Author's Notes: Hi everyone! Yep, I'm back again and with the latest chapter of "The Energy Beast". We're almost there, people; just two more chapters after this one and we'll move on to "The Colossus of Atlantis"! Finally!
In the meantime: DJ, I'm sorry I didn't respond to your email about an outfit for myself in your latest Disney/Toho Christmas special. What I had in mind for myself was a dark red-velvet dress with ¾-long sleeves (for the cold) with the skirt going down to halfway down my shins and Christmas designs (snowflakes, poinsettias, swirling patterns) made of white rhinestones on the bodice of the dress and I would be wearing black high-heels (not those crazy stiletto heels!). I would also have my hair done up in a bun and I would be wearing poinsettia earrings (that don't dangle). I was also thinking of having my OC Lina join me in her human form also wearing a red dress with ¾ long sleeves, but with a flowing skirt that goes to her ankles, with a pattern of camellias, tancho cranes, and bamboo shoots on the skirt with the bamboo reaching onto the lower bodice; a way to reflect Japanese kimono designs for the winter season. She would also have her hair done up, but in a mermaid braid (basically you start with a three-strand braid then add small sections to the outside of the main braid while leaving a middle portion of hair down the middle straight), which would show off her magical pendant (it looks like a silver mermaid holding a sapphire) and a pair of dangling camellia earrings. However, since I haven't gotten to anything major concerning Lina yet, that wouldn't have been possible and I was just getting used to being out of school yesterday, so I didn't make time to draw something to give you a better idea of what my dress would have looked like. I did read your special and I was ecstatic to see that you included Pinky, Brain, Michael Knight, and KITT! And you gave the mice dates! That was amazing and I hope things go well for all four of them! And I hope for you as well despite everything going on in the world.
Anyway, time to get back on track:
As per the rules, I do not own the characters of the 1978-79 Hanna-Barbera series Godzilla: The Original Animated Series, Hanna-Barbera does, or should I say Warner Bros. does. This incarnation of Godzilla is owned by H-B and Toho. The only character I own is Vicky, my self-insert and any other OCs. I also do not own the story that is based on the sixth episode of this cartoon series. Also, anything in bold when a kaiju character is speaking/thinking means that they are speaking/thinking in their native language.
Recap: After an investigation of meteorite impact site, the Calico crew, Zooky, Mr. Martin, and the Constanza twins are called back to Sundance Mesa Dam Control where they see a shocking broadcast: Godzilla is attacking the Mesa City Power Station and Vicky is attacking Godzilla! The crew head out to the power station where they attempt to communicate with Vicky and Godzilla but are unsuccessful and are left with more questions than answers. They manage to cut off the power supply, but "Godzilla" soon begins making tracks for the Crescent Beach nuclear reactor. Captain Majors, Dr. Darien, Brock, and a two-man reporter crew set off in pursuit while Pete and Godzooky are told to go back to Sundance Mesa. Let's see how things are going with them...
CHAPTER 6
Earlier, at Sundance Mesa
When Pete and Godzooky had arrived at Sundance Mesa, Agnes and Alan were there to greet them, having been excused by Martin and Nelik to help Pete with his friend. The boy told the twins what had happened at the power station, including Vicky's exclamation of "Castle Bravo", and the twins told Pete what they had been hearing over the television before his and Zooky's arrival.
"Es terrible," Alan said.
"It… This just can't be Godzilla," Agnes said, still in denial. "It just can't."
"Well, last I checked, Agnes, there haven't been two Godzillas for years," Alan told his sister, making her look at him in surprise; apparently her brother had done some research on Godzilla when she wasn't looking.
"But there's gotta be some explanation," Pete spoke up. "If only Vicky was able to tell us what, exactly."
"You told me they're friends, right?" Agnes asked.
"Right," Pete nodded.
"I know friends fight when they disagree, but from what you've told me, Vicky and Godzilla have never traded blows with each other."
"Of course not!" Zooky exclaimed, startling the humans.
Once Pete explained what the young, winged saurian had said, Agnes said gently, "I know that, Zooky; it's just that that sometimes happens, even amongst friends. But I know that your tío and Vicky don't."
"We're just trying to figure out what could be going on based on what we know," Alan added.
Internally, the golden-haired youth was surprised that he was actually talking to a Titan like he was just talking to another kid, but at the same time it didn't seem so.
"But what do we know?" Pete asked.
Godzooky then furrowed his brow in concentration while holding his chin with his right pointer finger and thumb and putting his left arm across his chest; a pose he had seen Vicky make when she was thinking hard. What did they know? First, a rock from the sky crashed here, then something came out and left footprints, then took a big piece out of a tree before moving on. Then that big bug showed up at the dam and fought his uncle, making pieces of his hide fly all over the place and hurting him. Then his uncle comes back and starts attacking that power station place for apparently no reason. And then there were all those other things he noticed earlier: The brusque language, something off in Godzilla's voice, the buzzing he had felt from the swipe…and the scent. Something was off about Godzilla's scent, too. It was his, but at the same time not.
While Zooky was turning this over in his mind, the three humans did their own information gathering based on their experiences.
"One thing that I'm certain of is that this all started with that meteor crash last night," Agnes said.
"Sí. That, I think, is something that we can all agree on," Alan said.
"It's weird," Pete said. "I mean, I've never heard of a meteorite that left a crack in the ground but no debris."
"Me neither," said Alan. "And those tracks, they… Well…"
"What is it, Alan?" Agnes asked.
Alan hesitated before answering, "Honestly, I…I couldn't believe what I was thinking, and I'm not a person who studies animals, but those prints seemed too close together for a two-legged animal. Or…Or even a four-legged one."
Pete then got an "ah-ha" look on his face. "Hey, you know what? It didn't hit me until you said that, but I think you're right," the boy said.
"Yeah," Zooky added, coming out of his musings for a moment.
"But then what about that other tree Mr. Martin said was there last night?" Pete asked.
Alan looked to Agnes and said, "You knew something was wrong with it from the beginning."
"Sí," Agnes nodded. "I told Zooky earlier today that I had noticed that the tree was cold. And I think he noticed some other things, didn't you?" she asked, looking up at the youngling kaiju.
Godzooky nodded and proceeded to explain in his own language what he and Agnes had found at the place where the tracks had stopped; a faint buzzing sensation in the air from where the tree supposedly was, the scent of wood mixed with another scent, and the chunk taken out of the tree that had sap leaking from it.
"¡Increíble!" Alan muttered when Pete finished translating.
"But what does it all mean?" Pete asked.
Then, the boy got a look on his face that meant he was starting to notice something.
"What is it, Pete?" Agnes asked, noticing the young boy's expression.
"I'm not sure. But what you said about the tree got me thinking to when Godzilla fought the Energy Beast on the dam; it jumped and wrapped around Godzilla. And when Godzilla pushed it off, pieces of hide flew everywhere and there was a big gash on him."
"How did it look?" Agnes asked, looking like she was starting to catch on.
"When I went up to catch Vicky, I saw that Uncle Goji was bleeding," Zooky said, Pete translating.
"He was bleeding?" Agnes asked to be sure.
Zooky nodded in confirmation.
Agnes's eyes widened in turn. "¡Como el árbol!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Pete asked, confused.
"Sap for a tree is like blood for a human or an animal, ¿sí?"
"I guess so. I never really thought about it like that," Pete said.
"¡Espera un momento! ¡Espera un momento! Are you saying that whatever came out of the crater deliberately took a deep enough chunk out of that tree to reach the sap?!" Alan exclaimed. "Why?"
"It honestly sounds like what my Aunt Quinn does when she takes samples," Pete said.
The quartet suddenly froze as something dawned on them. The multi-legged creature that had come out of the crater took a sample from a tree before moving on. But before that happened, a second tree had appeared. At Sundance Mesa Dam, the Energy Beast had managed to make Godzilla bleed, like it wanted a sample. And what happened after that?
Then add in what Zooky soon told the others about the various things he picked up at the power station and there was only one clear conclusion:
The Godzilla who had attacked the power station and was on his way to Crescent Beach was a fake. But more than that, he was the Energy Beast in disguise!
"¡Guau!" Alan exclaimed.
"¡Lo sabía! ¡Lo sabía! ¡Sabía que no era él!" Agnes exulted, overjoyed to know that she had been right.
Godzooky almost cried in relief; now that they had figured things out, he was glad that it really wasn't his uncle that was doing all those terrible things.
"We've gotta tell Aunt Quinn and the others about this!" Pete said.
"Un momento, Pete; what about proof?" Alan asked.
"Whaddya mean, 'What about proof'?! We figured out that the Godzilla that's running around is fake," Pete said.
"But that may not be enough; we need solid evidence," Alan pointed out.
"And what do you suggest we do, go to Crescent Beach and ask that falsa to take his mask off?" Agnes asked sarcastically. "Pete's tía and her friends are smart people; they'll understand when we tell them."
"Then we'd better get back to the control building, get to the radio, and—"
"Godzooky, where are you going?!" Pete yelled, interrupting Alan.
"I'm going to where the others are," Zooky answered, the young, winged saurian looking ready to take off.
"What for?" Pete asked as he ran over.
"I got a plan."
"A plan? For what?"
"What plan is he talking about?" Agnes asked.
"I don't know," Pete shrugged.
"I know how to get proof," Zooky answered.
"Wait, your plan is to get proof?" Pete asked in confusion.
"Proof?" Agnes asked, also confused.
"What proof?" Alan queried.
Godzooky then proceeded to explain that he knew of a way to prove to the rest of the crew that the Godzilla they were chasing was fake, but he needed to go to Crescent Beach to do it.
"But that falsa is putting out radiation," Agnes told Zooky once Pete had finished translating. "You could get sick."
Zooky shook his head and said, "I'm not gonna even get close; I just need to be within sight of the ocean. Now I've gotta go!"
"Not without me, you're not!" Pete said firmly as he started to climb up the young, winged saurian.
"I'm coming, too!" Agnes said, moving fast before her brother could catch her.
"¡¿Agnes, estás demente?!" Alan yelled. "¡Te van a matar!"
"¡No voy a sentarme aquí, Alan!" Agnes yelled back as she climbed on behind Pete. "Además, ¡podemos avisarles cuando lleguemos allí!"
Alan stammered for a moment before saying, "¡Estás demente!"
"MAYBE I AM!" Agnes yelled in English, her tone making Pete and Zooky cringe. "But if Zooky has a plan and he's confident that it will add to our verbal proof, I trust him! And I'm gonna do my d…my da…my darnedest to make sure Godzilla's name is cleared once and for good!" she added, hesitating in the middle as she did not want an inappropriate word to slip out for the younger kids' sake.
Alan sighed heavily, passing his hand over his face and through his hair; when Agnes got this stubborn about something, there was usually no winning against her. It was a wonder that she never joined any debate teams back in high school or in their previous college semesters; she would have knocked everyone flat.
Once she had cooled down, Agnes started telling Pete to tell Godzooky to take off, but then Alan called for them to wait. He then took out his walkie and told Martin and Nelik that he and Agnes were going to be accompanying Zooky and Pete to Crescent Beach to deliver some vital information to the crew. He also told them to be ready in case the Fake Godzilla ever came back here.
"Sí, that's right, Señor Martin; that Godzilla on the news is a fake. We'll explain everything when we get back, sir," Alan continued, then quickly ended the conversation with an "Adiós, señor", turned the walkie off, and dropped it before joining the others on Godzooky's back.
As if getting a message from her twin, Agnes also took her walkie off her belt and let it drop.
Pete and Godzooky were a bit stunned by this, but it didn't last as the young boy soon told his friend to take off for Crescent Beach. The takeoff was slightly bumpy due to Zooky needing to run before he finally gained enough speed and air to get off the ground, but they were soon on their way.
"You do realize we may have very well lost the internship?" Alan asked Agnes, whose ponytail soon came undone in the rushing wind.
"I know," Agnes replied.
"And we may get expelled for this?"
"I know."
Alan sighed. "Even if we do somehow get out of this intact, do you even know what you want to do after this? Working anywhere else is gonna seem downright dull compared to all this."
"No trabajaré para ELLOS, Alan," Agnes growled.
"What'd she say?" Pete asked.
"Let's just say there are certain…kaiju-focused groups out there that Agnes isn't a big fan of," Alan said.
"Oh" was all Pete said.
There was quiet between the quartet for a few minutes before Alan spoke again, "¿Cómo conseguí una chica loca como tú tuviera una hermana gemela?"
Agnes turned her head to look back at her brother, gave him an impish smile and answered, "Just lucky, I guess."
Alan just smiled, rolled his eyes, and sighed once again while Agnes giggled.
Godzooky was honestly amazed; who knew brothers and sisters could be so…so… Well, he was sure there some word for this, but at the moment, he couldn't think of a thing.
Crescent Beach, present time
The quartet had arrived just in time to watch the disguised Energy Beast play "Hit the Moving Target" with Vicky on her hoverboard as the target and various cars and trucks as its ammunition.
"Oh, I hope your friend Victoria is all right out there," Agnes worried, trying to see everything as best she could from their position; they had landed on a cliff that was higher than the one Captain Majors, Dr. Darien, Brock, Carlos Cecilio, and Max were on.
"I think as long as we keep hearing laser fire, that means she's OK," Pete said, the mentioned noise sounding off a couple seconds later.
"I still say this is crazy, but if you trust in whatever plan Zooky's cooked up, then so do I," Alan said.
"Thanks, Alan," Zooky smiled.
"What'd he say?" the young man asked; a look of surprise soon appeared on his and Agnes's faces when Pete repeated what his friend had said.
Frankly, Pete was surprised himself that Zooky had used Alan's own name, but then again, Zooky had probably heard him being addressed so many times that he just recalled it.
The moment was broken by another roar from the Fake Godzilla; he was through playing around and was making a direct line for the reactor, trying not to pay any mind to the desperate laser fire that was peppering him from the front.
"Oh no!" Alan exclaimed worriedly.
"He's after the reactor!" Pete said.
"Zooky, if you have a plan, now's a good time to use it!" Agnes said.
The young, winged saurian did have a plan, and it was this: He took a deep breath and let out a loud, high-pitched cry; the same one he had used back at Sundance Mesa Dam to snap Godzilla out of his daze.
Pete was confused about why Zooky was making his roar sound like that, while Alan was just confused. As for Agnes, she wasn't an animal expert, but that call struck something inside her, some instinct that would come in handy later on should she choose that path.
Just before the Fake Godzilla could do anything to the reactor, his ears caught the sound of Godzooky's cry.
What is that? he wondered. Sounds like it's coming from those cliffs. With that in mind, he withdrew, his curiosity stronger than his need for energy at the moment.
Vicky, meanwhile, was ecstatic to hear what she had dubbed Zooky's "Mom SOS". Not only did it save her and the reactor, but now the truth would be revealed.
"¿Qué es—?" Carlos Cecilio gasped at the sound.
"What on Earth is that?!" Max yelped.
It's Godzooky! And he's using that call again! Dr. Darien noticed.
"It's-It's Pete and Godzooky!" Brock exclaimed once he had turned his head to see the two on the cliff above them. "They've called Godzilla!"
"We're all in trouble now," Captain Majors said.
It might have seemed so, but something happened that caught everyone's attention: A flash of blue light went off out in the ocean at the horizon. Followed by another and another as they got closer and closer.
Before anybody could say "What on Earth is that?!", the water bubbled and frothed as something came up. And what came up sent everyone into shock, relief, and joy:
A 75-meter tall saurian kaiju with a row of blue-glowing dorsal plates-three triangular dorsal plates that went from the back of his head to the back of his neck and the remainder shaped much like maple leaves that went down his back and tail-that were a darker shade than his scales, with a muscular, well-built body type, humanlike arms, sharp claws and teeth and blue-glowing eyes practically exploded from the water with a loud roar. His eyes then landed on his lookalike and he gave him an intense glare before giving a short roar with a hand swipe thrown in.
The Fake Godzilla was so shocked and frightened by the display of the newcomer that it actually jumped.
Vicky was so amazed by the sight that she screamed "HOLY MOLY!" and almost went upside-down. The minute Zooky let out that call, she knew Godzilla was going to come running and fast, but she didn't expect it to be with his eyes and dorsals all lit up…and the wounds from before were non-existent. She had no idea what had happened when she left, but once again Godzilla surprised everyone.
Godzooky was absolutely amazed by his uncle's entrance, a beaming smile on his face. His three friends, however, were sitting down and a little too shocked for words at the moment.
Everyone else, though:
"Oh my—Gee-Geez Louise! I—Wha!" That was Max as he tried not to drop the camera in his shock.
"Holy—Hey! Don't drop the camera, man! Are you getting this?!" That was Carlos Cecilio.
"I don't believe it!" Brock exclaimed, stunned that his wild guess had been (somewhat) on the button.
"You were right, Brock!" Captain Majors said.
Quinn finished, "Two Godzillas!"
"I didn't think that I was gonna guess right!" Brock said honestly. "And I sure wasn't expectin' a light show!"
Me neither, Quinn said, now feeling some worry creep in. Does that mean the Godzilla that's just arrived is capable of nuclear attacks?
"Nice work, Godzooky!" Brock's voice pulled the female biologist from her thoughts to see the named winged saurian arrive with her nephew and the Constanza twins.
"Pete!" she gasped, seeing her nephew get off Godzooky's back. Then she remembered: "What are you two doing here?! You're supposed to be back at the mesa!" she yelled.
Pete and Zooky hung their heads, the latter feeling sorry that he had dragged Pete into this, but he wouldn't have been able to get his uncle here if he hadn't come.
"And what about you two?" Quinn then asked the golden-haired twins.
"We came of our own free will, Doctora," Agnes told the slightly upset biologist.
"It's true," Alan added, backing his sister.
"We need to tell you something!" Agnes said. "The Godzilla that attacked the power station, it's a falsa! A fake!"
"A fake?" Mr. Cecilio queried.
"Sí," Agnes nodded. "But more than that, it's—"
"How can you tell?" Max interrupted.
"How can we tell what?" Pete asked.
"Well, how can you tell the two apart?" the cameraman clarified. "Especially now that we have them both here."
Agnes turned to look out at the battle and saw the two Godzillas grappling with each other, the one glowing blue on her left and the other, non-glowing one on her right. She looked around for Vicky but didn't find her at the fight; she was hanging back by the nuclear reactor.
"Well, the…the one glowing blue showed up after Zooky's call; he's gotta be the real one," Pete said.
"Don't forget; the other one looked like he could make his dorsals glow blue, too," Max pointed out, having caught the sight on camera back at the power station.
A look of worry came over Pete; he had almost forgotten that.
"And they've both responded to the call," Brock added.
"But the one that's glowing came up really fast and sounded muy enojado when he responded to the call," Agnes pointed out.
She's right, Quinn thought, her brain starting to bring up memories of when Godzilla had let out some rather anger-filled roars whenever he thought that Zooky had been threatened.
While the debate was taking place, Vicky was watching Godzilla and the disguised Energy Beast duke it out. Apparently, Goji wasn't gonna waste words with his double and she didn't blame him; not with his bond with Zooky practically on the line.
After a while, Goji opened his mouth to release an oral attack, and because his dorsals and eyes were blue, which meant he was utilizing his primary intimidation tactic, Vicky thought that he was finally going to be releasing his Atomic Ray for the first time. But when he did, all that came out was his usual flames, which struck the imposter in the chest.
Well, that's odd, Vicky thought. I don't think any of the other saurian kaiju on the island can do the intimidation tactic without using their Atomic Ray attack. Maybe I'll have to ask around when we get back.
Godzilla roared loudly as the fake backed up, showing all his teeth and raising his claws menacingly. Vicky noticed this as another intimidation tactic; a way of saying "Back off or else" when male combatants were in close quarters.
The disguised Energy Beast did back up a little, but he needed to get that energy and fast. Not only that, but the appearance of the real Godzilla had thrown his master's plan completely off. It was time to go on the offensive.
Remembering something he had seen Godzilla do just before he had completely left the area earlier, the disguised Energy Beast channeled what energy it could into his eyes, which made them go red. He then managed to find the internal conduit in his eyes that the laser beams went through, concentrated, and fired.
Vicky yelped in alarmed surprise; she thought that the imposter couldn't access any of Godzilla's attacks. Apparently, she was wrong.
Godzilla was likewise surprised as the laser beams hit him in the torso, slightly raking his hide. The saurian quickly leaned forward, ducking from the next blast, which ended up striking the beach. He also kept low from the next one, but it ended up heading straight for the building that Vicky was in front of!
With barely a second to spare, Vicky deactivated then reactivated her shield then pushed her arms out, which made the shield go out and spread. The beams hit the shield, but they were coming with such force that they began pushing her back. She strained to make sure the shield didn't go backwards and tried to keep an eye on the energy levels; by the way the watch face was starting to flash red-orange, it wouldn't last much longer. Thankfully, the lasers were cut off thanks to Godzilla giving the disguised Energy Beast an uppercut that almost knocked him backwards. The imposter only had a second to test his jaw before Godzilla attacked again.
"How can Godzilla beat…Godzilla?" Brock asked as he and the others watched the non-glowing Godzilla fire his laser-beam eyes, only for them to get stopped by Vicky's shield.
"And which is which?" Quinn added.
"They'll kill Vicky or destroy the reactor before we find out!" Captain Majors said.
"But what can we do?" Mr. Cecilio asked. "I mean, it's not like we can just go up and ask."
Immediately, the twins' eyes widened; the question may have been rhetorical, but there was someone who could go up and ask. And sure enough, off went Godzooky into the air.
"Godzooky, wait!" Pete called.
"The radiation! You'll get hurt!" Agnes yelled.
Godzooky called something back, but he was a bit too far off for Pete to have a clear understanding on what he was saying, so he just called back, "But you don't know which is which!"
"But Pete, remember; Godzilla and Zooky have known each other since the little one was born," Agnes said. "Zooky would know Godzilla like a child would know his own mother."
"'Like a child would know his own mother'…" Quinn repeated to herself, something in her mind clicking into place.
"He's not heading for the Godzillas," Max spoke up, aiming the camera lens at the flying saurian. "He's heading for where that flying girl is."
"Well, he'd better hurry; those two are starting to get closer to Vicky's position," Captain Majors said.
Once again, Zooky had jumped into the action, not to get in on a battle before his time, but to save a friend whom he considered a sister. Besides, he knew that it would be dangerous to get close to that disguised Energy Beast because of the radiation. Yet another good reason to be close to Vicky if the larger kaiju ever got closer; her shield could protect them both from it.
He reached her just as soon as she had gotten her protective shield back around herself, the radiation shield beneath it still working.
"Zooky! What are you doing out here?" Vicky asked the minute she spotted him.
"I'm here to rescue you! Come on!" Zooky said.
"'Rescue'? That's nice, Zuke, but my board—" The blonde-haired girl was cut off by the sound of roaring and stomping and when she noticed how close the kaiju combatants were getting… "A-Actually, you know what; I could use the lift. Now let's get outta here!"
Vicky got on Zooky's back, enlarged the shield so that it would cover them both, took her feet out of the board's braces, and put the futuristic vehicle into her watch. That was all either of them had time for before Zooky smelled the mixed scent of his uncle and the Energy Beast coming in fast. The youngling saurian yelped as the imposter's hand connected with the shield, sending him and Vicky down.
Even though he was still in "battle mode", Godzilla saw this and was enraged. He grabbed the imposter's wrists and, with his eyes and dorsals glowing brightly as he drew upon his reservoir of strength, he actually lifted the imposter over his head and tossed him into the surf behind him. Before his opponent could recover, Godzilla came over and grabbed the left arm—the one that had hit Zooky and Vicky—pulled his opponent up by it, then rapidly twisted it around. A bone-cracking SNAP and a pain-filled screech from the disguised Energy Beast followed. The pain was so bad that the imposter fell down again. Godzilla nodded his head with a snort which looked like he was saying "And stay there" before he went to make sure that his nephew and friend were OK.
Everyone on the cliff had watched in fear when Zooky and Vicky had been knocked down and in amazement when the glowing Godzilla had flipped the other one over. Then most of them winced or covered their ears when the glowing Godzilla broke his opponent's arm.
"Yeowch! Man, that is brutal!" Mr. Cecilio exclaimed.
"Something tells me that sound is gonna be sticking with me for a while," Brock muttered.
"¡Mira!" Agnes exclaimed, pointing to the Godzilla that was still standing and making his way back to the beach.
The blue glow gradually disappeared until it revealed dorsal plates that were a shade darker than the saurian's body color and coal-black eyes. He stopped a couple kaiju-sized footsteps away then got down on his haunches.
"What's he doing?" Alan asked.
"I'm not sure, but…but I think that's where your friends went down," Max replied.
Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for what would happen next.
It was official; Vicky was having a terrible day. Not only had she gotten herself in over her head in trying to take on a kaiju by herself, but now she had thrown up twice in the same day. This was not going to look good on her record, that is, if anyone cared to make one. The worst part? She did it on Zooky's hand.
What had happened was when the two had gotten smacked out of the sky, Zooky had managed to grab the airborne girl and held her against himself so that he could shield her body. It worked, but he couldn't do much about her insides.
Vicky managed to croak out a "sorry" as Zooky wiped off what he could in the wet sand, giving her a smile that said "It's OK".
The two then noticed the tremors given by huge footsteps, a blue glow that gradually disappeared and a humongous shadow that darkened the area. The two turned around and looked up to see Godzilla (at least, they hoped it was) starting to sit on his haunches as he looked down at them.
"Are you two all right?"
Vicky sighed in relief as a smile spread across her face while Zooky beamed, his tail wagging in the sand; it was Godzilla, the real one.
"I'm OK, Uncle Goji," Zooky replied.
Vicky tried to give an answer, but her throat was sore, and she coughed.
However, that was all the answer Godzilla needed to know that Vicky was gladly willing to get out and leave the fighting to him for a while. Carefully, he lowered a finger so that Zooky could scoop Vicky up and climb on. Once that had been done, Godzilla carried them to a rocky outlook that was within sight of where the humans were.
Godzilla found himself chuckling when Zooky didn't let go of his finger after he had put Vicky down. He couldn't blame the little one, though; Vicky had more than likely been right when she had said that Zooky had probably been wondering what had been going on with him. He gently shook Zooky off then lowered his head. The best Zooky could do was nuzzle and hug the tip of his snout the best he could, but it was welcoming for both of them, especially when Zooky licked him; it was the kaiju equivalent of a child kissing their parent. Godzilla very carefully reciprocated, making Zooky squeak and giggle happily. Vicky sat off to the side, a wide smile on her face and trying to keep her own giggles quiet; moments like these between the two always made her smile.
Speaking of which, Quinn was smiling and almost close to tears at watching this sweet interaction from afar. In her mind, this proved two things: One, an uncle-nephew relationship didn't come close to describing the one Godzilla and Godzooky had; it was more of a parent-child relationship. And second…
"Well now we all know which one's the real Godzilla," Brock said, voicing Quinn's thought.
"Oh, ¿no es hermosa?" Agnes cooed.
Alan, however, was stunned, as were the two newsmen; they had never pictured a Titan—Godzilla, most of all—being so…gentle. Yet, there was the proof right in front of them.
The sound of splashing soon caught their attention as the now-identified Fake Godzilla got up, his left arm hanging limply.
Godzilla had sensed him before the imposter even got up and knew that he wasn't done yet. He'd have time to repair any damage to his and Zooky's bond later.
"Get him good!" Zooky called in encouragement, swinging a fist in the air.
Godzilla grinned and nodded, assuring him that he would before stomping off to continue round two.
Even with a broken arm, the Fake Godzilla proved to be a challenge, especially when he decided to bring his tail into play. However, the real Godzilla had a bit more experience when it came to using his tail effectively, so all the fake got for his trouble was stars in his vision courtesy of Godzilla grabbing his tail and utilizing his Up-Down Slam move.
Godzilla waited for his opponent to get up, trying to anticipate his next move. After a couple tense seconds, the fake spun around. Godzilla used his arms to shield his head, but that left his torso wide open to get whipped by the tail and slashed by the broken arm, though that made the fake roar in pain afterwards and he had to stop.
Godzilla decided to take advantage of the moment and grab his opponent. Unfortunately, said opponent managed to step out of the way and as Godzilla was turning around, his tail hit one of the cliff sides, making boulders fall on him, including a decent-sized one that clocked him on the head and momentarily knocked him out.
Taking advantage of the mishap and still needing energy (very badly at this point), the Fake Godzilla began taking off for the one place he knew he could get it.
"The phony Godzilla's on the run!" Pete exclaimed, making him the first to recover from the shock of seeing Godzilla accidentally knock himself out.
"Where's he going?" Mr. Cecilio asked.
"It looks like he's heading back to the dam," Brock answered.
"He must be going to recharge," Captain Majors guessed.
"Not if we get there first," Dr. Darien said.
"You have a plan, Doctora?" Agnes queried.
Quinn nodded, saying that it involved using the Solar Energy Collector. When Mr. Cecilio and Max asked how it would help, Alan suddenly remembered what he had said about the SEC while Mr. Martin, Agnes, and himself had shown the crew around and told everyone what Quinn's plan was, much to the biologist's amazement.
"¡Eso es genial!" Agnes exclaimed happily. "That falsa won't know what hit him!"
"We'd better get back right away," Captain Majors said, starting to make his way to the mini-copter.
"Wha-What about us?" Mr. Cecilio asked.
"Just get to the Solar Energy Collector area and keep that camera rolling!" Quinn answered as the mini-copter started up.
Mr. Cecilio and Max quickly got into their helicopter and, after asking the pilot if they had enough fuel, they started following the others.
Meanwhile, Godzilla had managed to recover from that massive hit to the head just in time to see that the disguised Energy Beast had gone.
"Well, that was definitely not one of your better moves, Goji," he muttered to himself. "Ugh… Man, something tells me I'm gonna be feeling that for a long time to come," he groaned as one more pang of pain went through his cranium.
"Uncle Goji! Are you OK?!"
Godzilla looked to see Zooky flying in front of him, Vicky on his back and waving.
"I'm fine, guys," he answered, which got sighs of relief from his nephew and the young human girl.
"GODZILLA, LISTEN," came Vicky's voice through the watch's vocal amplification unit. "IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE'S HEADING BACK TO SUNDANCE MESA. YOU'D BETTER GET MOVING."
Sure enough, the Kaiju Prince heard the retreating helicopter blades and began pushing his way out of the rock pile as soon as Zooky and his passenger had started heading off in the same direction. Once he picked up the scent and got himself focused, Godzilla set off in pursuit.
To the luck of the Calico crew, Vicky, Zooky, and the Constanza twins, they managed to arrive before the Fake Godzilla did, leaving Mr. Cecilio and his crew at the SEC so that they could report the events that would follow.
"Agnes, Alan, where have you two been?" Mr. Martin asked when the group of seven humans came through the door.
"It's a long story, sir," Agnes answered as she guided Vicky to the bathroom so that she could take care of herself.
"What happened at the reactor?" Nelik queried; he had seen what had occurred on the television screen, but he wanted someone to explain it truthfully.
"No time for that now, Mr. Nelik," Captain Majors said.
"You've got to show us how to work the controls on the Solar Energy Collector," Quinn said.
"I can do that," Alan volunteered as he led them to the right control panel. "Mr. Nelik has shown me how to do it many times."
"What's this all about?" Mr. Nelik demanded.
"Remember that I told you that the Godzilla that attacked the power station was a fake and that he might come back here? Well, he's coming and the real Godzilla's on his tail," Alan explained. "If we want to save the dam from a second beating, we've gotta distract the fake. And when he sees what we have in store for him…oh-hoo-hoo-hoo…" the young man chuckled, "he's going to be so confused that he won't know up from down."
And that's it for chapter 6! Now all that's left is the final showdown and an epilogue that will answer a question that I'm sure has been bugging you guys from the start: Just who is the Energy Beast's master?
Pete and Godzooky have arrived back at Sundance Mesa where they and the Constanza twins exchange information, and all of it bad. This prompts the quartet to do a little detective work and they soon reach the same conclusion Vicky did back in chapter 4: The Godzilla that attacked the power station is a fake and is the Energy Beast in disguise! Of course, there's a slight problem of proving just that to everyone else, but Godzooky has a plan, and he has to be at Crescent Beach for it to work. After an argument between the Constanza twins, the quartet are on their way. Once there, Godzooky lets out his "Mom SOS" which not only catches the attention of everyone in the area, but also brings another Godzilla onto the scene, and boy howdy, what an entrance!
After a slight beratement from Dr. Darien, the younger members of the crew and the interns try to tell the others their findings, but yet another debate arises as to how they can tell one Godzilla from the other, especially since Vicky is no longer getting herself in on the fight. Of course, that doesn't mean that she's entirely safe as the disguised Energy Beast manages to harness some laser eye-beam power of his own and sends a blast right at her that was about to hit the reactor! This prompts Zooky to head up for a rescue mission, which the girl is grateful for, but both are knocked down by the disguised Energy Beast before they can get anywhere. This MAJORLY sets the real Godzilla off and he demonstrates his incredible strength by flipping his opponent into the surf, then breaking his left arm. Ouch! Yeah, I think the sound of kaiju bones being snapped is a sound that doesn't leave your mind that quickly.
Once there's a break in the action, the real Godzilla turns his attention to Godzooky and Vicky and takes them to safety. And after everything that just happened, I don't anyone could blame Zooky for wanting a little bit of comfort; I would if I were in his place. On another note, this little moment seems to confirm something that has been on Dr. Darien's mind for a long time, as well as stun Alan and the newsmen. Unfortunately, the moment is not to last as the injured Energy Beast gets back on his feet to continue the fight. Godzilla has the upper hand until he accidentally hits a rock wall. Ouch.
Taking advantage of the error, the Energy Beast starts heading back to Sundance Mesa, but Godzilla is on his tail and the humans are ahead of him with a plan of their own. This can only spell disaster for the malevolent kaiju.
Here are the questions:
How would you contribute to the detective work Pete, Zooky, and the Constanza twins do when they're trying to figure out what's going on?
What word would you use to describe the brother-sister dynamic between Alan and Agnes?
What would your reaction be at seeing the second (and real) Godzilla come up out of the water with his dorsals and eyes all aglow?
Based on the information you have, how would you tell the two Godzillas apart?
What would your thoughts and reaction be at seeing Godzilla break his doppelganger's arm? At seeing the moment between Godzilla and Godzooky?
And finally, how would you explain things to Nelik and Martin?
And here are the translations:
Es terrible – It's terrible
Tío – uncle
Sí – yes
¡Increíble! – Incredible!
¡Como el árbol! – Like the tree!
¡Espera un momento! – Wait a minute!
¡Guau! – Wow!
¡Lo sabía! – I knew it!
¡Sabía que no era él! – I knew it wasn't him!
Un momento – a moment
Falsa – fake
Tía – aunt
Estás demente – Are you insane?!/You're insane!
¡Te van a matar! – You're going to get killed!
¡No voy a sentarme aquí! – I'm not going to sit here!
Además, ¡podemos avisarles cuando lleguemos allí! – Plus, we can tell them when we get there!
Adiós, señor – Goodbye, sir
No trabajaré para ELLOS – I won't work for THEM
¿Cómo conseguí una chica loca como tú tuviera una hermana gemela? – How did I get a crazy girl like you for a twin sister?
¿Qué es—? – What is-?
Doctora – Doctor
Muy enojado – very angry
¡Mira! – Look!
Oh, ¿no es hermosa? – Oh, isn't it beautiful?
¡Eso es genial! – That's genius!
Next time, it's the final confrontation at Sundance Mesa and the beginnings of the aftermath.
As always, please read and review. Thank you! :)