Author: Santiago Fontalvo | Banner: Santiago Fontalvo

As the swirling vortex of rainbow colors made contact with the soil below, dormant, sleepy eyes once again saw light. The rotund shape of the Xilien plant landing on this new world, ready for conquest. The being, known as Gororin, was shocked yet relieved. His last couple missions had been rewarded with nothing but scoldings from his superiors, so being deployed was a pleasant surprise for him. The dark blue cacti took a good look to his side to see who he had been paired up with this time, finding the imposing silhouette of an oversized drill as the one who was accompanying him. Zandora roared with all its Garogan might, the gargantuan drill on top of his neck spinning with ferocity and eagerness to enter battle, something Gororin wasn’t as ecstatic about.

The origin of this strange reunion of bioweapons came from a crushing defeat of the Garogas against the Xiliens some time ago in a battle both Gororin and Zandora themselves had participated in. Although, not something either of them could brag much about. Most of the conflict in that fight was between the three headed dragons of both respective races. The trophy claimed by the Xiliens in their victory was the capture of all Garogan Terror-Beasts, soon to be added to the already vast army of the rulers of Planet X . It was a rumor told through countless genocides that Gigan was the master’s favorite.

The tropical breeze of Sergio Island gave a warm yet relaxing feeling to anyone who visited this islet hidden from the rest of the world. The destructive and over eager Zandora’s hopes of finding a challenger to blow apart with his noxious steam or gore with his drill were shattered when both him and Gororin realized they appeared to be alone on the island. Perhaps this solitude and the mystery around the landmassʼ location was what prompted the Xilien Commander to send the subterranean goliath and rolling cactus here. Putting it simply , they were the construction crew of their new base on Earth.

“Gororin! Zandora! Destroy and ravage anything remotely cattle-looking and leave this place completely flat! Once you two are finished and our invasion is done, we will send Gigan and Megalon to aid you in construction,” snarled the alien leader at his subordinates. After all, this was a job anyone else could do if it wasnʼt for the fact most would be busy in the soon destruction of mankind.

Despite the lack of violence this new job could give to a war machine like Zandora, the enormous drill monster was quick to get to work, plunging its titanic head into the ground with enough force to send powerful vibrations through the ground and almost shaking off Gororin’s needles in the process, much to the dismay of its partner. Being the smallest of an army consisting of creatures big enough to bring down buildings with a single breath was not fun, but there was nothing Gororin could do to change that. He would simply have to wait for Zandora to carve a path for them to travel faster across this floating piece of dirt.

Born from Garogan technology and designed to be a living weapon, Zandora took its job seriously. His head began to spin at speeds superior to any known vehicle to the human race, drilling and tearing holes cleanly through layers and layers of solid stone, ground and any other minerals on his path, helped by the crimson claws that acted as shovels and pulled apart fertile soil while also uprooting trees and overall just causing mayhem on the natural balance the island had preserved for thousands, possibly millions of years. Gororin himself was fine with letting the drill head do the hard work, he could run over any remaining trees or plants that remained on the surface with ease, but his opinions on the Terror-Beast soon changed when the tubes of Zandoraʼs head began to release a white fog.

As soon as the toxic microid steam made contact with Gororin, the prickly fiend felt the searing touch of the noxious drugs on his botanic epidermis, something that made his yellow eyes open wide like a pair of disks. The cactus rocketed high into the sky with a yelp of pain, rolling on the ground and away from Zandora as soon as he landed, desperate to try and alleviate the pain its careless partner had caused. Gororin bounced around in distress from his comrade’s mistake, getting deeper and deeper into the jungle without anything else on his mind but to cause the current burning that spreaded through his body to cease. One would underestimate how much distance a living cactus could cover while being in agony, something Gororin himself seemed to be unaware of considering how he now was many kilometers away from where Zandora was.

By the time the stinging pain stopped, Gororin had already tired himself out, eyes now a pair of flat lines of exhaustion. The alien plant tried to locate himself, but this unknown environment he had wildly driven into. Nevertheless! That would not stop Gororin! But what could stop him was the thing that made the yellow eyes of the cacti sink down into their sockets; he had been standing on unstable ground this entire time, and It seems said unstable ground was none other than the order of a cliff.

Gororin didn’t even have the chance to scream before plummeting down to the rocky terrain below, his tough needles were the only thing that saved him from splattering upon first contact with the boulders beneath him, not like that would help him in any other way considering the green bruises that immediately appeared when his floral body impacted against the hard surfaces. The cacti continued his painful descent until he was met by the not-so sweet relief of tree bark crashing against his face. He had managed to survive the fall, but a part of him wished he had failed that mission just like so many others where he had been deployed on. His golden eyes turning from small dots to spirals, as the plant moved around dazed.Despite his famous rolling as his main method of locomotion the small Xilien had never felt something like this before, most of the times he could escape being tossed around but this time it was all on him.

The spherical being shook off its confusion a few seconds after, but now an even bigger problem dawned on the cactus, he was lost and his partner was nowhere to be seen. Small droplets of sweat appeared at the sides of his round body, the spiny Xilien feared that his incompetence would be punished severely by his masters if he failed to reunite with Zandora, he would be seen as an utter and complete disappointment and more than likely left to his luck in a world filled with kaijus that could be able to turn him into a smoldering pile of ashes! Gororin panicked, his needles tensed up as he began to frantically search for a way to get up the mountain he had fallen from.

The living flora tried everything it could think of, perhaps it could gain enough momentum and roll his way up? The cliff was almost fully vertical, it would be a waste of time, perhaps he could use one of the trees as a catapult? If only he had arms. Gororin’s fears began to rise with each passing second, worries and excuses to try and hide such an embarrassing event flooded the non-existent brain of the sentient plant in a desperate attempt to get out of such a sticky situation. Just as his needles began to tremble in their spot out of dread of retaliation, a loud bellowing noise put a stop to Gororin’s thoughts, who quickly turned his circular body around to the source of the noise.

It was deep, booming and loud, like a tired roar or a ghostly wail. there was no doubt this came from a monster different from Zandora. Ideas and machinations flashed before Gororin’s eyes before he landed on one. Of course! If he defeated the island’s defender without Zandora ʼs help, his alien masters would shower him with compliments and cherish! The Xilien flora bounced on the spot from joy, not even caring about his previous injuries from the fall, he was too happy about his salvation to even stop and think if the plan would actually work. Gororin rolled through the wet and humid jungle, determined on making a name for himself among the ranks of the vicious monster army.

What awaited the rolling cactus after a couple of minutes of traversing the thick vines and strong palms that covered the island was the sight of a crystalline and beautiful lake. Shadows shielded the small fish and crustacean that swam through the clear waters. In the middle of said gorgeous zone was what, at first view, appeared to be a boulder, but in reality it was the gargantuan shell of the only inhabitant Gororin sensed was on the islet; the Yog mutant Kamoebas.

The sole kaiju of this island, Kamoebas was born after the effects of the Space Amoeba infected a regular turtle. However, unlike her fellow irradiated partners Gezora and Ganimes, Kamoebas had decided to stay in the place where she lived before she was transformed into a freakish abomination. The Yog beast rested soundly on the wet sand, nostrils exhaling gentle winds, the sound of those thunderous snores being what Gororin had heard earlier. Her peaceful sleep showed how the unrivaled creature was unbothered in this paradise.

Gororin, however, saw this creature as nothing but a way to prove his might to his creators. A low chuckle came from the cactus as it got ready to fire down on the unsuspecting kaiju, deadly needles shaking with emotion in their place before discharging in a display of unrestrained emotion. The pointed projectiles traveled through the air like slim bullets, reaching their target quickly. But, to much of the alien plant’s surprise, its deadly and unstoppable needles did nothing but bounce off the diamond-hard shell of the sleeping Kamoebas.

Several more waves of organic needles shot towards the dormant tortoise, each more forceful than the last, yet they performed no better than the first attack. The Xilien pawn tried a different approach. Next, he launched his entire spiked body towards Kamoebasʼ armored head like a cannonball. As one would expect, the attack was utterly useless against the living fortress.

Gororin fell to the side of Kamoebasʼ head, irate and enraged with his unsuccessful attempts of breaking through the defenses of his continuing unaware foe. Like a charging bull, the sphere creature launched its body several times against the tough frame of the blue terrapin, yet no matter how hard he tried, this approach was, again, unsuccessful. Desperation soon struck the invader, his master plan had failed and was left with nothing more than swelling anxiety. He had proven himself again to be a failure, not a fearsome Xilien warrior. The circular fiend fell to the waters below, the crescent yellow moons that made his eyes now formed a saddened expression. For the first time, Gororin truly felt he was the lowest of the Xilien cast. A dark thought lingered in his troubled mind as he sank deeper into the depths.

What use was he to the cause, if he couldn’t complete a task as simple as this? What future was there to hold onto?

It was on this cascade of tormented emotions when Gororin felt a soft nudge hit his back. The rolling cactus slowly turned around to face whatever had closed the distance on him, his eyes still filled with distraught over the realization of his defeat. What the Xilien plant did not expect was that the enormous turtle that he was assaulting with sharp needles to no avail minutes earlier was now standing right in front of him, reptilian eyes staring down with curiosity. Gororin shook off the tears away as his eyes widened in shock, only to turn back to their normal crescent-moon shape, the angry cactus blamed the shelled animal for his humiliation and now used all the anger inside him to fire off his needle discharge.

Even with all his anger being aimed down on the awoken goliath, the needles had little to no effect on Kamoebas once again, who was more confused than hurt by the flying arrows that simply bounced off her dark blue armor. The Yog mutant stood befuddled at what the invader was trying to achieve, watching as more and more needles tried and failed to pierce through her hide, something that would not stop until Gororin had finally tired himself out. The chin cactus, now devoid of the energy to continue fighting, went back to tears once again, turning away from Kamoebas and letting the small streams of salty waters exit the sides of his eyes.

The explosive emotions of the ball monster now seemed much clearer to the mutant turtle, and just the sight of Gororin crying its tiny eyes out made Kamoebas’ expression turn into one of worry for the small invader. The terrapin approached the Xilien, but was met with rejection as the small ball creature believed firmly that Kamoebas would just be another monster who would laugh at his misfortune, just like the rest of his supposed “allies”. If he had arms, Gororin would have been tearing at his own head in frustration by now, all the thoughts overwhelmed a mind that no longer could ignore the feelings of hatred and fury that were thrown at it with each failure. Gororin wanted the voices to shut up; the voice of his master, the mocking roars of his Xilien rivals, the…

All of Gororin’s self-deprecating views on himself were interrupted when a warm feeling wrapped around his figure, a strange sensation he had never felt before until now calmed him. When his eyes lowered to see what was happening, they saw the extendable neck of Kamoebas around their frame, tough and flexible skin in her throat protected the terrapin from any injury caused by the sharp needles placed all over Gororin’s body. Just like Gororin, Kamoebas lacked arms, but that did not stop the chelonian from embracing a being in such a saddened state of mind. The gentle and careful grasp was like a warm blanket that covered a cold and shivering body, a soft touch that made his fears slowly fade away into nothingness. The tears around the golden optics dried up as Gororin was lifted into the air by the Yog mutant. He was confused, but for once he held back on unleashing his needle discharge, he felt… calm.

With a smile, Kamoebas carried Gororin to the same lake she had been resting in all day, letting the tiny alien plant wash off the sap from his injuries. Gororin looked up to the terrapin, his expression almost directly asking the aberration why the act of kindness with someone who previously tried attacking her, but Kamoebas simply laid right next to him, simply wanting Gororin to relax and enjoy. Kamoebas was in fact not always like this, during the times Gezora and Ganimes still roamed the island she was just as ferocious and vicious fighting foes for the domain of the territory, but when the other two abominations left to the deep sea and left her alone, that was the moment a change occurred in Kamoebas.

Alone in her own little world, the turtle’s eyes were opened to a world where violence was not necessary, a scenario rarely ever present for kaijus like her. It was just her and the beautiful views of Sergio Island, an opportunity to live out her life like a normal animal without the necessity to lash out ferally against anyone on sight. This was the lifestyle of serenity and peace that Kamoebas now tried to show to others, who in this case ended up being Gororin. And while the cactus was unable to understand everything the turtle was trying to show him, the simple act of consoling him during his toughest moment was enough to slowly change the mindset of the war forged being.

What felt like hours went by in that little lake, both beings now sleeping peacefully next to each other in perfect harmony. Gororin felt safe; he was not being yelled at by a furious boss who wanted to see nothing but carnage, he was not being ridiculed by savage monsters that only desired to see the world burn, he was at the side of a gentle giant who he could be with and not feel attacked. He felt at peace with his world for once in his short life. When the giant reptile woke up again, she realized Gororin was still deep into his sleep, dozing off without a single care in the world. Kamoebas smiled before walking away, leaving Gororin to doze off in the crystalline waters, perhaps a friend was the one thing missing for this to truly be her perfect paradise.

The blue-shelled beast made her way through the thick vegetation, stopping only to take a few bites out of the fruits of the trees she flattened in her wake. Small birds and animals landed on her carapace, cleaning off parasites and detritus that slipped into the tiniest cracks of her blindage, essentially a micro-ecosystem in which the native wildlife could flourish. But all of the sudden, that same wildlife fled frantically as if their life depended on it when a booming crash was heard, something that immediately made Kamoebas perk up. With a lot of effort, the turtle stood up on its back legs, trying to locate what had caused the abrupt noise.

What Kamoebas didnʼt expect was the sudden eruption of dirt and soil that occurred beneath her feet, causing the reptile to lose balance and plummet down to the ground below. Snake-like eyes turned to see the cause of this attack, but they were met by the full force of a crimson shovel striking the side of her head. Gororin had come here with a partner after all, and it would be much harder to get the idea of a peaceful environment into their thick drill-shaped skull. Zandora continued the attack, blow after blow from his mechanical limbs sended shards of broken shell across the island, accompanied by the painful wails of Kamoebas, who tried to defend herself by biting down on Zandoraʼs leg. The taste of blood had returned to the turtle after so many years, the taste of victory from times long gone having been replaced by a bizarre and disgusting flavor.

The earth-eating beast did not stay still, taking a hold of the carapace of his mutant opponent and releasing from the tips of his hands scalding streams of microid gas, causing painful wounds in the places where the shell failed to cover. Kamoebas staggered back, in crippling agony from the burns the noxious steam had caused on her skin, but she had no time to lick the wounds before the Terror-Beast swung down and struck her cranium. The long appendage of the subterranean monster continued to hit the peaceful turtle, eventually slapping her a few dozen meters away from Zandora, an opportunity the alien was not going to let go to waste.

Kamoebas rose back to her feet, she felt the world around running circles inside her skull from the amount of times she had been bashed by the brute force of the invader. She quickly whipped back around and shot her extendable neck at her foe, maw open to try and crunch down anywhere she could bite on, but the only thing her mouth was able to catch was the scorching mist that was launched from Zandoraʼs fingers, forcing the terrapin back. Zandora approached like a bulldozer, crashing against Kamoebas with all his body and Garogan might before pulling his fist up and bringing it down the head of the aberration.

Several more blows came forth, blood now oozing out the top of Kamoebasʼ head. The drill-head then kicked the turtle away from his body, creating some distance between the two so that he could fire down another of his vile jet streams. Kamoebas roared and tried to run away, but she was soon covered entirely by the poisonous white cloud, gagging and roaring in pain as the steam made its way into her mouth, nostrils and eyes. Zandora cared not for this, as a war machine the sight of an opponent squirming in pain and suffering was the usual for him, Kamoebas would just be the newest in the list of victims of the Xilien.

That would be the case, if it wasn’t for the fact said agónica screeches attracted someone else.

A loud growl was heard, Zandora stopped his chemical onslaught and turned around to see what it was, and it was none other than his missing partner; Gororin. The Terror-Beast chuckled and waved at the cactus, signaling him to join in on the “party” that was going on. Gororin however remained silent, watching Kamoebas struggle to breath under the toxic gasses that assaulted her respiratory system. Zandora was confused at the uncaring nature of its comrade, but it did not matter, the Terror-Beast simply whipped around and was ready to continue until Kamoebas stopped moving. But it was at that moment when Zandora was struck by the stinging pain of several needles piercing deep into his shoulder, making the earth-eating kaiju release an echoing cry of pain.

Gororin jumped right between the dueling titans, growling at his supposed alien ally, an action which prompted a roar of pure boiling fury from Zandora. The Terror-Beasts pointed at Gororin, releasing a wave of microid steam directly at the traitor, but it was dodged quickly by the rolling cactus who retaliated by sending more sharp needles towards Zandora. The projectiles dug deep into the chest of the Garogan creation, and were closely followed by Gororin leaping across the air and tackling the knee of his ally directly, drawing more blood out of the already injured leg.

Zandora growled in pain, swiftly smacking Gororin away with his shovel hands, but unable to remove the needles that had gotten themselves buried in his flesh. The excavating beast swung its colossal tail and struck Gororin midair, forcing the sentient plant against the ground in a painful collision, one that spurted sap and fluids out of Gororin’s still open wounds. The subterranean kaiju approached its once ally, bringing down his gargantuan head which started spinning at ludicrous speeds. Zandora was going to make an example out of Gororin by utterly pulverizing him with his drill, something the small chin cactus couldntʼt stop. However, the powerful weapon stopped dead on its tracks before it reached Gororin, as Kamoebas had sprung back into action and bit down on Zandora’s tail with all she had.

The Terror-Beast howled in pain, but was shut by the rolling cactus leaping up into the air and hitting his enormous head, causing the subterranean beast to fall down. Now that they had the upper hand, Gororin unleashed once again his needle discharge with pin-point accuracy, covering Zandora’s frame in sharp needles. The terrific monster tried getting back up, but was out down once more by a direct headbutt to the chest courtesy of Kamoebas, forcing the drill-headed colossus to release pressurized steam from the tubes around his head just to regain his footing.

Kamoebas and Gororin took a few steps back, rolls in the case of the cactus, but remained as determined as ever to protect the island from the destruction the Xiliens had brought down on it. Zandora failed to understand what had caused this sudden change in Gororin, but to him it was merely just a reason to bury him deep under the soon to be base of operations. With a loud growl, the drill that was his head began spinning with the force of a storm, and soon was taken to the test when Zandora charged directly towards the pair.

As Zandora approached, Gororinʼs eyes lit up with an idea! He rolled to the side at the same time Kamoebas jumped away from the rampaging Zandora, the power behind that drill would be enough to break through her defenses. The charging monster had enough free space in the torn down jungle to turn around and change directions, aiming once again at the defending duo with all the intention of running them over. This time however, the redeemed Xilien had enough time to show his partner the idea he had in mind, something affirmed by the turtle with a quick nod. The tag-teamed remained still in front of the crushing Zandora, motionless up to the last second where the bio-weapon was mere meters away from reaching the two. Just as Zandora launched forward, Kamoebas crouched her body and allowed the pointy protrusions of her shell to impact Zandora, sending him off course!

The roaring Terror-Beast crashed against his makeshift tunnel, causing an avalanche of debris and soil to collapse on top of Zandora, pummeling the kaiju with enormous boulders and several tons of dirt and mud; his own abilities caused his downfall. Kamoebas and Gororin cherished their victory for a brief moment, the rolling cactus even going as far as trying to hug the leg of his reptilian friend, something that with no arms was a bit hard to convey but the intention remained there! Kamoebas smiled, It was the first time adrenaline like this had flowed through her veins in quite a long time, and honestly she prefered if things stayed like they were before, but she would absolutely fight again if it meant protecting her home or her new friend.

But the quick celebration was cut short by the arrival of a looming shadow over the three monsters. All but Zandora looked up to the darkened skies with curiosity. Up above their heads was the golden ship that had released the invaders in the first place, and from it, the insistent growling and yelling of the Xilien leader made its appearance once again.

“YOU PAIR OF IMBECILES! WHERE IS MY CONSTRUCTION SITE? AND WHY IS THAT DAMN TURTLE STILL ALIVE?!” Roared the leader of the X Aliens with a voice so strong it could make glass shatter, but his temper tantrum clearly had one specific target. “ZANDORA! YOU USELESS MACHINE, BURIED ALIVE BY YOUR OWN POWERS?! WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?!”

The Terror-Beast had just managed to dig itself out of its earthly imprisonment, so having the first thing he heard after coming out be the furious shouting of his voice right into his eardrum was not the most pleasant of situations. The Xilien Commander continued insulting the subterranean creature, something that didn’t quite sit well with a certain someone…

“JUST YOU WAIT! I’LL SEND MONSTER X TO SHOW YOU PAIR OF PUNKS WHAT A TRUE MONSTER I-” Before the irate leader could finish, the rolling cactus had jumped high into the skyes and tackled the ship directly, fully confronting a boss who had done nothing but put him and his previous comrades down. The golden vehicle lost balance for a moment, but was quick to restabilize, and as expected, it was ready to bring its full fire power down on Gororin. The living plant growled at his cruel masters, now accompanied by Kamoebas who also challenged the extraterrestrials for the control of the Island, a sight impressive to Zandora as well…

“ENOUGH! GET THIS PATHETIC CREATURES OFF MY SIGHT!” The dagger-like UFO opened one of its ports, letting a wave of golden beams fly through the air and impact the duo of monsters who now roared in pain. A second volley was enough to draw blood out of Kamoebasʼ shell, but neither her nor Gororin would back off now that they had something to fight for. And just when the third wave was going to be unleashed…

A direct blast of microid steam was sent up to the sleek and curved spaceship, chemical explosions causing critical damage to its circuitry and creating sparks that erupted out of all parts of the UFO. With a set of wild spins that drove the golden vehicle away, both it and the Xilien inside plummeted to the oceanic waters that surrounded the islet. The turtle and the cactus were shocked at these events, their heads swiftly turning to see Zandora, whose arms still smoke from the attack he had fired down on his masters.

Kamoebas and Gororin approached the Terror-Beast, unsure if this was an act of pent up fury or if the alien weapon had truly turned a new leaf as well. Zandora looked over to them, the Garogan bio-weapon was conflicted on its own feelings. He had never even thought of the idea of refuting what any of his superiors said, and yet here he was. The subterranean kaiju remained still for a couple seconds, before it felt how both Kamoebas and Gororin tried to remove the needles he had been struck by during their battle, showing that all desire to fight was now gone.

With a low grumble, Zandora sat down and allowed the other two kaiju to heal him. Once they were done, Kamoebas and Gororin sat next to the subterranean monster and looked up to the sky, which had been painted with the warm and beautiful orange and reds of the sunset. Never had Zandora seen something remotely similar to this in all his years alive. It was something “pretty” that he could appreciate even with his bizarre lack of eyes, but Gororin and Kamoebas were not going to question that. The trio simply observed as the sun slowly disappeared behind the hills and the stars of the infinite cosmos began to shine again, the night would be the perfect time for them to rest and heal from such an active day.

Gororin and Zandora looked at each other, perhaps Kamoebas was right.

Perhaps life was really more than just fights…

Winner: Kamoebas (Showa), Gororin