The classroom lights dimmed until the room was almost completely dark.
Only the glow of the projector illuminated the rows of desks and the faces of the students sitting quietly in their seats. A faint humming sound came from the ceiling projector as an old photograph appeared on the white screen at the front of the room.
The image showed a gigantic ape standing atop a tall building while airplanes circled around it. Some students leaned forward in their chairs others simply watched silently.
At the front of the classroom, their teacher stood beside the screen with a remote in his hand.
"Class," the teacher began, his voice calm but firm, "today's lesson is about the history of Kaijus."
He pressed the remote, enlarging the image.
"This," he said, pointing toward the screen, "is considered the first confirmed modern sighting of a giant creature."
The picture zoomed in, revealing the massive ape standing on a towering structure in the middle of a crowded city.
"In 1933, an explorer and filmmaker named Carl Denham led an expedition to a mysterious island known as Skull Island." Another image appeared on the screen, dense jungles, towering mountains, and a massive animals where even extinct dinosaur live.
"There," the teacher continued, "his crew encountered a gigantic ape species now classified as a Titan."
A few students whispered to each other.
"Denham captured the creature and transported it to New York City. It was displayed to the public as a spectacle."
The next slide appeared.
A grainy black-and-white photo of the giant ape climbing the Empire State Building. "But the creature escaped."
The classroom remained silent.
"It climbed the Empire State Building and was eventually killed by military aircraft." The teacher paused.
"That incident was later called The Skull Island Incident."
Another slide appeared, this time showing documents stamped with large red letters.
CLASSIFIED
"For many years, governments around the world tried to hide the truth," he said. "They feared that revealing the existence of giant creatures would cause global panic."
The teacher pressed the remote again. The next image appeared. A photograph of an organization logo.
"In 1946, an international research organization called Monarch was created to study these creatures secretly."
More pictures appeared rapidly on the screen, ancient cave drawings of giant monsters, sonar images from the ocean floor, and satellite photographs.
"Monarch discovered that creatures like the giant ape were not unique."
He paused.
"They were part of a much older group of organisms."
Another image appeared where a massive reptilian creature rising from the ocean. The teacher spoke the name slowly.
"Godzilla."
Some students immediately recognized it. "Creatures like Godzilla are classified as Titans. They are ancient lifeforms that existed long before humanity."
The teacher continued his lecture. "For decades, Titan activity remained rare and hidden from the public."
The projector changed slides again. Now the screen showed a giant monster emerging from the ocean near a burning city.
"But everything changed in 2013."
The teacher pointed at the screen. "A massive creature emerged from a dimensional rupture in the Pacific Ocean."
Another slide appeared showing the same creature walking through the streets of San Francisco. "This creature was later designated Trespasser, the first confirmed alien Kaiju."
Murmurs filled the classroom.
"These creatures were not natural lifeforms," the teacher explained. "They were biological weapons sent by extraterrestrial beings."
The next slide showed enormous robots fighting monsters.
"To combat them, humanity created giant war machines known as Jaegers."
Several students stared at the images with excitement.
But the teacher wasn't finished. He pressed the remote again as a new image appeared.
Two monstrous creatures attacking a city while a massive reptilian titan approached from the sea.
"In 2014, two parasitic creatures known as MUTOs awakened." The teacher paused. "They were extremely dangerous."
The next image showed Godzilla roaring as he fought the creatures. "But they were not the greatest threat."
He pointed toward the towering reptilian Titan.
"That title belonged to Godzilla, an ancient predator that hunts creatures like the MUTOs." The slide showed the final battle in San Francisco. "In that battle, Godzilla destroyed both MUTOs and returned to the ocean."
The teacher lowered the remote slightly. "That event proved something important."
He looked at the class.
"Not all giant creatures are enemies of humanity." The slide changed once more.
Three words appeared on the screen.
Titan — Emergent — Trespasser
"These are the three major classifications of Kaiju recognized today."
He pointed at the first word.
"Titans are ancient super-species that have existed on Earth for millions of years. Creatures like Godzilla belong to this category."
The pointer moved.
"Trespassers are alien bio-weapons that invade Earth through dimensional breaches."
Finally, the pointer stopped on the last word.
"Emergents are a different kind of Kaiju."
The slide displayed an image of a monster with a glowing core inside its chest.
"Unlike Titans or Trespassers, Emergent Kaiju possess a biological energy reactor known as a Kaiju Core."
He continued explaining.
"These cores generate immense energy and are the reason Japan's Anti-Kaiju Defense Force developed powered combat exosuits."
A diagram appeared showing a soldier wearing an armored suit. "Exosuits are specifically designed to destroy the cores of Emergent Kaiju."
The teacher crossed his arms.
"In other words—"
He pointed at the three classifications again.
"Jaegers fight Trespassers, exosuit soldiers fight Emergents and Titans…"
He paused slightly.
"…are forces of nature."
The classroom fell silent.
"Sometimes humanity must fight them but other times…" The teacher looked at the image of Godzilla. "…we simply hope they are on our side."
Outside the classroom windows, sunlight poured over the school grounds.
But one student wasn't paying attention.
At the back of the classroom, a teenage boy sat with his chin resting on his hand.
His gaze wasn't on the projector. It was fixed outside the window. The wind moved gently through the trees on the campus grounds.
The boy stared at the distant skyline, completely ignoring the lesson.
The teacher's voice faded into the background. History, Titans, and Kaiju.
None of it seemed to hold his attention.
The boy simply watched the sky as if waiting for something.