TheHammernator

The king took the herb, his snout twitched from the slight burn. "Huh... You sure this won't be too spicy for the rest of us?"

"That's what the other ingredients are for!" Mothra's voice piped from overhead, a basket full of plants in her claws.

"Hey Mothra! Find anything good?" Anguirus asked as she glided over.

"Oh, yes! The shobijin and I found so many fruits and herbs- oh! And I was thinking maybe we could use some berries, too!"

"Uh, Mothra? We're making a soup." Godzilla reminded her, "I don't think we can mix everything together. We're not making Solomon sick."

Mothra nodded, "Right, we have some meat in the pot, don't we? What else?"

Godzilla took a glance, "Some whale meat, sliced up palm leaves, fish, water, meat juice... and that's it."

"And the spicy plant I found!" Anguirus pointed out. "Well, if you think it's good enough, at least!"

"I think it's very good so far! How spicy is this plant?" Mothra tilted her head.

Godzilla held it out, "See for yourself."

"Hm...?" Mothra suddenly flinched, "Oh! I see... The rest of the ingredients should balance it all out! I don't think I could eat that on its own!"

"Alright then, you're the boss here." Godzilla shrugged, tossing the plant into the boiling soup. "How about the rest?"

Mothra passed the basket to Anguirus, who rummaged through. "Let's see... I think if we use the rest of the herbs, we could make the fruits and berries a side thing?"

"That sounds much better! Maybe if we tear some herbs apart, the flavor could spread out more..." Mothra nodded. "Ang, I'll add the rest to the pot. Make sure none of the fruit's rotten for me."

"Sure thing!" Anguirus smiled, handing the remaining herbs to Godzilla and Mothra, who carefully watched the fire.

While the other two managed the soup, Anguirus hauled the basket to a large flat stone just a dozen steps away. He rearranged the fruits, the berries on top, and stepped back.

The anklyosaur felt a wave of peace as he gazed upon the blue skies, watching clouds drifting across it. Tiny birds flew to heights only Mothra could reach, and Godzilla's sparking energy could strike.

Somehow, he felt stronger just looking at it. Then he blinked, now hearing something in the distance; the flap of wings.

"Guys! I think he's almost here!" Anguirus shouted, Mothra and Godzilla looking up from the pot.

"One more second!" Mothra called, scrambling to fill another clay bowl and shove them to Godzilla. "Hurry, put them with the rest! Go, go!"

The king rushed for the stone slab where Anguirus sat in anticipation, passing the portions around.

"Man, that looks so good..." Godzilla murmured.

Anguirus stared at the food wide-eyed, his tail thumping the ground. "I bet it tastes way better than it smells. What'cha think, Goji?"

Just as Godzilla opened his mouth, a breeze swept overhead, carrying familiar laughter with it. All three of them couldn't help smiling as Solomon looped around, "Hey, hey, hey! There's the greatest monsters in the solar system!"

"Oh, Solomon! Welcome! It's wonderful to see you, too!" Mothra chirped, following his path before finally landing before them.

"There you are! Was wondering if you'd needed an escort, your majesty!" Godzilla laughed, "I was pretty sure you'd get lost on Earth!"

"Who, me? Nah, not after traveling 'round with all you pebble-heads!" Solomon pulled Godzilla into a headlock, smiling.

"Solomon!" Anguirus cheered, his tail swaying. "I'm so, so, so happy you made it!"

Solomon laughed, releasing Godzilla to hug Anguirus, "Get over 'ere! So am I, Ang! So am I!"

Mothra joined in on the hug along with Godzilla, both nearly toppling the other two kaiju to the ground as they laughed.

"Heheh- missed ya guys, too!" Solomon chuckled, pulling from the group hug. "Now, where's this 'greatest soup on Earth' you guys said I'd have to try?"

Proudly, Godzilla stomped aside, leading the demon bat to the stone where their lunch had been set.

The savory and inviting scent of the meal drifted along the wind, making Solomon smile. "Woah... That smells good! What's in this stuff?"

"Well, that's a secret until you try it!" Mothra mused, taking a seat at the stone.

"Yeah, a full serving of all the good stuff the island's got!" Anguirus chuckled, joining her.

Godzilla followed behind his friends, "Come on, now. Dig in before it's cold!"

All of the kaiju took their spots, Sol especially staring at his bowl, anticipation shinning in his eyes.

The King suddenly stood, holding his claws high, "Cheers! To our greatest and most powerful friend across the stars!"

Mothra and Anguirus pumped their fists in the air as Solomon smiled. "Cheers! To our bestest friend!" They echoed.

Without wasting another second, they dug into the meal. Godzilla and Anguirus happily scarfed down the meat, while Mothra patiently took bite after bite of greens.

Licking his fangs, Solomon swallowed massive bites of it. He savored every bit of flavor that he could get, gladly hoping for seconds.

Mothra watched with wide eyes as he dug through the fruits, his claws and fur soaked with juice.

"So? What's the verdict?" Godzilla asked, watching the demon bat scarf down another massive bite. "Best soup on Earth, or what?"

"Amazing, that's what!" Sol smiled. "Actually, it's-"

"I think it could've use more fish and meat, personally... But it's surely the best around." Godzilla held his head high.

"What? No! You can't have only meat in a soup! It's not soup without other things!" Mothra pointed out.

"Maybe the fish didn't go that good with the spices and plants..." Anguirus murmured.

"Are you saying my fish is garbage?! I'll have you know it's delicious and the best on the island!" Godzilla shouted.

"Yeah, on it's own! Fish is slimey and gross with all the meat juice! Nobody wants bones in a soup." Mothra's fur bristled.

Stop calling it that, it's called broth... Sol thought. And why does it matter who put what in it?

"Well at least I didn't try stuffing berries and fruits into the pot! A fruit salad and soup are completely different!"

"But I didn't try adding a thousand different leaves and peppers into it for 'extra zest' or whatever!"

"I was adding some actual flavor into it, instead of having it taste like a water-y tree!"

"Maybe we could've added another pepper?" Anguirus suggested, "Those layered-fruits balance tastes out more, so-"

Anguirus' words flew over Godzilla's head, "Are you saying you can make a better soup than I can?! How dare you insult the king like that!"

"I absolutely can! And you're not actually royalty, you oversized newt!"

"Okay, okay, guys..." Sol spoke up, "How about we just take a breath and calm down? It's not a bad mix at all! I could help out and-"

"You know what? Fine, we'll see who can make a soup so good, Solomon will have to come back here!" Godzilla roared. "How about that, fuzzball?!"

"Perfectly fine by me! As long as I can kick your ass for the third time in a row! How's that for 'royalty', your highness?!"

"Guys, come on-"

"Fine!" They both shouted in unison, then turned to Solomon. "And you're the judge to declare who makes the best soup of the Earth!"

Solomon stared, baffled, as both of them stormed off. Barely thinking, he mumbled, "I- Ang? Aren't you going to do anything to stop this?"

"Ah, don't worry too much about it." Anguirus nervously smiled, "They get like this every once in a while. They'll be all good once this is over with!"

"I guess the Not-Monsters aren't the only rowdy ones..." Sol shook his head. "Ah well, if you say so... You joining in on this cook-off thing, too?"

"You bet I am! I've already got some ideas I'm sure you'd love!" Anguirus happily roared.

"Oh really? Like what?" Sol half-teased.

"Nuh-uh, I'm not telling the surprise! You'll just have to wait and see!" Anguirus chuckled, starting off for the island's jungle, Solomon following a few steps behind.

*****

The faint scent of smoke tinged the air as atomic energy lit a log ablaze. Godzilla smiled proudly listening to the fire grow, then looked over his stone pot, thinking.

"Huh... what to put in the soup... Well, meat and peppers, for sure!"

"You don't start a soup with meat and peppers!" Mothra yelled from across the valley. "You start with water!"

"Oh, clam it! It's my soup! I do what I want with it!" He roared back. The king then huffed, "You do whatever you want with yours! Or are you too dumb for that?!"

Mothra's curse-filled response echoed over the mountain, thousands of tiny birds scattering skyward. Anguirus looked up from his plant hunt, watching the midair specs land on his horns.

Their tiny hops made him smile. Carefully, he murmured to them, "Well hello there little dudes..! You wanna join me in a hunt?"

The specs peeped, then scattered again. Anguirus blinked, gladly watching and shrugged. "Ah well, I don't think you're a fan of herbs or fish, anyways."

He scooped up another couple of leaves, weaving back through the trees to where his own pot waited. The fire underneath weakly hissed, not too far from his friends further in the clearing.

Throwing in the ingredients and stirring the pot, Anguirus gazed across the clearing, where Solomon sat at an old tree. Looking over the valley, the demon bat had to hold in his laughter.

Godzilla launched a pepper at Mothra, splattering across her face in a mess of red mush. Just as he'd roared with laughter, she'd hit him in the maw with a rotten fruit.

Before anyone knew it, Godzilla was rushing about, dodging solid fruits as Mothra chased after him, a massive fish in her talons.

"Get your stupid ass back here, you lopsided tadpole!-"

"I'm not related to those things!"

"Oh hey, Mothra! Can I have that fi-" Without warning, the fish smacked Anguirus between the eyes, knocking him off his feet. "Ow.... thanks!"

Solomon burst out into loud, wheezing laughter as he doubled over, shaking his head. "Mothra, come on... isn't that for the soup?!"

Mothra stopped and glanced over to Anguirus, who was happily tearing through the fish and adding it to his pot. Her antennae drooped with realization.

"Ha! You just gave our opponent the best fish we could've used! So much for that!" Godzilla taunted, rushing back to his pot with claws full of peppers. "I'm still kicking your butt!"

"Oh no you're not!" Mothra chased after him, reaching for them as he ran back to his station. He could already taste the greatest spice in the world...!

Suddenly, Godzilla was tackled to the ground and sharp claws snatched the peppers from him. When he looked up, they were gone.

"What the-?! Where-" He suddenly caught Mothra and Anguirus bolting over the hills, laughing. "Hey! Get back here! Those are mine-!"

Solomon only laughed to himself as Godzilla sped after them, angrily huffing. Whether he was on Zenith or not, chaos always seemed to follow.

"Come on, guys! The clock's ticking! Chop chop!" He called out, clapping for their attention. Immediately, each of them made a b-line for their stations.

"A clock?! I didn't know this was timed!" Godzilla shouted.

"Oh really?" Sol tilted his head. "Well you all got 'till the sun's over the volcano to finish!"

With a beat of her wings, Mothra bolted back into the forest for more berries. Godzilla hastily added torn spices and fish to his pot, nearly getting toppled again when Anguirus bounded past him after Mothra.

Both kaiju weaved between the overgrown trees, snatching any fruit, berry, or scented leaves within sight. Then they paused, glancing to the sun overhead.

Anguirus blinked, "Hang on... how much time do we got left again?"

Mothra hummed, examining the sky and mentally counting. "About... an hour or so? Guess there's no rush after all!"

"Phew- that's a relief!" Anguirus sighed.

As they both caught their breath and scoured for more plants, Solomon watched Godzilla look around and wander towards the shore. The king smiled before drifting into the sea and plunging beneath the waves.

Carefully, the demon bat waited, monologing to himself. "The king hunts for more prey within the vastness of the seas... Will he find another grand fish worthy of legends...?"

The water stilled as Solomon continued, "Or will Infant Island's guardian and his mighty companion best him against the clock?! Only time will- Oh-! What's this?!"

Sharp dorsal plates broke the water's surface and Godzilla rose from the waves, a powerful scent following. Between his jaws, was a massive whale and countless fish.

"My oh my! Would you look at that catch! Truly impressive and worthy for a meal of royalty! Will it be the key to the island's greatest soup?!" Solomon cheered, mimicking a showman's voice.

Godzilla stopped at stared at him with a quizzical look, before continuing back to his food. He shook the remaining water from his scales as the sun warmed him.

He then ran through the trees, grabbing a palm leaf as he passed and paused at the clearing, where Mothra and Anguirus had just returned. All three kaiju were at the edge, all holding their tickets to victory, and locked their gazes for a still, silent minute...

Slowly gliding in circles overhead, Solomon watched, tense with anticipation.

All three kaiju caught sight of him for a second, then back to each other. Meat, vegetation, berries, fish, herbs, spices- they'd snatched everything they could think of, all for him.

And only one other could be "the best".

A sharp inhale, then two powerful roars and a shriek rang from the clearing, the ground and skies trembled with furious footsteps and wings. The three behemoths charged for one another, shoving and cursing and reaching for each other's ingredients.

"Gimmie that! It's mine!-"

"Oh, no it isn't! Get your own-!"

"I need that more than you do!-"

"Like hell either of you do! Every time-!"

"Mine's going to be the best-!"

"No, mine!-"

"Twenty minutes left!" Solomon's shout sliced through the air, startling them out of the fight. "Everyone to your stations! Can't be the greatest if ya lag behind!"

All three of them frantically split up, snatching any ingredients in sight. "Move, move, move...!"

"Oh- sorry, man!"

"O-Of course, of course-!"

Mothra glided back to her pot, the fire crackling back to life as she sorted through piles of ingredients. Quickly, she sliced palm leaves and fruit skins apart, throwing them into the mix.

"Leaves, fruits... What else, what else..?" She murmured to herself, then her sight drifted to the piles at Godzilla and Anguirus' sides. Sweeter and spicier plants almost taunted her.

She had to win. By any means necessary.

Claws tore through whale skin, before Godzilla sunk his teeth back into the creature, shredding it apart and discarding the bones. He hungrily licked his snout as the scent wafted through the air.

He snatched the palm leaf, picking it into tiny pieces and adding it into the boiling soup. The king smiled to himself at the savory and spicy scent that greeted him. Surely this was the best meal the island could offer!

"Let's see here..." He reached over to his pile of leaves and spicier vegetables he'd gathered up, then froze. "Wait... didn't I put it here...?"

The king frantically looked around the pot and over his tail, with no vegetables in sight. "Where'd it go..?"

While he continued his search, Anguirus picked the skins from a layered fruit and crushed it in his claws. Once added into his pot, he stirred it with a nearby branch and tasted some.

"Huh... maybe it could use something less tangy..." He thought aloud, starting to pick through his own pile of leaves and spare fruits. Peppermint, spices, other strange tastes...

Anguirus grumbled, then dug through it a second and third time. He carefully checked each one, with almost no sweeter plants nearby. "I know I put it somewhere in here..."

"Hey, Ang!" Godzilla called over, "Did you take my plants?!"

"What? No! I'm trying to find some other stuff I know I got-"

"Then what's all that you're picking through?"

"The spices that I found earlier?"

"You mean my spices that you stole."

Anguirus blinked. "Wh- no, no, no. The stuff you get is a hundred times spicier than mine."

Godzilla's snout twitched as he turned to Anguirus's pile. He was right, none of Ang's plants were as strong as his. "Huh... then where'd they-"

The realization hit them both at once, "Mothra..."

Mothra froze just as they slowly turned to her. Before another word could get out, a loud whistle cut through the air.

"Annndd that's it! Time's up!" Solomon called out as he landed back to the ground, looking over all three of them. All of their pulses raced with nervousness.

"Now, let's see... who's truly created the greatest food of the island..!" Solomon chuckled. "Hope you guys are ready, cause I am!"

Godzilla, Mothra, and Anguirus all exchanged glances. They didn't have time to deal with the thievery- now the moment of truth was before them.

"You bet we're as ready as ever!" Mothra cheered.

"I'm scrubbing the dirt with both of ya!" Anguirus half-joked, rushing back to his station.

Godzilla took off, shouting over his shoulder, "I'll beat all of you by a mile, just watch!"

The two kaiju added the last touches to their dishes; Godzilla adding a last bit of fish, while Anguirus shredded one last fruit skin. They smiled in anticipation as the mouth-watering smells drifted in the wind, each filling a clay bowl to perfection.

Solomon slowly passed them all, glancing at each of their dishes. "Hmm... looks good, looks good..." He stopped before Godzilla, "First up, the king of the monsters himself. Let's see what delicacy you've got!"

Godzilla held up a bowl proudly. "Behold, the greatest soup of the land and seas! Made with a whole bunch of spicy peppers, fish, a tree leaf, a whole whale, some other plant things, and more peppers!"

He smiled smugly watching Mothra puff up in irritation. "Naturally the best from the king, of course..!"

"Oh really? Let me be the judge of that..." Solomon took a bite, patiently taking in every bit of it.

The king smiled, "Well? What's your verdict? Best thing you've ever had?"

"It's very, very good," Solomon nodded. "The spices have a good kick to them, which the herbs balance out. The fish and other plants add some more taste to it. Well done."

With that, the demon bat smiled and walked over to Mothra, who'd finished setting up a side pile of berries. Her eyes lit up as he approached.

"Oh, Solomon! Hello there! Ready for my dish already?" She gladly chirped.

"I sure am, what'cha got ready for me?" Solomon asked, rubbing his hands together. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll send me flyin' into the wind!"

They both chuckled as Mothra passed a bowl to him. "Well then, better be ready to fly again, because I know it's amazing!"

She saw him glance to the berry pile as he took it. "Oh, I saw you liked those, so I thought they'd go perfectly with it!"

"Let's see, then..." Solomon crunched through veggies and herbs, sweetness and spice greeted him through it all. "Huh, interesting..."

"I know you're not much into greens, but I thought the extra tastes would make it stand out! All of the island's best fruits, veggies, and herbs with some berries ought to be amazing! Isn't that right?" Mothra smiled to herself, glancing over to see Godzilla huff. "Any thoughts?"

"Very sweet, all of the flavors really pop out at you." Solomon gulped down one last berry, "Though, there's a weird spice kick that messes with some of the fruit, it doesn't quite ruin it. For a meal made of nothin' but plants and fruits, it's pretty good."

Mothra happily chirped to herself, "Why, thank you very very much! I thought that spice would've done better..."

"Next time, just ask for ingredients, alright?" Solomon spoke over his shoulder as he walked on. "No shame in asking for some help."

"Hm... I suppose so..." Mothra murmured. Why'd she think that stealing was a good idea? She watched as Solomon approached Anguirus, smiling at the anklyosaur.

"Well hey there, Ang. What kinda surprises did ya cook up for me today?" Solomon smiled, just the smell alone made him hungry.

"That's all for you to figure out! Go ahead and dig in, buddy!" Anguirus proudly smiled, passing over his bowl. "I bet it's amazing!"

Solomon dug in, tearing through fish, bits of veggies, herbs, and spices. Both soft and crunchy foods greeted him with flavors that almost perfectly matched.

"So? Is it good?" Anguirus stared at him wide-eyed, his tail swaying. "I didn't get to taste much, but-"

"Oh dear Lucifer..."

Anguirus flinched, "Huh? Is something wrong? Are you allergic to something-?!"

"No, no, no," Solomon shook his head, then took another bite. "This is amazing! Did you take a page from my cookbook to make this? 'Cause this is delicious!"

Anguirus sheepishly smiled, "Aawww, it's nothing, really! There's no way..." He stopped to taste some, then paused.

"So?"

"Oh my god...." Anguirus peered into the bowl, stuttering, "How- how did I make this. I- I made this..? I made something this good?"

Solomon stepped back, smiling. "Looks like you ended up surprising me after all! Congratulations, Ang!"

Godzilla and Mothra stared, jaws agape at Anguirus- who was still surprised himself. Solomon stood proudly before all of them once more.

"Now, then! All of you did a spectacular job in your own rights, each of you used your ingredients to bring about the best of them. But, I must choose a winner...."

All three kaiju perked their heads up, their hearts hammering with both nervousness and excitement.

The air went still and cold with tension. The demon bat's eyes flickered over them for an uneasy minute.

Solomon closed his eyes, then spoke. "The one with the greatest soup of the island is....." He saw how they stared at him expectantly, then smiled. "All three of you!"

Godzilla, Mothra, and Anguirus all exchanged confused glances, murmuring. What did he mean none of them won?!

Solomon burst into laughter, "I can't pick a winner, all of this stuff is too good!" He swallowed another bite as they stared at him. "Seriously, all of you did absolutely amazing the first time around. Thanks for the free extras, though!"

"But- but you said that Anguirus made the best dish?" Mothra stammered, "You- you weren't going to choose him?"

"Nah, and cause more fighting? Not ever!" He chewed through another few berries, "Besides, all of you are cool in your own right. You don't need me to tell you guys that, right?"

He watched as they all sheepisly looked to each other, then away.

"We... kind of got over our heads...." Godzilla mumbled.

"We're so, so, so sorry...." Mothra cried, then leaned on Anguirus, hugging him. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Ang! I didn't mean it!"

Anguirus leaned back, "I know, Mothra, I know... Apology accepted..." He looked back to Sol. "But seriously, all of us won?"

"You sure did! All of you should be proud of yourselves-" He joined in on Mothra and Anguirus' hug, "Cause I sure as hell am!"

Mothra and Anguirus gladly hugged him back, suddenly laughing when Godzilla joined in too, nearly toppling them over.

"All of us are the best, huh? You're way too easy on everyone, you fancy bat!" Godzilla pulled Sol into a headlock, "Where'd all that toughness go, eh?"

"Careful, I don't think it all disappeared!" Mothra chirped, "He could still throw you!"

"Oh yeah, I bet he could! Don't make him mad, Goji!" Anguirus joked.

"Throw me? I'm the strongest out of us all! Like he could throw the king around-"

"You really wanna see if I can, huh?! I could test that out!" Solomon cackled, suddenly reaching for Godzilla, who jumped back laughing. Mothra and Anguirus joined in on the chase, their cheers echoing out to the island. Once they were finished, they had a whole feast's worth of food at their claws.

- Lyric is the last living Ancient and betrayed his kind to ally with Black Doom. It was their fault that the Ancients and nearly all the Black Arms got wiped out by Solaris's Wrath (Mephiles and Iblis). Gaia was saddened by this great loss and shattered the Master Emerald and Phantom Ruby in hopes of preventing this kind of occurrence from happening again, so that the next civilization may prosper. Mobians in the modern day are vaguely reminiscent of the Ancients, but are too different to be considered the same as them

-Mobians were created by Gaia's tears and the charred dirt from Solaris's fire instead, rather than the direct combined powers of Solaris and Chaos like the Ancients were (though then this technically means then that Sonic is also a hybrid like Shadow, and is not fully Mobian like his friends.)

-Lyric is still around in the modern era lurking in some Ancient Ruins and is still allied with Black Doom.

-Black Doom and his 7 War Generals were born from Mephiles the Dark's severed tongue (punishment from Chaos) and a dying star, the rest of the black arms race come from them.

-Dr. Starline rescues Infinite from near death after his mercenary squad's encounter with Team Dark (namely moreso with Shadow's deadly strength), he grants him access to some shards of the Phantom Ruby to help hunt down the Eclipse_Projects (and take his revenge on Shadow and destroy all he loves)