires. He saw the little one thrashing about while it continued to emit its cries of terror. In any other circumstance, Gomora would have dispatched the foe in an instance, but he couldn’t. Instead, he felt his body heating up, his blood boiling and every tooth in his mouth grinding with each other.

His hands shook rapidly while he stomped his feet repeatedly. Gomora felt the rage building up in him at the sight before him. It was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen. The subterranean felt nothing but disgust for the humans. First, disturbing his slumber and destroying, now kidnapping a child from its natural habitat?

Gomora felt something he hadn’t felt in millions of years. A power he once thought he had lost forever, but was now returning back to him. He yanked his arms outwards while his horn unleashed the brewing energy from his horn and onto the jet, carefully avoiding the baby.

The aircraft exploded into pieces while Minilla screamed in utter terror, feeling himself descending rapidly through the sky. The energy dissipated from his body, not even taking a moment to recompose himself as he saw the baby crashing down from the heavens. Gomora rushed forward, pinpointing Minilla’s shadow and standing near it.

Minilla’s eyes watered, scared beyond belief, desperately crying out for his father, hoping he would come save him at the last minute. The juvenile Godzilla knew it had been done before when he saved him from the giant spider and the gimantis. However, he didn’t hear a roar from his dad, as all he could do was continue to grieve.

Fate had other plans. Gomora stretched his arms outwards, his hands flipped over, as he quickly grabbed the juvenile kaiju. The subterranean beast nearly fell over, crashing down on one knee due to the impact, but found strength in keeping himself upright.

Minilla felt the soft, gentle touch of another being instead of the hard, unforgiving ground that had previously awaited him. The juvenile ceased his discomfort and looked up to see what saved him from such a fate. Minilla’s eyes widened at the creature cradling him. Gomora looked him straight in the eye, keeping his expression blank. The baby Godzilla shivered and whimpered almost immediately at the stranger.

The juvenile couldn’t get a read on him. Compared to his father’s harsh, but overall well meaning demeanor or the natives of Solgell Island’s savagery, there was nothing in his savior. Minilla, not knowing what else to do, let out cries of terror, scared at what the creature could do to him.

Gomora was taken back by the child’s terror. He knew the kid was already put through way too much and felt awful for contributing to it. The subterranean relinquished his hold on him gently, placing him on his feet.

Minilla ceased his crying, looking up to see the horned beast stepping backwards, placing himself several feet away. The juvenile tilted his head slightly, murmuring as to why he had let go of him.

What is he doing?

Gomora watched the baby, eyeing him suspiciously. He didn’t blame the child for not trusting him. After all, he wouldn’t trust anyone had he been in Minilla’s position. Still, Gomora shook his head. He didn’t like the idea of the baby being out in the open and knew he had to try and find a way to get the juvenile to trust him.

Gomora elicited a small, gentle roar, telling Minilla it was okay.

Minilla heard the roar and was confused by it further, unsure at what direction to take. He didn’t know whether he should trust this stranger or wait in the event his father would find him here. He didn’t want to leave the monster that saved him without a reply, so he let out a small murmur, informing him of his decision.

The beast shook his head, knowing full well he shouldn’t be left behind. He had to get him out of here before those pests returned to capture him or worse, kill him. Gomora unleashed another roar, issuing an order to allow him to guide him to safety.

Minilla shook head to the side, making up his mind to stay for his father. Gomora unleashed a roar, with every part of his mind telling him to do so. He couldn’t leave him behind, he felt this overwhelming desire to protect him.

But why?

Gomora questioned himself on why he would spend so much time trying to get Minilla to safety. It was getting in the way of his revenge, but it didn’t bother him for some reason. It was as if his priorities had shifted, as if revenge was never who he was.

Before he could ponder it any further, he heard the all too familiar sounds of the jets roaring in the sky. Gomora snapped his head backwards to find several jets diving towards them. Only one thing came to his mind.

To protect.

Gomora raced over to Minilla, who immediately let out a squeal while he covered his ears from the piercing screams of the aircraft. The jets inched closer and closer towards, delivering their payloads. The missiles were sent careening towards them, but Gomora was faster. He wrapped his arms around the baby, shielding him from the missiles as they bombarded the subterranean monster’s. The blasts rattled Gomora’s body, causing bruises to form. He kept his composure even if the pain was starting to get to him.

Thankfully, the round was over and the projectiles ceased. Gomora lifted his head up and watched the jets making a turn, preparing another round. He shook his head and growled, furious at how they could still continue their assault. His whole body charged once more while his horn glowed with an impressive, orangish light. He aimed his horn at the invaders and unleashed the super oscillatory wave. The orangish-white beam engulfed his tiny foes into ash.

Gomora took a moment to breathe, only to notice it was quiet and yet, something left him in confusion. It wasn’t the quiet, as he welcomed it, but a feeling he wasn’t all too used to. He looked down to see Minilla wrapping his small arms around a portion of his body.

Gomora couldn’t believe it!

He stared down at him when he saw Minilla lifting his head up at him, reassurance in his eyes. Minilla felt safe with him and let out a small cry, thanking him.

Gomora was taken back by the response, his heart was beating rapidly. He felt an overwhelming sense of joy as he couldn’t believe it. Gomora placed his hand on Minilla’s shoulder, his mind swimming with thoughts of joy. He felt himself at peace.

The guardian ushered out a small roar, telling the child to find refuge for them before more arrived. Minilla, agreeing to the command, nodded. Gomora turned around as he moved his tail rapidly, inviting Minilla to hitch a ride on it. The baby murmured as he wrapped his arms around it, securing him. Gomora took his first steps, exiting the city and towards a home they could call their own.

Minilla’s eyes grew weak as he felt himself drifting off to sleep. A part of him still wanted to wait for his father to arrive, but knew his newfound friend was right. He needed to stay safe.

Perhaps Godzilla would invite his savior into their family?

Minilla’s smiled at the thought of having a bigger brother. Someone to play with when his father was out on his own.

The hopeful baby smiled as he felt himself entering the dreamworld while Gomora gently continued on their trek, making sure to not to disturb the little one.

 

Chapter 5: Godzilla’s Wrath

Smoke still ascended towards the sky as the city of Osaka lay in ruin. The members of the SSSP gathered on top of a nearby hill to assess the damage, horrified by not only the city’s destruction, but of the operation’s failure so far.

“Captain?” Arashi mouthed, gaining his superior’s attention, turning away from the destruction. “Have we received any further orders on what to do?”

“The JSDF is scouring every plot of land in the Kansai region, but as for our orders….” Muramatsu paused, turning his head back towards the ruined city, pondering on how a single kaiju could have caused so much destruction without being stopped. It reminded him of the past decade when they were only saved by miracles, a time he wanted to ensure never happened again. And yet, the very cause of the never ending siege was their only hope. “Keep Godzilla in Osaka.”

Everyone’s stomachs dropped at the orders being relayed to them. Being ordered to keep Godzilla in one spot instead of fighting or forcing him to retreat, was a terrifying reality none of them wanted to live in.

“And….. we’re going through with this?” Ide stammered out, his entire body shaking at the suicide mission they were about to partake in. He faced several towering foes before, but none that invoked such fear as the approaching monstrosity.

“Yes,” Captain Muramatsu simply answered, keeping his composure in front of them, but deep down, he wanted to run like everyone else. “To ensure our best chances of success, the JSDF have sent out reinforcements to keep him stationary.”

Fuji immediately put her hand over her mouth as bile raced up, nearly forcing its way out. The others stood in silence at the gravity of the situation. Arashi shook ever so slightly before stepping forward. “Then, what’s the first phase of our plan?”

“Arashi, Fuji, and I will take to the skies in jets S111, S115, and S117,” announced Muramatsu before turning to Shin. “Hayata, you will keep your boots on the ground and assist with the ground forces.”

“And me?” Ide nervously spoke up.

“You recorded the infant’s cries, right?” questioned the Captain.

“I always try to make records of everything out on the field,” Ide answered, bringing out the recording and playing the infant’s cries.

“Then, you will be providing copies for every active participant in this operation to increase our odds of success,” Muramatsu said, conveying what the technical minded genius had to do.

Then, an earth shattering roar echoed across the ravaged city and onto the hillsides, causing Ide to scream while Fuji collapsed to her knees. The members of the SSSP turned to witness Godzilla making landfall in the once great city.

The angry parent stomped heavily, leaving several footprints while his tail swung rapidly behind, destroying what survived from the previous attack. Godzilla sensed the presence of his son and the culprit responsible for taking him away. His eyes scanned the nearby structure for any sign of them, but nothing popped up.

His dorsal fins lit up brightly as his mouth opened up, channeling the energy that resided inside him. With a moment’s pause, Godzilla unleashed his atomic energy, sending it into several buildings, detonating on impact. Fire erupted from the collapsing buildings, creating a sea of fire while the King of the Monsters let out another roar, demanding the world to hand over his child.

Godzilla took several steps forward, planning to repeat the process once more. He had no desire to cause any more destruction, but in the back of his head, he couldn’t help but think about the possibility of the humans being the ones responsible. He shook his head, dismayed at the possibility of them trying to reignite a conflict with him after he agreed to cease his assault across their settlements.

He wanted to believe Mothra was right in convincing him to leave them in peace, but now, he wasn’t sure. After these past few years of trying to help or doing his best to ignore them, Godzilla was confronted with the possible reality of them taking what was most precious to him, and for that, he must send out a message.

“Everyone, move out!” Muramatsu barked as despite every fiber of their being telling them not to, the team bolted to their destinations. The three VTOLs blasted off into the sky while Hayata immediately drove down the road, descending from the safety of the hills.

“Hayata,” spoke an ominous voice, causing the driver to nearly jump and swerve his car off the road. Hayata managed to regain control and stopped it immediately.

The SSSP member snapped his head over to find Ultraman sitting in the passenger seat. His eyes grew wide as his mouth quivered at the sight of the alien hero before him.

“How…..” Hayata stammered out.

“This is something only you can see, Hayata. I cannot influence anything in this world in my current state,” Ultraman answered plainly, keeping his focus on his host.

“The capsule!” Hayata spoke out loud, his mind racing at the possibility of Ultraman knowing where it is as he focused on nothing else. Not the plan, not the destruction, not even Godzilla. “Do you know where it is?”

“Only a rough idea, and that is where I lost it to the kaiju you call Gomora,” answered the being of light.

“Then, that’s where we’ll go!” Hayata declared, putting the gear in drive and speeding off towards the direction of the lost capsule.

“You would risk the entirety of the operation and the lives of your team based on a hunch of mine?” Ultraman inquired, feeling incredibly apprehensive at his host’s sudden decision to race off for the device that could very well be destroyed.

“If we don’t, then how else are we going to stop Gomora, or Godzilla for that matter!?” bellowed Hayata, unleashing the stress he was constantly under these past few days over not only the destruction, but his failure of keeping the Beta Capsule intact.

“Hayata, I understand your frustrations. If I were in your situation, I may act the same as you, but we can’t rush off blindly,” Ultraman spoke before pausing. “The orders your team received are cruel, but a sound one. Racing off to find could only compromise everything.”

“Then,” Hayata took a moment to breathe, trying to keep his composure. “Then, what do you suggest I do?”

“I cannot take charge in my current state or even influence you, but if Godzilla is as bad as humanity is making him out to be, then he is a far greater threat than Gomora. One that must be rectified sooner than later or else humanity will pay the price for the actions of a few,” Ultraman mused. His thoughts on humanity, while still new, were conflicting. He loved how every person was different and stood their ground for their beliefs, but was baffled on how dangerous they could be. More so than any other race he had encountered.

“The Beta Capsule is our top priority then. If the mission fails or worse, then we’re the only ones who have the best chance of stopping them both,” Hayata declared, now completely setting his mind on recovering the Beta Capsule, driving further and further away from the battlefield.

Ultraman turned his attention away from his host and towards the road ahead of them. For Hayata’s sake, he hoped his efforts were a success because if not, then the fate of everyone’s survival would be not of humanity’s, but of Godzilla’s.

 

Chapter 6: The Best of Us

With a kick of a boulder, Minilla hummed as he followed his new plaything. Each kick brought him entertainment, reminding him of the days he’d spend doing such things while his father slept or kept watch for intruders. The new creature he made friends with had gone off, searching for food. As hungry as he was, even with his stomach rumbling frequently, he did hope Gomora would return shortly. Not for the promise of food, but to ensure he got to bond with his savior.

Minilla kicked the boulder once more, watching it roll as he kept up with it. He kicked it more and more to keep himself occupied when he heard a calming roar. The baby Godzilla murmured as he turned around to see Gomora marching past the trees that surrounded them. In his hand were several trees with yellowish-red berries. Their plump, fully grown nature made Minilla’s stomach roar incredibly loud. He used all the strength in his legs and ran towards his guardian, leaving his plaything behind.

Gomora watched the baby bolt towards him and murmured, understanding he was famished. The saurian set the trees down gently, allowing Minilla to feast. Minilla stopped in his tracks as he looked at the trees as if he was ready to devour them. The guardian looked on, making sure he wouldn’t be disturbed, however, he didn’t hear anything.

No snapping the trees apart, no crunching, no murmurs of delight.

Instead, Gomora looked down to see Minilla right in front of him. He was puzzled by the child’s behavior as he kept staring up at him. Gomora tilted his head, trying to figure out what the baby was trying to do.

Why isn’t he eating? His strength has been sapped and it needs to be recovered.

He continued to look down at the infant, preparing himself for what could happen, however, he couldn’t account for everything. Gomora felt tiny, soft hands wrapped around his left leg. The subterranean beast’s mind finally clicked as it dawned on him what was happening.

He was being thanked.

Gomora’s heart beat rapidly as he felt an overwhelming sense of warmness invading his entire body. He hadn’t felt this feeling in a very long time and didn’t know what he did to deserve it. In these past few days, he caused death and destruction just in an act of revenge, but he was given peace by a child who fell from the sky.

The guardian felt his eyes closing, nearly causing himself to panic, only to realize it was his eyes watering. His knees were trembling, but he kept the strength to keep himself upright. Not because of his own will, but due to Minilla’s embrace. Gomora shook his head in disbelief.

Is this what it feels like to be weak?

Gomora looked down at the infant still wrapping his arms around him before looking up at the bright blue sky above them. Instead, he smiled in relief.

No. It made him stronger.

Gomora wrapped his arms around the baby, returning the love that was given to them. Minilla murmured in happiness at feeling accepted by his new brother. Their embrace lasted for a few more seconds before Minilla broke it off.

Minilla walked away towards the trees while Gomora watched. The guardian felt a bit disappointed that the moment had ended, but understood he had to nourish himself. And yet, he found the infant still surprising him when Minilla brought a tree over towards him.

Minilla lifted the fruit tree towards Gomora, murmuring as if he wanted him to eat with him. Gomora smiled at the offer and happily accepted. Both kaiju, with their respective meals in their hands, brought the trees to their mouths and began to gorge on its contents.

Gomora looked down at Minilla chewing on his meal, observing his peaceful nature. With another bite, Gomora already knew he wanted to do better and it was because of the baby. It was a beautiful moment he could continue to treasure.

He really is the best of us.

“Targets Gomora and Minilla have been spotted,” a pilot reported, keeping his eyes peeled on the two snacking kaiju while his jet decelerated.

“Commence with the operation, lure them to Osaka,” the gruff, old voice of a general ordered through the radio.

“Copy that.”

The jet immediately swooped in and deployed its rockets towards the resting kaiju. Gomora’s head perked up as he swallowed the rest of the fruit and saw the projectiles racing down towards them. His stomach boiled with rage as he wanted to blow the intruder out of the sky, but he didn’t have the time to do so. His first and only instinct was to protect his brother.

He snatched Minilla up, becoming dazed by the sudden movement, and placed himself in front of him, holding him tight. The missiles collided with Gomora, earning a screech of anger from him. Not of any pain, but of these demons trying to harm a child. The protector snapped his head up and saw the aircraft zoom by them, setting the still confused Minilla back down.

Gomora charged his body up, orangish energy flowing in his horns as the jet made another beeline towards them. Minilla glanced at his brother, concerned at the anger washing over him as he saw what the source of it was. While he didn’t appreciate the jet trying to harm them, he didn’t want the person inside to die. His body began to shake with anticipation at this unnecessary conflict, but there was nothing he could do as Gomora unleashed his tremendous energy and vaporized the aircraft in an instant.

Without any hesitation, Gomora snapped his head over towards Minilla, checking to see if he was alright. He wrapped the baby up in a hug as Minilla murmured in delight, returning the favor. The rage he felt inside of him brewed even more strongly as these demons continued their assault on them, but the love he felt conflicted with him, as deep down he was trying to restrain himself. To prevent his little brother from seeing any more carnage, one no child should ever see.

He would do anything to ensure that never happened to him.

Gomora released his hold on Minilla and let out a small murmur, telling him the situation was okay. The baby Godzilla murmured in understanding and patted Gomora on the leg, thanking him for his protection.

BOOM!

Several shells were fired off, forcing Minilla to cover his ears as Gomora snapped his back. What he saw was several tanks rolling up from several different directions, firing continuously at them. Gomora snarled and got ready to charge, but his eyes lit up when several flames erupted all around them.

Minilla huddled up next to Gomora once more as he searched for a way out. The subterranean monster immediately thought of burrowing, as it would work perfectly for him, but he didn’t know if the child even had the same capabilities as he did.

Gomora huffed, searching continuously when he noticed a path, one barely touched by fire. He knew something was amiss, at how this coordinated attack was hitting them from every side but one. The ancient protector snarled at the obvious trap waiting ahead for them, but he had no choice but to take it. His only priority was to protect Minilla.

Minilla continued to cower from the constant eruptions and the flames started to heat up with their bodies until Gomora snatched him up once more. He looked up to see Gomora giving him a calm look, reassuring him it will be okay. Minilla held onto his brother tightly while his brother picked himself up and bolted down the narrow path, clearing the fire-ridden land.

 

Chapter 7: Godzilla vs. Gomora

The skirmish with Godzilla was never ending. Aircraft swirled around him, constantly trying to avoid his deadly rays of atomic energy. Some were successful, but others could only manage so long before they fell victim to the attacks. The members of SSSP were the most fortunate, combined with their superior equipment and using the buildings as shields.

It was a sickening tactic. One none of them wished to use as they felt they were only assisting Godzilla in destroying the once beautiful city of Osaka. Many people had already lost their lives, but now the ones who survived would have lost everything. All just to keep Godzilla in place in the hope Gomora would be lured back.

Muramatsu could barely keep his hands on the controls, his movements were faltering. He faced death more than he could count from today alone. It pained him to know that his crew were facing the same odds as he was. All for a plan that didn’t matter in the end, all that could have simply been avoided if they had been more persistent in their attacks on Gomora.

By the end of all of this, he wasn’t sure if any of them could continue their roles in the SSSP.

Godzilla swatted a nearby jet, sending it careening down towards a group of tanks, ending their assault on him. The King of the Monsters snarled at this useless attempt to keep him occupied for whatever reason these tiny, little pests have come up with. The furious titan was ready to move on, to continue his search regardless if they impeded his progress on tracking down his son. He would tolerate their meager antics no longer.

Then, he heard a shriek.

Godzilla turned his head away from his attackers and towards a creature rivaling his very own size, moving his son towards a green and white pagoda.

His son was alive.

He felt a brief moment of relief, but instead, turned into fury as it was starting to make sense to him. That vile creature was the one responsible for kidnapping his son. For whatever reason, he didn’t care. All he wanted was for his son to be saved and to slaughter that monster responsible for all of this.

Godzilla clenched his hands tightly and screamed towards the very heavens with anger. Pure rage consumed him, now more than ever as he bolted from the ruined city and towards the outskirts.

Gomora glanced at the pagoda he and Minilla were standing next to. The barrage of missiles and shells ceased for the time being, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Yet, he had an idea that would buy them some time. This building was far different than the structures he ravaged in the past. Anything done to their buildings would always be met with hostility, as if they were trying to protect them.

So why not use their building as a shield? Surely they wouldn’t risk destroying it themselves if it meant getting to us.

A powerful roar was then heard echoing across the landscape as Gomora looked beyond the pagoda to see something that completely shocked him. A monster running at speeds he could barely comprehend, his eyes glued solely on his target who had a clear motive in mind.

To kill him.

Minilla peaked out from behind the pagoda to see what the commotion was all about and saw his father running towards. The juvenile Godzilla squealed with happiness at his father finally finding them. His heart raced rapidly at the thought of him being able to introduce Gomora to him and how they can all go back to Solgell Island together.

They could be a family.

Instead, he was met with a shove by Gomora, sending him a few feet back behind the pagoda. The subterranean monster briefly looked back at his little brother, ensuring he was safe as Minilla glanced back at him with confusion. He didn’t understand why Gomora pushed him when it was supposed to be a happy moment.

Gomora, never taking his eyes off of Minilla, was met with Godzilla ramming himself directly into him. The impact sent the protector careening across the landscape as Godzilla stood directly side by side with his son. Minilla shrieked at the situation occurring before him, watching the rage boil over his father.

Godzilla held his fists up while he watched Gomora struggling to rise. A small part of him felt proud at watching his son’s kidnapper already falling apart, but it couldn’t overtake the rage he felt. Bright blue energy charged up in his spines, as Minilla realized what was about to happen.

He ran up to his father, begging him to not harm his brother. Minilla patted his father’s leg repeatedly, trying to get him to relent, however, Godzilla didn’t even look down at him. Instead, he pushed him aside lightly before unleashing the powerful atomic energy that resided inside him.

The bright atomic beam raced across the countryside and collided into the recovering Gomora, sending him down on the ground once more. The protector shrieked in agony as the energy was something he never felt before in his life. Gomora got onto his hands and knees trying to bear through the indomitable pain he faced as the beam soon subsided.

Watching his foe still struggling to get up, Godzilla turned his attention towards Minilla. He roared softly, informing him that this conflict would soon be over. However, he was greeted with a roar of frustration from Minilla as he waved his arms up and down, trying to explain what was going on.

Before Godzilla could understand what his child was trying to say, he felt something colliding into him, sending him stumbling a few feet back. The furious father looked up to see Gomora swinging his long tail against his chest, earning a cry of frustration from him.

Gomora slammed his claws into Godzilla’s shoulders, immediately drawing blood from him. The atomic saurian exploded with anger as the ancient protector dug further and further in. Godzilla reared his fist back and sent it crashing into Gomora’s face, eliciting a cry from his rival as his cheek bone shattered.

The subterranean monster relinquished his hold on the atomic menace, attempting to assess the damage, but Godzilla didn’t give him the chance. With another punch, he sent his fist into Gomora’s rib cage, shattering portions of it on impact. The horned dinosaur stumbled backwards while Godzilla continued advancing, striking him every chance he got and each one earning a scream from the beast.

With another strike, Godzilla landed a heavy blow on one of Gomora’s horns, unleashing a heavy cry of pain as the nerves and blood vessels were heavily damaged from the strike. The pain radiated throughout his body as the afflicted horn was starting to crack open, unleashing an ache in his head that he had never felt before. Gomora covered his horns as he began wailing in agony while Godzilla continued to pummel him.

Godzilla paused momentarily as he saw pieces of the horn he struck chipping away while Gomora continued to shriek in agony, more so than before. An idea popped up in his mind on how this fight could be resolved and how he could take Minilla away from this hell.

However, as the King of the Monsters was concocting his plan, Gomora, despite the agonizing pain he was in, didn’t waste this opportunity he was given. With a quick strike of his tail, he sent Godzilla stumbling back, letting out a roar of confusion.

The King of the Monsters felt angry at himself for letting his guard down momentarily for trying to come up with a strategy to annihilate his son’s kidnapper. However, something peculiar caught his eye.

Orange energy was charging all around Gomora’s head as he nearly stood there dumbfounded. Godzilla shook his head, not only knowing this menace would not go down easily nor would he have the time to evade it. Instead, the atomic saurian charged up his own beam. He knew whatever energy Gomora was brewing was gonna hurt, but the King of the Monsters was going to make him fight for it.

With a mighty shriek of defiance, Gomora unleashed his super oscillatory wave while Godzilla fired off his atomic energy. The beams collided with each other for only a moment before their paths diverged. Gomora’s beam struck the atomic saurian’s left shoulder and chest, causing explosions to hit him from all over.

Godzilla wanted to scream out from the pain he felt. He never felt such a powerful weapon like that before. Not even Ghidorah’s gravity beams caused him as much grief as this weapon had. Instead, despite the pain radiating all over his body, Godzilla kept his atomic beam focused on it and aimed it through the oscillatory wave. The beam crashed into Gomora’s neck briefly, forcing him to cease his assault and to cry out from the burning sensation.

Unfortunately for the ancient protector, Godzilla wasn’t aiming for his neck. It was only a starting point. The beam traveled upwards and landed directly onto his left horn, shattering it to pieces.

Gomora bellowed out from the excruciating pain, plastering his hands on the gaping hole where his horn used to be. Blood poured out like a waterfall as he desperately tried to slow the blood loss by applying pressure on top of it.

As much as he wanted to continue the fight in an instant, Godzilla took a moment to rest after watching his nemesis nearly circle around from the pain. The King of the Monsters snarled, the pain he was feeling from the beam was legendary. He was in the fight of his life.

Godzilla peered down at his wounded shoulder, blistering from the powerful beam. He was thankful he was gifted with the ability to regenerate as the cells were slowly but surely doing their work, however, the pain was enough to make him want to drop out.

Minilla could only watch in horror as his two loved ones were hurting each other deeply and he didn’t know why. It pained him to see his family acting like this when they were supposed to greet each other with kindness. He tried to call out, to get them to stop, but neither answered his calls. Instead, they focused on tending their wounds before their next clash.

All the juvenile could do was continue to watch.

Godzilla snapped his head upwards, noticing Gomora slowly starting to recover. He didn’t want to give him the chance, as he put his good shoulder forward and his feet back. The King of the Monsters aimed himself directly towards the recovering Gomora and launched himself. Godzilla ran at top speed, ravaging the landscape that was between the two of them.

Gomora stirred himself upwards, finally being able to get to the point where he could find the pain manageable. However, all he could register was Godzilla crashing into him, sending them both forward several feet. The ancient protector shrieked in agony while he struck Godzilla several times on the head.

Godzilla felt each impact getting worse and worse, but he couldn’t relent now. He had him right where he wanted. He continued to endure the pain as with one last push, he sent them both crashing into the Osaka Castle, tumbling down while the pieces of it rained all over them.

Between the impact and falling down, Gomora struggled to get up as Godzilla slammed his hand towards his face. He braced himself for the powerful punch, but to his surprise, it didn’t come.

No.

It was worse than anything he could ever think of.

SNAP!

Gomora screamed out in pure agony as Godzilla had ripped his nose horn off!

Blood spurted out like a water fountain while Godzilla flipped the horn over, aiming it directly at his chest. Without any hesitation, Godzilla slammed the horn into Gomora’s own body, earning another cry out from him. Blood once again started gushing out as Gomora briefly turned to the horrified Minilla.

His heart stopped beating for a moment, knowing full well the attacker will go after him next. He couldn’t bear the thought of his little brother being hurt or worse, murdered. Gomora had to stop this once and for all, but first he just needed time.

Godzilla slammed the horn once more in Gomora’s chest, earning another bone chilling scream from the wounded protector. Despite it all, the stab gave Gomora a brief jolt of adrenaline as he launched both of his hands upwards, slamming them into Godzilla’s shoulders. He dug his claws into Godzilla’s right shoulder while he jabbed his claw in the blistering left shoulder.

The King of the Monsters nearly relented from the pain he was reciprocating, but continued as his stabs were getting faster and faster.

Gomora’s vision was starting to cease. He knew he wasn’t long for this world and as much as it terrified him being forced to leave, he had to make sure. Make sure Minilla was safe, no matter the cost. This last resort would speed up the process, but it was all he had.

Using his grip on Godzilla as a crutch, Gomora ignored the continuous stabbings he was receiving and raised himself up. Godzilla growled at how this beast wouldn’t just drop dead already.

Orange energy gathered all around his body while he aimed his head directly at Godzilla’s chest and fired. Godzilla’s grip on him vanished as he was sent flying away. Gomora kept the beam up as long as he could to ensure he created the maximum distance between him and his little brother.

With a mighty crash, a huge cloud of dust and ash formed over Godzilla, allowing Gomora to cease his attack. His body was shaking as all of the energy in his body was depleted, it was only a matter of time before death would claim him. However, he still had time.

Gomora slowly turned over to the shaking Minilla and walked towards him, murmuring. He vocalized to Minilla, telling him it would be okay, but the juvenile saw through the ruse as shortly afterwards, the protector collapsed to his knees.

Minilla hurried over to him, trying his best to hold him still, letting out murmurs of his own to stay with him. Gomora smiled at how the kid was still willing to be there with him and comfort him in his final minutes. He didn’t know what he did to deserve someone like him, placing his hand on his shoulder as a sign of love and respect.

Godzilla coughed out from the dust and air, filling his lungs while he struggled to get up. He assessed his body and saw the scorch marks plastered all over. The regeneration was already starting to kick in, but it wouldn’t be soon enough. He was still in agonizing pain, forcing himself to stand on his own two feet.

The dust was starting to settle, allowing his eyes to peer into the battlefield. He wondered if Gomora was even still alive after performing a blast like that. With several stab wounds to his body, Godzilla would be astonished if he were somehow still present.

Despite what he believed his thoughts would be, he saw true horror happening before his very eyes. That vile monster was laying his hands on his son!

Godzilla’s blood boiled, pumping up the adrenaline in his whole body. Every bit of his body screamed at him to not continue, but to instead rest. The raging monster didn’t pay attention as he was consumed completely by rage and immediately bolted towards the two.

Gomora’s ears went deaf as he continued to stare at Minilla, unaware Godzilla was still alive. He leaned in to wrap his arms around his brother, but was knocked away by a powerful kick, shattering the rest of his ribs.

Gomora screamed out once more while Godzilla shook violently, with fire in his eyes, readying to end this once and for all. The subterranean monster struggled to cry out while his limbs wobbled, trying to get up. He tried to reach for Minilla, but was met with another forceful kick, forcing him to collapse.

This was it.

This was the end.

Godzilla’s spines radiated with bright azure energy, readying to blast Gomora’s head off. Minilla trembled with fear, watching as his own father would execute his brother. He had to do something. Even if it meant for him to die.

The King of the Monsters reared his head back, preparing to make the final attack when Minilla jumped in front of him, stretching his arms outwards. Godzilla’s heart stopped momentarily while his eyes widened.

Why is he protecting that monster!?

 

Chapter 8: We Were All Deceived

“Where is it? Where is it!?” Hayata yelled out, panicking over hearing the exchange of battle cries between Godzilla and Gomora, followed by several explosions off in the distance. He pulled several pieces of rubble away from the wreckage, but was only met with more pieces to pull out.

“Dammit!” cursed the young SSSP member, throwing his hands up in frustration before returning back to searching for his only tool of salvation for the citizens of Osaka.

Ultraman watched his friend excavate the rubble nonstop, and while his efforts could be appreciated as it was something any hero would do, it wasn’t saving lives. Not when there were two larger than life beings decimating the city for supremacy. If only the Beta Capsule didn’t get thrown out of him. It genuinely baffled him at how such a thing could have happened, much less even lose track of it.

The Ultra could only ponder it for a moment.

“Am I losing my power?”

“You know you can do more to help out aside telling me it’s in this area?” Hayata blurted out, feeling the stress and fatigue taking a toll on his body from the non-stop digging.

Ultraman shook his head briefly. “Hayata, if I could, I would dig through this debris and grab the Beta Capsule myself. However, I am merely a spector in this world until you activate it.”

“Yeah, yeah, the usual,” the Ultra host mumbled, before moving yet another piece of concrete out of the way when a familiar sight caught his attention.

“Could it be?”

Hayata brushed some dust away to reveal a teal and black cylinder poking through the crevices. He smiled brightly, pulling it out with haste and jumping to his feet. He held the Beta Capsule up to the blue sky and reached for the trigger to stop this bloody battle once and for all.

Then, a gurgled cry was heard. Not only one composed of pain, but of sadness.

Shin Hayata lowered his head and saw Minilla positioning himself in front of Gomora. What really surprised him, however, was seeing Godzilla’s dorsal fins go from an illuminating blue to nothing. It was as if a switch was flipped, shutting off the power instantly.

Everything went quiet. No more roars, no more exchange of firepower and no more bloodshed.

“I….” Hayata stammered, finding himself at a loss at how both monsters had suddenly stopped fighting. He found it perplexing at how a fight like this could end so abruptly and couldn’t find it in himself to command himself to continue through with activating the Beta Capsule.

“It seems we’re not needed,” Ultraman deduced, keeping his eyes peeled on the situation before them. Unlike Hayata, he wasn’t lost, but instead was comprehending how the situation was unfolding, as he then turned to him. “Do not press that switch!”

Hayata turned his gaze towards Ultraman. “I know, but a part of me is telling me to!” He rubbed his hand over his head in frustration, perplexed at the new hurdle that was thrown at him. If he didn’t act now, there was a chance the fight could resume or Godzilla could carry out his revenge even further by destroying what remains of Osaka. “What do I do!?”

“Just wait a minute,” Ultraman simply commanded, not taking his eyes away from the kaiju.

“Is that even the right decision?”

“If we move in now, there’s a chance we could make this worse as Godzilla may see us as another threat to his son. That much is for certain,” Ultraman explained, turning towards his host. “And sometimes it’s better not to intervene. It’s hard, I know, but it’s our best solution right now.”

Hayata gritted his teeth. He hated not being able to do anything, but deep down, he knew the hero was right. There was a high chance they would only make things even worse with the kaiju before him. The SSSP member lowered the Beta Capsule, letting it rest on his hip while he continued to watch the display before him. Yet, he felt the need to make himself clear if the situation presented itself.

“You’re right, but if things get worse….” Hayata attempted to articulate, but the Ultra finished his statement for him.

“We will jump in, as we always do.”

***

Godzilla’s heart raced as the azure energy nearly erupted from his mouth, desperately holding it back while his own son stood in front of him. His hands shook, composing himself by letting the energy in his maw die down while his dorsal fins darkened. The King of the Monsters couldn’t fathom as to why his son would defend the monster holding him hostage, continually keeping his eyes peered onto him.

The atomic saurian let out a roar of anger, demanding to know why he is protecting the subterranean monster. Minilla continued to wave his arms as he squealed repeatedly, begging his father to stop this carnage.

Godzilla shook his head in response, ushering out a roar to his son. The boy was innocent and precious to his heart, but knew there was still a lot to the world he had to learn about. The world, while having its kind souls, was outnumbered by cruelness. The King of the Monsters glanced at the bloodied Gomora, barely clinging to life, and knew this beast had nothing but cruel intentions.

The thought of losing his son was what terrified him more than anything. He had nearly lost him several times and didn’t even want to think of what would happen if his own son was taken from this world. Which is why he had to do what needed to be done to ensure his safety.

Godzilla let out a roar to his son, telling him to get away while Minilla bellowed out in response. He shook, anger taking over as he couldn’t believe his father wouldn’t listen to him. Gomora showed him nothing but kindness and yet, his own father couldn’t see it. Minilla continued to shriek out, immediately charging at him and striking his own father as hard as he could.

The King of the Monsters felt the dull punches bouncing off of his skin. Godzilla felt pride in knowing Minilla would grow into a fearsome warrior despite his meager attempts to fend him, however, another part of him huffed at the shortsightedness of it all.

It was time to end this.

Godzilla unleashed another roar, announcing the execution was about to commence, immediately pushing Minilla aside when something caught him by surprise. Despite his broken and bloody body, Gomora leapt out!

Not at him, but towards Minilla, holding onto him tight as he cried out. Godzilla’s blood boiled, witnessing how this monster wouldn’t let go of his son. Godzilla let out an angered scream, commanding Gomora to back away and face death as he should have. Instead, Gomora ignored his threats and kept his attention fully on Minilla, continually embracing his adopted brother.

Minilla was horrified at the state of Gomora’s body, still charred and bloody from the battle. His eyes started to roll back, but was fighting to shut the door on death’s face as best as he could. The juvenile cried out, telling Gomora to fight it as he held him closely.

The two exchanged several cries as Gomora kept his hold on Minilla tighter and tighter, not wanting to ever let go of his little brother. He had to make sure Minilla was safe from the world. He had to. Minilla was the best of all of them and the world needed to see that, like he did.

In his once cold dead heart, Gomora never believed he could have changed as the world was cruel. Its inhabitants hated him for existing and he wanted nothing but to sleep after losing the rest of his kind, and yet he never got any sort of reprieve from it until a few days ago. He cherished it and wanted it to continue forever as he found a new lease on life, but it was not meant to be. At the very least, Gomora knew that kindness could still live on, because if he could see it, then everyone else could as well. He wanted to believe, it had to be.

Gomora looked up at Minilla one last time, smiling at the baby before his eyes gave out. His body immediately went limp while Minilla’s body nearly dropped from the collapsing weight of his dead brother.

The juvenile’s breathing became slower and more difficult to manage, as he just witnessed the death of someone he loved. His very first experience of death broke him. Minilla snapped his head, blood boiling at the thought of his father being the one who executed him just now, but all he saw in him was confusion.

It was as if his father’s spirit left his body.

Godzilla was completely dumbfounded by not only Gomora’s actions but his own. What he thought was a rescue turned into the murder of someone who was trying to protect a child. His child.

His hands shook, realizing he was in the wrong the whole time. If only he had stopped to think or listened to his son, then this could have been avoided. Godzilla glanced down at his hands, noticing the blood still draped on them. He felt disgusted by the actions he committed today and knew nothing he could do would ever make it right to Minilla and Gomora.

And yet, a fire brewed inside of him as the realization came to him.

He was deceived.

And so was Gomora.

The objects he saw taking his son away from were the cause of it all, not the protector. Those humans he was once told to put his faith in forced his hand into taking the life of an innocent. Godzilla knew he was a monster for the actions he had committed not only today or in the past, but to manipulate others into wiping each other out was another level.

It brought pure hatred to his heart. His brain brought him back to the memories of Mothra trying to convince him that humanity was worth saving. He couldn’t believe the lies she told him about how they were worth protecting when all they would do is destroy everything that was different from them.

Godzilla scoffed at those teachings along with himself. He needed to change, to adapt if he wanted his son to survive in this world. He eyed the corpse of the innocent he slaughtered with Minilla still grieving before him, keeping his arms wrapped around him.

The atomic saurian let out a small roar before advancing towards the body. Minilla looked at his father approaching him. He was unsure about his father’s intentions, but he wanted to protect what was left of his older brother. Minilla unleashed another cry, telling his father to stay away as Godzilla momentarily obeyed the command. The juvenile was surprised the order worked, as his father let out a calming roar instead.

Godzilla lifted his arms slowly, signaling to his son he had no intentions of destroying the body between them. Instead, he had another idea in mind, trekking over the body before lifting it above his shoulder.

Minilla squealed out, demanding to know what his father was going to do with the body. Godzilla briefly turned his back and quietly roared out, informing his son that he was taking it back home with them.

Godzilla intended to give this old warrior the burial he deserved and far away from those monsters who would do nothing but desecrate his body.

Both father and son made their way out of the city and towards the ocean. Godzilla thought to himself once again about the conversation with Mothra. He knew she was wrong about humanity and how they were worth dying for, but the other kaiju. Those who were just like him.

Victims and those looking for their place in the world.

They were worth fighting for and he needed to make sure he upheld his duty. He was called King of the Monsters for a reason and he will not forsake that title. Their home will be a refuge for all those who wish for safety.

He will make sure of it. He will not fail another of his kind again. Godzilla knew he had to be a better example to his son, for today was the darkest one of his life, and hopefully, the only one.

It was the fight he had to win in.

Against humanity.

For those like him are what mattered.

Winner: Godzilla (Showa)

A very special thanks to Zid, renown artist for Skull Island: Birth of Kong (2017) and Kingdom Kong (2021), for this wonderful piece! By every means, check him out on Twitter, Instagram, and his website for more of his phenomenal artwork!

In the meantime, here is the original image for your viewing pleasure!