Godzilla: Odyssey
Issue #2- Battle for West City
The time capsule lurched as it touched down. Trunks was relieved to be back in his own time, his mission had been a success and he was confident that when he returned to the past the Z-fighters would be ready to battle the Androids. Pressing the button on his console, he opened the top of the capsule and leapt out into the open air, landing on the ground with a thud.
"Mother! I'm…" He paused and his eyes widened as he saw what was before him. West City, his home, was in complete and utter ruin. Rising into the air, Trunks looked at the devastation below. The buildings were practically reduced to dust, and what little semblance of structure that remained was in decay. There was not a single sign of life anywhere within the city limits, save for the bones of those that came before.
At first Trunks had only one thought- the Androids had done it. Who else could have been so overwhelmingly destructive? As the thought of them destroying the city as well as the uncertainty of his mother's safety echoed through his mind, an anger rose up within him the likes of which he hadn't felt since the death of his Gohan. His hair rose and his energy spiked as his inner Super Saiyan potential was made manifest by his rage. He would find the Androids, he would make them pay, he would…
Suddenly it occurred to him- the Androids couldn't have done this. As his anger subsided and he returned to his natural state, Trunks dropped down to his time capsule and double-checked the clock. He had returned to his time only an hour or so after he had left. It was possible that the Androids could have destroyed the city in that amount of time, but the damage was simply too old. There were no fires stirring on the horizon, no smoke was billowing from the charred remains. This was not a recently destroyed city, it was a ruin.
This could mean only one thing, the timeline had changed. Was it somehow a result of his time travel? Was Trunks to blame? Desperate for answers, he flew around the dead city looking for any evidence as to what had occurred. That's when something caught his eye. Going through what was once the center of town, there was a series of gigantic craters. But they didn't look like craters. Trunks stared at them for a moment and then gasped when he realized the obvious- they were giant footprints.
Something had done this, not the Androids but some other creature of which he was not familiar. As his brain desperately tried to process that information, his face changed from a look of shock and awe to a look of pure unwavering determination. He didn't know what had happened here, but he intended to find out.
19 years previous- In a small picturesque village northeast of West City, life goes on as normal. The people are going about their daily routines, the men chopping wood and building structures and the women fetching water and baking provisions. It's a simple life, but they prefer it to the hustle and bustle found in the big cities of the world. They had maintained this status quo by remaining isolated. Other than the occasional and unavoidable traveler passing through, they had little to no contact with the rest of the world.
They had heard strange tales from those travelers of late; it seems that the outside world was changing. Stories of evil armies, martial artists who possess supernatural powers, the global takeover by one called the Demon King, and invasions by mysterious and powerful aliens made the townsfolk all the happier that they had remained separate. At least here, in their little village, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light erupted from the east and overtook the little hamlet. People covered their eyes, women screamed, children hid. When the flash ended, the townsfolk looked back to the east and were astounded at what they saw. Where once there was nothing, now there stood a huge monster staring down at them… a monster several hundred feet tall! Some people ran screaming in fear; others looked up at the creature in awe. The gargantuan being stared down at them at first, tilting his head inquisitively.
Piccolo sat atop the cliff-face, meditating on the task ahead. It had been nearly a year since the future dweller Trunks had arrived and warned them of the Android menace which loomed in their future. The Z-fighters were now all engaged in constant rigorous training, furiously trying to grow strong enough in time. Meditation was one of Piccolo's strong suits; it allowed him to focus his inner strength and by devoting a certain amount of his time to it daily he greatly increased the productivity of his overall training regimen. At that moment, he felt a great energy appear to the west of him. Shocked from his meditation, he gasped and rose to his feet. Whatever it was, it was unlike anything he had ever felt. The Androids? Impossible, it was too early. This was something else, and it felt BIG.
Goku and Gohan zipped through the forest, trading blows. Goku was impressed by the rate at which his young son was improving. He was growing stronger at a tremendous rate. Suddenly they both stopped and turned as they sensed something.
"You feel that?" asked Goku.
Gohan shook his head nervously. "What is it daddy?"
"A power level, and a big one."
"But I thought we had two more years!" Gohan exclaimed.
"We do. This is something else entirely." Goku's stern face changed to an excited grin. "I'd better check it out."
"NO!"
Goku and Gohan both froze as they heard the familiar voice of King Kai shouting at them from the heavens. "Goku, whatever you do, DO NOT engage it!"
"What is it, King Kai?" enquired Goku.
"A creature, Goku. A huge monster that doesn't belong in this universe! It just appeared out of nowhere. I don't understand, this sort of thing shouldn't be possible…"
Gohan was intrigued by these words. "What do you mean it doesn't belong in this universe?"
"There is much you do not understand about the workings of the universe…" said King Kai, "but suffice it to say that this thing is unlike anything you've encountered before or are likely to encounter again. That's why you mustn't fight it alone Goku. I'm contacting you and the rest of the Z-fighters telepathically to tell you to regroup. Only together do you stand a chance. Do you understand?"
"Got it" said the voice of Piccolo.
"Just say where" said the voice of Yamcha.
"Me and Chiaotzu are in" replied the voice of Tien.
"I'm in too, I guess…" came the unenthusiastic voice of Krillin.
Goku smiled. "Sorry King Kai, but this is just too exciting! You know I can't pass this up, I'm going to check it out!"
"NO GOKU! YOU MUSTN'T…"
Goku flew off at full speed. Gohan didn't know what to do, follow his dad or the instructions of King Kai. But he couldn't let his dad go into battle alone.
"I'm coming too dad!" the young Saiyan said as he rocketed off after his father.
"DAMMIT!" King Kai yelled as he stomped his foot down in the soft grass of his small planet. These Saiyans and their attraction to danger would one day be the death of him, he knew it. This creature terrified him more than Frieza had, more than the Androids ever could. The existence of the Multiverse was a secret bestowed only upon the Kais, and even they didn't understand its ins and outs. But what he did know was that this creature was not from this reality, it was from the outside. This was supposed to be impossible, yet there it was. There was no precedent for such an event, no procedure for how to deal with this. It was up to Goku now, but would even his uncanny luck be enough to save him this time?
Godzilla was confused. Here he was again, with no idea whatsoever as to his current location. Before him was a small village, the sort of place he would normally consider to be insignificant. But at this moment it was the only thing that may give him some clue as to where he was. So he studied it intently; the modest architecture, the humans scrambling about as they always did. That's when he heard a noise and turned to see something strange- two tiny beings were flying toward him! They appeared human, but they were obviously unlike any humans he had ever encountered. One was a man and the other was no more than a child. Still despite their unimpressive stature, Godzilla sensed a great strength in them… as if they were human kaiju!
Goku and Gohan stopped and examined their foe. It had the overall appearance of a dinosaur with the snout, the tail, and the thick hide. Yet it was also different from any dinosaur in terms of its size, its posture, and an incredible sense of majesty that accompanied it. King Kai was right, this was certainly unlike anything they had seen or even dreamed of.
"Monster!" yelled Goku, "My name is Son Goku, and I'm here to fight you!"
This was a boisterous claim from such a small creature. Godzilla, in an attempt to scare off the flying man, arched his back and let out a deafening roar which shook the earth and sent the awestruck villagers running.
"Dad, maybe King Kai was right. I think we should…" But Gohan's pleas were useless. Goku launched himself at the monster full force, matching the thunderous roar with his own furious battle cry. This took Godzilla by surprise. He swiped his tail at the one called Goku, but his attack was dodged and his enemy landed a punch which tilted his head and forced him to take a step back.
Realizing that he may have underestimated his foe, Godzilla countered with his own punch which sent Goku flying down into the village below, wrecking several buildings. As the dust cleared, he heard his enemy's voice coming from below.
"KA-ME…"
He could now see Goku, his clothing damaged but otherwise okay, his hands cupped together at his side.
"HA-ME…"
Energy swirled around the tiny figure and a ball of blue energy formed in his hands.
"HA!"
Goku fired his energy beam up at Godzilla, whose eyes had now widened with surprise. The attack landed in the middle of Godzilla's forehead, and exploded. But when the smoke cleared his enemy seemed unaffected.
Godzilla was furious. These puny creatures possessed energy attacks? He had seen this in other kaiju and from technology devised by humans, but never had he encountered a person who could manipulate energy as easily as he could. But two could play at that game. Godzilla roared again and his dorsal spines glowed blue. The atomic energies which had birthed him collected in his gut, growing in power and intensity until they were ready to explode.
"Daddy! Watch out!" yelled Gohan, but too late. Godzilla bent down and fired his atomic blast, decimating the rest of the tiny village. The explosion was intense, and when it ended a crater remained as the only proof that anything had been there at all.
"Whew!" A relieved Goku exclaimed while Gohan turned and looked at him, shocked to see him alive. "It's times like that I'm glad I learned instant transmission. King Kai was right, he's strong."
Godzilla was stunned. Goku had somehow avoided his blast and now hovered alongside the child, as he had before. Now he was moving closer, closing the gap between them slowly this time.
"I can see that in my current state I don't stand a chance." said Goku, "So let's see how he does against a Super Saiyan!"
"Super Saiyan?" these words held no meaning to the king of the monsters. But he could feel a power surging within his foe, and then the transformation occurred! Goku's hair turned gold and stood on end, jutting straight into the air. His body was surrounded by an incredible aura, and his strength was raised to new heights. The golden warrior flew at him again, and Godzilla charged up his atomic blast. But when he fired it, the unthinkable happened. Goku's aura fought against the blast and he flew through it, upper-cutting Godzilla's bottom jaw!
Before the kaiju could react, Goku dropped down and delivered a furious series of punches and kicks to the torso of his foe which sent Godzilla several steps backwards.
"I have to try to end this quickly, or else this thing will do a whole lot of damage" thought Goku. Then, taking advantage of the new distance, he charged up another Kamehameha blast and delivered it to Godzilla's middle. The incredible blast, powered by his Super Saiyan energy, knocked Godzilla off of his feet and sent him crashing to the earth below.
Panting heavily, Goku returned to his normal state. He had put all his energy into that blast. The monster was down now, his energy was faint and there was a huge hole in his midsection. At first the Saiyan was relieved, it appears that his effort to end the battle swiftly had been a success. But that's when Goku realized where the creature's energy was going; his wound was healing, and at an alarming rate! Suddenly Godzilla's tail whipped up into the air and knocked the weakened Goku down to the ground with a loud bang, a cloud of dust and debris launched up in his wake.
Gohan was in shock. For a moment it appeared that his father's attack had worked and that the monster was finished. But now it was back up, its wound healed completely, and its gargantuan power level recovering swiftly. He stood there for a moment, mouth gaping as he looked at the terrifying behemoth arching its back and letting out another loud roar. Then he looked down at his father- he was alive, but badly hurt and his ki was faint. Looking back at the creature, Gohan's shock and awe was replaced with rage, a familiar rage which had been with him his entire life. It usually remained there, boiling under the surface- unless one of his loved ones was hurt. This was one of those times.
He would punish this monster; make it pay even if at the cost of his own life. He began shifting his energy toward his hands, determined to fire his powerful Masenko blast. That's when he felt something pulling him down quickly into the nearby forest. He tried to yell, but a strong hand covered his mouth. He knew he could easily break free, but he heard a familiar voice in his ear; it was Piccolo.
"Gohan listen to me. You have to calm down. If you attack him now like this you'll die, understand? Hide your power level."
Gohan struggled for a moment, but his mind took over and he realized Piccolo was right. Difficult as it was he managed to reign in his anger and suppress his ki.
Godzilla cut his victory roar short when he remembered that there had been two of them. He stopped and looked around, confused. He could see nothing; feel no more of the strange energy these creatures emitted. Finally he came to the conclusion that the other one had simply run away. He looked once more at his downed opponent. He was still alive, but fading. For a moment Godzilla considered stomping on him, to crush him like an insect. But it was unnecessary. Instead, the king of the monsters turned and walked off into the horizon.
Once he was sure the creature was far enough away, Piccolo released the anxious Gohan who rushed over to check on his dad.
"Dad!"
"I'm okay Gohan…" Goku barely managed to summon up the energy to speak. "I'm still here."
As Piccolo joined them, the voice of King Kai came ringing through their minds.
"Excellent job defusing the situation Piccolo. Now Goku, do you see what I meant when I told you that you'd never encountered a being like this before?"
"Yes, King Kai… you were right…"
"That monster is heading toward West City Goku. Can you summon enough energy to transport the three of you there?"
"I…I think so"
"Good. The other Z-fighters are already on their way. I've also contacted Korin, he's sending a Senzu bean for you."
"Understood."
Gritting his teeth against mind-numbing pain, Goku pulled his finger up to his forehead. Gohan and Piccolo both grabbed his arms, and through the magic of instant transmission they were gone in a flash.
Ulyclese hated appearing before the high council of the Hierarchy. While he was excellent at his job, he preferred the low level work as opposed to the huge assignments that were regulated by the council. Furthermore he felt that the council was made up of the snootiest bunch of blowhards in all the multiverse- an opinion he did well to keep to himself.
As he entered the Grand Hall of the High Council (my god these titles are pretentious), Ulyclese was immediately blinded by the council's radiance. Hierarchs could choose their form and shift it at will. Ulyclese was a fan of the so-called "superheroes", a phenomenon that existed in a large number of realities. As such the form he had chosen was a flashy one; he wore colorful spandex garb in several bright colors.
The High Council on the other hand thought themselves to be above such things. They stayed in their true form- ethereal beings of pure light. While it was a magnificent sight to see them there seated about the huge crystal room, it could be rather painful to the human eyes Ulyclese had chosen for himself.
"Ulyclese." The voice belonged to the Magistrate, highest ranking member of the council. "Do you know why you have been summoned here?"
"I presume you have an assignment for me?"
"That is correct. It is a matter of the utmost urgency."
"With all due respect Lord Magistrate, can you not send one of the others? As you know I prefer the lesser assignments; the simple jobs which allow me to pursue my interests."
"No Ulyclese. This task is for you and you alone. We require the services of no ordinary Hierarch, but of the best agent we have."
Ulyclese could see there was no way out of this. "What is the assignment then?"
There was a shift in the air. If he didn't know better, he'd say that the High Council was uneasy. Finally the Magistrate spoke. "Do you know of the creature called… Godzilla?"
Ulyclese did know it. The monster Godzilla was an abomination created by the ignorance of man. He existed in a large number of realities, and in all of them he was truly a fearsome beast to behold.
"Yes, I know of him."
"Good." replied the magistrate. "One of the Godzillas has become dislodged from his home dimension and is now traveling through the multiverse."
"What? Impossible… how could that happen?"
"The humans in his reality went too far- they developed a weapon called Dimension Tide."
Ulyclese had heard of it. "A gun that produces a Black Hole, right? I saw it once, in one of the realities I examined… it was a total failure."
"Perhaps. But this one was a success. The humans managed to detach their Godzilla from that universe completely. We anticipated that this could cause trouble, so I intervened and directed the Black Hole, sending Godzilla into Limbo. He stayed there for only a short while and has since escaped."
Of all the impossible things Ulyclese had seen or heard of in his travels, this was the most bizarre. Escape from Limbo was simply impossible. It was the space between realities. Things could be trapped there, but were never to return… until now. "Any idea how he managed that?"
"No. But under the circumstances, we think HE might be involved."
The shift in the Magistrate's tone of voice revealed who he was referring to. "Surely not? If so it could mean the end of…"
"Which is exactly why we need you. Regardless of HIS possible involvement, the threat remains. Godzilla is bouncing from universe to universe, each time like a cannon ball bursting through the hull of a ship. If this damage continues unabated, the walls between realities could begin to break down. Your job will be to follow Godzilla; observe him, reduce collateral damage, and assess the situation. We will be watching and we will determine the proper course of action. Do I make myself clear?"
This was huge, an assignment where the entire Multiverse could hang in the balance… exactly the kind of job Ulyclese hated. But nevertheless, there was no getting out of it. "Yes sir. So, where is he now?"
Goku was in searing pain. The tail strike the creature struck him with had taken him by surprise and broken many bones. Not since his first fight with Vegeta had he been this devastated by a battle, but he had never encountered anything like this. This monster healed itself at an accelerated rate and its energy reserves seemed endless- in short, it could outlast him. Easily. Still there was something about the creature's demeanor that bothered Goku. As he lay there, hooked up to Dr. Brief's machines, he pondered the battle that had taken place. Gohan sat by his bed the whole time, staring out the window and wondering what on earth could be keeping Yajirobe.
Yajirobe had the worst luck. He needed to get to West City, Korin had made the importance of this mission abundantly clear to him. But as he popped the hood of his car, smoke billowing up into the sky, he knew that it was beyond his meager ability to repair. Why hadn't he thought to bring extra capsules? He was still hundreds of miles northwest of his destination, which meant that he would be late making his delivery. Worse yet, he would never be back in time for dinner. Clearly, he thought, this situation couldn't get any worse.
BOOM. The sound came from behind Yajirobe. It continued, growing in volume every second. BOOM, BOOM. A huge shadow covered Yajirobe and his car. Suddenly the sound stopped and the shadow no longer grew. One hand on his sword, Yajirobe turned slowly to face the huge dinosaur that had decided to have him for its lunch. Yajirobe's eyes widened and he let out a scream as the beast lurched up preparing to strike. He managed to duck the dinosaur's jaws but his car wasn't so lucky. The machine was now smashed to pieces and the huge assailant was turning to face its prey. Yajirobe drew his sword and prepared for the worst.
Bulma had never seen West City like this- empty. Word of the monster stomping its way across the countryside had spread around the world quickly. The decision to evacuate West City had been made a few hours after the news reached them, only her family connections had allowed Bulma to stay behind despite the wishes of the authorities. Since then the city had been completely still, save for the small military detachment patrolling the streets and the arrival of the Z-fighters. First came Piccolo, Gohan, and the injured Goku. Next Krillin, Yamcha, then Tien and Chiaotzu had all come and assembled in her foyer. She felt more secure with them there but she would have felt better if Vegeta had been there as well, rather than off training in the depths of space. Then to make matters worse there was the fact that Yajirobe had yet to arrive carrying Goku's senzu bean. Without Goku at full fighting strength, the city would be doomed no question. Suddenly her concentration was broken by the yell of Yamcha.
"Those idiots!"
Yamcha had been intently watching TV, looking for news updates. Upon hearing his exclamation Bulma and the other Z fighters gathered round to see what he saw- images of the monster, and the huge military force that was gathering against him.
"Then what happened?" Trunks had been relieved to hear that West City was evacuated before the monster's arrival, but there were other questions yet to be answered. The old man took a long drink and then slammed the bottle down on the table, wiping his chin with his free arm. The man was a scavenger, a worker whose job it was to pick through the burnt remains of the city looking for anything that may be salvaged. He had found Trunks there rummaging through the debris without the protection of a radiation suit. Now they sat in the comfort of the man's specially designed salvage vessel and he was recounting the events of long ago. He had been stunned to hear that his guest hadn't heard of the famous incident, but the kid was a strange one anyway and the old man enjoyed the company.
"The officials in Central City decided to launch a military offensive against the creature. They assembled a huge army, the largest ever brought together. It was a valiant effort, but in the end it was futile…"
Godzilla stared down at the army assembled before him. It was different than the militaries he had encountered back home in that the technology here was slightly different, but the overall shape of it was the same- the tanks, the large numbers of infantry, and the planes circling above waiting for the order to strike. It was an impressive show of force, but Godzilla knew that these efforts would yield no results. He had seen this countless times before. Eager to get it over with and continue on his way, he lifted his head and let out a roar to spring the enemy into action.
The Z-fighters watched the TV in horror as Godzilla decimated the army. The battle basically took place in two stages- the attack and the counterattack. The army fired everything they had at the creature in hopes of finishing him quickly; bullets, missiles, bombs, you name it they used it. But as the smoke cleared the soldiers were awakened to a harsh reality… they hadn't even made a dent.
The monster tilted its head back and roared again, this time blue energy swirled around its spines. Then it lurched forward and used its energy attack, blowing the enemy to bits. The ground troops scattered in all directions as he walked forward, spreading his blue fire. Occasionally a brave aircraft would attempt an attack, but they were swatted away like flies. In a matter of minutes it was all over. Four fifths of the army was decimated, the rest barely managed to escape with their lives. As Bulma watched the creature draw closer to the city, she couldn't help but ask herself one question. "Where the hell is Yajirobe?"
Under a rock. How could his day have started living comfortably atop Korin's tower and then end with him about to die, hiding under a rock? This just wasn't Yajirobe's day, no questions about it. He had managed to cut the dinosaur and destroy one of its eyes, but that was hardly enough; it had only served to make his attacker angrier. Now here he was, hiding in a crevice beneath a large stone, looking for a way out of this mess. But there was nothing out there. Civilization was still miles away- all he had was his sword, a field full of wild Ostrich Chickens grazing in the distance, and a hungry dinosaur trying to sniff him out. These were hardly favorable conditions.
Suddenly the rock was lifted and thrown into the distance. His eyes adjusting to this new rush of sunlight, Yajirobe looked up at the dinosaur. Its mouth was open in an angry snarl. Saliva and blood from the damaged eye was dripping down its maw. Wasting no time, the beast lunged at Yajirobe, who had never moved out of the way so fast in his life. As the dirt he had scooped up fell out of his mouth the Tyrannosaur turned his glance toward his scurrying prey and with a snarl he gave chase.
Death and destruction were laid out all about him. A city destroyed, people bleeding all about, crawling and begging for mercy. But they would get none- not from Vegeta. This miserable rock had once been a piece of Frieza's empire, before Kakarot. Kakarot… a low level Saiyan warrior with a crap power level who had been assigned to a backwater planet and couldn't even manage to destroy that. Yet despite all this, he had grown in strength and his power now rivaled… let's face it, his power now completely outmatched Vegeta's.
This low-level nobody of a warrior had become a Super Saiyan. He had destroyed Frieza and thrown a large portion of the universe into political uproar, single handed. How could this be? And how was it that no matter how hard he trained, how far he flew across the stars, how many of these outposts previously owned by Frieza he decimated, Vegeta still couldn't catch up? What would it take for him to ascend to the level of Super Saiyan?
He was contemplating all of this when he heard the rustling behind him. Realizing that while lost in thought he had missed the power level coming up from behind, Vegeta turned to face his would-be assassin. It was a young warrior. Cocky, headstrong… a clear reflection of what Vegeta had been before he and Nappa landed on Earth.
"You would have done well to fly away while I wasn't looking."
The warrior spat blood and raised his weapon. "Screw you!"
"Tell me something worm. Why do you fools keep these outposts running? Frieza's dead and his empire is in decay. Why not go home or explore the universe?"
"We heard about Lord Frieza, but… we never believed it…"
"Well you had better start believing kid. Frieza's gone, and it's not just him. His father, his brother… their entire clan wiped out because the Super Saiyan has come. " As he spoke, he began gathering energy in his hand.
The warrior lowered his weapon, disbelief covering his face. "The Super Saiyan… it's you isn't it?"
Vegeta let out a small chuckle and raised his arm. "Actually, no. He's far stronger… for now."
A scream, a blast, and it was all over. The warrior's body fell to the ground just like the rest of them. His enemies all dead, Vegeta could hear nothing but the gentle breeze flowing around him.
"That was very impressive."
The Saiyan Prince spun around, stunned. But he saw no one. "Who's there?"
"A friend, Vegeta." said the voice, "Y'know it's ironic."
"What is?"
"The reason you left Earth was to push yourself to your limits... but so far it's been a cake walk. You come all the way out here looking for a challenge when there is none yet now, the real challenge is back on earth."
"Earth? What's on earth?"
"We have much to discuss."
The alarms went off; the sun was setting and the monster had reached West City. The Z-fighters stood atop Dr. Brief's mansion- Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. The Senzu bean still had yet to arrive, so Goku was still in bed with Bulma attending to his medical needs. They had to keep the monster away from this building- that was their number one priority.
With a roar Godzilla broke through the first few buildings on the edge of town. The small military detachment that stayed behind had all taken cover after they heard what happened to the army, so the Z-fighters were West City's last line of defense.
Piccolo spoke. "We have to draw his attention to us, that's the only way to keep him away from the Brief's mansion as well as reduce damage to the city. Remember that this thing survived an assault by Super Saiyan Goku, so nobody attempt to kill him unless absolutely necessary. You will attack and run, save your energy and keep him occupied for as long as possible. Do I make myself clear?"
The other Z-fighters nodded. Piccolo turned his gaze back on the monster. "ATTACK!"
Upon hearing their yelling, Godzilla caught sight of his strange attackers. There was a green man, the kid from earlier, two men- one tall, one short and bald- who wore the same orange garb as the man he had fought this morning, a bald shirtless man wearing green pants, and a being so small he couldn't tell if it was a human or some sort of baby Kaiju. For a moment the King of Monsters stood frozen in shock at this colorful assortment. He sensed that they all possessed powers similar to the ones he had dealt with before, but only two of them were nearly as formidable. They flew at him in a simple formation, so Godzilla threw his fist at them. Suddenly they broke the formation and began flying all about him, like a swarm of buzzing bees.
The first to go down was the small one. Godzilla whipped his tail blindly, and the tiny creature went bouncing into the pavement. Godzilla nearly stepped on it but the bald man with the green pants swooped in and grabbed the little guy, snatching him from the jaws of death. As he watched the man with the green pants carry the small one toward the center of town, he considered pursuing them. But that was before the searing pain in his shoulder.
Krillin was panting heavily. He had taken advantage of the creature's distracted state and threw a Destructo Disk into its shoulder. The attack had failed do any serious damage, but it had cut deep into the meat and the creature was clearly in pain. For a moment Krillin thought maybe the pain would sway the beast, and maybe its fight-or-flight reflexes would kick in and it would choose flight. But as the monster ceased roaring in pain and then looked directly at him, hatred gleaming in its eyes, Krillin realized that this thing had no flight left in it- all that remained was fight.
Krillin was an idiot for deviating from the attack plan. That was certain, but Piccolo couldn't allow him to die. Flying at top speed, Piccolo pushed Krillin out of the way just as the creature's hand came down to swat him. The pavement exploded like a geyser as the Namekian warrior crashed to the earth.
"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan yelled. He looked down at the dust cloud pouring out of the concrete and then back to the monster who, in response to Gohan's cry, gazed at him inquisitively. At that moment it came rushing back to Gohan- the battle that morning, his father and now Piccolo swatted like flies. He hated this creature, and that hatred brought up a familiar anger. He had felt this anger twice before; once against his uncle Raditz and again on Namek against the intergalactic warlord Frieza. The anger quickly bubbled over the breaking point, and Gohan was endowed with immense power. In a blind flash of angry fury, Gohan placed his hands to his forehead and fired a gargantuan Masenko blast which sent the beast staggering backwards into a skyscraper. The building crumbled as it and the monster fell to the ground.
Upon seeing his foe fall, Gohan's anger subsided and he regained his mind. He was always confused after these episodes, his memory sketchy… but suddenly it came back to him; Piccolo. Gohan rushed down to the ground, just in time to find his friend and mentor pulling himself out of the smoking crater. Piccolo was mostly fine, other than his right arm which was dangling lifelessly by his side.
"Mr. Piccolo, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Gohan." Piccolo gritted his teeth, grabbed his dangly arm by the wrist, and gave it a hard yank. Within seconds the shoulder muscles tore and he tossed the dead arm down to the ground. Gohan probably would have been shocked to see this, if he didn't know what was coming next. With a grunt, a new arm shot out to replace the fallen one. The regenerative powers of a Namekian were a miracle to behold, but then so were those of their enemy.
Godzilla picked himself up, debris falling from his body. He had been curious about these creatures, but right now he was blinded by fury. He looked down at the green man and the kid, who stared back at him with a mixture of shock and anger. This was the child who had attacked him a moment before- and it was also the one who accompanied his assailant this morning. These strange beings- these human kaiju- had to be dealt with. They were beginning to be a real nuisance. Godzilla tilted his head back and roared, then began gathering his energies. His back glowed as he charged up, ready to unleash an atomic blast.
But before he could launch it, something hit him in the side of the head, breaking his concentration. Then again it hit him, this time in the crown, and then once more to the bottom of the jaw. This is when he finally saw it for what it was, a ball of energy. But it wasn't exploding on contact. It kept circling around and hitting him again, as if there were some unseen intelligence behind it. That's when he looked to his left and found the culprit, the man in orange.
"Hey monster, how do you like my Spirit Ball attack?" Yamcha proclaimed as he continued assaulting the beast's head from multiple angles. But his cocky smile soon faded when he saw the creature's tail coming right at him. Forced to abandon his Spirit Ball and jump from the building on which he was standing, Yamcha flew of as his footing crumbled. The beast probably would have attacked him again, but it soon found itself under attack again by Krillin and Tien, who had just re-appeared.
Piccolo watched the huge goliath battling the other Z-fighters like a man fights off insects, and he realized that this was going nowhere. Where was that Yajirobe? How long would they have to keep this up? Finally he arrived at a new plan- it was risky, and he would be sacrificing himself to buy time, but it was in his mind the best chance they had.
"Gohan, get out of the way."
Gohan looked at Piccolo, confused. "What?"
"I'm going to use a technique that I haven't used since I fought your dad. But I need space so you need to get out of the way."
With a nod, Gohan took to the skies. Piccolo began charging up, yelling as his energies swirled around him. The noise he made was so great that Krillin and Tien halted their assault, and all eyes were on the Namekian. Suddenly, and without warning, Piccolo grew to an astounding height! Standing almost eye-level with the monster, Piccolo prepared himself for battle.
If it were possible for him to smile, Godzilla would have done so at that moment. The green man had just demonstrated an incredible ability to change his size. No more annoying hit and run tactics, now the King of the Monsters would fight in his element- one on one against another giant foe. Now that his enemy was his size he got his first good look at the green man; aside from the unusual skin color he also had pointed ears, large pink segments running down his arms, and a pair of antennae jutting out of his forehead. Clearly this was more than just a strange green human, it was something alien. Godzilla had faced his share of enemies from space before, so he knew that he had to be prepared for anything.
Piccolo made the first move. The Namekian lunged at the monster and gave it a hard punch to the face. This had little effect however, and soon he found its gigantic claw grasping his throat, tightly constricting his airways as the other hand delivered a hard blow to his stomach. The wind knocked out of him, Piccolo flew backwards and toppled buildings as he regained his footing.
The other Z-fighters stood atop a nearby building, marveling at the struggle playing out before them. The two gigantic combatants lunged at each other again, locking themselves into a battle of strength. The two grappled, knocking over buildings and stepping on abandoned vehicles. But as the titanic wrestling match went on, it was clear that Piccolo's strength was waning rapidly- not so for his opponent. The huge reptile showed no signs of slowing down, no matter how hard Piccolo pushed against his might.
Finally Piccolo broke the hold and backed up, making enough space between them for his next attack. Before the beast could react, Piccolo hit it with a gigantic Destructive Wave. The monster staggered, but was undeterred. Soon its own blue energy attack was launched as a response. Piccolo dodged, barely managing to escape un-singed. He decided on a daring counter attack: rushing forward, he closed the distance between them and delivered a kick to the head of the creature in the hopes of knocking it off balance. But obviously this thing was a seasoned fighter. It stepped to the side, avoiding Piccolo's kick. Then it reached out and grabbed the Namekian, throwing him to the ground.
But the onslaught was not over. Piccolo tried to get back up and fight some more, but he was soon met with a furious barrage of punches, stomps, and tail lashings from his enemy. Faced with this frightening display of power, Piccolo quickly buckled and was unable to fight back anymore. The creature seemed to realize this and, as if overtaken by a battle induced bloodlust, it tilted its head back and began gathering his energy for a coup de grace. Its massive spines glowed blue and energy swirled around its maw. It was building this one up- a larger blast than had been seen before. Gohan saw his friend and mentor about to die and was going to fly in to assist, but suddenly he heard the telepathic voice of Piccolo ringing through his ears.
"No Gohan! If you fly in now you'll only die with me."
"But Mr. Piccolo…"
"You can't die Gohan, you have to keep fighting a little longer. That's why I did this, to give you all a breather. We must stall until the Senzu bean arrives, you understand? All we can do is give your dad time."
Realizing he was right, Gohan fought back his tears and watched as the creature stopped gathering its energy and began to lean forward, preparing to unleash hell. Gohan prayed for a miracle… and one came.
Suddenly a huge ball of golden energy surged down and hit Godzilla, who recoiled in shock. A figure came into view, a golden haired warrior like the one from before. But this one was different; Godzilla could make out a blue jacket and a sword drawn in one hand. This new nuisance called down to the green man.
"Piccolo! Still alive?"
"Trunks, is that you?" came the response.
"Yeah it's me. Get back there with the others and regroup, I've got this for now."
The green man, whom Godzilla now knew to be called "Piccolo", reduced himself to his normal size and flew back towards their comrades, his flight pattern unstable like an injured insect. Once his friend's safety was assured the golden warrior called Trunks turned his gaze back to Godzilla.
"Hello, monster. This city is now under my protection." The tiny fighter flew up and hovered just in front of Godzilla's face, looking him in the eye as he spoke.
"I suppose most beings you encounter fear you, don't they?" Trunks backed up, creating distance between them as his free hand charged up for another blast. "My father wouldn't, he would fight you to the very end if he were here- and so will I."
He raised his hand, and the energy he had gathered formed into another pulsating golden orb. "Because I am Trunks, and like my father I am the prince of all Saiyans!" Trunks fired the blast, which hit Godzilla with tremendous force. Before the King of Monsters could recover his opponent was on him again, landing a quick succession of blows and sword slashes.
Godzilla managed a punch which rid his enemy of his sword, but that did little to slow Trunks down. The warrior delivered a powerful kick Godzilla's jaw. This caused Godzilla to pause long enough for Trunks to fly high over him and unleash a volley of energy attacks down upon him. Soon the kaiju was surrounded by a giant cloud of dust and debris, so that the Z-fighter could no longer see him. Trunks was relentless in his assault, unleashing a blitzkrieg which would be enough to crumble the tallest mountain. Eventually he tired and halted the attack. He stared down into the cloud and his heart sank. Most opponents would be finished by now, but he could sense that this was far from over.
Suddenly the cloud broke as Godzilla's atomic blast issued forth, knocking Trunks out of the sky like a downed plane. The Saiyan managed to catch himself before he hit the ground, and barely avoided Godzilla's foot as it came crashing down on him. His jacket had been burned off by the blast, but he was no worse for wear. Trunks went barreling towards his enemy and round two began.
Chiaotzu was badly hurt, but Bulma was tending to his wounds and had been since Tien had brought him back there, not long after the battle started. He would live, just needed time to recover. The real problem was Goku. Her machines were keeping him alive, but it would take him a long time to recover from all his broken bones; Too long, because they needed him now. She could hear the sounds of the battle coming in through her walls- the blasts, the hum of energy attacks, the roar of the monster. If Goku didn't get that Senzu bean fast, she feared that the Z-fighters would be defeated and then she and he would die in short order. Then, as if to answer her prayers, she heard the voice of Yajirobe coming from outside. Rushing to her window, she was astounded to see the Yajirobe riding toward the mansion on an Ostrich Chicken, and behind him an angry dinosaur which was on his heels!
Yajirobe rode with great speed, his life literally on the line. Then the unthinkable, just as he reached the lawn of the brief's mansion his ride tripped, throwing him ahead by several feet. He turned to see the dinosaur approaching slowly now, salivating for the meal which was soon approaching. The dinosaur completely ignored the Ostrich Chicken, which ran off as soon as it was back on its feet. Yajirobe closed his eyes and prepared for the worst, but then he heard a loud BOOM. Opening his eyes, he saw the dinosaur fall dead to the ground, a huge hole in its head. Yajirobe turned to the brief mansion and saw Bulma standing there holding a smoking gun.
"Bulma! You saved my life!"
Bulma pointed the gun at Yajirobe, which surprised him. "Idiot! What took you so long? If you haven't noticed we've got something of a situation here, and you're off playing with dinosaurs?"
"Playing? That thing was gonna eat me!"
"I would've let him have you if I didn't need that Senzu bean! Get inside NOW!"
Yajirobe scurried inside, the threat of being shot giving him flight. Bulma's temper, once roused, was legendary and he didn't want to cross her any more. It could have been worse though; it could have been Chi-Chi. Bulma led him to the room where Goku lay, hooked up to her medical machines. Yajirobe pulled out the Senzu bean and approached the bed.
"I don't suppose you have more of those do you?" asked Bulma, "We have another injured and the others could use the boost."
Yajirobe shook his head. "The yield wasn't very good this year, you're lucky we had a good bean left." He opened Goku's mouth enough to pop the bean in. "Eat up Goku, you're late for the fight."
The old man's story had been very descriptive about how powerful the monster was, yet somehow Trunks had still underestimated him. Nothing could have prepared him for his enemy's resilience, its tenacity, or the logistical problems posed by the sheer difference in stature. His Super Saiyan powers couldn't last forever, and he feared that they may give out soon. But soon the battle came to a stop as a voice echoed through the air.
"KA-ME…"
Trunks, Godzilla, and the Z-fighters all turned their attention towards the sound. There floating above the Brief's mansion hovered Goku, his hair glowing brightly. He cupped his hands by his side and prepared his attack.
"HA-ME…"
Godzilla recognized the attack from earlier and began preparing his own atomic blast. Realizing the battle that was about to go down, Trunks dove down to street level and took cover.
"HA!"
Goku fired his attack while at the same time Godzilla unleashed his atomic blast. The two beams of energy soared toward each other and collided, sending out shockwaves that toppled buildings. The energies continued to build and build until finally they reached critical mass. Finally the tremendous ball of power that had formed at the center of the beam battle exploded, decimating half the city and emitting a flash which lasted for several minutes. When the blinding light ended, a pillar of smoke rose into the air. Nothing could be seen beyond it- not the monster of the charred remains of city that were in the explosion's wake.
Trunks had barely managed to outrun the explosion, a feat that would have been impossible were he fully human and not half Saiyan. His Super Saiyan powers had faded now due to fatigue; he had traded his hair's brilliant golden glow for its usual dull lavender sheen. He rose up to the top of the building, where the Z-fighters were rejoicing over Goku's recovery. Trunks didn't celebrate though. He looked over at the cloud and felt the creature's ki on the other side. This battle was not yet over. Mustering up his strength, Trunks flew up and stopped beside Goku.
"Goku, now's our chance. The others are tired and I've exhausted my Super Saiyan energy, but together me and you can finish this."
Goku shook his head. "No good Trunks. I tried that approach before… that thing's healing abilities are astounding and his energy reserves are boundless. He'll outlast us."
"Then what do you suggest we do Goku?"
Goku stopped for a moment, reflecting on his options. Finally he made his choice. "I'm going to try the Spirit Bomb. It's my most powerful attack and the only chance I've got to destroy that thing completely."
"But doesn't that take time to charge?" asked Trunks, "I don't know if I can hold it off long enough…"
"Perhaps I can be of assistance."
The voice took Goku and Trunks both by surprise. Turning, they saw Vegeta hovering above them. Goku smiled and yelled at the Saiyan Prince. "Vegeta! Great timing, I thought you were off in space?"
"It's a long story, Kakarot." Vegeta pointed toward the dust cloud. "And I don't have time to tell it to you."
Goku and Trunks turned again to see the dust cloud disperse as the monstrous form of their enemy came marching toward them. As it walked the burns and open wounds it suffered from the blast healed before their very eyes. Its movements were slower now, more calculated. On its face there was a look of pure determination, determination to kill these creatures which had opposed it.
Vegeta smirked. "A truly fearsome beast. I believe this may the challenge I've longed for; the battle which will push me over the edge to attain my Super Saiyan glory!"
Trunks was annoyed by his father's cockiness. "Don't get too excited dad. Being a Super Saiyan didn't do me or Goku much good…"
"Remember you two, I need you to keep him busy for a few minutes while I charge up the Spirit Bomb."
"No sweat, Kakarot. Don't take too long now- I might just kill it myself." Vegeta bolted at the monster, issuing his war cry.
Trunks shook his head. "I'd better go too, before he gets himself killed." And with that he followed his father.
Godzilla roared as Vegeta's Galick Gun attack hit him in his chest. It did cause him some stinging discomfort, but nothing he couldn't fight through. As the kaiju struggled against the two Saiyan princes, Goku raised his hands into the air and began to concentrate. His mind raced across the globe, gathering the earth's energy and bringing it back to him. In his mind's eye he saw the trees, the mountains, the plants and animals. This was the world he was charged with protecting and he would do so regardless of his foe. In a few minutes, he would be ready to hit Godzilla with the full power of the planet earth.
Vegeta soon realized how much he had underestimated the creature, but the challenge excited him. He and trunks worked well in tandem; a punch here, a kick there, an energy blast every now and then. Their only advantage was their speed and they made good use of it. Vegeta turned his head slightly and made note of the energy ball growing in Kakarot's hands. But Godzilla took advantage of his distracted state. When Vegeta turned back around, he found the creature's patented Atomic Blast hitting him with the force of a nuclear bomb. Trunks punched the monster in the face and stopped the blast, just in time to save his father who was now crispy but otherwise fine. No more distractions; this enemy required their full attention.
Finally Goku's eyes opened and he looked up at the energy he had gathered. It was impressive, but required a little more. With a yell, he poured all of his Super Saiyan power into the sphere, more than doubling its size! The blue energy orb now pulsated brighter than before, with a powerful golden aura surrounding it. Goku looked back at the monster, his previously golden hair returned to its natural blackness. His plan was simple- if he could hit the monster directly with the Spirit Bomb, hopefully he could completely obliterate it or at least destroy the brain. With a determined war cry, he flew forward. Vegeta and Trunks ducked out of the way and the creature's eyes widened, but just as Goku was about to finish it he stopped as an unfamiliar voice filled his ears.
"Goku, stop!"
The Saiyan froze confused, the Spirit Bomb still held over his head.
"There's something that's been bothering you Goku. That creature could have killed you this morning, squashed you as easily as you would squash an ant. But he didn't. He spared you, albeit on a whim, to allow you to die on your own. You have a talent Goku; even more than your incredible power, you have the capacity to see people for who they really are. And I think when you look into its eyes you can tell that there is good in there. It worked with Piccolo, it worked with Vegeta, now you have a chance to do it again."
Vegeta was becoming frustrated. "Kakarot! What are you waiting for? Do it!"
"Think, Goku. You can find another way out of this."
Goku's mind raced. The voice was right; he didn't want to kill this thing. But what else could he do? What other options were there? Suddenly it came to him. He knew what to do.
No one could believe their eyes when Goku scattered the Spirit Bomb, sending all the energy he had collected hurtling back to where it had come. Thinking that his enemy had quit, Godzilla fired his Atomic Blast, but Goku avoided the attack with ease and hurtled toward the monster. Before anyone could react, Goku placed his hand on Godzilla's head and with his other hand placed a finger on his forehead. Then in an instant, Goku and Godzilla disappeared from the horizon.
Godzilla was confused and angry. The city that had lain before him was now replaced by a barren rocky wasteland. His frustrations boiled over and he began to destroy the landscape, pushing over rock formations and grounding mountains into powder with his dreaded Atomic Blast. Goku stood on a distant peak observing the display of unbridled rage playing out in front of him. He had made use of his Instant Transmission technique and deposited Godzilla here, on an uninhabited planet where he could do no more harm.
"That was a very creative solution to your problem, Goku. Well done."
Goku turned to see a humanoid being wearing colorful garb. "You're the one who convinced me to spare him."
"No no, I merely suggested it. You convinced yourself. The name's Ulyclese by the way."
"You brought Vegeta back to earth too, didn't you?"
"Yes. He's back in space now, furthering his training. I suppose you have questions about all this don't you?"
"No, I think I've got it. King Kai said that this thing doesn't belong in our universe, I'm guessing you don't either."
"Correct. My job is to follow it, to try and solve the problem. It's been nearly 24 hours now; soon it will disappear from your universe and move on never to be seen by any of you again. Until then, I must stay here and watch."
"I'll stay too."
"No, Goku. Go home to your family. There's a city to rebuild, those Androids are still on their way, and worse yet your wife is growing anxious."
At the thought of an angry Chi-Chi, Goku's choice became obvious. He once again placed his finger to his forehead and prepared to teleport away, but he paused. Ulyclese took notice of this pause and said "Is there something else?"
Goku nodded. "Before I go back I have to know. This creature… does it have a name?"
Ulyclese looked out as the beast continued to rip apart the mountain chain, his roars echoing through the distance. "Yes, Goku. His name is… Godzilla."