GODZILLA
THE ULTIMATE DUELS

Disclaimer: Godzilla and other characters are copyright Toho Co. Ltd.
I own only my original characters.

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Chapter 9
The Sacrifice

"Godzilla's island", the Pacific Ocean; July 6th, 2011

Godzilla growled menacingly as he made his way to his home island. Kumonga tried to give him a challenging screech, but upon seeing Godzilla growling and staring with such angry eyes, the spider just started to retreat. Godzilla gave Kumonga a short roar, as if telling the spider: "You'd better go away." To prove his point, Godzilla shot his heat ray again. The ray hit Kumonga with a tremendous force, sending the arachnid monster flying a few inches away from Minilla. In the process, the control device attached to his neck was destroyed. Kumonga lost consciousness.

"Damn!" yelled Sato and Gordon almost simultaneously in their helicopter. Sato especially was as furious as he could get: "Kumonga's down and out!"

"Shouldn't we call Anguirus to come and help now?" Susan asked through her microphone.

"What do you think?" Sato yelled back at her. Susan frowned.

Soon Godzilla came ashore and rushed to aid his son. Minilla couldn't have been happier to see his father. Godzilla ripped the webbing off of his son as best as he could. After getting most of the harder webbing off, Godzilla let his son to handle the rest. Godzilla turned left and saw Kamacuras on top of a hill, slashing the air with its claws. The mantis was ready to fight the monster king. Godzilla answered the challenge, thinking that Kamacuras didn't look like a tough opponent.

He was, however, surprised as Kamacuras quickly jumped into the air and knocked him down with a body slam. Minilla roared in terror. Taking advantage of the situation, Kamacuras flew past Godzilla and landed in front of Minilla. The insect monster screeched at its enemy, walking slowly towards him. Minilla was in complete panic again. He tried to go past Kamacuras but the praying mantis stopped his every attempt. After stepping back a little, he soon touched the body of Kumonga.

It seemed like the end of the road for the young monster. Kamacuras was now just a few meters away from him. Minilla ducked helplessly on the ground as Kamacuras lifted its claws, ready to deliver the killing strike again.

Then, something incredible happened. Kumonga regained consciousness and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Kamacuras. He screeched loudly and jumped at the mantis almost as fast as lightning. Kamacuras gave a confused, surprised bellow just before Kumonga hit it, knocking him down. Minilla looked up and was very surprised too when he saw his foes suddenly fighting.

Everyone in the helicopters was as confused as Minilla. "Sato, what's the meaning of this?" Susan asked.

"How should I know? I have no idea what's going on", Sato yelled back.

Jim inspected the scene and thought for a moment. Then he came up with something. "I think I know why Kumonga's acting like that", he said.

Rose and Susan turned at him. "Why, Jim?" his mother asked.

"I have a pretty good guess that when the control device was destroyed, Kumonga regained control over himself and is now acting like he would normally act. He's a spider, and spiders eat insects. That's why he's attacking Kamacuras."

"I knew you'd be useful to us", Susan said quietly and smiled briefly at her son. "Did you hear that, Sato? Gordon?"

"Yeah, we did", answered Gordon. "Sato's trying to tell Kamacuras to try its best to stop Kumonga."

"Hey, look over there!" Rose yelled and pointed to the sea not far from the island. Everyone knew what was coming.

Anguirus rose from beneath the waves and bellowed. He came ashore on the island and noticed Godzilla who was just getting on his feet again. As Godzilla looked forward, he was surprised to see yet another of his old enemies. He glanced backwards and saw Kumonga now fighting Kamacuras. He was so relieved to see his son not wounded. Godzilla had never believed he'd be doing this, but he roared at his son, telling him to help Kumonga as much as possible. Then he turned back at Anguirus and let out a might roar. Anguirus answered the call for battle.

Godzilla and Anguirus ran towards each other until they met in a mighty collapse. Anguirus rose to his hind legs and started to bite Godzilla in the neck. Godzilla growled in pain as the Ankylosaurus' fangs dug deep into his skin. Godzilla grabbed his opponent by the neck too, and started to strangle Anguirus. Anguirus let go of Godzilla, roared and then slammed his tail at Godzilla, hitting the monster king with the club at the end of the tail. Godzilla let go of Anguirus and walked backwards a few meters while rubbing the spot on his right leg where he got hit. Now he was more furious than ever. He prepared to fire his atomic ray. Anguirus, however, knew what had to be done. As soon as Godzilla fired his weapon, Anguirus leapt into the air, avoiding the fiery ray. He landed on a hill, then quickly leapt again at Godzilla, and succeeded in tackling his foe down. Maintaining his speed, Anguirus jumped off of Godzilla and began to make his way to help Kamacuras. He wasn't quick enough, though, as Godzilla grabbed him by the end of his tail, stopping the Ankylosaurus.

Meanwhile, Kamacuras was hard at work in trying to fight Minilla, and now Kumonga too. Kamacuras tried to slash the spider with its claws, but every time Kumonga avoided the strikes, causing Kamacuras to hit the ground, with dust and sand flying everywhere. Soon they managed to get the mantis' claws stuck in the soil. Kamacuras screeched in vain while trying to get its claws free. Minilla took the chance and slammed Kamacuras with his tail. The force of the hit was great enough to send Kamacuras flying, and in the process, its right claw was ripped off. Kamacuras let out a painful whine while green blood came out from where its claw was just a moment ago. Minilla and Kumonga enjoyed a moment of joy as they watched their opponent fall down, supposedly fainted.

In the helicopters, mixed feelings were exchanged between the people. Sato was, of course, once again enraged, as another one of their monsters was defeated. Susan and Gordon didn't feel so good either. Rose and Jim were watching the scene with the most mixed feelings. Rose was starting to be more on Godzilla and Minilla's side rather than the monsters under the EDF's control. Jim had to admit to himself that he was impressed by Minilla too, but he still didn't want to disappoint his mother and the others' trust.

Godzilla rose to his feet quickly, still holding Anguirus' tail. With a swift move, he threw Anguirus into the water. Anguirus recovered quickly and started springing towards Godzilla. He decided to make a surprise move. He jumped and curled up into a ball like a hedgehog. The Ankylosaurus hit his enemy with his spiked carapace. Godzilla roared in annoyance as he turned at Anguirus who was standing on all four feet again. Anguirus bellowed back. He moved nearer to Godzilla, stood up on his hind legs and then the two monsters were fighting each other as if there was no tomorrow. They slashed, punched and bit each other as much as they could. Suddenly Godzilla took a few steps backwards, and then whipped Anguirus with his tail. The smash made Anguirus stumble against a nearby hill.

Kumonga walked towards the motionless body of Kamacuras while Minilla chose to stay behind his newfound ally. As Kumonga got closer and closer to the praying mantis, he felt his hunger grow more and more each passing second. After a few more steps he was right next to his fallen foe.

In one of the Chinook helicopters, Susan heard her son say: "Easy prey."

Kumonga opened his jaws, ready to inject his venom into the praying mantis at any time.

Godzilla also got close to his fallen opponent. He growled at Anguirus, and started to prepare his heat ray once again. Anguirus' eyes widened. He knew he had to come up with a plan quickly, or else he was doomed. He watched in anxiety as Godzilla lifted up his head, ready to deliver the strike.

But then, as Godzilla fired his ray, Anguirus moved his head to the left, narrowly dodging the blast. Godzilla's ray hit nothing but the hill, sending numerous piles of soil flying everywhere. Among the soil were some boulders as well. One of the boulders hit the ground very near Kamacuras, and that was enough to wake the giant mantis.

"Yes! Kamacuras is awake again!" Sato cheered and proceeded to give orders to the insect monster: "Kamacuras, get away from Kumonga quickly! He's about to finish you!"

Kamacuras looked up and was terrified to see Kumonga right on top of it. Kamacuras moved its four legs under Kumonga's body and then kicked the spider. Kumonga was sent flying right towards Minilla!

Minilla was in a state of shock as he saw Kumonga coming closer and closer. By the time they collided with each other, it was already too late. As they both hit the ground, all of a sudden Minilla felt an enormous pain. A pain far more powerful than anything he'd felt before. The look on his face was terrified as he saw what had happened: Kumonga had accidentally bit him on the stomach.

Everyone in the helicopters gasped in amazement. "No!" Rose yelled. Jim and Susan looked at her. Susan was actually quite surprised at the young girl's reaction. When she looked at her son, she saw that there was anxiety all over his face too. Now she was starting to have mixed feelings about their so-called enemies, too.

Godzilla turned his head, and his eyes widened. He watched as Kumonga moved away from his son. The spider's jaws were covered in blood. To Godzilla's surprise, Kumonga looked almost as horrified as he did. Minilla touched the wound on his stomach and the pain grew stronger. He let out a high-pitched screech, crying for his father to come to help.

Godzilla's emotions got a lot more powerful as the cries of his son kept coming. He felt his body tense up. He felt a rage he had never experienced before. It was too painful for him to see his son on the brink of death. He let out a mighty roar of fury as he charged towards Kumonga.

Kumonga became even more scared. He tried to tell Godzilla that it was only an accident. He tried to say that he didn't mean to hurt Minilla. However, Godzilla heard none of it. He stopped in front of Kumonga and grabbed him by the first pair of legs. He swung the spider around for a few rounds until he released his grip, and let Kumonga fall down. Kumonga made an attempt to get up, but he didn't have enough time to escape as he soon felt Godzilla's blue heat ray hit him again. Only this time, Godzilla kept firing for a longer period of time. In just ten seconds, Kumonga was completely covered in flames. Godzilla stopped firing. As his last words, Kumonga tried one more time to apologize to Godzilla, although to no avail.

The giant spider known as Kumonga was dead.

Godzilla roared in victory, and then he turned at Kamacuras. The mantis just waved its remaining claw around, beckoning Godzilla to come and fight. Godzilla was eager to take the challenge. He ran at Kamacuras, who leapt into the air. Godzilla couldn't let his adversary to escape, so he jumped too. He managed to take hold of one of Kamacuras' legs. Kamacuras screeched in surprise as Godzilla landed and smashed the praying mantis right in front of him on the ground. He growled fiercely at his enemy.

Suddenly Kamacuras punched Godzilla in the face with its claw, causing the monster king to stumble backwards. The distance was good enough for Kamacuras to get up and fly away. He didn't get very far though. Godzilla fired another blast of his heat ray, hitting Kamacuras on the back. With its wings burning, Kamacuras hit the blue water of the ocean. The insect splashed the water around it, trying desperately to stay on the surface. Godzilla stood on the shore of the island and simply watched his foe struggling. He knew that a monster like Kamacuras couldn't stand being in water for too long.

After a few moments, his look of slight joy changed to a wondering one. He was sure he saw something else in the water, approaching Kamacuras from behind. His guess was rewarded when a giant, reddish claw appeared and grabbed Kamacuras by the neck. The mantis shrieked in agony. Needless to say, Godzilla and everyone in the Chinooks were totally surprised and confused. Although the claw looked so familiar to almost everyone, especially Miyuki and Gordon. They continued to watch as the claw slowly pulled Kamacuras down beneath the waves. Kamacuras let out its final screech before meeting its fate. The life of another giant monster came to a doomed end.

Godzilla watched in silence for a few moments after Kamacuras had disappeared into the depths of the ocean. When nothing came out of the water anymore, he let out another victorious roar. He turned left and found his last remaining opponent. Godzilla growled menacingly at Anguirus.

Sato made a quick decision. "I don't think we need a third monster loss today", he said and told Anguirus to retreat. The monster bellowed one last time at Godzilla before turning around and heading back to Monster Island. Godzilla's third victorious roar soon followed.

Godzilla quickly turned around and rushed to his son. Minilla was trying to stand up, but the pain was too much for him. He couldn't get up. Godzilla came to a halt next to him. The king of the monsters couldn't believe what was happening. For the first time in his life, Godzilla actually felt tears in his eyes as he watched his dying son. Minilla opened his eyes and looked up at his father. An almost whisper-like wail came from his mouth. He felt like he had let his father down, so he tried to apologize.

Godzilla was touched. He knelt down and touched Minilla with his nose. He growled quietly, as if stating: "You could never let me down." Minilla answered with a thankful screech and lifted his right arm. Godzilla moved his right arm toward Minilla until their hands met in a gentle touch.

The people in the Chinooks surveyed the scene in total silence. Each of them had their own thoughts about the situation: Gordon and Sato felt a little pride, having defeated at least one of their enemies, whereas nearly all of the others had sadness written all over their faces. To them, the sight of Minilla was almost like watching a human die, not a monster. Rose was sobbing heavily, and she clung to Jim's right arm. Jim was surprised, but he didn't mind Rose's touch at all. There were more important things to think about. Jim actually thought that Rose transferred her feelings to him through her touch. He could feel all the empathy she had for Godzilla and Minilla. Even Susan was trying hard not to cry.

Only a few seconds passed, and Godzilla felt his son tighten his grip. Minilla looked at his father's eyes. Both of the monsters were in tears. Minilla opened his mouth slowly, and let out a very weak, quiet roar. Then, just as slowly, he closed his eyes. Godzilla felt how Minilla's hand let go of his own. It was all clear now. His son had just said his goodbye.

Minilla, Godzilla's son, was gone.

"No! No!" Rose yelled again and put her head against Jim's chest, crying uncontrollably. Once again, Jim was surprised by Rose's move, but he just put his arms around her. He could sense his mother watching them in surprise too.

Oh, how much Godzilla tried to convince himself that it was just a bad dream. However, he knew it was useless to try to think otherwise. He had to face the fact that his son's life had come to an end. He growled and closed his eyes tightly before standing up again. He lifted his head high and roared at the skies. Only this roar was unlike any other that had come from his mouth. This was the first time ever when Godzilla roared in sadness.

"I can't believe it", Jim said quietly. "He really is crying, Mom."

Susan glanced at his son before looking at Godzilla again. She noticed that the sun had started to set, and Godzilla's roaring figure was right in front of it. Susan had to admit to herself that it truly was a beautiful, yet very melancholy sight.

Gordon's voice snapped Susan out of her reverie. "Susan, is everything OK?"

Susan blinked and put her hand on the microphone. "Yes, yes, everything's fine."

"Maybe we should return to Maui now. I'm sure the Chinooks need refueling, and I don't think Godzilla would appreciate us being here right now."

Susan hadn't expected that coming from Gordon. But still, she said: "I guess you're right. Let's go."

Soon the helicopters turned and started to fly back to Hawaii. Everybody continued to look at Godzilla until the island was out of sight. Rose had calmed down a little, but the tears still came down her cheeks. Susan reached for a handkerchief and handed it to her son. Jim felt gratitude for his mother as he gave the handkerchief to Rose, while he kept embracing his friend. He could perfectly guess what Rose was thinking: Why did the world have to be so cruel sometimes?