A few hours after the battle with Kiryu, Junior and Anguirus returned to Adonoa Island. When Junior saw the corpses, he recognized them immediately. He shrieked and stepped back in fright, almost falling over in the process.

"I guess I was right, then." Anguirus said. "They're Destoroyah. Aren't they?"

"Y-y-yes..."

"Junior, are you all right?"

"I... I... I will be. It's just... This is... really hard to take in."

"Yeah, seeing someone who's supposed to be dead can do that to you."

"No! It's more than that."

"I know! I don't think you told me the whole story, but I know. All I'm saying is that I understand. Or, at least, I'm trying to."

"You wanna hear the whole story? Huh? You wanna understand? Fine. I was on my way here. My old home was destroyed and I was trying to find a new home for me and my father. An old human friend of mine called for my help and I answered.

I come ashore and I fight Destoroyah in both of the forms you fought him in. I was a lot smaller then, and to be honest, he was a bit smaller than the ones I'm seeing, but in the end, I won. And I thought that was it. My father followed me ashore and I went to meet him. Next thing I know, Destoroyah is way bigger and much more powerful.

He took me out like I was nothing. I didn't have a chance. Then my father stepped in and fought him. From what I saw, he did pretty good, too. He tried to heal me, but it didn't do any good.

I thought I died after that. Still think I did, to be honest. Next thing I know, I wake up, I'm alive, I'm all grown up, Destoroyah's dead, and so's my father. I don't know what happened. I know I have my father's memories, but I still haven't seen them all yet. For all I know, they killed each other.

The point is, I wasn't strong enough, it doesn't look like my father was strong enough, and he was way stronger than I am! And that was just one Destoroyah! From the look of it, there's enough to make way more and that scares me! I know I can't beat them on my own. I probably won't even last a minute against them. I'm useless."

"Junior, you're anything but useless. In the time I've known you, you've done things most kaiju would only dream of doing. You beat Titanosaurus, you beat Kong, you survived a Mire squid attack, you've got that amazing healing thing. Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder whether or not you're even mortal.

Honestly, you're my hero. I'm sure you can do this. And even if you can't, you're forgetting that you won't be alone. I got your back. I'm with you... till the end."

"Anguirus, I... Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now, we should probably get ready for the fight."

"Do we actually have to fight? I mean, we could just leave. Let Destoroyah have his territory."

"I know you don't mean that."

"Maybe I do."

"Junior, do you really think he's here by coincidence? Obviously, he's here for you. If we leave, he's just gonna follow us. There's no way out of it. We have to at least try to fight him. Now, grow a pair and help me move these bodies."

"Yeah, okay."

To avoid any accidental injuries during the fight, the two of them dragged the corpses out of the valley and dumped them into the sea. This would also act as a message, letting the enemy know that they were ready to fight. It took at least an hour to do this. Afterwards, they stood guard, one at each entrance to the valley, waiting for Destoroyah to arrive.

After several hours, there was still no sign. Night had fallen and the clouds moved in. Neither the moon nor a star could be seen. It was eerily similar to the night Junior last faced Destoroyah, and he knew it.

Fear clawed at his mind, filling his head with doubts. Was it possible to win the coming battle? Would they both survive? Junior would be fine if he died, but Anguirus... No. No, he wouldn't let that happen. He would keep his friend alive even if it killed him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screeching in the distance. Junior recognized it immediately, for these sounds still haunted his nightmares. The enemy had arrived.

Junior and Anguirus stood at the ready, waiting for any sign of movement. Suddenly, the screeching stopped. The silence that followed only added to their anticipation and, in Junior's case, fear.

Then, several splashes could be heard just offshore. Seconds later, half a dozen Destoroyahs, all in their flying form, flew in overhead, landing in the center of the valley. As they landed, they morphed into their aggregate forms. While Junior and Anguirus watched them, dozens more aggregates came up behind them through the valley entrances, forcing them to move out of the way and allow them in.

The newcomers formed a circle around Junior and Anguirus, trapping them. Once they'd all arrived, the first six, in unison, let out a loud screech, ushering in another silence. These were noticeably larger than the others, and when the silence was broken, they all spoke in unison.

"You seem afraid," they said, staring at Junior. "Good. It'll make killing you all the more enjoyable."

"How are you still alive?" Junior asked. "I saw your body!"

"Here's a hint."

The first six then began to glow purple. This glow became brighter and brighter as they all came together, then it became impossible to see them. They all screeched, the sound turning deeper until it became a roar. When the light faded, Junior's fear deepened.

Where the six aggregates had been, there was now one fully grown Destoroyah. He looked different than Junior remembered, though. He was paler in color and a good bit taller, with more spines, fully developed fingers instead of claws, a more streamlined physique, and a smaller head with haunting white eyes. The floral pattern on his chest had also changed, now looking as if it were some sort of armor plating. All in all, a terrifying sight, far more menacing than before.

Upon seeing it, Junior remembered. When his father battled this demon, the latter split into several aggregates and swarmed him. It was then that Junior figured it out.

"You ran away, didn't you? You were afraid of him, so you sent one of your smaller forms to run and hide in case you lost."

"Yes. Yes, I did. You see, as long as one of us survives, we all do, for we share the same mind. We. Are. One."

"Well, if you were gonna survive anyway, then why follow me here? Why attack my friend?"

"Oh, this is not about you. Not entirely. No, this is because I lost. This is about your father. He and those insignificant humans defeated me before. He made me feel fear for the very first time. With him gone, I cannot exact my revenge, can't make him feel the same fear. That is, unless I take you in his place."

"This is between you and me. Nobody else has to die. Let my friend go."

"Now, that's where you're wrong. After I'm done here, I'm going to wipe out the humans for the role they played in my defeat. And as for your friend, I think I would very much enjoy seeing the look on your face as you watch him die. Plus, he's been too much of a pain for me not to kill him. Speaking of..."

As Destoroyah finished speaking, two dozen aggregates surrounded Anguirus. "No!" Junior roared as he ran to help his friend. Destoroyah stopped him, however, grabbing his arm and throwing him back where he was.

"Uh, uh, uh! That's not your problem. I am."

At this point, Junior was getting quite angry. He rose to his feet and glared at his opponent. Behind him, Junior saw Anguirus doing his best to hold off the aggregates. He was doing pretty well, but it was clear that it was a losing battle.

"You can't help him." Destoroyah said. "No one can. By the time the sun rises, you will both be dead, and humanity will soon follow. This world is mine to conquer, to destroy."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Junior roared as he fired a blast of atomic breath, hitting Destoroyah in the chest. It didn't have the desired effect, however, for the "armor" on Destoroyah's chest absorbed the attack. As a result, the demon's eyes and wings glowed blue for a few seconds.

"Ooh, that felt good!" he said as Junior looked on in horror. "My turn."

Destoroyah then fired a Micro-Oxygen beam, hitting Junior in the chest. This time, the attack sent Junior flying backward, roaring in pain. Several aggregates scurried away to avoid being crushed as Junior crashed into the mountainside.

He looked down to find a massive gash on his chest, a cloud of smoke rising off it. This alone confirmed his worst fear: he wasn't going to win this. He didn't know what to do. He had to save Anguirus, but he couldn't as long as the adult Destoroyah was in his way. He looked back and forth between the wound, Destoroyah, and Anguirus, unable to move.

"You and your 'father' have the same face." Destoroyah said. "You have no idea how pleased I am to see that look on it." He picked Junior up by the neck and threw him down. "Now, watch your friend die."

Junior tried to get up, but a massive foot on his back held him in place. All he could do was watch. Anguirus was still fighting. Several aggregates lay dead around him. He roared at his opponents, attempting to scare them, but it didn't work. A Micro-Oxygen beam to the neck brought him to his knees. An aggregate moved in, preparing to stab Anguirus in the head with one of its spears.

Time seemed to slow down. Junior stared in horror, watching the aggregate's spear rise into the air and angle into position. He cried out and struggled to get up, but it was no use.

Suddenly, a red beam of energy came out of nowhere and cut the aggregate's spear from its body. There was a high-pitched screech. Junior saw something fly by overhead, but he couldn't make out what it was. Several aggregates transformed and flew after it.

Destoroyah didn't seem to care, however, simply saying, "It doesn't matter." Anguirus tried to get up, but the wounded aggregate from earlier crawled onto his back and stopped him. It prepared to finish him off, but another beam, yellow this time, blasted through its chest. Its body slumped over and fell off Anguirus's back.

Another object flew over, this time turning around for another attack. Junior recognized it immediately: it was a Mothra. It flew in low, killing several aggregates with one blast of its antenna beams and narrowly avoiding a Micro-Oxygen beam fired by the adult Destoroyah. As it flew away, several more aggregates took flight and gave chase.

Anguirus got back to his feet and found that the odds were much more even, with most of the aggregates that he was fighting either dead or preoccupied. He lept back into the fight, quickly killing two more aggregates. No longer amused, Destoroyah moved to finish the old veteran himself.

"Hey!" Junior roared, stopping the demon in his tracks. He rose to his feet, looking Destoroyah in the eye as the latter turned to face him. "Leave him alone. Your fight's with me."

"Yes. I suppose it is."

The demon sent more aggregates after Anguirus and charged at Junior, who made no move to avoid him. Until the last second, that is. Just when Destoroyah was about to hit him, Junior jumped out of the way, tripping his adversary with his tail and causing him to crash headfirst into the mountainside. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Junior then blasted Destoroyah in the back with his atomic breath.

He then turned to see how the battle was going. Although outnumbered, Anguirus was doing well now that he was no longer confined to a small circle of enemies. Above, the two Mothras had already killed several of the flying Destoroyahs. Every now and then, one flew down to assist Anguirus. Feeling a little more optimistic, Junior turned back toward the adult Destoroyah, who was getting up. The demon was wounded, but not beaten. If anything, he was just more ticked off.

"You're getting on my nerves," he growled.

"Good." Junior replied. "There's a lot more where that came from."

"Do you really think you can beat me?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But now I know I can hurt you. I'm not dying without a fight, and even if I do, at least I'll go out knowing I made you bleed. A lot."

"Ooh, big talk! You sure you can back it up?"

"Try me."

Again, Destoroyah charged at Junior, attempting to stab the latter with his horn. Junior grabbed his opponent by the frills on his head, trying as hard as he could to hold the demon back. Destoroyah was making it difficult, however, his horn inching closer to Junior's chest. After a few seconds, the demon grew impatient, and his horn began to glow orange. He swung his head upward, freeing himself from Junior's grasp. As he did so, a wave of energy was flung from his horn, slicing through Junior's right shoulder like a knife through butter.

Junior roared in pain, blood flowing profusely from the wound. Then Destoroyah turned around and grabbed Junior by the left arm with the pincer on his tail, the sharp spike in the middle stabbing almost completely through. The demon then spread his wings and took flight, saying "Let's go for a little trip, shall we?"

As they gained altitude, Destoroyah slammed Junior into the top of one of the mountains, trying to beat him senseless. He circled around and did the same thing repeatedly. Junior tried to free himself, but being unable to move his arms made that very difficult. Seeing this, Anguirus waited until they flew directly overhead, then used his sonic roar to disorient Destoroyah. As a result, the demon let go of Junior, who was sent falling into the sea.

"You're really starting to get on my nerves, old one," Destoroyah said as he landed in front of Anguirus. The remaining aggregates backed away as he approached. "I believe it's time I ended this once and for all."

"All right, then. I was getting bored with your little puppets anyway."

Destoroyah fired a Micro-Oxygen beam, which Anguirus tried to block with his armor. It wasn't enough, however, for Anguirus could feel the beam burning through, and it hurt. A lot. He roared in pain as Destoroyah kept firing on him. After about a minute, the demon stopped.

"Your armor is strong," he said. "But not strong enough. Another blast and I'll burn right through you."

"Then I'll make sure you don't get the chance."

"Don't make me laugh. Look at yourself. You're tired. Wounded. Weak. If your friend can't stop me, what makes you think you have a chance?"

"Heh, nothing. I know I can't stop you. But I never back down from a fight, and I'd be damned if I started now."

"Your determination is impressive. I wonder, will that change after you've spent some time fighting my 'puppets' without your armor?"

With that, Destoroyah's aggregates rejoined the fight as he stepped back and watched. Even with his armor damaged, Anguirus still put up a good fight, dealing considerable damage with his tail club and sonic roar. The aggregates repeatedly tried to take advantage of his new weak spot, attempting to circle behind him and stab him in the back. Anguirus made it difficult for them, however, constantly turning around in order to avoid such an attack.

"You know," Destoroyah said as he continued to watch, "watching you die isn't going to be as much fun without your friend here to see it. I think I'll go get him. Play nice, now."

Destoroyah then took off in search of Junior. As he flew out over the ocean, a blast of atomic breath to the face took him by surprise and sent him splashing down hard. Junior had been waiting for him. When Destoroyah tried to get up, another atomic blast forced him back down.

"So aggressive," he said as he rose to his feet. "Just like your father."

The demon turned to look at Junior, quickly noticing that his wounds were healed, although the cut on his shoulder was still visible. He was quite interested by this.

"Hmm, perhaps you aren't as easy to kill as I thought."

"Yeah, I'm full of surprises."

"Show me."

Junior then fired another blast of atomic breath at Destoroyah's face, which the latter blocked with his arms, screeching, "Seen it!" When Junior stopped firing, Destoroyah repeatedly slashed him in the face with his claws before knocking him down with a hard tail swipe. The demon laughed.

"You still aren't much of a challenge, you know. How do you expect to defeat me?"

As Junior got up, he had an idea. "By leveling the playing field," he said before rushing toward Destoroyah, grabbing him, and forcing him underwater. Deeper and deeper he swam, dragging Destoroyah down to the bottom. As the seabed came into view, Junior stopped and let go, sending Destoroyah plummeting into the sandy ocean floor.

"You may be a good fighter on land," Junior started, "you may even be unstoppable in the air, but you're on my turf now. Let's see how well you do here."

As Destoroyah recovered, he looked around, trying to spot Junior, but the water was pitch black. He could see in the dark, but not very well. Junior, on the other hand, could see very well. Plus, his senses of smell and hearing were also quite helpful in pinpointing his enemy's location. He circled around, waiting for Destoroyah to make a move, but all he did was stand on the bottom and look around. It became obvious his adult form wasn't suited for these conditions, which is exactly what Junior was hoping for.

He charged up, catching Destoroyah's attention with the quick flash of light. The latter fired a Micro-Oxygen blast, missing completely. Junior fired a blast of his own, hitting his enemy in the back of the head. He then circled around and rammed into Destoroyah's chest, hitting him with enough force to launch the demon backwards and send him tumbling over the seabed. He recovered quickly, however, and fired another blast at Junior, who narrowly avoided it as he swam off. Enraged, Destoroyah fired another blast, swinging from side to side and turning around, trying as hard as he could to hit Junior.

The latter had to swim as fast as he could and use every trick he knew to avoid this attack. As he did so, he tried to think of a way to put Destoroyah down for good. He searched through the memories his father left him of the first battle with the demon, which he had repressed, to find an answer. Then he found something. It wasn't much to go on, but it was a good start. However, his revelation left him distracted for a second too long. Destoroyah finally managed to land a blow on Junior. Following the sound of Junior's pained cry and the light of the explosion, Destoroyah rocketed upward, slamming into his opponent.

As they tumbled through the water, they grappled with each other, with Destoroyah trying to bite off Junior's head while the latter tried to push himself away in an attempt to flee. After a few seconds, Destoroyah spread his wings to slow their descent and enable himself to swim. In the process, Junior lost his grip and his opponent was able to grab onto him. As the demon prepared to deal a killing blow with his Micro-Oxygen beam, Junior fired a blast of his own, cutting off one of his opponent's wings.

As Destoroyah screeched in pain, he lost his grip and Junior managed to swim away. He quickly turned around to cut off Destoroyah's other wing, ensuring that the enemy would not be able to follow. For a while, at least. Now, it was time for Junior to put his plan into motion. He raced back to the island as fast as he could, leaving Destoroyah to sink to the bottom, screeching.

When he arrived, he saw that the battle was still going on. Flying Destoroyahs still pursued the Mothra through the clouds while Anguirus continued to fend off the aggregates on the ground. His exhaustion was showing, however, as his movements had become increasingly slow and several new wounds had been made, including a particularly nasty one on his back where an aggregate's spear managed to pierce his weakened armor. Junior made his presence known with a loud roar, causing several aggregates to retreat. One attempted to fight, but was easily dispatched with a blast of atomic breath.

"Hey, old timer. You don't look so good."

"I've been better. But, I've also been through worse. Did you take care of that big bastard?"

"No. But I have a plan. It might be the only way to stop them. All of them."

"Well, let's hear it."

"No time. If it works, I'll explain everything later. Right now, there's something I need you to do."

"What?"

"Get out of here. As fast as you can. And see if you can get the Mothra to come with you."

"What?! No! Junior, I told you I'm with you till the end and I never go back on my word. Never."

"Anguirus, please! I'm trying to protect you!"

"How? By sending me to lick my wounds while you get yourself torn apart? No, thanks!"

"Please, just stop and listen to me! I... I can't lose you, okay? I... I just can't. You're all I've got. If I get myself killed, that's fine. But only as long as I know that you can keep on living. This... This is my battle. I never wanted to drag you into it, and I need to end it. Alone."

"Why?"

"Because, if my plan works and you're still here, you'll die with Destoroyah."

"What are you going to do, blow up the island?"

"Something like that."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not."

"Well, at least tell me this: if this works, what'll happen to you?"

"I don't know."

"That's not good enough."

"Well, it's all I've got, okay? I've never done this before."

"Done what?"

"I'm not sure what to call it, but if I'm able to pull it off, you'll be able to see it from a good distance away."

"Sounds pretty big."

"Yeah."

"Fine, I'll go. But you better make it out of this alive so I can pound some sense into ya afterwards."

"I'll try, but no promises."

As Junior watched his friend leave, he realized that they went that entire conversation without being attacked. He turned to find the remaining aggregates, fourteen of them, on the other side of the valley, staring at him. They were quiet. And motionless. They were waiting to see what Junior would do next.

It was time to put his plan into motion. As loudly as he could, he called out: "Destoroyah!" In the skies above, the two Mothra were still in aerial combat with the flying Destoroyahs. Upon hearing Junior, the latter flew back to the island and began to circle above it. The Mothra prepared to give chase, but stopped when they heard Anguirus call for them. Reluctantly, they heeded the call and, after Anguirus told them what Junior said, made sure to stay a safe distance away. When Junior saw that he had his enemy's full attention, he summoned all the courage he had to challenge Destoroyah into one final confrontation.

"You know," he began, "if you're goal here was to kill me, you're doing a lousy job. You've spread yourself thin, let your lesser selves get themselves killed because you put too much focus on my friend and the Mothra. If you want me dead so bad, why don't you just attack me with everything you have?"

"You're no fun," the aggregates and flyers said, speaking in unison, "but we accept your challenge."

"We most certainly do," the adult Destoroyah said as he landed behind Junior, startling him somewhat. "What's wrong? Surprised to see me? You're not the only one who can heal quickly, you know."

"There's something else I know, too."

"And what would that be?" the demon asked, leaning down until his face was level with Junior's.

"You talk too much!"

With that, Junior clawed at his opponent's face before grabbing the frills on his head and throwing him onto the aggregates, killing three more of them. Impaled on their spikes and spears, Destoroyah writhed and screeched in pain. His other bodies moved in, the flyers swooping in and firing at Junior while the aggregates charged at him. Junior roared and engaged them, charging up as he did so.

This is what he'd been planning: to use an exceptionally powerful attack he'd seen his father use through his memories. The problem was, charging this attack would take some time, and having to concentrate on doing so while in the middle of physical combat meant that he had a hard time focusing, causing him to suffer numerous injuries. Cuts, stabs, burns; they all hurt, but none were severe enough to make him falter. He only had one shot at this, and he was going to make sure it worked.

Despite his lack of focus, Junior still managed to kill several aggregates easily with his bare hands and tail. After being stabbed by one, Junior grabbed it and threw it at an incoming flyer, bringing it down and killing them both with the force of the impact. The whole time, Junior's spines flashed repeatedly. As the battle progressed, the adult Destoroyah recovered, pulling out the spikes and spears that had broken off and were still buried in his flesh.

When he finished and his wounds were healed, he rejoined the fight. Junior had already killed almost half of his other selves, with eight aggregates and five flyers remaining. They all backed off as the adult approached. "It would seem that I have to do everything myself," he said. It was then that he noticed that Junior's spines had begun to flash red. Instantly, he knew what that meant, and it frightened him.

"NO!!!" the demon roared as he charged at Junior. Occupied by the aggregates, Junior was caught off-guard by the sudden attack, nearly losing concentration as Destoroyah grabbed him and slammed him into the mountainside. "What's the matter?" the former said. "You look frightened." Destoroyah growled and prepared to blast him, but Junior managed to push him off. As the demon stumbled backward, Junior continued: "That's what this was all about, wasn't it? You know that my father could've beaten you himself. You saw me come back. You were afraid. Afraid that I'd be just as strong as him, that I'd finish what he started. This isn't revenge. This is just you trying to save your own neck."

Destoroyah roared loudly and proceeded to claw Junior in the face repeatedly, turning his face red with his own blood. "You're right. I am doing this because I thought you could beat me. But now, I am stronger than I've ever been. If I fought your father now, I would rip his head off and crush it in my hand. And you aren't faring much better than he would've. Look at yourself. You're barely holding on. What could you possibly do now that can really hurt me?"

At this point, Junior's spines were no longer flashing, but glowing bright red, which became quite noticeable when he began to move away from the mountainside. Destoroyah's prideful expression was once again replaced by a fearful one. "I can think of a few things," Junior said, "but I think this one is the most effective." Again, Destoroyah slammed Junior into the mountainside, this time making sure to do so with his opponent facing away from him. As the demon prepared to land a killing blow, Junior said: "Before you kill me, I just wanna know, is this all of you? No little guys hiding anywhere?"

"Yes, because I knew that the only way to beat you was to go full force."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"Wait, what?"

And with that, Junior finally unleashed the attack he'd been building up: a nuclear pulse. An exceptionally powerful one, to be exact. One that reduced the aggregates and two of the flyers to ash and caused the mountain behind Junior to collapse, burying himself and the adult Destoroyah under hundreds of tons of rock. The three remaining flyers attempted to flee, but were quickly intercepted by the Mothra, who dispatched them with ease.

A short time later, Junior emerged from the rubble to find that the valley had been decimated by the pulse. The grass had been replaced with ash. The mountains were no longer green. Radon's skeleton had been obliterated. Not far away, the adult Destoroyah desperately attempted to free himself from the rubble. He was badly wounded in the blast. One arm and both wings were gone, his chest was blown open, and a chunk of his face had been burnt away. The lower half of his body was pinned in place by several boulders almost as large as him.

As Junior approached, the once-mighty demon made one last desperate attempt to escape, but it was no use. His strength was gone. "I... was right... t-to fear... you. I... underestimated you. You... are... a worthy... opponent. If you wish to... to finish me off... let it be done. Quickly."

"My thoughts exactly," Junior said as he used what energy he had left to fire a red spiral beam, blowing the demon's body to smithereens. Drained and exhausted, Junior collapsed onto the charred ground. As he lost consciousness, he could hear Anguirus calling for him in the distance and the sound of wings flapping overhead.