Chapter 3
Zander vs Ed
As the second round was about to begin, Cera having finished her match with Seth, then made her way to where the D Team were sitting on one of the outer bends of the arena, "Hey guys, mind if I sit with you?" She asked to which her old friends readily welcomed her with smiles and laughs.
"Haha sure Cera, we'd love to have you chill and hang with us." Max replied as he shifted a bit to the side leaving a space open between him and Zoe.
Cera smiled happy for the gesture of kindness as she sat in with them, "Heh just like old times huh?" Rex asked her.
She nodded back, "Yup, and believe it or not those were the best times of my life….." She replied as she looked up at the sky and the mid morning sun above them, "Maybe even better than my time before the Shadow War." She then thought to herself, while she had some good memories before meeting the D Team none of them had the action packed thrills and adventure or bonds that she built up with them. To her friends, they too believed having her around truly made their lives way better than they could have ever been and even opened new possible doors for them down the road too.
Rex smiled as he began to drift back into old times, but then shook his head, "We can remininsce about the old days later, right now let's not take our eyes off the present." He suggested as the others looked ahead at the field before frowning a little, "Then again….not like we'll be expecting too much…." He commented feeling a bit underwhelmed, given Zander and Ed's history as being part of the Alpha Gang's 3 stooges, let's just say it didn't inspire much confidence in a good fight.
Same was to be said back at the Alpha Gang seats below, "Say Dr Z." Ursula whispered to her boss curious to know his opinion, "Who do you think we should root for in this situation?"
In response though, the old man simply folded his arms and scoffed, "Hmph! Between those 2 nitwits I don't really care who wins or loses….given that there isn't much to be expected from you lot." He grumbled with a hard scowl towards Ursula, making her groan and lower her head in shame.
"Ugh…." She groaned pained at her duel fate that she and her 2 friends would continue to be treated as Dr Z's dogs to the end of time.
"All that matters is that you 2 jesters put on a good show for your king and all his subjects around us! You hear me!? Ahahahah!" Dr Z then burst out laughing out loud, so loud Zander and Ed could hear him further off in the distance where they stood on the arena.
"Urk…." Ed felt his stomach twist and turn inside out, as if the pressure was about to make him hurl and throw up his meals over the past 3 days, he hadn't been this pressured since taking the gameshow all on his lonesome and how it was one nail biting moment after the next as he barely managed to keep up with Zoe with most his answers being lucky guesses.
Zander could understand Ed's worry, considering being pantsed at gym class once, but swallowing hard, "We'd better try and make it convincing and mix in a few real moves here and there Ed." He whispered on his device over to Ed who nodded quickly in agreement.
"Yeah otherwise they may catch onto us."
Unaware of their scheming being the scenes the MC announced proudly and with excitement, "Without further ado, the second match of round 1 is about to begin! After an intensive first battle between Cera and Seth who knows what we can expect this time around! So get ready for even more jaw dropping action packed with thrills and chills!"
In the seats above, Laura looked towards her brother curiously, "So Rod, how do you think this will turn out?" she asked.
Rod though, like his grandfather, simply folded his arms behind his head uncaringly, "All I know is, given Ed and Zander's past track records, this is gonna be one big mess for sure." he bluntly replied.
Laura then shrugged her shoulders in agreement, "Yeah you're right about that." Their parents frowned a little seeing how little faith they had in their adoptive uncles, after all in a way they still were family even if they were awkward or didn't have the best records in life.
Reese though remaining quiet and reserved as usual, smiled lightly at Zander below, secretly rooting for him despite the others' less approved views of him.
Another member of the family though was being rather vocal in contrast to her though, "Bah! I don't care about this joust between jesters!" Dr Owen ranted out loudly in a tantrum making a few onlookers on the rows behind and in front of him scoot away as his childish behaviour was putting them off, "I just want to see my lovely queen Ursula take the stage already!" He screeched shedding tears of blood shaking his fist in agony of having to wait.
Patrick widened his eyes in alarm as he tried to restrain his boss, "AH! Senoir! Please calm yourself down!" he cried as it took nearly all his strength to hold back the rabid fan in Dr Owen, who was making a scene as several spectators eyed them with suspicious or annoyed looks.
As the dome surrounded Ed and Zander, they found themselves appearing within an earth battlefield which was a large craggy valley surround by several boulders and tall mountainous walls around them, the ground solid bone hard and cracked in some areas given the dry landscape.
Zander then whispered to Ed on his dinoshot once more, "Alright Ed, you know what to do? Make sure you don't mess this up." He whispered seriously.
"Got it Zander," Ed replied with assurance and holding a thumbs up at his end, "If this works we'll both be out of the tournament and neither of us will have to get a brutal beatdown or pile driving from that muscle head of a drill sergeant there." He looked over his shoulder worryingly to make sure, only to find that Craig was narrowing his gaze at them looking rather observant and serious as he folded his arms.
They both gulped, swallowing what seemed like a hedgehog down their throats, "Sure we may lose the chance to continue on in this world class tournament and probably regret it for the rest of our lives…." Zander muttered.
"But considering what lies ahead for us if we continue down this dangerous path…." Ed followed after him in thought as they both shivered in terror, finding themselves between a rock and a hard place. Though after weighing their options they found living with emotional shame would be better than going through the rest of life mangled. Surrendering in the match wasn't an option either as it wold make them look a whole lot worse and no double instigate an angry mob after them too.
"Yeah even if we will have to live with regrets at least we can keep our lives intact…." Zander choked a little before shaking his head and wiping the sweat from his brow believing it was for the greater good, "So in the end everyone wins hehe…." He snickered and grin with glee knowing this couldn't fail like their other schemes since technically they weren't doing anything evil this time around….till Zander realised there may be an actual downside to all this, "Ack! But wait…..If I drop out here then….." Looking above at Reese, he could feel his heart tearing up realising he could fail to impress the love of his life if he were to lose. He could feel his own guilty conscience nagging at him for several seconds before he had to pull on his own hair and let the pain drown out said voice, "N…NO! This is for the greater good!" He screamed to himself before panting hard in exhaustion and looking away from the stands, "Sorry my angel for you to look at me in such a disgraceful way but….this is the only way out! I hope you'll understand…." he cursed himself on the inside, while he would do anything for his beloved Reese, sadly this was one of those times where he felt he needed to draw the line. Though he could feel as though his own heart was raging deep inside him and was barely holding itself together from the massive crack that formed inside him.
Almost as if on cue that very moment, the MC then declared out loudly to the crowds, "And now let's get this second match underway!" He announced as cheers echoed all around.
"Fossil Fight! Fossil Fight!"
"Let's see a duel already!"
Craig grin-remembers how they helped Euro Town now will see how well they do things here-look forward to the battle
"Alpha slash!" Ed and Zander both called out together as they summoned forth their partner dinos!
"Gush out spinosaurus!"
"Shake em up Saichania!" Appearing onto the rocky field was both Spiny and Tank who both roared at one another
"Zander has chosen Spiny while Ed calls forth Tank!" The MC commented, feeling excited himself to bear witness a pair of legendary dinosaurs who played a role in their history and the formation of their society, "Both of these 2 have been great heroes for our fair city during the Shadow War so we can be sure to be in for a wild ride of a lifetime with the battle they will bring to the table!" He shouted with such enthusiasm it made the 2 of them fan favourites to the audience, especially those in or from Euro Town as they recalled what they did for them.
"My money's on Spiny!"
"Nah! Tank's got this in the bag!"
"Give us a great battle you two!"
Overhearing them, Spiny and Tank felt appreciated and honoured to receive praise, apart from Rod, Cera and Laura they didn't really have anyone treat them with genuine kindness so they felt it would only be fair if they gave back to their fans fairly…..which sadly Zander and Ed didn't have intention of doing.
"Alright Spiny! Give it all you've got!" Zander called out with enthusiasm. Spiny though could sense his intentions didn't match his words, but being made to obey, he grunted and snarled before rushing hard at Tank!
"Tank! Get in there and show em who's boss!" Ed responded punching forward. Tank hesitated a little looking towards him, but got over it and roared out before charging forth too! Both dinosaurs met in a head on collision, the impact causing the earth around them to crack as they were then pushed back by it, firing them to dig in their heels to stabilise.
"Tail swipe Spiny! Go!" Zander commanded as the spinosaurus roared and swung out his tail towards the saichania.
Ed grinned seeing it as no problem, "Tank and I will meet that head on!" Tank spun in a circle before lashing out her club tail, which met against Spiny's though hers' was heavier along with armour and spines it won the clash as Spiny stumbled from the impact as a result.
Snarling with anger Spiny lunged out snapping at her head but Tank side stepped in time causing him to miss and stumble over a rock where she lay. As he tried to regain his footing on the insecure ground, Tank charged at him hoping to knock him off his feet, but instinctively he leapt out of the way causing her to smash her head into a rock wall! She shrugged it off however given her head was armoured with a built in shock absorber and helmet before turning to face Spiny as they roared at each other fiercely!
"Attack again Spiny!" Zander commanded again as he punched forward while trying to sound as real as he could. Spiny snarled and swiped his arm out!
"Guard Tank!" Ed responded crossing his arms in front of him.
As Spiny's claws were about to hit their mark, Tank lowered her head and tucked it under, revealing her back spines in place! As the claw met with them, Spiny's arm was then repelled as he staggered back, growling in pain before turning to lick his hand which was scraped by the spines.
"Oh no! I thought that would work!" Zander whelped pretending to sound genuinely shocked.
"Way to tank it out Tank!" Ed cheered pumping up his arm, as the saichania narrowed her eyes at Ed, annoyed with his poor commands.
"Tank's defensive bony armour and spines make a formidable defence! No way can Spiny break through that even with claws and teeth! How will Zander work around this?" the MC announced. As he did so, Craig however, hardened his gaze as he could tell something was definitely up, but decided to let it slide as nothing….for now.
"Attack again Spiny! Don't let up!" Spiny hesitated a moment feeling unsure with Zander's blunt orders, but as he looked to him, Zander scowled in annoyance, "That's an order! Do it now!" He yelled, spurring the spinosaurus to growl and charge in again, this time heading for her side flanks.
"Tank! Hang in there!" Ed responded as she curled up defensively, covering her arms over her head to guard it from attack.
Spiny though rammed at her sides in an attempt to flip her over, but with her spines preventing him from getting any closer he only managed a harmless shove tackle. After several failed attempts to flip her over, Spiny made his way to her head, snapping at it but he couldn't get a good grip on her given her heavily armoured skull. He then resorted to slashing and kicking at her face instead, along with a handful of tail swipes, but her defensive stance held on as he began to pant with fatigue. Stepping back to catch his breath, Tank uncurled from her spot and shook her head in disorientation, the multiple attacks having drained some of her stamina and rendering her rather dazed too.
"Zander's head on strategy seems to be whittling away at Tank's energy bit by bit, though it seems to be draining his dinosaur's stamina at an equal cost too." The MC said rather seriously as a bead of sweat dropped from his cheek at the tension in the air, before folding his arms in thought, "Though, you'd think that he'd realise how slow and ineffective that would be and try something else by now…." he muttered rather confused, also feeling rather bad for the dinosaurs given their partners' poor commands from Zander's refusal to change strategy or Ed doing nothing but letting his dino get hit.
"Hey! Aren't they supposed to be like using moves too?"
"Yeah, they actually haven't used any since this battle began."
"This is going too long….when till we get to the good part!?"
"You know after the first battle you'd think we'd have a really packed second match….but this is kinda underwhelming…."
Various murmurs and suspicions began to arise amongst the spectators, some of which even came from the Captains themselves in fact it spread like the flu so fast, it caught up to where the D Team's families were sitting. While some of them tried to ignore the gossip believing them to be nonsense and just enjoy the entertainment, Rod, Reese and Laura soon began to catch on to being suspicious too.
"Not even Zander and Ed can be this lame Laura….." Rod whispered to her to which she nodded.
She put a finger to her chin in response, "Yeah you're right Rod….you don't think?"
Dr Z on his end laughed out in a jolly manner wile Ursula whistled cheering on their allies unaware of what they were planning…..but while the D Team watched from their side of the stands eying the match giving no comment yet so far, "Something seems….off…." Cera placed a finger to her chin in thought.
Her thoughts were
Back at the battle, Spiny lunged forward hoping to tackle Tank, but she then leaped out of the way and thus caused Spiny to ram his head right into the rock wall! Staggering back he groaned in pain, grasping it with his hands as he tried to steady himself and shake it off. Tank, despite having dodged Spiny's attack, panted with exhaustion after the constant dodging had taken out much of her stamina, along with a handful of attacks Ed forced her to endure on purpose. Refusing to lose though, she roared and swung out her tail at Spiny, only the spinosaurus to sidestep in time. After several exchanges of ties, dodging and intentional attack landings, soon both Alpha Gang dinosaurs began to pant hard with exhaustion, with bruises and scrapes around their bodies as Tank's legs were beginning to buckles while Spiny had to crouch on all fours just to keep himself on his feet.
"Heh, looks like it's all going good so far." Zander smirked seeing no one has yet caught onto their act yet.
"At this rate Tank and Spiny will wear themselves out while we make it look good too." Ed smiled with relief and satisfaction, it won't be long now till they were both home free. Though looking at their partners and seeing how battered they were, they couldn't help but feel some regret for their actions, "Sorry about putting you through this…." Ed sighed being the more sympathetic of the two.
Zander clenched his fist tightly and gritted his teeth as he forced himself to bury his conscience, "But for our sakes we've got no choice!" He hissed to himself, but knows they need not drag it out any longer, at the sate they were in, in one last move they'll knock themselves out at the same time in a tie!
Tank and Spiny then roared out fiercely and in anger and frustration at being forced to take such atrocious orders, something which had NOT gone unnoticed by a certain captain, who hardened his gaze and gritted his teeth in anger. "Grr….That tears it!" Having watched their 'duel' long enough it was all too clear to Craig what they real intention was….and it was already more than he could take as his eyes began to redden with veins and he was just about ready to blow, as he slowly walked out of his seat unnoticed while everyone had their eyes focused on the 'climax' of the duel.
"Alright this is it!"
"Time for the big finale!" Both Zander and Ed declared as they were about to punch forward and end their battle with a flashy tie attack that would hopefully take both their dinosaurs out of the match. Both dinosaurs roared out as they charged at one another, everyone's eyes unable to look away as they were about to meet head on! As they were about to connect…..it was suddenly cut off by the most unexpected of intrusions-
"How….DARE YOU!?" Craig bellowed out at the edge of the arena at the top of his lungs! It was so loud it was enough to force even Tank and Spiny to stop in their tracks and look his way, as Craig became the centre of everyone's attention!
"EH!?"
"Huh!?"
"Wh…What the!?" Everyone even the MC was caught completely off guard by the unexpected development, but none more so than Ed and Zander. They felt their hearts jump upon seeing the expression of pure fury bleeding out of Craig's own eyes, it was a face so stern and sharp to the point it could cut even through a t-rex's heart! The entire audience or in fact even the world was stunned silent upon not just Craig's loud yell but also by how he was breathing so heavily and carrying such a pageful expression, no one dared say anything nor could they even bring themselves to move at all! Even babies who would be scared or cried by such anger were rendered speechless too, finding themselves frozen in place or rooted to the spot like statues. The tension in the air was so thick it could squeeze the air out of one's lungs too.
Stomping forward a little, the other captains making no attempt to stop their comrade as they were caught by surprise by his sudden outburst as Craig then pointed out at Zander and Ed, "You two call that a battle with those pathetic excuses for attacks!? How dare you even set foot in our most sacred ground of all and dishonour with such a half hearted performance like that?!" He growled.
"GAH!"
"AH!" Ed and Zander widened their eyes upon realising their act was seen through by the last person they hoped wouldn't. The sheer anger on Craig's face was beginning to make them and many others wet their pants, even Spiny and Tank too found themselves stunned with fear as well.
As he clenched his hand and veins began to pop out and twitch from his wrists, Craig snarled with unbridled rage, "Do you take us for fools!? Do you really think I can't see through such an obvious act like yours!? Your moves all have no strategy or thought, but more importantly there is no heart in them at all!"
At the sound of Craig's declaration, and seeing how Ed and Zander making no attempt to deny it, the MC soon picked up on the fact that it was pure truth, "Huh!? Wh…What's this!?" He had absolutely no words to describe the shock he and many of the audience were feeling upon this realisation.
As many murmurs of confusion and bewiwldemenr echoed amongst the crowds, Dr Z while initially stunned with widened eyes and shock, he then gritted his teeth and many furious veins appeared all over his bald forehead, "Excuse me!? You 2 numbskulls were swindling us this entire time like this battle was just a mere….sideshow!?" He growled getting the attention of his men, who turned pale seeing he was turning his anger on them too! Clenching his fist and gnashing his teeth ferociously, "How dare you dishonour my I mean our stadium of dreams like that!? BOO!"
The moment he began screeching and ranting, Ursula, Zander and Ed couldn't believe their ears, "D…Dr Z!?" They widened their eyes in bewilderment, while they were used to take all kinds of abuse from Dr Z this was there first they had ever heard from him like this, as such they were stunned speechless and unable to respond or comprehend how much their adoptive father was showing them such disgust towards them in public of all places.
It was about to get a whole lot worse, as Dr Z's Booing began to set off a spark in the audience around them.
"Hey! The old geezer is right about that!"
"Get out of here!"
"You stink!"
"How dare you make a mockery of our arena?!" Various spectators felt their expectations betrayed and even ashamed for having believed in the duo only to receive such disgraceful behaviour from them in return. Thus causing them to turn on the 2 men whom they once believed as heroes now they saw them as frauds.
Eventually it started chain reaction, each cycle feeding off itself adding further fuel to the wildfire of hatred and scorn. Seeing it happen on public and worldwide made everyone who was acquainted with Ed and Zander feel stunned and shocked by what they tried to pull off or feel really bad for them now that they were the focus of the world's whole anger.
"Ooh…tough crowd we got here…." Rod sweated feeling his heart race uncontrollably.
"That would be an understatement." Helga replied, usually nothing fazed her but this was the first time ever in her whole robotic life she experienced such a feeling of worry, especially for Ed and Zander whom she normally wouldn't bat much of an eye towards. Reese put a hand on her chest feeling bad for them too,
At the D Team's side, they gulped or sweated profusely feeling lucky that they weren't out there now, the only time they felt such scorn or hatred was when they ruined the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona but even that was tame in comparison to this.
While they found it astonishing that Ed and Zander would pull off a stunt like that, it was stupid even for them, but for Craig to take it so personally like that….they couldn't understand it.
Uneasily, they looked to the only person whom they felt could give them an answer, "C…Cera…." Max croaked out feeling his throat all dry as she looked to him, "Wh…Why did-"
She sighed knowing what he was going to ask so she decided to help finsih for him instead knowing she owed them a little explanation, "Craig….being a former wrestler and sergeant in our Resistance has great pride due in his effort to reach where he is now. And because of that he always ensures he and everyone else under him always give their absolute best." She explained as her mind flashbacked to a time she was watching TV as a kid at home, seeing Masked dino duelling and how Craig stood as one of the great champions of the ring as he wore an ankylosaurus themed mask and stood over a smaller skinnier opponent in triumph, bellowing out a victory yell as the crowds cheered and roared in admiration, with Tata his talarurus roaring out in a nearby ring having pinned down a saltasaurus, "As a wrestler while he did it for the glory that came with it, that was merely a bonus, above all he did it for the smiles and people who loved dino duelling with all their heart so he gave it his best each day as he lived." Cera explained having read the feelings of his dinosaur once and getting their point of view from them and why they love their boss so much, "Before the war, he found dino duelling to be the same as breathing, to treat each day as it was your last and to live each day to the fullest with no regrets." She said, recalling some of the words he spoke after that match, but also once during a time when he lead some boy scouts in a summer camp she took part in as well.
"Because of that, the one thing he detests above all are those who are either quitters or do things half heartedly to the bare minimum." She said as her friends listened on, feeling rather moved and understanding. Cera narrowed her eyes continuing to explain, "During the war he had an eye for talent and seeing the potential in others thus when electing soldiers he does so knowing they can give and contribute a great deal to the cause of defeating the Shadow Empire. As a sergeant he knows while not everyone is perfect or can do everything there should be no excuses for not giving it your all and surpassing your limits and whatever walls in life you face." Advice Craig himself applied from a young age, having grown up in a very strict and disciplined family lifestyle. From wrestler to sergeant he trained hard day after day to become the man he is now, something he did with his dinosaurs even when they were hatchlings, and then carrying it to the war zone.
"Refining our soldiers to their purest state, polishing them till they shine bright or sharpen them to a weapon that can pierce any threat….Much like how a geologist is able to see past the hard dull exterior of a geode and see the shining gem inside." She continued as she recalled motivating fiercely or kindly encouraging certain soldiers who collapsed on the training course like a gym trainer would. Even if he had seen weak individuals, at least they were willing to give their all on the field and for thew cause, or finding that they can shine in other ways too.
Cera remembered like it was just yesterday back during her war days. Seeing how many of Craig's soldiers often looked down or belittled females either because they were kept off the frontlines or were looked down upon as being weak, she herself decided to take a stand and prove them wrong. After gaining her father's approval Craig reluctantly enlisted her in his new trainee program, and though having low expectations at first, only agreeing out of Cera's determination to be his first female trainee, he was proven wrong when she performed for better than the others. Her determination and courage becoming a shining example and inspiration for others in the Resistance to follow and since then Craig had opened his channels for all to join him as long as they had the same rock hard will and determination to stay the course as she did.
"To either give up back away from it or take the easy way around it…..really goes against his principles…." As Cera said that, she shuddered a little as she flashbacked to when she once saw him giving quite the mouthful to a couple of troopers who tried to shirk work or training duty, giving excuses like faking being sick. Much of what he said then was the same thing he was saying too Zander and Ed now, though it was way worse for those who tried to cheat in their training courses by finding shortcuts or sabotage others out of selfish pride or jealousy. That was when he really gave them the boot and would use them as target practice or test dummies even. While seemingly cruel he did have his principles and anyone in his course who disobeyed them would be showing him great disrespect.
"When the Shadow War ended, I guess like many others he really wanted to bring dino duelling back to the world like how it was in its glorious days when everyone gave their best in combination with their dinosaur partners like he did too in the ring once…." She said rather sadly as she could empathise more with her comrade's feelings and many others too during her days in the Resistance. Looking ahead at the field and seeing the Alpha duo at his merciless dagger tipped words, "So now that we see Ed and Zander, who fought hard and gave hope back to the people of Euro Town, put on such a mediocre performance all out of pure selfishness when they could have been capable of so much more…." she sighed at the end.
As Cera finished her story, the D Team then realised a side of Craig they never thought possible and seeing things from his point of view they couldn't help but empathise with him, "Oh dear….." Zoe sighed putting a hand over her mouth feeling bad about the Earth captain's feelings getting hurt or toyed with.
"When you put it like that….I think I get why he'd be ticked off like that…." Max choked, realising the truth in his words too and thus believing he shouldn't waste his days from this point on since there was no telling when it may come to an end.
"But still….I can't help but feel sorry for them…." Rex sighed as they looked ahead to find Zander and Ed being at the end of the crowds' anger. As bad as they felt for Ed and Zander, there was nothing they could do for them except let it play out and hope it cools down, for any further interference would surely aggravate the situation that is already out of hand. They also decided to take it to heart to fight with all their best when their turns came around, they and the other remaining participants.
As the hostility began to escalate to the point even the MC didn't dare try to tame the crowd. With all the jeers and boos they were receiving, a handful of the spectators throwing their trash into the arena in an effort to hit Zander and Ed, they tried their best to defend themselves, "Y…You've got this all wrong! Really!" Zander cried out.
"We just…couldn't bring ourselves to hurt our friends so badly!" Ed responded hoping to find as good an excuse as he could to justify their standpoint.
"Yeah that's right! I mean we've all gone back a long way and we just-"
Sadly their attempts were futile, as Craig quickly rebuked them violently, "Don't give me such lousy excuses! In fact I've seen way more convincing acts from the many deserters and shirkers from my training camps throughout the years, but you 2 are even worse than all of them put together!" He growled, as he tightened one fist he gritted his teeth as if he was enduring real pain as he thought back to the days of the Shadow War, and seeing the pain and destruction suffered to their beloved city before and the aftermath of people losing hope. How no one could smile again or even look at dinosaurs the same way evermore, "How we fought with all our strength and might just to see a new day, while several gave up hope in despair many still wished for the day they could one day enjoy dino duelling to their fullest…." He breathed, as Zander and Ed, along with many others in the audience felt his heartfelt words reach theirs'.
"And you dare give them such a disgraceful half hearted performance as such!?" He roared loudly that even shockwaves could be felt just from his yelling, "If you had the nerve to even set foot in our arena with such intentions you might as well not enter in the first place!" He pointed out at them, causing them to turn pale as their blood ran cold and their hearts began to skip beats in realisation, "It's one thing to shame the greatest day in history…." He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, in his closed eyes it looked as though small tears were actually beginning to form, tears of genuine sadness mixed with rage.
To Craig he encountered many shirkers and excuses during his drilling days, but it was inexcusable for any duelist, especially Euro Town's heroes, to not give their very best and the match that everyone deserves, all just for the selfish notion of avoiding to face him next round….but above all there was something Ed and Zander did that was way worse, "But to bring such disgraceful acts into our most sacred coliseum such as ignoring the voices of your own dinosaurs! Can't you see how much pain and suffering they are going through because of your stupidity!?"
"AH!" Zander and Ed widened their eyes, as Craig's words filled with truth and anger cut through them like a hot knife through butter, they could find no words at all to defend themselves with in face of the truth of their disgrace.
"Cowards like you have no place in our tournament or better yet in our timeline! You might as well pack and get out of here! Never even think of setting foot in Saurus City ever again!"
"After your outstanding save at Euro Town for a long time I looked forward to facing either of you in battle but it looks like you've disappointed me…."
"You both are a compete disgrace to the name of dino duelling!"
"W…Well folks….after the….stunning speech we just got from Captain Craig…..what will Zander and Ed do? Will they forfeit and leave the ring for the next match to take place?"
"Zander…we really messed up here…."
"Yeah…we really ought to just throw in the towel and never show our faces in public again….." At this point they knew it was far too late….they had crossed a line they couldn't come back from, now they could never look at anyone ind the face ever again….the only thing left for them is shame and dishonour. Only thing they could do now was surrender and leave the premises never to come back. Despite that, Zander and Ed both had a feeling inside them, that refused to allow them to do so strangely even with the humiliation they just suffered first hand, "And yet….I can't bring myself to…."
Roar!
"Huh?" The both of them looked up in surprise to see Spiny and Tank calling them respectively. As they looked into the eyes of their dinosaurs, they could see no more hostility or aggression towards them, in fact their dinosaurs seemed rather calmed now. Both of them let out a few grunts to their humans' way….and after listening to them closely for a while-
"Spiny? You….." Zander stepped back in surprise as if he could almost tell what the spinosaurus was telling him based on eye contact or the loudness of the grunts he was receiving
"Y…You're okay Tank?" Ed asked, hesitantly walking up to her head and petting her to which she nudged back with a grunt.
They both widened their eyes upon realising what they were trying to say back to them, "R…Really? You….forgive us?"
"You still wanna fight on?" Both dinos let out a roar of affirmation their way.
Hearing the voices of their dinosaurs, Zander took a stand and nodded with affirmation, "Ed, it's clear to me now we made a terrible mistake…." having acknowledging his wrongs and the consequences that came with them, "And now we've sullied ourselves in front of millions…." He said in a hard tone.
Ed too felt the exact same way, "You're right Zander, but none of that matters now…." he said clenching his hand. They now knew how even more wrong it would be to not correct it, and what they must do now, "I'm way more upset about how we treated Spiny and Tank…" He said looking up to Tank and Zander to Spiny.
"They've done so much for us for as long as we can remember….." said Zander as he petted Spiny's head as he lowered himself to his level.
"Yeah….and what have we ever done for them in return?" Ed whimpered as he hugged Tanks' head closely. No wonder Rod and Laura were always able to use them better than they ever could, how ashamed they were to have been outdone by children time and again.
Zander then grinned energetically feeling more assured of himself than ever, "I think it's time we act like real men for once in our in our wasted lives!" He declared punching forward.
"I agree! Let's do this thing!" Ed mirrored Zander's expression and movements. Nodding at one another, they walked out to the edge of the dome standing before the crowds around them. They were still being glared with daggers of scorn all around them, others with expressions of betrayal. While they felt much remorse for what they did, they clenched their fists hard refusing to give into discouragement for there was no turning back now, and between the choice of running away and leaving a scar on everyone;'s hearts or taking a stand and mend it with whatever dignity they still had….the choice was obvious.
Taking a deep breath and mustering what courage they had remaining in their cowardly hearts, they let it out at the top of their lungs, "We're very sorry!"
"Hmm?"
"Huh?" Their sudden apology was met with looks of confusion to their sudden change, others being suspicious of them and not easily convinced. However those who knew them well, could tell they were being genuine this time around, so were rather surprised and taken aback, so they decided to see what would play out.
"Tch! What now? Another sob story?" Dr Z clicked his tongue in annoyance and disapproval, "Well get it over with and leave already so the next match can start, we don't have all day!" He scoffed sitting back grumpily with folded arms.
"Ssh! Dr Z! Don't make things any worse for them than it already is." Ursula whispered his way, not wanting to ruin Ed and Zander's moment or draw anyone's attention their way, though she wanted to be the centre of it this wasn't the case.
"Hmph, like it could get any worse…."
"Sheesh….Haven't they suffered enough already?" Laura sighed feeling really bad for her bumbling uncles.
"Some moral support Grampa is…." Rod huffed seeing he was just as disgraceful and a mess-up as Ed and Zander were.
Down below, the 2 of them looked towards the man who gave them nothing but the truth, and to his surprise they both ended up owing at him, "Craig, we just want to admit that what you said is completely true, we acted in a really disgraceful manner." Zander spoke.
"Nothing we can do can ever excuse us for what we did, yes we agree it is unforgivable and we were selfish about it….to not think about you all or about our dinos." Ed croaked a little but not in fear of getting yelled at but out of regret.
Hearing their genuine apology, Craig widened his eyes a little in surprise, to think they actually heeded his words and really wanted to make things right so quickly….while admirable, it would take more than a mere verbal apology to convince him to accept it. The same went for many of the duel loving spectators and fans they let down….Ed and Zander though knew that, and thus they also knew the right way to set things straight too.
"However," Everyone then listened in believing there was more to what they planned to tell them, "Even if we have made a huge mistake and crossed a line we may never be able to completely rectify it…."
"Or the huge disgrace we've made of ourselves and of this whole tournament…" Ed finished for Zander.
The audience remained quiet and listened, some of them were taken aback at how humble they were admitting their mistakes instead of trying to cover it up again, and being mature enough to taking their lumps and responsibility for their misguided deeds.
Suddenly the 2 of them opened up their eyes now filled with determination, "But no way no how are we just going to walk out of here with our tails between our legs!"
"Yeah! Cos giving up is for losers! And even if we are disgraces we AREN'T Losers!" They then yelled out at the top of their lungs to the surprise of the entire audience.
Grinning at one another with fire in their eyes, "We'll accept what happens now with dignity!"
"Like real men! Starting this moment now!"
"Element booster!" They both announced holding up their dino tector's before equipping it onto their Dinoshots! "Dino tector on!" In turn, it caused both Spiny and Tank to both gain their armoured forms as they roared out in their powered up forms!
Seeing their partners appear in their armoured forms caught everyone by surprise as gasps and wows of amazement echoed all through the arena.
The MC recovered from his initial shock but then grinned more energised than before as he announced out loudly to the masses, "And there you have it folks! The legendary element boosters! Now that both our contestants are finally un leashing every bit of their true strength we can expect a whole new kind of battle before our very eyes!"
"WAH!" Rod and Laura gasped in surprise.
"Now this I didn't see coming!" Johnathan widened his eyes, given their past records of being total klutzes, to see this was an eye opener even for an android like him.
"Finally! We get to the fun part at last!" Dr Z waved his arms out and whistled with excitement, "Go on you two! Prove yourselves to everyone here that you're worthy of subjects of the Dinosaur King!"
"Yeah!" Ursula cheered for them too, and not just them everyone seemed to be rooting for them here and now.
"Amazing!"
"It's even more shiny and magnificent than I first realised!"
"Who knows what'll happen now!"
"That makes this battle even more wild, unpredictable and entertaining!"
"Give us a real brawl this time around.
"Yeah!"
Seeing everyone fired up and cheering them on, both Zander and Ed grinned feeling totally motivated for the right reasons to give it their all. The real expressions on their faces, Craig could see it on them and he smirked pleased with their change in attitude, "Heh, about time…." Perhaps now the future of dino duelling would be safe after all.
Max and friends too cheered for Ed and Zander too, being caught up in the excitement of the crowds got them joining in, till Max blinked his eyes in realisation of something, "Hey Cera," He asked her as she looked to him curiously, "Are we really allowed to use armour in this tournament? I mean doesn't it seem a little…unfair against you guys?" He asked feeling a bit unsure as he scratched the back of his head wondering if it may be considered cheating.
In response though Cera shook her hand back at him, "No worries Max," she smiled as if it was no problem to her or the others, "In fact you all are welcome to use armour or Elemental fusion to your heart's content, wouldn't be fair if we limited your options just because you can and we can't." She replied before looking to the others with assurance, "After all it wouldn't be fun for everyone if you guys didn't get to fight at full strength right? Plus it would bring a new level of excitement and enjoyment to everyone else here in this day and time, one which we couldn't have experienced before."
"Hahah yeah that's true…." Max laughed back at her understanding g her post of view before looking back at the field to see Armored Tank and Spiny circling one another looking for an opening, "Though I think I'd rather use armour only if we face off against armour…just to make things fair."
"Yeah me too."
"Same here." Rex and Zoe nodded to which Cera smiled back.
"Whatever suits you." She responded before they all focused back on the battle at hand.
At the battle, things got real serious this time around, as Tank jump out hoping to tackle with her armour, Spiny side stepped in time as she smashed through a boulder which crumbled to pieces before her! In the dust she used it as a cover as she swung out her tail hoping to catch Spiny off guard! To her surprise, he was ready for her as he ducked in time and grabbed it with his long jaws before throwing her against the side of the cliff, carving a huge scar into its surface before flinging her across the battlefield! She however managed to curl up a little into a spiked ball before landing on her feet skilfully and roaring back in defence at Spiny who snared back her way!
"I won't hold anything back this time Zander!" Ed sounded his declaration of war.
Zander grinned in response, "Then neither will I Ed! It's go time Spiny!" With his heart filled command, Spiny roared with assurance ready to follow Zander to the end as he took a water move card, "Take this! Water sword!" Slashing it, Spiny generated a sharp blade of water from his mouth ready to slash it down!
Ed grinned fearlessly and responded with a move of his own, "No prob! Tank! Smash it to bits with quake saber!" Slashing the move, Tank generated a crystal sword from her tail and swung it back, it was no contest as the crystal sword shattered Spiny's water blade in contact!
"AH!" Zander gasped in alarm stumbling back at being overpowered so easily.
"And quake saber easily overpowers water sword!" The MC commented as the crowds began to become more energised and excited as Tank prepared to swing her tail back, "Here it comes again! What will Zander do next!?"
Zander gritted his teeth seeing another head on attack would be futile, so a more defensive approach was necessary this time round, "Urgh….Then let's try this! Shock wave!" Slashing it, Spiny generated a veil of water which surrounded him, blocking Quake saver on impact and throwing Tank off to Ed's surprise!
"Wah!"
"An incredible combination of defence and offence from shock wave! We could be seeing a turning point from here!" The MC announced out loud.
At the Captain's side Raina smirked seeing that manoeuvre gave her an idea for a new strategy should her turn come up later on, while Marina covered her mouth in amazement at the degree of elegance displayed.
"Whoa look at them go!" Blaze whistled in awe.
"Yeah, they're wrestling hard for the lead and yet neither of them seem to be able to get the edge on the other so far." Kaze narrowed his eyes while Craig looked on and grinned proudly.
"Heh, I knew they'd take it for real now, though I never expected to see this kind of fight from them." He had to admit they surpassed his expectations with this performance, and no matter who won as long as they put in the same effort as they were then with him, he'd be more than happy to face them with his own full power back.
"I remember Spiny doing that back in the caves when we found Amy and the euoplocephalus." Zoe commented as she remembered the scenario now is almost a replay of what happened then.
"That was a pretty good move…." Rex nodded in agreement.
Zander grinned seeing Tank was off balance a little, "Hehe! Now I'll follow it up with aqua whip!" Seizing the chance, Spiny shot out a huge lasso of water which ensnared Tank, who struggled to pull away but to no avail as Spiny lifted up his head and with Tankl over him!
"Oh no Tank!" Ed cried.
Zander then realised what was going to happen as he waved out his hands, "S…Sorry Tank! No hard feelings okay?" He apologised, though they were rivals in this tourney they still were friends, hopefully she'd be able to literally tank this hit without too much difficulty.
As the whip was about to be slammed down, "This is gonna hurt!"
"Oh I can't watch!" Rod and Laura looked away as Helga covered their eyes.
Ed though wasn't about to let that happen as he clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Tch! Don't worry Tank! This'll get you out of there!" He called out to her in assurance slashing another move, "Go mole attack!" As soon as Spiny slammed Tank on the ground she instead smashed through the earth leaving a huge hole where she landed to Zander and Spiny's surprise!
"Huh!? Wh…Where did….How did-!?" Zander was taken aback, at first he believed he may have hit too hard, till he widened his eyes in realisation of what happened a while back in the subways with ankylosaurus, "Uh oh….." Spiny looked down the hole sniffing for Tank's scent and trying to find her, though instead she found him as the ground beneath him quaked and glowed purple as he looked around in a panic! "Aah! Spiny watch out!" Zander's warning came too late as the saichania burst out of the ground spinning wildly knocking Spiny off his feet and onto some nearby rocks! "GAH!" Zander cried out in a panic while Ed cheered pumping up his arm in victory.
"Aha! Gotcha!" He cheered before seeing the spinosaurus stagger up to his feet, "Oooh…err….sorry Spiny!" he apologised which made Spiny grunt in annoyance and Zander grit his teeth in anger, friend or not no way was he about to let this slide.
"An amazing reversal by Tank and Ed!" The MC gasped with widened eyes, "Using the momentum of aqua whip they turned it right back at Zander with a charged up counter attack with mole attack!"
"Wow! Now that's called using your head!" Dr Drake commented.
"Never thought Ed had that in him." Rod smirked impressed, maybe he ought to give the trio more credit, once in a while they do come through and have good idas of their own.
"Heh, what did I tell you?" Craig snickered feeling more and more excited than before, "If you put your heart and head to it, you can surmount or better yet smash any wall in your way!" He bellowed loudly, said words began to fill Ed with newfound determination and courage he hadn't felt once before, and it felt….great.
Zander gritted his teeth in annoyance, this time no holding back, Ed now made it real personal, "Tragedy of the sphere!" He growled slashing the move card, as Spiny flashed blue and shot out a water orb at Tank's path!
Fearlessly Ed punched forward, "Smash right through it with crystal crusher!" Slashing the card, Tank roared glowing purple as 3 sharp pointed crystals sprouted from the ground and pointed forward in front of her like lances! She rushed forward towards the orb, and to Zander's bewilderment instead of snaring Tank, it popped like a bubble as they made contact with her crystal lancers which were now coming his way!
"Q….Quick dodge it!" Zander cried out and thankfully Spiny responded in time as he leapt out of the way, like an unstoppable force Tank ploughed through the terrain carving a huge scar on the landscape before smashing through a rock in front of her! As a huge cloud of dust erupted, she then jumped out and growled unscathed and the wall behind her had a huge hole punched through it!
"Aw man….we missed…." Ed grunted snapping his fingers
Seeing it made Zander gulp nervously realising that could've skewered Spiny had they not made it in time. "Phew! That was too close….a second later and we would've been skewered…." He breathed before tensing up, "Close combat is way too risky now, also clearly Tank has the advantage in this field, I have to think of a better approach…." he thought to himself as he forced his brain to work into overtime. Maybe attacking from a distance would be better this time around.
"Let's see you dodge this then Zander! Rock roller!" Ed has Tank slam the ground causing the earth around her to combine into a huge boulder! Spinning around and then smacking it with her tail as it was sent rolling Zander's way!
"WAAAH!" He cried out in a panic as everyone looked on worryingly at the huge rock coming at Spiny! Craig narrowed his eyes and focused, seeing that Spiny was too worn out to dodge this time, so the only way to beat this wall is by doing it head on….question is, would they pull it off?
Zander came to the same conclusion as Craig did, as much as he wanted to run away a part of him refused to do so after the talk from Craig earlier and from the fact Spiny was in no condition to do so because of his poor planning. He clicked his tongue seeing there was no other way, "Urgh….if we can't dodge then we'll smash it through!" It was a gamble but no other way around it, "Futaba super cannon!" Spiny roared fiercely as he flashed blue generating a pool of water before him! After that Futabasaurus popped his head out of the water and screeched fiercely ready to support them!
Zoe's eyes widened with delight seeing her old friend, "Oh hey Futaba! Long time no see!" she cheered waving her hand out. Hearing her voice made Futaba look to her and greet her back with a happy growl.
"Hey! You can play catch up later!" Zander shouted at the plesiosaur before pointing ahead, "Right now get rid of that boulder before it flattens us into pancakes!" Seeing it, he nodded in acknowledgement before charging up a powerful beam of water at the boulder! It slowed down the boulder somewhat and the immense pressure from it was slowly but surely eroding away at its surface as cracks began to form, question is, would it be able to stop it in time?
"You can do it Futaba! Don't let that rock beat you!" Zoe cheered with all her might, which earned her a few gazes from Max and Rex.
"Really Zoe?"
"Never thought we'd see the day you'd cheer on the Alpha Gang before." They commented with either cheekiness or suspicion.
She wasn't too bothered but pouted back at their teasing, "Hey come on, don't friends normally cheer each other on?"
"She's got a point," Cera vouched for her, "I mean you'd do the same too right?"
Her comment made Max and Rex look to one another and smile back, "I…guess you got a point there hehe…."
At the battlefield, Ed hardened his gaze and tensed up as sweat was squeezed out of his forehead, it wasn't too far off before the boulder would make contact!
On the other hand Zander gritted his teeth and clenched his fist hoping that they'd prevail as the pressure from the water cannon was slowly but surely making the boulder crack! As Futaba kept firing he soon began to buckle, which Zander noticed, "Oh no…I'd better do something or it's game over for us!" Thinking quickly he snapped his fingers getting an idea as he slashed another move card to assist them, "Falling water!" Spiny flashed blue as he shot out a burst of water from his jaws too, aiding Futaba to Ed's surprise!
"Saw wha!?"
"What's this!? An assist move from Spiny?! What a surprise!" The MC announced causing excited cheers to erupt at the surprise.
The increased pressure from both water attacks soon caused the boulder to give way as it punched a solid hole through and straight at Tank, knocking her off her feet and through several pillars of rock!
"Yay!" Zoe cheered with the rest of her friends while Futaba cried out happily.
"Alright!" Zander grinned while Spiny roared in victory.
Seeing his move thwarted again made Ed grit his teeth and flare red with anger, "Grrr! No fair!" he ranted shaking his fist out at Zander, as Tank worked her way up to her feet groggily but still able to fight.
"Haha! Sorry Ed but no dice!" Zander laughed back at him, he then grinned sneakily seeing now he held control over the terrain now, oh how he loved having the unfair advantage. He began to push it further as Spiny roared out summoning more pools of water around the battle field as they created more places for Futaba to pop out of, thus securing his hold on the terrain and his lead.
Ed on the other hand, while he liked the same, this time it wasn't in his favour as he gritted his teeth and sweated uneasily, seeing now he was facing 2 foes instead of one, one of which could attack from a distance with powerful long ranged attacks and can pop up from anywhere.
Now he had to play smart, so giving it quick thought and he held a finger to his chin, "Hmm….with all this water it isn't gonna be easy for us to fight….If only we had more ground or could drain the water away….Wait a sec…." As soon as said thought crossed his mind he smacked his fist into his palm, "Aha! I get it now!"
Zander blinked in surprise, "What's that?" he asked curiously as Ed took out an Earth move.
Looking at it, Ed hesitated a little gritting his teeth in pain before forcing himself to slash it, "Sorry buddy, I'd hate to do this but….this'll hurt me just as much as it hurts you! Go Tank! Earthquake!" Glowing purple Tank raised herself onto her back legs before slamming the earth with such forced it caused the pools to shake violently, water splashing out of the pools, many cracks in the ground forming and even pieces of the mountaintops crumbling down all around them!
"WAAAH!" The 2 of them stumbled about as they too felt themselves shaken up or avoiding the collapsing rock falls! A massive fissure opened up in the ground as it raced towards Spiny like a snake on the hunt! Realising the imminent danger, Spiny leapt out, but Futaba sadly was trapped in the pool he was in, as the crack opened up where his pond was causing the water to be drained away and he was desperately trying to hang on, before Tank slammed the fissure shut with her tail!
"NO! Futaba!" Zoe cried out in horror seeing her friend get sandwiched between the 2 walls of Earth causing them to revert back to crds!
"AH!" Everyone was caught completely by surprise not just at Ed's brutal attack but also how effective it was at resetting the field as the water was drained out completely and leaving nothing solid ground once more!
"Hehe, that oughta even the playing field!" Ed snickered before realising what he did, "Oh and uh…sorry about that…." he apologised at Zoe's way which made her flare up red with rage his way, which started her friends next to her as they backed away and even sent shivers up Ed's spine! He just knew he was going ton get it from her later….
"Heh, now that's using your head." Dr Z snickered impressed, "Bravo Ed! Bravo!" he cheered before yelling out at Zander, "Zander! Don't just stand there! Do something about it!" he growled to Ursula's confusion.
"Eh? Whose side are you on exactly Dr Z?"
A tic mark appeared on his forehead as he decided the gloves were off now, "Grr! You want to play rough Ed! Fine then! Take this! Aqua vortex!" Slashing the water move with no hesitation, Spiny generated a whirlpool around him before summoning another to swallow up Tankl! Trapping her and rendering her unable to escape as it closed in on her!
"WAH!" Ed yelped caught off guard before shrugging it off, "N…No prob! We'll pay you right back with Sand trap!" Seconds before being taken in by the water, Tank glowed purple and generated sand under Spiny's feet causing him to be sucked into the quicksand!
"AAAH!" They both yelped as the water vortex spun Tank around violently till she collapsed on the ground while a huge sand spike struck out from the pit launching Spiny out and making him collapse on the ground hard!
Despite the massive punishment they each received from one another, both dinosaurs soon made it back to their feet, but staggered heavily weakened along with their partners who panted with exhaustion with the powerful exchange of blows for some time now.
"What an incredible display!" Spike couldn't help but gasp as he and everyone else were on the edge of their seats now.
"Man, I never thought they'd be equally matched like that." Rod breathed feeling all sweaty and uncomfortable, how he hoped the fight would end soon because there was only so much sweat this clothes could take. He was even tempted to take off his top layer and wear just his white singlet underneath.
None of them were more surprised than Craig himself who rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing right. After confirming it, "I never imagined I'd be on the edge of man seats for those bozos." He said deeply impressed and pleased, "Heh just goes to show that like geodes, everyone has a gem inside them underneath their rocky exterior. You've just gotta break them out of their shells to get it."
"Have to say those 2 clowns really have blown my expectations right out of the water…." Dr Z too found their performance quite remarkable as he folded his arms back and gritted his teeth in annoyance, "Tch! Can't believe I'm saying this but….I'd better reward them for a job well done when this is over with…" Deep down he didn't want to admit it but seeing his men take it like real men and stop being snivelling whiners helped improve his opinion of them slightly.
On the field, Ed and Zander, sweated profusely from fatigue and exhaustion. Despite not being in the battle themselves, their spirits were joined with their dino partners the moment their real fight started, so now they could hear their dinosaurs' thoughts as well as their pain….and seeing now that their damage from before has caught up with them, and how ignorant and blind they were to it at first due to their selfishness. Both Zander and Ed knew one thing was true, "Alright, this has gone on long enough…." The least they could do for them, after putting up with them not just for this battle but their many battles before, it was time to give back to them in return, as they nodded at one another.
"Ed! Let's settle this once and for all! One last move to end it all!" Zander yelled out loudly declaring his final move, to which Ed responded back wholeheartedly.
"Music to my ears Zander!" He yelled as they both took out their move cards!
"Here we go!" They yelled simultaneously, ready to put their heart and soul into this last move.
"Ah!" Everyone widened their eyes in alarm.
"Here it comes!" The MC announced as he quickly took cover behind his seat knowing something big was coming and how right he was!
"Ultimate Earth!"
"Ultimate water!" They both yelled at the top of their lungs slashing their strongest moves of all!
Geysers and a massive tidal wave erupted around Spiny as he rushed forward propelled by the powerful torrents, while Tank on the other side generated several giant violet crystals before her before rushing through them with full force! Both dinosaurs then met in a massive clash as they rammed head on into each other! The clash ended in a stalemate as sparks erupted along with water and shards of crystal erupting around them! Everyone started unblinkingly for several seconds before a massive explosion erupted in between them!
BOOM!
"AH!" Everyone widened their eyes at the incoming explosion which whited out the screen!
Many were unable to utter even a single word in the moment, others sweated at the increased tension in the air as they awaited the obscureness to clear out, which thankfully it didn't take too long.
As vision was restored, it was revealed there were many huge cracks in the ground where the impact of the ultimate moves made contact, and on opposite sides, Tank and Spiny all covered in injuries as a result of the attack they dealt to one another. Zander and Ed too seemed to have a couple of scrapes and bruises all over too, but now they stood firmly waiting for the other to move…at this point they had fought one another into a corner that the first to move would lose.
Suddenly to Ed's alarm, Tank's knees buckled as she fell down flat on the ground, yet she refused to give in as Spiny walked up to her, panting in exhaustion. They both seemed to have communicated with one another with a few grunts and stared at one another for a few short seconds….till Spiny's eyes closed and he collapsed on his side, reverting to a card while Tank forced herself back up to her 4 legs and roared out in triumph, as everyone looked on in sheer speechlessness.
"WAH! Spiny no!" Zander gasped in alarm as he ran over to pick up his partner's card.
"Huh!?" Ed widened his eyes blinking them repeatedly to make sure he wasn't seeing things, "I…I won?" Upon realising what this moment meant, he grinned with sheer delight before jumping up and down with joy, "I mean, I won!" He cheered as Tank roared out with him too as the audience clapped and applauded for his efforts.
"Ahahaha!" The D Team laughed happily and gave Zander and Ed both some well deserved congratulations for a battle well fought.
"Way to go Ed!"
"You did good out there!" Laura and Rod both cheered and clapped praising Ed, something they never thought they'd ever do but this time he really deserved every amount of applause they could give for the spectacular show he and Zander put on.
Nearby, Reese sighed a little, disappointed Zander lost, but then smiled lightly still seeing he wised up and gave it his all regardless, as well as a battle everyone could be very proud of.
Dr Z, to Ursula's amazement, was so deeply moved by the performance he sniffled and teared up emotionally, "Never thought I'd ever say this but…." He choked gritting his teeth to fight back his tears before cheering out, "I'm so proud of them both! Bravo! Bravo! A fine match that was!" He clapped feeling deeply moved by the chilvary and manliness displayed. Next to him, Ursula scoffed at him acting so overdramatic before smiling and joining in the applause for her adoptive brothers too.
"And the second match draws to a heart stopping finale! Emerging victorious from the jaws of defeat is none other than Ed and Tank!" The MC announced as everyone continued to clap and cheer in honour of the match, their faith in their heroes restored.
Down below, after Ed recalled Tank, he walked up towards his good friend who met him up close and personal and greeted him with a smile, "Heh…Well Ed…looks like you beat me." He congratulated him, feeling most proud despite having lost and now neither of them had any regrets regardless of the outcome, with their dignity restored. "Make sure you keep on winning with your best….for all of us." He said holding out a fist to Ed.
Ed grinned as he fist bumped Zander back in agreement, "Heh, you betcha buddy." He said with full determination to carry their wishes into the next round. Their moment though was interrupted by the sounds of approaching footsteps mixed with clapping.
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
Seeing the brotherhood between them, Craig smirked as he walked towards them, getting their attention as they looked his way. By the time he made it to where they were, he folded his arms on his hips and then putting on a more serious look on his face. "I took you both to be plain old empty rocks to be tossed away." As he said that, the 2 of them were reminded of the harsh lecture he gave them in the middle of their match and in view of the whole world. It was a trauma they'd never forget as long as they lived, even worse humiliation than they had ever felt in their lives, so if he had more to say to them, they braced themselves ready to receive it. To their surprise though, his scowl then turned into a pleased smirk, "But you both proved me wrong." He grinned putting a hand on their shoulders, surprising them a little, "While a little rough around the edges, you guys proved to have a shiny gem inside you." He complimented them before patting them on the back, "Well done, well done."
His kind words made the 2 of them blush a little as they looked away rather sheepishly, "Ehehe…Thanks…."
"We've never had such words of respect and praise before….what a wonderful feeling this is…." Coming from Craig, it did help to soothe some of the ache and pain they suffered from his harsh words of reality a little, and in a way it made them stronger too, so they were grateful deep down for it though they didn't want to admit that.
"And you," Craig then said towards Ed who then pointed to himself in confusion.
"M...Me?"
The Earth captain nodded, "Yeah you," Craig replied as he held up a grin and thumbs up towards Ed, "You really displayed your mettle in that match, along with a rock solid spirit there when you fought for reals." He said making Ed feel very warm and moved on the inside. For as long as he knew he almost never had any words of praise or kindness shared to him like that, and it was coming from the very Sergeant he was terrified of from the start….perhaps he had him all wrong all this time, "I look forward to facing you and that spirit of yours in a no holds barred one on one duel when our match comes around!" Craig then grinned as he pointed at Ed…..Who then grinned back and pumped himself up feeling psyched and energised for a fight!
"Heh! Bring it on! I'll-" Everything came to a complete stop as Ed suddenly came back to reality, awakened from his excitement as he snapped back to his senses, "Wait…what am I saying?" Blinking his eyes, he then realised how badly he had been duped by reverse psychology and how he ended up in the very situation he wanted to avoid in the first place! "GAAAAH!" He squealed in a panic looking around frantically for a way to get out, "Zander! You've gotta-EH!?" He widened his eyes to see his buddy leaving him as he made a break for the exit!
"Hehe, looks like you're on your own now Ed." Zander snickered as he trotted off and waved at him goodbye, "See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" He laughed skipping away in a jolly manner seeing it was no longer his problem anymore, to Ed's horror at his betrayal.
"W…Wait! Zander! You can't just leave me! You traitor you!" He called out, clenching his hand into a fist. He was about to rush after and clobber his so called friend into a pulp….had Craig not grabbed him by the shoulder stopping him from going any further, "Eh?" Looking behind, Ed turned pale as a ghost as he saw Craig's sadistic grin and maniacal eyes stare right into his soul.
"Hehehehe! You've got stones I'll give you that. When our time comes, let's see if they break!" He grinned popping his knuckles which ere as loud as gun clicks, each one making Ed's knees shiver and buckle, "I'll be sure to polish your rough edges and refine you into a way better man than you are now!" He pointed out at Ed making him fall back on his butt, "Then after that I'll whip you up into a real soldier!" He declared pumping up his arms and flexing his biceps. The very thought of being put through that training regime again from the umpteenth time, made Ed turn pale and wet his pants before falling down unconsciously, which prompted medics to come out withy defibrillator in an attempt to revive him!
"Oh brother….." Ursula sighed seeing this was just embarrassing, Ed was so close to becoming a real man this time around, guess she was kidding herself there.
Seeing that pathetic display had gotten Dr Z's hopes smashed down again, "Hmph! Well that bozo better give us a real show when his next round comes around." he grunted believing he was kidding himself if he had expected his obese lack to have grown any at all, to see him whimper like a dog again just meant he'd have to whip him back into shape again and make him a real man, "In fact, I'll put him through a workout that would make that Craig guy's routine look like a mere warmup!"
"Ugh…." Ursula sighed facepalming feeling real bad for her friends, despite their very best it seems Dr Z would never be satisfied, nothing was ever good enough for him….
"And you make sure you don't screw up your battle too!" He suddenly yelled interrupting her thoughts, "Or else all of you will get it from me!"
Ursula blinked her eyes in confusion, "Huh? My battle? What are you-" She then widened them as the gears in her brain began to click together and she began to recall the tournament roster, "Wait hold on….the next match is…."
"And now folks, with round 2 over let's all take a 1 hour break so everyone can get refreshed or needs to go to the little dino's room." The MC called out calmly before grinning with excitement, "But rest assured, when we all return you'll be in for a treat for a battle between 2 lovely ladies! The Alpha Gang's Ursula and our D Lab's beloved marine queen Marina!" He stated as the screen of both female duelists appeared on the flying screen carried by a pair of small but strong flying drones.
"Woo hoo yeah!"
"You go Marina!"
"You're our goddess of the sea!"
Upon hearing the many fans cheering and whistling for the Resistance's Captain of Water easily swamping over whatever cheers were for her….if any, Ursula's forehead began to flare up red with bloody rage and veins, as she gnashed her teeth together and snorted like a mad bull about to charge, "Tch! No way am I going to let that….that….siren steal victory from me!" She was barely holding herself together as she recalled the humiliation from last time upon realising how Blaze was actually married to her, whom she deemed to be inferior to her in beauty….though with all the pent up rage and stress she built up to this point she was starting to develop a couple of wrinkles here and there. Though she didn't care in the slightest about self control at this point for there was only one goal on her mind she planned to achieve by any means necessary, "I'll roast her alive if it's the last thing I do!" The way she sounded…it didn't matter whether it be during or outside a dino duel, if anything she planned to do both.
And thus concludes round 2. A clash of back and forth with friendships strained between the Alpha duo and their dinosaurs at first. While at first faking the fight just to run away with some motivation and reverse psychology from Craig the 2 of them realise their error and thus fight like real men….though in the end it wasn't exactly the type of victory to celebrate.
From Craig's perspective while a loudmouthed drill sergeant he has an eye for talent and potential, motivating others especially his troopers to do their absolute best and not just 100% but go beyond it with hard work and determination. He also knows some people are born to do things others can't no one is equal, even those who are weak they at least give their best so he admires effort as much as results. Though he aims to toughen up others to their best like how gold or silver has to be refined purely (A term to earth and how metals are earth in a way). One thing he detests are those who do things half heartedly or stay at the bare minimum, detests sloths and laziness because they don't reach their potential which they fail to realise out of doubt or laziness. Like looking for diamonds in the rough he knows talent and potential when he sees it, and gets triggered when others not only not realise it but make no effort to achieve it.
(Plus you can say like Captain America he once began as small and skinny when young but trained hard and gave it his all to become the man he is now). Fun fact 2 methods of his exercise routine is lifting (Barbells with boulders on their ends instead of weights) or doing pushups while carrying his partner dinosaurs in chibi form on his back. Also tanking club blows from them too. As for Cera in her days of boot camp, think of her like Mulan where despite being a woman she outdid the men and got respect for women as a result. Surpassing Craig's expectations and then allowing female to join his squad.
Be sure to expect some development and backstory to the captains to come in their fights.
Stay tuned as it turns into a heated battle with a little feminine touch in it.
Reply to reviews
tsukikami02
I don't think I'll go into Dainason but I think I can say it's hidden deep in Dinosaur Valley and thankfully where some took shelter when Arkosaurus was unleashed.
You gave me the idea of that Erwin is infused with the spirits of the other dinosaurs so thanks for that. Seth does intend to live anew, and between Ed and Zander….you've got your answer though it's not a victory to celebrate hehe…
I plan to try and add more development for the characters and backstory here and there where I can diving deeper too into them and how they are who they are now.
Was thinking maybe change the villain in your story to ZongaZonga instead. Maybe you can include Mini King as well in your story since it was the Main dino of Max in the manga?
Drew Luczynski
Well while the 6 other dinosaurs died their spirits live on in Erwin now, didn't think of another name for him so I used the one by tsukikami. Wonder if you'll have ideas when you do a tournament of your own (Think you may have the villains take part in or crash it?)
Glad you liked the battle, hope this and the ones to come are good too.
On the topic of other universe one can maybe think how Seth said the cosmos stones span dimensions maybe your story and mine can be an alternate universe to the anime, same for the arcade game and manga too.