Okay, so this will probably be the last story I attempt to write for this fandom. This story is inspired by my first story, Adventures after the Cup. However, it won't quite be the same story. I'm not going to use anyone else's characters, so no Selena, Banette, Saige, or anyone from the continuations that wasn't mine. The main characters will otherwise be the same, but things will be a bit different this time around. You'll see what I mean. I'll also be writing this in third person. That said, on with the story!
Chapter 1: A New Threat
It was just an average day for the citizens of the Caliosteo Fossil Park. Fighters were battling with their vivosaurs, digging up new fossils, and having fun. The familiar blonde known as Dina Johnson was no exception. Everyone in the park knew who Dina was. Not only had she won the Caliosteo Cup, she had also defeated the dark sorcerer known as Zongazonga and saved the park, possibly even the world. She was a fossil fighter who rivaled most of the park in in both skill and power. But she could hold her own in a fistfight too. Not that she needed to very often.
By her side was her boyfriend, Rupert. This was another name everyone knew. Rupert was a powerful and respectable fossil fighter, and his father was also a very well-known businessman. This combination led to Rupert spending a large portion of his life in the spotlight. Not to mention the fact that he was the runner-up in the Caliosteo Cup.
Not too far away was Todd, a cowardly boy who was also Dina's lifelong friend. Todd wasn't the most skilled fighter, but he had the determination to train hard whenever he lost. However, he wasn't always this way. In fact, he used to fake stomachaches to get out of stressful situations. Thankfully, he stopped doing that a few years ago.
Last, but not least, there was Pauleen. A shy teenage girl who grew up as part of the Digadig tribe on Vivosaur Island, Pauleen wasn't always a formidable fighter. She didn't have a lot of confidence, and used to hide her shyness behind a mask. A magical artifact from her tribe, to be exact. Todd even called her a monster when they first met because of it. But thanks to some help from Dina, she overcame her need for the mask, and trained to not only be braver, but also stronger.
The four of them were currently hiking through the forest near the dig site known as Treasure Lake. They wanted to have a picnic, but there weren't a lot of good spots to do so within the boundaries of the dig sites. So they decided to check beyond those boundaries.
"How much further are we gonna go?" Todd whined. "My feet are killing me…"
"Oh, quit whining, digadig," Pauleen grumbled. "I'm doing this hike in sandals and you diga-don't hear me complaining!"
Dina just rolled her eyes at the argument behind her. "If you two keep whining, we'll leave you behind!"
Both of the others went quiet at this statement.
"I think there's a clearing up ahead," Rupert chimed in after a moment. "We can rest and have our picnic there."
Sure enough, less than 30 yards away was a large clearing. The grass was shorter than the surrounding area, as if someone had been maintaining it. However, there were no other signs of human or vivosaur life in the area, so Dina dismissed it as paranoia. The others weren't so easily convinced, but they had little room to object as Dina started setting up an area for their picnic.
After a while, a strange screech rang out in the distance. It sounded almost like a Ptera, but a bit lower pitched. At first, the group figured it was just a battle from back at the lake, but a few minutes later, they heard it again. And it sounded much closer.
"Uh… Guys?" Todd started.
"Yes, we heard it," Rupert interrupted. "Yes, we all feel uneasy about it. And yes, we should get ready to leave."
Dina sighed. "It's just a Ptera. How bad could it be?"
Dina would soon regret saying those words. As the group packed up their supplies and prepared to flee, a large shadow passed over them, accompanied by the sound of large wings moving air. It looked like the creature was going to just fly right past them, but it started circling after a moment.
"That's not a normal Ptera…" Todd whispered after a moment. Indeed, the vivosaur above them had the shape of a Ptera, but the colors weren't right. Even a silver fossil wouldn't have given it the particular color scheme that this one had. The creature's torso was the color of the evening sky, but its beak, legs, and eyes were more of a pastel blue, and its translucent wings looked like they were made of glass.
Dina reached for her dino medals just as the Ptera dove towards them. It didn't even get close to the ground, but the sheer speed at which it flew past the group caused a powerful wind to follow in the creature's wake. The wind was strong enough to knock Dina's medal case from her hand, and it almost sent her to the ground. She ran for the case as the mutant Ptera flew off over the tree line.
"Run!" Todd shouted once the creature was out of sight. Both he and Pauleen turned and ran off towards the lake to get help. Dina picked up her medal case and ran towards Rupert, who had his Mapo King medal in his hand. He was ready to fight if needed. One Dina was out of the way, he sent out the super evolver. Dina stood by his side and sent out her Teffla just as the Ptera returned. It hovered for a moment, as if waiting for its opponents to make a move.
"Royal Strike!" Rupert called out after a moment. The massive vivosaur lunged forward and tried to punch the Ptera out of the sky, but it dodged easily and countered the attack. However, the counterattack was certainly not what the two fighters expected.
In an instant, three translucent spears formed around the Ptera. Two of them struck Mapo King, and one flew towards Teffla. Teffla received a glancing blow to its wing, but the Mapo King was instantly returned to its medal.
"The hell was that?!" Dina shouted.
"It looked like ice spears," Rupert muttered as he retrieved his fallen vivosaur. "Looks like this one is up to you."
"Alright then," Dina huffed. "Teffla Dive!"
The butterfly-like vivosaur ran forward and did a backflip, striking the ice Ptera in the beak. It flinched and lost balance for a moment, giving Dina an opportunity to follow up with Teffla Scale. The toxic dust attack barely even seemed to bother the Ptera, as it dove right through the cloud of scales and slashed at Teffla with its wing, which turned out to be razor sharp. Teffla dropped like a sack of bricks and returned to its medal. Dina ran to retrieve it, but the Ptera summoned more spears and threw them at the two fighters.
Dina managed to dodge the spears and get her medal, but when she turned around, she saw Rupert standing there, blood dripping from his mouth. He collapsed after a moment, revealing that one of the spears had struck him in the back. Dina just stood there for a moment in shock before letting out a high-pitched scream that could probably be heard for miles. She knelt down next to Rupert's motionless form and tried desperately to stop the bleeding and keep him awake.
The Ptera landed a few yards away and was about to strike her down as well, but a rustling tree drew its attention away. A creature that looked similar to a Nychus lunged out and stood between the Ptera and the fighters. However, this Nychus would be the second mutant vivosaur she had encountered today.
The Nychus had cream-colored scales covering its body, but its eyes were green, it had brown spikes down its neck, and its claws were yellow. Not to mention the purple, blue, and black markings that looked almost like clothing. There was also a yellow hexagon at the base of its neck that seemed to glow slightly.
The Nychus glanced back at Dina, then roared at the Ptera. Chunks of stone formed around the Nychus and flew at the Ptera, one stabbing through its wing and knocking it out of the air for a moment. The Nychus looked back again and saw Dina carrying Rupert off into the forest. The sounds of the battle resuming could be heard fading into the distance as Dina ran.
"Come on, Rupert, stay with me!" Dina shouted as took out her phone and dialed 911. As soon as someone answered, she explained that Rupert was attacked by a mutant vivosaur, and that she was going to be at Treasure Lake within a few minutes. The operator relayed the information to someone, and by the time Dina arrived at the site, emergency crews were already set up and waiting to help. Dina handed him over, but she could only watch as they worked to save his life.
Eventually, they managed to get a pulse, though it was very weak. They loaded the unconscious boy into an ambulance and headed back to town while Dina was questioned further on the details of the situation. She explained everything she knew about what happened. Todd and Pauleen arrived a few minutes in and helped by explaining what they knew. Through this, Dina learned that the two had also contacted Joe about the ice Ptera and that there would likely be an investigation into what this creature was and why it attacked them.
Once all of the questioning was over, the three of them left and went to their respective homes. Dina stopped by the hospital, only to find that Rupert wouldn't be out of surgery for a few hours at least. She decided to call Rupert's dad and tell him about the situation once she arrived. Needless to say, he didn't take it well, but she did her best to keep him calm and reassure him that Rupert would be fine. After all, he had been through worse. Heck, he once had his skull knocked completely out of his head and managed to survive that…
Once he was calm enough to speak properly, Dina promised him she'd keep him posted if anything changed. Shortly after, she hung up and decided to clean up. She still had Rupert's blood on her, after all…
One long shower later, Dina got dressed and checked her phone. No updates yet, so she decided to rest for a bit. Maybe she'd get some news by the time she woke up. Hopefully it would be good news…
I'm ending the chapter there. Hope you like the new variation! Keep reading and reviewing!
