Author's Note: A little peeve I have about Dr. Stone is the fact that Senku spent six months living wild, and never grew an ounce of muscle. He worked himself into exhaustion, and yet he was still as weak as a kitten. Sure I never expected him to be as strong as Taiju or Tsukasa, but he should have at least been stronger than what he was.

Another peeve I had was Taiju. He and Tsukasa were about even in strength, yet he refused to harm anyone, even in self-defense. And the manga never gave into any back story except that he was a kind person. That's gonna change, too. I hate seeing good characters getting wailed on.

ドクターストーン

3: The Princess

And The Dragon

It was a day later that Senku made a new batch of revival fluid for Yuzuriha. He was in the middle of carving down what was commonly know as a village bow from a stave he'd saved from the previous year when Taiju brought back the miracle water from the cave. Tsukasa had conveniently been out hunting when Taiju had left on Einstein, and returned quickly. Senku didn't pay it any mind.

The bow he was making was far more important than worrying about Tsukasa, or Taiju. But having the girl around would help. Not only was she a good cook, but she was a craftswoman. A good one. More to the point, he was certain that Tsukasa had been nearby when Taiju decided to leave camp. While he didn't think that the murderous man would harm them, yet, he was certain that he wanted to know what they were using to revive people, and where to get it.

He already knew that they were distilling alcohol to use for it, but the miracle water itself had remained a mystery so far. When Taiju had arrived back at camp, Tsukasa hadn't been far behind him, along with a large boar he'd hunted to make a convincing story.

Having laid the bow aside to filter the fluid, Taiju watched him anxiously, "Are you sure we have enough?" The brawny teen asked as he hovered.

Senku smirked at his friend, "We've got plenty to bring back a single person." He said, "More than enough. Besides, you're not the only one that wants her back." He said as he poured the last of the liquid through the filter, "But Taiju, I have to ask," he sighed, "Are you still unwilling to hurt others, even if it means saving someone you care about?"

"What do you mean by that?" Taiju asked.

Senku frowned, "Before this stone apocalypse, you always tanked anything that some of those neanderthals we called bullies threw at us," he explained, sighing, "And that worked back in our old world, but this isn't that world anymore, Taiju." He said, "I'm saying that if you don't fight, then Yuzuriha might die."

Taiju growled, "You know I'd never let that happen," he said, "I'd die before I let anything hurt her!"

"Exactly," Senku said, "You can hunt and fish, and kill a predator if it comes down to it," he said, "But what if, by some chance we revive someone, and that person turns out to want to, I don't know, rule the world with an iron fist, and kill anyone that doesn't play his game?"

"I'd stop him," Taiju said with clear determination.

"By doing what?" Senku pressed, "Talking to him while he beats you to within an inch of your life?" He shook his head, "He's not the type to just stop because someone tells him to do so." He looked at his friend, "So tell me, why you hate the idea of hurting people so much."

Taiju flinched, "It's...personal."

"I can take a guess," Senku sighed, "I never went over to your house because you never invited me, but sometimes I'd meet up with you and you'd be battered up." He said, watching the man's face, "Then there were times you'd spend at my place, and you'd be ten billion percent reluctant to leave for some reason. We never had that much fun at my place unless we were building something, or you beat me at Dragon Quest."

"The only conclusion I can make is that one of your parents beat you a lot," Senku said bluntly, though there was a hint of pity in his voice, "So? Did I get it right?"

Taiju had long since bitten down on his lip to keep from answering him. The truth of the matter was it that he was spot on. His father had tended to get violent with him and his mother when he'd been drinking. It was why his body was as tough as it was.

"You don't need to answer that if you don't want to, Taiju," Senku sighed as ht mixed in the alcohol, "Just keep in mind that you can only get so far with tanking blows, and not hitting back." He said as he stirred the mixture. "In the end, it's not only your life you'd save by fighting back, but Yuzuriha's, too." He handed him the jar containing the revival fluid. "Now go wake up your princess."

Senku moved out of the young man's way and went over to Einstein to give the friendly Struthiomimus some attention. He found that by watching the dinosaur's behavior he could gauge the surroundings. As Senku approached, the animal cooed out a greeting and pecked at his shoulder affectionately, "We're really working you hard, aren't we?"

Einstein cooed and squawked softly before pecking at Senku's shoulder. Senku chuckled and stroked the animal's neck. "You two are quite close," said a voice from behind him as Tsukasa appeared out of the woods.

"As close as a person and their pet should be," Senku said, "I take it you followed Taiju?"

Tsukasa nodded, "Reluctantly, but yes, I did follow him."

"And you know what I'm using as the so-called 'miracle-water'?"

"Nitric acid," Tsukasa nodded again, "And I can guess that you're using alcohol make nital."

"Your guess would get you ten billion points," Senku sighed, "So, what now?"

Tsukasa shrugged, "Our deal still stands, and I see no reason to break it."

Senku smirked, "You're just going to wait until you know just how much alcohol you need to make it," he said, "Then you'll have no other uses for me."

"I don't use people like those thieving adults used to." Tsukasa's eyes narrowed, "I thought you knew that."

Senku chuckled, "Everyone uses everyone," he said with certainty, "While I'm not quite a weakling anymore, I am using you and Taiju because both of you have the animalistic brute strength that I'll never have," he pointed over to where Taiju was just now pouring the revival fluid over Yuzuriha, "And while Taiju and I are friends, he was also using me to bring back the woman that he loves." He looked back to Tsukasa, "And we're all using each other...for companionship." Senku was pleased to see a startled look on Tsukasa's face, "You see, it doesn't really matter about intentions, humans will always use other humans for something they want."

"You really are cynical, aren't you?" Tsukasa found himself laughing. "Still, you don't use others because of selfish reasoning. Money, and power don't matter in this new world we live in. And you would bring all of that back?"

Senku smiled just as the first cracks started appearing over Yuzuriha, "You can't beat this new world without power," he said as the girl broke out of her shell. "Some of the smaller meat eaters can be killed with spears and arrows, but the larger ones like that monster we've seen, can only be taken down by something bigger, or a bullet. You can't tell me that something like a hunting rifle wouldn't go amiss in this world?"

Tsukasa nodded as Taiju cradled the newly awakened girl in his arms, "Yes, a hunting rifle would be useful," he admitted, "But how long would it take for that rifle to become a weapon for killing people?"

"The same could be said for the spear you're holding," he said, gesturing to Tsukasa's large spear, "You're gonna have to face the facts on something very important, Tsukasa; humans in general love to fight. If not for land, status, or power, it'll be for profit. It doesn't matter if we only revive the pure of heart, someday, someone will want more than what they have, and they'll try to take it. And then war will happen all over again. Sure it may be slower to happen since the world belongs to the dinosaurs again somehow, but that's just another form of war. A war against nature. And that's not something I'm sure even I could win against with science in the long run."

Tsukasa nodded, "You have a point, and I know that such a peaceful world won't last forever," he said, and smiled as Taiju and Yuzuriha embraced, "But couldn't we make it last a little longer?" He pleaded, "Nothing major like guns, or narcotics, or even money. The way things are right now are just fine."

Senku frowned at that, "We'll just have to wait and see how far we can go without a few things until we have no choice."

ドクターストーン

That night by the fire, Yuzuriha was told everything about what Senku hypothesized brought about the sudden petrification of the world, and his theory on how the dinosaurs had somehow returned to reclaim the world as their own.

"All in all, I'd say this whole mess is man made," he sighed, "There were no species that could have evolved, or regressed, into the monsters we've seen so far," he said, "Especially that hybrid. However it survived to maturity, there's no doubt that it was created by humans. The same could be said for the petrification. The last thing I remember before being turned to stone was a flash of green light, and then I'm counting the seconds until I broke out."

"A terrorist attack?" Tsukasa tossed out, "There were plenty of countries that would stoop to something like that."

Senku nodded, "And I agree," he said, "But that would mean there's a civilization out there that's much more advanced than what we have right now." He frowned at this, and sighed, "That brings up the question; where did these dinosaurs come from? And how did they come to be? The only person that had the knowledge to genetically engineer animals like this was a man named Henry Wu. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for some of his experiments. Something about crossing existing DNA with that of other animals, and illegal cloning experiments."

Taiju frowned at that, "But I thought scientists had been cloning animals for years?" He asked, "I mean, there were a few species that were brought back from extinction like that."

Yuzuriha looked at him, "Um, Taiju, I don't think he meant he was cloning animals." The look on her face suggested that she knew what Senku was talking about, "He was cloning humans, wasn't he?"

Senku nodded, "The cloning of humans was outlawed for several reasons, the top being a bunch of religious red tape," he said, "I can agree that human cloning is unethical, and morally wrong in some cases, but what Wu was doing was beyond anything like that." He poked a stick into the flames, "Cloning a human partially to grow new organs for a perfect transplant would be one thing. The clone would be lifeless, and unable to think, or feel pain, and would be used for the survival of its doner. But to attempt to splice the DNA of different species into the clone, and create a viable new species..." Senku shook his head.

Taiju sat back against the tree, thinking deeply, "So there was at least one guy that could have brought back dinosaurs for some reason or another," he said, "And to do this, he either managed to avoid being turned to stone, or broke out right after he was petrified."

"Or did the petrifying himself," Tsukasa put in. "And here we are, thirty-seven hundred years later in a new post-historic stone age paradise."

"It would be paradise if we didn't have to contend with a dinosaur version of Frankenstein's monster," Senku pointed out, and gestured with his stick, "I've found fresh tracks nearby just a few hours ago after Yuzuriha was woken up." He frowned, "My little idea with the Giganotasaur's bladder kept a few smaller predators away, but it looks like it might be drawing in the monster."

Taiju picked up the bow that Senku had made for him, "Think we can take it?"

Senku looked at him with a smirk, "Don't be any dumber, you big oaf." He said, "You saw what that thing did to the Giga we butchered. We're no better than a quick snack in its eyes."

The teen frowned, "Yeah, that was one hell of a one-sided fight," he sighed, "Okay, so we can't fight it, we can't drive it off; what do we do about it?"

Tsukasa was thoughtful for a moment before looking at the brainy teen, "Is there anything else besides this...Giga-saurus you mentioned?"

"Giganotasaurus," Senku corrected, the smirk widening slightly, "And if you're thinking what I think you are, then it might work."

Yuzuriha was lost, as was Taiju, "What are you talking about?" She asked.

"If you want to drive out a predator, then you need another predator that's bigger and badder than the one you're driving out," Senku said, dumbing it down for Taiju's sake, "And I think that I might have just the predator in mind." He reached into his tunic, and produced a large, conical tooth. "I found this near a lake that's fed by the stream you met the Rex at, Taiju," he said, "What's it look like to you?"

Taiju took the tooth and turned it over in his hands, "Kind'a looks like a giant crocodile's tooth." He said before handing it back.

Senku grinned, "Close, but that guess only gets you a thousand points," he said, "This, my friends, is the tooth of a very special theropod dinosaur." He looked at Tsukasa, "This would have even you running for the hills. This is a Spinosaurus tooth."

"I've heard of those," Yuzuriha gasped, "They're supposed to be the biggest carnivore that ever lived."

Taiju looked at his friend, "I thought the Giga was the biggest?"

"Yes, and no," Senku said, "A Giga is the longest out of the T-Rex, Spino, and Giga, but the Spinosaurus has it licked in height, and weight." The young man grinned, "This is getting me excited. A Spinosaurus is not just a land predator, but also a water predator, like a crocodile. It can even swim by using its tail like a rudder. If it's near water, and that monster gets caught by it, then it's game over."

"So we lead our mystery beast to the mouth of the leviathan?" Tsukasa asked.

Senku frowned, "It's not going to be that easy," he said, "The lake is way out of its territory, and while I doubt it would care, one of us would have to be bait." He sighed, "Even with Einstein, I'd be dead long before the halfway mark, and Yuzuriha is out of the question."

"Damned right," Taiju growled, "And I've got the stamina, but I'm not fast." He said, looking at Tsukasa, "And we all know that you wouldn't trust us enough to let you be the bait."

Tsukasa wanted to argue, but he did see their points. No, he wouldn't trust them not to leave him behind, even though he knew that was something that Senku would never consider.

"There's something else that we need to consider," Yuzuriha said as she tucked her legs against her chest, "If it's been as long as Senku says it has, and this Wu person did create these dinosaurs," she sighed, "What if he created more like this monster you're all talking about?"

Senku nodded, "I'd actually thought about that." He frowned, "If there's another one of these monsters, then we'd be fighting an entirely new species."

But Yuzuriha just shook her head, "No, Senku, I mean what if there are other monsters that are different than this one?"

"More hybrids?" Tsukasa asked with an arched brow, and looked at Senku, "Is that possible?"

Senku frowned and looked into the fires, "If I were of the same mind as Henry Wu...then I'm ten billion percent certain that there's more than just that thing out there, and that there are entirely new genetically engineered species that shouldn't exist out there...I just don't know how many of them are predators."

ドクターストーン

Yuzuriha smiled as she filled her basket with Spring fruits with Einstein snatching the odd piece from her basket every so often. The girl didn't mind as the animal was already carrying a basket each of apples and pears she had managed to pick.

Sadly, when it came to foraging for food, Taiju was still sorely lacking in skills. Senku lamented that the first time he had sent him out for food, he had come back with mostly poisonous plants.

While it was her first time foraging, and she only had the Struthiomimus for company, she kept the camp well in sight. Einstein was a fine watchdog as long as she paid attention to him. As long as he was picking from her baskets, she knew that he was fine and that she was safe.

She also had a small bow that Senku had made for her as well a day or so after she had revived. She was more than pleased with it as she had taken archery lessons while in school, and was quite good with it.

"Alright, you glutton," she giggled as Einstein plucked a strawberry from her latest basket, "I think we've got enough for - "

Einstein suddenly squawked in alarm and ducked low to the ground. Sensing the danger, Yuzuriha followed his example and ducked into a nearby shrub for cover. The Struthiomimus huddled in close and wrapped his tail around her as if protecting her as a low rumble sounded right above them. A small drizzle of red sprinkled down through the leaves as whatever the creature had in its mouth bled.

She chanced a look up, and froze as she gazed directly at what looked like a demonic cross between a bull and a lizard. It wasn't a very big animal compared to other predators she had seen and heard of, but it was easily recognizable. A Carnotaurus. Smaller than the Tyrannosaurus, but far more aggressive according to Senku's observations. He had even told her of one such animal fighting with a Rex, and almost getting the better of it.

This one, however, seemed more preoccupied with the mangled corpse in its mouth. She couldn't tell what it was anymore, the front half being in the monster's mouth, and shredded.

It threw back its head and tossed the corpse further down its throat and began to move off. Yuzuriha let out the breath she had been holding and peeked out, wanting to make sure the monster was well and truly gone before moving on.

The Carnotaurus was gone, however, she did find something that she didn't expect.

As she came out of the bushes, along came a tiny, stumbling, squawking dinosaur that she didn't recognize. It was bigger than the Compies that Senku had warned her to be wary of, but smaller than any other dinosaur she had yet to see, few and far between as they had been. The little animal had a slightly bumpy head with small bony lumps growing above its eyes, and a tiny beak-like mouth. [A baby?] She wondered as the little one stumbled along in the tracks left by the Carnotaurus. [What it was eating must have been its mother.] She thought sadly as the poor little baby tripped and fell, mewling piteously.

Yuzuriha moved quickly as the little one tried to get back to its feet and scooped it up. "Easy, now," she cautioned the little animal as it struggled weakly, "It's okay, I won't hurt you, Baby." She then tucked the little dinosaur against her chest and cradled it, rocking slowly. The motion must have calmed the little dinosaur, because it quieted right away.

The distant roar of what she thought could be the Carnotaurus rang out, and the girl made the decision.

ドクターストーン

"Where did you find that little fella?" Taiju asked as he came into camp and spotted Yuzuriha feeding the little dinosaur.

The girl looked up at him with a bright smile, "I found her after his mother was killed," she said sadly, "She was trying to find her, and was wandering around in the tracks of the predator that killed her. I couldn't just leave her."

Senku poked his head out of his laboratory, and smiled, "She was lucky, that's for sure. Carnotaurs are nasty pieces of work, even if they're on the smaller side."

Tsukasa, who was sharpening his spear by the fire, gave the wild-haired scientist a look of concern, "But will be alright to keep it?" He asked, "It's small now, but wouldn't it be a problem if it grew up and became aggressive?" He frowned as Taiju bent to inspect the little menace as it latched onto his finger. "See?"

"She's just curious," Taiju moaned, nursing his finger as the little one let go.

Senku agreed with him, "Her species isn't aggressive unless provoked," he smiled as he came over to his friends and the little dinosaur, "She's a Dracorex, a member of the pachycephalosaurid, the dome-headed dinosaurs that had incredibly thick skulls meant for ramming." He chuckled, "This one was actually called Dracorex hogwartsia, or the Dragon King of Hogwarts," He laughed, "And this little rascal is a plant eater, not at all like what a real dragon would be like."

Yuzuriha giggled at the animal's name, "Do you think I could ride her when she get's bigger like you and Taiju do with Einstein?"

Senku thought for a moment, "A full grown adult would probably be around eleven to twelve feet long, and upwards to a thousand pounds, though they're not very tall..." he smirked, "Yeah, it should work. She'll be more than strong enough in no time at all."

The girl was positively beaming at the idea, and cuddled her new friend, "Great, then from now on, your my little Akachan!"

Tsukasa snorted, "Strange name for the king of dragons."

"Technically she's a queen," Senku reminded him with a laugh of his own, then his face turned serious, "I think I might know of a way to get rid of our resident monster."

ドクターストーン

Author's Note: Sorry this has taken so long to get out, but I just got super excited seeing the Season 3 trailer of Camp Cretaceous and the E-750 Scorpio Rex. I had to wait until I got a few more details about it before I decided to continue, and it gave me a few more ideas about what to do with Ishigami village in the long run.

Anyway, if you liked this chapter, then you know exactly what to do. Adios Amigos!