Chapter 22:

Battle in The Storm

Odojima was no stranger to the powerful storms which rocked its coast. The islanders had tucked themselves in to their beds, waiting for the storm to pass them by as usual so the day after they would be greeted with the sight of raindrops catching the morning sun's rays like liquid diamonds. However, they would soon be greeted with a different kind of thunder as rumbling footsteps filled the air. The shaking of the earth stirred the islanders from their sleep as they rushed out into the rain to see the commotion and were greeted with a sight they never expected to come across since 1954.

It was a colossal, reptilian beast whose grooved, charcoal skin dripped a mixture of sea water and rain. Its face was a cross between a cat and a dragon with fiery eyes which broke through the darkness. It stood upright like a man and a long tail whipped out from behind it. On its back, three rows of maple leaf shaped plates bumped against one another like bells. Among the people, a single name was whispered over and over in awe.

"Gojira."

However, a question began to arise from among the villagers, why had Gojira returned after all these years and in the midst of a storm like last time? Little did they know, this was not the same beast which ripped through Odojima eighteen years ago.

Junior had been wandering around the ocean for quite a while. The wounds he sustained from the battle with the unknown beast had just now closed up but he needed a place to rest. He didn't expect the island he came across to already be occupied with humans but he could always find space. He wasn't intending to stay on the island for very long. He slowly lowered himself onto the rain-soaked beach and curled up among the sand.

The islanders just stared in confusion at the sight of Gojira sleeping on their beach. For a while, they stood like that, eyes locked on the slumbering form of a creature they saw as a god who would only come up to their shores in fits of anger or displeasure. However, they just shrugged and some were returning to their homes to sleep the storm away. Or at least, that's what they intended to do. Just as a few islanders took a single step, a large, shadowy tear opened in the sky, its howling drowned out even the storm itself. They turned to see Gojira open his eyes and growl, disturbed from his rest as he raised his fiery eyes to the rip in the sky.

Junior narrowed his eyes as he lifted himself to his feets, his lips parted into a snarl and eyes narrowed as he could feel the malevolence snaking out of the tear in the sky. Just then, there was a feral roar and a giant black body erupted from the hole and slammed into him, causing the young king to roar out in surprise as he hit the ground, sending up sea water and sand into the air. He got back to his feet and responded with a tail smack into his attacker's face. As his opponent stumbled, Junior was given a better look; it had a somewhat human-like shape but with shorter legs and beefy arms. Its feet looked just like hands and, just like the beast he killed, it had jet-black skin, skeletal pieces decorated all over its body and glowing red eyes. This monster had come looking for a fight, something Junior was more than willing to give. Both combatants let loose a roar before charging at each other.

The islanders grit their teeth as the colossal bodies of Gojira and the gorilla-like beast collided. Gojira had dug his fangs into the skeletal ape's left shoulder and began to push it back, his opponent's feet digging gorges into the ground. The ape roared and planted its right fist into Gojira's face, causing the saurian to stumble and shake his head. This allowed the ape an opening as it swung its left fist. However, Gojira recovered just in time to grip the fist in his talons before pulling his adversary back and deliver a headbutt.

Sarukage fell to the ground on his back as he rubbed his skull-mask. He then felt a small (for him) indentation in its cranial area. This beast was powerful. No wonder it managed to kill Kemonokage with such ease. He snarled as the saurian spread its arms out and whipped its tail behind it, letting loose a roar of challenge (or mocking whichever came first). The ape Kage Umare roared in response and knuckle-charged at the upstart beast.

Junior dug his heels in deep and slammed his tail into the ground. His spikes were already beginning to flash bright blue as he narrowed his eyes, waiting for the right moment. Just then, with a roar, his enemy lunged into the air. Perfect. Junior whipped his head forward and his fire streaked across sky, brighter than any bolt of lightning the storm could ever produce and hit its mark: the chest of the beast. The sheer force of the blast sent the monster flying the side of a hill. Junior roared and went into a charge, just in time for him to slam into his enemy right as it was recovering. However, his adversary had a little surprise for him. The monster lifted its free arm, grabbed his neck... and sparks of electricity began to erupt from its hand. Junior roared in pain as his enemy dropped him to his knees before backhanding him.

The islanders screamed and cursed as they rushed for cover just in time for Gojira to slam into the ground, leaving a crater where their homes once were. Gojira snarled as he lifted himself up and roared in anger.

Righteous fury ran like wildfires throughout Junior's blood. He was going to make sure this... thing was going to die and in the worst way he knew how. It may have caught him off-guard, but that was one time and one time only. With a roar which drowned out the now dying storm, the young king charged forth, claws extended and lips curled back revealing his fangs. He collided with the beast and made sure to dig his talons deep into his foe's hide, purplish red blood spurting out as he did so. The beast once again wrapped its hands around his neck and sparks ran down his body like rain. Junior was so enraged at this point he either didn't feel it or he didn't care.

The islanders watched as the two massive beasts grappled and struggled with each other, the gorilla wrapping its hands around Gojira's neck while the latter sank his talons deeper into the monster's flesh and even biting down on its neck causing the gorilla to howl in pain. That was when something caught their eyes. It was another beast similar to the other one in that it had the same skeletal armor, red eyes and pitch skin... except it resembled a wolf as it stalked Gojira silently, its belly close to the ground and eyes narrowed, prepared to make the kill.

Inukage had made sure to stay out of the battle between the beast and Sarukage. Besides, stealth was more of his forte and he just needed to have his brutish ally get the leviathan in a good enough position for him to make his move. His armored paws lightly touched the ground, not making a single noise as he crept up behind the clashing titans. He could already feel his fangs sinking into the beast and then into every single human on the island. However, just before he could make his move, the opponents shifted slightly left... and the leviathan spotted him from the corner of its eye. Inukage had been caught, now it was this time or never. But, before he could make even one step, he saw the monster's tail raise into the air... and the last thing he saw was it falling down to him.

A sickening crunch and a lifeless body was all the proof Junior needed to see that he had just killed his adversary's ally. Now, it was just one-on-one. Junior's spikes flashed and he loosed his flame just inches from his opponent's face, striking the monster at point blank. The beast roared in agony as it released him and covered its face with its hands, screaming in agony as its eyes literally melted from their sockets. His foe was now blinded. He then rushed forward to finish the job... until an image flashed before him.

It was his father, glowing brighter than the sun and flesh starting to-

Junior roared in anguish... which allowed his enemy to blindly charge at him and collide. Junior sank his talons and his fangs into the monster as the combatants tumbled into the ocean, leaving the villagers of Odojima to stand in the diminishing rain in awe and shock at the battle that had unfolded before them.