Now we get back to the actual story, and away from my made-up plot details.
This is a pretty short chapter, as it only entails one little bit of the plot.
On second thought… screw both of those sentences.
Guest: No, no they didn't! When it comes to romance, even I don't go that far. (Guess I should have seen that question coming…)
-.-.-.-.-.
Cotton hung his head sadly as he stood before Don Boneyard in failure. "I should have known…" he murmured. "I should have known that he would come to defend the Cup…"
Don Boneyard said nothing. Cole, Lester, and Lola all stood on the sidelines, a mix of sympathy and anxiety in their eyes. Who knew what Don Boneyard would do now that all four commanders had individually failed to cancel the Caliosteo Cup?
They were about to find out.
"No bones about it," Don Boneyard said impatiently. "It seems I must take matters into my own phalanges. There is but one course of action left to me now, although I did not wish to take it… no matter. My plan is the only thing that can save us now…"
The BareBones quartet turned toward each other, the same worried look adorning each of their faces. "Um… I'm not sure I like the thought of a plan that even Don Boneyard finds unappealing…" whimpered Cole. Lester shuddered at this.
"It sounds baaaad," drawled Lola, although there was indeed an undercurrent of nervousness in her voice. "Not cool, man. Liiiiike, bad bad, you know?" Cotton anxiously flexed his wings and shuffled his talons, saying nothing.
"Get your tibias in gear, fools!" roared Don Boneyard, and the four jumped as one and turned to face him once more. "And understand this – dissent or failure on your part will be dealt with most harshly."
Lester gulped audibly and Cole gave another whimper. "Whatever you say, Don B.," said Lola, blowing a careless bubble with her bubble gum. Cotton simply bowed his head and stayed silent.
"It's time to bury the Caliosteo Fossil Park once and for all!" proclaimed Don Boneyard, laughing with more than a hint of madness present in the sound…
-.-.-.-.-.
Rainbow Canyon
Dina, Todd, Pauleen, and Rupert had picked Rainbow Canyon to go digging in. There were tons of fossils to be found there, after all, and digging them all up would be a great way to spend their time until Cranial City's Fighter Station was repaired.
It had been Dina's idea to go digging there, because she was still missing two head fossils for some of the Vivosaurs she had currently in storage. No one had given a complaint, since they were all eager to find more Vivosaurs to help them in future Fossil Battles – or in Dina and Rupert's case, help them in the Cup final.
They had excavated their fossils together for a while, before splitting up to pursue their own paths. Dina hadn't minded, as it gave her a bit of time to be alone with her thoughts.
Who are you going to be using in the final, Dina? asked Radox excitedly. Probably me, for starters, replied Teffla with a chuckle. Hey! I want to participate too! protested Nychus. Dina giggled aloud and said to them, "Come on, guys. I haven't decided who I want to use yet, and anyway, the final won't be happening for a while. I don't even know what Vivosaurs Rupert is going to use."
She brushed the dust off of a Water-type fossil and tucked it into her rapidly-filling-up Fossil Case. "I think that'll do for now," she said with satisfaction. "All I have to do is get these to KL-33N and clean them." She sincerely hoped that among the fossils, she had the heads of Ankylo and Cerato, two Vivosaurs that she had found a while back on her first expedition in Rainbow Canyon.
Suddenly, Dina felt something faint beneath her feet. It wasn't much, but it felt like the earth was – vibrating. She was just about to dismiss it as a figment of her imagination, when she saw pebbles rain down from the cliffs just above her. The tiny tremor had clearly caused that.
Something's wrong, Hopter murmured, confirming her suspicions. I am of the Earth type, and I feel that something is wrong with the islands. Dina thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers and said, "I'm part of the Patrol Team. It's my job to tell the authorities these things. I'll go tell Terry, or better yet, Joe. Something didn't feel right with that tremor."
She ran off in the direction of Cranial City. Wait! Tricera cautioned. Shouldn't you tell your friends? Dina considered, then shook her head. "There isn't any time. I hope I'm wrong, but… something just doesn't feel right."
-.-.-.-.-.
Cranial City
Dina was five steps into the city when another tremor struck, but this time, it was definitely noticeable. The ground was clearly shaking, and the effects could be seen all over. Showers of bricks tumbled down from buildings still under repair, and Fighters stopped what they were doing as they felt the quake.
"Eeeek!" screamed a girl. "What's happening?!" The tremor got worse, and someone else exclaimed, "It's an earthquake!" But before anyone could panic, the quake settled down.
Dina looked around instinctively, wondering where the earthquake could have come from and what could have caused it. But then, a shadow fell slowly across the sun, and whatever it was floated closer and closer. Dina gasped, as she suddenly recognized it as the Mammoth Vision video screen.
The giant television glided to a halt, and the screen flickered on. Everyone gasped – it was none other than Don Boneyard once again.
"Bwa ha ha ha!" he laughed. "Behold, mortals! I have returned! But not to worry, I came to wish you all farewell."
Although his skull couldn't smile, Dina swore that she saw his mandibular joints tweak upwards slightly. "For you see," he continued triumphantly, "your pathetic Caliosteo Cup is about to sink beneath the waves! All three islands will be swept away like grains of sand on the shore, so unless you're an exceptionally good swimmer, I'd suggest fleeing for your little lives!"
There was a huge, collective gasp from the crowd, and right on cue, another earthquake struck. It was worse than the first, and Dina lost her balance and fell to her knees. Amidst the chaos that ensued, Don Boneyard could be heard exclaiming, "Oh, this tickles my funny bone! Bwa ha ha ha!"
As the tremor faded, the television flew off, and the crowd collectively screamed and scattered every which way, Pauleen ran up to Dina from behind, startling her. "Did you see that, diga?!" she asked hysterically, pulling Dina to her feet. "He said he's going to sink the islands! And right before, there was a massive quake! I think he's serious, digadig!" She was practically tearing her hair out in panic.
"Pauleen!" Dina said sharply, calming her down a little. "We need to find Joe and the other Patrol Team members. We can't let that stupid skeleton ruin everything!" Pauleen nodded, looking close to tears.
Together, they raced up the stairs to the nearly-completely-repaired Fighter Station and up to the elevator. In the back of her mind, Dina reflected on how lucky they were that Wildwest Tower hadn't been badly damaged in Cotton's attack.
In Joe's suite, Dina saw with only a mild jolt of surprise that Todd and Rupert were already there. "You're here, digadig!" Pauleen exclaimed. "Of course we're here!" Todd shot back. "We came as soon as Don Boneyard finished talking!"
Dina and Pauleen walked up to stand before Joe alongside their friends. "We're in a whole heap'a trouble right about now," Joe said grimly. Pauleen cautiously asked him, "Is Don Boneyard telling the truth? Can he really sink these islands?"
Joe scratched his head. "Ya got me there, little lady. I'm afraid I don't know much 'bout that kinda thing. I asked one'a the local eggheads to ride by and help us out. Figured he'd be here by now…"
Just then, the elevator dinged, and out stepped none other than Professor Scatterly. "Ho!" he said. "Pardon me for being so late, but I had the most fascinating lunch, you see, and…" He trailed off when he caught sight of Dina. "Good heavens, it's Dina! I seem to run into you wherever I go, eh wot?"
He became more serious than Dina had ever seen him when Joe asked what was happening to the islands. "Oh, yes, of course. Quite. Now then…"
Clearing his throat, Professor Scatterly began: "I would deduce that the recent quakes have been the result of the Spinal Pillar being weakened. The Spinal Pillar, you see, is a massive structure that holds up the islands. The islands are actually one giant island, connected by a massive landmass deep beneath the sea, and supported by this giant pillar. Theoretically, if someone were to chip away at this pillar, it would snap in two. And this, of course, would send the islands plunging into the ocean. All quite terrible, yes?"
That's the understatement of the year, Dina thought, but bit her tongue to stop the sarcastic remark from escaping. Instead, she kept quiet while Todd fumed, "That's low, even for the BB Brigade. We can't let them get away with it!"
Rupert agreed. "We must stop them from eroding the Spinal Pillar further," he stated. But the professor shook his head.
"Er, yes," he stammered. "I fear that stopping further erosion will not be sufficient. There's already been too much damage to the Spinal Pillar, wot wot? No, we have to find a way to reinforce and repair the damage."
Joe was practically hopping out of his skin, he was so anxious. "And jus' how are we gonna do that?!" he asked. Professor Scatterly gave him a good-natured smile and replied, "With calcium, my dear man! Just like the spinal cord of you or I, the Spinal Pillar is made up of a very hard type of calcium. If we were to inject a similar substance into the pillar, it should be enough to save the islands!"
Professor Scatterly cleared his throat briefly, then went on. "There are two things that contain the type of calcium we need – the first is the prehistoric fish Sardinisaurus…"
Joe interrupted. "I reckon those fossils are found deep in Petrified Woods," he sighed. "But we just closed down th' dig site fer maintenance!"
The professor looked smug. "Yes, quite," he quipped. "But there is still one other thing. The ferocious Devonian fish Dunklosteus can also provide us with the calcium we need."
Dina was relieved. "Thank goodness!" she said. "All we have to do is find a Dunkle fossil rock!"
But Professor Scatterly grew grim. "That won't do, I'm afraid," he said. "The calcium in Dunkleosteus is nowhere near as good of a quality as that of a Sardinisaurus, wot wot? Therefore, we must track down a live specimen and extract some of the calcium from its terribly tough head."
Now Dina was pale. She knew that Dunkleosteus was a fearsome predator back in the Devonian period, biting other creatures in half with no effort at all. In its Vivosaur form, Dunkle, it was pretty much harmless. But the actual, live fish was anything but.
"I've heard something about wild Dunkleosteus living around the warm waters around Cranial Isle," Rupert interjected. Joe nodded and replied, "Yep, them rumors are true. We'll have to get ourselves a boat to try and lure one in, then get that calcium from 'im."
Dina felt faint, but Rupert was there to steady her. Joe then handed her a gigantic syringe. "This here's the Calcium Injector – I've been working on it a while back as an experiment fer the medical industry, but it'll do fer now. You gotta stab this baby into the Dunkleosteus' armor and pull on it to extract the calcium. Then ya gotta get yerselves down to the spinal pillar, and fast!"
Pauleen took it from Dina and examined it. Then she put it into her Fossil Case and said determinedly, "Come on then, diga. Let's find ourselves a Dunkleosteus."
-.-.-.-.-.
Cranial Isle Waters
Joe and Professor Scatterly remained behind to calm the multitudes of panicking Fighters, while the Patrol Team manned a speedboat and motored out into the tropical waters surrounding Cranial Isle. Pauleen had the Calcium Injector, Rupert had a small cannon to launch her onto the Dunkleosteus' back, and Dina had the bait – a huge, foul-smelling fish with a deep cut in its belly, pouring blood into the water.
"What's the plan again?" squeaked Todd, huddling in the boat and trying not to reveal too much of his fear. "Simple," responded Dina cheerily. "We lure a Dunkleosteus to the boat using the blood from this fish to attract it. Then as we keep it distracted, Rupert will launch Pauleen onto its back, and she'll extract some calcium from its armor."
Unsurprisingly, Todd didn't seem reassured.
"Is this far enough?" asked Rupert, who was at the wheel. Dina nodded, and he stopped the boat. They could see the faint outline of Cranial Isle in the distance.
"The only flaw in this plan is if we end up attracting sharks instead of a Dunkleosteus," Rupert mused. "Their noses are so sensitive, they can detect a single drop of blood in an area as big as an Olympic pool." Todd shuddered, and Pauleen chastised Rupert. "Not helping, digadig," she muttered.
Minutes passed. The sea grew choppy as far away, Cranial Isle succumbed to another earthquake. Dina felt a renewed sense of urgency. As Rupert had predicted, a few fins were appearing around the boat and circling it warily, but there was no sign of the fish they were after.
Todd was shaking in his shoes as the sharks continued circling, growing bolder by the second. "Sharks don't eat people, right?" he asked nervously. Dina glanced out over the ocean, and her eyes widened at what she saw. "I don't think we have to worry about sharks anymore…" she breathed, making her friends turn to witness the spectacle unfolding before her.
A dark shape cut through the water just below the surface, making a slight wave appear. The sharks scattered, but the wave headed straight for them. One fin simply vanished beneath the waves, as if it had been yanked downwards. Then everything was quiet again, aside from the occasional screech of a seabird above.
"They're gone," whispered Pauleen. "Yes, but it's not," corrected Rupert, pointing to the dark shape. It was cone-shaped, ominously swimming circles around the boat at a leisurely pace. Dina kept her hands on the bait – she was sure that this was what they were looking for, and she was prepared to use all of her strength to pull it in for a quick extraction.
The shape swam away, then suddenly veered sharply towards them and increased its speed dramatically. It disappeared, exactly one second before it hit them from below, causing the boat to rock madly on the water. Everyone fought to regain their balance.
Dina increased her grip and gasped as a massive, bony head forced itself out of the water, clamping its immense jaws around the bait. She tugged as hard as she could, but to no avail. Even if she had been strong enough to pull it near, the Dunkleosteus' super-sharp fangs cut through the wire like it was nothing at all.
It didn't swim away, instead choosing to circle the boat once more. The fish kept its upper body above the water, its glowing green eye focused on the four friends, watching their every move.
"Rupert, prepare the cannon!" yelled Dina, and he leapt to the task. "Pauleen, get that Calcium Injector ready!" She did so, taking it in her hands and wielding it like a spear. "Todd, I need you to steer the boat in case we have to chase it." Todd nodded and ran to the pilot's seat, eager to get away from the Dunkleosteus.
It was beginning to lose interest in the boat and its passengers, probably because it couldn't smell any more food on board. Dina knew, without a doubt, that it would attack and eat them if it was hungry enough.
Rupert had the cannon aimed squarely at the moving Dunkleosteus, rotating it to match the fish's pace. Pauleen was inside, clutching the syringe to her chest. "Fire when ready!" shouted Dina, feeling very much the soldier.
There was a loud *bang* as the cannon went off, shooting Pauleen far out of the boat. Rupert's aim was spot on, as she landed right on top of the Dunkleosteus. It noticed something was wrong and began to swim around erratically, trying to dislodge her. But Pauleen was determined, clutching at the handholds in the beast's head armor and trying not to be sick.
Then the Dunkleosteus dove, and Pauleen only had half a second to grab a breath of air before she was taken under. Dina let out an involuntary squeak of fear and Rupert clutched the cannon until his knuckles were white.
There were several moments with no sound at all except the lapping of the waves against the boat. The three friends held their breaths, even though they weren't the ones underwater.
Then the water exploded, sending a great amount of spray into the air and over the boat. The Dunkleosteus jumped clear out of the water, with Pauleen hanging on and screaming the entire time. It purposely landed on its back, trying harder than ever to get Pauleen off.
Apparently, it worked. Pauleen's head appeared in the water, gasping for air and red from the impact with the water. She struggled to paddle with one hand still holding the Calcium Injector.
At first, Dina was afraid that the Dunkleosteus had fled. But the top of its head appeared in the distance, speeding toward them at a ridiculous pace. It seemed to be aiming right at Pauleen. With a thrill of horror, Dina saw its jaws open to bite Pauleen in half.
"Rupert! Launch me!" she shrieked, scrambling into the cannon. He almost hesitated, then realized that there was no time for that. Dina flew out of the cannon and, by pure luck, landed on the murderous fish. It paused in its advance on Pauleen and resumed thrashing, trying once again to get the new pest off.
"Pauleen, throw me the Injector!" The girl didn't hesitate either, flinging the syringe at Dina with all of her strength. Dina, hanging onto the Dunkleosteus with one hand, reached up and successfully caught the Calcium Injector with the other.
"Time to squeeze the calcium out of you!" Dina yelled in combined determination and frustration as she took the syringe and plunged the ultra-sharp needle into the bone of the fish's head armor.
The Dunkleosteus screeched in pain, a highly unexpected noise to be sure, as it bucked even harder, doubling its efforts to rid itself of the pain and discomfort. Dina gritted her teeth and hung on by gripping with her knees. She tugged on the syringe, pulling the stopper up as far as it would go. Whitish-purple fluid oozed upwards and into the now-vacant chamber.
Dina pulled the syringe out, earning another scream from the Dunkleosteus. It thrashed once, throwing her off of its back, then dove into the wild waters. It didn't surface again.
Exhaustedly, Dina swam toward the boat, allowing herself to be pulled up by Rupert and Todd. "Wow, that was awesome!" the latter enthused. "You took on that oversized tuna like it was nothing at all!" Dina shuddered and responded with, "Yeah, but now I'm going to be reluctant to take a bath for years." They all laughed good-naturally, helping to break the tension of their previous experience.
"Now," said Pauleen. "How do we get to the Spinal Pillar?" Rupert suggested, "I believe Joe has a submarine. Don't ask me how I know that, but I know he'll let us use it for the sake of the islands."
With that, he gunned the motor, and they began their journey back to Cranial Isle. But after a minute, Dina piped up, "Hang on. Don't you think that the BB Brigade would have tried to… prevent us from getting to the Spinal Pillar? I mean, Cotton's already destroyed Rainbow Canyon's gondola and thrown the Super Electrominites into the sea, all to ensure we couldn't stop him and his comrades."
Rupert started, but kept his foot on the pedal. "It makes sense," he said uncertainly. "You think that the BareBones Brigade could have vandalized Joe's submarine so it wouldn't work?" Dina shrugged. "Maybe. But I think we should think of a… unique way of getting to the Spinal Pillar. One that Cotton couldn't anticipate."
She thought a while, and when they were about halfway to the island, she snapped her fingers decisively. "What about the Bonehemoth?" she asked excitedly. "Robinson said that we could go back whenever we wanted from Ilium Village!"
Pauleen and Rupert grew equally excited, with Todd looking on confusedly. "Yes, of course!" said Rupert. "The Bonehemoth should be able to get us to the seafloor with ease. Of course, we should ask Robinson for advice, since it may not be that simple."
Dina scoffed. "Since when has anything we've done been simple?" she asked rhetorically, and everyone chuckled at that.
-.-.-.-.-.
Bonehemoth
"Well, it looks like it's back to fish-gut city for us," grumbled Pauleen, face wrinkled in disgust. They were back in the Bonehemoth, having already used the Teleport Tunnel to get there. Or at least, Dina, Rupert, and Pauleen were back. Todd was staring in wonder at the odd sights that greeted him upon entry.
They immediately started searching for Robinson, and before long, they indeed found him. "Well, shake m'fins and call me Flappy!" he exclaimed, surprised and delighted to see them again. "What brings you landlubbers back here so soon?"
Rupert stepped forth and got right to the heart of the matter. "We need the Bonehemoth to take us to the Spinal Pillar as quickly as possible. Is that possible?"
Robinson looked dubious. "The Spinal Pillar? You mean that big ol' thing holdin' up the islands? … Can't say I've ever done it, but it won't hurt to try."
He held up his walking stick purposefully and shifted Balliver under his arm. "Now, if we tickle this here spot, the whale dives deeper," he said, almost to himself. He indeed began to tickle said spot with his stick. There was a mournful cry from the whale, and then they all began to feel the unmistakable feeling of going deeper into the ocean.
Todd's eyes were as big as grapefruits by this point. "That Spinal Pillar is a ways down, so we got to dive this beastie down a bit deeper than usual," Robinson told them, then looked at Todd. "You there, greenie!" he called, and Todd jumped. "Huh? You mean me?" he asked uncertainly.
"Yep, you, son!" Robinson said cheerfully. "Come here and help me tickle this here whale!" Todd did a little victory pose. "Sweet! I'm good at tickling!" He went over to Robinson and helped the man tickle the indicated spot. He was really enjoying it – well, that's what Dina supposed the stupid noises and comments coming from his mouth meant.
"Anyone else think this is a little weird?" she asked under her breath. Pauleen and Rupert hesitated, then nodded vigorously as Todd said, "Who's a good whale?! Cootchie-cootchie-coo!" Dina groaned and facepalmed. As much as she loved her friend, he could be really annoying and immature.
"Now listen up," Robinson told them. "Beneath each one'a these islands is a cave that'll take you to the Spinal Pillar. Seein' as how we got three islands here, where do ya want to go?"
Rupert turned toward Dina and Pauleen. "I suppose it makes sense to split up. Todd needs to stay here and help Robinson, so I'll take Cranial Isle, Pauleen will take Ilium Island, and Dina can take Ribular Island."
They all nodded, and silently settled themselves down to wait.
Ten minutes later, the whale came to a complete halt, and Robinson and Todd stopped tickling. "Righto!" exclaimed Robinson. "We're resting right outside Ilium Island's seabed cavern."
Pauleen looked reluctant. "Um… I guess this is my stop, digadig. But… how do I get out? I don't want to face Lord Tonzilla again…"
Robinson just laughed. "Not to worry, little miss. You don't have to fight the crab no more. Turns out that the Bonehemoth opens his mouth when you give Lord Tonzilla's shell a little tickle! … But don't touch the anemones."
Pauleen looked relieved. "Wish me luck, digadig!" she said to her friends, before bolting off down the esophagus.
-.-.-.-.-.
Seafloor Cavern
"This here's the seabed cavern outside Ribular Island," Robinson told Dina. Rupert had already left for his stop, and Dina was the only one left besides Todd. "Once you're out, just walk forward until you run into the Spinal Pillar."
Todd then turned to his best friend. "Rupert and Pauleen should be close by now," he encouraged her. "I'll stay here and tickle the Bonehemoth so it keeps calm. Good luck!" Dina nodded and gave him a quick hug, then ran down the path to the Bonehemoth's mouth.
She located Lord Tonzilla's tooth with ease once she reached the mouth. She bent down and tickled his shell. Dina could hear a muffled chirp as the crab squirmed uncomfortably, and the whale gave a painful moan in response to his scratching legs and claws. Just like that, the cavernous mouth opened.
Cautiously stepping out of the mouth and between the whale's teeth, Dina jumped down and landed on the cavern floor. Strangely enough, there was breathable air down here. Not even bothering to question such a thing, she ran forward, where she could already see that something was wrong.
Two BareBones Brigade lackeys were chipping away at the Spinal Pillar with pickaxes while Cole looked on. From the looks of it, the Pillar was dangerously close to snapping in two. Dina could clearly see the openings of the other two caverns, with the gigantic cord in the middle. She knew that on the other side of the wall of stalagmites, the other commanders were doing the same deeds of destruction.
"Dig, you lazy dogs! Dig!" Cole continuously ordered. "Dig as if your life depends on it!" He laughed suddenly. "Soon, this Spinal Pillar will snap, and the Caliosteo Islands will be gone! Good thing I stocked up on skinny jeans before the stores were flooded…"
Dina, who had come up from behind him, said menacingly, "I see what you did there." Cole turned around, and if he was startled, he did a good job of hiding it.
"Seriously?" he asked, and his two minions stopped digging to see what the sudden commotion was. "I have to admit; I'm almost impressed with you. Every other fool on these islands is running in terror from us, and yet, here you are. Not bad, my girl. I admire that."
He suddenly winked at Dina and said suggestively, "I might even like that."
Dina was not impressed. "Save the sweet talk, Cole," she snarled. "You and your inefficient comrades had better beat it, or else!"
Cole gave her his token smirk, the seductive smile on his face entirely gone. "No matter," he said. "I can't let you interfere when we're so close to victory. Prepare to get your rear end handed to you!"
He threw out three Dino Medals, which exploded with light to reveal B-Plesio and two B-Rexes. More than ready to meet his challenge, Dina chose Tricera, Radox, and Nychus to fight for her.
Radox and Nychus gave her the edge in speed, so she commanded attacks from each of them. Both hit B-Plesio squarely in its breastbone with Radox Headbutt and Nychus Claw. Dark energy streamed from its wounds as its horrid yellow eyes glared daggers at Dina.
Unfazed by the damage, Cole ordered one of his B-Rex to use Bare Tactics on Nychus. Both times, Nychus was hit – first by its tail, then by its teeth – very hard, but she sprang right back into action, taunting her far bigger attackers. Is that the best you've got? she challenged.
Dina grinned and called out for Tricera to finish B-Plesio with a Tricera Combo. Both blows hit the oceanic Boneysaur dead-on, scattering its bones and forcing it back into its Dino Medal. "But… but how…?" Cole stuttered, blanching and backing away a few steps.
He tried to shake off his fear, but some still showed through as he stammered for B-Rex to use Skeletal Assault on Radox. Although the tail whip, forceful bite, and curtain of flames that all struck the trilobite hurt, he shook it off with a slight wince before scuttling back into his starting position.
"We've toughened up since we last met, you know!" Dina called out to Cole, who was mortified. "Now Radox, use Radox Blade on the left B-Rex!" He obliged, slashing out at the indicated target with his horn. Several rib bones were sliced through, and B-Rex roared in anger and pain at the loss.
Dina could see the look on Cole's face from across the cavern – he was already beginning to lose hope. But that didn't stop him from ordering two Boney Roars from his B-Rexes. Both sound waves combined to increase the others' power, making the scratchy, clacking sound seem even louder. Her Vivosaurs were hit particularly hard from this amplified sound attack.
"Ignore it! Tricera, shake it off and use Running Smash!" Tricera indeed smashed into the injured B-Rex with his horns, breaking several other bones in its skeleton. "Now, Nychus, use Nychus Combo!" The raptor smiled devilishly as she relentlessly struck at B-Rex's skull with her talons and feet.
Now that such damage had been dealt in such a short amount of time, B-Rex could no longer take it, and thus dissolved into its Dino Medal. Cole's mouth hung open in shock. He didn't even have the heart to call out another attack. He simply ended his turn, waiting for the inevitable. Dina (almost) felt really sorry for him.
"Let's wrap this up, Tricera – for Cole's sake," she said to her Vivosaur, saying the second part of the sentence in a slight whisper. "Use Tricera Combo on the last B-Rex."
A running thrust and an uppercut of Tricera's horns later, the last B-Rex staggered, reared its head back, and roared its pain to the ceiling. Then, it collapsed, bones scattering upon impact with the ground. A Dino Medal soon took its place.
"…S-such style! Such grace!" exclaimed Cole, stumbling backwards. "I… I was actually distracted by your battle skills. I'm not used to being beaten in battle… or in beauty." Dina met his eyes with hers, and he blushed slightly.
"…I've lost my style," he continued sadly, "and without that, I'm nothing!" He ran out of the cavern, sobbing. His two lackeys soon followed suit.
Dina watched after his retreating figure, and somehow remembered Pauleen's words on Icegrip Plateau: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but they're not actually that bad."
She shook the thought from her head and turned to the Spinal Pillar. It was damaged, and badly in need of repair. In fact, it looked like it would snap at any moment. Hastily digging in her pocket for the Calcium Injector, she located it, gripped it tightly, and stabbed it with all of her might into the base of the Spinal Pillar.
Slowly, the whitish, viscous liquid inside was pumped out of the syringe and into the pillar. Before Dina's very eyes, the damaged portion of the Spinal Pillar grew and completely healed within seconds.
Dina sighed in relief, sitting down heavily on the cavern floor. It had all been worth it… bravely fighting the Dunkleosteus, going back to the Bonehemoth, and fighting Cole. All worth it, she thought tiredly. All worth it.
-.-.-.-.-.
Yep, no Petrified Forest – instead, a battle with the most powerful fish ever to have existed. Aren't my plot twists just the best?
Anyway, I'm sure you all know what's coming in Chapter 15 – the final confrontation with the BB Brigade!
And speaking of the BB Brigade… we might have another love triangle conspiring…
Please review, we all like getting those.
TRIVIA: Dunkleosteus had enough jaw power to bite through chain-mail. And one wonders how it became extinct in the first place.