Sigh… I hardly have any time to write this.
I'm extremely busy – I'm writing several fanfics at once. I've got a Monster Hunter one, this Fossil Fighters one here, a Pokemon one that I might start uploading soon, and I just recently started a How to Train Your Dragon one.
Yep. Wait patiently.
Anyhow, back to the story – the terrifying monster in the Jungle Labyrinth!
A monster in the Jungle Labyrinth? thought Dina, freaked out. Todd looked like he was about to run off any second out of pure terror.
"It was chasing us like it wanted to eat us whole!" said the one in the red outfit, Cary. "…Or maybe it wanted to chew us first. Anyway, that isn't something I'm particularly interested in!"
Howard, Cary's blue-suited companion, spoke up in a voice filled with worry. "What if it decides to chase us? What if it comes HERE?!" At this, the two continued to run.
Dina looked skeptical, but Todd had an expression of even greater fear on his face. "M-monster?" he asked. "Heh heh… There's no such things as monsters, right? They must have been mistaken!"
A voice suddenly rang out into earshot. "Now see here, kids, but I gotta disagree." Dina and Todd simultaneously turned to see a man with a ridiculous hairstyle and overcoat strutting towards them.
"Way I hear it, we've got a big ol' monster roamin' this here jungle," he continued on casually. "He's got a mean ol' face, and a temper to match. If he happens to find the two of you, he'll bite your little heads clean off!"
Todd started shaking in his boots. Dina still looked skeptical. The man looked at each of them in turn and finished, "I'd avoid goin' any deeper into this ol' jungle unless you wanna get hurt, unh-hunh? Fossil rocks don't mean nothin' if some monster gets to chewin' on you." With that, the man left.
"Umm, Dina?" Todd began, and Dina rolled her eyes – she knew what was coming. "Maybe we should stop here for today and take a little break, you know? And not because I'm scared – my vivosaurs could stomp that monster like a pancake! But there's lots of good rocks to be found right here!"
All of this was said very rapidly. Dina shook her head. "I'm going on," she told him. "If there's really a monster, which I highly doubt, I'm going to find it."
Sweat broke out on Todd's brow. "Yeah, well, all right. I'll g-go with you. B-but it's j-just that…" Todd suddenly clutched his stomach and moaned. "Oooooh! Oh, my stomach's killing me! I shouldn't have eaten that green tuna-fish sandwich for lunch…"
Dina sighed. "Todd, you have NO common sense, do you?" Todd turned bright red at this sarcastic remark. Sighing again, Dina said over her shoulder, "See you later, Todd," and stalked deeper into the Jungle Labyrinth.
Ten Minutes Later
I wonder if you hurt Todd's feelings, murmured Radox, still creeping along beside her. "I hope not…" said Dina quietly. "But he has to get some courage! Eventually, he's going to find something he can't run away from!"
Don't be so hard on him, piped up Aeros. It's not his fault he's not as brave as you. Dina shook her head. "Don't you start," she muttered irritably.
Radox stiffened suddenly. I hear something! he whispered. Whatever it is, it's in those bushes over there! He pointed to the shrubs just ahead.
Inconveniently, Todd chose that moment to appear out of nowhere. "Heeeey, Dina!" he cried. "Bet you were pretty lonely without me, huh?"
Dina rolled her eyes again – this was becoming somewhat of a habit. "Todd, don't be ridiculous. And if you're flirting with me –"
Todd looked indignant, but he turned a faint red. "Of course not! I just came to say that we should stop here. Not because I'm scared – because I'm not scared at ALL – but because we've gone a long way, and I'm tired from all this walking and digging."
Dina turned away, prepared to go on. "Then take a rest," she said impatiently. "I'm still going on ahead. Just let me inspect what's rustling in those bushes." Right on cue, the foliage shook again.
"What's that?! Who's there?!" Todd yelled, shaking nervously. "…Just the wind! Yeah, that's it… or a wild boar. That would be OK, too."
Dina snapped her focus back to the bushes – she had just seen a vivid pink thing dart behind them. Radox hissed threateningly and shivered his tail. Show yourself! he demanded, and Dina repeated his words in case the unknown creature didn't understand him.
Suddenly, a tall, pathetically skinny girl jumped out of the bushes. She had two massive pigtails colored bright pink and yellow, and wore a mask that looked like it belonged on a Chinese Dragon. Needless to say, Todd nearly jumped out of his pants.
"EEEEEK!" he shrieked, then tore off through the jungle. "M-m-moooonster!" It had happened so fast that Dina couldn't even react.
"Did he just call me a monster?" asked the mystery girl, sounding like she had been personally offended. "'Cause that's kind of insulting. If you didn't notice, I happen to be in-CRED-ibly charming and beautiful."
Dina started to laugh. "Riiiiight," she snorted. "Then why are you hiding behind that mask?"
The girl's cheeks turned as pink as her hair – or at least, Dina thought they did. "Look," she said. "There's a very good reason I can't take this mask off. But trust me – I'm totally beautiful beneath it. People faint when I walk by, I'm serious."
…OK, she's clearly insane, thought Dina. "Who are you?" she ended up blurting.
"What?!" the girl cried, totally shocked. "Do you live under a rock? …Fine, dig the wax out of your ears and listen up! I'm the one who will win the Caliosteo Cup and become the biggest teen idol in the world – I'm Pauleen!"
There was only silence from Dina. Radox couldn't stop giggling at Pauleen's attitude. Unfortunately, Pauleen guessed that the noise he was making was laughter, and Dina could see her give him a death stare through the eyeholes in her mask.
"Your Vivosaur is very rude, you know that?" she said indignantly. "But enough about you – I hear there's a monster in this jungle. I'm going to fight it and win.
"Oh, I just thought of something! You should come along and see how awesome I am! So let's go… Wait. What's your name?"
Relieved that Pauleen could keep the conversation away from her and her apparent "awesomeness", Dina introduced herself.
Pauleen gave her a single nod to show that she acknowledged the introduction, then motioned for her to follow her. Dina sighed as the masked girl tore off through the jungle, looking for the monster. Can't I meet any NORMAL Fighters?
Deep Jungle Labyrinth
The journey finally ended in a somewhat darker portion of the Jungle Labyrinth. Trees crowded close together, blocking out almost all sunlight. Radox shivered in fear, and Dina picked him up and muttered soothingly to him.
Pauleen didn't seem in the least bit frightened, however. She was calling out repeatedly for the monster to come out and surrender before the most beautiful Fossil Fighter that ever existed – or something of that sort. Dina had stopped paying attention.
"GRAAAHHH!" A loud roar sounded out from the depths of the jungle. It was accompanied by a strange noise that sounded like a motor, and the cracking of shrubs and twigs. Dina started, and Radox leapt back into his Dino Medal.
The sounds grew louder, and Dina could just make out the silhouette of something trundling through the forest, crushing the undergrowth before it. Another roar emanated through the eerie darkness, and she felt a chill up her spine.
"AHA!" yelled Pauleen. "There it is!" She began to chase after the thing, Dina following after only a moment's hesitation.
They caught up to it in a clearing, where the trees weren't as close and a little bit of light was able to reach the ground. With a jolt, Dina caught sight of something sitting in the shadows, glowing eyes focused on the duo.
"Prepare to meet your doom at the hands of Pauleen, the most beautiful Fighter in the land!" Pauleen cried out, rushing forward. The monster rushed out as well, entering the sunlit glade, roaring at the top of its lungs.
Dina had to bite her tongue to keep from bursting out in raucous laughter. The "monster" was easily the stupidest thing she had ever seen. Car headlights made up the eyes, while cardboard covered the rest. She could easily see a voice recorder hooked up to a microphone in its mouth.
All of a sudden, the pseudo-monster exploded, parts flying everywhere. Pauleen was knocked to the ground, and Dina covered her face. When it was over, Dina could see the head of the monster lying at her feet, roar petering out to a high-pitched whine that soon faded.
Two Fighters, one in brown and one in blue clothing, ran up and saw the damage. "Aw, man," said the one in blue. "The darned thing broke."
His companion stepped up next. "Well," he replied, totally ignoring Dina and Pauleen. "It's been scaring off Fighters 24/7. I'm surprised it lasted this long."
Pauleen couldn't believe her ears. "Wait just a minute!" she exclaimed. "What do you mean, scaring off Fighters? You fabricated this for such a worthless purpose?"
Finally, the two Fighters took notice of the two girls standing there, one in shock and one in rage. "Yep, it's a fake," crowed the brown guy proudly. "Me and Jerry here built it ourselves!"
Dina sniggered. "I could tell," she laughed. Jerry, the one in blue, turned bright red, annoyed. "Hey, it was a very good fake!" he protested angrily. "All the Fighters were too scared to come to this part of the jungle! That way, we could take all the fossil rocks for ourselves!"
Dina gasped, and Jerry clapped a hand to his mouth as he realized what he had just said. "You idiot!" raged his partner. Jerry glared at him and said, "Shut up, Lee!"
Lee suddenly turned on Dina and Pauleen. "Well, now you know our little secret, and we can't be having that, now can we?" he asked rhetorically. "Let's lock 'em up somewhere 'till they forget, eh, Jerry?"
Now Dina was mad. "Yeah?" she challenged, hand reaching for her Dino Medals. "Let's see if you fight as badly as you build!" With that, she sent out three of her Vivosaurs; Radox, Tricera, and Krypto, one of her newest Vivosaurs. Its red eyes bored into Jerry's, causing him to become nervous.
"If it's a Fossil Battle you want, you're on! Take 'em down, Nycto and Anomalo!" With that, he sent out his two – Nycto, a little pterosaur, and Anomalo, a strange, centipede-like creature with flippers instead of legs.
Dina saw that Jerry had the first attack. "Nycto, get the little one with Beak Strike!" The green pterosaur shrieked, then flew at Radox like a torpedo, spearing him with its beak. Radox shook off the impact like it was nothing, and Nycto went flying backwards, damaged by its own attack.
What's going on? wondered Dina, completely stunned. Radox answered with pride, It's my special ability! During the first two turns, I have the potential to Counter an enemy's attacks! Dina smiled to herself – Radox was just full of surprises.
"All right! Krypto, use Krypto Fang on Anomalo!" The big, black theropod reared back, then leapt forward and crunched down on Anomalo's body, scoring a critical blow and taking Anomalo down in one hit. Mmm, sushi! snarled Krypto.
Dina ended her turn, and Krypto became victim to a powerful Beak Strike, which took down a quarter of his LP. On the next turn, she had Radox attack with Radox Headbutt, which unfortunately missed.
"Nycto, Beak Strike again, this time on Tricera!" Jerry ordered. Tricera roared in pain as Nycto's small but sharp beak stabbed him in the flank. He suddenly began to glow with an orange light. Dina grinned – she had seen this before, in the preliminaries with Aeros. It was Parting Blow.
"Say goodbye to Nycto!" she yelled across to Jerry. "Tricera, use Running Smash!"
The powerful blue Vivosaur rumbled toward Nycto, driven by both his Parting Blow and his need for payback for Nycto's last attack. Leaping into the air, he slammed Nycto with his powerful horns, causing the little Vivosaur to fly straight into the air and plummet back down.
When Nycto landed, it gave an exhausted squawk and reverted into its Dino Medal. Dina had, once again, won the battle.
"What?!" exclaimed Jerry, looking across to Lee, who had also lost against Pauleen. "Th-they're too tough!"
Suddenly, Stella's voice rang through the gloom of the forest behind them. "Pauleen, Dina, are you all right?" She soon ran into view, followed by two members of the staff.
"What's this all about?" she inquired, catching sight of the fake monster. Dina only took a few seconds to explain what had happened.
"Interesting," murmured Stella. "So they were scaring off other Fighters in order to claim all of the fossils for themselves."
Her attitude suddenly turned incredibly harsh. Both Jerry and Lee, and Dina as well, backed away instinctively. "Seize them!" Stella commanded the two staff members, and they chased them into the jungle.
"Don't worry, Dina," Stella said, cheerful attitude coming back. "I'll see to it that they're banished from the islands." Dina shrugged at this. "As long as they don't cause any more trouble, I don't care where they end up," she replied.
Stella nodded, then went to follow her assistants. She said over her shoulder, "See you later, Dina. You too, Pauleen." Then she vanished into the Jungle Labyrinth.
Pauleen turned toward Dina, head cocked to the side. She then straightened and said, "Hey, thanks for helping me out, Dina. You're really good at this!"
Dina blushed at the compliment, but before she could respond, Pauleen finished, "… Not as good as me, of course. But pretty good!" Now Dina glared, but kept her thoughts to herself.
"Hey, Dina! You're alive!" came Todd's shout of joy, and then he came barreling out of the bushes. He suddenly caught sight of Pauleen, and jumped back about five feet. "EEEK! The monster's right here!"
Pauleen, boiling mad, stalked right up to Todd and yelled, "Stop calling me a monster! I'm a Fighter! And a teen idol! … And my name's Pauleen!"
Todd calmed down somewhat. "If you don't want to be called names," he told her, "then you shouldn't wear a mask! Why don't you take it off?"
Pauleen suddenly became flustered. "Nope, I can't do it. I wear that mask for personal reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with you! Now good-bye!" She then ran off, deeper into the labyrinth.
"What kind of weirdo wears a mask for personal reasons?" asked Todd, somewhat amazed. Dina simply gave him a skeptical glance that said, Don't ask.
Dina suddenly jumped at the high-pitched beeping of her Paleopager. "Round 2 of the Caliosteo Cup will now begin," it said. "Rockin' Billy has been selected as Dina's opponent. Please check in at Ribular Town's Fighter Station when fully prepared."
Todd looked excited. "Round 2 is finally starting!" he said, eyes shining. "I'll meet you back at the Fighter Station, OK?" Before Dina could answer, he tore off for RibularTown.
"You did great, Radox," she encouraged her Vivosaur. "You too, Tricera." She felt their Dino Medals tremble with pleasure.
Taking a deep breath through her nose in anticipation of her next match, Dina headed back to Ribular Town and the Fossil Battle that awaited.
Ribular Town
Walking into the Common Room, Dina came face-to-face with her opponent – Rockin' Billy, the man with the bad haircut that had warned her and Todd about the "monster" in the Jungle Labyrinth.
"Seems that you proved that the monster was nothin' but a big ol' pussycat," he was saying. "That's some fine work, unh-hunh. Now I only got one more thing to say…"
His expression suddenly became menacing, nothing what Dina had been expecting. "Why'd you have to go and do that?" he raged. "I had a plan to take all them rare fossils, and now it's ruined!"
Dina's shocked face rearranged itself into a snarl. She hadn't been expecting this, but she didn't let her surprise get in the way of her anger. So you and those other two losers were working together? she thought, anger clouding her mind. Aeros growled from his Dino Medal, saying, Let me at him, Dina. I want him to pay!
"Yeah, that's right," continued Rockin' Billy, practically reading her thoughts. "I'm in cahoots with the two folks that ended up coolin' their heels in the hoosegow. So now I get a chance for revenge, and it's goin' to taste sweeter than Auntie Mable's pecan pie."
Dina gritted her teeth. "Think again, Billy!" she growled. "I'm going to twist your head so far around, you'll be able to stare yourself in the eye!" Her five Vivosaurs roared their approval.
Rockin' Billy guffawed. "I'm gonna play you like a fiddle in a jug band, babaloo!" he laughed, and then the stadium doors opened. The duo stepped through, ready to do battle.
Once again, Dina was greeted by the cheering of the crowd as she stepped into the Fossil Stadium. Walking to the left side of the battlefield, she turned and faced Rockin' Billy, who gave her a smug smirk from the other side.
"Welcome to the next match of Round 2 of the Caliosteo Cup!" said Ty Ranno, who was again commentating on the battle. "This time, we have Dina versus Rockin' Billy, whom our most recent report says is the one behind the rumored monster hoax in the Jungle Labyrinth!"
There were boos and shocked gasps from the crowd at this news, and Rockin' Billy scowled. Dina was stunned. How did they find out so quickly? she thought. Never mind. I have a battle to win.
Rockin' Billy sent out his Vivosaurs first: there was the menacing Raja, the lazy Nigo, who emerged from its Dino Medal fast asleep, and the just plain weird-looking Parapu. Two Earth-types and a Water-type, thought Dina, frustrated. He's covering up for his team's weaknesses.
"Go, Krypto, Aeros, and Nigo!" she called over the roar of the crowd. Her three Vivosaurs appeared with awe-inspiring roars, except for Nigo – it, too, was fast asleep. We can cover up for Nigo for now, growled Aeros. Just leave it to Krypto and I.
Dina nodded once, and saw that she had the first attack. One glance at her Fighter's Watch showed that Parapu had been automatically Hardened, meaning that its defenses would be increased for the time being. OK, I won't attack it then.
"Krypto, use Krypto Fang on Raja!" His red eyes glowed briefly before he clamped his jaws shut on Raja's flank. Raja roared in pain – the critical hit had taken at least a third of his LP. Dina chose to end her turn and save FP for another assault.
Rockin' Billy seemed to consider his options for a second. Then, he did something completely shocking to Dina – he chose to end his turn without making an attack! What was going on?
Helpfully, Trip Cera chose that moment to exclaim, "Looks like Rockin' Billy is saving up for BIG MOVES! Dina better take this crook down with all speed!"
Dina herself smirked. "With pleasure," she muttered to herself, then as Nigo slowly opened its eyes at last, she shouted, "Nigo, hit Parapu with Nigo Stomp!"
Just because Nigo was a little drowsy, that didn't mean that he couldn't attack with everything it had. With a grunt, he galloped across the battlefield, reared up, and slammed his heavy weight on top of Parapu. The ammonite shrieked as it was crushed by Nigo's foot.
As Nigo slowly retreated to his starting position, Rockin' Billy yelled, "Parapu, use Bewilder Beam on ol' Krypto!" Parapu responded with a high-pressure beam of water, shot from between its tentacles. Poor Krypto was hit so hard, he became confused.
Dina knew that a confused Vivosaur wouldn't obey her orders, so she left Krypto be for the time being. Instead, she commanded Aeros to use Wind Blast on Parapu. The blast scored a critical hit and knocked Parapu out of the fight. As its Dino Medal landed, the crowd cheered loudly.
Clenching his jaw, Rockin' Billy had Nigo and Raja attack with Nigo Stomp and Raja Fang, respectively. Both Aero and Krypto were hit hard, but stayed on their feet.
At least, Aeros did – Krypto, in his confusion, lashed out with a Krypto Fang at Nigo. Dina facepalmed as she saw her FP drop just below the amount for either Aeros or Nigo to attack. With a reluctant groan, she ended her turn.
This time, Krypto was slammed by a Nigo Stomp and knocked out. His Dino Medal landed at Dina's feet. What happened? he asked her, still a little confused. "You did good, friend," she murmured to him. "Just take it easy now."
Krypto settled down, and Dina commanded Nigo to use Nigo Spin. His immense tail whipped toward Raja, and impacted against his side with a loud *boom!*. Raja hit the ground and slowly dissolved back into its Dino Medal.
One more hit from Rockin' Billy's Nigo took Dina's out of the fight. "Wow, the Vivosaurs are dropping like flies!" shouted Trip. Ty agreed, and said, "It's the final Vivosaur for both Dina and Rockin' Billy. Who'll come out on top?"
"Aeros, use Wind Blast, and avenge your fallen partners!" Dina yelled, to which Aeros responded with a huge gust of wind that made Nigo stagger backwards. It was still well in the fight, though, with half of its LP left. The same couldn't be said for Aeros, however – Rockin' Billy's earlier attack had left him badly injured.
"Nigo, finish Aeros with another Nigo Stomp!" cried Rockin' Billy, triumph in his voice. Dina looked away as Nigo prepared to pummel Aeros to the ground. The ground shook with the impact, and Dina feared that it was all over.
But no! The crowd's cheers made her look back to the fight – Aeros was still standing, glowing with a ferocious orange light. It's my Parting Blow, wheezed Aeros, badly weakened yet still ready to rumble. Shall we finish this, Dina?
A triumphant grin slowly spread across Dina's face as she answered, "Yes we shall." Her voice rose to a shout as she said, "Aeros, use Aeros Alert!"
Nigo's heavy-lidded eyes widened as Aeros's tail whipped in the face, sending it sprawling. But Aeros wasn't about to let it get up, as he savagely bit down on its long neck. Nigo bellowed, then with a burst of white light, retreated into its Dino Medal.
Still glowing, Aeros shook the stadium with a roar. The crowd responded with a roar of its own, and Dina cheered. She hugged Aeros's leg in her joy, and he gave her a toothy smile before he became a medal again. From their Dino Medals, her other Vivosaurs congratulated her in their own way.
Dina had won Round 2, and it felt great!
Two Minutes Later
Back in the main room of the Fighter Station, Dina cornered Rockin' Billy. He looked simultaneously nervous and angry.
"That ain't how the plan was supposed to go at all!" he raged. "I ain't gonna forget this! I got my eye on you, and I'll see you fail if it's the last thing I do!" He was about to say something else, but was interrupted.
"That's quite enough, Rockin' Billy!" came Stella's voice from elsewhere. Both Fighters turned to see her walking towards them. Even from that distance, Dina could tell that she was NOT in a good mood.
"That pair of fools we caught in the Jungle Labyrinth couldn't wait to point their fingers at you as their partner in their scheme!" she seethed, just as mad as she had been earlier.
Rockin' Billy took a step back. "Time to go, unh-hunh!" he said quickly, and then turned tail and ran off. Stella shook her head. "He won't get far…" she muttered, and sure enough, Rockin' Billy was soon caught by the other staff members.
As they took him away, Stella turned to Dina, back to her cheery self. "You just sit back and concentrate on the Cup, OK?" Dina nodded with a smirk. "So much for honor among thieves, eh?" she laughed. As Stella gave a chuckle, Dina thought to herself, So that's how the announcers knew…
Stella was talking again. "Here's your prize for clearing Round 2," she said, and handed Dina a fossil rock. "That type of fossil rock can usually only be found by upgrading your sonar."
Dina nodded again, making a mental note to save up for a sonar upgrade. Stella stamped Dina's Fighter's License, marking her as a Level 3 Fighter. She walked away with a wave.
Without warning, Todd came rushing up to Dina. "Way to go!" he cried. "You're through two rounds now! You can do this, I'm counting on you!" Dina smiled slightly at his encouragement, and he suddenly became nervous. Every time… she sighed in her mind.
Suddenly, they heard the cheering of the crowd through the Fossil Stadium doors, which had just opened to reveal Pauleen walking through. Almost instantly, she spotted the duo and sped over.
"So, Dina," she said haughtily. "Looks like you're through Round 2 as well! Of course, your win wasn't as fast as mine. It didn't have as much panache either. But congrats anyway!" Dina raised a single eyebrow, but smiled her thanks.
Pauleen was still on a roll. "Don't get any big ideas about winning though. Because I'm going to be the most beautiful Champion there ever was! …Oh, and humble, too." Dina put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Humble, my exoskeleton! hissed Radox from his Dino Medal.
Todd, of course, was quick to leap to Dina's defense. "Cram it!" he snapped. "Dina isn't going to lose to a braggart like you! And if you're so pretty, take off your mask and prove it!"
Pauleen became flustered again. "I told you earlier, I wear this mask for personal reasons, and that's the end of it!" She stalked off hurriedly.
Giving Dina a skeptical look, Todd said, "I think that she isn't pretty at all underneath that thing. I'll bet she's totally ugly!" He gave a kind of strangled giggle that bothered Dina.
"Whatever the case," she yawned, suddenly exhausted, "I'm going to get some sleep. We've got another big day ahead of us, you know." Without waiting for a reply, she headed off for her campsite.
Glad that's over. I hated Rockin' Billy when I first played FFC, even more than the Gobul in Monster Hunter Tri. It took me four effin' tries to beat his stupid Parapu and his Bewilder Beam!
Ranting aside, the next chapter might take a while, so just sit tight until then! As always, reviews are appreciated.
TRIVIA: The original title of this chapter was going to be "A Rockin' Round Two!", but I decided on the current one. You see, it sums up both Rockin' Billy and the two idiots in the jungle, since they're all partners.
