Fossil Fighters: Return of the Champions
By: Aubrie1234
Dear Readers, I finished the game yesterday! Yay! Now, today you get to see Leon get beaten at two things: Racing, and Vivosaur Soccer. Vivosaur Soccer will be explained later on in the story. By the way, have you noticed the way they spell Mapu's name? It's supposed to be a Mapusaurus, but they spell it Mapo. Makes no sense, does it? Which is why I am, from now on, calling those vivosaurs Mapus. You might have already see some of it in my other stories.
Tria's POV
We showed them the rest of the building; Ruby was excited, along with Jimmy and Angie, but Matt was harder to read. He seemed more like he wanted to do something else other than talk.
"You think he's shy?" Tri, my Triceratops, asked.
'Don't know. It's just a guess, though.'
"Uh huh..." Herb, my Lophus MN, said and mentally gave me a knowing look.
'What?'
"You're blushing!"
'What do you mean?'
"For one thing, I know you better than the others because I've been with you the longest, so I know when you're blushing. Anyway, whenever you've looked at him, you've unconsciously blushed!" I was about to retort when Stryker came inside. He saw us and smiled, walking over.
"Dina, Rupert, Todd, Pauleen." he said, nodding to each of them in turn, "Good to see you all."
"You too, Stryker." Dina said.
"And are these your kids?"
"Yep. Ruby and Dino are Rupert's and mine while Matt, Jimmy, and Angie are Todd's and Pauleen's."
"You said five names, but I only see three kids..." We all looked around and sure enough, Dino and Angie were missing.
"Not again." Todd and Dina sighed.
"What do you mean, 'not again?'" Nate asked.
"Dino and Angie have a tendancy to get into trouble a lot." Matt said, "We need to find them before-" Suddenly, the front doors opened and a vivosaur stepped through, holding Angie and Dino in its small arms. Dino was gurgling in baby-talk while Angie pouted.
"No fair, Mapu!" she said. I blinked; that was a Mapu?! It was gray all over, had red eyes and teeth, and looked NOTHING like the Mapus I know. It set them down in front of us and snorted before glowing, to which it turned into something that looked like a Dino Gear, but different. It was white with blue stripes on the edges and had Mapu's picture on both sides. Rupert grabbed it as it fell and sighed.
"Kids, why don't you find a place to talk while we talk with Stryker?" he asked. We had no argument and left, Ruby making sure to pick up her brother and Jimmy taking Angie's hand. I led them to the Staff rooms, where we sat on the beds and kept eyes on Dino and Angie. Nibbles wasn't there, though. I wonder where he was...
Ruby's POV
"Does this happen often?" Penny asked.
"You have no idea." Matt, Jimmy, and I said in unison. We sat for a few seconds, then broke out laughing; well, most of us. Leon, the girly-boy (though I bet he would protest at it), wasn't.
"How many times have you said that?! It sounds like you're practiced it!" Dahlia said.
"I don't know!" Jimmy said, "We've said it so often that it's pretty much something we say everyday!" After a while, we calmed down.
"So, you and Dino are the children of the famous Rupert? Wow..." Roland said.
"Yeah, but it can get annoying once people learn it. That's why they try to keep us away from the media and stuff; if those popularity sharks find out, we won't have any peace."
"It's the same with our Mom and Dad." Jimmy said, "If the media find out Dina and Rupert are best friends with them, we won't get any peace, either."
"I know what you mean; it's so annoying..." Tria said.
"What do your parents do, anyway? Like, for work?" Penny asked.
"Well, you know what Dad does; Mom gets to stay home and take care of Dino, Matt, Jimmy, Angie, and I, since she doesn't have a job; Pauleen's a waitress, and Todd's a pilot." I said.
"That's pretty diverse." Nate said.
"Yeah, but we've learned a lot from Dina." Matt said, "Mom comes home every day, but not until seven or so, and by that time Angie is asleep. Dad doesn't come home much, since he's a pilot, but Rupert and Dina kinda make up for that; when I'm with them, since they're home more than our parents, it feels like I'm with Mom and Dad, even though they aren't there." Jimmy and Angie nodded; Angie was smarter than most took her for, so she did understand what her oldest brother was saying.
"Wow. That's kinda deep." Leon said.
"Now that we've told you about us, what do you guys do?" Jimmy asked.
"Well, we're Wardens; we protect people and we make sure the parks and dig sites are safe." Tria said, "Why are you guys here?"
"Mom and Dad came here for some rest, and took Todd and Pauleen along. We came because they couldn't leave us alone, with the media around." I said.
"They're pretty smart." Roland said, "Are you guys good at Fossil Battles, too?"
"Oh yeah. In between lessons, Dina's taught us a lot about battling, though we've never been able to beat her." Jimmy said.
"How did you fight her?" Nate asked.
"Well, all three of us together makes three vivosaurs, and each of them are Lv. 15. We fought against three of her vivosaurs, and keep losing." Matt said.
"Wow. Talk about a power-packed team! I bet they could outrace me anytime!" Dahlia said.
"You like cars?"
"All kinds, but Bone Buggies are my favorites."
"Bone Buggies?" I asked.
"How much have your parents told you about this place?" Nate asked.
"Nothing at all." Matt, Jimmy, and I said in unison once again. We had a good laugh before they told us about the buggies, which sounded really cool.
"Hmm..." Dollia said.
'What is it?' I asked.
"I think I know what you should become instead of a Fossil Fighter."
'You think I should become a Warden?'
"Well, you would fight, and you would protect others. You love to protect others and fight, so it would be perfect for you."
'I'll tell you what; while we're here, I'll see what a Warden is like, and I'll decide if I want to become a Warden.' Dollia nodded.
"Fair enough." I then listened in the new conversation, which was about Bone Buggies.
"I bet that if I drove a Bone Buggy, I could beat you guys in a race." Jimmy said.
"You wanna bet?" Leon smirked.
"How about you and I race?" I said, getting the girly-boy's attention.
"Do you even know how to drive a Bone Buggy?"
"I know how to drive a race car." Matt, Jimmy, and Angie were the only ones not staring at me.
"What? Dad sponsors races sometimes and I've had experience driving a race car because of that. How different can it be?" Leon crossed his arms.
"There is no way you can drive. You're not even 13."
"How do you know what my age is?"
"I can guess."
"How about we settle this with the race?"
"You're on." We were almost nose to nose, glaring each other in the eyes.
"Which dig site?"
"Autumn Gardens in 5 min. You can borrow Tria's Digger's Rig. Not the fastest, but we'll be about even."
"Deal." We then separated and he walked out. I crossed my arms.
"You are going to kick his butt, Ruby. I know you will!" Jimmy said.
"Oh, you are SO right about that!" I said, then turned to Tria, "Where can I find the Bone Buggy?"
"They're usually for Wardens, but I'll make an exception and let you borrow mine. Follow me." Matt picked up the sleepy Dino and Jimmy took Angie's hand once again while Tria led us outside and to a girl who was in overalls. They talked, and Tria led us to a big metal building; inside there were large stalls and one was labeled with Tria's name. She unlocked it with a key and inside were 8 buggies; she pointed to one and gave me a pair of keys.
"That's my Digger's Rig. It has the latest engine and I asked Veri (I made up the girl's name who does the buggy managing after Liu Ren) to prepare it for a race, so it's good to go." I nodded, then climbed in. It seemed to have similar controls to a car, even easier than I thought it would be, so I was driving it pretty well in no time. Leon was SO DOOMED.
Leon's POV
"Boss, you sure about this? Dat new goil feels pretty strong ta me." Ptera said as I went to get my Bone Buggy.
'I'm sure. She is NOT beating me! Only Tria can beat me.'
"What about Dahlia?" Coatlus asked.
'Shut up.'
"And the way you looked at Ruby, your face heating up with a blush and love flooding your emotions..." Coatlus continued.
'SHUT. UP.' I could feel my face get hotter every second, so I was happy to get into my Bone Buggy by that time.
"You love her, I know you do!" the pterosaur snickered. Ptera was about to say something when I cut them both off with a fierce mental glare.
'MENTION THAT AGAIN AND LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU DO AGAINST NIBBLES WHEN HE TRIES TO EAT YOU AS HIS CRIMSON RAVAGER FORM.' That shut them up good, each giving me both a glare and a fearful look. I didn't care; I just wanted them to shut up about Ruby. I didn't like her, and that was a fact. No matter how many times they say it, I DON'T LIKE HER. Besides, why would I race her if I didn't want to prove that I can beat her in a race?
Soon, we were both on the highway in Autumn Gardens, our buggies revved up and ready to go.
"You ready to lose?" I asked her on the VisionRadio (I invented the name for the thing inside the buggies that allows you to see and talk with others).
"I'm going to win, you sissy."
"I'm not a sissy."
"Then why does your hair stand up like that?"
"I like it this way. Besides, I thought you would have mentioned my hair color."
"Why would I? Haven't you seen what my Dad's and MY hair color are?" I sat there for a minute, kind of embarrassed for forgetting that.
"...Touche." I said eventually.
"Anyway, what will the winner get?"
"How about... whoever loses has to buy the winner their favorite drink?"
"Deal. See you at the finish, girly-boy!" I growled at the insult, wishing that someone would already start the race.
Tria's POV
We were in our respective buggies (I was using my Light 4DW), all of us on an outcropping to watch the race. Matt, Nate, and Dahlia had binoculars, ready to keep track. Matt was in the passenger seat beside me, Dino and Angie were in Penny's buggy, and Jimmy was in Roland's. It was my job to start the race, but I couldn't help overhearing Ruby and Leon argue.
"Told you they were in love." Penny's voice came in from the VisionRadio, which split into several screens to show the rest of the team, not including Leon and Ruby.
"I kinda got the feeling something was different with Leon right from the start, but I didn't expect that. And I didn't think Ruby actually loved anyone except for the people she considers family." Matt said, "Like her parents, Dino, and my family, among a few."
"So, you're in the friend-zone with her?" Dahlia asked.
"Always been. Besides, I never actually love-loved her in the first place. Just liked her as a friend."
"You're pretty open about your feelings." Nate said.
"What's there to hide? I don't love anyone, and I just want to be friends. I'm shy, but that doesn't mean I can't become angry or cold. I'm... kinda different, as lots of people say after they've been with me for a while."
"Well, I don't think that's anything bad. You're just being who you are, and no one can change that." I said, "Now, let's start this race and see Leon get his butt kicked." We all laughed before I turned the VisionRadio to their buggy frequencies.
"Hey, guys; we're about to start the race. You'll both be racing from here to the highest point in Autumn Gardens; whoever gets there first wins. Oh, and one more thing: if you fall off the track, the race is stopped until you can get back, but five seconds are added to your time to compensate for it. Agreed?" They did and I nodded, "Alright. Get ready..." The buggies revved up in stereo, "Get set..." They didn't even notice the VisionRadio anymore, "GO!" The two buggies zoomed off and I tuned out from their VisionRadios.
"What about the vivosaurs?" Roland asked.
"Today is kind of a day off for the ones who are usually on the track, so they don't have to worry." someone chimed in from the VisionRadio. I looked to see Stryker, Dina, Rupert, Todd, and Pauleen, who were in his office and seemingly peering into a big screen, so I could see all of them.
"Why is Ruby racing Leon?" Dina asked, her arms crossed in protective-parent mode.
"We were telling them about bone buggies, and she challenged him to a race after he said she couldn't drive a race car." Nate said.
"And they're already past the half-way point." Matt informed.
"He made a big mistake on saying Ruby couldn't drive." Todd said, "He'll never win."
"I have to agree with you, and I've know Leon as long as the other Wardens." Stryker said, "And I've only heard of Ruby's driving ability just a minute ago, and she seems to be much better than most people I know."
"Ha! I win!" Ruby suddenly came in on speaker.
"You didn't! I did!"
"No, I did!"
"I did!"
"I did!"
"I-" Dahlia interrupted.
"Guys! I saw the end of the race, and I know a lot about racing, so I could tell you who won." she said.
"THEN TELL US!" they yelled in unison.
"...Ruby won." Leon let out a frustrated growl while Ruby cheered.
"And you two better come back so Leon can buy you your drink, Ruby." Rupert said. That made both teens pause.
"...Uh, have the adults been listening in on this whole radio conversation?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, I think so. They came on right before you passed the halfway point." I said.
"Am I in trouble?"
"No, you were just having fun. But next time, tell us what you're going to do before you leave." Pauleen said.
"Yes ma'am." she said, then ended the call. I haven't heard a peep out of Leon since the adults started talking.
"Leon, you still there?" Jimmy asked.
"From what I can see on the Vision part of the VisionRadio, he's as red as a tomato and has an angry look on his face." Nate said.
"Stiff as a board, too?" Matt asked.
"Uh huh."
"I'd say he might be in shock because of his anger or something, so we'll have to tow him back. He should be fine in a while, though."
"Thanks, Matt."
"I'll get him." Roland said, then drove away.
"By the way, where are Dino, Angie, and Jimmy?" Dina asked.
"Jimmy's with Roland and Dino and Angie are with me, Mrs. Dina." Penny said. The woman laughed.
"Only fanboys call me that. Just call me Dina, Penny." she said. The girl smiled and nodded.
Soon, Leon and Ruby were back and Leon had snapped out of his stupor. We were all at a small cafe near the Fossil Market, where Leon had bought Ruby a glass of milk.
"Milk?" he asked, "Milk is your favorite drink?"
"It keeps your bones strong and keeps you healthy. You're just lucky they didn't have a freezer, or I would have asked for a cup of ice."
"Ice water?"
"No, just ice." (I, myself, actually do like both milk and ice the same way Ruby does, so DON'T JUDGE ME)
"...You're weird." The table bumped and Leon yelped, holding his shin.
"What was that for?!"
"For calling me weird, girly-boy." Leon growled.
"And don't you dare kick me back." she continued.
"Why not?"
"For one thing, boys can't hit girls."
"You actually-"
"DON'T JUDGE ME." she glared at him, "And for another, my parents or their vivosaurs will tear you to pieces if you harm me."
"I doubt that." Suddenly, there was a flash of light and behind Ruby, a purple raptor appeared, growling.
"Are you prepared to face my wrath if you DO hurt her?" the vivosaur growled in a menacing woman's voice. Leon scooted his chair back uneasily, as did the rest of us except Matt, Jimmy, and Angie (Dino was sleeping in Matt's arms, having fallen asleep in Penny's buggy on the way back). The vivosaur snorted.
"I thought not." There was another flash and the vivosaur was gone.
"That was Mom's Nasaur, Dollia. She gave her to me when I was born, so she could protect me. She's done a very good job so far." Ruby said.
"I don't doubt it. She was scary, even for a pretty vivosaur." Penny said.
"She gets that way when she gets protective of me. If you think she's bad, you haven't seen Mom and Dad on Freak-out Mode."
"'Freak-out Mode?'" Roland asked, "What's that?"
"You don't want to know. I've never really seen it in full-force before, but just part of it is scary."
"Anyway, Leon, you still look kind of down." I said. The guy sighed.
"For one thing, I don't like losing. For another, I'm not all that fond of you, Ruby."
"Well, I know something that would cheer everyone up." Ruby said. I saw that Matt, Jimmy, and Angie seemed to smile at that.
"Tria, how many friends do you think you could ask to come to Fossil Park Asia's Fossil Stadium Arena?"
"Why just the arena?" I asked Ruby.
"You'll see. I need to ask Stryker for some stuff so I can set something up, and I think that it'll be a great experience for both vivosaurs and their partners." I nodded.
"Okay. I'll call as many as I can, but I can't promise they all will come." Ruby shrugged.
"That's just fine; I just want to play a special game with you guys that Matt, Jimmy, and I made up when we were younger and bored." She then got up and picked up Dino, walking back to the main building with Matt, Jimmy, and Angie behind her.
"I already paid for the milk, so we don't really have to stay here." Leon said, "I guess we can wait for her at the stadium."
"I'll call every one of my Paleo Pals." I said, "I bet all of them will come."
"I wonder what game they made up, though. I can't wait to see it." Nate said.
"By the way, where's Nibbles?" Roland asked. I shrugged.
"I left him in the Staff Rooms to get some rest after fighting a lot yesterday, but I haven't seen him since."
"I wonder if he's looking for you." Dahlia said.
"I think he might. You guys go find him while I make these calls." They nodded and left while I got up and headed towards the stadium.
Soon, every Paleo Pal I had was in the lobby, talking with each other. Even Elric was there; he was the only one who didn't talk with the others. He seemed to want to stick close to me, however. Anyway, Penny found Nibbles and now he was beside me, giving me a confused look.
"Tria, I don't suppose you could tell me why you called us here?" Elric asked, coming closer to me.
"Well, you know the owner of FossilDig Inc., Rupert Mizupāru right?" He nodded, "Well, he and his family, along with their friends, came here at Stryker's request and their children are now setting up a game for us to play in the arena."
"Interesting." he said, "I have to ask, is it Vivosaur Soccer?" I was confused.
"What's that?" He smiled.
"I think you will learn once they are done getting ready." He then walked away, disappearing into the crowd. Then, Angie appeared out of the crowd and came up to me. Nibbles cocked his head at her.
"We're ready now. The others are practicing." she said. I nodded, then she disappeared back into the crowd. I then pushed through and went to the front, calling for their attention, which I got. I explained to them why they were there, and I saw a few looked interested once I finished.
"Now, one of them managed to tell me that they're ready, so we can now go out to the field."
"Without our buggies?" Daisy asked.
"Yep, I think so." I then led them to the arena and what I saw was surprising. An Edapho, U-Raptor, Saichan, and Dollia were out there, along with Ruby, Matt, Angie, Jimmy, and Dino. On either side of the field were two giant soccer goals, and Saichan was blocking the one on the left side while Edapho guarded the one on the right. Angie and Dino were sitting on the side, watching U-Raptor, Dollia, Matt, Jimmy, and Ruby. U-Raptor was kicking a black-and-white soccer ball towards Edapho, who kept its eye on the ball. The raptor then kicked it into the air and swung its tail, hitting the ball towards Edapho. The air vivosaur screeched before jumping, using its sail to block the shot.
"Nice try, U-Raptor!" Jimmy said as the vivosaur growled in frustration and Edapho seemed to laugh.
"Edapho, be nice." Matt said to the vivosaur. They then noticed the others watching them.
"Hey guys! I'm glad you came." Ruby said.
"..One question: What are you doing?" Hanzo asked.
"I call it Vivosaur Soccer. You know what Soccer is, don't you?" I nodded, "Well, Vivosaur Soccer is like regular soccer, except it includes vivosaurs. They play the same positions as we do, but they can also use their tails, armor, and sails."
"The rules are also different." Jimmy said, "Vivosaurs partner up with their human partners and form mini-teams. Each mini-team has to work together with other mini-teams, but each time they score a point, that point goes to the mini-team. Two vivosaurs or people aren't able to play the main game, but act as goalies. Some people and vivosaurs aren't able to play, so their partners play instead, so they can either join up with an existing mini-team or create one of their own. So, you guys wanna try it?"
"Seems fun. I think I would like to try it, if Seidon agrees." Lancelot said, smiling. Somehow, I knew he was going to say that.
Ruby's POV
Soon, everyone had agreed to play, except for Lucky, Roland, and Dr. Digmore, as Tria called them; but, their vivosaurs were happy to play. All of them were partnered up with their first vivosaur (and I wondered why Tria was using a Lophus MN instead of the little vivosaur at her side. I thought that was her first partner), and about half of the group was on one side while the other half was on the other; Lucky's Ajka and Dr. Digmore's Oloro were the goalies and Roland's Tricera was partnered with Tria and her Lophus MN. Oloro was bigger than Ajka and could move pretty fast, though it didn't look like it could if you just based it by looks; Ajka was small, yet fast, and a fierce defender, like Hanzo's Miku. I was with Dollia on the left side, near Olga, her Gorgostroika, Leon, and his Ptera (who was on the ground, since we almost forgot to mention that flying vivosaurs wouldn't be able to fly during the game, since it gave them too much of an advantage). Leon and his vivosaur looked serious, while Olga had a smile on her face, but her vivosaur showed indifference. I looked to the other side to see similar looks on Kowloon's and his Zinodious' faces, except Kowloon was smirking.
'I wonder why Gorgostroika and Zinodious look like they're staring at a wall.' I told Dollia. She gave me a shrug.
"How should I know? Vivosaurs have different personalities. Anyway, the game's about to start." I gave her a mental nodded and tensed, ready to play.
When the game ended, there were several high scores. In first place was Dollia and I, second place was tied between Sean, his Nychus, Mei Lian, and her V-Raptor. In third place was Dahlia and her Pachy, who was so happy it was headbutting anyone it saw (including Dino Gigante's Styraco, Daisy's Hypsi US, and Aggro's Carchar, to name a few). Sean and Mei Lian were fighting over who got 2nd place and Liu Ren and Becky were trying to separate them; unlike them, their vivosaurs weren't having trouble at all. In fact, since almost everyone was focusing on Sean and Mei Lian, they weren't being noticed. V-Raptor was blushing a deep reddish-purple as Nychus nuzzled against it, and I think I knew what was happening. For one thing, though I wasn't sure, I think V-Raptor was a boy and Nychus was a girl; second, V-Raptor and Nychus were in LOVE. I wouldn't want to stick around if either their owners, Liu Ren's Tarbo, or Becky's Big Allo saw them or found out; I think Tarbo and Big Allo are more like big brothers to the vivosaurs, but I didn't know, and I wasn't going to take any chances, so I just walked away from them. I noticed Leon was away from many of the Wardens, so I went over to him (Dollia was watching the two vivosaurs cuddle and making 'aww' noises).
"You still mad about losing?" I asked once I was close enough. He looked at me and sighed.
"Kinda. But, I have to admit, it was fun. For a girl who seems a bit too confident for me, you actually come up with good ideas." I rolled my eyes, deciding not to kick him this time.
"Actually, I'm not all that confident. I'm only like that when I want to win something." I said, "Jimmy's the confident one, I'm the adventurous one, and Matt's the shy one; Dino and Angie are the get-into-trouble-more-than-seems-possible ones." Leon let out a snort and I couldn't stop myself from giggling at the joke.
"Anyway, Tria knows a lot of people. Drake and Aggro kind of scare me, though." I said, taking quick glances at the mentioned two.
"Drake's supposedly descended from Vikings, but I don't know what Aggro's problem is." Leon said, shrugging, "Why did you come talk to me, anyway?"
"Who wouldn't?"
"Lots of people. They avoid me and I avoid them, except for you and Tria, Roland, Nate, Penny, and Dahlia." I nodded, feeling sadness at it.
"Well, you aren't the only one. Because we have such a high status, thanks to our parents, Dino and I can't go out into public that often. It's the same with Matt, Angie, and Jimmy, like we told you guys earlier. I gets kinda lonely when you can't make any new friends and can't go out into public as often as even the Pope or President of the US do." Leon looked at me, surprised.
"You mean you don't have any friends except for your brother and the other three?" I nodded.
"Man, that's kind of a downer. A really big one, too." he said, casting his eyes down, "...At first, when I came here to the park, all I wanted to do was become a Warden; I thought that once I did, I could show everyone how strong I was, just by myself. People tried to get me to work with them, but I didn't; it wasn't until Tria visited the American Branch and helped me that I saw that working with others, as a team, makes you become stronger than you ever would be alone. I learned the hard way that everyone needs a friend." he looked up at me and smiled, his eyes shining slightly, "So how about we become your friends, too? Tria's already told everyone else she knows and they promised to keep it a secret, and trust me when I say they will keep it a secret." I was surprised at his story and offer. I looked away.
"I don't know. Except for Matt, Dino, Angie, and Jimmy, I've never really had a friend before. I don't even know that first thing to do..." My hand suddenly felt warm and I looked down, seeing Leon holding it in one of his own.
"I'll show you the ropes. I wasn't keen on making friends and I didn't know how to make one, either. Tria showed me how, though." I suppressed the blush and nodded, giving a small smile. I think I was actually falling for this kid. Unlike Matt, who didn't think voicing feelings and other stuff was a bad thing, I wanted to keep the secret inside until the time was right. I knew I wasn't going to deny I was really falling for Leon, but I wasn't going to tell anyone, not even Dollia, about it just yet.
My second chapter! I hope you like it, and I'm including all the Paleo Pals Tria can get in the game, so there might be spoilers. Anyway, see you guys later!