As soon as they left the tunnel, Junior and Anguirus were both taken aback. For Anguirus, it was because he forgot how beautiful the Hollow was. For Junior, it was due to pure amazement.

Laid out before them was a huge valley, half of which was covered by a great forest composed largely of the same massive trees that grow on Skull Island. The rest was open space covered by rocks, sand, and small plants. Beyond that, the dark waters of the lake could be seen. Farther still, shrouded in shadow, was the barren wasteland where Gabara, if he was indeed alive, resided. Above, a portion of the cave ceiling glowed with a mix of yellow, white, and blue, providing light for all those who live in the valley. For Junior, that was the most amazing thing about this place: there were kaiju everywhere. And they were all different shapes and sizes.

Some soared overhead, calling out to each other in a seemingly endless chorus. A few of which appeared to be similar to Rodan, except their bodies were covered by a layer of feathers. Smaller ones lived in the forest, using the trees as shelter and always watching for the fliers above. And others still roamed the open areas, either socializing with their neighbors or searching for their next meal. These were the most varied of them all, with some not unlike the kaiju Junior was familiar with, and most being completely alien to him. Some looked like walking mountains, others like giant bipedal lizards. Some had fur, some had scales. Some looked friendly, some looked quite menacing. The sheer variety and number of kaiju here left Junior speechless.

"A lot to take in, isn't it?", Anguirus asked, noticing the awe and wonder on Junior's face.

"Yeah... It's... It's incredible. I knew we weren't alone, but this... This is... I don't even know what to say."

"Heh. Welcome home, kid. Welcome home."

Suddenly, another kaiju's voice rang out, startling them. "Anguirus?", it asked. "Anguirus, is that you?"

They both turned in the direction the voice came from to find a smaller kaiju approaching. With reddish scales, a dog-like body, long fangs, a small horn, and massive ears, it was unlike anything Junior had ever seen. Anguirus, however, knew this kaiju very well.

"Baragon!", he screeched in excitement, almost tackling the newcomer as he ran up to meet him. "How've you been, you old fart?"

"Ha! Same as always, I suppose. Gotta say, seeing you back certainly brightens my day. I thought everyone else from the good ol' days was dead."

"Thanks, it's good to be back. And not everyone from way back when is gone, I can say that much. Right now, though, I got someone from the newer generation that I want you to meet."

While they spoke, Junior was trying to remember. He knew he'd heard Baragon's name in one of Anguirus's stories before, but he couldn't remember who exactly he was. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the two of them approach.

"Junior," Anguirus started, "I'd like you to meet Baragon. I might've told you about him before, I think. He just so happens to be the guy who dug the tunnel we spent the last couple days walking through."

"Umm... Anguirus?" Baragon said. "Do my eyes deceive me, or is your new friend here one of Gojira's people? One of the Great Protectors?"

"He most certainly is, my friend. Junior here's spent his whole life up on the surface, so I thought I'd bring him down here and show him what he's been missing. By the way, when did they start calling them that?"

"A few centuries ago. Why?"

"Just curious. I'd never heard that name before, so I had to ask."

"Ah. Anyway, it is an honor to make your acquaintance, Junior. By the way, Anguirus was overexagerrating earlier. I may have laid the groundwork, but it took many kaiju to make that cavern what it is now, including our mutual friend, here, if I recall."

"Wait, seriously?" Junior asked.

"All I did was unblock the tunnel after it caved in", Anguirus replied.

"He's just being modest", Baragon said. "How many times did that happen, exactly?"

"Maybe twelve or so", Anguirus answered. "It isn't that big a deal."

"Ha! You keep telling yourself that, old friend. You certainly saved me a lot of work."

"Yeah, I-" Anguirus was cut short when he heard a loud trumpeting sound and several strange screeches behind them. It sounded as if there was a fight. "What's going on?"

"Oh, not again", Baragon said as he ran off to where the sounds came from. Junior and Anguirus gave each other a worried look and followed. They circled around the edge of the forest, the sound of the mysterious commotion continuing all the while.

"Seriously," Junior started, "what's going on?"

"I'd recognize those screeches anywhere, kid", Anguirus answered. "Kamacuras."

"They've been getting bolder the last few decades", Baragon said. "They attack at least once a month now."

"Any idea why?" Anguirus asked.

"My guess is they're running out of food, forcing them to come here. I fear they may come in full force before long."

"Well, don't we have timing?"

As they came around a cluster of trees, they finally caught sight of the attackers. Before them, the ground sloped down about 600 feet into a large sandy basin. It is here that they found a rather strange kaiju running from a trio of Kamacuras. It was clear that it was absolutely terrified and it repeatedly looked back and forth between its attackers and something it carried in its hands.

Flying low, one Kamacuras slashed the kaiju's leg, causing it to cry out and fall to the ground, its precious cargo falling out of its hands and rolling through the sand. It was an infant. Two Kamacuras landed behind the mother and approached as the youngster got to his feet.

"Halfun, run!" the mother screeched. Halfun turned and retreated, trying desperately to fly with the tiny wings on his back, only to stop when the third Kamacuras landed in front of him. The infant ran back to his mother as their attackers closed in. The one in front of them raised its claw in preparation to finish them off, only to stop in its tracks when it heard Junior call out, "Get down!"

Just a second later, his atomic breath struck the Kamacuras in the chest, sending it flying backward. The mother and the other two Kamacuras turned to look in the direction the blast came from and found Junior and Anguirus running toward them, Baragon following close behind. "Junior," Anguirus said as he leapt in the air and rolled into a ball, "hit me!" Just before he hit the ground, Junior whipped him with his tail, sending him slamming into the remaining attackers and tumbling a good distance away. One was killed on impact while the other was only knocked over and briefly stunned, with a noticeable scrape on its chest.

Seemingly overcome by shock and hope, the mother kaiju stared at Junior as he approached. Baragon ran up to her and asked, "Erabus, are you all right?" As she forced herself to get up, holding Halfun to her chest, Erabus seemed incapable of answering. Just as she seemed to regain some composure, she was cut short by the remaining Kamacuras, which had stood back up and was now hissing viciously at Junior. Junior growled back, waiting to see if the insect would attack. The latter looked between Junior, Baragon, its fallen comrades, and an approaching Anguirus and took flight, soaring out of the valley as fast as it could.

"Oh, I'm glad that's over", Anguirus said. "My head is ringing!!! Did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Hey, you told me to do it." Junior replied, stifling a bout of laughter. He then turned his attention to the ones they just saved. Erabus still seemed completely overwhelmed by what had happened. Again, Baragon asked her if she was all right.

"N-no", she said. "Red Moon is dead."

Horrified, Baragon stepped back. "Oh, no. Oh, I'm so sorry."

Junior turned to Anguirus, who also seemed to have been hit hard by this. "Who's Red Moon?" he asked.

"A good friend," Anguirus started, "and a powerful fighter. He used to help out Gojira and his people from time to time."

"He was also my mate," Erabus added, "and Halfun's father. Nine of those monsters came after us. He killed six, but the last one stabbed him through the chest before it went down."

Baragon sighed. "He always was a brave one. He will be missed. By all of us."

"Thank you." Erabus then turned to Anguirus and Junior. "And thank you two for saving us. It's been too long, Anguirus. It is good to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Ah, me too, Erabus. I... I don't know what to say. Red Moon was a hero and a true friend. Maybe... if Junior and I had come earlier-"

"Don't", Baragon interrupted. "It's not your fault. No one could've predicted that the Kamacuras would attack, much less that they would in such numbers."

"He's right", Erabus said. "Besides, I don't blame you. Neither of you. You saved me and my son from sharing the same fate, and for that, I am grateful."

"It would seem we've attracted an audience", Baragon said. Junior and the others turned to look and found a few dozen other kaiju watching from the edge of the basin. Whether they were wondering what happened or if they were just looking at Junior was unclear. It was obvious that their numbers were steadily increasing, though.

"Uh, should we be worried?" Junior asked.

"No", Baragon said. "Look at their faces. It seems most of them came to see you. Word travels fast here in the Hollow. If anyone else saw you when you arrived, then half the kaiju here already know about it."

Junior looked back at the crowd, wondering what he should do. Suddenly, he noticed some sort of strange movement in the center. Within about a minute, those in front all stepped to the side to allow another to step forward and march down the hill toward them.

The newcomer was starkly different from the others, with a lion-like humanoid body covered in light brown fur. His dog-like face looked quite fearsome, with a noticeable pair of fangs protruding from his mouth. His head was adorned with a pair of large ears and five horns, four small ones on the top of his head and a larger one in front of them. Just below this horn, in the center of his forehead, was what appeared to be some sort of green gem. All in all, he seemed to be the perfect balance between intimidating and majestic. What's more, he seemed to command the respect of all others, for every kaiju he passed inclined their head. Erabus and Baragon also did so as he approached. He looked at Junior with a sense of joy and astonishment, but forced himself to turn away and look to Erabus.

"What happened?" he asked.

Erabus was still having difficulty speaking, so Baragon answered for her. "Caesar, a... A group of Kamacuras attacked. They... killed Red Moon. My friends here were able to stop them from doing the same to Erabus and Halfun. One got away, but the rest are dead."

Caesar lowered his head and sighed. "It is a dark day when a good kaiju falls." He then looked to Erabus and Halfun. "Are you two all right, at least?"

"Y-y-yes, Caesar", Erabus answered.

Caesar then noticed the cut on her leg. "That doesn't look good."

"I'll be fine. I've always been a fast healer."

"Nevertheless, you should have that cleaned. Take some time to yourselves, and, when you are ready, I would like to speak to you further."

"Of course, Caesar."

Erabus then started to head back toward the forest. After a few steps, however, she turned to Junior and thanked him again, to which he replied, "Anytime." As Erabus left, Caesar turned to Baragon and asked, "Did she say how many there were?"

"Nine", the latter answered. "Caesar, this is getting bad. We've never seen that many attack at once before. Mark my words, before long, there'll be dozens. Hundreds even. We need to be ready."

"I agree, but there's no need to alarm anyone just yet. For now, just... Let everyone know what happened here. We'll speak more about this later."

"All right."

Doing as he was told, Baragon headed over to the crowd. Caesar then returned his attention to Junior, noticing Anguirus as he turned to face him.

"Anguirus, what a pleasant surprise. It's good to see you again."

"Heh, I'm getting a lot of that today", Anguirus quietly said to himself before replying. "It's good to see you, too, Caesar."

"And who is this?"

Before Anguirus got the chance to answer, a somewhat nervous Junior did it for him. "Godzilla Junior. Sorry, I've just heard a lot about you. Got a little excited."

"Oh, it's quite all right. To be honest, I'm quite excited myself. I was beginning to fear I'd never see the Great Protectors again."

"Yeah," Anguirus started, "Junior here's just about the only one left. He's very young and I thought it'd be a good idea to show him the world. Most importantly, let him see what it's like down here."

"I see. Well, I believe I can help with that. Come with me."

Caesar turned and headed back in the direction from whence he came, with Junior and Anguirus just behind. As they approached the onlookers, the crowd parted to allow them through. They all inclined their heads as the trio passed, just as they did for Caesar earlier. Except, this time, all eyes were locked specifically on Junior. Eyes filled with awe and hope.

Junior could never have expected such a reaction. He didn't know whether to feel honored or ashamed, knowing that, even though his intentions were pure, he was not what they thought he was. He had to force himself to keep his emotions in check and look straight ahead in order to avoid eye contact with anyone.

Once they cleared the crowd, he relaxed a little. After a few minutes, Caesar spoke. "So... Godzilla, was it?"

"Call me Junior. Godzilla was my father."

"Was? Then, I take it, he's..."

"Yeah."

"My sincerest condolences."

"Thank you."

"And Gojira, is he gone too?"

"Yeah."

"Ah. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't disheartening, but I would also be lying if I said that I wasn't expecting that answer. As long as he's been gone, I knew he had to have died. There was no other explanation. Did you know him well?"

"He was a good friend. And a good mentor."

"Hm. Did he ever say what it was that drove him to the surface?"

"Not really, but I think he was just tired of fighting."

"Ah. Retirement. A well-deserved reward for a hero such as him." Caesar paused for a few moments before he continued. "Now... As I was saying, Junior, how long do you plan on staying?"

"A few months."

"Good. That'll give you time to get to know everyone, learn your way around. And, perhaps, with your help, we'll be able to get this Kamacuras situation straightened out."

"I'll do whatever I can."

"That's good to hear. You two killed two of those pests in mere seconds. If this comes down to a battle, I'm certain you could do quite a lot."

They didn't speak much more after this. They just continued onward, staying oddly close to the cavern wall. While this left Junior somewhat confused as to their destination, it did give him a chance to take in the landscape of the Hollow.

To their right, the enormous trees dominated the view. Junior watched them intently, hoping to spot more kaiju moving through the trees. There were a few, but mostly just the small tree-dwellers. He also caught sight of something much smaller scurrying around on the forest floor. What it was, however, he couldn't tell.

As they continued on, the landscape changed. The trees gave way to a vast open plain dominated by small plants. Here, you could see for miles around. The view was so clear, in fact, that Junior could look all the way down to the lake and make out the shape of some sort of kaiju breaching from the water like a whale. He decided then that he definitely needed to get a closer look later. When he turned to look straight ahead, he saw two unusual things. The first was halfway between the water and the cave wall. It appeared as if the land had begun to split apart. It started as a small ditch, then widened exponentially until it turned into a canyon about a thousand feet wide, if not more, and at least three times as deep. It continued on for miles, disappearing as the land leveled out and plunged into the lake. This was the place Anguirus told him about, which he confirmed when he saw Junior staring at it. This was the home of the Kumongas.

Above where the canyon gave way to the lake was the second strange sight: an enormous rock formation jutting out of the cave wall. Sort of an underground mountain or plateau. Whatever it was, it was at least three miles high and flattened at the top, with a rocky ledge jutting out over the water.

It was here that Caesar led them. Following a well-laid path created by centuries worth of kaiju footsteps, they travelled up the side of the formation until they reached the top. Turning to face them, Caesar said, "Welcome to the Perch", and gestured for them to approach the ledge. As they did so, Junior leaned down to Anguirus and asked, "Did you know about this place?"

"Not really", the latter replied. "I've seen it plenty of times, but I didn't know anyone came up here. I didn't even know there was a path."

When they approached the edge, they were both lost in amazement. Before them was a spectacular view of the entire valley. They could see for miles in every direction. Like a dark-green carpet, the forest covered much of the valley, extending out until it reached the bare shores of the lake. The lake itself was far larger than Junior thought. In fact, it actually surrounded a large portion of the valley, spreading from the cave wall just a short distance to the left of the Perch towards the far side of the cavern. There, between the cave wall and the water, was a large expanse of rock and sand a few thousand feet wide. This area acted as sort of a bridge between the valley and the wasteland. One that was rarely crossed. Dozens of kaiju roamed the clearer areas of the valley, some of which looked up at Junior and Anguirus, still in awe at the former's presence. Others, sharing this awe, watched from above as they flew around.

Walking up next to the pair, Caesar asked, "Beautiful, isn't it?" Junior was too mesmerized to speak, but Anguirus was able to reply: "Very. I've never seen a view like this before. It's... It's incredible."

"It's a shame, really. Very few come up here. Perhaps most kaiju, like you, don't know about the path. Or, more likely, they keep their distance out of respect."

As he said this, Caesar turned around and walked away from the edge. Turning to follow, Anguirus started, "What do you mean? Respect for who- Ohhh..."

Hearing this, Junior turned to see what was going on and was quite surprised and amazed by what he saw. Carved into the cave wall, just a little larger than life, was the likeness of Gojira. By human standards, the drawing was fairly crude, but, by kaiju standards, it was a true work of art. As his guests approached to get a better look, Caesar explained: "As I understand it, Gojira often came up here to be alone. It seemed to be one of his favorite places in the Hollow. It is one of mine, as well, and I often come up here for the same reasons he did. After I took up the role of the valley's protector, I carved this with my bare claws as a means to honor him and ensure that his memory would live forever. I believe it only appropriate that I now do the same for Red Moon."

"Erabus would be glad to know you did that", Anguirus replied. "This is amazing. It's like he's here with us right now."

"If only. In these troubling times, his help would be invaluable. I never had the pleasure of knowing him, but I saw him a few times, a shining beacon of hope standing head and shoulders above the rest. I would not be the person I was today if it weren't for him. I spent many, many years hoping he would return, but, eventually, I came to realize that he was not coming back. Over time, the kaiju of the Hollow have come to the belief that I am now king, which I... very much object to."

"Why?"

"Because a king must be chosen by either his predecessor or the Mothra. Gojira is gone and the Mothra left the Hollow before he did. We have been on our own this entire time, and I do not accept the title of king without their consent. Has there been any word on the surface about this matter?"

"No. Not yet."

"I thought as much. It'll probably take decades before they come to a decision. I suppose, until then, we'll just have to wait."

Caesar paused, his back turned to Junior and Anguirus, clearly deep in thought. After a few seconds, he turned around and said, "Enough of this talk. We shouldn't dwell on the past. Not when the present holds so many surprises. It cannot be said enough how glad I am that you two are here. If Baragon's fears turn out to be true, we will need as many fighters as we can get. Hopefully, we won't have to worry about that, though. I'd hate for Junior to have to fight a war on his first visit."

"Don't worry about me", Junior said. "Anguirus and I have been doing a lot of fighting lately."

"Oh?"

"Long story", Anguirus said. "Probably be best to save it for another time."

"I see. Well, Junior, barring the possibility that war does break out, do you think you'll enjoy your stay?"

Junior looked out over the valley for a moment before replying. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I will."

"Good. Well, I won't keep you. You should go, now. Explore. Have fun. See what wonders the Hollow has to offer. You'll find a great many, I can assure you."

"I will. Thank you."

"Oh, there's no need to thank me. I should be thanking you two for saving Erabus and her son. She's a good friend. I'd hate to lose her."

"Your welcome."

"Before you go, should know that you are both welcome back here anytime."

Junior and Anguirus lowered their heads as a sign of acknowledgement and respect. And, with that, they began to make their way down. They remained silent until they neared the bottom of the slope, then, they couldn't help but discuss what just happened.

"He's a good guy", Junior said.

"Told ya", Anguirus replied. "I wish Gojira would've come with us. He would've liked him."

"He really would've."

"So, what do you wanna do first?"

"I think I wanna see the lake."

"Not planning on going for a swim, are ya?"

"After all the stories you've told me? No! I just want to take a closer look."

"All right. Let's go, then, I guess. You know, you're doing pretty good so far."

"What do you mean?"

"You know."

"Oh, that. Yeah, it isn't so hard to lie when you add in a bit of truth. I still hate this, though."

"Don't worry, kid. I'm certain it won't be forever."

"Why?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out, kid."

"I knew it. Gojira told you something, didn't he?"

"All I'm going to say is that this is something you'll have to hear from him after we go back up, but you shouldn't push him. Let him decide when to tell you."

"Is it that important?"

"Oh, yeah."

"All right, I guess."

"Now, can we please change the subject? This is neither the time, nor the place."

"Yeah, sure."

As they spoke, they were unaware that a pair of eyes was watching them from the trees, their owner listening intently to the pair's every word. And the observer knew that the one he served would be very interested to know what he heard...