Junior didn't know how long he was out of it, but when he first started to wake up, he could barely even open his eyes. All he could do was moan and listen to what transpired around him. He could tell that he wasn't on Adonoa Island anymore. If he was, there'd be rocks and ash beneath him. Instead, there was soft dirt and small plants. He could hear trees swaying in the wind and birds singing in their branches. Wherever he was, he liked it there. It was a calm, peaceful place. He felt like he could stay there forever and just listen to nature.

The calming sounds allowed him to doze off again. Some time later, he rose back to awareness when he heard much louder noises nearby. He still couldn't wake himself up completely, so all he could do was listen. The sounds he was hearing were footsteps. Kaiju footsteps. When they stopped, Junior heard the kaiju sigh, and he could tell that it was Anguirus.

"I hate seeing him like this," he said.

"I know," another kaiju, whose voice Junior didn't recognize, said. "We've done everything we can for him. He just needs to regain his strength. He will wake up. I promise you that."

"Thank you."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"Yeah. I haven't known him that long, but... I don't know. When we first met, he was in a really bad place. He had nowhere else to go, so I let him stay with me. I taught him about the world, our history, how to fight. The more I got to know him, the more he reminded me of myself. I saw something else in him, too. He's got potential. Big potential. I feel like he could become something great and I wanna make sure he does. I don't want to let him down, but I feel like I already have."

"You think of him like a son, don't you?"

"I guess you could say that, but I prefer 'like a little brother.' Either way, he's family to me. The only family I've got, really."

"Have you told him?"

"No. And I won't. Not for a while, anyway. He's still torn up about his real father. I don't want to risk ruining what we have. I think he thinks the same way about me, though. About being family."

"I'm sure he does. Have faith, my friend. You haven't let him down. This was his choice. He did what he did to protect you, knowing that he might not survive. And in doing so, he may well have saved the whole world from that monster. He's already become something great: a hero. And his story has only just begun. In the conflict to come, he will be greatly needed if we are to prevail."

Their voices seemed to fade away as Junior passed completely out again. Another few hours later, he finally began to wake up. Even before he opened his eyes, he could tell Anguirus was still there. When his friend saw him moving, he sprung up from where he'd been laying and roared with joy. "Junior! Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you awake!"

"How long was I out?"

"Almost a whole month. I was beginning to think you'd never wake up."

"A month?! Wow. I guess I really did wear myself out."

Junior took a moment to look around as he stood up. It was early morning. They were in a large, hilly, grassy clearing dotted with trees. On the outskirts, tropical forest. In the distance, the ocean could be seen. Behind them, a large, rocky mountain that sloped down into a canyon further away. "Where are we?"

"Infant Island."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah. The Mothra brought us here after the fight. Whatever you did, it pretty much destroyed our island. They said we could stay here as long as we want. They also fixed us up. Did you notice the hole in my armor's gone?"

"Oh, yeah. Looks great. Wait, 'us?'"

"Yeah, when we found you, your healing thing wasn't working right. The Mothra said it was because you used up all your energy. That's why you were asleep so long. You were regaining your strength. You would've been out a lot longer, too, but after they healed you, the Mothra gave you some of their power to speed up the process."

"Oh. I guess I'll have to thank them later. Where are they, exactly?"

"Out on patrol. They'll be back this evening. They'll be glad to see you up and about, too, I'm sure."

"Oh, right, they had something they needed to tell me about, right?"

"Yep."

"Any idea what it is?"

"Not really. They don't talk much. All I know is that it has something to do with a big fight coming up. They said they'd need you if they were going to win."

"Wow. Must be pretty bad."

"Yeah. Must be."

They continued to talk for hours. Anguirus showed Junior around the island, which he'd explored quite thoroughly. Eventually, they came to a stop on the beach, where they would remain, staring at the ocean. After another hour had passed, Anguirus remembered something. Something important.

"Junior, there's something you need to know."

"Okay."

"After you left Skull Island, I... I talked to Kong." Junior growled when he heard that name. "No, no. Hear me out. He told me why he treated you the way he did. It was all a test. He was afraid you might be an enemy, so he provoked you. Apparently, he thought he'd be able to figure out what kind of person you were by seeing how you'd react."

"And?"

"You passed."

"Seriously? I almost killed him!"

"Ah, but you didn't. And your reaction to what you were doing told him everything he needed to know about you."

"Okay. So, what are you trying to say, exactly?"

"Haven't you figured it out, already? It means that if you ever decide to go back there, you'll be allowed to go into the caverns!"

"Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're serious? You're not messing with me?"

"Nope. It's true. Every word."

"Oh, wow."

"After you hear what the Mothra have to say, do you wanna go? We can't stay here forever, you know."

"I know. I do want to go, but... not yet. Not with that thing the humans made still out there."

"Junior, it'll be fine. If that thing attacks, the Mothra will be here to stop it. Don't worry so much."

"Yeah, you're right. There's just... something about it. Something strange. I don't know how to explain it."

"I felt it too. And there was something else. Something familiar."

"It did say it knew you."

"I haven't forgotten. Whatever it was, though, I'm sure we'll find out eventually."

"Yeah."

A short time later, the Mothra could be seen in the distance, coming closer. Within minutes, they were flying by overhead, swooping around, and coming to rest on a nearby rocky ledge. One was the spitting image of their mother, the other was starkly different. Its wings were more triangular in shape, its body was mostly black and white in color, a little bit of blue mixed in, with feathered antennae and green eyes. The patterns on its wings were much more intricate, its abdomen resembled that of a wasp, and its front legs resembled those of a praying mantis, with long hooked claws at the end. Despite their different appearances, they were both quite beautiful, and Junior was in awe at them. The one that resembled their mother spoke first.

"Welcome to Infant Island, Junior. It is good to see you awake at last. Anguirus has told us much about you. I am Mora, and this is my brother, Leo."

"Greetings," Leo said.

"It's an honor to meet you both. Thank you. For everything you've done for us."

"There is no need to thank us," Mora replied. "It is our duty; what we were born to do. I'm afraid there isn't much time for this sort of talk, though. There are urgent matters we need to discuss."

"Right. Anguirus told me."

"Did he also tell you about our ancestor, Gigamoth?"

"Not much, but yes."

"Did he tell you how she died?"

"Not really."

"I told him what I knew," Anguirus said, joining in. "But, that's not saying much."

"Not surprising," Mora said. "Our ancestors didn't wish for this knowledge to get out at all, lest it spark panic among those who they were sworn to protect. But the world needed to know that the Great One had passed, so they simply said that she died fighting a strange being from another world, that she managed to take the creature down with her, and that the threat was over. It is a... mostly accurate account, but it is not the full story. That is what we wish to tell you."

"But why?" At this point, both Junior and Anguirus were very interested and very nervous.

"Because that threat is still alive. And it will soon return," Leo said, "Our mother wished for your father to fight it with us. With him gone, the responsibility is yours, if you want to help. But if you decide to face this enemy with us, you should know more about it. Do you accept the responsibility?"

Junior wasn't sure. He turned to Anguirus and quietly asked: "What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter to me. Whatever you decide, I'm going to support you. If you decide to fight, I'll be there with you. If you don't, we'll just wait and see what happens. To be honest, though, I think you should help. Just knowing that this thing killed Gigamoth is enough to make me more than a little nervous. They're gonna need all the help they can get. The Earth does have other defenders, sure, but I can't think of one that can do as much good as you can."

"Thanks."

"Anytime. But know that if you decide to help, I'm going with ya."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. There's gotta be someone there to watch your back, after all. And like I said, they're gonna need all the help they can get."

After taking a few more moments to decide, Junior turned back to the waiting Mothra twins and said: "We accept."

The twins seemed a little surprised by this, but they didn't say anything about it. "Very well," Mora said. "Now, what we are about to tell you is known to only a select few. Like our ancestors before us, we would like to avoid mass panic, so this information must be of the utmost secrecy."

Almost in unison, Junior and Anguirus replied, "We understand."

"Very good. Now, then; let us begin. But... where to start? It is a rather long tale, I'm afraid. Hmm... Well, you both know that Gigamoth was the first of our kind, as does everyone. But, what most others don't know is why we have made it our mission to protect the Earth.

You see, the Earth is, in a way, alive. It, or 'she', as it has been referred, cannot protect herself or what lives on her, so it created Gigamoth and tasked her, along with her descendants, to do it for her. And so, the Earth's will was done, and for eons, the Mothra kept a watchful eye over these lands and the caverns below. There was no threat they couldn't defend against, no problem they couldn't solve. In time, the world below grew so peaceful that our ancestors no longer saw the point in going back and forth from down there to the surface. Gigamoth didn't agree with this, however, and there were others who wished to help them protect our world. Namely, Gojira's kind. It is they who would defend the 'Great Hollow' as they called it.

As for Gojira himself, he spent much his time up here, helping our ancestors. And a valuable ally he proved to be. As I'm sure you've heard before, Junior, you are very much like him. You look as though you were one of his people, you share the same powers, as well as a few extra, and you even sound similar. How this is possible, even we can't fathom. But, I'm getting off-topic.

After some time, the younger of our race grew careless. Arrogant, even. They came to believe that they were invincible, that nothing could defeat them. For many of them, this would prove to be their undoing. When a strange being arrived from a distant world, they learned a hard lesson. You see, at this time, there were several dozen of us, five of which encountered the newcomer shortly after his arrival.

They probed him with questions, wondering who he was, where he came from, and why he was here. Instead of answering, however, he threatened them, told them that this planet would soon burn and that they would be the first to die. They were all quite young and easily provoked, so it comes as no surprise that they attacked after hearing this. At first, their superior numbers gave them the upper hand, but the tide quickly turned, for they were no match for his superior strength and overwhelming power. Only one escaped, and she was badly wounded.

Now knowing the gravity of the situation, the survivor went straight to Gigamoth and told her what had happened. Unfortunately, with her wound, the survivor didn't last much longer. Gigamoth then rallied as many of our people as she could and led them in search of this mysterious killer. When they found him, they were just in the nick of time.

You see, the Earth is sustained by a mystical power source called mana. This power source emanates through a fissure in the Earth's surface on an island a little ways from here, creating and sustaining life on this planet. It was near this island that Gigamoth and the others found the mysterious killer. When they did, it became obvious what he planned to do: drain the Earth of all its mana and absorb its power. In doing so, he would kill the Earth and render it uninhabitable. All life on the surface and in the caverns would die. When he was met by Gigamoth and her forces, the invader laughed. He boasted of the power he already possessed, referring to himself as the 'world killer,' the 'doomsday bringer,' the 'king of terror,' and the 'emperor of the galaxy.' He then proclaimed that their deaths had a name, and it was Ghidorah."

"Ghidorah," Junior said. "I know that name."

"You've heard of him?"

"Maybe. I think my father might've fought him."

"Impossible. We'd know if he'd returned before now. Did your father tell you this, or did you see it in the memories he left you?"

"Both."

"Describe him."

"Three heads, long necks, two tails, two legs, big wings, and covered in gold scales."

"Hmm, I see. Well, that does sound similar, but that wasn't him. No, the real Ghidorah is gray and red, with four legs and one tail with two ends. I'm not quite sure what it is your father faced. A relative, perhaps, but definitely not the Ghidorah we know."

"Huh, weird."

"Indeed. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Gigamoth told Ghidorah that his threats and titles meant nothing, that this world wouldn't go down without a fight. Ghidorah wasn't deterred, however. Instead, he attacked and said: 'Sounds like fun. I will greatly enjoy watching you die.' And so, the greatest battle in history began. Our ancestors had the enemy outnumbered two dozen to one, and still he didn't relent. You see, Ghidorah was like you, Junior; capable of healing serious injuries in a matter of minutes. And most of the injuries he sustained were minor, so it didn't even take that long.

This, along with the rather incredible power he possessed, eventually gave him the edge. One by one, Gigamoth's forces fell. Things began to look grim. But that is when Gojira stepped in. Before the battle started, Gigamoth contacted him telepathically, telling him that she needed him, that he would be a valuable asset in this fight. She was right, of course, but without having the gift of flight, it took Gojira a while to get there. By the time he arrived, only a few Mothra were left to oppose Ghidorah.

Up until this point, Gigamoth, being the most experienced of the Mothra, had been coordinating the others' efforts rather than participating directly. For the most part, anyway. But now, with the battle going poorly and Gojira on the scene, the time had come to pull out all the stops. They forced Ghidorah to the ground, where Gojira engaged him in physical combat. Their duel was long and vicious, with Ghidorah maintaining the upper hand throughout. After some time, it appeared as if Ghidorah would be victorious, and if it weren't for Gigamoth and the others, he would've been. They had been hanging back in the hopes that Ghidorah would not be suited for ground combat and Gojira would be able to handle him alone. When it became obvious that that hope was in vain, they rejoined the fight, now having the aerial advantage.

Finally, Ghidorah was being worn down, but he was not quite beaten yet. He proved this by killing another Mothra. In the end, by combining their energy attacks, Gojira and Gigamoth managed to wound Ghidorah badly enough that he was forced to retreat. But as he did so, he briefly turned back to fire upon them out of spite, fatally wounding Gigamoth. He laughed in triumph and promised that he would return one day and finish what he started. For millennia, the Earth's protectors hoped that that creature died of his wounds. Some came to believe that he did. But now we know the truth: he stayed away to rest, to regain his strength, and to heal. Somehow he ended up inside an asteroid, a large rock in space. And there he remained up until a few months ago when our mother accidentally freed him. Now, he is on his way back to Earth. In response, Leo and I are preparing for war. We've already informed the other surviving protectors of the danger and told them to be on guard, but our numbers are too few.

When our mother faced your father, she sensed a wealth of power within him. She believed that he may be the key to defeating Ghidorah once and for all. Near as we can tell, Godzilla passed his power on to you when he died, making you just as strong as he was, perhaps even stronger. That is why we need your help, why we're eternally grateful to you for agreeing to do so."

"Wow," Junior said. "That's a lot to take in."

"I hear ya, kid." Anguirus replied. "Mora, you said that there weren't many defenders left, right?"

"That is correct."

"How many are there, exactly?"

"Aside from us, two."

"Oh, shoot."

"Yes, the odds certainly are against us."

"Wait," said Junior. "What happened to your mother after she freed Ghidorah?"

This time, it was Leo that provided the explanation. "We don't know," he said. "Our ancestral memory is limited to those of our ancestors who died before we were born. Whatever happened to our mother, she was still alive when we hatched. All we know is what her messengers told us. Shortly before engaging Ghidorah in combat, she sent them back to Earth to inform us of what had happened and tell us what needed to be done. We do not know if she still lives, but, all things considered, the chances are slim."

"I'm sorry."

"It is quite all right," Mora replied. "Our job is a perilous one. Our mother knew the risks, as do we."

"One more question," Anguirus said. "How long do we have before Ghidorah gets here, and where will he be?"

"We don't have a definite answer, but we do know that Ghidorah will arrive within the year, on Storm Island."

That night, Junior and Anguirus were too busy thinking about what had been said to sleep. They talked about it for hours. Anguirus was particularly concerned, and also quite surprised.

"I can't believe Ghidorah's going to Storm Island. Heck, I can't believe that that place is even real!"

"But what is it?" Junior asked, confused.

"Oh, yeah, I never told you that story, did I?"

"Don't think so."

"Well, up until today, I thought it was just a legend. The story goes that in the center of the kaiju islands, there exists an island that holds a source of power beyond that of any kaiju. I suppose that it's referring to the 'mana' Mora told us about. Anyway, every now and then, some power-hungry kaiju would go and try to find it. None of 'em ever came back. Except for one. He was wounded and hysterical, rambling on about a strange kaiju that lived there. He said that it was the one that hurt him and killed all the others before him. When asked what its name was, he said: 'Axor.' He said nothing more afterwards, having succumbed to his injuries. Since then, nobody dared try to find Storm Island again. They were all too scared. Plus, the Mothra and Gojira's kind forbade it."

"Sounds true to me. Why'd you think it was a legend?"

"No, that story was true. But the wounded kaiju was insane and his word couldn't be trusted. I just figured the island itself, along with Axor, were nothing more than figments of his imagination. I figured that all those kaiju ended up swimming around in circles between known islands trying to find it and that they just killed each other when they inevitably met because they wanted that power so bad."

"And you thought that was more realistic?"

"Well, now that I hear it out loud, it sounds kinda stupid."

"It is more true than you think," Mora said, startling Junior and Anguirus. She'd been sitting on a nearby hilltop, watching them.

"How long have you been there?" Junior asked.

"A few minutes. My apologies for scaring you. After Leo and I realized that you were still awake, I thought I'd check on you. I suppose I got a little too interested in your conversation. I didn't want to interrupt, so I waited for a good time to join in."

"Oh. Well, you're welcome to join us. Right, Anguirus?"

"Oh, yeah. A Mothra is always welcome. Now, what'd you mean about what I said earlier?"

"You see, both accounts have some truth to them. Most of those kaiju did kill each other, but they were on the island when they did so. You see, Axor is the guardian of the mana. He's been protecting it for many millennia, though he does not often engage in direct combat with his enemies.

Instead, he uses their own minds against them. You see, Axor is a telepath. The most powerful one on the planet, no less. He can sense another kaiju's presence from far away and either use his mind to speak with them or play tricks on them. If he senses one intent on using the mana, he will allow them to come on shore and then make them believe that they are travelling through an endless valley while in reality, they are only travelling around in circles. If another arrives on shore, he will lead them both to each other using their desperation against them, for each one would want all the power for itself. In the end, the two would either kill each other or the survivor would eventually die of its wounds.

My kind have never condoned this method, but it has proven to be very effective. But not always. A strong, fortified mind can repel Axor's mental attacks. If that happens, then he will resort to brute force. As far as I know, he's only had to do so once. He wounded his opponent, but he did not kill him. Instead, Axor used his telepathic powers to break through the kaiju's mental defenses while he was weakened, driving him mad and forcing him to retreat. When the kaiju returned home, he told as many others as he could of what happened before his wounds took their toll and killed him. With the secret potentially out, it became necessary to forbid others from trying to find the island. None have done so since."

"So," Junior started, "since he guards the mana, is Axor one of the others who'll help us defend it?"

"Indeed, he is. The second is Gamera. Have you told Junior about him, Anguirus?"

"Oh, yeah. Of all the stories I've told him, that's his favorite."

"Good. If you're going to be fighting alongside someone, you'd best get to know them." Mora paused for a moment. "It is late. After all this talk, I'm sure you're both tired. You should get some rest. Especially you, Junior. You still need to recover."

"Fine by me."

"Me too," Anguirus replied, curling up on the ground and closing his eyes. Mora then flew away, returning to the cave she shared with Leo. Junior watched her go, then laid down to rest. It took some time for him to go to sleep, however, for the day's revelations had his mind racing.

He still had many questions, as well as a myriad of conflicting emotions. He was anxious, fearful, excited, and above all: worried. The threat posed by Ghidorah frightened him, and so did the very real possibility that the coming battle would be Anguirus's last. Sure, they wouldn't be alone in this fight, but still: who would be there to protect him? In the end, Junior pushed these thoughts aside, realizing that he was overreacting. The fight was still months away, and the collective power of those they were fighting beside, along with his own, should be enough to deter Ghidorah. With that settled, Junior slipped into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

WRITER'S NOTE: In order to avoid any confusion, I would like to point out that the version of Ghidorah in this story is, in fact, Desghidorah. The King Ghidorah we see in the 1991 movie is a clone of him. (Not an exact one, though.)

And if you're wondering who Axor is, I recommend watching the old Godzilla cartoon from the '70s in order to understand a little better.