The next morning, something cold and hard bumped Junior on the shoulder, rousing him from his slumber. Right away, he knew it was Gojira. When he looked up, he noticed that it was barely sunrise. Given that he hadn't had much sleep, he wasn't exactly happy about being wakened early.

"Gojira, come on", he said. "I barely slept last night."

"And for that, I apologize. But I was hoping to be able to speak with you before Anguirus wakes up."

"Why?"

"Because I know he'll want to catch up. And I'm sure we both know how much he likes to talk. I'll be stuck talking to him nonstop for the next two days."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"Please. I know you don't want to be up and about right now, but if you would just... talk to me, just for a while, I'll make sure that you sleep through my entire conversation with Anguirus."

"Why does it matter so much to you, anyway?"

"Because all my people are dead and I feel that you are the only one alive I can truly relate to. We may not be of the same tribe, but our similarity cannot be denied. Not just in terms of looks and sounds, but experiences too, from the sound of it. Honestly, you're the closest thing to family I've got. As such, I'd like to get to know you a bit better."

"All right," Junior said as he got up, "but only because I feel the same way. That's actually what kept me up last night, thinking about how much I can relate with you. On that note, do you even sleep now?"

"Heh. No, my spirit remains active all the time. I can shut this body off for a while, but that is not the same thing as sleeping. I've been keeping myself occupied by going through the information stored on the human computer. Fascinating stuff. It seems that the last decade has been quite eventful. Many strange new kaiju appearing and dying. I even saw some stuff about you and your father in there."

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh, many things. Mostly about your father's many attacks on the humans, his victories against the kaiju I mentioned earlier, even his death. Did you know he killed Battra?"

"Wait, wait, wait. You know how he died?"

"Oh, that's right. You were dead, you wouldn't know. I'm sorry."

"No, go on. I wanna know."

"All right. You could tell he wasn't well before he passed, yes?"

"Yeah. Whatever it was that was wrong with him, it made him destroy our home."

"I actually knew about that too. The humans' information repository is quite detailed. I'm sorry. Anyway, that illness was the result of him absorbing too much radiation. His own body was killing him from the inside out by heating up to unimaginable levels. And it wasn't just affecting him. The entire world was at risk because of it. If it weren't for the efforts of the humans, everyone on Earth would've died with him."

"Oh. I should've known it had something to do with that. I thought he and Destoroyah killed each other. Until about three weeks ago, that is."

"What happened three weeks ago?"

"It turned out Destoroyah didn't die the night my father did. He attacked me and Anguirus, almost killed us both. He gave me the impression that he didn't kill my father when we spoke."

"And what happened to him?"

"I killed him. Took all the power I had."

"Ah, so that's what you're recovering from."

"Yeah. Thank you, by the way. It's good to finally know what happened. Father passed his power and his memories on to me, but that's something I've never really been able to peice together. It's been almost a year and new memories are still popping up in my mind every now and then."

"Hm. Must be strange."

"It was at first, but I've gotten used to it."

"The same can be said with me and this body. Thanks to the computer, I was able to use it without issue from the moment it first awakened, but... It can't feel. It can't feel heat, it can't feel cold. It can't feel pain."

"Then why did you fly off after I blew it's face open?"

"That was more out of fear than anything else. As you can see, when you did that, you exposed my skull. I was afraid that you would damage it, sever my connection with the land of the living, and deny me the revenge I so desperately wanted at the time. That is the other reason I fled, to find a way to defeat you while avoiding that possibility. I believed that if I could create an astral form for myself, I could do just that. And I probably could've if I could use my fire-breath in that form, which I cannot."

"So, if someone damages your bones, it'll kill you again?"

"I don't know, but I believe it is very possible."

"I guess we'll have to cover up that hole, then."

"Yes. I believe the twins can help me with that. I'll speak to them about it later."

"You mentioned someone named Battra earlier. Who was he?"

"Oh, now that is an interesting story. You see, he was the Dark Mothra, created by the Earth itself to defend it by any means necessary. He was a much more fearsome and imposing beast than the other Mothra, and a good bit stronger. Several thousand years ago, a human civilization, far more advanced than those we see today, created a machine that could control the weather. This greatly offended the Earth, leading to Battra's creation. After he dealt with the threat, he came to see as I did recently, that the humans were a blight on the world. So, he tried to wipe them out. He was thwarted, however, by one of his light counterparts. After a long battle, the Mothra gained the upper hand and defeated Battra, imprisoning him at the bottom of the ocean."

"Wow. Never thought a Mothra could go bad."

"Well, he wasn't exactly bad. It's just that his methods weren't very peaceful."

"Okay. So, how does my father fit into this?"

"A few years ago, Battra was freed from his prison. Naturally, he sought to finish what he started. Eventually, he and your father crossed paths and came to blows."

"Wait a minute. I... I remember now. Their first fight ended in a stalemate, right?"

"Yes. And when they fought for the second time, Mothra and Battra joined forces against your father. They were victorious, but Battra was fatally wounded. Before he died, he told Mothra of an impending threat: an asteroid heading toward Earth. Shortly afterward, she flew off to destroy it. She hasn't been seen since."

"But we know what happened to her."

"Really?"

"That Mothra was the twins' mother. Ghidorah was in that asteroid. When she destroyed it, she set him free."

"So he killed her?"

"The twins think so."

"Mm. Once again, a young Mothra's mistakes have cost her her life. Let's just hope that her children are better."

"Have a little faith. She didn't know he was in there."

"But she should've been able to sense that something wasn't right. She acted without thinking, and that is a rookie mistake."

"One that the twins won't make."

"Are you sure?"

"I've seen them fight. We both have. Heck, you actually fought them! They're good. Very good. Besides, they saved my life and Anguirus's. I have to believe in them."

"Fair point."

Having run out of things to say, they stood in silence for a while. Then the silence was broken by Junior saying: "So you said all your people were dead. What exactly happened to them?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I know part of it had to do the others fighting among themselves, but that couldn't be the main cause of it. My best guess is some form of illness."

"Why would they fight among themselves?"

"For the same reasons any species would: food, territory, dominance, mating rights. There were a few occasions, however, when one of them would decide it'd be fun to start causing trouble. The others would step in and if they couldn't talk the troublemaker down, they would come to blows. Without them to keep the peace, I worry about the state of the Hollow."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's always someone who thinks himself better than everyone else. Someone who would do anything to become the dominant kaiju in the Hollow. Whenever they tried to take power, my people were there to stop them. The worst of them, not to mention the most persistent, was one called Gabara.

You see, beyond the lake and the great forest most kaiju down there live in, there is a desolate wasteland. For those that live there, life is very tough. And they know it. None more so than Gabara, who had been banished there for his cruel treatment of other kaiju and the murder of one of my younger cousins. He despised living there and he despised my people for forcing him to do so. He swore that he would one day return and claim all of the Hollow as his own. He made several attempts to do so, and failed every time. With my people gone, I fear he may have finally achieved that goal."

"What did you mean by 'cruel treatment?'"

"Before he was banished, Gabara would regularly inflict pain upon others just for fun. He also had a habit of picking fights for no reason. And he was brutal. Once, Anguirus caught him torturing a smaller kaiju. When Gabara realized he'd been caught, he attacked Anguirus and beat him to the point where he was barely alive. That is when I stepped in to defend the victims. I chased Gabara off, but that wasn't the end of it. The reason he killed my cousin was because he wanted to get back at me."

"Why didn't you or your people just kill him?"

"We tried, but before we could get the chance, he would retreat to the wasteland, knowing that we wouldn't follow. However, he was badly wounded after his last attempt, so he may well be dead. I know you're planning on going to the Hollow, so I wish to ask you this: if Gabara is still alive and still a threat, will you kill him if you get the chance?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Anything I need to know if I have to fight him?"

"A few things, yes."

"Okay."

"For starters, you should never underestimate him. He's very cunning, very strong, and very fast. His teeth and claws can do considerable damage, but his deadliest weapon is the ability to project electricity from his hands."

"Electricity?"

"It's a kind of energy. Basically the same thing as lightning or my beam attacks."

"Oh. Is that something you learned from the humans too?"

"Yes. As I was saying, Gabara can use electricity to enhance his strength, deliver more painful blows, and shock his opponents. If you fight him, you must be wary."

"I always am."

"Don't take this matter lightly. Gabara is one of the most dangerous kaiju on this planet."

"I'm not. I won't. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Well, there is something I learned through the human computer that could prove useful: water and electricity don't mix."

"What do you mean?"

"If water comes into contact with something electrical, there's a chance it could cause an explosion."

"Oh, okay. So you're saying that I could try using that against him?"

"Yes. If he uses his power while in the water, he could very well injure himself in the process."

"Okay, I'll try to remember that."

"Good."

"Is there anything else?"

"No. I believe I've told you everything."

"All right."

"Do you have any questions?"

"Oh, I have a lot, but the sun's almost up and I'm sure Anguirus will be waking up soon. Anything you wanna talk about?"

"Hmm. Well, I am interested to know how you met our mutual friend over there."

"Oh. Well, there isn't much to tell. When Father first became ill, he completely destroyed the island we'd been living on. I ended up finding a new place for us to stay and I was gonna take him there, but... you know. After he died, I finally made it there. The next morning, I wake up from a horrible nightmare and I'm so freaked out I blasted my fire-breath all over the place for no reason. It turned out that Anguirus already lived there and when I did that, I closed up the cave he was sleeping in."

"Wasn't happy about that, was he?"

"Not at all. He-"

"Busted out and kicked his scaly ass!" Anguirus said as he walked over, surprising them both. "Heh, didn't scare ya, did I?"

They both responded at the same time, with Gojira saying "Not at all, old friend", and Junior saying "Maybe a little."

"So, what've you two been talking about?"

"Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that."

"Getting to know each other, huh? Good! But you're up awful early for a little chitchat, I think."

"That's my fault", Gojira said. "I was eager to become acquainted with Junior and I knew you'd want us to catch up as soon as you woke, so I got him up early so we could talk."

"I don't talk THAT much, do I?"

"Sometimes."

"Well, you don't have to worry so much about it this time. There really isn't all that much to tell."

"Oh?"

"Well, yeah. After you left, it was pretty uneventful in the Hollow. With your people nowhere to be seen, one of their allies picked up the slack. I'm not sure if you knew him or not. His name's Caesar."

"No, I don't think I did. Although, I believe I heard mention of him once before."

"You probably did. He earned himself a reputation for being just as good a defender as you were. Some kaiju even called him 'King.' If he's still alive, I imagine he's been doing very well keeping the peace."

"I hope so. I was just speaking to Junior about my concern for the current state of the Hollow."

"Come on, we haven't been gone that long. I'm sure it's fine."

"I appreciate the optimism, Anguirus, but it doesn't alleviate my concern. For all we know, Gabara could've returned and killed Caesar. Who would be there to protect the Hollow if that happened?"

"Oh, why did you have to bring up that ugly psycho? You know I hate talking about him."

"But sometimes, it is unavoidable."

"I know. I know. You're right. But that's the worst-case scenario. You know as well as I do that there's a good chance he died a long time ago."

"And if he didn't?"

"Then Junior and I will handle it when we go down there. We've fought much worse than him and come out on top. Heck, Junior here kicked the crap out of Titanosaurus! On his own! He even beat Kong in a fight!"

Even with his metallic face unable to express his emotions, it was obvious Gojira was surprised by this. He turned to Junior and said: "Really?"

Feeling a bit bashful, Junior simply nodded.

"Well, now. Junior, it seems I underestimated you. When you're back to full strength, I would very much like to spar with you before we leave."

"Sounds good", Junior replied. "I'm gonna need a little exercise."

"Speaking of fighting," Anguirus started, "what was with all those crazy moves you used when we first fought, Gojira?"

"You mean, before you knew it was me?"

"Yeah. And what was with you not saying who you were then, by the way?"

"I thought it'd be fun to keep you in suspense. As for the fight, I owe my new skills to the humans. Not just because of this body and its weapons, but because of the fighting techniques I learned from the computer."

"Wow. That thing's really useful, isn't it?"

"Indeed. And through it, I've learned so much more about the humans. I now understand what you two spoke of before. They have many good qualities. But I am still wary of them. They seem to court violence and death. The explosion that woke me from my hibernation was a test of powerful weapon they created. Then, after what I and Junior's father did to them, they have been making new weapons for the sole purpose of killing kaiju. And if this body has proven anything, it's that they can. And what's worse is that they are making two more."

"What?" Junior exclaimed.

"Yes. Another mechanized kaiju, Jet Jaguar, and a large flying vehicle called the Gotengo. If we can get the humans to help us, and these attack machines are finished by then, these could be powerful allies against Ghidorah."

"And if we can't get the humans to help us?"

"Then we will need to keep our distance from them. From what I gather, Jet Jaguar is meant to be far more powerful than the mech I currently inhabit."

"Oh. Well, that's comforting. And what exactly are we supposed to do if those things attack us?"

"The same thing you two did when I went on my killing spree: fight hard and don't hold back. But, we won't have to worry about that for some time. Let us talk about something more... positive."

"I agree", Anguirus said. "Talking about things that want to kill you isn't exactly a good way to start the day."

For another two weeks, the three of them spent much of their time reminiscing. Junior and Anguirus told stories about their time together and Gojira regaled them with tales from his glory days, of which there were many. Occasionally, Mora would join in, adding to the fun with stories of her own. During this time, Junior remained mostly inactive. That is, with the exception of when he showed Anguirus where the Ebirah colony was.

When they weren't talking, they managed to find other activities to keep them occupied. Gojira spent a lot of time searching through the information on his computer, learning more and more about the world, reaffirming his love for the Earth in the process. He also spoke to the twins regarding the hole in his face, resulting in said hole being sealed with a layer of silk. Anguirus often went down to the water and swam around the island. Every now and then, he'd swim down to the Ebirahs' cave and try to figure out how to hunt one without being swarmed by the rest. No ideas came to mind. Not one that couldn't get him killed, that is.

Sometimes, the two of them would spar, with Junior watching nearby. Not surprisingly, Gojira won almost every time. On the seventeenth day after Gojira's arrival, Junior asked if he could try sparring. Although they weren't entirely sure if it was a good idea, they both agreed, having noticed that the color had completely returned to Junior's skin and hoping that it was a sign that he was all better. Besides, they were going to hold back for his benefit anyway.

Anguirus went first. He and Junior squared off, standing about 600 feet across from each other. They began to circle each other, staring into each other's eyes, each one waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Being the less experienced of the two (and very excited, I might add), it was Junior that did so.

He ran towards Anguirus, claws outstretched. The latter ducked and turned to the side, using his armor to prevent Junior from landing a blow. Halting his attack, Junior changed tactics, grabbing Anguirus's tail and swinging him around before letting go and watching his opponent roll a few hundred feet. His head spinning, Anguirus had to wait a few seconds before getting back up. More than enough time for Junior to cross the distance between them and put his foot on the veteran's shoulder, pinning him in place.

"Do you yield?" Junior asked.

Unable to move and still a bit dizzy, Anguirus knew he couldn't win this. "I do", he replied.

When Junior stepped back, Anguirus crawled away and made space for Gojira. The former king of the monsters walked up to Junior, stopping just a few steps away.

"You two were gonna go easy on me, weren't you?" Junior asked.

"That is what we agreed to do, yes", Gojira replied. "But I now see that that was a mistake. You will not have such an easy time beating me, I assure you."

"Good. I was hoping for a challenge."

"I recommend we only use physical force, though. We don't want to really hurt each other."

"I agree. I wasn't gonna use my fire-breath anyway."

"All right, then. Let us begin."

"Let's."

Junior swung at Gojira's face, the latter blocking the attack with his left arm, delivering an uppercut to the jaw with his right, and kneeing his opponent in the stomach. Doubled over by the blow, Junior was once again in shock at Gojira's speed and precision. And judging by the surprised noise he heard nearby, he wasn't the only one.

"Gojira, come on!" Anguirus said. "Cut the kid some slack!"

"I said I wasn't going to go easy on him."

"But you know we can't match those new moves of yours."

"You have to at least try. If you want to stand a chance against Ghidorah, you need to be able to fend off any attack he can throw at you. And as someone with experience fighting him, I can say with certainty that he can throw a lot at you."

As Gojira spoke, Junior stood back up. "So that's what this is?" he asked. "Training? I thought this was supposed to be for fun."

"There is nothing fun about combat. When I spar, it is because I want to sharpen my skills, to make sure I am ready for a real fight. I know you've won your last few battles, but that is no excuse. You're getting overconfident, not taking time to observe your opponent. If this had been a real fight, you would be dead now. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

"Good. Because, until you can beat me, I will not be convinced that you can properly defend yourself. And I will not allow you to leave this island until then."

"What?!" Junior and Anguirus both exclaimed.

"Junior, against Ghidorah, you are one of the strongest fighters we have. But you are also the youngest and least experienced. Sure, you've faced more powerful opponents than most of the others, but so has Ghidorah.

He has been destroying worlds for eons. Many of them had defenders like us. And none of those defenders lived to tell the tale. I was the first, and the only reason I survived was because I had help. Dozens of Mothra fought him, all at the same time, and he slaughtered them.

There are only seven defenders this time. Seven. The odds are not in our favor. But if we all make sure we are ready, that we are at our best, then we'll be that much closer to evening the odds and defeating him. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Good. Then prove to me that you're ready."

"I will. Right now."

They stood there, staring at each other, planning their next move. Taking Gojira's advice, Junior took a more cautious approach. This time, he would wait for his opponent to make the first move.

After a few minutes, Gojira tired of waiting. He dashed forward and attempted to tackle Junior, only to be sent flying backward by a hard punch in the face. With him down, Junior attempted to use the same move he used on Anguirus earlier, but he was too slow, as the kick to the ribs he received proved. As well as the left and right hooks that followed. And the tail swipe that left him sprawled out on the ground.

"You landed a good blow," Gojira said, "but your follow-through was sluggish."

"It doesn't help that you're so damn fast", Junior replied.

"In combat, speed is a must. How fast you move and react may very well dictate whether you live or die. This body was built for speed. Specifically, to be faster than you. But, speed isn't everything. To beat someone who is faster than you, you must play it smart. Study your opponent's moves, find a weakness, and use it against them. Keep that in mind and try again."

When he got back to his feet and prepared himself for another bout, Junior did as Gojira suggested. Unfortunately, the only weakness he could see was the hole in Kiryu's face, which he definitely wasn't going to try to exploit. After a minute or two, he had an idea.

Again, he waited for Gojira to make the first move. His opponent charged and attempted to ram him with his shoulder. Just in time, Junior moved out of the way, and Gojira's momentum made him crash into a nearby rocky ridge. Capitalizing on this, Junior used the same move Gojira tried to use on him, slamming his shoulder into his opponent's side and smacking him against the ridge again. He then grabbed Gojira by his metallic head and threw him to the ground. After rolling him over, Junior then firmly planted his foot on his opponent's chest.

"Yield!" he roared.

"Were this a real fight," Gojira started, "I would never surrender. But this isn't a real fight, is it? Without relying on my powers or weapons, I am helpless. You have earned yourself a victory this time. I will yield. Now, get off me."

"Right."

"You're a fast learner", Gojira said after standing back up, "That is a valuable quality in a fighter. I was wrong to doubt you. We can leave for Skull Island whenever you are ready."

"Sounds good to me", Anguirus replied. "I was starting to get a little impatient."

"I hear that, old friend. I am in no hurry to leave, but... a change of scenery wouldn't be unwelcome. Plus, I am a little anxious to see Kong again. So, Junior, when do we leave?"

Junior had to take a moment to think. He had greatly enjoyed his stay here on Infant Island and very much wanted to get to know the twins better, but he knew that journeying to the Hollow was something he had to do. After weighing his options, he gave his reply: "Tomorrow."