Tectonic Collision

It's easy to forget how easily everything we have can be taken away. Before the year 1991, everyone simply believed that humans were on top of the world. We seemed to have optimized most of everything, how the world functioned, and how we could use it for our own gain. The most consistent problem mankind had to face for ages… was mankind itself, for better or worse.

It only took one day for all that to change.

It was at the first hints of dawn, a group of Odo Island inhabitants gathered at the very edge of the landmass. A collection of huge, sharp objects were barely visible in the distance. The vague shape blocking out the sunrise. The locals had known this view their entire lives, and that formation was not part of it. "Is that the Kaiji?" One of the onlookers asked. "Sharks?" The ground began to rumble, and a quiet befell the group. The cascading spikes began to move closer, drifting along the ocean.

"Gojira?"

A deafening roar rang through the air as a gigantic, reptilian creature broke out of the sea between Odo Island and the drifting rocks in the distance. Gojira to the people of Japan, but most of the world recognizes it as… Godzilla.

Waves crashed, the ocean floor cracked. The people of Odo backed away from the monster that they begged and bartered with every day just to keep living, as well as this unthinkable new threat. A tropical island much larger than their own that moved of its own free will. The spikes they had seen were actually an entire mountain range.

Godzilla grabbed the moving island before it could collide with Odo, protecting its own habitat. At first, the monster was pushed back half a mile by the drifting island's relentless advance. But as Godzilla dug its claws deeper into the island's checkerboarded surface and found its footing in the ocean, it was able to hold the island in place. The people of Odo Island then ran. Godzilla had incidentally granted them some time to try and evacuate. They knew it was probably only a matter of time before its adrenaline-driven fury would be turned back on them.

The locals, at least the ones that could be evacuated in time, arrived at an old air base from World War II. Back then, soldiers from the mainland setting up operations on this remote island sparked some conflict. The community wasn't very happy about their ancestral land potentially becoming a target for Japan's enemies. But now the abandoned planes here may prove to be their only chance to escape. A Kawanishi H8K had been left right there. This aircraft had more than enough room for everyone.

"Elder, there's a problem. I'm the only one who can pilot this, and… I've never flown too far from the island," a young man named Tsubasa Ejima said to the village elder, as he began refueling the aircraft. Many standard preparations or precautions were alien to them, all they knew was they needed this thing to fly. The elder, in a frenzy, stumbled over to a heavy flight jacket left on the wall of the dilapidated hangar. "Elder?!"

"This was left by one of the soldiers from the war. If I'm remembering correctly, it grants you good luck in the air," the village elder said, handing Tsubasa the flight jacket. Tsubasa turned the jacket around in his hands. The back had a circular winged emblem lined with stars, it almost felt like something should've been displayed inside the circle. His focus on the jacket broke as Godzilla roared again, and the earth beneath their feet quaked. Godzilla couldn't hold the drifting island back much longer. "We're all counting on you, Ejima." The elder turned to everyone else and swung his arms to get their attention. "Move, move! Everybody inside this thing!" In all the commotion, Tsubasa was looking for one specific person to board the aircraft. He knew he wouldn't be able to see if she had made it aboard once they were in the air. In the sea of faces, he could only pray she had made it.

Godzilla was now close to becoming stuck between both islands. Before its legs were smashed, it went on all fours and pulled itself onto the moving island. Just as the H8K took off, the islands collided. Amidst a plume of dirt and debris, Godzilla waited as everything slowly arrived to a standstill. Most of Odo Island had been annihilated, but in turn, the drifting island had no way to continue down its path. Godzilla snorted, and stomped down onto the island that had destroyed its home with a frustrated screech. Watching the H8K flying away, it dove into the ocean in pursuit. This machine would lead Godzilla to its new territory. When it did, the beast would thoroughly savor destroying it like any other wretched creation of man.

GODZILLA VS SONIC

The H8K was just about to make it to Tokyo Bay. Tsubasa had managed to keep the plane flying steady enough. As his arms gradually stopped shaking, he took a moment to reflect. His home was gone. If they returned to Odo Island, they'd probably be coming back to ruins. His mind raced with fear, everything was moving too fast. Before he knew it, his arms were shaking again. But he needed to keep the H8K flying straight.

"Big brother?" A voice asked behind him. Tsubasa gasped, as he suddenly became much more calm. He held back tears when he heard Yui Ejima's footsteps come to a stop right behind him in the pilot's cabin. "I can't thank you enough for rescuing everyone." Tsubasa looked straight ahead, trying to save face, but Yui could see his smile in the reflection on the glass. She sat down in the co-pilot's seat and stretched. "You wouldn't believe how cramped it was in the passenger's cabin. Chilly, too." Tsubasa glanced at her, and he saw she was covered in bruises. Her clothes were drenched with sea water. His smile fell.

"... I'm so happy that you're okay," Tsubasa whispered. He tried to appreciate the Tokyo skyline, he tried to find solace in the fact that his sister was still alive. "I'll try to find somewhere to land. Hey, since we're going to Tokyo, you might actually get to become a mangaka. Just like you always wanted." Tsubasa chuckled. Yui nodded.

"Yes, maybe," Yui said. Suddenly, she heard something outside. It sounded like something had torn away from the aircraft. "Tsubasa, do you hear that?" Yui asked, putting her hands together in her lap. Tsubasa looked to the ceiling. The bolts holding the H8K together were rattling.

"Hey, it'll be okay. This thing's old, it was bound to have a few issues. I see an airport over there, we'll be able to land in no time," Tsubasa tried to console his panicking sister.

"Land now!" Yui cried.

"I can't just land it in the middle of the city! Try to—" Another tearing sound. The H8K began to nosedive. Tsubasa's breath was caught in his throat. "Damn it! Hold onto somethiiiing!"

CRASH!

Tsubasa threw a piece of sharp, burning metal off of him. Climbing out of the wreckage with shards of glass falling from his jacket's sleeve, he looked around at the street they had crashed into. Were there people under the rubble? "Yui?!" He called, trembling. "Where are you?!" Through the haze of smoke, Tsubasa saw Yui curled up on the opposing sidewalk. He ran right towards her, not even looking back at the others that had been inside the passenger cabin. He knelt down by her side, and checked for her heartbeat. "She's just unconscious…" Tsubasa hoisted her onto his back, and then turned around. There was something standing on the peak of the wreckage. "Who… is that?"

The thing was blue, with big eyes and a nose like a black olive. Its shiny red boots seemed unscathed by the burning metal. Was Tsubasa hallucinating? It looked just like an American cartoon character. More importantly, it seemed he had pulled everyone out of the H8K in the brief time since the crash. His whole life, Tsubasa had been taught to fear mystical animals. But as the blue hedgehog smirked at him, he couldn't help but smile back with sheer gratitude. It was like he had come face-to-face with a guardian angel.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Tsubasa exclaimed, overjoyed. Before he knew it, the blue hedgehog had scampered off into the distance, a gust of wind chasing behind him and blowing out the fires. Yui slowly opened her eyes at the sound of Tsubasa's ecstatic laughter. As soon as she did, Tsubasa cleared his throat. "Ah… Yui, are you feeling alright?" Yui smiled at him weakly, before yawning and falling back asleep in his arms.