//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20: Conflicting Ideals and Hated Past 
// Story: Shy and Aggressive 
// by Johng117 
//------------------------------//

The sound of crashing and firing gunshots filled the air, echoing out into the day. A few men rushing through the street with pistols made their way across the street; one of them looked back over his shoulder. They pushed passed people that were in their way, and continued to run. Meanwhile, X was rushing through the streets of Ponyville, leaping over cars that were driving on the road and caused them to screech to a halt. X shoved through people, knocking a few to the ground. As one of the men that he was pursuing pointed his pistol at him, X slid on the ground before the trigger could be pulled. The bullet raced through the air and caught a bystander in the shoulder. X then rammed his shoulder into the man that lagged and knocked him on to the concrete. Before the human could point his weapon at X, the Transmutant stomped on his wrist, shattering his bones. People gave panicked cries while the shots were fired and started to flee from the area, just as X was still being shot at by the humans up ahead. X immediately picked the man that he had taken down and held him up in front, using him as a shield. X smirked as the man caught the bullets onto his body while crying out in agony before perishing from fatal shots. The Transmutant then threw the human against the closest gunman and drew out his black claws from his fingers. He rushed over towards the closest human and slashed at his belly, tearing through flesh and cloth. The human dropped down to the ground in agony as X snatched his pistol from his hand and aimed at the next man, popping a round into his skull. As X pointed the weapon at the next man, he shot at his hand and knocked the weapon out the human's hand. As X pulled the trigger again, the weapon clicked. He merely chuckled as he tossed the weapon away and lunged at the human, tackling him to the ground and mercilessly beating him until he leaked blood from his mouth onto the concrete. X then slammed his fist against the man’s face again, causing him to go limp. X sighed as he stood up. He was relentless and planned to not spare any of his targets. X removed his attention from his last victim and found the last human running away, one that was unarmed. X snarled as he shot up to his feet and chased after the human. As he quickly caught up to him, X grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him against the wall of a building. The human fell back after bouncing off the wall and fell on his back, with his teeth knocked in and his nose broken. The human groaned in pain while X made his way over and knelt down beside him to grab him by the cheeks.
"You really should reconsider going out in public, proclaiming your support to the Purists," said X as he brought his claws over the man's mouth and shoved his hand through it. The man gave muffled cries as the Transmutant clawed the inside of his mouth and felt his tongue being grazed by the claws. He gave agonized cries while X bore a hard stare.



Battra was standing over the sink as he washed the dishes. He whistled to himself as he continued to scrub and rinse them off. The Transmutant sighed in exhaustion as he placed the dishes away. Only he was present in the apartment today. He was on his day off, since he had no classes that day. The Transmutant glanced at the television as a news report played, and his eyes widened as he found a report going on. He immediately grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
"Just this morning, reports of a hooded assailant appeared out of the streets and chased a group of men across the street. The suspect was reported being fired upon by his victims, leading to a few bystanders to be shot in the process. None of the gun victims died and were hospitalized. However, eye witnesses claimed that the assailant had killed four of the men, and clawed out the fifth's tongue," said a news reporter that stood outside of the crime scene, where officers were investigating a street corner in the background. Battra made his way over to the living room as a woman was being interviewed.
"-And this guy just came flying out of nowhere and just started beating these guys! He used one of them like a human shield and started beating the crap out of them!" the woman went on describing what she saw, while Battra stared with wide eyes.
"The identities have yet to be revealed by the police, but our sources say that they were members of a Purist support group, none of them militant. Police have found an 'X' spray painted near the bodies of the victims, linking the murders to the Transmutant vigilante, X. Police are on high alert to bring both Night Angel and X into custody," said the news reporter. Battra turned off the screen and narrowed his eyes.
Hours later, Battra stood over a roof top with his mask on. He held his arms crossed over his chest as he bore a hard expression as he overlooked the town with his red eyes. He heard the sound of a heavy thump hitting the ground behind him.
"Have you seen the news?" asked Battra as he turned around. There, he found X standing by with a neutral expression.
"Nope. I've been busy," said X. Battra scoffed.
"Busy? Mind telling me why the hell you killed four non-militant purists and clawed the other's tongue out?" questioned Battra with a stern tone.
"The same thing that you've been doing. Taking out the trash," said X with bluntness.
"X, do you realize what you've done?! You just painted a bigger target on us!" said Battra in a furious tone.
"What's worse, you caused casualties on your little killing spree!" said Battra as stomped over to X.
"They were in the way. Besides, what's the big deal about killing them? You do it," said X as he shrugged.
"I only kill the ones that actively partake in militant practices! You know, invading houses and shooting families of Transmutants, gutting them, and burning their houses down! Not idiots who think it makes them tough to associate themselves with support groups!" said Battra. X sighed in annoyance as he made his way over to the ledge of the building.
"So, you're scolding me because I choose different targets? Where was the complaining when I beat the shit out of the guys near that gas station a week back?" asked X.
"I thought you had good reason too. Besides, you didn't kill those ones in particular. Then I noticed how you not only go after non-militant Purists, but open supporters. Lately I've seen stories of them being left with their bones broken! Next day, I see that you're now killing both?!" demanded Battra.
"Kid, the only good Purist is a dead one. No matter how they are associated with them. They are cancer infesting the streets that need to be removed," said X.
"That's not what this is about! The reason why I put on a mask is to protect Transmutants from scum like that and put an end to their organization!" said Battra. X chuckled as he shook his head.
"You think too small. If you really want to keep Transmutants safe, you gotta show the humans who the boss is. If you want to teach them respect, you gotta humble them. Find every person that supports the Purists; target an active member, no matter their rank, and wipe them off the face of the planet. Gut any politician that supports them, and cut MONARCH down to size!" said X as he glared at Battra.
"Whoa, you need to ease up. You're talking full on terrorism!" said Battra.
"Terrorism? Maybe, if it means liberating ourselves. You know as much as I do that Purists come in all forms, from the rich to the poor. They hide their faces like the cowards they are, so they can go back to acting as teachers, judges, police officers, and MONARCH personnel!" said X. He then gestured to the town.
"Look around you, kid! This town is infested! It's disgusting! I wake up in a cold sweat at night because I see those masks in my dreams! I'm willing to go places that you aren't for the greater good!" said X.
"What about the families or friends of the victims X? What if they decide to go to places that no one else is willing to go and come after us?" demanded Battra. X smirked as he looked towards Battra.
"Well, I'll tell what. They better be armed to the teeth," said X.
"For God's sake, you're running around Ponyville like a belligerent animal," said Battra. X glared at him as his felt his blood heat up.
"Oh yeah, and what about you? What do you do?! You act like that this is a comic book. You put on your mask and go out and beat up the bad guys, catching them with illegal shit and getting them thrown in jail. Then you get called a hero by Transmutants and a villain by humans, right? And then a month, a week, or a day later, they're back on the streets doing the same goddamn thing!" shouted X. Battra nodded with a scoff.
"Yeah, so you just kill every single one of them?" asked Battra.
"You bet your ass, I do," said X as he pulled out a bottle of water out of his jacket's pocket and chugged it down.
"Did you feel conflicted about what you did, X?" asked Battra.
"Pfft. Not even for a second," said X as he tossed his water bottle to the side.
"Oh really? You never thought, 'Shit! I just killed an innocent human being!'" said Battra. X chuckled mockingly.
"Oh, that's generous," said X.
"An innocent human being that was just a xenophobic idiot that may have just been scared and had good in him. Maybe a scrap! And then you come along and snuff out that chance for redemption," said Battra in disgust. X made his way over to Battra with a hard expression.
"I don't think you are in any position to say anything," said X.
"Enlighten me," said Battra.
"You condemn me for taking the lives of these men, but I'm merely preventing them from developing into what you've been willing to kill. There's no goodness in these humans. They're nothing but rats scampering around in a circus tent, causing the elephants to rampage and step on bystanders," said X with disdain.
"I think that Transmutants need those strong enough to take on the threats that looms in their corners and make the hard call to crush them like insects, whether they are MONARCH or Purist! You and I are the same!" shouted X.
"That's bullshit, X, and you know it!" Battra shouted back.
"What makes you more righteous compared to me, huh?! You kill as well! Don't act like you're any better than me, because your hands are as dirty as mine! Life will do that to you when you lose someone to these monsters!" said X.
"Hey, you're not the only one who's lost someone to the Purists! Many Transmutants, including me, lost someone! Sure, I kill as well, and you're right, it doesn't make me better than you. But what you're doing now is where I draw the line," said Battra. X pointed towards Battra.
"That's you're problem. You're too timid to deliver justice to the full extent. I'm not, and I take pride in that!" said X.
"You and I must define justice differently. Justice has no place for indiscriminately killing people because of the actions of a terrorist group. If you don't understand that, then something is broken inside of you, and that makes you the monster that humans have branded us as for centuries," said Battra. X narrowed his eyes at him in response.
"Never thought I'd see the day where a Transmutant would call his own brother a monster," said X in a low tone.
"X, that's what you're becoming. If you continue to delude yourself as some God-given gift for Transmutants and continue these senseless murders, you may never be able to come back from that path," said Battra. He then clenched his fist.
"And I promise, I will stop you before you make things worse for us all," said Battra. X turned away as he shook his head as he chuckled.
"These humans have you wrapped around their fingertips, Night Angel. You better watch yourself. Because they'll come for you one day," said X as he walked away and leaped off the roof top. Battra stood alone with a hard expression while sirens blared into the air. He sighed heavily as he sat down on the ledge of the building and rested his face into his hands. Despite the cold air around him, his frustration and anger from his heated conversation with X had made him hot all over.
"I can't keep doing this. I have to stop," said Battra to himself.



It was early morning and Junior was walking alongside Fluttershy to school. The timid girl glanced at her friend’s side. She cleared her throat, grabbing Junior's attention.
"So... Are you feeling better? You seemed to have had a rough day, yesterday," said Fluttershy as she awkwardly looked to the side.
"I'm fine. I just want winter break to hit already before I keel over from school," said Junior in an exhausted tone.
"You really don't like school, huh?" asked Fluttershy.
"I don't. You gotta wake up early, take several different classes, and deal with people you hate. And I tell ya, I hate a lot of people at school," said Junior. Fluttershy briefly looked away as she bit her lip.
"Do... Do you hate me?" asked Fluttershy in a slightly hurt tone. Junior smiled in amusement at her as he looked her way.
"Of course not. I don't think I could," said Junior. Fluttershy smiled bashfully at his response.
"Oh. Th-That's sweet of you," said Fluttershy as she twiddled her thumbs. Junior looked to the side and found a few birds in the air.
"Nice morning, huh?" asked Junior. Fluttershy nodded.
"It sure is. Oh, we better hurry before the bell rings," said Fluttershy as she glanced at her phone's clock. The two quickened their pace to school. Meanwhile, Junior thought back to the previous day. He, Rodan and Angirasu were initiated into the Guardians, a group of rogue Transmutants that could be classified as terrorists by MONARCH and the general public. This concerned him, since he and his friends opened the door to something volatile if not handled with care. He glanced at Fluttershy, who was panting as she ran alongside him. Junior mentally sighed, knowing that he would have to dial down his trust in Fluttershy with Transmutant related issues. It pained him to be keeping this secret from her, but it was for both of their safety. As the two made it school, they split up; Fluttershy waved to him as she went to her class, while Junior did the same. The Transmutant held his hands in his pockets as he made his way into his first period class, where Mosura greeted him with a bright smile from her seat. Junior cracked a small smile at her in response as he made his way over to his seat.



Junior's algebra class had ended. The Transmutant made his way out of the classroom and down the hall. However, Sunset rushed to his side and tugged at his sleeve.
"Hey, Goji. Can we talk for a minute?" asked Sunset. Junior looked her way.
"Um. Sure. We can talk when we get to the cafeteria with the others," said Junior in response. Sunset gave him a firm expression as she held his sleeve tighter as Junior attempted to leave.
"No. I mean, alone," said Sunset. Junior looked at her in confusion.
"Alone? Why?" asked Junior. Sunset rolled her eyes in response and tugged on his sleeve as she led him down the hall.
"Just come with me," said Sunset. In a state of confusion, Junior complied as he was led through the halls of the school. The two continued on until they were at the club room, where they entered. The club room was empty, lacking the other members. As Sunset closed the door, she glanced back at Junior.
"Sorry that I had to drag you down here. I wanted to make sure that we were somewhere that you felt comfortable in," said Sunset.
"Sunset, what's this about?" asked Junior. Sunset sighed.
"Listen. I know that you like to keep things to yourself and how you prefer not to ask for any help or discuss any issues you may have, but I'm beginning to worry," said Sunset as she crossed her arms.
"About what?" asked Junior with a shrug. Sunset looked at him with a deadpanned stare.
"You're seriously gonna play dumb now? I'm referring to you coming to school bruised up like you were in a bar fight. I mean, I'm going out of my way to check on you to see if you're alright, as your friend," said Sunset. Junior sighed as he looked away.
"Sunset, I appreciate that. But, I'm fine. That is just a part of my everyday life. I bruise some punks, and they bruise me," said Junior as he held his hands in his pockets.
"But that's what worries me. That's what worries us, the club, your friends. What if you end up in a fight that leads to something worse than bruises?" asked Sunset with a look of worry.
"Well, don't worry so much. I'm not fighting 24/7. Only with people that start something with me. That's how it's always been and I've turned out fine," said Junior with a shrug. Sunset shook her head at Junior's dismissive responses. She made her way over to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder while locking her eyes with his.
"You know, sometimes it's safer to walk the other way, rather than engage the conflict," said Sunset in a firm tone. Junior raised a brow at her.
"Safer for the other person?" asked Junior. Sunset gave him a brief look of annoyance but then immediately relaxed.
"No, I mean you," said Sunset. She then smiled as she tapped Junior's shoulder.
"Hey, care to walk a girl to the cafeteria?" asked Sunset. Junior nodded in response.
"Sure, Sunset," said Junior. With that, the two left the club room. Junior and Sunset walked along side each other down the halls and towards the cafeteria. Junior thought back to Sunset's words. He felt as though she was trying to smother him with protection, but thinking back he realized that it was his stubborn nature trying to block out her concern. All she was doing was looking out for him, like a friend would do. He glanced at her as they walked, then looked forward, cracking a small smile to himself.



Senior was standing by inside of the Guardians' lair. He held his arms crossed as he stared at a great metal box that was coated in silver. The box bore some marks on it, depicting monstrous beasts all around it, from all parts of the animal kingdom such as reptiles, mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, etc. They were like tribal marks on this box. From a glass slot on the lid of the box, a white light gave a soft glow. Senior stared at this box with hard eyes, knowing the consequences of what would happen if this artifact were to fall into the wrong hands. As he stared at it, Amber came fluttering over towards him and landed on his shoulder.
"Gojira, come away from here. The Ark is safe and sound," said Amber in a reassuring tone. Senior took a breath before turning away and left the artifact behind. He made his way further down the cave where a few Transmutants were present and moving supplies around. Senior looked towards Baragon, who lazily lied down against a crate as he snored. Senior scowled in annoyance and then kicked him. Baragon grunted as he immediately woke up.
"Baragon, don't you have a job to do?" deadpanned Senior.
"Ah come on, boss. Genshiro has just been at home working on that cure for his kid," said Baragon with a yawn.
"And what if he were to have enough of my blood left over after?" asked Senior as he narrowed his eyes.
"Go keep an eye on him, now!" said Senior. Baragon sighed in exasperation as he got up and left the cave. Senior shook his head.
"God. Lazy son of a bitch," said Senior as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He then turned and found Manda approaching.
"Alpha, word on the street is that there has been a lot of problems concerning those vigilantes. Specifically, the one called X," said Manda.
"Such as?" asked Senior.
"Well, yesterday there was a report that X killed some Purist supporters and clawed out the tongue of the only one that survived," said Manda with a grimace. Amber gasped.
"That's awful!" said Amber.
"You're telling me? Anyway, if this keeps up, no doubt that MONARCH will start getting desperate and start making it harder for us to move into town just to get these guys. Even Transmutants in general will be faced with problems, like being accused of being X or The Night Angel," said Manda. Senior hummed to himself.
"OK. I want the quickest Transmutants out there keeping an eye out for these guys. You're to stop them. We can't risk things getting out of hand," said Senior with furrowed brows.
"But shouldn't we recruit them instead? They might be useful," interjected Manda.
"No, absolutely not. We don't know anything about either, and the other is killing support group members of the Purists. We're trying to separate ourselves from the Revolutionaries," said Senior. Manda cleared her throat as she looked away.
"Right. Sorry, Chief. I'll get right onto spreading the word," said Manda in a small tone. Senior made his way over towards another Transmutant.
"Alpha, we just learned of a situation down in Fillydelphia from Kumonga. It looks like there has been some threats to a segregated neighborhood of Transmutants. Should we send some of our own down there to intervene?" asked the Transmutant.
"Yes, send some of our best recruits out there to back her up. We can't risk the lives of those Transmutants by dismissing these threats," ordered Senior in a firm tone. The Transmutant nodded to him in response and ran around the cave in search of soldiers. Acting as a leader to these Transmutants made Senior felt close to them like they were his comrades. The Transmutants showed devotion to his cause and were even willing to take risks for others and protect the artifact that was hidden here in this lair, despite most of them, sans Senior, not knowing what it was or its purpose. Senior sighed as he looked down in thought over the threats occurring in Fillydelphia. He rushed over to the Transmutant that he ordered to round up some fighters.
"Wait one second! I will be the one to round them up. I will also join them and Kumonga on this mission," said Senior. The Transmutant looked at him in surprise.
"But... Alpha-"
"No, I'm going. All of you keep the Ark hidden and keep trespassers away," said Senior. The Transmutant nodded in reluctance. Amber looked at him in curiosity.
"What's brought this on?" asked Amber.
"I feel that I should be there helping. Besides, I should probably make sure I am in the swing of things. Amber, tell my son not to bother showing up today. I'm giving him the week off," said Senior.
"Oh. Sure, Gojira," said Amber with a nod. Senior made his way over towards the armed Transmutants that were rounded up.
"Gentlemen, pack your gear and load up the van," ordered Senior.




Later that day...

Junior looked at Rodan and Angirasu in confusion. The three stood outside of the school as the other students left the area.
"Wait, I'm sorry?" asked Junior.
"Do you have the Xbox and an online account?" asked Rodan.
"Oh. Well, yeah. But I haven't played that much since the beginning of this school year," said Junior. "Why?"
"Add us on your friends list dude! We can play some multiplayer!" said Rodan. Junior scratched his head.
"Ah. Well, OK I guess. But uh... What are we going to play?" asked Junior with a shrug.
"Call of-" Rodan was interrupted as Junior immediately raised his hand.
"Ah! No, let me stop you right there. I rather not we play that game," said Junior with a deadpanned stare. Angirasu looked at him with a raised brow.
"Why not?" asked Angirasu.
"The game is completely repetitive these days, and the players online are just such obnoxious assholes. About ten matches, I've ran into some try hard cunt that has the most atrocious grammar I've ever heard and a bunch of squeakers spouting curse words like it's cool," said Junior.
"But Gojira, you spout a lot of curse words too," said Rodan.
"Mostly when I'm angry," said Junior.
"OK. Well, I have Battlefi-" Angirasu was interrupted as Junior nodded.
"That'll do," said Junior in approval. Rodan and Angirasu glanced at each other in response and then smiled.
"OK! Let's game on!" said Rodan as he pumped his fist into the air. Later that night, Junior was sitting on his bed with his controller in his hands and headset mic on his head. The Transmutant was in his pajamas as he stared at the screen of his television set, which sat on a dresser next to his console. He was currently in the lobby with Angirasu, who's gamer tag read, 'Wrecking Ball 180', and Rodan, who's gamer tag was 'Thunderbird'.
"Hey! Goji, what's up? Lucky Dragon? Nice gamer tag!" said Rodan over the mic.
"Thanks. Hey guys," said Junior over the mic.
"Hello," greeted Angirasu. Junior cleared his throat as he looked at his Xbox Live party menu, which displayed his friends' names.
"So, what are we going to play? Team Deathmatch? Conquest? Maybe an objective game?' asked Junior.
"Conquest. But we're waiting on a couple of others," said Rodan. Junior raised a brow.
"Really? Who?" asked Junior. Just then, a notification appeared on his screen, displaying the text 'Rainboom007 joined your Xbox Live party' and then another text that read 'Pink Party Gal has joined your Xbox Live party'.
"Yo! What up, guys?" greeted a familiar, scratchy feminine voice.
"Rainbow Dash?" asked Junior in confusion.
"And Pinkie Pie!" said Pinkie in a high voice, causing the mic to slightly break up on her end. However, Junior recoiled from her loud voice.
"Pinkie, please keep your voice lower!" said Junior.
"Oh, you mean like this?" asked Pinkie as she deepened her voice. She then broke into a giggle, which Junior responded with a roll of his eyes.
"Alright everyone, ready to game?" asked Rodan.
"Yeah!" said Pinkie, Rainbow and Angirasu in unison. Rodan invited the party to a server, where they were left at a loading menu.
"Oh snap, Caspian Border!" cried Rainbow. On screen displayed two jets soaring over a green land, while tips were displayed as text below the image. One tip read, 'Firing at nothing is a great way to give away your position'.
"Yeah! I freakin' love this map!" said Rodan with a chuckle. Then another tip came up and read, 'Doorways are the best place to stand around'.
"Me too. A great map for vehicles," said Angirasu in agreement.
"Alright, do we have a plan?" asked Rainbow.
"I can take the tank," said Junior over the mic.
"That's good! Pinkie, you're with me on the helicopter!" said Rodan.
"Yes sir!" said Pinkie.
"I'll take the jet and bring the fire from the air!" said Rainbow in an excited tone. The last tip read, 'Please stand in line while waiting for jets'.
"I'll book it in the tank with you Gojira," said Angirasu. He’d rather not be left alone on foot during this match with friends.
"Sounds good," said Junior. As the match began to load up for them, the party found themselves in the digital world; green hills, huge mountains, and tall trees filled the area. The group spawned on the map on the Equestrian base.
"Alright! Let's rock and roll!" said Rodan as he and the group began to charge towards the map.
"Yeah! Let's rooooll..." Rainbow's voice trailed off as everyone's screen suddenly went white. A blue and smoky background appeared on screen, displaying the text, 'Your Team Lost'.
"Oh come on!" said Pinkie in exasperation. The rest of the teens gave groans and complaints.
"Damn it, are you serious?!" said Rainbow.
"We just got here!" said Angirasu.
"Ugh! I hate it when this crap happens!" said Rodan in annoyance. Junior bore a scowl.
"The con of instant joining on servers, ending up in a match that's already about over," said Junior.
"Uh guys. I just realized something. I'm not in the squad. It's maxed out already, and I have to be in another," said Angirasu in disappointment. The teens all groaned in disappointment.
"No, it's alright. The next match will begin soon, and we can still play together. Just follow our gamer tags, Aang," said Rodan over the mic.
"Copy that," said Angirasu. He then gave a soft chuckle.
"See what I did there? This is a war game?" asked Angirasu. Rainbow chuckled.
"Dork," said Rainbow in a playful tone.



Senior sat in the back of the van in silence. His eyes were closed as he leaned against the metal side, feeling his surroundings rumble from the van's movement. He has been on the rode with his team for about a few hours to reach Fillydelphia. As he waited for the journey to end, he heard the sound of a radio crackling in the air.
"Alpha, this is Kumonga. We're ready for your arrival," said Kumonga over the radio. Senior was handed the radio mike.
"Copy, Kumonga. Sit tight," said Senior. He handed the mike back to one of the Transmutants up front and began to take his dragon mask into his hands. He placed it upon his head, to conceal his identity. It was something he learned to do in order to guarantee his own safety and his family's safety to keep the common person from seeing his face, and then recognizing him through history books. As the van came to a stop, the soldiers that he brought with him exited the vehicle out first with their rifles drawn. They scanned the area, searching for any potential threats.
"Clear," said one of the soldiers. Senior stepped out of the van and found himself next to an abandoned barn. He made his way over towards the door and found it open, revealing Kumonga. Senior made his way over to her.
"Good to see you, sir. Things have been getting hotter with the situation since hours ago," said Kumonga.
"Alright. Arm yourself. We're moving near the neighborhood in case these bastards try anything," said Senior. Kumonga nodded as she rushed over to the van and began to take a rifle along with a couple of magazines. Senior looked out towards the hills in the distance, finding this area to be quiet. He wondered why anyone would want to interrupt this peaceful and quiet night with threats and a potential attack. Regardless, it was up to him and his team to prevent a massacre of the Transmutants of Fillydelphia. The Transmutants took the van and drove down the vast fields of the area. They continued on until they were eventually near the town. They drove down towards the town until they were nearing a neighborhood.
"Just make a turn here," said Kumonga as she guided the driver. The van soon found itself in the neighborhood of Transmutants. It was a small neighborhood, with houses that were not well kept together. Trash littered the neighborhood and plants were overgrowing on the sidewalks and the lawns. Kumonga shook her head as she found a man parking his old dented car into his drive way.
"These Transmutants must not be able to pay a whole lot to maintain their homes. The neighborhood is a mess," said Kumonga with a frown.
"The governor doesn't do shit for this area. Damn Anti-Mutates," spat a Guardian soldier as he checked his weapon. Senior looked over the neighborhood with a neutral expression.
"It could have been worse when it comes to living conditions," said Senior. He closed his eyes briefly, envisioning a neighborhood that was covered in dirt, broken housing, mud from the wet weather, and poverty.
"I've seen the worst that corrupt human governments can do when it comes to oppressing our race," said Senior. Kumonga glanced at him, curious about what the Transmutant had seen.




Solgell, 1961...

It was a hot day over the island Solgell. This island was part of a collection of other islands nearby, such as Odo, Lagos, and Letchi. Here, great ships sailed the ocean as they made their way towards the harbor. On board, a man was walking across the deck and made his way below, where he came a across a steel door. Here, a label that read, 'Do Not Open' was present. The man slid open the slot to the door and found over a dozen Transmutants inside of the room, bounded in shackles. They gave off a foul stench from the lack of proper hygiene on this journey. On the backs of these Transmutants were medium sized devices that were embedded into their backs, where small lights came from the sides. These devices were known as the inhibitor packs and were designed to prevent the nerve impulses that allowed Transmutants to transform from doing so. This reduced their strength and allowed the heavy steel shackles to keep them bound.
"You boys better enjoy your last day of laziness. Because we'll be working you to death," said the man with a mocking chuckle as he slid the slot closed. The Transmutants kept their heads down cast. Gojira Takeshi the first was among them, bounded in the most shackles compared to the others. Gojira's eyes were hard as he kept his head lowered.
Later, he found himself alongside the others outside of the ship. They were herded out of the ship like sheep over towards a facility that stood among a partially built city, with only a few buildings finished. It was degrading for the Transmutants to be bounded by chains and to have devices grossly attached to their backs. They were all branded by tattoos as they brought to a facility, hosed down as a way of bathing, and forced into grey uniforms. Senior kept his scowl on throughout the entire process of being made into the property of the country that was to occupy these islands. Senior found himself among other Transmutants, carrying heavy poles, steel beams, and other resources as they were forced to help construct buildings on this island. There were some paid workers here as well, but lately, it was getting pretty popular to enslave Transmutants from the Second World War to construct. One day, Gojira was in his own home alone as always, waiting for his wounds from the war to heal. Then, he was being hauled away by the Neighponese authorities and put onto a boat and sent to this island, to work as a slave. To the humans, he was nothing but property that was useful until he was unable to work again either through death or crippling injuries. This fact made the Transmutant's blood boil as the current century really outdid the discriminatory treatment that his kind experienced during the 1800s. Gojira was busy moving around a large and heavy wheel barrel filled with rubble when he suddenly heard a scream from above. Senior shot his head up and found a man falling from the sky; he winced as he heard the falling man collide on the ground with a splat. Despite the tragedy, Senior had to keep working as it was common from either slave or paid worker to fall off these steel beams due to careless footing. Furthermore, the ones in charge of this project couldn't give a damn about the slaves that died during this operation, so he gritted his teeth as he tensed his muscles when he dumped the rubble to the side.




13 Years Later...

It was the early morning. Gojira was resting up with what little time that he had left. Suddenly, a loud horn blared from outside, echoing across a neighborhood. This neighborhood was made up of shoddy houses of decaying wood from Solgell’s wet climate. Gojira sighed as he got out of his hard bed, removing his small blanket that only reached down to his shins. The Transmutant was forced to bring his knees up closer to himself at night to keep his feet warm. Even that wasn't enough, since the blanket failed to offer enough warmth through the winter. As Gojira stepped out of bed, he stepped into a puddle of water, causing him to recoil from the sudden cold feeling. He looked up and found his roof leaking with water, much to his dismay. He ignored the puddle and began to dress himself up, hearing the horn blare. After he was done, the Transmutant made his way past his living room, where wood creaked and rotted away. Squeaking from rats filled his ears as he walked out the door. Gojira found dozens of other Transmutants walking out of their homes, some of them drowsy and the others wide awake. Their inhibitor packs bulged from their backs, giving a humped appearance to their backs beneath their shirts. The neighborhood was unclean, filled with debris, garbage, and rodent infestation. Rats scurried from one house to the other, carrying food. Plants were growing out of the ground at the base of the houses. Gojira looked away from the neighborhood and out to the west, finding tall buildings out in the distance. Senior had spent the last decade working his ass off to help put this city together. Over the decade, more slaves and more workers were brought over to Solgell and the other islands to build cities on them. Right now, Gojira could see the hard work paying off, since he was already looking upon tall and short buildings as far as the eye could see. At least, the work would pay off if he was actually earning something out of it. But he and the other slaves would just be auctioned off to work for other projects. Gojira would relive working on nothing but dirt lands that were dug up and turning them into asphalt and concrete covered cities. The Transmutant followed the other slaves as they were called out of bed by the daily siren, where they made their way over to tall metal doors that reached up to twelve feet high. The neighborhood was trapped in a great box, where tall metal walls kept them inside. Along these walls were crow nests, where armed men overlooked the slaves. The Transmutants made their way to the door that had opened, where they were greeted by some guards with weapons, where they guided them to their posts. Just another day of work for these damned humans and their government.  Gojira found himself working to construct a road that ran just ran further outside of the city and wrapped around the island near a cliff side, which overlooked the ocean below. As he moved aside dirt mounds, a slave that was at his side suddenly dropped down onto the ground, letting out a breath. Senior turned to look the man's way and found his eyes open and lifeless. The Transmutant grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away from the work area. A few other Transmutants that bore shovels had noticed this as Gojira came their way.
"Another one?" asked one of the men.
"Afraid so. He hasn't been getting enough nutrition by the looks of it," said Gojira as he lied the dead man down in the dirt.
"Shit. This is how it is. We work and work, with no way of escaping this forced labor until we die!" said the other Transmutant with a shovel, bearing a look of anger. Gojira lowered his eyes. He let out a sigh before standing up and heading back to work, leaving the two men to bury the fallen Transmutant. As Gojira worked, he felt a peanut hit him on the side of the head, which he turned and looked back in annoyance. He found a few human workers that stood idly by in the area, snickering as they mocked the Transmutant. Gojira grunted in response as he went back to work.
"Hey! You workin' hard or hardly workin?!" called out one of the workers. Gojira growled in annoyance as they continued to mock him as he shoveled away dirt for the railing to be placed. He was extremely tempted to head over there and silence the lazy, insolent worms! As he worked, one of the workers approached him.
"What's wrong, freak? Got nothing to say?" asked the human with a smirk. Gojira merely bore a hard stare as he continued to shovel dirt.
"What? Cat got your tongue?" asked the human as the rest of the nearby human workers came by to join the fun. Gojira looked at the human with a hard stare.
"In my day, a man would kill the other if he insulted his honor," said Gojira.
"Oooh! I wouldn't want to insult your honor! You slanted eye, butter headed Transmutant rat!" said the man. Gojira narrowed his eyes at three racial slurs made at once.
"Hey, you had fun watching our boys drop the bombs on your asses?" asked a second man, carrying an obnoxious tone of voice. "Nice ol' payback for what you kamikazes did to the harbor in World War 2."
"Do not joke about that," said Gojira in a low tone as he stood tall and hardened his eyes further. The men held their tools in their hands as they narrowed their eyes as well, daring the Transmutant to act. Gojira kept his muscles tensed. The insults to the tragedies that happened to his nation in WWII were enough to make him snap. Although Neighpon was no saint during the war, knowing what the atrocities committed by the soldiers himself, it was still an unfortunate way to have been defeated at the cost of two powerful weapons that had devastating effects to the survivors that survived the hellfire. As someone who lived through the war, he was not one to take kindly to insults of what happened. But, Gojira turned and continued shoveling dirt, choosing to look the other way. It was the wisest decision after all in his situation. A few Transmutants that were watching felt the humiliation of having to back down to these humans whenever a conflict instigated by them goes on. As Gojira shoveled, one of the men took his wrench and slammed it against Gojira's skull, which he responded with a pained cry as he dropped onto his knee from the blow. The Transmutant growled as he immediately turned with the shovel in his hand and swung it against his attacker's skull, resulting in him to slam onto the ground from the mighty blow. The men suddenly attacked Gojira by drawing out their tools to strike, but the Transmutant ducked under his next attacker and jabbed him in the jaw, causing it to unhinge. He kicked the human away and then grabbed the next man and slammed his head into the ground, where he was knocked unconscious. Before the final human could stick a drill into Gojira's neck, a hammer flew through the air and struck the drill out of his hand. The man cried out in agony as he clutched his hand and was knocked off the edge of the cliff by a mighty kick from another Transmutant. Gojira looked down over the cliff as the man screamed as he plummeted to his death, his cries echoing as he fell. Gojira winced as he rubbed his head and nodded to the Transmutant that had stuck up for him. The other Transmutants stared in awe as how Gojira fought back against his attackers, while they feared getting into trouble by fighting the humans here. However, their minds registered the fact and found a few men in uniform rushing over to the area with rifles. They aimed at Gojira and the Transmutant that had kicked away the human and shot them with tranquilizer darts. Gojira grunted from the pain, but felt his world darkened as the drug took effect in his body. He fell over in the dirt, passing out.




Present Day...

Senior remained in a crouched stance just inside of an abandoned house. His brows were furrowed as he relived the past in his memories. Indeed, the Transmutants may have been segregated into these poor neighborhoods, but none of it was worse than the slave labor camp that he was forced to live in for over ten years. His hygiene then was poor, and he struggled to get food as some slaves received their rations while others did not. Not to mention the back-breaking labor and discrimination that he faced, as both a Neighponese war veteran for Imperial Neighpon and as a Transmutant. Gojira sighed as he lowered his eyes, while the memories placed a damper on his mood.