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Description
(Yes, Zone is still a TV character in the Neoverse)

Meteor Hero
ZONE FIGHTER

HEIGHT: 40 meters
MASS: 15,000 tons

ABILITIES/ASPECTS:
- Meteor Proton Beam from forehead
- Uzi Punch
- Meteor Missile Might bracelets
- Hyper-Barrier

UP NEXT - Jirass

Three-Part Saga
"Vicious Monsters Approach! Godzilla Appears!"

(Courtesy of and

“Come in, Coastguard. Come in, Coastguard!” The captain sighed distantly to himself and set down the radio’s speaker. Still nothing. The first mate set down his binoculars and shook his head. They’d been lost for a little over an hour, ever since the gales had blown them off-course. Now, Fujisawa found himself faced with every captain’s worst nightmare short of the ship sinking.

The business had been struggling for months, anyway. He couldn’t afford radar, repairs for the barometer or even a decent radio. He’d be forced to file for a bankruptcy if they didn’t get a decent catch soon. The last part, though, was the bitterest by far.

“These waters are supposed to be solid with fish,” he muttered, “and we’re getting nothing.”

“They’re saying there’s a storm coming in,” the first mate pointed out. “Maybe we should turn back.”

“We could,” The captain replied grimly, “if we knew where ‘back’ was.” He turned back to the radio. “Coastguard? S.O.S. This is the…”

The boat shook. Not just shook, but lurched so violently that its occupants were thrown to the floor. “What was that?” The first mate shouted, pushing himself up against the wall.

Shaking his head in bemusement, the captain made his way outside. There was one thing he could tell, and he only realised it when he got outside: they weren’t moving. The rhythmic sway of the waves was gone. “What…?”

Something was clustered around the base of the fishing boat; thick, smooth spikes rising out of the water. “Looks like we hit coral,” he called inside. “Call the coastguard again; if you get through, tell them that.”

The boat shook again. The captain had only time to cry out in surprise as the entire boat was carried up as something impossible huge rose from the water beneath it. It was only when he turned and the boat fell, revealing what passed behind it, that he realised what they’d been resting on.

A head. A head bigger than the trawler itself.

The two massive jaws clamped around the ship in a cloud of splintering wood and spraying surf.

~~~

Tokyo

Hikaru silenced the alarm clock by angrily swatting it, rolling over in bed. Why he’d ever set the thing had been beyond him; it was Saturday, he was tired, there was no work to… work!

He sprang out of bed, dressed as quickly as he could and tore his way downstairs. Now he’d done it; he was supposed to be at the garage by now to help tune up that old racer. It was the biggest client for months, and if they didn’t have a test driver, then…

Upon reaching the kitchen, he vaulted over the table and grabbed two slices of toast that had just popped out of the toaster. “Hey!” Akira shouted from the table, “That was mine!” Indeed, the youngest of the three Sakimori siblings already had a pot of strawberry jam ready.

“Sorry, squirt,” Hikaru said hurriedly, “Gotta go. Work.”

“No you don’t,” said the stern, harsh voice from behind the newspaper. Hikaru froze immediately, sighed and handed the toast to Akira. You didn’t argue with Raita Sakimori. Still, Hikaru was nothing if not persistent.

“But I-”

“It’s taken care of,” Tsukiko said as she put some more bread in the toaster. “You’ve got the day off sick. No son of mine neglects his duty.”

Oh. That duty.

“We’re going to the sea,” Hotaru said with tangible sarcasm as she finished half a bowl of cereal. “Grandpa’s been watching the news.”

“Reading, actually,” Raita said, putting the newspaper down on the table. “Look at this.”

Hikaru leaned over and inspected the headline: Pleas from fishermen’s families; sixth disappearance. “Four fishing trawlers have gone missing in as many days,” Raita said gravely. “The boats looking for them haven’t fared much better.”

“A monster?” Hikaru asked. In any other family, the question would probably be laughed at, even considering how many there were running around.

“The last disappearance,” Raita pointed to another part of the article, “is about five miles away from the location.”

“What island?” Hotaru asked. Raita looked grimly up at her. “The location,” he said. Hikaru felt a cold chill run down his spine.

“No,” he said, shaking his head from side to side, “no way. It crashed.”

“I know,” Raita said.

“I saw it.”

“I know.”

“Demonicus is dead.” Hikaru still hated saying the name out loud. It was hardly surprising; the man had nearly killed him. Few human beings could ever aim to be as dangerous as he was, but even so, there was no way he could have survived that crash. In the ship. The massive, heavily-armoured, well-equipped…

”We never even thought about it,” Raita said darkly, “we never even considered that he might have survived the crash. And if there’s another monster in the area…”

“What if it’s not him?” Hotaru suggested. “There are lots of monsters he didn’t make; Rodan, Godzilla, Mothra…”

“You have a point,” Raita said as he rose, “we need to be sure. Everybody into the lab.”

As Raita and the other two Sakimori siblings hurried out of the room, Hikaru sighed to himself and took a bite of toast, glancing back at the paper.

“Maybe I should put a personal ad in there,” he grumbled to himself as he followed. “Single Japanese male looking for one damn day where nothing tries to tear his head off…”

~~~

Any visitor would have to be impressed by Raita’s lab. The man had actually maid a satellite, disguised as a cloud, which shot lightning at targets. Any military scientist would trample an old lady to get hold of something like that.

Hikaru, Hotaru and Akira huddled round as Raita turned the computer on. “Give me some space, would you?” the old man grumbled as his fingers danced over the keyboard. “Here we are… if this is the site of the attacks,” he said, pointing to part of the screen, “then… hmm. There’s an island,” he muttered, “a quarter-mile north from the last incident. Maybe…”

Then came the explosion. The world seemed to shake for a second as the massive, low thunder of the explosion tore through the sleepy morning air.

“What was that?” Hotaru shouted. By the time Hikaru scrambled to the window, he could see the thick plume of smoke rising from Tokyo Bay. “That’s the oil refinery,” he realised.

Yoichiro poked his head in through the doorway, still fiddling with a new invention. So that was where the father of the family had been. “Everyone,” he said urgently, “look at the news!”

~~~

“For those of you just tuning in,” the reporter on TV announced, “there has just been a major incident in the industry district of Tokyo Bay. The cause has not yet been identified,” he continued as a camera started to pan over the scene of the fire and smoke billowing from the separation tower, “but we are receiving word that the armed forces have been mobilised. All citizens in or near the Tokyo Bay area are advised to evacuate in an orderly and efficient manner.”

Then the camera moved over the scene, turning to a view of… of…

“Oh…” Hikaru said dumbly, eyes wide, “that… that’s not good.”

The thing that stepped through the smoke was a grey-green mountain of bone and muscle. The simplest way Hikaru could think of to describe it was a massive, muscled dinosaur, its back covered in huge, bristling and jagged dorsal fins, the back of its neck and head like spiky hair. Its arms were held close to its chest like a boxer, and its legs were like thick pillars of muscle. But there was only one word that would do it justice.

“Godzilla…”

“Hikaru,” Raita said quietly, “suit up.”

Hikaru hesitated. He looked to his grandfather, then to the screen, then back again. “What?”

“Go,” Raita insisted.

“That’s Godzilla!” Hikaru shouted, “Godzilla! The actual Godzilla! What am I supposed to do against that?”

“Get him out of the bay,” Raita snapped. “You’ve fought tougher!”

“When?” Hikaru yelled. “I’ve seen footage of that thing being nuked and getting back up!”

“Use your head,” Raita barked. “I’ll have Great Raideki online to assist you. There are still people round there.”

Hikaru looked back at the screen. Raita was right; he’d never forgive himself if he let someone get hurt. He’d just have to, as Raita had said, use his head. “Alright.”

~~~

The Skyline GT swerved round the street corner as Hikaru struggled to bring it back under control. He was, he had to admit, driving like a lunatic. The smoke from the latest in the series of explosions filled the horizon now. Still, he wasn’t going to change until the last minute. The transformation only lasted for a limited time, and from what he knew of Godzilla, he was going to need every last bit. He’d once seen footage of G-Force’s most elite unit going up against Godzilla, armed with the most sophisticated weapons known to man. They’d lasted exactly 79 seconds. Therefore, he’d need the element of surprise. In all fairness, he’d take anything right now.

“I’m close enough,” he said to the radio.

“You’ve got a good chance,” Raita’s voice crackled through the static. “Remember: hit him hard, hit him fast, and avoid the fire breath.”

“Thanks,” Hikaru said with an edge of sarcasm. “Needed that last part.”

He stopped the car, climbed out and moved his arms into the correct stance. And…

“Zon Faita!”

There was a blinding light, and Hikaru’s body began to shift, covering itself with streams of metal as his form was replaced by a blue-and-silver figure. As soon as that light faded, Hikaru moved his arms into another position and shouted: “Zone! Double! Fight!” Then, quickly, impossibly, he began to grow, to grow, grow and grow, until finally he towered over the street.

And there, in front of him, facing away, was Godzilla.

This was it, then. No holding back. Just hit him.

Zone Fighter ran forward, launched himself into the air and, pointing his forehead and hands forward, willed the Proton Beam into activation. Godzilla’s thunderous, earth-shaking roar rang out as the strafing blasts of orange energy collided with his mighty form, rocking the unprepared creature forward.

“Alright, big guy!” Hikaru shouted. Yes, he was grandstanding, but it was either that or scream. “How about picking on someone…” the hunched-over Godzilla stood, turning with a low rumble that sounded like an avalanche- and revealing just how massive this creature was. “…your… own… size?” Hikaru slowed as he realised he was looking up to meet Godzilla’s gaze. He was just about above the beast’s shoulders. “Okay… so stay right there, and I’ll go and find someone.”

The really striking thing about Godzilla, he noticed, was the eyes, blazing red, yellow and orange. It was odd, but looking at them, it was like knowing the creature instinctively. There was intelligence in those eyes that predated any human thought, steeped in guile and cunning. Not “intellect” as humans might know it, more of an arrangement of instincts and-

He was still staring.

Even if he’d been prepared to block the blow that followed, Hikaru was quite sure that all he would have done was break his arm. He staggered to the side as Godzilla’s clawed fist completed its arc, and barely had time to steady himself when the thick whip of a tail caught his midsection, carrying him back through the air.

He hit the ground with a hard grunt, pushing himself up on his elbows. Damn… he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hit that hard. Then Godzilla roared again, lumbering towards him.

“Fine, then,” Hikaru said, “eat this… Uzi Punch!”

When Godzilla reached him, he was greeted by a blur of fists, striking him from every direction as his massive, lumbering form struggled to move in time to block anything. The sheer force of the unexpected strike sent him lumbering back, and Zone Fighter quickly followed through by spinning round, kicking Godzilla square in the chest.

Yes! He couldn’t believe this- was he actually matching Godzilla? Focus, he told himself. Keep it up.

Using the momentum he’d already built, he launched himself over Godzilla’s shoulder, spun round to face him again and fired off another volley of proton beams. Godzilla howled in fury, turning and swatting at the blasts.

Then the plates on his back started to glow. Zone Fighter dodged to the side, but the blast of blue, white-hot flame that followed still had enough force to knock him on his side. When he looked up, Godzilla was upon him, one foot in the air.

“Uh-oh.”

~~~

Even Raita winced. It was unavoidable. Getting one’s chest stomped on by a giant mutant dinosaur was one of those things that just had to hurt.

“He’s… not doing so good, is he?” Hotaru volunteered, staring at the screen.

“Wait,” Yoichiro spoke up. “Look.” He pointed to Godzilla as Zone Fighter caught his foot, preventing a second stomp by flipping Godzilla groundwards.

“Nice one,” Akira observed.

“No, look at Godzilla,” Yoichiro indicated as the monster got to his feet.

”Yes,” Raita realised, his eyes lighting up, “yes, I see it!”

“See what?” Hotaru asked.

“Watch his movements,” Raita pointed, narrating as Godzilla moved; up, forward, down. That’s how he walks.

“And that’s important because…?”

“Any living thing moves far more fluidly,” Raita explained, “this is almost robotic. Like a…”

“A remote-controlled toy,” Yoichiro realised.

Raita immediately turned back to the keyboard, another screen lighting up.

“There,” he pointed at the waves moving across the screen, “a signal. Now, if I can trace it… aha!”

There it was, blinking on the map. The source of the signal.

“Wait a second,” Yoichiro spoke up, “you’ve lost me here.”

“Godzilla has never attacked unprovoked,” Raita said, “it’s just possible that something’s affecting him, and whatever it is, it’s on that island.”

“On it,” Hotaru announced, shifting her arms. “Zon Enjeru!”

~~~

Before Zone Fighter could stop Godzilla, the saurian’s hands were wrapped around his head, twisting it as the human giant resisted with all his strength. “Let me go, damn it…” he wheezed. “Fine, if that’s how you want it…” anything to avoid admitting to himself that his vision was starting to fade. Breathing got difficult with monster-hands on your windpipe. Reaching out desperately, he grabbed Godzilla’s thrashing tail and started to pull.

“Hikaru!” Raita’s voice buzzed in the side of his helmet.

“Can’t… talk… now!” Zone Fighter wheezed. “lasma Capsule!” the blast lanced outwards, burning Godzilla. Zone Fighter gasped for breath as he finally broke free of Godzilla’s death-grip.

“Something’s controlling Godzilla,” Raita explained, “it may be that he doesn’t want to harm you.”

”Really?” Hikaru yelled in the middle of summoning a Zone-Barrier that barely held back another blast of atomic fire, “because this is one hell of an impression!”

“Zone Angel and Zone Junior are going to find the source of the problem,” Raita lectured. “Can you get Godzilla out of the bay without causing any damage?”

The bay. They were in Tokyo Bay. Of course!

“On it.”

Zone Fighter leapt up into the air, taking flight, and spun round as Godzilla followed, bellowing furiously. Then he flew in front behind, grabbing the monster by his underarms, and, pushing all the power he had into the flight, tearing across the harbour before releasing the grip.

Howling furiously, Godzilla hit the sea in a massive wall of water as Zone Fighter half-landed, half-crashed, on the shore.

“Whew…” he pushed himself back up, looking back down at the belt. The light changed from a consistent green to a fading and re-brightening orange. No wonder; damn, but that lizard could take a punch.

Then the water exploded, and Godzilla tore out, bellowing and brandishing his claws.

“Okay, that’s just not funny… Proton Beam!” The beam shot forth, striking Godzilla in the chest. He staggered, but kept his footing…

Leaping up, Zone Fighter brought both his fists slamming down on Godzilla’s head, pushing himself back away- not quickly enough to avoid Godzilla grabbing his wrist, swinging him round and slamming him into the ground. The monster leered up above him, his back flashing brilliant blue…

“Hyper-Shield!” The shield burned into existence just before the blast impacted, sending it rocketing back up and striking Godzilla in the face with his own attack. The monster howled, falling back as his tail thrashed madly. Pressing the advantage, Zone Fighter grabbed the tail, heaved and, with all his strength, carried Godzilla round in an arc, sending him flying into the side of a separation tower that exploded in a pillar of flame.

Godzilla rose, the smoke parting as he lumbered forward, swinging his claws at the air.

Then, before he could reach Zone Fighter, a volley of missiles struck the side of his head in streams of black smoke, consuming his face in rolling fire as rockets and tank shells blasted against his scaly hide. The thick, blue strikes of Maser cannons lanced across Godzilla’s body.

“Hikaru,” Yoichiro’s voice buzzed in his ear, “how are you doing?”

“Alright,” Zone Fighter breathed, taking the chance to catch his breath, “the army’s turned up…”

Godzilla pulled his head back, his mouth filling with blue smoke.

“…For me to save. Gotta go!”

Zone Fighter struck Godzilla from the side, knocking him away from the troops. Then, just as the monster turned to attack again, a thick, snaking blast of lightning struck at his chest. Zone Fighter looked up at the thick, black cloud. “Nice one, gramps…”

Godzilla turned back to Zone Fighter, snarling deeply.

Zone Fighter took a fighting stance again, looking down at his energy belt. “Oh, this doesn’t look pretty…”

~~~

“There it is!”

Indeed, the island was just coming into view. Hotaru flipped a few switches and brought Smokey, the Zone Family’s trusty aircraft, in for a landing.

“Grandpa,” Hotaru asked into her communicator, “How’s Hikaru doing?”

“…Fine,” Raita said hurriedly. “Do, um, do be quick, won’t you?” the radio clicked off.

“Stay with the plane,” Hotaru instructed, “I’ll take a look.”

“No way. We both got sent here.”

“Stay. Here.”

“No!”

Hotaru sighed, waving her hands in the air. “Fine,” she muttered, “let’s go.”

The plane descended, moving around a massive volcano at the centre of the island. It was then that Hotaru happened to glance out of her window. “Oh…”

Within the crater, beneath a crisscross pattern of glowing red energy, sat the massive, glowing meteorite. Above it, built into the side of the volcano, was the smooth, pale orb of a massive window.

“That’s skull-face’s rock…” Hotaru realised. The Life-Stone.

Now that was a bad sign…

~~~

Zone Fighter raised his arms just in time, locking them with Godzilla’s as they both pushed against each other, digging in their heels. Now, he told himself, get this just right…

He leaned back, positioning his legs and, using Godzilla’s own weight, flipped the monster over his turning shoulder, bringing the monster crashing into the ground.

“Now…” he breathed, looking down at his still-decreasing power indicator, “just stay down for…”

By the time he saw the blow coming, it was too late to stop it.

~~~

“You think it’s Demonicus?” Zone Junior asked quietly as he followed Zone Angel down the rock face to the top of the energy grid. The steel doors built into the mountainside below were the only visible entrance.

“That’s the Life Stone,” Hotaru confirmed. “Hell, doesn’t he ever know when to stay down?”

They approached the door, and both reached out to pull it open…

Then cried out, their bodies glowing with yellow light, and fell to the floor. The electric shock had been both powerful and unexpected.

The steel doors slid open, and the five men that emerged, clad in red-and-white jumpsuits complete with cowls and skull-masks, dragged them inside…

~~~

End of Part 1.

(Again - credit to for writing the fanfic)

Description
(Yes, Zone is still a TV character in the Neoverse)

Meteor Hero
ZONE FIGHTER

HEIGHT: 40 meters
MASS: 15,000 tons

ABILITIES/ASPECTS:
- Meteor Proton Beam from forehead
- Uzi Punch
- Meteor Missile Might bracelets
- Hyper-Barrier

UP NEXT - Jirass

Three-Part Saga
"Vicious Monsters Approach! Godzilla Appears!"

(Courtesy of and

“Come in, Coastguard. Come in, Coastguard!” The captain sighed distantly to himself and set down the radio’s speaker. Still nothing. The first mate set down his binoculars and shook his head. They’d been lost for a little over an hour, ever since the gales had blown them off-course. Now, Fujisawa found himself faced with every captain’s worst nightmare short of the ship sinking.

The business had been struggling for months, anyway. He couldn’t afford radar, repairs for the barometer or even a decent radio. He’d be forced to file for a bankruptcy if they didn’t get a decent catch soon. The last part, though, was the bitterest by far.

“These waters are supposed to be solid with fish,” he muttered, “and we’re getting nothing.”

“They’re saying there’s a storm coming in,” the first mate pointed out. “Maybe we should turn back.”

“We could,” The captain replied grimly, “if we knew where ‘back’ was.” He turned back to the radio. “Coastguard? S.O.S. This is the…”

The boat shook. Not just shook, but lurched so violently that its occupants were thrown to the floor. “What was that?” The first mate shouted, pushing himself up against the wall.

Shaking his head in bemusement, the captain made his way outside. There was one thing he could tell, and he only realised it when he got outside: they weren’t moving. The rhythmic sway of the waves was gone. “What…?”

Something was clustered around the base of the fishing boat; thick, smooth spikes rising out of the water. “Looks like we hit coral,” he called inside. “Call the coastguard again; if you get through, tell them that.”

The boat shook again. The captain had only time to cry out in surprise as the entire boat was carried up as something impossible huge rose from the water beneath it. It was only when he turned and the boat fell, revealing what passed behind it, that he realised what they’d been resting on.

A head. A head bigger than the trawler itself.

The two massive jaws clamped around the ship in a cloud of splintering wood and spraying surf.

~~~

Tokyo

Hikaru silenced the alarm clock by angrily swatting it, rolling over in bed. Why he’d ever set the thing had been beyond him; it was Saturday, he was tired, there was no work to… work!

He sprang out of bed, dressed as quickly as he could and tore his way downstairs. Now he’d done it; he was supposed to be at the garage by now to help tune up that old racer. It was the biggest client for months, and if they didn’t have a test driver, then…

Upon reaching the kitchen, he vaulted over the table and grabbed two slices of toast that had just popped out of the toaster. “Hey!” Akira shouted from the table, “That was mine!” Indeed, the youngest of the three Sakimori siblings already had a pot of strawberry jam ready.

“Sorry, squirt,” Hikaru said hurriedly, “Gotta go. Work.”

“No you don’t,” said the stern, harsh voice from behind the newspaper. Hikaru froze immediately, sighed and handed the toast to Akira. You didn’t argue with Raita Sakimori. Still, Hikaru was nothing if not persistent.

“But I-”

“It’s taken care of,” Tsukiko said as she put some more bread in the toaster. “You’ve got the day off sick. No son of mine neglects his duty.”

Oh. That duty.

“We’re going to the sea,” Hotaru said with tangible sarcasm as she finished half a bowl of cereal. “Grandpa’s been watching the news.”

“Reading, actually,” Raita said, putting the newspaper down on the table. “Look at this.”

Hikaru leaned over and inspected the headline: Pleas from fishermen’s families; sixth disappearance. “Four fishing trawlers have gone missing in as many days,” Raita said gravely. “The boats looking for them haven’t fared much better.”

“A monster?” Hikaru asked. In any other family, the question would probably be laughed at, even considering how many there were running around.

“The last disappearance,” Raita pointed to another part of the article, “is about five miles away from the location.”

“What island?” Hotaru asked. Raita looked grimly up at her. “The location,” he said. Hikaru felt a cold chill run down his spine.

“No,” he said, shaking his head from side to side, “no way. It crashed.”

“I know,” Raita said.

“I saw it.”

“I know.”

“Demonicus is dead.” Hikaru still hated saying the name out loud. It was hardly surprising; the man had nearly killed him. Few human beings could ever aim to be as dangerous as he was, but even so, there was no way he could have survived that crash. In the ship. The massive, heavily-armoured, well-equipped…

”We never even thought about it,” Raita said darkly, “we never even considered that he might have survived the crash. And if there’s another monster in the area…”

“What if it’s not him?” Hotaru suggested. “There are lots of monsters he didn’t make; Rodan, Godzilla, Mothra…”

“You have a point,” Raita said as he rose, “we need to be sure. Everybody into the lab.”

As Raita and the other two Sakimori siblings hurried out of the room, Hikaru sighed to himself and took a bite of toast, glancing back at the paper.

“Maybe I should put a personal ad in there,” he grumbled to himself as he followed. “Single Japanese male looking for one damn day where nothing tries to tear his head off…”

~~~

Any visitor would have to be impressed by Raita’s lab. The man had actually maid a satellite, disguised as a cloud, which shot lightning at targets. Any military scientist would trample an old lady to get hold of something like that.

Hikaru, Hotaru and Akira huddled round as Raita turned the computer on. “Give me some space, would you?” the old man grumbled as his fingers danced over the keyboard. “Here we are… if this is the site of the attacks,” he said, pointing to part of the screen, “then… hmm. There’s an island,” he muttered, “a quarter-mile north from the last incident. Maybe…”

Then came the explosion. The world seemed to shake for a second as the massive, low thunder of the explosion tore through the sleepy morning air.

“What was that?” Hotaru shouted. By the time Hikaru scrambled to the window, he could see the thick plume of smoke rising from Tokyo Bay. “That’s the oil refinery,” he realised.

Yoichiro poked his head in through the doorway, still fiddling with a new invention. So that was where the father of the family had been. “Everyone,” he said urgently, “look at the news!”

~~~

“For those of you just tuning in,” the reporter on TV announced, “there has just been a major incident in the industry district of Tokyo Bay. The cause has not yet been identified,” he continued as a camera started to pan over the scene of the fire and smoke billowing from the separation tower, “but we are receiving word that the armed forces have been mobilised. All citizens in or near the Tokyo Bay area are advised to evacuate in an orderly and efficient manner.”

Then the camera moved over the scene, turning to a view of… of…

“Oh…” Hikaru said dumbly, eyes wide, “that… that’s not good.”

The thing that stepped through the smoke was a grey-green mountain of bone and muscle. The simplest way Hikaru could think of to describe it was a massive, muscled dinosaur, its back covered in huge, bristling and jagged dorsal fins, the back of its neck and head like spiky hair. Its arms were held close to its chest like a boxer, and its legs were like thick pillars of muscle. But there was only one word that would do it justice.

“Godzilla…”

“Hikaru,” Raita said quietly, “suit up.”

Hikaru hesitated. He looked to his grandfather, then to the screen, then back again. “What?”

“Go,” Raita insisted.

“That’s Godzilla!” Hikaru shouted, “Godzilla! The actual Godzilla! What am I supposed to do against that?”

“Get him out of the bay,” Raita snapped. “You’ve fought tougher!”

“When?” Hikaru yelled. “I’ve seen footage of that thing being nuked and getting back up!”

“Use your head,” Raita barked. “I’ll have Great Raideki online to assist you. There are still people round there.”

Hikaru looked back at the screen. Raita was right; he’d never forgive himself if he let someone get hurt. He’d just have to, as Raita had said, use his head. “Alright.”

~~~

The Skyline GT swerved round the street corner as Hikaru struggled to bring it back under control. He was, he had to admit, driving like a lunatic. The smoke from the latest in the series of explosions filled the horizon now. Still, he wasn’t going to change until the last minute. The transformation only lasted for a limited time, and from what he knew of Godzilla, he was going to need every last bit. He’d once seen footage of G-Force’s most elite unit going up against Godzilla, armed with the most sophisticated weapons known to man. They’d lasted exactly 79 seconds. Therefore, he’d need the element of surprise. In all fairness, he’d take anything right now.

“I’m close enough,” he said to the radio.

“You’ve got a good chance,” Raita’s voice crackled through the static. “Remember: hit him hard, hit him fast, and avoid the fire breath.”

“Thanks,” Hikaru said with an edge of sarcasm. “Needed that last part.”

He stopped the car, climbed out and moved his arms into the correct stance. And…

“Zon Faita!”

There was a blinding light, and Hikaru’s body began to shift, covering itself with streams of metal as his form was replaced by a blue-and-silver figure. As soon as that light faded, Hikaru moved his arms into another position and shouted: “Zone! Double! Fight!” Then, quickly, impossibly, he began to grow, to grow, grow and grow, until finally he towered over the street.

And there, in front of him, facing away, was Godzilla.

This was it, then. No holding back. Just hit him.

Zone Fighter ran forward, launched himself into the air and, pointing his forehead and hands forward, willed the Proton Beam into activation. Godzilla’s thunderous, earth-shaking roar rang out as the strafing blasts of orange energy collided with his mighty form, rocking the unprepared creature forward.

“Alright, big guy!” Hikaru shouted. Yes, he was grandstanding, but it was either that or scream. “How about picking on someone…” the hunched-over Godzilla stood, turning with a low rumble that sounded like an avalanche- and revealing just how massive this creature was. “…your… own… size?” Hikaru slowed as he realised he was looking up to meet Godzilla’s gaze. He was just about above the beast’s shoulders. “Okay… so stay right there, and I’ll go and find someone.”

The really striking thing about Godzilla, he noticed, was the eyes, blazing red, yellow and orange. It was odd, but looking at them, it was like knowing the creature instinctively. There was intelligence in those eyes that predated any human thought, steeped in guile and cunning. Not “intellect” as humans might know it, more of an arrangement of instincts and-

He was still staring.

Even if he’d been prepared to block the blow that followed, Hikaru was quite sure that all he would have done was break his arm. He staggered to the side as Godzilla’s clawed fist completed its arc, and barely had time to steady himself when the thick whip of a tail caught his midsection, carrying him back through the air.

He hit the ground with a hard grunt, pushing himself up on his elbows. Damn… he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hit that hard. Then Godzilla roared again, lumbering towards him.

“Fine, then,” Hikaru said, “eat this… Uzi Punch!”

When Godzilla reached him, he was greeted by a blur of fists, striking him from every direction as his massive, lumbering form struggled to move in time to block anything. The sheer force of the unexpected strike sent him lumbering back, and Zone Fighter quickly followed through by spinning round, kicking Godzilla square in the chest.

Yes! He couldn’t believe this- was he actually matching Godzilla? Focus, he told himself. Keep it up.

Using the momentum he’d already built, he launched himself over Godzilla’s shoulder, spun round to face him again and fired off another volley of proton beams. Godzilla howled in fury, turning and swatting at the blasts.

Then the plates on his back started to glow. Zone Fighter dodged to the side, but the blast of blue, white-hot flame that followed still had enough force to knock him on his side. When he looked up, Godzilla was upon him, one foot in the air.

“Uh-oh.”

~~~

Even Raita winced. It was unavoidable. Getting one’s chest stomped on by a giant mutant dinosaur was one of those things that just had to hurt.

“He’s… not doing so good, is he?” Hotaru volunteered, staring at the screen.

“Wait,” Yoichiro spoke up. “Look.” He pointed to Godzilla as Zone Fighter caught his foot, preventing a second stomp by flipping Godzilla groundwards.

“Nice one,” Akira observed.

“No, look at Godzilla,” Yoichiro indicated as the monster got to his feet.

”Yes,” Raita realised, his eyes lighting up, “yes, I see it!”

“See what?” Hotaru asked.

“Watch his movements,” Raita pointed, narrating as Godzilla moved; up, forward, down. That’s how he walks.

“And that’s important because…?”

“Any living thing moves far more fluidly,” Raita explained, “this is almost robotic. Like a…”

“A remote-controlled toy,” Yoichiro realised.

Raita immediately turned back to the keyboard, another screen lighting up.

“There,” he pointed at the waves moving across the screen, “a signal. Now, if I can trace it… aha!”

There it was, blinking on the map. The source of the signal.

“Wait a second,” Yoichiro spoke up, “you’ve lost me here.”

“Godzilla has never attacked unprovoked,” Raita said, “it’s just possible that something’s affecting him, and whatever it is, it’s on that island.”

“On it,” Hotaru announced, shifting her arms. “Zon Enjeru!”

~~~

Before Zone Fighter could stop Godzilla, the saurian’s hands were wrapped around his head, twisting it as the human giant resisted with all his strength. “Let me go, damn it…” he wheezed. “Fine, if that’s how you want it…” anything to avoid admitting to himself that his vision was starting to fade. Breathing got difficult with monster-hands on your windpipe. Reaching out desperately, he grabbed Godzilla’s thrashing tail and started to pull.

“Hikaru!” Raita’s voice buzzed in the side of his helmet.

“Can’t… talk… now!” Zone Fighter wheezed. “lasma Capsule!” the blast lanced outwards, burning Godzilla. Zone Fighter gasped for breath as he finally broke free of Godzilla’s death-grip.

“Something’s controlling Godzilla,” Raita explained, “it may be that he doesn’t want to harm you.”

”Really?” Hikaru yelled in the middle of summoning a Zone-Barrier that barely held back another blast of atomic fire, “because this is one hell of an impression!”

“Zone Angel and Zone Junior are going to find the source of the problem,” Raita lectured. “Can you get Godzilla out of the bay without causing any damage?”

The bay. They were in Tokyo Bay. Of course!

“On it.”

Zone Fighter leapt up into the air, taking flight, and spun round as Godzilla followed, bellowing furiously. Then he flew in front behind, grabbing the monster by his underarms, and, pushing all the power he had into the flight, tearing across the harbour before releasing the grip.

Howling furiously, Godzilla hit the sea in a massive wall of water as Zone Fighter half-landed, half-crashed, on the shore.

“Whew…” he pushed himself back up, looking back down at the belt. The light changed from a consistent green to a fading and re-brightening orange. No wonder; damn, but that lizard could take a punch.

Then the water exploded, and Godzilla tore out, bellowing and brandishing his claws.

“Okay, that’s just not funny… Proton Beam!” The beam shot forth, striking Godzilla in the chest. He staggered, but kept his footing…

Leaping up, Zone Fighter brought both his fists slamming down on Godzilla’s head, pushing himself back away- not quickly enough to avoid Godzilla grabbing his wrist, swinging him round and slamming him into the ground. The monster leered up above him, his back flashing brilliant blue…

“Hyper-Shield!” The shield burned into existence just before the blast impacted, sending it rocketing back up and striking Godzilla in the face with his own attack. The monster howled, falling back as his tail thrashed madly. Pressing the advantage, Zone Fighter grabbed the tail, heaved and, with all his strength, carried Godzilla round in an arc, sending him flying into the side of a separation tower that exploded in a pillar of flame.

Godzilla rose, the smoke parting as he lumbered forward, swinging his claws at the air.

Then, before he could reach Zone Fighter, a volley of missiles struck the side of his head in streams of black smoke, consuming his face in rolling fire as rockets and tank shells blasted against his scaly hide. The thick, blue strikes of Maser cannons lanced across Godzilla’s body.

“Hikaru,” Yoichiro’s voice buzzed in his ear, “how are you doing?”

“Alright,” Zone Fighter breathed, taking the chance to catch his breath, “the army’s turned up…”

Godzilla pulled his head back, his mouth filling with blue smoke.

“…For me to save. Gotta go!”

Zone Fighter struck Godzilla from the side, knocking him away from the troops. Then, just as the monster turned to attack again, a thick, snaking blast of lightning struck at his chest. Zone Fighter looked up at the thick, black cloud. “Nice one, gramps…”

Godzilla turned back to Zone Fighter, snarling deeply.

Zone Fighter took a fighting stance again, looking down at his energy belt. “Oh, this doesn’t look pretty…”

~~~

“There it is!”

Indeed, the island was just coming into view. Hotaru flipped a few switches and brought Smokey, the Zone Family’s trusty aircraft, in for a landing.

“Grandpa,” Hotaru asked into her communicator, “How’s Hikaru doing?”

“…Fine,” Raita said hurriedly. “Do, um, do be quick, won’t you?” the radio clicked off.

“Stay with the plane,” Hotaru instructed, “I’ll take a look.”

“No way. We both got sent here.”

“Stay. Here.”

“No!”

Hotaru sighed, waving her hands in the air. “Fine,” she muttered, “let’s go.”

The plane descended, moving around a massive volcano at the centre of the island. It was then that Hotaru happened to glance out of her window. “Oh…”

Within the crater, beneath a crisscross pattern of glowing red energy, sat the massive, glowing meteorite. Above it, built into the side of the volcano, was the smooth, pale orb of a massive window.

“That’s skull-face’s rock…” Hotaru realised. The Life-Stone.

Now that was a bad sign…

~~~

Zone Fighter raised his arms just in time, locking them with Godzilla’s as they both pushed against each other, digging in their heels. Now, he told himself, get this just right…

He leaned back, positioning his legs and, using Godzilla’s own weight, flipped the monster over his turning shoulder, bringing the monster crashing into the ground.

“Now…” he breathed, looking down at his still-decreasing power indicator, “just stay down for…”

By the time he saw the blow coming, it was too late to stop it.

~~~

“You think it’s Demonicus?” Zone Junior asked quietly as he followed Zone Angel down the rock face to the top of the energy grid. The steel doors built into the mountainside below were the only visible entrance.

“That’s the Life Stone,” Hotaru confirmed. “Hell, doesn’t he ever know when to stay down?”

They approached the door, and both reached out to pull it open…

Then cried out, their bodies glowing with yellow light, and fell to the floor. The electric shock had been both powerful and unexpected.

The steel doors slid open, and the five men that emerged, clad in red-and-white jumpsuits complete with cowls and skull-masks, dragged them inside…

~~~

End of Part 1.

(Again - credit to for writing the fanfic)