I never was much of a social person. That's why I spend so much time with my Vivosaurs. Unlike people, they're loyal and never disappoint. I keep mine outside of their medal form when I can. After all, these creatures are more than just Dino Medals. They're alive. They feel. They remember; possibly even remember times before they were revived. Remember going extinct. I can't prove it, but I think this because they sometimes seem anxious, or make worrying sounds in their sleep. I try to calm them when I can, and even own a place where I make a living tending to other's Vivosaurs.

Today, I take my test to be a Master Fighter. Again. Saurhead is a nightmare to fight. His Vivosaurs stay loyal to him, despite the way he treats them. I don't get it, especially since he only cares about how they are in battle. Still, they don't cut me any slack even though I take care of them a lot, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I have to earn it. And I have a secret weapon this time.

I enter the Fossil Stadium as normal, drawing odd looks as my Velociraptor (Vin) and new Compso (Cali, my secret weapon) trail behind. My Siamo (Si) is too big to wander freely, so he'll be in his Dino Medal until the battles. At the desk, I hand the secretary my license. She recognizes me. "Morrow Les, Level 5. Here to try for Master Fighter again?" She asks

"Yeah," I reply.

"The cleaning test is on your right; you need at least 80 points to pass".

I go through the door. The stone is a T-Rex head, and, like my last twenty attempts to rank up, I pass with flying colors. Vin, the V-Raptor and Cali, my Compso seem to empathize with my enthusiasm.

I proceed to the desk again. Just like the last twenty times, the clerk kindly tells me that I must win each battle without losing a single Vivosaur. Soon, it's my turn to battle. The intercom cackles, "Would Morrow Les and Mr. Ozzlewit please enter the arena?" An old man and I enter the prep room. We don't speak. We enter the arena.

He comes out the gate with a Stygi, Lambeo, and Armago, which is in the AZ. I know them well; I've taken care of his three best Vivosaurs for years. It's going to suck knocking them out. I release my Siamo to the AZ, with Vin and Cali in the SZs. I get first move due to lower hit points. Cali gives me an FP plus bonus, so I spend 180 points on Si's Sizzling Breath. Armago gets hit hard broadside, unfortunately. He has about a quarter of his LP left. He's also locked in the AZ. I end my turn with regret for what's to come. Mr. Ozzlewit's retaliatory attack deals 1 damage to Si thanks to Cali's support effects. Armago has one turn left stuck in the AZ. I tell Vin to use Lethal Poison on Armago from the SZ. The flurry of kicks, scratches, and bites don't do much. Yet. I end my turn. Armago does it's one damage, and then loses another quarter of its LP as the poison effect does its thing. It's not pleasant, but Armago is down to a quarter of its LP. With another Sizzling Breath from Si, Armago goes down. Ozzlewit can't advance now; he can only stop me from completing the preliminaries. He doesn't. I knock out his other two Vivosaurs in the same manner as Armago. He's a nice enough old man, and I do feel bad for the pain I gave his Vivosaurs.

The lady at the desk congratulates me on winning, and I'm in for my next battle. The intercom cackles again and asks for me and some other guy called Raptin. I don't know him, so he must be new. Impressive for a new arrival to make it this far so soon. I'm almost worried.

Because of my job and introversion, I tend to miss out on current events. So, of course I miss out on the new kid who beat Saurhead. That said, a blue-skinned man with fire in his eyes and a raptor-like lower half are quite a surprise. He looks at Vin and Cali, then notices my surprise. "Hello, I'm Raptin," he says, "judging by your reaction, you haven't met my kind before. I am a Dinurian, here as a courtesy from King Dynal and the Fossil Fighter known as Hunter". I don't know how to respond. He continues, "I see you like to keep your Vivosaurs as companions as well as combatants; that's respectable. However, your Vivosaurs lack strength. To make it an interesting match, I'll only use one of my Dinomatons and my battle form." This guy makes me mad. "Thanks for your respect, but strength is a matter of opinion. I don't care if you're a Dino-whatsit from Space, with your battle whatever and dinonomonaton thingies, you shouldn't be so overconfident," I snap back at him. He seems irritated. He draws up to his full height. "Very well," he grunts, "I guess I won't hold back, then".

We proceed to the arena, where he releases two robot dinosaurs that look like Zinos. Something tells me I'm in over my head. He then turns into a raptor in the AZ. The crowd, unlike me, is unfazed and even gets more excited than normal. It's a good thing my Vivosaurs are all maxed out at level 12. I get first move. Robots are probably immune to poison, but I figure Raptin isn't. I get first move. Si hits Raptin with Sizzling Breath. Raptin is now locked in the AZ by the fire, and loses about a sixth of his LP. He strikes with a poison attack on Si. It does 1 damage, but it's poison. I use Vin's Lethal Poison. A scratch, a series of kicks, and a blast of air later, and Raptin only has half of his LP. I move Vin to the AZ, letting Si escape from the poison in the EZ. Raptin can't escape, but he attacks Cali with a fury. Thanks to support effects, it only does 1 damage, and poison attacks don't affect the SZ. The poison takes effect, and Raptin is down. The crowd goes nuts. The dinomatons advance, and I realize the trouble I'm in. My Compso could possibly be knocked out in a single round. Suddenly, Raptin calls out, "Dinomatons! Stand Down! I forfeit this match!" I should have lost as well. Why did he stand down? Why didn't he attack my Compso when he had the chance with a Dinomaton?

When we leave the stadium, I ask why he stopped. He tells me that he had already lost, and it would be futile if neither of us succeed. I tell him that I can respect that, and offer him my service for any actual Vivosaurs he has. He tells me that when he gets Vivosaurs, he'll find me. We go our separate ways. It may be because he isn't human, or it may be his sense of honor, but I like him. He would make for a good friend.

I go to the desk and listen to the final description for my last fight. Saurhead. I don't stand a chance. The last two rounds were pure luck, as Ozzlewit didn't think to attack my Compso when it was vulnerable, and Raptin gave up when I was most vulnerable. Saurhead is another matter entirely. He's been watching, knows my weaknesses, and will exploit them. That said, I'm not hopeless. Saurhead doesn't use his most powerful Vivosaurs, and he can be beaten. From what I hear around the arena, some new kid saved us from the BB Bandits, beat Saurhead, became a Master Fighter, and proceeded to save the world and negotiate with the Dinurians. Chances are slim, but here goes nothing.

It begins. Cali's and Vin's low LP makes my team move first. That's a small advantage, but also a bad sign. Guan neutralizes Cali's support effects, so I have Si attack Guan. Luckily, Saurhead flinches and uses Guan's Great Unmasking skill. The benefit is that Saurhead's Pachrino can't do anything now. Pachrino's charge does nothing. Siamo locks Pachrino in the AZ with Sizzling Breath. Pelto tries to put Si to sleep by launching rocks, but the Siamo stays awake. A series of scratches, kicks, and air blasts from Vin poison Pachrino, so I might just win. T-Rex bites Si and spins, scaring him. Pachrino goes down. Now for the hard part. Si can't lock down Pelto Because he's scared, and Pelto shoots rocks at him, putting Si to sleep for the moment. T-Rex roars, dealing damage to all my Vivosaurs. Vin, my V-Raptor, proceeds to use Lethal Poison on Pelto. Saurhead moves Pelto out of the fray, curing its poison, and then proceeds to bash Cali. The poor Compso takes a beating, but still holds up. I might actually win this! Vin charges, using his poison. T-Rex takes the hit and barely scratches Compso before the poison does its thing. Si launches more fire at the ground, trapping the T-Rex. It roars like a tyrant, barely affecting my Vivosaurs. Pelto is back in the SZ now, but the fire keeps it back. T-Rex roars again. Cali only has half her LP, but she's fine. Another flurry from Vin, and the T-Rex is ready to go down. Pelto launches rocks at Si again, but the large Siamo manages to stay awake this time. T-Rex succumbs to the Poison. Pelto's up. Vin moves in for the kill, blue and white feathers bristling in the wind, teeth and claws bared. Due to type disadvantage, it doesn't do much, but the poison will. This is going really well! Suddenly Pelto rushes at Cali. The poor Compso has been, beaten, burned, and crushed. She goes down. It's over. I lose. The poison kicks in, and Pelto fades away returning to its Dino Medal as well. But it's too late. I failed. Again.

Saurhead sees my disappointment, and approaches me. "Compso. Smart call," he says, "but you shoulda known it's weakness. YOU DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE! Still, you more or less tied with me, and I owe you for taking care of my Vivosaurs, so I'll talk with the rules guys." I thank him. The loss stings, but we'll see what happens. He may be a jerk, but Saurhead is very honorable.

When I get home, I get a letter in the mail it reads:

MORROW LES: HONORARY MASTER FIGHTER 11/20/2009.

I don't know how to react. I should be insulted by a pity win, but I went toe-to-toe with Saurhead and didn't lose! I don't have the title, but I now have access to all the dig sites! This is a prize! To celebrate, I step outside, activate all of my Dino Medals, and celebrate with my friends, the Vivosaurs. I give them treats and pet them all. The small ones that can fit inside (all the raptors) spend the night in my house, a rare privilege for them, for obvious reasons. All in all, it's been a good day.