?

Gigan shoved his hook into the hole in my chest. I was in severe pain. I felt it go through me. Baragon was looking enraged. He shot a beam at the cyborg. Gigan slammed his tail around, with me still in it. I hit the ground, and everything was dark.

I opened my eyes to see myself back at Monster Island, but everything was...off. It was almost like there wasn't a trace of a battle. The sea surrounding the island weren't colored with blood or sludge. The sky wasn't dark with the ominous ships. It's like the war never happened. In fact, there was no sign of life. Rodan wasn't in his nest. Baragon wasn't digging. Anguirus and Rodan weren't around pulling their usual tricks. Nobody-not even the humans-is around. Just me. Is this what the God Realm looks like? Am I actually in the Dark Pit?...Am I even dead?

If this is death, then where's everyone I've killed? Everyone that sacrificed for me?...Where is anyone?

I was alone. On an island. With perfect weather. What is this?

There's no sign of an electrical gate at the island perimeter. I could easily swim away from the island, but...I have the urge to stay here. Why, I don't know.

It all seemed too weird to be the real Monster Island. One minute, I'm spewing out my guts, the next, I'm feeling fine. What? What is goi-

"B-B-Big G?...Big...Big G?...Wake up. Please...C'mon, man!"

"Stop shaking him, Baragon! He's probably unconscious. Give him a while."

"N-No! I can't leave him! You don't understand how much he means to me."

"I do understand. I could tell you love him. You love him very much, and-"

...Okay, so I must be unconscious. I guess this is what my mind looks like or something. I'm in some coma. Cool. Hope nothing happens to my body.

In the open area, the place where Kumonga's hole is, I see a familiar face. My old man was sitting there, as if he was expecting me. I walked right up to him, and sat down.

"Long time, so see," dream Dad said to me.

"Yeah," I said back. "What are you doing in my head, anyhoo?"

"I'm not your real Pops. I'm your subconscious. I'm trying to prevent you from dying."

"Ah."

"I'm acting and looking like him because he's your role model, and you trust him very much."

"I trust Baragon, too. A lot."

"You trust him because you love him."

"So you're saying I shouldn't?"

"No, I'm just saying that your trust is only there because he trusts you."

"Well, if you're my subconscious..."

"Look, Godzilla. I'm gonna get to the point: You're in deep shit."

"I know, I know..."

"No, you don't. Well, you do, but you don't want to think about it."

"I guess I can't hide anything from you."

"No, you can't."

"...Yeah, I know what shit I'm in I know that anything that I do changes what will happen in the future."

"That's a good way to put it."

"...?"

"You heard what Mothra said. About the rift and Leo."

"Yeah."

"You know that the Ghidorahs are on their tail now."

"No, I don't."

"You do, but you don't want to think about it."

"I'm really confused about all of this."

"It's gonna be confusing. I'm confused, too. The time rift, our emotions towards Baragon, how Mothra secretly once liked Baragon and you caught the subtle hints but never tried to put two and two together, the fact that we met Dad on-"

"Wait. What?"

"What?"

"Mothra?"

"You saw how she reacted sometimes. Kind of...shy and shit."

"But, she knows we're-"

"Yes, she does. And judging on how she's not really acting like that, I'd say she moved on."

"Why are you so damn smart, subconscious?"

"Because I'm your subconscious, dummy!"

"But, what I don't still get is-"

"WHERE ARE YOU ALL GOING? GET BACK HERE!"

"Guys! Quickly! Get to the Docking Bay!"

"C'mon, C'mon C'mon! Hurry up!"

"Baragon, how you holding up?"

"I'm...I'm doing fine. I just hope Big G will get through this."

"YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO DESTROY THE INCUBATORS, YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO OPEN UP THE CRYOGENIC CAPSULES, AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO GET AWAY WITHOUT A FIGHT!? FOOLISH MORTALS, I AM HIGHLY IRRADIATED NOW. I AM UNSTOPPA-"

"...Sounds like there's some action going on out there," my subconscious says.

"Sounds like SpaceGodzilla is jacked," I chuckle.

"On the bright side, you're still alive. Sort of. You're in a coma, you know."

"How is a coma great?"

"You aren't dead."

"I get that...Why did my brain choose Monster Island?"

"It's the closet thing to serenity your mind can think of."

"The trees and everything seem...smaller, though...younger...as if this was years ago..."

"This is what Monster Island looked like when you were younger. This is where you and your dad lived, before the other monsters were rounded up into here."

"They were rounded up because the humans wanted 'start up their operation again'..."

"Yep."

"So, my happiest memories where-"

"Where when you were young."

A wave of flashbacks hit me. I saw stuff I've forgotten about. Times when my old man and I would stomp around the island like it was our world...those times when we'd play games like hide-and-seek...the only other monsters that were originally on the island were Kumona and the mantiseses...Manti...man...mantis group. My pops would play a game with me where if I hunted something down by myself, I'd be rewarded with not just my kill, but an even bigger mantis carcass, waiting for my devouring. Then it hit me, again. Those weren't just games. I mean, to me they were, but...

Dad was just making sure I knew the basics of life. Hiding from predators, eating, atomic breath...stuff you'd find an animal do in the wild. An animal like me. Eventually I was capable of doing shit on my own, but that didn't stop me from being with my dad. We did everything together, even when I was supposed to stay out of the way. I didn't want to be left alone. As I got older, I witnessed many monsters and many battles. I was pulverized by SpaceGodzilla as a kid, so that's why I have a small grunge with him. Luckily, my old man came and killed him. He saved my ass many times. In fact, that's how he died. Saving my life.

Destoroyah killed my young-adult self, but my dad used what was left in him to bring me back. Maybe what I said about him looking on the bright side was wrong. Maybe the thing he had that I didn't was selflessness. Selflessness. Doing shit for others. I mean, I did shit for others, too, but I always tried to just save my life mostly, if that makes any sense at all.

"I see you're remembering everything, now," my subconscious said, noticing the single manly tear in my eye. It was manly, so I wasn't crying, right?

"Yeah..." I said. "All those good times..."

"...you need a hug?"

"What?"

"Do you need a hug?"

"...N-no."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine, really."

"Alright, then."

"I..I can't believe I've fo-"

"-PATHETIC WORM. YOU INSIGNIFICANT GRUB."

"NO! DON'T TOUCH LEO!"

"Oh...Is this MAGGOT that worthy to you? Let's see what value he has NOW!"

"NOOO!"

"Mothra! Don't!"

"HAVE AT HIM, BOYS."

"NOOOO-"

"Leo sounds like he's in peril," said my subconscious.

"I'm starting to think I should wake up soon," I replied.

"It would be a smart idea, but I don't know if your body will respond soon enough."

"Ghidorah! Don't! Please!"

"Why not?"

"Please don't do it!"

"I'm gonna do it."

"Yeah, you have to wake up soon."

"I know."

"Seriously. It sounds bad out there."

"I know."

"And this chapter is getting kind of lo-"

"I KNOW."

And then, by some magical force, I woke up.