Monster Island- 3 AM
One Month Before Great Battle

I was looking out to the ocean from the beach shore. I don't really sleep much. I just like the quiet. Gives me time to think. Get away from the cacophony of the island, y'know? Nobody else is really awake this late, except for maybe Baragon. He's a nice guy, but he's a bit too energetic. I think he's biologically caffeinated or something. Sometimes we talk. I mean, not during the day. He's usually underground hiding or annoying the living shit out of someone. At night, Baragon's out and about, eating trees and those little red mantis-things, not to be confused with the big fuckers that nearly killed that cousin of my before birth.

Back on subject...which was...what, Baragon? Oh, yeah. So, as I was saying, Baragon's tolerable at night, more than he is at day. Okay, uh...

Where was I, really? Oh, yeah. Beach. Sitting. Me. Yeah.

So, I'm sitting there, contemplating life or some shit, when I feel the ground kinda shake. I was used to this, so I didn't really react. Baragon popped his weird, big-eared head out from the ground next to me, on my left.

"Oh. Hey," I said. Well, us monsters don't actually speak to each other. It's more like grunts and body movements. Basic communication.

"'Whatcha thinking about, Big G?" He asked me.

"You know. The past."

"What about it?" He wriggled out a bit more, so his upper torso was sticking out, but his hind legs and ass are still underground.

"Just...the past in general."

"Prehistory? Thirty years ago? Fifty-million? Yesterday? C'mon. Talk to me."

"I'm thinking about things. That's all." I didn't want to talk, as you can see.

"It's just you and me, buddy. Tell me what's on your mind." Ugh. I hate it when I'm called a 'pal' , 'chum' , 'buddy', and the like. I'm a king, not a comrade.

"Will it make you shut up?" I grumbled.

"Hey, I didn't do anything this time! All I want to know is what's up," Baragon persisted.

"All right," I sighed. "You really want to know what's up?"

"Well, yeah. We're friends. That's what we do. We help each other when we're down." Will he stop using that word?

"It's...It's..."

"Thinking about your father?"

"Yeah."

"Thinking about his death?"

"...yeah..."

"Oh. W-well, you couldn't really do anything to stop it, I mean..." He kinda trailed off. I think he knew I really didn't want to talk. I mean, I'm a tough guy, believe me, but when it comes to my dad...well, I lost him when I actually needed him most. I was on my way to becoming an adult, and that's when we're supposed to learn the rest of the needs for survival. Of course, he died and gave all of his essence to me, so I'm pretty much my dad in another reptile's body. But, god damn, my dad was the most amazing creature on this planet. He was the most amazing monster in the universe. He wouldn't take crap from anybody. And even when I was born, and he was out there fighting whatever monsters there were, he still loved me no matter what. If I was in danger, he'd beat the shit out of the cause of my peril. He was a good man, and he died young, too. A tad too young. Somehow, his body temps actually accelerated faster, causing his heart to overheat. He was a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. And even if he was dying, he still fought. For me. And those stupid humans. For everyone.

Damn, he actually had something I don't.

Positives.

Sure, he was locked up on an island for most of his life, forced to do the humans' bidding. But, he looked at it in a positive viewpoint. He could still fight. At least he could roam around and destroy cities and shit. Hell, he could be trapped in a small box and I wouldn't be surprised if he found fun in that.

And if I never learned that...and I have a son of my own...

I'm probably gonna end up teaching my kid how to be fucking depressed at this rate.

Wow. Looks like I have to change my attitude not just for myself, but for my family, too.

And probably my fr-fellow monsters.

I mean, they have a positive attitude almost all the time. But me? I'm the black sheep. I'm the one who doesn't find this fun. I don't seem to enjoy practically having a job of fighting monsters. I don't enjoy that I'm lucky that I do get to roam around wherever I fucking please sometimes. The only thing bothering me is how the humans have pretty much domesticated us. Why should that bother me? I mean, we have a whole fucking island to walk about. I can still fight other monsters! Hell, I can even destroy a few trees!

Maybe I still can be the King of the Monsters, but only if I change...

"Hey, Baragon," I questioned, after a few minutes of silence. "How do you have so much fun around here?"

"Well," He replies. "We can still do whatever we want, just not on a larger scale. And, besides, I get to be around the greatest guy ever."

"Who, Anguirus? He's not much of-"

"No, you."

"Me? I'm not fun. I'm not great. I'm...I don't deserve to be King."

"Don't say that! You're the greatest guy around! Your race has been here longer than mine! I mean, you guys deserve the title of tyrannosaurus rex more than that dinosaur does! You are the true Tyrant Lizard King!"

"You really think?"

"Yeh!" It was then I noticed how close he was to me. Both figuratively and literally. He was sitting right next to me. That's kinda odd. I looked at him. I needed my personal space. He looked at me back.

"...what?" He says.

"Personal space."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." He nudges away.

After that, we just sat there. Together. Looking out at the sky. Damn, those stars are bright. And full of life. Life that decides to come down to here of all places.

Why do the aliens choose Earth to ham it up? I don't know. My dad would, but he's...y'know.

It was a long silence. And in that silence, I kinda realized something.

Out of everyone here on this island, Baragon talks to me more. More than Rodan, or Anguirus, or King Caesar, or Varan. No, he chooses to talk with me more.

And with that thought, it made sense.

Baragon, the one guy who knows me more than any other monster, was a friend. That's right. A friend. I thought I would never use that word to describe someone, but it's true. He's there for me, even when he's a spaz. Is this what friendship is? Am I going soft? Am I...feeling sexual thoughts about Baragon?

Hah. That last part was a joke. We don't work that way. Just like any other animal in the natural order, us monsters have to reproduce with our own kind. Otherwise there would be a hideous child, or it just wouldn't work out.

Well, I have a ffff...ff...friend now. I hope this is the start of a change. I'll hate it, but whatever helps us all work together so we can fight or something stupid like that.