Natural disasters are a common occurrence in Japan, a fact of life everyone on the island nation has to contend with whether they like it or not. Whether it's typhoons, earthquakes, or tsunamis, the forces of nature are just as Japanese as Mount Fuji and FamilyMart.
There was something different about this confrontation with nature though. There were no fault lines quaking or tidal waves approaching the islands, but instead an unending stream of rainfall from above. First for days, then weeks, and eventually even months. Soon enough, even the multi-kilometer deep flood tunnels beneath the metropolis were at max capacity, with almost all of central Tokyo submerged in the water.
There was clearly nothing natural about this, and with the government having exhausted every other available option, it was clear this unnatural problem would require an unnatural solution.
"Are you absolutely sure? What about all the radiation it'll cause? You know there's no going back if we do this."
The Swiss biologist struggled to hold onto the railing above her friend as she overlooked the submerged city landscape atop the Tokyo Skytree, rain pouring endlessly from the blanket of clouds above.
"I'm no nuclear physicist, but if my research about him is accurate, it should actually cause more good than harm." The auburn-haired woman stated matter-of-factly. "Plus, we have no other choice. If we don't do something now, the whole town will be gone forever."
The pink-haired woman busily fidgeted on a briefcase-like computer, fit with a radar, sonar, and some sort of frequency transmitter. Rina briefly glanced up at her friend, Emma recognizing the fear in her eyes. Softly taking her free hand, the biologist gave a reassuring squeeze to the introvert. Everything would be alright , her eyes said.
The pink-haired woman took a moment before letting out a gentle nod. She trusted her friend for years up to this point, she had no reason for that trust to waver now. If Emma thought this was the right decision, then this was how they were gonna do it.
"The ORCA is calibrated now." The pink-haired woman stood up before connecting the device to the Skytree's broadcasting equipment, the Swiss huddling close to her as the force of the storms grew stronger.
"Are you ready, Emma-san?"
Air raid sirens blared in the distance, the engines of F-35As roaring above the clouds, and the waves of water below the nation's tallest structure crashing with each other. Emma took a deep breath and composed herself, knowing she played the most crucial role in this last-ditch effort to save Tokyo. Everything rested on her.
The Swiss gave a determined nod and thumbs up. "Ready."
Rina gave an affirmative blink before activating the ORCA, sending the selected frequency to the top of the Skytree to play across every radio station in the metropolitan area. A powerful but mute sound to the human ear, it was a call to an apex predator like no other. A monster of folklore once thought to be only a legend. The alpha kaiju of Japan.
Godzilla.
Resembling the sound of rubber moving against rust, a rumble could be made out in the distance. It didn't take long for the pair to spot an ominous shadow under the water where Koto City once was, approaching with ferocity towards them.
And then there was silence. No sirens. No fighter jets or helicopters overhead. Just the sound of the ORCA and the faint breathing of the two women. All for just a moment.
A thick layer of steam arose from below, the Skytree and its surroundings shaking ever so slightly, and the storm clouds above spewed unrelenting blue lightning. Was this natural lightning? No, it had to come from something else.
It was him.
"Gojira." Rina muttered under her breath as she and the Swiss watched as the King of the Monsters rose to their level.
The kaiju let out a roar, a broken violin made of copper wire, with ferocity towards the gray sky, as its scales glowed a magnificent blue and purple and the lightning added an epic backdrop against the sunken Tokyo landscape.
The two women didn't even have a minute to admire the sheer beauty and awe of this legendary titan before they were caught in his stare, snapping both Rina and Emma back into reality about the situation.
The kaiju moved his head towards the observation deck of the Skytree, mere meters away between himself and the pair. With how close he was, the auburn-haired woman was able to make out the golden yellow eyes of Goji. They were beautiful. They were full of life.
And they were terrifying.
Rina gave a supportive pat to her biologist friend, her hand shaking anxiously now with the skyscraper-tall nuclear lizard in front of them. Emma was surprisingly calm though, any hesitance or nervousness now gone from her body both physically and mentally.
"You can turn the ORCA off now."
The biologist gave her friend a wink and a thumbs up before taking a step forward, making eye contact with the kaiju. It seemed to work, as the legendary monster's full focus was now on the Swiss. It was all or nothing now.
"Greetings, Gojira-sama." Emma gave a respectful 90 degree bow. "Sorry about the ruckus we made earlier. It must've been pretty unpleasant to hear, but we had to get your attention somehow. I hope you can forgive us."
The titan's stare didn't waver, softly breathing steam from his nostrils. That said, he didn't seem as agitated before. Did Goji actually understand her?
"Yes, you see, Gojira-sama. We actually need your help with something. You see all those storm clouds above us?" The Swiss casually pointed to the sky. "They've been pouring water like crazy, flooding the entire town! We've been trying for months to come up with a solution but to no avail. If this persists for a year longer, soon the whole island of Japan will be gone."
Emma was hopeful she was taking common sense with this legendary monster, getting him to see how terrible the rainy predicament was. Rina on the other hand was counting down each minute that passed by like it could be her last. All the while, the kaiju's face remained unchanged.
"Sure, I know it's been a rough few patches since you last came to the surface, but I promise you the mid-Shōwa years are long behind us all. The people of Japan love you now! So pretty please, can you help us out?"
For just a moment, Emma could've sworn she saw Goji blink sympathetically. Still, it didn't seem like the titan was fully convinced. The pink-haired woman could cut the tension with a toothpick if she tried.
"Just imagine, you'll be hailed as the savior of Japan, no, the savior of humanity if you do this. Plus, the less water we have here, the less you'll have to deal with us in the future. Sounds like a win-win situation, doesn't it?"
Emma reached across the railing to just barely boop the kaiju's nose, much to the silent bewilderment and perplexion of Rina.
"C'mon big guy, you can do it."
The titan gently growled before slowly raising his head back up and facing away from the pair, the auburn-haired biologist smiling with her eyes closed.
"Umm… did that work?" The pink-haired techie blinked in confusion at what her friend just did. "Did he even understand you? Did you understand him?"
"Just watch, Rina-chan. You're about to watch history take place."
The pair noticed the scales lining Goji's tail and back began changing color from their dull charcoal gray back to a vibrant blue and purple. At the same time, a humming-like sound grew louder as the colors grew closer to lighting up every scale. It became immediately clear to Rina that her friend had succeeded.
That walking nuclear lizard was about to explode.
In the flash of a second, a blue stream of thermonuclear heat sprayed out of the titan's mouth towards the blanket of storm clouds above, eviscerating them in a chain-like reaction. What accompanied it was an unforgettable roar that must've been heard all the way from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The roar of a true alpha titan.
Just like that, Rina, Emma, and the inhabitants of the world's largest metropolis below witnessed a sight for the first time in months, the namesake for their nation: a rising sun over the land, with the King of the Monsters standing beside it.
Goji gave one last look towards the Skytree, a knowing sparkle in his yellow eyes at the auburn-haired woman, before diving headfirst into the waters below, his shadow growing distant as he properly reached the Pacific.
The pink-haired woman didn't hesitate a second longer to give an unexpected, tight hug to her taller Swiss friend. The months of sleepless research, the time dedicated to creating a device as complex as the ORCA, and the nerves of steel it took for Emma to face a god-like titan as old as life itself for this one-in-million plan. It all paid off. Japan was saved.
The auburn-haired woman returned the hug in kind, patting her friend's head softly as the two sat down to admire the majestic sunrise.
"I'm proud of you, Rina-chan. None of this couldn't have worked without you."
"Thanks, but I'm not the one who talked to the dinosaur." The pink-haired woman softly let out a bit of her quirky sass which made the Swiss giggle. "Did you two actually… talk though?"
"Mhm! It wouldn't be the first time I talk to a kaiju either. When I visited the Philippines once, I had an hour long conversation with a giant queen moth."
Rina blinked two times. "You met Mothra?"
"Haha..." Emma rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "That's a story for another time."
…
"This… this is a nice view."
The pair stared off once more at the sunrise over the horizon, spotting a spot of scales hovering above the Pacific in the far distance. While it would take time to rebuild, Emma and Rina got their home back, thanks to the help of a legendary titan who was returning to his in peace.
"Yeah." Rina turned to her friend, letting out a gentle but sincere smile for the first time in forever. "It really is."
"And thus, Tokyo and Japan were saved once again by the intellect of Rina-chan, the kindness of Emma-chan, and the strength of Gojira-chan! How does that sound?"
The tomboy blonde finished her Diet Coke before tossing it in the trash can. "So this is what you do with your free time, Shizuku? Write fanfiction about your friends in crazy scenarios?"
"W-well." The brunette stuttered a moment "It's quite a fun hobby, plus it brings out my creativity. I typically only play the role of an actress in the drama club, so I thought it'd be fun to explore my writing abilities on the side!"
"I mean, if you say so…"
Shizuku clapped her hands together with a smile. "So what did you think of the story?"
"It's better than the 1998 film." Mia glanced at the first year's laptop which had a Spotify tab on. "I guess it only makes sense you'd come up with something like this if you looped that song for hours on end though."
With a simple chuckle and not a word more, the blonde first year left Shizuku's room before she had the chance to take in her words. The theater girl simply rubbed her eyes, stretched her arms out, and swung her chair back towards her bed.
"Well I think this fic was quite the success, don't you think Goji-san?"
Shizuku faced her 40cm Godzilla plush that sat on her sheets, giving him a gentle headpat before smiling and picking him up.
"Who might you be? Godzilla! Who's the strongest kaiju? Godzilla!"
"Who's the King of the Monsters?"
The sound of a thunderous roar that could only come from an alpha titan echoed from outside, the brunette dropping the plushie on the floor and diving onto her bed. Carefully crawling her way to her bedside window, she took a peek outside to be met with a dark sillenoute that must've been 150 meters tall. It was exactly who Shizuku was calling for.
"GODZILLA!"