The morning breeze curled around the branches of the trees and carried the clouds lazily through the air of the mountains. The mild temperatures of the spring day made it a perfect time for a hike. A young girl in a blue jumpsuit sat upon the edge of the cliff, her soft brown eyes wide in awe at the beauty around her. A call from made her turn her tear her gaze away from the view.
"Hey, Dina! How long are you going to stand around and stare at the scenery, huh?" Her brown haired friend was hopping from one foot to the other in excitement. "Quit stalling and get over here!"
The girl grinned and scrambled to her feet, brushing a strand of her light auburn hair behind her ear as she rushed to meet her friend. He was shorter than her by at least a few centimeters. She gave him a small wave. His smile grew wider.
"People say wild vivosaurs live up at the top of this mountain," he said. Upon seeing her confused look he sighed and continued, "Come on, Dina! We just went over this! A vivosaur is a dinosaur that's been revived from fossils. Man, I never thought I'd see one with my very own eyes! Now come on! We're not leaving until we get some wild vivosaurs of our very own!"
Dina's grin faded into a frown as she stared at her friend. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but then shut it and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Don't give me that look," Her friend whined. "I know I'm not very brave, but maybe we'll get a small, nice vivosaur like a Hypsi. Come on, race you to the top!" He took off running. Dina's mouth opened in a silent shout, her smile returning as she chased after her friend.
They raced up the path, leaping over fallen branches and swerving around rocks. Her friend's laugh could be heard clearly through the air as she ran beside him, any problems they had before forgotten in their joy.
They skidded to a stop at the peak, pausing to catch their breath.
"I win!" The boy gave a small hop. "I win, I win, I win! I beat you!" Dina gave him a playful shove and looked around. She tipped her head to the side in thought. Her friend also seemed to be confused as well. He puffed out his cheeks furiously as he said, "Hey, there's no vivosaurs here! Someone must have been lying to me!"
Dina reached out, grabbing a hold of his shirt as the ground around them rumbled. A look of fear passed over the kids' faces for a moment.
"Wh-what was that!? What's going on!?" The boy stammered. Dina slowly let go of him and took a few steps forward, signalling for him to stay where he was. She peered into the trees. From the bushes an Allosaurus burst towards them, jaws gaping wide open as it roared.
The boy turned and raced away, crying out in terror. Dina ran after him, glancing over her shoulder at the furious vivosaur. They stopped at a cliff, unable to run anywhere else. Dina stood in front of her friend, shaking as she desperately tried to protect him.
"W-we're dead, we're so dead!" Her friend wailed in fear, burying his face in Dina's back. He then turned his gaze to the sky, face paling. "Oh, no, not another one!" Dina looked up to see what he was looking at. A Ptera was flying towards them. As her friend began to panic, Dina gently tugged his sleeve and pointed. Upon the Ptera's back was a man in a cowboy hat. She grinned at him.
"Hop on!" The man called as his Ptera dove to the cliff. Dina grabbed her friend's hand and leaped. The man gripped her arm and pulled the two onto his vivosaur. They soared away from the rogue who was left roaring and screaming at them on the cliff.
Through the flight her friend had his arms wrapped around Dina's waist, whimpering softly about falling off and not wanting to look. Dina turned and gently patted his back as best she could in an attempt to comfort him. The man ordered his Ptera to land in a clearing. Once the three were safely on the ground, they got off and the Ptera returned to its dino medal. Dina's friend was still shaking and clinging to her, but once he got a good look at the man who had helped them his eyes brightened.
"Oh my gosh!" he gasped. "Y-you're...Joe!" Joe smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"Yep, that's me," he replied. "Surprised you know my handle, kid."
"Of course I know you!" The boy was hopping up and down, grinning. "You're the greatest Fossil Fighter in the whole world! Your fossil skills are legendary! You're Joe Wildwest! I can't believe I'm actually talking to you! This is amazing! I must sound like a real nerd right now, huh?" He looked to Dina, who was smiling at him. She gave a brief nod and her hand flew to her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she laughed silently. Joe tilted his head at her, but before he could say anything the Allo roared in the distance, its heavy footsteps growing closer.
"That Allosaurus is madder than a sack full'a hornets," Joe said. "We can't let it leave the mountain all riled up like that, or folks'll be in a heap'a trouble. Ain't no other choice. We gotta subdue the critter in a Fossil Battle." He then turned to the boy, smiling. "How about it, small fry? Think you're up for it? I'll even loan ya one'a my Dino Medals for the fight. So how 'bout it?" Dina turned to look at her friend and nodded to him, smiling reassuringly. Todd paled and bent over, clutching his stomach and whining about it hurting. Dina huffed and put her hand on her hips, a little more than fed up with her friend's behavior. Joe had a brow raised. He turned to Dina.
"Well, fair enough," he sighed. "Guess I'll be lending you my Dino Medal instead. I got four of 'em, so just take whichever one strikes yer fancy." He held out the four medals, explaining how each of the vivosaurs look. Behind him, Dina's friend gave her a thumbs up. She was unsure at first, but a soft, comforting hum from the Aeroseton helped her decision. She reached out, carefully picking up the medal.
I promise to protect you, child, The motherly voice echoed within her mind. Upon seeing Dina's surprised expression, Joe grinned.
"Seems Aerosteon's takin' a liking you you," he said. "The strength of a Fossil Fighter depends on how much of a bond they build with their vivosaurs. Make sure ya'll trust each other and try to have some fun, all right?" Dina nodded and smiled down at the Dino Medal. She tossed it onto the air and the Aerosteon formed in front of her, letting out a soft growl at the Allo. Joe quickly went over the basics of Fossil Battles as her friend watched on from behind a tree.
The Aero looked behind her at Dina, who shifted awkwardly with a shrug. The vivosaur nodded in understanding.
Don't worry, child, she said. I will handle this myself.
The Aero let out a burst of wind from its jaws, sending the Allo skidding back. It snarled and raced forward, biting down upon the Aero's arm. With one last Wind Blast, the Allo was defeated and the battle was over. The Allo returned to being a Dino Medal and Joe walked over, picking it up.
"Nice job, small fry," he said to Dina. "You did real good." Her friend let out a shout of agreement as he rushed over, wrapping his arms around his friend in a hug. Dina raised a brow at him, poking him in the stomach.
"Oh, haha, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore," he laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, well, who cares about that now, am I right? You were amazing!"
"This Allosaurus was abandoned by some cruel Fighter." Joe frowned down at the medal in his hand. "Reckon that's why he had his shorts in a bunch. Vivosaurs need to be with Fossil Fighters they know they can trust. If they're abandoned, they go feral and their true nature emerges. That's why I'm here, actually. The Fighters Association asked me to round up rogue vivosaurs."
"That's so mean, abandoning a vivosaur like that!" Dina's friend's face fell. "When I get a vivosaur I'll make sure to treat them right!" Dina nodded in agreement, looking down at the Aero's medal.
"Aw, shucks, where are my manners?" Joe exclaimed. "You know this already, but I'm Joe Wildwest, and I'm a Fossil Fighter."
"I'm Todd and this is my best friend Dina," Dina's friend said. "We always cheer for you on TV, Joe! Our dream is to become great Fossil Fighters just like you." Joe laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Aw, shucks, you small fries are gonna make me blush." he smiled. "But ya'll oughta aim a little higher. Don't try to be as good as me. Try to be better. Well, I s'pose I should think about seeing you two home, but I ain't quite done with my job yet. I've still got one more vivosaur that needs rescuin', ya see? But ya'll seem pretty capable, so I trust ya can make it home. Tell ya what, Dina. What say you keep that there Dino Medal as my way of sayin' thanks for all the help?" Dina's eyes brightened and she grinned, turning to Todd who had begun to pout.
"If only my stomach hadn't started hurting," he grumbled.
"Listen up, small fries!" Joe made them turn their attention back to him with his announcement. "If you love yer vivosaurs and share their passion for Fossil Battles, then ya'll can accomplish anything! I look forward to the day ya both become proper Fossil Fighters. But for now, I gotta mosey on down the trail. Adios!" He waved goodbye to them as he walked away.
Todd let out an excited giggle and hopped up and down. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "We just got advice from Joe Wildwest himself! No choice now, Dina. We have to become Fighters! Yeah, I know you want it bad. But not as bad as me! Next time I see Joe, I'm gonna be a full-fledged Fighter!" He did a quick pose, making his friend laugh silently. She nodded in agreement, turning her gaze down to her new vivosaur.
Thank you, Mayrah, She thought.
Hello there everyone and thank you for reading the prologue! I'm looking forward to seeing what you all have to say about this. If you've got any questions feel free to PM me. There is something I'd like to say; before and after each round in the Cup you may ask any characters introduced within the chapter or before it questions, whether they are the one fighting or not.
However, please make sure to also tell me your thoughts on the chapter before asking a question. I really want to know what you all think of it. If you wish to ask a question in advance(say asking a question for before/after Round 5 before I post the chapter) please send that question through a PM.