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Junior never saw what happened to his father. The sight of a titanic protector slowly vanishing as his body melts, his yells from a fate he cannot understand as his body falls apart until he can no longer feel from the numbing chill of human technology. The last fragments dwindling to a mere hill before a spectacle of particles emerge from his body. An essence that transfers to Junior’s comatose body, gaining enough of his parent’s energy to jump-start his heart.
He stumbles to get up, now feeling the effects of being large enough to meet the size of other monsters. Confusion overtakes him, unsure of the absence of anything. The red devil is gone and he is calmed by that. But Godzilla is nowhere to be found. He yells out a high pitched scream, but there is no deeper one to respond back. An animalistic worry takes over and he screams with bursts in all directions. Junior assumes the worst. That his dad sacrificed himself to kill the devil.
Unable to get any closure yet fortunate enough to not see his father’s demise, he leaves the city and its noise for his home on Monster Island. Rudimentary memories come to him as Godzilla teaches him about using his atomic fire. He remembered Godzilla groaning and shaking his head at the bubbles. Godzilla’s stern yet driven nature would ot stop until Junior’s bubbles could explode as an attack, and Junior was eager to show off to his papa. Junior’s bouncing happiness was reflected in Godzilla’s calm nodding, fitting for an experienced and stoic warrior.
Junior’s memories recounted him growing larger and being taught how to fight with his body. How to strike with teeth, claw, and tail. His agility impressed Godzilla, being far more nimble than other monsters. This proved useful as the two were attacked by a group of kamacuras, catching Goji off guard and chewing at his body from behind. Junior paced around each to tail whip the mantis. He circled the rest until they were in between him and Godzilla. One launched at him and he swatted it away with deep claw marks.
Godzilla roared as a signal for him to finish off the bugs, and Junior opened his mouth. Yet the bugs were stiff from fear. They could not attack or even move. Godzilla motioned his head upward to coax Junior, but he was not budging. Junior moved backward and gave a passage for the creatures to escape. They meekly moved forward, dashing away when they were sure it was not a trap. Junior saw them fly off and turned to look at his father who had growled at this. Godzilla thought it was stupid to let enemies go thinking they will return. Yet Junior was too soft-hearted to kill if it could be avoided, not that Godzilla saw any merit in that. Junior’s disappointment soured his demeanor, and he felt it was not weakness to spare losers even in a harsh world.
The next memory was of him as a nervous human-sized baby swimming to Monster Island like this exact moment. He remembered the waters rushing and swaying from a storm, and his body was not amphibious enough to gain control. He flailed and shrieked, and Godzilla leaned toward Junior to latch onto in the storm. Godzilla's steady nature eased Junior even as they reached the coast.
The rest of the memory was foggy, but he recalled being safe and calm beside his dad next to a mountain. The surprising gentleness of the intimidating beast etched into Junior's brain. Godzilla was rarely happy in an obvious way, but it was clear that his melancholy translated into a quiet nurturing of his child.
Junior swam on as tears dropped to the sea and caused waves. Junior's mouth opened a bit to make a soft roar that only monsters could make. He reached the coast and his thunderous footsteps alerted the denizens that he returned. Creatures from all types looked around for another Godzilla, but they assumed what happened and let Junior walk on.
Junior's strength was as respected as his mercy, with many former enemies becoming neighbors or even friends. Not a soul wanted to make his life worse. The surliest beasts were afraid of Junior striking at them, while the others knew Junior was not aggressive in his sadness.
Along his path he spotted Mothra's son Leo, who had grown to look as moth-like as his mother. Coming from a long line of understanding creatures, Leo flew alongside Junior as company. In a form of primal comradery, Leo simply chirped to give Junior a friendly voice.
Leo showed Junior around his area and the dinosaur was surprised to see Mothra nowhere to be found. Leo's low chirp and slow flapping told Junior about her fate. Another death at the hand of a cruel beast, this time by one with three heads. Desghidorah killed her and Leo’s sorrow turned to rage and he in turn destroyed the dragon. The event was told in simple animal communication, but Junior understood the major pieces of Leo’s loss and bittersweet victory. Junior's empathy had him stuck to the moth, and he sat down at Leo's nesting spot for company on this grim night.
Junior lied down on his side and Leo draped a large wing over him. The two rested as well as they could, with physical comfort mitigating the loneliness. But they had each other, and the multiple monsters that were spared by kindness. Among them were the mantises he fought so long ago, now watching in insectoid curiosity.
Junior would be a new king of the monsters, having the victorious legacy of Godzilla and the compassion of his own nature. His father's energy still heated his body, and he felt emboldened to succeed in every conflict. He had grown tired of death, and he would challenge it every chance he could. Junior had resolved to use his father’s spirit for the betterment of the island and its monsters, knowing there could always be a stronger foe out there that he and the others can win against.