The sound of clamoring echoed through the halls. Voices raged through as they blocked out the smallest sounds, preventing them from being heard. The clamoring was so loud that the speakers could not hear themselves either. The sound of a gavel being banged echoed.
"There will be order in this court!" shouted Celestia in her booming voice, silencing the men and women that were present. From around the nation, there were people who held ground in Equestria's politics inside of the throne room in Canterlot. Princess Celestia sat on her throne with Luna at her side on her throne. The royal guards stood at attention near the doors while some remained stationed near the windows. The rest stood close to the thrones of the royal sisters.
"Now...let us get back to the matter at hand," said Celestia with a firm expression. The room was filled with silence. She nodded in approval and looked to Luna, who nodded in understanding.
"Let us get back on topic on the incident," said Luna.
"Your highnesses, why were those abominations walking among us in our city?" demanded a man from the crowd. A few people called out to the princesses, demanding to know why the Transmutants were present during the wedding.
"Over a week before, I have met these people during the Summer Sun Celebration. They were guests that I have invited," answered Celestia. A number of politicians bore a look of shock and disgust at how their own princess had invited such unnatural creatures.
"Your grace, for what purpose would you have for inviting unsavory savages like them to the event and the wedding?" questioned a woman, her tone carried a snooty arrogance that some nobles were known for.
"The purpose that I have chosen to invite these people..." Celestia spoke with a slight stern expression. "...was to show them my appreciation for protecting the citizens of Mustangia,"
"Those Transmutants are a major threat to the citizens of Equestria!" shouted a man from the crowd. A few cries of agreement sounded in the court room. A man stood from among the crowd of people crying out in outrage. He bore an angry expression.
"Your highness, I wish to know how you could possibly let Transmutants to roam freely in our lands. Haven't they caused enough destruction and pain?" demanded the man. "Surely you recall that Manehattan suffered an attack by a group of Transmutants, then months after that, Ponyville was tacked! Many residents perished on that day!"
"I am well aware of the attacks. They were very tragic for the lives that were lost," said Celestia as she sat straight on her throne. "The Transmutants are stronger compared to average humans. The terrorist group known as, the 'Transmutant Revolutionaries' are a dangerous group,"
"Then you understand the outrage of your subjects?" questioned the man. Celestia nodded.
"I do. However, the Transmutants of Mustangia are not affiliated with this faction. These are just people who are merely trying to get by in a world where they are not accepted in," answered Celestia. She looked to Luna with a smile.
"My sister and I have met them and have learned them to be not much different from any other person who resides in our country," said Celestia. She then turned to face the crowd. "These Transmutants are people, just as you and I are,"
"These beasts cannot be trusted! We have all witnessed their violent nature during the Changeling Invasion!" said a man. Luna furrowed her brows as she directed her attention onto the man.
"The Transmutants were what helped in repelling the Changeling invaders. Without them, we may not have been able to stand a chance," said Luna. A few people began to murmur amongst themselves as they analyzed the validity of Luna’s argument. Other minds were unmoved. Celestia nodded in agreement.
"Goro and his friends helped defend our city. I heard my guards speak of their heroics for standing with them in battle while escorting any citizens to safety. With MONARCH's presence being restricted, they are possibly the only ones who are capable of standing against the Transmutant Revolutionaries," said Celestia. A woman stood from the crowd.
"Your majesty, your adopted son, Gojira Takeshi the 2nd, was a fugitive of MONARCH correct?" questioned the woman. Luna's eyes widened at the inquiry. She knew that this was but a way to have the politicians to discredit the princess of the sun's decision of banning MONARCH. Celestia kept a firm and calm expression.
"He was. MONARCH had in fact marked him and three other Transmutants as fugitives in order to increase their efforts at apprehending him," answered Celestia.
"Why would you harbor a Transmutant in your own castle?" questioned the woman.
"I had no knowledge of the information until after the attack on Ponyville had occurred. Until I did, he had already fled Equestria." said Celestia.
"Could you perhaps restricted MONARCH in an effort to allow the fugitive to escape custody?" asked the woman. That was the lethal blow. All that was needed for Celestia to give the wrong answer before the question could explode. Luna watched worriedly as to how her elder sister would answer. Celestia merely smiled.
"Yes and no," answered Celestia. The crowd began to murmur in confusion. The woman who had asked her question was dumbfounded at how bluntly she had answered.
"My subjects, MONARCH has been known to either imprison or kill enemies during its line of work. With Transmutants, that chance of becoming a prisoner decreases. When Gojira Takeshi the second along with three other Transmutants surrendered, a soldier was ordered to execute him and him alone," said Celestia. "Now of course, my decision would seem to be motivated by clouded judgment because of attachment, but it was actually motivated by breaking the law and for public endangerment,"
Celestia looked towards her aide, Raven, with a nod. The Elf woman cleared her throat as she pulled out a parchment as she adjusted her glasses.
"A legal document was signed between the Princesses, the Director of MONARCH, and the General of the base that was stationed on the outskirts of Ponyville," said Raven. "The contract reads, 'By occupying my forces in Equestria, I hereby swear that the officers under my command shall report to the rulers of the country. MONARCH forces must be approximately two miles outside of any settlement. The forces are restricted from the act of racial profiling the citizens, based on Eastern and/or Earthbound descent to find any Transmutants that have been spotted within Equestria," said Raven as she read off of the document. She began to move along the paragraph as the audience listened.
"'Any information concerning the rulers and their subjects will be informed to the rulers. If any Transmutant activity surfaces on Equestrian soil and if said Transmutant willingly surrenders to the forces of MONARCH, they shall be spared and will be given a fair trial. Breaking this contract will be breaking international law #5, which states that, 'if MONARCH's stationed forces are to uphold information from the leader of the nation concerning matters of said nation that it is occupying, this will be considered conspiracy and will hold MONARCH accountable and will face international court of law and a permanent ban on MONARCH's footing in said nation,'" read Raven. She then turned the document around and held it in the air, revealing the names of the men who signed it. "Signed by Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Director Onyx and General Murk,"
"The reason for the ban of MONARCH was due to the violation of the term that I had set, which involved the execution of any Transmutant that willingly surrendered. Witnesses claimed that these Transmutants had suddenly appeared during the attack of the terrorists and have seen them fight against them," said Celestia. "These Transmutants stayed behind as the group of terrorists fled. They surrendered to MONARCH's forces after being told that they would be spared if they did so,"
"After they surrendered, one soldier was ordered to execute one of them. Of course, they failed since the Transmutants escaped," said Celestia as she placed her hands together as she laid her elbow on her throne's side arms. She held her eyes closed as she took calming breaths. She could only imagined how frightened Junior was when it came to him looking over his shoulder for those hunting for him. Celestia reopened her eyes as she watched the expressions of her subjects. They were still attentive.
"When in pursuit, MONARCH's forces caused panic and collateral damage to stop these Transmutants. In Appaloosa, the soldiers were seen firing upon the express train that was leaving the town. No one was injured, but there was the possibility that a stray bolt of magic from their weapons would have hit and possibly killed any innocent civilians," said Celestia. She then looked back to the woman who asked her question.
"So it wasn't just so Gojira could return safely as a law abiding citizen, but to rid the country of an organization that does not exercise enough caution to just kill one Transmutant that surrendered," said Celestia in a firm tone. The courtroom was filled with arguments from the audience about the situation.
"Silence!" shouted Luna. Slowly the people began to quiet down. Luna nodded in approval.
"Guards! Allow them to step inside!" ordered Celestia. The guards nodded as they grabbed the door handles and began to pull them open. From behind the door emerged Yoshi and Commander Light, both wearing their uniforms. Perched on Yoshi's shoulders were two Fairies. People began to murmur to themselves about the two men and the creatures on their shoulders. When some recognized them as moths, they began to worry if they would attack them to devour their clothing. Yoshi and Light made their way to Celestia's and Luna's throne at the base of the stairs and bowed before the princesses.
"As you know, soldiers that bore MONARCH's military apparel and weaponry were present during the invasion and helped in resistance against the Changelings alongside the Transmutants. Men, would you be so kind as to introduce yourselves?" asked Luna as she gestured towards the politicians and nobles of the room.
"I am former Commander Light. This is former Sergeant Hayato Yoshi, Slayer class soldier of MONARCH's military. We are here to discuss the attack on Ponyville and the recent invasion,” said Light.
"Would you be so kind as to tell the court what you have told myself and my sister about your organization?" asked Celestia. Light nodded.
"Of course. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court, the soldiers that you had seen during the invasion including myself and Yoshi are no longer affiliated with MONARCH. We have learned of a shocking discovery that goes against what the organization stands for," said Light. Yoshi stepped forward.
"A couple of months ago, my squad and I had learned that MONARCH is responsible for the appearance of Transmutants," said Yoshi. People began to murmur in confusion.
"Twelve years ago, the Transmutants Lucky Dragon and Alpha were created by an organization known as GeneCo. The organization was shut down after their experiments escaped and it was discovered that humans were used for their experiments. However, MONARCH secretly hired the few surviving scientists and used their research for the purpose of creating super soldiers. This was known as Project: Beast," said Yoshi. People began to question Yoshi’s claims. Most immediately began denying it, while a few dared to keep an open mind for the possibility.
"Do you have any evidence to support your claim?" asked a woman.
"The data that we had acquired was destroyed when MONARCH's high command discovered that we had learned the truth. The digital files are unsalvageable," said Yoshi.
"How can we trust what you say without any evidence?!" demanded another woman. Yoshi gestured to the fairies that were perched on his shoulder.
"These divine creatures were the ones who had shown us the atrocities that were committed in the dark, by order of the High Command. They shall show you all what was done," answered Yoshi.
"What, pray tell, shall they show us?" asked a man. Yoshi gave them all a hard stare.
"Something that should never have happened," said Yoshi He then looked towards Celestia.
"May we close the curtains and dim the lights?" asked Yoshi. Celestia nodded. She ordered the guards near the window to pull the curtains over, blocking the sunlight from entering the throne room. The lights that hung from the chandelier died down. The fairies fluttered into the air of the darkened room as sparkles dropped from their bodies. They produced a colorful mist that formed around in between the people and the throne. Three dimensional glowing images began to form with the mist as the color began to change.
People watched as the mist turned grey and dark. Sparkles lit the mist above, giving it an ominous appearance. Images of men dressed in black were shown taking unconscious humans away from their homes. Some were shown killing the parents of children, much to the horror of the audience. The images switched to men in sanitized clothing strapping the same humans unto beds as they gassed them, knocking them unconscious. Men, women and children were cut and injected with chemicals into their bodies. A few needles dug deeply into the exposed muscles of the humans and into the bone. Everyone in the room grew sick to their stomachs as they watched the surgeries take place. Celestia clenched her fist as she imagined the same torture being placed upon Junior and Gojira Senior.
The images progressed into showing the experiments being locked in small cells. The images later progressed into the test subjects suddenly transforming within their cells. Cries of agony elevated into roars while the images of beasts replaced the images of humans, much to the audience’s horror. Voices began to echo from the mists like ghosts.
"The results of the experiments were unfortunate turns for our program," said a voice.
"Have those who are willing to obey and that are trustworthy to have a place in our ranks. It's what they were made for to begin with," said the voice.
"What about the others?" asked another voice.
"Let them rot in their cells until they die or change their mind. We have no use for undomesticated dogs," said the first voice. The images escalated into soldiers firing their rifles inside of a prison as the Transmutants attacked and attempted to break free. The facility was torn from inside out.
"Dear Celestia," whispered someone from the crowd. The images switched to soldiers firing at a crustacean Transmutant with the face of a man. The creature roared as he held up a black flag as several Transmutants ran past him and killed the soldiers. The crustacean Transmutant waved his flag as chaos began to spread through a village.
"Revolution!" shouted a young male Transmutant.
"Revolution!!" shouted the rest of the Transmutants. The images began to switch to the years of conflict between the humans and Transmutants. The last image showed MONARCH beginning to occupy more nations. The images stopped as the fairies flutter down, the sparkles vanishing and the mist fading away. The divine creatures perched themselves on Yoshi's shoulders while everyone else remained silent.
"What you have seen is the result of lust for power. The High Command has kept everyone in the dark except for a chosen few within the higher positions. The Transmutant conflict is being used as a cash cow that is being milked from nations that have faced the threat of the terrorists. MONARCH is being paid to keep protecting these nations," said Yoshi. A man broke the silence as he stood among the crowd and pointed an accusing finger at Yoshi.
"You lie! Those...things that you have merely put on an illusion! This is all an elaborate ruse just to get Equestria to fall victim to those monsters!" shouted a man. A few people began to call out Yoshi and Light.
"People, these men have nothing to gain by lying to us about the whole situation!" said Luna.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, these are very confusing times that we are living in. In fact, things have been growing even more certain," said Celestia. "I understand your concerns for allowing the Transmutants to walk among us. But please, do not discount the fact how the ones who had willingly laid down their lives to protect the innocent,"
"All of Canterlot was threatened by the Changelings, but Goro, Gojira and their friends rose up to the challenge. Without them, Equestria may have fallen," said Celestia. She gestured to all of her subjects.
"These Transmutants don't know who you are. They never met you or don't know whether you have families or not. They could have just left us to fend for ourselves. But they didn't," said Celestia. She rose from her throne. "The Transmutant Revolutionaries may one day return. Without MONARCH, we are vulnerable. Gojira and Goro's group are the only ones who are strong enough to defend us from this threat,"
"Why not them?" asked a woman as she pointed towards the rebels.
"Our group mainly comprises of scientists, engineers, and soldiers. We do not have enough men and women to fight against an army of Transmutants, let alone resources for the weapons that we use," said Light. He then looked to Celestia with a smile.
"I have seen a Transmutant in battle firsthand. If they know how to fight, they are capable of fighting many soldiers at once. It's one reason why MONARCH has yet to been able to stop them all. The Transmutants that are among you are great fighters," said Light. Celestia smiled back at him, realizing what he was doing. Light looked back to the crowd. "I agree with your ruler. These Transmutants are your best hope for protection against the Revolutionaries,"
"How can they be trusted?" asked a woman worriedly.
"I know one of them, personally." said Yoshi. The people directed their attention to him. "This Transmutant that I have met from when we fled from our base is an honorable person. She wishes for the peaceful coexistence between both of our races. While we were with her, she could have ended our lives at any time with the trust that we had placed in her. But she didn't,"
"We have a decision to make," said Celestia. The people directed their attention back to her. "We can either scorn these potential allies because of the actions of another group, or we can put aside our personal feelings and place our trust in them for the safety of our country,"
A few people began to weigh their decisions. They weighed the costs and benefits. It was a hard decision for the people, but some had already made their decision.
"All in favor of allowing the Transmutants who live among us to continue to do so, say aye," said Luna as she stood from her throne. A majority of people from the crowd called out for the decision as they raised their hands. Celestia smiled and turned to face the rest of people.
"All against the Transmutants living among us, say nay," said Celestia.
"Nay!" said several people from the crowd while others remained silent, unable to make a decision.
"The 'ayes' have it," said Celestia with a smile. She began to bang her gavel on the side of her throne's arm rest.
"Court is dismissed!" said Celestia. The Nays of the decision seethed in anger at the thought of beasts walking among them while the Ayes were reluctant but hopeful for the Transmutants. In the end, it was the Guardians who won this fight.
Junior sighed as he popped his joints. He stretched his limbs as he flexed his muscles. The Transmutant spent the next minute warming up to be physical. He turned and found Rodan, Angirasu and Mosura stretching as well. All of the Transmutants were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Mosura smiled at the male Transmutants as she placed her hands on her hips.
"You boys ready?" asked Mosura. The rest of the male Transmutants nodded. Mosura smiled as she raised her hand and telekinetically raised a wooden sword, a wooden club, and two wooden knives. She levitated the sword to Junior, the club to Angirasu and the knives to Rodan. Mosura then levitated a wooden staff into her grip. The Transmutants turned and found Blaire standing by with a few other guards. A couple of Elf guards fired a beam of magic at a dozen wooden test dummies. The dummies began to move as they came to life and made their way over to a rack that held wooden swords. The dummies turned and faced the Transmutants.
Junior tightened his grip on his sword as he furrowed his brows and stared at the dummies. Mosura spun the staff in her grip with a determined smile. Angirasu smiled as he held his club on his shoulders while Rodan chuckled as he held his knives with their blades pointing down. He got into a boxing position as he psyched himself up.
"Goji, care to take the front?" asked Mosura. Junior nodded.
"Gladly," said Junior as he made his way in front of Mosura. The dummies raised their swords as they charged. Junior grinned as he charged as well, slightly dragging the tip of his wooden sword along the ground as the other Transmutants joined him. Junior slid under a swing of one of the dummies and immediately stood up to his feet. Junior swung his sword at the legs of one of the dummies on his left, knocking it to the ground and then kicked the dummy that came at him on his right. A dummy rushed him at his front and brought its sword down over his head. Junior blocked the sword with his wooden sword and then punched the dummy, sending it several feet away, shattering its head.
Rodan ran towards four dummies as he grinned. He leapt over them as he spun in the air. He dropped low to the ground as he landed on his hands and kicked the first two targets, knocking them off of their feet. Rodan immediately dropped down onto his feet and hands as the dummies swung at him, causing them to hit each other. Rodan chuckled as he stood up to his feet and dashed towards an approaching dummy. He threw one of his wooden knifes at the head of the dummy, causing it to stumble back. Rodan leapt as he came hurling towards the dummy. The Transmutant crashed down on the dummy as he brought his second wooden knife down on the dummy's chest. The wooden opponent dropped to the ground, remaining still. Rodan picked up his second knife and charged towards the remaining dummies. Mosura leapt over him as several of the dummies attempted to run him down from the side. The Transmutant spun her staff as she began to step around her enemies. She yelled as she swung her staff at one of the dummies and kicked a dummy that swung its sword at her before she jabbed her staff at the dummy that came at her right. Mosura spun as she held the end of her staff, swinging it like a bat against two dummies. She crouched as she ducked under a punch from one of the dummies and retaliated by sweeping its leg with a kick and forcing her hand forward as she focused her telekinetic power towards the dummy. The dummy flew towards three other dummies, knocking them all to the floor.
Angirasu charged towards five dummies. He yelled as he swung his club against the head of one dummy, knocking it down to the ground and then swung his club against a dummy's wooden sword. Angirasu then kicked the weaponless dummy against the chest and swung his club against another dummy that came at him from his side. The Transmutant side stepped away from the strike of the final dummy that came at him and then swung his club against the back of its head. He spotted Junior distracted by three dummies as two of them snuck up from behind.
"Gojira, on your rear!" shouted Angirasu as he threw his club at the dummies. The club struck one of the dummies, knocking it to the ground and forcing the other to stumble. Junior immediately turned and kicked the other dummy towards the wall. He turned back around and caught the wooden sword with his hand before yanking it away. The Transmutant kneed the dummy away and then swung his sword against the neck of the dummy, decapitating it. Junior then ducked under a kick of the last dummy and grabbed it by its leg. Junior then slammed it against the ground, causing it to fall to pieces. Junior looked around and found that all of the dummies were defeated. Mosura sighed as she stopped twirling her staff and set it down on the ground. Rodan chuckled as he spun the knives in his hands.
"Too easy," said Rodan. Angirasu popped his shoulders with a sigh of relief. Junior looked to him with a nod and a smile.
"Thanks for the heads up," said Junior.
"No problem," said Angirasu with a nod. The Transmutants found Blaire approaching.
"Impressive," said Blaire in an impressed tone. "You guys really got some moves. But, I think you boys need a little more work,"
"Seriously?" asked Rodan. Junior and Angirasu sighed in disappointment.
"Well, Rodan needs to work on his footing a bit. You were kinda sloppy when it came to hopping back onto your feet,” said Blaire. She then focused on Angirasu.
"Angirasu, you were holding your weapon too tightly. Loosen up on that grip buddy." said Blaire. She then looked to Junior with a sigh.
"Bro, always watch your back. Also, don't catch the blade of a weapon," said Blaire.
"Why not? I can heal from being cut." said Junior with a shrug.
"That's not the point. You have a nasty habit where you let yourself receive bodily harm when it's unnecessary. What if you were fighting someone with a laser sword or something and you decided to catch the blade?" asked Blaire as she placed a hand on her hip. Junior looked to her with a raised brow.
"Laser swords. What is this? Star Wars?" asked Junior. Rodan hummed in thought.
"Well...Mosura can move stuff with her telekinesis. We have Rebels on our side. All that's missing is a great evil empire and space aliens," said Rodan. Angirasu chuckled in response.
"So, Mosura's a Jedi?" asked Angirasu. Mosura laughed in amusement.
"I actually like the sound of that," said Mosura. Blaire pinched Junior's neck, causing him to yelp in pain.
"I'm serious," deadpanned Blaire. She released the Transmutant's neck, who bore a look of annoyance.
"OK, I get it. I'll try to break my habit at catching sharp things," said Junior. Blaire smiled.
"Good!" said Blaire. She then clapped her hands together.
"Well, since we're done here, we gotta get going," said Blaire.
"Alright, we'll see you later," said Junior. Blaire wrapped Junior into a hug and leaned into him with her lips puckered. Junior pulled away with a look of embarrassment. Blaire glared at him as she kept leaning into him.
"Don't be a baby!" said Blaire in annoyance as she tightened her hug on Junior.
"Not in front of my friends!" said Junior. The three other Transmutants watched in amusement as Junior tried to resist Blaire. The Valkyrie sighed as she turned away. Her eyes brightened up.
"Hey, Twilight's here to see you!" said Blaire. Junior turned and looked to where she was looking.
"Seriously?" asked Junior. His face scowled. "Wait a minute. Twilight left an hour-"
Blaire immediately dove for Junior's cheek and gave him a kiss. Junior groaned in defeat as he placed a hand over his cheek. Blaire laughed as she released Junior.
"Got ya!" said Blaire. Junior sighed.
"So close," said Junior. Blaire pouted.
"Aw. Just I just want to show my brother affection," said Blaire. Junior lightly smiled.
"Well...thanks," said Junior. Blaire nodded to him as she made her way with the rest of the guards. She waved to the Transmutants, who waved back. The Transmutant Four began to place their wooden training weapons on the rack.
"Speaking of rebels..." said Mosura. Junior sighed.
"Oh boy," said Junior. Mosura frowned.
"Right. The commander and Yoshi invited us for dinner tonight," said Mosura. Rodan glanced at her suspiciously.
"Why the hell would they want to do that?" asked Rodan.
"They just...want to get to know you all more since we're going to be on the same side for now on," said Mosura. Angirasu rubbed his neck as he looked away, reluctant to consider accepting the invite.
"I don't know," said Angirasu.
"Come on guys! We'll never get anywhere with them if you don't give them a chance!" said Mosura.
"Who's going to be there?" asked Junior.
"Just the two I mentioned, Koizumi, and Inoue,” answered Mosura. The male Transmutants sighed in unison.
"Fine. But the fairies wanted to see us." said Junior.
"The giant bugs? We really should give them names," said Rodan.
"What if they already have names? We should ask them first," said Angirasu. Mosura looked to Junior in surprise.
"Oh. So they told you guys?" asked Mosura. Junior nodded lamely.
"Well, they told me. Not Rodan and Angirasu though," said Junior. The two other males looked to him in confusion.
"Told you what?" asked Angirasu.
"It's better if they told you themselves, which is one reason why they wanted to see all of us. Goro and the others will be there," said Junior. The two other male Transmutants shrugged in response.
An hour later...
"Shit, so we really were giant monsters in a past life?" asked Rodan.
"Correct," the fairies answered in unison. Goro and his group, Rodan and Angirasu sat with shocked expressions. Everyone was outside in the Canterlot Gardens. They had witnessed visions of their past lives as the legendary Kaiju. Caesar sat by Mosura and Junior with the fairies. Goro struggled to take in the information given to him.
"So...we were reincarnated to stop this coming evil?" asked Goro. Caesar nodded.
"Yes. Ghidorah will form an army of reincarnated Kaiju that are in the form of Transmutants. With them, they will spread tyranny throughout the planet," said Caesar.
"What's his beef with the world?" asked Baragon.
"Ghidorah was a malicious Kaiju that went against his purpose as one. Instead of adapting to his environment, he chose to bring destruction. He would have succeeded if the legendary Kaiju had not intervened," said Caesar. Baragon glanced at him with a raised brow.
"Sooo...he was a sociopath?" asked Baragon. Caesar was about to answer but then looked down to the ground. The Transmutants looked at him with curiosity. The Shisa looked back to the Transmutants and then nodded.
"Yeah, pretty much," answered Caesar. Manda raised her hand as she waited patiently for Caesar to call on her. The Shisa raised a brow in confusion. Baragon nudged her arm.
"This isn't school, Manda. Just sat what you have to say," whispered Baragon. Manda huffed in response.
"Well, excuse me! I was just trying to be courteous to him!" said Manda in an indignant tone.
"What do you have to say, my dear?" asked Caesar. Manda smiled as she turned back to face the Shisa.
"Right. I want to know exactly, how we are going to stop these guys?" asked Manda.
"Simple. You all must make contact with your past lives." answered Caesar. Rodan gave him a deadpanned stare.
"You call that simple? What do we need to do? Sacrifice a goat or something?" asked Rodan in exasperation.
"That's to give offerings to demons, Rodan," deadpanned Angirasu. Caesar shook his head.
"No. What you are all going to do is to relax the spirit, the body and the mind," said Caesar. He stood up and began to prowl around on all fours.
"You see, your spirits were a part of the original Kaiju. The original spirits are resting in the afterlife, where all spirits are brought to rest based on their actions in life." said Caesar. The fairies began to flutter next to the Transmutants.
"The fairies will create windows through the afterlife that will allow you to speak to your past lives," said Caesar. He looked to Rodan. "You're first,"
"Um...OK. But will he understand me? How will I understand him?" asked Rodan in reluctance.
"Don't worry. The dead of every species can learn to understand one another. Since spirits have no physical bodies, animals and Kaiju all have the ability to speak in the afterlife," explained Caesar as he placed a tall mirror in front of the Transmutants. Junior and Mosura scooted over to join their friends. The fairies fluttered their wings as they flew into the air and projected beams from their antennae that fired into a large mirror that sat in front of the Transmutants. The mirror glowed as Rodan remained calm as possible. The sound of growling could be heard, causing him to gulp nervously. From the mirror, a formless mist began to appear from within its reflection. Rodan's reflection was replaced by the head of a creature that bore a striking resemblance to his own when he transformed. The dragon-bird growled as it slowly opened its beak.
"Who are you?" asked the Kaiju in a deep and scratchy voice. Its voice echoed as it carried a ghostly sound to it. Rodan stuttered as he tried to think up a response.
"Um...what's up?" greeted Rodan with a shrug. He carried a nervous and unsure tone. The Transmutants all face palmed in response. The Kaiju merely grunted as its image disappeared. Rodan slumped his arms.
"Huh," said Rodan. He was suddenly tackled to the ground by Junior who bore a look of anger.
"When the voice!" Junior punched Rodan as he lied on the ground, causing the man to yell in pain. "Of a Kaiju's Ghost!" Junior punched Rodan again. "Talks down to you from the grave!" Junior sent another punch while Mosura looked on worriedly.
"Ow! Gojira!" cried Rodan as Junior punched him again.
"You do not respond with 'what's up'!" shouted Junior as he punched Rodan again. The crimson haired Transmutant groaned in pain as he felt bruises beginning to form on his sides.
"Was that necessary?" asked Caesar.
"Yeah I have to agree. That seemed a little harsh," said Manda as she stared at Rodan worriedly while he sluggishly stood to his feet.
"Don't worry. Those were just love taps," said Angirasu with a smile. Mosura sighed.
"You boys haven't changed that much while I was gone," said Mosura with a vague smile. Junior sighed as he sat back down.
"Hey, he's the one who screwed up his first contact," said Junior.
"You didn't have to hit me!" said Rodan in annoyance. Junior merely smirked.
"I just wanted to show you that there were consequences when screwing up something as important as this," said Junior. Rodan scoffed indignantly.
"At least I knew that there were cameras in the Vault!" said Rodan. Junior scowled.
"Oh, don't even go there!" said Junior. Rodan chuckled.
"Bitch, I already went there! I took pictures too!" said Rodan.
"Ooooh, giiiirl!" said Manda as she laughed in amusement. Junior gave her a frown.
"Why do you have to encourage him?" asked Junior.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," said Manda with a shrug.
"Does this mean I automatically win with my sweet burn?" asked Rodan. Junior gave him a deadpanned stare.
"Do you want to get hit again?" asked Junior as he raised his fist.
"No," sighed Rodan. Junior smirked in response while Rodan scoffed.
"Sore loser," spat Rodan as he made his way back to the mirror.
"We'll try this again. Just introduce yourself to him," said Caesar.
"Fine," said Rodan. The mirror fogged up with mist again. Suddenly, the dragon-bird Kaiju appeared again.
"Oh, it's you again," said the Kaiju in annoyance. Rodan cleared his throat.
"Hey, sorry about that. My name is Rodan Shou. I'm you, reincarnated," said Rodan. The Kaiju stared at him from a short while before giving a rumbling chuckle.
"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" asked the Kaiju. Rodan grinned.
"Sorry dude. I'm new at this past life communicating thing," said Rodan.
"Understandable. I was told that some of us would be contacted by humans reincarnated after us," said the Kaiju.
"So wait, you didn't assume that I was you reincarnated when you saw me?" asked Rodan in confusion. The Kaiju chuckled.
"You have to understand. A lot of people use to dabble with talking to the dead. Except, most people messed with dark magic way back then. Not so much anymore." said the Kaiju.
"There's no time in the afterlife!" shouted a voice from the mirror. The Kaiju sighed in annoyance as he turned and looked towards the source of the voice.
"I know! I meant time as in for the world of the living! Just because we're somewhere that's unbound by time and space doesn't mean that we can't tell what time it is in the living world!" shouted the Kaiju. The Transmutants looked to each other in confusion.
"This...was not what I was expecting," said Mosura.
"Parts of your personalities originate from the Kaiju that you were reincarnated from. You're basically talking to yourselves," informed one of the fairies. Junior placed a hand under his chin as he propped it up. A look of boredom was plastered on his face.
"So, are we just to have a pleasant conversation with ourselves?" asked Junior. Caesar made his way next to Rodan. The Kaiju in the mirror looked to him in surprise.
"Caesar, you big fur ball! How's life?" asked the Kaiju with a chuckle. Caesar smiled at his old friend.
"Things have been well for me. Thank you, old friend," said Caesar. He then took on a serious expression. "Now, you remember what you were told. The time is upon us,"
"Right, right. Gotta save the world but we can't since we're dead," said the Kaiju. Rodan looked to him quizzically.
"You know, for someone that's dead, you seem pretty chill about it," said Rodan. The Kaiju snorted.
"Well, it's not so bad. I won't spoil it for you," said the Kaiju with a wink. He then began spread his wings.
"Now listen up. Since you're me, that means you now have the responsibility that my ancestors and myself had since the beginning. So, I am going to make sure you're ready," said the Kaiju as he began to flap his wings. Rodan felt a powerful gust of wind flying through the mirror and towards him. He yelped as he nearly fell off of his feet. The Transmutants shielded their faces as the wind began to blow against them. From the mirror came a red mist that was blown from the Kaiju. The mist encircled Rodan's body as it traveled up through his nostrils and down into his lungs. The spirit stopped flapping his wings and settled down as he watched Rodan drop to his knees, panting.
"Rodan?!" called Mosura in a worried tone as he saw him panting heavily and his eyes slightly glowed green. He felt his vision blurry and his body felt heavy.
"What's wrong with him?! What did you do?!" demanded Angirasu as he glared at the Kaiju.
"Relax! All I did was given him my spiritual essence just like I was supposed to. He's gonna be fine," said the Kaiju as he waved a claw. Rodan began to calm himself he looked back up to the Kaiju. The spirit smirked.
"Congrats kid. You just took my place as the lord of the skies," said the spirit as he bowed his head. Rodan chuckled in response.
"Sounds catchy," said Rodan. He slowly stood up to his feet but began to wobble.
"Easy there. You gotta give your body and soul time to adjust. My essence just fused with your soul, which tired you out," said the Kaiju spirit. Rodan nodded as Mosura helped him sat him down. The spirit looked to Caesar with a smile.
"We're waiting for you on the other side, buddy," said the spirit. Caesar nodded.
"One day, I will be joining you," said Caesar. The rest of the Transmutants looked over to Caesar in worry. The way he spoke sounded as if his time was nearly up. The Kaiju spirit nodded before his image faded. Caesar sighed.
"Alright, who's next?" asked Caesar. Manda raised her hand.
"I'll go," said Manda, lacking enthusiasm in her voice. Caesar nodded to her.
"Step to the mirror," said Caesar. Manda nodded as she did what she was told. The woman turned and looked on worriedly to the Shisa.
"Hey, you're not dying are you?" asked Manda. Caesar chuckled in response.
"No. But my time will come one day in the future," said Caesar. Manda nodded lamely. She turned back to the mirror and heard the sound of hissing. The head of the sea dragon-serpent that she was capable of transforming into had appeared. Its red reptilian eyes stared at her. Manda gulped nervously as she stared into the eyes of the creature.
"You're me after reincarnation, yesss?" asked the dragon in a hissing, high feminine voice. Manda nodded.
"Um...yes ma'am. I was told that I needed to contact you so I can prevent a terrible disaster," said Manda nervously. The spirit continued to hiss as her tongue slid out of her mouth and passed her sharp fangs and teeth. Her antlers were much greater compared to Manda’s transformation. The woman suspected that it might have had to do with age.
"Yesss. I will grant you my essence," said the serpent in a cheerful tone. Suddenly, the serpent began to slither through the mirror, much to the shock of the Transmutants. This spirit was the size of a full grown anaconda.
"Whoa! Nobody told me that they could that!" said Manda in an alarmed tone.
"They can only be out temporarily. They're only being allowed to interact with the physical world to grant you their spiritual essence," said one of the fairies. The spirit slithered towards Manda and slowly wrapped herself around the woman's legs and up to her waist. Manda began to strain as she felt the cold spirit beginning to apply force to her.
"So cold!" said Manda.
"Well, I wasss cold blooded in life," said the serpent in a humored tone. The spirit began to constrict her spiritual body against Manda's physical being, causing her to strain.
"Hey! Be easy on her!" said Baragon with a glare. The spirit laughed.
"Don't worry. Ssshe'll be just find." said the spirit as her body glowed an aqua aura. The serpent suddenly fused inside of Manda, causing the woman to drop onto her knees as she heaved. Her red eyes glowed brightly as she clutched her stomach. Baragon rushed over to her side as he held her hand.
"Manda, are you OK?" asked Baragon in worry. Manda shook her head as he face strained.
"I feel like I'm gonna..." Manda placed a hand over her mouth and then dropped to her hands. Manda opened her mouth and began to regurgitate what she assumed would be breakfast, but it turned out to be an aqua colored mist that flowed out of her mouth. The serpent’s voice laughed with an echo as the mist flowed back into the mirror. Manda panted as she clutched her stomach. She leaned against Baragon's shoulder and moaned as he rubbed her head in comfort.
"I never want to do that again," said Manda as her glowing red eyes died down to normal. Baragon chuckled.
"Wait, I thought Kaiju were enormous. Why was that so small?" asked Mosura in confusion.
"Spirits are unbound by physical growth when in the physical world. They can grow or shrink down to a certain mass. It's the spirit world where they are stuck in their normal size." said a fairy. The Transmutants all murmured amongst themselves as they thought of the explanation. Goro stood up and made his way to the mirror. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard as they approached the mirror. The head of the dragon-like creature appeared as it bared its teeth.
"To think our reincarnations were tiny mammals," said the short armed dragon. Goro stared in fascination at the creature as the spirit reared back as if it were sitting on something. Goro raised a brow in confusion but then his eyes widened as he found one of the creature's feet came shooting towards him. Goro was kicked by the spirits foot and was forced into the bush hedge as his body was engulfed in a dark blue mist. The spirits essence fused into his body, causing Goro to drop to his knees and to lie down.
"Good luck to you," said the spirit as he faded away from behind the mirror. Goro groaned as he stood and his eyes glowed blue and died down.
"Does taking in all of these essences involve receiving bodily harm?" asked Goro in a deadpanned stare.
"Maybe," said Caesar as he looked away. Goro glared at the fairies, who turned their attention away as well. Goro sighed as he lied back down. Baragon stood up with a hard stare and made his way up to the mirror. He found the Kaiju spirit that he had transformed into. Its orange horn sat on its head as its red eyes stared at him. The spirit brought his forepaw against his large ear and began to scratch it like a dog.
"Come at me bro!" said Baragon as he shot his arms from side to side. He dared his past life to hit him with whatever he had. The Kaiju merely opened his jaws and spat from behind the mirror. Baragon's body was covered in the fluid as he glared at the Kaiju. He felt the saliva beginning to fuse into him as it turned a fiery red color.
"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Baragon. The Kaiju shrugged.
"What do you want from me? I gave you my spirit essence," said the Kaiju.
"In the form of your spit?! You don't even have a physical body any more, how do you even do that?! Is this like ectoplasm or something?!" demanded Baragon as he tried to flap the substance off of his body. The Transmutants looked on in disgust while the spirit Kaiju chuckled in amusement.
"Later," said the Kaiju as he faded away.
"Asshole!!" shouted Baragon. The substance had fused into his body, filling him with the spirit's essence that began to fuse with his soul. Baragon fell over, weakly holding onto his anger. He sighed.
"Screw it," said Baragon. Manda made her way over to him and began to drag him away from the mirror. She sat with him as she cuddled him like a teddy bear.
"Let's feel terrible together," said Manda in a weak tone.
"Sounds good," said Baragon. Rodan sighed as he stood up and began to stretch.
"I'm feeling better already," said Rodan with a cheerful tone. He then yawned as he sat back down. "Can we go now?"
"Not yet," said Caesar. He then looked to Angirasu, who sighed as he stood up. The spikey-haired man made his way over to the mirror and waited for the appearance of his past self. The horned snout of the creature came into view as his brown eyes stared into Angirasu's. The spirit flared his nostrils.
"So, you're going to continue where I failed?" asked the Kaiju. Angirasu nodded.
"I honestly don't want to. But if there's no one else able to stop what's to come, then I will," said Angirasu. The spirit nodded in approval and swayed his spiked club tail.
"Wait, what the hell are you doing?!" asked Angirasu in a panicked tone. His eyes followed the clubbed and spiked ball that was at the end of the tail.
"Don't worry. This will only hurt for about ten seconds," said the Kaiju. He then swung his tail towards the mirror, where the spiked club pierced through Angirasu. The Transmutants watched with wide eyes as they thought Angirasu was dealt with a lethal blow. However, they noticed that he did not bleed from his wound as the spike had phased through him. Angirasu was force off of his feet and was knocked against the hedge of the garden. He groaned as he clutched his chest and his body was engulfed in a brownish gold mist that fused into his body. His eyes glowed the same color as he looked weakly over towards the mirror, where the Kaiju spirit was now absent. Mosura rushed over to Angirasu with a look of worry. The Transmutant merely gave her a thumbs up. She sighed in relief as she wrapped him into a tight hug.
"Mosura, it is your turn," said Caesar. The Transmutant turned and stared at the mirror warily. She gulped nervously as she made her way over to the mirror. Caesar came to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you frightened?" asked Caesar. Mosura nodded.
"A...a little," admitted Mosura as she lowered her head. Caesar lifted her chin up with his claw as he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Do not worry. She's kind," said Caesar. Mosura nodded lamely as she turned to face the mirror. She steeled herself and made her way in front of it. The Transmutant waited as a golden mist formed an image through the mirror. A great moth-like creature stared at Mosura with its blue eyes. Mosura gasped as she stared at the beauty of the creature. Its majestic wings were folded on its back and its eyes softly glowed. The fuzz on the spirit hugged its body as it slightly opened its mouth.
"Are you ready to take on the mantle of protecting this beautiful world and the inhabitants just as I had many millennia ago?" echoed the moth in a soft and feminine voice. It sounded like an older version of Mosura. Mosura looked down.
"You were the Kaiju in the legends. The one that they called, the 'Guardian of Peace', right?" asked Mosura.
"That is correct," replied the spirit.
"Ever since I was a little girl, my brother and I were told stories about you and the Kaiju king. I admired you because you were willing to risk your own life for the humans," said Mosura. She trembled as tears ran down her eyes. "But I spent years cowering before them when I could have been protecting them! There's no way that I'm you!"
"Be that as it may, you carry a loving heart inside. You eventually put aside your fear and decided to protect them as you and your friends had grown," said the Kaiju. Mosura slowly looked up to find the moth staring at her with her expressionless eyes. "I feel your pain about your brother,"
"I had a brother too," said the Kaiju spirit. Mosura gasped as she heard those words.
"Wha-what?" asked Mosura.
"Like your own brother, mine had fallen victim to anger. In the end, it cost him his life," said the spirit. She began to flutter her wings as they generated gusts of wind.
"Was your brother..." Mosura hesitated to finish her question.
"I believe you may already know the answer to that question," answered the Kaiju. The scales on her wings glowed a golden color as the wind from the spirit's wings was carried out of the mirror and towards the Transmutant. The scales began to flow towards Mosura and pierced her skin. Mosura grunted as she felt the spirit energy filling her entire being. Slowly, the scales fused into her body, disappearing out of sight. Mosura sighed in exhaustion as she dropped to her knees. Her blue eyes glowed softly as she watched her past self slowly fade away. Mosura slowly stood to her feet as she attempted to walk back to the group. The woman stumbled over her feet but was caught by Junior. The male Transmutant helped her walk over to the rest of their group. Junior gently set her down as he reluctantly turned to face the mirror.
"It is your turn, young Takeshi," said Caesar. Junior nodded as he hesitantly walked up to the mirror. He heard the low sound of growling coming from the mirror. The Transmutant stood before the mirror as he found the silhouette of the Kaiju that he had seen in the visions. The bipedal dragon emerged from a cloud of smoke as its piercing yellow eyes met with Junior's.
"Who are you?" asked the Kaiju in a deep and powerful voice. Junior steeled himself as he prepared to answer the beast.
"My name is Gojira Takeshi the 2nd. I was named after my father, who was named after the Kaiju of legend. I am you, reincarnated as a human," answered Junior. The Kaiju gave a low humming sound to himself.
"You're about the same age that I was before I died," said the Kaiju to himself. Junior cleared his throat as he looked away in an uncomfortable manner.
"You were..."
"I was a young adult, shorter than my father. The Kaiju who killed me, who killed your father, was much larger than either of us." said the Kaiju spirit. He then looked to Junior with a hard stare.
"That bastard made my father suffer. I have been here for thousands of years, wishing that I could make him pay for what he did. The only comfort I have was knowing that he's rotting in the lowest parts of Tartarus for his evil," said the Kaiju.
"But he was reincarnated into Destoroyah. Technically he's still alive, right?" asked Junior.
"In a way. But I'd like to ask you a favor," said the Kaiju. Caesar made his way over to the mirror.
"Wait, there's no need to-" Caesar spoke but was interrupted by the spirit's harsh glare.
"No! You let me have this!!" shouted the Kaiju. The Transmutants recoiled back from the spirit's booming voice. Several birds that were nearby were startled and began to squawk as they flew away. Caesar sighed.
"Very well," said Caesar. The spirit turned back to Junior.
"I know how much you loath Destoroyah. I can feel it. What he's done and what he's doing is unforgivable. I will give you my essence so that you may uphold my father's mantle just as I was supposed to. Through you, I can still do so," said the Kaiju as his dorsal plates began to illuminate. Junior began to grow nervous as he watched the dorsal plates grew brighter and brighter.
"The next time that you see Destoroyah, I want you to make him bleed!" growled the spirit. Mosura gulped nervously as she heard the Kaiju speak with such disdain for the Transmutant and the Kaiju that he was reincarnated after. If this spirit held this much hate for the creature, no doubt Junior's hate for Destoroyah matched it.
"Even if you didn't ask me, I would have made him suffer anyway," said Junior. The spirit nodded in approval.
"Truly you are a part of me," said the spirit. Caesar looked down in disappointment. The Kaiju spirit inhaled deeply as he reared his head back. The spirit shot his head forward and spewed his neon blue flames towards Junior. The Transmutant clenched his eyes shut as he waited for the imminent agony that he would soon feel. The atomic breath flowed out of the mirror in a ghost-like manner. It moved like a mist that wrapped itself around Junior's body. He grunted as he dropped to his knees. The Transmutants shielded their eyes from the bright light of the spirit essence. Mosura peaked through her fingers and found Junior groaning as the essence fused into his body. The light died down as Junior's body gave off traces of smoke. He panted as his eyes glowed a neon blue. He stared off towards the mirror as he found the Kaiju spirit fading away. The fairies suddenly cut off their magic and the images in the mirror disappeared. Junior panted as he felt his body growing heavy and his breathing was labored.
"Now that you all have received the essence of your past lives, you will be ready to act when the time comes. Your bodies and souls will work to adjust to the new essence that is fused to your souls," said Caesar. He made his way over towards the mirror and began to move it away. "Get some rest. You will feel better later," said Caesar. One of the fairies flew over towards Junior and landed next to him as he sat hunched over.
"Will you be OK?" asked the fairy. Junior noticed the golden marking color scheme that decorated her wings. He recognized the fairy as to be the one that showed him the vision of his past life.
"I think I'll be fine. I'm just tired," said Junior.
"I didn't mean physically. I meant, if you were going to be OK with what you have to do," said the fairy. Junior sighed.
"We'll see," said Junior. He looked to the fairy weakly. "Say, do you have a name?"
"Oh. M-my name is Amber." said the fairy. She lightly laughed. "No human or Transmutant has ever asked us our names before,"
"Well, it pleases me to be the first. I wanted to familiarize myself with you if I ever need advice," said Junior with a small smile.
"I'll help however I can!" said Amber as she fluttered her wings. Junior nodded to her. Amber took off into the air and began to follow her fairy sisters with Caesar. Mosura made her way to Junior's side and helped him up to his feet. She looked to him in worry.
"What?" asked Junior.
"Gojira, don't let your personal feelings get the best of you if you ever meet Destoroyah again," warned Mosura in a worried tone. Junior sighed in annoyance.
"If? More like, when," said Junior. He turned and made his way out of the garden.
"Gojira..." Mosura called out to him.
"I don't want to talk about it. I have a headache and I want to get some sleep before meeting with those damn rebels." said Junior. Mosura sighed as she watched Junior leave in worry. Rodan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about him! He can take care of himself," said Rodan with a reassuring smile.
"I just want to make sure that he has his priorities straight. Besides, I don't like the idea of him trying to settle a vendetta that's lasted for two lives," said Mosura with worry. Angirasu watched Junior and sighed.
"Well, you can't just ask him to forgive Destoroyah. How can he?" asked Angirasu.
Later that night...
Nightfall engulfed the land as the moon and stars lit up the dark sky. Lights shone brightly around Canterlot during the business hours of establishments and evening activities that were performed by the residents. The Transmutant Four strolled down the street in silence. Occasionally, they received wary glances from some of the citizens that they had passed on their walk while others gave them glares of disdain. The Transmutants ignored these humans and merely minded their own business. Junior sighed in annoyance.
"Goro sure does know how to bail on us," said Junior. Rodan nodded in agreement.
"I hear ya. Something about training a Diamond Dog to help him challenge his tribe leader to bring peace between Mustangia and the Diamond Dogs," said Rodan. Angirasu chuckled in amusement.
"I almost didn't believe it until the Princess confirmed it," said Angirasu.
"Don't worry about tonight, boys. It's just going to be a casual night," said Mosura in reassurance. The group had come across an establishment that shone its lights from its large windows. The restaurant was filled with humans dressed in casual attire rather any of the formal attire that they had spotted people wearing from a few other restaurants that they had spotted. This had put the Transmutants at ease, knowing that they would not be dining with high class humans of the city. The four made their way inside of the restaurant and found a woman standing by at a podium. She shrunk back as they focused their attention on her. Mosura made her way over to the woman with a kind smile on her face.
"Good evening! We're here for the party of eight, under the name Light," said Mosura.
"O-Of course. Right this way." said the woman as she led the Transmutants further into the restaurant. A few customers began to whisper among themselves as they spotted the Transmutants. Junior blocked out whatever it was that the humans were whispering about him and his friends. The Transmutants were led towards a table where they found Light, Yoshi, Koizumi and Inoue seated. All were wearing casual clothing. The rebels all stood as the Transmutants approached.
"Takeshi, Yasu, Riku and Shou, glad that you all could make it," said Light as he and the rebels bowed. The Transmutants stopped walking and all bowed as well.
"Likewise, Commander," said Mosura with a smile. Light gestured to the chairs that sat on the table in front of their seating.
"Please, have a seat," said Light. The Transmutants pulled up their chairs and sat down. Junior noticed that he was sitting in front of Inoue, who stared at him with a forced smile. The Transmutant was familiar with false smiles, so he assumed that the rebel was displeased to be in the restaurant as much as he was. Mosura took a seat next to him and found herself sitting in front of Yoshi. She greeted him with a warm smile, which he returned. Rodan sat in front of Koizumi while Angirasu sat in front of Light.
"Um...can I get you folks something to drink?" asked the woman nervously as she pulled out a notepad.
"I'd like lemonade," said Rodan as he raised his hand.
"Same," said Angirasu as he raised his hand as well.
"Iced tea, please," said Mosura with a smile. Junior sighed as he began to look the menu that sat in front of him.
"Just water, thank you," said Junior. He then mentally groaned in annoyance as he scanned through the menu. There was only food that was fitting for a vegetarian rather a carnivore such as himself. Ever since he had been given the Kaiju spirit's essence, he's been having flashes of his past life and strong cravings for meat. There was also the headaches and the restlessness that plagued him, causing him to be irritable this evening. The waitress had finished taking the orders of the rebels for their choice of beverages.
"Alright. I'll go get your drinks. Let me know when you're ready to order," said the woman as she took off. Inoue glanced at Junior as he scanned through the menu.
"Water, huh?" said Inoue with a raised brow. Junior slightly glanced at her and then returned to reading the menu.
"Yeah. I haven’t had water in hours," answered Junior. Yoshi cleared his throat.
"So, whatever happened to the other Transmutants?" asked Yoshi.
"They went home," answered Mosura as she began to scan through her menu.
"That's a shame, I was hoping that we'd meet them personally," said Light in disappointment. Rodan snorted to himself.
"Yeah, I bet," Rodan muttered to himself. Mosura glared at him as she kicked his leg. Rodan grunted in pain as he glared at Mosura.
"Something wrong?" asked Yoshi.
"Ah...just sore from sparing with Gojira and Angirasu," lied Rodan. Koizumui's interest began to peak.
"Sparring eh? So, how'd that turn out?" asked Koizumi.
"I kicked his ass," answered Angirasu. Rodan smirked.
"Yeah, right after I knocked you silly when you put me in a head lock," said Rodan.
"And then I kicked both of your asses," said Junior in amusement as he continued to read through the menu. He sighed in annoyance as he continued to scan through it.
"So, who would you say is the strongest out of all of you?" asked Koizumi. The Transmutants went silent. They all glanced at each other, unsure how to answer the question.
"The strongest?" asked Angirasu.
"That's what I said," deadpanned Koizumi.
"MosuJira." said Rodan and Angirasu in unison. Their answers were mixed together, causing the other two Transmutants and rebels to look at them in confusion.
"Huh?" asked Yoshi. Angirasu and Rodan looked to each other in confusion.
"Wait, what?" asked Angirasu. Rodan shrugged.
"Well, I think Mosura is stronger. She's got years of experience in training on her side and she's psychic," said Rodan.
"True, if we go about tact and skill. Gojira isn't the most tactful fighter, but he does have some tricks up his sleeve in the heat of battle," argued Angirasu.
"Mosura's got a more leveled head," said Rodan. Junior scowled in annoyance while Mosura chuckled nervously.
"Guys..." said Mosura.
"True, but Gojira's method seems to work for him. His tenacity is his greatest strength besides his obvious physical superiority," said Angirasu. He then looked to Mosura. "No offense, Mosu,"
"Oh, none taken," said Mosura. Inoue gave the Transmutant a glare.
"Wait, are you being biased about her physical strength because she's a girl and he's a large guy?" questioned Inoue. Junior scoffed.
"Where is this coming from? It has nothing to do with that," said Junior. Rodan hummed to himself.
"Well...the size plays a bit of a factor as well," said Rodan.
"So, explain to me how you are stronger than Yasu," said Inoue.
"I once picked up a tank and threw it towards another," said Junior. Inoue gave him a deadpanned stare.
"Bullshit," said Inoue.
"Well, you never said to mention the fact that I had transformed when I had thrown it," said Junior with a shrug.
"Wait, you threw a tank?!" exclaimed Koizumi.
"Yes," said Junior as he placed the menu down.
"Wow. I've never heard of a Transmutant doing something like that," said Koizumi in an impressed tone.
"Why are you so impressed? He probably killed some soldiers while doing that!" said Inoue. Yoshi cleared his throat as he spotted a few people staring. Mosura also noticed the stares as well.
"Perhaps we should keep it down," suggested Yoshi. Mosura nodded in agreement as she looked to Junior with a nervous smile.
"So what if I did?" asked Junior.
"Uh oh," said Rodan as he looked away.
"Goji..." called Angirasu. Light looked on in worry.
"I take it he's not one to back down easily from arguments," said Light.
"Yep," said Angirasu.
"So what if you did? What were they, ants to you or something?" demanded Inoue. Junior sighed as the waitress returned to the table with the drinks the group had ordered.
"More like rabid wolves," said Junior nonchalantly as he sipped his glass of water.
"Rabid wolves?" asked Koizumi. Inoue held her glare at the Transmutant.
"Ants are not always a threat to a person, but a rabid wolf is a severe threat to your life. Even if you survive an attack, you will eventually succumb to the virus and die painfully while raging with insanity. That's what it’s like for me when facing MONARCHm" said Junior.
"So basically, you’re insane?" asked Inoue with a smirk. Junior glared at her.
"Don't get cute. I'm totally sane. My point is that the soldiers that I killed were nothing but wolves, trying to corner me and devour what was left. It was a life or death situation. So, please forgive me when I say, 'I do not give a shit about the soldiers that I have killed'," said Junior. Inoue hardened her glare as she clenched her fist.
"Why you-"
"I can respect that," said Koizumi. The Transmutants and rebels looked to Koizumi in shock and surprise. Junior merely raised a brow.
"Excuse me?" asked Junior.
"Just like you said, it was a life or death situation. You were threatened; you had the power and the right to defend yourself. You used that power and took advantage of that right," said Koizumi. Yoshi sighed while Inoue glared at him.
"Are you serious?" demanded Inoue.
"Yes. As for him not giving a shit, I don't blame him either. Back in the day, I killed men that got in the way of my missions as a merc," said Koizumi. He then looked to Inoue with a deadpanned stare. "Let's also not forget that we killed soldiers we once called our allies as well. Don't try to claim a moral high ground when your actions mirror another's,"
"Our situation was different! We were defending ourselves!" said Inoue.
"Not really. Only difference was that Transmutants were wanted way longer than you rebels," said Rodan with a shrug.
"He has a point," said Yoshi. Mosura cleared her throat.
"Yes, but we should not dwell of our mistakes!" said Mosura.
"Mistakes?" questioned Junior with a glare. Mosura recoiled back. "What I did was not a mistake. I intentionally fought back to defend myself, something that little Ms. Rebel here seems to ignore,"
"I didn't ignore it. I just dislike you talking about my comrades as if they were animals!" retorted Inoue.
"Private..." called Light. Junior glared at her.
"First of all, they were your comrades! Now you’re in the same boat as us! Second of all, that's something that you so called, 'protectors of humanity' saw us as for years!" said Junior in anger. Angirasu and Rodan looked on anxiously as they spotted the nervous stares that they were receiving.
"Maybe if you Transmutants spent more time contributing to society rather than terrorizing, people would have a better opinion!" shouted a man from the back. Inoue and Junior turned back and glared at the man.
"Shut up!!" they shouted in unison. Inoue then focused her attention back on Junior.
"Don't assume that we all acted that way and try to make us out to be the bad guys!" said Inoue.
"I don't need to make you the bad guys. The leadership of your organization will do that when they accomplish with what they want. The soldiers may not be the bad guys, but a lot of people will see them as such," said Junior.
"You...gah! You are so infuriating!" said Inoue in frustration. Junior sat back down.
"I know. But if MONARCH ever sends any more troops after me or my friends, I can promise you that I will not be kind," said Junior. He then glared at Inoue. "I'm not going to back down from defending my friends and myself just because you or anyone else thinks that I'm the bad guy for doing so. We all have survival instincts. You're no exception,"
"Amen." said Koizumi as he held up his cup up. Inoue kept her glare on him as she sat down.
"Takeshi, surely you rather have the conflict end soon and not prolong it by waiting to be attacked," said Yoshi.
"Of course I do. But I'm not going to look for trouble without an excuse. There are too many soldiers to fight against in a war. I also rather not drag Equestria into a war with an entire organization," said Junior as he took a sip of his water. Light cleared his throat.
"War isn't always the answer. Sometimes, the greatest weapon is the truth," said Light. Rodan shuttered.
"That sounded like some kind of cliché from someone's parent," said Rodan. Mosura slapped his shoulder with a look of disapproval.
"Perhaps. But it is the truth," said Light. "We just need to inform the rest of MONARCH's staff of what kind of things have gone on in the dark,"
"How? Wasn't the data, that you guys had gotten, destroyed?" asked Mosura.
"It was. But we are working on a plan to reveal the truth in another way," said Light.
"Right. Well, you let me know how that works out," Junior said sarcastically. Inoue glared at him again. Koizumi sighed.
"Say, can I ask a favor?" asked Koizumi.
"What?" asked Junior in annoyance.
"Do you mind helping me get a paying job working for the princess since you’re pretty close to her?" asked Koizumi.
"What did you have in mind? asked Junior.
"Well, I've seen how...shitty the royal guard is in combat," said Koizumi. Junior raised a brow.
"Shitty by your standards or are they actually just shitty fighters?" asked Junior.
"Meh. A little bit of both," said Koizumi.
"Well...I disagree with you on them being bad fighter in general, but improvement never did hurt anyone," said Junior in thought. Mosura raised a brow as she heard Junior's thoughtful tone.
"Fine, I'll talk to her about it tomorrow. Just put up a reasonable request for payment and show her what you can do. No guns, for god’s sake," said Junior with a deadpanned stare. Koizumi shrugged.
"What? I won't shoot you if that's what you're worried about! Just don't attack me and we don't have to worry about that," said Koizumi.
"It's not that. I meant as in, don't bother teaching them how to use a gun since they won't have real access to those weapons," said Junior.
"Alright, but no promises," said Koizumi with a sly smile. Junior sighed.
"Of course," said Junior.
"Also, I want to spar with you guys sometime," said Koizumi.
"Damn it," said Junior in annoyance. Inoue smirked.
"Afraid to lose?" asked Inoue.
"No. I just rather not be held responsible if I break his bones on accident," retorted Junior. Koizumi smirked.
"It's alright. Yoshi's got my back," said Koizumi. Yoshi scowled.
"Swell," said Yoshi. Light smiled.
"Well, this has been a rough start, but may this be the beginning to an alliance between both of our groups," said Light.
"Here! Here!" said Mosura. Rodan and Angirasu nodded in agreement while Junior scowled. He then noticed the paled-faced waitress that was standing by as still as stone.
"M-may I take your order?" stuttered the waitress.
"Can I get a-" Junior turned to face the woman but she immediately flinched and hid her face from him.
"Don't kill me!" cried the waitress. Junior scowled in annoyance.
"Ah frack," said Junior. Inoue smirked in amusement.
"You're quite the people person," said Inoue. Yoshi sent her a glare.
"Inoue!" said Yoshi in a scolding tone.