Steam dispersed from the naturally heated water as the Thrust Polar-Borer slammed against a nearby isle, dented and broken. The great theropod heralds a victorious cry, letting all who could hear him know who their king was. The drill-tipped submersible lost all of its functionality, laying immobile at the mercy of the gigantic dinosaur. There was only one hint of activity from the Polar-Borer, and that was a hatch opening up, dropping its lone pilot into the warm waters with a minuscule splash.

Air bubbles popped on the surface, only to reveal a saggy old man, in his late-sixties, catch a breath of contrasting, cold air. His tan coat, orange ascot tie, deep blue shirt, graying hair and mustache were drenched in sauna-like water. Noticing his also wet bush hat floating adrift, something he associates to be every part of him along with his handy hunting rifle, he’s quick to snatch it and forcefully tucked it safely into his water-filled pockets. Fortunately for Masten Thrust Jr., his .308 caliber Extreme Big Bore Air Rifle was still strapped around him, with no indication of any damages or the even worse danger of the safety being off.

Masten took a hard, good look at what his narrow-minded desires brought him. In the past, he was one of the world’s richest men; a billionaire hunter who had all the luxuries the world could buy. But nothing was more fulfilling to him than the thrill of the hunt. Then along came an offer, where he was requested to sponsor an expedition to an ice cavern that thrived with prehistoric life. And with the new age of discovery, in a world of gods and monsters, could be new challenges with potential game.

Including the biggest thrill of his career.

“You massive sonuvabitch,” Masten muttered, shaking his head in disbelief, “You were only forty feet.” He still couldn’t believe the creature he once fought now stood nearly two-hundred and fifty feet tall.“Next thing I know, you’ll grow to be about a thousand feet!”

He recounted the events that happened afterward, how they were stuck in this godforsaken territory for months. Deep down, Masten felt a certain sense of homeliness; free from a world brimmed with backdoor dealings, business, taxes, and responsibilities. It was just him and the thing he loved most… But all of that was taken from him when the expedition crew finished repairs for the first Polar-Borer; when all of his traps and weapons failed to stop the dinosaur; when they knocked him unconscious and took him back to the human realm.

Even after the matter, he lost the riches of Thrust Industries to leeches, gremlins, conniving politicians, land lords, and business partners. The more he lost, the more unstable he became; a charismatic man who could sweet-talk any woman into bed was now rejected by society at large. There was no home for him among humans, only among the last dinosaurs.This included the one his former team called Godzillasaurus, named after the infamous Godzilla.

That was 1977. Now, it’s 1985.

Running off of his adrenaline, Masten hightailed to the nearest body of land he could find. All the while, the water muffled his ears of Godzillasaurus tearing the Polar-Borer apart, eviscerating it with its teeth and claws, destroying any chances of him returning to the surface. ‘Fine by me,’ he thought to himself. He knew retrieving the little supplies he brought would be a suicide mission. ‘Besides,’ he mentally continued, ‘the local herbs, greenery, and game will be more than enough for me. Wonder if dino-meat tastes like chicken? Or beef? Or frog? Or—’

A sudden, gentle wave broke Masten’s train of thought, carrying him across the large body of embracing water. His hands could feel the underwater sand slipping past his fingers. “I’m getting close,” Masten said aloud. Then, a rougher wave passed over him, shoving him along the shore.

“What in the—” he cut off as he came to the realization of the source. Turning onto his rear, Masten saw it for himself: Godzillasaurus, wading through, right in his direction. Masten stared into the mammoth saurian’s eyes and recognized something almost eerily human.

Contempt.

“Shit, you still recognize me?” Masten remarked, stunned at the prospect. “Well good, then I know I have the right game.”He pulled out his trusty rifle and aimed it at the great behemoth. He wasn’t completely sure how much thicker its skin had gotten since their encounter years ago, but it was worth giving a shot. Looking through the rifle’s lens, he flicked the safety off and pinpointed the shot to the chest. He slipped his finger around the trigger, and…

Nothing, except for a hard tug on the trigger.

A sore expression overcame him. “The damn thing is JAMMED AGAIN!” Masten shouted at the top of his lungs. He didn’t care if the Godzillasaurus heard him or understood him, he was letting the underground world know his thoughts. “Fine, then I’ll have to chug it inland.” He picked himself up and began to haul it into the landmass, or at least whatever’s available. “Not throwing my gun away this time.”

The eighty-foot tall pine trees made for decent cover, but there were more pressing issues. He was still wet, the air was cold, and hypothermia might have a word with him soon. Each step he took, water squeezed out of his boots, and the pruner his soles and toes became. He needed to find some kind of cave, and fast. He came to a sudden stop when he saw several fallen pine trees, surrounding deep depressions in the soil.

“Seems big boy enjoys a casual stroll,” he observed, seeing the wall of logs he would have to bypass. Either that, or take a very long detour, something he wasn’t keen on doing. He was nowhere the athlete he was during his youth, so pulling himself on top of the downed tree took more strength than needed. Hopping across the gaps, Masten found himself on the other side of the wooden barricade, avoiding the imprints as he continued onward. But in the time it took, he could already hear trees falling over, snapping like twigs under the weight of a mighty king.

When Masten found himself at the thicket’s end, he came to an abrupt halt. Beyond the forest’s edge was a massive pit of dinosaur bones and front of him a narrow slope. He didn’t have time to think, but to act. He slid down the slope, with the dust residue clinging to his moist clothes. His legs and backside burned during the descent, his nerves screaming agony. Just as suddenly, his ride ceased with a rough thud. His aged muscles didn’t do him any favors. As he struggled to his feet, Masten saw that he arrived at the dinosaur graveyard.

“…Never going to do that again,” groaned a sore and aggravated Masten. “Should give me time, at least.” Hugging against the warm, dirt wall, he hoped Godzillasaurus wouldn’t find him. Each footfall shook the ground beneath his feet, the snapping of trees growing more audible. Out of his peripheral, he could see the overcast blotting out the light source, followed by an echo of a low grumble. He knew that it was right above him, and earnestly shocked that the reptile’s immense weight hadn’t caved in on him.

Masten wasn’t sure if Godzillasaurus saw him or not, but he knew full well it would’ve been impossible to detect his scent after the warm bath and the slide down the red soil. Even if the dinosaur had noticed him, his attention was diverted to something else entirely. A thunderous boom shook the entire ecosystem, Masten rocked by this massive tremor with thoughts racing through his head as to what it could be.

Godzillasaurus lived here for his entire life. His instincts knew of this place’s habits and patterns, where the pterosaurs migrated in this small domain and where the rest of his kin dwelled during specific magnetic fluctuations of the Earth’s rotation and orbit. He also knew that the active volcano, which acted as the main source of heat and refracted light for this frozen wonderland, never once shook this violently during his reign as king of the dinosaurs.

Something was horribly wrong.

A gush of pitch-black smoke and ash poured out from the volcano’s peak, the plume rapidly spreading across the icy ceiling. Geysers of molten rock jettisoned out of the fissure as cascading lava roll along the mountainous terrain. Resounding explosions echo and rebound across the cavern as the volcano continued to violently erupt. Black smog clung to the ceiling, heating the frost and killing the light that once bounced off the icy surface and gave the flora life. From the melting roof of the cavern, streams and droplets infused with ash fall to the warm earth below, creating the illusion of a rainstorm. The pterosaurs and other flying beasts of this world panicked and scattered, unsure of where to go.

Then, a godly howl made itself known.

Godzillasaurus saw the figure at the peak, its body cascading with lava. It carried itself with two large, hefty legs and a thick, muscled body, one able to withstand the hellish terrain it went through to get here. A powerful, wormy tail tossed the lava around, unaffected by the blazing heat. Its scaly skin glowed from the superheated temperatures, basking in the volcano’s wrath.

From the world above, he was feared and revered. Parting his jaws, revealing a single row of needle-like teeth, Godzilla bellowed a war cry that alerted every last living creature of their new king.

For Masten, hearing that aberrant roar only reminded him of humanity’s insignificance. He had known of Godzilla for many years, even recalling when the news broke of a second Godzilla after 1954. For decades, Godzilla razed Japan’s infrastructure to the ground, torching everything in sight with his horrific atomic power. Although many willingly pitched in to reconstruct Japan, Masten only recalled the tax inflation that took effect; something that only got worse when the other monsters began cropping up. Fortunately, when you’re rich, there are always other ways around for your own gain.

He couldn’t utter any words as he felt the vibrating footsteps of two kings marching toward each other. Last he had heard during his personal decline of fame, Godzilla was finally defeated by luring him to one of the Japanese islands and dropping him into a volcano. And that was only a year ago. ‘Yet here he is, still among us,’ Masten internally contemplated. He backed off of the red dirt wall, only now noticing the volcanic clouds and melted ice rain pouring down on him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Masten complained, and then promptly spat out the soot that made its way into his mouth. It was bad enough that he hadn’t dried out yet, but now it was raining, a volcano was erupting, and two giant monsters were inevitably going to tussle.

‘How could this get any worse?’ he thought, keeping his tongue silenced. Almost as if the universe heard his thoughts, the steep slope began shifting, almost pulsating. Realizing what this meant, Masten threw himself out of harm’s way to avoid what would happen next. An explosion of red rock and dust shot out as a silhouette burst forth, stampeding on all fours. With its beak mouth, shield-shaped head, and protruding horns from its forehead, even Masten, as uneducated as he was with dinosaurs, recognized this creature was none other than a Triceratops.

A brief moment of confusion overwhelmed him at the prospect of a burrowing Triceratops, but he took note of the hole left in its wake. As the Triceratops rampaged across the graveyard, Masten booked it for the tunnel and prayed to God that there weren’t any others following this trail. The first thing on his personal to-do list, besides taking in a huge gulp of air not tainted by soot water, was to strip himself down to his bare necessities and wring out the water from his belongings. One by one, he squeezed the water out and put them back on. It was better to have damp clothes than wet ones. His rifle was a different matter. With the sky almost becoming pitch black, navigation would prove to be difficult. But even in the darkness, there were glaring lights emitting an ethereal, white glow; he could see them radiating in the distance. He wasn’t sure as to what it was, but if it meant he had a light source to fix his gun, then so be it. As he got up to travel into the even darker tunnel, he could hear the Triceratops honking behind him.

Even during his escape to the dinosaur world, Masten pondered on the idea of naming the individual dinosaurs. On one hand, they were his prey; but he also knew that he would be down here for the rest of his days. At the very least, naming the Triceratops after an asshole business tycoon he had no fond memories of would incentivize him to exact his personal revenge by hunting it down. That was assuming he would get out of this alive. He could tell it was coming right to the tunnel and by extension him.

“Goddamn it, Billy!” Masten blurted aloud.

---

Godzillasaurus’ feet dipped into the warm waters, with only the hue of glowing rocks in the distance and the nearby volcanic light granting him visibility. Godzilla, too, splashed into the body of water bursting with steam, the lava covering him hardening. Even his upper body hardened in the wake of the volcanic storm brewed by his arrival.

Two sets of eyes peered at one another. It was time to show this world their king.

Godzilla initiated with a small grunt, immediately breaking into a cumbersome stride. Godzillasaurus returned the favor by rushing to close the gap between them. Upon collision, it became a war of attrition with claws and teeth. Godzilla’s bulky hands pawed at the smaller creature, digging his burning ivory claws into the brown scales and drawing blood. Godzillasaurus wailed in agony as Godzilla’s superheated slashes cauterized the wounds, but retorted by biting down on the rocky-coated arm. Little did he realize its inefficiency with a sharp, burning sensation struck his nerves from the cracked stone and leaking lava. Godzillasaurus reeled back in the midst of pain, with Godzilla shoving his mass into the smaller dinosaur, toppling him over. The mighty oppressor slammed his large foot repetitively into the great theropod, pinning him to the warm water and the shifty sands beneath them. With each strike, Godzillasaurus yelped, eventually collapsing from the pain.

As Godzilla brought his foot up to crush the lesser king with his immense power, Godzillasaurus reacted with a swift and sudden tail slap to the other leg, tripping over the gargantuan menace and falling with a powerful tidal wave. With his foe down, Godzillasaurus quickly got back to his feet and rushed over, eager to clamp his jaws around Godzilla’s throat. Incisors burrowed into the hardened rock, then to the lava promptly cooled by the water, then into the rugged charcoal scales. Try as he might, Godzillasaurus mustered all the strength he could into tearing the tyrant’s throat out.

Godzilla’s neck muscles stiffened and pulled against the ancient beast. Without too much effort, Godzilla was able to dislodge himself from Godzillasaurus’ toothy grip. The smaller king tried once more, but the bright blue illumination emanating from Godzilla’s spines, contrasting the red hue and the blackness, told a different story. Channeling his awesome and destructive power, Godzilla seared a concentrated atomic ray into the great theropod, washing it with atomic fury. Sparks and blood flew out of Godzillasaurus as his skin charred from the superheated blast. As the force of the beam shoved the dinosaur into the ruins of the second Polar-Borer and the nearby isle, Godzilla rose to his hefty feet and spat another beam at him. Upon collision, Godzilla ceased and observed what his foe would do next.

He saw the weaker monster limply glaring at him, but wasn’t able to muster the strength to continue their bout. With his wounds cauterized from the atomic ray, Godzillasaurus collapsed amidst the ruins. Curling his upper lips, Godzilla proclaimed a victorious roar. The inhabitants scoffed and howled at the tyrant, defying him from the darkness. They refused to bow to their new king. It would seem he needed to assert his dominion. Barely scrounging any energy, Godzilla shot a small, bullet-like atomic fireball into the darkened sky. The blue light brightened the cavern as the compact blast zoomed across the land. Several dozen pterosaurs were atomized and absorbed into the mass, not even remotely halting its progress. Then a sudden explosion struck the icy wall, breaking chunks and pouring water and blue flames.

The uproar continued. He needed to put them in their place.

---

If there was any chance he could see something, he’d cry tears of joy. As it is, he had to deal with constantly stumbling over the rugged, hewn cave and Billy fumbling behind him, having just as much trouble. The farther in they went, the harder it became to navigate and breathe. It felt endless, with no exit point in sight.

“Hey Billy,” Masten said, addressing the dinosaur behind him, “Did you happen to block off our only way out?” The only response Masten received was an audible honk from the Triceratops. “And just how far did you dig, anyway?” Once again, Billy only replied with a minor screech. He was sure the dinosaur didn’t understand a lick of what he was saying, but it was more fun for him to pretend that it understood every word he said. It was even more fun to imagine the Triceratops speaking like Human-Billy, someone he would’ve been more than eager to put a bullet in had the justice system not existed.

Masten knew that Billy was slowly gaining on him. From today alone, his body was sore all around. Additionally, unlike himself, Billy was a Triceratops; a larger creature able to cover more distance. If Masten didn’t put in his 110%, he’d be skewered at the mercy of a ten-foot tall ceratopsid.

“Mind slowing down a bit? My bones are killing me!” Masten complained, vainly hoping the three-horn faced lizard would stop in its tracks. Alas, it was not so. He could still hear Billy shuffling his feet among the dirt. But a sudden, resounding gust of wind told Masten a miracle was just up ahead.

They were coming close. Very close.

“There!” Masten exclaimed with hopefulness. Even with the breeze washing over him, he noticed that the fighting ceased. He wasn’t sure how long they have been at it, nor was he immediately keen on finding out. Even if the outside was dark from the volcanic smoke and the dirty rain, it was certainly more visible than inside that tunnel. Although the downpour long since lightened to a drizzle, Masten still couldn’t afford to open his mouth; not unless he wanted to swallow soot. While there was no desire to step outside, he had to let Billy pass before he could take temporary refuge in the tunnel. It took a bit of patience, but all turned out accordingly as Billy rushed out of the hole and into the open. Masten crawled back into the shallow opening, trying to see what he could with the naked eye.

Although his eyes only saw the destination of the large, glowing rocks, his ears told him everything he needed to know. Many different pitches and howls echoed across the cavern in defiance. Even Billy, began to wail and honk in the general direction of the volcano.

‘No, not the volcano,’ Masten thought, realizing what this meant. ‘Godzilla.’

From his vantage point, he couldn’t see Godzilla or the Godzillasaurus, but could only hear the deafening roars and chirps of the wildlife that thrived here. Suddenly, a new light source came relatively from the volcano’s area.

“Oh shit!” Masten jumped, noticing the blue glow soaring by him and Billy. The cacophonous explosion rang in Masten’s ears as he body felt the sweltering heat from where the atomic spitball detonated. Blue flames crawled up into the sky, setting the nearby forestry ablaze.

It was in that instant everything ceased, except for the light drizzle and rumbling volcano.

---

Godzilla let loose a small grunt. The Monster King redirected his attention to the glowing white rocks, their presence emitting radiation; it was what called him here to his obscure place. After spending a year suspended in torturous magma, he needed to resupply on radioactive material. Lumbering with his mighty feet, each powerful footfall alerted the earthbound dinosaurs to silently steer clear and make a path for their new king.

With every step, trees snapped and flattened under his soles; mud sloshed with every depression formed in his wake; the earth quaked beneath his might. Then, Godzilla came to an abrupt halt. His dorsal fins wavered as he stood motionless, his wormy tail impulsively twitching. Godzilla bore his teeth, irritated at the sensation running through his thick skin. Pulling his tail off the ground, Godzilla commanded it to slam against himself. With the rash still in effect, Godzilla repeated the motion. He cycled through, striking harder and harder with each hit.

Then a chunk of his skin broke away.

 

Many of his kin fled in terror once the great king fell, and many more silenced upon the tyrant’s demands. But for the Tyrannosaurus Rex, he was the first to recklessly approach the usurper of this land. His roars of defiance fell on deaf ears as the nuclear menace ignored his calls. But a large, boulder-like object crashed nearby, his focus shifted to the hunk of flesh. Its texture matched that of Godzilla’s, yet there was something different about it. The T-Rex’s advanced eyes observed it carefully, noticing that the patterns were moving all across. Perplexed, the T-Rex shouted at the skin fragment, waiting for it to react. For a brief moment, it stood perfectly still…

From the oozing piece of Godzilla’s flesh, the exterior scuttled along the surface—heading down toward the ground. The black armored insects dipped onto the muddy soil and scurried their way en route for the closest prey they could find. Emanating wild shrieks, the mites converged on the Rex, biting and draining the fluids out of him. He struggled, but the more he fought, the more of the parasitic fiends jumped on him until he stopped fighting.

More pieces of Godzilla’s skin broke off, with many more parasites flooding down to the earth below. They had been in hiding, relying on Godzilla’s flesh for sustenance during Godzilla’s volcanic travels. Now with a chance to thrive once more, the sea lice would infect this land—and consume all of its natural inhabitants.

---

Ever since the dinosaurs went silent, Masten was able to maneuver his way through the thicket and steep ledges that certainly would’ve lead to inevitable demise. He hadn’t seen Billy since they split, but he knew it probably would’ve been for the better. If there wasn’t a dinosaur in his way, the less likely it was that he’d die. With every obstacle he overcame, Masten came closer to the source of light he’d been seeking. Even so, this trek to the light had taken its toll on his body. His waning strength could only carry him so far. Thankfully for him, he was already close enough to the shining rocks to afford some rest. With the melted ice rain having long since ceased, now was a good as time as any to get repairs done.

Masten fell on his rear with a thud and immediately broke out the rifle for repairs. He could feel his tense legs loosen, finally able to properly relax. As he disassembled the .308 caliber Extreme Big Bore Air Rifle, thankfully with the only tools he kept stuffed in his jacket and pockets in advance, he was able to pinpoint the jamming issues with his gun.

“There you are!” Masten said with a cocky smirk, “Now it has to work this time!” Piecing it back together, Masten felt relieved to finally see his trusty hunting rifle in fine shape. But he knew now was not the time to hunt. Godzilla was still present; additionally, he was exhausted.

“Maybe some quick shut-eye will do the trick,” Masten muttered to himself, closing his heavy, sagging eyes. That was, assuming he wouldn’t be crushed to death by the inhabitants or the invader.

---

His body felt the searing pain brought upon him, yet he continued to persevere and not fall to the eternal sleep. The residue of the invader’s weapon lingered, with his body sponging the radioactive isotopes. It surged his body with shots of adrenaline, stirring him from his near-comatose state. Godzillasaurus clumsily rose to his feet, trying to adjust to the building energy within. Scanning his surroundings, Godzillasaurus was quick to detect Godzilla heading toward one of the few radioactive rocks; the minerals he himself used to evolve and grow.

With a low, guttural growl, Godzillasaurus marched toward the opposer.

---

A chirp abruptly woke Masten from his slumber.

Masten shuffled with his back against the rocky wall, his eyes telling him what the creature in front of him was. A feathered Deinonychus, nearly three meters long from snout to tail, stood in front of him.

But he knew his eyes were lying to him. ‘Not just one,’ he counted, ‘there are more. Pack hunters.’

The glowing light gave the rest of them away. There were at least seven others present, tapping their sickle-shaped toe claws against the beach of small rocks. More of them chirped. It was evident to Masten they were conversing amongst one another. He would have had his rifle on hand, but there was just one thing that confused him.

‘I was asleep,’ he questioned to himself. ‘Why didn’t they…?’ His thoughts trailed off as he saw the Deinonychus veer its eyes to the small cliff right above Masten. It was at that moment Masten came to a realization what was going to go down.

A quiet, insect-like chitter alerted everyone along the riverbed. The Deinonychus screamed a loud shrill. Taking up the feathered dinosaur’s challenge, the large body leapt off the Cliffside, giving Masten a clear view of the buggy cretin.

It wasn’t a creature he was familiar with, but its one-meter long body and armored carapace loosely matched the description of something he read about in the papers a year ago. Something about a new, lethal species of sea louse that could drain the fluids from any living creature it came across. Unfortunately for the Yahata-maru, they were the first to be subjugated by the parasites.

‘And then Godzilla came shortly thereafter. Go figure.’ The only other detail he precisely remembered was what the journalist reporting the matter called it; if only for its ludicrous name, loosely justified by its shocking appearance and horrifying adaptations: Shockirus.

The Shockirus pounced on the Deinonychus, sinking its mandibles through the thin feathery layer and into the skin. Try as it might, the Deinonychus squirmed and struggled against the Shockirus that pinned it to the ground. Two other Deinonychus’ were quick to aid their ally, but were quick to realize that their talons stood no chance against the enemy’s hard carapace. The rest of the pack stood motionless, with their eyes at the cliff where the first Shockirus came from.

There were more.

Two horseshoe-like shapes dove into the group, each of them latching onto their prey. The frenzy that ensued made hard for Masten to put a bullet into the armored bugs. However, he took note of the first Deinonychus that fallen victim to the Shockirus; its allies long abandoned it to help the others and its will to fight ceased. A light chitter emanated from the Shockirus, content with the sustenance flowing through its body.

With no hesitation, Masten pointed the rifle at the immobile insect and pulled the trigger. He was blessed with the resounding boom and the jerk of a hard recoil as the bullet found its mark. Penetrating straight through the hard carapace, the shell found itself bouncing off the internal walls of the Shockirus’ body, ravaging its innards until its inevitable collapse.

The echo of the shot only increased the chaotic activity. He wasn’t sure as to what to do next; but with the feathered lizards outnumbering the armored insects five to two, he felt the urge to flee. Unfortunately, fate had a different path. Looking up at the Cliffside, Masten saw another Shockirus crawling down. Unlike the others, this one was directed at him.

“Here, have a taste of this!” Masten blurted aloud, pointing his rifle at the descending threat. With a press of the trigger, the .308 caliber bullet tore through the hard exoskeleton, neutralizing the parasite. Its lifeless body fumbled the rest the way down, landing with a soft thud.

Pulling himself to his feet, Masten rose up to get out of his hazard. Before he could escape into the safe zone, a shrill caught his attention. Turning around, Masten was a second too late to aim his rifle at the oncoming Shockirus, only able to use it to keep its mandibles away as it pinned him to the gravel. Its moist, grotesque form wrestled with the aged man, with the rifle serving as the only blockade from having his fluids drained.

The Shockirus pushed, eager to feed on the blood of the living. Its prey’s strength was waning; it wouldn’t have to wait for much longer. It forced itself down, inching closer to the old man. However, its eagerness would prove to be its undoing as another body tackled at the Shockirus, shoving it off of Masten. The Deinonychus wrestled with the parasitic lifeform, snapping its jaws against the armored carapace. The mutant sea louse squirmed, twisting its body and slipping its sharp mandibles into the dinosaur’s feathery hide, siphoning it of its fluids.

The Shockirus turned back toward Masten, who was fumbling with the rifle, raising the weapon like a club to bat away at the parasite when it got too close, but such a little hit wasn’t enough to stop the thing from almost mounting him as he grunted, his old body straining to keep himself alive until the Deinonychus slammed into the creature, pecking and scratching furiously.

Masten was given a much-needed break, and he pulled back and raised his rifle at the damned creature. But before he could fire, the entire island shook. The Shockirus and Deinonychus paused for only a brief moment before there was a loud, vicious cry that shook Masten to his core. All of the animals, like a great stampede, scattered as if their life depended on it when Godzilla marched into view, hungrily staring down at the reason for which he came here.

“No….No!!” Masten howled in anger as Godzilla neared the source of his latest meal, the one thing that would restore him to full power as the glowing white stones sung to him in their radiance.

Godzilla had finally found the Element X.

---

Godzilla’s eyes gaze down at the radiating energy, hypnotized by its luminance. Leaning his tremendous body over, he snapped two of the larger boulders in his grasp, pulling it up to him. As he returned to an upright posture, the leviathan’s bark-like scales sponged the radioactive material from the minerals, soaking into his body. The light emanating from the boulders fluctuated as its energy was slowly siphoned. Godzilla’s dorsal plates exuded atomic power, reacting to the energy coursing through him.

A loud, powerful roar echoed around the entire ecosystem. Every square inch on this island could hear Godzilla as his power began returning to him. Before Godzilla could really relish in his first meal in years, he was interrupted by a sharp sting from the tip of his tail. Godzilla screeched in rage, dropping the boulders as he turned his attention to the smaller dinosaur, gnawing at the wormy tip. Hoisting the smaller king with his tail’s muscles, Godzilla slammed the prehistoric creature repeatedly and dragged it along the surface. Godzillasaurus eventually released his mouthy grip, incidentally being sent flying across the forest. Willing to spare the lesser animal’s life, Godzilla ignored him and redirected his focus on the radiating minerals.

After crashing upon the earth, he trod in the past, Godzillasaurus rose to his feet. With every last ounce of determination, Godzillasaurus charged at the larger monster king, battery-ramming him at his back. Godzilla howled in frustration and irritation; he had spared his life in hopes it would learn subjugation. Now he would have to sentence this creature, an animal he could sense had some blood connections, to death. His dorsal spines crackled with nuclear energy and a white-hot atomic breath shot out of Godzilla’s mouth, barely missing the Godzillasaurus and ramming up into the forest, setting the trees alight.

---

“You stupid dinosaurs!” Masten roared in rage, angrily waving his weapon like a club. “It was mine! It was all mine!! And then you had to take it all, didn’t you Godzilla!? You…YOU DING DONG!” As he began swearing his revenge on the radioactive dinosaurs, a loud, pained honk got his attention. He stopped what he was doing and turned his attention back toward the burning forest.

Billy.

---

Godzilla roared in pain as Godzillasaurus tore into his side, shredding a chunk of flesh before the King of the Monsters sunk his powerful claws into Godzillasaurus’ hide, tearing away the flesh with ease as the Element X returned Godzilla to near his full strength. Godzillasaurus roared in agony, but Godzilla paid his genetic cousin no mind and roughly shoved the smaller dinosaur down onto the radioactive boulders.

What Godzilla couldn’t have known was Godzillasaurus also drew strength from radioactive material. As the dinosaur landed on the precious remaining Element X, its natural power was absorbed by the it and nuclear energy surged through the dinosaur. For a brief moment, Godzillasaurus’ eyes sparkled with blue lightning. Now rejuvenated with atomic power, the dinosaur rocketed forward to clash with Godzilla again.

---

Billy gave a honk of pain as he threw his head, smashing his horns against one of the Shockirus and sending it into the inferno raging around him. A few of the other parasitic creatures slunk up to the side, latching onto him and stabbing, beginning the process of draining his blood. A thunderous boom echoed out and one of the semi-bloated Shockirus exploded in a shower of blood.

“Billy! I can’t leave you alone for two seconds and you’re already in trouble!” Masten reloaded the .308 caliber Extreme Big Bore Air Rifle, before he easily blew another Shockirus away. “You can’t rely on me forever Billy, what would you do if I was dead?”

The Triceratops gave a squealing honk, and Masten nodded. “That’s true.” He agreed, as if the dinosaur had actually answered his question. Or at the very least, in his mind he did. Turning his attention back toward the warring titans, Masten once again loaded his rifle. “Come on Billy, we have a job to finish.”

Billy returned with another honk.

“I’m half-thinking of not putting a bullet in your head now, so be mindful of what you say!” Masten barked. “My business isn’t with you… Not anymore, at least.”

---

Nuclear energy churned through both Godzilla and Godzillasaurus as they clashed again, the smaller dinosaur raking his claws down the chest of the bigger one, Godzilla howling in pain as his spines hummed a bright blue again. Recognizing the danger, Godzillasaurus rammed his head against Godzilla’s jaw, thrusting his head up high as the atomic ray blew a giant hole in the ceiling, huge chunks of ice falling down onto the King of the Monsters.

Godzilla gave a surprised and angry grunt, shifting as more ice blocks slammed around him. He found himself immobile. Godzillasaurus watched as Godzilla tried to free himself, blasting away at the ice with his atomic breath. But the more he blasted, the more ice fell down and buried the monster king more. Looking up at the ceiling, Godzillsaurus’s eyes widened in realization and he moved toward Godzilla. With a powerful bellow, Godzillsaurus walked behind the half-entombed king and reached up, grabbing Godzilla by the jaw and cranking his head back.

Godzilla roared in pain and fired another atomic breath. The sweltering heat was almost too much at such a close proximity, but Godzillsaurus stubbornly held on as the beam tore through more chunks in the ceiling. Pulling away, Godzillsaurus watched as the ice fell onto the monster king, slamming and breaking against his body. Godzilla grunted, panting a little as he exhausted what little nuclear energy he had just regained. He roared in fury as the ice fully buried him, silencing the King of the Monsters as he was encased in a new, icy grave.

Standing atop the frozen tomb, Godzillasaurus heralded a victorious war cry; and the dinosaurs with him, to celebrate the return of their rightful king.

---

Masten and Billy made it to a tall cliffside, seeing the scene in full view. Godzillasaurus’ deafening bellow and the chorus of dinosaur cries reigned over the land.

“Well, shit,” Masten admitted, “He really did it.” Billy joined the cacophony in celebratory praise to the king of the dinosaurs. For now, Masten would let Billy have his moment. With several, slow minutes ticking by, the choir eventually died down. Even Godzillasaurus stopped roaring.

Masten knew he could make his statement now.

With a pull at the trigger, a thundering boom from Masten’s 308 caliber Extreme Big Bore Air Rifle tore through the air. The sudden ring spooked the nearby Billy, but clearly caught the attention of his old nemesis. Turning, the dinosaur snarled at the human, pointing the barrel right at him.With some reluctance, Billy slowly crept toward Masten’s side.

“Hey! You giant drumstick!” Masten cried happily, grinning as he aimed down the sights at the radioactive dinosaur. “We have some unfinished work! Don’t we, Billy?!” Billy honked, albeit with hesitation. Godzillasaurus’ eyes narrowed, and with a powerful roar made a beeline toward the cliff.

As the true dinosaur king charged at him, Masten Thrust Jr. came to a sudden and strange realization. It was all he ever could have wanted; the dream he was so desperate to seek had finally been fulfilled. Even if he died here and now, he would die with a happy heart.

With that, he pulled the trigger.