"Of course!" Roland said immediately.
"Tria's our friend! We're always ready to help her!" Penny added.
"Hmph." Leon huffed. At the nervous glances he got, he sighed, "I don't know what the humans in your time are like, but we won't abandon our friend, no matter who, or what, she is."
"Yeah!" Dahlia cheered, "We stand by Tria, no matter what!"
"As do we." Captain Stryker said, and the other Wardens nodded and spoke in agreement.
"No matter what, huh?" Elric muttered, "We'll see…"
"Holy crap!" Nate, the most timid of the Wardens, cried, "Another door's been destroyed!"
"Another?" Roland gasped. He'd been too caught up in Elric's story to notice the outside world.
"I did mention Tria's strength, didn't I?" Elric asked rhetorically, "Tria's normally very patient, but once that patience wears thin, she can become quite destructive."
Nate and Roland gulped nervously. Leon whistled. Dahlia giggled. Penny asked.
"Um, Elric? I was wondering, what does Tria's true form look like?"
Everyone looked at the silver-haired male, who chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough. Right now, we have company."
"Is it Tria?" Penny asked, looking around eagerly.
"I wish." Elric almost growled, "Though I don't doubt she's here, too."
"Look at you, disturbing home of nice man with your intruding. You are no better than filthy cockroach, yes?"
"Olga…" Violet growled, gripping her wand in an attempt to control her anger.
"I'll admit, I was hoping Tria would show up so I could finally have a chance at revenge, but I guess you'll have to do."
"Kowloon…" Mei Lian snarled, trembling with rage.
"No need to worry, Kowloon." Elric replied coolly, "You'll get your chance to face Tria soon, although I doubt it'll end the way you expect."
"Enough!" Kowloon roared, sending out his dark vivosaur, "Now get ready for PAIN!"
"I'll crush you like old piece of baklava!" Olga challenged as her dark vivosaur was released.
"Like I have time for you flies!" Leon barked as Ptera shrieked.
"Let's get this show on the road!" Dahlia yelled, her Pachy pawing the ground eagerly.
"Let's go!" Nate joined in, his Edapho roaring confidently.
"We're in this, too!" Penny exclaimed over the chirping of her Hypsi.
"Don't forget us!" Roland called, the stomping of his Tricera shaking the room.
"This is getting interesting." Elric hummed in amusement, exchanging a knowing glance with the massive sauropod who towered over him. Toba looked back down at her fighter, raising her gaze then to the large cubes of rock and fossils placed all around the room. She bellowed loudly, as if greeting an unseen entity.
"Pachy! Skull Charge!" Dahlia commanded. Pachy roared excitedly, charging at Olga's Gorgostroika. Gorgostroika growled in annoyance, swinging its head and swatting the smaller vivosaur away. It then looked up to see Ptera diving at it, screeching loudly.
"Gorgostroika! Corpse Breath!" Olga commanded. Gorgostroika opened its massive jaws, releasing the foul-smelling gas potent enough to knock Ptera right out of the sky. As the pterosaur fell, the corrupted carnivore tried to crush him under its foot, but Toba intervened, swinging her neck and causing Gorgostroika to stagger backward.
Meanwhile, Tricera charged at Zinodious, sharpened horns gleaming, but the long-clawed vivosaur caught him, holding the large herbivore in place with the dark energy's strength.
"Hypsi! Chaotic Chord!" Penny ordered her vivosaur. Hypsi sang her wild song, trying to confuse her opponent. However, the dark vivosaur was too experienced to fall for her attack and roared angrily, throwing the captive herbivore into the smaller Fire-type. Edapho waddled forward, trying to bite Zinodious' leg, but he was swatted away too.
"It seems the dark vivosaurs have gotten even stronger." Elric said, still calm, "What are you going to do about these guys? Are you going to help us, or let us fend for ourselves?"
"What's he rambling about?" Dahlia asked, slightly frustrated at not being able to defeat the BR lieutenants.
"Wait!" Penny cried suddenly, "Do you think he's…?"
Suddenly, a fearsome roar echoed throughout the submarine, the epicenter in the room where the battle was taking place. All of the vivosaurs shrieked in terror, the vivosaurs of the Wardens retreating back into their Dino Gears and falling to the floor. Toba raised her head and roared back, actually sounding pleased at the threatening call. The dark vivosaurs didn't return to their Dino Gears, their hatred and rage keeping them from backing down, but even they trembled in the face of the creature making the noise.
"Wh-Wh-What the hell was that?!" Nate squeaked, scrambling out to get his Edapho's Dino Gear.
"I have no idea!" Penny cried, terrified as she too ran out of her Bone Buggy to grab Hypsi. Everyone else ran out to retrieve their vivosaurs, with Leon taking a defensive stance.
"Leon! Was that…?" Becky yelled frantically through the radio.
"Yeah…" the American Warden muttered worriedly, "It's the super predator we heard in Dusty Steppes. What the hell is it doing here?"
"A super predator?" Roland almost whimpered.
"Did Dr. Blackraven capture it before we could find it?" Sean exclaimed in disbelief. Everyone turned to look at Elric, who laughed as he stepped out and lay a hand on Toba's foreleg.
"Very impressive." Elric chuckled, smirking at Gorgostroika and Zinodious, "It takes guts to stand your ground against Heaven's Call. Well done."
The dark vivosaurs roared, insulted by the human's condescending tone, and charged, teeth and claws bared as they prepared to rip the humans and one remaining vivosaur apart. Several of the Wardens screamed in terror, knowing that they were defenseless, and closed their eyes, not knowing what else to do, but the attack never came.
The humans' screams were cut off by two loud clangs of metal. They opened their eyes to see two giant vivosaurs standing over them, blocking the dark vivosaurs' attacks. The two mystery vivosaurs looked like simple, featureless therizinosaurs with silver bodies and copper claws that they had used to catch their opponents attacks. The two vivosaurs sent shivers down the spines of the humans they were defending when the humans caught a glimpse of their eyes, for they held absolutely no sign of life. The two therizinosaurs threw back the dark vivosaurs, allowing everyone a better view of the mysterious protectors.
"What the hell?!" Kowloon yelled, frustrated.
"They are like Russian war machines!" Olga cried.
"It's true!" Nate exclaimed, running up to one and knocking on its leg, eliciting a hollow banging sound, "These things are made of metal! Are they robots or something?"
"Dinomatons." Elric stated, catching everyone's attention once more, "They're machines often used by dinaurians when they don't feel like fighting themselves."
"Dinaurians?" Leon asked, eyes widening along with everyone else's, "Wait, then that means…!"
"That's right." Elric said, turning around and looking up at the top of one of the large cubes of rock near the door that the lieutenants were guarding. Toba bellowed again in greeting as Elric smiled. "Looks like we've finally caught up to you, Tria."
All of the Wardens present rushed to look up where Elric was looking. The cameras in the Bone Buggies turned to that area as well, none of the other Wardens wanting to miss this. Because standing on top of that giant fossil rock was Tria, in her true form.
She had the same build as her human disguise, but the rest of her appearance differed. Her body, instead of lightly-tan skin, was covered in pure-white scales. The claws on her hands and feet (she wasn't wearing shoes) were pitch black, as were her clothes: shorts and a tank-top that pressed close to her body to lessen rubbing on her scales. She also appeared to be wearing a dark blue cloak that fell to her ankles and was attached to her shoulders by what looked like clawed, three-fingered hands. Her dark blue hair, usually held up in a weird upward ponytail, was down, and fell past her shoulders. Behind her, a whip-like tail, white except for a dark blue tip, thrashed in agitation. Her pointed ears twitched and her alien eyes, golden with light blue slitted pupils, glared at the humans below her, the pink stripes under each eye only increasing her glare's intimidation. She snarled, revealing the sharp, gleaming teeth of a predator. She looked very displeased.
"Tria!" Elric called to the half-dinaurian, "It's good to see you again! You're as radiant as ever!"
Tria snorted, narrowing her eyes before saying in her recognizable voice, "Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Elric."
Everyone gasped, hearing her voice coming from the dinaurian finally driving home the fact that this was Tria, the strongest and most accomplished of all the Wardens, and that the Wardens had been seeing an illusion of her all this time. Tria ignored them, simply jumping down to stand in between the two Dinomatons she was controlling. The BR lieutenants gawked at her, unable to quite believe their eyes, as Tria commanded the mechanical vivosaurs.
"Dinomatons. Heartless Fury." she ordered emotionlessly, her savage tone somehow matched by a cold distance that betrayed just how she felt about the current situation.
The mechanical vivosaurs roared, charging forward and slashing the dark vivosaurs. They then jumped back, firing lasers from their mouths through their opponents. The dark vivosaurs still didn't fall, but they were starting to weaken.
"Heh heh heh." Kowloon laughed, "Did you really think a couple of machines could take down a dark vivosaur?"
Tria didn't answer. She just leapt up, launching herself at the two dark vivosaurs. Her friends called out to her, worried for her safety, but she ignored them all. She lunged at Gorgostroika first, slashing across its chest with her claws. The dark carnivore bellowed in pain, fading into its Dino Gear, much to everyone's shock and awe. Tria didn't hesitate in leaping at Zinodious next, bringing it down the same way.
"Woah…" several of the humans chorused. Others whistled, and some still were speechless. Elric just smiled with pride at his friend's power and grace.
"How…" Kowloon muttered, actually sounding fearful for a change, "She defeated our dark vivosaurs with her bare hands…"
"Technically, she used her claws." Elric replied, his smartass tendencies kicking in.
"Three times we have made with the losing to you!" Olga cried, "Is more embarrassing than time wolf entered local village and stole many chickens!"
Tria landed back on the floor, eyeing the BR lieutenants with an emotion that wasn't quite wary; it was curiosity. She then huffed and lunged again, this time at Olga's Bone Buggy. She crashed through the window easily, grabbing the woman by the collar of her fuzzy winter coat and dragging her out onto the floor of the room, under the watch of the Dinomatons.
"Tria! What are you doing?" Captain Stryker called through the radio, "You've already defeated their dark vivosaurs! You're not authorized to punish the lieutenants themselves!"
Tria ignored him, as she had been, and stared into the Russian woman's ice-blue eyes, baring her teeth at the woman's frightened expression. She opened her mouth and roared, nearly deafening the woman she still held captive.
"Team!" Captain Stryker yelled to the Wardens in the submarine, "This is an order! Stop Tria!"
Penny, Nate, Roland, Leon, and Dahlia all glanced at each other before preparing to seize their dinaurian friend. However, they found that the Dinomatons blocked their path, and so did Toba.
"You disappoint me, Wardens." Elric said with a frown, "Do you really distrust your comrade so much? Tria's no killer."
The group of Wardens, still relatively new graduates, looked conflicted and unsure of what to do. Elric, before the Captain could protest, elaborated, "Besides, if Tria had wanted to kill or injure the lieutenants, she would've done it already. And of course, if we tried to intervene…" He turned to look at his friend again. "We'd likely get caught in the crossfire."
Everyone turned their attention back to the fight just in time to see Kowloon jump from his modified Turf Shredder, flying straight towards Tria.
"Tria! Look out!" Mei Lian cried through the radio, remembering all-too-well the strength of Kowloon's attacks.
Tria glanced at the attacking kung-fu specialist, blocking his kick with her left arm while not letting go of Olga. Kowloon snarled viciously, eye narrowing dangerously as he threw punches and kicks at the half-dinaurian, who blocked every one. Tria sighed, sounding annoyed, and let go of her captive to focus solely on Kowloon. Olga simply fell to the floor, dazed.
"Why?!" Kowloon screamed as every one of his attacks was blocked, "Why can't I ever win?! My Fossil Battle strategy is unmatched! My kung-fu talents are without peer! SO WHY CAN'T I EVER BEAT YOU?!"
"Why?" Tria answered, sounding patronizing, "Because you're a human, obviously. No matter how strong a human becomes, he could never hold a candle to a dinaurian." She looked into Kowloon's uncovered eye unflinchingly. "Face it, Kowloon. You never stood a chance against me."
Kowloon's eye seemed to glow red with rage as he let loose another flurry of attacks on Tria. He even unsheathed the claws in his gloves, and the clang of impacting metal filled the room. As Tria continued to fight Kowloon, not even acknowledging the other lieutenant, Elric made a noise of recollection, getting the Wardens' attention.
"Oh yeah. There's one thing I forgot to mention about Tria's true form." he said, leaning against Toba's leg, "Tria's special, even among dinaurians, and not just because she's half-human." When everyone looked at him expectantly, he continued "Back in our time, Tria's known by a rather extravagant title: the Dinaurian Angel."
"The Dinaurian Angel?" Leon repeated, sounding exasperated.
"Because of her kindness?" Penny said, more of a suggestion than a question.
"Hm…eventually, yes." Elric replied, glancing at the fight, "But Tria had been given that title shortly after she was born, before her personality had really developed."
"Then why did they call her that?" Dahlia asked impatiently. Elric smiled in amusement as one of the Wardens gasped.
"Holy crap!" Nate exclaimed, "Her cloak moved!"
"Of course Tria's cloak moved. She is fighting." Roland tried to reason with his colleague. Nate shook his head.
"No, not like that!" he insisted, "Look! At the claws on her shoulders!"
Everyone looked back to the fight, where Tria had seized one of Kowloon's claws with her own. Kowloon, an experienced fighter with both arms, raised his other fist to swing at his opponent. It was during that attack that the claws on her shoulders had lifted and shot forward, grabbing his wrist and halting the attack in its tracks. Everyone gasped.
"H-How did she do that?!" Becky asked, almost breathless.
"That's so cool!" her brother added, blue eyes sparkling, "Where can I get a cloak like that?"
Elric laughed, "Nowhere, unless you're willing to go through some genetic experimentation." He gestured everyone forward, Toba pushing her fighter's Speed Demon forward so that the Wardens in HQ could see as well. "You see, Tria's not wearing a cloak. That part of her body is where the title of 'Dinaurian Angel' comes from."
The Wardens gawked at their comrade as her cloak- no, her WINGS, like that of a pterosaur- extended over her head and the head of her opponent. The intimidation the massive limbs gave her was not lost, on her enemies or her allies, and Kowloon almost shivered at the power of the creature he was facing. He tried to put some distance between himself and Tria, but the "hand" of the wing on his wrist held fast. He met the alien girl's gaze, her furious glare burning into him.
"I remember when we first met, at the tournament you went to a lot of trouble to sabotage." Tria said, somewhat sadistic, "I seem to recall that you caused some pain to a dear friend of mine. I think it's about time you receive the payback long due to you. Is that agreeable to you, Kowloon?" She bared her sharp teeth, her grin not a grin, and, using her wing, lifted the man into the air, above her head, and threw him across the room, roaring, "This is what you get for hurting Mei Lian!"
"You show him, Tria!" Mei Lian cheered happily.
Tria lunged at Kowloon, latching a clawed hand around his throat and slamming him to the floor as she growled, "You're not like Olga. You're a terrible human that finds sick enjoyment in the suffering of others." She then tossed him back into the shattered windshield of his Turf Shredder, perching on the claws at its front. "However, you do respect power. So, as a being with superior power, I order you, Kowloon, to flee this sub and the Parks connected by the warp portal at the front. Run, so that you no longer cause trouble for the Wardens." she continued, spreading her wings and hovering in the air, "Go."
"Heh heh heh." Kowloon laughed, "I was hoping to get revenge on you for all the times you've beaten me, but…" He continued when he saw Tria flexing her claws, "Even I know how to pick my battles. World domination sounded appealing when Dr. Blackraven talked about it, but now it's clear that I've been backing the wrong team. I'll go quietly this time, but I promise you, Tria, that the next time we meet, I WILL defeat you!" He then drove off, Tria shaking her head as she glided over to Olga, who was still sitting on the floor in a daze. Tria kneeled in front of the Russian woman, her tone much more gentle than when she was fighting Kowloon.
"Good afternoon, Olga. Have you rejoined us yet?" she asked, her voice calm and understanding. The dazed woman looked at her, ice-blue eyes narrowing suspiciously before they widened in surprise as she scooted backward.
"Moldy borscht! It is really you, Tria, with the weird look and the strength of many tigers! What are you wanting with me?"
Tria smiled, close-mouthed and non-threatening, and replied, "Nothing, except for you to be returned to your senses. A kind, gentle woman like you doesn't belong in a place like this."
The Wardens all looked at each other in confusion. Kind? Gentle? What was Tria talking about?
"Have you lost it, Tria?" Violet cried, "Olga's not gentle! She attacked you, remember?"
Tria ignored the psychic Warden, simply tilting her head as she continued to look at Olga expectantly.
"…Hmm?" Olga made a confused noise as she looked at the dinaurian, "Why…?"
The Wardens stepped past the Dinomatons, which were no longer blocking them, to hear what Olga was saying. The woman looked around, as if she had just woken up from a nap.
"Why am I taking orders from angry oaf?" she asked, looking at Tria as if for clarification. Everyone's confusion deepened, while Tria merely smiled.
"You have been lost for quite some time, Olga. I'm glad to see you've finally woken up."
Olga looked at Tria, her eyes widening as a look of recollection dawned on her. "I am remembering! Terrible man Dr. Blackraven made with the washbraining and turned me into slave!"
The Wardens all gasped as Olga practically scrambled to her knees, facing the girl who had freed her.
"I owe you many apologies, Tria. You have been treated most poorly." Olga apologized, bowing her head guiltily. She looked up when Tria chuckled.
"Don't worry about it, Olga." she said, getting to her feet and offering a clawed hand to her former enemy, "You weren't yourself. You're not to blame. Besides…" She grinned, playfully challenging, "It takes a lot more to hurt me than anything you've ever done!"
Olga smiled, allowing herself a quiet laugh as she took Tria's hand, letting herself be pulled upright. "You have my thanks, Tria. Now you must stop Dr. Blackraven from achieving vile plans of evil."
"I will." Tria replied determinedly, "And you must get out of here. There's a warp portal at the front of the Neo Black Whale. It'll take you to Fossil Park Asia. Where you go from there is up to you."
Olga looked shocked that she was just being let go without any punishment, but she didn't argue, simply nodding and getting into her Rock Crusher, driving away. As she drove, she called back, "Tria! Stop Dr. Blackraven! Do it for motherland! Do it for Olga!"
As the former BR lieutenant fled, Elric walked up to his friend, looking back at the retreating Bone Buggy as he said, "You're right. Someone like her doesn't belong here, although I am surprised you noticed. That brainwashing was quite thorough."
"All methods of mind control leave the same look of distance and vacancy in the eyes of the one being controlled. The only trouble is snapping them out of it." Tria replied, also watching Olga's Bone Buggy, which she could keep in sight longer than any human, before glaring at the silver-haired human and baring her teeth, "And speaking of people who shouldn't be here…"
The Wardens started as Tria lashed out at Elric, one flick of her wing sending him flying backward. He was caught by Toba, who bellowed at the dinaurian. Tria growled at the sauropod, her tail thrashing in agitation. She then inhaled, raising her head, and roared, the exact same voice she used to force everyone's vivosaurs back into their Dino Gears. Toba roared back, trying to stand up to the dinaurian, but she also remembered her smaller opponent's power, having faced her in battle numerous times, and relented, retreating into her Dino Gear and leaving her fighter unguarded.
"Aw. That wasn't very nice, Tria." Elric said, as cocky as ever, "You scared my poor Toba. Your Heaven's Call must have gotten stronger."
Tria snorted, snapping her fingers as she approached the human. At the non-verbal command, the Dinomatons seemed to implode, falling in on themselves so that they were little more than small metal boxes that then flew into Tria's hands. She stood in front of Elric, arms crossed, her stance not so much aggressive as irritated. She then opened her mouth and growled, a series of rumbling sounds leaving her throat. The humans were left confused, not knowing what she was saying. However, Elric, having known Tria for so long, understood her every word.
"What were you thinking, bringing them here?!" Tria growled, glaring at him, "I told you to leave the Wardens out of this, but you not only brought my fellow graduates, you also revealed confidential information to the others. Explain yourself!"
"Now, now, Tria. Don't be angry." Elric said soothingly, "You know as well as I do that we can't complete this mission on our own. We need help, and who better to ask than the Wardens you helped train?"
"Helped train?" Dahlia asked as the graduates looked from Tria to each other and back, "Tria was training us?"
"It's news to me." Leon said, shrugging.
"It makes sense, actually." Penny stated. Everyone looked at her for clarification. "Think about it. What kind of Wardens would we be without Tria? Leon would be a loner who wouldn't work with anyone. Dahlia would be racing ahead of everyone. Nate would be cowering in the background. Roland would be too indecisive to get anything done. And I would be too afraid of my friends getting hurt to focus on missions." Everyone nodded in agreement, looking back to the comrade who had trained them to be better Wardens without them even being aware of it. Penny smiled. "Tria is as much a mentor to us as she is a comrade. We owe her a lot."
While the newest Wardens had this mini-revelation, Tria and Elric continued to argue.
"That's precisely why they can't help us!" she said, her voice not quite loud enough to be a shriek, but still fiercer than a hiss, "Do you really think they'll be able to do what needs to be done?"
"That's another reason to keep the other Wardens connected." Elric retorted, "If we fail, they'll be ready to send reinforcements."
"You should have brought the leaders from the beginning." Tria growled, "They're more likely to complete the mission than the graduates. They have more experience."
"So are you saying you didn't want to see your friends?" Elric asked, intentionally putting Tria on the spot. The graduates looked at Tria expectantly.
"You know that's not what I meant." Tria barked back in a language the humans could understand before continuing in the ancient tongue, "Still, you could've at least let them keep their delusion of my humanity."
"Is that really what you want?" Elric asked.
"This isn't about what I want, you know that." Tria replied, "This is going to cause a sense of distrust and betrayal between me and the Wardens, and I won't have a chance to mend this gap." She shook her head. "I know you mean well, Elric, but you've only made this more difficult by revealing this information to them. Then again, it might help them complete this mission, because of this sense of betrayal." she said in a tone of sudden understanding, "Was that your plan all along? That's quite devious, even for you."
"Of course not!" Elric cried indignantly, genuinely insulted by the accusation, "I would never be that manipulative, or 'devious', as you called it!"
"Ok, I'm lost." Mei Lian said, "Is he talking to himself? He just said Tria had 'said' something, but I didn't hear her say anything, except that one comment."
"Tria's been making growling and hissing sounds, but I can't hear them meaning anything." Becky observed.
"I think Tria IS talking." Leader Liu Ren said, "Remember? Elric said she speaks the language of dinosaurs and vivosaurs fluently. This must be what he meant."
"And since Elric's known her so long, it's only natural that he can understand her." Captain Stryker added.
"I wish I knew what she was saying." Violet stated.
"Maybe I can invent a translator!" Professor Little said, ideas already forming is his head.
The argument continued.
"I merely thought that, as your friends, they deserved to know who, and what, you really are." Elric defended, "Do you disagree?"
Tria growled, shaking her head as she responded. "I don't, but are you sure it was the right thing to do? Had they been left in the dark, they would've continued to see me as an exceedingly skilled Warden and nothing more." She sighed. "Now all I'll be is a liar and, to some, a traitor. They won't trust me now."
"Is that so?" Elric asked, walking over to the group of Wardens that had followed him into the Neo Black Whale. He asked, "Tell me, Wardens. Are you angry with Tria?"
The group looked at each other, then up at Tria, who had perched on Elric's Speed Demon, then back at Elric.
"Of course not!" Penny declared, almost sounding insulted, "Why should we? She's done nothing wrong!"
"Tria helped us become Wardens!" Nate added.
"And she's saved us many times!" Roland cried, sounding guilty about the Gorgo attack and the incident in the ancient past.
"Tria's also been there for us, no matter how little we deserved her kindness." Leon stated, smiling up at the girl in a rare display of humility.
"Tria's our friend! We wouldn't be mad over something like this!" Dahlia proclaimed, grinning as she ran up to the half-dinaurian, "Hey, Tria! Can I touch your wings? Can I, please?"
Tria looked at her friends, shocked and confused that they weren't mad at her for deceiving them for so long. As she jumped off of the vehicle and let her friends gather around her, she asked in a disbelieving voice, "Do you mean it? You're really not mad at me?"
"Of course!" Dahlia answered, as quick with her words as she was with her driving, "I told you! You're our friend! You've helped us in so many ways. We won't let something as little as this slow us down!"
"This isn't exactly a 'little' thing, Dahlia." Tria muttered as she watched the excited redhead run her hands over her left wing, extending it to give the girl better access, "I've lied to you. Ever since I got here, I've been lying to you all."
"Perhaps." Penny replied, running her fingers over Tria's other wing, "But you've also been an irreplaceable friend and an amazing Warden." She looked at her Asian comrades, stating, "I don't know about the others, but I'm glad you came here, no matter what you are or where you're from."
"It's not like we don't understand, Tria." Roland added, "If I were in your position, I would've probably tried to hide myself, too."
"Plus, your true form is AWESOME!" Nate added, pumping his fists in the air, "You kicked those BR guys' butts!"
"Uh…I guess that's true…" Tria mumbled, backing away slightly. She still wasn't used to being so affectionately doted on like she was when she was first born.
"Do you remember what you told me, Tria? When I asked you why you were willing to be my friend, even when I had treated you so badly?" Leon said to Tria, not really asking. He smiled gently. "You said that no one was perfect, and that we all would hurt each other and be hurt by each other at some point. You told me that the key to living together, to having friends, was to learn to forgive those who hurt you." He put his hands on the cool, smooth scales on the girl's shoulders and tilted his head, still smiling as he said, "It's true that you lied to us, and that hurt, but we've hurt you too, and you've stuck with us and helped us through our problems." Everyone gathered around their dinaurian friend, their expressions ranging from a kind, gentle smile (Penny) to a wide, ear-to-ear grin (Dahlia). "For that, we will always be your friends. We'll help you fit into our world, in your true form, and we'll always be here for you."
Tria looked around at her friends, tears forming in her eyes. She threw herself at Leon, who was still standing in front of her, and wrapped her wings around the entire group, pulling them all to her. "Thank you. All of you." she whispered, letting herself relax for a moment in their embrace even as another wave of sorrow washed over her.
While this emotional conversation was going on, Elric spoke into the radio in his Bone Buggy.
"And what about you, veteran Wardens? Do you hold ill-will towards Tria for hiding her true identity?"
Tria's ears twitched as she registered the question, but she didn't mention it to her friends, who couldn't hear it. She listened secretly; she knew the Wardens at HQ didn't know she could hear them.
Back at HQ, the veteran Wardens looked at each other.
"Well, it's true that Tria's been lying to us…" Leader Sean muttered, his American pride not liking that he'd been deceived.
"But has she, actually?" Becky asked suddenly, making everyone look at her, "I mean, yeah, she's been hiding her true species, or at least half of it, but we never actually asked her what her species was. We never thought to." When she saw she had their attention, she continued, "I mean, yeah, she ran when her disguise failed in Starry Falls, but if I'm being honest, if I had been in her situation, I probably would've run, too." She looked at her brother, placing a steadying hand on his arm. "I know you don't like being fooled, Sean, but can you really blame Tria?"
"As much as I hate to admit it, her assumptions on how we would've reacted, had she revealed herself immediately, are probably true." Leader Liu Ren said grimly, "We wouldn't have let her into the Wardens, or if we did, we'd have kept her under strict supervision. That, I cannot deny, and it shames me."
"Can't argue with you there." Professor Little said guiltily, "I probably would've kept her in my lab during most of her time here."
"But I can't see any malice in her." Violet said, clutching her wand, "She's been on our side the whole time!"
"I have seen no signs of suspicious behavior." Hanzo declared, and as a trained ninja, he would know.
"Plus it's Tria!" Mei Lian yelled, slamming her hands on her desk, "She's a Warden! She's our friend! She's our Paleo Pal! That's that!"
"I…I can't be mad at Tria." Leader Drake whispered, shrinking back and averting his gaze from the eyes now focused on him, "I can…be myself around her…in a way…"
Leader Sean looked around at his comrades, all of whom supported Tria, and sighed.
"Sean?" Becky asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I know, Becks." he said, looking from his sister to his fellow Wardens, "I can't be mad at Tria, either." He smiled, not quite a grin yet, "She may have deceived us, but she's also done more for us than we could ever hope to repay." He finally flashed his trademark bright, gleaming grin. "Tria has our full support!"
"You heard him, Elric." Captain Stryker said, nodding in approval, "Tria may not be entirely human, but she's still a Warden, and we'll remain behind her, no matter what." He then added somewhat-hastily, "But when she gets back, she'll still be facing disciplinary action for her deceit and rebellious attitude."
As some of the other Wardens argued with the Captain for this decision, Elric allowed himself a small, sad smile. Tria returned that smile with one of her own, finally folding her wings, despite her friends' protests (they weren't done petting her 'really, really soft' wings yet), returning them to their cloaked façade.
"As much as I would love to continue this reunion." she said, "We have to get moving. Nibbles is still waiting."
"Right!" Penny cried, ashamed that, in light of Elric's story, she'd forgotten the real reason they were there, "We have to save Nibbles!"
"But where is he?" Roland asked, "We've driven all over this thing and haven't seen him."
"In here." Tria replied, looking up at the door the BR lieutenants had been guarding, "This is Blackraven's chamber."
"How can you tell?" Leon asked, standing next to the girl.
Tria wrinkled her nose. "I'd know that sickening stench of greed and darkness anywhere."
"You can smell Dr. Blackraven?" Nate exclaimed in awe. When Tria nodded, his eyes sparkled.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dahlia asked rhetorically, "Let's get going!"
"Hold up, everyone!" Elric called to the young Wardens, "That door is heavily built, and it's shut tight. Our Bone Buggies aren't getting through it."
"Then how are we going to get to Nibbles?" Penny asked, getting worried.
Elric smiled, getting back into his Bone Buggy and signaling for the others to do the same. "Tria?"
"Yeah, yeah." Tria replied, jumping back to stand right in front of her friends' Bone Buggies. She then took up a battle stance and, to the shock of everyone watching, lunged toward the door, running faster than even Dahlia's Speed Demon. She then jumped at the door and slammed her fist into it, causing even the heavy metal to bend and cave in the face of the dinaurian's power. As the door flew off into the hallway beyond, Tria turned back to her friends and gestured for them to follow her.
"Road's clear. Let's go!" she said, running off and leaving the Wardens stunned.
"Sh-She really w-was the one who w-wrecked those d-d-doors." Nate stuttered, trembling.
"Of course." Elric said, "Who else could've done it?" He then drove forward, leading the other dazed humans down the long hallway, "Don't wet yourself yet. You haven't seen anything close to Tria's true power."
The three Asian Wardens gulped, the American Warden whistled, and the European Warden laughed with adrenaline. They drove deeper into the Neo Black Whale, following their friend and comrade as she ran into a dangerous battle, just as she had been trained to do so long ago.