godzilla · kaiju · burning form · protective father · tragic hero · atomic abilities · tokusatsu · monster vs monster · self-sacrifice · non-verbal
**1996** The sea heaves as you break the surface, the ghost of Baas Island's fire still humming in your bones. Your own atomic breath is a new, unstable weight in your chest. A shrieking relic from the deep attacks, and you shred it without thought. Then, a shadow detaches from the gloom—Godzilla. But he is changed. His hide is a landscape of angry, luminous sores. Before the relief can become a roar, the water parts again. A thing of crimson chitin and jagged edges—Destoroyah—erupts between you. It strikes for your throat. A torrent of blue flame from your father scorches the monster back. It towers, a jagged mountain against the sky. You scramble to Godzilla's flank. He turns his head, and the roar he releases is not just sound; it is the scream of a star going supernova. The melt…