Match 213: Mothra (Heisei) and Manda (Universal) vs. Megalon (Universal)

== Story ==
The island was located deep within one of the last uncharted regions of the South Pacific. On that island, a meeting was being held, one that hadn't taken place in many years.
Once, a very long time ago, the leaders of the ancient peoples that watched over the Earth would gather on this very island to discuss matters of great importance, whether they be dealing with a natural disaster, the fulfillment of prophecies, or defending the planet from attack by an exceptionally dangerous monster. For centuries, the leaders of Atlantis, the Azumi Royal Family, Faro Island, Infant Island, Kiryokushima, the Mu Empire, Nilai Kanai, Seatopia, and the Yamato Kingdom would gather on this island for their meetings. Sadly, due to the passage of time and numerous factors - loss of influence, dormancy of their respective guardians, or even the total extinction of their civilization - five of the groups no longer attended, leaving just Infant Island, the Mu Empire, Seatopia, and the Azumi Family to carry on for the next several decades. Unfortunately, Queen Minami had eventually ceased attending, and after a while the conferences had stopped altogether.
This was the first meeting to be held in nearly a century.
Almost as if synchronized, they arrived on the northern beach of the island, gathering in what was more of a triangle than the traditional circle. Together, they greeted one another with a subtle nod - Antonio, the aging Emperor of Seatopia; Umiko, the newest Empress of the Mu Empire; and the twin, fairy-like sisters known as the Shobijin.
"It's a shame the Azumis couldn't make it," Antonio mused bitterly. "Again."
"Indeed," the Shobijin nodded in agreement. "The House of Caesar has been absent from us for far too long."
"Let's get on with this," the Empress said impatiently. "Why did you call us here, Seatopian?"
The Emperor gave her a slightly irritated glance before he began. "I called the three of you here to discuss a matter of utmost importance. One that I feel has been needing our attention for quite some time, but has yet to receive it."
The three female members of the group shared a series of brief, almost knowing glances.
The Shobijin were the first to speak. "We assume you refer to humanity?"
"Yes, humanity!" he answered firmly. "For far too long these ignorant fools have proved to be nothing more than a plague on the Earth. They've caused more pain and destruction than was ever thought possible from a single race! They murder, violate, torture, and steal from one another. Their technology has sentenced the Earth to a slow, painful death. The effects of their weapons range from burning the land to creating abominations like Godzilla, Hedorah, Destoroyah! This is absolutely beyond unacceptable."
The Shobijin and the Empress nodded, his words running through their heads. They could hardly deny the points he was making.
"As such, I have decided we - The ancient peoples who once ruled this world! - must no longer allow their destructive ignorance to continue harming the planet."
The three of them stared at him, uncertain.
"What are you proposing...?" the Empress asked.
"What else?" he retorted, glancing back and forth between them. "We must put mankind in their place and remind them that this Earth is not theirs to do with as they please. I hereby propose that the three of us unite our forces and awaken our respective deities to destroy humanity's civilization. If mankind wants to ruin the planet, they can answer to the combined might of Megalon, Manda, and Mothra!"
Umiko and the Shobijin could not help but stare at Antonio with stunned silence.
"If we can get the Azumis to unite with us and have King Caesar join our cause, even better," he continued. "But even if they refuse to join us, the combined might of our three monsters should be more than sufficient to--"
"No," Umiko said simply, a defiant gleam in her eye.
"--destroy all of... What?" He stared back at her in disbelief.
"Antonio," the Shobijin began. "We all agree that mankind is a rather... reckless species. But they are a young race. They still have much to learn."
"Pfft!" Antonio scoffed. "That is a gross understatement!"
"Our point is," they continued. "They need the chance to learn their lesson. There was a time where we were no better than they were."
Antonio stammered angrily for a moment. "Be that as it may, mankind has proven to be far more dangerous than any of us ever were! If we wait around for them to figure things out, there may not be much of an Earth left!"
"We are sorry, Emperor," they said at last. "But our decision is final. And we know that Mothra is with us in our decision. We will not declare war on the humans."
"You fairies are blind," he spat. Shaking his head, he turned to the Mu Empress. "Umiko, please, tell me at least you have the common sense to see that mankind is a stain that needs to be wiped from this planet."
The Empress was silent for a moment before finally shaking her head. "Mu has come a long way since its time hellbent on conquering the surface world," she said. "We have learned from our mistakes. Ever since our initial attempt to conquer humanity, we've done our best to build a new relationship with them, that of an ally. Allowing Manda to be relocated to their Monsterland was an act of good will in an attempt to help us achieve that goal." She held her head high as she faced Antonio. "I, Manda, and the Mu Empire stand with the Shobijin and Mothra in this matter."
Antonio was literally dumbfounded by her words. "I... I cannot believe what I am hearing. Any of it! None of you make any sense!" He stared at his female compatriots, rage and confusion blazing in his eyes. "Humans are... They're trash! Ignorant children who think nothing of others! They've imprisoned you on multiple occasions," he said, facing the Shobijin. He turned to Umiko. "They very nearly slayed Manda! They almost destroyed all of Mu! They've all but killed Infant Island with their radiation weapons! And whether they had your permission or not, they captured and paraded about your gods as if they were apes in a zoo! Not to mention the utter destruction they've wreaked upon Seatopia! How are you fools going to allow any of this to go unpunished?!"
"We are not blind to this, Antonio," the twin priestesses of Mothra said softly. "And we apologize if you feel that we have abandoned you. But declaring war upon humanity is not the answer."
"Antonio, mankind is far more likely to listen to you if you act as their ally, rather than their tormentor," Umiko told him. "I say this from experience."
For a few moments, the Emperor of Seatopia stood there in silence, as if mentally shutting down right then and there in front of his former allies. After a moment, the Shobijin and the Mu Empress looked at each other, uncertain. Another moment passed, and Umiko felt as if something should be said. "An... Antonio?" she asked. "Are you well?"
"FOOLS!" he exploded in a rage, startling the other three. "If you do not stand with Seatopia, then you are its enemy! The three of us may have been allies once, but the fact that you so disrespectfully dismiss the wellbeing of my nation, and in fact this entire planet, means that you are also a stain, just as bad as humanity!"
"Antonio," the Shobijin began. "Do not do anything fool--"
Suddenly, Antonio threw his arms into the air, his fingers curled as if trying to grip hold of the sky. "MEGALON! RISE UP, MEGALON! DESTROY OUR ENEMIES! DESTROY HUMANITY! MAKE MU AND INFANT ISLAND SUFFER! RISE UP! GO ON... MEGALON!"
Hundreds of feet away, but still rather close to the convening royalty, the ground exploded, sending thousands of tons of dirt, sand, and rock flying everywhere, miraculously avoiding the small group. A rasping screech filled the air as the Seatopian deity known as Megalon rose up from the tunnel he had dug, having been laying in wait in case his emperor had needed him. Readjusting to the surface world, Megalon screeched as he clashed his metallic drills together, his starred head horn pulsating from the power within. Antonio laughed proudly as the insect beast appeared. Turning back to the others, he found himself being stared down coldly by each of them.
"Brash, arrogant aggression such as this is why you have yet to lead Seatopia back to its former glory," Umiko stated, narrowing her eyes at the man.
If looks could kill, the Empress and the Shobijin would have been smoldering craters. "How DARE YOU," Antonio growled, his lip curling into a snarl. "Do not insult me because you all lack the fortitude... the VISION... to do what needs to be done and take charge of this world! Perhaps you'll see things differently once Megalon has burned our enemies to the ground! Assuming you survive the assault."
"You are the one that lacks vision, Seatopian," the Empress said. He was about to silence her when the Shobijin spoke once again.
"She is correct," the two fairies said in unison. "Do you really think you are the only one with enough foresight to be accompanied by your guardian?"
Joining their hands together, the sisters let out a single, melodic word.
"Mosura..."
From far off in the jungle, a familiar cry sounded. A powerful gust of wind blew across the island, engulfing the beach, blowing sand every which way as the mighty Mothra flapped her wings, rising from the foliage and into the sky. Approaching Megalon, she soared overhead, passing him and turning around to face him, hovering over the ocean. Mothra opened her mandibles and let out another cry, telling Megalon to stand down. Megalon tilted his head as he watched the giant butterfly. He remembered the olden days when Mothra was considered an ally, but the Emperor had called him out and listed her as one of his targets, and so she was. It was a little confusing, but orders were orders. Clashing his drills together again, he ran down the beach to meet her in battle.
Mothra flapped her wings and headed for Megalon, but she was not the first to reach him. The ocean exploded, sending waves everywhere as something large surged up from underneath. If it were physically possible, Megalon's compound eyes would've widened with shock as the serpent god Manda lunged toward him, jaws agape. Before Megalon had a chance to react, Manda clamped his teeth down on his throat, biting and digging his teeth in as deep as he could. Megalon screamed in pain, but one good knock from his right arm was enough to dislodge Manda and send him reeling back. His horn flashing, Megalon unleashed a bolt of electricity from it, blasting Manda in the face and eliciting a hiss of pain. Before Megalon could press his attack, Mothra swooped in, grabbing his horn with her claw-like feet, pulling the Seatopian deity over backward, crashing to the sand. Manda moved in, snapping at Megalon's legs, only to receive a kick to the face for his efforts. The momentary distraction allowed Megalon to get back to his feet, turning his head upward and firing another energy bolt at Mothra, sparking against her abdomen. Mothra cried out in pain, but turned around, coming in for another attack. Megalon charged, only for Mothra to unleash twin beams of golden energy from her antennae. The beams stopped Megalon in his tracks, causing him to squeal in pain. Manda sped by underneath him, knocking Megalon off his feet, bringing him to the ground once again.
"Antonio, stop this foolishness this instant," the Shobijin said. "We fully understand your grievances, but this pointless battle will accomplish nothing. Tell Megalon to stand down."
"Afraid, are you?" he asked, glaring back at them. "Afraid that out of all our mighty protectors, Megalon is the mightiest?"
"Megalon is outnumbered two to one," Umiko said. "How do you possibly expect to win this?"
Manda's face collided with the sand as Megalon leapt out of the way. Laughing, Megalon turned and began to beat the serpent's long body with his drills, causing Manda to writhe about and scream in pain with each blow. Mothra came in from behind to stop her former ally's assault, firing her energy beams at him once more. This time they struck Megalon's shell-like wing casing, allowing him to all but ignore the blasts. Flying in closer, Mothra grasped Megalon from behind and proceeded to physically drag him away from Manda. Megalon screeched in frustration, swinging his arms about wildly as he attempted to dislodge the moth. Finally, his left arm found its target, smacking Mothra directly in the face with its drill. With a pained groan, Mothra released her foe, flapping her wings and putting some distance between them. Lunging upward, Manda bit down into the fleshy part of Megalon's left arm. Crying out, Megalon raised his right arm to attack, but just as he brought it down, Manda pulled away, causing Megalon to strike his own arm. Megalon shrieked in pain, waving his arm around as he leapt up and down. Mothra swooped in close and swung her wing forward, striking Megalon in the side of the head, toppling him once more.
Hissing angrily, Manda prepared to attack, but Megalon joined his drills together and held them against the ground as he rotated them, sending a blast of sand and dirt erupting toward Mothra and Manda, momentarily blinding them. By the time they heard the drills stop, a cloud of dust had enveloped the area, obscuring their vision. Mothra was just about to flap her wings and disperse the cloud, when a blood red orb shot out of the dust, exploding between her and Manda, violently separating the two in a burst of fire. Another orb landed nearby, its detonation knocking Manda aside, almost back into the water. A third sphere exploded near Mothra, who could feel its flame singe her fur. Angrily, the Goddess of Infant Island flapped her wings, blowing the cloud of dust away, revealing... nothing. Megalon was nowhere to be seen and a massive crater was left in his place.
Mothra and Manda approached the crater. They knew it was only a diversion. Even Megalon didn't give up that easily. Manda gave the edge of the crater an investigative sniff, then turned up to Mothra, grunting. Mothra responded with a chirp. Manda nodded and was just about to follow Megalon down into the tunnel, when the ground exploded once again, Megalon's drills goring the tail end of Manda's body. The serpent god shrieked in pain as his blood spilled and Megalon's metallic limbs disappeared back into the ground. A moment later, they made another explosive appearance, just barely missing Manda's head. Mothra unleashed a series of blasts from her antennae, but the rapidly spinning drills easily deflected the beams, sending them flying off in various directions, one blasting through the bottom half of Mothra's right wing.
"Antonio, that's enough!" Umiko demanded. "Even if you win this, what then?"
"Then Megalon destroys mankind!" he answered simply.
"Megalon couldn't even do that with assistance from Gigan!" she retorted. "What makes you think he can do it alone?!"
The sound of skin hitting skin was heard as Antonio's palm collided with Umiko's face, and the Mu Empress fell to the ground.
"Silence, witch!" he said as he loomed over her. "You are speaking to the Emperor of Seatopia."
"You've gone mad, Antonio," the Shobijin declared as they ran to Umiko's side. She woozily tried to pull herself up from the sand.
Megalon erupted from the ground, high into the air. Aiming his arms downward, he prepared to thrust his drills into Manda's skull. But before the insect deity could land the killing blow, Mothra slammed into him, carrying Megalon far away from the serpent. Megalon screeched as he tried to break away from Mothra, who released a series of electric shocks into his body as she flew him to the other side of the island. Opening his metallic maw, Megalon spewed another napalm orb, which instantly detonated between the two colossal insects, blowing them apart and sending them both crashing to the ground in a burst of flame. Though both were injured by the blast, Megalon was the first to recover, groggily pulling himself up to his feet. Mothra groaned in pain as she lay on her back, trying to get herself back in the air. Seeing the position the moth was in, Megalon chortled as he approached, rubbing his drills together. The Seatopian beast unleashed a series of lightning blasts from his horn, strafing Mothra's body and wings, the colorful creature crying out in agony with each strike. With Mothra still grounded, Megalon prepared to land the final blow.
With the speed of a cracking whip, Manda swung the end half of his body toward Megalon's legs, sweeping them out from under him. With a surprised cry, Megalon slammed face first into the ground, hitting it with a thunderous crash. With Megalon down, Manda dove in and bit into his horn, shaking his head back and forth in an attempt to break it off. The snake made no real progress before energy pulsed through the horn, sparking against Manda's teeth and forcing him to release his foe. Rising up once again, Megalon advanced and began to stomp downward, trying to crush part of Manda underneath his foot. The God of Mu avoided Megalon's attempt to smash him underfoot again and again before finally lashing out with his body as a whip once more. Unfortunately, Megalon was ready for the maneuver this time, leaping up and completely avoiding the attack. Before Manda could withdraw completely, Megalon came back down, landing on Manda's body with both feet, pinning him down against the sand. Manda shrieked, writhing and shaking wildly in an attempt to throw Megalon from him, but it was useless. Turning to face his assailant, Manda prepared to attack, only to receive a face full Megalon's electric bolt. Manda cried out, recoiling in pain as Megalon strafed the snake over and over with his golden lightning. Raising his right arm into the air, Megalon began to rotate the drill, preparing to cut Manda in half.
"See what happens when you defy Seatopia?" Antonio declared. "Those who stand against Megalon receive death!"
Chirping angrily, Mothra swooped in, spreading her wings open wide. Megalon looked up just in time to receive a face full of Mothra's sizzling reflective scales. Stumbling backward off of Manda, Megalon tried to wave the scales away with his arms to no avail. Mothra flapped her wings, continuing to unleash her scales, firing off bolts of energy from her wings as well, blasting Megalon even further back. Screeching in frustration, Megalon unleashed a lightning blast at the mighty moth, but the storm of scales twisted and warped the bolt, sending it ricocheting within the golden cloud before it came back and zapped Megalon instead. With a mighty screech, Manda hurled himself at Megalon, punching the insect in the gut with his skull, knocking Megalon flat onto his back.
Pulling himself up, Megalon faced his two foes as they took their place beside each other. His horn flashing, Megalon spat an orb of napalm at them, but Mothra immediately flapped her wings, blowing the sphere back at its sender. Megalon shrieked as his own weapon exploded in his face, sending him crashing backward. With Megalon down, the other two attacked. Mothra unleashed a torrent of her reflective scales, distracting Megalon with their scorching heat. Crying out, Megalon forced himself back to his feet, taking a pained step forward. With Megalon's focus mostly on Mothra, Manda attacked, rushing in and wrapping his body around Megalon, pinning the insectoid deity's arms against his sides. Keeping his head out of Mothra's storm of scales, Manda flexed and tightened his coils, squeezing Megalon within. Megalon cried out as he felt Manda begin to crush him and, without thinking, fired a blast of lightning at the snake, but the bolt simply bounced around within Mothra's scales before smacking into Megalon's face.
"Wh-what?" Antonio asked with disbelief as he watched the battle unfold. "N-no! Megalon! What are you doing?! Fight back! Destroy them!"
Megalon let out an angry, frustrated cry, but this time the sound was noticeably weaker. Thanks to the pressure from Manda's coils and the heat generated by Mothra's scales, Megalon was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. The God of Seatopia struggled within Manda's grasp but it was becoming more and more impossible to do so. Mothra chirped as she continued to pour scales from her wings, telling Manda to keep up the attack. The serpent nodded, squeezing harder. Megalon sputtered as the air left his lungs, his skin cooking.
Finally, Megalon went limp. With Manda still tightly wrapped around him, the beetle-like beast collapsed to the ground, shaking the earth as he fell. Manda decided to finish him off and squeeze him until his body was completely crushed, but a call from Mothra told him to stand down. Megalon was defeated. There was no need to kill him. After all, their fight was with Antonio, not his monster. Begrudgingly, Manda uncoiled himself from around Megalon's unconscious form and joined Mothra.
"No... This can't be," Antonio said, despair falling over him. "Megalon cannot be defeated! It's impossible!" Furiously, he turned to face the Shobijin and Umiko. "YOU!" he screamed. "It's because of you three witches that Megalon has fallen! It is because of you that Seatopia will remain in shambles and that mankind will never pay for their sins!" Reaching into his toga, Antonio withdrew a dagger. "Well, if mankind will not pay, then you three certainly will!"
Before he could act any further, a strong breeze flowed past him, and a pair of massive shadows blotted out the sun, plunging the group into darkness. Looking upward, Antonio found himself face to face with the angered titans who had just defeated his guardian beast. Instantly humbled, he dropped the dagger, then fell to his knees, shaking in fear.
"Attack us if you will," Umiko sneered. "Kill us, even."
"Then, as did Megalon," the Shobijin intoned. "You will face the wrath of Mothra and Manda."