Chapter Ten- Freezing Cold
RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG! I wake up and last night jumps the front of my mind. I get that happy, idiot look and the weird feeling fills me. I lie there, staring out the sliding door, thinking of Rosie. Snap out of it! I think. I slap my hand down on my alarm clock, push the covers off, swing my feet down onto the floor and stare at the wooden floor board between my feet. Okay, what's with that... confusing feeling? I get it when I think of her, see her, hear her... basically everything about her give me that feeling... WHY? I can't have a crush. I could have to leave any second... I sigh. But... I look back out the door. ...then where would I go? Travel the world perhaps? I don't know... maybe find a small town that gets no attention and live there? Live... hide out would be more like it. I do my exercises, get dressed, have some cereal, grab my backpack and walk out of my room. As I ride down the elevator, last night jumps to the front of my mind, and I get the happy, idiot look and weird feeling. I step off the elevator when it comes to the lobby, and walk out of the hotel.
"Hey, you!" I hear someone say as I think about last night. I turn and see a man with strawberry-blonde hair, a straw hat, purple Hawaiian shirt with a blue sun on it, blue shorts, and black flip flops looking at me. Standing next to him, also looking at me, is an eight-year-old with neat, brown hair, a black, short sleeved shirt, white shorts and brown shoes. "I heard you made Level 6. Congrats I guess."
"Guess?" I ask him.
"Sorry if I don't seem happy for you, but it's just a bummer you'll never make Master Fighter is all." He explains.
"Excuse me?" I ask offended. "I WILL be a Master Fighter! It's not up to you to decide that! There's only ONE reason why I would never be able to make it to Master Status and I know it's not going to happen, so therefore, I AM going to be a Master Fighter!"
"Well your career is about to run into a brick wall." The eight-year-old, who must be his son, tells me. "A brick wall called Saurhead."
"Who?" I ask. They gasp.
"You've never heard of Saurhead?" The Fan boy asks.
"That's correct." I tell him.
"What's WRONG with you?" The man asks me. "Saurhead is the last Master Fighter, besides some other guy... oh what's his name? Uh... Jack... Mideast...? No... well anyways, Saurhead is a masked Fighter who never ever loses. EVER."
"Well then," I say with a smug look. "He better get ready to taste defeat."
"Roarrrrrrrr!" I hear someone roar. The man and fan boy jump.
"Th-that voice!" The fan boy says. I turn around and see a huge, muscled man standing there. He has a green dinosaur mask that has angry red eyes, and sharp teeth bared. He has on a short sleeved, yellow shirt, thick brown belt, black bell-bottom pants with flames at the ends of the pants legs, white shoes, and tan skin.
"Roar! It is myself, Saurhead!" He says.
Wow... that statement REALLY makes him sound frightening. I think sarcastically. I have flat look on my face as he walks up to me with overly loud footsteps.
"You made it past the chumps, punk." He tells me. "But you're in the big leagues now and your mama ain't here!"
"Big words." I say in a flat voice. "But, judging by how you just spoke, your bark is worse than your bite and you just scare Fighters so much by acting fierce, making them not want to fight you." I smile slyly. Anger flashes in his eyes.
"When I get you in Fossil Stadium, my vivosaurs will teach you new ways and places to feel pain!" He says angry.
"You say that they'll be fighting ME. Not my vivosaurs." I tell him.
"I'll steamroll you like a bulldozer!" He tells me.
"Saurhead, if you're TRYING to scare me, forget it. I'm going to beat you and become a Master Fighter weather you like it or not." I tell him. He's just a punk, nothing scary about him. I stand there with a smug look on my face looking him straight in the eye to prove I'm not afraid of him. Suddenly, he grabs the front of my shirt and hoists me two feet up off the ground.
"Forget Fossil Stadium!" He says. "I'll take you on now!"
"Yeah! He can't talk to you that way!" The man says.
"Beat the snot out of him!" The fan boy says excited.
"Yes, go ahead." I say slyly. They all look at me confused. "And when word gets out that you beat up a ten-year-old because he stood up to you, how do you think that'll help your popularity?" He stands there for a few seconds, then puts me down.
"Just. This. Once." He growls. He pushes me aside, let's go of my shirt, and walk into the hotel.
"WOW!" The fan boy exclaims. "He's going to really give it to you in Fossil Stadium! Saurhead is so awesome!" He runs into the hotel. The man looks at me.
"You should just retire right now." He tells me. "We wouldn't think any less of you, and you'd get to keep your bones." He walks into the hotel.
"Hey!" I hear another voice say.
JUST who I wanted to see. I think sarcastically.
"I just saw you stand up to Saurhead!" Zoey says. "The last guy who did that went on to be a legendary, Master Fighter and adventurer! When you're a Master Fighter, don't forget me okay? I'll be cheering you on!"
Meh. I think. I head towards the dock when someone calls my name.
"Red!" I turn around and see Dr. Diggins walk towards me. "There's a favor I'd like to ask of you."
"Ask away." I tell him.
"I've been examining the markings on those three idols, and it looks like there should be one more. So while you're out looking for fossils, would you keep an eye out for one more idol?" He asks.
"No problem." I say with a smile. He smiles.
"Since you've found three of them already, I figure if there's anyone I can count on, it's you!" He tells me. He takes a microchip out of his lab coat pocket. "Let me see your sonar system. I'll install this chip so it can detect the idol." I hand him my sonar, watch him install the chip, and take it back when he hands it to me. "There you go. Now your sonar will detect idols too. Now that you're Level 6, you should be digging out at Mt. Lavaflow."
"Uh... I won't... be in danger of the lava... right?" I ask.
"Don't worry." Dr. Diggins tells me. "The two pillars at the entrance have a special device that put a impenetrable shield around the lava, so there's no danger of falling in or getting cooked by the heat. But, it doesn't stop all the heat, so in some places it'll be a little warmer than others."
"Let me guess, the same person who made the diving mask." I say.
"Yes." He tells me. "There are a lot of good fossils out at Mt. Lavaflow, and you'll need them for your last Level-Up battle. You can do it! You can make Master Fighter!... And find the remaining idol!" He turns and walks back to the Fossil Center while I walk to Beth.
"Red, I have something important to tell you." She says her voice serious. Worry fills me, but I show no sign of it. "I just received word from the Police Station the BB Bandits have escaped from jail." My eyes widen. "So, what dig site would you like to visit?"
"Mt. Lavaflow, please." I tell her.
"Okay, but..." Beth says. "I should warn you, there are a lot of earthquakes on Mt. Lavaflow. Please be careful and have a nice trip." Two minutes later, the boat comes up to the dock, I climb aboard, ride to the dig site dock, and hike up the side of the volcano.
A few minutes later...
"There it is!" I run up to the two pillars that mark the entrance of the site. They have steel-colored, bolt shaped bases, a very pale red rhombus about five feet tall with red in the middle, on top of that is a bolt shaped top that's red and orange with something that looks like the nozzle of a flamethrower with fire shooting out of it on top of that. I walk across the bare, dirt ground surrounded by the brown mountain rock speckled with volcanic rock. I dig up some fossils, then come to an open area, revealing pools of bubbling, scorching hot lava. I see more bare dirt paths that rise above the lava and turn to walk out to them, but the path is blocked by a bolder that I can't get around.
Argh...
"Is there something wrong?" A voice asks. I turn to see Duna standing there. I look back at the bolder. "That's a very large bolder." I take my pick ax, swing at it, only to send a vibration through myself. "I can get rid of it." I look at her. "Stand back."
WHY? I wonder. I get out of the way and she walks up to the bolder. Standing two feet away, she takes out a pistol and points it at the bolder. How is a bullet- ... WHY DOES SHE HAVE A GUN? She pulls the trigger, and instead of a bullet, a laser that looks like lightning hits the bolder. There's a bright flash of light, and when I can see, there's nothing left of it.
"You may proceed. Good-bye." She walks farther on to the dig site.
How-what-but-it-I-... WHAT THE WHAT? I think. How does THAT work? ... I'll... I'll think about it later. I need to find that last idol. I walk along the dirt paths, digging up fossils as I go. I come to a short tunnel after awhile, start to walk through it, and stop.
The air has a suspicious feel to it.
I then get a bad feeling in my stomach and feel the side pocket where I keep my Dino Medals. 'You guys ready in case there's a fight?'
'We were born ready.' Air Strike says. I nod and walk through the tunnel. After about ten feet, I come to a passage that has a path worn onto the ground. I see a bolder blocking it.
Great. I walk up to it and examine it.
"Is there a problem? You are troubled by a large rock again?" A voice asks. I whirl around to see Duna standing there.
How does she do that? I wonder. I look back at the bolder.
"Perhaps in the future you should not travel to places with so many giant rocks." She suggests. I look at her. She sighs. "I will destroy it for you nevertheless." I get out of the way, and she does the same thing as last time. She looks at me. "Now you may pass."
"Thank you." I say. I walk past her and watch my sonar. I see a red dot appear, run to the spot where it appeared and throw down my pick. I reach into the hole, and pull out the idol. This one is about two feet tall, sandy-gold as the others, with spirals for eyes, a mohawk, and yellow designs. "Excellent. Well done." I look at Duna, whose still standing there, cutting me off from the pass.
"Thanks?" I ask.
"I will take the idol now, thank you." She says holding out her hand.
"What?" I ask.
"Please hand it over." She says.
"No." I say hugging it and taking a step back. She takes a step forward.
"Hand it over. NOW!" She says irritation on her face.
"NO! Look, I don't know who you-" Suddenly, a multicolored pillar of light appears around her. What...? It disappears, then reappears. She gets a frantic look on her face. There's a bright flash of light, and when I lower my arm, I get a completely shocked look on my face. Duna's hair is now pink, her eyes are yellow, her ears are pointed, has light blue skin, pink lines that start beneath her eyes and go sideways to disappear into her hair, dark blue on her shoulders, arms, hands upper back and sides, pink across her breasts and that area of her back, pink around her waist that's connected to the pink on her upper back, dark blue legs with cyan feet, a light blue dot on her knees, which are now bending the other way, with a another, smaller, light blue dot above that, both surrounded with pink, her forearms now have more bulk to them and two light blue ovals above her wrists on either side, light blue circles where her shoulders connect to her torso, and a thick, powerful looking tail that's about three feet long, with pink the first foot, two light blue circles on either side after the pink, and the rest of it is dark blue.
"This is not good." Duna says worried. "The heat from the lava is disrupting my holographic transformation technology."
"WHAT THE WHAT?" I ask in a high-pitched voice. Duna looks at me.
"Regrettably, I cannot allow humans that have seen my true form to escape..." She says her eyes narrowing.
She then turns into a vivosaur.
She looks exactly the same, but she is now built like a Oviraptor. 'Did... did... that... just... happen?' I think scared.
'Yeah...' Cloud Cover says.
'OKAY! THAT'S IT! I'VE LOST IT! I have officially GONE CRAZY!' I tell them. I whip out my team and see Duna has to vivosaurs with her.
'Are... are those... ROBOTS?' Flamethrower asks bewildered. I look at them. They're built just like a Zino, are made from shiny, metal plates, and have a very futuristic look to them.
'Well, I never thought I would see THAT.' I tell them. Duna gets into the EZ.
"Dinomaton, Steel Slash on Spinax!" It attacks doing thirty-two damage.
"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-four damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing twenty damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing eighteen damage.
"Dinomaton, Death Ray!" It attacks my entire team, doing fifty-seven damage to Air Strike, thirty-two to Flamethrower, and thirty-three to Cloud Cover.
"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing ninety-two damage. Duna swaps places with it.
"Lethal Waltz on Spinax!" She attacks doing thirty-four damage and confusing him. He gets in the EZ and Cloud Cover takes his place.
"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Duna!" She attacks doing eighty-three damage.
"Lethal Waltz on Cloud Cover!" Duna attacks doing forty-four damage.
"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Duna!" She attacks doing eighty-three damage. Duna gets in the EZ and the other Dinomaton takes her place.
"Dinomaton, Death Ray!" It attacks doing sixty-eight damage to Cloud Cover and thirty-two damage to Flamethrower.
"Cloud Cover get in the EZ and Air Strike, take her place!" They do it. "Now Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-nine damage.
"Dinomaton, Steel Slash on Spinax!" It attacks doing forty damage.
"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-six damage.
"Dinomaton, Death Ray!" It attacks doing fifty-five damage to Air Strike and thirty-two damage to Flamethrower. It gets in the EZ and Duna takes its place.
"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Duna!" He attacks doing seventy-two damage. She falls on her side, tries to get up, but falls back down and turns back to her true form.
"AUTO-BATTLE MODE ENGAGED." The Dinomatons say.
"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing twenty damage, sending it into its medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage.
"SCISSOR SWIPE ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing fifty-six damage.
"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing fifty-five damage, causing it to go into its medal. I call my vivosaurs into their medals, grab the idol and make a run for it. I jump over Duna, and as I land she grabs my ankle.
"GAH!" I exclaim. She stands up, holds me six inches off the ground by my ankle and glares at me.
"This... This is unacceptable!" She tells me. "Whether you like it or not, GIVE ME THE IDOL!"
"NO!" I yell at her. She throws me onto the dirt island surround by lava. I push myself up and look at her. She stands there, still blocking the way to the passage. She takes a step forward, and I hug the idol. "I won't let you." She gives me a deadly glare. The ground shakes.
"Wha-!" Duna says. "An earthquake?" The shaking worsens, and I lay on my side, tuck my chin against my chest, hug the idol harder, and curl up into a ball.
THUD.
I look up and see Duna trying to stay standing as the earth rocks beneath her feet.
THUD.
I look around and see a giant bolder falling from the summit.
THUD.
I watch it, and I see it's heading straight for the passage.
THUD.
It rolls off a ledge and begins to fall into the area we're in.
And lands on Duna.
DUNA! I think. The earthquake ends, I jump up, stuff the idol in my backpack, and run over to the bolder. OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN! What do I do?
'Do you think she's dead?' Cloud Cover asks.
'Well she probably is, since she fought US and survived.' Flamethrower says.
'Well if by some miracle she IS alive, THEN WE NEED TO HELP HER BEFORE SHE RUNS OUT OF AIR!' Air strike yells. I take out my hammer, and begin to beat the bolder. I demolish it to pebbles, to see Duna lying there. I grab her shoulders.
"Wake up!" I yell shaking them. Nothing. "Hey! Wake up! Don't die on me!" Her eyes open and she looks at me. I help her up.
"Wh-why... Why would you...?" She asks me.
"Because," I tell her. "I could never bear the burden of knowing that I could have saved someone's life and didn't."
"After I tried to take the idol from you by force..." She looks to the left. "You are so confusing... I do not understand mammals at all..." An aftershock of the earthquake starts, I get down on the ground, and curl up into a ball. I look up and see Duna walking back through the passage. I tuck my head back down and wait. After a minute, the shaking subsides, I stand up, brush the dirt off me, and look at the passage.
Okay... What in the world was she? I wonder.
"Red!" I hear a familiar voice yell.
"Rosie!" I call. She comes out of the tunnel, runs through the passage, and hug me, making me blush.
"I'm so glad you're safe. That was a really strong earthquake!" She says.
"Don't worry..." I say hugging her back. "Earthquakes aren't the only danger I just dealt with." Rosie looks at me.
"What?" She asks.
"I'll explain later." I say. "I found the last idol I need to get it back to Dr. Diggins. C'mon." Without knowing it, I take her hand and walk into through the tunnel with her.
"Why do you want me to come?" She asks.
"The BB Bandits escaped from jail and I need to make sure that you stay safe." I explain. A light blush crosses her face.
"Oh...I... WAIT." She says. "The BB Bandits escaped?" I nod. She hugs my arm, making me blush. We walk out of the dig site, down the path to the dock, and walk up to the boat. Captain Travers looks at us.
"Heh." He says. "That's adorable." I face palm myself with my free hand and feel my face get hot. Me and Rosie climb aboard the boat, ride back to Vivosaur Town, and climb off at the dock. I look around and see Beth and Sue talking to each other. Holt runs up to them and tells them something.
"What's wrong?" I ask as me and Rosie walk up to them.
"Red! Rosie! we've got trouble. BIG trouble." Sue tells us.
"Vivosaur Town has been taken over by the BB Bandits!" Beth says. Me and Rosie jump and let out small gasps.
"I just came from the Guild Area." Holt says. "I was watching them to see what they're doing and that place is crawling with BB Bandits! And what's worse, the BB Boss is using the Richmond Building as his command center!"
"Grandpa!" Rosie exclaims with worry.
"That's not the only thing." Sue says. "The BB Boss is trying to take all the fossils on Vivosaur Island! You've got to do something Red!"
"Grandpa..." Rosie says.
"Don't worry." I say putting a hand on her shoulder. She looks at me, tears in her eyes. "I'm going to go there and take Bullwort down for good. If he's done anything to your grandfather, he's gonna get it. BAD." I turn to leave when Holt puts his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm coming with you." He says. I look at him. "He may have my uncle." I nod.
"I'm coming too." Rosie says.
"NO!" I exclaim. Everyone looks at me. "It's too dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."
"I'm coming whether you like it or not." She says. I stand there for a second looking at her, my mind conflicted.
She has a right to come. I think. I sigh. "Okay."
"C'mon guys! We need to hurry to Mr. Richmond's office!" Holt says. We run to the entrance to see it's guarded by two BB Bandit members.
"Everything beyond this point is BB Bandit property!" One of them says.
"Yeah right!" Holt says. "What about the Junk Depot? That belongs to my uncle!"
"Let us through so Red can beat the BB Boss!" Rosie tells them.
"You cannot pass b-b-b-beyond this point!" The other one says. "And... did you say... Red?"
"Yeah, what about it?" I ask. Fear covers their faces.
"R-RUN AWAY!" They both yell as they turn and run into the Guild Area, waving their arms like maniacs.
"Nice." Holt says. We sneak through the Guild Area, making our way towards the Richmond Building. We get to it and take out our pick axes. I look at Rosie's. It has a pink handle with a yellow ring at the bottom of it, a steel-colored top that bends to the left then folds back over its self with a yellow wedge in the middle with turquoise inside of it. Holt's has a lightning bolt shaped handle that's black, and a yellow top that has a red upper half with a lightning blue bracket connecting the two.
"Okay, the inside is probably swarming with BB Soldiers, so be careful!" I say. We walk up to the door, we burst in, and I do a forward roll, come up in my fighting stance, ready to fight.
The room is completely empty.
"Well, so much for making an entrance." Rosie says. We walk over to the Elevator to Mr. Richmond's office, step in, and ride it up. We arrive at the office, step off the elevator, and walk into the first half of the office. We look through the fish tank to the second half of the office to see Bullwort sitting in the desk chair with two BB Bandits on either side of him, one man and one woman.
"You! Red!" Bullwort says. He and the lackeys come into the first half. "I must admit, I'm impressed you beat me before. But you won't be so lucky again. My defeat was bitter, but I'm going to enjoy forcing that bitterness down your throat tenfold!"
"Forget it Bullwort!" I say. "I don't eat anything a rotten person makes."
"Yeah!" Holt says. "What makes you so sure you can beat Red?"
"Because I have Frigisaurus!" Bullwort says. "Even I was surprised to find out just how powerful this legendary beast is. It's not merely more powerful than everything else, it's in a different league entirely! With vivosaur at my command, world domination is easily within my reach! Compared to what I'll achieve, mere wealth is nothing! I have no use for those petty idols anymore! With Frigisaurus, the ultimate vivosaur, in my control, I'll wipe out anyone who dares oppose me!"
"Come at me bro!" I yell. He takes out a Dino Medal and holds it up. It has a black ring around the outside, an orange background to show it's at top rank, and a picture of Frigi on it. He calls out the vivosaur, and we all gasp. It's built like a long neck, has ice blue skin, blue chunks of light blue ice on its back, neck, shoulders, and tail, cold blue eyes, and white frost streaked all around it. The room get noticeably colder, and shiver runs down my spine. I call out my team.
'What IS that thing?' Cloud Cover asks.
'Well whatever it is, I'm going to melt it with my fire.' Flamethrower says.
'Bring it on old man winter!' Air Strike says.
"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Frigi!" He attacks, missing. What? "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Frigi!" He attacks, missing. What in the world? "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Frigi!" She attacks, missing. What the what?
"Truly pathetic to think you could hurt him." Bullwort says. "Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing one hundred sixty-eight damage.
Holy Dino! I think. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Frigi!" He attacks, missing.
"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing one hundred seventy-one damage, sending Air Strike into his medal. I catch it and look at him.
The medal is frozen.
'AIR STRIKE!'
'I-I-I'm f-f-f-f-fine. J-just a l-l-little c-c-cold.' He says.
'Lava Bite and Hot Head, help him warm up.' I tell them as I put the medal in the side pocket.
'Yes sir!' Lava Bite, my Nychus, says.
'Right away.' Hot Head, my Stygi, says.
"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Frigi!" He attacks, missing. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Frigi!" She attacks, missing.
"Frigi, Absolute Zero on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing two hundred sixty-seven damage, causing him to go into his medal.
'No!' I catch his medal and look at it. Frozen. 'Guys, help him warm up!' I tell Lava Bite and Hot Head worried. 'It's up to you Cloud Cover.' She growls in confirmation. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Frigi!" She attacks, missing.
"Frigi, Absolute Zero on Shanshan!" He attacks doing two hundred seventy-four damage.
Putting Cloud Cover in her medal.
I catch it, and like the others, its frozen solid. No. No! NO! This can't be happening! He can't win!
"Frigi, take care of these brats for me." Ice spreads from Frigi's feet toward us. I take a step back and it hits my other foot. The ice begins to spread up it, freezing me.
"This isn't over." I tell Bullwort. My legs are frozen. "I'll find a way to defeat you! I won't give in! I won't let you take over the world!"
"Red!" I hear Rosie say in a scared voice. I turn my head to look at her and see she's half frozen as well. I reach out with my hand and take hers. She looks at me.
The ice spreads over my face, and I black out.
AN- I don't REALLY know how you get frozen, I just it would be really cool if it happen that way. And I was just sitting there watching Bullwort drone on about Frigi and I thought: DUDE! Just skip to the part where you fight!
Red: That was bad.
Me: What?
Red: You thought it would be really COOL if we got FROZEN that way.
Me: I wasn't trying to be funny!